The concept paper should briefly address the following questions:

-Background: What is the proposed topic/problem? (eg extent/prevalence/incidence, description, poor outcomes associated with problem etc).

-Relevant Literature: What does the literature already say about this topic/problem- what do we already know? what still needs to be determined/researched and why?

-Research question and Hypothesis: What are your proposed research questions and hypothesis if applicable? Also, describe why it is important to answer this research question. What good comes of this answer? Why is this project worth the time? How does the research inform practice? How is it relevant to social work?

-Methodology: How do you intend to to research it?
* a brief description of yor proposed design and why you have selected this design
* Sample (selection criteria, sample size and how you plan to recruit and select participants and why
* ethical issues (consent, confidentiality, cutural issues).
* measures and description of the data that you plan to collect or use
* Data collectio methods
* data analysis plan (a decription of how you intend to analyze your data

This will be a qualitative , phenomonology research paper. Please use peer reviewed references in this paper.

Topic
The lfe experience of personal care assistants in Anchorage:Cross cutural caring of older adults

This is a 3 part project. Part one, is the "Introduction/Background" portion.
Part two is the is the Methods/Implementation section.
Part three is the final "Project Proposal" to be submitted to stakeholders/administration of a hospital.
This is my assignment Rubric:
" The goal of evidence-based practice (EBP) is to provide high quality, safe, and cost-effective care. Changes in practice are driven by new problems that arise or new knowledge that becomes available. Barriers to implementation of practice changes include lack of knowledge and skill for accessing current research, and lack of familiarity and expertise in effecting change. Prior to implementing a change in practice, preparing a formal , evidence-based proposal is an appropriate strategy to support change. The ability to critically appraise evidence is essential for determining which evidence should be put into practice. The goal of this assignment is to increase your ability to appraise and synthesize evidence to provide a logical argument in support of a proposal for a practice change, and to provide experience in designing a detailed implementation plan for this project". I am to review existing evidence and develop a proposal for practice change to resolve the problem or implement the new knowledge in my clinical setting.
My clinical problem that I have identified is " Decreasing hospital acquired infections that are related to indwelling medical devices/apparatuses such as, urinary catheters, central lines etc., by changing ordinary practice to EBP. I also would like to address the poor adherence to practice guidelines, and personal care practices delivered by nurses, practitioners, nurse-aides, etc. I am hoping you will be able to assist me with "part two" the Methods/Implementation section. I must request that research material be no-more than 5-7 years old, unless it is a seminal piece of research.

Assignment 2: Consumer Behavior Analysis
Due Week 8 and worth 300 points
For this assignment, you work for the marketing manager of an organization that is going to launch a new line of personal care products in the U.S. market. The proposed target market will be males, between 18 and 35 years old, and price points will cover income ranges from lower to mid-level. Distribution is planned to take place in drug, grocery stores, and stores such as Wal-Mart and Target, with the primary retailer carrying the full product line being drug stores. You have been tasked with a consumer behavior analysis to help make marketing decisions.
Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:
1. Propose a type of message appeal to be used in the advertising, making sure to explain the rationale behind the appeal.
2. Analyze the different cultures this product will appeal to and make recommendations on which three (3) would be the best choice.
3. Decide which microcultures and additional demographics should be targeted.
4. Suggest ways to utilize group influence in the marketing of the product.
5. Create a plan to address need recognition, search behavior, and getting the product into the consumers' consideration set.
6. Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
? Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format.

Written Assessment
BSBWOR402A Promote team effectiveness

This written assignment is a supplementary assessment for the unit BSBWOR4O2A Promote Team Effectiveness. lt assesses the following elements:


- Plan to achieve team outcomes
- Develop team cohesion
- Participate in and facilitate work team
- Liaise with management

Part A - The Health Care Team
Please select three (3) health professionals, and answer the following questions. Each response should be 50 - 150 words long, and be supported with a reference.

1) ln which, health care settings would the selected health professional work and if applicable how would their job title differ between each setting?

2) What qualifications (education) does the selected health professional require to commence work in their chosen profession?

3) ln what capacity are you as an Enrolled Nurse, likely to work with the selected health professional, and how would this differ between health care settings? Please explain using an example.

You may select from
- Doctor
- Allied Health Professional, including Occupational Therapist, Dietician, Speech Therapist
or Physiotherapist
- Personal Service Assistant (Ward Support/Orderly)
- Personal Care Attendant (Aged Care Worker)
- Clinical Nurse Consultant

Part B - Liaising with Supervisors

Review the scenario below, and provide an outline of how you would discuss your concerns with
your Clinical Teacher. please include in your outline at least one recommendation to address
your concerns. Your outline should be approximately 150 words, and be supported with a
reference.

You, the student enrolled nurse, are completing a clinical placement on a medical ward.
Overnight, an 88 year old female with seizures for investigation was admitted with a history of a
right below knee amputation. This morning the patient is drowsy, and readily returns to sleep
when woken. Your supervising buddy nurse is insistent on showering this new patient, and
explains she will do a stand - transfer onto the shower chair. Concerned for the patient's safety, you decide to discuss the situation with your Clinical Teacher.

I would like to do a research (Dissertation) about costmetic. (Starting my own business).
1. Introduction:
a) The purpose
b) Why it is important.
2. Review of the literature-This will include the opinions of those already published.
3. Methodology: how you go about answering the research question in your paper is your methodology. It is your strategy for discovering the answer systematically. Define terms, review of the literature, describe the setting, time pbserved, survey if interviews who, etc, and indicate the focus of your observation.
4. Bibliotraphy-see the example on the Web site : http://aabss.org/journal2003/Mefleh.htm.

Please do a research and use this information for my business ideal. I would like to have my own business and export to Southeast Asia. I would like to know the possibility.
Please make sure you Include all infomation as follow :
Paper Assignment : This paper will form the beginning portion of your MBA project. The assignment should be 10 to 12 pages (typed, double-spaced, 12-pt font- Times New Roman). It should be written in the third person and include the following:

1. Introduction:

a. The purpose.

b. Why it is important.

2. Review of the literature?This will NOT include your opinion, but rather, the opinions of those already published. An example of the review of the literature will be available at the following Web site written by me at the Journal, fall 2001: http://iba-website.org/



3. Methodology: how you go about answering the research question in your paper is your methodology. It is your strategy for discovering the answer systematically. Define terms, review of the literature, describe the setting, time observed, survey of interviews?who, etc, and indicate the focus of your observation.

4. Bibliography?see the example on the Web site: http://aabss.org/journal2003/Mefleh.htm



A copy of the MBA Project Handbook that describes what is expected of students in preparing for the project class (MGT 610C/EXE696) can be obtained from the following Web site: http://www3.nu.edu/schools/SBIM/syllabiList.html

Here is the source:

MKT 602
Marketing Management
Dr. Alex P. Pacheco

Strategic Personal Marketing Plan

By Nuttawipha Burk
National University
School of Business for Information Management
29 Palms, Ca
22 October 2004














Abstract


With global commerce in a shakeout phase, it is difficult to find a business to begin that offers an excellent chance of success, but yet has a relatively low start-up cost. Cosmetics is one possibility, and, despite the competition in the industry, offers several advantages, especially for a young businessperson in the Pacific Rim nations. Cosmetics is an ever-changing field, so that there are always new products and services to offer. In addition, cosmetics is an industry that has historically survived economic upheavals very well, making it relatively attractive to financing companies. It demands a skill set that combines both the organizational (planning, accounting) and the interpersonal (sales and service), but I have experience in both of those areas. There are, to be sure, threats to such a venture, but in relation to the low entry fee, the growing popularity of Western-style cosmetics in Asia, and the skill set I bring to the venture, it seems to be the best possible choice right now.










The industry I have decided to get involved in is the cosmetic and toiletries business. I have always had an interest in opening my own business offering a product that is affordable, and of good quality. The current products that are available to the consumer have a lot of room for improvement; most of the products are poor quality and mass produced, or just too expensive for what you are actually getting. There are a couple of exceptions in the industry, Bath and Body Works and the Body Shop are what I would consider modeling my business after.
A report that came out in 2002 from Wilson Select talks about how new product development in several markets is expected to drive margin growth for the cosmetic and toiletries industry in the future. The reason why the future is improving in the quality of products is that there are ingredients that were never used because the benefits were never known until recently. They are referring to these products as having multi benefits when it comes to the effectiveness of the product. (Wilson Select Overview of the U.S. cosmetics and toiletries market, 1997).
The company the Body Shop has an understanding on what it means to change to fit the customer?s needs, and take advantage of the research that is available with current technology. The company was founded by entrepreneur Anita Roddick who, in 1976, started retailing homemade products with minimal packaging. By 1982, there were Body Shop stores opening at the rate of two per month. Now, the Body Shop is operating in 50 countries with over 1,900 outlets spanning 25 languages and 12 time zones. The consumer trust in the product is also very strong. The pursuit of being innovative and able to conform to the needs of their customers has enabled the Body Shop to grow since they
opened in 1976 (Biesada, 2004).
The Bath and Body Works company has 1,600 stores throughout the U.S. the company sells natural body and hair care products as well as personal care products and fragrances. They also have a line of aromatherapy and at-home spa treatments. The success of this company is due to the consistant quality products at an affordable price. The constant changing of product lines is similar to The Body Shop, they are not afraid to try something new. (Biesada, 2004).
Companies like Wal-Mart, grocery stores and other large retailers are a threat to some of the smaller toiletry businesses. They buy large amounts of product for a minimal price, and usually poor quality, and then sell it at for a very inexpensive price. Teenagers have become a new target for color cosmetic companies and products are being launched specifically for preteens. People are also interested in products that have natural ingredients in them. The push for products that are not tested on animals is also on several of consumer?s minds. The cost to effectively Market multifunctional products utilizing new ingredients and the need to generate greater return on investment has led personal hygiene companies to consolidate their range of brands-getting rid of smaller or slow-selling lines, and focus on their biggest names. This prompted manufacturers not normally involved in the category to develop brand extensions into the area. This ?mega brand? strategy depends on conveying a similar image to existing products under the same brand name. However, with customer loyalty to products diminishing, the company providing a product must be equally worried about the quality they are offering to the public. ( Koser, 2001).
It is difficult to believe that cosmetics will fail to thrive, in Asia or anywhere else. A report three years ago form AsiaInfo Services noted that even Chinese herbal medicine cosmetics were gaining market share, however small at that point, because of their all-natural character, which appeals to buyers globally (Green cosmetics, 2001).
Two years ago, China displayed a booming cosmetics market, as evidenced by visitors to Cosmoprof Asia, a trade show held at the Hong Kong Convention Center in November, 2002. A report in a trade journals, Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics Asia, noted that cosmetics ?clearly acts as an effective tool for creating business ties between Asia and the rest of the world (2003),? making an investment in a Body Shop or similar company a perfect one for the coming decade.
Manufacturers would arguably not have been interested in exhibiting if they were not sure that the market for cosmetics in Asia will expand in the coming years. That show hosted a total of 750 exhibitors from 33 countries. The show attracted 35,071 visitors, which was a 13% increase over 2001. It also demonstrated a very vibrant market for cosmetics from European companies selling to the Asian market. ?We have had a very good response in terms of companies coming from the US, and there has also been very good performance from Spain, Italy and France. These countries are participating at this show more and more,? according to Laura Zaccagnini, marketing director of Cosmoprof Asia (Quoted in Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics Asia, 2003). As examples of how growth had expanded in Asia, the Korean market grew by 10 to 13% in 2002, with the Chinese mainland growing at 7 to 8%; that market was expected to grow 13-15% by 2010, reaching US $9.76bn. Zaccagnini did note that the Chinese expansion was greater than in most other Asian nations (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics Asia, 2003), possibly because of the pent-up demand. However, the entire Pacific Rim was seen as a growth area.
While the current project is specifically a Body Shop franchise, the wealth of interest in Thai cosmetic products shown at Cosmoprof Asia is a good indicator of the substantial interest in cosmetics in Thailand. ?The Bangkok Herb Company was looking for a distributor for its new breast enlargement skincare product, Beauty Breast Lotion, which contains dimethicone, isopropyl palmitate, soya extract, ginseng extract and horsetail extract? (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics Asia, 2003), something which might be an item added to the Body Shop merchandise for the Thai market.
A spokesman for another company noted that ?Asian women want to be 20% slimmer than the average woman. They particularly want slimmer faces, they do not want the chubby cheeks that Asians have which gives the impression that they are fatter than they really are. The Japanese spend three times more on beauty products than US women,? (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics Asia, 2003). Body Shop cosmetics products and the accompanying cosmetic application instruction will be an added advantage in marketing to this need in the Thai marketplace.
The potential for growth in the Pacific Rim nations was noted by Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics as early as 1993. At the time, the publication noted, ?Body Shop expects to boost its 25 outlets in the region to 150 via its local franchise agent, concentrating on Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand? (Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics, 1993).
My idea of a successful business for myself would be a product that could be compared to the products that are offered at Bath and Body Works and The Body Shop. Finding my own niche in the cosmetic and toiletry industry will be the biggest challenge that I will have to overcome.
The cosmetic industry is saturated by many types of businesses that are not very successful because of their lack of creativity. I believe that I have a very good idea on how to introduce my product to the market. The most important part other than name recognition is the ability to catch the consumer?s eye and peek their interest into what kind of new product I have to offer. The advantages that I have in the creativity side of the business would do with my personal experience with products, and what other people think about different products. My main target would be toward women consumers, most women would want a product they could leave in their bathrooms and use at their convenience, but also not having to worry about how it will affect the look of the area that they have taken so much time in decorating. The products would be lotion dispensers, soap dispensers and the containers that they come in. There are items that could be more creative by using different color variations, and would be in the bathtub or shower. These are not as noticeable to people walking into the restroom. I have to be able to find products color schemes that are versatile with the different styles that are used in home decorating today.
My strengths for entering this business are a lifelong interest in beauty and achieving it through the most gentle and cost-effective means possible. I have studied the subject on my own; I also plan to take some basic cosmetology courses, either online or if I can locate some available to non-degree students, at a college of cosmetology. I have an excellent history of financial education; my current job requires that I keep accounts both to comply with government demands and to allow the business to know where it stands financially so that it can plan accordingly. I also have a good sense when it comes to networking, I have been researching some of the most popular brands of body lotions and soaps, and noticed that most of them are not manufactured by the company that is marketing them to the public. I think that proper networking and research on who is making quality products, and finding a vender with a good track record of customer satisfaction would be crucial in getting a positive consumer reaction. Networking is invaluable when you do not miss opportunities that are available just from people talking about your product. Some of the smaller stores are involved in fairs and events that you can get your product introduced to the public without the burden of the larger brand names to compete with. In addition, I think I have a variety of personal strengths that will help me succeed when I start my new business. I am not intimidated by the chance that my business might fail. I know that I will work very hard to make my business successful, and if the business is not successful, I know that I would have done everything possible to make the business succeed. I am not afraid or intimidated if things in my business have to change. I will be able to adapt to different situations that may happen when the business starts to grow.
The best way I have found to get any information about different makers of products is the internet. Information about the production of the product as well as the ingredients is openly available on the internet. The ingredients are very important to research on the internet because if you have a vendor that uses cheap ingredients to cut corners your product will not be successful. Another thing to worry about is if the ingredients that are used can cause allergic reactions with customers. The internet does have its drawbacks because a large amount of information that is available cannot be used because it outdated. There is still plenty of information available that I have found that I will be able to use. There are some manufactures that offer free samples of their product, which for me would be perfect because I can give people samples and see what they prefer and why.
I have passed the word around to friends about my idea of starting my own businesses too see what their reaction would be, and it has been positive. When I ask them why they think it would be a good idea, everyone I have talked to says that I am very persistent and I do not give up once I have made up my mind to do something. I am very proud that people think that I am persistent and will not give up, and they do not see this goal as something that is unreachable for me. This also helps motivate me because I do not always realize the good qualities that I possess that would help me succeed with opening my own business.
The part of my future business that I will have to improve on is my ability to compete. The market in toiletries and cosmetics is flooded with product not only from the United States but also all over the world. My idea is to market my product in the U.S. as well as other countries. In Thailand, where I am from, there is a great demand for anything that is made in the U.S. because there are very few things in the retail market available to people from the U.S. Consumers will spend as much money in Thailand for anything made in the U.S. as Americans spend on things from Italy, France and England. I also have friends that would be willing to work for me and sell my product; this would make it easy for me to keep my business going because it will probably take along time to gain a strong consumer following in the U.S.
The things that I will have to change when running my own business will be my time management. Time management with my regular work schedule, family life and running a successful business will be a challenge for me. Time management is sometimes a problem for me now because I take on too many responsibilities at once. This can be very self destructive for me because I get burned out and have a hard time concentrating and prioritizing the things that are the most important that need to get done first. So I should make sure that I have a plan in action every time I add something to my schedule. Furthermore, I have not run a business on my own before, and it may well be more demanding than I anticipate, although I do anticipate at least a year of 18-hour days.
My challenge will be finding the physical, mental and emotional resources to meet that demand for a long period of time. I might try to look at the aspect of getting someone to help me with my business if it gets to hard to manage my self. This would be a good alternative than stressing myself out over to many tasks, and would also be a good sign hiring someone to help because it would mean my business is growing.
My opportunities, however, are so great that they warrant taking the risk. While the market alone, as described above, supports the idea that this is an excellent opportunity for me, the general tenor of the industry is also practically palpable in its offer of a bright future. An industry report in Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics in 2000 noted that there was ?plenty of opportunity for innovation and expansion. Increasingly, consumer demand is driving the industry, with companies seeking to meet, rather than dictate, market needs, with a particular sensitivity to local diversity.? That is specifically what I intend to do as a Body Shop: meet the market needs for cosmetics and skin care in Thailand.
The threats to my success are the usual ones: lack of independent business experience, and, notably, lack of abundant start-up cash. One threat that probably does not exist in cosmetics is the economic climate; in all economic climates, people want and need, for personal or business purposes, to look and feel good, and cosmetics provides a relatively inexpensive means to do that, affordable to many even when the economy is declining. The fact that I am starting from the bottom with very little money will make it difficult for me to create a business and succeed. The other problem I face are the cost it will take to market such products, with the competition is already in all of the large department stores. I will have to start in the U.S. with privately owned businesses and specialty stores, most of these stores do not have any ties with big name brands. With the ingredients of the products changing, the manufacturing costs are becoming more expensive because the vendors using the newer ingredients know they can charge more money than the product is actually worth. This threatens my future business even more because money will be an issue when I start my company, and this could possibly take more money than expected.
Should I fail to succeed in a career as a Body Shop owner, I will be able to fall back on skills I have already honed in financial control, with the goal of moving into a position as Controller in a major corporation. I am close to finishing my Master?s Degree, which will be helpful if that should become my career path; frankly, it will be helpful in securing the financing and other assistance I would need to open a Body Shop. However, even the research to open a shop will help me if my career path is detoured and I chose, instead, to seek fulfillment in a corporation?s financial departments. Having a broad understanding of how business operates generally is always valuable; having more specific experience with small business, globally responsible for employing more people, it is thought, than large corporations, should also serve to make me a more attractive candidate for high corporate achievement in finance.
Things that I should avoid in my business are, getting into the habit of only selling things that only I prefer. I should always look at the new products offered by my competitors and see why they are marketing these items, and what kind of a consumer groups they are targeting. This is very important to do because it is easy to say that you do not like something, but that does not mean that there is not a strong consumer base to support different products that I may not like. Therefore, keeping an open mind to other people?s opinions is a very important quality to have. I must also continue to do research about the different products that are available to the public. I must also Research on what new fragrances that are offered from vendors that manufacture my product.
The good opportunities that I am facing are the ability I have to try to find my own niche in the market and having a lot of fun doing it. I will be able to go oversees to Thailand and start selling my product on a very small scale. Since I grew up in Thailand, it will be easy for me to understand the way the general consumer will react to my products. I will also have a new outlook on things and not have to fit my product into any specific mold that many other companies are forced to do because the people with new ideas are not always the ones that own the company.
The newest trends that are currently on the market are anti aging products. These products are the future in the industry because they are made with ingredients that are not as harsh on the skin as the traditional products that are on the market. Not everyone can use the older generation of products that are still being used. People with sensitive skin or allergic reactions cannot use these products, which opens up an opportunity to create a product for them. Older products also caused premature aging of the skin because of the ingredients that are used are mixed with harsh chemicals. People?s lifestyles have changed where they want the same type of quality that they had before without the after affects of the harsh ingredients.
Many things have to be done in order to be successful in starting my new business. I will have to be able to target the right consumer groups with quality products. I must also be willing to change my product line with new trends that are available to the consumer. This is what I believe I will be able to do as long as I stay focused, and do not expect to be successful overnight. The more I continue to look at products that are currently available in stores I realize how flooded the market is with toiletry items. If I expect to succeed, I must be persistent and willing to change my product for the consumer.




















References

The Body Shop. (2004) Where we come from. Retrieved October 2, 2004, from
http://bodyshopinternational.com/web/tbsgl/about_where.jsp
Bath & Body Works, Inc. (nd). Retrieved October 2, 2004, from
http://www.hoovers.com/bath-&-body-works/--ID__104462--/free-co-
factsheet.xhtml
Biesada, A. (2004) Hoovers Online. The Body Shop International PLC.
Retrieved October 1, 2004, from http://www.hoovers.com,body-shopmetics
WilsonSelect (2002) Overview of the U.S. cosmetics and toiletries market. Retrieved
October 2, 2004, from http://datel144.nu.edu:2263/WebZ/FSFETCH?fetchtype
=fullrecord:sessionid=sp07sw04-
Koser, G. (2001) Skin Deep. Retrived October 1, 2004, from http://www.globalcosmetic.com/articles/91668.html
Catching the wave. Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics, May 1.
Close encounters. (2003) Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics Asia, March 1.
Symonds, Peter. (1998) Thailand: A bonanza for international investors. World Socialist Web site. Retrieved 20 October 2004, from http://www.wsws.org/news/1998/mar1998/thai-m26.shtml

I want to use the writer called: PLUSH PIG.

Question: let us know why you think you should be considered for this post please include details of any voluntary work or leisure interests and activities which you feel are relevant to your application.
You may find it helpful to look again at the advertisement and jobperson specification and review the experiences, skills and knowledge we are looking for. If you believe you have the necessary experience and skills - make sure you tell us?








Job Title:
Staff Radiographer
Grade:
Band 5

Department: Radiology

Responsible To:
Lead Superintendent Radiographer
Accountable To:
Radiology Services Manager
Contract: 37.5 hours Full time. However, applications can be considered for suitable job-share arrangements.

Job Summary

? The post holder will be a qualified radiographer, able to assess and treat own work- load of patients/clients and to ensure provision of the highest standards of patient care. Including the legal documentation on the Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS) associated with each completed patient episode.

? They will be able to work autonomously, consulting senior staff as and when necessary, and will be accountable for their own professional actions. They will work as part of the wider multidisciplinary team.

? To supervise and teach Assistant Practitioners and Student Radiographers as appropriate.

? The post holder will demonstrate a level of competency in line with King?s Radiography Competency Framework and is responsible for maintaining their own personal development with support.

? Particular emphasis is put at Kings on the need to ensure that all staff recognize their responsibility to deliver services in a high quality, courteous, patient focused manner maintaining patient confidentiality at all times.

Organisational relationships:
Superintendent Radiographers Referring Clinicians and other Health Care Professionals
Other Radiographic Staff Radiologists
Assistant Practitioners Administration and Clerical staff
Departmental Staff Radiology Nursing Staff




Main Duties and Responsibilities

Service Delivery

? Act as an Operator under the IR(ME)R Radiation Regulations and assess the clinical justification of referrals to ensure that the benefit to the patient outweighs the radiation risk associated with the examination.
? Act as patient and staff-advocate minimising their exposure to radiation.
? Provide timely, efficient and courteous provision of radiographic services to the agreed standards of the department taking account of the patient/clients clinical, physical and cultural needs.
? Carry out on-call duties without supervision often as the sole-worker after midnight
? Monitor and adjust work priorities in conjunction with other professionals to take into account changing demands on the diagnostic services due to emergencies or increased demand from A&E, particularly during on-call duties.
? Assess and treat own work load of patients/clients, also communicates work priorities, organising work load in conjunction with other team members
? To work as part of a team within the respective work area.
? Responsible for the safe use and maintenance of imaging equipment, reporting faults to senior staff or directly to the manufacturer.
? To participate in the departmental rota, being flexible in responding to service needs.

Communication
? Receive and welcome patients and staff to the relevant Radiology reception areas and deal with any enquiries in a kind and courteous manner.
? Communicates with the referrer any changes to referrals after assessing the clinical justification for an x-ray examination against IR(ME)R and local protocols.
? Deal sensitively with patients or carers under emotional stress, including the terminally ill and bereaved.
? Deal with potentially aggressive patients in the on-call situation
? Communicate information relating to conditions and procedures to staff, patients and carers and ensure informed consent for examinations.
? Communicates effectively on a daily basis with patients with communication difficulties and cognitive impairment.
? Anticipate and interpret customers? needs, defining the level of customer care required on an individual basis.
? Communicate effectively with staff within and outside of the department to ensure the smooth operation of the service. Including liaison with ward staff.
? Give factual information to patients, including children, regarding examinations and understand the necessary preparations.
? To work with other radiographers and health care professionals to assist them with diagnostic examinations and other procedures.
? Ensure the safety and well being of patients, staff and visitors within the department.
? Ensure patients receive timely and accurate information about their examination, and ensure urgent findings are communicated in the appropriate way to referrers (e.g. red-dot system).

Knowledge, training and Experience
? Position patients accurately for each examination, adapting techniques in accordance with the patient?s needs.
? Be able to decide on additional views when required in line with Professional knowledge.
? Comply with the requirements of CNST.
? Demonstrate problem-solving approach to issues arising at a local level, evaluating the need to refer problems to the line manager.
? To be accountable for own professional actions and working within codes of Practise and professional guidelines, consulting senior staff as and when necessary.
? Act as a source of knowledge to be consulted by other professionals.
? Be responsible for ensuring the legal documentation on the Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS) associated with each completed patient episode. Ensure timely provision of images to referrers.
? Be able to prepare a sterile biopsy and drainage trays for minor specials procedures within Fluoroscopy.
? Assist Radiologists in performing Barium and fluoroscopy studies.
? To safely administer oral contrast media and other drugs in accordance with protocols as required.

Physical skills and Effort
? To ensure the safe transferring of patients and equipment, following manual handling guidelines and using risk assessment.
? Assist with changing and personal care of patients as necessary including immobile and disabled.
? To operate a wide range of radiological equipment requiring excellent hand-eye co-ordination.
? To operate Modality and PACS equipment within a VDU environment
? To ensure appropriate infection control measures are utilised where necessary. Paying particular attention to personal protection as well as the management of equipment and linens contaminated by bodily fluids.
Management Responsibility
? To organise and manage an agreed workload with support from colleagues and senior staff as appropriate.
? To ensure that all Trust and local policies, protocols and procedures are adhered to by colleagues as appropriate.
? To work within and support the multi-disciplinary team.
? To maintain effective communication and professional relationships with all areas within Radiology and with associated clinical areas within the Trust.
? To share knowledge and skills developed with other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
? To observe personal responsibility for resource management.
? To observe a general duty of care for the health, safety and well?being of self, work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management associated with this post.
? The post holder will demonstrate a level of competency in line with King?s Radiography Competency Framework and is responsible for maintaining their own personal development with support.
? As part of individual professional responsibility actively participate in the departmental Quality Assurance Programme including the completion of Equipment Competencies and reject analysis.
? Deal with complaints in accordance with Trust complaints procedure.
? Report any Adverse incidents and be familiar with the AI trigger list.


Professional & Practice Development, Training & Education
? Supervision and training of Assistant Practitioners and Student Radiographers, assuming professional responsibility for their work.
? Review, develop and write protocols with a view to improving service planning with Lead Superintendent Radiographer. Contribute to service improvements and re-design in line with the NHS plan and local service strategies.
? Demonstrate, maintain and update skills and knowledge of evolving practice and legislative requirements.
? To be responsible for individual CPD and participate in the department?s CPD program. In accordance with an assessment of own professional needs, participating in both internal and external events as well as private study.
? Support the training of non-radiographic staff.


Research & Audit
? Participating in audit including contribution to imaging data collection.
? Contribute to practice development in reaction to the findings of audit and recent evidence.
? Participate in clinical research within the department.
? Adhere to research standards, protocols and documentation.

Any other duties appropriate to the grade as may be requested from time to time.



Generic responsibilities for all staff

? You have a general duty of care for the health, safety and well-being of yourself, work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.

? To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King?s College Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.

? To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.

? To be responsible, with management support, for your personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.

? This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post-holder.
Person Specification ? Staff Radiographer

Essential Desirable
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
BSc Radiography (or equivalent)
Health Professions Council (HPC) Registration
Flexible attitude to working
Good oral and written communication skills.

Able to present information effectively.
Knowledge of Windows, and Office computer software.
Prepared to undergo role extension training if necessary e.g. IV certificate
Personal Characteristics Demonstrates a positive approach to customer care.
Able to self motivate and work on own initiative
Able to organise and prioritise workload
Flexible approach to working practice
Able to work to deadlines.
Able to think logically and independently
Able to accept and respond to constructive criticism
Good organisational skills
Able to solve problems
Effective communicator
Effective interpersonal skills
Professional smart appearance as the post holder will act as a Trust representative
Able to work in a team
Willing to help others
Commitment to undertake on call, shifts and weekend duties
Physical skills Be able to operate manual handling aids as provided by the department including patient slide boards, sheets, hoists and trolleys.
Able to wear radiation protective clothing (5mm equivalents) and monitoring devices.

MKT 305- Consumer Behavior
Assignment 2: Who uses personal care products? Please follow instructions below:
Due Week 9 and worth 300 points

For this assignment, you work for the marketing manager of an organization that is going to launch a new line of personal care products in the U.S. market. The proposed target market will be males, between 18 and 35 years old, and price points will cover income ranges from lower to mid-level. Distribution is planned to take place in drugstores, grocery stores, and stores such as Wal-Mart and Target, with the primary retailer carrying the full product line being drugstores. You have been tasked with a consumer behavior analysis to help make marketing decisions.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

Propose a type of message appeal to be used in the advertising, making sure to explain the rationale behind the appeal.
Analyze the different cultures this product will appeal to and make recommendations on which three (3) would be the best choice.
Decide which microcultures and additional demographics should be targeted.
Suggest ways to utilize group influence in the marketing of the product.
Create a plan to address need recognition, search behavior, and getting the product into the consumers\' consideration set.
Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student?s name, the professor?s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.

After going through this case and exhibits in detail I'm looking to have the following questions answered in detail:

1.) How would you describe HPL and its position within the private label personal care industry? (support all statements utilizing but not limited to information provided from the case including exhibits).

2.) Using assumptions made by Executive VP of Manufacturing, Robert Gates, estimate the projects Free Cash Flows. In addition, Are Gates projections realistic? If not, what changes might you incorporate? (support all statements utilizing but not limited to information provided from the case including exhibits).

3.) Using CFO Sheila Dowlings projected WACC schedule, what discount rate would you choose and why? What flaws, if any, might be inherent in using the WACC as the discount rate? (support all statements utilizing but not limited to information provided from the case including exhibits).

4.) Estimate the projects NPV. (showing all work and computations) Would you recommend that Tucker Hansson proceed with the investment? (Why or Why not) (support all statements utilizing but not limited to information provided from the case including exhibits).

Due to the nature of this request I've selected the 15% up-charge in addition allowing 15 days. Also, if for any reason more pages are required i will happily purchase more. Also if additional research is required to find answers to specific sub-components of the case just document sources.


There are faxes for this order.

Scholarly Activity 3 ??" Unit VII
Complete your assigned readings before you complete the assessment.
Prepare a paper (700 to 1,050 words) discussing the case and incorporating answers to the questions below. It is important to address each of the questions presented.Students use the APA format in writing course papers. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting, quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. The Reference List is not included in the required paper length. Your paper must contain at least five references, which may include your course textbook, internet sources, books, and professional journals or other appropriate resources. Please do not copy or plagiarize others materials. All papers are electronically scanned by SafeAssign. Significant deduction of points may result when copying and plagiarism is evident.
Read the closing case Avon Calls on Foreign Markets
Avon Calls on Foreign Markets
Avon, founded in 1886, is one of the world's oldest and largest manufacturers and marketers of beauty and related products. 92 Many are most familiar with Avon through its long- standing ad, ' Ding dong, Avon calling', but the company has recently switched to 'Hello Tomorrow' to change its image and better reflect the company's new marketing approaches. Where Opportunity Currently Knocks Avon is headquartered in the United States, but over three- quarters of its sales and employees are outside its North American division. It seems to be selling everywhere moisturizer to Inuits above the Arctic Circle and makeup delivered by canoe to residents of Brazil's Amazon region. It has its own sales operations in 66 countries and territories, and it distributes to another 44. Altogether, there are about 5.8 million independent representatives selling Avon products. However, Avon was 28 years old (an adult by human standards) before it ever ventured abroad, and then only to nearby Canada. Forty years later, a geriatric in human terms, it moved into its second foreign market, Venezuela. Map 16.1 shows how Avon now divides the world regionally and the portion of its business in each region. Why Avon Went Global. So why has Avon put so much emphasis on international expansion in recent years?
First, Avon forecast a slow growth potential in the U. S. market, because there is virtually no remaining untapped market for cosmetics, fragrances, and toiletries. To grow rapidly in the United States would mean taking sales from competitors, and the U. S. beauty market is very competitive. If you doubt this, just try weaving through a large U. S. department store without being accosted and sprayed on. Avon has preferred to put emphasis on less- competitive markets, and its latest annual report even states that it expects U. S. growth to be in line with that of the overall beauty market - which means its domestic sales will depend primarily on the population growth of women in the cosmetics- using age group. Even if there were a considerable untapped U. S. market, less than 5 percent of the world's population lives in the United States. Second, you need to understand Avon's distribution system to appreciate why Avon worried about U. S. sales in the latter part of the twentieth century.
Avon has always depended on direct selling by contracted independent salespersons (almost always women working part time and known as 'Avon ladies' or 'Avon representatives'), who sell to households by demonstrating products and giving beauty advice. These reps place sales orders with Avon and deliver orders to the customers once they receive them. Historically, these direct sales have been the backbone of Avon's success. To begin with, direct selling offers Avon a cost- savings advantage by enabling the company to maintain a smaller number of employees, keep its advertising budget low ( the Avon ladies do much of the promotion), and avoid having to pay for shelf space in stores. The lower costs have facilitated Avon's maintenance of generally lower prices than those that competitors charge in department stores. Thus Avon has consistently maintained an image of good value for the money.
Direct selling also offers additional marketing advantages, because word- of- mouth customers tend to be quite loyal to the Avon ladies they befriend. However, in the late twentieth century, the outlook for U. S. direct sales of any kind of product looked bleak. Droves of U. S. women were entering the workforce full time, which made them less receptive to door- to-door salespersons and less willing to spend time on makeup demonstrations and the arrangements for a later receipt of their purchases. Because of working full time, the pool of women seeking part- time employment also seemed to be drying up.
Meanwhile, back in the Home Market In an effort to combat the problem of house- to-house sales, Avon has allowed reps to open retail outlets, which are usually small kiosks in shopping malls. Further, Avon ladies have pretty much given up their old ' ding dong' routines by selling instead to friends and family, to colleagues at work, and through ads on their own Web sites. In the meantime, the prediction that the pool of part- time job seekers would dry up proved wrong. Between 1996 and 2007, the number of direct sellers in the United States for all companies increased from 8.5 million to 15 million, and sales value has increased proportionately. The global recession has since increased the availability of people to sell independently. When the U. S. outlook looked gloomy, the outlook in foreign markets looked bright. For example, the lack of developed infrastructure in the rural areas of such countries as Brazil and the Philippines deters women from leaving their homes to shop for cosmetics. But in these countries, Avon ladies reach consumers in some of the most remote areas, because there are ample numbers of potential Avon ladies. For instance, Avon has 800,000 representatives in Brazil alone. In transitional economies, Avon's market entry coincided with pent- up demand from the period of centrally planned economic policies. In rapid- growth economies, such as Chile and Malaysia, Avon taps a growing middle- class market that can afford its products.
The International Strategy Global Products.
As Avon moved internationally, it pretty much allowed its country managers to decide what products would sell in their markets. Either Avon's R& D unit in the United States or a local R& D unit would then develop them. These were largely produced within the country selling them and included such products as a combination skin cream ( moisturizer, sunscreen, and insect repellent) in Brazil, skin- lightening creams in parts of Asia, long-lasting citrus fragrances in Mediterranean countries, technology- driven skin products in Japan, health and wellness products in Argentina, and bigger bottles of personal- care products in Spain. Once products are developed, Avon disseminates the information to its facilities else-where. For example, Avon- Japan developed emulsion technologies to produce lotions and creams with lighter textures and higher hydration levels, and many Avon operations in other countries now use the process. Some Pitfalls of Product Proliferation On the one hand, this decentralization to fit the wants of local consumers has undoubtedly given consumers the products they want. On the other hand, it has come with costs. To begin with, the resultant product proliferation has increased manufacturing costs, which threatens Avon's strategy of maintaining a good profit margin while simultaneously offering customers a good value for their money.
Next, Avon has depended primarily on its catalogs to promote its products. For instance, it distributes catalogs every two weeks in the United States and every four weeks abroad. Its circulation dwarfs that of any other commercial publication. However, as its product line grew to '13,000 products for the Mexican market alone' the catalogs became too bulky, and the Avon ladies could not possibly know enough about the line to sell effectively. In 2006, Avon cu its product line by 25 percent, and it plans to cut the line even more. It is also moving toward more large-scale centralized production to save on manufacturing costs. Although Avon is paring its product line, this does not imply a cutback in new products, which are important in the industry. In fact, Avon has signed exclusive agreements with several universities worldwide (such as in Australia, China, Japan, and Thailand) to help develop new products.
For example, Asia has long been a leader in herbal and therapeutic treatments. Avon's venture with Chiang Mai University in Thailand has produced one of Avon's latest products using this Asian expertise, Anew Alternative, which is purported to diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Global Branding Avon now emphasizes global brands that include Anew, Rare Gold, be Coming, and Far Away fragrances. Through standardized branding, Avon creates a uniform global quality image while saving costs by using uniform ingredients and packaging. Global branding also helps inform consumers that the company is international. This helps sales in countries such as Thailand, where consumers prefer to buy beauty products made by foreign companies. Although Avon prominently displays its name on most of its products worldwide, some of its brand names differ among countries. For instance, when Avon has made foreign acquisitions, it has sometimes kept the successful brand name and goodwill it has acquired. For example, when Avon acquired Justine in South Africa, it kept the Justine name. The company prints instructions in local languages but may or may not put the brand names in that language.
It sometimes uses English or French brand names, because consumers consider the United States and France high- quality suppliers for beauty products. For example, Avon sells skin- care products called Rosa Mosqueta (in Spanish), Revival (in English), and Renaissage (in French) in Chile, Argentina, and Japan, respectively. In each case, the Avon logo appears prominently on the products' containers as well. Global Pricing for each country operation sets its own prices to reflect local market conditions and strategic objectives. However, at times the price difference between neighboring countries has created demand for contraband shipments from the country with lower prices - such as has recently occurred between Colombia and Venezuela. The prices are subject to change for each sales campaign. Avon runs a new campaign with different special offers every two weeks in the United States and every four weeks abroad. The shortness of campaigns is helpful for adjusting prices in highly inflationary economies. Avon also has a strategy of introducing two- tiered products that sell at different prices. The aim is to capture more up market sales while maintaining the existing clientele. For instance, it has contracted with Christian Lacroix to develop fragrances that will sell at a higher price than Avon's traditional ones. Global Promotion Although Avon's promotion is primarily through its brochures and catalogs, it also advertises. It uses such media as broadcasts and billboards and has four primary objectives: 'To sell newly launched products'. To accelerate sales in some of its fastest- growing markets, such as Russia - To recruit reps in places like China - To use a campaign called 'Hello Tomorrow' to change the public perception of its products as unfashionable and outdated to stylish and modern 'Hello Tomorrow' This campaign is Avon's first global ad campaign aimed at the image of its overarching Avon brand. Its prior global campaigns aimed at selling specific products. Despite the global campaign, some of Avon's ads vary by country. For instance, it sponsors a British TV drama about footballers' wives and one in Russia that includes a character who sells Avon products. Avon is also using celebrities to help sell its products. The Mexican film star Salma Hayek is the face of Avon. Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson is the spokesperson for Imari fragrance. Baseball player Derek Jeter (yes, Avon does have some products for men too) has his name on a collection of skin- care products. Meeting the Needs of Women Worldwide Perhaps Avon's most important campaign is to develop a global image as a company that supports women and their needs, a campaign that has generated favorable publicity in media reports. Building on this theme, Avon co-hosted a Global Summit for a Better Tomorrow at the United Nations during International Women's Day, and it gives annual Women of Enterprise Awards to leading women entrepreneurs. It also publicizes how being an Avon lady heightens the role of women, which has been particularly successful at attracting new reps in developing countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines. Undoubtedly, Avon's biggest social- responsibility projects are its work internationally in fighting breast cancer and domestic violence. Avon ladies disseminate information about breast cancer along with their promotion brochures and sell items to raise money for local needs. Avon is the largest corporate donor to breast cancer research. The fight against domestic violence is a newer Avon program. It is working through local organizations to pre-vent violence through education and to treat women who have been victims. Global Distribution Avon basically duplicates its distribution method in foreign countries, which means that it sells to independent representatives who have taken orders from customers they have either communicated with or visited. However, there are some variations. We have already discussed some of the changes in the United States. In Japan, there is a substantial mail- order business. In Argentina, Avon has beauty centers. Probably the biggest deviation from direct selling occurred in China, the only single-country division in Avon's global network. In response to a 1998 Chinese law prohibiting house- to- house sales, Avon quickly opened about 6,000 beauty boutiques, lined up 9,000 independent stores to carry Avon, and opened 1,000 beauty counters. Thus Avon made its products available in virtually every corner of the country.
In 2005, the Chinese government loosened its house- to- house sales regulations but with many restrictions, such as capping the commission for salespeople and preventing them from recruiting others to work on a shared- commission plan. Avon seeks to transfer successful practices in one country to other countries. To encourage the transfer of know- how, Avon brings marketing personnel from different countries together to share what it calls ' best practices', and it passes on information from country to country. It also promotes competition among countries, such as awards for country- level initiatives to improve sales, quality, and efficiency. Looking toward the Future Avon has several challenges for the future. Although its direct- sales method has been important in Avon's success, there are drawbacks to it. For one, customers cannot obtain a product whenever they want it. For another, reps report many returns because customers cannot always discern exact colors from catalogs. For another, it may be difficult for Avon to capture clientele in a higher- price category while maintaining the value- for- money clientele. Avon anticipates that international operations will account for the bulk of its growth in the foreseeable future. Its products are still not available to a large portion of the world's women. It is already operating in all four BRIC countries, however, and is the market leader in two of them (Brazil and Russia).
Incorporate into your analysis responses to the following questions. You should make sure to incorporate core concepts from your reading assignment.
1. Your reading assignment for this unit describes different marketing orientations. Discuss the applicability of each to Avons global operations.
2. Why is Avon so much more dependent on its foreign operations than on its home ( U.S.) operations?
3. Discuss socioeconomic and demographic changes that could affect Avon.
4. How might a global recession such as the one that began in 2008, impact Avons operations?
5. What are the major competitive advantages that Avon has? How easily might other companies duplicate these advantages?
6. Avon does not sell within the United States in retail establishments (with the exceptions of kiosks handled by some of its reps). What are the pros and cons of distributing that way?
7. If you were advising Avon on the selection of new suppliers, what would be your major concerns as you evaluate firms that are potential suppliers? What criteria should the company use to make decisions on where to manufacture their products?
8. Identify the challenges Avon faces in both maintaining and expanding its global manufacturing and supply chain network given the dynamics of todays competitive environment.
Please use this reference as one of the five
References
Daniels, J., Radebaugh, L., & Sullivan, D. (2011). International business, environment &
operations (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall., 620-625.

5 paragraphs format, 12 pts, double space, Introduction,
3 para, conclusion, title.
1992 certified Nurse Aide, 1995 cert unit coordinator, 1996 passed Medical Terminology, 1997 certified unit coordinator, enriched my life, become stronger, find field exciting & challenging, Lived in Texas employed Westwood hosp as nurse aide-unit coordinator on surgery floor 1994-1999 job detailed-direct as nurse aide patient care, well being surgery patients maintain safe/clean place,under supervision of nurse, personal care, one on one, ambulating, dietary meals, vital signs reporting chages in pts. status, Front desk detailed greeting family members, orders supplier, coping records, admission, discharge, computer skills, answer phone. Loved my job at Westwood hosp. familyenvironment,made you feel welcome My superviser Liz Wedel In 2001 closed went broke. In 2002 I moved back home-Illinois, I'm back in school getting my Assocoicate degree in Medical office personel. Friends have been a big part of my life past and present and I been bleesed with both. a chance to find directions confidence I gained from these experiences led my to my decision to a career in medical records. I don't know what you need i hope this helps use what you need.
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Hello OPPapers team,

I need to write a research paper.

The course I took was ?Understanding Current Energy and Commodity Markets?.

The whole course was about commodities, futures, hedging, risks. The professor gave many examples of companies that are hedging oil (or gas) and protecting themselves from price increase.
Other examples were airlines that use hedging as one of the main strategies to protect themselves from unstable prices of fuel.
Another example was about Cargill, the main business of which is to manufacture food oil form sunflower and canola seeds. However, because Cargill has an access to the grain market, it is one of the biggest players on that market because of its hedging strategy, and this part of Cargill?s business will soon bring more than 40% of Cargill revenue overall.

Many other examples were about other commodities: gold, silver, copper, coal.

One of the goals of this course was to show how companies that use these resources for manufacturing purposes protect their businesses from price increase and supply shortage.


About the research paper:

The professor asked to chose a company and examine the firm?s use of risk management tools.

This paper has to be about a company that I work(ed) for, or any other companies of my choice. A company has to be public that guarantees an easy access to any materials for me, my professor, and other readers.

I worked for Unilever Company. It is worldwide producer of food, home and personal care.
My job was with the division that produces the Lipton Tea. I worked in sales and marketing, and never had experience working or dealing with manufacturing stage of this business.

In my understanding, tea leaves are also commodities as gold, coal, coffee, etc.

I talked to my professor, and he said it could be not a bad example, and he?d like to see how Unilever uses hedging strategy and risk management in term of buying tea (as a raw material) for further processing. Also, to make it easier for the professor, I have to write about Unilever?s operations in North America. He understands that Unilever is a global company, and it?s possible that when the company is buying tea in India, Sri Lanka, China, it could have a common global hedging strategy, but the focus has to be on North America operation.

Some questions can also be discussed in this report: is hedging the only strategy to protect the company from rising prices; are there any other threats for a company (from government or social organizations) in term of using commodities? For example, a water usage, or storing gas or oil. It has to be not a SWOT analysis but mostly risk analysis.

The report also has to have short introduction about the company. Professor said that he?d like to read the report like he?s never heard about this topic or company.

I also uploaded two Word files. One file is the course description ? you?ll have an idea about this course. (You?ll see topics we discussed in class and books he recommended). Another file is professor?s notes about this paper: what he wants, and expects.

If it is easier for you, you can also choose similar companies, for example, Nestle ? chocolate and coffee manufacturer that constantly needs coffee and cocoa beans. Another example could be tobacco companies that are buying tobacco for manufacturing, and they?re also under constant risk from government regulations. Maybe you?ve done a paper like this before.

Another detail: this course is the part of the graduate program, so the professor expects more than just an essay - it has to be a research and solid writing part.

Hope you can help.
Please contact immediately if you need additional information and explanations.

My e-mail is: [email protected]
Phones: 1-403-978-44-89. (My location is in Mountain Time).

Thank you,
Vlad

hi, I am interviewing an Human Resource Manager from Washington Mutual...he also has lots of other interesting background and hear are the questions and ANS from the HRM that i had to ask...

1.What is your job title with Washington Mutual?

I am the Sr. Human Resources Business Partner for the Great Lakes Group.

2.Can you please describe the size and structure of the HR Department?

I have 13 peers nationally. We are split into two teams North (my team) and South. Each team reports to a Sr. Manager. The two Sr. Managers report to our First Vice President.

3.Did you have to get any special education for your job?

Not necessarily. My undergraduate degree is in Economics however my graduate degree is an MBA with a concentration on change management and leadership. I also have a Professional Human Resource accreditation from SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management.

4.Years with organization?

1 year effective Oct. 13, 2003

5.Years of HR experience?

Approximately 12 to 13 years

6.Did you have any other work experience before joining with Washington Mutual?

Yes. I started my career in 1989 as a benefits analyst with the GATX Corporation and was with them for about 7yrs where I left the company as a Sr. Human Resources Rep finishing up a management training program. I then spent about six months in sales for Robert Half International/Office Team. I learned that I did not like sales at Robert Half. I then spent 3 years (1997 ? 2000) with Unilever Home and Personal Care as an HR Generalist. It was there I received my manufacturing/production experience. I took a chance and went to work for a .com company called Homegrocer.com as a HR Manager. The company struggled and eventually was bought out. I was severed and for the first time unemployed. That only lasted about 2 months and before the end of 2000 I went to work for AT&T Wireless as an HR Manager for the Chicago District for almost 3 years. I finally ended up at Washington Mutual as a Sr. HRBP Oct. 2003.

7.How would you Rate the HR activities?

I would classify the HR activities as predominantly qualitative. It is really hard to measure.

8.What is the role of HR Department in your organization?

The HR department is primarily responsible for performance management and workforce planning. We also are stewards of our company brand and are change agents.

9.To what extent is the HR staff/Department involved in strategic business planning? Please explain.

Good question. We are involved strategically from a workforce planning perspective. Whenever there is a hiring need, departmental change or a position that needs to be created it starts with us and we have to look at various factors internally and externally as well as being cognizant of our budget.

10.In your opinion, what are some of the most pressing human resource issues faced by organizations today? Why?

Technology, Some companies are better than others with keeping up but typically the back office HR functions payroll, compensation and benefits are all run on systems that need to be kept up. If your company doesn?t want to spend to keep current it could have damaging effects on a company. You could have slow systems, manual as opposed to automated systems creating a higher headcounts and low employee morale if the systems are causing medical benefit issues or pay period problems. Technology will also allow your company a more efficient way to keep records to track performance and to reward good performance.

11.What was the most difficult organizational problem faced by the HR Department in the last 5 years? How was it resolved? Why?

Specifically with Washington Mutual the most difficult problem in the last five years has got to be our growth. It takes a lot of resources to launch a market and for the last four to five years Washington Mutual has launched at least six markets with Chicago being one of them. We learned a great deal from the first couple of market launches with trying to build branches and hire personnel at the same time. Washington Mutual developed a new market team of some dedicated internal employees whose main responsibility was to travel to the new markets and utilize their expertise and experience with Washington Mutual get a jump start on the recruiting, staffing and training efforts. This staff of people would eventually hire their replacements and would either go back to their home market or move on to the next new market. This blue print has enabled Chicago to launch approximately 150 branches is about 18 months. This is unprecedented.


ALSO HEAR IS THE OUT LINE TO FOLLOW FOR THE ESSAY

- Organization Information
- Type of Business
- General description of company's product.
- Number of Employees
- size and structure of the HR Department
- Back ground of HR Manager
- Title
- Academic preparation
- Years with organization
- Years of HR experience
- Other work experience
- How would you Rate the HR activities
- Role of HR Department
- What is the role of HR Department in your
organization?
- To what extent is the HR staff/Department involved
in strategic business planning? please explain
- In your opinion, what are some of the most pressing
human resource issues faced by organizations today?
why?
- What was the most difficult organizational problem
faced by the HR Department in the last 5 years?
How was is resolved? Why?

In this 6 page doctoral level paper, please provide the following:

Using the Five Areas of Coaching within systems outlined in Chapter 8 of the Hudson text which are: personal care, couples, family and friends, work, and community (will be sent to writer), ((1) Please identify a person whom you know professionally. Prepare a case study much like the one outlined in the Coaching Case Study (See below). (2) Then, describe the area that the coach in the case study should likely focus initial professional efforts on with the client. (3) Finally, develop a proposed plan of action for the client and you, as coach, to follow.

COACHING CASE STUDY

Joe R. is 42 year-old systems analyst who, over the 16 years of his career with the Techno Corporation, has taken positions which have drawn on his technical skills, strong ability to think systemically, and willingness to take on new challenges under high-stress conditions. Until recently, Joe was doing an effective job as a team manager in the information systems arena. He was able to drive his team to both produce outcomes in a timely manner and address quality control issues proactively. His style of working the team is consistent with his background. He would bring the team together at the outset of each project, provide numerous diagrams and visual representations of the work to be done within timelines, make assignments, and schedule regular meetings to review the progress of the work. Given the record of the teams success, his style seems to have been effective with his staff, most of whom had similar backgrounds and training.

The organization in which you and Joe work has recently undergone a significant re-organization, moving from a project team model to an integrated matrix model. This means that the technical teams must work collaboratively with the business and marketing teams. Team managers who used to have full control of the human and financial resources necessary to carry out projects must now plan and work across the board with peers. In some instances, this means that a team manager must request personnel from another area or negotiate budgets with their internal customers. The shift has been very difficult for Joe, who has habitually regarded the business and marketing functions of the corporation with some suspicion. In his first quarter review with you, Joe expresses great frustration with the changes. He complains that his peers in business and marketing have been uncooperative, arguing with his every request and failing to include him in decision-making on personnel allocations. He is asking you to exert some influence to back him up.

As his supervisor, you want to help Joe develop the next-level skills of management and leadership that will help him to move upward in the organization. You want to enable him to resolve his differences with peers in a constructive way and to acknowledge and help him work with the impact the organizational changes have had on him. As you continue the conversation with Joe, several other considerations come to light. Joe is married, with two boys who play softball. He regularly coaches their team and has placed a high priority on time with family. While Joe does want to move forward in the organization, he has some reservations about the commitment of time and concern about how this might affect his family life. He is also uncertain about how he fits into the new structure, confessing that he feels somewhat devalued by the heavy corporate emphasis on marketing and innovation. Joe wonders if his college degree (a bachelors degree in computer science) is sufficient to carry him forward.
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Please use American syntax, Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double spaced. Please use CURRENT resources. If you use direct quotations, please include the page number. Please ensure all resources are included in the References page.

Thank you for your ideas on this essay. Please advise if you have any questions or need further clarification.
AW

Read the case study located in the UOP Library: Case Study: Sexuality and a Severely Brain-Injured Spouse, (2010) Hastings Center Report, May/June 2010, p 14-15 and the commentary by Kirschner and Brashler and the commentary by Dresser. Address the grading criteria in a scholarly narrative.

Write a paper in which you answer the following questions:

Describe the ethical issue involved in the case using scholarly, discipline specific references.
Explain ethical principles involved in the case and how the principles are involved using scholarly, discipline specific references. Include autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and justice.
Identify the consequences of possible actions associated with the case AND the "goodness" associated with each consequence.
Suggest a decision making model for the case (reference the model).
Articulate an action of choice (state the action you would choose)

Please read the attached
Article below:

Sexuality and a Severely Brain-Injured Spouse/commentary/commentary/commentary
Kirschner, Kristi LView Profile; Brashler, RebeccaView Profile; Dresser, RebeccaView Profile; Levine, CarolView Profile. The Hastings Center Report40.3 (May/Jun 2010): 14-5.
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Abstract (summary)
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Since her discharge from the rehabilitation facility, she has been living at home with her husband and her four-year-old twin sons. Putting aside concerns about pregnancy, if severely disabled adults do not lose the right to refuse or accept r medical care due to cognitive impairment (via substituted judgment and best interest standards of proxy decision-making), it seems logical that they also do not lose the right to refuse or accept the opportunity to engage in intimate contact with a spouse. [...] assuming that Mrs. Z does not show fear or evidence of negative behaviors in the presence of her husband, we favor giving them a second chance with some safeguards in place due to the patient's vulnerable status.n Mrs. Z will never be the person she used to be.

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Mrs. Z is a twenty-nine-year old woman who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury five years ago when she was hit by a car whose driver was drunk. She spent six months recovering, first in the hospital and then in a rehabilitation facility. Since her discharge from the rehabilitation facility, she has been living at home with her husband and her four-year-old twin sons. Mrs. Z is unable to speak, dependent in all mobility and personal care, incontinent, and has a feeding tube. Although alert and able to respond to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli, Mrs. Z is clearly unable to participate in even basic decisions. She requires twenty-four-hour care.

A few months ago, Mrs. Z suffered abdominal discomfort, and her doctor discovered that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was terminated after physicians consulted on her case and determined that continuing it would compromise her health. Mrs. Z's parents are deceased, but her two older brothers have accused Mr. Z of rape. They contacted the local police asking that eliminai charges be filed and have retained a lawyer to begin guardianship proceedings. Based on their sister's severe cognitive impairments, they do not believe that Mrs. Z can make any reasonable sense of what is happening to her and think that any sexual contact with a minimally conscious woman is inappropriate. They believe Mr. Z is abusive and his views self-serving.

Mr. Z is adamant that his wife would have wanted to maintain a physical relationship with him and that what takes place in the privacy of their bedroom is not something that should interest the probate courts or the police. As evidence of his fidelity to his marriage vows he argues that he did not divorce his wife when she became disabled and that he still loves her and finds her attractive.

A guardianship agency is reviewing the case fot the judge and asks consultants to give theit opinions on these questions: Does Mrs. Z's inability to provide consent to sexual intercourse override Mr. Z's claims of marital privacy? Does Mrs. Z's prior sexual relationship with het spouse constitute clear and convincing evidence that she would want her partner to continue this relationship, even if she is only a passive participant? Should Mrs. Z remain with her husband, or should her brothers be given the authority to remove her from her home?

by Kristi L. Kirschner and Rebecca Brashler

While conversations about sexuality after disability are commonplace in rehabilitation, this particular case is unlike any we can recall. It is not like those of patients after spinal cord injuries, where the focus is on changed physiology, fertility, and ways to rediscover intimacy. It is unlike cases involving patients with developmental disabilities that prompt us to assess their understanding of sexuality and the consequences of intercourse and their ability to protect themselves from unwanted sexual advances. It is also unlike cases involving patients with severe cognitive disabilities who live in institutions - such as the young girl in a vegetative state who was raped by a staff membet - where we address protection. Discussions about sexuality with the spouse of a person who is unconscious, minimally conscious, or as severely brain injured as Mrs. Z rarely occur.

That doesn't mean, though, that we don't discuss physical touch. We encourage family members to help range and massage stiff limbs, for example, and to show their loved ones affection. We teach family caregivers to participate with catheterization and bowel programs. But initiating a frank discussion about sexuality has not felt appropriate with these couples. This case makes us question the wisdom of that practice because of the risks associated with pregnancy and the possibility of rape charges.

In reality, we don't know much about the normative sexual practices of couples when one member has a severe brain injury. How often does sexual contact occut? Do spouses hope, as popular literature might lead us to believe, that the power of their touch might "awaken" the injured brain? Current research may shed light on this.

The question of capacity to consent is enormously difficult in this kind of situation. Consent typically involves verbal communication, while intimacy often involves subtle nonverbal cues. The Alzheimer literature tells us that when couples have been together for years, the familiar patterns of physical intimacy may be a comfort - a source of support and reassurance amidst an otherwise frightening and disruptive disease.

In this case it seems critical to balance Mrs. Z's privacy, best interests, and need for prorection. Does she recognize her husband and welcome his sexual advances? Short of videotaping them in the privacy of their bedroom, we cannot think of a way to discern whether intercourse is consensual, or at least not harmful. We know she cannot take steps to protect herself, and that by allowing her to become pregnant, her husband was at least negligent. But is his negligence criminal? Is it substantial and grievous enough to remove her from his care forever?

Putting aside concerns about pregnancy, if severely disabled adults do not lose the right to refuse or accepr medical care due to cognitive impairment (via substituted judgment and best interest standards of proxy decision-making), it seems logical that they also do not lose the right to refuse or accept the opportunity to engage in intimate contact with a spouse. Premorbid wedding vows and a sexual history with a spouse may constitute clear and convincing evidence that the individual desired a physical relationship with their partner. Having a spouse who believes that he married for better or worse, and could seek divorce but does not, seems like a blessing - exactly what many of us would hope for if we sustained a severe brain injury. In the end, assuming that Mrs. Z does not show fear or evidence of negative behaviors in the presence of her husband, we favor giving them a second chance with some safeguards in place due to the patient's vulnerable status.

by Rebecca Dresser

This case presents two major legal questions. One is whether the law would classify Mr. Z's actions as sexual assault. Many U.S. jurisdictions have rejected the old rule that rape cannot occur in a marriage. One rationale for the old rule was that consent to marry signified consent to intercourse throughout the marriage. That reasoning is now questioned, with many arguing that married women should have the same right as single women to decide about each instance of sexual contact.

Nevertheless, her severe mental disability leaves Mrs. Z incapable of giving valid consent to intercourse. The legal standard for consent varies among the states, but at minimum, a woman must be able to understand the physical nature of the sexual act and that she has a right to refuse to engage in it. Underlying the concern about capacity to consent is knowledge that people with mental disabilities can be exploited by individuals seeking sexual gratification.

On the face of it, Mr. Z's actions could constitute sexual assault under the law. Nevertheless, I believe that few prosecutors would pursue charges in this situation. There is no clear evidence of physical or psychological harm to Mrs. Z from the encounters. And although it could be self-serving, Mr. Z's explanation for his behavior provides a plausible alternative story to exploitation. If we take him at his word, he believed intercourse was part of their relationship and was consensual in some sense. Although one can argue that this belief was unreasonable, the story he tells makes it possible to distinguish this case from the conduct targeted by sexual assault laws.

The remaining legal question is whether Mrs. Z should be cared for at home or somewhere else. Two standards are available to assist in resolving this question. The substituted judgment standard seeks to determine what the impaired individual would choose if she were capable of decision-making and aware of her current circumstances. To apply the standard, we must consider whether the evidence about Mrs. Z's beliefs and behavior before her injury points to a particular result.

The available evidence fails to tell us much about what Mrs. Z would choose, however. Her prior sexual behavior fails to indicate whether she would prefer to continue a sexual relationship with her husband in this drastically different situation. And because of his personal interests in the matter, we cannot rely solely on Mr. Z's claim that she would want to continue having a sexual relationship with him.

When substituted judgment fails to supply clear answers, the best interest standard comes into play. Case law on sterilization for individuals with mental disabilities offers guidance on how to think about Mrs. Z's placement. In those cases, courts consider the potential benefits and harms of the procedure and compare them to the potential benefits and harms of available alternatives, such as long-term contraception. They choose the approach that would produce the greatest net benefit from the disabled woman's perspective.

In deciding where Mrs. Z should live, the judge should consider the potential benefits and harms of keeping her at home, as well as the potential benefits and harms of placing her in anorher setting. This will require an evaluation of how Mrs. Z responds to her husband and children and how she responds to other potential caregivers. If her behavior suggests that she is most content with Mr. Z and the children, the judge could reasonably allow her to remain at home on a trial basis. With close monitoring to protect Mrs. Z's welfare, keeping her at home could be the best alternative.

by Carol Levine

The language of ethics sits uneasily in the realm of intimate human relationships. Describing sex as a partner's duty, obligation, right, or any other normative word seems both to diminish its meaning and elevate it to an unchallengeable principle. Even the word consent seems misapplied in this context; it implies that one person asks and the other accedes to the request. Nor does the language of science work much bettet. Locating the pleasure centers in the brain stimulated by sexual activity (and chocolate?) may tell us something about cognition but not much about how to live one's life as a person with a brain injury, or as that person's partner. We lack the words - and, more important, we lack the wisdom - to know what enhances human dignity and respect in these situations.

The essence of the sexual relationship between loving partners is not a contract, a vow in perpetuity, or a mechanical physiological response but a complex expression of their mutual commitment, love, and passion for each other. Sex in a marriage changes over time and often deepens in meaning as it decreases in frequency. Certainly illness and disability create the need for sensitive accommodation to the new reality. Serious brain injury is particularly challenging because it involves not a different body, but a very different self. Mrs. Z will never be the person she used to be. Her body may appear the same, but her ability to undetstand her identity and the way in which others can relate to her has changed.

Mr. Z does not seem to have accepted his wife's altered state and what that means for their relationship. He continues to see himself as het lover, when his primary responsibility to her now is to protect her from harm, enhance the quality of her life as much as possible, and add her responsibilities as a parent to his own. He has clearly violated the first responsibility by failing to protect her from a pregnancy that could compromise her health. Was he perhaps hoping for a miracle? Does he really believe that "finding her atttactive" makes his actions more acceptable? Divorce is not the only alternative. Some people in this situation are able to maintain their caregiving responsibilities only because they find companionship and intimacy outside the marriage. Mrs. Z's brothets, however, have compounded the problem by their actions. Are there other sources of their fury? Was this tension with Mr. Z part of the family dynamics throughout the marriage, or perhaps even earlier?

At its core this case is not about sex. It is about control. And it is a family tragedy, not just an individual ot marital tragedy. Who is looking out for the interests of the couple's two children? They have lost the love and nurturing of their mothet; their father is engaged in a bitter legal battle with their mother's family. How does this affect them emotionally?

Whatevet legal decision is reached about Mrs. Z's custody and placement, there should be a plan in place to counsel the whole family, separately if need be and ultimately as a unit. Pethaps a mediatot or other trained professional could assist them in putting aside their individual interests to provide a stable, loving environment for the children. If Mr. Z agrees that he is responsible for protecting the vulnerable people in his care, I would favor keeping Mrs. Z at home. Whether Mrs. Z as she is now would want to have sex with her husband or not, she would surely want her family to come together for the sake of her children.

Carol Levine directs the Families and Health Care Project at the United Hospital Fund and is editor of Always On Call: When Illness Turns Family Members into Caregivers (Vanderbilt, 2004).

Rebecca Brashler is a clinical social worker who directs care management and family support services and cochairs the clinical ethics service at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. She is also an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Kristi L. Kirschner is professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and attending physician at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago.

Rebecca Dresser is Daniel Noyes Kirby Professor of Law and professor of ethics in medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.

Word count: 2302
Copyright The Hastings Center May/Jun 2010

Indexing (details)
Cite
Subject Marriage;
Divorce;
Families & family life;
Sexuality;
Pregnancy
MeSH Adult, Female, Humans, Legal Guardians -- legislation & jurisprudence, Rape -- legislation & jurisprudence, Sexuality -- psychology, Spouses -- psychology, Brain Injuries -- psychology (major), Mental Competency -- legislation & jurisprudence (major), Privacy -- legislation & jurisprudence (major), Sexuality -- ethics (major), Spouses -- legislation & jurisprudence (major)
Title Sexuality and a Severely Brain-Injured Spouse/commentary/commentary/commentary
Author Kirschner, Kristi L; Brashler, Rebecca; Dresser, Rebecca; Levine, Carol
Publication title The Hastings Center Report
Volume 40
Issue 3
Pages 14-5
Number of pages 4
Publication year 2010
Publication date May/Jun 2010
Year 2010
Section case study
Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Place of publication Hastings-on-Hudson
Country of publication United Kingdom
Publication subject La

I am going to fax you 3 articles. The first one is about Legal and Ethics of nursing and it's about 14 pages. the second one is about personal care and it's 3 pages and the third one is about Rehabilitation and it's 7 pages. This the way I'd like to arrange them.

First: Title
Second: Bibliography using MLA
Third: Summary of article about 4-5 sentences
Fourth: write about usefulness to nursing 3-4 sentences

I would like all three articles to be in that format. I requested 2 pages. The summary and the usefulness do not have to be lengthty so type all three articles in two pages.
There are faxes for this order.

To correctly identify opportunities and threats to their product, Marketing Managers need to understand the marketing environment in which the products operate.
Using the product/service you chose (laundry/Tide, complete the following:
Industry Research
? Using the AIU Library?s First Research web resource conduct secondary research on the industry in which your product/service operates.
From your research and what you have learned, identify three (3) marketing environment forces that will impact this type of product/service. Describe each force and analyze why & how it will impact the product/service.
Explore strategies to overcome the threats and/or capitalize on opportunities.
Your paper must include a reference list. All research should be cited in the body of the paper. In-text citations and corresponding references should be included in your paper
AIU First Research Laundry Detergent information:
Soap & Other Detergent Manufacturing
8/15/2011
SIC CODES: 2841, 2844
NAICS CODES: 325611
Industry Overview

The US soap and detergent manufacturing industry includes about 650 companies with combined annual revenue of about $27 billion. Major companies in the consumer sector include divisions of Procter & Gamble (P&G); Colgate-Palmolive; and Dial, a subsidiary of German consumer products firm Henkel KGaA. Major companies in the commercial sector include U S Chemical and divisions of Ecolab. The industry is highly concentrated: the top 50 companies generate about 90 percent of revenue.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Population growth, particularly among households with children, drives demand in the consumer sector, and economic growth drives demand in the commercial sector. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations and effective sales and marketing. Large companies have scale advantages in purchasing, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing. Small companies can compete effectively by offering specialized products, providing superior customer service, or serving a local market. The industry is capital-intensive: average annual revenue per worker is more than $1 million.
The industry is about evenly split between the consumer and commercial segments. Both segments are highly competitive, and large companies spend millions to maintain market share.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Major products include laundry detergent, soap, dishwashing detergent, and toothpaste. Laundry detergent accounts for 35 percent of industry revenue, soap for 25 percent, dishwashing detergent for 15 percent, and toothpaste for 10 percent. Laundry detergent comes in powder or liquid form, and may contain bleach additives or color brighteners. Dishwashing detergent comes in powder, liquid, or gel form. Soap comes in bars or liquids, and may have moisturizing, antibacterial, or deodorant benefits. Companies in the commercial sector may also sell dispensing equipment and provide related training.
Detergent production starts by combining liquid and dry ingredients. Spray drying produces powder detergents by spraying the liquid mixture through nozzles under high pressure to create small droplets. The droplets fall through hot air and dry into hollow granules. Heat-sensitive ingredients, such as bleach or fragrance, are added after spray drying. Agglomeration produces higher density detergent powders by using a liquid binder and a different mixing process known as "rolling" or "shear mixing." Dry blending mixes dry raw materials with small quantities of liquids. Detergents are packaged in cartons, bottles, pouches, or bags.
Soap production starts by heating fatty acids or fats and oils, and combining them with alkali, such as sodium or potassium. The process, known as saponification or neutralization, produces a combination of soap and water (known as neat soap) plus glycerin, which can be resold. Neat soap is converted into dry soap pellets through vacuum drying. An amalgamator mixes pellets with fragrances and colors. Rolling mills and refining plodders refine the mixture to achieve uniform texture. The final mixture is extruded, cut into bars, and stamped into shapes in a soap press. Soap bars are wrapped and packaged into single or multiple packs.
Soaps and detergents are made of surfactants or surface-active agents, chemicals that help water soak and clean surfaces. Many surfactants are petroleum-based. Oleochemicals are surfactants derived from natural fats and oils. Soap reacts with minerals in hard water, diminishing cleaning properties. Builders boost the efficiency of surfactants by counteracting hard water, emulsifying oil and grease, and preventing soil from redepositing. Phosphates, an environmentally controversial chemical, are a commonly used builder.
Raw materials include surfactants, solvents, phosphates, silicates, alkalis, salts, and perfumes. Suppliers include major chemical manufacturers like Shell Chemical (a division of Royal Dutch Shell) and Dow. P&G has a separate business unit that manufactures key chemicals as part of a global supply network.
Companies may rely on or provide third-party contract manufacturing services. Large companies may own multiple plants, including many facilities outside the US.
Soap and detergent manufacturing is highly automated, and involves significant capital investment in plants and equipment. Computers control production equipment and inventory management. Many companies use electronic data interchange (EDI) to optimize the purchasing process. Due to the high level of automation, the average plant has about 30 employees.
R&D involves creating, testing, and improving product formulation, and evaluating environmental compatibility. Technological advances have reduced the amount of product needed, thereby reducing the amount of packaging. Micro encapsulation technology allows manufacturers to deliver unstable ingredients, like vitamin C, through soap to the skin. Manufacturers also test new enzymes and bleaches that improve the efficacy of products.
SALES & MARKETING
Major customers for the consumer segment include supermarket chains, mass merchandisers, drugstores, and warehouse clubs. Major customers for the commercial segment include industrial and commercial laundries, hotels, restaurants, and healthcare providers. Most companies also sell to third-party distributors.
Marketing and promotional vehicles for the consumer segment include TV and magazine advertising, coupons, direct mail, and websites. Brand names, such as Tide and Dial, are extremely important in the consumer segment.
Large companies use an in-house sales force. Large and small companies use independent distributors to service smaller accounts. In the commercial segment, trade shows are an important sales vehicle. Superior service is also critical in maintaining long-term relationships with large customers. Large companies may provide cleaning products to subsidiaries around the world for multinational customers.
Retail pricing for laundry detergent averages $5, dishwashing detergent $2, and soap $2.50. Cheaper private-label products can erode the sales of branded versions.
FINANCE & REGULATION
Cash flow is generally even throughout the year. Inventory consists of 65 percent finished product and 25 percent raw materials. Accounts receivable ranges between 30 and 90 days sales. Capital may be required to expand or upgrade equipment, and can reach 5 percent of sales. Ingredient costs are between 35 to 40 percent of the wholesale price. Companies may have annual or long-term contracts with chemical manufacturers to protect pricing for raw materials.
Because of the chemicals involved in the manufacturing process, numerous federal, state, local, and foreign environmental and safety laws govern the handling, storage, discharge, and disposal of hazardous materials. Companies may be involved in the clean up of contaminated manufacturing or waste disposal sites, often in multiple states or countries. Both the EPA and FDA require registration of cleaning products and submission of information supporting efficacy claims. Special FDA requirements govern the sale and advertising of antibacterial products.
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
The US is a net exporter of soaps and detergents; the value of exports is about twice that of imports. Exports go primarily to Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and Belgium. Most large companies have plants throughout the world.
Change in Dollar Value of US Trade - US International Trade Commission
Imports of soap and detergent to the US come primarily from Canada, Mexico, China, Germany, and Japan. Major export markets for US soap and detergent include Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and Belgium.



REGIONAL ISSUES
Major states for soap and detergent manufacturing include Texas, California, Illinois, Ohio, and New Jersey.

HUMAN RESOURCES
Due to the high level of automation at many manufacturing facilities, most production jobs require few skills. Average hourly wages are slightly lower than the national average. The average injury rate is in line with the US average for all workers.
Some US manufacturing facilities are covered by labor agreements. Companies with operations outside the US may be subject to local work councils or labor unions
Recent Developments
INDUSTRY INDICATORS
The spot price of crude oil, which affects energy and raw material prices for soap and detergent making, rose 18.1 percent in the week ending September 9, 2011, compared to the same week in 2010.
US retail sales for health and personal care stores, a potential measure of soap and detergent demand, increased 5.1 percent in the first eight months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.
Recent Developments
INDUSTRY INDICATORS
The spot price of crude oil, which affects energy and raw material prices for soap and detergent making, rose 18.1 percent in the week ending September 9, 2011, compared to the same week in 2010.
US retail sales for health and personal care stores, a potential measure of soap and detergent demand, increased 5.1 percent in the first eight months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.
P&G Focusing on Emerging Markets - Industry leader Procter & Gamble's launch of an improved Ariel detergent in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia highlighted the growing importance of sales in emerging markets to the company. The new version of the laundry detergent, which has nearly $4 billion in annual sales globally, had P&G marketing the brand as accessible, affordable and more localized, instead of going after the premium market that serves as its cash cow in other regions, reported the Economic Times. In addition to using this tactic to compete with well-established brands like Unilever in India, the move was also necessitated by P&G's loss of market share in the US and Europe as the recession drove consumers to less-expensive competitors and private-label goods. The launch will include new packaging, a multimedia presence, and the use of a 3-D theme in its marketing based on the 3-D technology used to develop the new formula specifically for developing markets. Emerging markets represent a huge opportunity for soap and detergent manufacturers: P&G's overall sales more than tripled in emerging markets in the past decade; total US exports of soap and detergents increased 40 percent between 2006 and 2009.QUARTERLY INDUSTRY UPDATE
Business Challenges
CRITICAL ISSUES
Volatile Production Demand - Overall demand for soaps and detergents depends on multiple factors and results in wide swings in production volume, making capacity planning difficult. Annual production changes can be more than 10 percent. Consumer demand is influenced by population growth, particularly of households with children; commercial demand is driven by the health of the hotel, restaurant, and hospital industries.
Slow Growth in Wholesale Prices - Market maturity and heavy competition have depressed growth in wholesale prices for soaps and detergents. Wholesale prices for household detergents have risen slowly in recent years. Consumers and businesses are generally price-sensitive about cleaning products, and likely to switch to lower-priced brands to save money.
OTHER BUSINESS CHALLENGES
Environmental Compliance - Manufacturers must comply with differing state and country environmental regulations. Phosphates used in powder laundry detergent are banned in many states and European countries. Companies must also comply with regulations governing waste disposal. Some large companies are actively involved in cleaning contaminated sites due to past operations.
Industry Concentration - Large multinational companies dominate the industry. In the consumer segment, companies spend millions on marketing to protect brand name products like Tide, Cascade, and Ivory. The top four companies represent almost 60 percent of total industry revenue. Scale advantages in almost every aspect of operations present major challenges for smaller manufacturers.
Reliance on Key Customers for Consumer Sales - Companies rely heavily on large retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target for a sizable share of business. Wal-Mart can comprise 15 percent of total revenue for large companies. These large retailers have the power to demand price concessions and supply chain management services from manufacturers.
Global Exposure - Most large companies manufacture and sell products globally. Fluctuations in exchange rates and foreign market conditions affect earnings of companies with a large percentage of sales coming from other countries. Ecolab?s international sales are over 40 percent of company revenue.


________________________________________
Trends & Opportunities
BUSINESS TRENDS
Increasing Productivity - Low growth in market volume and wholesale pricing drives manufacturers to increase productivity to cut costs. High levels of automation and improved manufacturing technology have allowed soap and detergent manufacturers to increase output with fewer workers.
Growth in Private-Label Products - Although private-label products are a small segment of the consumer market, improved product quality and increasing consumer acceptance has helped drive growth. During tough economic times many consumers switch to store brands to save money. After discovering private-label products often have comparable quality at a lower price, many consumers never return to the name brand product.
Export Growth - US soap and detergent exports increased about 40 percent between 2006 and 2009. More than 50 percent of exports went to Canada, and exports to Western European countries (primarily Belgium, the UK, and the Netherlands) also experienced high growth. Because many large US companies have manufacturing facilities abroad, exports account for a relatively small share of US production.
INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-Purpose Products - As consumers demand higher performance from cleaning products, manufacturers of large brands deliver line extensions that serve multiple needs. Detergents with bleach and soaps with moisturizers and deodorant offer multiple benefits. Such cross-selling strategies leverage customer loyalty for a brand, taking advantage of its existing brand equity, to build loyalty within a family of brands.
Specialized Products - Market maturity has driven manufacturers to offer specialized products to generate growth. For example, anti-allergy products target consumers with sensitive skin, and products containing natural ingredients or special biodegradability properties target environmentally conscious consumers. High-efficiency (HE) detergents with low-sudsing properties are required for the growing number of HE washing machines.
Superior Customer Service - Companies in the commercial segment strive to become preferred vendors by offering superior customer service. Some companies go beyond selling soaps and detergents and offer help in safety and environmental regulation compliance. Companies may also provide maintenance services for dispensing systems and cleaning equipment. Large companies can service multinational customers globally.
Developing Countries - As income rises in developing countries, consumers need hygiene education to increase soap and detergent use. In some countries, the absence of visible dirt equates to cleanliness. Companies may use less expensive ingredients to offer lower-priced products in developing countries.
Convenience - Offering products with improved convenience has generated growth for manufacturers. Shower gels, liquid soap, and stain removal pens are all examples of alternative delivery methods that offer convenience. Extensions through new delivery methods allow manufacturers to leverage their investment in brands.


________________________________________
Business Challenges
CRITICAL ISSUES
Volatile Production Demand - Overall demand for soaps and detergents depends on multiple factors and results in wide swings in production volume, making capacity planning difficult. Annual production changes can be more than 10 percent. Consumer demand is influenced by population growth, particularly of households with children; commercial demand is driven by the health of the hotel, restaurant, and hospital industries.
Slow Growth in Wholesale Prices - Market maturity and heavy competition have depressed growth in wholesale prices for soaps and detergents. Wholesale prices for household detergents have risen slowly in recent years. Consumers and businesses are generally price-sensitive about cleaning products, and likely to switch to lower-priced brands to save money.
OTHER BUSINESS CHALLENGES
Environmental Compliance - Manufacturers must comply with differing state and country environmental regulations. Phosphates used in powder laundry detergent are banned in many states and European countries. Companies must also comply with regulations governing waste disposal. Some large companies are actively involved in cleaning contaminated sites due to past operations.
Industry Concentration - Large multinational companies dominate the industry. In the consumer segment, companies spend millions on marketing to protect brand name products like Tide, Cascade, and Ivory. The top four companies represent almost 60 percent of total industry revenue. Scale advantages in almost every aspect of operations present major challenges for smaller manufacturers.
Reliance on Key Customers for Consumer Sales - Companies rely heavily on large retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target for a sizable share of business. Wal-Mart can comprise 15 percent of total revenue for large companies. These large retailers have the power to demand price concessions and supply chain management services from manufacturers.
Global Exposure - Most large companies manufacture and sell products globally. Fluctuations in exchange rates and foreign market conditions affect earnings of companies with a large percentage of sales coming from other countries. Ecolab?s international sales are over 40 percent of company revenue.


________________________________________
Trends & Opportunities
BUSINESS TRENDS
Increasing Productivity - Low growth in market volume and wholesale pricing drives manufacturers to increase productivity to cut costs. High levels of automation and improved manufacturing technology have allowed soap and detergent manufacturers to increase output with fewer workers.
Growth in Private-Label Products - Although private-label products are a small segment of the consumer market, improved product quality and increasing consumer acceptance has helped drive growth. During tough economic times many consumers switch to store brands to save money. After discovering private-label products often have comparable quality at a lower price, many consumers never return to the name brand product.
Export Growth - US soap and detergent exports increased about 40 percent between 2006 and 2009. More than 50 percent of exports went to Canada, and exports to Western European countries (primarily Belgium, the UK, and the Netherlands) also experienced high growth. Because many large US companies have manufacturing facilities abroad, exports account for a relatively small share of US production.
INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-Purpose Products - As consumers demand higher performance from cleaning products, manufacturers of large brands deliver line extensions that serve multiple needs. Detergents with bleach and soaps with moisturizers and deodorant offer multiple benefits. Such cross-selling strategies leverage customer loyalty for a brand, taking advantage of its existing brand equity, to build loyalty within a family of brands.
Specialized Products - Market maturity has driven manufacturers to offer specialized products to generate growth. For example, anti-allergy products target consumers with sensitive skin, and products containing natural ingredients or special biodegradability properties target environmentally conscious consumers. High-efficiency (HE) detergents with low-sudsing properties are required for the growing number of HE washing machines.
Superior Customer Service - Companies in the commercial segment strive to become preferred vendors by offering superior customer service. Some companies go beyond selling soaps and detergents and offer help in safety and environmental regulation compliance. Companies may also provide maintenance services for dispensing systems and cleaning equipment. Large companies can service multinational customers globally.
Developing Countries - As income rises in developing countries, consumers need hygiene education to increase soap and detergent use. In some countries, the absence of visible dirt equates to cleanliness. Companies may use less expensive ingredients to offer lower-priced products in developing countries.
Convenience - Offering products with improved convenience has generated growth for manufacturers. Shower gels, liquid soap, and stain removal pens are all examples of alternative delivery methods that offer convenience. Extensions through new delivery methods allow manufacturers to leverage their investment in brands.


________________________________________
Executive Insight what is this?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - CEO

Developing a Global Strategy
Soap and detergent manufacturing is a global business, and most companies must serve large multinational customers and foreign markets. Cultural issues, language barriers, and government regulations can vary significantly from country to country. Many large companies operate separate business offices and plants abroad to build local market knowledge and presence.

Complying with Environmental and Regulatory Requirements
Numerous federal, state, local, and foreign environmental and safety laws govern hazardous materials management and waste disposal. Phosphates, frequently used to boost cleaning power, have been banned and reinstated in numerous states and foreign countries. Some companies are simplifying product lines to standardize formulations and reduce regulatory reporting burdens.


CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER - CFO

Managing Raw Material Costs
The price of surfactants and related chemicals can fluctuate and affect profitability. Volatile oil prices greatly affect suppliers of petroleum-based surfactants. To protect raw material costs, companies often have annual or longer term contracts with chemical manufacturers throughout the world. Large companies may also own plants that produce key chemicals to help balance supply.

Acquiring Capital to Expand
Companies require capital to buy other companies or brands, build facilities in new markets, or add manufacturing capacity. Large acquisitions can require billions of dollars. Companies may use a combination of external financing and cash. Large companies may issue debt for considerable acquisitions.


CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER - CIO

Acquiring Technology
Market maturity has driven companies to look for new ways to grow sales and lower costs. Technology that provides product innovation or improves production processes can give companies a competitive advantage. Companies may license technology from third parties or develop technology in-house.

Developing Efficient Inventory Management System
Soap and detergent manufacturers must manage multiple stock-keeping units (SKUs) for many products, including various formulations, product forms, and packaging options. Large companies typically offer hundreds of products in addition to soap and detergent. Computerized information management systems are critical to track the multitude of products to ensure adequate levels of inventory and fulfill customer orders accurately.


HUMAN RESOURCES - HR

Recruiting Personnel for R&D
Because of the chemical nature of soaps and detergents, R&D personnel require specialized expertise. Many positions require education and experience in chemistry, microbiology, process engineering, and product dispensing technology. Positions may require advanced degrees and command high salaries.

Managing Relationships with Foreign Labor Unions
Due to the global scope of the industry, companies must deal with labor unions common in foreign countries. Unions or work councils are often required for certain size companies that operate in multiple European countries. Companies meet with unions periodically to discuss any issues regarding employment, particularly facility closures. Labor contracts are generally renewed annually.


VP SALES/MARKETING - SALES

Building Brand Equity
Low market growth, heavy competition, and increasing private label presence forces companies to differentiate products. Consumer brand building communicates unique product benefits through advertising and promotion. Brands like Tide, Cascade, and Ivory have existed for decades, have a loyal customer base, and remain market leaders due to consistently strong marketing programs. Due to the dominance of large companies, small manufacturers have difficulty breaking into the market unless products offer truly unique benefits.

Developing Long-Term Customer Relationships
Companies try to add value beyond simply selling products to nurture key customer relationships. Companies in the commercial segment depend on delivering superior customer service since advertising and promotion aren't as important, while companies in the consumer segment rely heavily on large retailers for a significant share of business. Companies in the commercial segment may offer help in safety and environmental compliance. Companies in the consumer segment may offer volume discounts or account-specific promotions.

Over the past three weeks you have developed most of the components of a marketing program for Tide laundry detergent. Now it is time to add the last few sections. The final plan should include:
? Definition of marketing (U1 DB)
This week the discussion board assignment was to research the definition of marketing. The sources that I used to help me understand the definition were Collins Dictionary of Business (2006), Dictionary of Business (2006), Dictionary of Economics (2009), and my text book Marketing (2010). I was able to gain a better understanding as to how important it is for people in businesses and in corporations to have the knowledge to make use of the four ?P?s? in marketing which are product, price, promotion, and place. The four ?P?s? can make or break a business or corporation.
After researching the sites listed above, I was able to form my own interpretation of marketing. My understanding is that businesses and corporations look for and research what consumers want or need. They then need to get the attention of the consumers by investing in advertisement. They do this by television ads, newspapers, internet, and etc.. By putting the product or service out to the consumers with eye catching ads will increase sales and help with the success of the company.
? Introduction of Tide laundry detergent (U1 DB)
See above DB
? Situation Analysis - marketing environment forces impacting Tide laundry detergent (U1 IP)
Principles of Marketing
One of the primary issues that the soap and laundry detergent is the issue of pollution in the manufacture of the product. Whether from a desire to avoid running afoul of government fines and regulation, to avoid litigation from issues related to pollution or to avoid bad public relations or ?ecotage? (actual sabotage by environmental radicals) this issue is probably the number one issue that the industry has to deal with. A case study in illustrates this well. In 1960's and 1970's, environmentalist activist Jim Phillips (the ?Fox) engaged in what would now be considered eco-terrorism when he limed over sewage pipes of the Aurora, Illinois Armour-Dial soap factory operation there when it dumped raw sewage into the local Fox River. His 7 year battle against the soap and meat packing plant brought enough heat and publicity to cause the state of Illinois to sue Armour-Dial in 1975 for violation of Illinois anti-pollution laws. The plant then starting treating the raw sewage and stopped its dumping (Hoekstra, 2001).
The 1970s marked the beginning of this type of environmental sensitivity (and sensitivity to public opinion on the issue). The Proceedings of the 4th World Conference on Detergents in 1999 noted with relief that the 1992 Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development acknowledged that chemicals had improved living standards (Sedlak, 1999, 80). What the industry was opposed to in 1999 and what is very important for today is to combat the difference between consumer goods and bulk chemicals. The difference between the two would determine how governments would apply environmental laws and regulations to the soap industry. By extension, the need to make this distinction and to promote knowledge of the industry's role in environmental responsibility and the positive impact it has on the marketing of the product (ibid, 82). Obviously, this industry's companies that are perceived as responsible have a marketing edge over those who do not. Marketing strategies must emphasize this responsibility and separate responsible companies from polluters.
Interestingly, public sensitivity to the issue of allergens in detergents and soaps also began in the 1960's as well and regarding the immediate effects of the manufacturing process. The first adverse affects were reported in the professional literature in 1969 when reports of a 1967 respiratory allergy outbreak among 28 workers in an epidemic in a detergent plant. Tests indicated that the cause of the allergic reactions was due to the inhalation of enzyme powder. This particular cause of allergic reactions from soap materials is now unusual (Kanerva, 2000).
Much more common are dry skin reactions to soap and this can be differentiated by marketing distinctions as well. In such situations, it can be beneficial to discourage purchases of perfumed soap and the use of neutral brands such as Dove, Basis, Aveeno or Neutrogena dry skin soaps (. To avoid classification with such allergens, as well, many things can be done to avoid or deal with soaps to prevent allergic reaction. Such alternatives can be emphasized so that a positive market image of soap or detergent, since allergies are complex and not always the cause of one irritant, whether chemical or otherwise. Also, one can direct attention to non-irritant products that the particular soap and detergent company produces that can also do the job ("Skin reactions," 2005).
While it is necessary to mollify public opinion and government regulation and law, one must know the problems that one has ownership over and make sure that the finger is getting pointed in the right direction for the right reason. In this way, we can use our knowledge of the physiological and psychological needs of customers to market and portray the product in a correct way and in the proper perspective.
Finally, there is the issue of product changes dictated by various changes in washing machines. These changes have been dictated by energy and water conservation issues that have altered the design of the machines. In the early 1990s, washing machines began incorporated micro controllers for the timing process to improve water and energy usage. These had proven reliable, so a lot of cheaper machines now incorporated these micro controllers, rather than the old mechanical timers ("Washing machine," 2011).
In this way, the washing models were Energy Star certified is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products that ranges over most Western countries, including the EU. Devices carrying the Energy Star logo, usually use 20%?30% less energy than required by federal standards ("Energy star," 2010). To give some example of the way that the technology is developing, the University of Leeds made a concept washing machine that uses only about a cup (less than 300ml) of water to do a full wash. This machine leaves clothes virtually dry, using less than 2% of the water and energy otherwise used by conventional machines. The technological importance requires 20 kilos of re-usable plastic chips for each load. In addition to saving water, it could make laundry detergent obsolete (Poulter, 2008).
A washing machine that functioned without laundry detergent would make the product obsolete. For now, this is not a reality, but with reduced amounts of detergent being needed, other strategies will be needed to market the detergents, including niche markets, marketing to customers with older machines or to foreign markets might be necessary to retain market share or reorganize a company to transfer reliance on to its other soap products to keep the company up and running.
Marketing challenges are not just due to competition. Rather, the process is very dynamic, including psychological, physiological, technological and other challenges that have made the market highly centralized, capital intensive and competitive among a few large companies for the majority of the market share. Innovative strategies will be needed to remake the product for a new century when people have new needs and new technologies to accomplish the age-old job of keeping oneself and their personal environment clean.
? Marketing Strategy - target market(s) and positioning (U2 DB & U2 IP)
See above IP
For week two discussion board we are instructed to describe the model of consumer buyer behavior for the product that we chose in week one and explain how the process works in the real world. I chose laundry detergent using Tide as the product
When purchasing a product there several processes, which consumers must go through. The first of these steps is ?need?. Laundry detergent is a necessity in most homes. Being able to wear clean, fresh smelling, and stain free clothes is what the consumers want and need.
The second step would be information search. This is where the consumer will ask themselves which brand to buy. Should they stay with their usual brand or try something new. Making a decision may come from getting information about the product that you have in mind from family, friends, or neighbors who might have used it themselves.
The third step will be evaluation of different purchase options. Consumers usually have a brand preference that they have had a good history with, a particular brand, or their friends may have had a reliable history with one. I was always a user of Tide. While working for Proctor and Gamble, I was able to learn more about the product and passed that information on to family and friends, giving them the opportunity to switch over.
Step four will be purchase decision. After going through the evaluation process consumers will be able to reach their final decision. Some ways of saving money after making that decision is to check different stores for better costs and check online for saver coupons.
The last step would be post purchase behavior. Manufacturers want consumers to be fully satisfied with the purchase of their product, it is just as important for manufacturers to advertise so consumers feel comfortable that they own a product from a strong and reputable organization. The consumer will be reassured that they have the latest advertised product.
Culture influence in laundry detergent such as Tide is through advertising, word of mouth, and customer satisfaction. Proctor and Gamble are constantly working on new products that will draw the attention of current customers and new ones who may choose their products over the competitors. Like clothing fads, laundry detergents need to keep up with consumers wants and needs, this year?s laundry detergent may not be what the consumers want next year.
? Tide?s overview and strategies to consider (U3 DB)
In marketing there are four categories that a product or service can fit into. These categories are convenience, shopping. specialty, or unsought. Convenience products are purchased by consumers on a regular basis, items used in their everyday lives, such as food, personal care and household cleaning products. Because these items have a high purchase volume, they are sold at lower prices. Shopping products are purchased and consumed less frequently than convenience products. Usually the consumer will shop around to find the better buy because these items are more expensive. Specialty products have a much higher price tag so consumers are more selective. Consumers usually know what they want, what product in particular they are looking for and where they need to go to purchase it. Unsought products are unplanned purchases that occur as a result of a marketer?s action. These actions could be promotional, persuasion, or special discounts.
The product that I have chosen is Tide laundry detergent manufactured by Proctor and Gamble. I would classify it as a convenience product because it can be purchased at most grocery or retail stores anytime they need it.
Tide is the world's largest selling detergent brand and will continue to use television ads as a way of getting the attention of current and prospective customers, doing side-by-side stain comparisons. The company will strive to open up, prepare and use the deep connections people have with its products. Tide has products that will suit all customers want and needs. They will continue to add new and more advanced products each year.
Branding is the promise you make to your customers. It lets them know what they can expect from your product, and it differentiates what you are offering from that of your competitors. Tide offers a website and a toll free number so that customers can contact them with any questions or concerns that they may have. Retail stores will authorize Proctor and Gamble to set up displays with promotional pricing to help raise sales and offer savings to the customers. I believe that by continuing with the eye catching television ads and producing top quality products will keep Tide at the top with laundry detergent sales.
? Pricing Strategy (U4 DB) Not written yet
? Distribution Channels (U3 IP)
Tide Detergent Distribution Channels
Tide Distribution Channel Analysis
The reliance on multichannel distribution channels and the marketing systems that support them are critical to the overall Proctor & Gamble supply chain network performance as inventory planning and forecasting are predicated on the requirements of channel partners (de Leeuw, Fransoo, 2009). P&G concentrates on creating a unified network that can quickly take customer demand as forecasted by channel partners, capture it, and create a production plan based on the many inputs from channel partners. This is the essence of their supply chain strategy and one that relies heavily on a highly synchronized multichannel management system as the process-based foundation of company-wide collaboration (de Leeuw, Fransoo, 2009). P&G relies heavily on sales portals to better serve their reseller and channel partners with the latest product, pricing, promotional strategies and delivery plans by product area (Noorani, Setty, 2007). As Tide is the leading brand for P&G in many of its distribution channels, the company must continually refine the core processes that are relied on for serving resellers in order to continually grow the sales of this flagship brand (Wong, 2010). The reliance on sales portals within P&G has continued to be highly effective in attaining the challenging multichannel management goals the company has (Noorani, Setty, 2007).
Customer Needs
The typical Tide customer is female, over 50 years of age, Caucasian, middle income ($30K - $60K) and often have limited college education. All of these factors have been captured from the website Quant cast, which interpolates demographics of websites. The figure to the right shows an analysis of Tide.com.
Source: http://www.quantcast.com/tide.com/demographics

For this segment of consumers, price and availability are the most important key buying factors followed by trusting the retailer they are purchasing the product from (Wong, 2010). For P&G, their multichannel strategy must include in-depth training for each member of their supply chain, from the large-scale distributors and CPG consolidators to the retailers in the indirect area of their multichannel selling strategy framework. The direct accounts including the high volume retailers that span pure transaction-based business models (Wal-Mart) to mid-market selling including Target, P&G needs to create channel strategies that match the needs of these partners and their entire distribution channels accordingly. The distribution of detergent resellers by segment is shown in Figure 1, Sales of Detergent by Distribution Channel. This analysis further underscores the need for having a highly effective multichannel strategy.

Figure 1: Sales of Detergent by Distribution Channel
Source:
IBISWorld Industry Report 32561
Soap & Cleaning Compound Manufacturing
in the US September 2011 Sophia Snyder

In devising how many total channel partners would be needed, the best approach would be to evaluate how many retailers are selling detergent today, and then calculate how many of those would be needed to keep the sales rate of Tide at a competitive level. According to the latest U.S. Census there are 1,051 distributors alone selling detergent in the U.S. to 5,614 retailers across all channel types. For Tide to gain sustain its growth as a brand with industry-leading market share, it needs to be sold in at least 50% of the distribution outlets and at least 70% of retail outlets. P&G Has extensive experience in creating distribution channels that can efficiently serve this many members of a distribution channel (Weitz, Wang, 2004). P&G will also need to unify them and keep them updated on key trends using portal-based Internet technology as well (Noorani, Setty, 2007).
Recommendation for a Channel Organization
Based on this analysis the best possible strategy for P&G to continue taking with Tide is to invest heavily in multichannel selling and multichannel distribution. Only by doing this will the company be able to continually increase its market share and meet the core requirements of its customers, which are to be the leader in price, availability and quality over the long-term.
You will now add the Abstract, Introduction, Conclusion, and the Integrated Marketing Communications Mix, including:
? Overview of integrated marketing communications
? Promotion Mix Strategy - explain if you will use a push or pull strategy or both and why
? Message Strategy - decide what general message will be communicated to your target market across all promotional tools
? Promotion Mix - choose at least three (3) promotional tools (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations or direct marketing). For each include:
o Why this promotional tool was chosen.
o Which forms of the promotional tool you will use and why (for example, in advertising you can use TV, radio, magazine, etc. and in direct marketing you can use direct mail, telemarketing, catalogs, etc.).
o Discussion of how your message strategy will be implemented using this promotional tool and the execution style

Prepare Marketing Plan Project on personal care product (CLINIQUE). Include

A) CURRENTMARKETING SITUATION

1) Market description

- segmentation
- marketing targeting strategy
- value proposition
- factors influencing consumer behavior of the primary target market
- buyer decision process of the primary target market

2) Product Review

- Levels of product
- type of product
- product life cycle
- benefits/features analysis
- differenciation
- branding strategy

3) Competitive Review
- competitive analysis
- market share
- competitive positions and roles
- strategic sweet spot
- positioning

4) Distribution review

- current supply chain members and roles
- value-delivery network analysis
- current type of distribution strategy

B) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis (SWOT)
1) Microenvironment
2) Macroenvironment

Moral Criticisms of the Market

This assignment requires you to read an article by Ken S. Ewert (found in the Reading & Study folder). Note that in his article, Ewert is defending the free market from "Christian Socialists." He states their position and then gives a rebuttal.

Do you agree with the critique of the market in Ken S. Ewert's "Moral Criticisms of the Market"? Why or why not? Read carefully and offer cogent reasons.


Moral Criticisms of the Market

MARCH 01, 1989 by KEN S. EWERT

Mr. Ewert, a graduate of Grove City College, is working on a master?s degree in public policy at CBN University.

According to an author writing in a recent issue of The Nation magazine, ?The religious Left is the only Left we?ve got.? An overstatement? Perhaps. However, it points to an interesting fact, namely that while the opposition to free markets and less government control has declined in recent years among the ?secular left,? the political-economic views of the ?Christian left? seem to remain stubbornly unchanged.

Why is this so? Why are the secular critics of the market mellowing while the Christian critics are not?

Perhaps one major reason is the different criteria by which these two ideological allies measure economic systems. The secular left, after more than half a century of failed experiments in anti-free market policies, has begrudgingly softened its hostility towards the market for predominantly pragmatic reasons. Within their camp the attitude seems to be that since it hasn?t worked, let?s get on with finding something that will. While this may be less than a heartfelt conversion to a philosophy of economic freedom, at least (for many) this recognition has meant taking a more sympathetic view of free markets.

However, within the Christian camp the leftist intellectuals seem to be much less influenced by the demonstrated failure of state-directed economic policies. They remain unimpressed with arguments pointing out the efficiency and productivity of the free market, or statistics and examples showing the non-workability of traditional interventionist economic policies. Why? One likely reason is that the criteria by which these thinkers choose to measure capitalism are fundamentally moral in nature, so much so that socialism, despite its obvious shortcomings, is still preferred because of its perceived moral superiority. In their eyes, the justness and morality of an economic system are vastly more important than its efficiency.

ff indeed the Christian critics of the market are insisting that an economic system must be ultimately judged by moral standards, we should agree and applaud them for their principled position. They are asking a crucially important question: is the free market a moral economic system?

Unfortunately, these thinkers have answered the question with a resounding ?No!? They have examined the free market and found it morally wanting. Some of the most common reasons given for this indictment are that the market is based on an ethic of selfishness and it fosters materialism; it atomizes and dehumanizes society by placing too much emphasis on the individual; and it gives rise to tyrannical economic powers which subsequently are used to oppress the weaker and more defenseless members of society.

If these accusations are correct, the market is justly condemned. But have these critics correctly judged the morality of the free market? Let?s re-examine their charges.

I. Selfishness

The market, it is suggested, is based on and encourages an ethic of selfishness. According to critics of the market, mere survival in this competitive economic system requires that we each ?look after Number One.? Individuals are encouraged to focus on the profit motive to the exclusion of higher goals and as a result selfishness becomes almost a virtue. And this, it is noted, is in stark contrast with the self-sacrificial love taught by the Scriptures. Instead of rewarding love, compassion, and kindness towards others, the free market seems to reward self-orientation and self-indulgence. Instead of encouraging us to be concerned about our neighbor, the free market seems to encourage us to be concerned about ourselves. Individuals who might otherwise be benevolent, according to this view, are corrupted by the demands of an economic system that forces them to put themselves first. In the thinking of these critics, the market is the logical precursor to the ?me generation.?

However, this charge is superficial and misleading in several respects. It is important to remember that while the free market does allow ?self-directed? economic actions, it does not require ?selfish? economic actions. There is an important distinction here. it should be obvious that all human action is self-directed, Each of us has been created with a mind, allowing us to set priorities and goals, and a will, which enables us to take steps to realize these goals. This is equally true for those who live in a market economy and those who live under a politically directed economy. The difference between the two systems is not between self-directed action versus non-self-directed action, but rather between a peaceful pursuit of goals (through voluntary exchange in a free economy) versus a coercive pursuit of goals (through wealth transferred via the state in a ?planned? economy). In other words, the only question is how will self-directed action manifest itself: will it take place through mutually beneficial economic exchanges, or through predatory political actions?

Clearly the free market cannot be singled out and condemned for allowing self-directed actions to take place, since self-directed actions are an inescapable part of human life. But can it be condemned for giving rise to selfishness? In other words, does the free market engender an attitude of selfishness in individuals? If we define selfishness as a devotion to one?s own advantage or welfare without regard for the welfare of others, it is incontestable that selfishness does exist in the free economy; many individuals act with only themselves ultimately in mind. And it is true, that according to the clear teaching of Scripture, selfishness is wrong.

But we must bear in mind that although selfishness does exist in the free market, it also exists under other economic systems. Is the Soviet factory manager less selfish than the American capitalist? Is greed any less prevalent in the politically directed system which operates via perpetual bribes, theft from state enterprises, and political purges? There is no reason to think so. The reason for this is clear: selfishness is not an environmentally induced condition, i.e., a moral disease caused by the economic system, but rather a result of man?s fallen nature. It is out of the heart, as Christ said, that a man is defiled. Moral failure is not spawned by the environment.

It is clear that not all self-directed action is necessarily selfish action. For example, when I enter the marketplace in order to earn wealth to feed, clothe, house, and provide education or medical care for my children, I am not acting selfishly. Likewise, if you or I want to extend charity to a needy neighbor or friend, we must first take ?self-directed? action to create the wealth necessary to do so. Such action is hardly selfish.

The point is this: the free market allows individuals to peacefully pursue their chosen goals and priorities, but it doesn?t dictate or determine those priorities. It does not force an individual to focus on his own needs and desires, but leaves him or her at liberty to be self-centered or benevolent. My ultimate goal may be self- indulgence, or I may make a high priority of looking after others?the choice is mine. As to which I should do, the market is silent. As an economic system, the market simply does not speak in favor of selfish or unselfish priorities.

However, the free market, while not touching the heart of a man or eliminating selfishness, does in fact restrain selfishness. It channels self-centered desires into actions that are beneficial to others. This is so because in order to ?get ahead? in the free economy, we must first please other people by producing something which is of use and value to them. In other words, the market disciplines each of us to look outwards and serve others. Only by doing so can we persuade them to give us what we want in exchange.

We will rerum to this theme later, but for now the point is that in a very practical sense, the workings of the market persuade even the most self-indulgent among us to serve others and to be concerned about the needs and wants of his neighbor. True, the motivation for doing so is not necessarily pure or unselfish, but as the Bible so clearly teaches, it is only God who can change the hearts of men.

Furthermore, the free market, because of the incredible wealth it allows to be created, makes living beyond ourselves practicable. In order to show tangible love toward our neighbor (minister to his or her physical needs) we must first have the wealth to do so.

We sometimes need to be reminded that wealth is not the natural state of affairs. Throughout most of history the majority of people lived under some sort of centrally controlled economic system and were forced to devote most of their energies to mere survival. Often all but the wealthiest individuals lacked the economic means to look much beyond themselves and to aid others who were in need.

But the productivity spawned by economic freedom has radically changed this. In a free market, we are not only able to choose unselfish values and priorities, but we are also able to create the wealth necessary to fulfill them practically.

II. Materialism

Another moral indictment of the market, closely related to the charge of selfishness, is the belief that the market fosters materialism. The example most often used to demonstrate the market?s guilt in this area is the perceived evil effect of advertising. It is contended that advertising creates a sort of ?lust? in the hearts of consumers by persuading them that mere material possessions will bring joy and fulfillment.

In this sense, the market is condemned for creating a spirit of materialism and fostering an ethic of acquisitiveness. The market in general, and advertising specifically, is a persistent temptress encouraging each of us to concentrate on the lowest level of life, mere material goods.

This charge can be answered in much the same manner as the charge of selfishness. Just as allowing free exchange doesn?t require selfishness, neither does it require materialism. It is true that when people are economically free, materialism is possible, and certainly there are materialistic people in market economies. But this hardly warrants a condemnation of the market. Materialism, like selfishness, can and will occur under any economic system. It is obvious that a desire for material goods is far from being unique to capitalism. Witness, for example, the response of shoppers as a store puts out a new rack of genuine cotton shirts in Moscow or a shipment of fresh meat arrives in a Krakow shop.

Although the role of advertising has been much maligned, it in fact provides a vital service to consumers. Advertising conveys information. It tells consumers what products are available, how these products can meet their needs, and what important differences exist among competing products. The fact that this is a valuable function becomes apparent if you imagine trying to buy a used car in a world without advertising. Either your choice of cars would be severely limited (to those cars you happen to stumble upon, i.e., gain knowledge of) or you would have to pay more (in the form of time and resources used in seeking out and comparing cars). In either case, without the ?free? knowledge provided by advertising, you would be much worse off.

But the economic role of advertising aside, does advertising actually ?create? a desire for goods? If it does, why do businesses in market-oriented economics spend billions of dollars each year on consumer research to find out what customers want? Why do some advertised products not sell (for example, the Edsel) or cease to sell well (for example the hula hoop)? In the market economy consumers are the ultimate sovereigns of production. Their wants and priorities dictate what is produced; what is produced doesn?t determine their wants and priorities. Many bankrupt businessmen, left with unsalable (at a profitable price) products wistfully wish that the reverse were true.

Moreover, the Bible consistently rejects any attempt by man to ascribe his sinful tendencies to his environment. If I am filled with avarice when I see an advertisement for a new Mercedes, I cannot place the blame on the advertisement. Rather I must recognize that I am responsible for my thoughts and desires, and that the problem lies within myself. After all, I could feel equally acquisitive if I just saw the Mercedes on the street rather than in an advertisement. Is it wrong for the owner of the Mercedes to incite my desires by driving his car where I might see it? Hardly.

Just as God did not allow Adam to blame Satan (the advertiser?and a blatantly false advertiser at that) or the fruit (the appealing material good) for his sin in the Garden, we cannot lay the blame for materialism on the free market or on advertising. The materialist?s problem is the sin within his heart, not his environment.

If we follow the environmental explanation of materialism to its logical conclusion, the only solution would appear to be doing away with all wealth (i.e., eliminate all possible temptation). If this were the appropriate solution to the moral problem of materialism, perhaps the moral high ground must be conceded to the state-run economies of the world after all. They have been overwhelmingly successful at destroying wealth and wealth- creating capital!

III. Impersonalism And Individualism

Another common criticism of the market economy is its supposed impersonal nature and what some have called ?individualistic anarchy.? According to many Christian critics, the market encourages self-centered behavior and discourages relational ties in society. The non-personal market allocation of goods and services is seen to be antithetical to the seemingly higher and more noble goal of a loving and interdependent community. Because of the economic independence that the market affords, the individual is cut off from meaningful relationships with his fellow human beings and divorced from any purpose beyond his own interests. In short, the free market is accused of breeding a pathetic and inhumane isolation.

But does the market encourage impersonal behavior? Certainly not. It is important to understand that the presence of economic freedom does not require that all transactions and relationships take place on an impersonal level. For example, many people have good friendships with their customers, suppliers, employees, or employers. While these relationships are economic, they are not merely economic and they are not impersonal.

Furthermore, while the market leaves us free to deal with other people solely on the basis of economic motives, we are not required nor even necessarily encouraged to do so. We are completely free to deal on a non- economic basis. Suppose that I am in the business of selling food, and I find that someone is so poor that he has nothing to trade for the food that I am offering for sale. In the free market I am completely free to act apart from economic motives and make a charitable gift of the food. I have in no way lost my ability to act in a personal and non-economic way.

Community Relationships

So the market is not an inherently impersonal economic system. Nor is it hostile to the formation of community relationships.

An excellent example of a community which exists within the market system is the family. Obviously I deal with my wife and children in a non-market manner. I give them food, shelter, clothing, and so on, and I certainly don?t expect any economic gain in return. I do so joyfully, because I love my family and I value my relationship with them far above the economic benefits I forgo. Another example is the church. I have a non-economic and very personal relationship with people in my church. And there are countless teams, clubs, organizations, and associations which I can join, if I choose. If I want, I can even become part of a commune. The market economy doesn?t stand in the way of, or discourage, any of these expressions of community.

But now we come to the heart of this objection against the market: what if people will not voluntarily choose to relate to each other in personal or community-type relationships? What if they choose not to look beyond their own interests and work for some purpose larger than themselves? The answer to this is the rather obvious question: Who should decide? what is the appropriate degree of relationship and community?

True community, I submit, is something which must be consensual, meaning it must be voluntarily established. Think of a marriage or a church. If people do not choose to enter into these relationships when they are free to do so, we may judge their action to be a mistake, but by what standard can we try to coerce them into such relationships? Even if there were some objective standard of ?optimum community,? it is not at all clear that we would create it by robbing people of their economic freedom. There is no reason to believe that individuals living under a system of economic ?planning? are less isolated or have more community by virtue of their system. The fact that individuals are forced into a collective group hardly means that a loving and caring community will result. Love and care are things which cannot be coercively extracted, but must be freely given.

Moreover, the free market actually encourages the formation and maintenance of the most basic human community?the family. As the utopian socialists of past centuries?including Marx and Engels?recognized, there is a vital connection between private property and the integrity of the family. Destroy the one, they reasoned, and the other will soon disintegrate.

Their motives were suspect but their analysis was correct. When the state fails to protect private property and instead takes over the functions traditionally provided by the family (such as education, day care, health care, sickness and old-age support), the family unit is inevitably weakened. Family bonds are undermined as the economic resources which formerly allowed the family to ?care for its own? are transferred to the state. There is little doubt that the disintegration of the family in our country is in large part due to state intervention. Instead of turning toward and receiving personal care from within the family, individuals have been encouraged to turn toward the impersonal state. The result has been the disintegration of family bonds. It is state economic intervention?not the free market system?which is inherently impersonal and antithetical to true human community.

IV. Economic Power

The objection to the market on the grounds of impersonalism is based on the same fallacy as were the previously discussed charges of selfishness and materialism. Each of these claims indicts the market for ills which in fact are common to all mankind?faults that would exist under any economic system. Impersonalism, selfishness, and materialism are the consequence of the fall of man, not the fruit of an economic system which allows freedom. If these sinful tendencies are an inescapable reality, the question that must be asked is: ?What economic system best restrains sin??

This brings us to a fourth moral objection to the market which is often espoused by the Christians of the left: that the market, which is often pictured as a ?dog-eat-dog? or ?survival of the fittest? system, leaves men free to oppress each other. It allows the economically powerful to arbitrarily oppress the economically weak, the wealthy to tread upon and exploit the poor. According to this view, wealth is power, and those with wealth will not necessarily use their power wisely and justly. Because the nature of man is what it is, this ?economic power? must be checked by the state and restrained for the public good.

But does the market in fact allow individuals to exploit others? To begin with, there is a great deal of misunderstanding about this thing called ?economic power,? The term is in fact somewhat of a misnomer. When we speak of power, we normally refer to the ability to force or coerce something or someone to do what we de sire. The motor in your car has the power to move the car down the road; this is mechanical power. The police officer has the power to arrest and jail a lawbreaker; this is civil power. But what of economic power? If I possess a great deal of wealth, what unique ability does this wealth confer?

In reality what the critics of the market call economic power is only the ability to please others, and thus ?economic power? is not power in the true sense of the word. Regardless of a person?s wealth, in the free market he can get what he wants only by pleasing another person through offering to exchange something which the other deems more valuable. Wealth (assuming it is not used to buy political power) doesn?t bestow the ability to apply force to or dominate another individual.

Take for example the employer of labor, an individual who is often considered to be the embodiment of economic power and an exploiter of those less powerful than himself. It is often forgotten that an employer can get what he wants?employees for his business?only by offering something which pleases them, namely a wage which they consider better than not working, or better than working for someone else. He has no power to force them to come and work for him, but only the power to offer them a better alternative.

What ensures that he will want to make them a pleasing offer? The fact that doing so is the only way to get what he is interested in, namely their labor, provides a very strong incentive. But suppose the prospective employee is in very desperate straits and almost any wage, even one which seems pitifully low, will please him enough to work for the employer. In this situation, it seems as if the employer can get away with paying ?slave wages? and exploiting the economically weaker employee.

This scenario, however, ignores the effects of the competition among employers for employees. In the market economy, employers are in constant competition with other employers for the services of employees. They are ?disciplined? by this competition to offer top wages to attract workers. Because of competition, wages are ?bid up? to the level at which the last employee hired will be paid a wage which is very nearly equivalent to the value of what he produces. As long as wages are less than this level, it pays an employer to hire another employee, since doing so will add to his profits. Economists call this the marginal productivity theory of wages.

But what if there were no competing employers? For example, what about a ?one-company town?? Without competition, wouldn?t the employer be able to exploit the employees and pay ?unfair? wages?

First of all, it is important to remember that in the free market, an economic exchange occurs only because the two trading parties believe that they will be better off after the exchange. In other words, all exchanges are ?positive sum? in that both parties benefit. Thus if an employee in this one-company town is willing to work for low wages, it is only because he or she places a higher value on remaining in the town and working for a lower wage than moving to another place and finding a higher paying job. The ?power? that the employer wields is still only the ability to offer a superior alternative to the employee. In choosing to remain and work for a lower wage, the employee is likely considering other costs such as those of relocating, finding another job, and retraining, as well as nonmonetary costs, such as the sacrifice of local friendships or the sacrifice of leaving a beautiful and pleasant town.

Moreover, this situation cannot last for long. If the employer can pay wages that are significantly lower than elsewhere, he will reap above-average profits and this in turn will attract other employers to move in and take advantage of the ?cheap labor.? In so doing, these new employers become competitors for employees. They must offer higher wages in order to persuade employees to come and work for them, and as a result wages eventually will be bid up to the level prevailing elsewhere.

Economic Ability to Please

What is true for the employer in relation to the employee is true for all economic relationships in the free market. Each individual, though he may be a tyrant at heart, can succeed only by first benefiting others?by providing them with an economic service. Regardless of the amount of wealth he possesses, he is never freed from this requirement. Economic ?power? is only the economic ability to please, and as such it is not something to be feared. Far from allowing men to oppress each other, the free market takes this sinful drive for power and channels it into tangible service for others.

It is also important to consider that the only alternative to the free market is the political direction of economic exchanges. As the Public Choice theorists have so convincingly pointed out in recent years, there is no good reason to suppose that people become less self-interested when they enter the political sphere. In other words, to paraphrase Paul Craig Roberts, there is not necessarily a ?Saul to Paul conversion? when an individual enters government. If he was power-hungry while he was a private-market participant, he likely will be power-hungry after he becomes a ?public servant.?

But there is an important difference. In contrast with economic power, political power is truly something to be feared because of its coercive aspect. The power-seeking individual in government has power in the true sense of the word. While in the market he has to please those he deals with in order to be economically successful, the same is not true, or is true to a far lesser degree, in the political sphere. In the political sphere he can actually abuse one group of people but still succeed by gaining the favor of other groups of people.

A classic example is a tariff. This economic intervention benefits a small group of producers (and those who work for or sell to the producers) at the expense of consumers who have to pay higher prices for the good in question. The politician gains in power (and perhaps wealth) because of the significant support he can receive from the small but well-organized group of producers. Other examples of the use of political power that clearly benefit some individuals at the expense of others are government bail-outs, subsidies, price supports, and licens ing monopolies. The fact that these types of legislation continue despite the fact that they harm people (usually the least wealthy and most poorly organized) demonstrates the tendency of mankind to abuse political power.

In fact, virtually every state intervention into the economy is for the purpose of benefiting one party at the expense of another. In each of the cases mentioned above, some are exploited by others via the medium of the state. Therefore, if we are concerned about the powerful oppressing the weak, we should focus our attention on the abuse of political power. It, and not the so-called ?economic power? of individuals acting within the free market, is the true source of tyranny and oppression. Our concern for the downtrodden should not lead us to denigrate economic freedom but rather to restrain the sphere of civil authority.

V. Conclusion

The free market is innocent of the charges leveled at it by its Christian critics. Its alleged moral shortcomings turn out to be things which are common to mankind under both free and command economic systems. While it is true that the free market restrains human sin, it makes no pretense of purging people of their selfishness, materialism, individualism, and drive for power. And this, perhaps, is the true sin in the eyes of the market?s critics.

The market is explicitly non-utopian. It doesn?t promise to recreate man in a new and more perfect state, but rather it acknowledges the moral reality of man and works to restrain the outward manifestations of sin. In this sense the free market is in complete accord with Biblical teachings. According to Scripture, man cannot be morally changed through any human system, be it religious, political, or economic, but moral regeneration comes solely through the grace of God.

If the Christian critics of the market expect an economic system to change the moral character of people, they are sadly mistaken. Such a task is clearly beyond the ability of any human institution or authority. We must be content to restrain the outward expression of sin, and this is something which the free market does admirably.

A Novice Managers Tale of Woe
Now what do I do? Tricia Monet, the store director at
Personal Reflections, was sitting in her kitchen wondering
what happened. Once I was made store director
things began so well. We all got along well together; in
fact, we even met the store sales quota on more than one
occasion. I dont know what happened. All of us got
along, but once they knew I might leave, everyone was
fighting. I hadnt decided to leave; I was just exploring the
option of returning to college. Now Lori wont speak to
me except when absolutely necessary. What am I going
to do now? How can I get things to run smoothly again?
Integrating Cases 541
Background Personal Reflections, a national chain of
personal care and household products, had a store in a
mall in Sioux City, Iowa. Tricia, who was 23, had recently
moved to Sioux City with her fianc who was
transferred by his firm. Before looking for a job, Tricia
did some soul searching and decided that she wanted to
try something other than accounting for a career.
Tricia had completed a bachelors degree in accounting
a year before. After graduation, she worked in
an accounting firm for just under a year. Tricia determined
she liked interacting with people, but her accounting
job kept her working primarily with numbers.
She had originally been attracted to accounting because
she liked the structure, organization, and neatness of
accounting. Other than the accounting job, her work
experience was limited to jobs to work her way through
school. She had no supervisory or managerial experience.
Tricia was from a large, very close-knit family in an
Illinois city near St. Louis, Missouri. The family enjoyed
being together and spent as much time as they could
with each other even though several members no longer
lived in the immediate area. Tricia has both older and
younger sisters and brothers.
Tricia saw an ad in the Sioux City newspaper in mid-
June and applied for an assistant director position at the
Personal Reflections store in the mall. Three weeks
later, she interviewed with the district manager, was
offered the job within two hours, and accepted the job
two days later. A week later, Tricia attended a two-week
training class in another city. The company seemed
great, the benefits were good, the people were helpful,
and Tricia believed the training taught her a lot. However,
once the initial training was completed, Personal
Reflections provided little additional information or
support for their store directors.
Setup of the Store Most Personal Reflections stores in
the district had one store director and two assistant directors.
However, this district manager had hired a third
assistant director in one of her other stores, and that
store had seen marked improvements. Productivity and
efficiency had increased by 20 percent, and the turnover
for assistant store directors decreased by 33 percent.
Because it was so successful in the other store, the district
manager decided to try three assistant directors in
the Sioux City store as well.
Throughout the year, the assistant store directors
were scheduled in 9-hour shifts and on many days the
shifts overlapped by several hours. On weekends and
other busy days, the shifts for assistant store directors
were 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M., and
1:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. Even with lunch and dinner
breaks as well as scheduled meetings, there were periods
when all three assistant directors were working at the
same time. The assistant store directors shifts varied;
they did not always get the same shift time. The store
director developed the work schedule for two weeks at a
time. The store directors work schedule varied so that
she was there during each shift several times each week.
Initially, the Sioux City store had a store director,
Heather Munson, and two assistant directors, including
Tricia. The district manager was still recruiting one
more assistant director. All the other employees were
part-timers. During the fall and winter holiday season,
there were 30 or more part-time employees. During
times other than the holiday season, there were generally
10 to 12 part-timers. While Personal Reflections
considered current employees for promotion, in the
Sioux City store no part-time employee was interested
in becoming a full-time employee or being promoted. In
the Sioux City store, only four of the part-time employees
had worked at the store for two years or more.
One employee had worked in the store seven years,
while another employee had worked in the store for four
years. Two employees had been with the Sioux City
store for two years.
Personal Reflections ranked its stores based on sales.
There were four levels. Level 1 stores had the largest
sales volume; the Sioux City store was a level 3. The
corporation ran contests periodically. There were
monetary bonuses for the stores with the largest sales
volume. The sales quotas during those contests were set
so high that it was virtually impossible for the smaller
stores to meet the quota and receive the bonus. The
company believed that active competition between
stores, directors, and district managers was good.
Practically, what this meant was that only the largest
stores, their directors, and district managers achieved
the rewards. Separate contests were not held for the
smaller stores. Following is an example of a companywide
contest. During December, if a store in the district
made its weekly sales quota, then the district manager
won a trip to Florida and the store manager won a
computer. The assistant managers would receive a
monetary gift of $1,000. However, the sales quotas were
rarely ever achieved, and many districts included a
combination of store levels, so smaller stores had a hard
time keeping up with the larger volume stores.
Tricias First Three Months Tricias first day at the
Sioux City store was August 1. It was company policy
that once new assistant store directors were trained, they
were assigned to a store without the store director being
involved in the decision. Heather Munson resented
being excluded from hiring decisions. Tricia and
Munson clashed from the very beginning. Tricia felt like
she was being interrogated whenever she interacted with
Munson.
The store that Tricia was assigned to had consistently
failed to meet its sales goals. In addition, the store
542 P a r t 5 Integrating Cases
seemed cluttered and messy. The back room, which was
small, served as both break room and storeroom. Most
of the merchandise was jammed into the store area. It
was difficult for store employees to find merchandise on
the store floor, and the customers had an even more
difficult time finding what they wanted. When Tricia
tried to organize the merchandise on the floor, Munson
yelled at her for doing something Munson had not told
her to do.
Within a week, the other assistant director gave her
two-weeks notice. Once she was gone, the relationship
between Tricia and Munson became even more confrontational.
After only a month, Tricia was ready to
quit. She went home every day for a week thinking that
there was no way on earth that she could work with that
woman, Heather Munson. By September, Tricia was
ready to give her notice. Before she could quit, Munson
came to work and said she had back problems and would
be going on disability leave.
As a result, Tricia was required to act as the store
director with barely a month of experience. She was left
alone to open and close the store and make all the bank
deposits 7 days a week. Excited by the possibilities, she
took up the challenge. Within a week or two things began
to turn around and the store appeared neater and
uncluttered. At the end of September, the district manager
told Tricia that Munson would not be returning to
her position of store director at Personal Reflections.
Throughout September, the district manager was
recruiting and hiring assistant managers for the store. By
October 1, she had hired three assistant managers.
Dring the first two weeks of October, they were sent to
the training session. By the middle of October, the Sioux
City store had a complete complement of assistant store
directors??"Amy, Lori, and Tammy. Tricia was officially
offered the store director position at the end of October.
During the month of October, the three assistant store
directors and Tricia seemed to get along well together.
When the announcement was made that Tricia was
store director, the assistant store directors were excited
for Tricia. In return, Tricia was excited about having
assistant store directors to help run the store. Tricia
thought to herself, We have a team now and we can
really turn the store around. Tricia said that she could
not have imagined a better work environment. All four
seemed to share many of the same ideas and goals and
even went to dinner one night after work together.
Tricia knew the holiday season rush was coming, and it
was the busiest time of year. Since all the management
staff was relatively new, she wondered how they would
do. She knew the next months would be difficult.
The three assistant store directors had varying experiences.
Lori had only a high school degree. However,
she had prior experience in retail and had even been an
assistant manager in a retail store. Amy had an
associates degree and had been an assistant manager
before. Amy was from Sioux City, had never left her
hometown, and did not plan to in the future. Tammy
had a degree in social work and had a great deal of life
experience. When she was in social work, she had even
been in a supervisory position. She liked things to be
very structured and did not like tasks that required
creativity. All three were very interested in careers in
retail. All three were highly motivated as it related to
store goals and doing the best work they could, while
Lori and Tammy were also competitive with each other.
Getting Ready for the Holiday Rush As November
began, Tricia made judgments about the capabilities of
the three new assistant store directors, Lori, Amy, and
Tammy. Lori clearly had the highest motivation and
drive for success. She wanted to achieve everything she
could for herself. Tricia quickly made Lori her righthand
person and consulted her whenever there were
problems. Lori found it easy to do all the paperwork
and nevermade errors. Amy was themost amicable and
perhaps the easiest of all to get along with. She did not
have much self-confidence and was not at all assertive.
She wanted everything to run smoothly and wanted
everyone to like her. Amy rarely had any problems
with the paperwork and the job responsibilities.
Tammy was older than Lori and Amy and more resistant
to learning and trying new things. Tammy was
struggling with learning to do the forms and getting
along in a new environment. Just before working at
Personal Reflections, she had worked for six years in a
different national retail chain where she had had little
authority. As Tricia watched Tammy, she realized that
Tammy made frequent mathematical errors on the
paperwork she had to complete as part of her position,
and sometimes the paperwork was not completed on
time. Tammy did not seem to understand the importance
of completing the forms efficiently or accurately.
She did not understand that errors could mean the
store could run out of popular merchandise and thus
lose sales. Tricia tried to explain this to Tammy, who
said she understood but still made errors on the
paperwork.
The district manager made it clear that the individual
pay structure at Personal Reflections was strictly
confidential. Even Tricia as the store director did not
know the salaries of the assistant store directors. However,
they all felt that they had a good idea about what
the others were making, based on comments each of
them had made. In a conversation the second week of
November, Tammy told Tricia what she was making
and that it was more than either Lori or Amy. Tammy,
Lori, and Amy had all told each other what they were
earning. Tammy was earning $2,000 more than Lori
and $4,000 more than Amy. Tricia realized that she
Integrating Cases 543
herself made only $2,000 more per year than Tammy.
She didnt feel that it was fair??"after all, she was in
charge of the store and was responsible for the bank
deposits and stock orders. In addition, Tricia felt that
Tammy was the weakest of the three assistant store
directors.
Tricias strategy as store director was to create an
atmosphere where they were all equals. Tricia always
valued their input and comments and used them whenever
possible. She set challenging goals for Lori, laughed
with Amy, and held Tammys hand. Tricia believed she
had established a congenial work environment while
actively working to change the image of the store. She
met daily with each assistant store director and weekly
with all three. She solicited ideas about how to improve
the performance of the store. There were no evident
interpersonal conflicts between any of the employees.
Tricia valued the assistant store directors input.
Tricia offered an example. At the beginning, there was
a problem with the props for the window display. We
were having difficulty fitting it into smaller window
space and were at a loss. Lori and I had put the unit
together, and we were very proud of ourselves. Tammy
brought it to our attention that it wasnt going to fit, and
Amy noticed that the cord would not reach the outlet.
In complete shock, Lori and Tricia did not want to see
their hard work go to waste. Tricia stepped back and
wondered how they were going to work together to
solve this issue. Lori was getting very defensive about
Tammys view of the project and time was running out.
So Tricia said, Tammy, Lori??"lets improvise. You two
work together to cut-and-paste the display so that it fits
in the area. Amy, lets find an extension cord and an
alternate route to the plug end. By the end of the night,
they had worked together to accomplish the task.
Tricias Leadership and Goals Before Tricia became
store director, the Sioux City store was messy and disorganized.
The store floor was cluttered and the back
room was a maze. There was no room to receive shipments.
With a back room the size of a large walk-in
closet and a loft above the bathroom, no one could ever
locate what they needed. Tricia had again involved the
assistant store directors in the process.
The store had a problem with running neatly. The
back room was not organized at all and no one cared. I
had condensed and straightened the back room so that
everyone could see what we had. However, the problem
was not organizing it, but keeping it that way. Therefore,
I assigned each assistant manager to a section of the
back room. Each was to label the products, put like items
together, and maintain her area. I even had bins brought
in to better organize the areas for the back room. Tricia
would inspect the back room weekly and determine
what needed to be addressed and who was accomplishing
this task. By the end, everyone knew each
others section and maintenance was no longer an issue.
Tricia also knew the organizing plan had been successful
because of the feedback from the part-time employees.
The appearance of the sales floor and the back room
amazed the four employees who had been at the store
the longest. Tricia gained confidence in her abilities.
She was proud of the success the store was attaining.
Tricia began running daily contests for things such
as highest sales for the day, most creative product display,
and most helpful associate. Only the part-time
employees were eligible for the contests. She involved
the assistant store directors in developing and administering
the contests. Tricia and her team developed a
Fishbowl contest, which was whenever any of the parttime
sales associates did a certain type of demonstration
on a customer, they were allowed to draw a fish on the
poster shaped like a fishbowl. Whoever had the most
fish in the bowl at the end of the day receivd some sort
of small prize such as a free pretzel from the local pretzel
store or a trial size of the stores product to take home.
Another type of contest was called the Zone. The store
was zoned into five sections, where part-timers were
variously assigned. Whenever a part-timer approached a
customer and demonstrated a product on her, and the
customer bought a product within that zone, the employees
name was written down and put into a hat. At
the end of the day, a member of management would
draw a name and a small prize would be awarded.
Tricia also was allowed to have special employee
parties. She could open the store early and the employees
could shop at ease. At these events, we would
always award door prizes, give special discounts, and
sometimes have snacks and beverages for the associates
to enjoy. One time right before the holidays, we opened
at 7:00 A.M. for our employees and had a morning buffet.
We bought donuts, bagels, fruit, and beverages for this
event, and all employees were given an additional 15
percent off their regular discount.
While enjoying the challenge, Tricia wanted to go
back to college. She commented to her district manager
that she was interested in going back to get her
MBA. Immediately before Thanksgiving, Tricia had a
management meeting to talk about the upcoming
holiday season in the store. At the end of the meeting,
Tricia told the assistant store directors that she was
thinking of going back to school in January but had not
made her decision yet. She was surprised that they
seemed sad and disgruntled by her statement. Amy and
Tammy both said that they did not want Tricia to leave.
Lori said that if she were Tricia, she would not make
the decision to leave, but that Tricia should do what
was best for her.
Once the three knew what Tricia was considering,
the collegial team atmosphere disappeared. Lori started
544 P a r t 5 Integrating Cases
ordering Tammy around and Tammy was ready to quit.
Tricia met with each of them about the problem and
told them to work it out between the two of them. Soon
after, they appeared to be getting along better than
before. When Tammy became upset about the benefits
program, Tricia directed her to call the companys
benefits coordinator.
These events occurred as they entered the holiday
season, which was the busiest time of the year. The average
non-holiday volume of shipments received was
from 50 to 100 boxes over six days. During the holiday
season, the store received 100 to 150 boxes over six days.
The stores sales increased from approximately $20,000
a week to $60,000 a week. The week before the holiday,
the stores sales were $130,000!
After the Announcement During the first weekly
meeting in December, the tone of the meeting changed.
Before the meeting, Lori and Amy had met to decide
what to say. They chose to tell Tricia about all the things
they did not like about her work. One example was that
she would not always take lunch and would then leave
early. Tricia reasoned that, as a salaried employee, she
was not required to take a lunch so when she put in her
hours, she could leave. In addition, if she had to work
late one day to cover for employees, then the next day
she would leave early. Tricia knew she was one level
above them in the hierarchy and therefore had more
privileges. The assistant store directors did not think
that was fair. Tricias frequent statements about all of
them being equals encouraged the women to feel justified
in watching Tricias activities and recording
whenever she did things differently than they did.
Tricias feelings were hurt and she reacted defensively.
She said, I would never have watched my boss
and confronted her about her quitting times, and, since I
am your boss, you dont supervise me??"I supervise you.
Tricia reminded the three women of the hierarchical
system at Personal Reflections. She reminded them that
directions flowed downward, not upward. By the time
the meeting ended, everyone left with feelings of animosity
and resentment.
Two days after the meeting, Tricia found out that
Tammy had gone over Tricias head and contacted the
district manager about the store director position. This
particularly upset Tricia because she had been very
sensitive to Tammys needs and protective of her in the
work environment. Tricia admitted to herself that she
was furious. Amy had told Tricia of Tammys actions,
and also that Lori and Tammy were already plotting to
get Tricias position since she was considering leaving.
Amy also told her that Tammy asked for Amys help in
getting the store director position whether or not Tricia
left in January. Amy said she refused because she would
not betray Tricia.
Throughout November and December, the district
manager was silent. She did not interact with Tricia at
all. However, she did not encourage Lori and Tammy to
talk directly to her. She spoke with Tammy, who had
called her complaining about Tricia. Tammy also lobbied
for the district manager to give her the store director
position when Tricia left. The district manager
never personally notified Tricia of the conversation.
Nor did the district manager come to the store or try to
help the individuals resolve their differences.
Each of the assistant store directors reacted differently
to Tricia after she told them of her thoughts about
returning to school. Lori and Tricia went from allies to
enemies. In one instance, Tricia had spent two days
developing the work schedule. It took two days because
of the 25 temporary, part-time employees hired for the
holiday season as well as the company forms that needed
to be completed to ensure optimum coverage. The
company forms frequently necessitated revisions to the
work schedule. The day after completing the schedule,
Tricia had a day off. Lori rewrote part of the schedule
because a part-timer wanted a change in her schedule.
Lori made the change and never told Tricia. The next
day Tricia did not recheck the schedule because it was
completed. On the day in question, they were one
employee short. The employee was scheduled to be a
front greeter, which was a very important position.
Tricia questioned all the assistant managers and finally
Lori admitted to changing it. Tricia reprimanded Lori
and explained to her that other forms were consulted
before changes to the schedule could be done and she
needed to be kept informed. Animosity between the two
heightened.
By this time, Tricia was no longer trying to interact
with Lori and Tammy except for necessary work issues.
She became authoritative in all her dealings with the
two. However, she gave Amy additional responsibilities
and, in effect, trained Amy to be store director. Tricia
even went to the extreme of ensuring that her shift in the
store overlapped with Loris as little as possible. Lori
spoke to Tricia only when absolutely necessary. Generally,
Lori completely ignored Tricia and acted as if she
were not even present.
At home, Tricia started asking herself questions.
What had happened to the team? Where do I go from
here? How do I get things back on track at the store?
What do I do about all this conflict? I dont want to leave
the store with things in such a mess. I want to resolve the
conflict.

Please answer these Questions:

1. Using organizational behavior modification, discuss how to change Tammy's behavior concerning paperwork.

2. Using equity theory, discuss the equity comparisons made by Tricia, Lori, and Tammy.

3. How does Tricia's attitude toward the situation, her coworkers, and herself influence her motivation? Use expectancy theory to determine what relationship would be most affected(effort-to-performance, performance-to-outcome, or reward valence).

4. Using the 5 different styles of reacting to conflicting (avoiding, forcing, accommodating, collaborating and compromising) analyze the behavior of Tricia, Lori, Tammy, and Amy.

5. Discuss if any team dysfunction was evident in this case.

assignment: interviewing a family member around family issues
There are many articles in the popular press and in professional journals (as well as whole books) devoted to what happens within families when there is a family member with a disability. The assignment is to find and read at least three articles/books (or chapters from a book) and state the references for whatever is read. Then, using what the read material including the following material, please interview an adult member of a family in which there's a son/daughter (any age) with a disability.
This interview should relate to the Southern Massachusetts area if possible.***
The interview should address the following questions, and you are welcome to ask additional questions that may interest:
1. What, if anything, makes your family (with a member with a disability) different from other families?
2. What is the most significant challenge faced by your family/you?
3. How have you tried to cope with this challenge?
4. What's the greatest joy/success you've experienced around your family member with a disability?
The interview should include the questions asked, the responses, and the referenced citations. Feel free to disguise the family in whatever way you feel will best protect their confidentiality. Conclude by including a summary of what was learned about families from the interview.
The following is additional and critical info to be related and integrated into the assignment:
family dynamics, loss, resilience and integration
I've organized below some points to guide you in your thinking about the issues families with children with disabilities face. They're intended to highlight some of the special concerns that such families have and to indicate some general ways that families cope.
? The presence of a chilld with a disability creates special challenges for the family, both practically and emotionally.
? The child?s development and his/her success in participating effectively in day-to-day life are directly related to the ability of the child?s environment to adapt to his/her special needs.
? At the center of the child?s world is the family. We need to understand the dynamics of the relationship between the child and the family to help the family cope in a flexible, adaptive way.
? The family is an interactive unit and what affects one member affects all members. The physical, social and emotional functioning of family members is interdependent, where changes in one part of the system are reflected and echoed in other parts of the system.
? There are not always interventions or treatments that "cure" the child?s disability. Helping the family to understand this, as well as helping famiy members and the child to find interventions to maximize the child?s development and growth, is an important goal.
Important Points
? Different families respond to the presence of a child with a disability in different ways ? the severity of the child?s disability may not predict how families react or cope. Many families often report positive benefits to having a child with special needs in their lives; it is not necessarily a terrible tragedy.
? It is important to understand what each individual family is experiencing and not rely on generalizations. Most families want what is best for their child and most families strive to adapt and cope.
? Learning that a child has a disability constitutes a crisis and a loss for the family; the loss of the hoped for/dreamed of child. Feelings of guilt, anger, sorrow and shame can often arise. Families grieve this loss, and it is a normal process as they adapt to the presence of a child with a disability in their lives.
? The concept of resilience is an important one and is less pathologizing than older notions of the "chronic sorrow" that was thought to be a perpetual emotional state for such families. Resilience refers to "the ability to recover from adversity and adapt to change and to demonstrate competence in the face of a known risk." (Patterson, 1991).
Factors that Affect Families with a Child with special needs
? Child?s Language/Cognitive Delays ? developmental and communication delays create difficulties for reciprocal communication between parent and child and difficulty knowing what the child needs or wants.
? Behavior Problems ? can often be a result of the child?s frustration and/or communication problems. Behavioral problems can be exhausting for families to manage and at times embarrassing if they occur in public.
? Lack of Play Skills ? children learn through play. If they are not playing they are likely not exploring their world or learning as would be expected. Play is important for development. They may not amuse themselves well and may require extra supervision and input which can be draining for parents and siblings.
? Social Deficits ? the inability to interact and develop peer relationships - often leads to isolation. It can be painful for parents to see their children remain lonely and without friends. Making and keeping relationships is a very difficult set of skills to teach, which makes it hard for parents to know how to help their child.
? Lack of Emotional Attachment ? some children may not bond with parents. There may be a sense of "connectiveness" missing. This can be painful, as bonding with the child is a primal, human need. Parents may feel they cannot bond in return, which can cause feelings of anger, guilt and sadness.
? Complicated Medical Problems ? some children with special needs have complicated medical problems which require care at home. Parents often administer treatments which can be painful for the child. Some have in-home assistance (from a Personal Care Assistant, for example) which means family privacy may be intruded upon on a regular basis.
? Poor Self-Help Skills ? children with special needs can have feeding and/or motor problems and/or cognitive problems which prevent them from being independent with daily tasks such as toileting, dressing and bathing. Families often need to help children with these tasks which can be time-consuming, expensive (e.g. diapers for older children) and physically challenging.
? Poor Sleeping Habits ? some children with special needs have sleep disorders. They may not sleep through the night, they may sleep at odd hours of the day or they may sleep very little. This can be exhausting for parents who may be up with their child until the wee hours of the morning. Parental and familial fatigue can be a significant problem.
Ongoing Questions/Concerns that Families Have
? Dealing with a child with a disability/special needs is a life-long process. Families have new questions and concerns that arise as they and their child pass through different developmental stages. Concerns around what to tell family members and friends about the child, what to tell strangers, and whether to have more children often arise in earlier phases of receiving and adapting to a diagnosis. As the child grows, parents often have concerns about educational programming, socialization/peer relationships, continued dependency, sexuality, vocational training, financial planning and what will happen to the child after the parents die.
? Professionals can be helpful in understanding that old sorrows and concerns can resurface s the child faces new developmental challenges or life stages. A listening ear, concern, advice and information about resources can go a long way to supporting a family as they face life with their child. If you'd like to read about stories from parents of children with disabilities, the Web is a good source. One place to start is a Web site called the Asperger's Connection, where there are very short "courses" that address different elements of Asperger's syndrome; one of them addresses parenting.

loss, resilience and generalization
Families that have the greatest success in adapting to the changes that a child with disability brings are those that develop resilience, the ability to cope, adapt and accept whatever situations they must face around the child and the disability. Here are some characteristics of resilient families, as well as some suggested strategies to assist them in developing resilience. You may notice some evidence of some of these as you spend time with a person with a disability over the semester. I've included the strategies not because I expect that you will be in positions to promote family resilience, but rather so that you'll see how providing particular kinds of support can make a significant difference in the way families handle being families. This is taken from Joan Patterson's article, Family Resilience to the Challenge of a Child's Disability, published in the journal Pediatric Annals, 20:9, September 1991.
Nine Aspects of Resilient Families
Resilient families are those who have been able to cope and adapt to the presence of a child with a disability and who demonstrate abilities in certain areas. We can help families become more resilient by supporting and encouraging them in these areas.
1. Balancing the Disability with Other Family Needs ? the child with the disability as well as other family members (parents and siblings) get their needs met. In families that are less resilient, the entire world revolves around the disabled child and others? needs are minimized or dismissed in favor of the disabled child.
2. Maintaining Clear Family Boundaries ? resilient families maintain a sense of who is in charge, i.e. the parents are the parents and the children are the children. Parents are in control and set limits. Other caregivers (e.g. home nursing, physicians) are part of the family?s network but do not become an inappropriate member of the family.
3. Communicative Competence ? family members are able to tell people what they need in a way that gets their needs met in a non-confrontative, easy manner. They are able to let caregivers know what they need and are able to communicate dissatisfaction in an appropriate, constructive manner.
4. Attribute Positive Meanings to the Situation ? having a child with a disability can challenge a family?s belief in a just world. Resilient families often report finding new meaning in life or personal growth due to the presence of their disabled child.
5. Maintaining Family Flexibility ? resilient families are able to adapt to challenges and respond flexibly to new demands and requirements for the child or other family members. While structure is important for healthy family functioning, rigidity is not. Resilient families maintain family structure but do so without rigid adherence to ?rules? or schedules that no longer work effectively.
6. Maintaining Commitment to the Family Unit ? resilient families maintain a commitment to family cohesion and strive to keep the family together as a unit. The identity as a family is important and the child with the disability as well as siblings and parents are all considered to be important, valued members of the family unit.
7. Engaging in Active Coping Efforts ? the family strives to cope; concerted efforts to grow and adapt are made. The family members continue to find ways to manage their situation. Behavior that reflects feelings of helplessness or futility are not seen.
8. Maintaining Social Integration ? the family continues to be part of its own larger family system, is engaged with a network of other families (who may or may not have disabled
children ) and are part of the community as a whole. The resilient family does not isolate itself from the world.
9. Developing Collaborative Relationships with Professionals ? the resilient family sees professionals as partners in the child?s care. Professionals are not seen as saviors or as enemies; their expectations are appropriate and realistic. The family and professional works together to help the child.
Questions to think about regarding families and individuals with disabilities - relationships within the family
Children with disabilities have an impact on their families, and likewise the family is central to the child?s development and adaptation to the world. There are special considerations that one needs to take into account when thinking about families and children (of whatever age) with disabilities/special needs, as well as for individuals with disabilities. All of us, whether we have a disability or not, are profoundly affected by our families; our identity as individuals and our ability to relate in the world are greatly shaped and influenced by the families we grow up in.
The family is the central unit in our society and is responsible for providing for the economic, educational, social, recreational, health and emotional well-being of its members. The extent to which the family is able to accomplish these goals is dependent upon its psychological, social and economic resources and its ability to help the individual with a disability achieve independence, as much as is possible or is realistic.
It should be noted that in this society, particularly that of the white anglo-saxon culture, there is a premium placed on independence and autonomy; this is not necessarily the case in other cultures and countries. In some societies, however, the goals of achieving independence and autonomy are considered primary, and an individual?s and family?s success is often measured against this standard. For a person with a disability whose capacity or ability to live and work independently may be influenced by his/her disabiity, these values may be difficult to achieve and may be goals that the family struggles to attain.
In talking with an individual with a disability and in trying to understand his/her experiences as a member of a family, the following questions may be helpful.
1. To what extent did the person feel he/she was an integral part of the family? Did he/she feel included or excluded from family life? Did the individual feel "on par"? Did he/she share equal status with other family members?
2. To what extent did the family encourage or discourage the individual?s participation in school, social and community life? Was the individual encouraged or discouraged from being a part of activities outside the family?
3. What did the family teach the individual about failure? When the individual experienced any kind of failure or disappointment, how was it dealt with? Did the individual feel it was responded to with empathy, indifference, anger, or some other emotion? Was he/she encouraged to take on other challenges and see failure as a learning opportunity, or was he/she encouraged to avoid and shrink from new challenges? Likewise, how did the family encourage success? Were the individual?s experiences of success noticed and valued?
4. In his/her family of origin, did the person feel he/she was treated as an individual or were his/her disabilities seen as primary? Was he/she encouraged to develop interests and/or strengths, or was the focus on remediating areas of weakness?
5. How did the individual?s family exhibit the nine aspects of family?s resilience as discussed in the previous lecture? How did the family?s success or difficulties with achieving resilience affect the person with a disability?

learning about the family of the person you're spending time with
As you spend time with someone with a disability, you will be talking (I hope) about various aspects of each of your lives. It would be useful if you could find some time to talk about each other's families. Your goal here is not intrusion; it is to see if the person's family was supportive, over protective, treated him/her like a regular member of the family or set him/her apart from everyone else. You might also find it interesting to compare your own family history with that of this person. Some topics that may help you to learn about this include:
? chores: did everyone in the family share chores
? dreams and goals: was the person encouraged to follow his/her own interests and vision for the future
? relationships with brothers and sisters
? school life
I do not expect this to be a formal interview. However, please indicate whatever info is learned about the person's relationships within the family within the information as part of the paper.

Prepare a paper (800 words) discussing the case and incorporating answers to the questions below. It is important to address each of the questions presented. Please use APA format. The paper must contain at least five references, which may include your course text book, internet sources, books and professional journals or other appropriate resources.
Read the closing case ?Avon Calls on Foreign Markets? at the end of Chapter 16 in your course textbook. Incorporate into your analysis responses to the following questions.
1. Your reading assignment for this unit describes different marketing orientations. Discuss the applicability of each to Avon?s global operations.
2. Why is Avon so much more dependent on its foreign operations than on its home (U.S.) operations?
3. Discuss the socioeconomic and demographic changes that could affect Avon.
4. How might a global recession, such as the one that began in 2008, impact Avon?s operations?
5. What are the major competitive advantages that Avon has? How easily might other companies duplicate these advantages?
6. Avon does not sell within the United States in retail establishments (with the exceptions of kiosks handled by some of its reps). What are the pros and cons of distributing that way?
7. If you were advising Avon on the selection of new suppliers, what would be your major concerns as you evaluate firms that are potential suppliers? What criteria should the company use to make decisions on where to manufacture their products?
8. Identify the challenges Avon faces in both maintaining and expanding its global manufacturing and supply chain network given the dynamics of today?s competitive environment.

Textbook Reference:
Daniels, J., Radebaugh, L., & Sullivan, D. (2011). International business, environment & operations (13th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Case: Avon Calls on Foreign Markets

Avon, founded in 1886, is one of the world?s oldest and largest manufactures and marketers of beauty and related products. Many are most familiar with Avon through its long-standing ad, ?Ding dong, Avon calling,? but the company has recently switched to ?Hello Tomorrow? to change its image and better reflect the company?s new marketing approaches.

Where Opportunity Currently Knocks

Avon is headquartered in the United States, but over three-quarters of its sales and employees are outside its North American division. It seems to be selling everywhere-moisturizer to Inuits above the Arctic Circle and makeup delivered by canoe to residents of Brazil?s Amazon region. It has its owns sales operations in 66 countries and territories, and it distributes to another 44. Altogether, there are about 5.8 million independent representatives selling Avon products. However, Avon was 28 years old (an adult by human standards) before it ever ventured abroad, and then only to nearby Canada. Forty years later, a geriatric in human terms, it moved into its second foreign market, Venezulea.

Why Avon Went Global

So why has Avon put so much emphasis on international expansion in recent years? First, Avon forecast a slow growth potential in the U.S. market, because there is virtually no remaining untapped market for cosmetics, fragrances, and toiletries. To grow rapidly in the United States would mean taking sells from competitors, and the U.S. beauty market is very competitive. If you doubt this, just try weaving through a large U.S. department store without being accosted and sprayed on.

Avon has preferred to put emphasis on less-competitive markets, and its largest annual report even states that it expects U.S. ?growth to be in line with that of the overall beauty market?-which means its domestic sales will depend primarily on the population growth of women in the cosmetic-using age group. Even if there were a considerable untapped U.S. market, less than 5 percent of the world?s population lives in the United States.

Second, you need to understand Avon?s distribution system to appreciate why Avon worried about U.S. sales in the latter part of the twentieth century. Avon has always depended on direct selling by contracted independent salespersons (almost always women working part time and known as ?Avon ladies? or ?Avon representatives?), who sell to households by demonstrating products and giving beauty advice. These reps place sale orders with Avon and deliver orders to the customers once they receive them.

Historically, these direct sales have been the backbone of Avon?s success. To begin with, direct selling offers Avon a cost-saving advantage by enabling the company to maintain a smaller number of employees, keep its advertising budget low (the Avon ladies do much of the promotion), and avoid having to pay for shelf space in stores. The lower cost have facilitated Avon?s maintenance of generally lower prices than those that competitors change in department stores. Thus Avon has consistently maintained an image of good value for the money.

Direct selling also offers additional marketing advantages, because word-of-mouth customers tend to be quite loyal to the Avon ladies they befriend. However, in the late twentieth century, the outlook for U.S. direct sales of any kind of product looked bleak. Droves of U.S. women were entering the workforce full time, which made them less receptive to door-to-door salespersons and less willing to spend time on makeup demonstrations and the arrangements for a later receipt of their purchases. Because of working full time, the pool of women seeking part-time employment also seemed to be drying up.

Meanwhile, Back in the Home Market

In an effort to combat the problem of house-to-house sales, Avon has allowed reps to open retail outlets, which are usually small kiosks in shopping malls. Further, Avon Ladies have pretty much given up their old ?ding dong? routines by selling instead to friends and family, to colleagues at work, and through ads on their own Web sites. In the meantime, the prediction that the pool of part time job seekers would dry up proved wrong. Between 1996 and 2007, the number of direct sellers in the United States for all companies increased from 8.5 million to 15 million, and sales value has increased proportionately. The global recession has since increased the availability of people to sell independently.

When the U.S. outlook looked gloomy, the outlook in foreign markets looked bright. For example, the lack of developed infrastructure in the rural areas of such countries as Brazil and the Philippines deters women from leaving their homes to shop for cosmetics. But in these countries, Avon ladies reach consumers in some of the most remote areas, because there are ample numbers of potential Avon ladies. For instance, Avon has 80,000 representatives in Brazil alone. In transitional economies, Avon?s market entry coincided with pent-up demand from the period of centrally planned economic policies. In rapid-growth economies, such as Chile and Malaysia, Avon taps a growing middle-class market that can afford its products.

The International Strategy

Global Products

As Avon moved internationally, it pretty much allowed its country managers to decide what products would sell in their markets. Either Avon?s R&D unit in the United States or a local R&D unit would then develop them. These were largely produced within the country selling them and included such products as a combination skin cream ( moisturizer, sunscreen, and insect repellent) in Brazil, skin-lightening creams in parts of Asia, long lasting citrus fragrances in Mediterranean countries, technology-driven skin products in Japan, health and wellness products in Argentina, and bigger bottles of personal-care products in Spain.

Once products are developed, Avon disseminates the information to its facilities elsewhere. For example, Avon-Japan developed emulsion technologies to produce lotions and creams with lighter textures and higher hydration levels, and many Avon operations in other countries now use the process.

Some Pitfalls of Product Proliferation

On the one hand, this decentralization to fit the wants of local consumers has undoubtedly given consumers the products they want. On the other hand, it has come with costs. To begin with, the resultant product proliferation has increased manufacturing cost, which threatens Avon?s strategy of maintain a god profit margin while simultaneously offering customers a good value for their money. Next, Avon has depended primarily on its catalogs to promote its products. For instance, it distributes catalogs every two weeks in the United States and every four weeks abroad. Its circulation dwarfs that of any other commercial publication. However, as it product line grew-13,000 products for the Mexican market alone-the catalogs became too bulky, and the Avon ladies could not possibly know enough about the line to sell effectively. In 2006, Avon cut its product line by 25 percent, and it plans to cut the line even more. It is also moving toward more large-scale centralized production to save on manufacturing costs.

Although Avon is paring its product line, this does not imply a cutback in new products, which are important in the industry. In fact, Avon has signed exclusive agreements with several universities worldwide (such as Australia, China, Japan, and Thailand) to help develop new products. For example, Asia has long been a leader in herbal and therapeutic treatments. Avon?s venture with Ciang Mai University in Thailand has produced one of Avon?s latest products using this Asian expertise, Anew Alternative, which is purported to diminish fine lines and wrinkles.

Global Branding

Avon now emphasizes global brands that include Anew, Rare Gold, becoming, and Far Away fragrances, Through standardized branding, Avon creates a uniform global quality image while saving cost by using uniform ingredients and packaging. Global branding also helps inform consumers that the company is international. This helps sales in countries such as Thailand, where consumers prefer to buy beauty products made by foreign companies.

Although Avon prominently displays its name on most of its products worldwide, some of its brand names differ among countries. For instance, when Avon has made foreign acquisitions, it has sometimes kept the successful brand name and goodwill it has acquired. For example, when Avon acquired Justine in South Africa, it kept the Justine name. The company prints instructions in local languages but may or may not pull the brand names in that language. It sometimes uses English or French brand names, because consumers consider the United States and France high-quality suppliers for beauty products. For example, Avon sells skin-care products called Rosa Mosqueta (in Spanish), Revival (in English), and Renaissage (in French) in Chile, Argentina, and Japan, respectively. In each case, the Avon logo appears prominently on the products? containers as well.

Global Pricing

Each country operation sets it own prices to reflect local market conditions and strategic objectives. However, at times the price difference between neighboring countries has created demand for contraband shipments from the country with lower prices-such as has recently occurred between Colombia and Venezuela. The prices are subject to change for each sales campaign. Avon runs a new campaign with different special offers every two weeks in the United States and every four weeks abroad. The shortness of campaigns is helpful for adjusting prices in highly inflationary economies. Avon also has capture more upmarket sales while maintain the existing clientele. For instance, it has contracted with Christian Lacroix to develop fragrances that will sell at a higher price than Avon?s traditional ones.

Global Promotion

Although Avon?s promotion is primarily through its brochures and catalogs, it also advertises. It uses such media as broadcasts and billboards and has four primary objectives:
? To sell newly launched products
? To accelerate sales in some of its fastest-growing markets, such as Russia
? To recruit reps in places like China
? To use a campaign called ?Hello Tomorrow? to change the public perception of its products as unfashionable and outdated to stylish and modern

?Hello Tomorrow?
This campaign is Avon?s first global ad campaign aimed at the image of its overarching Avon brand. Its prior global campaigns aimed at selling specific products. Despite the global campaign, some of Avon?s ads vary by country. For instance, it sponsors a British TV drama about footballers? wives and one in Russia that includes a character who sells Avon products. Avon is also using celebrities to help sell its products. The Mexican film star Salma Hayek is the face of Avon. Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson is the spokesperson for Imari fragrance. Baseball player Derek Jeter (yes, Avon does have some products for men too) has his name on a collection of skin-care products.

Meeting the Needs of Women Worldwide
Perhaps Avon?s most important campaign is to develop a global image as company that supports women and their needs, a campaign that has generated favorable publicity in media reports. Building on this theme, Avon cohosted a Global Summit for a Better Tomorrow at the United Nations during International Women?s Day, and it gives annual Women of Enterprise Awards to leading women entrepreneurs. It also publicizes how being an Avon lady heightens the role of women, which has been particularly successful at attracting new reps in developing countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines. Undoubtedly, Avon?s biggest social-responsibility projects are its work internationally in fighting breast cancer and domestic violence. Avon ladies disseminate information about breast cancer along with their promotion brochures and sell items to raise money for local needs. Avon is the largest corporate donor to breast cancer research. The fight against domestic violence is a newer Avon program. It is working through local organizations to prevent violence through education and to treat women who have been victims.

Global Distribution
Avon basically duplicates its distribution method in foreign countries, which means that it sells to independent representatives who have taken orders from customers they have either communicated with or visited. However, there are some variations. We have already discussed some of the changes in the United States. In Japan, there is a substantial mail-order business. In Argentina, Avon has beauty centers.
Probably the biggest deviation from direct selling occurred in China, the only single country division in Avon?s global network. In response to a 1998 Chinese law prohibiting house-to-house sales, Avon quickly opened about 6,000 beauty boutiques, lined up 9,000 independent stores to carry Avon, and opened 1,000 beauty counters. Thus Avon made its products available in virtually every corner of the country. In 2005, the Chinese government loosened its house-to-house sales regulations but with many restrictions, such as capping the commission for salespeople and preventing them from recruiting others to work on a shared-commission plan.
Avon seeks to transfer successful practices in one country to other countries. To encourage the transfer of know-how, Avon brings Marketing personnel from different countries together to share what it calls ?best practices,? and it passes on information from country to country. It also promotes competition among countries, such as awards for country-level initiatives to improve sales, quality, and efficiency.
Looking toward the Future
Avon has several challenges for the future. Although its direct-sales method has been important in Avon?s success, there are drawbacks for it. For one, customers cannot obtain a product whenever they want it. For another, reps report many returns because customers cannot always discern exact colors from catalogs. For another it may be difficult for Avon to capture clientele in a higher-price category while maintain the value-for-money clientele.
Avon anticipates that international operations will account for the bulk of its growth in the foreseeable future. Its products are still not available to a large portion of the world?s women. It is already operating in all four BRIC countries, however, and is the market leader in two of them (Brazil and Russia).

Unit VI Research Paper
Promotion is one variable of the marketing mix. Sellers communicate information about their products and services in
order to influence customers attitudes and behaviors.
Select one industry from the list below, and conduct research about strategies that companies in the industry use to
promote their products or services. In your report, include communication channels the companies use. What are their
promotion objectives? How and why are the promotion strategies of the companies effective or not effective? Compare
and contrast promotion strategies between a couple companies in the industry.
Please select one of the industries listed below, and search for information about the promotion strategies of a couple
companies in the industry.
?Soft drink
?Fast food
?Snack
?Hotel
?Restaurant chain
?Cell phone
?Computer tablet
?Banking
?Insurance
?Automobile
?Airline
?Entertainment
?Magazine
?Hair products
?Cosmetics
?Personal care products
?Dental care products
?Medicine
?Department store
The Research Paper you submit must meet the following requirements:
?Tell briefly about the industry and companies in the industry
?Be at least two pages in length.
?Identify the main topic/question related to Chapter 13
?Use APA style for citing paraphrased and quoted material
Format your paper using

Principles of Marketing

Read the attached article that appeared in the New York Times, in March 2007, and address the following:

1. Analyze the stages in the purchase decision process as it is likely to apply for the product featured in the article. Also identify the different roles played by different people in the purchase process. Be sure to explain/justify your answer.

2. Discuss all internal and external factors that play a role in influencing a consumers decision process in this product category. Please explain/analyze the nature of these effects.

3. Identify and explain the different bases for segmentation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the article. . .



?

Fashion & Style
Skin Deep
Wipe on, Wipe Off: March of the Towelettes

There is a potion-infused wipe or towelette for nearly every body part and task ??" facial cleansing, nail polish removers, deodorants, self-tanners, sunscreens and replacements for a post-workout shower. Various brands are scrambling to satisfy consumer demand.
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
Published: August 17, 2011
WANT to simplify your beauty routine? Wish you could zoom through airport security without a Ziploc bag of little bottles?
Clockwise: products from Dr. Dennis Gross, Neutrogena, Nathan and LOral.
Perhaps its time to revisit the wipe. No, not the moist, lemony towelette you use to degrease your fingers after gnawing on hot wings. Thats the old wipe. The new wipe is bigger, softer and engineered to do the work of nearly any bottled beauty product.
These upscale wipes are infused with sunscreen, self-tanner, hair serum, deodorant. They remove nail polish, dirt, maybe even wrinkles. And they are becoming ubiquitous as brands scramble to satisfy consumer demand.
A year ago they werent as mainstream and available for multiple purposes, said Tracy Ogden, a spokeswoman for Amazon.coms Health and Personal Care, and Beauty divisions, where a search for beauty wipes turns up about 800 results. Now customers can buy wipes for anything.
Are these towelettes a minimalists dream, or expensive Wet Naps? Your intrepid reporter tested an all-wipe beauty routine to find out.
Given the season, I had to try sunscreen. Keeping a few wipes in my tote bag might prevent burns during alfresco brunches and impromptu strolls. And packing for vacations would be much simpler: no more playing chemist in the bathroom, siphoning lotion into teeny travel bottles that inevitably begin leaking somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.
This is a game changer, my brother declared from a beach chair as he rubbed an arm with a Doctor Ts Supergoop! SPF 30+ Sunscreen Swipe. Goodbye, messy lotions that turn his olive skin Kabuki white. I liked Dr. Dennis Gross Skincares Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 towelettes because they felt damper. After all, another advantage that sunscreen wipes have over lotion is that theyre refreshing. One member of our sunbathing party even used a Shady Wipes Daily Sun Protection wipe with SPF 30 to whisk away sweat as we departed the beach. (The brand makes after-sun wipes, but they emit an earthy scent youd expect to emanate from a Catskills hillside, not your body.)
If you prefer, you can get your tan from a wipe instead of the sun. But first, some advice on use: I found that unfolding the wipe, slowly dragging it up your leg (think paint the fence from The Karate Kid) and then going over it again in a circular motion (wax on, wax off) works best. Also: squeeze a dollop of body lotion on your hands first to prevent tanning your fingertips. The best brand will depend on your skin color. Im fair, and Sonia Kashuks Sunless Tan Body towelettes in golden for Target gave my legs a pretty glow without turning them the color of Tang. There are four wipes in a pack (for $9.99), and I used one for each leg. (That adds up, Ms. Kashuk: please put more in the box.) LOreals Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Towelettes for Body in medium dried darker. Being pale, I anticipated a catanstrophe. Yet after a shower the color was lovely: slightly browner than the Kashuk and, at $7.99 for six wipes at Drugstore.com and Amazon, cheaper, too.
Facial wipes, intended to remove makeup, have also become common, offered by brands like Philosophy, MAC, the Body Shop and Ole Henriksen. Be cautious if you have sensitive skin, though. Even wipes claiming to be gentle stung my eyes. And my nose. Towelettes meant to smell of fruit often smell like candy or dessert liqueur. One night I emerged from the bathroom smelling like SweeTarts. Another night I climbed into bed smelling like a Creamsicle. A third evening, I was indistinguishable from limoncello.
Comodynes Make-Up Remover for all skin types was an exception. Made in Barcelona, it smells fresh and didnt irritate my skin. Inspired, I also tried Comodynes Easy Peeling New Face Effect wipes, to exfoliate. Never mind whether that accomplished anything. Tiny rough bumps all over the wipe felt invigorating, like a massage. The company also makes wipes to apply self-tanner. Other wipes that didnt chafe my skin include Neutrogenas Night Calming Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes and Biores Makeup Removing Towelettes (which ought to be larger).
Body wipes also tend to smell strange and can be reminiscent of the ones used on babies. Yet I was pleasantly surprised by the futuristic-sounding Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories Power Shower Refreshing Wipes. The package says the wipes are for people ??" and gym equipment. I was unenthused about cleaning myself with a product also meant for a StairMaster, but I cant argue with the results.
One Saturday, I slicked on a Ms. & Mrs. Deodorant Towelette, a refill for the brands diminutive emergency kits. Im giving the wipe a passing grade considering it was 88 degrees and no one recoiled from me. Was it as effective as a roll-on, stick or spray? No. In a pinch, though, it beats the alternative. The Ms. & Mrs. brand makes other wipes, all of which come in shiny silver packets so you wont mistake them for the no-frills wipes of yesteryear (though you might mistake them for condoms). I also tried the brands nail polish remover. A thick wipe slightly bigger than a stick of gum easily erased several coats of polish, making it ideal for tropical getaways and on-the-go touch-ups.
When shopping for wipes, check the labels if you want to avoid brands that were tested on animals or contain paraben preservatives. Also, many wipes are not biodegradable; some that are include Josie Maran and Yes to Carrots.
Wipe packs cost anywhere from $3 to $34. Whether theyre a smart buy depends on how many you use and how often (youd need scores of sunscreen wipes to protect every inch of yourself all summer). Youll typically get more for your buck with a bottle.
Will I be packing wipes when I travel? You bet. Will I suddenly begin keeping a supply on hand to wipe away lifes messier moments? Nah. Sometimes its good to get a little sand in your hair.

Assignment:
How and why did Bob Buckman design an information system that allowed his employees to effectively engage the customer? His biggest challenge will be an issue of "trust", why?
Please write a three page paper answering the above questions .

Use the following information: Anyone who is first on the scene gets the label "innovator". CEO Bob Buckman, of Buckman Labs is not merely an innovator with his chemical products, but he is on the cutting edge of knowledge management. Few have moved as quickly, and embraced the technology with such enthusiasm as Bob Buckman. This earned him a well deserved place as an innovator in the use of information systems.
To quote one of his sales reps, "when you ask one person a question, you have the power of 1,200 employees behind you - including our CEO, Bob Buckman."
Buckman himself is deeply involved in the knowledge management process.
Use this article to answer questions:
Buckman Labs Is Nothing but Net Buckman Labs makes chemicals -- but it sells knowledge. The challenge: invent a way for the global salesforce to spend more time with customers and share its brainpower. by Glenn Rifkinphotographs by Matthew Barnes from FC issue 3, page 118Read more stories from this June 1996 issue











At the headquarters of Buckman Laboratories International in Memphis, Tennessee, knowledge is the stuff of legend. A favorite story goes like this: veteran Buckman sales rep Doug Yoder is making a presentation to a handful of engineers at a paper company that represents a $1 million order.
"At Buckman," he begins, "when you ask one person a question, you have the power of 1,200 employees behind you -- including our CEO, Bob Buckman." Eyes wander.
Yoder turns it up a notch. "Our added value is not only speed of response but also global solutions." The engineers fidget.
Yoder continues. "Our knowledge network is a pillar of our culture. And it''s there to help you."
To make the point, he fires up his laptop, logs onto the Buckman knowledge sharing system -- K''Netix -- and poses a question to the appropriate technical forum.
The answer comes from Brazil -- and it''s from Bob Buckman. He and Yoder spend the next 20 minutes online, addressing the paper company''s specific concerns.
Yoder finally logs off. "When I say everyone at Buckman Laboratories accesses the forum, I mean everyone." The paper company engineers are impressed.
Buckman Laboratories, a $270 million company with 1,200 people in 80 countries, makes more than 1,000 different specialty chemicals in 8 factories around the world. But its real product is knowledge. Bigger companies in sexier industries are busy talking about knowledge, scrambling to hire chief knowledge officers, and wrestling with the computer technology to capture a corporate knowledge base. To Bob Buckman and his group of globe-trotting salespeople, that''s old news: been there, done that, got the floppy.
Buckman and his people began treating knowledge as their most critical corporate asset in 1992. As a result, Buckman Labs has become a Mecca for other companies looking for "how-to" lessons in the art and science of knowledge management. Executives from AT&T, 3M, Champion International, International Paper Company, and USWest have made the pilgrimage to this small, privately held chemical company to look and learn. What they''ve seen is a company that is fast, global, and interactive, built on a system that is simple, powerful, and revolutionary.
"You can''t really understand the transformation that has happened until you come in here," drawls Bob Buckman, the company''s 58-year-old CEO and resident knowledge visionary. "I need a chalkboard."
In the conference room adjacent to his office there''s a table, a chalkboard, and an easel, one of many that decorate the company''s offices. Each bears a different saying. This one has a quote from Machiavelli: "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." Buckman goes to the chalkboard and starts scribbling furiously.
"The customer is most important," he barks, sounding more like a southern football coach giving a half-time chalk-talk than a CEO. He draws an inverted pyramid with the customer at the top. "We need to be effectively engaged on the front line, actively involved in satisfying the needs of our customers."
"We need to cut the umbilical cord," he continues -- a reference to the mainframe mentality that kept people tied to the office. Buckman rattles off the numbers. "If you work a 40-hour week, you''re in the office less than 25% of your time. If you travel 40% of the workweek, you''re in the office less than 15% of your time. And if you''re a salesperson, you''re in the office 0% of your time."
Part techno-visionary, part hard-nosed businessman, Bob Buckman poses the challenge of competition in the knowledge-intensive ''90s: Close the gap with the customer. Stay in touch with each other. Bring all of the company''s brainpower to bear in serving each customer. "The real questions are," says Buckman, "How do we stay connected? How do we share knowledge? How do we function anytime, anywhere -- no matter what?"

The Real Power of Knowledge
The answer that Bob Buckman came up with was the knowledge network -- K''Netix.
It came to him eight years ago, when he was flat on his back, confined to bed after rupturing his back. Unable to get up, unable even to sit up, Buckman propped a laptop computer on his belly and took dead aim on the real power of knowledge.
"Lying there thinking how isolated I was," says Buckman, recalling his two weeks in bed. "I got to thinking about what I wanted."
What he wanted was information, not just for himself but for all his people, a steady stream of information about products, markets, customers. And he wanted it to be easily accessible, easily shared. A relentless student of business and management writing, he had recently read a comment from Jan Carlzon, the former head of SAS, and it had struck a chord with him: "An individual without information cannot take responsibility; an individual who is given information cannot help but take responsibility."
"If you can''t maximize the power of the individual, you haven''t done anything," Buckman thought. "The basic philosophy is, How do we take this individual and make him bigger, give him power? How? Connect him to the world."
On his laptop, Buckman wrote his ideal knowledge transfer system:
? It would make it possible for people to talk to each other directly, to minimize distortion.
? It would give everyone access to the company''s knowledge base.
? It would allow each individual in the company to enter knowledge into the system.
? It would be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
? It would be easy to use.
? It would communicate in whatever language is best for the user.
? It would be updated automatically, capturing questions and answers as a future knowledge base.
Such a system, he realized, would mean a cultural transformation. It would mean turning the company upside down.
Which was precisely what he wanted to do -- and had wanted to do since 1961 when he''d joined the company his father had founded. With a degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Buckman had long been fascinated by organizational dynamics and the potential for change that computers had created. And he''d chafed working under his father, Stanley, who epitomized the classic pyramid-style leader: he oversaw every decision, sales order, check, memo.
In 1978, at the age of 69, Stanley Buckman suffered a heart attack and died on his office couch, and the reins of control passed to Bob. "I knew I didn''t want to do it his way," Buckman says. "Everything went through my father. The general managers of our different ventures had never even met each other. I thought, this is too much work."
His epiphany showed him the path to the future. "I realized that if I can give everybody complete access to information about the company, then I don''t have to tell them what to do all the time," he says. "The organization starts moving forward on its own initiative." The knowledge network would become the organization.
But first he had to create the organization to manage the knowledge network. In March 1992, Buckman set up a Knowledge Transfer Department and appointed Victor Baillargeon, then a 34-year-old PhD in organic chemistry, to run it. For a company that was determined to break the rules, Baillargeon was the perfect choice: he had spent the previous year as Buckman''s assistant, researching the concept of knowledge transfer, and was eager to put the theories to the test. And he was no member of the card-carrying information technology fraternity; he came to the job free of mainframe baggage.
Baillargeon''s first hurdle was to build a network that was both ubiquitous and easy to access from around the world. With that in mind, Baillargeon suggested that the company put its entire worldwide network up on CompuServe, the public online service. CompuServe offered e-mail access to 35 public network services and the ability to create private bulletin boards for intracompany use. And all it took was a single phone call to connect.
Baillargeon engineered the move to CompuServe in just 30 days. Every Buckman salesperson was given an IBM ThinkPad 720 with a modem. For a total of $75,000 per month in access charges, all Buckman employees could make a single phone call that established a point-to-point link with headquarters and provided access to all of CompuServe''s global information services. On that platform Baillargeon built K''Netix, the company''s global knowledge transfer network, and established seven technical forums to organize the company''s online conversations.
That was four years ago. Today Buckman and his team have a clearer line of sight than most into what it means to do business in the knowledge economy. In particular, four categories of lessons emerge from Bob Buckman''s knowledge laboratory: the importance of customer engagement; how to encourage knowledge-sharing; the value of values; and how to think about measurements.

"Effectively Engage with the Customer"
It''s one of Bob Buckman''s most repeated phrases: effectively engaged on the front line -- a constant reminder that knowledge transfer at Buckman Labs is not an end in itself. The whole point is to deploy knowledge at the point of sale -- to win business and to serve the customer. To Buckman, it all can be reduced to a simple ratio: "The number of people in the organization working on the relationship with the customer, relative to the total organization, will determine the momentum of the organization," he says.
For that reason, the percentage of the company that is "effectively engaged with the customer" is data that Buckman tracks religiously. In 1979, before K''Netix was launched, it was a mere 16%. Today, it''s about 50%. By the year 2000, Buckman says, it will be 80%. The message is simple: the front line and the bottom line have everything to do with each other.
Buckman competes in a variety of businesses, from pulp and paper processing and water treatment, which makes up 60% of its sales, to leather, agriculture, and personal care. Arrayed against it are companies three to five times its size: $700 million Betz Laboratories of Trevose, Pennsylvania, for example, or $1.2 billion Nalco of Naperville, Illinois. And the industry is consolidating as customers like International Paper Company, Sherwin-Williams, Chinet, and Citgo, pare down their list of vendors to just a few -- from whom they expect more.
Under these conditions, Buckman''s commitment to knowledge takes on a new urgency. Salespeople must have the right answer for each customer -- and fast. K''Netix makes that an everyday occurrence, an exercise in speed, globality, and interactivity.
Take the case of Dennis Dalton, who is based in Singapore as managing director of all company activities in Asia. According to the K''Netix archives, Dalton sent out a call for help last January 3 at 12:05 p.m.: "We will be proposing a pitch-control program to an Indonesian pulp mill," he wrote. "I would appreciate an update on successful recent pitch-control strategies in your parts of the world."
The first response came three hours later, from Phil Hoekstra in Memphis, and included a suggestion of the specific Buckman chemical to use and a reference to a master''s thesis on pitch control of tropical hardwoods, written by an Indonesian studying at North Carolina State University.
Fifty minutes later Michael Sund logged on from Canada and offered his experience in solving the pitch problem in British Columbia. Then Nils Hallberg chimed in with examples from Sweden; Wendy Biijker offered details from a New Zealand paper mill; Jos* Vallcorba gave two examples from Spain and France; Chip Hill in Memphis contributed scientific advice from the company''s R & D team; Javier Del Rosal sent a detailed chemical formula and specific application directions from Mexico; and Lionel Hughes weighed in with two types of pitch-control programs in use in South Africa. In all, Dalton''s request for help generated 11 replies from six countries, stimulated several "sidebar conversations" as participants followed-up on new knowledge they''d just learned -- and catapulted Dalton into position to secure a $6 million order from the Indonesian mill.
The customer focus of the knowledge system is built into the design of K''Netix. For some of Buckman''s core customers, for example, there are private forums where the conversation is about only that customer and the advice is tailored to its needs. In addition, the Customer Information Center contains all available information about the company''s customers, including internal memos, documents, and sales orders -- a complete file cabinet on each customer.
"We have to be so tuned into our customers that we anticipate what they need," says Buckman. "If an employee is not effectively engaged with the customer, why are they employed?"

Knowledge-Sharing Is Power
Over the years, people have taught themselves to hoard knowledge to achieve power," says Buckman. "We have to reverse that: the most powerful people are those who become a source of knowledge by sharing what they know." But four years ago, when Buckman Labs launched its K''Netix program, the big unanswered question was, Would people share their knowledge?
"There was a sense of hesitancy in the beginning," remembers Alison Tucker, 36, K''Netix forum manager. "There were people whose file cabinets were filled with everything they knew, and that was their source of power."
Ultimately, what emerged was a carrot-and-stick balance, mixing visible incentives with invisible pressure, and an organization-wide bias toward teamwork and knowledge reciprocity. As one carrot, Buckman organized a one-time event in Scottsdale, Arizona at a fashionable resort as a celebration to recognize the 150 best knowledge-sharers. Those selected received a new IBM ThinkPad 755, a leather computer bag, and listened to a presentation by Tom Peters. Within the company, the high-profile event -- dubbed "The 4th Wave" -- sparked a good deal of discussion, particularly among those who failed to make the cut. The event served its purpose: in the weeks afterward, participation on the K''Netix forums increased dramatically.
The stick component is a good deal more subtle but more pervasive: everyone in the company knows that Bob Buckman isn''t just watching the knowledge net - he''s constantly on it. Early in the life of K''Netix, Buckman laid out his expectations in a speech to his people. "Those of you who have something intelligent to say now have a forum in which to say it," he told them. "Those of you who will not or cannot contribute also become obvious. If you are not willing to contribute or participate, then you should understand that the many opportunities offered to you in the past will no longer be available."

Knowledge Builds Trust, Trust Builds Knowledge
For companies thinking about entering the knowledge economy, Bob Buckman emphasizes one lesson before all others: "What''s happened here is 90% culture change. You need to change the way you relate to one another. If you can''t do that, you won''t succeed."
At the heart of knowledge-sharing, Buckman-style, is a commitment to the individual. Buckman''s values represent a flip of the prevailing corporate mind-set, where the company comes first, and employees are fortunate to have jobs. The Buckman Code of Ethics, captured on a wallet-sized laminated card and passed out to every person in the company, stipulates a fundamentally different operating philosophy. The first proposition is "that the company is made up of individuals -- each of whom has different capabilities and potentials -- all of which are necessary to the success of the company."
The philosophy applies directly to the operation of K''Netix, where anything is discussible and anyone can participate. For example, one lengthy online discussion tackled the always-sensitive issue of compensation -- in this case, a special bonus award given each year to the salespeople who record the largest year-to-year percentage sales growth. For several weeks, salespeople from around the company traded opinions and argued directly with Buckman over what was unfair about the existing award and what a fairer system might look like.
What made that exchange work is the same thing that makes the larger knowledge transfer system work: the trust that exists in the company. "It has to do with the fuzzy-wuzzy stuff that''s not easy to get your hands on," says Buckman. "But it boils down to this: Do you trust the people who give you the information?"

New Knowledge, New Metrics
In the emerging knowledge economy, the debate that''s waiting to happen is all about measurement: Can you prove that all these knowledge management expenses finally contribute to the bottom line? Bob Buckman, who publicly discloses that he spends 3.75% of company revenues on the knowledge transfer system, dismisses the return-on-investment question out of hand. "I used to be a statistician," he says. "There are no absolutes. All you can do is increase the probability of success. If I can change the speed of our response to a customer from three weeks to six hours, it doesn''t take a rocket scientist to see the economic benefits."
According to Lou Breyley, a sales manager in Cincinnati, Ohio for Buckman''s water treatment division, the economic proof of the system''s value is in the contracts it helps the company win. "We might come in with less experience than a competitor," he says, "but we can show that we can tap into a worldwide resource where others can''t. That''s a competitive strength."
The water treatment division, for example, recently identified the ammonia industry as a growth target. Despite a lack of experience in the field, Buckman beat out seven competitors to win part of a contract that could be worth up to $6 million in new business. "The customer acknowledged that the network was a factor in our landing the deal," says Breyley.
While Bob Buckman rejects the standard financial metrics, there are a few measurements he does focus on in evaluating the performance of the knowledge network. The percentage of his workforce that is effectively engaged on the front line is one key figure. Another is education. The proposition is straightforward: if you want to compete on knowledge, you need to hire smart people. One proxy for evaluating smart people is college graduates. In 1979, only 39% of Buckman''s people had college degrees. Today it''s 72%.
From Bob Buckman''s vantage point, it is impossible to put a dollar figure on the value of the knowledge network. It is simply fundamental to the way the company does business, intrinsic to its operation and embedded as an expression of the company''s value system. Looking back, Buckman says that incorporating the knowledge transfer system into a corporate culture is at least a three-year process. "The first year they think you''re crazy. The second year they start to see, and in the third year you get buy-in," says Buckman. "What you need is persistence. This whole thing is a journey."
Glenn Rifkin ( [email protected] ) is a Boston-based business writer who contributes frequently to "The New York Times."
Additional reporting by Christina Novicki ( [email protected] ) and Susan Diesenhouse.
Bob Buckman and Buckman Labs can be reached at [email protected] or http://www.buckman.com/