MA205- Elementary Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Front end of General Motors company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Front finish of General Motors organization - Case Study Example The devices utilized in the examination incorporate predominant financial highlights, main thrust investigation, key gathering guide, PESTLE and serious examination structure. The principle issue being talked about is on item unwavering quality dependent on the items and shopper recognition. The organization has issues with quality confirmation and absence of value control framework. As indicated by the purchaser reports of 2009, there were various reviews of GM items because of unwavering quality. Hence, the paper thinks of three choices to check the issue on unwavering quality. The main choice to control the issue is concocting a robotized checking instrument that will check any product’s imperfection. The option is significant on the grounds that it will guarantee that no deformities goes unchecked (General Motors, 1980). A portion of the imperfections that the robotization procedure will check incorporates issues with safety belts, brakes, and other significant territories. Then again, the option however supportive is over the top expensive and requires a ton of structures and cash-flow to set up. Another choice to control the issues on quality control is that the organization need to set up guaranteed evaluators who will complete arbitrary and incessant determine the status of the company’s item. The evaluator need to think of routine reports on the assembling procedure and the hardware utilized during the procedure. The benefit of this option is that the organization will ensure that their quality control frameworks are cutting-edge and productive. One of the cons of this option is that there are propensities that the organization may overlook the reports and proposals from the affirmed reviewer. Refering to claims that the proposals are costly to execute (General Motors, 1981). The third choice to check the issue is reviewing all the vehicles that have default issues. Reviewing the vehicle will guarantee that the organization amplifies quality control issues. Reviewing the vehicle will give the

Complete Guide to Branding Strategies

Complete Guide to Branding Strategies © Shutterstock | BlackpanterThis article explores the world of branding and branding strategies, pre-branding measures, the stages of the branding process, as well as some of the most popular branding strategies that you can choose from for your business.INTRODUCTION INTO BRANDINGYour brand is more than a mere representation of your business’s name, logo, or catchphrase; it is the entire experience that your consumers and potential consumers have with your business. Your brand strategy, therefore, is a representation of what your business stands, an oath that you take, and the sort of business character you portray. As much as branding may include your business’s name, logo, and color scheme, these are simply creative components of your whole brand.Your brand represents you every day in the market through:Images conveyed by your businessThe messages contained in your campaigns and websitesYour Employee-Consumer interactionConsumer opinion of your businessBranding is a necessity for any products or services sold in a large consumer market. It is also crucial in business to business environments since it helps your business stand out in the crowd. Brand strategy is what makes you relevant in the market. It is what makes your business as a force to reckon with in the market.Take a moment to think about some very successful brands, for example, Nike, Starbucks or Apple. You probably know what these brands represent. Now proceed to imagine that your business is in competition with these organizations. If you are going to capture a sizeable market share, you will have to start by implementing a strong brand strategy or you are likely to be invisible in the face of such fierce completion.In your business’s field, the competition may not be too fierce, but if you put any two organizations side by side, the organization that represents something of high value will always outperform its competition in terms of closing and retaining consumers. Similarly, successful branding creates brand equity, which is the amount consumers are willing to part with for the mere fact that it is your particular brand; brand equity is what builds your business’s value over time.[slideshare id=2547538doc=developingabrandstrategy-091120113456-phpapp02w=640h=330]PRE-BRANDING MEASURESWhen it comes to branding, if you employ a winning strategy that is perfectly suited for your business, you will undoubtedly excel in your endeavor to grow your consumer base. However, this section of the article will discuss the measures to be taken prior to implementing that branding strategy. The following measures are essential for you to be able to successfully implement a branding strategy for your business.Understand what a Brand MeansThe very first step is understanding what your brand stands for as well as what you want your brand to represent.Simply note down all characteristics that describe your brand on one side of a sheet and how you would like your brand to be perceive d on the other. Once this list has been complied, fine-tune it and ensure that you are in full command of your brand so as to reach your consumers, and more importantly, potential consumers.The characteristics that describe your brand should be the differentiating factor between your business and that of your competitors. These characteristics should not only comprise of the products and services that your business provides, but also what your business is known for. These characteristics should also assist you in identifying how you can positively move the consumers into favoring your products and services over those of your competition.For this purpose do the following:Understand your business’s niche and how you are unique form competitorsKnow your target audience intimatelyUnderstand how your product or service satisfies your consumers’ and potential consumers’ needsConvert Employees into Brand AmbassadorsYour employees are a representation of your business and your brand a s a whole; they are the first real impression potential consumers have of your organization. For this reason, ensure all your employees fully grasp what the business’s brand stands and that they remain true to the brand in the performance of their duties.More often than not, you will find that owners and managers are aware of what a brand represents but the people who actually come into contact with consumers do not understand the brands intent; isn’t that ironic? Yes. It is extremely important that everyone is reading form the same playbook and understands how to represent what your brand stands for; this is especially so for those interacting with your consumers and potential consumers.To convert your employees into your number one brand ambassadors, you should:Express what your brand represents in a simple digestible mannerTrain your employees on how to properly represent that brandHave systems that ensure employees always keep the essence of your brand at heart[slideshare id =31353766doc=brandambassadorblueprintbybrittmichaelian-140218133516-phpapp01w=640h=330]STAGES OF YOU BRANDING PROCESSMost people assume that branding is a mysterious and complicated process, but in reality branding should be quite simple. Branding is a straightforward process of fine-tuning your focus:Who are you?What makes you unique?What value do you bring the consumer?This simple definition does not necessarily mean it will be a piece of cake to conduct your own brand strategy process. There are steps and exercises that will contribute to your success in that endeavor.However, the stages to take in implementing your brand strategy may be easier than you imagine as you can see below:Discovery: Tells you who you are as a business and who you want to become.Clarification and Articulation: Eloquently and concisely presenting your business’s character and values.Differentiation and Presentation: Presenting to the world your uniqueness and value.Creative Stage: Bringing out your dist inguished identity and creative aspects.Application: Showing up to the world.DiscoveryEvery branding process, as I am sure you are aware by now, includes discovery. Discovery in this context means the process of better understanding who you are as a business, what you represent, and what you want to represent, even though you thought you were already aware. What we think of ourselves in business in most cases is very different from what the consumers think of us. Ultimately, it is the consumers that matter. The consumers will define your brand in the end; you just have to help in shaping their perception of your brand.In addition to consumer research, this stage involves brand auditing and the examination of your business’s culture, history, competitor environment, mission, and vision. At this stage a business plan or a customer satisfaction survey will give you insight into the direction you want your business to take and in what areas you want to effect change.Clarification and ArticulationThis is where the information you have gathered in the process of discovery is processed into a strategy that will propel you to where you want to be. It is where aspects such as the business’s values and corporate personality are defined and articulated into words and slogans.Ensure that these words and slogans are exhaustively refined to give them the greatest power of representation possible of your business. Differentiation and PresentationThis stage in the branding process is pivotal to your new brand in the eyes of the consumers. This is where the consumer looks at your business in comparison to the competition. In this stage, you present to the world in detail what your unique value is; an account of the unique benefit you provide. You present to the consumer what sets you apart from the crowd. This presentation is often done through a series of strategic statements, which will become your guide in business decision-making henceforth.Creative StageThis is going to be the most interesting stage of your branding process. The creative stage will include the designing of the business’s logo, packaging, primary slogan, color schemes, advertisement videos, voice clips, among other creative activities. This stage is the stage in which you express your business’s personality and style. It is not a surprise that you will see most business’s attempting to skip all the stages and get straight to the creative stage. However, without going through the first three stages, such an approach will, in all probability, only end up bringing out the aesthetic value of your brand. But with the discovery, articulation, and differentiation done; a combination of what your business stands for and a creative aspect can be that much more powerful and strategic.Logos and packaging are just a tip of the iceberg. Underneath your business’s logo and good packaging should be a deeper meaning of your business’s values. Backed by the first three stages of the bra nding process, the creative stage solidifies a cohesive brand personality for your business. Everything at this stage works towards a common goal. It is not uncommon for businesses at this stage to realize that in order to stay true to the brand values realized in previous stages, there is a need for fine-tuning or even a total overhaul of some of their products and services. So do not be shocked if you come to the same discovery; don’t panic, it’s all part of the process of implementing your brand strategy successfully.ApplicationThis is the stage that inspired the initiation of the process; this is the actual launch of your brand. Some of the obvious aspects are inclusive of designing of websites, enhancing social media interaction and awareness, creation of business cards, and so forth.However some of the most essential determinants of the successful launch of your brand are things like employee conduct and the actual consumer experience. These are factors that will not be ne cessarily affected by the creative stage (logos and color schemes), but significantly affected by the initial stages where the articulation of your business’s values, character, and competitive edge took place.This is not to disregard the creative stage; the creative stage is equally important for promoting the aesthetic value and attractiveness of your brand to consumers as well as encouraging word of mouth and social media awareness of the brand.These stages are all critical in building your final brand. Sadly, most businesses will focus most of their efforts on the last two stages giving very little priority to the stages that are the true lifeline of any brand strategy. Where great strategy and articulation inspires creativity, and where you present value that resonates with your consumers and potential consumers, your brand begins to take deep root in the market over any competitors.TYPES OF BRANDING STRATEGIESBranding strategies are a tool used to establish your product or s ervice in the market and cement your brand. Once successfully established your brand is able to grow and mature even in a saturated market. Making a smart branding decision for your business is important because your business may have to live with the effects of that decision for a long time. Suitability of branding strategies defers from business to business.The following are some of the commonly used branding strategies you can consider for your business.Word of MouthThis may be the best branding strategy for any organization. There is nothing more empowering for your business brand than getting consumers to tell other consumer about your product or service. Some studies have proven that word of mouth can be much more powerful than conventional advertising.Today word of mouth can be used as a branding strategy through the use of wide spread awareness among consumers and potential consumers on social media platforms. Making your brand a household name in such platforms where recomm endations from friends or followers are everything, can popularize your brand in no time.[slideshare id=40799007doc=sscopy-141027221212-conversion-gate01w=640h=330]Successfully implementing this strategy demands the following:Target Influencers: Speaking to leaders and influential persons about your brand. For example, journalists, bloggers, trendsetters, or even public figures.Build a Social Media Community: This is the fastest way to dispense information and make people aware of your brand. Information in social media spreads like wild fire.Be a Leader: Do not just depend on influencers, take charge of your business’s brand; figure out why your business is unique and tell people.Honesty: For your brand’s awareness to last the consumers must trust your brand. For word of mouth to be successful as your business’s branding strategy, you have to be a worthy topic of discussion.No-Brand BrandingSome organizations these days have adopted an alternative approach to conventional bra nding strategies. No-brand branding involves making your brand conspicuous by not branding it.While it may sound pointless and quite possibly counterproductive, the results can be quite positive.For example, ‘Yellow Cap’ is a company form Venezuela that became a popular brand by simply manufacturing yellow caps and nothing more. By forgoing branding or flashiness, your business can save money that would have been spent in other branding strategies. Your products and services, on the other hand, will appeal to the segment of the market that wants high quality products without necessarily being concerned by the brand name.Attitude BrandingThe attitude branding strategy is used to create an emotional connection with your audience or consumers. This connection does not have to be necessarily linked with the product or service you are offering as a business and may sometimes be completely irrelevant. This strategy focuses on a certain feeling, lifestyle, or identity.Nike, for example , uses this kind of strategy. As a company that produces shoes just like any other shoe company, Nike differentiates itself in the market by using the trademark tick logo. The logo has come to be a representation of health, agility, as well as an independent lifestyle emphasized in the slogan, ‘Just do it.’Other brands that have adopted this branding strategy are Coca Cola and Apple. By adopting this branding strategy your brand will be contributing to your consumers’ identity. For example, by wearing Converse sneakers, a person does not just make a fashion statement but an identity/personality statement.Brand ExtensionBrand extension is where an already established brand name is used as an instrument to boost the popularity and brand awareness of a new or revised product.This branding strategy is especially popular in the fashion, furniture, and the hotel industries.In most cases, the product is never much different from how it was previously presented in the market except fo r the fact that it now has a new and popular brand name. However, note the risk in using this branding strategy for your business is the risk of diluting your own brand’s identity from its own market segment or niche.Therefore, before implementing this strategy you should consider whether you are ready to water down the character of a brand you worked so hard to grow.Learn some interesting brand extensions that failed. Multi-brands StrategyAnother popular brand strategy is the multi brand strategy. This branding strategy will especially work for you if your business is in a saturated market. This strategy works by releasing two or more brands of the same product making them seem like they are in competition in order to take up a larger share of the market.The rationale behind this strategy is that if you have five out of ten brands in the market, you will capture a larger market share than if you only had one brand.Therefore, if your business is at a level where you can afford to launch more than one branding campaign, launching several brands may lead to an overall increase in your business’s revenue. This strategy will also increase your cumulative/overall brand awareness; despite the fact it is split amongst several brands.TO SUM UPBranding is your business’s identity in the market. The question we should all ask ourselves is whether our business’s brands say what we want them to. Your business’s image is all based on the message you send out to the market through branding. What message are you sending out to the world? A negative impression of your business might detour potential consumers, just as a positive impression will encourage potential consumers to try your product or service. How you brand your business’s products or services is an integral part of that business’s success.However, simply choosing a suitable branding strategy for your business is not enough to guarantee your product’s success. If you skip the initial stages of clar ification, articulation, and differentiation of your business’s values and character, the whole branding process might end up being fruitless and disappointing to you. In addition to this, branding is not simply about sending an image out to the world; successful branding also demands that your employees act as branding ambassadors for the business. A successful branding initiative will be determined by first answering the following questions:What are the values of my business? What does my business stand for? What do I want my business and brand to represent? How does my business offer value to my consumers? How am I a unique force in my field of business?If you thought branding and branding strategies were not worth investing in, or that they did not matter, you were deeply mistaken. Clients and consumers will judge your business based on the brand image that you portray, therefore, invest in your business’s branding.

How Far Do You Agree with the View That in the 1920’s the...

How far do you agree with the view that in the 1920’s the KKK possessed neither sizable support nor significant influence? The 1920’s marked a period of great racial tension throughout American Society, with the period often regarded as a melting pot due to such strains and tensions. The immigration of new, non-protestant immigrants such as Catholics and Jews since the turn of the century had brought about large scale unease due to the sheer number of immigrants. Combined with Mexicans, Orientals as well as a rapidly growing black population, these minority groups were to suffer at the hands of those concerned with the values of White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants, with these values playing a fundamental role in the American way of life.†¦show more content†¦Throughout the 1920†²s the Klan’s membership saw an increase, estimates at the time ranged from 3-5 million and profits rolled in from the sale these memberships, regalia, costumes and rituals. The Ku Klux Klan used intimidation, threats, beating and even murder in their quest for a â€Å"purified America†, thus appealin g to many Americans due to their proactive approach, which had not been mirrored by that of the republican government during the period. An example of such influence is the alleged election of governors in Maine, Colorado and Louisiana who had KKK support. Additionally, the Klan arguably aimed to defend the American way, reflecting fear amongst many Americans who feared the emergence of more radical, especially socialist ideas, which had spread from Eastern Europe due to the influx of immigrants during the early 20th Century. The Red Scare is a key proponent of this fear, thus providing the perfect breeding ground for bigotry. Many Americans had either witnessed, or heard of the Bolshevik Russia, which was ultimate seen as a threat to the capitalist society america has formed upon. In 1919 there were 3,600 strikes involving over 400,000 workers, possibly highlighting a feeling of tension and fear amongst a considerable proportion of the population. Ultimately, this scare has proved that the KKK was a defender of such ideology, considerably suggesting that

Life Insurance Products Of Malaysia - 1315 Words

Life insurance products in Malaysia The life insurance industry in Malaysia can be divided to family takaful and conventional life insurance. Both family takaful and conventional life insurance are similar in providing protection against the loss of income that would result in the death of the insured. However, unlike the conventional life insurance in which the insured transfer the risk to the insurer, takaful mutual risk is shared among the participants. Another major difference between them is the ownership of the companies. A conventional life insurance company is owned by shareholders whose objective is to maximize profits while a takaful company is owned by the participants whose objective is to minimize the cost incurred. The total†¦show more content†¦The minimum paid-up share capital of an insurer is RM 100 million while the supervisory Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) for an insurer must be higher than 130%. CAR can be obtained by dividing the total capital available by the total capital required and ins urers must set their own CAR to reflect their own profile risks and have a CAR higher than the 130% required. Taxation Taxation is always one of the crucial factors in business. After being fixed at 25% for seven years, the standard corporate income tax in Malaysia is reduced to 24% from the year of assessment 2016. In comparison, the company tax rate in Australia is higher although it is scheduled to decrease to 25% for all companies in 2026-2027. Apart from that, although Goods and Service Tax (GST) at 6% is implemented from 1st April 2015 in Malaysia, all life insurance products exempt from GST. Market penetration rate According to the BNM, the market penetration rate which is measured in terms of the sum of the life insurance policies and family takaful in force to the total population has risen from 38.7% in 2005 to 54.9% in 2015. However, it remains distant from the government’s targeted level of 75% in the year 2020. Although the market penetration rate for family takaful products was only a quarter of the market penetration rate in 2015, its market penetration rate has increased steadily from 9.2% in 2009 to 14.7% in 2015. In

Reflection on Learning with Learning Contract Free Essays

In this assignment, I need to reflect on the situation that took place during my working group. In this reflection, I am going to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. This model is a recognised framework for my reflection. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection on Learning with Learning Contract or any similar topic only for you Order Now Gibbs (1988) modal of reflection consists of six stages to complete one cycle which is description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and an action plan. Description I was put in groups for a week to work through a set of tasks. There was a mixture of males and females with a wide range of ages. There were some people that played a part in the group activities and there were some that did not, this was what contributed to the breakdown in communication in my group. The first day we got into groups, we had to do a learning styles questionnaire. In this questionnaire there were four types of learning styles, which where activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists (Honey, 1973). In my group of seven we were made up of reflectors, theorists and pragmatists. On the second day we did a group activity about the skills knowledge and attitudes that a health care professional should have. During this task we were divided has a group even more because we all had different views on what we thought was the ideal health care professional. Day three we did a Kohlberg’s moral dilemma (1981) where we had to choose whether Heinz should steal the drug or not. My group was divided on whether he should steal the drug or not. On day four we did a self and peer-evaluation questionnaire. Feelings I felt very frightened in the group setting because I preserved that I was the youngest in the group and I did not know anyone, which I was very shocked me because I am normally a very confident person. I also felt very out of place I really did not like being in a group that did not click with each other. I then started to get concerned that we would not get any of our group tasks finished. My second concern was that in a difficult situation that we might all argue because we all had such different views. But I was also excited to see what might have come out of the group tasks. I also think there should have been an icebreaker task; this would have eased us in. Evaluation The good experiences of the group tasks were that I learnt about myself and how other people work in small groups. It was also good to listen to other people’s opinions. It was also good to work with people I would not necessarily work with outside of these groups that were chosen for me. The bad points were that we has a group did not gel; there was a lack of communication throughout the whole week. I also think there should have been an icebreaker task. Analysis There were no activists in my group and I think this is why there was a breakdown in my group because activists like to be involved in new experiences. They are open minded and enthusiastic about new ideas but get bored with implementation. They enjoy doing things and tend to act first. Where reflectors, theorists and pragmatist are more reserved and like to think first and take a back sit (Honey, 1973). Some points of the task went well which were that as a group we found out what learning styles are and what the positives and negatives of each learning style and how we can use it to better are learning enhancement. The other members of the group also contributed on what they thought each learning style meant and if they thought it was a true representation of them. But some just did not contribute I am not sure if this was because they were shy or did not want to say the wrong thing or intimidated by the large group. Conclusion I have learnt a lot for from working in my group, I learnt to put myself in the others shoes and understand why people acted in a certain way. I came away being very emphatic and willingness to understand that not everyone is not the same. But now it has become a normal way of thinking and responding to a particular situation. So I have turned my reflection into learning. I have read that the more we read and think about a situation the more we can identify they importance of reflection (Boud et al, 1994). I have also learnt that ‘‘the basic unit of communication is made up of a sender, a receiver and a message set within a particular context’’ (Ellis et al, 1994, p. 4). Action plan If the situation came up again there would be a lot I would change one of hich would be more considerate to the group member’s feelings. Secondly I will continue to reflect and study the causes of why things go wrong. Reflection is based on allowing us to ground our thoughts and keep us focused. This helps to prevent reflection going off the subject. (Dallas et al, 2005). I would also like feedback because feedback is vital for development and change. Feedback is important to the on-going development of us h as humans. ‘Feedback is central to developing learners’ competence and confidence’ (londondeanery, 2010) How to cite Reflection on Learning with Learning Contract, Essay examples

Suicide And Relativity Essays - Suffering, , Term Papers

Suicide And Relativity Suicide and its relativity to Stephen King's Suffer the Little Children Suicide is defined as an intentional, self-inflicted death that occurs in all cultures and usually is executed by people who are suffering from some sort of extreme emotional pain and feel unable to cope with their problems (Shneidman 6). Suicide is seen in our culture to be something that happens to only the"crazy" people. But the reality is that normal, everyday people commit suicide as well. Since suicidology is a fairly new field of scientific study there is still much to learn about it. Some theories and other scientific information have been discovered and are very interesting. In Stephen King's Suffer the Little Children a teacher suffers from fear, anxiety, defeat, and delusional attributes and the end result was twelve students murdered the suicide of herself. These symptoms of suicide are explained later in the research paper. Suicide began being studied scientifically a little over one century ago by a man named Emile Durkheim. But the specialized study of the causes associated with suicide and suicidal behaviors, as well the assessment, treatment, management, and prevention of such behaviors, has only been recorded in the last half of this century (Maris 1). Why do humans kill themselves? Each day people go out into the workplace, school, or some sort of other activity and experience the threat of failure; what degree that possible threat my affect is a whole different story. We all know that life is sometimes enjoyable, usually routine, and almost always difficult. We experience happiness and joy along with contentment and love. Much of our life is also taken up by the routine, everyday, and emotionally neutral actions of life. Then on the flip side there are the negative emotions that we feel like sorrow, shame, humiliation, fear, dread, defeat, and anxiety. When we digest these negative emotions psychological anguish and disturbance can be the result (Meyer 23-24). Regrettably, some people live in a state of constant disturbance. This disturbance is sometimes caused by physical pain, but usually psychological pain. The teacher (Miss Sidley) in Suffer the Little Children seems to have taught for a long time and is very strict. I believe she got burned out teaching and was waiting for someone to violate her, but nobody ever did. So to compensate she imagined that the students were one by one becoming evil starting with one particular boy named Robert. After class one day she stood in her classroom thinking, "What was it I saw when he changed? Something bulbous. Something that shimmered. Something that stared at me, yes, stared and grinned and wasn't a child at all. It was old and it was evil and..."(Meyer 538). This delusion that was just taken out of the story is due to psychological pain. Psychological pain is the main contributor of suicide. Psychological pain is not the same as bodily or physical pain. It is how you feel as a person; how you feel in your mind. It refers to how much you hurt as a human being. It is mental suffering; mental torment. Suicide is never the end result of joy or contentment. Pain by its very nature makes us want to stop whatever action we are doing or escape from it (Lester 34-37). When a person is likely to take his or her own life in the near feature it is called lethality (suicidality). When dealing with a highly suicidal individual, it is not useful to directly address the lethality of their particular situation (Shneidman 31). The effective way to counsel a suicidal person is to approach them with the question of why they are in this situation and what mental thoughts led them into the state of killing themselves. You basically try to do anything to lessen the person's lethal thoughts. Perturbation is also a key factor in lethality. This is felt pain. Alone, mental anguish is not lethal, but mixed with perturbation makes a deadly formula for self-inflicted death. Perturbation supplies the motivation for suicide and lethality is the terminal trigger. (Shneidman 32-33). Miss Sidley finally had to find a way to deal with felt pain that she was feeling and she did so in this quote, "That night Miss Sidley cut her throat with a piece of broken mirror-glass," (Meyer 543). She finally mixed the mental anguish with her felt pain and ended up with a deadly formula. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, a small number of suicides are caused by physical pain. Physical pain differs from psychological pain