Monday, December 23, 2019

Effects Of Racial Bias On Multiracial Individuals

Cognitive Psychology-Essentialism and Racial Bias Jointly Contribute to the Categorization of Multiracial Individuals In the United States, racism and stereotype bias is an important issue that we still struggle with today and it impacts how we understand each other. Throughout U.S history, people that were mixed (part-white and part-black) were typically identified as Black. Arnold Ho, Susan Gelman and Steven Roberts, U-M professors of psychology published a scientific article (Ho et al., 2015) looking into the cognitive backgrounds behind how an individual categorizes other individuals based on race. They performed studies on categorization on how we categorize multiracial individuals. The study combined research on racial existentialism, existentialism meaning ideals and negative bias in order to explain the difference in the way people categorize multiracial individuals as â€Å"black† over â€Å"white†. Their findings suggest that categorization biases, also known as hypodescent, influence how we categorize multiracial individuals. The study asserts that Black-White multiracial in dividuals in the United States are categorized as Black (hypo-descent – categorization). The basis of this categorization is socially motivated. In essence, the interplay between the anti-Black bias and psychological existentialism leads to hypo-descent categorization. According to the authors, psychological essentialism is the belief that particular group members share common distinct characteristicsShow MoreRelatedThe Ho, Roberts And Gelman Article, Essentialism And Racial Bias1491 Words   |  6 PagesThe Ho, Roberts and Gelman article ‘Essentialism and Racial Bias Jointly Contribute to the Categorizations of Multiracial Individuals’ examined the joint effects of cognitive biases and social biases on hypodescent. Loosely, hypodescent can be defined as individuals’ penchant to categorize mixed race individuals into solely the race of the minority category (Ho et al., 2015). While previous studies have examined the effects of cognitive biases and social motivation on hypodescence respectively, theRead MoreMixed Culture And Mixed Race Identity970 Words   |  4 Pagesmixed race individuals’ social identities are shaped by their multiracial heritage by focusing on the growing body of research on development of mixed race identity in a multicultural society. In contrast to traditional, monoracial models of social identity development, a multiracial approach has been necessitated by the expansion of globalization and interracial relationships (Kellogg Liddell, 2012, p. 525). In Paragg’s (2017) study â€Å"What are you?†: Mixed race responses to the racial gaze on mixedRead MoreThe Difference Between Race And Racism Essay1037 Words   |  5 Pages Understanding the difference between race and racism is a very controversial topic. Even I am trying to understand the difference between the two words. When individuals think about race the first word that comes to mind is racism, I would think its the same, but it’s not. When exploring the web to differentiate the meaning of these two words, one-word that keeps popping up is â€Å"racism†. The words are so similar which makes this topic difficult to write about, but as my English teacher CoarleeRead MoreMultidimensional Framework Proposed By Rockquemore And Colleagues1237 Words   |  5 PagesRockquemore and colleagues (2002, 2009) to analyze multiracial identity among a broader diverse multiracial sample. The problem was that in terms of social construction of race, this par ticular framework acknowledged only two â€Å"traditional† options of being â€Å"Black† or â€Å"biracial†. In the introduction, the social significance for the problem was successfully identified and the intended problem was connected well with the purpose. It was stated that having a multiracial identity that is validated by others wasRead MoreCultural Bias And Health Care Disparity1528 Words   |  7 PagesCultural Bias and Health Care Disparity: Introduction: Cultures, social, ethnicity, English proficiency are factors that my significantly affect the quality of healthcare. Patient’s perspective, values, beliefs and behavior are highly influenced by the sociocultural background pf the patient (1-5). These factors can affect dealing with patient’s symptoms, seeking care, pain toleration, care adherence, preventive measure, and health care expectations. There is a clear evidence that links Clinician-patientRead MorePolice Misconduct And The Crime Essay1644 Words   |  7 Pagesentirely different views and interpretations of police misconduct. Purpose This review will analyze literature that explains perception on police misconduct and why certain perceptions and police misconduct itself occurs. I will therefore discuss the racial factors on both sides of police encounters: that of the citizen and the officer, as suggested by research. This review will also try to identify the gaps in the field of work and analyze studies’ methods of data collection. It will also explore howRead MoreInterpretivism7441 Words   |  30 Pagesresearch and feminist theory is especially fruitful when an interdisciplinary, multiracial feminist approach is used. Those who are relatively unfamiliar with both feminist theory and quantitative research and those who have already discovered for themselves the usefulness of integrating feminist theory and quantitative methods may see the aforementioned goals as relatively straightforward: I hope to show how a multiracial feminist approach can improve quantitative social science research in a varietyRe ad MoreSocial Stereotypes in America Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pagesfor centuries. Early in American history stereotypes of Negroes and Mexicans predominately associate them with lower-class attributes (Campbell, 1967). Major social events can have an effect on how various groups of people are viewed. For example, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, where several individuals of Arab decent brutally murdered hundreds of unsuspecting American citizens. The terrorist hi-jacked several aircraft carriers and set them on a crash course for various national landmarksRead MoreEssay on Social Connotations of Name and Well Being1548 Words   |  7 PagesStereotypes have existed in American culture for centuries. Early in American history stereotypes of Negroes and Mexicans predominately associate them with lower-class attributes (Campbell, 1967). Major social events can have an effect on how certain groups and assemblies of individuals are perceived. On September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers associated with al-Qaeda brutally murdered hundreds of American citizens. The terrorists commandeered several aircraft carriers and set them on a crash course for variousRead MoreMulticulturalism And Its Impact On The American Society1739 Words   |  7 Pagesand values will aid in abolishing the racial preconceived perceptions. These stereotyped perceptions have progressed in widening the racial gaps followed by hindering privilege and fairness for all. Therefore, this masterpiece will provide a clear-cut background of the evolution of multiculturalism with its outcomes across the American society. In addition, this activity will entail focusing on the individual perception regarding the alarming issue of racial ethnicity that have pervasively continued

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Boeing Australia Case Study Free Essays

Executive Summary Barilla is operating in a very old-fashioned distribution system that needs to be changed. Implementing this new JITD will increase efficiency across the supply chain. The system will reduce manufacturing costs, increase supply chain visibility, increase distributors’ dependence on Barilla, establish better relationship with distributors, reduce inventory level and most importantly improve manufacturing planning and forecasting using objective data. We will write a custom essay sample on Boeing Australia Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now This JITD will see Barilla’s supply chain synchronized from manufacturing to end – users. Strategically, the best decision for Barilla is to implement the JITD program. This will allow for greater capability and flexibility to respond to inputs from end-consumers. In the JITD system, each distributor would provide Barilla with data from products that they shipped to retailers in previous days as well as current stock levels for each Barilla SKU. This data would then be used to make forecasting and replenishment decisions. The will result in a smoother running operating system and excellent customer service. To prove the credibility of JITD and win over apprehensive customers the involvement of top management will be employed. Within the next six months Maggali and top management team will analyze daily shipment data of the distribution chain. Next a database of historical and present demand patterns of distributors will be created and shipments will be simulated with JITD in place. This system will reduce stock out rates and inventory levels while increasing service levels. Next, experiments will be run at the Pedrignano depot and then the Milano depot. This will establish the credibility of JITD and win over distributors and retailers who are apprehensive in buying into this new system. Approximately ten top managers, from customer service managers to vice presidents, logistics, purchasing, sales and marketing and information technology managers will be involved in the decision making, implementation and monitoring of this new system. This will prove credibility of JITD and convince customers that change is inevitable and in this this case the benefits will be mutual. Issues Deciding whether or not the Just In Time Distribution (JITD) model should be implemented into Barilla†s operations. Barilla is suffering from escalating operational inefficiencies. The company is being burdened by demand fluctuations in its manufacturing and distribution systems. Also, this large weekly variation in distributors orders is increasing overhead costs. Trying to convince internal and external customers of the benefits of JITD Barilla’s customers are unwilling to give up authority to place orders as they please. The lack of faith in Barilla’s inventory management also made some customers reluctant in giving detailed sales data so that Barilla could improve its forecasting demands. Customers perceived this JITD move as a quest by Barilla to transfer power to themselves. Internal customers are also resistant to this change as they as they view this concept to be infeasible and or dangerous. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis There is a growing burden that demand fluctuations are imposing on the company’s manufacturing and distribution system. Vitali has suggested for years that the company implement this innovative JITD which is modeled off JIT manufacturing. Vitali proposed that rather than follow the practice of delivering products to Barilla’s distributors on the basis of whatever orders distributors placed with the company, Barilla’s own logistics organization would instead specify delivery quantities that would more effectively meet end users’ needs and would also more evenly distribute the workload on Barilla’s manufacturing and logistics. This was heavily resisted both internally and externally. External people are saying that Barilla wants power over its distributors and wants to manage their inventory for them. On the other hand, the internal sales and marketing people thinks this JITD is unworkable and will reduce their workload so they see it as a threat and as a result they are putting up a resistance. The variability in demand is as a result of lack of forecasting systems or sophisticated analytical tools at the distributors end. Orders for Barilla’s dry products swing from week to week and such extreme demand strains Barilla’s manufacturing and logistics operations. For example, the specific sequence of pasta production necessitated by the tight heat and humidity specifications in the tunnel kiln made it difficult to quickly produce a particular pasta that had been sold out due to unexpectedly high demand. In addition, holding sufficient finished goods inventories to meet distributors order requirements was extremely expensive when weekly demand fluctuated so much and was so difficult to forecast. Advertising and trade promotions are also intensifying the resistance to implementing this JITD. Distributors have become accustomed to price discounts through volume orders, promotional activities and transportation. Barilla’s sales strategy relied on the use of trade promotions to push products into the grocery distribution network. Distributors looks forward to these promotions and also sales people within Barilla looks forward to giving distributors discounts in this very old-fashioned distribution system. Alternatives and/or Options Implementing the JITD system would prove beneficial to the company and its overall supply chain management. Benefits of this JITD would be reduced manufacturing costs and inventory levels, better relationship with distributors due to increased supply chain visibility and distributor’s dependence on Barilla and overall improvement in manufacturing planning using objective data collected. For sales people this would be a selling tool rather than a threat to sales. Distributors will also see an improved fill rate to retail stores, additional service from Barilla without any extra cost and reduced inventory holding costs. Disadvantages to these are lack of infrastructure to handle JITD, risks of inability to adjust shipments quickly to stock-outs, cost benefits uncertainties, unconvinced distributors and reduction in responsibilities for Sales Representatives. Recommendation It is recommended that Barilla implement this JITD system in its supply chain. The system will provide customers with additional service at no extra cost. It will also improve Barilla’s visibility with the trade and make distributors more dependent on the company. This dependence or vendor management inventory (VMI) system will improve relationships between Barilla and distributors. More important, is the information regarding the supply at the distributors’ warehouses would provide the company with objective data that would allow for improvement in planning procedures and forecasting. In addition, distributors will not only improve their fill rates to retail stores but reduce their inventory holding costs. Sales and marketing people will realize that this JITD will be a selling tool rather than a threat to sales. This in the long run improves overall performance in operations. Implementation Maggiali needs to look at JITD as not only a logistics program but as a company wide effort and get top management from both sides involved in decision -making and teamwork. With top management on board, the first implementation will be done at Barilla’s largest DO (organized distributor) the Cortese. Within the next six months Maggali and top management team will analyze daily shipment data of the distribution chain. Next a database of historical and present demand patterns of distributors will be created and shipments will be simulated with JITD in place. This system will reduce stock out rates and inventory levels while increasing service levels. Next, experiments will be run at the Pedrignano depot and then the Milano depot. This will establish the credibility of JITD and win over distributors and retailers who are apprehensive in buying into this new system. An information system will also be implemented to communicate with all customers. SKUs will be barcoded so that they are easily identifiable; that is Barilla’s code and distributor/customer codes. Using this coding system, the company will be able to receive information through any code and also reduce the impact of internal changes in products on DO systems. Barilla’s forecasting systems will be under improvement so that the company can make good use of information received. Monitor and Control There has to be credibility of this new venture in order to convince customers both internally and externally to sign on. In order to reap success in any new initiative top management have to be involved. A team of approximately ten top managers including managing directors, marketing and sales managers, logistics managers, purchasing managers, vice presidents and information technology managers will monitor the implementation of this new initiative, JITD. Each day customers will send information to Barilla using EDI (electronic data exchange) systems. This information will include; customer codes, previous day’s stock-outs, previous days sales and advance orders for future retailer promotions. This will help Barilla to improve internal operations for the company and customers alike, now that Barilla will be responsible for determining quantities and delivery schedules. This will see a reduction in inventory levels, distribution costs, manufacturing costs, improved responsiveness to distributors demands. Overall efficiencies in the company’s operations will be evident in every link of the supply chain. Monitoring and control will be an ongoing process to minimize inefficiencies in operations. How to cite Boeing Australia Case Study, Free Case study samples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a colorless gas, which was Essay Example For Students

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a colorless gas, which was Essay CO2 first discovered in 1577 by Van Helmont who detected it in the products of both fermentation and charcoal burning. CO2 is used in solid, liquid, and gas forms in a variety of industrial processes. These include: beverage carbonation, dry ice, welding and chemicals manufacturing. It is produced by the combustion of all carbonaceous fuels and can be recovered in an abundance of ways. It is widely used today as a by-product of synthetic ammonia production, fermentation, and from flue gases by absorption process. CO2 is also a product of animal metabolism and is important in the life cycles of plants and animals. It is present in the atmosphere only in small quantities (.03% by vol.) CO2 is not very reactive at normal temperatures, but it does form carbonic acid, (H2CO3 ) in aqueous solution. This will undergo the typical reactions of a weak acid to form salts. I call it carbonic acid because in the presence of moisture, which we have all around us, it will make an acid. CO2 is also responsible for the acidic pH of rain water. So that nasty stuff called acid rain is caused by CO2. A solid hydrate CO28H20 separates from aqueous solutions of CO2 that are colder at elevated pressures. It is very stable at normal temperatures, but forms CO and O2 when heated above 1700oC. CO2 can be reduced by several methods, the most common being its reaction with hydrogen (H). This is the reverse of the water gas shift reaction, commonly used in the production of hydrogen and ammonia. It can also be reduced with hydrocarbons and carbons at elevated temperatures. CO2 will react with ammonia to form ammonium carbonate. CO2 + NH3 NH4 + CO3. We humans also produce CO2 with every breath we take, but the amount is too small to harm anyone. Carbon dioxide can be dangerous at higher levels though. A mere 5% by vol. of the gas in the air increases the breathing rate and long amounts of exposure can lead to unconsciousness or even death. The gas carbon dioxide is much heavier than the air around us and is also heavier than its friend carbon monoxide. Its density is much greater and it turn will cause the gas to be harder for plants to get rid of very quickly. Some scientist even say it will pour like a liquid into the air.Bibliography:

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The main themes of the story Christmas Carol Essay Example

The main themes of the story Christmas Carol Essay Furthermore, Dickens uses effective language to give us a vivid picture of what the character of Scrooge is like. Firstly, he uses present participles to show the reader how important money is to him. Scrooge is described as a squeezing, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. The verbs all emphasise that money means everything to Scrooge by associating with hands and thereby showing his desperation ; he is a money grabber. The rhythmic use of these verbs which are repeated could also imply that the list does not stop and that Scrooge is even crueler than depicted. This already makes the reader think negatively about the character from the beginning of the story, because it gives him the idea that he does not value important things in life, like family and friends, but that money takes precedence for him. Furthermore,Dickens uses cold words when describing his character to emphasise that he is not a kind person ; a frosty rime was on his head and his eyebrows and he carried his own temperature about with him. It tells us that he is a cold-hearted person, and that there is nothing warm or friendly about him. It also allows us to picture his features- they are cold and sharp, making him appear unapproachable. He does not care about what state other people are in; he only cares about himself and money. Dickens also makes use of pathetic fallacy to describe Scrooges character. In the first stave he again uses weather to give the reader insight into his character; The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. We will write a custom essay sample on The main themes of the story Christmas Carol specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The main themes of the story Christmas Carol specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The main themes of the story Christmas Carol specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The harshness of the weather reflects Scrooges character; its as though wherever Scrooge goes, the atmosphere becomes cold and harsh. Scrooges character can be explained through his past as when he was young he had a tough life because he grew up without any love from his father. These descriptions of Scrooge reflect his unforgiving, unwelcoming and heartless personality. Lastly, Dickens used similes to demonstrate to the reader how unsociable and cold-hearted Scrooge is. They encourage interpretation as they let the reader imagine Scrooge in his own way. The first simile he uses is: as solitary as an oyster, which shows how unsociable he is. An oyster lives in a shell in its own little world; Scrooge is the same- he likes to be isolated away from the rest of the world and he avoids contact with other people as much as he can. It could also imply that he is a good person inside, but has a hard shell around himself and does want to get close to anyone. His enjoyment of isolation can be explained through his past as he was abandoned by his father when he was young, so he got used to being on his own. This brings in the theme of change, as the reader sees that Scrooge is like this because that is how he grew up and he didnt know any different, not necessarily because that is how he wants to be. It shows the reader that if Scrooge learned how much better it is to socialise with other people he would want to change and spend more time with his nephew. Moreover, the simile hard and sharp as flint tells the reader how heartless and uncaring Scrooge is. Flint is a piece of rock that is very sharp and hard and nothing can get to it. .The characteristic hardness of flint links to Scrooges character, showing how Scrooge is just as unchanging: nothing will make him feel sympathetic towards poor people, and nothing will make him a nicer, more caring person. It emphasises that he is very callous and only cares about how he is doing and how much money he has, but he does not care the slightest about other people. You can tell a lot about a character by observing the way they behave and by other peoples attitudes towards them. Firstly, we get to know that Scrooge does not like to socialise and be pleasant to people. We get to know this as we see that he is miserable towards his only relative- his nephew. When he invites him to Christmas dinner, Scrooge repeats Good afternoon to show that he is not interested in socialising and he does not wish to discuss it. He is infatuated with money, so on Christmas he wants to be in his office working. He also thinks that love is ridiculous, and he criticises his nephew for marrying for love: Because you fell in love growled Scrooge, as if that were the only thing in the world more ridiculous than a merry Christmas. Scrooge thinks love is ridiculous because when he was younger, his fianci e Belle left him because he became obsessed with money and started to love it more than her. He now does not have any time for love because it gets in the way of making money.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on McDonald’s “Seniors” Restaurant

McDonald’s â€Å"Seniors† Restaurant Case Analysis In the study of the briefing of the McDonald’s Restaurant, there are positives to the problem and negatives towards the problem. A McDonald’s in a city crowded with seniors are overwhelmed with senior customers during the early hours of the day. The senior come in as a meeting area where they eat and commune at the restaurant. The number of seniors that come in, crowds the dining area in which customers come in and eat. They come in on the fourth Monday of every month to get extra special, over the age of 55 discounts. This is a meal that cost 1.99 and free coffee refills. The staff knows the seniors very well and go to see them if they are hospitalized. The relationship is considered a good one between the staff and the seniors. In addition, a idea of adding bingo to add to the excitement of the mornings for the seniors from nine to eleven a.m. Using the party room would accommodate up to 150 senior patrons. Isolate the Salient Problem A primary problem to this case study is the senior crowd. The restaurant already takes on the task of having enough room to seat the entire dining style crowd, if it engages in bingo than the crowd will become even more outrageous. Not only will the restaurant have the meeting crowd they will have a bingo crowd as well. Meaning, that more senior crowd will come in ready and only ready to engage in bingo. A secondary problem would be the title of the restaurant would be at risk. The fast food label may become a social restaurant, common to a bar status. It may take on the name of the â€Å"old people’s restaurant†. This will detour many of the younger customers and the customers who are coming to get the fast food service. The restaurant will face over crowding due to the new additions (bingo). Accumulate and Organize relevant facts Seniors are mainly the people who enjoy doing activities such as bingo. Bingo co... Free Essays on McDonald’s â€Å"Seniors† Restaurant Free Essays on McDonald’s â€Å"Seniors† Restaurant McDonald’s â€Å"Seniors† Restaurant Case Analysis In the study of the briefing of the McDonald’s Restaurant, there are positives to the problem and negatives towards the problem. A McDonald’s in a city crowded with seniors are overwhelmed with senior customers during the early hours of the day. The senior come in as a meeting area where they eat and commune at the restaurant. The number of seniors that come in, crowds the dining area in which customers come in and eat. They come in on the fourth Monday of every month to get extra special, over the age of 55 discounts. This is a meal that cost 1.99 and free coffee refills. The staff knows the seniors very well and go to see them if they are hospitalized. The relationship is considered a good one between the staff and the seniors. In addition, a idea of adding bingo to add to the excitement of the mornings for the seniors from nine to eleven a.m. Using the party room would accommodate up to 150 senior patrons. Isolate the Salient Problem A primary problem to this case study is the senior crowd. The restaurant already takes on the task of having enough room to seat the entire dining style crowd, if it engages in bingo than the crowd will become even more outrageous. Not only will the restaurant have the meeting crowd they will have a bingo crowd as well. Meaning, that more senior crowd will come in ready and only ready to engage in bingo. A secondary problem would be the title of the restaurant would be at risk. The fast food label may become a social restaurant, common to a bar status. It may take on the name of the â€Å"old people’s restaurant†. This will detour many of the younger customers and the customers who are coming to get the fast food service. The restaurant will face over crowding due to the new additions (bingo). Accumulate and Organize relevant facts Seniors are mainly the people who enjoy doing activities such as bingo. Bingo co...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Business Benefits of Agile

Business Benefits of Agile Agile marketing has proven to be one of the most vital business concepts leading to success in both individualized customer experience, as well as overall product performance. The key component of this type of marketing, agility, represents an organizations ability to assess environmental change and then efficiently and effectively respond to that change. This approach improves the predictability, adaptability, speed, and transparency to change of the marketing function. Being able to tailor their efforts in a quick manner is a must for marketers, so to successfully respond to changes that occur in market conditions, customer behavior, and business direction to benefit market share. By doing so, marketers will gain the ability to gain a more individualized connection with customers in a dependable, effective and engaging way, therefore achieving what is known as individualized marketing. As a result of keeping customers up to date with all marketing affairs and therefore gaining a le gitimate grasp of their habits and issues, marketers put themselves in the best position of creating rewarding relationships. Marketing agility is centered around the ability of marketing organizations to collaborate in an efficient fashion, while also being able to adjust their performance to potential changes. In combination with this, it is imperative that marketing organizations also focus on the execution of the following key initiatives: Centralizing the management of all marketing programs Aligning marketing activities to budgets and spending accounts Developing reusable process workflows Responding at the speed of the customer Adjusting campaign execution based on analytical insights Improving marketing performance by employing proven strategies for success Remaining agile throughout a campaign so changes can be made in real time There are three primary operations considerations in agile marketing. The first is Planning Spend Management, which is the ability to fully access limited marketing resources so that marketers can get the most ROI from their marketing initiatives. Next is Workflow Collaboration Management, or the ability to prioritize and execute all incoming marketing requests with pre-established, reusable workflows. And finally, Marketing Asset Management, the ability to design, edit, produce, and deliver creative assets that consistently and automatically invoke executive, marketing, and legal approval mechanisms. Planning Spend Management: Marketers have the chance to get the most on their investment, but in order to do so, they need to have the option of seeing limited marketing resources more clearly and thoroughly. Focusing on planning and spend management can help this happen. If there is a lack of perceptibility in terms of how marketing resources are being designated, both marketing costs and missed opportunities are likely to increase. Implementing current insights into spending rates and budget adherence, enables marketers to make well-informed decisions concerning the success of strategic initiatives and make immediate and responsive adjustments. Another consideration for improving planning and spend management is creating a centralized marketing calendar which links every action to the spend that supports it, allowing greater visibility into every strategic initiative and its measurable results. Access to this information also allows for informed conversations and eliminates opinio n battles with fact-based data. Workflow Collaboration Management: In order to better manage workflow and collaboration, there needs to be a clear understanding of all incoming marketing requests so work can be prioritized and carried out with pre established, reusable workflows. This will not only maximizes an organization’s marketing efforts, but also ensure process compliance and reporting. Additionally, the ability to choreograph and manage all the intra-agency and inter-agency communications and activities that support the creation, execution, and governance of omni-channel customer campaigns is essential to an organization’s efficiency, agility, and overall success. The system manages itself, providing the opportunity for marketers to focus on creativity. The true power of workflow and collaboration management is exposed when the broad aspect of it enables a complete end-to-end process and encompasses all steps of the marketing activity. Marketing Asset Management: The best and most effective marketing efforts require that an organization’s creative assets are designed, edited, produced, and delivered in a way that consistently and automatically invokes executive, marketing, and legal approval mechanisms. By harmonizing these operations in an efficient and compliant way, marketers can ensure their digital and creative content is both effective and compliant. By prioritizing a close and efficient process with creative asset production partners, marketers can position their organizations to successfully deliver streamlined, approved, and compliant assets at the speed each customer wants and expects. The best marketing asset management approach establishes a consistent process for creation and a single place to store properly licensed and approved assets. The financial benefits of this repository are undisputable – marketers have the most up-to-date creative pieces they require at their fingertips, and there is never a cost associated with replacing lost or misplaced assets. The benefits of increasing marketing agility are both measurable and substantial. In fact, highly agile organizations report they meet goals and business objectives 83% of the time, compared to 59% of less agile organizations. Increase in productivity is a big one, which can be measured in ways such as completed marketing tasks, results, points, etc. There is also more transparency, allowing other branches of management to see the whereabouts of marketing. Because two agile marketing core values are accountability and measurability, this emphasis better develops marketing’s contribution communication skills. Customer satisfaction also increases as a result of customer needs being met quickly and with honesty, encouraging them to make a purchasing decision. Agile marketing allows for marketing teams to have a better overall connection with their different departments and allows for improved communication internally and with their customers. Experience and performance will not o nly improve exponentially, but marketers’ ability to do their job will prove to be more straightforward and more fun. Being able to share and collaborate with the people you work with makes way for greater respect and satisfaction throughout the workplace.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Impact of social Networking on Customer Loyalty Thesis

The Impact of social Networking on Customer Loyalty - Thesis Example This essay stresses that Facebook is one of the widely use social networking websites around the world. The number of users of social media is increasing with the passage of time however youngsters are more inclined towards using of social media than people of other ages. Moreover most of the people are logging their accounts on a daily basis and thus, it has encouraged businesses to use social media to convey their marketing messages as well. Social media websites are used for different purposes, one of them is that people do research and gather information about the products and services. Social Networking Sites are a very important part of Web 2.0. SNSs have become a powerful force in shaping public opinions on virtually every aspect of commerce. SNS imply word-of-mouth marketing, and have an increasing influence on customers’ purchase decisions and in turn affects customer loyalty. The study of this topic has been really interesting due to the image that the social media portray in the society. Although there was not so much time and mean I managed to have convenient samples for a small case study, which is thus a hindrance to generalize the result of the finding. However convenient sample could provide springboard for further research. The work could have been easier if only the questionnaire has been done based on the theory chapter. Due to some misunderstanding some theories were not letter consider as to be one hence some theories has to be included latter. So the challenge was to make sure that the new.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Network Design management (Dissertation) Literature review

Network Design management (Dissertation) - Literature review Example Theoretical framework: OSI reference model: The OSI model (operation systems interconnection) is used to distribute the internal activities of a communications system into a number of layers (Kozierok, 2005). The model distributes the communication system into seven different logical layers where each layer is designed to perform a unique function. The seven layers are given below: Layer 1: The first layer is known as the physical layer. The first layer is used to specify the physical and electrical needs of the device. The physical layer basically provides a connection between the transmission medium i.e. the communication cable and the device itself. Other than that the physical layer sets up the connection with the communicating device, terminates the communication and the conversion of digital data into analogue signals (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 2: The second layer of the OSI model is the data link layer. The data link layer is responsible for detecting any errors that occur at the first level of the device. In addition the data link layer also handles the flow control of the packets of data. The data link layer is divided into two parts the MAC (Media Access Control) layer and the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer. The MAC layer handles all the activities that allow the device to gain permission to access a network and to transmit the data packet. While the LLC layer is responsible for handling the flow control, error checking and flow control of the data packet (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 3: The third layer is called the network layer and it creates virtual paths on which the data packet is transmitted. Moreover the network layer is responsible for congestion control and addressing the packet (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 4: The fourth layer is the transport layer ensures that the entire data packet layer is transferred from the sender’s end to the receiver’s end. Layer 5: The session layer is responsible for establishing sessions between the sender†™s applications and the receiver’s application. Layer 6: The presentation layer encrypts and decrypts the message from the data packet. The application layer transforms the data into a form that the application can understand. The application layer encrypts the data in such a way that data transferred faces no compatibility issues (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 7: The application layer is the layer with which the user has the most interaction. The application layer supports all the user applications and the user’s activities. User authentication, quality of service and privacy are taken into account at this layer (Kozierok, 2005). E-governance engineering methodology: There has been a lot of work and research carried out regarding the performance measurements used within the public sector. Measuring the service quality and performance monitoring are just some of examples where significant progress has been made. However, there always has been an issue of how these factors a re to be integrated with various process of designing and development processes that are regularly used for e-governance projects (Carter et al., 1995). By adopting and implementing the correct methodology the integration of e-governance process and planning and designing services could become a possibility. There have been a

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Chocolate business plan Essay Example for Free

Chocolate business plan Essay Introduction The market leader of the chocolate industry in India, Cadbury, is a British subsidiary of the American multinational confectionary, food and beverages conglomerate â€Å"Mondelez International†. Cadbury, is the second largest confectionary company in the world, close on the heels of Mars, Inc. In India, Cadbury owns a market share of 66 %, significantly ahead of the other multinational company operating the same space for many years, Nestle India, as well as other national, international and regional brands like Amul and Ferrero. Cadbury India began its operations in India in 1948, and has been a trusted and favored brand for decades in India. The market share has decreased from 70-80% in view of entry of other international chocolate companies in the Indian market, however it is still significantly large. Cadbury figures in the Brand Trust Report, 2011 in the Top 100 Most Trusted Brands in India. While Cadbury sells products in several categories such as candy, gum, beverages and chocolate confectionary, this report is aimed at studying the marketing strategy employed by Cadbury India in view of its chocolate confectionary business. Some of the products in this category include the highly popular Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Silk, Bournville, Temptations, 5 Star, Dairy Milk Shots, Celebrations, Perk and Toblerone. In order to analyze the marketing strategy for Cadbury, this report begins with a SWOT analysis of the company. Environmental Analysis Political Food Safety Act 2006: Detailed and exacting regulations, for standards of production as well as imported chocolates, exist in India. Opportunity. Cadbury is better equipped to follow standards in production than smaller regional or local brands. Strength. Expand into the rural areas before local or regional companies focus on the rural market. Import Tax Rates on Chocolates: A tariff rate of 30% is levied on chocolates. Opportunity. Strength. Demand for premium chocolates at affordable prices can be encashed before foreign entrants can grow their roots within the Indian industry by introducing and aggressively marketing domestically manufactured premium chocolates. Economic Per Capita Spending Patterns: The biggest consumption category in India is Food. Spending in this amounts to almost 21% of the Gross Domestic Production. People, on average, spend 31% of their budget monthly, on food. 70% of the food spending is on agri-products, which incorporates candies and confectionary including chocolates. Two-thirds of this spending is on processed products. Domestic spending on food is expected to grow at a compounded 3 annual growth rate of 4% and billed to reach approximately 320 billion US dollars in value within the next 7 years. USD 841 million is spent on chocolates and confectionary in India. Opportunity. In households across income groups, a large share of money spent goes towards processed agricultural products including chocolates and other confectionary items. This can be encashed by developing effective channels to reach out and sell to lower and lower middle income groups. Strength. Socio-Cultural Social and cultural acceptability of products: There is an increasing acceptance of chocolates as an equivalent of traditional sweets in urban areas. Chocolates are, however, still seen as a luxury food item in rural areas. Opportunity. Chocolates are increasingly being seen as an equivalent or substitute for traditional sweets in terms of the convenience it offers when used for gifting on occasions. Strength. Cadbury is already working on this approach to sell to urban consumers. Rural consumers can also be reached out to and offered chocolates as a new gift item replacing sweets leading to increased sales. Technological Constantly improving technology in chocolate making leads to better tasting products as well as more convenient storage. Opportunity. Strength. Cadbury has the financial capability to invest in RD and has already produced products that are better suited to Indian tastes and storage conditions that other foreign entrants into the industry are not yet as well adapted to. Natural factors. Climate for Cocoa Production: Cocoa, used to produce chocolates can only be grown in regions 15 degrees to the north or south of the equator. Cocoa, originally a crop native to the Amazon basin, can only be grown in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is not a commonly grown crop. Threat. Lack or scarcity of domestic cocoa producers can affect production costs of chocolates within the country. Strength. Cadbury has encouraged farmers in Kerala to produce cocoa since the 1970s and is now in the process of promoting Cocoa as an inter-crop plant for coconut growing farmers. Successful pursuance of this connect with the farmers would help Cadbury procure raw material at lower prices within the country. Consumer behavior Age composition: 66% of the population is below the age of 35. Opportunity. It implies that a huge part of the population can be encouraged to take up consumption of chocolates more frequently and will be met with less resistance than that put up by older consumers with already set eating habits. Strength. 4 Competition Traditional Sweets: Very widely available and traditional choice, but inconsistent in hygiene levels and taste. Threat. Build on image of chocolates being a better and more hygienic choice, which adheres to food safety standards set out by the Govt. Build on image that chocolates are a more sophisticated choice for gifting carrying greater meaning than ‘mithai’ from neighbourhood sweet shops. Strength. Confectionary items like candies, cakes and icecream: Candies are easily available and appeal to children who have traditionally been the target consumers for chocolates. Threat. Cadbury can emphasize more strongly that chocolates are not meant only for children but for adults as well who may not prefer to eat candies. Cadbury chocolate can be offered as an experience, that is not replicated by eating candies and conectionary items. Strength. Entry of several foreign players: As India is seen to have a rapidly growing chocolate consuming country, with people willing to spend not only on inexpensive smaller packs of chocolates, but also premium chocolates as well, foreign players have started foraying into the market with the hope of establishing a presence in the premium sector at least. Threat. Cadbury can increase its foothold in the premium sector of chocolate industry by launching and promoting premium chocolate brands with higher cocoa content which could be priced a bit lower than the foreign brands. In fact, Cadbury is already in the process of implementing such a strategy through the introduction of Bournville and Toblerone. Strength. Suppliers Global network: Half of the cocoa sourced for chocolate making by Cadbury is from sources around the globe, including countries like Ghana, for its famous brand Bournville. Opportunity. Cadbury can source the majority of its cocoa from farmers in India through contract farming, while importing from foreign countries specifically for certain brands only. This will help reduce loss due to global fluctuations in cocoa bean prices and also reduce transport or shipment costs. It will also help create an even more positive image in the eyes of the Indian population. Strength. Dealer network: Cadbury has CSR activities directed at the farmers who are producing cocoa on contract for Cadbury in the state of Kerala. Opportunity. Cadbury is now in the process of extending these activities to farmers in 3 more southern Indian states. This will help cement positive relations between the cocoa growers and the brand, which may put it at an advantage when compared to new foreign entrants in the country like Ferrero or Mars, Inc. Strength. 5 Advertising environment Use of role models: Trustworthy role models in the media, when used as Brand Ambassadors, give a much needed push to the further acceptance of a product. Opportunity. Cadbury has been able to utilize this by roping in celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, thus emphasizing the idea that even adults can have chocolates, since even a person of Amitabh Bachchan’s stature has not shied away from having them. Cadbury also has the financial power to rope in more high profile celebrities for the same. Strength. Availability of media and ad agencies: Several media channels like TV, Radio, newspapers are available for Cadbury to advertise on. Opportunity. Cadbury has been advertising its chocolates heavily throughout, to keep the brand on top of the mind recall. There have been innumerable ads by Cadbury that have long stayed on people’s minds and even evoked nostalgia, indicating a deep connect of the brand with the audience. Strength. Segmentation Cadbury segmented the consumer based on age. Till the 1980s, chocolates were seen as a luxury item which were eaten only on special occasions or used to reward children with. Despite being the market leader already at this time, Cadbury decided to reshuffle their marketing strategy and position chocolates as a snack and an everyday item of consumption rather than a special treat. In order to do this, the first step was to segment the consumers. Geographic or occupation based segmentation would have proven less relevant in helping raise revenues generated from chocolate sales. The segmentation was done on the basis of age. The existing segment of choice for Cadbury had been children up to the age of 14 who had been driving the consumption of chocolates until the 90s. The other segment that the consumers could be grouped into was the adult population. Targeting The decision made to target a segment is based on gauging the segment attractiveness of the segment. During the 90s, with a rise in the population of the 15-35 year olds, combined with a surge in income and spending power due to the simultaneous opening up of the economy, made the adult segment an attractive one and since then, it has been targeted by Cadbury. Being the market leader already, switching to this target consumer group was not a difficult move for them, in terms of channel attractiveness of the segment. The existing channels which served the consumers until the 90s, such as kirana stores, need no resource intensive special adaptations to serve the youth consumer group as well. Alongside this, competitive attractiveness of the youth segment was also high since no other chocolate company had targeted this consumer group so far. Although this meant 6 Cadbury needed to put in extra marketing effort to change the social acceptance of chocolates in this group, it also translated into a first mover advantage for them. Positioning Positioning is the decision of how the brand wants to be perceived as by the target consumer group vis-a-vis competitors. Cadbury has positioned itself to cater to specific needs and attributes that the target consumer group looks for. Cadbury’s objective was to engage the customers of the adult age group. In the early 90s, Cadbury had the leading share in the market but the volume of sales in terms of per capita consumption was very low compared to western countries. This was also because consumption of chocolate by children was strictly governed by adults and hence increasing per capita consumption within the children consumer group was not a feasible option. In order to widen the net of consumers, Cadbury had to increase the social acceptance of chocolates in the adults age group. This was done through the means of extensive and successively huge ad campaigns which eventually lowered the attitudinal barrier that existed. Cadbury had wanted to and has successfully moved from the perception of chocolate being a children’s product to a celebratory/gifting product, and more recently an indulgence product (For instance Cadbury Silk). In 1992, Cadbury launched a series of aggressive ad campaigns starting with ‘Real Taste of Life† which showcased adults eating the chocolates on their own and not in a parent role or buying it as a reward or a way to say sorry to loved ones. This included the famous ad â€Å"Kuch khaas hai zindagi mein† which showed adults enjoying the taste of chocolates on their own. Later on, Cadbury launched a campaign for Perk which said â€Å"Thodi si pet pooja† which emphasized the use of the chocolate as an any time snack to satisfy hunger, which was a marked shift from the earlier perception of chocolates. Later, to promote Cadbury chocolates as an alternative to traditional desserts, the â€Å"kuch meetha ho jaaye† campaign sought to change perceptions once again, this time including the entire family consisting of elderly grandparents also in the ad to show acceptance of the Cadbury chocolates as dessert. By tying chocolates to Indian customs, and festivals, like Celebrations especially for Raksha Bandhan and Diwali, Cadbury has come a long way from the â€Å"Real Taste of Life† campaign, and â€Å"Indianized† itself in order to entrench itself within the minds of the adult population in India. Marketing Mix – 4 Ps Product/Service Product There are four types of products by Cadbury India, and this report is focused on the Chocolates category. These aim to satisfy the hunger need as well as relaxation and convenience need (easily available snacking option). In order to satisfy these needs, the 7 product is available very easily, at least in the urban markets and in various sizes. Cadbury chocolates are branded so as to represent some emotional core values like family values, and togetherness, but at the same time, they are also branded as a fresh, satisfying, convenient product. Place Cadbury has 6 company-owned manufacturing facilities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Thane Induri (Pune) Malanpur (Gwalior) Bangalore Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) Hyderabad There are 4 sales offices, one each in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The corporate office is in Mumbai. In terms of distribution, Cadbury chocolate products are sold directly to wholesalers and retailers. The network comprises roughly 2100 distributors and 4,50,000 retailers. The chocolates are sold through Kirana stores, gift stores, medical stores, canteens, paan shops, bakeries and so on. Price The generally established price point for chocolates in India is Rs 5 and Cadbury has 4 products at this point including Dairy milk, 5 star, gems and perk. This price point accounts for half of chocolate sales in India. At the same time, Cadbury sells multiple differently sized packs on a range of prices, going up to higher, premium priced products as well such as Bournville. In this way, Cadbury has a hold on various price points available to various groups of consumers based on their appetite for spending. Promotion Cadbury promotes its products through various media channels. It uses mainly television ads with strongly featured taglines that get associated with the products easily. There is some amount of seasonality in the market in the way that demand ideally goes up during festive season due to gifting needs and Cadbury launches special ad campaigns around those times to encash on this increased demand. National level competitors like Amul have been unable to match up to the scale of promotions undertaken by Cadbury. Regional players hardly advertise on a big scale through campaigns. However, its MNC competitor Nestle has its own promotional ads and campaigns that seek to rival Cadbury’s and sometimes directly challenge the Cadbury ads. 8 Recommendations 1. In view of the recent entry of foreign players in the market, though Cadbury does not face the threat of losing a significant amount of its existing customers, for instance, those who buy Dairy Milk or Perk, there is a possibility of losing out on potential customers who are interested in premium chocolates. Since this is a rapidly growing industry, and being the established market leader, Cadbury should focus on its premium chocolate brands in a big way through more visible ad campaigns and promote their products based on the brand equity they have built through the years. 2. While leveraging the lower cost of Cadbury premium chocolates vis-a-vis foreign chocolates, Cadbury must take care to ensure it does not go the Tata Nano way, as lower prices in the premium segment may be perceived as lower quality in the product delivered as well. 3. As it has already managed to successfully position chocolates as a snack for children’s as well as adults’ consumption, it can now focus on activating the elderly consumer segment which is typically more resistant to chocolates compared to traditional sweets and feel guilty on indulging in chocolates even if not restricted by health reasons. 4. Cadbury can now change the positioning of certain specific products or introduce new products to cater to â€Å"instant energy† giving needs similar to Mars bars abroad. 5. Recently, a 20-calorie chocolate has been developed in the UK which is now being sold at Michelin starred restaurants. Cadbury can also direct some of its RD endeavors towards developing a similar product which would give the company a distinct edge over competitors and help tap into a new markets and increase their consumer width. 9 NATIONAL BRAND 10 Introduction Amul is an Indian dairy Co-operative based out of Anand in Gujarat. The co-operative started off as the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union in December 1946. The Co-operative was set up by the milk producers of the Kaira district of Gujarat who felt cheated by the unfair trade practices. The co-operative collected processed and marketed milk and was co-owned by the milk producing farmers of the district. The brand Amul was used by the Kaira District Co-operative to market its brand of milk products. By the 1970s the Co-operative model had become highly successful and spawned similar Co-operative in other district s of Gujarat. In order to combine together and expand their market while not competing with each other, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), an apex marketing body of these district co-operatives was set-up in 1973. The brand name of Amul which was held by the Kaira Union was transferred to GCCF. Today, the GCCF is the largest food product marketing organisation of India. The co-operatives collect around 10 million litres of milk per day from around 3 million milk producer members of the Co-operative. Its current turnover is around Rs. 140. 0 billion. Amul started producing and marketing chocolates in 1970. It currently markets 6 different chocolate brands namely Congtas, Fundoo, Chocozo, Bindaaz, Rejoice, Almond Bar, Fruits and Nut and Amul Cooking Chocolate. Current market share of Amul chocolates is just 4% as compared to market leader that is 66%. The main reason behind such low market share is lack of promotion and more focus on dairy products. Environmental Analysis Strengths ? ? ? Raw material (milk) security: Major raw materials for the production of chocolates are Cocoa, milk and sugar. Milk supply is secured for the company which protects it from any volatility in prices. High brand awareness: Amul through its concerted marketing over the last 5 decades has created a brand that is synonymous with good quality. The brand has also become a symbol of successful Indian entrepreneurship that has positively impacted the lives of millions of small farmers, hence there is a sense of patriotism and pride associated with the brand as well. Strong distribution network: Amul has been marketing and supplying milk through a pan India distribution network which supplies milk and milk products to independent retailers but also to its own milk parlours. 11 Weakness: ? ? ? Low market share: Amul chocolates have a low market share in the Indian chocolate industry. The brand, though having a strong recall value, is not primarily associated with chocolates. The market leader in the chocolate industry in India is Cadbury with 70% market share followed by Nestle at 20% market share. Co-operative structure of Amul: Due to the Co-operative nature of GCMMF, there is limited capital infusion in the company. As a result there is a limited scope for aggressive product launches or diversification. Volatility in Cocoa prices: Unlike the major chocolate producing companies in the world, Amul does not own a cocoa plantation. The prices of cocoa are volatile in nature as they are dependent on the international demand supply dynamics. Not having a cocoa plantation of its own exposed the company to volatility in prices of this raw material. Opportunities: ? Huge untapped market: The per capita consumption of chocolate in India has increase from 40 gm per person in 2005 to around 110 gm per person currently. Though this is impressive growth in itself it is still much lower than the per capita chocolate consumption, in countries like Ireland or Belgium which have a chocolate consumption per person of more than 11 kilograms or even USA or Australia which have chocolate consumption per person of around 5 kilograms. There is thus a huge untapped market for growth in the chocolate industry in India. Corresponding Strength: Since Amul has a strong â€Å"Brand awareness†, people would be willing to buy new products launched under its brand name. Amul can launcha variety of new chocolate products for youth and kids. ? Gifting: Gift hampers consisting of chocolates has been a successful marketing strategy by companies like Cadbury. Amul too has the ‘Rejoice’ brand especially for this purpose however there is scope to launch or aggressively advertise this. Corresponding Strength: Since, Amul is a strong brand name and has a strong distribution network, It can very well advertise the gift packs like rejoice and can introduce new brands catering to the same need. ? Advertising: Amul need to advertise and carry out lot of promotional activities to inform the consumers that still exist and can provide them with what they want. It’s been years that Amul’s chocolate advertisement has been telecasted on India’s major television channels. Sales promotions like discounts and free samples can also help them to increase the Brand awareness and attract customers to switch brand from competitors. Big brands use a celebrity as a Brand Ambassador for its product. 12 For example Amitabh Bachchan for Cadbury Rani Mukherjee for Nestle, Amul can also use a brand ambassador for the promotion of its chocolates. Corresponding Strength: Amul has a huge turnover of around Rs 140 billion and is a financially strong company and has enough funds to carry out the needed advertising campaign and promotions. By spending a small percentage of revenue on advertising campaigns Amul can increase its market share to a large extent. ? Low rural penetration of chocolates: There is significant awareness of the Amul brand even in rural India. The company can leverage these launch cheaper brands targeted at the rural segment which has till now stayed away from chocolate consumption. Corresponding Strength: Amul has been marketing and supplying milk through a pan India distribution network. It has a strong distribution network in rural areas. Amul can leverage this strength and can launch cheaper products in rural market. Threats: ? Strong competition from foreign multi nationals: There is significant potential in the Indian chocolate industry which has been attracting international competition. Companies like Cadbury have been launching premium swiss chocolate brands. Also other premium chocolate brands like Ferrero Rocher are making their presence felt in India. Corresponding Weakness: Since â€Å"Amul† is mostly related to its milk products and has not made its presence felt strongly in the chocolate industry, its still far behind its competitors like Cadburys which is a very aggressive player in the chocolate industry. Amul faces tough competition and to handle the same it needs enormous marketing and advertising campaign and introduction of new chocolate products under its brand name. ? Low brand loyalty in chocolate industry: Chocolates are impulse purchases and compete with categories of soft drinks, snacks and other beverages. Although people may like a particular type of chocolate (dark, milk, white, etc. ) there is not a significant brand loyalty. Hence this presents a threat to established players in the market. Corresponding Weakness: Since Amul has significantly low popularity in chocolate industry and also people are picky while selecting a chocolate, there is not a single chocolate brand product under its brand which enjoys strong loyalty from consumer side. Also, people like to try different kinds of chocolates and are not necessarily inclined towards a single chocolate product. Since, Amul does not offer a large variety of chocolates; therefore it is at a weaker position in the chocolate industry. 13 Segmentation Geographic segmentation: Chocolate consumption is concentrated in urban areas of the country. Chocolate consumption in rural areas of the country may be considered negligible. Chocolates are still considered as a luxury product by the population and are hence consumed by the middle and the upper classes of society which reside in the towns, cities and metropolitan centres of the country. Amul chocolates are thus marketed in these areas of the country. Demographic segmentation: Amul chocolates are mostly segmented its consumers into various age groups like the children, adolescent and youth segments of the society. Since, chocolates are particularly liked by children and middle aged and older generations refrain from eating it citing health concerns due to high sugar content of chocolates. Targeting The brands of Amul chocolates like Fundooz, Bindaaz, Congrats etc. have been named to be attractive to the younger generation who use these words in their daily lexicon. There has been a strategy by the company to provide a young, dynamic and fun loving character to its chocolate through such branding. Amul chocolates also markets two brand namely Amul Cooking Chocolate which is targeted towards the homemakers and professional cooks and chefs. Positioning Positioning is the decision of how the brand wants to be perceived as by the target consumer group vis-a-vis competitors. Amul has positioned itself as an affordable, â€Å"value for money† chocolate. Since, it has mostly targeted kids and youth, it is still considered as a snack unlike cadbury’s product like Celebrations which is considered as gifting option. Amul has not positioned itself as an alternative to sweets or has not developed its product to actually cater to an emotional need. It is simply a chocolate available at a lower price. Marketing Mix. Product Amul has a very low range of products in its chocolate business. There are only 8 chocolate brands that Amul offers as of now in the market and these are Congrats, Fundoo, Chocozo, 14 Bindaaz, Rejoice, Almond Bar, Fruits and Nut and Amul Cooking Chocolate. The problem is that there is no clear differentiation between the products that it offers. For example Cadburys is catering to a different need corresponding to its individual Chocolate product. ? ? ? ? ? Product Dairy Milk Dairy Milk Shots Bournville 5 Star Perk Need Milk Chocolate (Basic taste and style). Small balls of chocolate (Circular unlike chocolate bars) Dark Chocolate Sweeter in taste with honey as an ingredient Crispier with wafer inside However, Amul completely ignores such kind of differentiation between its products and hence their product can be easily substituted by their own products apart from the competitor’s product. Another important factor is packaging because majority of the consumers is kids and youngsters who like attractive packaging. Most kids buy chocolates not just because they like chocolates but also because of the attractive wrappers. Packaging used by Amul stands low on appearance parameter. Also, it lacks a common theme or â€Å"top of the mind† recall point. For example, Cadburys is strongly associated with blue wrapper and more than brown it’s the colour blue that we associate with a chocolate. As compared to this, Amul’s packaging is weak and lacks lustre. Amul needs to make changes to its product (chocolates) like introduction of more flavours and attractive packaging because the wrappers Amul uses is not at all attractive compared to those used by Cadbury and Nestle. This would keep them in competition with competitors like Cadbury and Nestle. 15 Pricing Second P of marketing that is Price is often confused with blindly lowering the prices of different products and completely relying on this strategy to increase sales. However it is of extreme importance to divide the target group on the basis of their price sensitivity and purchase power. Every customer segment has different price expectation from the product. To maximize the returns, it is important to identify the right price level for each segment and then progressively moving through them. Amul has launched various chocolate products to cater to different segments of population. Pricing must take into account the competitive and legal environment of the industry. Majority of people in India live in villages and have low disposable income. With such a heavy competition in the chocolate market, Price plays a very important role. Amul pricing strategy has been â€Å"Value for Money†. Amul’s believes in giving value for money to its customers and it has always followed that principle. Its products are of high quality and available at affordable prices. For example, Cadbury’s â€Å"Fruit n Nut† is priced at Rs 35 per 42 gm pouch whereas Amul’s Fruit and Nut is sold at just Rs 25 per 40 gm. Amul offers same quality at a price 30% lower than its competitor. Amul has not launched any premium (high price) product in its chocolate business. Place Place in marketing is considered as the channels of distribution through which products move from the manufacturer to the consumers. The channels of distribution mean intermediaries or middlemen who act as a link between the manufacturer and the consumers. Factors that need to be considered when choosing the place are the characteristics of the product, characteristics of the buyers, control and competitors channels. Since chocolate is an edible product, Amul should adopt an intensive distribution strategy wherein they will manufacture products and make it available at various shopping malls, food joints, local stores, Chocolate parlours etc. Corresponding to its strong distribution channels, Amul currently has very low visibility. It needs to increase the visibility through offering discount to retailers along with buybacks to convince them to store the Amul Chocolates. Since Amul is a â€Å"value for money† brand it can be placed anywhere from small kirana shops to big malls. Amul has a big brand name because of its dairy products. They can easily use it to increase the awareness of its chocolates using various distribution channels. 16 Promotion Promotion refers to exchange of information between an organization and the consumer of its products. Consumers here include Customers, shareholders, employees, government and other parties related to the products like trade union and media. The aim of promotion is to inform the consumers, differentiate from other products and to persuade them to buy. There are many techniques of promotion like Advertising, Sales promotions, Direct Marketing Personal selling. Amul has been criticised for lack of promotion. Amul has a strong brand name because of its dairy product leadership. Amul must advertise its chocolates using media like newspaper, television and internet to inform the public about the quality the price of its product. Amul has totally shifted its focus from chocolates towards milk and other milk products and have totally ignored chocolates. Using the mediums like Television and newspaper the company needs to remind the public that they are back with improved products at an affordable price. 17 Recommendations 1. Amul needs to introduce new varieties of chocolates and improve its existing ones. 2. They should introduce milk chocolates like Nestle’s Milky Bar, Chocolates with fruits and nuts like Cadbury has its Fruit and Nuts, Mint chocolates like Nestle’s After Eight etc.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Cyrano the Bergerac Love in Cyrano de Bergerac :: Cyrano Bergerac

Cyrano the Bergerac     Love      When we think about the force that holds the world together and what makes humans different from animals, one answer comes to our minds - that humans can love.   Love is a state of mind that cannot be defined easily but can be experienced by everyone. Love is very complicated.   In fact it is so complicated that a person in love may be misunderstood to be acting in an extremely foolish manner by other people.   The complexity of love is displayed in Rostand’s masterpiece drama Cyrano de Bergerac.   This is accomplished by two characters that love the same woman and in the course neither one achieves love in utter perfection.        First of all the question rises what is love.   Love is having a sense of security in someone.   When we love someone we usually mean that we can turn to that person comfortably if all other doors of the world are shut to us.   This is the one person that we trust and like to be in company with.   In the novel Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano loves Roxane more than anyone else but he is shy to tell her so.   When he finds out of her feelings towards another character Christian, who she likes because of his looks, Cyrano finds a way to express his love to Roxane.   He decides that he would write to her in the name of Christian who comparatively is a poor writer and "wishes to make Christian his interpreter"(II,85).        Both Christian and Cyrano love Roxane but Roxane loves only the person that has been writing to her.   It was actually Cyrano, who was writing to her but she thinks it was Christian.   Cyrano had said, "..And we two make one hero of romance." (II,85)   Since Cyrano was suffering with an inferiority complex, as he had a gigantic nose, he was shy to ask Roxane whether she wanted him or not.   He had assumed that she would not like him because of his deformity.   He one said , "..I adore Beatrice Have I / The look of Dante?" (I,42)   What he had not considered was that Roxane loved him for what he was from the inside, not outside.   Once she had told Christian that , "If you were less charming - ugly even - I should love you still.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Teenage Fashion

General subject: Fashion Limited subject: Teenage fashion in winter Thesis statement: There are different ways, the piece of fabric, called the scarf or muffler can be of such importance when it comes to teenager’s fashion especially in winter.Supporting points:1. Scarves or mufflers are never out of fashion. 2. It can be purchased at a very reasonable price and it’s efficient and it keeps the body warm in winter. 3. Scarves or mufflers go with any outfits teenagers wear.Conclusion: Although scarves or mufflers play a very important part in teenager’s fashion in winter, teenagers face competitions and usually get left out.Teenage Fashion in WinterThere are different ways, the piece of fabric, called the scarf or muffler can be of such importance when it comes to teenager’s fashion especially in winter. Winter brings the cold chilly air of excitement that seeps through teenager’s undying will of bringing unique trendy fashion in style. Scarves or muf flers are never out of fashion. This is specifically very important since no teenager wants to wear anything remotely out of fashion. Every year or season fashion keeps on changing but scarves have never been out of fashion. Teenagers of both the genders love to wear scarves. There are so many different patterns imprinted on them that boys as well as girls can have their favorite pick to go with any of their dress ups.The slightly thick scarves, known as mufflers, which are woolly and soft make it wrap fashionably perfectly around the neck and shoulders. When winter’s right round the corner, the streets or the local market or super malls will be filled with scarves and mufflers of all sorts. It’s very convenient for teenagers since it’s never out of fashion and they never have to look far to buy a scarf. It can be purchased  at a very reasonable price and it’s efficient and it keeps the body warm in winter. These scarves and mufflers can be found anywhe re and they can be bought with a good price or even cheaper. This is important since teenagers have to consider the amount of limited money or allowance they have in their pockets. It’s efficient to carry around as well.They can be easily folded and put in the bag. Scarves and mufflers are very comforting too in winter. It keeps the wind off the chest and neck. Teenagers are always on the go, going here and there, so the scarves or mufflers become a protective shield from the cold harsh winter wind. Scarves or mufflers go with any outfits teenagers wear. It can be worn round the head or tied with a knot round the neck or simply wrapped around the shoulders. It can help give off an elegant look by wearing with a gown or a dress. Teenage Boys can wear it instead of a tie even with formal dresses like the suit or t-shirts. But teenagers of the masculine side usually tend to look casual and neat at the same time which makes the mufflers or scarves a very important attire. The unb uttoned t-shirt trend was out of fashion thanks to the scarves.Teenage girls can choose to wear it at a party or a family dinner, or at a restaurant. It can go with tops and jeans or with a skirt or salwar kameez or coat or even suits. Depending on how it’s worn, it can be twirled in a huge bundle round the neck to give off a heavy posh look or it can be casually tied with a knot to give off a light carefree look. The different types of style you can do with scarves are endless and that’s why teenagers love it. Although scarves or mufflers play a very important part in teenager’s fashion in winter, teenagers face competitions and usually get left out. Many teenagers try to catch up with the trend but some people are always left behind. Then there is the problem with competitions among the teens, they aren’t satisfied unless they look better than the rest of the crowd. So, these teenagers might tend to avoid scarves just to look more unique among their fel low peers.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Bleak House Imagery of Bleakness

The Imagery of Bleakness and Disease in Charles Dickens’s â€Å"Bleak House† Having been referred to as one of Dickens’s best novel, â€Å"Bleak House† is a novel which stands out, not only through its narrative technique, but also through the complex imagery the author conveys, managing somehow to relate this imagery to the real world, namely the XIXth century England. Thus, in spite of some instances of humorous, ironical scenes and a few comic characters, the novel reveals the sordidness and disease which seemed to prevail in England during those times. From the opening sentence of the novel, the Court of Chancery is introduced, being associated with the symbols of fog and mud: â€Å"Never can there come a fog too thick, never can there come mud and mire too deep,†¦ holds, this day† The word â€Å"fog† appears thirteen times in one paragraph, and many times throughout the novel, the author conveying thus a bleak imagery, symbolic for the English society of the XIXth century. Making use of a special narrative technique, Dickens chooses to have his story told by two different narrators, an omniscient third-person narrator and a first-person narrator, Esther Summerson, who is presenting her life from her own viewpoint. Unlike the generalizing, highly rhetorical voice which opens the novel, Esther’s voice begins hesitatingly, almost self-deprecating herself. This manner of presenting her story is highly relevant as it is seen as a result of her life as an orphan in the sordid house of a cruel, merciless aunt. Thus, regarding the imagery of bleakness, Esther can be deemed to have passed through a series of symbolic â€Å"bleak houses† before she reaches the real Bleak House, which proves to be the least bleak of all. Consequently, it can be considered that the names of the two houses – â€Å"Bleak House†, is nothing more than Dickens’s irony which becomes obvious only in the end of the novel. With regard to Esther’s evolution throughout the novel, the first and apparently worse bleak house is that of her childhood, where she is raised by her cruel aunt who tells her that â€Å"It would have been better †¦ hat you had never been born†. The little girl is taught to make use of submission, self-denial and diligent work so as to compensate for her guilt of having been born. Another bleak house situated in Esther’s long evolutionary path is the house of Mrs Jellyby, an apparently philanthropic woman who is more preoccupied with Africa than w ith her own numerous family. This was meant as a metaphor of imperial England, which was so much engaged around the world in those times, that it became out of touch with the problems it had at home. The imagery of bleakness is here complex, revealing a dirty, unkept for house, with children running all around it, without having anyone to care for them. The imagery of bleakness and disease is also evident in the description of Krook’s rooming house, an emblem of waste and neglect. Krook is described as a ragged man who keeps documents, â€Å"the detritus of legal London†(Davis,42) in his bottle shop, while his apartments are the home for the victims of Chancery, little Miss Flite and the ill law writer Nemo, two characters who represent two powerful instances of the imagery of disease. What is interesting is the way Dickens chooses to relate the bleakness of these houses to the law and the system of injustice, which serves itself, but ignores the effects its actions have upon humans. But even the law is perceived inside a bleak house, namely Tulkinghorn’s house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which is described as having been â€Å"let off in sets of chambers; and in those shrunken fragments of its greatness, lawyers lie like maggots in nuts†¦ Here among his many boxes labelled with transcendent names, lives Mr. Tulkinghorn. Everything that can have a lock has got one; no key is visible. † As far as the disease metaphor si concerned, this seems to be very complex in Jo, the illiterate sweeper, who is seen most of the time starving and begging. Given the society with no public education, Jo is allowed to know nothing, he is neglected by the system itself, being somehow forced to move on, regardless of his deprivations. The most seemingly bizarre expression of the disease metaphor is found in the figure of Krook, the illiterate rag and bottle merchant who seems to be the underworld equivalent of the Lord Chancellor. Just like him, Krook collects legal documents but he is not able to understand their content, and so they cannot help justice. As a warning for the established legal system stands the episode of Krook’s improbable death by spontaneous combustion, which is symbolic for legal England ending in fire, as â€Å"When the law becomes totally absorbed with itself and its own procedures, it is bound to destroy itself†, according to Dickens. In the light of the above-mentioned evidence, it can be said that the imagery of bleakness and disease in the lives of his characters is used by Charles Dickens so as to reveal the bleakness of England itself and how a sick system caused many injustices and perils for the poor, while the rich had a life of luxury and abundance. Works cited Primary sources: Dickens, Charles, Bleak House, Collins, London and Glasgow, 1953 Secondary sources: 2. Davis, Paul, Charles Dickens A Literary Reference to his Life and Work, Infobase Publishing, 1999, pp 41-45 3. Aubrey, Brian, Novels for Students, Gale Publishing, pp 84-86

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Tesla AutoPilot Review †Becoming a Car Supervisor

Tesla AutoPilot Review – Becoming a Car Supervisor Autopilot –assistance for driving If we say that the present day automobile industry is greatly developed, that can be even a huge understatement. This industry is one of the best developed nowadays and is evolving with ultra-rapid speed. Modern cars design and modeling can impress even an experienced automobile expert. But in any sphere, yet thoroughly investigated from many sides, there can be still found a lot of interesting facts and details. Among all the new features that the motor-car world provides for us, there can be distinguished the autopilot functions. First of all it is an assistant for any driver, but at the same time it is promised to make the driving process the most secure, eliminating the human factor. This feature is often argued, whether it is useful or not and whether it should be present. Apparently, Tesla Inc. has achieved great results in autopilot construction and the company devotes a lot of efforts to this aspect. Autopilot feature –life-saving or superfluous function? In regard to any situation there can be found different opinions and thoughts. And the situation with automation definite life areas, such as car driving, is not an exception. Attempts to automate the driving process have been takes a long time ago and for the present moment it is significantly developed. And anyway there are many doubts concerning autonomous driving, as when it comes to influencing the human’s participation in any process, it has much speculated and argued. If it will be adjusted for urban driving, it will be possible for almost all the drivers to use it all the time. On the one hand, autopilot-enabled cars will be really safer and will make the lives of drivers easier on the roads. Most of the drivers, who had a chance to try it, provided positive feedback and were rather happy to use it. Just imagine that you can safely talk by your cell-phone, repeat your notes before the lecture or review your essay, while you autopilot does the driving. But on the other hand, no computer system is perfect and flawless, no matter how complex and â€Å"clever† it is. And in urban conditions the system will not read road signs or obey stop signs. But anyway, this technology is worth attention of society and this contribution into technology development is significant. It has a great meaning for automobile technologies development and improvement. Autopilot is your safe assistant First of all, an autopilot function was designed and developed to make the driving process the most secure and safe. When some process is controlled by a computer, there can be no discredit that it is deprived of such human factors, as fatigue, bad health condition, blindness etc. Automation means that the process is going on constantly and no unexpected events can take place. And anyway, at the same time it means that the driver should be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any moment. In some way the driver is supposed to be â€Å"on alert† to interfere into the process of driving and to control it. But, for example, this system wonderfully suits for long-distance trips and can intensely help a driver to control the car in bad weather conditions. It has many sensors and the radar that can control a car, no matter what conditions are around. Autonomous driving is the future It is usual that new and unknown to some extent thing can appear as something strange and cause â€Å"fearful† feelings. The point feature is one of such things and it has many of those who adore it and also those, who think that it is superfluous. Anyway, Tesla autopilot proved that it makes the driving safe and there are known cases, when it greatly helped drivers in various situations. Tesla Autopilot is constantly developed and improved, so in future we will undoubtedly see new features and this function will be â€Å"must-have† for any driver some day.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Responsibility to Relieve the Suffering Essay

The Responsibility to Relieve the Suffering - Essay Example Majority of the people hate to see others suffering. They want to do something that will end suffering. It is unfortunate that most of the strategies they adopt to relieve the suffering of others are not justified. In other cases, some people relent to relieve the suffering of others when they have the potential. This implies that there are different circumstances and realities that determine the willingness of an individual to respond. There are times when people relent to help and in some way, it is justified. These people count the cost and sometimes the price to pay is too high for them. According to Hardin, he highlights how thirty-seven people failed to save a woman, who was their neighbor, from an attack (779). Hardin explains how the onlookers failed to make a phone call to the police immediately they heard her cries and saw the assailant. It is not clear why these people did not want to make a move that would have saved their neighbor. Probably some of them were ignorant but it is clear that they wanted to stay clear of the story. Analysis of this story leaves one wondering why these people were so afraid of making a phone call. They wanted to help but a certain fear prevented them from doing so. From the perspective of Hardin, sometimes we do not have to help people undergoing suffering because we want them to learn things the hard way. He illustrates a classic example of how poor countries depend on aids from richer countries. Poor countries have challenges handling natural calamities such as hunger due to climate changes, diseases, earthquake, and floods. They rely on rich countries for help. The rich countries have a choice to make on how they respond to their cries. One option would be to educate the rest of the world on better strategies of planning and budgeting as well as disaster preparedness. They can also choose to donate part of their surplus to feed the hungry nations. It is clear in his reasoning that a lifeboat survives only if critical measures are put into place. Poor countries must learn how to budget and plan. They should adopt strategies that will ensure they are independent (Hanh and Weisman 18). In addition, it is essential to learn how to control their population so that it can survive on the available resources. If rich countries continue relieving their suffering without their own initiative of finding long-term solutions, then the lifeboat will sink. Poor countries multiply so fast and similar trends of population increase are predictable in the future. On the contrary, rich countries portray a more controlled population growth. There will be more dependents in society and the rich will exhaust their resources. Overpopulation in poor counties will rise to levels that the environment cannot sustain. People from poor countries will want to immigrate to rich countries to get easier access to a better life. This immigration will lead to environmental strain in rich countries. In both cases, the lifeboat will capsize. From the analysis of Hardin’s point of view, it is evident that it is justified to withhold help with good intentions. The rich countries are not selfish; they want the poor countries to take the first responsibility in eliminating their suffering. Poor countries should learn to be more responsible in terms of both governance and planning. If rich countries always choose to relieve the suffering of the poor countries by giving those aids, they will cause devastating effects both to themselves and to the rest of the

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Organizational Communication Unit 6 Project Essay

Organizational Communication Unit 6 Project - Essay Example This includes the network of repeated interpersonal strategies for coping with interpersonal and organizational events that are stressful and perceived as threatening. Interpretation of individual and collective organizational meanings is the avenue to understanding organizational identity. With respect to transference and dynamics, psychoanalytic action researchers learn to use themselves (the self as the core of the personality and interpersonal experience) as instruments of organizational study. Empathy and introspection become necessary skills in helping subjects to share feelings and ideas that previously could not be discussed. One's perception of the organization and his or her role identity in it is directly linked to the nature of interpersonal relationships between and among organizational participants (Schien, 2000). Authority and peer relations may rekindle frustrated needs among adults in work organizations. Stressful organizational events such as change in leadership, retrenchment, cutbacks, policy or budgetary revisions, and shifts of political climate can foster psychologically regressive and defensive responses among members (Chil d, 2005). In my private life and at work, I use different strategies to enact and embody multiple and intersecting identities. The strategies are interpersonal communication, evaluation of gender differences, accounts of individual and collective identity, evaluation of cultural and social discourses. The desire to merge with the sameness of the other is the overarching theme of this organization's adaptive response to its environment. organizational identity implies that many repetitive and, frequently ritualistic, patterns of interaction within work groups and among participants are, for organizational members, purposeful, but not necessarily conscious, psychological defenses against threatening events and relationships. These defensive patterns, ultimately, result in the construction of rational administrative processes of organizations that regulate threats to personal security and self-esteem by structuring and defining organizational life. On the cultural level, this means leaders and p eers who have common interests, values, and goals; on the psychological level, it means organizations dominated by patterns transference in which organizational participants look to each other as mentors and egos, or kindred spirits. In private life and at work, I frame my identity in accordance with life situations and people I have to communicate with. Gaining insights into the emotional dimensions of their relations can enable them with the help of a consultant to clarify and resolve differences, improve coordination, and thereby consider alternative ways of interacting at work. Psychoanalytic organization theory views feelings as the unconscious foundation from which everything else emerges in the context of organizational culture. Let's conclude with an elaboration of this point. People use their organizations for unconscious reasons such as defending themselves against certain anxieties, renewing a sense of lost omnipotence, enhancing their self-esteem, and resolving incomplete developmental issues; as targets of aggression; and as a

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Effects of Cocaine Abuse, its Prevention and Treatment Research Paper

Effects of Cocaine Abuse, its Prevention and Treatment - Research Paper Example A recent survey of 17 countries revealed that United States has the highest level of illegal cocaine use with nearly 16.2% of people in the United States having used cocaine in their lifetime (Science Daily, 2008). Cocaine is available in two chemical forms – hydrochloride salt which is taken intravenously (by vein) or intra-nasally (through the nose) and freebase which is smoked (Psychology Today, 2008). Issues Related to Cocaine Abuse Cocaine addicts are usually introduced to the drug after they have abused ‘gateway substances’ like alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. According to the national center on addiction and substance abuse (1994), 90 % of the people who tried cocaine had used all three gateway substances before moving on to cocaine. Impact on physical functioning Cocaine use can lead to some immediate physical consequences such as restlessness, euphoria and alertness (WebMD, 2008). These effects are felt within minutes of taking the drug and continue for a bout 20 to 120 minutes. Other physical effects include insomnia, vomiting, pupil dilation, nosebleeds, increased temperature and pulse rate and rapid breathing (WebMD, 2008). These effects are temporary and mostly disappear after a couple of hours. Studies reveal that prolonged use of cocaine can have an overwhelming effect on the ‘pleasure centers’ in the brain (Chen, et. al., 1996). The drug interferes, alters, damages and takes control of specialized cells that regulate pleasure, well-being and mood. Therefore, regular use can destroy the brain’s ability to feel normal without cocaine. Long term use can even cause permanent biological drug addiction. Since cocaine increases blood pleasure, heart rate, breathing and body temperature, long term use of the drug can cause cardiac and respiratory failures, strokes, coma, convulsions and death. The drug can damage the liver’s ability to detoxify blood and can reduce the production of critical enzymes needed for normal body functioning (WebMD, 2008). It can also cause liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. Cocaine use results in the constriction of the blood vessels of the heart resulting in increased blood pressure. This can trigger heart attack, heart failure, irregular heart beat and sudden death. Use of non-sterile needles among cocaine users can result in contracting Hepatitis – a highly contagious disease resulting in serious liver damage and AIDS. Users may also pass these diseases to their sexual partners, unborn babies and others. Regular users of cocaine experience loss of interest in sex, decreased sexual performance and risk of impotence and infertility (WebMD, 2008) . In women, the drug use can result in miscarriages, developmental disorders and complications during birth. It can also cause premature separation of placenta from uterus leading to premature births or stillbirths. Smoking cocaine damages the ability of the cells in the lung to process gases. This results in the user experiencing constant cough and shortness of breath. Regular use can result in respiratory failure because the brain stops sending signals to the lung muscles that control breathing and they stop working (WebMD, 2008). Impact on psychological functioning Cocaine has been found to be