Case Study the Virgin Group Essay

PROBLEM: * The Virgin Group is so unrelated diversified that it has been criticized by some commentators because it has become an â€Å"endorsement brand that could not always offer real expertise to the businesses which it is associated†. So the real question is â€Å"Can The Virgin Group be good/successful in every business it gets into?† â€Å"Are they really adding a real value to each business/customer? * What will happen if a customer has a bad experience with any of the product lines of the Virgin Brand? Would that influence this customer to never try again another line of this brand? Some commentators have found a big risk with Virgin’s approach stating that: â€Å"The greatest threat is that Virgin Brand may become associated with failure†. Can that be possible? * Richard Branson’s is associated with the Virgin Brand, this sure has been the key to the success of this company, but can also his image fire back toward the Virgin brand if he g ains a bad reputation? What can be the consequences? FACTS: Organizational: * The Virgin Group is one of the UK’s largest private companies. (S) * The Virgin Group included in 2006, 63 businesses such as airlines, health clubs, music stores and trains. Also included Virgin Galactic which promises to take passengers into the sub-orbital space. (S) * The personal image and personality of Richard Branson, the founder of the Group is highly bound up with those of the company. (S ,W) * Branson announced in 2006 his plans to invest $3bn in renewable energy. (S) * Virgin’s partnership with cable company NTL, undertook an expansion into media challenging publicy the way NewsCorp operated in the UK and the effects on British democracy. (S ,W) * Virgin was founded in 1970 as a mail order record business and developed as a private company in music publishing and retailing. (S) * In 1986, Virgin was floated on the stock exchange with a turnover of 362.5 million (Euros). (S) * Branson decided to take the business back into private ownership and the shares were bought back at the original price offer, when the price of the shares began to fall and because of the pressure to create short-term profit. (S ,W) * Virgin’s expansion had often been through joint ventures whereby Virgin provided the brand and its partner provided the majority of the capital. I.e.: For cosmetics and clothing Virgin provided 1,000 (pounds), while its partner Victory Corporation 20m (pounds). (S) * Built business with Virgin Mobile, by forming partnerships with existing wireless operators to sell services under the Virgin brand name. The carrier competences lay in network management. Virgin set out to differentiate itself by offering innovative services. (S) * Virgin has been described as a â€Å"keiretsu† organisation. A structure of loosely linked, autonomous units by self-managed teams that use a common brand name. (S ,W) * Virgin Atlantic, which is owned in 49% by Singapore Airways is one of businesses Branson will never sell, despite of the cyclical nature of this business. He included airline businesses such as Virgin Express (European), Virgin Blue (Australia) and Virgin Nigeria in the group. (S) * Branson has reported about withdrawing from the business which more or less can run by itself now, hoping that his son Sam might become more a of Virgin figurehead. At the same time he launched his initiatives in media and fuel. (W) Environmental: * Branson’s public image and special appearances has contributed to the definition and recognisability of the brand. (O) * Virgin is putting up the Capital for Virgin Fuels and is using the brand to attract the attention to the issues and possibilities that the technology offers. (Different from the other business) (O) * In 2005 announced the establishment of a â€Å"quadruple play† media company providing television, broadband, fixed-lined and mobile communications through the merger of Branson’s UK mobile interests with UK’s two cable companies. (O) * Branson describes Virgin as â€Å"a branded venture capital house†. There was no â€Å"group† as such; Virgin was described as a family rather than a hierarchy. (O) * In 2006 Branson explained the basis upon which he considers opportunities: be global in scope, enhance the brand, be worth doing and have an expectation of a reasonable return on investment. (O) * Branson’s engagement with â€Å"greener† fuels has created a debate on measures to reduce carbon emissions from airplanes. (O) * The public flotation of individual businesses rather than the group as a whole has become an intrinsic part of the â€Å"juggling† of finances that underpins Virgin’s expansion. (T) * Virgin argues that its brand research indicated that people who have had a bad experience will blame that particular Virgin company or product but will be willing to use another Virgin product or service due to the very diversity of the brand. (O , T) * In 2000 Strategic Rail Authority Review voted Virgin Rail on 23rd and 24th place among 25 railway operators what had a great negative impact on Virgin Group overall reputation. (T) Values & Aspirations: * The Virgin name was associated with words such as â€Å"fun†, â€Å"innovative†, â€Å"daring† and â€Å"successful†. It was chosen representing the idea of the company being a virgin in every business it entered. (1) * Establish The Virgin Brand as a major global name. (2) * Virgin won an award for the best wireless operator in the UK. (4) * Branson saw Virgin adding value in the three main ways, aside from the brand: Public relations and marketing skills, its experience with Greenfield start-ups; and Virgin’s understanding of the opportunities presented by â€Å"institutionalized† markets. (3) * Each company is â€Å"ring-fenced†, so no company had no rights over the assets of another; providing not only financial protection, but also to a business ethic aspect. (5) * The increasing conformity between personal interest and business activities could be discerned in the establishment of Virgin Fuels. Branson has stated that by using non-oil-based fuels a Second Gulf War can be prevented. (7) * The line between personal conviction and business interests is everyday more thin. (6) KEY ASSUMPTIONS: * Branson’s taste for his brands of business remains undimmed so will surely continue this way. He has grown his business using the Unrelated Diversification Strategy, which is based in entering new businesses sectors outside the core activities; such as travel, telecommunications, trains, cosmetics. * He will continue investing in â€Å"Green companies† producing ethanol and cellulosic ethanol fuels in competition with the oil industry. He has already started to Go Green, so surely all his companies will follow this new eco-friendly trend. * Branson’s son may be taking the lead of the company in the future. His statements toward leaving the company in the future and let his son take the lead may be to prepare his entire workforce for this moment. * Even though the Virgin Brand is powerful, Branson’s image is strongly related to the company, so if he decides to go, will the next person in charge be able to maintain the same cultural organisation that has identified this company till now? * To be part of the World history, by becoming the most powerful Brand and Company, not only of the UK, but also Europe and make many other businesses in other Continents. * Become a leader of non-oil industry. His high investment in this area confirms his seriousness about this issue. * Continue investing on more R&D in new and innovative technologies in order to expand the company’s position in entertainment and telecommunications market. He is already the leader in the mobile service due to correct strategy and implementation. * Virgin Galactic may become the leading company to send humans to space, making this company be part of the Humankind History. SOLUTIONS: * So far Branson’s strategy has leaded him to success. He must continue making new alliances and also to strengthen the ones that have been made so far. The strategy used by the Virgin Group, based on Unrelated Diversification has been the key element of success of the company. This strategy has created a unique culture and corporate structure needed to build a strong competitive advantage. * The investment of new R&D technologies may make the difference for this company’s future. It has the potential to become a Giant in the IT area. * Continue gaining competitive advantage over the market by identifying themselves as the fun, playful and innovative company they have been so far. This marketing campaign has helped Virgin Brand to gain loyal customers. * Expand the Virgin Brand into new continents. Select another target markets in the Asian and African continents where surely can form alliances with local markets and gain competitive advantage by the strong growth potential.

Concept analysis Essay

The purpose of this paper is to expand the understanding of the concept of trust and its relation to the nursing profession as it functions as a whole. Trust is fundamental in all successful relationships from business to personal. Without trust there is no confidence to believe in what someone is telling or doing for you. Thousands of articles result from googling the word trust. Countless way to build trust in the workplace, with your loved ones, and in leadership are noted. Forbes magazine acknowledges the importance of trust in leadership and builds strategies based on trust to bring companies to higher profit levels and increased productivity (Horsager, 2012). Numerous polls on most trusted professions, place nursing in the top ten demonstrating the connection patients feel with nurses and their trust in them to have their best interest at hand (Wilson, 2012). According to Kahn (2013) â€Å"Nurses have ranked highest in honesty and ethics in America since Gallup began including the profession in the poll in 1999† (pp.2). The word trust is continually referenced throughout the ANA Code of Ethics as a basis for effective communication in all working and patient relationships. Trust is the groundwork for not only all nursing care but in any professional setting and without it relationships are compromised. So what is trust? Webster’s Dictionary defines trust the noun as the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; a charge or duty imposed in faith or confidence or as a condition of some relationship something committed or entrusted to one to be used or cared for in the interest of another (Trust, 2014). According to Changing Minds, (2013) â€Å"trust is both and emotional and logical act. Emotionally, it is where you expose your vulnerabilities to people, but believing they will not take advantage of your openness. Logically, it is where you have assessed the probabilities of gain and loss, calculating expected and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner  (pp.1). Dinc & Gastmens, (2013) describe trust as â€Å"a belief that our good will be taken care of or as an attitude bound to time and space in which one relies with confidence on someone or something, and as a willingness to engage oneself in a relationship with an acceptance that vulnerability may arise† (p.502). â€Å"When we trust others we accept that they will act honestly and that we can depend on them to behave in a predictable way, and that they won’t abuse our trust (Getting Comfy, 2013). Our dependence on those we trust leaves us vulnerable and we are essentially accepting that area of vulnerability: Dinc & Gastmans (2011) states, â€Å"Where one depends on another’s good will, one is necessarily vulnerable to the limits of that good will, and gives others an opportunity t o harm when one trusts, and shows confidence that they will not take it† (p. 224). Horsager, (2012) discussed the concept of trust in the following statement: As a leader, you are trusted only to the degree that people believe in your ability. Be open and transparent. Keep people informed. People are often more concerned by what they do not know than what they do. Explain your decision making process and the rationale for your decisions. Admit when there are problems and make relevant information available† (pp.4). Studies revealed that patients have a pre-existing trust, due to previous experiences with health-care providers, and a confidence in the nursing profession due to their extensive education (Dinc & Gastmens, 2013). â€Å"Authenticity in nursing leadership is often described as the glue needed to hold together a healthy work environment† (Pross & Sherman, 2010, pp. ). The general population has an initial trust in our law enforcement agencies due to trus t in the government’s intense application and training process. As infants we learn basic trust or mistrust depending on how well nurtured we are by our parents. Mcleod, (2013) explains, â€Å"If the care the infant receives is consistent, predictable and reliable they will develop a sense of trust† (pp.2.). Stockbrokers are trusted with life savings to invest and make sound judgments because they have proven their ability to produce large returns. Pastors are trusted that the sermon they preach is from the Bible, and we have faith, and hope that the Bible is true. Marriages thrive or fail all based on the trust of each other in the relationship. There are many facets to what trust actually means for each situation but all require certain factors to achieve that trust. The nurse- patient relationship  requires several conditions to establish trust. According to Dinc & Gastmans (2013) â€Å"availability and accessibility of the nurse, feeling emotionally and physically safe, feeling at home and valued as an individual, feeling adequately informed, and respectful communication† (p.507). In the professional context of a nurse it begins with a reliance on skills that then has the opportunity to evolve as a relationship is established through communication and actions. Raeve, (2014) states, â€Å"Patients appear to trust in a nurse’s skills made manifest through her professional qualifications† (p.157). When we meet someone outside of this context we rarely have and immediate trust of them. Trust in the laymen’s definition is something that is earned, over time and experience of prior social interactions. It’s a confidence and knowing that our closest friends will not do us harm. This is where the nursing profession is unique in that trust is given where no time has been available to earn that type of trust. Mathias, Pullen & Richard (2010) articulated a deeper understanding of fostering trust with patients: â€Å"A therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is defined as a helping relationship that’s based on mutual trust and respect, the nurturing of faith and hope, being sensitive to self and others, and assisting with the gratification of your patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs through your knowledge an d skill† (p.4) In the nurse-patient relationship, trust is built mainly through our ability as well as demonstration of benevolence by providing care with their best interest in mind as well as open communication. Mathias, Pullen. & Richard (2010) listed the following as guidelines for nurses to establish trust with their patients: 1. Introduce yourself to your patient and use her name while talking with her. A handshake at your initial meeting is often a good way to quickly establish trust and respect. 2. Make sure your patient has privacy when you provide care. Be sure that her basic needs are met, including relieving pain or other sources of discomfort. 3. Actively listen to your patient. Make sure you understand her concerns by restating what she has verbalized. 4. Maintain eye contact. Remember, too much eye contact can be intimidating. Smile at intervals and nod your head as you and your patient engage in conversation. Speak calmly and slowly in terms that she can understand. Your voice inflection should say â€Å"I care about you.† 5. Maintain professional  boundaries. Some patients need more therapeutic touch, such as hand-holding and hugging, than others and some patients prefer no touching. Always respect different cultures (pp.2). Common phrases containing the concept trust includes: trust and obey, in God we trust, trust is a two way street and trust your instincts. After analyzing all the uses of the concept of trust and what they have in common, I came up with the following critical attributes: Belief in ability and effectiveness to do something Genuine care and consideration for the best interest of all parties Interests are considered and respected Integrity displayed through consistency of action. Model case A patient is being admitted for an outpatient surgery, the nurse enters and introduces herself, tells her how long she has been a nurse and explains the process of what she will be doing. She then explains what will come throughout the surgical process from admission to recovery (belief in ability and effectiveness to do something). As the medication list is reviewed the nurse notices that the patient has a medication that is contraindicated with another she is taking and discusses this with the patient. The patient then expresses that she has been having side effects that she did not realize were from those the mix of medications. She thanks the nurse for noticing the mix up and states she feels so grateful to have her as her nurse today (genuine care and consideration). The nurse tell the patient she has to shave the groin area for the procedure. The patient appears somewhat apprehensive, so as the nurse pulls the curtain she explains what she will be doing and uses a towel to cove r exposed areas as she works (privacy and respect). The surgical bath is prepared as the nurse walks the patient through the process. The patient is a little more comfortable this time and as she is given a towel to cover exposed areas, she is more helpful as the nurse washes (consistency of action). Next the nurse must start the IV, the patient expressed her concern that the last time she was poked multiple times and that no one would listen to her when she told them the best placement. The nurse acknowledges this information and thanks her. She proceeds to look at the placement the patient prefers  and informs her that she will place the IV there. As she finishes up she explains to the patient that although sometimes we can go where you prefer , that it’s not always possible but to always speak up to the nurses because it is helpful (interests are considered and respected). Contrary Case A patient is waiting in the ER bay, the nurse walks in offering no introduction but hands the patient a gown stating, â€Å"put this on only underwear on underneath.† At the same time the nurse starts with a rush of questioning while the patient gets up to pull the curtain herself (no privacy or respect). The patient tries to describe her symptoms and the pain she is in but the nurse cuts her off mid-sentence and tells her to just tell the doctor when he arrives, she is only here to get a history, vitals and start fluids (no genuine care or consideration). The patient inquires as to how long the nurse has been practicing to which the nurse replies, â€Å"awhile† (No belief in ability). The nurse then begins to look at patients arm to look for IV placement, the patient tells the nurse easiest placement usually is from past experiences. The nurse tells the patient she hates when people try to tell her how to do her job (interests are not considered or respected). The nurs e then walks away and tells the patient she will be back to which a different nurse returns to continue the admission (no consistency of action). Borderline Case A patient is waiting for nurse to give her medications. The nurse comes in on time as always with the medications (consistency of action). The nurse remembers to bring in the patients favorite juice to take the pills down with (interests are considered). The patient tells the nurse she needs to use the bedside commode first so the nurse closes the door and tells the patient to push the call light once she has finished (privacy and respect). The nurse returns prepares to give the patient an injection but when the patient asks exactly what the injection is for the nurse does not know and simply responds, â€Å"it’s just something the doctor wants you to have.† The nurse then calls another nurse to verify where the shot should be given, all the while the patient is now concerned that the nurse should not be  administering the medication (no belief in ability or effectiveness to do something). Concepts related to trust: Integrity Benevolence Credibility Confidence Veracity Invented Case A boy spots a rainbow in the sky and is filled with excitement because if he finds the end he knows a pot of gold is waiting for him. The boy tells his best friend who has a special map that he drew just for this occasion and gives it to him to follow (belief in ability and effectiveness). The best friends tells him he wants to go to, that he has always dreamed of this day and so the boy invites him to come along (interests are considered). The two set off on their way to find the end of the rainbow and encounter a fork in the road. The boy admits he has no sense of direction and that every time his best friend chooses which way to go they end up in the right place (consistency of action). Together they decide to go right and before they know it they are at the end of the rainbow. As they approach a leprechaun appears and asks the boys to turn around so they won’t see where he hides the gold, the boys oblige and the leprechaun returns with a pot of gold (privacy and respect). Illegitimate Case An illegitimate use of the term â€Å"trust† Definition: Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. Use: â€Å"Trust me, I know what I’m doing.† Antecedents Consistency Integrity Communication Competence Consequences of Trust Commitment Cooperation Therapeutic relationships Respect Conflict Resolution In conclusion, the concept of trust remains a broad concept as a whole however it is better defined as it relates to each circumstance. Trust is continually evolving in the nurse patient relationship and as we become more educated and socially and emotionally aware, we are better able to assess the context of and redefine the way trust is established for that moment. Knowing the basics of building trust is just a stepping stone to becoming better leaders within our profession as we apply the skills across the continuum from patients to co-workers and other health professionals. References Changing Minds. (2013). What is Trust? Retrieved March 8, 2014 from: http://changingminds.org/explanations/trust/what_is_trust.htm Dinc, L., & Gastmans, C. (2011). Trust and trustworthiness in nursing: an argument-based literature review. Academic Journal, 19 (3), 223-237.doi:10.1111/j.1440-1800.2011.00582.x Dinà §, L., & Gastmans, C. (2013). Trust in nurse–patient relationships: A literature review, 20 (5), 501-516. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0969733012468463 Getting Comfy. (2013). Why Trust is the Foundation of Leadership. Retrieved March 5, 2014 from: http://gettingcomfy.com/2013/12/21/ Horsager, D. (2012). You Can’t Be a Great Leader Without Trust. Here’s How You Build It. Retrieved March 3, 2014 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/10/24/you-cant-be-a-great-leader-without-trust-heres-how-you-build-it/ Kahn, J. (2013). Nurses Are the Most Trusted Professionals in America. Retrieved March 5, 2014 from://healthpopuli.com/2013/12/16/ nurses-are-the-most-trusted-professionals-in-america/ Mathias, T., & Pullen, R. (2010). Fostering therapeutic nurse-patient relationships. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, 8(3), 4.doi:

Forbidden Island Reflection Paper

Background information Forbidden Island is a visually stunning ‘cooperative' board game. Instead of winning by competing with other players like most games, everyone must work together to win the game. At the beginning Of the term, the class was divided into several small-sized self-management teams that would be responsible to learn how to play Forbidden Island together under minimal supervision. Because this is the team that we will work together on different projects throughout the term, we have introduced ourselves to each other, UT we had very limited knowledge about each other.This would be considered as our first stage of Dustman's stages of group development: forming. There are six members in my team. I will call them by J, B, O, P and K. Based on first impression and very little knowledge about their background, before the game, I had the following perception about the team members: J and B both are Asians, but growing up in Canada. I thought they were rational and ass ertive because they are from JDK/MBA program, and law students are generally considered to have higher level of conscientiousness and emotional debility.P seemed very easy-going and agreeable, because she never showed any objection during our previous conversations. O was comparably quiet during our first meeting, so I made the assumption that she was more introverted. K recently came from India, according to my past experience with my Indian coworkers, who were generally strong-willed, hardworking and assertive; therefore, I presumed that K would have the same characteristics. Throughout our interactions during the game, would gradually realize that have made some typical perception errors, which will be discussed later.None of our team members have played Forbidden Island game before, so our knowledge about the game is close to zero. At the beginning of the Forbidden Island game session, teams were assigned to breakout rooms, which were small and closed rooms, giving us a prison f eeling. Analysis of team behavior For the three-hour session, we only played two rounds. Overall, the game experience with the team was quite pleasant. At the beginning, we spent a few min to set a goal and discuss the strategy.We agreed without raising any objection that our goal is to win the game cooperatively, because we hared the common belief that self-managed teams that demonstrate high group cohesiveness and collective efficacy are more likely to successfully achieve goals and accomplishments. With a common end goal in sight, we strategically started with ensuring we understand the rules. J had watched some Youth videos about how to play the game; thus she had a better understanding about rules. J took the leadership role to explain the rules.J made us grasped the main idea of the rules; however, since majority of us grew up in different countries with different culture background, we were instantly confused with some details of the rules. After struggling with the details f or about ten minutes, proposed to play a test round at novice level first. Everyone admitted that we would understand the rule more easily with hands-on experience. J continued her leadership role to direct the play at the beginning; the individual players permitted this guidance.However, as everyone feels more comfortable with the game and individual role, J easily surrendered the leader role in favor of the group dynamic of mutually shared cooperation among all. Meanwhile, team members' participation level was increased. With a better understanding of the each role's strengths and weakness, every player attempted to utilize their strengths and avoid their weakness in their moves. For each round, the player of the round would ask for an open discussion about the move he/she should take, and then the player would explain his/her decision on moves and ask the rest of the team for agreement.For me, such effective communication ensured that every move we made was towards the same direc tion. It was worth mentioning that B firstly communicated in this manner when professor Karamazov presented in the room, and then everyone else followed his method automatically. As far as am concerned, although Professor Karamazov did not make any verbal comments during her presence, we all felt her power as a professor as she put her hand at the back, this gesture, to me, indicated her Status of leadership, and we therefore inclined to impress her as students; as a result, we started to communicate in a more formal way.Moreover, it was intriguing to see how well the team members played when someone needed retention. The conversation took on an air of empathy for someone who could be taken off the board and everyone spoke on how best to save said player. It was with a shout of jubilation when everyone showed each individual player how to move toward the helicopter pad in order to fly off the island. The game was won and smiles and pats on the back were shared. The test round went o ver very smoothly. I did not sense much of competition among us, rather we were very cooperative and agreeable.Notwithstanding, we enjoyed more healthy competition in the second round and we played the amen more strategically. We increased the difficulty level to Elite for the second round. We started with examining our roles' strengths and the overall situation before making any moves. Although we followed the same effective communication method we used in the first round; I sensed more healthy competition during the discussion. Instead of being agreeable, each of the players competed for their ideas during the discussion.Surprisingly, O and J were the most actively participated in the debate for the best move, since I thought they were introverted and agreeable before. Due to some long abate during the game, the second round took about an hour to finish. If we examine our team success through effectiveness approach, we achieved the goal by winning the game at the end; on the other hand, if we examine the team's success through effectiveness, then suppose we failed to achieve the goal; since the game was designed for thirty minutes for each round, we spent the double time to win.Time as a resource was not utilized. Our team does not really have a leader, we all equally share the responsibly in coordination; however, no one managed to see the overall picture at the end, n this case is we were running overtime. Takeaways Forbidden Island is a well-designed cooperative game that is exciting and tense even when played at the novice level. While the game is simple there is a strategic aspect that keeps it interesting. From this game session, I was able to put some organizational behavior theories into application.I saw our team experienced Dustman's stages of group development. We started from forming stage, where the individual's behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Then we next enter terming stage, in wh ich different ideas compete for consideration. Then we came up with one goal and came to a mutual plan for the team at morning stage. Next, we reach the performing stage, where were capable of functioning as a unit as we find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate conflict or need for external supervision.Overall, I would evaluate the functionality of our team as above average. Even though, clearly there some improvement opportunities lies in increasing team performance efficiency; our team had a high level of collaboration and some lately competition to enlighten some innovative ideas. Team members personalities played an important role in how we enhanced our collaboration. At the beginning I made some typical perception errors, such as stereotypes, selective perception, self-fulfilling prophecy etc.J from JDK/MBA program turned out to be full of emotion, and K from India, instead of have strong opinions, is the most agreeable person on the team, an d O is not introverted at all, according to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, she would be .NET P type, who is innovative and entrepreneurial. Some important implications for my future repressions career obtained from this game play were, first of all, the real-life manifestations of five different stages of team development.

Chapter 4 discussion and analysis Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chapter 4 discussion and analysis - Dissertation Example these variables have no significant differences between grocery items and insurance (p > 0.05). Therefore, these variables should not be rejected because these factors significantly affect the purchasing behavior of online consumers when it comes to buying online grocery items and insurances. With regards to the length of time for transaction, several studies revealed that online shoppers are more likely to purchase online grocery items and insurances because of its convenience, reduced physical effort concerning the travelling from home to grocery store outlets or meeting a sales agent in buying insurances, and lesser amount of time it takes to complete a transaction (Kaufman-Scarborugh and Lindquist 2002; Verhoef and Langerak 2001; Keh and Shieh 2001; Raijas 2002). Likewise, the study of Yang et al. (2007) reported that security and privacy, the ease of use of the website, brand-name recognition, and pleasure associated with the purchase assistance provided online also positively a ffects the buying behaviours of online consumers. On the contrary, statistics result indicate that offering a wider choice of products (t = -4.321, p = 0.000), easy comparison of prices (t = -2.021, p = 0.046), sufficient information about the products (t =

Dealing with the task of payment of sport in high school Essay

Dealing with the task of payment of sport in high school - Essay Example The reduction of charges, on the current programs, will promote participation of more students in sporting activities. The lower the costs, the more enticing the programs will seem to the students. Relationships and interaction among students, at both school and the community level, will improve because of nondiscriminatory participation in common games (Woods 126). As such, use of communal and school sporting facilities will increase. This will translate to fit and energetic youths and a reduction of the lifestyle diseases. This presents an advantage of reduction of charges (Woods 29). Adversely, a reduction of charges on sports will lead to poor services. Proper and effective maintenance of the sporting facilities may suffer due to the little charged. This will lead to the facilities occurring in run-down conditions. Further, the poor payment to sporting staff and instructors may promote the exodus of this experienced staff to seek well-paying jobs. Districts may raise taxes to bridge the budget deficits arising from reduced charges in a sport. This presents a burden to the taxpayer (Woods 127).In the elimination of some sporting programs, the reflection of the main advantage occurs in the reduction of staff and expensive facilities (Woods 129). The need for large outdoor space, as is the case with sports like football, represents a headache due to limited space. Such games requiring large spaces may give way to games requiring smaller spaces. This further promotes specialization in a sport by the participants.

Ryle's criticisms of Cartesian Dualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ryle's criticisms of Cartesian Dualism - Essay Example This extends to existence as having two separate planes, a material existence and a mental existence, with the two planes diametrically opposed to each other and separated profoundly, having no link of causation between the two. In the physical world, people can communicate, but the mental conscious world is completely hidden from view and unknowable by others. To the question of what kind of knowledge can be obtained by the mind's workings, the Cartesian dualist perspective asserts that consciousness is able to get a good grasp of the present workings of one's mind, which cannot be shaken as unreal, in spite of inputs by Freud with regard to some unconscious, subconscious impulses that can also govern the conscious processes. The data is presented within the immediate time frame, available to the consciousness or mind. Together with this data are the fruits of one person’s going into himself, introspectively, to examine his mind's contents as a kind of self-observation. The o ther, meanwhile, is not privy and is completely shut out of this immediate consciousness experience. Even language is said to reflect this view of consciousness as something innate and to which the external actions in the environment register and make impressions. Ryle calls this whole infrastructure of thought the ghost in the machine dogmatic formulation. He contests this dogma on several grounds and objects to its validity. Ryle testifies that the whole ghost in the machine infrastructure or theory of mind is completely false (Ryle, 1949, pp. 11-16) â€Å"I shall often speak of it, with deliberate abusiveness, as ‘the dogma of the Ghost in the Machine’. I hope to prove that it is entirely false, and false not in detail but in principle. It is not merely an assemblage of particular mistakes. It is one big mistake and mistake of a special kind. It is, namely, a category mistake (Ryle, Descartes' myth, 1949, pp. 15-16, Paragraph #2) The core of the objection is with re gard to the Cartesian view of the dualism of mind and body as a category mistake and a myth of the philosopher, meaning that in essence those mental processes are miscategorized and made to fit a category to which they do not belong. Ryle gives the example of the University tour given to someone who after being shown the facilities asks where the university is as if the university was in the same category as the buildings and the grounds, rather than constituting the entire of it. He cites another example of a first-time cricket game watcher, who mistakes team spirit as being in the same category of the different players and the positions that they occupy, rather than being constituted by the cooperation and camaraderie of the players in the team. These are examples of category mistakes, to which the philosophers subscribing to the Cartesian dualist frame of mind likewise succumb to. In the examples, Ryle notes that the problem lay with the perceivers having difficulty in grasping t he nuances of language and the limitations of their vocabulary. It is the same with an ignorant man perceiving the constitution as something magical and ethereal, or the fictitious John Doe in the same magical and ghostly terms, because that ignorant man is unable to get away from using the categories of thought that he is familiar with when dealing with physical presences concerning the idea of the constitution and of John Doe. In

Business Strategy and the Economic Environment of Business Assignment

Business Strategy and the Economic Environment of Business - Assignment Example The European skies are leading in having one of the most competitive arenas. Airlines like Ryanair have in a huge way mastered this market and have as a result become quite successful over the years. This paper to a huge extent will look into Ryanair and how it has evolved and the internal and external factors which have shaped it. It will also focus on the ways in which the management has moved the airline forward and the directions are taken to expand it. The other focus is on its operations in relation to core competencies, strategic directions, competitive advantages and other relevant strategic decisions are taken. All these will be merged in various sections where they will be highlighted as they fall under the airline’s strategic practices. Ryanair’s history, as well as its present position in the airline business, is quite impressive. According to Miriam (2010) since 1985 it has reined the European skies overcoming competition from big airlines like British Airways. It is now one of the biggest airlines in the continent with passenger traffic of more than 66 million annually as per the 2009 end year results. The airline expects to have passenger traffic of not less than 73 million in 2010. It spans its services to over 25 countries and operates at least 1400 daily flights to over 160 destinations (Stefanie 2007). It also boasts of a huge fleet of aircraft of not less than 250. It is amazing to know that this airline started with only one aircraft with a capacity to carry 15 passengers in 1985. At this time its route was Waterford to London and by 1987 it had expanded to more destinations in Europe (Ryanair 2010). This was however made possible by the fact that the company had purchased a jet aircraft that was no t only fast but efficient. There was immense growth during its first 6 years of operations which were curtailed in 1990. This year remains in the history books and in the minds of many that worked for the company more so in the management positions.  Ã‚  

Ancient Epic and Tragedy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ancient Epic and Tragedy - Essay Example Seated around the altar of Zeus are Amphitryon, the man known as the father of Heracles, Megara, the wife of Heracles, and the three sons of Megara and Heracles. Heracles himself is believed to be dead, descended into the kingdom of Hades to retrieve the three-headed dog Cerberus, never to return. Amphitryon summarizes the history of the family as the play opens, introducing Megara and her three children and repeating the reason why Heracles had to leave his family. He embarked on his tasks for Eurystheus in order to succeed to the Fortress of Argos. However, because of the circumstances of his birth, Heracles has always to contend with the jealousy of Hera, the queen of heaven: ‘Whether Hera’s jealousy, or Fate’s decree, imposed/Such labours on him, who can say?’ (154) Heracles father is Zeus, the king of heaven, who seduced Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon. Amphitryon raised Heracles as his own son and loves and protects Heracles’ sons as his grandc hildren. Megara’s father, Creon, was king of Thebes but has recently been deposed by Lycus; this makes their situation very bleak and dangerous, Amphitryon states: Grandfather, mother and children are hemmed in and threatened on all sides. Murder leads to more murder in the rhetoric of this kind of tragedy. Lycus, in order to seize and consolidate power, must murder the royal family and all their descendents and relatives he can get access to. So, the family tableau with which the play opens, is one of tragic proportions already as they are prisoners of Lycus surrounding the altar of Zeus to appeal to the gods for their help. Overruling anything Megara might be able to do, however, is the jealousy of Hera that manipulates the situation around Heracles. Megara asks: ‘So now, father, what hope, what means to save our lives/Have you in mind?’ (155). Hope is the talisman that Amphitryon hangs on to and ‘hope’ is centered upon Heracles.

Worldwide Recycling Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Worldwide Recycling Comparison - Essay Example The composting of biodegradable waste products is also considered a form of recycling. The materials to be recycled are sorted, cleaned after collection, and then reprocessed to new products bound for manufacturing process (Blaine, Lichtkoppler, Jones, & Zondag, 2005). One of the countries that has effective recycling programs is Switzerland. Waste recycling in Oregon is done by following an act that makes a statewide system for managing solid waste. Most of the population places the tins, glass, newspaper, aluminium and other recyclable materials at curbside for pick up by the recycling companies. The materials may also be taken to public landfills, transfer stations and other convenient locations for pick up. After the materials are taken the collection centers, the full process of recycling follows until the products are sold in the market (Wong & S.-F, 2006). The process involves three main steps before the final product is released to the final users. Recycling includes the three steps that create a continuous loop represented by the conventional recycling symbol. The process encompasses the first stage that is the collection and processing of the materials to be recycled. The collection takes different shapes like curbside, drop-off centers and refund programs. The collection is followed by taking the recyclables t o a recovery facility to be sorted, cleaned and then processed into new products that can be used in the manufacturing industry (MacBride, 2012). The second step after material collection and sorting is manufacturing. Most of the products nowadays are made using recycled content. Most of the household products that have been made using recycled materials include among others, newspapers and paper towels, plastic and glass soft drink containers, steel cans and plastic laundry detergent bottles. The last step in the process is that of purchasing new products that are made from recycled materials.

Hotel Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hotel Marketing - Case Study Example PDR Hotels and Resorts is a world-renowned travel destination for many tourists around the world. Being a luxury hotel usually known to be situated in primary areas of every location where they are situated in, PDR Hotels and Resorts hold a strong sense of market control in terms of attracting travelers to book in their facilities found mainly in the United Kingdom, Dublin, Paris, New York, Moscow, Dubai, Singapore, India and the USA. Being well-distributed around the globe, PDR Hotels and Resorts already hold a strong and unbreakable reputation in the field of travel and tourism operations. However, as the market also changes the level of their demands from the said industry, PDR administration decides to go beyond the usual and traditional culture adapted by the organization in terms of locating their branches. Recently, the administration decides to buy a property located at the outskirts of a city. Hotel Mortloch is an old yet operating hotel that used to be recognized as a major destination for royalties during the time of its peak operations. Today though, the owners of the facility simply had other priorities to actually focus on the development of the area. Hence, PDR administration decides to take on the responsibility of reviving the reputation of the Mortloch hotel through buying the property and making it a part of their worldwide chain of operating hotels and resorts. However, approaching the need to market this particular new facility may not be as easy as 123, it should be observed. that unlike other PDR branches, this is located far from the center of the city. Besides that it has old facilities, major renovation needs to be done so as to mix the facilities of the hotel with that of the traditional appearance of PDR buildings around the

The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna Essay Example for Free

The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna Essay The Sand Pebbles was written in 1962 by Richard McKenna and it’s about Yangtze River gunboat in 1926 and McKenna had served aboard in 1936. The novel was later acted as film in 1966 that starred Steve McQueen, Candice Bergen, Mako, Richard Crena and Richard Attenborough. The movie was directed Robert wise after Anderson adapted the novel from McKenna. The novel depicts colonialism and racism of that time in both small scales, by showing the interaction between the Chinese coolies that operated boats and American sailors and the Chinese bar girls at the shore and large scale by showing how the gunboat diplomacy was used in dominating the vulnerable china thus reducing it to a virtual anarchy by political factions and feuding warlords. The Sand of Pebbles gives a reflection on the life of American navy at a time when the china sailors were in poor light. The native Chinese mocked them, while the superior officers treated with pride and were termed as an embarrassment by their people whom they were meant to protect. The military is not regarded as a career but a way to escape and even as a punishment. Given their universal lack of sense and respect, it’s not surprising that the sand pebbles have comfort in their menial tasks; this makes the pebbles to feel superior to some people. Jake arrives and has self respect and maintains the engine without seeking the imported help and prefers the company of his engine because they deliver their best and have no emotions like the human beings that bring about conflict between them. Care, respect and his affection towards the engine display a fragile and gentle side towards Jake which leads to friendship with Po-Han whose is one of the coolies because of his understanding for the engine. Jake is uncomplicated, straight forward, reasonable, honest and treats others with high respect but trouble begins when he, together with other Sand Pebbles conflict among themselves because of various features of the world affairs and those of the society. The destiny of horrible sailors that has no likely hood to inspire interest with less identification makes The Sand Pebbles a great novel. More so it handles themes like racism, social injustice, love, friendship, military intervention, brutality of war, among other themes. Political intervention and military is the focal point of the novel. San Pablo’s mission is to protect the interests of the Americans in the foreign country and using its military power if need be. This clearly displays the colonial approach and the enthusiasm of taking advantages of the obvious division in a developing nation. This is not very different from the today’s world where by the multinational companies play some roles in politics as nations defend each other because of the oil interests. The novel touches the lives of everyone, mostly the ones used as instruments for political plans and ambitions and the decreasing differences between the military and politics. Jake finds some features in the military and discipline too hard to stomach and within his ego feels that there is some thing he can contribute and henceforth he will be valued. Currently most of consider how to make our lives better by having better job but rarely do we think broadly about thing like the politics yet Jake in 1926 could think about nationalism and patriotism The missionaries and Shirley in china forego their nationality so that they can be accepted and win the respect and trust of the Chinese revolutionaries and volunteer to assist on development and education instead of defending their countries blindly. When Jake is invited he sees this invitation as a means of simplifying his life because he has undergone a lot of suffering in the system. Jake begins a process of personal development and growth that curiously reflect the kind of revolution that took place in china It’s a thought provoking, excellent novel where emotion keeps haunting the mind. Emotion is kind of the key to the novels success while McKenna deals with big issues and themes. The reality where by the insignificant individual are affected by the social strife and politics is shared to every one who reads the novel. It is a human anti war novel with a lot of sympathy and mind provoking though it’s not clearly understood by some critics. The novel touches on recurrent situation or lessons concerning identity politics and international exploitation where by instilled fear turns in to the social currency. The events and characters have critically illustrated moral slipperiness of identity and race, falseness of the political positions, the dangers that can about due to self indulgent, justifications of social righteous and finally how the moral judgment can be termed as useless once power play is a tool of encouraging violence to rise. What the hell happened are the last words of Jake, theses cap it all, that is exploitation and violence has a means of creating crowd mentality that strips individuals and nations of discernment, of sense, of the ability to assess complexity and steering the crowds in to false and arbitrary positions despite of the existing facts and what the majority of the people feel and think. When things get to this extreme, the ruling class mentality becomes to kill or either be killed. Reference Richard McKenna 2000) the Sand Pebbles, Naval Institute Press, US

Multiple Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Multiple Intelligence Essay 1) How would you compare and contrast constructs of intelligence and achievement? Though often linked with each other, intelligence and achievements are neither the same thing nor does possessing intelligence automatically results in a person being an achiever. Intelligence is only a part of the entire package and process that allows one to reach his or her goals. Success or achievements are met with the mixture of intelligence, hard work, and the right opportunities. At the same time, a person may have the passion and the willingness to work for a particular goal, but still not make it. One still needs the inborn talent that will enable him or her to do the work needed. Thus, intelligence is one of the many yet essential factors for achieving. It may be inborn, but it still needs to be developed to its full extent. If intelligence goes un-nurtured, then it is useless. One’s environment and learning are interdependent with one’s genes for the development of his or her intelligence, and ultimately with his or her capability to achieve. 2) How would you describe Gardner’s theory of intelligence? Do you agree with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences? Why or why not? Gardner believed that intelligence is multi-faceted and flexible. He attacked the idea that intelligence is a single immutable entity created by just one source and is easily measurable with math and language IQ tests (Smith, 2008; Benson, 2003). Gardner proposed humans have seven types of intelligence: â€Å"linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal kinds of intelligence† (Smith, 2008, n.p.). I agree with Gardner that there is no single, accurate way of measuring people’s intelligence because people have different talents or intelligence. Humans have their own unique mix of intelligence; they may excel in areas where others do not and vice versa. Gardner’s theory does not limit intelligence into a single box. I believe that to be true since it is unfair to judge a kind of talent as better as or more rewarding than others. People ought to know that there are different realms of intelligence. They ought to realize theirs for the sake of forming their personality, building up confidence, and nurturing their competence. Gardner wrote that people need to know what they can do to understand themselves and live productively and effectively (cited in Smith, 2008). In conclusion, Gardner recognizes that there is no single construct of intelligence. Intelligence goes beyond classrooms and report cards, and this, I think, is the most important for people to understand.

SWOT Analysis Of The Post Office Ltd

SWOT Analysis Of The Post Office Ltd The Post Office Ltd in United Kingdom, a subsidiary of Royal Mail Group Ltd, attained its separated identity in 1987 Post Office in UK is quite famous for two main services, first and the obvious one from its name is clear, that it provides the Postal services to its customers. Second reason for its popularity is the Post Office Card Account which is basic account allowing customers to collect benefit payments. There are other services also being provided by the Post Office, which are discussed in brief in the assignment. Today, Post Office has around 11,843 (according to an auditor working for the post office) branches spread around UK, and offer various range of services for its customers. The management of Post Office have been very resourceful in adopting technology as a part of its operational functions, with the new horizon system introduced in the year 2000 (ref), revolutionizing the basic system of serving Post Office customer. As, technology is advancing, traditional manner of Post ing letter is fading away, exposing the entire Post al industry with danger of extinction. Thus, it has now become imperative for the organization like Post Offices to conduct a through SWOT analysis in order to sustain and survive in immensely hi-tech global market. Strengths The Post Office of United Kingdom has to be appraised of its diversified operations. The process of division and diversification can be traced back to the year 1986, when the company got separated and became subsidiary of Royal Mail Group Ltd, to attain its separate identity from mere the once providing the Post al services. The process of diversification was persistent and continuous and today Post Office provides more than 8 different kinds of services to its customer veering from saving and investment, to telephone and from government licenses to bill payments. So, it would be justified to evaluate this diversification of Post Office in different services to be one of its major strength. This diversification helps Post Office to attract a large mass of customer, ranging from men, women and children, old and young as well as business and social. Extensive and Diversified Services The different kind of services that the Post Office provides starts from its Post al services, where the branches accept mail for two collection and delivery divisions i.e. Royal Mail and Parcel Force. In banking services, the Post Office has arrangements with various banking corporations and customer of these banks can use basic services of banks like cash withdrawals and cash deposit. In savings and investment services, the Post Office since long has been an agent of national saving and investment, providing customers with the basic services of depositing money and withdrawals from their saving accounts. For telephone services the Post Office provides home landline telephone services, and also provides top-up for various services networks. Insurance services is quite diversified in itself, as Post Office provides insurance in most of the areas, starting with Car and Van Insurance, Home Insurance, Business Insurance, Life (term) Insurance, Over 50à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s cover (for elderly citizens) pet insurance and its very famous travel insurance. Foreign Exchange services is a very essential service that the Post Office provides, as the customers just walk in to their Post Office and can convert currencies, but not all Post Office branches provide these services. Government Services include providing checking and sending services for passport Offices and the driving license authority (DVLA), and providing fishing and well as road tax. It was important to briefly describe the services the Post Office provides, as it is one of its major strength diversified services for diversified group of people. Post Office has done extremely well in identifying its opportunities in the past and kept on introducing new service lines in its portfolio, this has helped the Post Office to survive in its long journey, and grabbing these opportunities in the past has today become its strength, the Post Office no longer just survives on the Post al services that it provides to its customer, and has successfully made its other services like insurance and license services very profitable. Infrastructure The venture of General Post Office began in the 1660, by Charles II and has eventually evolved as the modern Post Office as we know of today. Today the Post Office has around has 12,000 branches spread widely and all around UK. This major establishment sure has taken time, but today when we evaluate this wide coverage by the Post Office it sure is its true strength. The only word to describe this coverage by the Post Office is National infrastructure. It truly has developed over a period of time a national infrastructure enabling it to reach to each and every customer all around UK. Possessing this national Infrastructure is quite advantageous for the Post Office as it becomes quite effortless to make its new product reachable. This large infrastructure also facilitates more customers spread all around UK. It has also helped the Post Office to reach its customer and for the customers to reach it easily, making them closer and intact with their customers. Weaknesses Improper distribution It is very important for every organization to be able to evaluate its weakness. Weakness is internal interference that becomes hurdle for the organization to achieve its objectives. In case of Post Office the operations have been suffering losses since the year 2006 and the management had to take drastic measures to convert these losses in profit in order to survive. There lies the weakness in its strength of national infrastructure, in the financial year 2008-09 the Post Office had to close down around 2500 Post Offices all around UK in order to reduce the operating expenses of the organization. The organization had around 14,376 branches spread around UK, which got reduced to around 12,000 branches in the year 2009, which shows how the distribution of the Post Offices was unproductive. Unproductive distribution of Post Office resulted in division of customer to a part that it became unprofitable. Questionable customer service quality Out of its extended number of branches which is around 12,000 only 373 are directly owned by the Post Office Ltd. The rest around 98% are either sub-Post Offices or franchise are privately owned. The Post Office has not got any consolidated training system, which would enable its braches to provide consolidate training to its customer advisors. The only training method adopted in Post Office all around UK is the old staff training the new staff, which is certainly not a professional manner of training a staff. Training becomes an important part of working with the Post Office as the system it uses to serve the customer is horizon. It is a very complex hi-tech system, which enable the advisors to reach all its product with ease, but in order to be able to use the system efficiently, a systemized training methodology should be adopted, which is not practised in case of Post Offices. Hence leaving an efficiently trained customer advisor to serve the customer, which certainly reduces its quality of services, and the direct effect of these can be seen with the Post Offices losing its largest footfall customer to highly efficient and quality customer services competitors. Industrial dispute Post Office is a subsidiary of Royal Mail Ltd, which also own Royal Mail, and Parcel Force, which are its collection and delivering division. Royal Mail is been a centre of a number of recent industrial disputes with the Communication Workerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Union. The extended dispute between the management and the staff lasted around 7 months and resulted into the staff going on a number of strikes, which disrupted the business severely. Post Office thrives certainly, but not majorly on its Post al foot fall customer for its other services. There was a enormous decrease in the number of Post al customer, because of the strike called on by CWU, in the year 2009, which makes its internal dispute with the staff a major weakness. The strike carried on by the staff resulted into inefficient delivery of the mails, which makes the customer hunt for another more efficient delivery or courier service provider, hence decreasing its own customer line. Opportunities Extensive range of services enabling cross-selling opportunities Extended customer line of the Post Office, from banking, Postal, investment, insurance, pension, licensing customer and others provides a huge potential to the Post Office to enable the cross selling to its customer. Every pension customer is a potential over 50 life cover customer, and bureau de change customer is a probable customer for selling travelling insurance. Every DVLA customer is a probable car insurance customer. With such a huge potential customer foot fall, the Post Office surely gets a competitive advantage over its rivals in the market. Further consolidation in the banking industry The Post Office offers a huge line of financial products, from foreign exchange, to insurance, from credit cards to investment opportunities to its customer. The Post Office offers basic banking services by the means of cash withdrawals, cash deposit, cheque deposit etc, looking at such a huge line of customers. The post office should capitalize on their banking customers by providing basic savings and current account services either through organic growth or with a joint venture with a trustable partner and take advantage of reforming financial services. A national infrastructure would surely provide them with the competitive advantage and make their operations economical and sustainable for longer period of time. Further consolidation of brand image The Post office in the year ending 2008-09 closed down 85 of its crown post offices, out of, which 70 were sold to W H Smith, which is expected to make 2.5 million in additional profit in that financial year. This strategy can be critically evaluated and taken at a next level, by creating a joint venture with Hallmark, Greetings cards or such established organization, to which posting services can be related. The customers will have the convenience of two related services at a single stop. This can work in advantage for both the organization as it adds value to the product and the services. Threats Revolutionary changes within the Industry The postal Industry, is going through a lot of changes, technology is taking over the traditional mailing system. People as well as corporate industry rely heavily on technology for communication. Using the technology has its own set of benefits, as it is safer, cost effective and faster than traditional mailing methods. Advancements in technology are inevitable and the near future can be visualized with reducing dependence on postal system. This is a sure threat for the postal industry as technological advancements is eating away its probable market. A research conducted at the royal mail showed a reduction of 10 million customer using postal services compared with the last year, this give a serious indication as to how the reliance on the postal system is reducing (http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?q=royal%20mail%20striketab=allscope=allstart=2). Increase in competition The mailing industry is becoming intensely competitive, unlike in the past, where the post office enjoyed the monopoly of having the maximum share of the industry. Companies like DHL, TNT, Fed-ex etc are providing intense competition to the UKà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s oldest posting organization. The customer has evolved from merely being cost effective to cost against time evaluation, today the customer are ready to pay a suitable extra amount for ensuring the time and safety of the delivery, the private players have certainly gained their confidence in this sector by providing safe, secure and timely services. Thus, the Post Office faces sever competition from these private players in national and international market. Overall assessment of the organisationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s position 10% of the marks are allocated for overall conclusions on the balance of SWOT elements. SWOT analysis is a continuous process, and just as important as other management functions. The fact that the post office has been extending its line of product and service offerings to its customers proves that the post office has been conducting a continuous research on the product line. Recently, it has been offering its postal services on-line, which facilitates the customer to utilize their services at the comfort of their home. Industrial dispute, for which the Royal mail has faced much criticism, has proved very damaging for it overall brand image. National joint-venture or organic growth in banking industry is one of the biggest opportunities that lie in-front of the post office. Advancing the product line of the post office, a national level merger with W H Smith or any other stationary or greeting cards organizations will be an opportunity of adding brand value to its organization. Finally, talking about the threat that the post office faces is quite clear with the significant increase in the number of customer reeling on technology to communicate. Modern customer is ready to let go of cost if the services offered are time specific, private player are surely a notch ahead of post office in providing such time efficient services, which gives a set back to post office services. But, I see a promise in post office management, as it has been able to overturn its losses into profits and been able to maintain an extended and well diversified product and service portfolio, which I see being continued in the near future.

Nothing But the Truth :: essays research papers

Nothing but the Truth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Philip Malloy is a high school student. He is in the ninth grade at Harrison High School in New Hampshire. The story begins when Philip keeps humming the Star-Spangled Banner everyday in his homeroom class during the morning news and announcements. Philip is in Mr. Lunser’s homeroom class. The faculty rule is that everyone is to be silent and stand up respectfully during the playing of the national anthem. Teachers and other students thought it was annoying and started getting tired of Philip’s humming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Philip enjoys running and looks forward to trying out for his school's track team. His middle school coach had told the coach at the high school that Philip was a really good runner. His hopes are crushed when he learns that he cannot try out for the team because he has a 'D' in English. Philip is not fond of his English teacher, Miss Margaret Narwin. He does not like her at all and thinks she is the meanest and dumbest teacher in the world. She always gets on his nerves. She wrote a letter to her sister, Anita, and told her that she liked Philip. She said he was intelligent and that he had potential, but he irritated her because he did not have the desire to learn. Philip studied for his winter term exams but did not bother to study for his English exam.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the spring term, the faculty made changes and Philip got assigned to Miss Narwin’s homeroom class. Things got worse when Philip was assigned to her homeroom as if being in her English class wasn’t bad enough. When Philip got back to school he found out he was assigned to counseling. Philip was furious and still wanted to get out of Miss Narwin’s English class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miss Narwin is always sending Philip to the principal’s office for creating disturbances. Philip makes jokes and fails Miss Narwin’s tests on purpose. He couldn’t pass her class and she couldn’t take a joke. Philip keeps a diary of everything that happens and of everything that goes on in his head.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Philip gets into big trouble. Miss Narwin sends him to the vice-principal’s office for humming the national anthem. He gets suspended for a week. It is the nature of the disturbance, humming during the Star Spangled Banner that creates a huge controversy. A chain reaction of events turns the conflict into a patriotic issue.

Learning and Memory Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Learning and Memory Learning and memory are not unitary processes. Learning is the process by which new information is acquired; memory is the process by which that knowledge is retained. Learning can be divided into two types: 1)Explicit memory is the conscious acquisition of knowledge about people, places and things. It occurs in the highly developed vertebrate brain ,mainly in the diencephalic structure (1). 2) Implicit memory is the non conscious learning of motor skills and other tasks. It does not depend on the temporal lobe, but involves the sensory, motor associated pathways in the expression of learning process. This type of memory can be studied in higher invertebrates whereas explicit learning is only studied in mammals (2). After reviewing the enormous amount of information pertaining to memory and learning, I decided to focus on two areas of interest: the actual mechanism of learning and the process of consolidation which relates to how something that is learned is then stored as memory. The first area of interest involving learning has been elucidated by the concept of long term potentiation (LTP) in mammals and vertebrates and the second related area of consolidation has been elucidated by an invertebrate model of Aplysia. Long term potentiation can be defined as a long lasting increase in synaptic effectiveness which follows from high frequency of stimulation of afferent fibers. Although LTP occurs throughout the nervous system, it's focus has mainly been in the hippocampus which is involved in the formation of certain memories (1). Furthermore, LTP has been found to occur in not only the mammalian brain but also in other vertebrates such as the goldfish, bullfrog, bird and lizard. Characteristics of L... ...ns needed for growth. This shows that long term changes in both mammals and Aplysia are linked to gene induction which leads to synaptic growth (3,4). In conclusion, the structural changes implicated in long term memory are due to new protein and mRNA synthesis. These changes in transcription and translation can be initiated by repeated exposure to modulatory transmitters (5 HT) which mimic the effects of hormones and growth factors. Furthermore, through second messenger systems that regulate gene expression, modulatory transmitters utilized for learning can initiate synaptic growth. Internet Sources: http://oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/apstracts/1995/jn/April/8n.html http://oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/apstracts/1997/jn/December/353N.html http://oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/apstracts/1997/jn/February/45n.html http://oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/apstracts/1997/jn/December/320N.html

Jourody Free Essay Journey of Odysseus in Homers Odyssey :: Homer, Odyssey Essays

The Journey of Odysseus In Homer's epic The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus attempts to complete his journey home from Troy. On his way home, however, he angers the sea god, Posiedon, who curses him to travel for ten years on the sea, to loose all his men, and to return on a stranger's ship. During the ten years, Odysseus overcomes many hardships, and visits unique destinations in the world along the way. Each place has several symbolic meanings and themes that are found even in today's society. During his journey, Odysseus will attempt to find his place in the world and make a name for himself, make difficult leadership decisions pertaining to his men, and tries to overcome the natural curiosity and greed that is in man's mental makeup. Although the lure of home drives many of Odysseus' reactions to the obstacles and challenges that are placed in his path, he also follows the calling of a more subtle force. This force is what makes him go to Troy in the first place, and is what dictates his actions on his journey home. The force is Odysseus' own desire to make a name for himself in the world, and to become one of its heroes, forever remembered in song. When his men had reached the Land of the Lotus, he was careful not to eat of the food there. The fruit of the Lotus would cause the consumer to forget who he was, and his quest in life, replacing all impulses that had existed before with only one desire: to eat of he plant (Timeless Myths). Odysseus, however, did not wish to submit to the "passive peace of the Lotus Lands" for two reasons: one more obvious [the desire to return home to his family], and the other hidden but just as strong [the antipathy he possessed about his name diminishing to nothingness on an islan d] (Steiner 112). In fact, this pride is what spurred his outburst when leaving the land of the Cyclops. He had outwitted and injured the monstrous beast, and yet, it was not enough. When he deemed that he was far enough away, he shouted his true name back to the Cyclops, making sure that the Cyclops knew that it had been he, Odysseus, who had put out his eye (Timeless Myths). Although this action may seem to have been rash and stupid to outsiders, Odysseus was actually insuring that he would not be thought of as Outis [nobody] (Steiner 120).

Market Mix

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDIES – BANDARI COMPUS KIBWANA . K. MATAKA REG NO: D61/70919/2008 MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSIGNMENT A. IDENTIFY A FIRM OPERATING IN KENYA AND ANALYSE ITS PRODUCT MIX USING BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP MATRIX (BCG MATRIX) B. FOR THE SAME FIRM DISCUSS HOW CHANGES IN THE MARKETING ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS HAS AFFECTED MARKETING ACTIVITIES. C. IDENTIFY LAWS/ACTS IN KENYA AFFECTING MARKETING. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LAW/ACTS. A. Identify a firm operating in Kenya and analyse its product mix using Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG Matrix)In order for us to discuss the identified firm operating in Kenya and analyse its product mix using Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG Matrix) its important to discuss Boston Consulting Group as concepts then we apply and analyse the company identified. Boston Consulting Group Matrix which is also referred as BCG Matrix, Boston matrix, Boston Box, Boston Matrix or Boston Consult ing Group analysis is a chart that has been created by Bruce Henderson for the Boston Consulting Group in 1970 to help corporations with analyzing their business unit or product lines.Among its uses this model helps organizations to allocate resources and is used as analytical tool in branding marketing, product management, strategic management and portfolio analysis. For the purpose of our discussion we will analyze the East African Breweries Ltd (EABL) which has an annual turnover of over 30 billion and has the largest share of beer industry in the region. The group employs more than 1000 people across East Africa. We intend to skew our discussion on the Kenyan perspective of the company.Generally, Boston Consulting Group matrix considers two criteria the native market share and marketing growth rate. Categorically it separates products into four areas namely:- * Stars * Question Marks * Cash Cows * Dogs Question Marks Under question marks products we argue that Alvaro which is a non alcoholic malt drink qualifies to be considered into this category. These products which are also referred as problem child have high growth rates but low relative market share. In the first six months in the market the company had spent over 600,000 to promote it.Thus they are known to be growing rapidly and thus consumes large amount of cash. Alvaro has shown the potential to gain market share and become a star and eventually a cash cow when the market slows. However if the question mark does not succeed in becoming a market leader it will degenerate into a dog when the market growth declines. Question marks must be analysed carefully to determine the direction in which they are moving toward to. Stars In November 2004 EABL introduced Senator keg brand into the market.The brand has high performance since it is providing affordable and high quantity alternatives for illicit brews. It targets the low income earners. This brand qualifies to be a star. Senator Keg is probably rela tively new product in the growth phase because they have high market shares, however they may be generating sufficient growth profits to cover their investment needs. By 2008 the product had passed the mark of 3500. This products will become cash cows of the later years but it currently unlikely to be enerating a high level of revenue due to the high level of investment required to expand the product. Usually the predominant strategy is to grow then to the next stage the â€Å"cash cow† where most profits are made. To achieve this company is using the ‘Tuko Mtaani’ na senator keg promotion as the main marketing campaign. Cash Cows Tusker is the main brand for EABL with over 30% of the Kenyan beer market selling more than 700,000hectolitres per year. This brand was launched in 1923. Tusker beer has high market share in a show growing industry.This product typically generate cash in excess of the amount needed to maintain the business. With this product the market life circle has moved to maturity and the growth is slow. They are regarded as staid and boring state. Tusker beer as a cash cow, also benefit from low production costs, reaping the advantages of experience or learning curve, plus product loyalty. Pilsner beer brand may also be categorized in this category. Dogs They are products which have little or no prospects. Some books refer them as pests. These units typically break even generating enough cash to maintain the business market share.It may not yet be making a loss unless it is demanding disapproriate use of overheads. Hence this category and just like the problem child should be thoroughly analysed with a view of either improving it or even discontinued as soon as it becomes a burden. Whitecap beer brand falls under this category. It is one of the oldest brands which is targeting high ranking professional people. The overall goal of this ranking is to help corporate analysts decide which of their business units to fund and how much which units to sell.The above discussed can be summarized in the table below:- StarsSenator Keg| Question marks/problem ChildAlvaro| Cash Cows * Tusker * Pilsner| DogsWhite Cap| Market Growth Rate Low High Market Growth Rate HighLow Relative Market Share B. FOR THE SAME FIRM DISCUSS HOW CHANGES IN THE MARKETING ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS HAS AFFECTED MARKETING ACTIVITIES. The Marketing Environmental factors for Kenya Breweries consist of the actors and forces that affect the company ability to develop and maintain successful relationship with its target customers.In the last three years the company experienced changes in the marketing environmental forces. These marketing environmental forces may be categories either as micro environmental forces and macro environmental forces. The changes in micro environmental forces will be discussed by looking at both the internal and external environmental forces. The changes range on the following areas:- * The company * The suppliers * Marketing intermediaries * Customer markets * Competitors * Publics During the period under review the company experience a marketing change (physically) of the top management.Recently the top management experienced a shakeup after the CEO – Mr. Gerald Mahinda, leaving the company to South Africa based company Brand house. This calls for readjustment, internal rearrangement, which affected the marketing programmes, plans and actions. More adjustments are expected since the person replacing Mr. Mahinda – Mr. Seni Setu from Ghana was working with Coca cola it is expected that he will pump in the skills gathered from the rival firm. During the electioneering period year 2007/08 the country witnessed massive violence and destruction of properties.The most affected region is the Rift Valley and central Province. These are the regions which are known for growing barley which is the main raw material for beer processing. It is in record that farms were set ab laze and farmer displaced. This greatly affected and disrupted the supply pattern and equally affected the cost of acquiring the raw material. In a large extent this compelled the company to resort to alternative sources of raw materials. Since the traditional suppliers were no longer reliable, stock not available.This greatly raised the production cost and hence cost shifting process was and is still being administered. This fact has been captured by the EABLS2009 half year results report which had the theame of â€Å" growth in extraordinary times†. Changes in Marketing intermediaries such as resellers, physical distribution firms, marketing services agencies and operations of financial intermediaries has greatly affected the marketing activities of East African Breweries and the country at large. The period under review witnessed the introduction of telebanking services.The Mpesa and Zap concepts for the safaricom and Zain mobile service providers greatly affected the mark eting intermediaries. In fact some resellers are now partnering with these two services providers. This has smoothen the marketing activities and shortened transaction period. Our discussion on marketing intermediaries is not complete without looking and analyzing the aftermath of post election violence in particular. The period under review witnessed the physical redistribution of reseller, firms and the potential customers.The resellers, firms and customers migrated away from volatile regions to neutral grounds. The company areas forced to utilize the research and development department to analyse this new trend of distribution of resellers; physical distribution firms and relocated customers. In order for East African Breweries Limited to create satisfying customer relationship it must partner with marketing intermediaries who form an important component of the company’s overall value delivery system to customers. The resellers who are at times referred to as middlemen are the main players for the company.The company distribute their products through the wholesalers to the retailers before reaching the final customers. The wholesalers are considered as the distributors. Hence like explained earlier all these were affected by the post election violence. However still the company did a lot of the intermediaries marketing. For example 500 bars were recruited and activated, 2500 waiters trained and modules and CDS manuals provided. The East African Breweries Ltd position and strength in relation to the competition and its market share has a very important influence on company strategy.The period under discussion saw the entrants of new players and aggressive advancement of new competitions such as Keroche Industries and Kuguru Food Products. This led the company into trying to reach out for the new products such as the new brand of customers. The introduction of non-alcoholic drink (Alvaro) which is a flanker product and meant to attract other customers. In order to the capture the market from illicit brews. The company introduced the Senator keg. This new products exposed the company to the major marketing battle with the Coca cola company.Under competition companies usually derive their marketing strategies from the competition rather than customer orientation. According to research about 70% of Kenyans predominantly Christian populations do not drink alcohol but do socialize in bars and pubs. According to Ndirangu Maina, – the Managing Director of Kenya Market Research firm (Consumer Insight Africa) â€Å"The non alcoholic business was owned by Coca cola, its amazing that an alcoholic company would think of that before coke. † Like explained earlier over 600,000 has been pumped for this product.The fact that we have competitors in the market implies that Kenya breweries is not a monopoly. In fact they are at times challenged by the traditional brewers who have cheap products. This prompted the company to introduce new products such as Allsops and Senator keg into the market. Basing our next argument on the studies of Kotler by looking at the seven types of publics. For the last three years all the seven publics were affected by a number of changes. The period witnessed the formation of East African Community, this has led to the company advancing into all east African Countries including Rwanda and Burundi.This greatly increased the size of publics for example citizens action publics include consumer organization, local publics, general publics and the internal publics have been increasing. This greatly changed the marketing strategies, plans and timings. Our second part of discussion is based on the macro environmental forces which are factors over which the organization has least control over the last three years. These factors have greatly changed hence affecting the marketing activities. Changes in social cultural environment is from two dimensions – social and cultural. Kibera F. N. and Waruingi B.C advance an argument of the concept of â€Å"oneness† among Africans. This belief further influences distribution in that many African distributor find it unethical to expand profit base at the expense of their own. It has further been argued that consumers go for imported goods because they view them as superior. Also related to culture are norms and believes for example EABL will not concentrate on North and eastern province because of traditional norms and religions and beliefs on alcohol. However for the purpose of our discussion let us look at social factor associated with demographic patterns.The perpetual pull of the urban centers and the push of rural centre’s have lead to concentrating the population on urban areas. This trend has now changed to pull those urban areas which have more cosmopolitan status which was as a result of post election violence. There a number of people lost their lives. This clearly shows that clenographic patterns ke eps on changing with the interaction of people and the other element of cultural borrowing and sharing. Generally the urban population is characterized by the sprawling slums for the low income people.The company resorted to introducing Senator keg campaigns of the Tuko Mitaani so s to capture this market. The fact that cultures are for people and people form the markets hence any changes in them greatly affects the marketing structure and strategies. There is negative publicity or rather attitude of the society towards bar attendants. Recently the company as a marketing venture resolved to national campaign of training the bar attendants and to a large extent sending the message to the society that there is nothing wrong with those who deal in alcohol a total of over 2500 waiters have been trained.Further those one found sellers of their products by training them they greatly improve their image and sales. The world is currently experiencing economic crunch. Inflation is on the ris e and it has passed 29. 30%. This means the cost of production is increasing, also consumers are now conscious of the prices and priority is placed on primary products. Hence EABL is witnessing a shift of customers to cheaper brands. Here the Tuko Mitaani promotion came into play. Unemployment or disguised employment is on rise. This affects the customers behavior because of absence of source of income.Further for those who are employed due to the world economic crunch and inflation, the disposable income is mainly spent on primary goods. Hence the percentage which is normally being left for luxuries is being reduced and further consumer shift to cheaper products and local brews. The economic crunch has also affected credit availability. Here many distributors continue to carry narrow assortment of merchandise. Therefore the economies of large scale distributions are largely affected. Also affected is EABL which has to get some supplies on credit.The company came up with Jisimamie n a Kshs. 50 million credit advancement strategy targeting SME’s and giving them 50,000 for a viable business plan. Since under such circumstances consumers buy what is really necessary and the EABL is out for cost saving ventures. This greatly affect marketing exercise which are generally consume a lot of cash the marketing spending yet increased by 5% in 2009 reports, EABL has to be careful therefore with pricing policies, marketing and distribution activities. EABL in 2008 alone 2. 165 million was spent on marketing alone.Coming up with Bambua Bambika million promotion meant to entice consumers to buy with the hope of getting out of economic crunch. The speed of change and the impact of technology has a major impact on the EABL ability to undertake the marketing activities. Technological environment is based on scientific knowledge, research, inventions and innovations. The period under review saw the introduction of major technologies. To mention a few introduction of new t echnology for canned beer, telebanking and widespread use of internet and world wide web.The top achievement of the company is the coming up with a high yielding barley species. The change in technological forces has greatly influenced marketing activities of EABL. Further the company has capitalized in internet to create a web site which is interactive and calls for scanning of information across the board. The canned beer is suitably parked for takeaways. The ecological/physical environment forces are calls using of physical environmental friendly ingredients. The changes in climatic conditions for the last three years is associated with global warming.We are witnessing harsh climatic conditions. The extremely hot conditions have forced EABL to start the programme of supplying refrigerators to wider areas so as to cool their products and making them more refreshing. Further harsh climatic conditions have affected production of barley hence raise cost. Further the company has launc hed the Green Goals 2010 innitiative with its six pillars such as caring for environment, enforcement of environmental standards, recycling, waste reduction and survey matters. In order to take care of pollution the company is sticking to recyclable non wasteful parking material.All these environmental issue have led to the growth importance of green issues in marketing. Related to the physical environment forces is geographical forces. Population distribution and size indicates an absolute potential consuming public. The bulk of this discussion has been explained while presenting arguments for demographic pattern and its changes. Connectivity and general infrastructure are part of geographical forces. Regions like Bundalangi and general Western region have experienced destruction of infrastructure such as roads, bridges due to harsh climatic condition.This greatly affect the distribution of products and raises the cost of production and distribution. Increasingly, political and leg al systems can have significant effects on marketing policies and strategies. Both the government and consumer have made the task of marketing more complex. The period under review has witnessed the raise of popularly known sin taxes by over 70%. This affected the cost of production. Further the government has introduced NACADA which is all out to fight alcohol and drugs consumption. This indiscriminate advocacy against alcohol has affected marketing activities of EABL.The highlighted legislations and anti alcohol lobbyist strict advertising laws shaped the company’s marketing process. This lead to the following strategies. We ID Campaign, Don’t’ drink and drive campaigns The legal framework is more inclined toward regulation of activities in general terms. The concept of free market economy has greatly affected the marketing of KBL products since foreign products fill the market. The period being discussed has witnessed the ever growing concern of alcoholic rel ated advertisement.If this law is passed then it will mean total restructuring of market process for KBL even though this law is yet to be passed yet it is causing ripples in form of lobbying and discussion farms which the company is forced to take up the responsibilities and related cost. Finally the political skirmishes related to the post election violence has greatly affected the marketing activities of EABL. A lot has been discussed about the effects post election violence in the earlier discussions. c. IDENTIFY LAWS/ACTS IN KENYA AFFECTING MARKETING. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LAW/ACTS.It must be noted that marketing does not take place in a vacuum. Among the factors which affect marketing is legal related factors. In Kenya there are a number of laws which generally affect market operations in the country. The laws regulate marketing functions right from the functions, products and even pricing. For the purpose of this discussion let us look at them one after the other. The Suppli es Preventition Management Act Cap 17 of 2007 aims at establishing, inventory, improve and publish the standard of the supplies professional. The Act guides on training and relevant examinations boards.The Acts empower the administrators of this Act register and licence all practitioner under this cadre. The Sale of Goods Act Cap 31 specializes the condition for sales of goods in Kenya. The Act specifies the formulation of a contract and the performance of a contract. The rights of unpaid sellers against the goods and action for the breach of the contract one areas which have been covered in the Act. Narcotic Drugs an Psychotropic substances Act Cap 4 of 1994 is an Act of parliament with respect to the control of the possession of trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance an cultivation of certain plants.To provide for forfeiture of property derived from or used in illicit or narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance and for committed purposes. The Tobacco Control Act Cap 4 of 2007, its objective and purpose is to provide a legal framework for the control of the production, manufacture, sale, labeling, advertising, promotion, sponsorship and use of tobacco products including exposure to tobacco smoke in order to protect the user, consumer, person below the age of 18 and secondary affected citizens.The Exchange Control Act Cap 113 (Repealed) is an Act of parliament to confer panes and impose duties and utilization in relations to gold, currency payments, security, debts and the import, export, transfer and settlement of properties and for purposes committal thereof. The Act further has rules which are regarded as the Exchange Control fees. The fire Arms Act Cap 114 is an act of parliament for regulatory, licencing and for the controlling, the manufacturer, importers and exporters, sales, repairs, storage, possession and use of firearms, ammunition, arigrams and destruction devices and commented purposes.Which its subsidiary inflation the Act has rules associated with firearms. Equally fees chargeable per fireman is specified. Another Act of Parliament charged with the responsibility to make provisions for regulatory the sale and supply of liquor and for matters incidental thereto and committed therewith is the Liquor Licencing Act Cap 121. However this act does not apply to certain areas these areas have been stipulated in the Act varying for medical purposes to sale of liquor on board of vessels.Related to this Act is the Pharmacy and Poisons Act Cap 244 which is also an Act of parliament to make better provision for control of the profession of pharmacy and the trade in drugs and poison. Copy Right Act Cap 130 (1966) is an Act of Parliament to make provision for copyright in literacy, musical and artistic works, audio visual works, sound recording and broadcasts. Under its subsidiary legislations has regulations which are amid at explaining caption 15.Agricultural produce marketing Act Cap 320 is an act of parliament to c ontrol and regulate the marketing of Agricultural produce, enable marketing brands to provide for the powers and fantasies of the boards and for matters committed therewith. This stipulates the establishment of marketing boards and under its miscellaneous part it stipulates the regulations, offences and other related matters. Associated with this Act we have National Cereal and Produce Board, Pyrethrum Act 340, Tea Act Cap 343, Cotton Act cap 335, Coconut Industry Act Cap 332 and Coffee Act Cap 9 among others are all agricultural marketing related Acts.The National Cereals and Produce Board Act which is an Act of parliament that regulates and controls the marketing and processing of maize, wheat and scheduled agricultural produce to produce NCCPB and control purpose therewith. The rest of the listed Acts listed in this paragraph are to provide respective avenue for reorganization, regulation of the respective industry and the control of growing process and most importantly marketing . That respective product for both scientific and agronomic research and any other concerned purposes.The Pest Control Product Act Cap 346 (1983) is another agricultural related Act which regulated the importation manufacture, distributors and the use of products for controls of pests, and of the organic functions for control purposes. The Restriction Board Monopolies and Price Control Act Cap 504 is and act of parliament which is geared towards encouraging competition in the economy by prohibiting restrictive trade practices continuing monopolies concentration of economic powers and prices.However even though this Act supports competition the Foreign Investment Protection Act Cap 518 gives protection to certain approved foreign investments and matters incidental thereof. In conclusion therefore legal aspects generally influenced the marketing practices in Kenya. In fact the laws discussed are only a few. There are others and in fact all the laws of Kenya has one way or another affe cted marketing either directly or indirectly.