Marketing's role is to encourage consumption (Lazer, 1969). This Assignment

Marketing's role is to encourage consumption (Lazer, 1969). This statement is as true now as it was in 1969 - Assignment Example The main role of marketing is to encourage the consumption. In order to increase the consumption of a product or service the company has to first of all develop interest in the minds of the consumers to go for the product. This is the context where the modern definition of marketing is applicable. â€Å"Marketing is the process of interesting potential customers and clients in products and/or services†. The interest created in the minds of the prospective consumers compels them to go for the product and later increases the consumption to a grater extent. A company has to concentrate on the following four components of marketing mix to encourage the consumption. They are products and services, promotion, distribution and pricing. These are the four sensitive areas that a company has to sensibly deal with while marketing is carried out to increase the consumption. When any one of these areas is not properly regarded it is going to affect a company’s growth as it adversely influences the interest of the customer to consume the product and will result in the decline of overall consumption. The paper under discussion tries to prove that the statement ‘Marketing’s Role is to Encourage Consumption’ is as true now as it was in 1969. The main role of marketing is to encourage the consumption even though it has many other functions. All these functions mutually focus on encouraging consumption and thereby increasing the sales and profit. A company’s marketing efforts are directed at the objective of encouraging consumption through customer satisfaction and customer relationship. Maintaining a satisfactory relationship with the consumers is necessary to keep the consumers as customers for ever. A good customer relationship is essential for encouraging the volume of consumption. When a company tries to develop customer relationship, the company actually wants to retain the customers as long as possible. A marketing company would go on

Project Management Essay Example for Free

Project Management Essay The objective of this project is to open a second office for Better Health Care Centers within the next 18 months and within the $1.5 million budget on time and on budget. The projects environment as it relates to cultural /social is one of healing, health and wellbeing of the population or community. The expansion of the facility will impose little impact on the environment as we will be using an existing building and all green practices and policies will be instituted when possible. For the general management of this project I will be using construction managers, contract managers and lawyers, and there will be another manger in charge of the hiring of staff and all of those people will be reporting to me, the general project manager. Since this is such a long and expensive project there will need to be tight controls on time and resources to ensure that there is little to no waste. The project will be segmented into phases that will be completed or almost complete when the next phase of the project begins. This will enable better control of the project as opposed to doing things out of a logical order. You would not furnish the building before you install the carpet. The amount of phases and the degree of control of each phase will depend on the size complexity and impact of the project. The phases for now, will be simplified and will go something like this; the initiating phase where all of the proposals and budgets for each phase will be defined will be set. The next phase will include the planning process. Where all of the basic needs of the project will be defined and the management team is built and phase assignments are delegated. Then the work starts with the execution of the project and the individual projects begin in earnest. This phase has some overlapping projects and simultaneous projects there will be very few times when there is only one project working at the time. During this phase the acquisition of building space, contracts with insurance companies and outside laboratories and radiology facilities and hospitals will be negotiated. The hiring of contractors and th e finalizing of floor plans and choosing equipment and other materials and supplies are decided upon. This is the longest phase and tight controls on budget and time are most important. There will be a need for four managers to run different areas of the project they will be in control of their budget and reporting to the general project manager and to the shareholders. Each manager will have a staff of people to do some of the work according to their expertise. There will be a legal team, a construction team, a design team and a team to organize meetings, a team for the overall budget an accounting team. In the final or closing phase the work picks up pace and crunch time becomes a reality. In this phase many projects will be complete while others are winding down and a few will just be starting. In this phase the hiring of the office staff, physicians and office mangers will be finalized and contracted. In this phase the finishing touches will be put in place and the equipment will be delivered and set up. The computer systems will be installed and training of the new employees will commence. For this project the manager will need excellent time management skills and the ability to communicate effectively with second level managers and project leaders and staff so that the efficiency of the project has as few set back and errors as possible. The project manager will also need leadership skills. With out a good leader nothing gets done efficiently or effectively. Project managers are assigned to achieve the project objectives. This role requires flexibility, strong leadership. Good judgment, negotiating skills and a solid knowledge of project management practices. The project manager must have attention to detail while managing from an overall management prospective. The project manager is responsible for the success of the project and is in charge of all aspects of the project. The project manager responsibilities include: Developing the management plan and its related components. Keeping the project on time and on budget. Monitoring, identifying and responding to risk. The manager is also responsible for timely and accurate reporting of project metrics. The project team is made up of the manager, and other team members that carry out the work but not necessarily involved in management. Each team has its own knowledge of their specific subject matter. It is necessary for all teams to meet regularly to go over any problems and to update the project manager on each teams progress. References: PMBOK guide forth edition project management institute. Fourth edition 2008 CTU online live chats Granville Jones Instructor http://www.techrepublic.com/article/encourage-success-by-following-pmis-knowledge-areas/1051548

Heart Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Each person has a different definition of what the term ‘remarkable’ means; each unique definition, holds a significant link to the other. This link is that the term is always given to a person that holds certain characteristics that are superior to the average individual. The set of characteristics that are observed tend to subscribe to the specific set of values of the person issuing the remark. Marlow, the main character in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is able to assert that Mr. Kurtz was a remarkable man. This is true because of the unique values that Marlow possesses, which allow him to assert Mr. Kurtz as a remarkable individual. Through the actions and words of Mr. Kurtz, and other individuals Marlow encounters, Marlow is able to gain an overall perception of how characteristics of Mr. Kurtz deem him remarkable. Through the development of the narrative, Marlow establishes that Mr. Kurtz does not want to return to society, he does not want to return to the world were people judge one another based on social issues. â€Å"Kurtz had apparently intended to return himself, the station being by that time bare of goods and stores, but after coming three hundred miles, had suddenly decided to go back, which he started to do alone in a small dugout with four paddlers, leaving the half-caste to continue down the river with the ivory.† (Conrad Pg. 52) Instead Kurtz returns to the wilderness and is able to judge himself. â€Å"I went no more near the remarkable man who had pronounced a judgement upon the adventures of his soul upon the earth.† (Conrad Pg. 118) Marlow looks upon these two actions as remarkable feat. Kurtz, through Marlow’s eyes was able to pronounce a judgement based upon his own actions rather than having society dictate them to him. Marlow realizes that in order for Kurtz to pass judgement on himself, Kurtz must have been courageous, a value that Marlow lacked. â€Å"I was within a hair’s breadth of the opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say.† (Conrad Pg. 119) Marlow clearly illustrates that on his own deathbed he would not be able to express his own judgement, despite the opportunity to speak, he would just hide like a coward. Thus Marlow is able to pronounce that Kurtz is a remarkable individual because he has a value, courage, that Marlow and many other individuals do not posses.

The Future Economy

Imagine yourself living the dream of being an entrepreneur. You are a business man of the 21st century; you have a popular product that many firms want to purchase. You feel financially secure with your future because of the amount of buyers for your product. Then 5 years go bye, and the once abundant number of firms has dwindled down to a couple of major corporations. You try to think to yourself how did this happen? You then realize that all the little companies that fought for your business, and helped you get the highest capital are gone. They were acquired by or merged with larger firms. You know that when this happens the market gets smaller and there are less people to buy your product. With fewer options of companies to sell your product to, comes a smaller amount of profit for you. Two more years go bye and the market gets more concentrated, the remaining giants can now offer you any price they want. If you choose not to accept it, you don†t sell your product. Your dreams of being your own boss and selling a quality product for a fair price are fading away. Some people may think that this story couldn†t happen, but mergers and acquisitions take place everyday in the corporate world. This story that I just told you about is real. Instead of being about business men of the 21st century my article was about the beef cattle farmers of southwestern Wisconsin. The article talks about Virginia-based Smithfield foods, acquired American Foods Group and Packerland Holdings Co. Smithfield is the nation†s largest pork processor; they have a 20% market share. Besides the two recent acquisitions Smithfield also has ownership of Cudahy-based Patrick Cudahy Inc. As a result of this Smithfield will now be the nation†s forth-largest beef processor, with a 9% market share. Smithfield†s merger is part of an overall consolidation among the nation†s larger food processors, which includes the companies of the nation†s beef industry. Wisconsin is known to many people as the dairy state because of our cheese and milk production. While this is true, when the dairy cows get older and there milk production drops they get sold to beef processors. Due to this, Wisconsin†s number of beef cattle has been increasing. Wisconsin had 1.29 million dairy cows as of July 1, according to the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service. The state had 260,000 beef cattle, a 2% increase from July 2000. If I had the other three firms information on the market value they have. I could figure out if the market is highly concentrated or somewhat competitive using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index which you showed us in class. Wisconsin beef producers are definitely concerned about the latest news of Smithfield†s plans involving Packerland and American Foods. Tom Thieding, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation said, â€Å"Any time in a consolidation, you just lose the marketing and price opportunity.† State Agriculture Secretary Jim Harsdorf also expressed his concern about the consolidation saying â€Å"we need to make sure there†s still opportunity and competition out there, or the producers are the ones who are going to see their margins cut.† The nation†s livestock sector is already highly concentrated, a point that is made repeatedly by farm organizations and others. Serious questions have been raised about vertical and horizontal integration and market power that puts small livestock producers at a disadvantage and puts consumers at risk. The farmers know that the Smithfield acquisitions further concentrate U.S. meatpacking and eliminate an important competitor in the purchase of livestock, very likely resulting in lower prices for producers. Smithfield believes that it must consolidate in order to keep up with other companies and to provide for their customers. But to make a profit the beef and pork processors will be under pressure to pay fair prices to farmers. But the farmers have a very important role in this equation, they supply the product. If the farmers don†t have an economic incentive to produce, the processors will not be able to deliver to their customers. Smithfield†s plan to buy American Foods could be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice to address the possibility of an antitrust. As we learned in class the antitrust policy tries to promote competition and discourage collusion. But Smithfield believes that American Foods is small enough that the deal won†t need regulatory review. The deal with Packerland foods was reviewed and approved by the federal government. Smithfield believes that they are a growing company; they will not approach the size of industry leaders IBP, ConAgra and Excel. To beef producers the debate is not theoretical. Mike Riechers, a cattle farmer in southwestern Wisconsin said he believes the competition among cattle buyers dropped in 1998 after Packerland took over the operations Murco Foods. With Smithfield buying Packerland and American Foods farmers are concerned that competition could drop even further. In conclusion, consolidation is taking many other forms: â€Å"mergers,† â€Å"partnerships,† â€Å"integration,† and similar terms are being used to describe a variety of business arrangements that result in the same final product: fewer people making decisions in agriculture. In many ways, agriculture is just catching up with the rest of the business world, which has been consolidating at a record pace for the past several years. Meanwhile the farmer will become a grower, providing the labor and often some of the capital, but never owning the product as it moves through the food system and never making the major management decisions. Most consumers already put no thought into the financial cost of growing the hay that fed the cow that ends up on your plate.

Freud and Erikson

This first paper is going to be about a case study on a 7 year old kid named Gary. Gary is wheelchair bound and has Muscular Dystrophy and has been home-schooled until now. He seemed to be doing fine in school, but he has been crying after school and not wanting to go monday mornings. We have to try and figure out why Gary is feeling this way. I will be using and comparing Erikson’s Psychological Theory and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs to analyze why the case study subject might be acting this way. Erikson’s Psychological Theory is based around Freuds’s Stages of Development, but with further stages and not always based around sex and aggression like Freud uses. Erikson’s Theory contains eight stages: Trust v. mistrust (birth to two years of age), autonomy v. shame/ doubt (two to four years), initiative v. guilt (four to six years), industry v. inferiority/ diffusion (six to twelve years), identity v. identity confusion (adolescence), intimacy v. isolation (young adulthood), generatively v. tagnation (middle adulthood), and ego integrity v. despair (late adulthood to death). The first four stages match up pretty well with Freud’s Theory’s stages, with an additional four stages about adulthood at the end. Two big things about Erikson’s Theory is that success builds on previous stages and that failure is cumulative (Morrison, lecture, 2011). I can apply Erikson’s Theory to the case study with Gary in a couple of ways. The first observation I can make is that Gary is his wetting the bed problem. If he hasn’t done it in years, why is he doing it now? Gary has probably failed to succeed in the autonomy v. shame stage of development. It doesn’t say how long Gary has been in a wheelchair, but my guess is quite awhile. Even if it was after his toilet training years, he had to re-learn how to go by himself when he was given a wheelchair. This might have gone smoothly when he was at home with the help of his loving and supportive parents, but he probably doesn’t trust in teachers or aids to help him if he needs it. He feels ashamed of himself for not being able to go flawlessly like at home, and these feelings of shame are causing other problems in school also. This GREATLY affects his self esteem levels and disturbs the rest of his school life. Another angle of looking at Gary’s problems is he isn’t succeeding in the industry v. inferiority stage. This stage is about learning in school and communicating and is a very social stage (Morrison, lecture, 2011). SInce Gary is in a wheelchair, he can’t participate in regular activities in P.  E. classes. He has to have adaptive P. E. based on him not being able to walk. Watching the other kids playing on the basketball courts and playing football and stuff leaves him feeling left out. He isn’t building skills for a teamwork mentality like everybody else. He feels left out of the fun and probably puts himself lower than the rest of his peers. This would greatly hurt his self-esteem and competence. This could be an explanation for him crying after school and just not wanting to go Sunday nights. Although Erikson’s Psychological Theory can explain Gary’s problems in terms of missed of problems in developmental stages, Maslow can explain them more generically with his Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs has five stages, starting with the most primitive working towards more finite: biological and physiological needs (food, water, shelter, warmth), safety needs (protection and security), belonging and love needs (family, affection, relationships), esteem needs (achievement, status, responsibility), and self- actualization (personal growth) (Morrison, lecture, 2011). Using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I can analyze Gary and determine that it seems as if Gary isn’t fulfilling his esteem needs. He seems to have a low self esteem and a low sense of accomplishment. This is probably because he can’t do the same P. E. activities as the rest of the kids. Just being around a lot of kids that can walk and do things he can’t is probably the main reason for his sadness and not wanting to go to school. When he was at home all day, he had his parents to comfort him if he ever had questions about other kids. His parents might have actually over protected him, as in Gary wasn’t prepared to go to public school because his parents sheltered him from the truth of the real world and wasn’t ready for it. Since Gary is having trouble with his esteem needs, he cannot feel accomplished and move on to his self- actualization needs. He can’t grow as a person until the lower level needs are met. There are a lot of theories that people can use when analyzing peoples’ problems. But looking at Gary’s problems, Erikson’s Psychological Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs were the ones I felt like could explain why Gary is having problems the best. Not every theory is applicable to every situation. These two theories made sense to me and I believe explained his problems the best out of all of the theories we have looked at in class. Between the two I used, I believe Erikson’s Psychological Theory explains it better than Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but they both have some good points in this case study.