Thursday, December 26, 2019

How to Build Sentences With Appositives

An appositive is a word or group of words that identifies or renames another word in a sentence. As weve seen (in the article What Is an Appositive?), appositive constructions offer concise ways of describing or defining a person, place, or thing. In this article, you will learn how to construct sentences with appositives. From Adjective Clauses to Appositives Like an adjective clause, an appositive provides more information about a noun. In fact, we may think of an appositive as a simplified adjective clause. Consider, for example, how the following two sentences can be combined: Jim Gold is a professional magician.Jim Gold performed at my sisters birthday party. One way to combine these sentences is to turn the first sentence into an adjective clause: Jim Gold, who is a professional magician, performed at my sisters birthday party. We also have the option of reducing the adjective clause in this sentence to an appositive. All that we need to do is omit the pronoun who and the verb is: Jim Gold, a professional magician, performed at my sisters birthday party. The appositive a professional magician serves to identify the subject, Jimbo Gold. Reducing an adjective clause to an appositive is one way to cut the clutter in our writing. However, not all adjective clauses can be shortened to appositives in this fashion--only those that contain a form of the verb to be (is, are, was, were). Arranging Appositives An appositive most often appears directly after the noun it identifies or renames: Arizona Bill, The Great Benefactor of Mankind, toured Oklahoma with herbal cures and a powerful liniment. Note that this appositive, like most, could be omitted without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. In other words, its nonrestrictive and needs to be set off with a pair of commas. Occasionally, an appositive may appear in front of a word that it identifies: A dark wedge, the eagle hurtled earthward at nearly 200 miles per hour. An appositive at the beginning of a sentence is usually followed by a comma. In each of the examples seen so far, the appositive has referred to the subject of the sentence. However, an appositive may appear before or after any noun in a sentence. In the following example, the appositive refers to roles, the object of a preposition: People are summed up largely by the roles they fill in society --wife or husband, soldier or salesperson, student or scientist--and by the qualities that others ascribe to them. This sentence demonstrates a different way of punctuating appositives--with dashes. When the appositive itself contains commas, setting off the construction with dashes helps to prevent confusion. Using dashes instead of commas also serves to emphasize the appositive. Placing an appositive at the very end of a sentence is another way to give it special emphasis. Compare these two sentences: At the far end of the pasture, the most magnificent animal I had ever seen—a white-tailed deer—was cautiously edging toward a salt-lick block.At the far end of the pasture, the most magnificent animal I had ever seen was cautiously edging toward a salt-lick block—a white-tailed deer. Whereas the appositive merely interrupts the first sentence, it marks the climax of sentence two. Punctuating Nonrestrictive and Restrictive Appositives As weve seen, most appositives are nonrestrictive--that is, the information that they add to a sentence is not essential for the sentence to make sense. Nonrestrictive appositives are set off by commas or dashes. A restrictive appositive (like a restrictive adjective clause) is one that cannot be omitted from a sentence without affecting the basic meaning of the sentence. A restrictive appositive should not be set off by commas: John-Boys sister Mary Ellen became a nurse after their brother Ben took a job at a lumber mill. Because John-Boy has multiple sisters and brothers, the two restrictive appositives make clear which sister and which brother the writer is talking about. In other words, the two appositives are restrictive, and so they are not set off by commas. Four Variations 1. Appositives that Repeat a NounAlthough an appositive usually renames a noun in a sentence, it may instead repeat a noun for the sake of clarity and emphasis: In America, as in anywhere else in the world, we must find a focus in our lives at an early age, a focus that is beyond the mechanics of earning a living or coping with a household. —Santha Rama Rau, An invitation to Serenity Notice that the appositive in this sentence is modified by an adjective clause. Adjectives, prepositional phrases, and adjective clauses (in other words, all of the structures that can modify a noun) are often used to add details to an appositive. 2. Negative AppositivesMost appositives identify what someone or something is, but there are also negative appositives that identify what someone or something is not: Line managers and production employees, rather than staff specialists, are primarily responsible for quality assurance. Negative appositives begin with a word such as not, never, or rather than. 3. Multiple AppositivesTwo, three, or even more appositives may appear alongside the same noun: Saint Petersburg, a city of almost five-million people, Russias second-largest and northernmost metropolis, was designed three centuries ago by Peter the Great. As long as we dont overwhelm the reader with too much information at one time, a double or triple appositive can be an effective way of adding supplementary details to a sentence. 4. List Appositives with PronounsA final variation is the list appositive that precedes a pronoun such as all or these or everyone: Streets of yellow row houses, the ochre plaster walls of old churches, the crumbling sea-green mansions now occupied by government offices-- all seem in sharper focus, with their defects hidden by the snow. —Leona P. Schecter, Moscow The word all is not essential to the meaning of the sentence: the opening list could serve by itself as the subject. However, the pronoun helps to clarify the subject by drawing the items together before the sentence goes on to make a point about them.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Mathew Bradys Photography of the Civil War Essay

Introduction Photography opened the world’s view. â€Å"Until 1839 the world was blind. Vision was limited to the immediate spectator or the art of the artist, but the rest of the world and history could not see† (Horan 3). People imagine things and do not believe it until they see it. Unless someone has really seen it they believe what they want. Mathew Brady showed people what war was really like. Before Mathew Brady’s pictures people thought that war was an adventure and fighting was honorable but they never knew what it was like. War was extremely violent and people did not realize this except the ones who had experienced it. When they saw the pictures of the war most people were appalled. â€Å"Mr. Brady has done something to bring home†¦show more content†¦Before the War Mathew Brady was born in the year 1822 in Warren County, New York. His parents were Irish Immigrants named Andrew and Julia Brady. Little is known about his early life. Bef ore his photography career he was a department store clerk and later opened his own small business manufacturing jewelry cases. He was on his way to Albany for reasons unknown when he met William Page, a painter, who introduced him to Samuel Morse. It was Samuel Morse who taught him how to take daguerreotypes, a type of photography in which you create a mirror image on a silver-surfaced copper plate. After he had mastered daguerreotypes he opened his own miniature gallery to show off his photographs. It was a successful gallery. He had won medals every year from 1844-1850. He had also begun photographing famous Americans, for example Edgar Allen Poe and James Cooper. Mathew Brady had very poor eyesight â€Å"but the role of the portrait photographer was to create the image that the camera would capture, and thus his failing eyesight was not a significant disability, and nobody found it odd that New York’s most famous photographer saw so poorly or that he protected his se nsitive eyes with blue-tinted glasses†¦There was a clear distinction between the artist-photographer creating an image and the photographic operator who merely handled and processes the plate† (Armstrong 5). Even though his eyesightShow MoreRelatedMathew Brady: The Father of Photojournalism Essay869 Words   |  4 PagesBorn of Irish immigrants in 1823 in a little place called Warren County, New York; Mathew Brady is known as â€Å"The Father of Photojournalism.† While a student of Samuel Morse and a friend of Louis Daguerre (inventor of the â€Å"Daguerreotype,† a method of photography that the image is developed straight onto a metal coated surface), in which he had met while under the study of Morse, Brady took up his interest in photography in the year of 1839, while only seventeen years of age. Brady took what he had learnedRead MoreHow Photography Affects The Social And Political Arena1123 Words   |  5 PagesPhotography had been around more than 2 0 years before the Civil War began. When pictures were taken, they showed colonels, bodies that were on the battlefield, even soldiers that were around the camp tent. A few photographers that will be discussed are Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, George Barnard and Timothy O’Sullivan. I will talk about how their photography affected the social and political arena as well as how photography in contemporary society provides the public with an up-close testimony

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

A Walk Down the Servers Aisle free essay sample

There was food in the window, and the enticing aroma of warm, buffalo wings pervaded the server’s aisle. The clamor of washing dishes and the chatter of employees at The Vine Tavern and Eatery echoed through the concealed insides of the establishment. I was ready for another day of work.Out first, B15! shouted one of the cooks. As a food runner, I was responsible for knowing the jargon of table numbers and food that was placed in the window. The procedures of running food were subconsciously embedded into my ticket analyzing brain, so I grabbed the hot wings in the window, put on my best Hello table! Isnt this a wonderful day? I am so happy to be able to deliver your food to you face, and headed out to the table.This routine is second nature after nearly two years of work at the same restaurant, and normally I dont have a problem with it. We will write a custom essay sample on A Walk Down the Servers Aisle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Normally, customers will greet me thankfully for bringing them their food and treating them with a smile. However, when simple mistakes such as mixing up a table number, forgetting an extra ranch or even asking a couple to wait five minutes to be seated, have customers up-in-arms and bring out the worst in people, a serious lesson in empathy is needed. As I was bringing the hot wings out to B15, a booth, the 15th to be exact, I passed by a couple waiting at the host stand. After dropping off the food, I noticed that they were still standing and waiting. I approached the host stand, noticing that the only tables open were in a server’s section who had just been triple sat. This is often quite stressful for a server, especially on a busy night.â€Å"I’m sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to wait five minutes to go to your table,† I told the couple. The male did not take kindly to this. He arrogantly confronted me, demanding to know why he could not sit at an obviously open table. Although I attempted to pacify him and explain our procedures, he continued his rampage. He asked for my name and the phone number for The Vine, and he abruptly, promising some sort of fiery vengeance upon my soul. Although the customer was obviously a conceited and ignorant man, this was the first time that I had ever caused a customer to be so irate, and I was actually worried about my job.Fifteen minutes later, the same customer realized my anxieties. He stormed back in, more livid than ever, and he demanded to see a manager instantly. Following the workplace guidelines, I asked a manager to come to the host stand to pacify the customer. He spat his curses at her, twisting and contorting the story in every which way to endanger my job. Luckily, the manager saw the story my way, but she was still forced to offer discounts to the spitfire hothead of a customer in hopes that he would abstain from speaking poorly of The Vine in the outside world. It really is a shame that employees of the service industry are forced to take this bombardment from ignorant customers. However, the ends justify the means in the business world.Although this account seems specific and personal, it is quite common to hear similar stories from employees in any service industry. Nearly all of these mandated people pleasers can recall a time when they had to deal with such a raging, egocentric parasite of a customer. These parasites force their way into the workplace, against all of the employees’ wishes, and find their host’s vulnerabilities. Incessantly complaining that the food was not warm enough or that it was the worst (insert food item here) they ever tasted, these narcissistic leeches create havoc for service industry empl oyees. Even though the hosts know they are being manipulated and taken advantage of, they are forced to follow a form of ethical guidelines that the customer is always right, and the parasites feed off these morals. They nullify all of the host’s personal rights, growing in spite of their misery. Even if the host wishes to fight back and eradicate the parasites, it is stuck in a trap of regulations and manipulations. These customers can truly be monstrous in their lack of empathy.However, there is a way to prevent future parasitic situations from occurring. Despite the seemingly irreversible evil that lies within these characters, their parasitic tendencies could be reversed through simple understanding of the situation those in the service industry are in. If these customers could experience the same situations and problems that they now cause, the number of service complaints would be significantly diminished. Customers would no longer complain about their food taking a long time or about a server’s mix up of drink orders, for they could understand and relate to the problems that servers cope with. I am not asking everyone to drop everything that they are doing in their lives and apply for a job in a service industry. Such a claim would be irrational. However, I do ask that when individuals go out to eat, they remember that servers, bus boys and food runners are people too, and they are working as best as they can to ensure a quality dining experience.As a food runner/bus boy, I can see clearly that most of the reasons servers are docked on their tips are not at their own fault. Delayed or cold food is an effect of a backed up kitchen, and high prices are a policy of management. If individual attempts to make a customer’s experience worse, they would not be employed. It does not make sense that a server should have to pay for such circumstances in the long run, especially since they do not make a significant hourly wage. The two objections stated above, cold food and high prices, account for nearly all customer complaints. If customers took the time to put themselves in the shoes of those serving them, they would see that the server is not responsible. All it takes is empathy.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Information and Knowledge Management

Introduction Strategic information systems have been largely utilized in the corporate world ever since time immemorial. However, the emergence of information technology has revolutionalized information systems and has impacted heavily on individuals, organizations, and societies (Galliers and Leidner 1).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Information and Knowledge Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Information technology has become a necessary condition for any business to survive in the market and companies are continually seeking information technology based information systems to help them gain competitive advantage (Galliers and Leidner 1). With progress in time, information technology has reached greater heights in terms of efficiency, reliability and profitability. Different levels in management hierarchy are utilizing information technology with the main aim of increasing business efficiency as wel l as ensuring strategic management of organizations (Galliers and Leidner 1). Since the managerial tasks are increasingly becoming complex, the need for advanced information systems constantly arises which aims at shifting the information systems from structured routinized support to unstructured complex enquiries serving at the highest levels of management (Galliers and Leidner 1) National Grid Company, an international electricity and gas company based in the UK and the United States is a gas and electricity distributing company that serves millions of people situated in Great Britain and the Northern part of US in a fast, reliable, and efficient manner (National grid par 1). The company owns the high voltage transmission network that is spread across England and Wales and is also in charge of the system that operates in Great Britain. In addition, the company owns the high pressure gas transmission system in Britain hence delivering gas and electricity to millions of consumers ac ross the country (National grid par 4). National Grid in United States delivers electricity to over three million people spread across the North Eastern part of United States.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company embraces information technology as a means to implement its daily activities. However, the dynamic nature of information technology results in uncertainties in the business environment limiting its predictability. National Grid has to identify the relevant information which is essential for appropriate decision making in the company. Through information technology, this information can be recorded, synthesized, and disseminated in a fast and efficient way. Since the company’s effective decision making is aided by availability of accurate information, the company heavily invests on information technology as a means to achieve this end. Advances in tech nology have further aided the development of corporate databases which serve to provide the company management with information about the business (Galliers and Leidner 11). National grid’s data structures are a reflection of the company’s interpretation and association of data which reflect the persisting interrelationships in the company. Strategic information needs of National Grid Assuming that UK based and US based National grid companies utilize different strategic information systems, the two companies need to synchronize their systems for national Grid Company to efficiently reap benefits associated with strategic information systems. It has to employ information systems that coordinate both vertical and horizontal interaction in both companies that are situated in different countries. The operating environment as well as the nature of products that national grid company offers to consumers i.e. gas and electricity requires timely, efficient and effective infor mation systems to aid in service delivery, customer and internal management as well as the decision making process. In order to meet these needs, the company needs evaluate its information management needs to assess whether or not the existing information systems meet the intended purpose of strategic information systems. To assess the effectiveness of the existing information systems, National grid should ensure that the existing systems facilitate derivation of the information required by various stakeholders and its presentation in a meaningful and systematic fashion to its users in convenient time.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Information and Knowledge Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The information generated by these systems should be relevant and should assist the organization in decision making process that will enable National Grid to achieve its objectives among which are; improvement of customer safety and the company’s operational performance, being able to deliver strong, sustainable regulatory and long term contracts which yields high returns, modernization and advancing the transmission and distribution networks, Expanding the company’s capability and reaching for higher levels of efficiency, building trust and transparency as well as positively shaping the energy and climate change agenda in both the UK and the United States (National grid par 6). The cost of sustaining the information systems should be justifiable and should not negatively impact on the profitability and financial performance of the Company. National Grid needs to weigh the benefits associated with information system development and compare them with the costs associated with the same in order to establish whether the development is justifiable. In addition, the company should also consider the alternative opportunity cost associated with development of information systems. The information generated by the company’s information systems should serve the needs of its end users and should also be distributed to the appropriate audience (Pashke, Pashke Twargowski par 9). The management systems should see to it that the frequency of data preparation and generation should be appropriate and the level of data preciseness should conform to usage requirements (Pashke, Pashke Twargowski par 10). National Grid should ensure that its reporting format is appropriate for the intended user and should reliably serve its intended purpose. In addition, the range of data confidence among the management should be sufficient to justify adoption or utilization of a particular information system (Pashke, Pashke Twargowski par 13). Through the existing information management systems, National Grid avoids generation of unnecessary information and management reports. Further, the company should minimize its data duplication by centralizing data report preparation. However, a significant amount of information duplication is necessary for a certain level of management efficiency especially if the company integrates its two branches. Overly detailed data and information systems overwhelm the decision makers, therefore the company should simplify the management systems and data to enhance the user’s ability to digest and utilize the information (Pashke, Pashke Twargowski par 15).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strategic information systems of National grid should also ensure that data is availed to the decision makers in both regions on timely bases preferably before hand to assist in decision making and the report should be formatted in such a way that they serve the end user needs (Pashke, Pashke Twargowski par 18). Recently, National Grid Company US adopted the ZEMA suite enterprise data management solution with an intention of supporting and improving the US energy procurement operations (Anon par 1). The company utilizes the system to gain a centralized source for its market data which is essential for its market data which is essential for strategic decision making. The system further provides the company with advanced automated analytics and data modelling and risk management system. The company replaced the data management systems to derive benefits associated with ZEMA such as risk monitoring, improved information systems and better integration (Anon par 2). If National Grid UK a dopted a similar system the company would not only reap similar benefits as those being accrued by National Grid US, but would also promote cohesion and coordination of management strategies in both regions. Strategic information systems and ebusiness planning activities Over the past few years, global interconnectivity has been enhanced by improved communication especially through the internet. In fact, the internet has played a major role in facilitating business associations and marketing strategies. The National Grid Company is no exception in utilization of the internet and automated means of communication to facilitate distribution of its products to the consumers in both regions where it operates. In this case, we assume that the company has already shifted its management systems from classical systems and is leaning more towards ebusiness. This is necessary for the success of any large international corporation like National Grid. The beginning of ebusiness has its roots tra ced back to the establishment of interactive websites which created opportunities for people to send and receive information from a company’s web server (Pant Ravichandran par 1). Most companies have adopted this method due to technological advancements which has continually made the internet a more preferred choice of information systems in organizations. Use of the internet for enterprise applications has led to the establishment of a new of a new breed of information systems referred to as ebusiness information system (Pant Ravichandran 85).This refers to computer applications that use the internet technology and its universal connectivity among other capabilities of the browser to integrate businesses within and beyond the enterprise to global levels. Ebusiness information systems in National Grid company allows transactions to be conducted in an integrated manner and enlarged information space by eliminating the constraints that are presented by the presence of diverse computing platforms, networks and application (Pant Ravichandran 85). The internets technologies allow automation of inter organizational processes and allow the company’s personnel to interact with the company’s information systems in an interesting and cost efficient manner. This makes the ebusiness information systems a key strategic component of any organization. However, it is vital that organizations plan carefully while designing ebusiness systems. This is because these information systems differ from classical inter organization information systems in significant ways and need to be approached more cautiously. This risk is further elevated by limited research existing in the field of ebusiness system planning making it all the same a more risky option to venture into. The existing information planning models were developed before the advent of the internet, it is not surprising that these models should fail to put into consideration the internal forces that s hape the company growth and successes amidst a dynamic and ever changing economic climate hence in most cases fails to address the information planning needs of e business (Pant Ravichandran 86). The existing models are widely classified into impact models which focus on the potential impacts of information technology on organizational tasks and processes and utilize this to identify opportunities for deploying information systems and alignment models which focus on aligning information system plans and priorities with organization strategy and business goals (Pant Ravichandran 83). The activities of National grid involving marketing, delivering, and support of products can be presented in a value chain. However, the company has shifted its approach from the value chain into value hubs where the linear value chain perspective has evolved into emarket places. This is primarily due to competitive pressures to respond to direct selling strategy as well as maturation of the internet a nd internet and internet related technologies (Pant Ravichandran 86). The company preference of ebusiness information systems can be attributed to the transaction cost theory which explains the economic of information and information systems within the organization (Pant Ravichandran 87). According to this theory, despite the assumptions that transactions through exchange mechanisms are homogenous, real life transactions are more complicated and involve real cost that the organization has to incur (Pant Ravichandran 87). National grid operates within the energy market and serves as a negation to the energy market in the sense that the company replaces the market coordination with coordination executed through explicit command and control. The markets reduce transaction costs as the people dealing through the market do not need to negotiate and execute individual contracts. In addition, integration of organizational and inter organization processes significantly reduces the cost o f transaction (Pant Ravichandran 87). Information technology has the ability to considerably lower coordination costs while ensuring that the associated transaction risk is not elevated hence prompting National Grid to increase its efforts of integrating the two regions rather than concentrating on vertical integration of single firms. The potential for lowering costs of technologically based information systems provide national grid with a reason to adopt ebusiness information systems in order to survive in the economy. Network externalities explains how the value of a product or service increases as the number of users increase (Pant Ravichandran 88). The more the number of people using the electricity and gas distributed by National grid, the more likely it is to attract more consumers. As more people interact via ebusiness information systems, the higher the value that the system achieves. Higher value will be achieved by ebusiness information systems that relate global commun ities to customers (Pant Ravichandran 89). Information is a key agent that serves to maintain cohesion among the two organizations hence it must be handled effectively. Through information, national grid is able to coordinate its distribution channels in both countries as well as the supply chains. Whether information is utilized for purposes of control or coordination, the company formulates it in such a way that it serves its intended purpose for the good of the company. Information management needs of National grid are shaped by the business needs to integrate its processes in the two countries, exchange of information in a timely manner as well as creating positive network externalities (Pant Ravichandran 90). In its attempt to integrate its information systems in both regions, the company needs to conceptualize the process in terms of the extent in which the ebusiness information system integrates with systems and processes across its value chain as well as the horizontal lin k whereby the UK has to link with the US in support of the business model. However, the complexity of information systems increases as the integration continues to advance and upon the integration of information systems in the two corporations, the company should be prepared to handle the costs and other challenges associated with complex systems. Knowledge management and customer relationship management National Grid Company carries out quarterly surveys in order to establish customer satisfaction (National grid par1). In these surveys, the company aims at establishing consumer level of satisfaction from emergency response and repair as well as other consumer demands. The company in turn utilizes the information to make necessary adjustment regarding customer satisfaction. In the company’s gas utility businesses, the annual survey and customer satisfaction ratings in the 2008/2009 registered decline in business during the year. The company consequently planned to implement i nitiative that improve customer satisfaction through putting more emphasis on communication and price, corporate citizenship, automating bill payment and collection, improving gas and electricity quality, promoting reliability and safety among the customers as well as improving customer operations (National Grid par 5). Reliability and service issues are the major components that determine consumer satisfaction. The company heavily invests on enhancing reliability in order to improve consumer perception and satisfaction and aims at achieving the first quartile performance in customer satisfaction surveys by the year 2013 National grid treats its customers appropriately and ensures that the communicate clearly and precisely while ensuring that interaction between them and the customers is straight forward while their main focus involves customer service and operational excellence (National grid par 1). The company’s transmission customer service principally facilitates establi shment of new connections as well as maintenance of the already existing customers (National grid par 2). The company achieves this in conjunction with the independent system operators situated in the regions in which they operate. In addition, the company ensures that it delivers high quality service to its consumers by ensuring that it adheres to the standards defined by the country’s regulators. Conclusion Strategic information management systems are key determinant of a company’s performance on almost all areas. Companies therefore need to adopt the appropriate systems to ensure that their operations are efficient. Introduction and advancement of technology has facilitated improvement in corporate strategic management systems. In fact most corporations refer information technology as a necessary evil whereby companies have to adopt it despite the risks associated with it. Companies should not only develop strategic information systems that are fast efficient and ha ve the ability to handle complex tasks, they should also be user friendly and should allow the users to utilize them in an interactive and simplified manner. Companies should also deal with the negative effects associated with technologically based strategic management information systems to ensure that the company does not incur losses and costs associated with the occurrence of such effects. As an international corporation, National Grid has adopted the advanced technologically based strategic information management systems and reaps benefits from this especially due to its large scale nature of service provision. The company should further aim at integrating the information systems in all the areas in which it operates in order to reap benefits associated with economies of scale. However, this process requires a lot of effort to deal with increased complexities. Further, the company utilizes information derived from surveys to make adjustments that ensure that the company achieve s higher levels of efficiency and customer satisfaction. From the discussed case, it is evident that strategic information systems are an important component of any business operations and companies should invest in efficient information systems to promote their performance in the economy. Works Cited Anon. National Grid implements ZEMA suite replacing incumbent competitive solution, Power group Inc, 2009, ZEMA website. Galliers, Robert Leidner, E. Dorothy. Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in management, Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003. Print. National Grid. Our vision strategy and objectives, our customers-customer service and network reliabilities, National Grid, 2010, the national Grid official website. Pant, Somendra Ravichandran, T: A framework for information systems planning for ebusiness, MCB university press, 2001, Logistics information management PDF publication. Pashke, F. Gregory., Pashke, D Fargo Twargowski. Evaluative criteria for management information needs, Vanamburg group Inc, 2008. The CPA journal (a publication of the New York Society of CPA’s). This report on Information and Knowledge Management was written and submitted by user Carlos Munoz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How to Find the Perfect Tattoo Design 100+ Ideas and 17 Styles

How to Find the Perfect Tattoo Design 100+ Ideas and 17 Styles SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Considering a tattoo? Want tons of tattoo ideas and designs to choose from? This is the perfect guide for you. Body art can be an fun way to show off your personality, but you want to make sure to pick a tattoo design you really love. I'll explain the different styles of tattooing and common sources of inspiration to help you brainstorm awesome tattoo ideas. We'll cover 17 awesome styles that are popular worldwide. The tips and pictures in this post will guide you through envisioning a tattoo design that you'll be happy to display on your body for years to come. Why Get a Tattoo? Tattoos have exploded in popularity over the course of the past few years. In more and more instances, they're accepted in the workplace and in society in general as a common form of creative self-expression. Tattoos can serve as permanent reminders of something that’s meaningful to you or just decorations to spice up the blank canvas of your body. Tattoo artists have developed all kinds of different styles and techniques to create unique pieces that are personal to each client. This guide will teach you all about the different subtypes of tattoo ideas and designs. I’ve divided them into four larger categories: abstract, illustrative, realistic, and lettering. Keep in mind that these aren't rigid categories - the styles often blend together and overlap, which is what makes creating your own personalized tattoo so much fun. After you review the different tattoo designs and consider which ones appeal to you, you can brainstorm your own tattoo ideas. In the second part of the guide, I’ve included a list of various themes that may inspire you in your quest for a tattoo that perfectly compliments your personality! Tattoo Ideas: 17 Cool Styles This section contains a list of every possible tattoo style in categories that range from the completely abstract to the photorealistic. Use these styles as a jumping off point to think about which type of imagery will fit best with the content of your personalized tattoo idea. Here's a table of contents for what we'll cover: Abstract Tattoos Biomechanical and Bio-organic Blackwork and Tribal Dotwork and Pointillism Geometric Watercolor Illustrative American Traditional Japanese New School Sketch Work Surrealism Realistic Neo-Traditional Neo-Japanese Portraiture Black and Grey Horror Trash Polka Lettering Abstract Tattoos These tattoo ideas are comprised of shapes, patterns, dots, and splashes of color. While some of them may also include figurative elements, they are based in a spirit of freeform art and are usually concerned more with aesthetics than with conveying a specific meaning. Style #1: Biomechanical and Bio-Organic Biomechanical and bio-organic tattoos are designed based on the natural flow of systems in the human body. Biomechanical tattoo designs mimic the inner workings of the body through patterns that evoke some sort of half-cyborg alien creature. Bio-organic tattoos are similar to biomechanical tattoos except they feature patterns reminiscent of organic organisms rather than machines. These tattoos are often extremely intricate, creating 3-D illusions that make it appear as though your skin has been ripped open to reveal the strange being within. They're great for sci-fi nerds, people who are interested in machines and robots, or anyone who is fascinated by the functioning of the human body. Style #2: Blackwork (and Tribal Tattoos) Blackwork tattoo ideas use only black ink to render images, designs or patterns. The style uses thick and bold black lines in a variety of geometric shapes. Blackwork tattoos are popular for their elegance and versatility and often come in the form of mandalas or other elaborate patterns. Blackwork tattoo designs derived from figurative line drawings are also common because the bold contrast created by the ink leads to a simple but powerful image. Blackwork tattoo designs originally emerged out of the cultural tradition of tribal tattoos. These tattoos mainly come from the symbolism of Polynesian tribal peoples, including Maori and Samoans. You can make tribal tattoos more relevant to your identity if you find specific symbols that mean something to you to incorporate into the tattoo. Style #3: Dotwork/Pointillism This is a style of tattooing that renders images, designs and patterns entirely through the use of dots. Shading and depth is created by varying the distances between the dots. Though I've decided to put it in the abstract category, dotwork can be either abstract or realistic. Common imagery includes sacred geometry and portraiture. Like blackwork, this tattoo idea is a sophisticated and minimalist approach to tattooing. Style #4: Geometric Geometric tattoo designs are created using only lines and geometric shapes. They differ from blackwork because color is typically incorporated into the design. These types of tattoo designs can vary dramatically in their look and feel, ranging from simple designs of single shapes to sleeves of intricate interlocking forms. They can make very powerful statements in subtle ways. Style #5: Watercolor Watercolor tattoos use splashes and streaks of color to give the impression of paint on canvas or paper. They lack all outlines and imitate the aesthetics of watercolor paintings. They are sometimes combined with realism or solid outlines and typically display bright colors and natural themes. These tattoos have gained popularity recently for their traditional artistic flair and delicate beauty. Illustrative Tattoos This category includes tattoo ideas that depict recognizable objects in exaggerated or stylized forms. These styles provide an awesome means of customizing your own unique tattoo ideas. Style #1: American Traditional This style uses bold black outlines and a well-saturated color palette consisting mainly of primary colors. It was originally popularized by men in the US Navy. This is what most people picture when they imagine classic tattoos (think "Mom" in a heart on the bicep of an enormous dude). Style #2: Traditional Japanese (Irezumi) Like American traditional, the Japanese tattoo style is based on bold black outlines and minimal shading, but it typically features images inspired by traditional Japanese art and nature as well as creatures and characters from Japanese folklore. Imagery typically consists of lotus flowers, koi fish, tigers, warriors and waves. This is a sophisticated, intricate style of tattooing that can look beautiful and peaceful or totally badass (or even both at the same time!). Style #3: New School New School is an animated, exaggerated style of tattooing. Images are usually caricatures of characters doing unexpected things and are influenced by graffiti and hip-hop artistic techniques and styles. That means bright colors and amplified dimensions and features. If you love cartoons and want a really fun and unusual tattoo idea, this might be a good tattoo design style for you. Style #4: Sketch Work Sketch work tattoos imitate the rough aesthetic of an artist’s sketchbook. They usually show unfinished images or designs including partially colored in sections and unclear outlines. If you’re really into comic books and the sketchy style of that world, you could get a tattoo that adopts the same style. Style #5: Surrealism This style consists of imaginary images, mashed up styles, and fantastical creations. If you’re familiar with surrealist artists (Salvador Dali being the most famous) you can see how this style has evolved as a byproduct of their work. Surrealism is different from New School because it’s rarely cartoonish. It’s just strange combinations of objects or portraits that may be rendered in a realistic style but are combined in nonsensical ways. If you want a tattoo design that’s unnerving but not outright horrific you might look at surreal tattoos for inspiration. Realistic Tattoos Realism is a tattoo design style that recreates images as they would appear in life. It lacks the bold outlines found in more traditional forms of tattooing and instead uses shading and color contrasts to render the image. Some of the types of tattoos mentioned above may incorporate realistic elements, but the styles in this section are the ones that are most prone to using realism. Style #1: Neo-Traditional This is a modern twist on American traditional tattooing in which more realistic depth, shading, color and detail are added to traditional conventions. They present similar subject matter to traditional tattoos but with an updated stylistic flair. If you like American traditional tattoos but want to sport something that’s a bit more unique and up-to-date, you should investigate this style. Style #2: Neo-Japanese This is the same as neo-traditional tattooing except it’s an update to traditional Japanese tattoos. Again, more realistic depth, shading, color, and detail are added to traditional Japanese style conventions. Similarly, if you like traditional Japanese tattoos but want a little more realism to make the images really pop, you should look into this style. Style #3: Portraiture In portraiture, a portrait of someone is recreated as a tattoo. Realistic portraits can be created either in color or black and grey. They’re often made by using a stencil over a pre-existing photograph or image in order to get an exact likeness. Portraiture is used to memorialize people or depict iconic celebrities or personal heroes. Tattoo portraits are really tough to do well, so you should conduct quite a bit of research before settling on an artist that you trust. Style #4: Black and Grey Black and grey tattooing only uses black ink and water. Tattooists water down the black ink to make it softer and more grey so they can create shades, hues and color contrasts. Some artists also use actual grey ink and white ink for highlights. Black and grey tattoos can be very evocative and creepy, so if you’re going with a more serious theme this is a good style tattoo idea. Style #5: Horror These are tattoos dealing with dark or morbid subject matter. Subjects include portraits of characters from horror films, freehanded monsters, and many other forms of creepy imagery. Typically, black and grey horror is done on a large scale as a full sleeve (like in the image below) or back piece. If you’re a big horror fan and want to make yourself look kinda scary, check out these cool tattoo ideas. Style #6: Trash Polka Trash polka tattoos feature black and red color schemes characterized by collage-like images featuring moments of realism, lettering, and abstract or geometric shapes. They include painterly elements like smears and smudges as well as surreal and realistic images to create a chaotic look. These tattoos are more about the overall look than the deeper meaning- they are often pure decorative pieces from the mind of the tattoo artist. This is a divisive new style, but some people really love it because it makes such a bold statement. Lettering or Script Tattoos Lettering ranges from simple tattoos of letters and words in standard fonts to highly stylized custom pieces. You can do many, many different things with script depending on how long the message is. Some lettering tattoos are so elaborate that the words become art pieces that only read as letters when you look more closely. Others are just plain printing without any extra flair. It all depends on your personal style! Brainstorming: What Are You Looking for in a Tattoo? A tattoo idea doesn’t have to have deep metaphorical significance, but you should definitely make sure it’s something you're thrilled to display on your body indefinitely. Plenty of people get tattoos just because they look cool, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Think about exactly why you want a tattoo and what you hope to get out of it. Here’s a list of some themes and aesthetic qualities that you might consider incorporating into your tattoo design depending on what you want it to mean to you: Depiction of a Hobby or Passion Symbols of the activities you love can make great tattoos because these passions are unlikely to change too much throughout your life. For example, if you really enjoy kayaking, you could get a tattoo of a paddle. If you love knitting, you could get a tattoo of a yarn ball (and eventually be a super cool grandma). Reminder of a Fun Experience Tattoos can be a way to preserve memories of great times in your life. For example, if you and your friends went on an awesome hiking and camping trip, you could get a tattoo of the outline of the mountain range. If you went to Paris, you could get a little croissant tattoo (or a tattoo of a creepy mime if you’re weird like me). The tattoo idea could also be a reference to an experience from your childhood that you’ve treasured over the years. Your Favorite [Fill in the Blank] Favorite things make fun tattoos that can have all kinds of different connotations. Think about your favorite animal, food, flower, place, fictional character, book, movie, team, or game. Branch out from there to come up with a way of depicting your favorite thing in tattoo form. You can even decide to combine several favorite things into one tattoo design. If your favorite animal is a wolf, your favorite food is steak, and your favorite basketball team is the Miami Heat, you could get a tattoo of a wolf eating steak and wearing a Miami Heat hat. The more unique the better! Honoring a Child, Friend, or Relative Some people get tattoos as tributes to others who have made strong impacts on their lives. These tattoos often consist of portraits, significant dates (birth or death), or that person’s favorite animal or some other icon associated with them. A tattoo can help in the grieving process for a loved one, or it can celebrate new life. Showing Pride in Your Identity or Struggles You’ve Overcome Many people get tattoos to commemorate personal breakthroughs or turning points in their lives. This might mean a symbol of recovery from addiction or mental health problems or a marker of another positive achievement in your life like graduating from college or embracing your sexuality. This theme ties into tattoo designs that are about identity. These could include religious iconography, the flag of your home country or a symbol of the state in which you were born, a symbol of your ancestral heritage, the symbol of a group you belong to or support, or an astrological sign. A Significant Phrase or Quote Is there a quote that you feel sums up your life philosophy (or your goals for your life philosophy)? Many people get lettering tattoos of quotes or meaningful sayings to remind them of what they stand for and how they hope to approach challenges in their lives. These quotes or sayings might be verses from religious texts, a quote from a favorite author or thinker, an adage, or a song lyric. Pure Aesthetics Maybe your more interested in a tattoo that just looks a certain way? There are a lot of different aesthetics for tattoo designs - you can choose whichever appeals to you. Something Beautiful or Cute If you just want your tattoo to look pretty, you have many options. Choosing an image from nature is usually a safe bet if you want the tattoo to have staying power. You might consider koi fish, birds, roses or other flowers, trees, a moon or sun, a dreamcatcher, a butterfly, a wave, or anything else you can think of that looks cute. When you’re judging tattoo ideas based on aesthetics it’s a good idea to search extensively for inspiration so you can get an idea of what different images look like in certain places on the body. Something Funny or Goofy Maybe you’re looking for tattoo ideas that take themselves a little less seriously. Cartoonish monsters, animals wearing clothing, or other surreal tattoos that are more amusing than creepy are all fun options. Just make sure you're confident that it will still be funny a few years from now! Jokes usually have expiration dates, but tattoos definitely don't. Something Badass, Scary, or Just Plain Awesome Want to terrify people and/or leave them completely awestruck? Tattoo artists can create crazy horror scenes that incorporate many different elements (or subtler small but scary tattoos if you’re less of a showman). Some elements you might consider weaving into these types of tattoos are skulls and skeletons, weapons, vicious animals, zombies, the grim reaper and other symbols of death (gravestones, etc), clocks, pentagrams, your favorite horror characters, haunted houses, eyeballs, insects and other creepy crawlies, demons and gargoyles, dragons, and more! Abstract Designs Designs make great tattoos even if they’re just random creations from the mind of the artist. If you want this type of tattoo, think about whether you would like it to be black and white or in color. If it’s in color, which colors do you want to include? Do you want a design that evokes organic flow and movement or a more rigid geometric or mechanical design? Do you just want the design, or would you like to incorporate figurative elements into the tattoo as well? Even very simple abstract tattoos can be extremely cool, like this one: Practical Concerns for Tattoo Ideas Style and content aren't the only things you should take into account if you're considering getting a tattoo. Ensuring that the procedure is within your budget and the tattoo has staying power are factors that are less fun to think about but are just as crucial if you want to avoid buyer's remorse in an industry where there are no easy returns. Pricing The cost of a tattoo can vary depending on the artist, the tattoo's location, the number of colors that are used, and the size. Some tattoo artists charge more than others because they can afford to do so based on their reputations. Usually, tattoo artists in big cities charge more than those who are less centrally located. Established tattoo artists typically charge at least $150 an hour for their work, and in most cases you will have to pay the fee for one hour regardless of whether it takes the artist the full 60 minutes to complete your design. Even if you go to a beginner tattoo artist, you'll probably spend at least $80 on your tattoo. The more colorful the tattoo design, the more expensive it will be. Incorporating lots of colors means more time, and most tattoo artists charge by the hour in case a project takes longer than anticipated. If you want a cheaper tattoo, you should go with blackwork. Tattoos that are done on sensitive areas of the body are also more expensive because the tattoo artist has to be more careful. Sensitive areas include your hands, feet, neck, sternum, and genitals. Perhaps the biggest factor that will impact the cost of the tattoo is its size and level of detail. A full back tattoo with a ton of detail will obviously take way more time than a tattoo of a couple of triangles on your arm.' Longevity There's a reason why some tattoos last longer than others. Darker colors are less likely to fade over time while very vibrant and very pale colors will fade more quickly (like in the picture below). In general, warm colors fade faster than cool colors. However, any tattoo can fade if you don't take good care of it. Listening to the tattoo artist and providing the correct aftercare for your tattoo is extremely important if you want the colors to pop for a long time. If you're a fan of tanning, you should also know that tattoos fade more quickly with exposure to the sun. The location of the tattoo also plays a part in how well it ages - tattoos on the legs, upper arms, and chest are most likely to get warped with age because these are the areas of your body that change the most over time. Tattoos on your fingers can also fade because we use our hands so frequently and the skin is closer to the bone, so if you're planning to get a cute little hipster triangle on your finger, you should keep this in mind. Size can also play a part in a tattoo's longevity. A common mistake that people make with their first tattoo is that they get it too small. If a tattoo is really small, especially if it involves lettering, it can all start to mush together over time and look like nothing. Don't shy away from making your tattoo a little bigger and bolder so that it won't become a random splotch years down the road. Deciding on a Tattoo Design Hopefully this article gave you some inspiration for the design of what is sure to be your latest and greatest tattoo! If you've come up with a tattoo idea you love, you can start searching for tattoo artists in your area and ask for a consultation to see if they have any suggestions for improving your design. If you're not ready to take that step quite yet, you can experiment with temporary tattoos to see how you feel about your design and how it looks on your body without making a long-term commitment. Some people think about a tattoo idea for years before actually going through with it. It's always smart to put a lot of thought into the process so that you end up with a tattoo that's meaningful to you (and also makes your friends incredibly jealous).

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Industrial Revolution1 essays

The Industrial Revolution1 essays It has, been variously called the "Western Miracle" (Rosenberg and Birdzell 42) and the "European Miracle," (Jones) but it is commonly known as the Industrial Revolution. Subsequent to the Middle Ages, populations in Western Europe began developing technology that enhanced their ability to generate products and which led to significantly higher standards of living than populations elsewhere on the planet. It should be noted that this does not suggest that the quality of life was better for the Europeans, only that even the poorest European was materially better off than his counterpart in India or China. This research examines why the Industrial Revolution took place in Europe, and why it did not occur elsewhere, specifically Asia. Analysts who have taken on the question of why the industrial revolution occurred in Europe have proposed several theories, each of which, alone, fails to adequately explain the phenomenon. Some have attributed the industrialization to imperialism, but some economically successful countries grew prosperous before imperialism and some, such as Norway and Switzerland, avoided imperialism altogether. Possession of natural resources has also been put forth as a possible answer. Unfortunately, natural resources do not become economic assets until the knowledge and means of using them (technology) becomes available. In addition, Japan, with far fewer natural resources than Mexico and the Soviet Union, for example, has become a highly successful economic entity. City-states which were successful during the early stages of the industrial revolution, such as Venice, also suggest limitations to the physical resources idea (Rosenberg and Birdzell 42-43). While the above theories cannot account for the industrial revolution of Europe alone, they can be combined and, with other components, used to produce a workable theory as to why the "miracle" occurred in Europe and not the Orient or India. In 1500, E...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Organizational IT Related Privacy Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational IT Related Privacy Policy - Essay Example In the recent past, issues related to workplace privacy and how firms address privacy, have resulted to unwanted, costly lawsuits. In order for organizations to eliminate these lawsuits, firms are monitoring employee communications critically. Worker email monitors and employee surveillance in working environment present in most cases conflicting ethical issues concerning an employee requirement to safeguard its property and itself against any liability and worker’s right to privacy. Tangible business reasoning stipulates that it is legally and ethically practical for an employer to develop a written workplace policy that comprises monitoring use of computer while at the same scope provide sufficient protections for employee privacy rights in order to survive legal analysis (Cox and Goette, 2005). Privacy has evolved to be an important element in business environment particularly in aspect related to technology and rights of employees. Privacy is freedom or liberty from unauthorized intrusion. Privacy can be attacked in four premises. The first is perverse intrusion upon individual’s seclusion. Appropriation takes place when the use of individual’s likeness or name is used for economic gains. The third premise is public disclosure of individual private facts. Lastly, false light is publicly placing or featuring individual in a false light. Most employers are faced with privacy issues involving intrusion upon seclusion (Lim, 2002). Most of employees are traditionally accustomed to using technology provided to them by employers for other purposes other than for job specifications. Therefore, this has forced many organizations to create and implement information technology-based policies that monitor workers’ email and internet actions.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Leadership Styles and TQM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Styles and TQM - Essay Example To begin with, it is important to understand these concepts. Chew (2010) defines leadership styles as the approach and way in which direction are provided, people are motivated, and plans are implemented within a given organization or setting. Also, leadership styles can refer to how a person (a leader) plays his or her leadership role; that is how he or she treats others, make decisions, and interacts with others (Northouse, 2011). In other words, leadership styles are about how a leader behaves, his/her experience, decisions, personality, actions, and philosophy. On the other hand, TQM is defined as an approach that aims at improving performance and quality that exceed and meet the expectations of customers of the organization Rawlins (2010). According to Evans and Lindsay (2010), TQM refers to a management philosophy or approach that is integrated for constant improvement of the quality of processes and products of an organization. In regard to leadership styles, there are several styles. However, most of these styles can be grouped into three major categories namely; authoritarian or autocratic style, democratic or participative style, and delegative or free reign (Schein, 2010). In authoritarian style, all or nearly all the decision making processes and powers are centralized to the organizational leader; there is very little or no contribution at all from the subordinates. Participative leadership involves participation of both the leader and subordinates in decision making; the decisions are not unilateral but rather collaborative (Schein, 2010). Lastly, a delegative or free rein style of leadership where the leader transfers responsibilities and authority to others who may often be the subordinates. It is based on the belief that a single person cannot do everything and has to set priorities and delegate certain tasks and subordinates are sometime free to decide their own methods and policies (Northouse, 2011). It is also crucial to understand TQM in de tails. Evans and Lindsay (2010) explain that TQM achieves its objective through integration of processes and all quality- related functions throughout the organization. According to Rawlins (2010), TQM is guided by a number of principles. These principles include; customer focus, employee involvement, continuous improvement, executive management, decision making, organizational culture, methodology, and training. Rawlins also argues that TQM involves costs that are essential in yielding better results for the organization. They include; failure costs, appraisal costs, and prevention costs. It is in the light of the above that the relationship between leadership styles and TQM can be understood and be explained. Pauleen and Gorman (2011) observe that the two concepts are fundamentally different but related especially in regard to operations and management of an organization towards achieving the set goals and objectives. As noted from the above explanations of the two concepts, they differ in meaning and functions. However, they relate in a number of aspects. First, application of these aspects in the organization is aimed at achieving organizational goals and objectives (Ivancevich, 2011). Secondly, they are both functions of the organizations that are necessary for the proper

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Ethical Issues in Businesses Today Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues in Businesses Today Essay Ethical issues in businesses today There are a million ethical issues in todays businesses and unfortunately there is no perfect decision measurement for all these ethical issues in business. The ethical issues in international businesses are much more complicated and much more delicate, along with being tenfold in numbers. According to Wiley (1995), ethics is concerned with moral obligation, responsibility, and social Justice. She goes on to say that ethics reflects the character of the individual and more con temporarily per haps, the character of the business firm, which is a collection of individuals. Mauro et all, 1999) It is evident that ethics play such a crucial role in businesses if we consider the instances like the Enron companys ethical break down. Not only in Enron, but Dilemmas involving discrimination, harassment, fraud, contractual breaches, favouritism and consistent policies regarding pay, rewards and discipline are common occurrences in many organizations. (Hartel, C. E. J, Fujimoto, Y, 2010) Industry Wide Ethical Issues in Business Following is a list of industry wide ethical issues in businesses. The problem with these ethical issues in business is that they are not only really routine and frequent ut they are also more wide-spread Bribing powerful officials in order to get bids and tenders accepted and bribing competitor employees to get informational leaks is a serious ethical issue in business. In fact, it is a crime that is legally punishable in most countries today. Labor related issues like gender discrimination at workplace, employee harassment, minority community participation, working conditions and child labor are also some general ethical issues in busines

Friday, November 15, 2019

Essay examples --

When considering the numerous types of interactions between humans and computers that occur on a daily basis, from simple data entry and clerical work to high level programming and graphic design, they all require people to physically input information into the machine and receive some sort of visual or audio output. This, in fact is the primary goal when referring to input and output devices; to transfer information from a person’s mind into the computer and to then have the computer relay the results of said input. The difficulty in the transferring of information from the human brain into a computer lies essentially within the input device. The majority of input devices which are commonly in use today are simply not substantial enough to allow users to convey information to a computer at a sufficient rate. This problem has lead to the exploration and development of numerous new input devices. This paper will speak to these new input devices and how they, along with their corresponding output device, will allow the average computer user to decrease the latency between the human mind and the computer. With current technologies employed by the average computer user, the most common method for transmitting information from a human into a computer is through two simple devices, the keyboard and the mouse. These specific input methods, while convenient and nearly universal, are limited by the speed at which a human can operate them with their hands. To use typing as an example, it is reasonable to assume that anyone who works in the field of computer science or any of the various related industries knows how to use a keyboard to enter text into a computer. However this method of information transfer has its upper limits. Assumi... ...ices still suffer from the same limitations as the keyboard, namely that they are both limited by the speed and dexterity of the human hands. The computer mouse operates in a two dimensional world, generally manipulating two dimensional data such as text editors, internet browsers, and email applications. Nonetheless, there is a large portion of the computer industry which operates with various three dimensional applications. It is with these types of applications that gestural interaction becomes of greater value. Once such method of interaction that has received considerable attention in recent years is 3D spatial interaction where users’ motions are tracked in some way so as to determine their 3D pose (e.g., position and orientation) in space over time. This tracking can be done with sensors users wear or hold in their hands or unobtrusively with a camera.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Bilingual Education Beneficial for Kinderkarten

Bilingual Education: Beneficial for Kindergarten to Catch it Young By M. H 7th December 2012 Abstract: Research has shown that bilingual education has positive effect on kindergarten children. The purpose of this research was to study the benefits of bilingual education, which further helped in recommending marketing campaign for the Canadian kindergarten school to increase enrolments. Several analyses were taken into account like â€Å"Simon Task† and core group task to understand the benefits. Study reveals that bilingual children perform better cognitive, analytical tasks and have better success rate than monolingual children.Keywords: Children, Bilingualism, Kindergarten, Cognitive, Bilingual, Education, Monolingual Page | 1 Introduction This report aims to address positive effects of bilingual education on young children and to provide recommendations to Canadian kindergarten school through marketing campaign to increase kindergarten student enrolment. Different research methodology taken into account in this report, which has been extracted from researches done by PhD students, professors, doctors and scientists to provide evidence on the benefits of learning in two languages.One of the approaches considered in this report was â€Å"Simon Task† conducted by Ioulia Kovelman and Ellen Bialystok, PhD student of York University, Canada. This provides empirical evidence that bilingual kids outperform cognitive tasks than monolingual flock. Moreover, Bilingual children are more creative, intellectual and have longer attention span. Findings 1. 1 Perform Cognitive Tasks Better Several researches were undertaken in the past 20 years; to prove bilingual children are superior to monolingual kids.In the recent past, Ioulia Kovelman and Ellen Bialystok, PhD student of York University, Canada evaluated children aged between 4-6 years. During their research, they made two core groups, one group was monolingual who were fluent in their native language . i. e. French or English and another; group was bilingual (with proficiency in both the languages, written and oral). The idea was to test cognitive ability of the core group for which â€Å"Simon Task† method was considered. It is a universal method practised by scientists to understand how human mind functions and performs certain tasks.The aim was to understand how kids respond to different colours and visuals. Hence, kids were asked to separate different shapes as per their colour and size, generated by computer which popped up from different sides of the screen. Results were surprising as bilingual children were more accurate than monolingual group. Study depicts that bilingual brain functions faster and has divergent thinking skills which allows brain to recognize and differentiate different objects at the same time. Therefore, bilingual children tend to be smarter than monolingual peers and perform cognitive tasks better. . 2 More Creative with Analytical Abilities A rese arch conducted by Dr Lauchlan in Scotland and Sardinia, Italy- 121 children under age of 9 were taken in a group with monolingual and bilingual abilities, and were asked to perform different mathematical, creative, linguistic and physical assignments. The emphasis was to evaluate how children respond to different tasks. The bilingual learner’s performance and intellectual capabilities were significantly higher i. e. (52%) than monolingual peers (48%) (Refer figure 1. 2) Page | 2Figure 1. 2 Pie chart adapted from data provided by Dr Strathclyde research. 1. 3 Greater Success Rate There has been sufficient evidence, which reveals that bilingualism is an asset, as it provides higher employment rates over monolingual person. As stated in 2006 Canadian census, knowledge of French and English provide more job opportunities as compared to knowledge of French or English alone. Refer to the following graph (figure 3. 3) Fi gure 3. 3 Page | 3 It is apparent from the graph that bilingua l people have higher job prospects.This is an era of globalization, where most of the organizations are multinational. Hence, organizations prefer to hire employees who are proficient in different languages and understand diverse cultures. 1. 4 Brain Development â€Å"Children who learn a second language before the age of five have been shown to have denser grey matter in their brains than their monolingual peers† (Dai, 2012). According to Cumming (2005) research shows brain has two prominent tissues visible to eyes known as white and grey matter. Source: Mechelli, A. Nature, October 2004; vol 431: p 757.In 2004 research conducted by Dr Mechelli and his team at University College, London, revealed similar results. During their research they evaluated brains of monolingual and bilingual people who were introduced to second language early in their life. One set of group started learning second language at the age of 2 and another people were introduced to new language at the ag e of 30. The study reveals, those who initiated learning second language early had better command and proficiency in second language. Furthermore, density of grey matter on the left side of their brain was higher. Grey matter is combination of â€Å"head† nerves functions for coordination and communication) Conclusions: It is apparent that children who start learning in two languages at early age have cognitive and linguistic benefits over children who are mono-linguistic. Also, it prepares children for future to get better employment. Diversity comes naturally to bilingual children as it helps them to grow, understand different aspects of life and prepares them to adjust in multicultural environment, as they imbibe certain characteristics during the course of time.Due to these characteristics it makes children smarter and more confident as they learn in two languages. Page | 4 Recommendations: ? Canadian kindergarten school should work on integrated marketing methodology to lure and educate parents on the benefits of bilingual education. Publicise print ads in newspaper, magazines and different educational websites focusing on curriculum inculcated by school, to ensure their focus is to flourish analytical and cognitive skills of kids while they learn two languages as bilingual kids tend to become sharper day by day. ? School should conduct ducational fairs near school vicinity to provide information and familiarise parents about bilingual education. Especially for a strong economy like Canada where people are expected to speak two languages. When children are introduced to second languages early in their life they learn quickly, master the art of language and become proficient as they are agile and creative. ? Prospective parents should be invited for personal webinar and chat sessions on school website. Prime focus should be on how dual language learning can transform kid’s life in a positive manner as it provides exposure to different culture and diversities.Perhaps, helps children later in their life for better employment opportunities. ? E-mailers and Direct mailers should be sent to parents emphasizing the fact that a child’s brain grows faster with bilingual education . Also, it builds analytical, mental, linguistic and creative skills by allowing brain to respond to two different languages. Page | 5 References 1. â€Å"Bilingual children ‘better at problem-solving skills† 2012, Scotland (UK),United Kingdom, Scotland, viewed on 24th Nov 2012, ; http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19109883; 2. 3.CummingW(2005),† The capacity of the brain in learning multiple languages†, London Sage Dai, A,2012, It’s a Small World After All from, viewed 23 rd Nov 2012 http://www. thethunderproject. org/its-a-small-world-after-all/#more-1053 4. Genesee, F 2004, ‘What do we know about bilingual education for majority language students? ’, in TK Bhatia & W Ritchie (eds ), Handbook of bilingualism and multiculturalism, Blackwell, Malden, pp. 547576. 5. Hitti ,M,2004,†Being Bilingual Boosts Brain Power† MDHelth news, viewed 25 th Nov 2012 6. Lowry ,L, â€Å"Are Two Languages Better than One†, The Hanen Centre, viewed 24 th Nov 2012, ; http://www. anen. org/Helpful-Info/Our-Views-on-the-News/Are-Two-Languages-Better-Than-One. aspx; 7. â€Å"Language Learning and the Developing Brain† (1996, winter). Learning Languages, 1 (2), 17. 8. MarianV, Faroqi-Shah, Y, Kaushanskaya,M, H. K & & Sheng,L. 2009, â€Å"Bilingualism: Consequences for Language, Cognition, Development, and the Brain†, Asha Leader, vol. 14, no. 13,pp. 10-13, viewed 20th Nov 2012. 9. Mechelli, A. Nature, October 2004; vol 431: p 757 10. â€Å"The advantages of bilingualism in Canada† 2008, Canadian council on learning, viewed on 25 th Nov2012, Page | 6

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Engro Foods

Contents About engro foods3 value proposition3 olpers3 olwell milk (a low fat milk by olpers, engro foods)4 olfrute juice4 tarang4 omore5 segmentation5 what is segmentation†¦.. 5 basis for segmentation:5 segmentation for olper’s5 olper,s product range6 segmentation for olper’s:7 positioning for olper’s8 what is positioning†¦.. 8 positioning process:8 competitive advantage12 continuous improvement12 quality control12 pr with farmers13 third-generation plant13 engro’s promotion mix tools13 advertising13 sales promotions15 public relations16 personal selling17 direct marketing18 basic tactics used18 customer relationship management18 customer relationship management in engro foods18 customers touch points19 reducing the customer defection rate22 building loyalty22 references24 about engro food  Ã‚  Engro stands for â€Å"energy for growth†. From inception, ours is a legacy of continuous growth, new challenges and fulfilled promises. From fertilizers to dairy products, business solutions to PVC resin, power generation to commodity trade, at Engro our ambition is to become the premier Pakistani enterprise with a global reach.Engro Foods Limited is subsidiary of Engro Chemical Pvt. Ltd. which is one of the most reputed enterprises in Pakistan with more than 40 years of diversified business operations in the areas of fertilizer and chemicals. Engro Chemicals, formerly known as Exxon, was taken oven by the employees and reamed Engro. Since then, it has diversified into many fields owning and operating subsidiaries like Engro Asahi, Eng ro Vopak, Engro Pak tank, Engro Chemicals and Engro Foods. Engro Foods started its business operations in March 2006 and it hasn’t looked back ever since its inception.Within a very short span of 2 years, it has become the house of four quality dairy milk brands: Olpers Milk, Tarang, Olwell, and Olpers cream. Engro Foods has already set up two processing plants at Sukkur and Sahiwal. VALUE PROPOSITION A  value proposition  is a promise of  value  to be delivered and a belief from the customer of  value  that will be experienced. A value proposition can apply to an entire organization, or parts thereof, or customer accounts, or products or services. Engro Foods Ltd. is delivering value to customers by offering following productsOLPERS [pic] OLWELL MILK (A LOW FAT MILK BY OLPERS, ENGRO FOODS) OLFRUTE JUICE [pic] TARANG [pic] OMORE [pic] SEGMENTATION WHAT IS SEGMENTATION†¦.. â€Å"The process of defining and subdividing a large homogenous market into clearly id entifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. † BASIS FOR SEGMENTATION: The following are the basis for segmentation: [pic] SEGMENTATION FOR OLPER’S It is difficult for any one company to engage in mass production, mass distribution and mass promotion for its product.The complexities arise from the proliferation of advertising and distribution channels and the high costs associated with reaching a mass audience. Therefore, companies segment the market so that they can target the group of customers who share similar needs and wants. The milk sector shows a market that has homogeneous preferences that is the consumers have similar preferences. They want milk to be white, carefully processed, and good for health and bones. Keeping these things in mind Engro segmented its market.The marketers at Engro have had a number of options available to them when segmenting the market for their products. Engro Olper’s products include: [pic] OLPER, S PRODUCT RANGE SEGMENTATION FOR OLPER’S: Geographic Segmentation: Engro Geographically segmented its market on the basis of: †¢ Region: Engro segmented its market for the â€Å"South East† region. †¢ Country: Engro segmented its market in â€Å"Pakistan† country. †¢ Province: Engro targeted its consumers all over the Pakistan but mostly in the â€Å"Punjab† province. Demographic Segmentation:Engro divided its market on the basis of demographically as: †¢ Age: Engro Olper’s products are for the all age of people like for children youngsters and olders. †¢ Gender: Engro did not segment its market on the gender basis. Every person can use it either male or female because there is no gender discrimination. †¢ Family: Olper’s products serve the family which has 3 to 5 members. †¢ Income: Brand calls for a small percentage of an individual’s income but lower class wouldn’t want to buy the brand may be because they are price sensitive. Psychographic Segmentation:Engro psycho-graphically segmented its market on the basis of: †¢ Social class: The brand is meant for all the users in higher upper or middle class families and it targets a specific social class who are health conscious and concerned about their weight. †¢ Life style: Olper’s have segmented the market more towards achievers who are goal-oriented and want to recognize themselves by others. For example the ads for Olwell mostly show achievers who want to be successful, have high aims and are already doing quite well in their concerned fields. Personality: The Olper’s products have targeted experiencers because the company has given them a new set of brand and so many will make their first purchase because they want to try something new. Olper’s ads also target believers, traditional conservative people with concrete beliefs. The ads for Olper’s show the beliefs of healthy life with processed milk and plays on the emotional aspect more. Behavioral Segmentation: Engro Behaviorally segmented its market on the basis of: †¢ Benefits: Olper’s products have been segmented on the basis of benefits that consumers seek in the milk.In this case, people look for a brand that can be used for all purposes from drinking to tea whiteners as well to feed the animals. †¢ Loyalty: Engro segment its market on the basis of loyality status by finding some hard core loyal persons in the milk sector which are also price sensitive or want variety and on the basis of price they will be switch from other established brands like Haleeb, Nestle etc. POSITIONING FOR OLPER’S WHAT IS POSITIONING†¦.. â€Å"Positioning is defined as the act of designing the company's offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the target market's mind. POSITIONING PROCESS: The effective positioning process involves: [pic] Defining the competitive frame of reference: Compet itive frame of reference involves: †¢ Identifying the direct competitors of brand. †¢ Position of these competitors in market. †¢ Level of competition. Identifying the direct competitors: Before positioning a brand company must understand who the main competitors are? For example Engro main competitors: †¢ Haleeb †¢ Nestle Position of competitors: Company must analyze and understand the position of their competitors that either their position is strong or weak.For example the both competitors of Engro are strong and have a tremendous market place. Level of competition: Company also identifying the level of competition that at what level it competes with its competitors. The level of competition involves: †¢ At product type level †¢ At product category level †¢ At product class level For example, Engro competes at all levels as: †¢ As at the product type level Olper’s compete with the Nestle milk pack and Haleeb dairy queen. †¢ As at the product category level Olper’s categories like Olper’s Olwell competes with Nestle Nesvita and Haleeb Skimz. As at the product class level it compete with all dairy products as Engro dairy products are compete with all dairy products of Nestle and Haleeb. Establishing the points of difference: Companies establish the points of difference which are the attributes or benefit those consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate, and believe that they could not find to the same extent in the competitive brand. The point of differences for the Engro dairy products are: Olper’s milk: †¢ Packaging of Olper’s milk in Red color which is quite different from competitors Green and Blue color packaging. Engro used the attribute positioning for Olper’s milk. The main theme of the product is that it is meant for all purposes without any user imagery. Olper’s ads also show attributes of milk such as good for health. †¢ The unique selling proposition for Olper’s is based on tag line: â€Å"Subah Bakhair Zindagi†, but recently the company changed the USP to: â€Å"Jo dil khol kay jeetay hain unheen kay liyay hai Olper’s†. Both the tag lines have a very positive impact on Olper’s image because of the emotions involved in both the lines. Olper’s cream: †¢ Packaging of Olper’s cream in Purple color which is different from competitors. Engro position Olper’s cream for a specific use or application. Because the Olper’s cream used to make the dishes in which cream is necessary like cakes, ice cream. †¢ The unique selling proposition for Olper’s cream is based on tagline â€Å"Life’s a Dessert† with the message of ad that â€Å"Creams of all Creams†. Olper’s Olwell: †¢ Packaging of Olper’s Olwell in Red color which distinguish it from competitors. †¢ Engro used the benefit positionin g for Olwell. The product is positioned as High calcium, low fat product. †¢ The unique selling proposition for Olper’s Olwell is based on tag line â€Å"†¦.. o you’re unstoppable† and with the message â€Å"Stop ageging†. Olper’s Owsum: †¢ Packaging of Owsum designed in a highly detailed comic book style and each packaging has a different world with respect to each flavor describing different story in each one. †¢ Engro use the specific positioning as Owsum flavored milk is for the children from 9 to 12 years age. It is the first time a company target this age group children. †¢ The unique selling proposition for Olper’s Owsum is based on tag line â€Å"Kill the Milk Monster† and the message of ad â€Å"Flavored milk socked out the simple milk†. Establish the points of parity:Companies establish the points of parity which are attributes or benefits which are not necessarily unique to the brand, and als o shared with other brands. The point of parity for the Engro dairy products are: †¢ Engro provides high quality to its customers, which same to its competitors Nestle and Haleeb because these companies also focus on high quality. †¢ Engro cover the whole country of Pakistan and its competitors also covers the all areas of Pakistan. †¢ Both the appearance and packaging of Engro products is very attractive. Its competitors packaging and appearance is also very attractive. Engro run its advertising on different channels like T. V, Radio, Newspapers and billboards. Nestle and Haleeb which are the competitors of Engro are also using the same channels. †¢ Engro used the 6 layered Tetra Pack packaging for its products. Nestle and Haleeb also using the same packaging technique. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Competitive advantage  means strategic advantage one business entity has over its rival entities within its competitive industry. Achieving competitive advantage strengthe ns and positions a business better within the business environment.Engro foods Ltd. has many advantages over its competitors which are given below. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT The Engro foods continuously improve itself which is the major edge of Engro foods over its competitors. Feedback and its integration in the supply chain are essential to the continuous improvement of an organization that places so much importance on supply chain management. Engro Foods ensures feedback is obtained from all possible sources. As a result, contact is maintained with distributors regarding the consumers’ reaction or any complaints that they may have.In fact, any bad products or bad batches of products, if the consequence of any supply chain management glitches, are accepted back by the company and exchanged for new good stock free of cost. Feedback is also collected directly from the consumers via the company website, which allows consumers to lodge any complaints, put forward any queries, or j ust drop by their comments. The same information is also collected through the presence of the company address and phone number on all the packages, thus making the organization very accessible to the consumers. QUALITY CONTROLEngro Foods is committed to providing the best quality of products to the consumers at the lowest possible costs. In other words, it is a company that believes in the virtues of cost leadership and its prioritization for quality maintenance and control is reflected in stringent quality checks that are carried out both before and after the processing of the milk. Before Processing Quality control procedures are introduced right at the point of milk collection that is at the milk collection centers. Lab tests are conducted in order to check the milk for any adulteration and in fact the dhodhis are also educated to avoid adulteration of milk.An expert is stationed at these MCCs to ensure that the tests are conducted properly. Once the milk is approved and dispatc hed within 6 hours to either the Sahiwal or Sukkur plant, the next Quality check is carried out right at the time of milk reception at the plant where it is once again examined by qualified Chemists and Micro Biologists by conducting various tests. It is only after the milk clears certain tests that the Quality Control department accepts it and transfers it to the cooling plants. After Processing Quality control experts are involved throughout the production process.After the packaging process is complete, Quality control resurfaces this time not only to ensure that the packages are sterilized but also to ensure that the milk packages are of the prescribed weight. And after a final approval, the milk products are considered fit for delivery and transferred to the warehouse. The organization strives to achieve even better and better quality of the products which is why it collaborates with various research agencies to work on the development of the products. PR WITH FARMERS ENGRO has been interacting with the farmers for fertilizers and has gained quite a good reputation over the years.It has led to a strong bond and long term relationship with the farmers who are willing to supply milk to the company. This is an added advantage and strength for the company because it will never be short of milk production. The farmers also won’t have to look elsewhere to sell their milk. THIRD-GENERATION PLANT EFL only, has the third-generation UHT milk plant in the country. EFL plant is the only plant in Pakistan that uses Bactofuge technology to virtually eliminate bacteria and ensure premium quality and hygiene.Moreover, it is also setting up another milk processing plant in Central Punjab (Sahiwal) with an investment of Rs. 2 billion (US $ 33 million). ENGRO’S PROMOTION MIX TOOLS ADVERTISING Engro Foods Ltd. is always quite smart in exploring various mediums and reaching out to the maximum in an effective way. For instance, spreading the art of happiness via decorating of Lahore with flowers in the launch phase,  putting colorful streamers, Omore’ bloopers on TV channels. Omore is active in doing advertising since its launch.They believe that strong and effective advertisement is essential for product success. They have used their punch line â€Å"The Art of Happiness† since the start to expose and create brand image in the mind of the customers. This will also induce a desire for buying a product as in the ads they have shown that if you want to be happy, eat Omore. The followings are the advertisement vehicles used by Engro for the promotion of its Omore and other milk products product. Print & Broadcasting Ads Omore has conveyed their message of happiness, joy, fun and pleasure through their TV and print ads.The creative are so colorful and vibrant to support their slogan of happiness with the catchy jingle attached to it. They have broadcasted their ads on all the major TV channels, FM radio and social media like Fac ebook, Twitter, and Orkut and for print they have gone in all major magazines and newspapers. Packaging Outer Engro used the colorful packaging with product picture and name along with nutrition indigents and contact information. The color also helped to enhance the in-store visibility and presence for its Olper’s packaged milk, and the brand was instantly disassociated from its competition.The brand also worked to ensure it established an image of being a healthy and natural product. Its optimistic and vibrant tag line—â€Å"Good Morning Life†Ã¢â‚¬â€along with the unique red color, became the soul of the Olper’s brand identity across various media outlets. Brochures & Booklets Brochures and booklets were distributed outside the big famous marts at the time of launching. Posters & Leaflets Product promotion posters were placed outside the stores like ice pops, choc stick etc. At the time of launching leaflets were showered from aircrafts in different are as of cities.Billboards To promote the Omore brand, Engro placed it on billboards at all the major intersection in different cities like Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Islamabad and Peshawar. It is the visual representation of the product by showing the customer a slice from their own lives, something to which they can refer when they are going to buy a product. Billboard is an expensive media but can reach a wide range of customer and is high in creating awareness. Point Of Purchase Displays Engro placed Omore carts outside all the major malls/marts and grocery stores at the time of launching it.Audiovisual Material Jingle and music used by Engro for its products are so strong through which people easily recognize its products. The simple and classy tune of OLPER’s and the tag line called out loud i. e. â€Å"SUBHA BAKHAIR ZINDAGI† was easily identifiable by 90% of the targeted audience. It means that the uniqueness of the sound remains in the mind of the consumers. Symbols & Logos To promote the Omore, Engro used the symbols related to happiness, joy and fun. Their logo is oval in shape with pink inside and white outside. SALES PROMOTIONSSales promotion is a variety of short term incentive to encourage trial or purchase of product. When used effectively, sales promotions can help to move old stock, counteract competitor activity, merchandise new products, encourage repeat buying and motivate your staff. They can also be monitored, so the success of a particular sales promotion can be measured over time. It is a good way of attracting new customers. The type of promotion selected also has to be relevant to the target customers as well as the company’s own marketing objectives.Contest, Games & Sweepstakes Omore has conducted contest and sweepstakes to attract customers and make them start liking the product. They have done it before launching it in Punjab and now in Karachi, they have conducted morning shows on Hum TV. Omore has launched an inte ractive application on its Facebook fun page which allows the users to participate in a weekly drawing contest. Sampling Sampling was done by Omore at the time of launch in all the major cities to increase the customer awareness and also create the liking of the product. EntertainmentJingle and music is so important and strong that people recognize Omore with it. Trade In Allowance Omore gives 16% trade allowance to all the retailers and wholesalers. PUBLIC RELATIONS Public relations (or PR) involve a sustained attempt to develop the reputation as a business by using the media to help create the image the company desire. It is a way of keeping the business in your customer’s eyes. News or press releases can be distributed to the media to announce, for example, new product launches, a change in opening times or company successes.Articles can be distributed to trade journals or local newspapers, and sponsorship or charitable donations can help to position a company business mor e prominently in the market place than competitors. Attendance at exhibitions and seminars can also help to promote the image of the company to a chosen target audience Charitable Donations An Engro food has also proved itself to be a socially responsible company in many ways. For example when our nation faced a major catastrophic in the form of the floods which shook the foundation of our country.Engro foods stood firm in its commitment to the social causes and provided the financial help, food and shelter through the help of various relief organizations. Sponsorship Omore have sponsored several TV programs, morning shows and cricket matches. Publications Omore has done publication which reflects its vision and objectives in the short and long run. They have provided information on how the Omore ice cream goes about its operations and how Omore ice cream nutritious because it uses pure dairy products as compared to the competitors.PERSONAL SELLING Personal selling is face to face i nteraction with one or more prospective purchasers for the purpose of making presentations, answering questions and purchase orders. This is the most effective form of promotion because it allows your approach to be tailored to the needs of an individual customer. Getting a sale is ultimately extremely important, but the process involves a lot more than this. It is about having a constructive dialogue with customers to listen to their needs, promote product & company enefits on an individual basis, answer any questions, resolve any problems and get their feedback before clinching a sale. Face-to-face, a sales person can build a relationship with the customer- understanding their needs and feeding back this knowledge to the business to improve products, customer service standards, competitor knowledge etc. Employing a sales person is a costly exercise in the first instance, but it is one that will provide a pay back, usually within 1-2 years. Sales Presentation Omore is selling their products via charts. Incentive ProgramsOmore has given refrigerators to its retailers for their ice cream products. It also gives 16% trade allowance to all the retailers and wholesalers as an incentive. Incentives also include branding of store on achievements of target sales. Fair & Trade Shows Omore has conducted a beach festival to gain the attention of customer and make them aware of the product in Karachi. They also conducted Basant festival in Punjab. DIRECT MARKETING Direct marketing consists of mail, telephone, fax, email or internet to communicate directly with or solicit response or dialogue from specific customers and prospects.Direct marketing is not used by Omore because the product is already easily available. Another reason of not using this tool is that mostly people in Pakistan are unaware of purchasing products through these channels. BASIC TACTICS USED Engro foods in most of advertisements used association as basic tactic and associate their product with particu lar atmosphere and circumstances in the Olpers advertisement they relate the product with the environment of home where they show that everybody in the home require pure milk which is Olpers.In the omore advertisement they show that when the person uses omore he moves into an imaginary environment which is very excited for him so they associate their product with that environment. In olfrute advertisement they show an excited family in which everyone wants balance in diet so they need juice and associate their product with a situation when there is need of balance in diet then olfrute should be used with the normal diet. So here also association is used as basic tactic. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENTCustomer relationship management is the process of carefully managing detailed information about individual customers and all customer touch points to maximize customer loyalty. â€Å"Consumer is the reason for our existence as a business. † CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT IN E NGRO FOODS According to engro foods view, CRM consists of: †¢ Helping olpers to enable its marketing departments to identify and target their best customers, manage marketing campaigns and generate quality leads for the sales team. Assisting olpers to improve account and sales management by optimizing information shared by multiple employees, and streamlining existing processes. †¢ Allowing the formation of individualized relationships with customers, with the aim of improving customer satisfaction and maximizing profits; identifying the most profitable customers and providing them the highest level of service. †¢ Providing olpers employees with the information and processes necessary to know their customers, understand and identify customer needs and effectively build relationships between the company, its customer base, and distribution partners.CUSTOMERS TOUCH POINTS Customer touch point is any occasion on which customers encounters the brand and product. Following are the customers touch points which Olper’s uses for catering to the relationship of its customers: Marketing Value Addition †¢ Float Activity †¢ Banners †¢ Road Show†¢ T. V Commercials †¢ Rural Melas †¢ Buntings †¢ Buchat Bazars †¢ Posters †¢ Institutional promotions †¢ New Articles †¢ Free Samplings †¢ Vehicle Branding †¢ Chain store Promotions †¢ Gala Event Management †¢ Carnivals †¢ Music Concerts †¢ Funfair Marketing Float ActivityOne way that Engro foods and Olpers have chosen to interact with their customer is Float Activity. Olpers have been launching promotional activities all the time and according to them this float activity proved to be very effective to keep in touch with their customers. Road Shows In the summer of 2009 when Engro foods launched their new product line of Dairy Ice Cream Omore initially in Lahore the whole city was decorated with different road side banners and place cards. This is a traditional Engro food way to keep in touch with their customer and also to promote their new product.According to Olpers Road shows are a very easy yet effective way to keep in touch with customers. Rural Melas Since Pakistan is a country with most of its population still living in rural areas, Olpers decided to reach those potential consumers with a different approach and they arranged different rural side Melas in which they can easily state their point and make the potential customers a loyal customer Bachat Bazars Bachat Bazars are very common in Pakistan and since this is a trend in the market Engro foods used this way to reach to its existing customers and also targeted new customers in this 1-2-1 marketing way.Free Sampling To promote and let the people who have not yet tested the product companies use the technique called free sampling. And Engro foods have done free sampling to make sure that people are aware of the product and also to get the feed back out of the customers to make sure if there are any lags in the product. Chain Store Promotions Another 1-2-1 way of marketing technique that Engro foods have adopted to create effective touch point with their customer is by putting their brand in all the chain store in Pakistan in this way people can have access easily to the product and they do not have to look for the product.Event Management Carnivals Engro foods have worked their way in the customer’s heart by knowing them in every way. They try to promote their products and make sure that their product is available in carnivals and all special events that are taking place Music Concert Omore Ice cream launch was unique in its kind as they had music concert with leading Bands of Pakistan performing in these concerts. Since they feel like sponsoring such events creates a good way to interact with their customers Fun FairOne way to have direct contact with the customer is to promote different fun fair all over the coun try. This way existing customer and new customer both are easily targeted. Value Addition Banners An effective way to add customer value towards the product is to display banners and bill boards all over the city so that customer are aware of their brand and make them feel proud about their brand. T. V Commercials T. V commercials are very effective and excellent way to promote the product and also to increase the value of customers.It’s easy way to reach the customers mind and create a positive image towards a brand. Posters Posters are cheap and easy to display way to reach into customers mind and create a positive view of the brand and also to increase the value a customer holds towards the product and Engro food have worked hard to gain this position REDUCING THE CUSTOMER DEFECTION RATE It is not enough, however, to attract new customers the company must keep them and Increase their businesses. To reduce the customer defection rate OLPERS position the brand in a way that the customer prefer only Olpers products.Positioning involves designing the product and image that will occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market. As can e seen, nestle milk pack, and Haleeb have the largest profit margins and market share in the milk industry. Thus the marketers at Olpers have to decide to create its own unique image and then strengthen the position in the customers mind. They have done a number of following steps: 1. Packaging of Olper’s milk and Olwell in red color and Olpers cream in purple color are quite different and distinctive from the typical green and blue packing used by other competitors. . The brand has been positioned as an all purpose milk that is meant for everyone, especially for those who live life to the fullest, hence its tag line, â€Å"jo dil khol kay jeetay hain unheen kay liyay hai Olper’s† BUILDING LOYALTY Creating a long tight connection to customers is the dream of any marketer & key to long term ma rketing success. Olpers build loyality of customers towards its products in the following way: 1. As compared to Milk pack and Haleeb Olpers have advantage over its touch points which create a strong loyalty of customers towards Olpers. 2.One way that Olpers have adopted to gather the feedback and build strong relation with their customers is that they have asked their customers to contact and give suggestions that are listened. 3. Olpers works in the heart of its customers by knowing what is special for them. Like in Ramadan Olpers introduce and promote the traditional Ramadan theme so that the 4. Customers who value their religious heritage they are more attracted and so that in long term they are much more loyal customers towards the brand. 5. The marketers have used different positioning for Olper’s products: a.They have used the attribute positioning for Olper’s milk. The main theme of the product is that it is meant for all purposes without any user imagery. Olpe r’s ads also show attributes of milk such as good for health. b. They used the benefit positioning for Olwell. The product is positioned as delivering the benefit of helping to reduce weight and for healthy bones. c. Olper’s cream is positioned as good for a specific use or application. In this case the cream can be used to make cake icings and desserts look great. Measuring customer-based brand equityHR managers used questionnaires to find how customers feel about the brand. They used the indirect approach with different qualitative and projective techniques (the questionnaire contained some questions related to sentence completion and brand personality description). They used this to understand customers’ feelings for the brand. The managers agree that ENGRO Foods has helped improve the image for Olper’s. They assessed the leverage of secondary associations in this case by comparing the company’s characteristic with the characteristics of Olperâ €™s. Managing customer-based brand equityThe organization is managing the customer based brand equity because they realize the significance of marketing activities and their effect on creating more value for the brand, and so by influencing brand knowledge, sales can be improved. Olper’s is concentrating on the emotional aspect in their ads in order to focus on the core need of customers that can be satisfied. Olper’s has also funded Women’s exhibition in Karachi a few months ago and currently is sponsoring cricket World Cup 2007, and further adding more value to the brand and managing customer-based brand equity. REFERENCES http://www. oracle. com/us/corporate/customers/engro-foods-crm-on-deman-078691. pdf †¢ http://engro. com/ †¢ http://engro. com/our-businesses/engro-foods-limited/ †¢ http://engro. com/fact-sheet-engro-foods-limited/ †¢ http://www. theideaartist. com/index. php/tag/engro/ †¢ http://www. managementparadise. com/for ums/marketing-management/209200-marketing-mix-engro-corporation. html †¢ http://guppu. com/2009/04/11/engro-foods-launches-omore-marketing-review/ †¢ http://www. pakvisit. com/jobs/jobs%20in%20engro%20foods%20Pakistan. html †¢ http://engro. com/wp-content/themes/engro-v1. /pdf/quarterlyreport2011/engro-food-sep-2011. pdf †¢ http://pakmediablog. net/220/omore-files/ †¢ http://pressrelease. pk/fmcg/engro-foods-launches-tarang-bhara-des-campaign/ ———————– Geographic Demographic Psychographic Behavioral †¢ Nations †¢ States †¢ Countries †¢ Province †¢ Age †¢ Family †¢ Gender †¢ Income †¢ Social class †¢ Life style †¢ Personality †¢ Values †¢ Benefits †¢ Loyalty †¢ User status †¢ User rate Olper’s Olper’s Milk Olper’s Cream Olper’s Olwell Olper’s Olfrute Olper’s Owsum 1. Defining the comp etitive frame of reference 2. Establish the points of difference 3. Establish the points of parity