Monday, September 30, 2019

Nba – a New Digital Entertainment Model in China

Entertainment and Media Industries Professor Sam Craig NBA – A New Digital Entertainment Model in China Name : Ted Mui Executive Summary The National Basketball Association’s expansion into the Chinese market has been met with great success. The company’s China operation currently generates over UDS$150 million in annual sales, and is one of the most recognized international brands in the country. To further focus on the growth of this unique market, a subsidiary was established in 2008, with former head of Microsoft China Tim Chen serving as the first CEO. The NBA has had great success in developing strategic partnerships in China. Over 290 games are broadcasted on Chinese TV per year, and NBA-related content can be readily found online on Chinese websites. However, NBA China has thus far generated little revenue directly from its end consumers, especially with its digital offerings. In reviewing its target market, we find that the NBA is in direct competition with other online entertainment products for the time and money spent by this market. Popular online entertainment options for China youths share the following traits: simple to learn and use, ability to interact with other users, a high (and almost addicting) replay value, and contain many customizable features for its users. Based on these ideas, it is suggested that NBA China pursue the development of a brand new web portal combining the components of gaming, social networking, and video streaming, which currently all exist as separate components. Using a concept based on an old video game idea, the web portal will aim to move consumers down the marketing funnel, eventually expanding the fan base and leading to end-user generated revenue. The cliche of the China market is well known to everyone by now. With its population of 1. 3 billion steadily increasing its purchasing power, China has become the focal point of just about every multinational company. Despite its potential, many multinational corporations’ attempt in entering the China market ends in failure, with millions of dollars of investment vanishing without producing any returns. The National Basketball Association is one of the rare success stories in China. Since opening its first office in Hong Kong in 1992, the NBA’s Greater China operation has grown to four offices with over 100 employees, generating over USD$150 million in annual sales. According to a survey, nearly 90% of Chinese people aged 15-54 in 11 urban markets had some awareness of the brand. 1 Despite this initial success, there remain many opportunities for growth in this market, especially in the digital sector. Facing increasing pressure from competition wishing to emulate its success and from shareholders seeking greater returns from the market, the NBA must look for new ways to build on its success in China. Company Background The National Basketball Association, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. It is currently the third largest sports league in North America, with an estimated league revenue of $3. 2 billion for the 2008-09 season. Looking to expand the association’s presence outside of North America, the NBA occasionally hosts exhibition games around the world. 1 The NBA first made its presence in China in 1979, when the Samantha Marshall, â€Å"NBA’s China Strategy a Slam Dunk,† Crain’s New York Business. com, May 29, 2008. 2 Source: Plunkett Research, Ltd Washington Bullets traveled to China to play two exhibition games against the Chinese National Team. Seeing the potential for the Greater China market, the NBA sent its first Asia-based employee to Hong Kong in 1990. The association’s operations in China have grown substantial since, leading up to the formation of NBA China in 2008. As a subsidiary of the association, NBA China is responsible for conducting all of the league’s business in Greater China. While the NBA remains as the majority shareholder of the new entity, 5 other strategic partners invested $253 million to acquire 11% of the company in preferred equity. The 5 partners are ESPN (a division of Walt Disney), Bank of China Group Investment, Legend Holdings Ltd. Li Ka Shing Foundation, and China Merchants Investment. 4 Timothy Chen, former CEO of Microsoft China, was appointed as the new entity’s first CEO. NBA’s Digital Strategy in China Since Yao Ming’s entry into the league, NBA coverage has grown substantially along all lines of Chinese media. The country’s national television network, CCTV, has Each season, the CCTV established a long-term partnership with the association. sports channel televises over 90 regular season games, including the NBA All-Star Game, NBA Playoff games and The Finals. In addition to CCTV, the NBA is also covered by 50 other broadcasters around China, covering all but 2 provinces in the country. In total, about 290 NBA games are broadcasted on TV in China each year. 5 3 Pete Thamal, â€Å"The NBA and China Are Fans of Each Other,† New York Times, August 9, 2008. Source: nba. com 5 Source: hket. com 4 The NBA has also been able to capitalize on the rapidly increasing population of internet users in China. The association has partnered with Tom. com to revamp its localized websites in Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). Among the new features, the sites will include online webcasts allowing viewers to watch live games and Chinese-language talk shows daily, and provide gaming and fantasy basketball options and networking capabilities. 6 Moving towards high definition media, the NBA has recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement to allow BesTV, Shanghai Media Group's (SMG) Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) subsidiary, to offer pay-perview broadcasts of up to 14 high-definition NBA games daily over a four-year period. 7 Through a partnership with KongZhong Corporation, the NBA has also launched a China WAP site in 2007. The site will allow mobile users to access a broad range of content options including news, scores, editorial content, player interviews, TV schedules, wallpapers, ring tones, video clips and live NBA games. The NBA hopes to generate revenue from the site through offering advertising options to corporations and premium downloadable content to end-users. 8 The NBA’s media blitz in China appears to have produced great results. Currently, more than 30% of nba. com traffic comes from China, and this number can be expected to increase over the years. NBA† was ranked 7th in the hottest search keywords in 2008 for Baidu, China’s leading search engine. Similarly, â€Å"NBA† was ranked 10th for Google China’s most popular search words. Other than the NBA, only Xunlei and QQ, 6 7 Anita Davis, NBA Inks Tom. com Online Deal, CEI, August 20, 2008 st Source: 21 Century Business Herald 8 Source: nba. com two of China’s largest web portals, appear in the top 10 of both those lists. However, it is unknown how effective this web traffic has been in generating actual revenue for NBA China. Market Overview In 2008, China overtook America as the country with the largest number of internet users. As of the second quarter of 2009, the country now has over 330 million users, with a growth rate of over 50% annually (see exhibit A). The demographic groups growing comparatively faster than this average are people living in rural areas (with over 100% annual growth), young â€Å"netizens† aged 18 and under, and adults aged 30 and up. Exhibit B shows a breakdown of the age demography of internet users in China. There are also an increasing number of users accessing the internet through mobile devices. Currently, over 29% of internet users use mobile phones to get online, with a growth rate far exceeding that of laptop users. 9 The high growth rate indicates that more and more of the country’s 600 million mobile-phone subscribers now own mobile devices capable of accessing internet information. With next generation mobile technologies such as the iPhone and Google Android yet to reach the mass market in China, there remains great potential for significant growth in this market for years to come. The Meek Shall Inherit the Web, Economist, September 6, 2008 Exhibit A 100 million Total Internet users in China: 2005-2009 3. 5 3 2. 5 2 1. 5 1 0. 5 0 1. 23 1. 03 1. 62 2. 50 3. 38 Total Internet Users 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Exhibit B Age structure of Internet users in China Source: Statistical Survey Report on the Internet Development in China, CNNIC, January 2008 Competition Many sports a nd entertainment companies have tried to emulate the NBA’s success in China and have invested heavily in its digital marketing efforts. The National Football League has launched a Chinese website (nflchina. com) providing up-to-date news and score, discussion boards and mini-games. Manchester United, the richest sports club in the world, also has an all-Chinese website with online media and shopping to capture on its Chinese fan base. But as the earlier search rankings would suggest, the NBA is by far the leading sports entertainment company in China. Leading infotainment web portals such as sina. com and sohu. com have pages dedicated to the NBA linked from their front page. Already in a dominant position in the sports entertainment sector in China, the NBA should perhaps look at its competitive landscape from another perspective. At present, the NBA generates the majority of its revenue in China through broadcast rights, branding partnerships and ad sales through its media channels. However, it has thus far been able to generate relatively little income from its actual fan base with its digital content. In comparison, end-user Internet Value Added Services (IVAS) made up for the majority of the revenue for Tencent Holdings Ltd. another digital media partner of NBA China. Tencent Holdings Ltd. is the largest and most used internet service portal in China. The company’s strategic goal is to provide users with a â€Å"one-stop online life service†10 While its product offerings are similar to that of MSN Messenger, Facebook, World of Warcraft, 10 Source: tencent. com and other leading instant messaging, social networking, and online gaming com panies, Tencent is unique in its ability to generate revenue directly from the end users of its products. Most of Tencent’s products are interconnected through its QQ Network, ncouraging its free users to upgrade in order to access its value-added services such as ringtone downloading, SMS sending/receiving, and online gaming. QQ Coin was later introduced to allow users greater ease in making purchases in the â€Å"virtual world†, and incentivizing video gamers with rewards for performance. With a retail value of 1 yuan (about 14 cents) per coin, users are able to use the coins to purchase â€Å"virtual goods† such as avatars, virtual gifts for friends, and even items for use in games. Due to its ease of use and low denomination in value, the QQ Coin took off with the company’s young user base. It is estimated that nearly $2 billion in virtual currency was traded in 2008, even leading the Chinese government to implement restrictions to the trade. 11 Exhibit C Tencent Holdings Ltd. Quarterly Revenue by Sector Source: Tencent Holdings Ltd. Investor Fact Sheet 11 David Barboza, In China, New Limits of Virtual Currency, New York Times, June 30, 2009 Strategic Analysis While NBA China has succeeded in building brand awareness with its target demographic market, its digital strategy has thus far only focused on only the active fan base of this market. Its licensed product with Tencent and EA Sports, NBA Street Online, targets only the segment of gamers who are passionate about NBA basketball. Likewise, services on the NBA China website such as video games and news updates are mainly targeted to already converted basketball fans. A recently initiative called NBAiD was launched exclusively for the NBA China website. Looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of social networking and blogging, NBAiD acts as a personal page for NBA fans, allowing fans to connect with one another and express opinions through blogs. However, at this point, the product itself has very little added value for active or casual fans. Segmenting user categories using the concept of the marketing funnel, we see that NBA China has succeeded in both capturing awareness in the mass market and driving loyalty from its core fan base through its digital strategy, but have done little to drive â€Å"aware† consumers down the funnel (see Exhibit D). There remains great potential for the NBA to generate greater interest and desire for its product through a revision of its digital strategy. Exhibit D The Marketing Funnel Applied to NBA China Target Market Awareness Casual internet users who are aware of the NBA brand, but have no intent to spend money on its products Internet users who are interested in learning more about the NBA, and look to utilize free products and services made available to them Interest Desire Internet users who are attracted by the entertainment value of the NBA and may take action upon receiving an attractive offer Action Individuals who are engaged to the NBA and are most likely to purchase new products and services offered to them Repeat Purchases The digital age has changed the landscape of sports marketing. Martin Sorell, chief executive of WPP, recently advised the International Committee on the importance of meeting the needs of the new generation of young and tech-savvy consumers: There are 1. 6 billion people online today and 4 billion mobile phones. The key audience with whom these digital opportunities resonate is of course young people. They are a valuable and massive audience. Globally they impact over $600 billion in consumer spending. The young people take their media habits with them, so if you are ot part of their habit now – you most definitely will not be in the future. Let the children play. You have to let them play with your content, your assets in their own way. 12 12 Karolos Grohmann, Don’t Restrict Games Media Access, Sorrell urges IOC, Reuters, October 5, 2009 While referring to a different context, Sorrell’s remarks can also be addressed to NBA China’s current situation. Ther e is indeed a huge market of internet and mobile users, and the majority of them belong to the young demographic group that NBA China is targeting. The media habits of youths in China also differ greatly than that of the United States (see Exhibit E for comparison). On average, Chinese youths spend about 18 hours on the internet a week, compared to 12 hours in the US. 13 Social networking sites such as renren. com and kaixin001. com, streaming video sites such as youku. com and todou. com, and online games make up for the majority of these hours spent online. NBA China should now look to capture a bigger share of the â€Å"entertainment hours† spent by youths online. To accomplish this, NBA China must understand and tap into the media habits of these users, as Sorrell suggests. Exhibit E Comparison of Internet Activities Used by US and China Internet Users Source: China Internet Network Information Center & Pew Research Center 13 Shaun Rein, Blogging Down in China, BusinessWeek, July 27, 2006 Popular online entertainment options for China youths share the following traits: simple to learn and use, ability to interact with other users, a high (and almost addicting) replay value, and contain many customizable features for its users. One such example is the recent phenomenon of the Happy Farm game (see Exhibit F for screenshots). The concept of the game is not a breakthrough in any way: In the game, players act as owners of a farm, and are responsible for cultivating, irrigating, fertilizing, spraying, harvesting and selling crops. Each action will add points to the player’s level. However, a player can not only take action on his own farm, but also on his friends’ farms. Thus, people can either help their friends manage their farms, or steal crops from other players. The accumulation of all these actions will eventually help the players get bigger farms. Made available for users in social networking sites such as kaixin001. com and renren. com, the success of the simple game has been phenomenal, with reportedly 23 million users now playing the game. 14 Tencent has since created its own version of the farming game, and is expected to generate RMB50 million (USD $7 million) from the game each month. 15 Exhibit F Screenshots of â€Å"Happy Farm† Game 14 15 Source: duowan. com Source: tradingmarkets. com Recommendation Currently, the NBA China already has components of gaming, social networking, and video streaming. The idea is to combine all these components into one entertainment web portal targeted to youths that will drive interest and desire, leading to generation of revenue from end users. In 2005-06, video game developer 2K Sports added a new feature to its yearly NBA and NFL games called â€Å"The Crib†. The feature awards players as they accomplish feats and milestones within the game. With crib credits, players are then able to decorate their crib (slang for home), buy music, or play mini-games (see Exhibit G for screenshots of Cribs). While this feature was innovative in adding replay value to the game, its customizable options were limited and the feature was eventually removed in future renditions of the sports games. However, such a concept may be much better utilized in an online environment where crib owners can interact in real time, new videos and games are readily accessible, and virtual items are plenty to satisfy the customization appetite of its users. Exhibit F Screenshots of â€Å"The Crib† from video game NFL 2K5 Source: ign. com The possibilities stemming from such an idea are endless. Having already an established network of corporate partners, â€Å"The NBA Crib† can serve as a media channel for product placement. Already showing an appetite for spend virtual dollars, users in return can earn or buy credits to purchase branded virtual products for their cribs (ie. a Coca Cola machine) or even themselves (ie. the latest basketball shoes from Adidas). Other uses for crib credits can include purchasing coupons for use at the online NBA store and video clips and music exclusive to the NBA. Most importantly, interaction between crib owners should be encouraged through games within the crib system. Basketball-themed games can take place within the assigned neighborhoods of owners, and friends can â€Å"visit† each other’s crib with their custom avatar. With the right combination of attractive gaming options, customizable features, and interactive capabilities, this concept will substantially increase the interaction between the NBA and its fans, and eventually lead to a sustainable model for generating revenue from its target market of Chinese youths. NBA China has successfully developed a unique and dominant position in the sports entertainment sector in China. However, the NBA can not simply rely on its popularity and brand recognition to succeed. With Yao Ming injured this season, there are worries that NBA viewership rates in China will significantly drop this coming season. It is therefore crucial for NBA China to connect with its target market and provide supportive product offerings to satisfy their entertainment needs. In this market of technologydriven consumers, NBA China must strive to not only become the leader in sports entertainment in China, but also a leader in digital entertainment.

Fort Myers

Has Dana done a good job researching his options? While Dana did not consider the site potential of other property types, he did a good job researching his options for eldercare facilities. His analysis included regional analysis (comparing other cities and counties to Fort Myers), population trends, Fort Myers healthcare statistics, industry and competitor analysis (by viewing a consultant report), financing alternatives and financial analysis.Together, the information provided a thorough overview of his options within eldercare. 2. How do congregate care and assisted living facilities differ? They differ in client profiles, ownership, elder decision to join, services, physical environment, pricing and financing needs. Client Profile: Congregate care facilities typically targeted younger elders (average age 78) that were independent and more upscale. Assisted living facilities typically targeted older populations (average age 83) that were frail and needed assistance with two to fou r activities of daily living.Ownership: Congregate care facilities have high entrance fees, which are sometimes refundable upon move-out or death, and are similar to buying a unit in a condominium. Owners also pay monthly fees that cover certain supportive services. Elder Decision: While the decision to move to a congregate care facility is often a life-style choice, moving to assisted living facilities is often more often a â€Å"need driven† option for elders. Services: Congregate care facilities typically have fewer services such as 24-hour supervision, one meal/day and concierge services.Assisted living facilities typically have more services, such as more meals, housekeeping, laundry and personal care services. Physical Environment: Congregate care facilities are typically more like large residential condominiums, offering full size apartments with kitchens. Assisted living facilities are smaller residents with modifications, typically a smaller apartment with a kitchene tte. Furthermore, congregate care units have a much higher level of finish in the units and in the common areas.Pricing: While congregate care facilities are cheaper because they offered fewer services (price range $1,500 to $2,500/month), assisted living facilities are more expensive ($2,400 to $4,000/month). Financing Needs: Since it would take close to a year to build after getting through the permitting and perhaps another year to sell out, congregate care facilities required short-term conventional construction financing. However, assisted living projects required longer term financing since they were more like rental properties than condominiums for sale. 3.What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of Dana’s options: selling the land, congregate housing or assisted living? Land: If Dana were to sell the land, he would have to find another living arrangement for his parents and he would miss out on a lucrative business opportunity. However, the advantage would be cashing out relatively quickly with $850,000 after all commissions. Congregate Housing: (Delays) If Dana pursued the congregate housing option, it would take longer to get any returns since he would need an additional year to sell the units. Costly) Furthermore, the hard costs for congregate care facilities typically ran 20% more per square foot than those of assisted living facilities because of the more expensive materials, higher level of finish, more casework, larger kitchens and bathrooms and better appliances, plumbing and vanities and more elaborate common areas. (Feasibility) Additionally, it would be difficult to sell the units at the estimated prices and within the projected time frame since Fort Myers did not seem to have a strong upscale market.Hence, it was not clear that the Fort Myers market could support the required prices for congregate housing units. As a result, Dana would have high unit costs with congregate housing and a limited market. However, the advantage to a congregate housing option would be building fewer units (50 versus 80) and services, and more returns in a shorter timeframe after selling the units. Assisted Living Facility: While a longer term investment with rental income and no sales in the short-term, the assisted living option provided a profitable opportunity given Fort Myers demographics.It would be cheaper and most likely faster to build compared to congregate housing and had a large market in Fort Myers. While it is probably not feasible to capture the full potential gross income from a congregate care facility given the higher price and time to sell, tables 1 and 2 below attempt to compare the PGI in the first year of rent/sale from a congregate care and assisted living facility. If all units were sold within the first year (which is highly unlikely), a congregate care facility would provide more cash upfront with a smaller amount of monthly income moving forward.However, the assisted living facility has a higher an nual PGI after the first year. Ideally, assuming a market was available for congregate care, it would take roughly 20 years for the income from assisted living to reach the income received from congregate care. Table 1: Annual PGI – Congregate Care Facility Table 2: Annual PGI – Assisted Living Facility 4. Given the assisted living option, what does the development budget look like? What is the operating income statement using conventional and tax-exempt debt? What are the initial returns on cost and equity for each option?Assuming that the budget for conventional and tax-exempt debt is the same, the development budget would be roughly $8. 85 million for the assisted living option. Table 3 below provides more details on the development budget. Table 3: Assuming the potential gross income outlined in Tables 4 and 5 and the financing costs outlined in Table 6, the operating income statement using conventional and tax-exempt debt is summarized in Table 7. Table 4: Annual Rent PGI – Conventional Financing Table 5: Annual Rent PGI – Tax Free Financing Table 6: Financing Alternatives Table 7: Income StatementThe initial returns on cost for the conventional debt option is 11. 22% while the initial returns on cost for the tax free debt option is 10. 25%. The initial returns on equity for the conventional debt option is 17. 86% while the initial returns on equity for the tax free debt option is 43. 99%. Table 8 below provides more details on the initial returns. Table 8: 5. Which option should you choose and why? If you choose an equity partner, who would you choose and why? I would choose the tax free dept option because it would require a smaller equity commitment, hence providing a larger return on equity.If I were to choose an equity partner, a friend or family member with experience in the assisted living option would be ideal since they would bring industry experience to help operate and manage the facility, and I would trust that the partnership would be a long term investment on both ends. Together, we would have industry experience in development and assisted living, and already have a collegial relationship. 6. Should Dana place his parents in his project? If you have had experiences in this area with your own parents or grandparents, you may include these experiences in your discussion.How do other societies handle the issues of the elderly? Since Dana could be surer of the quality of service offered, he should place his parents in the project. This would help to fill the typical five percent vacancy rate and he would avoid paying fees for their care elsewhere. Many other societies provide home care for their elderly since they have more of a collective approach to family responsibility and often have care takers in the home. This is especially true in developing countries, such as Liberia and Nigeria, where I am from originally.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Life Span Perspective

The process of human development starts as early as the embryonic stage and continues to progresses throughout life. These changes have been examined by leading theorist in the Psychology field who were looking to establish guiding principles and concepts. There have been a number of developmental theories that seek to explain the questions that we have related to human development. I will examine these theories, as well as, provide backgrounds for the most influential theorist for each.I will also examine the life span perspective and how heredity and the environment influence the human development. One of the most leading theories of human development is the psychoanalytic theory. Many contemporary theories of counseling or psychotherapy are extensions, variations, or responses against psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory examines the factors that motivate behavior by focusing on the role of the unconscious. Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson are examples of theorists who suppo rt this approach.Freud was an innovator, his psychoanalytic theory of personality and his psychosocial placement theory lead to his predecessors' development of their own philosophies. Erik Erikson expanded on Fraud's theories in many ways and created his own theory of psychosocial development. â€Å"Psychoanalytic theory's strength lies in its awareness of unconscious motivation and the importance of early experiences on development. † (Rounds, 2010) Since there is a lack of concrete evidence to support the claims of psychoanalytic theory, psychologists became increasingly interested in developing a more scientific approach.In order to do this, some researchers began to study only those things that could be measured and quantified. This led to the beginning of learning theories. Learning theories focus on how behavior is learned. Ivan Pavlov was a Russian scientist who discovered the term classic conditioning. Classic conditioning is a learning process that occurs through as sociations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. Pavlov conducted his experiment by using mammals, he observed the digestive process in dogs and the relation between salvia and food.His study was extremely influential in establishing triggers (conditioned responses) that stimulated the salvia when feeding the dogs. He name to realize that the dogs began to salivate not only when they saw food but when they saw the scientist in lab coats. The dogs associated food to the white lab coats which triggered the salvation. He also conducted an experiment with the use of a bell. He would ring a bell when it was time to eat and subsequently the same conditioned responses were stimulated and the dogs reacted in the same manner as in the lab coat experiment.His developments influenced American psychologist John Watson experiment on a nine month old baby named Albert. He wanted to prove that classic conditioning work on humans as well. His famous study for this wa s called the Little Albert Experiment in which he theorized that children have three basic emotional reactions: fear, rage, and love. He wanted to prove that these three reactions could be artificially conditioned in children. Watson used Albert to test his theory.He repeatedly presented Albert a rat in conjunction with a sudden, loud noise to classically condition fear of the rat. He went on to prove that humans can be conditioned as well. His worked formed ideas that would become a whole branch of psychology called behaviorism. (Watson, 1913) Behaviorism operates on the principle f stimulus- response, the subject whether human or mammal can have his/her behavior shaped through positive or negative reinforcements.Behaviorism conclude that any being can be trained to perform any task, subsequently internal stimulus such as; genetic background, personality traits, and internal thoughts are no- factors when considering this school of thought. Many critics of behaviorism argue that it is, a one dimensional approach to human behavior. Many say that it misses the mark when it comes to other factors such as free will and internal influences like moods, thoughts, and feelings. Lifespan perspective is in relationship with human development, and is lifelong. This study within psychology is continuous.Lifespan perspective has three developmental domains. These domains are physical domain, cognitive domain, and social domain. Physical development refers to the growth of the body, organs, physical systems, signs of aging, change in motor abilities, and all physical changes (Salesman & Rider, 2009). The next development has problem- solving, mental process, memory, perception, language, and learning from the cognitive development. The last developmental stage is psychosocial stage; this stage endless the personal and interpersonal aspect of development.The developmental aspects for psychosocial are: emotions, personality traits, interpersonal skills, motives, family roles, relationships, and society. Lifespan development also has five characteristics useful for understanding any age of human development (Berger, 2008). Multidimensional characteristics accounts for change in every direction, as change does not have to be in a straight line. Embedding in lives of humans context can include constraints, family patterns, and historical conditions this characteristic offers to multi-contextual characteristics.The last of the five developmental characteristics is plasticity, which states that every person has traits that can be altered at any point in life, and change is ongoing (Berger, 2008). In conclusion, human development is continually changing its guidelines and principles. As we evolve so does the techniques and developmental theories. The human personality can be trained and cultivated to be whatever the influencer desires. We have also learned that the impact from the environment as well as heredity plays an important role in each individual's li fespan development.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Professional & legal issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Professional & legal issues - Essay Example But in the given condition, it is only me who is available to sort out these problems. Since the problem is very critical, it may cause loss of life if not sorted early. Now since I am well qualified and is aware of the technique involving the creation of the problem, it is my moral as well legal responsibility to make an attempt to solve it. Currently there are two parties involved. First one is the hospital and the next one is me. Any death caused due to the above mentioned problem will be regarded as a matter of negligence with responsibility being shared by the hospital and the person responsible for maintenance. The hospital has failed in obtaining an emergency kit which can be used in case of any technical problem. No electronic device can be considered for life time and must not be expected to perform throughout without any problem related to hardware as well as software (Ackers, 2005). Despite knowing the utility and need of the IT officers, the hospital has also failed in maintaining the proper number of the same so that whole functioning of the equipments can be achieved without a glitch. So the hospital can charged for going for cost cutt ing through less hiring of the people required for maintaining necessary elements so that proper functioning of the emergency services like the ICU can be maintained. ... charged on the ground of lapses which may finally risk the patient's life and any casualty will be considered as a consequence of negligence on the side of hospital. And since currently only I am available, so it's going to be me who will finally be penalized by the hospital and there is a possibility of getting accused in the case. Being an IT professional, I will try my best to sort out the problem in the quickest possible time. But at the same time, I will suggest the authorities to hire more professionals so that any situation like the one mentioned here can be averted. Since most of the programs are meant for live saving equipments so there should be at a group of developers for developing, maintaining and handling of the system and at least one of them must be available at any given time (Bott, 2005). In the given case study there is just one person who was involved in the development process and he was not present when the problem raised its ugly head. The development of software is generally done in different phases with proper documentation each of the phases must be done and properly stored. The development of each of the phase should be followed with a very precise software testing techniques. The same process should again be repeated once the whole software has been developed. But still none of us c an say the software developed is error free. There is a possibility of it not performing according to expected outcomes because of hardware delay or any other complexity. So the complete set of hardware with the software must be tested live with output being properly monitored. The hospital must have at least a pair of each of the device with one being maintained for emergent conditions. Moving on to software development processes, the software must be developed

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The reflection of the case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The reflection of the - Case Study Example Passion is another vital concept to bear when starting a business. A person with the passion to engage in a particular venture is often successful as opposed to an individual who does not engage in it passionately. This is because this passionate person is often optimistic and optimism is vital in business. This is as shown in the case where Vivek Khuller thought of the idea of combining SFX and the Ticketmaster (Wasserman, 1). One of the major points to understand with relation to entrepreneurship is the manner in which the market is developed and divided. In the contemporary business environment, this is referred to as market segmentation. Market segmentation refers to the manner in which a company focuses on a large group of people who are the target market and then figuring out the ones with similar needs and operating with each group differently. After carrying out market segmentation, different approaches are then incorporated to ensure that all the different needs of the various individuals are met. After the entrepreneur establishes in the market, it is vital to ensure that he increases the taskforce that he has. With the increase in the task force, the consequent of this is that the market will extend and every segment gets a manager. This in the case is after Khuller had joined forces with other 5 individuals and consequently had to share the market and profits with them (Wasserman, 9). Another point to consider is concerning the full life cycle in business. This involves carrying out of various steps that assist in determining the condition of the commodity. The first step normally involves the identification of the manners through which customers get to know the commodity. There is then the collection of information about how the consumers use the commodity. Moreover, there is the determination of the expected need of

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 43

Assignment Example Likely trained as a Priest himself, Fulcher of Chartres (c. 1059 - ?) was one of the earliest historians of the First Crusade (1095-1099), a military expedition undertaken by European Christians to regain the ‘Holy Lands’ and recapture Jerusalem. In the particular excerpt from Fulcher’s chronicle that I have assigned to you, Fulcher recounts Pope Urban II’s (1088-1099) speech at the Council of Clermont. This speech is thought to have launched the First Crusade. incumbent (someone currently holding an official position); diocese (bishopric or area under the authority of a particular bishop); patriarch (a leading bishop in the Orthodox Church of the Byzantine Empire); ecclesiastical (of or referring to the church); patriarchate (area under the authority of a particular patriarch); cathedral chapter (body of clergymen formed to advise a bishop or, in his absence, govern the particular area under his authority); cultic (of or pertaining to worship According to Barlett, Latin Europe is that component of Europe which was predominantly Roman Catholic from the very beginning. The zone had common characteristics in geographical and cultural context. Latin was the dominant language for communication with a combination of Latin and Roman culture. Internal differences existed in the Latin Europe of the early Middle Ages unlike Latin Europe of the later Middle Ages. (Bartlett, 1) The ‘Latins’ were also referred as ‘Franks’. In the initial half of the ninth century, the Christian West and the Franskish Empire shared the same boundary. Frankish Europe as per Bartlett’s definition is the land of Carolingians. This was the center of the West. Some parts of England, Northern Italy, France and West Germany were also included. During the High Middle Ages, this part of the Empire may be regarded as central. The religion was

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

KFC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

KFC - Research Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  KFC the biggest chicken restaurant in the world. KFC has a market share of 50% and is estimated that this may increase in the near future. KFC serves a customer base of more than 13 million customers in more than 110 countries. KFC offers an original recipe with extra crispy grilled chicken that is served with home-style sides. KFC has a secret recipe that is served with 11 spices and herbs.This study declares that  the organization has a significant weakness of high employee turnover. The company has less global presence than McDonald’s. It also has weakness regarding global franchise management. KFC has serious weaknesses in terms of marketing exchange with PepsiCo. Soft drinks of only PepsiCo are available in KFC stores. This is a strategic weakness of this global food chain.  KFC primarily offers chicken products to its patrons. This implies that it does not offer novel or differentiated products.   KFC faces dilemmas in sustai ning high standards of hygienic foods. The company faces different charges in distinct nations because of poor standards of hygiene. For instance, in 2007 a KFC restaurant in New York was criticized for being rat infected.  The organization has significant opportunity and can take substantial advantages of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The company has enough opportunities in vegetarian food items.  The company has substantial opportunities to become responsible towards the environment. It can help them to remove all the negative publicities.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

REL133 wk 5 contemporary issues facing the assigned Eastern religious Essay

REL133 wk 5 contemporary issues facing the assigned Eastern religious tradition - Essay Example This means that these movements have something in common with what societies understand as constituting religion. There is what can be considered as mainstream religions like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism and so on. The fact that there are some movements that are implicitly regarded as religions in their very nature and characteristics is an indication that all religions share a common characteristic or a number of characteristics which can be sorted out. One such religion that shares many characteristics with other religions is Hinduism and, in this paper, the common characteristics that Hindu religion shares with other religions will be outlined and discussed. Like many other religion’s mythologies, Hindu mythology is rich, multifarious and inclusive. In this case, like many other religions, Hindu mythology is a portrayal of terrible in benevolence, triviality alongside the cosmic and sublimity in grotesque (Vaz, 2001). Many religions are based on these pi llars and are not an ordinary ideation but an ideation of powers that are beyond human understanding. Apart from Christianity and Islam, most religions draw or associate the powers with some form and in many cases, the forms are numerous and hierarchical (Vaz, 2001). Like many religions, Hinduism has many gods and each god has its own association, function, and associated shape or form. Moreover, Hinduism like many other religions such as Islam, Christianity and Jewish religions draws their inspiration and religious knowledge from texts. Christianity draws from a number of texts combined into a bible and Islam has a number of texts combined into a Quran. Hinduism has important texts such as Upanishad, Rig Veda and Bhagvad Gita; usually referred to as the four Vedas or â€Å"books of knowledge† (Beversluis, 2000, p. 52). Religion constitutes a belief in a power and Hinduism, like many religions is a power and not an ordinary ideation. Hinduism acknowledges the presence of four major goals namely material, satisfaction of desire, human position and beyond life. The acknowledgement of an existence beyond life is among all religions and entails a goal of achieving liberation from unending cycles of rebirth in which all living beings are locked. Like Christianity, Hinduism believes in the trinity of god. While Christians acknowledge God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; Hinduism believes in â€Å"Brahama the creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the destroyer† (Flood & Olivelle, 2003, p.273). Many religions integrate various heterogeneous elements and like them, Hinduism is a complex and a continuous whole with religious, artistic, social and economic aspects. These aspects inhere in the fact that Hinduism, like many other religions, covers the wholeness of life. As a result, Hinduism is not fit explained in terms of a single definition but rather a characteristic. In addition, there are countless rituals that are associated with Hin duism as in other religions. Christianity, Islam and many other religions base their belief and knowledge on various rituals, which are meant to appease their gods and spirits (Vijay, 2001). Hinduism is a religion that is associated with many gods and goddesses. Like many other polytheist religions, these gods are believed to rule the world. The three gods that are

Monday, September 23, 2019

Week 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week 4 - Assignment Example Policy is a set of principles or ideas which act as a guide in the process of decision making. Proper policy in the healthcare has a direct influence to each citizen’s daily life. There is a great need for a good review on health policies for the sake of public safety. There are several processes that must be put into consideration to turn the topic of health care into a policy. This involves the different stages which need to be addressed for a given topic to reach a policy status in the health care system. The prior stages include formulation stages, legislation stage and implementation stage. In this paper, evaluation stage, analysis and revision stages which are mandatory in policy making would be defined and discussed (Ubokudom, 2012). Each stage has its vital importance since infant health is a big consumer of the health care department. New topics and ideas undergo several transitions and phases before policy implementation. In any institution, there are individuals who have the responsibility of brainstorming and implementing new topics and ideas for a better safe and easier policy. The paper also presents a framework for discussing the key questions which require answers for a better-informed decision when coming up with a new policy. It is also crucial for policy makers and administrators to identify the knowledge needed in decision making in regard to both new and existing programs (Kronenfeld, 2002). Evaluation stage is the overall effective assessment planning process in policy making after implementation process. It involves the estimated reward from various calculated opportunities and alternatives face comparisons together with the associated risk estimations. The stage of evaluation can only occur in a fertile ground. It is made to ensure the functionality of the policy. In this case, the key actors appreciate the analysis and use it for the correct decision-making process. An active discussion is also needed

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The civil war Essay Example for Free

The civil war Essay The guidebook tells us that Rockingham followed the standard Norman pattern which consisted of an outer bailey, courtyard, drawbridge and a curtain wall. Rockingham was a place for important historical events for example in 1096 king William II held a debate there. Source 13 tells us that the Domesday book says Rockinham was built in 1066, source 15 says William built the castle and source 1 says Rockingam was a typical Motte and bailey castle both source 13 and 15 support the guide book but the guide book does not tell us that Rockingham having 2 baileys was out of the ordinary we know it was from the diagrams in the Bayeux tapestry. But I think that the guide book is a reliable source of information on when Rockingham was first built. The guide book tells us that Rockingham was regularly visited by kings. King John visited Rockingham in every year of his reign. During the reign of Edward I royal building climaxed at Rockingham, during this time windows and fireplaces were installed. The massive round towers were added to the gate house. The last king to use Rockingham as a royal residence was Henery V in 1422. Source 16 shows the changes Edward made to the castle, source 3 tells us Edward I built gatehouses for many of his castles and source 5 is a picture of Caerphilly castle showing an example of Edwards building, the basic shape and design is much like Rockingham. I think the evidence supports the guide book as both tell us that Edward made improvements. The guide book describes Rockingham as a royal fortress and palace. This is true but the drum towers were added because it was the fashion at the time. This suggests that Rockingham was not used for defence as Caerphilly was. This shows that the guide book exaggerates slightly to tell us about the golden age of Rockingham. So i think that the guide book is reliable on this subject. The guide book tells us that Rockingham was subject to massive changes after it was bought by Edward Watson in 1544. The majority of the guide book tells us about the changes made from 1544 to make rockingham into a stately home. Source 15 tells us that most of the building work at Rockingham is Tudor not Norman, the 1st paragraph of source 17 tells us about Edward Watson. Source 22 is a 19th century plan but it shows the changes that were made and source 20 shows an engraving by Lavinia Watson showing Rockingham as a home. I think the guide book is reliable as the sources support the impression given by the guide book. Source 15 is reliable as Derek Avery in his book states basic facts which agree with the guide book. The guide book tells us that Lewis Watson bought the house from James I and it tells us about damage the castle suffered during the civil war. Source 17 tells us about the disgrace of Lewis Watson. He was a Royalist and lost the castle to the Parliamentarians. It tells us that the Parliamenntarians destroyed the keep, source 18 shows the keep before it was destroyed and source 12 tells us about how the Parliamentarians destroyed castles. I dont think the guide book is reliable as it dosent go into detail about the civil war. This could be because Lewis Watson was disgraced by Oliver Cromwell and put into prison. Source 17 is written by a descendent who had no reason to lie. This might not have been in the guide book because it does not make Lewis watson look good. My conclusion is that te guide book makes Rockingham look like it was and still is a stately home. The guide book was produced to tell us about how good Rockingham was and to show all of the high points in Rockinghams history. I think the guide book is reliable about when Rockingham was first built, improvements in the middle ages and Rockingham as a stately home but I dont think it is reliable about Rockingham during the civil war because it wants to show Rockingham in a good light and not the weaknesses it had during the civil war.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Effects of Employee Empowerment on Project Success

Effects of Employee Empowerment on Project Success Introduction: Employee empowerment is not a new innovative word its being used from many decades but employee empowerment has now become a buzz word in recent management treads in both private and public sectors (pits 2005). Employee empowerment received a wide recognition as an important subject in management circles mainly because it seen as one of the fundamental elements of managerial and organisational effectiveness that increases when power and control are shared in organization (serenely et al 2007). thus employee empowerment hailed as management technique which can be applied universally across all organisations a means of dealing with the modern global business(demitrades 2005) . Generally employee empowerment comprises of an innovative approach with people and a shift of power from the top management to lower level of an organization (tzafrir et al 2005). researches and leaders worldwide aver advocated for empowerment of employees to ell organisations compete successfully in highly compe titive market place (tjosvold and sun 2005). Therefore org that are committed to employee empowerment are in a position to motivate and retain their employees (angora 2007). Employee empower mint is seen as motivational technique if designed and nurtured properly in organisations. Thus employee empowerment leads to improvement of performance of the org through increased level of employee participation and self determination (greasily et al 200). Tzafrir (2004) says basically employee empowerment is mainly y concerned with trust, motivation, decision making and breaking he inner boundaries between management and employees. Literature review: Definitions: Employee participation is defined as ‘a process of employee involvement designed to provide employees with the opportunity to influence and where appropriate, take part in decision making on matters which affect them. According to Farnham (1997) Employee Participation is one of four policy choices for managing the employment relationship. Cited in Rose (2001, p380) Farnham states:‘†¦an employee has the right to question and influence organization decision making and ‘†¦. this may involve representative workplace democracy. The common dictionary definition of empowerment, to give official authority to: delegate legal power to: commission, authorize (Grove, 1971, p. 744) is the one most understood by most people. As an example, Gandz (1990) writes, Empowerment means that management vests decision-making or approval authority in employees where, traditionally, such authority was a managerial prerogative. (p. 75) However, this is not the definition of what is usually called employee empowerment. One author notes empowerment is, easy to define in its absence—alienation, powerless, helplessness—but difficult to define positively because it takes on a different form in different people and contexts' (Zimmerman, 1990, p.169) Employee empowerment is a process whereby: a culture of empowerment is developed; information in the form of a shared vision, clear goals, boundaries for decision making, and the results of efforts and their impact on the whole is shared; competency in the form of training and experience is developed; resources, or the competency to obtain them when needed to be effective in their jobs, are provided; and support in the form of mentoring, cultural support, and encouragement of risk-taking is provided Current research in employee empowerment: There is lot of research going on empowerment with respect to different entities of business like empowerment and total quality management, empowerment and sales, empowerment and customer satisfaction in tourism industry. Most of the research is concentrated on the relation between empowerment and employee motivation. Even though there is a vast literature review on my topic of interest .I am mentioning very few concepts here. In the most comprehensive, long-term study of empowerment-oriented practices, (Lawler, Mohr man, Benson, 2001) has empirically demonstrated the positive growth of empowerment practices in the last 15 years. Today, more than 70 percent of organizations surveyed have adopted some kind of empowerment initiative for some portion of their workforce. Why the tremendous growth in employee empowerment? Faced with competitive demands for lower costs, higher performance, and more flexibility, organizations have increasingly turned to employee empowerment to enhance their performance. Empowerment practices are often implemented with the hopes of overcoming worker dissatisfaction and reducing the costs of absenteeism, turnover, poor quality work, and sabotage (Klein, Ralls, Smith-Major, Douglas, 1998). Their focus is aimed at overcoming the debilitating psychological effects of traditional bureaucracies through the creation of high-involvement organizations. Empowerment enables employees to participate in decision making, helping them to break out of stagnant mindsets to take a risk and try something new. Empowering practices allow employees to decide on their own how they will recover from a service problem and surprise-and-delight customers by exceeding their expectations rather than waiting for approval from a supervisor (Bowen La wler, 1995). And perhaps most importantly, empowerment is viewed as critical in the process of organizational change. Rather than forcing or pushing people to change, empowerment provides a way of attracting them to want to change because they have ownership in the change process. Yet, in spite of this positive growth, more than 25% of the surveyed companies in Lawler et al.s (2001) study still report no significant empowerment-oriented practices anywhere in their organizations. And even those that do introduce empowerment practices often find it difficult to build genuine employee empowerment (Spreitzer Quinn, 2001). Some dont have the courage In order to understand the aims and implications of empowerment, it is necessary to understand the origins of the concept within the intellectual and political history of the West. While its modern form was derived principally from the civil and womens rights social movements of the 1960s, its philosophical lineage can be traced to the beginnings of modern political philosophy. While often regarded as a revolutionary development in thinking even in contemporary times, empowerments theoretical roots point to a longer progression than is commonly assumed. In myriad ways, empowerment theory is principally concerned with elucidating and applying the answers to the timeless questions of political philosophy itself namely the nature of power, the role of the citizen in the polis, and the achievement of justice in civic life. From this vantage point, empowerment is a continuation of this theoretical search for elusive, but critical, answers to timeless human questions. Sir Francis Bacon, b est known for his work new Atlantis, is intrinsically bound to the study of empowerment due to his crucial contribution to the development of the Western democratic system (White, 1987). According to Bacon, humanitys existence in a world of scarcity will continually result in human deprivation and hostility without the conquest of nature. He argued that only by the ‘release of mans estate, namely the rational and scientific generation of greater goods from nature, could this cycle of constant political animosity and privation be ended. Freedom, enfranchisement, and harmony among citizens cannot be achieved without overcoming the aggression that is inherent to scarcity and issues of survival. By uniting people behind the common goal of creating better lives via reason and human invention, the common good is finally able to triumph over sectarian divisions. At the most fundamental level, liberal democracy and the concept of constant progress require the emancipation of workers a nd their empowerment. Without empowerment, the manual labourer (or serf or slave) is utilized to provide the inputs that political life necessitates, and the stratification of power is perpetuated. Although Bacon helped to form the foundations of the modern commercial republic, he could not have foreseen many of the developments that this polity engendered. One only has to peruse the works of Dickens, Marx, or Sinclair to be made aware of some of the obstacles of this political order. The sublimation of economic efficiency and science may liberate humankind from the bounds of scarcity, but it also can transform man into a servant of power. Moreover, it often leads to a form of consumerism that seems ill suited for providing citizens with meaning outside the bounds of the acquisition of material possessions, as well as elevates labour itself into the focal point for personal significance. From this perspective, our economic and political order may be required to bear more weight and significance than it can bear. Modern empowerment literature, with its emphases on theory, results, and meaning is focused upon improving this state of affairs through a variety of different approaches and applications. As a discipline, it embraces modern methodologies in order to answer ancient and familiar questions with the intention of elevating both the individual and the organization (political or otherwise) simultaneously. During recent years, workplace empowerment has increasingly become part and parcel of the lexicon of organizational research and practice. The meaning of the term empowerment has evolved over the years from its more radical beginnings in the civil and womens rights movements to its current manifestations focused on organizational performance (Bartunek Spreitzer, 1999). In this section of the chapter, we look across the most recent decades of writing on empowerment and highlight three contemporary theoretical perspectives. Research purpose: TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF Employee Empowerment IN PROJECT SUCCESS. I want to know to what extent the empowerment is being employed in the projects. If so, to what extent the empowerment aids in success of the project. Research objectives Question 1 .TO WHAT EXTENT Employee Empowerment IS BEING EMPLOYED IN PROJECTS AT MANGERIAL AND TEAM LEADER LEVEL Question 2. TO WHAT EXTENT Employee Empowerment CONTRUBUTES TO PROJECT SUCCESS Research rationale: Research mainly has economical and social benefits My research will find the cause and effect of empowerment and project success at two different hierarchal levels of project , i.e. managerial and team leader. I believe that my research will provide a new perspective of empowerment in projects. Research scope: Scope of my research is restricted to a Construction Company. I am doing a case study on ksheeraabd constructions private ltd (KPCL), Hyderabad, India I will take 8 to 10 interviews and will also distribute Questionnaires among 20 people. I will consider both employee and employer perspective. In depth interviews will be taken from the project managers and lower level team leaders Research methodology: The analysis of the research will be largely quantitative, however qualitative analysis will be used to highlight patterns and make the analysis more robust. The findings will be compared to theory in context in order to describe the patterns which exist. An deductive approach will be used in order to evaluate a theory as a result of the research findings .The research strategy will be case study of a construction company( KCPL ,Hyderabad India) for which I have already gained access . The company chosen is a construction company which is at present working on a road construction project at a place called Madurai in India. In the case study the interviews will be conducted for project manager level and questionnaires will be given for team leader level employees The aim is to evaluate the effects of employee empowerment in an organisation. The questionnaire will have structured questions with set responses in order to quantify the empowerment employed in the organisation. There will also be open questions for participants to make comments on the various aspects empowerment in their organisation. I will do cross sectional study as I will collect all the data at same time Sampling procedures: My research involves data collection from two different levels of organisation like project managers and from team leader level. As the project managers are very few we wanted to consider the entire sample and for the team leaders I will use simple random sampling. Data collection and analysis: I will take interviews from the project managers. I will take ablest 8 to almost 10 interviews. I will distribute the questioners to the team leaders who are selected by simple random sampling. I will make sure that at least 20 employee from team leader level will participate in this procedure. Using the deductive approach, the analysis of the interviews will be mostly quantitative I will ask questions that have rating of the responses ranging from 0 to 5. The main purpose of the interviews is to avoid any bias of information from the questionnaires. The questioners are designed in such a way that each response is quantified like the interviews. By this method I can make quantitative analysis of both types of information. Validity and reliability Internal validity Increased through use of multiple sources of evidence, structured interviews and questionnaires (both closed and open questions). The design of questions and survey will be based on understanding of the theory from the literature and pilot testing of the interview and questionnaire will be used to make sure questions are understood as intended. External validity Multiple cases considered to examine whether findings can be generalised over a number of organisations. There is no requirement to make a statistical analysis of the results for generalisation here as the approach chosen examines practices and their effectiveness. The aim is to explain the findings and explore generalisability through a comparison of findings with theory. Reliability Structured interviews with questions derived from literature in order to examine cases in same way. Surveys to back up the interviews and obtain views from a wider group. Questionnaires all administered at the same time and in controlled manner, explanation to ensure participants all understand research in same way. Instrumentation : I am planning to collect information through questionnaires in single batch . Which will not pose any validity problems with respect to instrumentation? Mortality: with respect to this threat I ill make sure that there will be no dropouts of participants at the time of data collection Access to the company (consent): I have already spoken with the subject of interest (KCPL pvt ltd, Hyderabad) and gained access to the company. I have explained the total procedure and outcome of the dissertation. I have promised them that the information collected will be kept confidential so finally the company has given access to obtain information from their employees. The organisation is also looking forward to help me in this research. They felt grateful to me for taking their company as a case study. For reference I am enclosing a copy of the access grant letter

Friday, September 20, 2019

Effects of Exercise as a Treatment for Depression

Effects of Exercise as a Treatment for Depression The objective of the literature review is, to examine research to find if using exercise as a treatment for depression has an effect. Depression affects a lot of people and is commonly treated with medicines and therapy (DeRubies, Siegle, Hollon, 2008) but exercise is rarely used as treatment. The aim of this review is to explore the efficiency of exercise being used as a treatment. Only literature written in English, and published no longer than 10 years ago, (2007) will be used to remain up-to-date. A minimum of 8 main pieces of literature will be used to make the review detailed enough. The main way that articles and journals will be found is from using PubMed. Other sources will also be used including SHU library gateway, Sheffield Hallam Library and ProQuest. The method of this study is to explore different types of study, and explore how they are carried out, and what their results are. These will be concluded in a table and discussed in more detail below. Search used on PubMed Amount of results Effect of exercise as treatment for depression 2664 Effect of exercise as treatment for depression (filtered to the last 5 years) 887 It has been known for a long time that exercise has a benefit for physical health (DoH, 2011) but not must is know about defined mental disabilities. They state that exercise helps to control stress levels but dont state whether it can help with depression and other mental disabilities such as anxiety. Depression can be explained as People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. (APA, 2017). With one in 6 adults in the UK having a mental health problem such as depression and anxiety (Mental Health Foundation (MHF), 2016) it is very prevalent and a lot must be done to try and reduce peoples symptoms. Whilst the MHF state that the prevalence is one in 6, Evans, Macrory and Randall (2016) believe that prevalence is closer to 20% so a more detailed review will be needed to conclude this. 22.5% were reported as women and 16.8% were reported as men, detailed research is needed to be try and work out why this is the case (Evans, Macrory, Randall, 2016). Depression is the most common mental health problem around the globe, closely followed by anxiety (W HO, 2016) showing that is isnt just a problem in the UK. NICE (2016) recommend that exercise could potentially be used as a helpful activity for reducing levels of depression considered mild to moderate, but seem to have limited data to back that up so further analyzing will be needed to be able to conclude this. Main Studies used Study Limitations Conclusion (Silveira et al., 2013) Various age groups were used result in in-conclusive data. Exercise seemed to influence levels of depression but more examining needed to conclude the result. (Kvam, Kleppe, Nordhus Hovland, 2016) Some articles used were likely to accidently exaggerate the effects of the exercise. Exercise can be used as an effective intervention within clinical conditions. (Jaffery, Edwards Loprinzi, 2017) Number of candidates used was limited. As little as 10 minutes of exercise may influence mood levels. (Danielsson, Papoulias, Petersson, Carlsson Waern, 2014) Small sample size. Exercise can have a positive influence. (Carvalho et al., 2011) Very small size. Only 33 used. Moderate exercise may contribute but it isnt statistically significant. (Chandler et al., 2012) The trial took part in one place in the country. Exercise did not seem to have a large effect at all. Silveria et al, (2013) carried out a systematic review exploring the effects of activity on clinically depressed patients. Initially their searches came up with 1288 results, this was reduced to 10. They could conclude, from looking at these 10 studies that exercise has a moderate effect on depression levels. Within these studies, all participants were at least 18 years old. Their results showed a 0.61 reduction in the standard deviation of the 10 studies after initial exercise was carried out. Limitations of this study are that due to the fact the participants had all been diagnosed with clinical depression, it limited the number of participants. Of the studies that were used, 7 studies used only aerobic exercise, 1 used just resistant exercises and 2 used both aerobic and resistance exercises. When the data was analyzed, they concluded there was a 0.61 change in the standard deviation. There was no statistical significance between the aerobic and resistance groups so this data was merged together. This review concluded that exercise could potentially be a good addition to anti-depressants. Kvam, Kleppe, Lykkedrang, Hilde and Hovland, (2016) carried out a similar systematic review exploring randomized controlled trials. The aim was to explore exercise as a treatment for depression. They researched for databases for relevant scientific trials and 23 trials were used. They had a combined total of 977 participants. From these 23 trials, they could conclude that exercise can have a moderate to large effect on depression when compared to control conditions giving a g-value of -0.68. Whilst this is good, upon a follow-up, this had gone down to -0.22 making it largely insignificant. A g value is a way of measuring the differences in standard deviations (McDonald, 2014). Some of the limitations of this could be that some trials may have overexaggerates the results unintentionally. All patients used were clinically depressed so this may not give an accurate representation for most of the population. This shows that exercise may influence depression levels but increase is limited . Cooney et al. (2013) agree that exercise may have an affect but this may be very minimal. They add that there is no evidence to decide if exercise has more of an effect than conventional medicines. Jaffery, Edwards and Loprinzi (2017) carried out a randomized control intervention and the aim was to evaluate the effect of exercise on depression. The way they carried this out was to split the group of 88 participants into 4 groups of 22. Their mood scores and levels of depression were taken before and after exercise had been done using the POMS questionnaire (Mackenzie, 2001). This is a very good questionnaire that helps to work out the levels of certain moods in someone. Jaffery, et al. (2017) state in the table included in the report that report overall mood was increased, lowering the scores on the tables. It was also reported that depression levels were decreased as well. They found that by doing a small amount of exercise (5/ 10 minutes) it is possible to vastly increase mood levels. Dusseldorp et al., (2010) agree with the fact a small amount of exercise could help improve the levels of depression. The main limitation of this study is that it does not have many participants leading to a risk of over concluding that the results are relevant for the population. Danielsson, Papoulias, Petersson, Carlsson and Waern (2014) created a three-armed randomized control trial of evaluating the effect of 2 add-on treatments, exercise and basic body awareness therapy (BBAT) (Skjà ¦rven Sunda, 2015). This trial has 62 participants that were all on anti-depressants (Danielsson et al., 2014). These were then split into 3 groups, 2 intervention groups and 1 control group. The groups had 10 weeks of aerobic exercise or BBAT. The main assessment figures were levels of depression in the candidates. This was measured using the MADRS scale (Williams Kobak, 2008). The results were taken by a blinded assessor so that they could be impartial. The results after the intervention group partook in exercise was a reduction in MADRS score by -10.3. With the highest score being 60 (FDA, 2007), a reduction by 10 is very good. Some limitations of this could be the fact there was a relatively small size of sample and people may have been overly optimistic with how their depression levels had changed. This agrees with the results about that exercise can have a positive effect on severe depression but a lot of persuasion would potentially be needed to motivate somebody to do this. Carvalho et al., (2011) looked at the impact of moderate exercise on depression. This article was a two-armed study. Initially 150 people were interviewed for the trial but this was cut down by random selection to 33 participants. These participants were then put into 2 groups, 11 used just antidepressants and 22 people participated in exercise. The 22 participants taking up the exercise took part in daily walks for 30-45 minutes for 12 weeks. One of these was assisted with a research fellow. The exercise group had an average reduction of 6 .84 on the hamd17 scale (GlaxoWelcome, 1997) This is not very high but it still implies that there is a benefit of using exercise as a treatment for depression. Of the exercise group 25% of the group had remission but there was no way to conclude that this was due to the exercise. There was a very limited amount of people used, with only 33 it is hard to made statistically significant results. Carvalho et al., (2011) concluded that if people stuck to the strict 12-week exercise program it may lead to a lower level of depression alongside with anti-depression tablets. Chandler et al., (2012) explored the effects of forced exercise as a treatment alongside anti-depressants. They used 361 people who had all visited their GP with self-diagnosed symptoms of depression who were then assessed by the GP. All candidates were required to have a score of 14 on the Beck scale (APA, 2016). It was a 2-arm parallel intervention. The main measurement was self-measured depression levels using the beck scale. This was followed up after 4, 8 and 12 months as well as this their depression symptoms were checked 8 and 12 months after. After collating, all of the data and summarizing it, there was no statistically significant change. There was a mean beck score reduction of 0.54. The people within the intervention group reported an increase in physical activity. It was also noted that the exercises had not reduced the number of anti-depressants people were taking. For this information, they were able to conclude that there was no real benefit of partaking in this form of exercise for depression levels. Due to the trial using 361 people it is fair to say this could e an accurate representation of population on a local level. The vast majority of literature found had a limited amount of people being used in the trials. (Danielsson et al., 2014), (Carvalho et al., 2011) and (Jaffery et al., 2017) all used less than 100 participants in their studies. This makes it very difficult to use the data for creating a definitive conclusion. Some of the data that was used was very specific, Silveria et al, (2013) used only research projects that had severe depression and not low to medium depression. This would make the results less relevant for the rest of people with depression but not classed as severe. The purpose of this literature review was to examine if exercise can be used as an effect treatment for depression. From looking at the evidence, over the last 5 years more and more research has been done around this field and this will continue to keep going. The clear majority of the articles that have been viewed above have concluded that along anti-depressant drugs, exercise can have a positive effect on depression. In most cases this just reduced it but in one, some of the candidates lots their depression symptoms all together (Carvalho et al., 2011). Whilst this was the case, many reports very limited improvements in depression levels that were difficult to conclude were solely down to the exercise. References   APA (American Psychological Association). (2017). Depression. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/topics/Depression/ Carvalho, Serafim; Fonte, Daniela; Mota-Pereira, Jorge; Ramos, Joaquim; Ribeiro, Jose Carlos; Silverio, Jorge. (2011) Moderate exercise improves depression parameters in treatment-resistant patients with major depressive disorder. Journal of psychiatric research. Vol 45 Is 8. Pgs 1005-1011. Chalder Melanie, Wiles Nicola J, Campbell John, Hollinghurst Sandra P, Haase Anne M, TaylorAdrian H. (2012). Facilitated physical activity as a treatment for depressed adults: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2012; 344 :e2758 Cooney, Gary M; Dwan, Kerry; Greig, Carolyn A; Lawlor, Debbie A; Rimer; Jane; Waugh, Fiona R; McMurdo, Marion; Mead, Gillian E. (2013). Exercise for Depression. Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group. Doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004366.pub6 Danielsson, Louise; Papoulias, Illas; Petersson, Eva-Lisa; Carlsson, Jane; Waern, Margda. (2014) Exercise or basic body awareness therapy as add-on treatment for major depression: A controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders. Vol 168. Pgs 98-106 DoH (Department of Health). (2011). Physical activity benefits for adults and older adults. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541233/Physical_activity_infographic.PDF DeRubies, Robert J; Siegle, Greg J; Hollon, Steven D. (2008). Cognitive therapy vs. medications for depression: Treatment outcomes and neural mechanisms. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. Vol 10. Pgs 788-796 Evans, J.; Macrory, I.; Randall, C. (2016). Measuring national wellbeing; Life in the UK. Retrieved from: www.ons.gov.uk/peopelpopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2016#how-good-is-our-health FDA (Food and Drug Administration). (2007) Description of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/07/briefing/2007-4273b1_04-descriptionofmadrshamddepressionr(1).pdf GlaxoWelcome (1997) The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Retrieved from: http://healthnet.umassmed.edu/mhealth/HAMD.pdf Jaffery, Annese; Edwards, Meghan; Loprinzi, Paul. (2017). Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Rochester. Vol.92.3, pgs 480-481 Kvam, Siri ; Kleppe, Catrine Lykkedrang ; Nordhus, Inger Hilde ; Hovland, Anders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 15 September 2016, Vol.202, pp.67-86      Ã‚   Mackenzie, B. (2001) Profile of Mood States (POMS) Retrieved from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/poms.htm [Accessed 22/3/2017] McDonald, John. 2014. Handbook of Biological Statistics. Sparky House Publishing, Maryland. Retrieved from: http://www.biostathandbook.com/gtestgof.html# Mental Health Foundation. (2016). Fundamental Facts About Mental Health. Retrieved from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publication-download/fundamental-facts-about-mental-health-2016 Nice (2016) Treatments for mild to moderate depression. Retrieved from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg90/ifp/chapter/treatments-for-mild-to-moderate-depression Salehi, Iraj ; Hosseini, Seyed Mohammad ; Haghighi, Mohammad ; Jahangard, Leila ; Bajoghli, Hafez ; Gerber, Markus ; Pà ¼hse, Uwe ; Kirov, Roumen ; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith ; Brand, Serge. (2014) Journal of Psychiatric Research, Vol.57, pp.117-124 Silveira, H ; Moraes, H ; Oliveira, N ; Coutinho, ESF ; Laks, J ; Deslandes, A. (2013). Neuropsychobiology. Vol.67(2). pp.61-68 Skjà ¦rven, Liv Helvik; Sunda, Mary Anne. (2015) Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) Movement Awareness, Everyday Movements and Health Promotion in Physiotherapy. Retrieved from: http://fysioterapeuten.no/Fag-og-vitenskap/Fagartikler/Basic-Body-Awareness-Therapy-BBAT-Movement-Awareness-Everyday-Movements-and-Health-Promotion-in-Physiotherapy Williams, Janet B W; Kobak, Kenneth A. (2008) Development and reliability of a structured interview guide for the Montgomery-Ã…sberg Depression Rating Scale. The British Journal of Psychiatry. Vol 193. Pgs 52-58 World Health Organisation (WHO). (2016). Mental health: A state of well-being. Retrieved from: www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

John Dryden :: essays research papers

Research Essay on John Dryden John Dryden was born on an unsure date in 1631 in Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire. He was born the oldest of 14 children in a landed family of modest means. His parents sided with the Parliament against he King. There is some question to whether or not he was raised in a strict Puritan environment. His father was a country gentleman of moderate fortune. He was given the opportunity by his father to be educated at Westminster School and at the University of Cambridge. Around 1657 he went to London as a clerk to the chamberlain to the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. The death of Cromwell in 1659 inspired Dryden to write his first important poem, Heroic Stanzas. After the Restoration Dryden became a Royalist and celebrated the return of kin Charles II. During the celebration he wrote two more famous poems, Astraea Redux and Panegyric on the Coronation. The rest of his life was then devoted to being loyal to Charles and his successor, James II. In 1663 he became happily married to Lady Eliza beth Howard, a sister of his patron. Until then he had no real source of income. He began writing plays as a source of income. His first attempt failed, but his second attempt The Rival Ladies, a tragic comedy, was a success. During the next 20 years he became an important and well-known dramatist in England. Some of his most famous plays included names like Ladies a la Mode, Mock Astrologer, and An Evening’s Love. Another play that was famously known because it was banned as indecent was Mr. Limberham. This was unusual for this time period for a play to be banned because of it’s indecency because the Restoration was a time of change. He was also a master of writing the heroic rhymed couplets. They were extravagant and full of pageantry. One of his later tragedies, the World Well Lost, was written in blank verse and was considered one of his greatest plays and one of the masterpieces of the Restoration tragedy. Throughout his career he wrote several "occasional poems," which celebrated particular events of a public character, a military victory, a death, or a political crisis. What made these poems he wrote special was the fact that they were written not for the self but for the nation. In 1670 he was appointed poet laureate and royal historiographer.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Inclusion or Exclusion in The Crucible Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

Much of The Crucible by Arthur Miller was about being part of a group. What is it to belong to a group? Is it really that simple when someone says, "Either you're with us or you're not"? Yes, it is that simple. Belonging and exclusion in any situation are two sides of the same coin - you can't have one without the other. In any organization or group, people are bound together by a community of interest, purpose or function and if you do not believe in these same things, then you are not a part of that group. In an organization or group, you have to ask yourself, "What is it to be a part of this particular group, what does it take to belong?" It takes following the rules of the group, agreeing with their purpose, obeying their authorities and the ability to go the length for their cause. In The Crucible, if the characters did not abide as part of the group, the Christian Church, then the consequences were fatal. The Crucible told of what is was to be a scapegoat i n their society and what it took to defend themselves from becoming that scapegoat. To remind people in an organization why they belong takes continued focus on a common goal or common belief. By having one main function, a group is generally more effective than if everyone has different ideas and outlooks on specific topics. However, to keep everyone on the same page, the members of a group need to accurately know where they stand in reference to their goal. One way to do this is through social facilitation. This is the concern of self image through the presence of other people. It's a concept that allows members to know the acceptable opinions of the group. Someone who agrees to the ideas set out from the organization. "Group polarization is the concept of changing personal opinions to extremities after a group discussion.(Johnson 13)" This concept eliminates members who aren't sure what they think of the group's purpose. They decide that either they agree completely or they disagree completely. Either way it means they decide if they are in or out after the group discussion. A common goal is one way to distinguish and separate the devoted members from the questionable individuals in a group. High cohesiveness is an effective tool in the success and effectiveness of an organization. However, in order for ... ... truth, denying her involvement as a witch, but be hung anyway for "lying" under oath. On the other hand, an innocent victim could lie and confess her involvement as a witch, accuse another witch instead and be let "off the hook". However, if the innocent victim lied and confess, but wasn't willing to turn in another witch, she would be hung anyway. (Starkey, 17) This created quite an ironic situation coming from a Christian based community of purity and holiness. Exclusion is about scapegoating and denying the truth or reality to oneself. A scapegoat is a person made to bear the blame for others, an escape from dealing with one's responsibility. The scapegoat lets one rationalize bad situations and blind oneself from the reality of that situation. No one saw the reality in Salem and no one even tried. They were all too caught up in trying to find someone else to blame for their fears and problems. However, organizations tend to do that too. They create an opposition or enemy so they can use it later to their own advantage, making themselves seem more powerful. So the question goes back to, "Are you in? Or are you out?"

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Application of Consumer’s Knowledge

| CONSUMER BEHAVIOR PAPER| The Application of Consumer’s Knowledge and Involvement Concept in â€Å"Adu Segar Larutan Penyegar† Case Study from Brand Cap Kaki Tiga Perspective | September 2012| MMBM Batch 25 Team #2 Dickson Mulia 0152121007 Genoveva Iswati0152121016 Arfianti Puspitarini0152121035 Maulana 01521210xx EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga, currently being manufactured by PT Kinocare, is facing a fierce competition against Larutan Penyegar Cap Badak since Wen Ken Drugs decision in February 2011 to withdraw the license from PT Sinde Budi Sentosa and granted it to PT Kinocare.In the market, the new Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga is perceived as a replica product of its predecessor and they are struggling to gain consumer brand awareness and eventually become consumer’s choice. In this case study, we recommend Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga to get out of the tight corner by implementing a breakthrough innovation in order to gain consumer inte rest and remove consumer’s visual imagery of Badak logo that has been anchored in consumer’s memory since 1937 I. BACKGROUND 1937 – The Product EraAbout 75 years ago, in 1937 four Singaporean Chinese families decided to go into business together to market a secret traditional medical recipe which becomes known as Three Legs Cooling Water. In Hokkien, ‘3 legs' (pronounced as Sa Ka) is a popular proverb meaning to flatter someone. But in the world of traditional medicine in Singapore and Malaysia, the ‘3 legs' means a simple effective way to prevent or heal fever and headache caused by ‘healthiness' in the body The logo features two legs on solid ground and one additional leg to provide additional support and expedite the healing process.The symmetrical legs represent equality for all and humbleness on others' views and suggestions. And finally, the circle marks the cohesiveness of the staff and customers centered on the triple legs 1978 – Introduction into Indonesia Market About 30 years ago, in 1978 Wen Ken Drug Co. Ltd Singapore granted the license of Three Legs (known locally as ‘Cap Kaki Tiga’) to PT Sinde Budi Sentosa as licensed manufacturer with headquarter located in Jakarta. 2011 – Transfer of License Wen Ken Drug Co. Ltd Singapore withdrew the license of Cap Kaki Tiga from PT Sinde Budi Sentosa and transfered it to Kino Group.February 2012 – The Competition Kino Group was prohibited from using Cap Kaki Tiga brand together with Cap Badak painting on the product. PT Sinde Budi Sentosa has won their claim over the usage of Cap Badak painting on their products and Kino Group may use Cap Kaki Tiga brand. This is the beginning of the competition on cooling water between Cap Kaki Tiga and Cap Badak. Following is the comparison of the product : Larutan Penyegar Cap Badak (Sinde) and Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga (Kino). About Kino Group Kino Corporation started as a small distribution c ompany named Duta Lestari Sentratama back in 1991.Another big step was taken in 1999, Kinocare Era Kosmetindo,  manufacturer of a wide range of personal care products for all genders and ages was established. 2003 saw Kinocare Era Kosmentindo enlarged its businesses further into homecare division by providing a wide range of homecare products under the brand Sleek. Expanding  into Asian region, in 2002 Kino opened its branch office in Malaysia; Kino Care (M) Sdn. Bhd. , and in 2003 in the Philippine; Kino Consumer Philippines Inc. and also established distributorships with some other big distributor companies in Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam and Myanmar. Kino Group consists of the following: . PT KinoCare Era Kosmetindo : Personal care and Home care products (Kino Sweat, Ovale, Eskulin, B;B Kids Shampoo, Ellips, Sleek, Cap Kaki Tiga) 2. PT KinoSentra Industrindo: confectionary products such as candies, snacks and chocolates (Kino Candy) 3. PT KinoAid Indonesia : Pharmacy and Bevera ges (Resik V, Absolute, Panthers) 4. PT Duta Lestari Sentratama : Distribution After almost two decades, Kino Corporation Group   products are now available in big distributors, hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini-markets, thousands of cosmetic stores as well as   million of small traditional outlets throughout   the Indonesian archipelago.Kino’s product quality has met international standard qualification, proved by the increasing demands from the markets all over the world. II. BASIC CONCEPT AND THEORY The scope of analysis of â€Å"Adu Segar Larutan Penyegar Cap Badak vs. Kaki Tiga† case is focused on Consumer’s Product Knowledge and Involvement concept. Consumers have different levels of product knowledge, which they can use to interpret new information and make purchase choices. Levels of knowledge are formed when people acquire separate meaning concepts (accretion process) and combine them into larger, more abstract categories of knowledge (tuning).The levels of product knowledge are classified based on below spectrum: More Abstract| | | Less Abstract| Product Class| Product Form| Brand| Model/Features| â€Å"Larutan Penyegar†| Ready-To- Drink| Cap Kaki Tiga| Original(Bottled , 200ml ; 500ml)Fruity taste(Canned, 330ml, available in 7 variants)| Because consumers are likely to make separate purchase decisions at each level of knowledge, marketers need to understand how consumers organize their product knowledge in terms of these different levels.Thus, based on this concept, the basic questions that might arise are â€Å"What are the levels of product knowledge for â€Å"Larutan Penyegar†? and â€Å"Which are the dominant factors that influencing consumer’s purchase decision? † The knowledge of consumers is organized into means-end chain concept. In this concept, consumers can have three types of product knowledge: * knowledge about the attributes or characteristics of products, * the positive consequenc es or benefits of using products, * the values the product helps consumers satisfy or achieve Products as Bundles of AttributesThe simplest line to describe â€Å"Products as Bundles of Attributes† is that it is the physical characteristic of the product itself. From a cognitive processing perspective, we might wonder if consumers really have knowledge in memory about all of these attributes and whether consumers actually activate and use this knowledge when deciding which products and brands to buy. To evaluate whether consumer awareness of product attributes of â€Å"Larutan Penyegar† , we might get the figure by asking â€Å"Do you know the basic ingredients being used in this product? or â€Å"Would you compare the ingredients of each brand? † Products as Bundles of Benefits Marketers also recognize that consumers often think about products and brands in terms of their consequences rather than their attributes. Consumers can have knowledge about two types o f product consequences: functional and psychosocial. Functional consequences are tangible outcomes of using a product that consumers experience rather directly while psychological consequences of product use are internal, personal outcomes, such as how the product makes you feel. Products as Value SatisfiersConsumers also have knowledge about the personal, symbolic values that products and brands help them satisfy or achieve. Values often involve the emotional affect associated with such goals and needs (the strong feelings and emotions that accompany success). In contrast means–end chain links consumers’ knowledge about product attributes with their knowledge about consequences and values. In other words, consumers see most product attributes as a means to some end. The end could be a consequence (a benefit or a risk) or a more abstract value. A common representation of a means—end chain has four levels:Brand| Attributes| Functional Consequences| Psychosocial C onsequences| Value| Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga| Mixture of medicinal ingredients | Help relieve sore throat | I feel better / healthy| -| Based on above figure, the means – end chain of Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga ends at the level of psychosocial consequences. III. CONSUMER ANALYSIS Having all the questions behind the basic concept, we must get the answer in order to understand the levels of consumer product knowledge, the means-end chain of â€Å"Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga† and whether consumers aware of the competition of â€Å"Cap Badak† vs. Cap Kaki Tiga† and if the subjected case influences the purchasing behavior. Therefore, a small research was conducted with the following design: Methods: Quantitative, Face to Face interview Geographic location : Jakarta, Bogor Sample criteria : Consumer of â€Å"Larutan Penyegar† with the following constraints: * 18+ years old * Purchase decision maker for Larutan Penyegar RTD * Purchase Larutan Penyegar RTD in last 6 months Sample size : 21 samples Research findings: 1. Cap Kaki Tiga name dominates the Top of Mind awareness by 90%, left Cap Badak with only 10% TOM. | Cap Kaki Tiga| Cap Badak|Top of Mind Awareness| 90%| 10%| Q: Thinking about â€Å"Larutan Penyegar† brands, what brand name do you think first of all? 2. 90% of respondents recall their last purchase of Larutan Penyegar brand is Cap Kaki Tiga   | Cap Kaki Tiga| Cap Badak| Last Purchase| 90%| 10%| Q: What was the brand(s) have you bought in past 6 months? 3. Interestingly, from 90% respondent who mentioned that their last purchase was Cap Kaki Tiga, only 19% who can distinguish the new packaging of Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga and chose it, while 62% of the respondent most likely recall visual imagery of Badak and chose Cap Badak brand.The rest 19% didn’t remember which bottle that they bought. | Cap Kaki Tiga| Cap Badak| Don't Remember| Visual Imagery| 19%| 62%| 19%| Q: Now I would like to k now how familiar you are with the †Larutan Penyegar† product. 1 set bottles of Larutan Penyegar Cap Kaki Tiga vs. Cap Badak, and point which bottle they bought the last time 4. 90% of the respondent does not aware about the competition about the product   | Not Aware| Aware| Awareness about the case| 90%| 10%| Q: Do you know that currently there are two different products? 5.After the respondents are told about the brief description whether the â€Å"old† Cap Kaki Tiga is currently produced by different manufacturer (PT Kinocare), and the manufacturer of â€Å"old† Cap Kaki Tiga is now producing Cap Badak, only 10% of respondent who prefer Cap Kaki Tiga, 52% prefer Cap Badak and 38% would choose any products that is available in the store. | Cap Kaki Tiga| Cap Badak| Anything| Brand Preference| 10%| 52%| 38%| Q : After you have the knowledge that currently there are 2 brands, which product(s) that you would choose?To summarize, based on the research above , the insights are: 1. Most of the respondents (90%) do not aware about the competition of Larutan Penyegar products from the two brands (â€Å"Cap Badak† vs. â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga†). 2. Inconsistency happened on brand name and product recollection. The high respondent mind share on â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† name (90%) is not translated into product election (19%) due to people historical memory about the product is anchored in the strong visual image of the â€Å"Badak† packaging. 3.An interesting fact appears when respondents are told about the difference of the brands, ironically most of them (52% vs 10%) prefer to choose â€Å"Cap Badak† instead of â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga†. However, there is still an opportunity for â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† to win the 38% respondent who would choose any brands. Then, based on insights above, we can identify few problems of Cap Kaki Tiga current products, which are: 1. â€Å"Badak† logo imagery is very str ong in consumer’s mind. To win over â€Å"Badak† image is quite impossible eventhough consumers have strong awareness on â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† name.If both products have to be in head-to head competition, such in display, most likely consumers will always choose â€Å"Cap Badak†. 2. From interviews, we got few comments about â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† logo which is not quite familiar and don’t look interesting at all. Some of them think that logo of â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† makes the product looks like a fake. Some even thought the logo looks associated with poisonous mosquito-killer insecticide product logo. IV. RECOMMENDATION â€Å"RECOVERY/SOLVING† AND KEY LEARNINGOur group proposes several recommendations for â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† brand to be considered: 1. Launch new format of â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† with totally fresh new whole concepts (packaging design, formats and marketing communications). a. Changes of packaging desig n should emphasize on the â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† name, as its strong point, and minimize the proportion of â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† logo, as its weakness point. b. Changes of bottle format with new shapes. We analyzed that with same bottle format as â€Å"Cap Badak†, it won’t be beneficial for â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga†.The reason for that is the consumer will always associate the bottle format with â€Å"Badak† painting in it and they would most likely prefer it and assume the â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† current same format as a fake. c. To support the changes in design and bottle format, we have to give strong marketing communications emphasizing on historical â€Å"journey† of original â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† brand product. This approach has the ultimate goal to underline the originality of the brand with â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† as the holder of official license from Wen Ken Drugs since the very beginning and create consumer confidence that the product is not a fake. . In order to increase consumer involvement, we recommend Cap Kaki Tiga to tap into younger segment through its flavored variant product line by communicating â€Å"Larutan penyegar† as daily beverage. Through this strategy, it is expected to create a new image and perception that a consumer does not have to wait until he feels sore throat to consume â€Å"Larutan Penyegar†. To support this strategy, Cap Kaki Tiga might conduct a marketing event that promote consumer’s involvement in the usage of the product, for example : conducting 10K Running Competition for charity, sponsorship in sports competition (e. IBL) as the official beverage, sponsorship in school annual music festival, and so on. 3. Strengthen distribution channel is also key strategy â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† have to explore to win the competition. To target indifferent consumers, availability of the product is a must. Kino should have expertise on this area, sinc e other Kino’s products are already strong in distributions. 4. Have further research (ZMET Study) in order to get further insights on: d. The brand and logo association, how â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† brand and logo can affect the consumer purchase decision. e.To understand the key reason for purchase and also the influential touch point so we are able to develop effective marketing campaign on the new concept launch Key learnings from our study on â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† brand, stated as following: 1. Top of mind awareness of brand is not necessarily translated into consumer’s decision to purchase (share of market) for the case of â€Å"Larutan Penyegar† competition. Therefore, an effective marketing strategy is needed to drive consumer purchase furthermore. 2. High brands awareness means nothing if the consumers don’t aware about the product itself.A product must have a uniqueness to be able to distinguish itself from the crowd and chosen by the c onsumers. 3. â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† has to try to go out from ‘Red Ocean’ competition with â€Å"Cap Badak†. The more they are trying to compete head-to head with similar concept as â€Å"Cap Badak†, the less opportunity for Cap Kaki Tiga to win â€Å"Larutan Penyegar† competition. 4. It worth to have a shot on going to the market with fresh new whole concepts, because â€Å"Cap Kaki Tiga† has opportunity to be the ‘offense’ side, rather than â€Å"Cap Badak† as defense’ side. Offense as to grab the indifferent market as mentioned before on the short-term basis, and to grab the current market share from â€Å"Cap Badak† on longer term period. V. REFERENCE 1. Peter, J. Paul & Jerry C. Olson, â€Å"Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategy†, 9th edition, McGraw-Hill International Edition, 2010. 2. http://www. wenken. com 3. http://harrysanusi. blogspot. com/ 4. capkakitiga. com 5. Suryadi, Dede, â₠¬Å"Adu Segar Larutan Penyegar†, SWA Magazine Edition 22, October 2011.