Benchmarking and policy and regulations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benchmarking and policy and regulations - Essay Example This percentage is increasing day by day with the increase in health care costs. The American nation is acutely aware of the fact that the health care system of their country is not working out for everyone. The increasing costs and an increasing percentage of uninsured people contribute to the rising problem in the health care system. The attention of policy makers is often directed towards these issues which they try to solve by addressing specific problems rather than looking at the whole health care system. These short-term solutions help in solving these problems for a limited period of time. Nonetheless, the problem as a whole still remains (Bureau of labor education, 2001). There are many causes of health insurance problems in United States. Due to the high cost of insurance, many people (mostly unemployed and poor) tend to remain without insurance. Businesses do not offer all their employees health insurance, hence more than half of the employees remain uninsured. Moreover, there are some people who want to get insurance, but the insurance companies consider them unfit for health insurance. Lastly, there are people who consider themselves healthy and do not want to seek insurance and pay high amounts of money to these health insurance companies (Bureau of labor education, 2001). As per the statistics 46.3 million people are currently uninsured in United States, however according to Families USA (2009), the number is even higher if we add the number of people who remain uninsured at least during for a little time. In 2007-2008 almost 86.7 million people were uninsured at some time. Almost 5 million people have the finances to get health insurance, however are not able to due to pre existing conditions. Texas has the highest number of uninsured people as compared to all other states of America. During 2004-2006 almost 24.1% of Texas population was uninsured (US Census Bureau, 2009). The percentage of under-insured

GE cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GE cases - Essay Example Crotonville is basically a business oriented university for GE Company. It is at times referred to as the John F. Welch Leadership Development Center (Nikravan, 2011, p. 38). It has attained a wide recognition over the past years due to its commitment to excellence in management and leadership development of employees. Besides, it is also known for sharing the best leadership practices and values throughout the world. Crotonville therefore enables organizations to look positively towards the future thereby making them to gain a competitive advantage. This is attained through the exchange of knowledge with consumers, suppliers and associates. Comparatively, Crotonville has been seen to improve the present and future managers. For instance, it has introduced a cultural diversity framework hence spreading the main corporate inventiveness all over GE. This also enables the managers to interact and gain more experience. The absolute mission of Crotonville is to â€Å"invent, detect and transfer organizational knowledge† (Fulmer & Goldsmith, 2000, p.60) in order to enhance the growth and competence of GE’s employees all over the world. From this, it can be ascertained that Crotonville has multiple duties and purposes to GE. First of all, it educates the employees. This is achieved through the provision of executive development programs which focuses on leadership, management, change, stigmatization and the company’s key initiatives among other aspects. Secondly, it is a tool or channel that GE uses to communicate and strengthen its values with the general stakeholders of the company. For instance, it offers programs and sessions with key customers that enable them not only to succeed, but to improve the customer relations as well. Examples of these programs could include customer briefings, change management, adaptation, and integration. Equally important, Crotonville acts as a link to transmitting the best

Understanding Your Personal Worldview

Understanding Your Personal Worldview Understanding your personal worldview is important because this is how we assess all aspects of life the world around us and our place in it. The Christian worldview the laws of logic are universal and unchanging because they reflect the nature of the living God. How do people define the terms God, Ethics, and Knowledge? How do the terms affect the daily lives of others? I have found during my worldview search, that these three components play a huge role in how I shape my thoughts experiences, education, and life decisions. My beliefs about the existence and the character of God (Theology), the nature of Knowledge (Epistemology), and discussing the main question is truth relative? In addition I have discussed my beliefs about Ethics (Morality) and who is right and wrong? Who defines right and wrong? Are the moral laws the same for all people in all cultures? It is difficult for the natural man to believe in something he cannot see, touch, or feel (1Cor.2:14).The question for the Christian is solved with the first verse in the Bible. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen.1:1) the greatest proof in addition to scripture is our daily fellowship in prayer, Gods revelations and our personal experiences. (Psalms 19:1) states The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament shows His handy work. This passage is clearly saying there is no excuse for man not to believe in God, for the beauty and the glory of the Heavens speak loudly saying God exists. Knowledge is possible because of how God has made us. We learn from our senses our experiences, but all true knowledge is ultimately dependent upon God. (Proverbs1:7).The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom an instruction. Ethics, or that which is good, is a reflection of the character of God. God is the standard of good by which all things are measured, and his standards are revealed through his word. Moral laws are pretty much the same in all cultures, but their moral reasoning can be different depending on the specific culture. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.(Matthew 6:33). The only real ethic is to glorify God by having faith in him and giving his kingdom priority in our lives. God has given us his revelation and to guide us in ethics, in knowing what we should and should not do. The book of Proverbs was given to us to teach us the right conduct. To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice and judgment, and equity: to give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Clearly the Bible teaches that truth is absolute and that it exists under the authority and revelation of Jesus Christ. Religion describes our connection to God as the one thing that exists. From this foundation we see the clear connection of how our worldviews are formed. Understanding ones personal and Christian worldviews are important, because they are determining factor of our moral code and ethics, and other beliefs. These worldviews give us a general picture of all reality, which we relate our experiences and knowledge. It helps us to put our daily experiences and choices into clearer prospective. (Cosgrove, p. 28) As a Christian my worldviews are important for my on salvation, for the well-being of my family, for the betterment of my community and workplace. A Christian worldview is powered by knowing the Spirit that lives inside of us is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. I can do no less than to love the Lord thy God with all my heart and soul. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through Him might believe.(1 John 7) Conclusion In conclusion the personal world view is a substantial part of how we relate to life, world events, each other, and helps us determine our part in this introspective living experience. The Christian Worldview and how it supports Christianity, which is necessary in building a relationship with the Living God. People across the world have their individual personal views relating to God, ethics, and knowledge and strive to perfect their religion, which is necessary in building a relationship with the creator.

September 11 and the Death of Moral Judgment :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

September 11 and the Death of Moral Judgment The nation is in crisis: a national security crisis and a crisis of moral judgment. What is the right thing to do? People disagree. Then comes the big mistake: observing disagreement, people conclude that there is no right answer, no way to make a judgment. Worse, they conclude that to judge is arrogant and dangerous, so that in an odd twist, the only thing that appears to be morally irresponsible is the attempt to make a morally responsible judgment. On the contrary, abdicating judgment is the problem. Democracy itself is based on the notion that reasonable people will disagree and that it is possible to make judgments about our disagreements - not that there is necessarily one right answer; there may be several partially right answers. But there are certainly some wrong answers and better and worse judgments about them. So, how do we judge? First, we can think clearly about the words we use. Second, we can stop looking for pure good or pure evil; innocence and guilt are not found in pure forms in the real world. Third, we can learn to distinguish among kinds and degrees of evils (And there are plenty of kinds: cruelty, neglect, exploitation, etc.) To illustrate: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." Many people fighting for very different causes call themselves "freedom fighters." But they usually let us know what they mean. Osama bin Laden's statements tell us that his goal is to free the Muslim world of infidels and their influence. He seeks freedom to establish theocratic regimes that would suppress women, as well as religious and political dissidents. We can argue about whether or not this is "freedom" in any meaningful sense, but the important thing is to be clear about what he means. For the sake of argument, let us say that he is a freedom fighter. Martin Luther King was a freedom fighter. Mahatma Gandhi was a freedom fighter. Neither could be called "terrorist" by any stretch of the imagination. They renounced violence as a means. Osama Bin Laden, on the other hand, embraces a strategy of targeting civilians in order to terrify and intimidate the population, undermine opposing governments, and achieve his political aims. Whether he is a freedom fighter or not, he is a te rrorist. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" This is an important practical principle, but it is not a moral principle.

Starbucks Structural Frame Essay -- Starbucks Business Analysis

Starbucks initially was a small structure, run by three partners in a small shop in Seattle. The company then was restricted to selling only whole bean and ground coffee. It was typically a top down structure were the three people in the top management were the decision makers. In 1984, when Schultz suggested the idea of selling coffee and expresso drinks, the directors of Starbucks rejected the idea, in spite of the fact that the move would have made more profit for the company. This displayed the rigidity of the management towards any changes in the business. After taking over the operation of Starbucks in 1987, Schultz decided to expand the company's business. The next few years brought some positive changes to Starbucks. Starting with 17 stores in 1987, the company quickly expanded by opening stores in Chicago and Portland. With this period of expansion, Schultz hired some experienced people to help him manage the growth plans. In 1989, Schultz hired Howard Behar, who was familiar with opening and running several retail stores. A year later, Schultz brought in Orin Smith as the Chief Finance and Operations Officer. Both Behar and Smith were highly experienced in the industry and helped Schultz build the company's infrastructure.[1] The new structure of Starbucks was flat and it encouraged competitive ideas from all levels of the company. This necessarily depicted a lateral coordination c... ...ffman Neilson(2008), Strategy & Business http://www.relationalcapitalgroup.com/knowledge-center/TheBaristaPrinciple.pdf 2) Shultz, H. (2008) Starbucks makes organizational changes to enhance customer experience. Retrieved March 13, 2008, from, http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=831 3) George, J. and Jones, G. (2005). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior. (4th ed.)Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 4) Gulati Hoffman Neilson, Strategy & Business, 2008 http://www.relationalcapitalgroup.com/knowledge-center/TheBaristaPrinciple.pdf 5) Barbero, Martin, Starbucks goal: Recapture its early buzz, Jan 2008. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/30/business/sbux.php 6) Hoovers Database http://premium.hoovers.com/subscribe/co/overview.xhtml?ID=ffffrhkchrhhyjjrfk Starbucks' Structural Frame Essay -- Starbucks Business Analysis Starbucks initially was a small structure, run by three partners in a small shop in Seattle. The company then was restricted to selling only whole bean and ground coffee. It was typically a top down structure were the three people in the top management were the decision makers. In 1984, when Schultz suggested the idea of selling coffee and expresso drinks, the directors of Starbucks rejected the idea, in spite of the fact that the move would have made more profit for the company. This displayed the rigidity of the management towards any changes in the business. After taking over the operation of Starbucks in 1987, Schultz decided to expand the company's business. The next few years brought some positive changes to Starbucks. Starting with 17 stores in 1987, the company quickly expanded by opening stores in Chicago and Portland. With this period of expansion, Schultz hired some experienced people to help him manage the growth plans. In 1989, Schultz hired Howard Behar, who was familiar with opening and running several retail stores. A year later, Schultz brought in Orin Smith as the Chief Finance and Operations Officer. Both Behar and Smith were highly experienced in the industry and helped Schultz build the company's infrastructure.[1] The new structure of Starbucks was flat and it encouraged competitive ideas from all levels of the company. This necessarily depicted a lateral coordination c... ...ffman Neilson(2008), Strategy & Business http://www.relationalcapitalgroup.com/knowledge-center/TheBaristaPrinciple.pdf 2) Shultz, H. (2008) Starbucks makes organizational changes to enhance customer experience. Retrieved March 13, 2008, from, http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=831 3) George, J. and Jones, G. (2005). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior. (4th ed.)Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 4) Gulati Hoffman Neilson, Strategy & Business, 2008 http://www.relationalcapitalgroup.com/knowledge-center/TheBaristaPrinciple.pdf 5) Barbero, Martin, Starbucks goal: Recapture its early buzz, Jan 2008. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/30/business/sbux.php 6) Hoovers Database http://premium.hoovers.com/subscribe/co/overview.xhtml?ID=ffffrhkchrhhyjjrfk

Market Development

In this report I will be analysing and comparing the marketing techniques used by ASDA and Cancer Research UK taking into account the similarities and differences between them and how they contribute to the company’s success. Igor Ansoff developed a description of the strategies available for growing in a business in 1957. He have identified for categories for the growth of the business these are Market Penetration, Market Development, Product development and Diversification. Ansoff used these four categories in a matrix to show how the opportunities differ in term of new and existing products and markets. Marketing Techniques used by ASDA Market Penetration What is Market Penetration? Market Penetration is when increasing market share of an existing product, or promoting a new product, through strategies such as bundling, extensive advertising, lower prices, or volume discounts. ASDA uses TV adverts to advertise their product. Advertising on TV will catch the interest of their customers as it will have sound and colour. They also use their own website to advertise. By having a website it will allow their customers to see what products they have with prices and also to shop online. They also let their customer know what product they have and also to promote by giving out leaflets. To make sure that their new products are trustworthy ASDA will have samples for their customers to try. ASDA will advertise their business by using newspapers and Billboards. ASDA should advertise as much as possible for the business to run for a long term. They also make sure that they are presenting their brands well from till receipts, plastic bags and staff uniform. Cancer Research sells its existing products into existing markets by advertising their new campaigns such â€Å"Race for Life†. The charity advertises their campaigns on TV’s, Newspapers, Leaflets, Charity shops, posters, billboards on busses and using their own website. Cancer research uses these methods of advertising to increase the awareness and encourage people to donate. Tesco have supported Race For Life for ten years, which has contributed to Cancer Research UK raising over ? 62m for the fight against cancer sine the series began in 1994. Tesco now is working in partnership with Cancer Research to recruit 1 million women and raise ? 80million to fund life-saving work. Market Development What is Market Development? Market Development is a marketing technique aimed at increasing a company’s market in order to widen the customer base for the pur pose of selling more products. ASDA is continuing to open new stores in UK. They are now planning to open ASDA in Tottenham High Street. Opening new stores gives the idea of them doing really well in the business and is meeting the needs of their customers. They also advertise themselves online and in the store. However, they can use different languages on website for the people who are not able to understand English. As there are different ethnic backgrounds in UK, Cancer research should have different languages available in their website. This will allow them to attract more people to the charity from different ethnics. Cancer research can also operate overseas such as Europe. This will help to

Branding and brand management Essay

What is a brand? A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them form those of competitors Essentially a marketer’s promise is to deliver a specific set of features, benefits and services consistently to the buyers Cadbury’s best tasting chocolate constitutes the main ingredient of much of these products including everything from solid blocks to chocolate filled bars and novelties The Cadbury brand is associated with best tasting chocolate Marketing managers at Cadbury are working to ensure this association is continually developed. Key concepts of quality, taste and emotion underpin the Cadbury brand. These core values help to differentiate Cadbury from other brands and ensure its competitive advantage A brand is a complex symbol that can convey up to six levels of meaning 1. Attributes – a brand brings to mind certain attributes – Cherry Ripe – ripe juicy cherries and moist coconut smothered in rich ‘Old Gold’ Dark Chocolate – Crunchie – golden honeycomb smothered in Cadbury ‘Dairy Milk’ Milk Chocolate – Flake – unique, delicate strands of crumbly, flaky Cadbury ‘Dairy Milk’ chocolate – Picnic – combine delicate fingers of crisp wafers, temptation of chewy caramel with goodness of rice crisps, all generously encased in Cadbury chocolate – Roses – delicious mix of Milk and Dark chocolates, ideal token gesture for any occasion – Dairy Milk – the goodness of a glass and a half of rich full cream milk in every 200g, Australia’s favourite chocolate 2. Benefits – each brand’s attributes must be translated into functional and emotional benefits to the consumer 3. Values – Cadbury’s mission statement says simply: ‘Cadbury means quality’; this is our promise. Our reputation is built upon quality; our commitment to continuous improvement will ensure that our promise is delivered’ 4. Culture – For many people, chocolate is Cadbury, and no other brand will do 5. Personality – taste, colour purple and the glass and a half symbol all all hallmarks of Cadbury personality 6. Users – the kind of consumer or who buys or uses the product. Loyal customers are the most valuable customers to have because they will buy your product over and over again Brand equity – Brands vary in the amount of power and value they have in the marketplace – Brand equity is an asset – Cadbury brand equity is highly differentiated from other brands with consumers. Brand equity is the value consumer loyalty brings to a brand, and reflects the likelihood that a consumer will repeat purchase. This is a major source of competitive advantage. Brand name decisions – Manufacturers and service companies who brand their products must choose which brand names to use – Cadbury brands include the Corporate name combined with individual names – The company name legitimises, and the individual name individualises the new product – A suitable name, must be chosen and registered; it must be unique to the product and in today’s business arena, it should be capable of international use. Careful checks must be made to ensure that the selected name does not mean something different in other languages Brand-building tools Amongst the most important tools for attracting attention to Cadbury brands are: – Public relations and press releases – brands can gain a lot of attention from well-placed newspaper and magazine stories. – Sponsorships – brands are frequently promoted in sponsored events. Cadbury sponsor the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the animal nursery’ at the Royal Show, and the three time AFL premiership champion Brisbane Lions – Factory visits – Cadbury have factory tours in which they invite visitors to spend the day at their Claremont factory in Tasmania – Event marketing – product launches – Social cause marketing – some of the projects that Cadbury support are the Students In Free Enterprise, Foodbank and the Variety Club Brand strategy decision Generally a company’s brand strategy varies depending on whether the brand is a functional brand, image brand or an experimental brand – functional brands – are purchased to satisfy a functional need such as immediate eat i.e. chocolate bars – image brands – arise with products or services that are difficult to differentiate, or to assess quality, or convey a statement about the user – experimental brands – involve the consumer beyond simply acquiring the product Over time, each type of brand can be developed further. A company can introduce line extensions (existing brand name extended to new sizes or flavours), brand extensions (new brand names in existing product categories), multibrands (new brand names introduced into same product category), new brands (new brand name for a new category product) and co-branding (combining two or more brand names) Brand auditing and positioning Cadbury need to periodically audit their brands’ strengths and weaknesses It will occasionally discover that it may have to reposition the brand because of changing customer preferences What are Cadbury’s key brands? The Cadbury Dairy Milk block is the company’s flagship brand There are many other favourites including Fruit & Nut and Hazel Nut, as well as popular cream filled products such as Snack and Caramello Cadbury produces a variety of boxed chocolate assortments, most notably Milk Tray and Roses. Children’s lines include Australia’s long time favourites Freddo Frog and Caramello Koala. Famous Cadbury chocolate bar lines such as Cherry Ripe, Picnic, Flake and Crunchie also feature amongst Cadbury brands Are there different brands for different target markets? The Cadbury brand has a profound impact on individual product brands. Brands have individual personalities aimed at specific target markets for specific needs e.g. TimeOut, for example, is an ideal snack to have with a cup of tea Consumers know they can trust a chocolate bar that carries Cadbury branding The relationship between Cadbury and individual brands is symbiotic with some brands benefiting more from the Cadbury relationship, i.e. pure chocolate brands such as Dairy Milk. Other brands have a more distant relationship, as the consumer motivation to purchase is ingredients other than chocolate, e.g. Crunchie. Cadbury has identified brand values and adjusts its advertising strategies to reflect these values in different markets. Its strategy can vary from increasing brand awareness, educating potential customers about a new product, increasing seasonal purchases, or as is currently the case in the ‘Go Another Cadbury’ campaign to highlight the positive emotional value of the brand. How are the brand images related to Cadbury’s overall positioning in the market? Customers come to know a brand through a range of contacts and touch points, particularly trough word of mouth, personal observation and use, and images through advertising and promotion The ‘taste’ of Cadbury’s chocolate has long been the focus of Cadbury’s advertising. This has been supported by the slogan ‘a glass and a half of full cream milk in every 200 grams’, accompanied by a picture of milk pouring into the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate block. This was a tremendous advertising coup and has served the brand well for over 50 years. The image has become an integral part of the packaging design and has been featured in magazines, and on buses and trains, billboards, and television Cadbury’s unshakable dedication to tradition and philosophy of using only the finest quality of ingredients and finest quality goods help to position it not only in Australia but all over the world Cadbury has established itself as a company of fairness and integrity, which always attempts to operate as a socially responsible business The choice to support and sponsor certain events and organizations alos shapes these images References: Kotler, P 2003, Marketing Management, 11th edition, Pearson Education, NJ, USA Cadbury, http://www.cadbury.com.au, http://www.cadbury.co.uk, http://www.cadburyschweppes.com Cadbury Head Office, The story of Cadbury and Chocolate Making, Port Road, Hindmarsh, SA Gain Report #AS2042, Australian Product Brief Confectionery Products 2002, Australian Centre for Retail Studies