Confederation and Constitution Essay Example for Free

Confederation and Constitution Essay The Articles of Confederation, formally known as the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, refers to an agreement between the thirteen founding states that first formed the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states. The Articles of Confederation had served as the first U.S. constitution (Merrill, 1959). The states under the confederation were Virginia, South Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Delaware and Maryland. In 1787, a constitutional convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation as they contained so many flaws, which would have fatally affected the confederation (Wendel, 1981). However, the convention ended up abandoning the Articles and drafted a new constitution which had a much stronger national government. After so much tussle and debating, eleven of the thirteen states ratified the constitution which led to the formation of a new form of government for the United States of America (Kermit, 1987). The following are similarities and differences of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Consenting of power According to the Articles of Confederation, the legislature of each state had no specific means of choosing voters. The delegates of each state were to sign the Articles, but only do as directed by their legislature (Young, 1977). Their legislature did not provide for them to vote in such agreements thus, they only wait until instructed so. This shows that the Articles of Confederation did not provide how it could be ratified, but indirectly implied it the duty of the legislatures of the various states. This meant that the people had no direct influence over the form of national government being put in place because their representatives were not specifically elected for that purpose.The Constitution provided for conventions in the states whereby delegates are chosen by people for the purpose of considering ratification. Therefore, the Constitution had specifically addressed its ratification in Article VII (Maier, 2010). The provision that ratification by nine states were to effect it meant by passing the state legislature and going to the people for governing consent. In summary, in the Articles of Confederation, consent of power was from the state while in the constitution the power to govern came from the people to the government. Type of National Government Under the Articles of Confederation, the government was more of a constitutional confederacy, whereas the Constitution provided constitutional federal republic (Merrill, 1959). Under both, the government was a constitutional government because it was codified in writing. The government structure between the two, however, differed. An association of States under a common government formed the confederacy. Each member state retained its sovereignty leaving the national government with very little authority over the individual state (Young, 1977). The National government powers tilted towards foreign relations for the benefit of all the states. This meant that the National Government could not coerce individual states to do anything. The constitution provided for a federalism structure (Kermit, 1987). This ensured a more equated power sharing between the National government and the state government. The National government, therefore, had sufficient sovereignty to execute its mandate while ensuring the same for the state government. Representation in the National Government In the Articles of Confederation, indirect popular representation was in effect as the representatives were appointed by an elected state legislature (Wendel, 1981). On the other hand, the Constitution effected direct popular representation for both the states and the citizens. The people, through popular vote, formed the House of Representatives while the states ,through elected legislature, appointed the Senate (Kermit, 1987). The representation according to the constitution was in accordance with the structure of Federalism. Division of Powers in the National Government Articles of Confederation provided one legislative body (unicameral) with all powers of national government which was the Congress Assembly. All decisions and relations were derived from the Congress (Wendel, 1981). Matters of law, settling disputes, foreign relations, including all the others issued from Congress (Merrill, 1959). However, Congress did not have the ability to implement laws, and had limited ability to judge on law or disputes because a dedicated judiciary was not in place. The Congress, however, appointed courts to preside on piracy and High Seas crimes, resolve disputes between States and individuals from different States. The Constitution, however, provided for division of power of the National government into three distinct branches, each with specified duties. The Legislature composed of the Senate and House of Representatives is mandated with making laws (Maier, 2010). The executive was to enforce laws with the President while the Judiciary and inferior courts is to judge using the law. A mechanism was also provided to each of the three branches to view the power on other two and encroachments into other branches powers. Powers of Congress The Articles of Confederation provided specifically enumerated powers to the congress which included regulating foreign commerce. Congress could not, however, regulate interstate commerce (Wendel, 1981). The Constitution powers carried over from the Articles of Confederation included the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce amongst others. Some of the powers remained the same although others differed. Among the powers included in the Constitution but absent in the Articles of Confederation are taxing, regulating interstate and foreign commerce, making of uniform laws on bankruptcy, raising and supporting an Army and Navy and establishment of inferior courts (Kermit, 1987). Congress Assembly lacked all these powers under the Articles of confederation. Revenue Raising The Articles of Confederation provided that National Government should request for funds from the individual states (Wendel, 1981). The Constitution, however, gave the National Government power to tax. A major shortcoming of the Articles of Confederation was a failure of providing for the National Government to raise its own revenues (Young, 1977). Congress assembly requested funds from states for National treasury. This resulted in the states failing to comply as requested. This made the United States lag on paying its debts and meeting its obligations. Under the Constitution, Congress could raise revenue for costs and operations of the National Government, namely, common defense and general welfare of the United States (Maier, 2010). However, some restrictions were imposed regarding revenue raising of the National Government. The provision of raising revenue for National government ensured it did not rely on other entities namely, the states to execute its duties. Enforcement of Federal Laws The Articles of Confederation did not provide for the National government to enforce its laws thus it had to rely on States for this function (Wendel, 1981). Laws, treaties, acts or agreements passed by Congress Assembly were up to states solely to enforce (Merrill, 1959). This resulted in them only enforcing what favored and suited to them. The Constitution on its part, gave the executive branch through the President power to enforce laws (Maier, 2010). This provision enabled speedy execution of laws and execution of the government requirements. Analysis of Drafting the Constitution On May 25, 1787, fifty five delegates of the United States convened in Philadelphia with intent of creating a new and better government. Initially, Virginians Edmund Randolph and James Madison presented a constitutional proposal called the Virginia Plan. The proposal provided for a bicameral (two chambers) legislature (Kermit, 1987). The lower house was to be chosen by the citizens, and the upper house was chosen by the lower house. In addition, a national executive and judiciary were to be selected by the legislature. The plan aimed at creating a strong central government. The debate began with the delegates of the large states supporting the Plan while those from smaller states opposed it. The smaller states felt that the larger states would dominate national legislature for the number of legislative representatives was to be determined by population. Some delegates also had fear that a firm central government would overpower the states restricting their individual liberties. Weeks of debating saw another proposal from William Patterson of New Jersey (Maier, 2010). This was referred to as the New Jersey Plan. This plan modified the Articles of Confederation and proposed a unicameral legislature having equal representation regardless of states’ population, a two-person executive branch and a single body of the judiciary. Smaller states delegates and proponents of weak government were for the New Jersey Plan while bigger states delegates opposed it. The ensuing stalemate was broken by Roger Sherman of Connecticut through the Connecticut Plan. The plan incorporated both previous proposals. Its proposal of a bicameral legislature with a population-based lower chamber and an independent upper chamber with equal representation satisfied both the small state and large state delegates. Other compromises included legalization of the slave trade until 1808 and returning of escaped slaves to their owners. Slavery was assumed to come to an end by itself. During census, slaves were to be enumerated as three-fifths of a person (Kermit, 1987). This resolved the debate on counting slaves between northerners who were against it and southerners who were for equal counting of slaves. Many delegates opposed people electing the president while others supported the election of the executive by the citizens. An Electoral College was formed which called for a body of electors selected by each state’s legislature to vote for a president. The Debate over Ratification between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists Ratification of the constitution also resulted in a major division between federalists and anti-federalists. The Anti-Federalists such as James Hancock feared that the National Government, the Executive branch and Congress held too much power. They also argued that the national government could maintain the army during times of peace (Maier, 2010). Contrary to the Anti-Federalists, the Federalists led by James Madison argued that power separation into three independent branches protected people’s rights as each of the branches represented a different aspect of the people (Hamilton, Madison Jay, 1982). Because of the equality of the branches, none of the groups could control another. They also argued that listing the rights exposed the people as it would likely result in the government violating those not listed. The final compromise for ratification saw the federalists promise drafting of the bill of rights once Congress met. References Hamilton, A. Madison, J. Jay, J. (1982). The Federalist Papers. New York: Bantam Classics. Kermit, H., (1987). The Formation and ratification of the Constitution: Major historical interpretations. New York: Garland Pub. Maier, P. (2010). Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788. New York: Simon Schuster. Merrill, J. (1959). The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-Constitutional History of the American Revolution, 1774–178, p. 178–179 Wendel, T. (1981). The Articles of Confederation. National Review. Vol. 33(13) p. 768- 770. Young, R. L. (1977). The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. American Bar Association Journal. Vol. 63(11), p. 1572.

New Zealand Healthcare Organisations

New Zealand Healthcare Organisations Introduction Health care in New Zealand is affected by a number of factors that determine the trends and demands in terms of health. How the health workers plan for, implement and evaluate health interventions greatly depends on some environmental factors, attitudinal factors, international health policy and New Zealand campaigns and policy. In this paper, these determinants and their impact, whether direct or indirect, positive or negative, on the New Zealand healthcare will be thoroughly discussed. This paper also aims to tackle the role that organisations take part in promoting health care services and each of them playing different roles in determining the supply and demand of health care services. We will also compare the obstacles that exist in the New Zealand healthcare system to that of the United States of America’s. This will be done by assessing these countries in terms of safety issues, geographical, cultural, socioeconomic and organizational barriers. 1. Environmental determinants: 1.1 Demographic distribution of populations Presently, New Zealand became a multi diverse and more culturally nation. According to Statistics New Zealand, Population Statistics Units, the number of migrants coming into the country is increasing. The study conducted last 2006 focused on five (5) major ethnicity group with the estimation of total number of individual/ group living in the country. These were the European people including the New Zealander (67%), Maori (15%), Pacific people (7%), Asian (9%) and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (1%). (Population Estimates at 30 June 1996, 2001 and 2006, 2014). New Zealand has an ageing population. This pattern shows a decline in fertility rate (birth control is properly utilised and easily available) and increase in length of life (on-going research and new technologies used in treating diseases). Moreover, there is also a projection in increase number of aged people on the year 2031. People on 65 years and above mostly suffer from a chronic diseases that result decline on the quality of their life. As a result of this, demand for disability and health care services will also rise. (An Ageing Population, 2014). Maori and Pacific people have a younger age group as compare to European people because they have increase number of birth and death rates. The latter group prefer to have lesser number of children. Asian people also have young structure population because most of them settled in New Zealand with their family at early age. (An Ageing Population, 2014). In China, there is a law known as â€Å"one child policy† to control the increasing population of the country which can result in increased sustainability of every family. 1.2 Social Generally, population of New Zealand have been experiencing increase in living standards. Factors contributed on this were increase in employment status, high educational attainment, safe living and working environment and awareness of the healthcare services available in the community. (Dew Davis, 2005). Poor household income is the top reason of being susceptible to poor health. Among all the groups residing in New Zealand, Maori and Pacific communities usually live in a small and crowded housing environment because of lower costs and the culture of extended families. As an outcome, there will be an increase cases of communicable diseases and mental health illnesses. (Dew Davis, 2005). Moreover, these group of people have the highest number of cases of cardiovascular problems, respiratory diseases and Cancer which is associated with poor eating habit (commercialised food), insufficient physical activities, heavy alcohol intake and smoking practice (roll-your-own cigarette). (The Health of New Zealand Adult 2011/12, 2012). 1.3 Cultural New Zealand is mainly a bicultural country which consists of white-skin settlers â€Å"Pakeha† and native people, the Maori. The relationship of these two groups started upon signing of Treaty of Waitangi between Queen Victoria and indigenous Maori people. (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). This became the foundation of Maori health acknowledging the principles of Partnership, Participation and Protection. (The Treaty of Waitangi , 2005). In providing healthcare services to Maori people, it is important to involve their whanau in formulating plan of care and refer them specifically to the Maori health team to address the language barrier which proved to be one of the reasons why they are hesitant to consult their health concerns to the a non-Maori health practitioner. Maori and Pacific group practise bed sharing room when raising their children because they believe that it is a way of building strong relationship and protecting their child on emergency situation such as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). In contrast, Western people do not agree on this belief and for them independence and autonomy are the best outcome of having an individualised room. 1.4 Political In New Zealand, the healthcare delivery system is made up of numbers of policies and legislations that promotes quality care for all its population. Its government provides strategies to have a better health status for Maori and Non-Maori people living in the country. These includes New Zealand Health Strategy (NZHS) and New Zealand Disability Strategy (NZDS). The aims of these organizations are to decrease inequalities among its residents and communities and to improve coordination in both public and private sectors. (Statutory Framework, 2011) The New Zealand Health and Disability Strategy focuses on the primary health care which covers both promotion and prevention of the occurrence of diseases. For instance, Ministry of Health conducted campaign regarding smoking cessation and the government projected that by the year 2025, there will be no cases of smoking in the country. Preventive measures are also given to the public by means of providing support groups, counselling and reading materials. Furthermore, during the 1990, the government promulgated the Smoke-free Environments Act in New Zealand. (Smoke-free Environments Act, 2005). 1.5 Religious Maori view of good health is associated with their spiritual beliefs (wairuataga). When someone is ill, they conduct a ritual performed by tohunga also known as shamans or priests. (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). Same with Muslim people, they also believe that â€Å"Allah† is the one who decide on their health condition and the great healer of their sickness. Catholic group believe that genital mutilation is essential for male individual just like what Jesus Christ did in the past. In United States of America, 6 to 7 out of 10 new born babies are circumcised defending on the spiritual and cultural orientation of the family. According to this group, this procedure can lower the cases of diseases like meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the penis), urinary tract infection and sexually transmitted illness. (Circumcision: Medical Pros and Cons, 2012). On the other hand, European people generally do not engage themselves on circumcision because they believe of it is of no significance, scientifically and spiritually. Jehovah’s Witness people refuse blood transfusion because they believe that receiving blood is prohibited since it was scripted in the bible. 1.6 Values and Ethics According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old-age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same protection. (Preamble, 2013). In view of the above, there are numbers of legislations that support the right of each individual in the access of healthcare services available in New Zealand. For example, the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (PHDA) provides a clear framework in improving, promoting and protecting health and well-being of its people. This law is further supported by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and Human Rights Act 1993 that deals with the discrimination of both public and private sectors. (Human Rights Legislation, 2008). Ethical values of these rights pertain to the individual equality that makes every people of New Zealand satisfied in regards to the healthcare services. There are studies of health that gender may contribute to the understanding of the factors and outcomes of inequalities. For instance, there are special needs for both men and women during treatment and rehabilitation after surgery or disability. (Shaw, White, Deed, Health, Wellbeing Environment in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2013). 1.7 Traditions Maori people believe on a traditional way of maintaining a good health and preventing illness. This holistic approach is called Te Whara Tapa Wha which ensures balance of four (4) important aspects of their health; the Te taha wairau (spiritual), Tet aha hinengaro (mind), Te taha tinana (physical) and Tet aha whanau (family). (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). This native people also practise the traditional way of healing through massage (Mirimiri) and herbal treatment (Rongoa). These group also believe that natural environment like forest has a therapeutic effect on their well-being. In addition, Asian countries like China and Philippines also believe in traditional healers and use medicinal plants in treating sickness. 2. Attitudinal determinants: Public attitudes 2.1 Concepts of health Public health refers to systematic measures to prevent disease, promotion of health, and prolonging life among the entire population. The public concept of what illness is the way people perceive their symptom is largely influenced by his or her cultural background which in turn influence how the person reacts. According to World Health Organisation, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (WHO definition of Health , 2003). As defined by Oxford English Dictionary, it is the state of being free from sickness, injury, disease, bodily conditions; indicating good bodily condition. (Definition and concepts of health, n.d.). In the view of Rene Dubos, health is the state of health or disease are the expressions of the success or failure experienced by the organism in its efforts to respond adaptively to environmental changes. (Health , 2004). 2.2 Concepts of illness The Public Concept of Illness There are two factors that determine the attitude of public towards illness; socio economic factor and cultural factor, these factors play an integral role in how a certain person reacts to his health condition. According to the World Health Organization socio economic status can greatly affect the quality of life, people living in a low socio economic quality leads to poor health practices of the people and access to quality health services is limited. Cultural beliefs are believed to be vital for peoples well-being and dignity and cultural beliefs dictate the vast majority of our effort to maintain our state of total well-being. According to Susser, illness is a subjective sense of feeling unwell; illness does not define a specific pathology but refers to person’s subjective experience of it such as discomfort, tiredness and/or general malaise. (Illness, Sickness and Disease, n.d.). As described by Kozier, it is a highly personal state in which the person’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental and spiritual functioning is thought to be diminished. (Kozier, Erb, Glenora, Berman, Snyder, 2004). 2.3 The importance the public put on health Most people think that promoting health and wellness is better than curing disease. In achieving the quality of life, most New Zealanders choose to live a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food, adequate exercise and a work-life balance. Through this, the impact of the media and technology has influenced the importance of maintaining a better life. (Shaw Deed, Health Environment in Aotearoa/ New Zeland, 2010). Presently, people do not encourage artificial way of food consumption such as microwavable, processed and commercialised food because they are now into natural and organic process. Although, organic food is more expensive than ordinary food but the nutritional value is more likely. In addition, people engage themselves on active campaigns such as marathon, walkathon, swimming and cycling that help them to remain fit and healthy. 2.4 Public attitudes towards health and medical professionals Generally, medical professionals are treated with respect and regarded highly by the public. They are looked up to and considered lifesavers. With the Ministry of Health’s goal to extend and improve the New Zealander’s quality of life, awareness on health and health care delivery system is increased, causing the people (Maori and Pakeha alike) to demand more of the health care services. However, there are still disparities in the attitudes of the Maori and Non-Maori, as well as in their health. This represent the fact that Maori health rights are not being protected as guaranteed under the treaty and that the social, cultural, economic and political factors indicate a widening gap between Maori and non-Maori (Ellison-Loschmann, 2006). Maori still have apprehensions in getting medical consultation or health care services because of their culture and traditions and health illiteracy. They still view health problems in the spiritual realm as punishments for their sins. Some of them don’t understand that these are consequences of bad health habits. They are also adamant to get health care services from Maori health workers. However, as the importance of health is promoted by the government, the gap between the attitudes of the Maori and non-Maori may be closed soon. 3. The influence of International health policy on healthcare of New Zealand Globally the demand for attention in certain areas in health care necessitates the formulation of international health policy; the creation of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) primarily aims for logical global health policy. Global decision makers can greatly influence and shape how New Zealand prioritizes the needs of reform or how to address particular health problem of the community. (UNDP, 2013). Millennium Development Goals has been created to create has eight key areas 1. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, 2. Achieve universal primary education, 3. Promote gender equality and empower women, 4. Reduce child mortality, 5. Improve maternal health, 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, 7. Ensure environmental sustainability, 8. Develop a global partnership for development. The influence of international health policy to New Zealand health sector is evident through its policy prescriptions on the above mentioned eight (8) key areas. Goal number 8 sets objectives to the developed countries like New Zealand to extend relief to underdeveloped countries. (Parliament, 2011). According to New Zealand Parliament over half of New Zealand’s official development assistance (ODA) goes to the pacific region, approximately 71% of the 2011/2012 country programme expenditure is allocated to eight countries: Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tokelau and Samoa. The participation of New Zealand in achieving MDG number 8 by extending aide to the Pacific region illustrate that New Zealand has contributed in achieving best possible health to its neighbouring countries.

Issues with Strategic Marketing Management

Issues with Strategic Marketing Management Introduction This course is designed to help you understand and learn advanced principles of marketing and is aimed at marketing managers, or professionals who are working in business or commerce. Who have perhaps a qualification in marketing and several years experience of working in a marketing role, or managers who would like to increase their marketing knowledge. Part of the courses assessment of learning will involve you in undertaking an assignment based on a marketing strategy plan carried out in your own company/organisation. You will be given detailed guidance and advice about this element of assessment later in this workbook. Aims of the unit The aim of the unit is to identify and discuss key issues associated with marketing principles. The course is focused on strategic principles of marketing, which form an essential underpinning to an understanding of strategic marketing in action. The theoretical underpinning will be complemented by a series of short work-based activities. Objectives of the unit To equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand and interpret strategic marketing principles To provide you with practical experience of applying strategic marketing principles and preparing a strategic marketing plan within your own company/organisation. Learning outcomes On successful completion of this Unit you should be able to: Understand the strategic marketing process Recognise the importance of creating strategic advantage Produce a strategic marketing plan in your own company/organisation Understand the importance of developing a specific competitive position Strategic Marketing Management What does this workbook contain? This workbook contains a number of information and learning resources: Background and contextual information about strategic marketing management Key ideas, theories, concepts, structures, processes in relation to strategic marketing ‘Recall and review and ‘Activity points designed to engage you in reflection and action-focused thinking Case examples of strategic marketing in action Assessment You are required to write a 2,500-word assignment as follows: Prepare a strategic marketing plan for your own company/organisation, paying particular attention to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage over rival firms. Strategic Marketing Management How should this workbook be used? This workbook will direct your study throughout the learning experience. There are  six sections, designed to be studied sequentially. However, a good learning technique is to refresh your learning by re-reading, so you are recommend to read back and forth between sections whenever you feel the need. Each section deals with a different topic and, together with any associated activities, practical work or further reading, is designed to require approximately 20 hours of study. The workbook uses an interactive learning approach. This is achieved through the use of self-assessment questions and activities throughout the text. These will enable you to apply the concepts presented in the workbook and explore issues that extend your knowledge and skills. Preparing to use the workbook If you are new to the study of marketing and/or this study method, then we suggest it is worth you spending some time becoming familiar with its contents and approach to learning and development. This will enhance your own understanding of key ideas in strategic marketing management, and your ability to lead and facilitate the learning of others. Strategic Marketing Management Table of contents Title Page Unit 1 The strategic marketing process Objectives 5 Drivers of change 5 Corporate strategy/ Marketing interface 7 Strategic marketing plans 8 Summary 9 Unit 2 Marketing Information Systems Objectives 10 MIS and the use of strategic intelligence 10 Summary 14 Unit 3 Strategic intent Objectives 15 Strategic intent/vision and mission 15 Goals and objectives 17 Stakeholders 18 Summary 19 Unit 4 Creating strategic advantage Objectives 20 Approaches to developing strategic advantage 20 Alliances and networks 22 Declining and hostile markets 24 Strategic wear-out 25 Summary 26 Unit 5 Developing a specific competitive position Objectives 27 Strategic alignment process 27 Innovation and new product development 28 Strategic evaluation 31 Summary 32 Unit 6 Implementation and control Objectives 33 Implementation 33 Control 35 Summary 37 Strategic Marketing Management Unit 1 The core theme of this unit is the importance of market-led strategic change to ensure organisational success. Objectives By the end of this unit you will: Be able to discuss, and give examples of drivers of change Understand the relationship between corporate and marketing strategy Know the process and structure of marketing planning and be able to discuss the differences between strategic and tactical planning Drivers of change Change is inevitable and companies that wish to maintain a market-led approach must take into consideration both cyclical and evolutionary change when developing their marketing strategies. The rate at which the external environment changes varies according to the nature of the business but increasingly all organisations are facing escalating levels of change. Change is inevitable. To survive companies need to adapt and to convert the threats caused by the changing environment into opportunities in order to avoid strategic drift. Marks and Spencer is a prime example of a company that has not adapted to the changing customer demands and as a result has lost many of its loyal customer base. Case history Drivers of change Greenhalgh (2001) identifies the following drivers of change that have created challenges for companies over the last few years: Domestic businesses of any significance have become rare. They are now global, drawing on supply chains that transcend national boundaries and serving customers worldwide Customer expectations of quality have increased and are now applied to all goods and services, rather than just luxury goods Concern for the environment has become a major item on companies agenda. They now have to consider their environmental responsibility as well as their profits. Large institutional investors are exerting their influence on how organisations are managed Start-up companies play an important role in introducing innovative products and new ideas to the marketplace. Young, technologically-competent workers are drawn to these vibrant workplaces, making it harder for other companies to recruit and retain them Strategic Marketing Management Activity 1.1 Consider thedrivers of change outlined above. Identify the impact of these factors on your own company/organisation. What is strategy? The term strategy is probably one of the most used and often misunderstood terms in business. There is no universal definition of strategy and yet it is used extensively. Strategy has the same meaning whether we are discussing corporate, marketing, promotional or even advertising strategy: it is concerned with how we might achieve our objectives. The difference between each type of strategy relates to the level at which the strategy is being developed. Corporate strategy according to Johnson and Scholes (1999), is: â€Å"concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in and is therefore concerned with decisions of scope† whereas marketing strategy aims to transform corporate objectives into a competitive market position. The main role of marketing strategy is to differentiate products/services from those of competitors by meeting the needs of customers more effectively. Therefore, according to Drummond and Ensor (2001) marketing strategy can be characterised by: Analysing the business environment and defining customer needs Matching activities to customer needs Implementing programmes to achieve a competitive position relative to competitors Strategic management consists of three elements: Strategic analysis concerned with answering the question where are we now? This involves analysing the external environment, internal resources and capabilities and stakeholder expectations Strategic choice what are the options available and which is the most attractive? Strategic implementation often the most overlooked of strategy. It is concerned with allocating resources and turning the plans into action. This process can be as equally well applied to marketing strategy. Strategic Marketing Management The corporate strategy/marketing interface It is impossible to discuss marketing strategy without first putting it into the context of corporate planning. The relationship between corporate planning and marketing planning can best be explained by figure 1.1 below. It is helpful to think of these decisions sitting in a hierarchy with corporate planning at the top and marketing planning below it. The diagram also illustrates that, alongside marketing planning, plans should be developed for other functional areas of the business such as human resources management (HRM), logistics, and operations. The vision and mission will drive the overall direction of the company and the functional areas of business will all work towards achieving the corporate objectives. The vision and mission will be discussed in Unit 3 Strategic intent. Strategic Marketing Management Marketing strategy is concerned with three elements customers, competitors and internal  corporate issues as illustrated in Figure 1.2. Strategic marketing management has three major  phases: firstly, strategic analysis in order to answer the question where are we now? This will include external analysis of customers, competitors and the macro environment and internal analysis of corporate capabilities; secondly formulation of strategy in terms of creating and evaluating options and thirdly implementation where the strategies are translated into action. The three stages are not mutually exclusive and are not necessarily linear. In fact it is expected that there will be some feedback and amendments as the process progresses. Strategic marketing plans A strategic marketing plan is the means by which the strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and content of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerable between organisations. However, normally the following components are included: Current situation external and internal analysis Objective setting Strategy formulation Marketing programmes Implementation issues Control measures Strategic Marketing Management There is no one best format for a strategic marketing plan and organisations will develop their own frameworks that match the needs of their companies. Strategic marketing plans need to generate action and not just be filed away. They should also be sufficiently flexible to take into account the changing environment. Activity 1.2 Read a copy of your own organisations strategic marketing plan. Give your opinion on whether the strategies outlined in it have been actioned. Has the plan shown sufficient flexibility to take into account the changing environment. If the answer to 3. is no, how could the plan have been improved? Summary In this unit we have seen that: Organisations operate in a dynamic environment and therefore they have to take into consideration those external influences that will impact on their business. These influences are often referred to as drivers of change. In market-oriented organisations it is likely that marketing will be the largest contributor to corporate strategy. Corporate strategy is concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in, i.e. the scope of the business. Marketing strategy is concerned with transforming corporate objectives into a competitive market position. A strategic marketing plan is the vehicle by which the marketing strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and format of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerably between organisations. There is no one best structure. Strategic Marketing Management Unit 2 Marketing Information System (MIS) Introduction The focus of this unit is to understand how the use of marketing intelligence and key marketing information can assist marketing managers to produce an effective marketing information system which will assist marketing decision makers to return higher profits. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Understand the strategic use of information Understand how a MIS can assist marketing managers to make key decisions Marketing information is a key requirement for any strategic marketing plan and therefore the development of effective management and marketing information systems is an important task for marketers. Senior marketing managers should not become too heavily involved in the details of the MIS and marketing research but should be concentrating on how to utilize the information in helping to understand the market and develop successful marketing programmes. Definition A Management Information System consists of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate and distribute timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers. First, it interacts with them to assess their information needs. Next, it develops the needed information from internal company records, marketing intelligence activities and the marketing research process. Information analysis processes the information to make it more useful. Finally, the MIS distributes information to managers in the right form at the right time to help them in marketing planning, implementation and control. Developing information The information needed by marketing managers comes from internal company records, marketing intelligence and marketing research. The information analysis system then processes this information to make it more useful for managers. Strategic Marketing Management Internal records Most marketing managers use internal records and reports regularly, especially for making day to day planning, implementation and control decisions. Internal records information consists of information gathered from sources within the company to evaluate marketing performance and to detect marketing problems and opportunities. The companys accounting department prepares financial statements and keeps detailed records of sales, orders, costs, and cash flows. The customer service department provides information on customer satisfaction or service problems. Research studies done for one department may provide useful information for several others. Managers can use information gathered from these and other sources within the company to evaluate performance and to detect problems and opportunities. Information from internal records is usually quicker and cheaper to get than information from other sources, but it also presents some problems. Because internal information was collected for other purposes, it may be incomplete or in the wrong form for making marketing decisions. For example, accounting department sales and cost data used for preparing financial statements need adapting for use in evaluating product, sales force, or channel performance. In addition, the many different areas of a large company produce great amounts of information, and keeping track of it all is difficult. The marketing information system must gather, organize, process and index this mass of information so that managers can find it easily and obtain it quickly. Marketing intelligence Marketing intelligenceis everyday information about developments in the marketing environment that helps managers prepare and adjust marketing plans. The marketing intelligence system determines the intelligence needed, collects it by searching the environment and delivers it to marketing managers who need it. Marketing intelligence comes from many sources. Much intelligence is derived from the companys personnel executives, engineers and scientists, purchasing agents and the sales force. However, company people are often busy and fail to pass on key information. It is important to realise that staff are intelligence gatherers, and they need to be trained to spot new developments and urged to report intelligence back to the company. The company must also persuade suppliers, resellers and customers to pass along important intelligence. Some information on competitors comes from what they say about themselves in annual reports, speeches, press releases and advertisements. The company can also learn about competitors from what others say about them in business publications and at trade shows. Or the company can watch what competitors do buying and analyzing competitors products, monitoring their sales and checking for new patents. Strategic Marketing Management Companies also buy intelligence information from outside suppliers. Dun and Bradstreet  is the worlds largest research company with branches in forty countries and a turnover of $1.26bn. Its largest subsidiary is Nielsen who sell details on brand shares, retail prices and percentages of stores stocking different brands. Marketing intelligence can work not only for, but also against a company. Kellogg used to allow the public to tour its plants but recently closed its newly upgraded plant to outsiders to prevent competitors from getting intelligence on its high tech equipment. Some companies set up an office to collect and circulate marketing intelligence. The staff scans relevant publications, summarizes important news and sends news bulletins to marketing managers. It develops a file of intelligence information and helps managers to evaluate new information. These services greatly improve the quality of information available to marketing managers. To summarise it is clear that a MIS has four main components: Internal records there is a wealth of information available within the organisation and it is essential that it is organised in such a way as to facilitate its usage. This may include sales data, customer orders, prices, stock levels, customer complaints, etc. Marketing research this is concerned with the systematic collection of information that is specific to a particular problem. For example, a piece of marketing research may be commissioned to investigate attitudes to a new advertising campaign. Marketing intelligence this may include any information that is collected on an ad hoc basis, such as competitor intelligence gleaned from the press, customer trends, registered patents etc. Marketing decision support systems the processes that convert the data into usable information. For example, statistical tools or modeling techniques. Activity 2.1 Write a short summary detailing how a MIS is used to support management decision making in your own company/organisation. Strategic Marketing Management Intelligence gathering: checking out competitors Competitive intelligence gathering has grown dramatically as more and more companies need to know what their competitors are doing. It is essential that managers are not myopic and spend time amassing information about their major competitors. Techniques that companies use to collect their own marketing intelligence fall into four major groups. Getting information from recruits and competitors employees Companies can obtain intelligence through job interviews or from conversations with competitors employees. According to Fortune magazine: ‘Companies send engineers to conferences and trade shows to question competitors technical people. Often conversations start innocently but engineers and scientists often brag about surmounting technical challenges, in the process divulging sensitive information. Getting information from people who do business with competitors Key customers can keep the company informed about competitors and their products. This information can be vital and can prevent a company from being left behind on product launches or price discounting strategies dreamed up by competing companies. Intelligence can also be gathered by infiltrating customers business operations. Companies can provide their engineers free of charge to customers. The close collaboration the engineers on loan enjoy with the customers design staff often enable them to learn what new products competitors are developing. Getting information from published materials and public documents Keeping track of seemingly meaningless published information can provide competitor intelligence. For example, the types of people sought in job adverts can indicate something about a competitors new strategies and products. Getting information by observing competitors or analyzing physical evidence Competitors can get to know competitors better by buying their products or examining other physical evidence. An increasingly important form of competitive intelligence is benchmarking, taking apart competitors products and imitating or improving on their best features. Companies should take advantage of publicly available information but they should avoid practices that might be considered illegal or unethical. Strategic Marketing Management With all the legitimate intelligence sources now available, a company does not have to break the law or accepted codes of ethics to get good intelligence. Activity 2.2 Write a short synopsis of how your own company/ organisation gathers intelligence on its competitors. Summary This unit has demonstrated that: Marketing intelligence is an essential component of an effective MIS Internal records are a vital source of information for marketing managers Senior marketing managers should be concerned with how to use the information generated from the MIS rather than with the details of the system Intelligence gathering can be carried out in various ways but it is important not to break the law or accepted codes of ethics Strategic Marketing Management Unit 3 Strategic intent Introduction The focus of this unit is to consider the aspirations and future plans of an organisation, and the components of a suitable mission statement and development of appropriate objectives. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Be able to define the terms strategic intent / vision and mission statement Know the components of good mission statements Be able to discuss the development of appropriate objectives Strategic intent/vision and mission Strategic intent refers to the aspirations of an organisation rather than just its current activity. According to Aaker, strategic intent provides: â€Å"A long-term drive for advantage that can be essential to success. It provides a model that helps break the mould, moving a firm away from simply doing the same things a bit better and working a bit harder than the year before. It has the capability to elevate and extend an organisation, helping it reach levels it would not otherwise attain.† It is apparent that many organisations that have an appropriate and well-constructed vision are focused on the future and ways of continually attaining sustainable competitive advantage. A vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and provide inspiration and motivation to its managers and its employees by providing them with a sense of purpose. Hamel and Pralahad (1989) suggested that strategic intent combines: A dream that energizes the company (i.e. acts as a motivator) Implied stretch, (looks for new opportunities rather than relying on existing businesses) A sense of direction A sense of discovery Coherence to plans Definition Strategic intent/vision: The desired future state or aspiration of the organization. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p.243) Strategic Marketing Management Mission statements A mission statement is concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. According to Piercy (2000), in order for mission statements to contribute anything they must: Reflect an organisations core competencies and how it intends to apply and sustain them Be closely tied to the critical success factors in the marketplace Tell employees, managers, suppliers and partners what contribution is required from them to deliver the promise of value to the customer Definition Mission statement: A generalised statement of the overriding purpose of the organisation. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p241) Mission statements are influenced by a number of factors, such as the resource availability, the external environment, the core competencies of the organisation and the current preferences of its current chief executive and senior management. The extent to which the mission statement serves its purpose is influenced not only by the quality and relevance of the mission but also by how it is communicated to staff and other stakeholders. A successful mission statement is one that is wholly embraced and believed by staff. Just having a mission statement is insufficient, the staff must also buy into the idea. Drummond and Ensor (2001) suggest that successful mission statements should demonstrate the following characteristics: Credibility it must be realistic and believable Uniqueness not bland and generic Specific capabilities embrace core capabilities Aspirational needs to motivate individuals Activity 3.1 Write a brief critique of your own companys mission statement in the light of the above characteristics Strategic Marketing Management Goals and objectives The vision and mission provide guidance on the overall direction of an organisation. Objectives, whether corporate or marketing, are the expected outcomes of the strategy. Goals are often regarded as less specific than objectives and more difficult to measure. However, it is normally accepted that objectives should be SMART: Specific Measurable- expressed in quantifiable terms Acceptable to stakeholders Realistic- attainable Time bound- achievable within a certain time frame Definition Goals and objectives Goal general statement of aim or purpose Objective Quantification (if possible) or more precise statement of the goal (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p14)) Activity 3.2 Critically review your companys key objectives using the SMART method There are many different types of objectives with which an organisation should be concerned. Drucker (1954) identified the following: Market standing e.g. market share objectives Innovation e.g. number of new products launched Productivity e.g. inputs compared with outputs such as increased sales whilst maintaining the same number of sales staff Physical and financial resources relating to the use of resources Profitability e.g. return on investment Manager performance and development performance criteria Employee performance and attitude loyalty Public responsibility e.g. reduce dependency on fossil fuels It is likely that many organisations will place greater weighting on some areas than others. For example, the Co-operative bank places great emphasis on their responsibility to the public in the form of their ethical banking policy. There may be a danger that some companies are preoccupied with productivity objectives and trying to improve the efficiency of existing activities without actually questioning whether they are doing the right things. Stakeholders A key consideration when developing strategic direction relates to an organisations various stakeholder groups. Stakeholders refer to all the different groups of individuals that are influenced and/or have influence on the activities of an organisation. Stakeholders have different expectations and can exert varying levels of influence over the organisation. It is important that organisations have a good understanding of the varying needs of their various stakeholder groups. There are three main groups of stakeholders: Internal stakeholders (employees, management) Connected stakeholders (suppliers, distributors, shareholders, customers) External stakeholders (community, government, pressure groups) Definition Stakeholders: Those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn the organisation depends. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p213). The following figure illustrates an outline stakeholder map. Customers Banks/sources of finance Suppliers The local community Distributors Society at large Managers Employees Activity 3.3 Stakeholder map Draw a stakeholder map for your own organisation and consider the varying needs of each group and the implications on the organisations strategic direction. How does your organisation manage the differing expectations of each group? Strategic Marketing Management Summary This unit has shown that: Strategic intent relates to the aspirations of an organisation and is sometimes referred to as the organisations vision. An appropriate and well constructed vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and can act as a motivator for staff by providing them with a sense of purpose. Mission statements are more concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. They should reflect an organisations core competencies, relate to the critical success factors in the market and also inform employees and other stakeholders what contribution is required from them to deliver value to the customer. Issues with Strategic Marketing Management Issues with Strategic Marketing Management Introduction This course is designed to help you understand and learn advanced principles of marketing and is aimed at marketing managers, or professionals who are working in business or commerce. Who have perhaps a qualification in marketing and several years experience of working in a marketing role, or managers who would like to increase their marketing knowledge. Part of the courses assessment of learning will involve you in undertaking an assignment based on a marketing strategy plan carried out in your own company/organisation. You will be given detailed guidance and advice about this element of assessment later in this workbook. Aims of the unit The aim of the unit is to identify and discuss key issues associated with marketing principles. The course is focused on strategic principles of marketing, which form an essential underpinning to an understanding of strategic marketing in action. The theoretical underpinning will be complemented by a series of short work-based activities. Objectives of the unit To equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand and interpret strategic marketing principles To provide you with practical experience of applying strategic marketing principles and preparing a strategic marketing plan within your own company/organisation. Learning outcomes On successful completion of this Unit you should be able to: Understand the strategic marketing process Recognise the importance of creating strategic advantage Produce a strategic marketing plan in your own company/organisation Understand the importance of developing a specific competitive position Strategic Marketing Management What does this workbook contain? This workbook contains a number of information and learning resources: Background and contextual information about strategic marketing management Key ideas, theories, concepts, structures, processes in relation to strategic marketing ‘Recall and review and ‘Activity points designed to engage you in reflection and action-focused thinking Case examples of strategic marketing in action Assessment You are required to write a 2,500-word assignment as follows: Prepare a strategic marketing plan for your own company/organisation, paying particular attention to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage over rival firms. Strategic Marketing Management How should this workbook be used? This workbook will direct your study throughout the learning experience. There are  six sections, designed to be studied sequentially. However, a good learning technique is to refresh your learning by re-reading, so you are recommend to read back and forth between sections whenever you feel the need. Each section deals with a different topic and, together with any associated activities, practical work or further reading, is designed to require approximately 20 hours of study. The workbook uses an interactive learning approach. This is achieved through the use of self-assessment questions and activities throughout the text. These will enable you to apply the concepts presented in the workbook and explore issues that extend your knowledge and skills. Preparing to use the workbook If you are new to the study of marketing and/or this study method, then we suggest it is worth you spending some time becoming familiar with its contents and approach to learning and development. This will enhance your own understanding of key ideas in strategic marketing management, and your ability to lead and facilitate the learning of others. Strategic Marketing Management Table of contents Title Page Unit 1 The strategic marketing process Objectives 5 Drivers of change 5 Corporate strategy/ Marketing interface 7 Strategic marketing plans 8 Summary 9 Unit 2 Marketing Information Systems Objectives 10 MIS and the use of strategic intelligence 10 Summary 14 Unit 3 Strategic intent Objectives 15 Strategic intent/vision and mission 15 Goals and objectives 17 Stakeholders 18 Summary 19 Unit 4 Creating strategic advantage Objectives 20 Approaches to developing strategic advantage 20 Alliances and networks 22 Declining and hostile markets 24 Strategic wear-out 25 Summary 26 Unit 5 Developing a specific competitive position Objectives 27 Strategic alignment process 27 Innovation and new product development 28 Strategic evaluation 31 Summary 32 Unit 6 Implementation and control Objectives 33 Implementation 33 Control 35 Summary 37 Strategic Marketing Management Unit 1 The core theme of this unit is the importance of market-led strategic change to ensure organisational success. Objectives By the end of this unit you will: Be able to discuss, and give examples of drivers of change Understand the relationship between corporate and marketing strategy Know the process and structure of marketing planning and be able to discuss the differences between strategic and tactical planning Drivers of change Change is inevitable and companies that wish to maintain a market-led approach must take into consideration both cyclical and evolutionary change when developing their marketing strategies. The rate at which the external environment changes varies according to the nature of the business but increasingly all organisations are facing escalating levels of change. Change is inevitable. To survive companies need to adapt and to convert the threats caused by the changing environment into opportunities in order to avoid strategic drift. Marks and Spencer is a prime example of a company that has not adapted to the changing customer demands and as a result has lost many of its loyal customer base. Case history Drivers of change Greenhalgh (2001) identifies the following drivers of change that have created challenges for companies over the last few years: Domestic businesses of any significance have become rare. They are now global, drawing on supply chains that transcend national boundaries and serving customers worldwide Customer expectations of quality have increased and are now applied to all goods and services, rather than just luxury goods Concern for the environment has become a major item on companies agenda. They now have to consider their environmental responsibility as well as their profits. Large institutional investors are exerting their influence on how organisations are managed Start-up companies play an important role in introducing innovative products and new ideas to the marketplace. Young, technologically-competent workers are drawn to these vibrant workplaces, making it harder for other companies to recruit and retain them Strategic Marketing Management Activity 1.1 Consider thedrivers of change outlined above. Identify the impact of these factors on your own company/organisation. What is strategy? The term strategy is probably one of the most used and often misunderstood terms in business. There is no universal definition of strategy and yet it is used extensively. Strategy has the same meaning whether we are discussing corporate, marketing, promotional or even advertising strategy: it is concerned with how we might achieve our objectives. The difference between each type of strategy relates to the level at which the strategy is being developed. Corporate strategy according to Johnson and Scholes (1999), is: â€Å"concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in and is therefore concerned with decisions of scope† whereas marketing strategy aims to transform corporate objectives into a competitive market position. The main role of marketing strategy is to differentiate products/services from those of competitors by meeting the needs of customers more effectively. Therefore, according to Drummond and Ensor (2001) marketing strategy can be characterised by: Analysing the business environment and defining customer needs Matching activities to customer needs Implementing programmes to achieve a competitive position relative to competitors Strategic management consists of three elements: Strategic analysis concerned with answering the question where are we now? This involves analysing the external environment, internal resources and capabilities and stakeholder expectations Strategic choice what are the options available and which is the most attractive? Strategic implementation often the most overlooked of strategy. It is concerned with allocating resources and turning the plans into action. This process can be as equally well applied to marketing strategy. Strategic Marketing Management The corporate strategy/marketing interface It is impossible to discuss marketing strategy without first putting it into the context of corporate planning. The relationship between corporate planning and marketing planning can best be explained by figure 1.1 below. It is helpful to think of these decisions sitting in a hierarchy with corporate planning at the top and marketing planning below it. The diagram also illustrates that, alongside marketing planning, plans should be developed for other functional areas of the business such as human resources management (HRM), logistics, and operations. The vision and mission will drive the overall direction of the company and the functional areas of business will all work towards achieving the corporate objectives. The vision and mission will be discussed in Unit 3 Strategic intent. Strategic Marketing Management Marketing strategy is concerned with three elements customers, competitors and internal  corporate issues as illustrated in Figure 1.2. Strategic marketing management has three major  phases: firstly, strategic analysis in order to answer the question where are we now? This will include external analysis of customers, competitors and the macro environment and internal analysis of corporate capabilities; secondly formulation of strategy in terms of creating and evaluating options and thirdly implementation where the strategies are translated into action. The three stages are not mutually exclusive and are not necessarily linear. In fact it is expected that there will be some feedback and amendments as the process progresses. Strategic marketing plans A strategic marketing plan is the means by which the strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and content of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerable between organisations. However, normally the following components are included: Current situation external and internal analysis Objective setting Strategy formulation Marketing programmes Implementation issues Control measures Strategic Marketing Management There is no one best format for a strategic marketing plan and organisations will develop their own frameworks that match the needs of their companies. Strategic marketing plans need to generate action and not just be filed away. They should also be sufficiently flexible to take into account the changing environment. Activity 1.2 Read a copy of your own organisations strategic marketing plan. Give your opinion on whether the strategies outlined in it have been actioned. Has the plan shown sufficient flexibility to take into account the changing environment. If the answer to 3. is no, how could the plan have been improved? Summary In this unit we have seen that: Organisations operate in a dynamic environment and therefore they have to take into consideration those external influences that will impact on their business. These influences are often referred to as drivers of change. In market-oriented organisations it is likely that marketing will be the largest contributor to corporate strategy. Corporate strategy is concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in, i.e. the scope of the business. Marketing strategy is concerned with transforming corporate objectives into a competitive market position. A strategic marketing plan is the vehicle by which the marketing strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and format of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerably between organisations. There is no one best structure. Strategic Marketing Management Unit 2 Marketing Information System (MIS) Introduction The focus of this unit is to understand how the use of marketing intelligence and key marketing information can assist marketing managers to produce an effective marketing information system which will assist marketing decision makers to return higher profits. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Understand the strategic use of information Understand how a MIS can assist marketing managers to make key decisions Marketing information is a key requirement for any strategic marketing plan and therefore the development of effective management and marketing information systems is an important task for marketers. Senior marketing managers should not become too heavily involved in the details of the MIS and marketing research but should be concentrating on how to utilize the information in helping to understand the market and develop successful marketing programmes. Definition A Management Information System consists of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate and distribute timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers. First, it interacts with them to assess their information needs. Next, it develops the needed information from internal company records, marketing intelligence activities and the marketing research process. Information analysis processes the information to make it more useful. Finally, the MIS distributes information to managers in the right form at the right time to help them in marketing planning, implementation and control. Developing information The information needed by marketing managers comes from internal company records, marketing intelligence and marketing research. The information analysis system then processes this information to make it more useful for managers. Strategic Marketing Management Internal records Most marketing managers use internal records and reports regularly, especially for making day to day planning, implementation and control decisions. Internal records information consists of information gathered from sources within the company to evaluate marketing performance and to detect marketing problems and opportunities. The companys accounting department prepares financial statements and keeps detailed records of sales, orders, costs, and cash flows. The customer service department provides information on customer satisfaction or service problems. Research studies done for one department may provide useful information for several others. Managers can use information gathered from these and other sources within the company to evaluate performance and to detect problems and opportunities. Information from internal records is usually quicker and cheaper to get than information from other sources, but it also presents some problems. Because internal information was collected for other purposes, it may be incomplete or in the wrong form for making marketing decisions. For example, accounting department sales and cost data used for preparing financial statements need adapting for use in evaluating product, sales force, or channel performance. In addition, the many different areas of a large company produce great amounts of information, and keeping track of it all is difficult. The marketing information system must gather, organize, process and index this mass of information so that managers can find it easily and obtain it quickly. Marketing intelligence Marketing intelligenceis everyday information about developments in the marketing environment that helps managers prepare and adjust marketing plans. The marketing intelligence system determines the intelligence needed, collects it by searching the environment and delivers it to marketing managers who need it. Marketing intelligence comes from many sources. Much intelligence is derived from the companys personnel executives, engineers and scientists, purchasing agents and the sales force. However, company people are often busy and fail to pass on key information. It is important to realise that staff are intelligence gatherers, and they need to be trained to spot new developments and urged to report intelligence back to the company. The company must also persuade suppliers, resellers and customers to pass along important intelligence. Some information on competitors comes from what they say about themselves in annual reports, speeches, press releases and advertisements. The company can also learn about competitors from what others say about them in business publications and at trade shows. Or the company can watch what competitors do buying and analyzing competitors products, monitoring their sales and checking for new patents. Strategic Marketing Management Companies also buy intelligence information from outside suppliers. Dun and Bradstreet  is the worlds largest research company with branches in forty countries and a turnover of $1.26bn. Its largest subsidiary is Nielsen who sell details on brand shares, retail prices and percentages of stores stocking different brands. Marketing intelligence can work not only for, but also against a company. Kellogg used to allow the public to tour its plants but recently closed its newly upgraded plant to outsiders to prevent competitors from getting intelligence on its high tech equipment. Some companies set up an office to collect and circulate marketing intelligence. The staff scans relevant publications, summarizes important news and sends news bulletins to marketing managers. It develops a file of intelligence information and helps managers to evaluate new information. These services greatly improve the quality of information available to marketing managers. To summarise it is clear that a MIS has four main components: Internal records there is a wealth of information available within the organisation and it is essential that it is organised in such a way as to facilitate its usage. This may include sales data, customer orders, prices, stock levels, customer complaints, etc. Marketing research this is concerned with the systematic collection of information that is specific to a particular problem. For example, a piece of marketing research may be commissioned to investigate attitudes to a new advertising campaign. Marketing intelligence this may include any information that is collected on an ad hoc basis, such as competitor intelligence gleaned from the press, customer trends, registered patents etc. Marketing decision support systems the processes that convert the data into usable information. For example, statistical tools or modeling techniques. Activity 2.1 Write a short summary detailing how a MIS is used to support management decision making in your own company/organisation. Strategic Marketing Management Intelligence gathering: checking out competitors Competitive intelligence gathering has grown dramatically as more and more companies need to know what their competitors are doing. It is essential that managers are not myopic and spend time amassing information about their major competitors. Techniques that companies use to collect their own marketing intelligence fall into four major groups. Getting information from recruits and competitors employees Companies can obtain intelligence through job interviews or from conversations with competitors employees. According to Fortune magazine: ‘Companies send engineers to conferences and trade shows to question competitors technical people. Often conversations start innocently but engineers and scientists often brag about surmounting technical challenges, in the process divulging sensitive information. Getting information from people who do business with competitors Key customers can keep the company informed about competitors and their products. This information can be vital and can prevent a company from being left behind on product launches or price discounting strategies dreamed up by competing companies. Intelligence can also be gathered by infiltrating customers business operations. Companies can provide their engineers free of charge to customers. The close collaboration the engineers on loan enjoy with the customers design staff often enable them to learn what new products competitors are developing. Getting information from published materials and public documents Keeping track of seemingly meaningless published information can provide competitor intelligence. For example, the types of people sought in job adverts can indicate something about a competitors new strategies and products. Getting information by observing competitors or analyzing physical evidence Competitors can get to know competitors better by buying their products or examining other physical evidence. An increasingly important form of competitive intelligence is benchmarking, taking apart competitors products and imitating or improving on their best features. Companies should take advantage of publicly available information but they should avoid practices that might be considered illegal or unethical. Strategic Marketing Management With all the legitimate intelligence sources now available, a company does not have to break the law or accepted codes of ethics to get good intelligence. Activity 2.2 Write a short synopsis of how your own company/ organisation gathers intelligence on its competitors. Summary This unit has demonstrated that: Marketing intelligence is an essential component of an effective MIS Internal records are a vital source of information for marketing managers Senior marketing managers should be concerned with how to use the information generated from the MIS rather than with the details of the system Intelligence gathering can be carried out in various ways but it is important not to break the law or accepted codes of ethics Strategic Marketing Management Unit 3 Strategic intent Introduction The focus of this unit is to consider the aspirations and future plans of an organisation, and the components of a suitable mission statement and development of appropriate objectives. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Be able to define the terms strategic intent / vision and mission statement Know the components of good mission statements Be able to discuss the development of appropriate objectives Strategic intent/vision and mission Strategic intent refers to the aspirations of an organisation rather than just its current activity. According to Aaker, strategic intent provides: â€Å"A long-term drive for advantage that can be essential to success. It provides a model that helps break the mould, moving a firm away from simply doing the same things a bit better and working a bit harder than the year before. It has the capability to elevate and extend an organisation, helping it reach levels it would not otherwise attain.† It is apparent that many organisations that have an appropriate and well-constructed vision are focused on the future and ways of continually attaining sustainable competitive advantage. A vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and provide inspiration and motivation to its managers and its employees by providing them with a sense of purpose. Hamel and Pralahad (1989) suggested that strategic intent combines: A dream that energizes the company (i.e. acts as a motivator) Implied stretch, (looks for new opportunities rather than relying on existing businesses) A sense of direction A sense of discovery Coherence to plans Definition Strategic intent/vision: The desired future state or aspiration of the organization. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p.243) Strategic Marketing Management Mission statements A mission statement is concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. According to Piercy (2000), in order for mission statements to contribute anything they must: Reflect an organisations core competencies and how it intends to apply and sustain them Be closely tied to the critical success factors in the marketplace Tell employees, managers, suppliers and partners what contribution is required from them to deliver the promise of value to the customer Definition Mission statement: A generalised statement of the overriding purpose of the organisation. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p241) Mission statements are influenced by a number of factors, such as the resource availability, the external environment, the core competencies of the organisation and the current preferences of its current chief executive and senior management. The extent to which the mission statement serves its purpose is influenced not only by the quality and relevance of the mission but also by how it is communicated to staff and other stakeholders. A successful mission statement is one that is wholly embraced and believed by staff. Just having a mission statement is insufficient, the staff must also buy into the idea. Drummond and Ensor (2001) suggest that successful mission statements should demonstrate the following characteristics: Credibility it must be realistic and believable Uniqueness not bland and generic Specific capabilities embrace core capabilities Aspirational needs to motivate individuals Activity 3.1 Write a brief critique of your own companys mission statement in the light of the above characteristics Strategic Marketing Management Goals and objectives The vision and mission provide guidance on the overall direction of an organisation. Objectives, whether corporate or marketing, are the expected outcomes of the strategy. Goals are often regarded as less specific than objectives and more difficult to measure. However, it is normally accepted that objectives should be SMART: Specific Measurable- expressed in quantifiable terms Acceptable to stakeholders Realistic- attainable Time bound- achievable within a certain time frame Definition Goals and objectives Goal general statement of aim or purpose Objective Quantification (if possible) or more precise statement of the goal (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p14)) Activity 3.2 Critically review your companys key objectives using the SMART method There are many different types of objectives with which an organisation should be concerned. Drucker (1954) identified the following: Market standing e.g. market share objectives Innovation e.g. number of new products launched Productivity e.g. inputs compared with outputs such as increased sales whilst maintaining the same number of sales staff Physical and financial resources relating to the use of resources Profitability e.g. return on investment Manager performance and development performance criteria Employee performance and attitude loyalty Public responsibility e.g. reduce dependency on fossil fuels It is likely that many organisations will place greater weighting on some areas than others. For example, the Co-operative bank places great emphasis on their responsibility to the public in the form of their ethical banking policy. There may be a danger that some companies are preoccupied with productivity objectives and trying to improve the efficiency of existing activities without actually questioning whether they are doing the right things. Stakeholders A key consideration when developing strategic direction relates to an organisations various stakeholder groups. Stakeholders refer to all the different groups of individuals that are influenced and/or have influence on the activities of an organisation. Stakeholders have different expectations and can exert varying levels of influence over the organisation. It is important that organisations have a good understanding of the varying needs of their various stakeholder groups. There are three main groups of stakeholders: Internal stakeholders (employees, management) Connected stakeholders (suppliers, distributors, shareholders, customers) External stakeholders (community, government, pressure groups) Definition Stakeholders: Those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn the organisation depends. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p213). The following figure illustrates an outline stakeholder map. Customers Banks/sources of finance Suppliers The local community Distributors Society at large Managers Employees Activity 3.3 Stakeholder map Draw a stakeholder map for your own organisation and consider the varying needs of each group and the implications on the organisations strategic direction. How does your organisation manage the differing expectations of each group? Strategic Marketing Management Summary This unit has shown that: Strategic intent relates to the aspirations of an organisation and is sometimes referred to as the organisations vision. An appropriate and well constructed vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and can act as a motivator for staff by providing them with a sense of purpose. Mission statements are more concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. They should reflect an organisations core competencies, relate to the critical success factors in the market and also inform employees and other stakeholders what contribution is required from them to deliver value to the customer.

Back Where I Come From Essay -- Kenny Chesney Music Essays

Back Where I Come From Where someone is born and raised holds a special place in their heart. In the song, â€Å"Back Where I Come From,† written by Kenny Chesney, he speaks from his heart about his hometown and attempts to share those feelings with his audience. He sings about specific experiences growing up, and this is his way of reflecting what the feeling of home means to him. The structure in which he has written this piece focuses a lot of attention on the author himself. His informality invites the audience to share his experiences with him. Chesney appeals to emotion through his anecdotes and creates an impression on the audience. Through the analysis of this song it is easy to identify the type of rhetorical appeal Kenny Chesney presents to his audience. Kenny Chesney was born and raised in the tiny town of Luttrell, Tennessee. He played high school football and attended college. â€Å"Anyone who is passionate about music is emotional,†(â€Å"Kenny Chesney†) comments Chesney. Since he was young he had a dream to do what he loves most, and that is to sing. Kenny Chesney has become famous by singing about his own life, which is particularly apparent in the song, â€Å"Back Where I Come From.† Ultimately, it seems that he wants his audience to feel what he feels and be where he has been. â€Å"My audience is smart. They are real people who lead whole lives,†(â€Å"Kenny Chesney†) explains Chesney. He believes his audience to be, in essence, like himself: those who feel the deeper meanings of life. When explaining the audience of a performer, it could be as straightforward as the people who fill music venues around the world to hear his music. In this case, it is more than that. It is the people who hear his music and don’t shrug it off as typ... ...ics. A successful musical artist appeals to these rhetorical ideas to keep the interest growing for more of the same type of music. The song, â€Å"Back Where I Come From† tells a lot about its author, Kenny Chesney. Lyrically, the song can relate to so any people on so many levels and appeals to its audience through emotion. The structure he uses affects the music he makes. There are so many ways of expressing feelings and emotions. Music seems to be one of the strongest ways of conveying deep thought and emotion, because without the added beat or tune, music is just words. Some audiences can relate just as well to written text, but Chesney’s audience loves him for his musical purpose and talents. He writes with his heart for people like him that can relate to his experiences or live with him his dreams. Kenny Chesney is a lover, a writer, a singer, and an inspirer.

The Character of Puck in A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Midsummer

The Character of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream      Ã‚   Considered one of William Shakespeare's greatest plays, A Midsummer Nights Dream reads like a fantastical, imaginative tale; however, its poetic lines contain a message of love, reality, and chance that are not usually present in works of such kind. All characters in the play are playful, careless and thoughtless, and Puck: one of the central characters in the play: is significant to the plot, tone, and meaning of A Midsummer Nights Dream, thus becoming a representative of the above-mentioned themes.    The plot in this one of Shakespeare's plays is comical and, at times, ironic. As summarized by Puck in the last stanza of the play:    If we shadows have offended Think but this, and all is mended: That you have but slumb'red here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme No more yielding but a dream Gentles do not reprehend: If you pardon, we will mend. And, as I am an honest Puck If we have unearned luck Now to scape the serpent's tongue We will make amends ere long; Else the Puck a liar call: So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, And Robin shall restorer amends. (Shakespeare 89)    Puck suggests to both the watchers and, consequently, to the readers, that if they did not enjoy the tale, they should pretend it was a dream: a notion so convincing that at times the audience is left bewildered; this effect of his works made Shakespeare seem so cunning, like Puck. The lines above formulate the ending of the play to be ironic and humorous, much in the same way as the rest of the story was told. The general plot, with certain char... ...ctions and attributes of other characters and Puck helps contribute to deceitful aura of the play. Another key factor of this play were its many inclinations toward a comical relief and Puck's involvements of making mishaps occur. The mood, implication, and scheme are all carefully weaved together in the play, with Puck being a symbol or a catalyst for nearly every one of them.    Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. New York. 1997.    Works Consulted    Briggs, Katharine M. The Anatomy of Puck. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1959.    Nevo, Ruth. Comic Transformations in Shakespeare. New York: Routledge, Chapman & Hall, 1981.    Rhoades, Duane. Shakespeare's Defense of Poetry: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Tempest". Westport, CT: Greenwood Press,1986.

Chapter 1 Lecture Notes

ECON 1023 Fall 2011 Instructor: Gibson Nene Chapter 1 Lecture Notes: Limits, Alternatives and Choices The economic perspective or economic way of thinking takes the following concepts into consideration: * Scarcity and Choice * Purposeful Behavior * Marginalism: Benefits and Costs Scarcity and Choice Economics is about wants and means: * Society has the resources to make goods and services that satisfy our many desires. * However, our economic wants far exceed the productive capacity of our limited resources – our resources are scarce. Scarcity Definition: means that society has limited resources and therefore cannot produce all the goods and services people want In other words economic resources are scarce and wants are infinite. What is the meaning of scarcity from the consumers’ perspective? * Scarcity refers to limitations in consumption of the goods that are available because of limited income * Consumers have an income constraint. Because resources are scarce when we choose to produce something we simultaneously make the choice to forgo producing something else. * When a good is produced, the resources employed can no longer be used to make another good. We must decide what we will have and what we must forgo. Such sacrifices are referred to as opportunity costs. Opportunity cost Dfn: The value of the good, service or time forgone to obtain something else. When you choose to go to college, you forgo some potential income earnings. So Economics studies the choices made by individuals and societies to utilize sca rce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. Purposeful behavior We make decisions to achieve desired outcomes * We are not always perfect in our choices Human behavior is assumed to reflect rational self-interest Economics assumes that individuals seek to increase or maximize their utility: pleasure, happiness or satisfaction * As consumers we assume you are purposeful in deciding what goods and services to buy. * You want to get the best out of their choices * Business firms are purposeful in deciding what products to produce and how. * Governmental entities are purposeful in deciding what services to provide and how to finance them. * In an nutshell, society seeks to get the best out of every choice. Does rational self-interest mean that individuals are selfish? It turns out that a lot of people help society through charitable donations, expertise without expecting you to pay for the service. Marginalism: Benefits and Costs What is the meaning of Marginal in economics? Marginal means extra, additional a change in. A change from the staus quo. e. g. should I study an extra hour for the exam? Should I buy an extra pair of shoes? Every decision involves marginal benefits (MB) and because of scarce resources, marginal costs (MC). Which choice would make you better off? MB=MC, MB>MC, MB Theories > Laws and principles > Models Economic principles are statements about economic behavior that enable prediction of the probable effects of certain actions. * They serve as tools for ascertaining cause and effect (or action and outcome) within the economic system: * â€Å"Purposeful simplifications† – simplify complex reality * Generalizations – make statements about typical or average consumers, workers, or business firms * Ceteris p aribus (Other things equal) – all variables except those under consideration are held constant * Graphical expression – many models are expressed graphically Microeconomics versus macroeconomics Microeconomics studies individual decision-making units, such as a consumer, a worker, or a business firm. Macroeconomics studies the economy as a whole or it aggregates. The economic problem Individual’s economic problem The economic problem faced by individuals can be summarized using a budget line What is a budget line? Suppose you received a $120 Barnes and noble gift card as a birthday present. The card expires soon, so you want to use everything on the card on books and DVDs. Your Budget here is $120 Two goods, DVDs Price $20 and Books Price $10 First step in constructing a budget line. Construct a table showing the alternative combinations of the two products that are available. Graphing the budget line What do we learn from the budget line? Trade-offs and Opportunity costs Implications of a straight-line budget constraint Choice Limited income forces people to choose what to buy and what to forgo to fulfill wants. What happens to the budget line when your income changes? A reduction or decrease in income: Suppose the gift card has $60 on it and prices do not change. You still want to buy the same two goods, DVDs Price $20 and Books Price $10. The budget line associated with a reduction in income. An Increase in income: Suppose the gift card has $240 on it while prices of DVDs and books remain the same The budget line associated with income increase Society’s economic problem * Economic resources are scarce * What are economic resources? The production possibility model * Assumptions Production possibilities table Lists the different combinations of two products that can be produced with a specific set of resources, assuming full employment. Assume a simple economy producing only Pizza and manufacturing equipment. Type of Production| Production Alternatives| | | | | | | | A| B| C| D| E| | | | | | | Pizza(hundred 000s)Manufacturing equipment ( thousands)| 010| 19| 27| 34| 40| | | | | | | Production possibilities curve The law of increasing opportunity costs A movement from point A to point B: Movement from point B to point C Movement from point C to point D Movement from point D to point E The shape of the curve PPF Example 2 Below is a production possibilities table for consumer goods (automobiles) and capital goods (forklifts): Type of Production| Production Alternatives| | | | | | | | A| B| C| D| E| | | | | | | AutomobilesForklifts| 030| 227| 421| 612| 80| | | | | | | | | | | | | The PPF If the economy is at point C, what is the cost of one more automobile? Of one more forklift? Explain how the production possibilities curve reflects the law of increasing opportunity costs. If the economy characterized by this production possibilities table and curve were producing 3 automobiles and 20 forklifts, what could you conclude about its use of its available resources? What would production at a point outside the production possibilities curve indicate? What must occur before the economy can attain such a level of production? Suppose improvement occurs in the technology of producing forklifts but not in the technology of producing automobiles. Now assume that a technological advance occurs in producing automobiles but not in producing forklifts. Now draw a production possibilities curve that reflects technological improvement in the production of both goods. Optimal allocation of resources Marginal benefit curve The marginal cost curve The intersection of the two MB=MC MB>MC MC>MB PPFs and Unemployment, Growth, and the future Unemployment or underutilization of resources Economic growth Present choices and future possibilities Investment in future goods such as capital goods, research, education, and medicine, promotes economic growth. An economy that invests more in these future goods versus one that invests in current goods. Presentville: more consumption today and less production of future goods Futureville: less consumption today and more production of future goods. Futureville will have a greater production capacity in the future and greater consumption in the future when compared to the one that favors present goods. Which economy made a better choice here?

Tv has negative influence on society

TV has a negative influence on society Introduction: According to David Hinckley of New York Daily News, â€Å"The average America over the age of 2 spends more than 34 hours a week watching live television plus another 3-6 hours watching taped programs. † This statistic shows how much tv can affect us, considering how much we watch it. I want you to think about your favorite tv show right now. I'll bet you that that show contains some kind of violence, sexual interactions, cussing, drug or alcohol usage, stereotypes and many other bad nfluences.Even shows like Spongebob Squarepants, a kids cartoon, are saying to have subliminal, or hidden, messages that are disturbing and wrong. Resolution: My partner and I are resolved that tv has a negative influence on society. By negative influence we mean a power affecting a person, think, or course of events in a bad way(free dictionary. com). And in this case, tv is affecting society, or people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions and values. My first argument is that violence on tv leads to aggressive behavior in the people watching it.According to Dr. Gail Gross in the Huffington Post, â€Å"when children see violence on television, they have a difficult time differentiating between what is real and what is make believe, and tend to copy what they see. † In 1 study done at Pennsylvania Statue University in 1982, about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching tv. Some watched cartoons that had a lot of aggressive and violent acts and others watched shows with no violence. The esearchers notched real differences.Children who watched the violent shows were more likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who watched the unviable not programs, says Aletha Huston-Stein PH. D, now at the University of Kansas. In conclusion, media violence makes kids more aggressive, less patient, and more fearful of the world around them. There are plenty of violent tv shows like law and order, criminal minds, the walking dead, breaking bad, and so on that show case iolence and killings.These shows can lead many people to follow in their ways. So as you can see from this evidence, violence on tv leads to aggressive behavior in the people watching it. My second argument is that watching tv gives open access to everything. When you watch tv, you are susceptible to messages that are dangerous, especially the youth. Say that you are a young kid and your parents want to keep you away from the dangers of drug and sex until you're older. Well whole watching tv you could flip to a hannel and start watching a television show that includes these activities.Now as a young kid you may be confused and not know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to these new things you haven't heard ot betore. Another point is shows like teen mom expose you to premarital sex and these shows make it seem normal and natural to have sex as a teenager. Furthermore, according to changingchannels. org, tv desensitizes viewers to the evil nature of premarital sex and unprovoked violence, encouraging young viewers to find them acceptable and ormal in society.So you can see from the points made, television gives people, especially youth, open access to everything. conclusion: Our first argument was that tv violence leads to aggressive behavior in the people watching it. Our second argument was that tv gives people open access to everything. Do you really want young children susceptible to drug, sex, and violence before they are even old enough to know what it is? From these arguments, it should be clear that tv is leaving a negative impact on our society.