Cultural Competence in Social Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Cultural Competence in Social Work - Essay Example It is apparent that acquiring cultural competence causes the ability to communicate, understand, and interact effectively with individuals across cultures. Furthermore, a culturally competent person must value prevalent diversity in culture, and portray actions or attitudes that accept as well as promote different cultures. The individual should respond effectively and respectively to people of all races, sexual orientations, cultures, ethnic background, religions or faiths, and classes. Health and human services profession requires a practitioner to recognize, value, and affirm the worth of tribes, individuals, families as well as community. The practitioner also has a responsibility to preserve and protect the dignity of all people in the community. Standards for cultural competence Health and human services work has several cultural competence standards that govern the practice. The National Association of Social Worker (NASW) has stipulated several standards or norms for cultural competence. One of the standards is ethics and values that states that social work professionals should function in conformity to profession’s standards, ethics, and values. In addition, they must recognize ways in which professional and personal values may accommodate or conflict with requirements of diverse clients. Health and human services work has several cultural competence standards that govern the practice. The National Association of Social Worker (NASW) has stipulated several standards or norms for cultural competence.  ... cerning traditions, history, artistic expressions, family systems, and values of individuals that they serve (National Association of Social Workers, 2001). Acquirement of cultural competence skills Cultural competency in health and human services necessitates the acquirement of cross-cultural skills. In this sense, social work professionals should be equipped with suitable approaches, techniques as well as skills that reflect an understanding of importance and influence of culture in the provision of health and human services. In service delivery, social workers should not only be skillful in and well informed about various available services, but should also be in a position to make suitable referrals for their clientele. They should identify and avoid discrimination of clients from service opportunities because of their diversity. Social work professionals should endeavor to provide services that aptly match clients’ culturally unique needs. Besides, they should promote pro cedures and policies that guarantee access to care or services, which incorporates different cultural beliefs and practices (Doman, 2010). Social workers must acquire various critical elements that enhance their ability to be more culturally competent. These elements include  valuing diversity;  being cognizant of various dynamics associated with interaction of cultures;  having the capability to undertake cultural self-assessment;  attaining profound cultural knowledge; and  developing versions of service delivery revealing awareness as well as compliance with cultural diversity.  Social work practitioners should be proficient in these elements and manifested them in their professional as well as social interaction. Furthermore, these elements ought to be incorporated in policies, attitudes, as

Discipline-- whether college education is important for future life or Annotated Bibliography

Discipline-- whether college education is important for future life or not - Annotated Bibliography Example The system of mechanization is in fact changing the tectonic sects of education particularly in college and also bringing various changes in thinking and interpretation of issues, which is completely different than the previous times. Clare, S. (2013) University Libraries are Shaping the Future of Learning and Research, The Guardian,retrieved on January 23, 2014 from http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/aug/06/university-libraries-learning-shapes-design In this piece of writing, Clare has hinted at the moribund state of libraries in various universities. According to Diane Job, the Director of Library Services, a library is one of the most important places of growth and progress as far as an educational institution is concerned. As a matter of fact, it is a place of discussion and exchange of culture and religion and a hub in which some of the most significant ideas come up for the first time that goes on to become history later. Thus, it can be said that a college is not only a place for attaining higher education, but an institution that shapes the future life of an individual to a great extent. However, such ideals are on the verge of death and the feeling of being together in an educational institution has become nonexistent. Nevertheless, the hope for better never dies and the old tradition certainly prepare the students for a better life. The authors Clawson and Page certify that higher education is important for individual achievements and also to ensure economic development of a nation. However higher education in USA is undergoing a period of crisis while public funding is falling freely, tuition fees have increased drastically and hence colleges and universities are less inaccessible. The book anlayzes the crisis in higher education and describes the manner in which a strong neo-liberal

Globalization Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Globalization - Term Paper Example assumption that globalization entails economic integration, exchange of knowledge, as well as interdependence of political and legislative decisions of world countries. Among the latest definitions of globalization is that of Al-Rodhan, who concludes that â€Å"globalization is a process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities† (Al-Rodhan 5). Therefore, it can be said that globalization is the process which makes integration and communication between countries, nations, businesses and individuals easier and less dependent on political or territorial constraints. This means that state boundaries or long distances play a less important role in communication and cooperation of nations. As countries become more integrated, they become more interconnected and interdependent in many aspects of their operations. Technological developments in transportation and communication have made it pos sible for world countries and people to become closer. The Internet, in its turn, has sped up and intensified the process. Availability and relative cheapness of Internet access around the world has diluted the states’ boundaries having allowed more people and businesses to work internationally. This has made different types of globalizations become more distinct and powerful. Among the major types of globalization are economic (financial), socio-cultural, and political (Dreher, Gaston, and Martens 2). Economic and financial types of globalization are among the most discussed ones because they are related to interdependence of world economies, increased flows of international capital and cross-border trade of goods and services (Shangquan 1). Technological advancements in transportation and... The intention of this study is globalization as a very complex process that touches all the spheres of people’s lives. Consequently, just like the majority of internal processes of each country, globalization evokes both positive and negative consequences. On a positive side are, definitely, the spread of technologies, free trade, and an increase in exchange of commodities between the countries. Globalization brings economic and financial development to less developed countries, and new business opportunities to the whole world society. Still, it cannot be said that globalization can be made to work for all, because advantages in some aspects bring disadvantages in others. For example, the spread of communication and Internet technologies has allowed businesses to outsource jobs from poorer countries to take advantage of the lower wage rates. As a result, home country professionals either lose their jobs or have to work for lower salaries. Similarly, outsourcing of business pr ocesses, while is a great driver for India’s economy, has lead to displacement of some service-sector jobs in developed countries. Globalization diminishes the importance of borders and, supported by the Internet, allows for free movement of information. As a result, it is becoming more and more difficult for governments to control and suppress information they prefer to restrict. The Internet even provides large companies with opportunities to show self-governing behavior.

Imc plan for water

Imc plan for water INDUSTRY PROFILE Bottled waterisdrinking waterpackaged inplasticbottle. The dominant form in which water is packaged is newPolyethylene terephthalatebottlesand sold retail. Another method of packaging is in largerhigh-density polyethyleneplastic bottles, or polycarbonate plastic bottles, often used withwater coolers. Since 2000, sales have increased by 60% and the industry is now worth in excess of  £2bn a year. Drinks consultants are predicting that global consumption of bottled water will soon overtake carbonated beverages and one analyst has taken to calling the sector ‘blue gold. Global sales The global bottled water market valuation grew by 7% in 2006 to reach a value of $60,938.1 million. The volume of bottled water grew by 8.1% in 2006 to 115,393.5 million liters. In 2011, the market is forecast to have a value of $86,421.2 million, an increase of 41.8% since 2006. In 2011, the market is forecast to have a volume of 174,286.6 million liters, an increase of 51% since 2006. The global rate of consumption more than doubled between 1997 and 2005.Purified water is currently the leading global seller, with U.S. companies dominating the field, and natural spring water, purified water and flavored water being the fastest-growing market segments Bottled water in the marketplace The Beverage Marketing Corporation defines the bottled water market segment as â€Å"retail PET, retail bulk, home and office delivery, vending, domestic sparkling and imports† but excluding â€Å"flavored and enhanced water.† Bottled water vs. carbonated beverages Bottled water competes in the marketplace with carbonated beverages sold in individual plastic bottles,and is often considered a healthier substitute. According to the Donkey Recycling Institute, sales of flavored, noncarbonated drinks are expected to surpass soda sales by 2010.In response, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have introduced new carbonated drinks that are fortified with vitamins and minerals, Diet Coke Plus and Tava, marketed as â€Å"sparkling beverages.† Bottled water vs. tap water An officewater coolerwith a reusable 5-gallon bottle In india, bottled water costs between Rs 10 to Rs15 per bottle while tap water costs less negligible..In 1999, according to a NRDC study, U.S. consumers paid between 240 and 10,000 times more per unit volume for bottled water than for tap water. According to Bottledwaterblues.com, about 90% of manufacturers costs is from making the bottle, label, and cap. TheShowtimeseriesPenn Teller: Bullshit!demonstrated, in a 2007 episode, that in a controlled setting, diners could not discern between bottled water and water from a garden hose behind the restaurant. The United Church of Christ, United Church of Canada, National Council of Churches, National Coalition of American Nuns and Presbyterians for Restoring Creation are among some of the religious organizations that have raised questions about whether or not the â€Å"privatization† of water is ethical. They regard the industrial purchase and repackaging at a much higher resale price of a basic resource as an unethical trend. InFinland, the newspaperHelsingin Sanomatonce ran ablind tastingtest containing various brands of bottled water, both Finnish and international, and regular tap water from Helsinki. The majority of the tasters preferred the tap water. Bottled water service It is common for business or individuals person to subscribe to a bottled water service. Instead of selling drinking water in small individual-use bottles, the service supplies it in large, reusable (in the USA, typically 5 US gallons) containers. The containers are installed on a dispenser (or â€Å"cooler†) which chills or heats the water and generally has valves on the front for dispensing. This practice stop the issue of disposing of packaging for individual serves while still providing the same product. Purified water vending machines Without bottles drinking water of brand companies. A number of companies worldwide, among which are a number of North American supermarket chains, havevending machinesthat dispense purified water into customers own containers. This again obviates the costs and environmental issues involved in manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of plastic bottles. Executive Summary Although common objective of all IMC program is increase brand awareness, sale and design a unique image of the product in customers mind. To communicate among public and customers, we will advertise our product campaign on TV, magazine, online. Through the advertisement we want to design the brand image of our product into the customer mind. Besides advertisement, we will also carry out promotional activity such as public relation, direct marketing etc. Various water company also organizes various events in order to communicate properly with customers. The Main purpose of this event was to increase the sale of water. Before designing IMC program the Company carried out market research in order to judge customers behaviors toward their mineral water packaged using. So that appropriate primary data can be collected for designing IMC strategy for â€Å"The boond hub†. Before designing integrated marketing communication program it is necessary to judge consumers behavior toward t he product. It is necessary to known customers liking and disliking, these data provide various support during designing of IMC program. Although there are various media available for communicating but Printads news paper and banner is seen most effective medium in the case of mineral water planning strategy. After Research survey done by various mineral water company, it has been founded that female respondents were more brand conscious than male. There is no particular brand trend in among male, but females are more conscious towards their healths. â€Å"dirty water and fast food culture† are the major attributes considered by customer while buying water.Our water Company Boond which makes flavored mineral water has come up with a new IMC plan for the new flavored mineral water product for the new region. South India and metro where the target market in the segment delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, rest of south. In this report, we will further introduce ourselves and how we got star ted, internal and external situational analysis of our company, and why a new IMC plan is needed. Bisleri is a strong competitor in the water industry and it is focusing on increasing the brand equity and profitability of companies focused on increasing their share in the packaged water market. Our mission is to make sure that our clients have the tools and information that they need to become successful in the footwear market. We have looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the Bisleri Company as well as the opportunities and threats and have included them in this IMC plan. HUNKY Company will use all IMC tools which will be best suited for flowing the message among the targeted people. We feel that Bisleri would profit from making an innovative and customer oriented product that will use by mostly all level of people. Company profile Product name-Boond tm Tag line -â€Å"har boond mein biswas†. MISSION Build branded packaged water business to improve health of life by offering tasty, Affordable and highly mineral rich water to our consumer. While maximizing Stakeholders value. Vision:- To become leading brand in packaged water industry after 10 years from today. Situation analysis:- From being confined to the uppermost echelons of society, packaged water has now become a commonplace commodity and almost a necessity in metros. After witnessing historic growth in recent years, it has become a Rs 3,000-crore industry, one that is slated to only post healthy growth rates to become a Rs 10,000-crore business in just three years, says Mr Sushil Kumar, Marketing Director of Shivsu Canadian Clear Waters Technology Pvt Ltd, a company that has executed more than 3,000 packaged water projects worldwide and over 2,000 in India. Speaking toBusiness Lineon the water industry and the road ahead, he said that the industrys phenomenal growth in recent years can be attributed to rising incidence of water-borne diseases, improper municipal supplies, evol ved health consciousness of people as well as globalisation, which has brought in tremendous tourist inflow. â€Å"The bulk water industry, or water in 12-, 20- and 25-litre packages, has also witnessed a parallel growth of Rs 700-1,000 crore,† he informed. â€Å"Basically, the market can be divided into two segments the retail consumer market where the pack sizes are 500 ml, one litre, 1.2/1.5/2-litre and five-litre, and the household and institutional market, where the pack size is usually are 20- or 25-litre.† He added: â€Å"The total Indian market for small segments, such as 0.5-2 litre stands at 12-15 million cases a year. Bulk water sale of 25-litre bubbletops stands at 16.8 million bottles a month.† Though the industry growth rate is 40-50 per cent a year, India is still behind countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, where the industry is already worth Rs 15,000-20,000 crore. â€Å"These countries have much smaller population but similar climatic conditions.† Government data also attributed the growth to the entry of large liquor companies such as the UB Group, which has set up more than 29 plants all over the country for rolling out the Kingfisher brand of packaged water, and around 20 plants for McDowell No 1 brand. Similarly, SAB Miller has come out with Royal Challenge and Haywards 5,000 brands of packaged water, for which purpose it has set up more than 40 plants all over India. The company has also introduced a new concept of sparkling water, â€Å"which is low-carbonated water for a niche market, basically foreigners.† Mr Kumar said that though the Indian market currently has more than 2,000 players, the main brands controlling the market are Pepsis Aquafina, Cokes Kinley, Kingfisher, SAB Millers Royal Challenge, Parle Agros Bisleri, besides local players such as Sabol. He also informed that with better knowledge of packaged drinking water, brands such as Evian of France, Himalayan of North India and Blu Mont from the South are trying to create a niche in the premium water segment of â€Å"mountain spring water,† which comes under the natural mineral water specifications of BIS. â€Å"These products are mainly sold in ‘A class outlets such as five-star hotels, resorts, lifestyle stores, high-end beauty parlours and elite clubs. The industry has also paved the way for new product segments such as flavoured, vitaminised and herbal waters.† With the entry of big players such as the Tatas (who recently bought stake in Mount Everest brand of packaged drinking water), the water industry is poised for a phenomenal surge, â€Å"What we see is just the tip of the iceberg.† SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis will help me to identify our company strength, weaknesses, opportunity and threats internally and externally both. Through this, we can easily identified our competitors in the market and once we know the company weakness and what kind of oppournity we have for the present and future prospect then we can easily make cost effective IMC plan and strategic IMC plan for the company. In SWOT analysis of the company, we have find the following that will help to make more strategical and cost effective IMC plan: STRENGTHS: Easy availability of low cost for all level of people. Massive institutional support for technical services, designing, manpower development and marketing. Exporter-friendly government policies for shoes industry. Well-established linkages with buyers in all parts of India. WEAKNESSES: Lack of modern finishing facilities for packing. Difficulties in accessing to testing, designing and technical services. Environmental problems. Non availability of quality components in the market. Lack of fresh investment in the sector. Uneconomical size of manufacturing units. OPPORTUNITIES: The Indian packaged water market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 10% for the period spanning from 2008 to 2011. Presently, the Indian packaged water market is dominated by health conscious person that accounts for nearly 70% of the total Indian packaged water market. Abundant scope to supply packaged water to companies setting up branch in India. Growing health consciousness globally. Use of information technology and decision support software to help eliminate the length of the production cycle for different products Product diversification There is lot of scope for diversification into other flavour water etc. Growing international and domestic markets. Retain customers through quality supplies and timely deliveries Aim to present the customer with new designs, infrastructure, and country company profiles. Use of modern technology THREATS: Entry of multinationals in domestic market. Stiff competition from other company. Non- tariff barriers Developing countries are resorting to more and more non tariff barriers indirectly. Fast changing fashion trends are difficult to adapt for every time for our company. Competitive analysis The major competitors in packaged water in Indian context of the Boond Company are bisleri, kingfisher, pepsi, aquiafina, kinley, railneel, and oxygen. They are the giant brand in the packaged water segment and they are the well established brand. So to take a challenge in this segment from these all we will create our company brand value in the market through strong positioning message and with differentiate a unique sell property that is water for all level of people and this core value of the BOOND Company will be shown throughout in IMC plan. Pricing factor will be also a major factor to differentiate to all competitors from our company BOOND. Apart from this some local seller of packaged water in todays scenario giving more competition because they are not branded packaged water and they are providing low price packaged water. So, to face giant challenges from all we are creating our core value of the company that is the packaged water for all level of people that most of the ma jor competitors do not have. They mostly targeted the younger generation but BOOND Company will target all level of people in the health concious segment with affordable price. Marketing Mix Strategies:- Product:-The Main aim of the BOOND Company is to produce high quality packaged water in various flavour for all level of people. It is only possible to capture the attention of the target market. The name of our product is boond. The company is providing 2 years free health tips for the customer. Price: The price range of the product range will be from Rs. 12 to 50. The price will be depended upon the flavour and quantity of the product. The company will also provide discount offer and allowance for the channel members. Place: Thedistributionchannels for Boond Company are as follows:- MANUFACTURER (COMPANY) WHOLESELLER PACKAGED TO RETAILER CUSTOMER Promotion:-In a promotion part of the product we are going to launch IMC plan for the target market. Evaluate Performance The Goal of our marketing plan is to achieve market objective that are established before implementation of marketing plan. We evaluate and control our strategic tactics by comparing our result with standard established before setting of plan, by measuring customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. If result is less than our standard than it means there is any default in implementation and monitoring in the program. The people who are responsible for the monitoring and control of the marketing plan will be the Marketing Executives, Sales Managers, Media Managers, Market Research Departments, and the Production Managers.Some activities will be carried out for evaluating the overall performance that will be precisely and closely evaluating the effectiveness of the strategies and tactics for example the gathering and structuring of data regarding market, product, consumers and the pricing trends, then the generation of daily sales report should be maintained and then in the end continuous reconfirming of the marketing budget and activities by the managers of different divisions. IMC objective and strategy Integrated Marketing Communications is a term used to describe a holistic approach to marketing communication. It aims to ensure consistency of message and the complementary use of media. The concept includes online and offline marketing channels. Online marketing channels include any e-marketing campaigns or programs, pay-per-click, affiliate, email, banner to latest web related channels for webinar, blog, micro-blogging, RSS, pod cast, and Internet TV. Offline marketing channels are traditional print (newspaper, magazine), mail order, public relations, industry relations, billboard, radio, and television. Boond Company is developing its integrated marketing communication programmes using all the elements of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion So Integrated marketing communication is integration of all marketing tools, approaches, and resources within a company which maximizes impact on consumer mind and which results into maximum profit at minimum cost. Promotio nal activities include Advertising, sales promotion, and personal selling activities. It also includes internet marketing, sponsorship marketing, direct marketing, database marketing and public relations and integration of all these promotional tools along with other components of marketing mix to gain edge over competitor is called Integrated Marketing Communication. Communication objective:- The main objective of my communication is that people recognise my product as brand. They prefer my product as mineral water. Health conscious person prefer my brand. They feel that proper hygiene is maintained at all the places from where it pass while manufacturing or storing. They think that this company also care for nature. Increase market share up to 20%. Increase sale by 50% in 6 month from thelaunch of public campaign. Create awareness among target audience. Use excessive advertising especially using media preferred by the target market. Create product belonging and position among buyers mind Communication budget:- Total budget is 5 crore. TV advertisement:- (fund allotment 2 crore) Paper advertisement :- (Fund allotted 50 lakhs) Radio advertisement:- (fund allotted-10 lakh) Magazine advertisement:- (fund allotted-10 lakh) Bluetooth advertisement:- (fund allotted-20 lakh) Banners advertisement:- (fund allotted- 30 lakh) Hoardings advertisement:- (fund allotted-90 lakh) Direct selling:- (fund allotted- 1lakh) Door delivery:- fund allotment- 19 lakh) For promotion in event:- (fund allotment-10 lakh) Internet marketing:- (fund allotment-10 lakh) Retailer :- (Fund allotted-30 lakh) Customer sale promotion (Fund allotted-10 lakh) Trade sale promotion (fund allotted-10 lakh) IMC plan TV advertisement:-(fund allotment 2 crore) I will spend around 2 crore on tele-vision advertisement because it reaches to large population. In today scenario TV play very important role in making brand image. I will mainly focus tourist or health oriented channels, try to bring my advertisement those time when there is program related health or tourist place is coming so that I can reach to maximum number of target customers. Because when we go for health we never compromise and same with when we are in tour out of many brands we choose only those brand from which we are familiar or seen their ad in tv. So If we see per person expenditure then it will be less. Paper advertisement :-(fund allotment 50 lakhs) I will spend around 50 lakhs on paper advertisement because it again reaches to large population. I will prefer my advertisement in local as well as national newspaper also. Because my maximum number of customers who are health conscious or who travels frequently prefer national paper and maximum in English language. So my first choice will be that only. Radio advertisement:- (fund allotted-10 lakh) Today again radio trend is coming back due to improved quality of service because of entering of private players. And also today maximum mobile users buy mobile with inbuilt FM radio service. This service is mostly used by youngsters and mid age person, who are my potential customers. So advertisement on radio will also be in priority list. Magazine advertisement:- (fund allotted-10 lakh) Nowadays magazine has reached to mass population. Now magazines are coming according to person interest. For example person who are interested in sports for them sports magazine comes like â€Å"auto†, for business interest business today, business economy, 4p. I will prefer health magazines, tour oriented magazines, sports magazine. Bluetooth advertisement:- (fund allotted-20 lakh) I will also prefer Bluetooth marketing because it reaches only to interested customers so the chance of effectiveness is much more than any other media. Only disadvantage is that it can be done where Bluetooth server is established but this also benefit us because its effectiveness increase. In this customer get all the benefit in the form of video or picture so the effectiveness also increases. Banners advertisement:- (fund allotted- 30 lakh) I will also do banners advertisement because it influence consumer at the time of purchase. When customers go to buy product by seeing advertisement of my brand he will think that this is brand he will prefer, which is normal in our daily life. Hoardings advertisement:- (fund allotment-90 lakh) I will also go for hoardings near market, parks, tourist place, bus stand, railway station all the places where my potential customers go so that consumer recall my brand name all the times. And think that it is good brand. Direct selling:- (fund allotment- 1lakh) I will also prefer direct selling through vendors in trains and bus. Because that is place where consumer need this product most and he will buy it. Also this is place where all the local brand take advantage of it and consumer buy it without will. If I am able to capture this it may be proved very beneficial. Only the commission to the vendor should be kept very high. Door delivery:- fund allotment- 19 lakh) When consumer will buy the product for daily use he will prefer to get the product at home. Also it will be inconvenience to customer the pack of 20 liter with him. So the best option is to deliver the product when he need or call you. This type of practise is already done by many competitors in metro city. For promotion in event:- (fund allotment-20 lakh) I will also prefer promotion of any event which is related to health or tourist. So that I can reached to my maximum customers and they recall me as good brand. Internet marketing:- (fund allotment-10 lakh) I will also do my advertisement on net because today maximum elite customers, business travellers, students and even tourist (tourist take all the information from internet) they all use the internet frequently. So it will very easy to reach them and get their feedback easily. Discount store:- (fund allotment-30 lakh) Today the discount store play very important role in selling this type of product so I will also go for discount store to sell my brand product. Discount stores like easy day, reliance fresh, vishal mart, big bazaar, bargin bazaar all they sell this type product. So I have to give them some special offer so that they prefer my brand. Consumer sale promotion tool:- We will apply following promotional tools increase sale. Price deal: -Price deal is temporary reduction in price of product. We will provide two type of price deal: cents-off deals and price-pack deals. Price deal will be is given at various times to stimulate purchase of Shoes. Coupon: A coupon is typically a printed certificate giving the bearer a stated price reduction or special value on a specific product, generally for a specific period. In this we will provide various kinds of coupon that contain various discount price So that customer get the advantage of this discount and purchase flavour packaged water at low price. Offer: In this we offer that those Customers who buy flavour water will receive a free plain packaged water of 500ml. The offer will be depending upon season to season. The campaign will be marketed with print and TV ads, and will feature TV commercials with musicians singing covers of their favorite song. The company will be offering those collected covers in a CD at retail locations for customers who make a more than 10 flavour packaged water. Premium:We will provide offer of some gift or at bargain price to encourage customer buying. Advertising Specialties: -Advertising specialties also call a promotional product. It will be mostly given to our loyal customers. It includes various cards like birthday card, New Year card. It will be done mostly done to retain old customer. Trade sale promotion tool:- Objectives of Trade Sales Promotion of the Boond packaged water company will be:- Gain/maintain distribution Influence resellers to promote product Influence resellers to offer price discount Increase reseller inventory Defend against competitors Avoid reduction of normal prices There are various sale promotion tools which apply by the Boond packaged warter that stimulate trade to promote company product. Trade Allowances:- In this we will provide short-term special allowances, discounts, or deals granted to resellers to stimulate reseller to rapid purchase of their product. Point-of-Purchase Display:- In this we are generally used at the retail level to call customer attention to a featured product. In this company employees observe every retail shop and that display more company product will be winner of special gift or prize. Implementation Tactics Launch a blind ad campaign on billboards and magazines in all A class areas of major cities and magazine with respect to target market. Heavy advertising on TV, newspapers and magazines Set displays of malls and retail in showrooms and major dealer outlets in all cities. Continue Advertising. Evaluation of IMC planning process Evaluation of IMC planning of Boond packaged water is necessary because:- The cost of advertising and communication spiraling day by day so it is necessary to find out if the investment in IMC plan of the Boond packaged water is generating any return or just going down the drain. As a IMC planner we can easily evaluate various communication alternatives such as alternative message, IMC tools, media and vehicle and choose the most effective ones. It will provide complete feedback regarding the performance of various strategic alternatives and provide a basis for future planning. Evaluation will increase the effectiveness of marketing communication by eliminating unproductive alternatives and adding productive alternatives. Evaluation will provide me the complete figure regarding our total IMC budget expense that the budget is expense in the right way or not. It helps to judge the behavioral result of the target market. It will help to judge the communication oriented result of the target market. It will help to allocate as a guider about the new target market for further new implementation of IMC plan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally at last we will add few words with it that this IMC plan for boond water company is for the financial year 2009-10 is prepared by me by taking the new existing company of my own and not copied from any other sources. Prepared by (randhir pratap). Thank you all for co-operation in presenting my IMC plan in front of my respected mam Ms. Malika thakral and makes the session successful. Bibliography:- http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/07/27/stories/2007072750190900.htm

Sickle Cell Anaemia :: Free Essays

Sickle Cell Anaemia The disorder affects the red blood cells, which contain a special protein called haemoglobin . The function of haemoglobin is to carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. People with Sickle Cell Anaemia have Sickle haemoglobin which is different from the normal haemoglobin. When sickle haemoglobin gives up its oxygen to the tissues, it sticks together to form long rods inside the red blood cells making these cells rigid and sickle-shaped. Normal red blood cells can bend and flex easily.Blocked blood vessels Because of their shape, sickled red blood cells can't squeeze through small blood vessels as easily as the almost donut-shaped normal cells. This can lead to these small blood vessels getting blocked that then stops the oxygen from getting through to where it is needed. This in turn can lead to severe pain and damage to organs. Everyone has two copies of the gene for haemoglobin; one from their mother and one from their father. If one of these genes carries the instructions to make sickle haemoglobin (HbS) and the other carries the instructions to make normal haemoglobin (HbA) then the person has Sickle Cell Trait and is a carrier of the sickle haemoglobin gene. This means that this person has enough normal haemoglobin in their red blood cells to keep the cells flexible and they don't have the symptoms of the sickle cell disorders. They do however have to be careful when doing things where there is less oxygen than normal such as scuba diving, activities at high altitude and under general anaesthetics. If both copies of the haemoglobin gene carry instructions to make sickle haemoglobin then this will be the only type of haemoglobin they can make and sickled cells can occur. These people have Sickle Cell Anaemia and can suffer from anaemia and severe pain. These severe attacks are known as Crises. Over time Sickle Cell sufferers can experience damage to organs such as liver, kidney, lungs, heart and spleen. Death can be a result.

Ray Harryhausen :: essays research papers

Ray Harryhausen is the greatest artist in stop-motion animation. With a career that spans 40 years of cinema, he became a by-word for innovation, excitement and entertainment in the world of special effects and film fantasy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born 1920 in Los Angelas, Harryhausen from an early age was facinated with stop-motion animation due to seeing King Komg at the agee of thirteen. Ray Harryhausen was given an opertunity to persue a dream and learn from the greatest of animators, Willis O’Brien. American Film magazine, (June 1981 p 49) â€Å"I had a magnicficent two year period while working on Mighty Joe Young with Obie†, â€Å"covering the long perproduction and photography. He was so involved in production problems that I ended up animating about eighty-five percent og the picture†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After ganing vital experience with Willis o’Brien and having completed studies at the University of Southern California in painting, drama, sculpting, anatomy and photography. Ray Harryhausen produced a series of short films called Mother Goose Fairy Tales. Coming to the final phase of the series, Ray Harryhausen was approached by a young producer, Charles Schneer,and formed a productive patnership which lasted over thrity years. Ray Harryhausen and Charles Schneer went to work and produced a whole series during the science fiction boom of the 1950’s. Titles included It Came from Beneath the Sea, Earth versus the Flying Saucers and in 1957, Twenty Million Miles to Earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was also in this period that Ray Harryhausen pioneered his new form of stop-motion animation – Dynamation – which then became a key feature consistant through out all of his work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breaking away from the 1950’s had Ray Harryhausen and Charles Schneer leaving science fiction behind and venture into the world of fantasy, fairy tale amd mythology.. in the decaide of 1950 to 1960, they both produced the highly acclaimed Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. This was also they’re first opportunity to use colour film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1963, Ray Harryhausen produced his most famous and successful film Jason and the Argonants. Quoted by Adrian Wootton interviewing Ray Harryhausen, (1)â€Å"Jason and the Argonants is also regarded by Ray Harryhausen himself, as his most complete film, incorporating as it does much of his seamless and yet outstanding stop-motion animation in many memorable sequences†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ray Harryhausen finally brought the curtain down on his film career in 1982 with his and Charles Schneer greek mythological epic, Clash of the Titans. In 1991, at the sixty-fourth Academy awards, Ray Harryhausen received belatent recognition for his abilities and received the Gordon E.

Capital Structure Essay

Capital structure is how a company finances its overall operations and growth by using funds from equity or debt (Investopedia, 2012). Of course, every company must determine its preference on its debt-to-equity ratio and determine which capital structure works best for them. Some approaches to analyzing capital structure are: 1.EBIT – EPS: This analyzes the impact of debt on earnings per share (EPS). Optimizing shareholder’s wealth is the optimum goal and therefore, this approach analyzes the high EPS based on an expected range of earnings before income taxes (EBIT). 2.Valuation: Determines impact of debt use on shareholder’s value by determining the level of debt at which the benefits of increased debt no longer outweigh the increased risks and expenses associated with financing (Wenk, 2012) 3.Cash Flow: Analyzes a firm’s debt capacity by using the weighted average of cost of capital (WACC). The WACC is a calculation of a firm’s cost of capital in which each capital source (bonds, stock and other long-term debt) are proportionally weighted to determine how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances (Investopedia, 2012). Look more:  capital budgeting examples essay Part of Competition Bikes’ (CB) main consideration in the decision to merge or acquire Canadian Biking is working capital. Lets use the EBIT – EPS approach to determine how to maximize shareholder return while minimizing the cost of capital. We currently know Canadian Biking’s moderate sales forecast of EBIT figures for the next 5 years (Year 9 – 13), therefore we can apply the EBIT – EPS approach to choose an optimal capital structure. The total of capital sources in each of the 5 years is $600,000. We will use EBIT – EPS to determine which assortment of bonds*, preferred stock, and common stock is the best option to increase Canadian Biking’s EPS. The five alternative capital structures include: Option 1: 100% Bonds (fully financed) Option 2: 50% Preferred Stock & 50% Common Stock (no bonds) Option 3: 20% Bonds & 80% Common Stock Option 4: 40% Bonds & 60% Common Stock Option 5: 60% Bonds & 40% Common Stock *Annual bond interest rate is 9% After using the EBIT – EPS approach using the forecasted EBIT amounts for Years 9 through 13, we can average the EPS for each of the 5 years to determine which capital structure produced the highest EPS. The EPS averages computed for the capital structure options are: Option 1: Average EPS = .0452 Option 2: Average EPS = .0542 Option 3: Average EPS = .0526 Option 4: Average EPS = .051 Option 5: Average EPS = .0494 Based on the EBIT – EPS approach, the recommended capital structure is option 2, â€Å"50% preferred stock & 50% common stock†. This is the best capital structure mainly because there are two things to consider: 1) long-term debt and associated interest expense and, 2) equity and # of common shares. Option 2 is the best capital structure because there are no bonds and therefore, no interest expense. For example, if we look at option 1 in Year 9, and the bond interest is 9%, then the bond interest expense is $54,000 (.09*600,00). This lowers the income before taxes by $54,000. Although companies can finance debt and use the interest expense deduction to lower their taxable income, it doesn’t make sense for Canadian Bikes to fully finance their capital, because the interest expense costs outweigh the benefit of the tax deduction, resulting in a significant decrease in total income available for common stock. Additionally, because the capital structure consists of 300,000 shares of preferred stock, the company must pay dividends of 5%, reducing the company’s total income available for common stock by $15,000 (.05 * 300,000). Although this reduces the total income available for common stock, the company will maximize its EPS by only having 50% capital in common stock. This reduces the total number of common shares outstanding, which means less shares to divide the total income among. Therefore, Option 2 is the most optimal capital structure that considers minimizing long-term  debt expenses and the optimal number of common shares in order to maximize shareholder return. CAPITAL BUDGETING: Competition Bikes’ is considering building a manufacturing facility in a new Canadian location. The total investment for this project would be $600,000 USD. This consists of $400,000 to build the facility and an additional $200,000 in working capital to support operational costs. The company has projected cash flows over the next five years; therefore we can use cash flow budgeting methods such as net present value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) that consider time value of money for long-term investments (Pearson Education, Inc., 2008). Net present value analyzes the profitability of a project by determining the difference between the present value of the project’s cash inflows and outflows followed by subtracting the initial investment. (Investopedia, 2012). The decision rule applied to NPV is fairly simple, if the NPV is positive, invest; if the difference is negative, do not invest. Competition Bikes applies NPV to forecasted low and moderate sales for the next 5 years. After using the forecasted sales for low demand, the total present value (after subtracting cash outflows from inflows) is $560,719. If we subtract the initial investment of $600,000 from this amount, the NPV is -$39,281. This is a significant warning that the company should not proceed in building a manufacturing facility. On the other hand, if we use the forecasted sales for moderate demand, the total present value is $608,447. If we subtract the initial investment of $600,000, the NPV is $8,447. Therefore a positive NPV indicates the company should proceed with building the manufacturing facility. The biggest concern is determining which NPV to lean towards based on low or moderate sales. Unfortunately, the risk of having low sales outweighs the profitability benefit of having moderate sales. It is too risky for CB to move forward with the investment based on the NPV of low sales (-$39,281). In order for the company to profit from this investment, CB would need to have a moderate sales demand at minimum! The present value in NPV is calculated using an interest rate, also known as the required rate of return. CB’s required rate of return is 10%. When this interest rate is altered or calculated to make the total present value equal to the initial investment, the NPV becomes equal to zero; this is called the internal rate of return (IRR) (Pearson Education, Inc., 2008). The IRR is what a company can expect to earn from investing in the project and the higher the IRR, the more desirable the investment. The calculated IRR for low demand cash flows is 8.2% and the IRR for moderate demand cash flows is 10.4%. Based on these IRR figures, the company should not pursue the capital investment because the average IRR between both low and moderate sales is 9.3%. This is below the company’s required return on capital (hurdle rate) of 10% to pursue a capital investment. Again, the company would need to have a moderate sales demand, at minimum for this capital investment to be profitable and should therefore not pursue building a new manufacturing facility. WORKING CAPITAL: CB must effectively obtain and manage working capital for the expansion of the operation. CB must first look at their operating cycle, cash conversion cycle and free cash flow factors in order to improve production and management of working capital. Let’s discuss the company’s current status of each of the working capital and cash flow factors and determine how the company can improve in these areas. First, the operating cycle involves CB sending the distributor a monthly invoice for all raw materials ordered with terms of net/30 days. This can be improved by renegotiating the payment terms will distributors to net/15 days. This would increase cash flows by improving payment turn around time and accounts receivable collections. Additionally, the company can improve its relations with its distributers to increase effectiveness of its collection process. Another operating cycle factor is ordering and paying for inventory. Currently, the company pays for inventory in the month following production and all inventory ordered for the month is used leaving inventory levels (at the end of each month) at consistent levels. In order  to improve working capital the company should utilize and lower its year ending inventory balance. For example, at the end of Year 8, the company had $91,573 worth of inventory left over. The company should utilize the current inventory on hand before ordering similar raw material items. This will decease cash flows and leave fewer inventories on hand at the end of the year. Currently the average time in inventory is 25 days. This is a substantial turnaround time currently, however in the future, the company can consider replacing labor workers with fixed asset items to improve production time. This will satisfy customer demand by decreasing delivery time and improve cash flows by invoicing customers more frequently than 25 days after production. CB’s cash conversion cycle factors also impact working capital. Currently, the CB’s suppliers invoice at the end of the month for orders that month with terms of net/15. CB does an excellent job of preserving its cash flows by paying the invoices on the 15th of the month following the order.. CB can improve its working capital by negotiating for longer payment terms, i.e. net/30 days, allowing for more time for the company to earn money to pay their invoices. If this is not possible, the company can improve its forecasting measurements for ordering supplies and order the majority of the supplies needed for the month at the beginning of the month. This would increase the amount of time the company has sufficient supplies on hand without having to pay more money, (because the suppliers will still invoice for the orders at the end of the month, regardless of how early in the month the supplies were ordered). This can increase working capital because it acts as a contingency plan, to reduce the likelihood of running out of supplies, avoiding delays, or ordering supplies in excess. Free cash flow factors also affect CB’s working capital. Currently, the company recognizes depreciation in both manufacturing overhead and as depreciation expenses depending on the fixed asset. The company can use their depreciation data to increase management of cash flows by predicting when the company will have to spend a significant amount of money to replace an asset when its useful life expires. This will prepare CB for those unwanted – although necessary – fixed asset costs. Currently the  corporation’s marginal tax rate is 25%. The company can consider obtaining working capital by financing debt. This will leave the company with an interest expense at the end of the year, which is deductible from gross earnings and results in paying lower taxes. After CB improves its working capital, let’s discuss how CB can use its working capital for the lease vs. buy option for a factory building in Canada. CB can use its working capital to cover the $50,000 down payment (or buy out option if they decide to lease) and $200,000 for operational costs of the new factory. According to the data provided for the lease vs. buy option, the lease option will preserve cash outflows of $12,339, (purchase cash outflows are $333,999 and lease cash outflows are $321,660). Therefore, the company should lease the manufacturing facility to preserve cash outflows. Leasing the facility will also allow CB to deduct annual interest payments (6% interest) from the gross earnings to lower their tax payments. This will increase the company’s net earnings at the end of the year, also resulting in higher retained earnings and increased shareholder value. MERGER OR ACQUISITION: CB should consider many factors when deciding to merge or acquire Canadian Biking. Let’s analyze the pros and cons between a merge vs. acquisition and determine what the best move would be for CB. First off, if the company were to merge with Canadian Biking, the potential EPS would increase by approximately .021. This shows potential for increased ownership earnings, but is it significant enough? At the same token, the price/earnings ratio for Canadian Bikes at the end of Year 8 was 9 and CB’s was 70. This shows that CB’s current investors are expecting greater earnings in Year 9 and are willing to pay $70 for $1 of current earnings. This is not the case with Canadian Biking’s investors. Unfortunately a low P/E ratio of 9 indicates that investors are not expecting a significant growth in company earnings. This raises a concern if the merge will result in a potential increase of .021 in EPS. On the other hand, a merge would result in lower costs because CB would not be purchasing Canadian Biking outright. Canadian Biking also has a lower cost competition bike that can decrease production costs and complement CB’s current bike model being offered. This will result in  greater net earnings and cash flows. If the company were to acquire Canadian Bikes, CB can expect a gradual increase in cash inflows over the next 5 years. However, the current offered sales price for Canadian Biking is $286,000; this is 30% more than what the company was valued at, at the end of Year 8. Although CB has enough working capital to make the purchase, it would take 5 years of gradually increasing cash inflows to recoup the price tag of $286,000. This means it could take approximately 5 years, before shareholders saw a significant increase in earnings per share. Based on the pro and cons, CB should merge with Canadian Bikes to lower their production and delivery costs, increase net income, EPS and cash flows, and preserve working capital. The price to acquire Canadian Biking is simply unreasonable based on predicted cash inflows over the next 5 years. The merger will enhance CB’s market position in Canada by having a local distributer to handle all customer orders and provide cost effective and great customer service to the growing Canadian market. References Investopedia. (2012). Capital Structure. Retrieved from http://www.kotzinvaluation.com/articles/capital-structure.htm Investopedia. (2012). Weighted Average Cost of Capital. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wacc.asp#axzz2Azkq4E2V Investopedia. (2012). Net Present Value. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/npv.asp#axzz2Azkq4E2 Pearson Education, Inc.. (2008). Horngren Accounting. Retrieved from http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/wps/media/objects/6716/6877765/hha08_flash_main.html?chapter=null&page=1042&anchory=null&pstart=null&pend=null Wenk, D. (2012). Using an optimal capital structure in business valuation. Retrieved from http://www.kotzinvaluation.com/articles/capital-structure.htm