A Critique of Tess Onwueme’s Tell It to Women Essay

To Women, we travel back to a Nigerian village in postcolonial Africa. The story enlightens the audience about the dichotomy of traditionalism versus modernism and the ways in which different cultures interact. It ends by revealing the true meaning of culture; the real quality in a society that arises from a passion for what is excellent in arts, manners, and customs. Overall, the play discusses the role of women within this Nigerian village and largely examines the conflict of whether it is better to advance with the rest of the world, or to hold on to the traditions that truly make a society independent and beautiful. The play begins with Yemoja, the most important woman in the village, in a house with Daisy and Ruth, two feminist western-educated scholars. They are the primary antagonists in the play. At this early stage, we see that Daisy and Ruth are not fond of Yemoja. Daisy and Ruth are leaders of the â€Å"Better Life for Rural Women† campaign, which inspires women to believe that they are not only equal to men in many ways, but are even superior in others. The two of them select Yemoja as the mediator between the village and the western world that they are so desperate to force upon the women. The movement causes a great disturbance in the village between the men and women, and especially with Yemoja’s husband and father. Back in Daisy’s home, she has been getting into many disagreements with her family. Her husband Okei, disagrees with her passion about the feminist movement and they frequently fight about it. Her mother-in-law, Sherifat, still encourages Yemoja to participate in the village’s traditional tribal rituals. Sherifat expresses that it would a terrible fate if Yemoja attempts to assimilate to the modern culture and loses her roots. As the story goes on, Daisy becomes estranged from her daughter Bose, as Bose is beginning to understand more and more the culture of the village and becomes closer to Yemoja and Sherifat. Towards the end of the play, the villagers organize a march, for which Daisy gives Yemoja steps to teach to the rest of the women. It becomes clear to Yemoja at that point that western culture is not for them. Daisy and Ruth’s superior arrives to enlighten the women about her ideas of feminism. She is the one that will decide whether or not the movement has succeeded or not. When it is time for Yemoja to perform the dance, however, she and Sherifat perform one of the Idu rituals instead. Bose even joins in the dancing. Ruth falls and becomes extremely injured while Daisy is thrust into the middle of the action. The play ends here in a beautifully tragic scene as Ruth chokes to death while the rest of the villagers celebrate having revitalized their culture. Tess Onwueme’s play was delightfully written and captivating to any audience. The story was intriguing and definitely matched it’s title. Now I see that, Tell It To Women, is a statement on how the women of the village are always being told to do or be something. Whether it is by Daisy and Ruth or by their husbands, the women never really find their own voice until the very end. We see in the first movement, Sherifat telling the chorus of women that being a wife is â€Å"meaning that a wife deserves to be treated like a daughter and not something that you possess. † Yet, throughout much of the story, we see the women being treated like servants and as subhuman to Daisy and Ruth, the village men, and western civilization as a whole. However, I believe that even as a woman, the author was at times, very objective in her portrayal of feminism. She was able to write a play that showed both the positives and negatives of modernism, while advancing the ideals of traditionalism. She does all this without losing sight of what is most important to women of a small village like that. At one part she even has Ruth say â€Å"these rural women are very gullible, you know. All you need to do is make them feel they are important†¦ we need them anyway, maybe even more than they need us. † The author is commenting here on the passive-aggressive attempts of Daisy and Ruth but also shows that the village women do not actually need to be modernized. Perhaps here, the author is a little biased because she is making Daisy and Ruth out to be selfish and slightly cruel. To a western reader, the play was not very easy to read. The names of the villagers were at times tongue tying and I found myself changing opinions about a character because I in fact, thought they were another. Onwueme also does not really explain the native African dialect and proverbial expressions that are used, which was slightly confusing as well. Many play-writes include footnotes at the bottom of the page to explain vernacular that is not known to the reader and that would have been very helpful here. That being said, the true meaning of the play was present the entire time. The clash of cultures and the lingering pains of colonialism in Africa come through wonderfully in the author’s interpretation. In one eloquent line we see that colonialism left its mark of the villagers. Sherifat says to Daisy that â€Å"it’s easier for those who inflict the pain on others to forget. † Tell It To Women, while at times was hard to follow, beautifully captured the struggle of traditionalism versus modernism and is a true mark of feminism. Overall, I thought that the play was well written and captivating. Even as a man, when sometimes it is hard to understand the desires of women, let alone women of another culture, I was able to grasp the true value of this play. It enlightened me about African culture and the roles of men and women in society. I believe Onwueme did a tremendous job in exposing the struggles of postcolonial Africa in an artful representation.

Dra Fast Ferment

__________________________________________ MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS – 2011/2012 FINAL EXAM __________________________________________ The examination will last for TWO (2) hours. The exam is open book. You are allowed to use the course pack, class handouts and any other materials that relate to the course. You are not allowed to access the internet, or e-mail. The examination paper consists of 10 questions: You should answer ALL of the questions. Make explicit any assumptions underlying your answers, interpret your esults and justify your answers, conclusions and recommendations. But keep your answers short and to the point. In grading, importance will be attached to the clarity and conciseness of your answers. Good luck! DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM FastFerment FastFerment is a start-up venture started by UCL scientists and engineers. The firm has discovered an enzyme which accelerates the evolution of the mold Aspergillus Orgza e, which is used for making traditional rice-based alcoholic drinks (rice wines) in East Asia such as Sake or Makgeolli.W hen this powder is included in the production of the rice wines, the production lead time is shortened from 10 days to 3 days without affecting the taste or quality of the wine, as it accelerates the fermentation of the rice. Thus, the powder can substantially increase the production capacity for the rice-wine manufacturers and provide them with a competitive advantage. Recently, FastFerment has perfected the technology of genetically engineering and mass producing this accelerating enzyme and storing it in a powder form.They are currently formulating strategies to commercialize the powder by selling the powder to manufacturers. Currently, they estimate there are 156 rice wine manufacturers, but this could be as less as 140, as existing firms may no longer be active, and as many as 190, as there are recent new entrants to the market as the rice wines have become popular in recent years. Because the powder is new, they expect only a few early adopters would be interested in the product. The y expect between 5~10% of the firms to be their potential buyers, with no specific percentage being greater than the other.The price they would charge for 1 kg of the powder would depend on the cost of manufacturing the powder as well as the value it delivers to each manufacturer. After conducting initial market research, they expect an average manufacturer to be willing to pay as high as ? 950/kg, but as low as ? 400/kg depending on the initial negotiations. They expect the selling price to be ? 550/kg. Moreover, it is uncertain how much quantity each manufacturer would want to buy, which will depend on their current production capacity, but they are estimating anywhere between 100kg to 400kg per firm.The founders agree that they would need to hire professional sales people with the necessary knowledge of the science of the powder to help them sell to ea ch manufacturer. They do not know how many will join, but they have made an offer to 6, and expect between 4 and 6 to join FastFerment, with each number being equally likely. The annual wage will be given in terms of salary (no commission), and it is expected to be ? 50,000, but it is negotiable between ? 45,000 and ? 75,000 depending on their qualifications and experience. FastFerment is also examining the cost associated with production.While they have perfected the technology to manufacture the powder, they currently do not have the manufacturing plant set up to accommodate the potential demand. Initial estimates show that the fixed cost associated with setting up a manufacturing plant is at least ? 300,000 and at most ? 600,000, with ? 500,000 being the most likely. The variable cost for producing 1kg of the powder is expected to be ? 200/kg, but this is also variable by 10% in either direction. Lowest Rice wine manufacturers 140 adopters (%) 5. 0% price/kg 400 Quantity of purch ase (kg) 100 salesforce 4 Salary (? ) 45,000 Fixed cost of production (? 300,000 Variable cost per 1kg (? ) 180 –TABLE 1– Likely 156 -550 –50,000 500,000 200 MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 highest 190 10. 0% 950 400 6 75,000 600,000 220 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM The objective of FastFerment is to maximize the annual profit, but it is unclear whether the firm would be profitable based on the numbers. Question 1. Scenario Analysis Start @Risk for Excel and open the Excel spreadsheet â€Å"FastFerment. † Perform a scenario analysis for this venture, and determine the best-case and worst-case scenarios (do not use @Risk for this, just plug the numbers in the model and observe the results).What are your conclusions? The scenario analysis below shows that there is significant uncertainty in the profitability of this venture. The worst-case scenario shows a loss of ? 924,000, whereas the best-case scenario shows a potential profit of ? 5,372, 000. So there is a substantial downside, but also a huge upside. AT this point, therefore, it is not recommended to make any decision, as it is yet unclear how the risks will affect th profitability of this venture. Rice wine manufacturers early adopters (%) price/kg Quantity of purchase (kg) salesforce Salary (? ) Fixed cost of production (? )Variable cost per 1kg (? ) Annual profit (? ) Worst Case Scenario Best Case Scenario 140 190 5. 0% 10. 0% 400 950 100 400 6 4 75,000 45,000 600,000 300,000 220 180 -924,000 5,372,000 Question 2. Sensitivity Analysis Which is the biggest risk, (a) the variable cost/kg (b) the price/kg or (c) the % of early adopters? How did you determine this? Again, do not yet use @Risk. Setting as the base case 7. 5% for %-adopters, 250 to quantity of purchase, 5 as the number of salesforce, and the rest of the parameters to the most likely case, and we examine the potential impact of these three parameters.The price/kg is the biggest risk, with a potential i mpact of ? 1,608,750 when varied from 400 to 950 (-? 165,000 versus ? 1,443,750). The %-early adopters is the second biggest risk with a potential impact of ? 682,500 when varied from 5% to 10% (-? 67,500 versus ? 615,000). The variable cost/kg is the lowest risk with a potential impact of ? 117,000 when varied from 180 to 220 (? 215,250 versus ? 332,250). MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM Question 3. Simulation Analysis – DistributionsTo perform a simulation analysis, we need to identify an appropriate distribution to model each of the risk factors. Determine an appropriate distribution and their parameters for each of the risk factors. Triangular distributions (with the lowest, likely and highest estimates as parameters) would work well for all risks except % of early adopters and quantity of purchase, which should be uniform (with the lowest and highest estimates as the parameters), and salesforce, which should be discrete with eq ual probability of 0. 33 to each three cases {4,5,6}.Question 4. Simulation Analysis – Average Using @Risk, perform a simulation analysis, and determine the average profit for this venture. How high and low could the profit potentially be? Compare these results with the scenario analysis results. After performing 5000 iterations, the average profit is approximately ? 570,000. This means that if we were to run this business for many years, we would have an average annual profit of around ? 570,000 per year (provided the conditions do no change over time). MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAMQuestion 5. Simulation Analysis – VaR What is the likelihood that the profit is positive? What is the probability that the profit is ? 1. 5M or more? W hat is the Value-at-Risk (VaR)? There is about 80% chance of making a profit, and about 10% chance of making a profit that is ? 1. 5M or more. The VaR at 5% is around -? 300,000. Question 6. Sim ulation Analysis – Tornado Diagram Examine the tornado diagram. What can you conclude? Suppose that increasing the number of sales people and their salaries increase the quantity of powder that each manufacturer buys.Would this be a good investment? The tornado diagram shows that the quantity of purchase and the price/kg are the biggest risk factors. The risks related to the cost of production of the powder or the number of salesforce and salary are actually not that significant. Increasing the salesforce and the salary in return for increase in the quantity of purchase therefore seems to be a good investment. MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM Five Grains is one of the leading manufacturers of rice wines.The CEO of Five Grains, a UCL alumnus, has learned about FastFerment’s powder through his personal networks, and immediately recognized the potential opportunity the powder can represent. According to Five Grains’ recen t internal consumer trend study, the demand for various specialty rice wines (using different variety of rice), which is currently negligible due to nonproduction, is expected to rise in the next several years. In particular, for the current year, they conjecture that with 50% the demand will be large (translating into a potential profit of ? 4. 5M), and with 50% it will be small (translating into a potential profit of ? . 5M). Although other firms are looking into producing the specialty rice wines, it is difficult for them to quickly do so as it requires building additional capacity, as most firms do not want to produce the specialty rice wines at the expense of sacrificing the traditional rice wine production. However, with access to the powder, firms can immediately free up their production capacity to mass produce the specialty rice-wines and capture its potential demand. Five Grains also recognized that the competitors also eventually receive information and gain access to the FastFerment’s powder.If this happens, Five Grains will have to share the demand with its competitors. Based on intuition, the CEO believes that there is 70% chance that more than 1 competing manufacturers will eventually adopt the powder and dive into the specialty rice-wine market. In such case, Five Grains will only capture 20% of the demand and hence earn 20% of the potential profit. On the other hand, there is a 20% chance that one competitor adopts the powder, in which case they will be able to capture 50% of the demand and hence earn 50% of the potential profit.He believes that there is only 10% chance that nobody else will MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM enter the market during the year, in which case they can capture 80% of the demand and 80% of the potential profit. To maximize their knowledge of the powder, Five Grains is currently negotiating a deal with FastFerment to ask for a 1-year exclusivity agreement. If the deal can be made, then Five Grains will be the only manufacturer with the access to the powder and be certain to capture 80% of demand (80% of profit). Question 7.Decision Analysis – What to do? The meeting takes place and FastFerment asks Five Grains for ? 1. 5M for the 1-year exclusivity deal. Using a decision tree, find out whether or not Five Grains should agree to buy the 1-year exclusivity deal at ? 1. 5M. I would recommend Five Grains to not buy the one year exclusivity deal for ? 1. 5M, as the expected profit associated with not buying the deal (? 0. 8M) is greater than that with the deal (? 0. 5M). MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM Question 8. Decision Analysis – Value?What is the maximum amount that Five Grains should pay for the 1-year exclusivity deal? The maximum amount that Five Grains should pay for the deal is ? 1. 2M, as it is the price when the expected profits are the same when buying and not buying. Question 9. Decision Analysis – Risk/Sensitivity Examine the risk profile for Five Grains with and without the 1-year exclusivity deal at ? 1. 5M. If the demand turns out to be large, what is the (expected) profit with and without the 1 -year exclusivity deal? What if the demand turns out to be small?How does the value of 1-year exclusivity deal change with respect to the probability that the demand is large? If the demand turns out to be large, then with the 1-year exclusivity deal, Five Grains will earn ? 2. 1M, whereas without it they will earn ? 1. 44M on average with the risk of earning less than ? 1M. However, if the demand turns out to be small, then Five Grains will lose ? 1. 1M, whereas without it they will earn ? 0. 16M. Thus, while there is higher upside with the 1-year exclusivity deal, it also represents a greater downside risk. MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAMWhen the probability that the demand is high increases by 1%, there is a ? 12,800 increase in the expected profit. MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM Question 10. Decision Analysis – A year later The deal for the 1-year exclusivity had been signed for ? 1M, and the demand for the specialty rice wines had turned out to be high. After a new study, Five Grains now projects that the demand for the variety wine will be large with probability 90% (translating into a potential profit of ? 9M), and small with probability 10% (translating into a profit of ? 1M).Moreover, the CEO feels that there is a 95% chance that more than one competitor will adopt the powder, which would allow them to earn 20% of the potential profit, and there is a 5% chance that only 1 firm will adopt , which would allow them to earn 50% of the potential profit. He believes that there is 0% that no firm adopts the powder this year, unless Five Grain brokers a 1-year exclusivity deal again with FastFerment, in which case they will earn 80% o f the potential profit. (i) W hat is the value of 1-year exclusivity for this year for Five Grains? Call this VFG. Five Grains contacts FastFerment and offers to pay (0. * VFG) for a 1-year exclusivity deal, citing the fact that it represents a steep increase from the ? 1M paid in the previous year. (ii) From FastFerment’s point of view, they believe that the adoption rate of the powder has now increased and expects between 50~60% of the manufacturers to become their potential buyers. Taking the rest of the parameters from the previous year as a conservative estimate of the current year (change all the parameters in Table 1, except the % -adopters), what is the minimum amount that FastFerment should demand from Five Grains this year for the 1-year exclusivity deal?Run the simulation analysis using @Risk and find the expected profit with the high adoption rate. W ill the deal go through? From the Decision Tree, we find that the value is approximately ? 4. 8M. MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014 DECISION & RISK ANALYSIS: EXAM We find that with the adoption rate between 50~60%, the expected profit is around ? 8. 9M, and there is 10% chance that FastFerment will make ? 15M or more. The deal won’t go through this time as the 1-year exclusivity deal would need to be prohibitively expensive for Five Grains. MSING014 – MSING014B – MSINM014

Attitude Formation

†¢ The affective component consists of the emotional feelings stimulated by the object of the attitude. †¢ The behavioral component consists of predispositions to act in certain ways toward an attitude object. The object of an attitude can be anything people have opinions about. Therefore, individual people, groups of people, institutions, products, social trends, consumer products, etc. all can be attitudinal objects. †¢ Attitudes involve social judgments. They are either for, or against, pro, or con, positive, or negative; however, it is possible to be ambivalent about the attitudinal object and have a mix of positive and negative feelings and thoughts about it. †¢ Attitudes involve a readiness (or predisposition) to respond; however, for a variety of reasons we don’t always act on our attitudes. †¢ Attitudes vary along dimensions of strength and accessibility. Strong attitudes are very important to the individual and tend to be durable and have a powerful impact on behavior, whereas weak attitudes are not very important and have little impact. Accessible attitudes come to mind quickly, whereas other attitudes may rarely be noticed. †¢ Attitudes tend to be stable over time, but a number of factors can cause attitudes to change. †¢ Stereotypes are widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group. †¢ A prejudice is an arbitrary belief, or feeling, directed toward a group of people or its individual members. Prejudices can be either positive or negative; however, the term is usually used to refer to a negative attitude held toward members of a group. Prejudice may lead to discrimination, which involves behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group. Psychological factors involved in Attitude Formation and Attitude Change 1. Direct Instruction involves being told what attitudes to have by parents, schools, community organizations, religious doctrine, friends, etc. 2. Operant Conditioning is a simple form of learning. It is based on the â€Å"Law of Effect† and involves voluntary responses. Behaviors (including verbal behaviors and maybe even thoughts) tend to be repeated if they are reinforced (i. e. , followed by a positive experience). Conversely, behaviors tend to be stopped when they are punished (i. e. , followed by an unpleasant experience). Thus, if one expresses, or acts out an attitude toward some group, and this is reinforced by one’s peers, the attitude is strengthened and is likely to be expressed again. The reinforcement can be as subtle as a smile or as obvious as a raise in salary. Operant conditioning is especially involved with the behavioral component of attitudes. 3. Classical conditioning is another simple form of learning. It involves involuntary responses and is acquired through the pairing of two stimuli. Two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused and before long the person responds in the same way to both events. Originally studied by Pavlov, the process requires an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that produces an involuntary (reflexive) response (UCR). If a neutral stimulus (NS) is paired, either very dramatically on one occasion, or repeatedly for several acquisition trials, the neutral stimulus will lead to the same response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. At this point the stimulus is no longer neutral and so is referred to as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the response has now become a learned response and so is referred to as a conditioned response (CR). In Pavlov’s research the UCS was meat powder which led to an UCR of salivation. The NS was a bell. At first the bell elicited no response from the dog, but eventually the bell alone caused the dog to salivate. Advertisers create positive attitudes towards their products by presenting attractive models in their ads. In this case the model is the UCS and our reaction to him, or her, is an automatic positive response. The product is the original NS which through pairing comes to elicit a positive conditioned response. In a similar fashion, pleasant or unpleasant experiences with members of a particular group could lead to positive or negative attitudes toward that group. Classical conditioning is especially involved with the emotional, or affective, component of attitudes. 4. Social (Observational) Learning is based on modeling. We observe others. If they are getting reinforced for certain behaviors or the expression of certain attitudes, this serves as vicarious reinforcement and makes it more ikely that we, too, will behave in this manner or express this attitude. Classical conditioning can also occur vicariously through observation of others. 5. Cognitive Dissonance exists when related cognitions, feelings or behaviors are inconsistent or contradictory. Cognitive dissonance creates an unpleasant state of tension that motivates people to reduce their dissonance by changing their cognitions, feel ing, or behaviors. For example, a person who starts out with a negative attitude toward marijuana will experience cognitive dissonance if they start smoking marijuana and find themselves enjoying the experience. The dissonance they experience is thus likely to motivate them to either change their attitude toward marijuana, or to stop using marijuana. This process can be conscious, but often occurs without conscious awareness. 6. Unconscious Motivation. Some attitudes are held because they serve some unconscious function for an individual. For example, a person who is threatened by his homosexual feelings may employ the defense mechanism of reaction formation and become a crusader against homosexuals. Or, someone who feels inferior may feel somewhat better by putting down a group other than her own. Because it is unconscious, the person will not be aware of the unconscious motivation at the time it is operative, but may become aware of it as some later point in time. 7. Rational Analysis involves the careful weighing of evidence for, and against, a particular attitude. For example, a person may carefully listen to the presidential debates and read opinions of political experts in order to decide which candidate to vote for in an election. Attitude Formation †¢ The affective component consists of the emotional feelings stimulated by the object of the attitude. †¢ The behavioral component consists of predispositions to act in certain ways toward an attitude object. The object of an attitude can be anything people have opinions about. Therefore, individual people, groups of people, institutions, products, social trends, consumer products, etc. all can be attitudinal objects. †¢ Attitudes involve social judgments. They are either for, or against, pro, or con, positive, or negative; however, it is possible to be ambivalent about the attitudinal object and have a mix of positive and negative feelings and thoughts about it. †¢ Attitudes involve a readiness (or predisposition) to respond; however, for a variety of reasons we don’t always act on our attitudes. †¢ Attitudes vary along dimensions of strength and accessibility. Strong attitudes are very important to the individual and tend to be durable and have a powerful impact on behavior, whereas weak attitudes are not very important and have little impact. Accessible attitudes come to mind quickly, whereas other attitudes may rarely be noticed. †¢ Attitudes tend to be stable over time, but a number of factors can cause attitudes to change. †¢ Stereotypes are widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group. †¢ A prejudice is an arbitrary belief, or feeling, directed toward a group of people or its individual members. Prejudices can be either positive or negative; however, the term is usually used to refer to a negative attitude held toward members of a group. Prejudice may lead to discrimination, which involves behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group. Psychological factors involved in Attitude Formation and Attitude Change 1. Direct Instruction involves being told what attitudes to have by parents, schools, community organizations, religious doctrine, friends, etc. 2. Operant Conditioning is a simple form of learning. It is based on the â€Å"Law of Effect† and involves voluntary responses. Behaviors (including verbal behaviors and maybe even thoughts) tend to be repeated if they are reinforced (i. e. , followed by a positive experience). Conversely, behaviors tend to be stopped when they are punished (i. e. , followed by an unpleasant experience). Thus, if one expresses, or acts out an attitude toward some group, and this is reinforced by one’s peers, the attitude is strengthened and is likely to be expressed again. The reinforcement can be as subtle as a smile or as obvious as a raise in salary. Operant conditioning is especially involved with the behavioral component of attitudes. 3. Classical conditioning is another simple form of learning. It involves involuntary responses and is acquired through the pairing of two stimuli. Two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused and before long the person responds in the same way to both events. Originally studied by Pavlov, the process requires an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that produces an involuntary (reflexive) response (UCR). If a neutral stimulus (NS) is paired, either very dramatically on one occasion, or repeatedly for several acquisition trials, the neutral stimulus will lead to the same response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. At this point the stimulus is no longer neutral and so is referred to as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the response has now become a learned response and so is referred to as a conditioned response (CR). In Pavlov’s research the UCS was meat powder which led to an UCR of salivation. The NS was a bell. At first the bell elicited no response from the dog, but eventually the bell alone caused the dog to salivate. Advertisers create positive attitudes towards their products by presenting attractive models in their ads. In this case the model is the UCS and our reaction to him, or her, is an automatic positive response. The product is the original NS which through pairing comes to elicit a positive conditioned response. In a similar fashion, pleasant or unpleasant experiences with members of a particular group could lead to positive or negative attitudes toward that group. Classical conditioning is especially involved with the emotional, or affective, component of attitudes. 4. Social (Observational) Learning is based on modeling. We observe others. If they are getting reinforced for certain behaviors or the expression of certain attitudes, this serves as vicarious reinforcement and makes it more ikely that we, too, will behave in this manner or express this attitude. Classical conditioning can also occur vicariously through observation of others. 5. Cognitive Dissonance exists when related cognitions, feelings or behaviors are inconsistent or contradictory. Cognitive dissonance creates an unpleasant state of tension that motivates people to reduce their dissonance by changing their cognitions, feel ing, or behaviors. For example, a person who starts out with a negative attitude toward marijuana will experience cognitive dissonance if they start smoking marijuana and find themselves enjoying the experience. The dissonance they experience is thus likely to motivate them to either change their attitude toward marijuana, or to stop using marijuana. This process can be conscious, but often occurs without conscious awareness. 6. Unconscious Motivation. Some attitudes are held because they serve some unconscious function for an individual. For example, a person who is threatened by his homosexual feelings may employ the defense mechanism of reaction formation and become a crusader against homosexuals. Or, someone who feels inferior may feel somewhat better by putting down a group other than her own. Because it is unconscious, the person will not be aware of the unconscious motivation at the time it is operative, but may become aware of it as some later point in time. 7. Rational Analysis involves the careful weighing of evidence for, and against, a particular attitude. For example, a person may carefully listen to the presidential debates and read opinions of political experts in order to decide which candidate to vote for in an election.

Spring Awakening Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Spring Awakening Analysis - Essay Example Spring’s Awakening, was published by Wedekind in 1891. However, it was not actually performed until 1906. â€Å"Spring’s Awakening investigates and explores the theme of adolescent sexuality in a noticeably modern and expressionistic approach. In nineteen episodic scenes, Wedekind imparts and communicates the stories of a few teenagers. It tells of the experiences and feelings of these teenagers as they move violently through sexual maturity. What the play examines is the lack of knowledge and sheer ignorance of their teachers and parents. In essence, the adolescents are having such a difficult time because of the ignorance of their elders who do not guide them or assist them in getting through this difficult time. In actuality, their teachers and parents are themselves sexually self-conscious, repressed and withdrawn. This becomes apparent in the scenes of the play and they present themselves well to represent this aspect of the teachers and parents as well as the str uggles of the adolescents in the play. Wedeknd’s Expressionism is unmistakable in his use of heavily stylized dialogue. He mixes this dialogue with lyrical and cutting irony with prosaic speech to create a seriocomic tone. In addition, Wedekind has a character return from the dead. This is significant because it is something that could not happen in naturalistic theater. Through the dialogue and expressionist theme of the scenes Weekend presents a mocking and satirical measure of inadequacy and condemnation of the hypocrisy and prudery of middle-class German society, At the time of its release, Wedeknd’s play was seriously censored. However, in spite of this it was also one of the playwright’s most successful works. In Act One Scene 5, it becomes apparent why Wedeknd’s work can be thought of as a tragi-comedy of teenage sex. In the first Act the audience is introduced to all of the teenagers of the play in a manner that setrs up the remainder of the play. In this scene a

The State and Perspectives of Restaurant Business in London Essay

The State and Perspectives of Restaurant Business in London - Essay Example This shows that the customers are interested in enjoying nice meal even with lower budget (Warle, 2011). The restaurant business has contributed a lot for development of the economy. Every year it is creating a number of employment opportunities for the people of London. In London, traditional British food is more accepted, as it is one of the favourite foods of the citizens. Generally, the menu of the London Restaurant contains traditional British food items. The demand for food quality is increasing because of the changing culture as well as eating habits of the Londoners (Akbar, 2007). Economic Development and London Business Environment The hospitality sector is the fifth major industry which as per the data of the year 2010 provides employment to over 2.4 million populations in the UK. It also contributes more than ?34 billion in gross tax revenue. Creation of jobs are one of the most important aspects for development of the economy, thus it has created employment opportunities for people from Highlands of Scotland to the South West of England along with other main cities such as London or Edinburg (British Hospitality Association, 2010). The hospitality industry is the fifth leading industry in Britain which contributes 8% of total employment. The hospitality industry is leading in creating jobs in comparison to transport, financial services and communication sector. It requires support from the government in area such as taxation, infrastructure and planning of education and health policy to maximise the economic and social contribution. As observed by Oxford Economic study, the hospitality industry has opportunity to... This paper presents modern in-depth analysis of the restaurant industry in London and its role in promoting the economic growth of the UK. London restaurant industry is part of the hospitality industry. Thus, keeping in view the primary function of the hospitality industry which is to establish a new relationship as well as to promote a previously established relationship, this industry plays a significant role in making London one the most preferred destinations for people across the world. The London restaurant business is experiencing a significant amount of growth in recent years. According to the study conducted in March 2011, the hotel and restaurant sector in the UK is growing at the rate of 6.2 per cent. In spite of problems in the economy, companies such as â€Å"First Restaurant Group† in London have been still growing as compared to other companies. This shows that the customers are interested in enjoying nice meal even with lower budget. The restaurants in London are increasing their focus and interest towards the crucial aspect of sustainability. The several popular restaurants in London are purchasing food from the local suppliers. The interest of restaurant business is shifting to organic food. The marketing strategy is required to communicate with the customers. It is not only about entertainment but also involves innovation along with creativity to influence the buying habit of the customers. Advertising approach comes under marketing strategy which is used as a medium to convey message to the target customers

Continuing Professional Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Continuing Professional Development - Assignment Example The aim of this paper is to analyze the importance of CPD for individuals and organizations in the hospitality industry. The main theory surrounding CPD is Boyatzis’s Theory of Self-directed Learning. The theory works on a model where learning is based on a self-directed self-analysis. This includes analysis of the ideal oneself and actual oneself then assessing gaps. The person then looks at their strengths and sets out on a learning agenda aimed at building on the strengths while minimizing the gaps. Finally, the person experiments and practices with the new knowledge, skills and behavior. Trusting relationships that encourage and support each step should be developed (Boyatzis 1999). Core concepts of CPD There are some concepts that mark out CPD from other types of professional development and training. First is that in CPD, the learner is in control hence CPD finds its starting point from the learner’s dreams. Handy (1997), states that these dreams can also be equat ed to thirst. First, the professional becomes thirst for new skills, knowledge and experiences and the role of CPD is to respond to the type and extend of the thirst presented. Secondly, CPD is a holistic process capable of addressing every aspect of life as well as the balance between these aspects. This means that one aspect of a learner’s life for example, their work, family, or social life does not have to suffer much during the process of CPD. Therefore, we can say that the process is integrative to every aspect of the learner’s life (Daniel 2002). Thirdly, the learning and working in CPD is power and direction oriented hence the achievement of its purposes and objectives are easy. This is because CPD involves regularly reflecting how we are, looking ahead to where we want to be then taking a step from our current position towards the desired future position. Lastly, someone can benefit from CPD with or without the support of the employer. This is to say that it w orks for those employees who have financial backing and total support from their employers and as well as for those whose employers are hostile (Daniel 2002). The need and relevance for CPD From its definition, the need for CPD is hinged on the necessity for professionals to broaden, improve and maintain their specific professional skills and knowledge they have already acquired. The core reason for this is that security for professionals no longer lies in the organisation they work for or the job they do but on the knowledge, skills and experience they posses within themselves (Brett and VandeWalle 1999). There is also a need for professionals to acquire some special qualities that are needed for them to perform well in their profession. CPD is very relevant to professionals and their organisations as well. For example, it enables professionals to be updated in terms of their professional skills and knowledge and this puts them at a good position of working under the latest relevan t information. Constant updating and enhancement of skills enables an individual to improve in terms of their professional competency. Because CPD is continuous, the improvement in professional competency for the individuals also becomes continuous throughout their professional lives (Cooperrider 1990). Benefits of CPD for individuals and organisations According to Schon (1983), CPD makes professionals to be committed to their professionalism. This is because it entails a continuous process of

Why do different theories of the firm exist Essay

Why do different theories of the firm exist - Essay Example This paper examines a couple of firm theories with the objective of examining their fine and major points and in an attempt to discover what factors have prompted existence and development of multiple theories of the firm. This is achieved through a literature review that incorporates a wide ranging discussion on the main issues as outlined above. In addition, this paper extends the literature review in an attempt to find empirical basis for the existence of the multiple theories of the firm. In order to do this, the paper examines the literature studies that examine such secondary data evidence either cross sectional or case study based. There is a wide body of research that deals with the issue of firms and theories of firms both in the realms of economics and management. Sagi & Pataki (2006) give out the classical economic firm theory in following words, "Classical firm theories in modeling offer strategies start from profit maximization revenue, i.e. P>MR=MC".However, these authors discredit the relevance and universal applicability of this model and went on to explain the further developments in the firm models that increasingly took into account more variables ,essentially focusing on firm behaviours as an economic decision maker. ... rs discredit the relevance and universal applicability of this model and went on to explain the further developments in the firm models that increasingly took into account more variables ,essentially focusing on firm behaviours as an economic decision maker. However, this paper has emphasis on examination of firm theories that lean more towards more elaborate and comprehensive models that are more management oriented in the sense of having a strategic management bias. The advantage of doing this is evident in that such models reveal more of the strategic management processes that reveal the cross section of today's large sized, globalized and information technology assisted business organizations, one such model is the Resource based model of the firm behaviour. Citing appropriate literature resources Kotelnikov (2007) explains the concept of the resource based model of firm behaviour in following words, "The currently dominant view of business strategy - resource-based theory or resource-based view (RBV) of firms - is based on the concept of economic rent and the view of the company as a collection of capabilities. This view of strategy has a coherence and integrative role that places it well ahead of other mechanisms of strategic decision making. (Kay John)". Using more literature resources Kotelnikov further explains the model as follows, "Each organization is a collection of unique resources and capabilities that provides the basis for its strategy and the primary source of its returns. In the 21st-century hyper-competitive landscape, a firm is a collection of evolving capabilities that is managed dynamically in pursuit of above-average returns (Markides C.C). Thus, differences in firm's performances across time are driven primarily by their unique resources

Managing financial resources and decisions Essay - 1

Managing financial resources and decisions - Essay Example We also need to determine the implications and related advantages and disadvantages of the sources of finance. Apart from this, Mrs. Jessica Bell wants to purchase a property of 350000 pounds for the business purpose and for this she is considering a long term loan for 12 years and a mortgage of 25 years. She has 70000 pounds for initial deposit for the property. Now we need to calculate and analyze that which one will better option for her for buying the property. Apart from this she needs to understand the meaning and importance of financial planning and the information that are needed about a business by the investors and shareholders. We also need to describe the different types of budgets and the importance of budget analysis in decision making process. we will also analyze the financial statements of a profit making organisation. Venture capital funds support growing firms during their inception stages and before they are going for initial public offerings of shares. Firm will get venture capital as a form of equity capital. It represents a highly risky investment in the hope of earning higher return in future. It typically invests into equity or quasi equity instruments in financial market which will be able to share the risk and profit of the investee firm. Venture capitalist not only invests in the new company but also guides the firm actively in taking major decisions. Financial burden of the assisted firm tends to be low. Venture capitalist normally close it position by liquidating the investment from the assisted firm after 7 years. (Chandra, 2011, p.436). Personal or commercial loans from banks and financial institutions are one of the most popular forms of financing. It includes long term and short term loans. Long term loans are useful to finance fixed assets and large expenses like buildings, property and machinery. Short term loans are having duration of one year or less. These are

Criminal Investigation Wk 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Investigation Wk 3 - Essay Example The application of the forensic DNA Technology has revolutionized investigation of all violent crimes due to its ability to exonerate the convicted offender or convict perpetrator (Abichandani, 2004). The homicidal and sexual assault cases, the use of DNA evidences have formed a powerful tool towards fighting these criminal activities. However, for these criminal cases there is a need to reevaluate both the biological and physical evidences for proper identification of the criminal particularly using the newly identified criminal investigation mechanisms. The most common DNA samples are often analyzed from the saliva, hair, skin tissues, blood, and semen that are often recovered from the crime scenes (Abichandani, 2004). They elements often help in investigating violent crimes including sexual assault and cold murders. The analysis of these element or samples is quite reliable  to  use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that has the capacity to magnify exceedingly small quantities of the DNA samples (Ashcroft, Daniels, and Hart, 2002). The significance of DNA results is that they can lead the investigation to the profile of a known suspect or victim that often matches the profile of DNA that were collected from the crime scene. Notably, if the DNA analysis report does not much the profile of the suspect, then the suspect or victim is excluded or exonerated from the case (Hess and Orthmann, 2010). In such cases, both the physical and biological evidences need reevaluation so that the precise information about the victim or the sus pect is extracted from the scene of the crime. The physical evidences often require deep criminalistics that require professional and scientific recognition, identification, collection, individualization, and interpretation of physical, criminal evidences. Application of physical evidences in crime investigation often needs the application of the natural science (Abichandani, 2004). The underlying concept in the evaluation of

The Impact of Web 3.0 on Marketing Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Web 3.0 on Marketing Essay The future of the Internet is in Web 3.0, known as the Semantic Web. Feigenbaum, Herman, Hongsermeier, Neumann and Stephens (2007) summarised the concept as â€Å"a highly interconnected network of data that could be easily accessed and understood by any desktop or handheld machine†. The authors, referring to a 2001 article by Berners-Lee, Hendler and Lassila about their vision on Web 3.0, also said Berners-Lee et al: painted a future of intelligent software agents that would head out on the World Wide Web and automatically book flights and hotels for our trips, update our medical records and give us a single, customized answer to a particular question without our having to search for information or pore through results. This means online sites and databases already contain information about individuals’ culture, travel, health and education. In Web 3.0, individuals’ habits and preferences are known. The technology of Web 3.0 is ‘smart’ in using the data to drill down key choices to individuals, thereby saving Web 3.0 users time and effort in searching for information and in making decisions. Web 3.0 is however not a product separate from its previous ‘incarnations’. Instead, it is an extension or an enhancement of the current Web. The World Wide Web Consortium has already released Semantic Web technologies and languages for the different sites and databases to ‘talk’ and generate results in a unified manner for Web users. In contrast, Web 1.0 was just about linking Web pages with hyperlinks. Web 2.0 is where we are now—the consumer and producer of information are increasingly the same person, sharing views and new ideas with fellow netizens (sometimes anonymously). Web 3.0 is the â€Å"convergence of new technologies and rapidly changing consumer buying trends†, having overcome some of Web 2.0’s limiting factors such as presenting the audience with too much information, which Tasner (2010) argues, distracts us. Advertising has accordingly evolved from placements in newspapers, magazines, radio, signs and from the 1930s, on television. When the Internet came to wide use in industrialised societies in the mid-1990s, marketers advertised online through banners or interstitials (among others) and refined their search engine optimisation so the brands’ Web links appear at the top of search results. Functions of Web 3.0 Although Web 3.0 is not widely utilized, the technology is already in use (Ohler, 2010). Smith (2009) speaks of Web 3.0 as sophisticated, intelligent software that can learn, understand and make decisions. For example, Web 3.0 can trace online materials, analyze the popularity of content and draw conclusions. It will filter and refine the users’ online searches. This idea is also echoed by Reh (2011), who says Web 3.0 will be able to extract feedback on products, services or organizations that have been posted on blogs and online forums, for example. Organizations can then develop Web pages specifically aligned with their customers’ needs (Reh, 2011). This saves time and cost for the organization. The norm is that an organization would track online traffic by the number or pattern of clicks on its website and get feedback from surveys in order to predict what its customers want. Web 3.0 will empower marketers by allowing them to target products and create specific marketing messages for particular customers more intuitively. Advertising might turn out to be less effective and marketers will need to rely on their merits and not on what they claim (Smith, 2009). In an article by Baumann (2009), Nova Spivack, founder and CEO of Radar Networks views Web 3.0 as an upgrade of Web infrastructure. He says the focus will be on the back-end of the Web, where final processing of the data occurs. An upgrade of the databases and data stores will increase efficiency and make searches faster. Time-consuming tasks such as searching and compiling currently done by netizens will eventually be taken over by computers in the future. Web 3.0 applications will have the capacity to run on any device, be it a computer or the mobile phone. These applications will be speedy and customizable (Cho, 2008). Theoretical framework For the purpose of this research paper, we will be adopting the Co-creation method as the theoretical framework. According to Prahalad and Ramaswamy (2004), it is the process whereby consumers take an active role and co-create value together with the company. With the impending rise of Web 3.0, the framework has provided companies with unique and inventive opportunities to capitalise on consumers’ innovative potential. This has resulted in various approaches to collaborate with consumers during the entire value chain. Most often co-creation occurs during the innovation process, referring to joint product development activities such as generating and evaluating new product ideas; elaborating, evaluating, or challenging product concepts; and creating virtual prototypes (Fueller, Matzler, Stieger, Kohler, 2011). Cost-efficient and multimedia-rich interaction opportunities offered by the Internet and the existence of online communities have made virtual co-creation a suitable means of creating value and improving the overall success of new products. Information technology enables new forms of producer-consumer collaboration in new product development processes (Fuller, Muhlbacher, Matzler, Jawecki, 2009). With Web 3.0, social interaction drives business operations (Laurent, 2010). We infer that marketers will take advantage of this because a Web 3.0 browser would have learned a customer’s likes and dislikes. The more interaction a user has with the Internet, the more the browser would learn about him/her to predict future behaviours and consumption patterns, putting the user in touch with people who share his/her interests and aspirations (Kumar, 2009). Consumer co-creation, in which consumers participate creatively in the production of content and innovation of services, has arisen because of consumers’ greater access to the â€Å"means of production† through information and communication technologies (Lundvall and Johnson, 1994). It aligns to the shift from producer-centric to consumer-centric innovation. Consumers are not just engaging in production, but also in dynamic production, or innovation (Potts, 2008). This is facilitated by the same forces that are increasingly delivering productive capabilities into the hands of consumers, and is occurring with ever higher quality, at ever lower costs, and on an ever increasing global market into which particular consumer specializations can find a â€Å"producer† niche (Potts, 2008). According to Fuller (2004), consumers are considered a valuable source of innovation. Researchers as well as consultants claim to virtually engage consumers in co-creation activities s uch as generating, designing, refining and testing ideas and new product concepts. They do this in order to develop new products and services that better meet consumers’ wants and needs and to decrease the high failure rates of new product introductions, especially prevalent in the consumer goods sectors. The novelty of virtual co-creation compared to conventional customer integration is that consumers are not only asked about their opinions, desires, and needs, but also are asked to contribute their creativity and problem-solving skills. Consumers therefore take on the role of co-creators (Fuller, 2010). In this paper, we will apply the co-creation framework to address the following research questions: †¢ How will marketers now skew their marketing strategy to maximise on Web 3.0? †¢ Will online marketing efforts move towards targeting social networking sites only? †¢ Will online marketing efforts now be shaped by customers? †¢ What is the impact of privacy issues on marketing efforts? We infer that as the opportunity arises to innovate, along with further development of social networking characteristics of Web 3.0, online marketers will have to look to consumers’ insights when it comes to shaping their online business models. As set out above, it is an inc entive for consumers to have a say in how they experience their shopping online. Marketing strategies on Web 3.0 With Web 3.0, social interaction drives business operations (Laurent, 2010). We infer that marketers will take advantage of this because a Web 3.0 browser would have learned a customer’s likes and dislikes. The more interaction a user has with the Internet, the more the browser would learn about him/her to predict future behaviors and consumption patterns, putting the user in touch with people who share his/her interests and aspirations (Kumar, 2009). Mobile technology, too, will advance with Web 3.0 where advertising will explode, as Web-based advertising allows for rich, engaging ads (Kurtyka, 2007). Zoetrope is one of the early users of Web 3.0 technology. Using the Zoetrope interface, a user could compare historical changes of various data through time by comparing snapshots of different pages on the Web. Analyzing different and changing elements on Web pages over a period of time is downright difficult today, if not impossible. But Zoetrope makes it happen. The headlines of, say, today’s Straits Times homepage will be gone tomorrow, and yesterday’s price for a pair of jeans on ASOS is likely irretrievable today. This means that marketers can now see the key words trend or correlate the relationship between products, consumer needs and brand names over a period of time. By using this technology, they can now provide better information to searchers overall. By using snapshots of their competitors’ link profiles over time, marketers will able to find out whether their competitors are out-linking them. U.S. retailer Best Buy is using a Semantic Web markup language called RDFa to increase the visibility of its products and services online. With data such as store name, address, store hours and geographical data being marked up using RDFa, search engines can identify each data component more easily and put them into context. The use of semantic technology led to increased traffic and better service to its customers (MacManus, 2010). Meanwhile, marketers will face the challenge of having to be more creative in their strategies (Cobe, 2007). They would need to constantly update themselves abo ut their customers’ preferences and develop their software for user interface feasibility, functions and so on, to keep up with customer’s spending needs (Smith, 2009). Research using Web 3.0 may take the shape of working with consumers to build a co-managed interactive feedback/preemptive mechanism. The essential 4P’s of marketing — product, price, placement and promotion — will be affected by linked data. Linked data come about when information is marked up in standardized, highly structured formats such as Resource Description Framework (RDF), allowing computers to better understand the meaning of content, rather than simply matching on strings of text (Byrne and Goddard, 2010). So the real power of the Semantic Web, as Byrne and Goddard note, lies in the ability of â€Å"intelligent† search engines to disambiguate terms (Apple the computer vs. apple the fruit, for example), to understand the relationships between different entities, and to bring that information together in new ways to answer queries. How then will marketers skew their marketing strategy to maximise Web 3.0? Marketers love data and they will use these â€Å"free† data to do market research, Web analytics and customer relationship management records. As marketers, they will b e able to use this data to advance market research and product development. With the Semantic Web, they can easily make correlations and connections between the audience and the brand far more deeply than before. This in turn will empower marketers to be more targeted in messaging, more efficient in reaching their customers and more relatable as brands. Besides providing more meaningful information for consumers, marketers will gain from enhancing search engine optimization as well. With the consumers’ online search patterns on hand, marketers can add search-engine-friendly structured data to their websites, resulting a more relevant search, hence generating a better listing, more clicks and more traffic. At the same time, word-of-mouth sharing, syndication of Web content to other online sites, feedback and social groups will have a role in spreading memes. The newest innovation by Facebook, called Open Graph, is a good example. Facebook users will be able to instantly share activities with their friends through applications without being required to grant the apps permission each time. As a result, Facebook users will be sharing more data with friends, Facebook, and marketing companie s than ever before. The goal is to send everything a user does, everywhere on the Web, to Facebook. Guess (2011) notes that Open Graph allows the Web to evolve into the Semantic Web, where experiences are personalised and needs anticipated based on user data. Users are highly likely to love this they will be seeing what they prefer . Engagement with customers is high and they will more likely to be interacting with product brands. With this, marketers will need a tool that can measure the sentiment of an article or comment, who it came from and who it was directed to. It will also be good to measure the connections between community members and between people and concepts. By looking at both trending and popular dialogue, marketers can tell if their brands have sparked robust exchange online. While Web 3.0 offers all the gears for marketers to become better at their game and to measure the effectiveness of campaigns more completely, it also makes marketers less relevant. The content is crucial but the message or is no longer being told alone by marketers. It is in the social graphs and others’ perception of the brands’ ranking in importance through linked data. For survival, marketers must embrace collaboration and innovation, be transparent and continue to harvest content of value. Moving towards social networking Web 3.0 represents a shift in how people interact with the Web and vice versa. Standards are continually being created to make Web-based data and information smarter. Mobile devices are becoming more powerful and versatile, making almost any kind of Internet activity available on the go. Immersive and virtual environments are becoming richer, more complex, and as applications become smarter, the Internet experience will become more immersive (Green, 2011). According to Manas (2009), social media are no longer reserved for teenagers discussing the latest fads — they have become a tool that will either help or harm a business, depending on how they are utilised. Manas reasons that businesses should take advantage of Web 3.0, as rather than just responding to queries, a search engine will try to understand a consumer’s nature, social footprint and sentiments, before it gives a response. While scouring the Net for people, places, and things and determining the relationships between them, new search engine technology can understand the feelings associated with them, positive or negative. However, he advised businesses to be discerning about which platforms to use as there are more than 100 social media platforms, each with its own flavour — some users like Facebook, others like Bebo, and another group is more into MySpace. Customer integration can be much more than merely access to the right information. It can be defined as a form of value creation where the consumers take part in activities and processes which used to be seen as the domain of the companies (Wikstrom, 1996). The customer becomes a ‘co-producer’ and from a producer perspective, the customer is seen as tasks in a production system (Ramirez, 1999). In a case study of Nike made by Ramaswamy (2008), the article discussed how to co-create value through customers experiences in the context of the innovation and marketing processes of Nike. It provided details on Nikes social networking site, Joga.com, where individuals can upload videos of their soccer skills and the network community can judge a monthly winner. Other marketing initiatives of the company include street soccer competition sponsorships, a website where professional soccer players can interact with fans and conventional Internet marketing program sponsorships (Ramaswamy, 2008).

Leadership Styles in Sainsburys

Leadership Styles in Sainsburys ABSTRACT Nowadays we can distinguish many different types of leadership styles. Some of them are respected by employees, but on the other hand there are also styles which are considered very poorly. This paper presents and explores leadership styles based on the observations of managers in Sainsburys Nine Elms. In the first part research question has been formed and discussed. The second part is a literature review, with characteristic of most popular leadership styles. In the third part, methodology which will be used for research and to find an answer on research question will be discussed. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1. RATIONALE Human resource management is a series of activities which, first enables working people and the organisation which uses their skills to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship. Secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled. (Torrington, 2008) This research project will be based on a field, which is human resource. One of the topics which should be explored in reference to human resources is leadership style. In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a catalyst and servant whose leadership style is support, advocating and empowerment. While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a pushover whose leadership style is abdication and fraud. Human Resource Leaders believe in people and communicate that belief; they are visible and accessible; they empower, increase participation, support, share information and move decision making down into the organization. We recognize effective leaders when we work with them or observe them. However many different ways exist for defining who leaders are and when they are effective. Dictionaries define leading as guiding and directing on a course. A leader is someone with commanding authority or influence. Researchers have developed many working definitions of leadership. According to Nahavandi (2009) leader is a person who influence individuals and groups within an organization, helps them in establishing goals and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective. Leadership is a function more than a role. Good leaders are made not born. 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied. The research question, which I am going to study is: How does the leadership style affect employees performance in the organisation? The research will be based on the case study, which is supermarket. Sainsburys Nine Elms is a place where I have been working for over 3 years. I have a contact with managers every day and whats more I am familiar with different styles of leadership. This experience helps me to formulate the following hypothesis: positive and accurate leadership style motivates people to good and effective work. To find an answer on my research question and to confirm my hypothesis, I will do some qualitative research. This type of research is designed to tell the researcher how and why the things happen as they actually do. It helps to achieve an in-depth understanding of a situation. . 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Positive atmosphere in the work place is a very important factor and has a big influence on employees job. This is why the way how leaders and managers behave is so important. Unfortunately my long-time observations prove that managers very often do not even realize what kind of mistakes they do. They do not understand that their inappropriate way of behaviour, has an influence on peoples work and effectiveness of the organization. The aim of this report, based on literature review, is to describe the most valuable and effective leadership styles. Moreover the most negative styles will be considered, those which are not approved of by employees. Finally some interviews with Sainsburys Nine Elms employees will be made to gather their opinions and verify my hypothesis. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 LEADERSHIP STYLES IN EARLY XX Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. Lewin (1939) led a group of researchers to identify different styles of leadership. This early study has been very influential and established three major leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire. In the past several decades, there has been a significant revolution in how the leadership is defined by management experts. Their approach has changed from a classical one to a very innovative, democratic approach. Although it was also determined that some old ideas were still good whereas some of the new ones were not perfect. The key is to use different styles depending on each situation so leaders have to approach every case in a different way. LEADERSHIP STYLES TODAY There are four primary leadership styles, many of them we can find within most businesses or organizations around the world. These styles are: Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire Bureaucratic Each of the leadership styles has impact on employee performance in the company. There are short and long-term effects of each style. For instance, the authoritative style may produce great results in a short amount of time. However, excessive use of authority will decrease productivity in the long-term. People either get fed up and leave or fall into a malaise of hum-drum repetitive tasks without creativity and innovation. (Sadler, 2003) AUTOCRATIC STYLE The autocratic leadership style is very often regarded as an old fashioned technique. It was a very popular style among managers commanding subordinates and it is still used around the world. This style basically comes natural to many leaders and brings many benefits, thus many managers start to lead using this style and try to improve it when pursuing their own leadership development. This style is used when leaders inform their employees what they want done and how they want it attained, without being advised by their followers. Furthermore when leaders are short on time, they have all information needed to achieve a goal and employees are enthused, autocratic still is also common. Nevertheless it should be used occasionally and with big carefulness. Having a lot of time and dealing with highly motivated workers it is better to use democratic style. DEMOCRATIC STYLE The democratic leadership style is also named the participative style due to the fact that it encourages one or more employees to be a part of the decision making process (determining what to do and how to do it). Nevertheless it is the leader who makes the final decision and maintains authority. Definitely this style strengthens the position of the leader which is respected by his employees. When information and data is divided between the leader and employees, democratic style is used very often. Managers are not expected to be familiar with everything, this is why they employ knowledgeable and competent employees. Concluding, using this style is of mutual benefit, because employees can become a part of the team and on the other hand leaders can make better decisions. LAISSEZ-FAIRE STYLE The laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the hands-off ¨ style. This style is based on making the decisions by employees whenever the leader let them. Even though, he is still responsible for all the decisions. This style is used usually when employees are able to decide what needs to be done and how. They also should have good analytical skills. Leaders only set most of the priorities for their team and divide tasks between employees. This style should be used only when leaders are confident about his people and trust them no matter what. It should not be used as a way of blaming employees of made mistakes. BUREAUCRATIC STYLE The bureaucratic leadership follow the rules rigorously and guarantee that staff follows procedures accurately. In this kind of style everything must be done according to the rules or policy. This is a very appropriate style for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with heavy equipment, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights) or where large sums of money are involved (such as handling cash). If manager is not capable of making decision on his own, he refers to the next level above him or her. The role of the leader is very similar to a police officer. OTHER LEADERSHIP STYLES There are a number of different approaches or styles to leadership and management that are based on different assumptions and theories. The style that individuals use will be based on a combination of their beliefs, values and preferences, as well as the organizational culture and norms which will encourage some styles and discourage others. CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP A charismatic leadership style can seem similar to transformational leadership, because these leaders inspire lots of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward. However, charismatic leaders tend to believe more in themselves than in their teams. As a result this creates a risk that a project or even an entire organization might collapse if the leader leaves. In the eyes of the followers, success is directly connected to the presence of the charismatic leader. Therefore charismatic leadership carries great responsibility and requires a long-term commitment from the leader. It is interesting to watch a charismatic leader working the room as they move from person to person. They pay much attention to the person they are talking to at a particular moment, so this person very often feels like a most important person in the world. Charismatic leaders focus as well on scanning and reading their environment and are also good at picking up the moods and concer ns of both individuals and larger audiences. Then they will hone their actions and words to suit the situation. (Conger Kanungo, 1998) PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP A Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the process, possibly including subordinates, peers and superiors. However, managers are still very important, as they decide whether to give or deny control to their subordinates. Most participative activity can be observed within the immediate team. The question of how much independence others are given thus may vary on the managers preferences and inclinations. A whole spectrum of participation is possible, as in the table below. Highly participative > Autocratic decision by leader Leader proposes decision, listens to feedback, then decides Team proposes decision, leader has final decision Joint decision with team as equals Full delegation of decision to team The level of participation may also depend on the type of decision being made. Decisions on how to accomplish goals may be highly participative, whereas decisions during subordinate performance evaluations are more likely to be taken by the manager TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP This style of leadership starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader completely when they accept a job. The term transaction means that usually the organization pays the team members in return for their hard effort and compliance. If they do not work as stated in the agreement, they might be punished by the leader. In this style rules are very clear and reward system is introduced for the hardest working subordinates. Moreover, punishments are also possible and formal systems of discipline are quite common. The leader can give an opportunity for his team members to have an impact on their income. It happens when they work harder which cause greater productivity. Alternatively, a transactional leader could practice management by exception rather than rewarding better work. In fact transactional leadership is rather type of management than an actual leadership style. It focus basically on short-term task and is not suitable for a creative work. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP People with this leadership style are true leaders who inspire their teams constantly with a shared vision of the future. While this leaders enthusiasm is often passed onto the team they can be supported by detail people. Thats why, in many organizations, both transactional and transformational leadership are essential. The transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done consistently, while the transformational leaders look after initiatives that add value. Working for a transformational leader can be a brilliant and uplifting experience. Whatever they do they put passion and energy into it. They care about team and want them to succeed. Transformational leaders also tend to see the big picture, but not the details. So if they do not have people to pay attention on this level of information, then they are usually doomed to fail. Finally, transformational leaders, by definition, seek to transform and develop. When the organization does not transform and nobody com plain about his fact, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies. (Burns, 1978) TASK ORIENTED LEADERSHIP Highly task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done, so as a result they can be quite autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles demanded, put structures in plan and place, then they organize it and finally monitor. However, there is a danger connected with this style, that it might suffer the same drawbacks as autocratic style. Leaders do not pay to much attention about their team members as they focus only on finishing the task. PEOPLE ORIENTED (RELATIONS ORIENTED) LEADERSHIP This is the opposite of task-oriented leadership. In this style leaders are completely focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people in their teams. It might be compared to a participative style as it has similar assumptions. Most valued are team cooperation and creativity. In practice, very often leaders tend to use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership. SERVANT LEADERSHIP This term was created by Robert Greenleaf, describes a leader who is often not formally recognized as such. He says that true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others. Servant leadership is a very moral position, putting the well-being of the followers before other goals. When someone, at any level within an organization, leads simply by meeting the needs of the team, he or she is described as a servant leader. In many ways, servant leadership is a form of democratic leadership, because the whole team tends to be involved in decision making. Supporters of the servant leadership model recommend it as an important way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important and where servant leaders achieve power on the basis of their values and ideals. Others state that in competitive leadership situations, people who practice servant leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles. (Greenleaf, 1 977) SAINSBURYS NINE ELMS- CASE STUDY J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury. Drury Lane was one of Londons poorest areas and the Sainsburys shop quickly became popular there for offering high-quality products at low prices. Today Sainsburys is the UKs longest standing and third largest supermarket. Operates a total of 872 stores comprising 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience stores, as well as Sainsburys Bank. Sainsburys employs over 160 000 colleagues and serves over 19 million customers a week. The store Sainsburys Nine Elms was open in February 1982 with 100 employee and 3 departments. Within almost 30 years the store has changed a lot. Today the store has 346 employees and 11 departments. Every department has its own department manager plus store manager and 3 DU store managers. Most of the managers are male, only 2 female and all of them between 26-45 years old. And every one of them represents different style of leadership. From very strict and autocratic through task oriented leadership till completely laissez-faire style. Leadership style is very important in a company or a firm. This is because a leaders job is to help everyone e.g. the leader can help workers in a company by training them to improve their skills at work. Leadership style inspires people to achieve demanding goods. Leadership explains many different approaches that can be taken to be an effective leader. Good leaders are made and not born. They develop themselves through a never ending process of self-study, education, training and experience. 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 RESEARCH METHODS There are two measure research methods: quantitative and qualitative. Some researcher prefers to take a quantitative approach to address their research question and design study that involves collecting quantitative data and analysing those using statistical methods. Other opportunity is qualitative method, which involves collecting qualitative data and analysing them by using interpretative methods. (Collis Hussey, 2009) For this project the most suitable method will be qualitative. Figure bellow shows, how the qualitative research and research process should goes. Figure 1: Qualitative Research and Research Process (Cooper Schindler, 2008) 3.2 QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUES According to Cooper and Schindler (2008) qualitative techniques are used at both the data collection and data analysis stages of a research project. This project will be based on primary data and inductive method. Three techniques will be used to collect the data: individual interview, case studies and research observation. 3.2.1 INTERVIEW The interview is the primary data collection technique. They vary depending on the number of people involved during the interview, the level of structure, the proximity of the interviewer to the numbers of interviews conducted during the research. There are 3 ways of interviewing: à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ unstructured interview- no specific questions or order of topic to be discussed. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ semi structured interview- starts with few specific questions and then additional questions are asked with reference to the answers from opening questions à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ structured interview- specific, detailed questions, normally with open-ending Most of the qualitative research is made on unstructured or semi structured interview. It enables the interviewer to ask additional questions during the interview to gain more information. Many interviews are made face-to-face, which increase the quality of the interview. This kind of interview is more valuable than an interview by phone or online, because it allows the interviewer to observe nonverbal behaviour of the people. It is very important for the interviewer to have at least a basic knowledge about making an interview. Knowing how to gains someones trust and how to encourage answering questions honestly is definitely significant. Usually the interviewer is responsible for generating the interview, questions or topic to be discussed and what the order should be. The figure bellow shows the hierarchical questioning structure. Figure 2: The interview Question Hierarchy (Cooper Schindler, 2008) 3. 2. 2 CASE STUDY The case study (case history) is a very significant research methodology that includes individual and (sometimes) group interviews with record analysis and observation. Firstly researchers gain information from company brochures, annual reports, magazines and newspapers articles, and then together with direct observation, they finally combine it with interview data from members. The aim of this method is to obtain multiple perspectives of a single organisation. The case study should have a case which is the object of study. It should have the following characteristics: a complex functioning unit; investigated in its natural context with a multitude of methods and be a contemporary one. Yin (1993) has identified some specific types of case studies: Exploratory cases are sometimes considered as a prelude to social research. Explanatory case studies may be used for doing causal investigations. Descriptive cases require a descriptive theory to be developed before starting the project. Stake (1995) included three others case studies, which are: Intrinsic cases when the researcher has an interest in the case. Instrumental cases when the case is used to understand more than what is obvious to the observer. Collective cases when a group of cases is studied. 3. 2. 3 OBSERVATION Observation involves looking and listening very carefully. It is very common that people observe each other, although they do not look for anything particular and do not discover any reasonable information about their behaviour. It is possible to distinguish different relationship between observer and participant, view from three perspectives: Directness of Observation Concealment Participation Direct observation, when the observer is physically present and personally monitors what takes place. In this kind of observation, it possible for the observer to respond to certain aspects of human behaviour as they occur, therefore this method is very flexible. Indirect observation, when the recording is done by mechanical, photographic or electronic means. In comparison to the direct observation, the indirect one is less flexible. But on the other hand permanent data can be reanalysed many times so many different aspects of an event can be included. Another factor which affects relationship observer and participant is concealment. The question is, whether the observer should reveal himself. From the psychological point of view, it might be damaging (it has negative influence on the observation outcome) because people who know that are being observed, do not behave normally. On the other hand, hidden observation is a form of spying and the propriety of this action must be reviewed carefully. The best scenario is to reveal that people are being observed but the objectives and participant of interest are hidden. The last type of relationship is based on the observer participation in the whole situation while observing. Participant observation often requires months or years of intensive work, due to the fact that researcher needs to become accepted as a natural part of the culture. By doing this it is most likely that the observation will be of the natural phenomenon. Besides collecting data visually by observation, we can also use communication. The figure below describes the conditions under which observation is an appropriate method for data collection. Figure 3: Selecting the Data Collection Method (Cooper Schindler, 2008) Before starting the observation, it is necessary to make a good plan. Helpful might be finding the answers for this few important questions: WHO? Who do we want to observe? Does a person suit our criteria? WHAT? What do we want to observe? What are we concerned about? What is the aim of our observation? How long or what period of time? How often (daily, few times a week)? How many hours? WHEN? When do we want start our observation? Is there some specific period of time (for example Christmas time)? HOW? Will the data be directly observed? How many people will be observe? WHERE? Where does the observation take place? The location of the observation? 3.3 RESEARCH PROCESS ONION The research methodology of the present dissertation proposal is influenced and structured by the research process onion, which was developed and introduced by Saunders et al. (2003). The figure below illustrates the relationships between research philosophies, research methodologies, data collection methods, and more. Figure 4: Research Process ONION 4.0 CONCLUSION Concluding, so far in this report leadership styles has been explored and precisely described. The influence of each leadership style on the employees has been investigated as well. In the methodology part, qualitative method has been discussed which will be used for the research. It will be based on three different methods which are: interview, case study and observation. Case study of this report will be the place of my employment which is Sainsburys Supermarket which also has been briefly described.