Marvin

Use Case Narratives (UCN) I. Identification Summary Title: Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Account in Metro Bank Summary: This use case narrates the steps to acquire a new ATM account in service of Metro Bank. Actors: 1. Customer – Person to acquire an ATM account. 2. Teller – Verify and approve the requirements of the Customer 3. Metro Bank Banking System – register Customers Information to the data base Creation Date: March 14 2013Date of Update: Version: v1. 0Person in Charge: Elias Maglalang & Marvin Luzon II. Flow of Events Preconditions: 1.The Teller is Identified by the Metro Bank Banking System and gaining authorization to register a new Customer Data into the data base 2. The Customer must have the required documents (2 government issued IDs, Proof of Billing and Depository Money) to apply for a new ATM account. PostConditions: 1. Customer Information recorded in the Metro Bank Banking System’s Data Base. 2. Monetary Assets acquired by the teller. 3. Customer Receives the ATM card including a piece of paper containing instruction regarding changing of pin number. 4. Customer signs the logbook for proof of receiving the ATM. Main Success Scenario: 1.Customer arrives at the bank and approaches the new account section. 2. Teller provides customer with documents to be filled up. 3. Customer submits filled up documents along with requirements. 4. Teller accesses the Metro Bank banking system. 5. Teller records documents and piles up all the requirements. 6. Teller processes the filing of the documents. 7. Teller receives the Monetary Assets of the customer. 8. Customer receives ATM including the instruction regarding changing of pin number. 9. Customer signs the logbook for proof of receiving the ATM. 10. Use case successfully ends III. Alternative Sequences IV. Error Sequences

Chinese Discrimination in the United States Essay

The Chinese immigrated to the United States in during the 1800s; Official records show that before 1857, 46 Chinese immigrants were in the United States. Over the next 30 years more that 200,000 Chinese had immigrated to the United States. This immigration wave was largely because of the push of the awful conditions in China and the pull of the discovery of gold, and, job opportunities in the west (Immigration and the United States, Schafer, 2006). During the 1860s railroad work was abundant. The two lines, Central Union and Pacific Union, were the largest employer of the Chinese and the Irish. Working the Central Union was dangerous work through rough terrain. The work was dominated by the Chinese. Despite being 90% of the laborers the Chinese were paid less that the Irish who were 10% of the laborers. This dual labor market continues until the completion of the railroads. Regardless of being the majority of the laborers, the Chinese were excluded from the Golden Spike ceremony in Promontory, Utah. After the completion of the completion of the railroad, the Chinese immigrants continued to accept work that others would not do. This caused an industrial dependence on cheap labor to fuel the American economy. The Chinese were welcome as the economy needed them. When the labor was finished, they were no longer welcome. The Chinese welcome was short lived because of stereotypes that were prevalent before immigration. American traders and Protestant missionaries spoke to the American people of the Chinese exotic and sinister manners. These stereotypes caused sinophobia. This sinophobia directly resulted in the â€Å"Yellow Peril†, a threatened expansion of Asian populations as magnified in western immigration (answers. com). Takai, in 1989, noted that the fear of the Yellow Peril shattered any appetite to learn more about the customs of the Chinese, or, themselves as a people. Sinophobia was compounded when the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This government action not only outlawed Chinese immigration and naturalization for 10 years, but it led the American people to further discrimination; any thought that the discrimination was unjust and unfounded was alleviated through the governmental act. At the end of the act’s 10 year run, it was continued another 10 years, and, the practice continued into the 20th century. On December 17, 1943, the Magnuson Act repealed the Exclusion Act. Repealing the act allowed growth and assimilation of the Chinese people. â€Å"The Chinese exhibit high affluence combined with a relatively high degree of segregation from Whites in a few metropolitan areas (Lee, C. N. , 2004). Redlining leads to the belief that the manisfestation of suburban ethnic districts may alleviate the need to bodily intergrate with Whites to obtain greater socioeconomic success. Despite the menial jobs the Chinese continued to grow financially, and, the affluent Chinese continued to live next door to their poorer neighborhood, an act of self-segregation; with the self-segregation encouraged forming their own chamber of commerce, public library, and hospitals. â€Å"The true destructive nature of residential segregation reared the discrimination perpetuated by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Homeowners Loan Act, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the real estate industry, banks, and other financial institutions (Massey & Denon, 1993). Chinatown, San Francisco, is not just the largest Chinese Town outside of Asia, but is the largest example of redlining. The 1870 anti-Chinese ordinances passed in San Francisco to curtail housing and employment options. The ordinances passed successfully pushed the Chinese into an unwanted area. Having them in one area made it easier for San Francisco law enforcement of curfews. In the San Francisco bay area the garment industry is made up of 53% Asian workers, mostly women. â€Å"These ‘sweat shops’ are overcrowded, not well ventilated and poorly lit† (urbanhabitat. org). The garment workers are exposed to particles and toxic chemicals. Many women bring their children to work with them, and the particles and chemicals are known to be especially are harmful to children. Many Asian-American associates support reverse discrimination against Asian-Americans as demonstrated by being denied college entrance (asianam. com). Many Chinese are making donations to the very organizations that are anti-Chinese, in exchange for denial of Asian-American’s denial to colleges and universities. Thomas Espenthade and Alexandria Walton Radford examined data on students applying to college in 1997 and discovered what looks to be different standards for different racial groups. They found that Asian-Americans needed to have nearly perfect SAT scores of 1550 to have the same chances as other races which were requiring scores of 1100 to 1410. They also noted that other races were three to 15 times more likely to be accepted to university. Stephen Hsu noted that it appeared that the university’s magically end up with 20% Asian students. One Princeton lecturer asked if that number represents the â€Å"Asian Ceiling†. Is affirmation action working? â€Å"Advocates of affirmation action argue that it is needed because of historical discrimination. Maybe that was true in 1970, but it is no longer true affirmative action is now a part of the minority machine, an indispensable component which is perpetual victimhood† (jonstosselfoxnews. com). Yet another straddle that the Chinese have endured is the Glass Ceiling. Although experienced by both men and women, a double jeopardy has been attached to Chinese women. A Chinese man has a better opportunity to move up the ladder than a Chinese woman. In general, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2000 one in 10 is on the professional staff while one in 25 was a manager (Varma, 2004). As a whole, the Chinese are underrepresented as CEOs. Board members, and high level managers. While researching this essay I have discovered that the Chinese-Americans have endured. Upon arrival in the 1800s. I have become more culturally aware of their movement to quash stereotypes and discrimination, and there attempt to mainstream there culture in the United States. 1) asianam. com 2) jonstosselfoxnews. com 3) Lee, C. N. , 2004 4) Massey & Denon, 1993 5) Immigration and the United States, Schaefer, R. D. , 2006 6) urbanhabitat. org 7) Varma, 2004.

Edgar Allan Poe Biography

In the early 19th century when Poe lived, the United States was an important time for the foundation of literary development with national development. American literature has come to the American Romantic era by pursuing its own free expression based on the New World America. In my opinion, â€Å"The fall of the house of Usher† is a form that has a relatively realistic thinking about superstition and introduces a speaker who wants to think scientifically and shows the fantastic and bizarre experiences for the reader on behalf of the reader. This novel is a representative novel that expresses the fantasy and mystery as the American romanticism literally. As well, the writer refers to â€Å"the exploration of human psychology and self† through the novel. He used the theme to create gruesome horror novels that stimulate fundamental fears among humans. First, let me introduce the characters in the novel. There are only three characters in the novel. The narrator (this novel is made up of the first person), Roderick Usher and Madeline Usher. In this novel, information about the narrator is given he is old friend of Roderick, and he visits the mansion because Roderick's invitation. The narrator takes care of Roderick as a faithful friend, but the narrator isn't directly involved in solving problems in the novel. He only observes Roderick and his sister and the environment. So, I think that the narrator is the reader, and the reader is the narrator. Next, Roderick is a major figure in this story. He suffers from morbidity. For example, he can only wear specific textures of clothing, and all the smells and all the light hurt him. Last, Roderick's twin sister Madeline has long been Roderick's companion, and she is Roderick's second ANIMA. She suffers from alcohol and sleepwalking and doesn't know the world around her at all. She has cataleptic that makes her helpless and has a deep effect on Roderick.Second, the conflict in the novel begins with Roderick and Madeline. Roderick was afraid of the impact he had on his sister so, he buries her alive. However, Madeline doesn't die. Instead, she comes back to take revenge on Roderick who tried to kill her. When she kills him, the conflict between the two reaches its peak. The mansion collapse centrally the crack line when Madeline and Roderick died. I think this scene fights who will take the â€Å"I† and eventually succumbs to fighting both selves and losing â€Å"I† The writer warns readers that if they lose their self, they become like RoderickThird, the setting of the novel is Usher's mansion, southern Paris, France. Overall, the mansion is gloomy. For example, according to the story, the narrator describes the house as resembling the image of a face or a skull with eye-like windows, and hair of fungus. This depressing house shape gives a supernatural atmosphere. This mansion refers Roderick's ego as well. There is a â€Å"crack line† in the middle of the mansion exterior. This crack line suggests that Roderick's ego is separated into two anima of Roderick and Madeline. As the relationship between the characters deteriorates, the crack line becomes longer and later, the crack line helps to collapse the house. This expression shows Roderick's self is falling down.Next, the novel mood is totally terrifying. Because Poe's expression is the Gothic interior in the house, including the desolate environment around the mansion, creating a horror atmosphere. According to the story, â€Å"Another servant, of quiet step, led me without a word through many dark turnings to the room of his master. I don't know how to do that, I have already spoken. While the objects around me – the dark wall coverings, the blackness of the floors †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Before the start of the novel, the author suggests that this novel isn't a normal story by quoting one of Pierre Bà ©ranger's poem â€Å"Le Refus†. † During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens †¦ † As well, the speaker reads Roderick's Gothic novel, it overlaps the sound of the Madeline coffin splitting up from the basement. This scene made the novel more terrifying.As I said before, the author referred to â€Å"the exploration of human psychology and self† through novels. He was worried that he would have psychosis when he was alive. I think that the author seems to express his insecurity about his psychological feelings and the consideration about his anima through this novel.As for me, this novel was interested. Actually, I'm not first to read this book. Because I like reading mystery authors' novels such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Miyabe Miyuki, including Edgar Allan Poe. When I read many novels, I found out that even the same mystery novelist has different writing style. Poe focuses primarily on human self and psychology. Especially, this book has a humanistic and psychological plot and a gothic atmosphere. I think that these make the novel more horrific, impressive fantastic and sensual. As I mentioned earlier, the main theme of this novel is â€Å"the quest for human psychology and self†. I think it is important to find self. Because, by looking for the self, it makes it exist as â€Å"I† and it also makes me don't forget about myself. If you lose â€Å"I†, your self will fall down like the end of a novel. It was very impressive that I could read the traces of the author's thought through the novel.

Persuasive argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persuasive argument - Essay Example Rawls therefore tends to believe that enforcing a universal law within this diverse nature of the society is unworkable and hence raises two main fundamental issues: legitimacy and stability. In his view therefore democracy is based on justice in a liberal society since it promotes and provides for basic human rights that determine justice. In the view of Rawls, the use of unified law is not legitimate in a democratic society and hence it is not practical for a liberal society to work or function correctly while they are unified by one law and when they claim democracy. He also argues that in a democratic system, the political power is always based on the people and hence the legitimate use of the coercive political power is misplaced. The people here are viewed as a collective body. In this perspective we can not that Rawls is putting more emphasis on the will of the people and not on the political representatives in delivering justice. In fact, this argument can be interpreted to mean that the political power is not based on the individuals but on the people as a collective body. Rawls argument is that we cannot deliver justice to the people with just imposing on law to the people. This is because it is not legitimate for the democratic system to put all its citizens to follow just one law since the citizens themselves will always inevitably hold different views. In this perspective it would not function well and hence justice would only be delivered to certain few individuals who hold the same views or close views to the ones imposed by the law. The rest with diverse views would always conflict with the law enforcement agencies and it is not desirable. The issue of stability on the other hand puts the issue of democracy and political power from the receiving end. In this way, an individual would not obey the law if it is imposed on him or her by the individuals or a collective body with different values and beliefs to his or her own. He therefore argues that lack of willingness by the citizens of a particular society to obey the law is the main cause of inst ability in that social order. According to the Rawls’s ‘liberal principle of legitimacy† can only be used in such way that all citizens would be expected to endorse the law. In this regard, the use of political power must therefore fulfill the requirements of the citizens or the criterion that is necessary for reciprocity. The set of laws must be accepted reasonably by the citizens in this perspective, it is important to realize that the power of the people prevails in determine the success of particular law. The societal fundamental arrangements with regard to politics must be universally and freely accepted by the people and no just because they are minor or not informed about such laws. In this way of argument, Rawls believe that the people whom the law has coerced have to accept the law freely. This is important since it serve to address the problems of legitimacy. In this context, Rawls is giving light to his argument. It does not mean that justice delivered to the diverse composition o the society have to capture all the views oif the people. However, the coerced people should freely accept the law even though they are against their conception and not because the laws have been imposed on them. In this way, Rawls explains the first section that the power is based on the citizens. This explains why we cannot deliver justice in a non democratic society since the majority rule would prevail against the minor groups in the society or larger groups. But since

Handball as a game played by use of hands instead of feet as in Essay

Handball as a game played by use of hands instead of feet as in football - Essay Example The paper tells that there before, people had that misconception that playing handball is just an easy task that is not that much demanding. This has lately been proven wrong, since handball is like any other game where a lot from the players is needed. The game requires someone to posses the right skills and to have undergone a thorough training before one can become an excellent player. Every player has a desire to improve his game swiftly, but many spend only a few moments of time perfecting their skills. Efficient learning and training is the best approach in achieving most and for high level play in all the sports, as research has proved. This line of attack could also be applied to almost any corporal ability. Therefore, for one to pursue sporting as a career, one has to be ready for the ups and downs associated with the job. More extra efforts will be essentially vital in the job. High level of discipline, total devotion, and perseverance in hard times of sport are among the k ey requirements of the job. Hence, the misconception by many people that playing a sport and get a salary it is an easy job get proven wrong. There has also been a misconception on payment to sporting players among several people. Many people have clung on the belief that sports playing are well paid jobs compared to the other jobs. In many games like soccer, or basketball, prolific players have been there, but soon they no longer play. The situation is this way because of various limiting factors like age limit or incase of incidence of severe injuries to players. In all the games, handball being one of them, there is a certain age limit that players are to be within and beyond which they get retirement. Therefore, these conditions present cases that make the sports players receive more earning in the form of salary. This is in effect, will cater for their up keep soon they quit playing the game. The issue of better payment will then be of assistance to the players especially those who rely entirely on playing as a life career. Among various games, handball is a game that can be played by anyone on the basis of gender despite the different belief by various people, that handball is a girls sport. It has also been found that handball is a game with various strict rules and regulations that are followed to the later. During training and match sessions, these rules and regulations are well observed. Among the rules while playing; as one dribbles the ball, the hand is to touch the ball just at its upper partly. The player is to move three steps prior to shooting, dribbling or releasing the ball. The moment the foot gets onto the ground is a step made. The players have to ensure that the ball get to their rival’s target to earn a score. Once a team has scored, the loser team starts the game again. Therefore, the sport is not as easy as thought of, but rather complex to some extent. It was extremely surprising that many people, especially, those without much exposure to the game, initially, they had thought that in most developed countries is where handball was best played. This belief had led to many talented players in handball dreams being shuttered. The developing countries had the adverse effects of the perception. Those people, who had secured handball playing as a job, and opted to carry on with the job, had to put with the torment of the idea. Lately, through the swift spread of knowledge and information about handball, has led to appreciation of the game widely.

Video games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Video games - Essay Example Infamous events have created widespread debates regarding the negative consequences of video game violence. For example, a national discussion began regarding what connection video games may have had to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Though many motivations were likely involved, it is not reasonable to identify precisely what motivated these teenagers to shoot their schoolmates and teachers but violent video games were mentioned as a contributing reason. With enhanced realism and the increasing tendency towards greater amounts of graphic aggression in games, people who play violent video games should be educated to the possible consequences. When video games first appeared around 35 years ago, they were simple and seemingly harmless. Atari introduced Pong during the 1970’s, a video game version of table tennis. Arcade games such as Pac-Man and Asteroids were popular in the 1980’s. The seemingly harmless nature of video games noticeably evolved to cartoon-like ghost chomping to blatant violence in the 1990’s. Mortal Kombat, the most popular game of 1993, featured accurate portrayals of human-like characters fighting bloody battles. The purpose of the player in the game, as the name suggests, was to kill the enemy. Violent games even more brutal than Mortal Kombat dominate the video game market today. Near the end of that 1980’s, a study tested 33 of Sega and Nintendo’s most popular video games determined nearly 80 percent were violent. (Dietz, 1998). The study also revealed that a troubling one-fifth of the games portrayed violence towards women. It has also been demonstrated that playing violent video games encourages the tendency of experiencing hostile thought patterns by means of the ‘semantic priming process.’ Current studies reveal that hostile behaviors occur during controlled studies using independent scientific methods and in daily life circumstances as well. The playing of violent video games un questionably was associated with an increase of violent behavior. Other studies were conducted which considered the video game patterns of university students throughout their four year career which demonstrated that when in a normal, dorm-room surroundings, playing violent video games over a four year period was the initiating factor in incidences of aggressive behavior. This increase happened, not just when playing of the game but during other aspects of their lives too. Both studies revealed that violent video games negatively affected a person’s current emotional condition and increases feelings of hostility. The similar findings of these studies give added credibility to the contention that exposure to violent video games promotes aggressive behavior. Though the inclination for increased violent behaviors cannot be scientifically proven on the basis of two studies, this evidence corroborates the results of similar research. (Calvert & Tan, 1994). When playing a video gam e that uses ‘first person’ interaction, the player typically chooses a character whose personality the player identifies with. By manipulating the action of their character a player usually tries to visualize the game from their character’s perspective. The player ‘becomes’ that character, which enhances the players enjoyment of the game. Anyone who has seen two teen boys, or their fathers, playing video games has witnessed them envisioning they are the character that they are controlling. The second rationale entails the

Internal Recruitment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internal Recruitment - Case Study Example The purpose of the paper is to generate an in-depth understanding about the aspects of recruitment. The paper will describe the recruitment process and identify the similarities and dissimilarities between the works of two authors i.e. Bach’s book â€Å"Managing Human Resources† and Torrington, Hall and Taylor’s book â€Å"Human Resource Management† regarding the internal recruitment. Literature Review According to Bach (2005), recruitment and selection is the procedure of selecting the appropriate employees from the pool of inappropriate employees who can effectively fit in the organisational culture and job responsibilities. Bach had mentioned the recruitment model as ‘psychometric’ or traditional method to employment because traditional method of recruitment focused on job and followed a coherent structure of actions. This method is mainly used in service organisations which require high degree of job fit. Bach focuses on finding suitable s election methods which are capable of forecasting appropriate employees from inappropriate employees, i.e. methods which have thorough psychometric components of rationality and consistency (Bach, 2005). According to Torrington et. al. (2008), organisations require finding and getting employees who are required by organisation for success. These employees can be part-time, permanent, or irregular, and the employment relationship with them is the agreement which sums up the aspects of that association so that both parties know their position. According to the authors, the entire employee resourcing procedure is represented by the joint assessment that occurs in selection meeting, in order to identify that if certain candidates are appropriate for the organisation or not. Selection meeting not only assists the organisation to get proper employee, but also helps the applicant for getting his/her desired job (Torrington et. al., 2008). Recruitment Process Both authors have certain simil ar and a few dissimilar opinions regarding recruitment. According to Bach (2005), recruitment often takes place when a present employee leaves the organisation or when organisations need to fill any vacant job position. The organisational reaction is to replace the old employee with substitute employee so that the absence does not hamper the business operations. Torrington et. al., (2008), described that apart from using recruitment, organisations have several other ways to fill the vacancies. For instance, organisations can reform the tasks by allocating or shifting the time as well as reorganise the work procedures to fill the gap of performance caused by departure of certain employees. However, there are certain situations where recruitment becomes essential even if employees do not leave an organisation, for instance, if organisations enlarge the business or create new divisions in the market. According to Bach’s (2005) point of view, recruitment process includes a method ical appraisal of the necessities of an organisation and detailed examination of job requisite in terms of job analysis. It is essential for an organisation as even when an employee is substituted, there can still be variations in job necessities. Torrington & et. al., (2008), had also suggested that job descriptions are crucial for evaluating the job necessities and for preparing the employers for recruiting.

Mean Streets Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mean Streets - Movie Review Example Charlie is involved with the local New York Mafia and is tries to move up the command chain. His efforts are frustrated as he takes responsibility of his friend Johnny Boy, who is a reckless and minor gambler, a habit that gets Johnny into a huge amount of debt from many local loan sharks. Charlie who collects debts from individuals who owe his uncle money is an inwardly conflicted man. He does not know whether to follow his Mafia ambitions or to devout himself to the church. After failing to receive liberation in church, Charlie excessively becomes reproachful and disrespectful, but gets it by forfeiting himself on Johnny’s behalf. The movie ends when a debtor, Michael demands his money from Johnny who insults him and draws out a gun. Michael leaves but pursues Charlie, Johnny and Charlie’s girlfriend Teresa (an epileptic woman), who have decided to escape town for a little while. Michaels gunmen fires shots that land on Johnny’s neck and Charlie’s hand. An ambulance and the police come to the scene and take them away as the movie ends (Iamb, 2012). Critique There are a number of pros in the film, firstly are the characters. Mean Streets characters are excellently cast as their roles are well executed and nicely edited. The acting is incredibly original, and the director has directed his actors to near- sound acts. Moreover, the characters have given the film a thoroughly, beautiful, spellbinding and memorable feel. The characters demonstrate the Italian- American experience in a groundbreaking way, as they are passionate and mature. The characters in Mean Streets film have portrayed extreme talent in demonstrating male amity in Little Italy in New York. With Charlie’s character the producer, Martin Scorsese picks two conflicting issues common with young men in New York, religion, and gangster life. The second pro in the film is the cast themselves who are skilled, thus make the film believable. Martin has appropriately cast the actors in Mean Streets. Since the film is based on real life experiences, the producer, Martin Scorsese, puts the pieces quickly. These pieces are well executed by the actors who have in the past, coincidentally, lived in little Italy and have had the same experiences. De Niro grew up in ‘Bleecker Street, the northern frontier of Little Italy’. The third pro in the film is in the use of camera. Martin Scorsese employs the use of camera, lightning, and space in a much-refined way, thereby showing the viewer only what he feels the viewer should see. In the opening scenes of the film, the key characters have scenes of their own, which introduces the viewer to the main characters (IMDb, 2012). Furthermore, the filtered camera angles usage continues with the director having scenes shot from above and sometimes from below. A hand held camera is used for dynamic scenes compared to the movable long shot cameras. The lighting creates balance and the intelligent editing ensur es the full capacity of the impact to the viewer. The fourth pro in Mean Street is the director’s, Martin Scorsese utility of color. The color used gives the picture an intense tone, which is incredibly striking. The light in the bars are red and outside have an over-exposed and monochrome color (IMDb, 2012). The director chooses to use popular music as the soundtrack in Mean Streets. In addition, the music is functional as it sets the mood for the film. The theme of the film

H.W Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

H.W - Assignment Example Key stakeholders in this case include, Merck shareholders, decision makers with regard to research and development, other individuals that suffer from debilitating conditions that further research and development by Merck might otherwise cure, and those that are or might potentially become infected with River Blindness in the future. The costs of this decision would be that a potential cure would be knowingly passed over by the decision makers at Merck. The benefits would be that other potential remedies could be developed that might otherwise positively impact upon a much larger group of stakeholders. A strict utilitarian would seek to promote the greatest utility in this particular case. As the plight of new potential research would be unknown and there is a small percentage chance of the animal drugs to work well with regard to curing or addressing River Blindness, the utilitarian would ultimately choose the River Blindness research over the other alternatives. By means of contrast and comparison, the universalist would recognize the fact that there is a larger potential for the money to more effectively be used elsewhere; thereby encouraging one to prefer to pass over the River Blindness research. One of the ways that managers can encourage stakeholders to take back injuries more seriously is to provide an emotional appeal based on the individuals that have already been injured in the line of work. Whereas the employee might not think that the employer has their best interests in mind, by showing that the health, happiness, and safety of the employees is something that effects everyone is something that can be done as a means of engaging a further level of understanding throughout the firm. Advanced appreciation would be one extremely useful technique that the professor could use as a function of engaging participation.

Relationship Between the Brand Equity and the Sales of Bottled Water Industry Essay Example for Free

Relationship Between the Brand Equity and the Sales of Bottled Water Industry Essay This research basically pertains to find out the relationship between the brand equity and the sales of the product. The questionnaire was constructed and the pilot study using 15 respondents from ICBS was carried out to ensure that there were no confusions or ambiguities in the questionnaire. All ambiguities or confusions found were removed before administering the final questionnaire. The questionnaires were divided into two parts. On first of June the questionnaires were administered among half of the sample. The other half of the questionnaires among the remaining samples on 1st July 2007. As our research was basically descriptive in nature, we then quantified the values we were given in the questionnaire results and used them to graph the responses of the elements of the research. The results were then analyzed. Introduction The broad area of the research is related to the currently existing situation in the bottled water industry. As the bottle water industry is flourishing in Pakistan and new competitors are entering the market but still Pure Life has managed to maintain the considerable amount of market share due to its brand equity. The concept of brand is integral to the success of any given product. Brand equity necessarily affects the performance of a product. The concept of brand equity can have a marked effect on the longevity of a products performance. Brand equity is defined as the bundle of intrinsic features/attributes delivered by a branded product or service. It is measured as the price differential someone is willing to pay for a particular branded product or service over an identical product or service that is unbranded. Alternatively, this definition can be re-crafted to state that brand equity is the difference in utility between two products or services that are perceived to deliver an identical set of tangible benefits at the same price. Consumers see a particular brand name as a contract. A brands name may reduce consumers sense of uncertainty, allowing them to purchase, uncertainty reduction, or trust, thus improving their sense of value. Background Nestle have taken a strong interest in Pakistan at a time when the country’s food, drink and retail industries in general are all actually struggling to attract large-scale multinational investments of this nature. Although these companies all have more profitable product categories, which are their primary concerns in more developed markets, in Pakistan a key element of their business strategy at the present time is a strong presence in the increasingly competitive bottled water industry. Should economic growth continue, the introduction of their added-value, more premium products, will simply prove a bonus at a later date? Such investment cannot help but drive bottled water sales in Pakistan, while inflows from multinationals also provide much needed jobs and contribute to essential infrastructural developments in the country. However, there is a huge flipside to these advantages the creation of a population, which can barely afford to spend beyond necessity, reliant on a product that is still considered a luxury item in some of the worlds most developed economies. Pakistan’s response to this dilemma affects not just its population, but its likelihood of establishing itself as a destination for much sought after food, drink and retail industry investment in the future. Literature Review Brand equity is the value built-up in a brand. It is measured based on how much a customer is aware of the brand. The value of a companys brand equity can be calculated by comparing the expected future revenue from the branded product with the expected future revenue from an equivalent non-branded product. This calculation is at best an approximation. This value can comprise both tangible, functional attributes (e. g. TWICE the cleaning power or HALF the fat) and intangible, emotional attributes (e. g. the brand for people with style and good taste). It can be positive or negative. Positive brand equity is created by effective promotion and consistently meeting or exceeding customer thoughts. Negative brand equity is usually the result of bad management. In the early 2000s, the Ford Motor Company made a strategic decision to brand all new or redesigned cars with names starting with F. This aligned with the previous tradition of naming all sport utility vehicles since the Ford Explorer with the letter E. The Toronto Star quoted an analyst who warned that changing the name of the well known Windstar to the Freestar would cause confusion and discard brand equity built up, while a marketing manager believed that a name change would highlight the new redesign. The aging Taurus, which became one of the most significant cars in American auto history, would be abandoned in favor of three entirely new names, all starting with F, the Five Hundred, Freestar and Fusion. By 2007, the Freestar was discontinued without a replacement, and Ford announced record losses. In a surprise announcement, the discarded Taurus nameplate would be re-used on an improved Five Hundred which had disappointing sales and whose nameplate was recognized by less than half of most people, but an overwhelming majority was familiar with the Taurus. Brand Equity and Market Share Very often only the market share of a brand is looked at as a means of determining how successful the brand is. Although market share is of importance in assessing the performance of a brand, its relationship with brand equity is of great significance, as this relationship can be an indication of the potential success of a brand, or alternatively can direct strategy on how to attain such success. The following diagram illustrates the relationship between brand equity and market share: Brand equity and market share are not always proportionate. As can be seen from the diagram, the ideal place for a brand to be situated is in the top-right quadrant. This shows that the brand is successful in that it has a strong brand equity and high market share. However, this may not always be the case. It is possible that a brand may have high brand equity, but may not have an accordingly high market share (top-left quadrant). In order to improve the market share of a brand in cases such as this, regard must then be had to in-store issues such as display, shelf space, distribution etc. Thus, understanding brand equity plays an important role in that it gives an indication of how a brands performance can be improved. Where there is low brand equity and a strong market share (such as the bottom right-hand quadrant), the situation is extremely tenuous. Although the picture may look good owing to the strong market share, the reality is that, with weak brand equity, the product is vulnerable to competitor or other in-market activity. Therefore, measuring only the strong market share does not give the complete picture brand equity must also be considered, and by improving this, the full potential of the brand can be secured. What is Brand Equity? In layman terms brand equity is the value that a consumer attaches to a certain brand. Although brand equity can be measured tangibly by way of certain indicators, a large component of the concept is intangible, i. e. what perceptions and associations people have of a certain brand, and the familiarity of those brands in the mind of the consumer. The diagram below illustrates how brand equity is made up: From the diagram, it is evident that the sources that drive brand equity (brand awareness, consideration and the factors associated with it) will lead to certain outcomes. And the more powerful the sources are, the more significant these outcomes will be. Thus, a strong brand loyalty and ability to command a price premium will lead to resilience against any negative short-term market factors. And this is why brand equity is essential in assessing the performance of a brand: it has the potential to secure the success of the brand against many variable in-market factors. Further, the importance of brand equity is that, by understanding how brand equity drives market share, it is then possible to make use of this knowledge in order to grow the market share of a brand. Understanding the link between brand equity and market share will thus assist marketers in which strategies are required to grow market share. The Benefits of Brand Equity: What are the benefits of strong brand equity? Well, strong brand equity leads to, inter alia, strong market share, customer loyalty, more favorable response to price increases, less vulnerability to competitor activity, brand extension opportunities, and communication messages which reach the consumer. In attaining these benefits, strong brand equity will ensure that a product is of an enduring nature. Ultimately, strong brand equity will improve profitability. To build a winning brand, therefore, is to understand the relationship between brand equity and market share, and to leverage both to their full potential. In so doing, a brand will be successful and sustainable in the long term. It must be kept in mind that increasing market share does not increase brand equity, whereas increasing brand equity invariably leads to increased market share. Another benefit of brand equity is that it’s an asset which can be sold or leased. The importance of brand equity to customer loyalty: Keller (1998) argues that brand equity is unique from customer loyalty, and can be defined as: †¦ the differential effect that brand knowledge has on consumer response to the marketing of that brand. He argues that a brand possesses positive customer-based brand equity when customers react more favorably to a (brand identified) product and the way that it is marketed as compared to when it is not. Brands can also possess negative customer-based brand equity, expressed when consumers react less favorably to the marketing activities associated with a brand, as compared to an unnamed or fictitious named version of the product. Keller (1998) further states that one of the characteristics of brands possessing strong brand equity is stronger brand loyalty. This position appears consistent wit that of Aaker (1991) who argued that brand loyalty could be considered both a dimension and an outcome of brand equity. Problem Statement The problem statement of the research is to find out that â€Å"Are pure life sales greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle? † Nestle pure life was launched in Pakistan in 1998. The brand now holds a solid position as number 1 in Pakistan by having more than 50 per cent of the countrys small bottled-water market of 33 million liters (35 million quarts) a year. Pure Life is everywhere at roadside stalls, gas stations and rest stops. Its hawked at street corners in traffic-clogged Lahore. Middle-class shoppers buy it by the case in supermarkets. On the remote mountain road leading from Islamabad to the hill town of Murree, Pure Life billboards urge drivers to drive only Nestle Pure Life. At small stores along the way, a flurry of banners proclaim: Pure Safety, Pure Trust. The ideal water. From Nestle with love. As the purchase of the bottled water involves low involvement of consumers therefore factors such as price, packaging and taste are not as important as compared to the brand image of the product. Therefore, the research is conducted to find out whether the equity of a brand affects the sales of the product or not Limitations, Delimitations and Assumptions The concept of brand equity is important to every brand therefore it can be applied to every product in the Pakistani market. For the purpose of simplicity, researchers chose water bottled industry of Pakistan. In this industry Nestle Pure Life was chosen due to the fact that as purchase of bottled water involves low involvement of consumer so the only thing that matters for the consumer is the brand name. Furthermore another reason for choosing Nestle Pure life was that the researchers assumed that the sales of Nestle Pure life were greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle. There was another limitation that the researchers would only focus on a particular age group of people i. . people between 20-25 yrs of age. Theoretical Framework In the research the independent variable is brand equity, the dependent variable is sales, whereas there are three intervening variables identified which affect the relationship of independent variable and the dependent variable which are, production capacity, distribution and availability. There is a positive relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable because it’s assumed that the brand equity causes an increase in the sales of a product which is Nestle Pure Life. Coke and Pepsi entered the bottled water industry as their production capacity was 18000 crates but after production of sodas their production plant was idle so they decide to jump in the bottled water. industry. They had the advantage that the industry is developing and consumers are becoming conscious of the importance of pure drinkable water. And their setup was already developed. Their distribution is extensive and they can capture all the consumers who buy their sodas. There is a positive relationship between sales and the intervening variables that are production capacity, distribution and availability. Nestle has an advantage over the other bottled water competitors due to the fact that they are the market leaders and their production and distribution is much more then the other competitors and their production plant and capacity is only used for the bottled water only. Their availability is much more extensive because nestle food products are distributed all over the country and hence they utilize their already developed distribution setup. Hypothesis The hypothesis that the researchers intended to test was the following: â€Å"Pure life sales are greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle† Nature of study The type of research is basic or pure because the study aimed to find out the affect of brand equity on sales of Nestle Pure Life and literature review was done to find out the relationship between brand equity and sales and primary study was also conducted by distributing questionnaires to MBA students of various universities. The relationship between the brand equity and sales is also generalizable. No matter what the product is there is always the positive relationship between them. Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is descriptive. The study will help in better understanding of the relationship of brand equity of a product and its sales. It will also help the organizations to make decisions related to brand awareness, brand loyalty and brand preference that will affect the brand equity of a product. It will also help other researchers to work on the similar concept. Throughout the study the researcher interference was minimal as there was no control of researcher on the independent variable which was brand equity. The type of investigation was correlation as the study aimed at finding the relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable. It was a field study done in non contrived settings. Methodology Data Collection The initial data for research was obtained through secondary sources of information, which included internet articles, journals and books. It would not be enough to substantiate the hypothesis; therefore, the data collection technique of questionnaire survey shall be used. Population Our target population consists of business schools students in the age group of 20-25 years using Nestle Pure Life. Sample â€Å"Proportionate stratified random sampling technique† was used for the sample. UniversitiesNumber of Elements Proportionate sampling NCBA250250 * 32% = 80 LSE350350 * 37% = 130 GCU200200 * 25% = 50 Sample Size Out of the total of 800 students the size of the population, the sample was 80 students of National College of Business Administration, 130 Students of Lahore Scholl of Economics and 50 students of Government College University Lahore. The sample sizes were determined using table given by Uma Sekeran, using 90% confidence interval and standard error of 9. 5. Instruments Questionnaires were used as a tool to gather the primary data for the research. The questionnaire consisted of 7 questions and was administered among NCBA, LSE and GCU students. The questionnaire used in this study was a non-standardized instrument constructed solely for the purpose of this study. Copy of the questionnaire is attached in Appendix I in the report. Scale Dichotomous scale was used for five questions. YesNo Category scale was also used. Multiple items were given to elicit a single response from the respondent. From ranking scale forced choice scale was used which enabled the respondents to rank the brands of water bottles according to their preferences. Pilot Study A pilot study using 15 respondents from ICBS was done to ensure that there were no confusions or ambiguities in the questionnaire. All ambiguities or confusions found were removed before administering the final questionnaire. Reliability The reliability of the instruments was ensured through split- half reliability method. The instrument of the study which was questionnaires was divided into two halves. On first of June the questionnaires were administered among 40 NCBA students, 75 LSE students and 25 GCU students. The other half of the questionnaires among the same number of students on 1st July 2007. The reliability test will reflect the correlation between the two halves of the questionnaires. Validity The validity of our instrument was checked by the content and construct validity test. Results Question 1 Do you buy bottled water? Our population included only those elements who are users or buyers of the bottled water. So as the sample is the replica of the population then it can be said that the sample contained all the users or buyers of the bottled water. Question 2 Rank the following brands of water bottles according to your preference. As this question asked to rank the brands in order of preference it helped us to find out what brand people prefer. The results showed that 45% or 117 consumers prefer Nestle Pure life. Aside from that the other preference were 20% or 52 prefer Aqua Fina , 15% or 39 prefer kinley, 13% or 34 prefer Sufi and the least was aqua safe which is 7% or 18. It showed that the highest demand or preference is of Nestle Pure life. The name Nestle Pure Life was used because it is known as Nestle or Nestle Pure Life among people. Question 3 What are the reasons of your preference? This question asks about why the brand is preferred? And what is the reason for there preference? The results showed that 37% or 96 for international brand, 21% or 55 marked companied credibility, 18% or 47 went for quality seal, 11% or 29 marked packaging, 9% or 23 for price and 4% or 10 for certification. By these results we concluded that most people don’t know about quality seal and certification and some brand don’t have them so it wasn’t marked. One aspect was that those who marked nestle as their preferred brand marked international brand and company’s credibility as their reason for preference. Price and packaging was not such a major factor in their reason for the preference. It was only marked by consumers who use aqua safe and Sufi. Question 4 Do you recall any advertisement of your preferred brand? The results showed that 83% or 216 answered yes and 17% or 44 answered no. It showed that one reason of preference was the advertisement showed. Research shows that it has a major impact on people as it repetitive. It leaves the impression and the companies or brands qualities and messages in peoples mind. They do remember and recall it when buying a product. Question 5 How long have you been using your preferred brand? The results showed that most of the people have been using the brand for more than a year 45% or 117. 37% or 96 were using it for a year, 12% or 31 for 6 months and 6% or 16 for a month. The results also showed that most of the people have been using Nestle and Aqua Fina and Sufi and Aqua safe had a few consumers as they have not been using it for so long. Question 6 In your opinion are you brand loyal to your preferred brand? The results showed that 87% or 226 were brand loyal and 13% or 34 were not. The result showed that students are not brand loyal. But it has been observed that when people ask for drinking water they ask for nestle water. We also observed this at super stores that while passing by the water bottle shelves they pick Nestle. This behavior is same as schools and colleges. Question 7 What if your preferred brand is involved in an unethical business or fraud, will you still buy it? The results for this were that 64% or 166 answered as Yes and 36% or 94 answered as No. It showed that if a companied credibility is in doubt people back of from it. It does show a sense of rightness in people and also that for a brand to be successful it’s important that the company should be credible. As brand equity is the goodwill of the company and it’s important for a company to succeed and be reputable. Is also important because now, with media awareness people are becoming more conscious to these factors, so, the companies have to be conscious of these factors. Question 8 Would you prefer a brand which is popular in your social circle? The results of this question were that 55% or 143 answered as Yes and 45% or 117 answered as No. t helped to show that is the preference dependent on the social behaviors. But the result showed that it has a 10 % difference so it is slightly significance. For some people it who look for acceptance from their circle but it’s not that important as it low involvement purchase and it related to thirst which know no boundaries. But for some its status symbol to use bottled water as some peop le don’t care as long as its water. Discussion If the hypothesis is selected it would mean that the brand equity and brand image is important for the customers. They do take it into consideration while buying as its imprinted in their minds. Advertisement helps the customers to see the attributes of the company and the product . It keeps the brand equity in the minds of the customers. If the hypothesis is not substantiated by the questioner’s results, it would mean that some other factors are involved in the greater sales of the brand besides it brand name and the research would have to be conducted again with a new hypothesis. . Conclusions The conclusion of the study is that the Pure Life sales are greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle. The company should concentrate on things like brand preference and brand loyalty. They can do this by a lot of advertising and other promotional campaigns like public relations. Brand preference, brand loyalty and trust leads to establishment of brand equity which can be said as goodwill. Implications Brand equity is the customer’s subjective and intangible assessment of the brand, above and beyond its purely perceived value. In a market where many products are rather similar (i. e. commoditization), the brand can have a large effect on whether customers want to buy the product and what price theyre willing to pay. Brands therefore add more and more value to the basic product or service. Example: although a blind test panel taught researchers that most people prefer Pepsi above Coca-Cola, yet Coca-Cola is much stronger on the market. Our research findings shall help marketers understand the relation between brand equity ad sales. We have used Nestle Pure Life as a model for the study to illuminate the same relationship. As mentioned earlier, if there is a relationship between the variables, the marketers need to take it into account while designing their marketing strategies and policies.

Market analysis of Engro Corporation in Pakistan

Market analysis of Engro Corporation in Pakistan Around 45 years back from today, Mari Gas field was discovered by Esso Mobil joint venture that led to the basis of Esso Pakistan that is now popularly known as Engro Corporation. Today it is one of the largest companies operating in Pakistan with diversified operations ranging from fertilizers to polymer and has also established itself in the field of dairy products with Engro Foods. As the website says, Engro stands for energy for growth. From inception, ours is a legacy of continuous growth, new challenges and fulfilled promises. From fertilizers to dairy products, business solutions to PVC resin, power generation to commodity trade, at Engro our ambition is to become the premier Pakistani enterprise with a global reach. ENGRO FOODS: After establishing its firm footing in the chemicals and fertilizers sector, Engro decided to try its fate in the foods and came up with a spin off in the form of Engro Foods. Engro Foods Limited was officially launched as a fully owned subsidiary of Engro in 2004. Using dairy as a stepping stone to enter into the food business, the Company has established state-of-the-art processing units in Sukkur and Sahiwal, along with an ice cream production facility in Sahiwal. Top quality brands like Olpers, Olwell, Tarang, Omore and Owsum have been successfully launched under the helm of Companys dairy products. To support these brands and their highest standards of quality, Engro Foods has invested heavily in milk processing and milk collection infrastructure. (Engros website) VISION: Engro Foods vision is Elevating Consumer Delight Worldwide and the Company aims to generate a significant portion of its revenue from foreign operations. SUCCESS OF OLPERS: Olpers has had an overwhelming success ever since it entered the market. It has now become one of the leading brands in the dairy industry. When Engro foods back in 2006 decided to launch Olpers, experts were of the opinion that the brand would eventually fail considering the fact that there were established brands like Haleeb and Nestle Milk Pak. However, by the end of 2006, Olpers annual sales were of Rs. 1 billion and in 2008 the brand had 22% of the market share of worlds fourth largest milk producing country. Following factors have significantly contributed to it: Tag line Subha Bakher zindagi Ramzan campaing The World of Olpers, for example, involves reaching out to the different locations in various cities and having the housewives participate in learning and showcasing milk-based recipes. Morning shows The Olpers Consumer Relationship Party, another ongoing BTL based program, which intends to create and maintain loyalty amongst the brands users. Olpers, however, stepped into the foray by launching a massive campaign that started off with an introductory slice-of-life television commercial featuring some of the biggest stars in Pakistan. Total Quality Management (TQM): A concept that focuses on managing the total organization to deliver quality to customers. Four significant elements of TQM are employee involvement, focus on the customer, benchmarking and continuous improvement. (MANAGEMENT, DANNY SAMSON RICHARD L DAFT). Employee Involvement: Employee involvement maybe referred to as a participative strategy to engage the employees of the organization, designed to encourage employee commitment to organizational success. Employee involvement emphasizes making the employee a stakeholder in business performance through rewards systems such as gain sharing and through business education. Focus on Customers: Any business largely depends on its customers in order to flourish; therefore, customer satisfaction is a key aspect that the organizations need to take proper care of. Your company will need to outstandingly serve the customer. It may be achieved through the following: Quickly responding to customer queries. Providing information as needed Creating custom surveys to capture your customer needs Benchmarking: Benchmarking refers to the process through which organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to the best practices that are present within their own industry. They then plan to adopt these best practices in order to enhance performance. Benchmarking is a basic tool for implementation of Total Quality Management. TQM focuses on how to improve the work processes in order to get better products. And with the help of benchmarking one can measure a work process or procedure and then to set a standard and improve the processes to that standard. This would improve the effectiveness and efficiency and thus TQMs goal will be achieved Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement is one of the four stages that are involved in TQM. It deals with the organization employing various R D techniques in order to make improvements that can lead them to be competitive in their industry. As it is said that competitiveness may only be achieved through innovation and that can only be attained through continuous R D. As most of Engros food products are milk based, therefore the Milk Procurement Department of theirs plays a pivotal role in ensuring that quality is delivered to the customers. Collection of milk from rural areas is one of the key features of the milk industry and since Olpers recognize its importance therefore, the department is responsible for regular collection of milk and to ensure the freshness of it. Moving on, in its overwhelming success, the Quality Assurance department also has played its part. There are qualified food technologists that are responsible to make sure that the end product reaches the customer with the quality that is promised and that Engro aims to deliver, thus focusing on its customers. Like any other company it was not an easy task for Engro to step in and for this it had to carry out a market research. First thing that the management noticed was that people wanted milk for all purpose and later that became Engros top priority. Moving on, Engro wanted to further expand its product varities and then came up with Owsum milk, Olwell, Tarang etc. (continuous improvement). However, to them customer feedback was particularly of great importance and hence after Olperss launch in the market, they conducted market research to obtain customer feedback. Customer feedback came as a positive sign and then Engro decided to make further investment by setting up a plant in Sahiwal. (focus on customers) Not only was it helpful for the company to determine its own standing in the market but at the same time it proved beneficial to have a measure of the competitors. The customer survey was particularly important to estimate the number of loyal customers of competing brands and also i n making decisions and drawing strategies for times to come. SWOT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS: Engro as parent company. Good relations with farmers Customer Feedback Research Third Generation Plant- only one in Pakistan who has it, removes bacteria content effectively. WEAKNESSES: Collection of loose milk Milk collection and distribution costs OPPORTUNITIES: People switching from loose milk to Tetra pack Improving economic conditions of the country. Pakistan one of the largest milk producing countries in the world THREATS: Fierce rivalry and competition Different prices Principles of Management Survey Q1. Name: ________________________________ Q2. Gender: a) Male b) Female Q3. Age: a) 10-20yrs b) 20-30yrs c) 30-40yrs d) 40-50yrs e) 50 above Q4. Profession: a) Student b) Housewife c) Working Q5. Brand that you prefer is: a) Milk Pak b) Haleeb c) Olpers d) Pakola e) Other Q6. Reasons for your choice: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ __________________________________________ Q7. Did you prefer any other brand before switching to the current one? Yes b) No Q8. If yes, then which brand did you use earlier? ____________________ Q9. Reason(s) for switching: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Q10. Any recommendations that you would want to make (only in case of Olpers): ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.