Banyan Tree Essay

Minimal advertising, still high level of brand awareness through company’s public relations and global marketing programs. Faced the challenge of translating and maintaining the success of a niche Asian hospitality brand into various market segments on a global scale ‘Innovative niche product that could also bridge the price gap in this market’ Building a resort comprising individual villas with locally inspired architectural design and positioned as a romantic and intimate escapade for guests; ‘Sanctuary for the senses’. Banyan Tree Gallery: ‘local culture and heritage and promoting cottage Crafts, retail outlet showcasing indigenous crafts, works closely with village cooperatives and not-for-profit craft marketing agents. Marketing: high-end travel magazines in key markets – public relations – global marketing programs (increase editorial coverage) – few key wholesalers in each targeted market – agents specializing in exlusive luxury holidays targeted at wealthy customers – membership in the Small Luxury Hotels and Leading Hotels of the World – GDS cose ‘BY’ (own global distribution system used by travel providers to process airline, hotel, car rental and other distribution partners around the world. Actively caring for the natural and human environment, revitalizing local communities, worked actively to preserve, protect, and promote the natural and human environments in which BYT resorts where located. Minimizing the impact on the environment Green Communities = planted trees, engage local communities, associates, guests to share the causes of climate change and actions that can reduce our collected carbon footprint. Green Imperative Fund to further support community-based and environmental initiatives in the regions where it has a presence. The company believed in building profitable resorts that would benefit the surrounding environment and contribute to local economies through the creation of employment and community development projects. Businesses with local farmers and traders by making it a point to purchase fresh produce from them. Community Relations Department was set up to develop and manage community outreach programs. Seedling: BTHR’s formalized program which aimed to help young adults from local communities and motivate them and provide the means for completing their education to successfully enter the labor force as adults. Future: openening city hotels and angsana hotels in Dubai and London (angsana brand in response to the demand for hotel operators in Asia that were keen to introduce spa services in their hotel, it is more contemporary and affordable brand. Musem Shop by banyan tree: joint partnetship with Singapor’s national heritage board to showcase Asi’a rich and diverse cultural heritage through unique museum-inspired merchandise. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is an investment holding company involved in managing and developing premium resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific. To date, the Banyan Tree Group manages and/or has ownership interests in close to 36 hotels and resorts, around 73 spas, 91 galleries and 3 golf courses in 28 countries The company operates in Asia, Mexico and Morocco, New Zealand, Africa, Dubai, and the UK. Banyan Tree operates through three business segments: hotel investment, property sales, and fee-based. 1: The hotel investments segment relates to hotel and restaurant operations. 2: The property sales segment comprises hotel residences, Laguna property sales and development project/site sales. Hotel residences business relates to the sale of hotel villas or suites which are part of hotel operations, to investors under a compulsory leaseback scheme. Laguna property sales business relates to the development and sale of properties which are standalone vacation homes in Laguna Phuket. Development project/site sales relates to pure development land sales or development land sales which are fully or partially developed with infrastructure. 3: The fee-based segment comprises the management of hotels and resorts, the management of an asset-backed destination club, the management of private-equity funds, the management and operation of spas, the sales of merchandise, the provision of archite ctural and design services, the management and ownership of golf courses, and rental of retail  outlets and offices. The company’s subsidiaries (dochterbedrijf) include Banyan Tree Spa Bangkok, Banyan Tree Spa Bintan, Banyan Tree Spa Ringha, Banyan Tree Spa Phuket, Banyan Tree Sanya, and Banyan Tree Macau, among others. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is engaged in the management and development of premium resorts, hotels and spas. The company’s key services include the following. Hotel and restaurant operations Sale of hotel villas or suites – Development and sale of properties – Pure development land sales – Management of hotels and resorts – Management of an asset-backed destination club – Management of private-equity funds -Management and operation of spas – Architectural and design services – Management and ownership of golf courses – Rental of retail outlets and offices. The following companies are the major competitors of Banyan Tree Holdings Limited: Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited – Four Seasons Hotels Inc – Associated International Hotels Ltd In the past few years, such events risks as the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, bird flu, floods and riots in Thailand have been hard on our industry, causing tourism as a whole to dry up in their wake. By comparison, economic recessions are part and parcel of the business cycle, which we are able to take in our stride and counter with a variety of measures. During the year, the world remained mired in the European sovereign debt crisis and American economic weakness. Although these conditions affected our arrivals primarily from Europe, we were able to capitalise on the flourishing Chinese market. At our four resorts in the Maldives, for example, the number of Chinese guests surpassed those from Europe. In our continuing efforts to rebalance the Group’s assets, we made the bar gain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles which gave rise to a net gain. We also sold and leased back Angsana Velavaru in January 2013. The hybrid structure of this deal is a first for Banyan Tree, and we are pleased with how it allows us to rebalance our portfolio while still participating in the profits from the operations of Angsana Velavaru. 2012: with overall revenue growing 3% to S$338.4 million. Due to improved results from our hotel investments and fee-based businesses, as well as a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. Group EBITDA was S$74.5 million, up 51% on the back of higher revenue and a gain on the  bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles. This in turn resulted in PATMI increasing by 856% (S$14.9 million), tempered by higher finance costs and income tax expenses. HOTEL INVESTMENTS Our hotel investments delivered a stronger performance in 2012, with Group-owned hotels posting total revenue of S$187.7 million, up 15% from the previous year. This was due to the higher contribution from our Thai properties and the consolidation of revenue from Banyan Tree Seychelles from 2Q12 onwards. These gains were partially offset by lower revenue from our Maldives properties as Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru were temporarily closed for refurbishment. As a result of the increase in revenue, EBITDA for this segment grew by a healthy 69% to S$36.6 million. PROPERTY SALES Revenue from property sales was S$42.7 million. The 36% decrease was due to the sale of development sites in Lijiang, Yangshuo and Huangshan to our China Fund in 2011. Excluding those transactions, revenue and EBITDA from property sales saw growth of 43% and 74% respectively, thanks to a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. FEE-BASED Total revenue from our fee-based businesses registered growth of 9% to reach S$108.0 million. This was attributable to an increase in fees from hotel management and architectural and interior design and other services. Accordingly, EBITDA for our fee-based businesses grew by 23%. 2013 appears to be another challenging year for the global economy. We anticipate continued weakness in our European target markets. In Asia, which has been the world’s economic engine these past four years, growth is likely to moderate. Despite the cooling of China’s economy, the tourism market both inbound and outbound is expected to continue to grow. The Chinese government is aggressively promoting domestic tourism as part of its strategy to increase domestic consumption, thereby cushioning the slowdown in export manufacturing. Banyan Tree’s strong branding and rapidly expanding footprint  in China will position us to take advantage of this trend. Our seven regional marketing offices in China will be invaluable in enabling us to tap the vast potential of this market and to enhance awareness of our hotels with key accounts in China. Our strategy going forward will include continuing with our asset rebalancing to unlock value and deploy capital to more promisi ng markets. At the same time, we are exploring the possibility of extending the successful Fund model into other areas. In terms of growing particular segments, we will be focusing on increasing income from our fee-based and property sales businesses. We have built the fee-based segment to a point where it now has an impetus of its own. On the property sales front, we plan to move into selling more primary and serviced residences. Primary residences under the Banyan Tree brand,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us.† Rather than compete with local property developers, we will leverage our branding and design skills to market to a niche audience in China. We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. Catering to an entirely new market of price-conscious buyers, these properties will be smaller in size yet deliver the quality and innovation that are hallmarks of Banyan Tree. Strongly associated with our brand is the concept of a triple bottom line. In our pursuit of economic, social and environmental success, we made major investments in resource conservation, training and benchmarking, greening and community efforts in 2012. Under the EarthCheck system of sustainability certification, we also planted in six-year a total to over 220,000 trees. Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts offer an intimate retreat experience featuring its signature blend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality. Our philosophy is based on providing a place for rejuvenation of the body, mind and soul – a Sanctuary for the Senses. Placing special emphasis on providing guests with a sense of place, each Banyan Tree property is designed to fit into its natural surroundings, using indigenous materials as far as possible and reflecting the landscape and architecture of the destination. Pioneering  the tropical garden spa concept with Asian health and beauty remedies passed down from generations, Banyan Tree Spa was created as the signature experience in all Banyan Tree resorts, to complement the â€Å"Sanctuary for the Senses† wellness concept. With the emphasis on high service standards and consistency, therapists are professionally trained at Banyan Tree Spa Academies in Phuket, Thailand, and Lijiang, China. The Banyan Tree Gallery supp orts local communities by exhibiting and retailing indigenous handicrafts, which are also found in the resorts. A quintessential highlight of the Banyan Tree experience, Banyan Tree Gallery aspires to recreate the unique Banyan Tree experience with its extensive selection of Asian-style furnishings, Banyan Tree Spa collection, eco-friendly products, indigenous village handicrafts, ethnic apparel and accessories, and objects d’art. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading, international hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels and spas. Its innovative business model is based on seven business segments generating multiple income streams that is unique in itself within the hospitality industry. This formula of developing and managing complementary product offerings with in-house talent makes it difficult for competitors to duplicate with the same level of success. Banyan Tree’s vertically integrated business model comprises: Hotel investment– Banyan Tree owns and manages luxury hotels under its brands, as well as hotels that are managed by other world-class operators. Hotel management– Banyan Tree additionally manages properties under the Banyan Tree and Angsana brands for other owners. Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd – A company wholly owned by Banyan Tree Services, Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd provides high-level strategic insights on various global niche markets to drive top line performance of our diverse range of lifestyle products including hotels, resorts, spas, gallery, destination club and residential ownership. It has a full-suite of marketing capabilities specializing in the branding, marketing and promotion. Spa operations– Banyan Tree Spa pioneered the tropical garden spa concept, and has since grown to over 60 outlets worldwide. Gallery operations– The retail arm is consolidated under Banyan Tree Gallery, which comprises five brand segments located in over 70 stores worldwide. Hotel residences – Hotel inventory are primarily sold under the brand name Banyan Tree Residences. Property sales – Properties that are not part of hotel operations are sold by our subsidiary company, Laguna Resorts and Hotels, and its subsidiaries, in Laguna Phuket. Design and other services – Revenue from design services is earned by Architrave, Banyan Tree’s in-house architectural arm. Other service fees include income from operating golf clubs. Real Estate Hospitality Funds – Banyan Tree Capital was set upto tap private equity and other sources of investments in order to provide a cost efficient structure to fund the Group’s future developments. With about 8,000 associates of over 50 nationalities, the diversity of its workforce is a key feature of the Group and helps to inspire its international outlook. To address its talent development needs, Banyan Tree launched Banyan Tree Management Academy (BTMA) in 2008. This centralised training facility located in Phuket, Thailand will train future Banyan Tree leaders needed to sustain organisationa l effectiveness and to meet the demands of its rapid global growth. Part of Banyan Tree’s vision has always been to grow into a global business, with a portfolio of properties strategically placed around the world. The Group’s mission is inextricably intertwined with its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable growth, as it continues to expand globally. The launch of Banyan Tree Residences, which allows investors to buy their own signature villa, townhouse or apartment in Banyan Tree resorts. Banyan Tree Private Collection was launched to cater to the growing niche for destination club membership 2005: Marking the group’s long awaited foray into China is Banyan Tree Ringha, in Yunnan. 2001: Banyan Tree established the Green Imperative Fund to formalise its corporate social responsibility efforts. The Banyan Tree Spa Academy was set up to provide training for new therapists as well as research new treatment recipes and techniques. Banyan Tree Capital is a real estate fund management company established by the Banyan Tree group, a renowned luxury hospitality company listed in Singapore, to focus on hospitality-based real estate investment. Banyan Tree Capital raises, develops and manages branded hospitality funds in key development markets of the Banyan Tree group. With a combination of fund management and asset development cap abilities, Banyan Tree Capital leverages on the group’s expertise in premium hospitality real estate development and  management to generate attractive investment returns for its investors. Banyan Tree Capital is headquartered in Singapore with offices in China and Vietnam. We have successfully achieved higher room rates than the existing market in locations such as Lijiang, the Maldives and Seychelles. We have also found that our iconic brands also help raise the value of the surrounding land. Our innovative city products combine all the iconic elements of our brand and differentiate developers within established, high cost city markets. We have the flexibility and capabilities to adapt our model to various locations so as to maximize returns for the developer. As part of our strategy of enlarging our footprint in China, we will also be launching two more hotels in Shanghai and one in Tianjin, adding to our ever growing presence in various gateway cities. We are also employing our capabilities all across China, where large tracts of land are being developed into gated residences and luxury hotels offered to the Chinese elite. One of Banyan Tree’s prime concerns is its associates. We pride ourselves in providing high levels of service excellence and providing tailor made training and career development programmes for our employees. No stone is left unturned in regards to training and proper introduction before a Banyan Tree is put into operation. Trained to the basic standards of 5 star hotels. Employees were empowered to exercise creativity and sensitivity although the strict administrative rules of the management. Employees were taken to and from work in air-conditioned buses, access to various amenities (good-quality canteens, medical services, childcare facilities). Banyan Tree is one of the world’s biggest and well known spa operators. Our levels of quality and service are unparalleled and uncompromised. We are the only vertically integrated hospitality company with strong capabilities to tackle and anticipate the challenges of master planning and developing an integrated resort. We are able to take a property from inception to delivery with efficiencies that is entirely brand specific. Our  in-house design team, Architrave, and project services team are extremely involved in all phases of the development – master planning, designing, developing and coordinating, to ensure developers a timely delivery of their asset. Being experienced developers, we are able to ensure that efficiencies and economies of scale are maximized along with guest experiences. Bintan, the Maldives and Phuket where the Angsana resort is positioned next to a Banyan Tree resort with shared back of house facilities. This model has allowed us to lower costs without cannibalizing rates, thereby boosting returns for our developers.

Ethical decision making for Procter And Gamble Essay

  Procter & Gamble (PG) is a global investor, a company that is always on top of marketing and reinforcing its brand names as being at the top of the pack. One example of how the company has used social media to reinforce its brand and then offer a short term income play. The creativity in marketing today can be amazing when one uses social networking in combination with brand awareness. And this type of quick thinking and awareness can set a company apart, contributing to sales. Procter and Gamble is a great example of this. P&G has a purpose to keep current on events that happen through the day that could have an impact on its brands. It looks for things that could possibly have a direct attitude upon loyal customers. â€Å"In one instance, for example, the Tide brand came to the rescue after a fiery explosion during the Dayton 500 covered the Speedway with 200 gallons of burning fuel. TV viewers watched track workers using Tide to clean the track during a two-hour delay in the Great American Race. Corporate Governance is the interaction of the management, shareholders and Board of Directors to help ensure that all investors—both shareholders and creditors—are protected against managers acting solely in their own best interest. Corporate Governance consists of laws, policies, procedures and, most importantly, practices that ensure the well-being of the assets of the Company. Corporate Governance is at its highest levels when management acts as if they are long-term investors in the Company.The policies, procedures and practices spelled out in this section demonstrate that Procter & Gamble takes Corporate Governance very seriously. Our management acts as long-term investors of the Company because they, like most Procter & Gamble employees at all levels, are in fact long-term investors. Employees Are Long-Term Investors In 1887, before P&G was even a publicly traded company, William Cooper Procter introduced a profit-sharing program for employees. At the time he said, â€Å"We should let the employees share in the firm’s earnings. That will give them an incentive to increase earnings.† He revised that program in 1903 to have the profit sharing be awarded in the form of actual P&G stock. He reasoned that as employees became stockholders, their economic interests and those of the Company would be bound more closely together. That program still exists today with a large part of each U.S. employee’s retirement consisting of P&G stock. Additionally, virtually all employees own P&G stock or stock rights via various investment programs. Because of that fact, employees’ economic interests are aligned to those of the Company. Further, our Executive Share Ownership Program requires senior executives to own shares of Company stock and/or restricted stock units valued at eight times base salary for the Chief Executive Officer, and five times base salary for the other senior executives. Non-employee directors must own Company stock and/or restricted stock units worth six times their annual cash retainer. These compensation programs help to ensure the alignment of the interests of our senior executives and directors with shareholders. A Foundation of Integrity, Control and Stewardship P&G has a strong history of operating with integrity throughout the Company—at all levels, in all countries, both internally and externally. Our actions and the actions of all our employees are governed by our Purpose, Values and Principles. The basis for every decision we make at P&G can be found in our Purpose, Values and Principles—our PVPs. The clarity and constancy of the Company’s PVPs is the one factor above all others that has driven the Company’s growth over generations. Our commitment to operate responsibly is reflected in the steps we have in place to ensure rigorous financial discipline and Corporate Governance. We have an active, capable and diligent Board of Directors that meets the required standards of independence, with members who understand their role in providing strong Corporate Governance. Our Audit Committee is comprised exclusively of independent directors, with significant financial knowledge and experience. The Audit Committee als o meets regularly in private session with the Company’s independent auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLP. We maintain a strong internal control environment. Our rigorous business process controls include written policies and procedures, segregation of duties and the careful selection and development of employees. The system is designed to provide reasonable assurance that transactions are executed as authorized and  appropriately recorded, that assets are safeguarded and that accounting records are sufficiently reliable to permit the preparation of financial statements conforming in all material respects with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. We monitor these internal controls through an ongoing program of audit self-assessment and internal and external audits. We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed is recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely and accurate manner. Our Disclosur e Committee is comprised of senior-level executives responsible for evaluating disclosure implications of significant business activities and events. We execute financial stewardship by maintaining specific programs and activities to ensure that employees understand their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders. This ongoing effort encompasses financial discipline in strategic and daily business decisions and brings particular focus to maintaining accurate financial reporting and effective controls. In addition, our Global Leadership Council is actively involved in rigorous oversight of the business. We reinforce key employee responsibilities through the Company’s Worldwide Business Conduct, which details management’s and the Board of Directors’ commitment to conduct the Company’s business affairs with high ethical standards. Every employee is required to be trained on the Company’s Worldwide Business Conduct Manual, and every employee is held p ersonally accountable for compliance. Portions of the Worldwide Business Conduct Manual comprise P&G’s Code of Ethics for SEC and New York Stock Exchange Regulatory Purposes, as further described in the Manual. Doing What’s Right P&G’s reputation is earned by our conduct: what we say, what we do, the products we make, the services we provide and the way we act and treat others. As conscientious citizens and employees, we want to do what is right. For P&G, and our global operations, this is the only way to do business. A.2.1.5.1. External reporting on social/ethical issues 100.0% A+ The company provides comprehensive and transparent social/ethical reporting on a regular basis. Coverage: Group-wide coverage (= 100% of employees are  covered by reporting). Comment: The company reports on social/ethical issues in its Sustainability Reports and on its corporate website as well as affiliated websites (www.scienceinthebox.com, www.pgbeautyscience.com). The company provides information on employees (diversity and health & safety data, layoffs/outplacement programs, training, working conditions), product responsibility, as well as on its community involvement and philanthropic initiatives. In addition, P&G re ports on HSE non-compliance and fines. Some issues in the report are covered in-depth (e.g. community initiatives, diversity, training and consumer information). Some issues, however, are only covered in a rather general way (e.g. working conditions). Apart from policies and standards, there is only little information on the company’s supply chain management such as on supplier audits or counseling with regard to social issues. The company’s 2007 sustainability report was prepared using the Global Reporting Initiative’s reporting guidelines. No information is available whether the report has been audited by an external accountant. BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever have battled over many things over the decades, from soap shares to spy scandals. But the latest battleground may be the most surprising and intriguing — a race to show who’s best at saving the world. P&G Global Marketing Officer Jim Stengel P&G Global Marketing Officer Jim Stengel Nothing indicates the growing hold â€Å"ethical marketing† has on the industry better than the concept’s growing embrace by the world’s two biggest spenders. While both have been engaged in such efforts for years, they’re talking about them, and particularly advertising them, like never before. No less than Bill Gates recently mentioned Unilever as a top-of-mind example of a company involved in sustainability efforts in a CNBC interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Unilever also won top honors in global ethical-reputation rankings from PR-monitoring firm Covalence in 2007 and Columbia University’s Botwinick Prize in business ethics, in part for such efforts as Dove’s â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† which aims to reach 5 million girls with self-esteem programs. In fact, the line between doing good and marketing has become blurry enough that Dove’s â€Å"Evolution† viral video had to be yanked from a not-for-profit classification at the last minute to qualify for last year’s Film Grand Prix at Cannes. The same day as Mr. Gates’ interview, P&G indicated it would be communicating about its sustainability efforts — defined to encompass a broad range of community-betterment programs — a much bigger priority in 2008. P&G goes beyond It will be hard to do more communicating than P&G already has done. At least eight P&G brands have active ad campaigns touting environmental or philanthropic efforts, everything from Always and Tampax supporting efforts to keep African girls in school by providing them with free sanitary-protection products to Pantene collecting locks of hair for cancer patients. Two of those efforts already are leading to new-product launches, in the cases of Pantene and Pur water filters, the latter having switched ad agencies in part to advance its cause-related marketing. Though both P&G and Unilever see prospects for substantial gains from such efforts on their bottom lines and for the communities in which they operate, both acknowledge that much of the effort is for internal consumption. Simply put, it’s getting impossible to attract or retain marketers without a solid reputation for ethical marketing. â€Å"We are seeing, particularly with the new generation of young business people and young marketers, that they are only attracted to companies that fit with their own value set,† said Kevin Havelock, president of Unilever U.S. â€Å"And the value set of the new generation is one that says this company must take a positive and global view on the global environment. †¦ The ethical positions we take on brands like Dove, the positions we take on not using models of size zero across any of our brands, the positions we take in terms of adding back to communities †¦ these all underpin an attractive  proposition for marketers.† It’s a similar story at P&G, which has had a fairly long tradition of marketers leaving for philanthropic or religious pursuits. Cause-marketing efforts have â€Å"a big motivational impact,† said P&G Global Marketing Officer Jim Stengel. â€Å"It fires the agencies up, too. †¦ It just feels like you’re playing to a higher-order ideal.† Telling everyone But neither P&G nor Unilever is just preaching to the choir anymore, or even limiting the message to its long-standing public-relations silo. They’re increasingly incorporating their cause marketing into mainstream brand advertising and product assortments. P&G’s Pur has one of the most elaborate cause-marketing efforts — a $20 million program that aims to purify 2 billion liters of water in Africa and save 10,000 lives by 2012. New Age as the program may be, the ads are classic package goods. The Pur water-purification packets make for an amazing product demo. Take the most turbid swamp water imaginable, mix in a sachet of Pur Purifier of Water and strain it through a cloth. Within a minute or so, it produces a pitcher of perfectly clear, drinkable water. The trouble is, the people who need it most have no money. Hence it became one of the cornerstone projects in the company’s global Live, Learn, Thrive philanthropic program, albeit with a commercial twist. P&G has licensed the product to Canada’s Reliance Products for a U.S. launch aimed at campers and disaster-preparedness kits that broke in late February behind a feature in P&G’s March and April Brand Saver newspaper coupon inserts. Saatchi gets in the game Though those ads for the P&G-Reliance effort came from Quigley-Simpson, a Los Angeles direct-response agency, Pur’s shift to a sustainability message played a role in the shift of the brand’s creative account to Omnicom Group’s TBWA/Chiat Day, Playa Del Rey, Calif., from Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles, last year. Saatchi lost Pur, but the agency has definitely not given up on sustainability. In January, Saatchi acquired San Francisco-based consultancy Act Now Productions, headed by former Sierra Club executive turned Wal-Mart consultant Adam Werbach, to form a Saatchi & Saatchi S (for sustainability). The growing interest in sustainability issues from P&G, Unilever, Wal-Mart and others is creating ripples of change throughout marketing services. ARS Group, which for decades has tested TV copy for P&G and others in package-goods, recently formed its own green consulting unit, ARSGreen. What ARS is finding underlines the big reason that sustainability has become so popular with analytical package-goods types: it works — at least sometimes. Green ads in the ARS database do about as well as others on recall and persuasion, said Ashley Grace, president of ARSGreen and head of research and development for ARS Group. Doing about average is actually a testament to sustainability’s selling power, as he sees it. Offering solutions â€Å"In our database, about one out of 50 ads usually has a negative tone,† Mr. Grace said. â€Å"In the green data set, it’s more like 75%.† ARS has found for decades that negative ads — which raise a problem without offering a real solution — usually fare poorly in tests. But negative green ads generally do about average. And green ads that go the extra step of offering tangible solutions can sometimes score exceptionally well. Ashley Grace, president of ARSGreen and head of research and development for ARS Group Ashley Grace, president of ARSGreen and head of research and development for ARS Group While many in the package-goods industry believe sustainability messages resonate with only about 10% to 15% of consumers, ARS research indicates such appeals can sway about two-thirds of people, including 24% in the hard-core health and sustainability segment who rate both personal and environmental health highly. To be sure, copy testing is widely loathed by advertising agencies, particularly creatives. But marketers such as P&G use the results because they correlate with sales results. It’s clear that ethical marketing really can make a difference in people’s lives. For example, since P&G’s Pantene launched its Beautiful Lengths program in 2006 to solicit locks of hair to be woven into wigs for women receiving cancer treatments, it has gotten enough donations to make 3,000 wigs. Compare that to the 2,000 wigs created over 10 years by the previously existing charity in the space, Locks of Love. It doesn’t hurt P&G, of course, that Oprah snipped the locks of Hilary Swank on air for one of those wigs, or that schoolgirls have organized events to collect hundreds of hair donations at once. Oh, and it dovetails nicely with the launch of Pantene Beautiful Lengths shampoo and conditioner later this year to care for those long locks. Mitigating factors Of course, such programs only work if other factors, such as product and pricing, are also right. For example, P&G Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley identified the U.S. Pantene business as the only real problem in the company’s global hair-care portfolio in a January investor conference call, but the share losses date to the brand’s restage last year, not to the launch of Beautiful Lengths a year earlier. Unilever’s Campaign for Real Beauty, while very much alive, last year stopped delivering double-digit sales gains Unilever had seen the first two years of the effort. Dove’s 2007’s new-product lineup didn’t go over as well as prior years (and a price hike on bar soap, not initially reciprocated by P&G and others, didn’t help, either). By whatever name — ethical, sustainable or cause marketing â€Å"is an important secondary factor† for consumers, said Unilever’s Mr. Havelock. â€Å"A great product at the right price is the entry point,† he said. â€Å"Once there, a company or a brand that has a social responsibility position or a sustainability position will then have an edge over other brands.† Of course, in an age of social media, marketing’s good deeds seldom go entirely unpunished, and never unquestioned. Even P&G’s ads about efforts to provide free sanitary protection in Africa to help keep girls from missing school, which broke in December from Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett Co., have prompted lengthy discussions on some blogs criticizing the motives in using giveaways to develop new markets — and generating more waste as a result. â€Å"When you do it in the right way, with the right tone and authenticity, consumers reward us [for these programs],† Mr. Stengel said, citing Pampers’ 20-country, multiyear effort to fight tetanus via Unicef as the P&G program that appears to have had the biggest positive impact on sales and brand equity to date. Such programs work best when owned by the brand, which is why P&G, like Unilever, has generally avoided multi-company efforts such as the Red campaign to fight AIDS or the Susan G. Komen pink-ribbon campaign against breast cancer, instead focusing on efforts linked specifically to their own brands’ equity and function. â€Å"It has to be right for the brand’s voice,† said Mr. Stengel. â€Å"And it has to really work for the business.†

Same Sex Marriage

Same sex marriage is an issue that arises concerns with a lot of people. Some agree, some disagree, and some Just really don't care. I fall under two categories. I disagree, but I really don't care. The reasons being are I stick with God's words. He made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve or Eve and Ava. God also said Judge not for you'll be Judged. I'm not perfect or anywhere near it, so I definitely don't want to be judged. I was going to write on child hunger, but since I have to deal with this in my life now I decided to provide a written document about this subject.One of my family members is involved in a same sex relationship for the past three years. Although I don't agree I still have love for them. Just recently, theyVe decided that they want to be married. That arises and issue with me because although I don't Judge them; I definitely won't be apart of the wedding and celebration. I couldn't see myself condoning a marriage with the vows of God for a couple of the same sex. I do have standards and I do know how to take a stand. I tried to broaden my thoughts and think about it for a moment, but it still wasn't working for me.So, I decided to do a little research and see what's really going on ith the same sex marriages. As I began to obtain information I was stunned about a lot of things. The facts I found out were surprising to me. I learned that the movement to open civil marriage to same-sex couples achieved its first temporary success in 1993 with the decision of the Hawaii Supreme Court that the restriction of marriage to opposite- sex couples would be presumed unconstitutional unless the state could demonstrate that it furthered a compelling state interest.In response to this decision the state constitution was amended to allow the legislature to preserve that restriction. A similar court decision in Alaska in 1998 led to an even stronger constitutional amendment, itself defining marriage as between one man and one woman. In further reaction to the Hawaii case, the federal Defense of Marriage Act 1996 provided that no state would be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, and also defined marriage for federal-law purposes as opposite-sex. The majority of the states also passed their own â€Å"marriage protection acts. In November 2004, eleven more U. S. states amended their constitutions to prohibit same-sex marriage. In Vermont, after that state's Supreme Court held in 1999 that the state must extend to same- sex couples the same benefits that married couples receive, the legislature in 2000 created the status of â€Å"civil union† to fulfill that mandate. Connecticut adopted a similar civil union law in 2005. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to open civil marriage to same- sex couples. Belgium became the second in 2003.In 2002 through 2004, courts in six Canadian provinces held that the opposite-sex definition of marriage was contrary to Canada's Charter of Rights, and in 2005 federal legislation extended same-sex arriage to all of Canada. Same-sex marriage was also legalized in Spain in 2005 , in South Africa in 2006, and in Norway effective in 2009. In November 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that excluding same-sex couples from the benefits of civil marriage violated the state constitution, and in February 2004 2004 Massachusetts became the first state in the United States where same-sex marriage per se is legal.In October 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that same-sex couples were entitled to the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the ivil marriage statutes. The Legislature complied with that decision by enacting a civil union act in December 2006. In May 2008, California became the second state to legalize same-sex marriage when the California Supreme Court held that laws restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples were unconstitutional. Connecticut followed suit in October 2008. In California, the Supreme Court decision was apparently overturned by voter initiative in the November 2008 election. Paul Axel- Lute, â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage† (Rutgers-Newark Law Library, Pathfinder Series, Oct. 1996), http://www-rci. utgers. edu/†axellute/ssm. htm, lists articles, statutes, and cases through 1996. ) These things still did not convince me of anything and I decided I still needed more. I wanted to know why did these people of the same sex wanted to get married when it was causing so much controversy and most of the world don't with it. I Just couldn't understand so I went to the library and got a book by the author of William Eskeridge called, Gay Marriage, For Better or For Worse.That title really rocked me because that was the same thing that I was wondering. Is it for the better or for the worse. In his text he stated that the same-sex marriage debate to take account of the new argument against same-sex marriage, to wit: same-sex marriage in Scandinavia has destro yed the institution in those countries, and left children to be raised without married parents. That alone scares me because I was raised with two parents. (Eskridge, William N. , Gay Marriage: For Better or For Worse? What We've Learned from the Evidence. (Oxford Univ.Press, 2006) If marriage between gays becomes the law of the land, married gay couples will be afforded all the legal benefits that apply to heterosexual married couples, including pousal rights to Social Security, Medicare, private pensions, the right to file Joint tax returns, and the right to inherit each other's property. Many gays say it's about time. Others say that allowing gays to wed is wrong and will be harmful. When you ask about the good of marriage, we used to understand that the good of the thing was implied in its nature and its end.And marriage has to be connected and we'll have a chance to pursue this, but marriage has to be connected to that sense of sexuality imprinted in our natures, in the ineffac eable fact that we are born men or women. The purpose or meaning implicit in that sexuality is the notion of begetting, and for compelling reasons, we've found the prospect of begetting finding its most apt reflection in a framework of lawfulness that provides the ground on which parents are committed to the nurturance of their children for the same that they are committed to one another.When children are involved it makes it even more hectic. The children are being taught wrong and that I definitely don't agree with. The more I try to come to terms with this issue I Just can't seem to find enough of vidence that secures my thoughts and heart to condone this kind of thing. I know some people with disagree with me, but we agree to disagree. As time progresses I do indeed believe that eventually their will be more states and same sex laws that I entitled to my opinion.I Just pray for the children and their well-being. Although some only think of themselves they should take a stand bac k and think of their children. Children are our nest generation and raising them to think things are okay when theyre really wrong scares me to death. Let's Just hope that the kids will make better choices than others. Same sex marriage hasn't yet affected my life, but as time goes on I do think it will be a part of my life. Same Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a term used for a social or legally recognized marriage amid two people of the same gender. Freeman, M. D. A (1999). The most commonly term used in politics and media is Gay marriage. Some crusaders of the same-sex marriage use the name equal- marriage to emphasis that they are looking for equality and not special rights when it comes to marriage between people of the same sex. There are those people who argue that equating opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage will change the entire meaning of marriage and its general traditions (Hull, K. 2006). Moreover they often use the term Homosexual marriage which is regarded to be more stigmatizing than the term gay. There are those people who suggest that the term marriage should be reserved for civil, religious and legal contexts using a standardized concept of civil companionship. This kind of arrangement will reinforce the wall of division between the state and the church by putting a holly institution entirely to the church while placing secular organization under the control of the state. Some opponents and proponents of the same sex-marriage find suggestions of that sort to be unworkable. Whereas there are instances of some societies who recognize same-sex marriages, historical records shows a remarkable diversity of the treatment given to same-sex marriages which range from toleration and sympathy to indifferences and prohibition. Some organizations that are opposed to same-sex marriage often ague that same-sex unions are not marriages (Hull, K. 2006). They also argue that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage legalization of polygamy and that legalizing same-sex marriage will deny children either a father or a mother while at the same time eroding religious freedoms. A research by American Anthropological Association states no proof has been found to show that people need to maintain marriage between people of the opposite sex and that same-sex marriage can make a greater contribution in stabilizing human societies. To add on, there are crusaders of the same-sex marriage who argue that governments should not play any part in regulating individual relationships. While there are those who insist that by allowing same-sex marriages the governments will be promoting collective benefits to same-sex partners. As stated by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill (2004) the debate surrounding same-sex marriage includes debate based on different social viewpoints and debate based upon religious convictions, health-related concerns, economic arguments and a variety of other different issues. We can say that the issue of same-sex marriage was meant to be ever since the creation of the universe and people should try and accept it as it is. We should also try and note that we are a people of one race and those we all hold female and male traits inside us, period. There are those people who are reverse-wired than other people and those who are androgynous. This is factual whether it is left-handedness or right-handedness or someone being right brained or left brained, et cetera. It is true that Love through understanding and tolerance is a most important factor to spiritual growth†¦. or else we stumble in fear-based thinking, selfishness and pure and absolute hate (prejudice) against our fellow women and men. Same Sex Marriage In Why Fear Same-Sex Marriages by William Raspberry, the author begins by presenting the side of Gary Bauer, who is against same-sex marriage. He agrees with Bauer that legalizing it will change 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian teaching, however, the greater question is whether it â€Å"launches us on the path to perdition or merely heralds the shedding of another irrational prejudice† (Raspberry, 2001). Raspberry supports same sex marriage so long as these are directed towards forming monogamous and committed unions. It’s the Final Step in Killing Marriage by Maggie Gallagher points out that it’s not wrong to disagree with same-sex marriages. This is in defense of Rev. Fauntroy who is a civil-rights legend but is against same-sex marriages. The author highlights what the gay movement has done as â€Å"harassment tactics, demonizing those who disagree† (Gallagher, 2001). Gallagher ends the essay with a statement on how these ‘tactics’ have even reached her personal email. Committed Couples Would Stabilize Society by Andrew Sullivan supports same-sex marriages. Sullivan points out that based on research during the first six years when gay marriage was made legal, â€Å"the rate of straight marriages rose 10 percent, and the rate of straight divorces decreased by 12 percent† (Sullivan, 2001). Sullivan believes that these types of marriages will strengthen the bonds of heterosexual marriage since ‘marriage’ finally encompasses all citizens. Personally, I would agree that same-sex marriage should be legalized. But it should be kept in mind that marriage is holy, and that the couples should truly be committed to their union. This goes true for gay as well as heterosexual marriage. With the high divorce rates today, I believe this should be the greater concern for society. The focus should be on strengthening marriages, not preventing or discriminating people from entering into marriage. I agree that legalizing gay marriage would â€Å"heal the psychic wounds that scar so many gay people and their families† (Sullivan, 2001). Same Sex Marriage In Why Fear Same-Sex Marriages by William Raspberry, the author begins by presenting the side of Gary Bauer, who is against same-sex marriage. He agrees with Bauer that legalizing it will change 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian teaching, however, the greater question is whether it â€Å"launches us on the path to perdition or merely heralds the shedding of another irrational prejudice† (Raspberry, 2001). Raspberry supports same sex marriage so long as these are directed towards forming monogamous and committed unions. It’s the Final Step in Killing Marriage by Maggie Gallagher points out that it’s not wrong to disagree with same-sex marriages. This is in defense of Rev. Fauntroy who is a civil-rights legend but is against same-sex marriages. The author highlights what the gay movement has done as â€Å"harassment tactics, demonizing those who disagree† (Gallagher, 2001). Gallagher ends the essay with a statement on how these ‘tactics’ have even reached her personal email. Committed Couples Would Stabilize Society by Andrew Sullivan supports same-sex marriages. Sullivan points out that based on research during the first six years when gay marriage was made legal, â€Å"the rate of straight marriages rose 10 percent, and the rate of straight divorces decreased by 12 percent† (Sullivan, 2001). Sullivan believes that these types of marriages will strengthen the bonds of heterosexual marriage since ‘marriage’ finally encompasses all citizens. Personally, I would agree that same-sex marriage should be legalized. But it should be kept in mind that marriage is holy, and that the couples should truly be committed to their union. This goes true for gay as well as heterosexual marriage. With the high divorce rates today, I believe this should be the greater concern for society. The focus should be on strengthening marriages, not preventing or discriminating people from entering into marriage. I agree that legalizing gay marriage would â€Å"heal the psychic wounds that scar so many gay people and their families† (Sullivan, 2001). Same Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a term used for a social or legally recognized marriage amid two people of the same gender. Freeman, M. D. A (1999). The most commonly term used in politics and media is Gay marriage. Some crusaders of the same-sex marriage use the name equal- marriage to emphasis that they are looking for equality and not special rights when it comes to marriage between people of the same sex. There are those people who argue that equating opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage will change the entire meaning of marriage and its general traditions (Hull, K. 2006). Moreover they often use the term Homosexual marriage which is regarded to be more stigmatizing than the term gay. There are those people who suggest that the term marriage should be reserved for civil, religious and legal contexts using a standardized concept of civil companionship. This kind of arrangement will reinforce the wall of division between the state and the church by putting a holly institution entirely to the church while placing secular organization under the control of the state. Some opponents and proponents of the same sex-marriage find suggestions of that sort to be unworkable. Whereas there are instances of some societies who recognize same-sex marriages, historical records shows a remarkable diversity of the treatment given to same-sex marriages which range from toleration and sympathy to indifferences and prohibition. Some organizations that are opposed to same-sex marriage often ague that same-sex unions are not marriages (Hull, K. 2006). They also argue that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage legalization of polygamy and that legalizing same-sex marriage will deny children either a father or a mother while at the same time eroding religious freedoms. A research by American Anthropological Association states no proof has been found to show that people need to maintain marriage between people of the opposite sex and that same-sex marriage can make a greater contribution in stabilizing human societies. To add on, there are crusaders of the same-sex marriage who argue that governments should not play any part in regulating individual relationships. While there are those who insist that by allowing same-sex marriages the governments will be promoting collective benefits to same-sex partners. As stated by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill (2004) the debate surrounding same-sex marriage includes debate based on different social viewpoints and debate based upon religious convictions, health-related concerns, economic arguments and a variety of other different issues. We can say that the issue of same-sex marriage was meant to be ever since the creation of the universe and people should try and accept it as it is. We should also try and note that we are a people of one race and those we all hold female and male traits inside us, period. There are those people who are reverse-wired than other people and those who are androgynous. This is factual whether it is left-handedness or right-handedness or someone being right brained or left brained, et cetera. It is true that Love through understanding and tolerance is a most important factor to spiritual growth†¦. or else we stumble in fear-based thinking, selfishness and pure and absolute hate (prejudice) against our fellow women and men. Same Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a term used for a social or legally recognized marriage amid two people of the same gender. Freeman, M. D. A (1999). The most commonly term used in politics and media is Gay marriage. Some crusaders of the same-sex marriage use the name equal- marriage to emphasis that they are looking for equality and not special rights when it comes to marriage between people of the same sex. There are those people who argue that equating opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage will change the entire meaning of marriage and its general traditions (Hull, K. 2006). Moreover they often use the term Homosexual marriage which is regarded to be more stigmatizing than the term gay. There are those people who suggest that the term marriage should be reserved for civil, religious and legal contexts using a standardized concept of civil companionship. This kind of arrangement will reinforce the wall of division between the state and the church by putting a holly institution entirely to the church while placing secular organization under the control of the state. Some opponents and proponents of the same sex-marriage find suggestions of that sort to be unworkable. Whereas there are instances of some societies who recognize same-sex marriages, historical records shows a remarkable diversity of the treatment given to same-sex marriages which range from toleration and sympathy to indifferences and prohibition. Some organizations that are opposed to same-sex marriage often ague that same-sex unions are not marriages (Hull, K. 2006). They also argue that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage legalization of polygamy and that legalizing same-sex marriage will deny children either a father or a mother while at the same time eroding religious freedoms. A research by American Anthropological Association states no proof has been found to show that people need to maintain marriage between people of the opposite sex and that same-sex marriage can make a greater contribution in stabilizing human societies. To add on, there are crusaders of the same-sex marriage who argue that governments should not play any part in regulating individual relationships. While there are those who insist that by allowing same-sex marriages the governments will be promoting collective benefits to same-sex partners. As stated by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill (2004) the debate surrounding same-sex marriage includes debate based on different social viewpoints and debate based upon religious convictions, health-related concerns, economic arguments and a variety of other different issues. We can say that the issue of same-sex marriage was meant to be ever since the creation of the universe and people should try and accept it as it is. We should also try and note that we are a people of one race and those we all hold female and male traits inside us, period. There are those people who are reverse-wired than other people and those who are androgynous. This is factual whether it is left-handedness or right-handedness or someone being right brained or left brained, et cetera. It is true that Love through understanding and tolerance is a most important factor to spiritual growth†¦. or else we stumble in fear-based thinking, selfishness and pure and absolute hate (prejudice) against our fellow women and men. Same Sex Marriage In Why Fear Same-Sex Marriages by William Raspberry, the author begins by presenting the side of Gary Bauer, who is against same-sex marriage. He agrees with Bauer that legalizing it will change 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian teaching, however, the greater question is whether it â€Å"launches us on the path to perdition or merely heralds the shedding of another irrational prejudice† (Raspberry, 2001). Raspberry supports same sex marriage so long as these are directed towards forming monogamous and committed unions. It’s the Final Step in Killing Marriage by Maggie Gallagher points out that it’s not wrong to disagree with same-sex marriages. This is in defense of Rev. Fauntroy who is a civil-rights legend but is against same-sex marriages. The author highlights what the gay movement has done as â€Å"harassment tactics, demonizing those who disagree† (Gallagher, 2001). Gallagher ends the essay with a statement on how these ‘tactics’ have even reached her personal email. Committed Couples Would Stabilize Society by Andrew Sullivan supports same-sex marriages. Sullivan points out that based on research during the first six years when gay marriage was made legal, â€Å"the rate of straight marriages rose 10 percent, and the rate of straight divorces decreased by 12 percent† (Sullivan, 2001). Sullivan believes that these types of marriages will strengthen the bonds of heterosexual marriage since ‘marriage’ finally encompasses all citizens. Personally, I would agree that same-sex marriage should be legalized. But it should be kept in mind that marriage is holy, and that the couples should truly be committed to their union. This goes true for gay as well as heterosexual marriage. With the high divorce rates today, I believe this should be the greater concern for society. The focus should be on strengthening marriages, not preventing or discriminating people from entering into marriage. I agree that legalizing gay marriage would â€Å"heal the psychic wounds that scar so many gay people and their families† (Sullivan, 2001).

Annual Report- Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Annual Report- Starbucks - Essay Example The financial performance of the company during the first quarter of the current year speaks for itself. The consolidated net revenues increased to $2.7 billion, representing an increase of 4% over the previous period. Store sales increased by 4% both due to increased traffic and higher average ticket. Consolidated operating margin improved by 850 basis points to 13%. Earnings per share have registered an impressive rise of nearly 250% and stood at $0.32 in 2010 as compared to $0.09 for the comparative period in 2009. The improved performance is the result of the enthusiastic response to our products and services by our customers. Our continuing efforts at innovation, and success in providing our customers with enhanced experiences, along with cost reduction measures, have contributed to the better performance. As we continue to direct our efforts in these areas, we are confident of being able to maintain the momentum of growth that we have achieved. To consolidate the gains made by us in the previous year, and to sustain and improve on our growth, we are adopting a strategy of structural changes that is expected to improve performance through a new and powerful regional support model. In addition to making changes to our approach in established markets, we are also expanding in emerging markets, particularly China, which we foresee as our largest market outside the United States. In keeping with our mission of being more than passionate purveyors of coffee, we continue to concentrate on providing a rewarding overall experience to our customers. In this effort, we continue to be guided by our values such as respect for the individual, promoting diversity, and adherence to the highest ethical standards in all our operations. As we march ahead with the confidence generated by the success of our innovative approaches in the year just gone by, and the enthusiastic response of our

Human relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human relation - Essay Example In doing so, three factors have to be considered. These are: the effectiveness of Personal Communication, Communication in the work Place, and Getting along with your manager, coworker, and customers. How do these factors affect me in my personal environment and workplace? First let us have a definition of human relations. Dictionary meaning of the term defines it as â€Å"the study of group behavior for the purpose of improving interpersonal relationships, as among employees. It is further defined as â€Å"the skill or ability to work effectively through and with other people† (Lamberton, chap. 01, p.4). A separate description that I find more suitable states that human relations â€Å"includes all interactions with people whether it is conflict, cooperative effort or group relationships†. In a broader sense it is the study of why, beliefs, and attitudes that cause a strain in work-related relationship. So in the end, it emphasizes not only analysis of behavior, but provides strategies for prevention, resolution of the problems and self development (College. HMCO , 2008, ch. 01, p. 3, pdf) Several authors and studies point to factors that affect human relations in business. Lamberton, (chap.01, p.16 ) in his study, argued that human relations has two goals: one is for personal development and growth; and the other is for the accomplishment of the organization’s goals and objectives. In order to achieve these goals, the three areas of major importance in human relations that has to be understood are Personal Communication Effectiveness, Communication is described as an important element of human relations because it is the process of transferring of information from one person to another (Skills you need, 2014) . Although the definition may seem to be simple, I argue that communication process is the core of the functions of management since it transfers ideas, thoughts, and feelings from one to another. So therefore, communications

Joe Breen's Personal Propaganda Machine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Joe Breen's Personal Propaganda Machine - Essay Example in Espar). In 1934, Hays was joined by Joe Breen, a strict Catholic moralist, and assigned to run the Production Code Administration (PCA). Today's movie codes grew out of these early efforts to classify and render movies safe for children and general public consumption. But was this an effort to make our movie houses safe for women and children Or was there something more sinister than a few obscenities at work In fact, Hays cared little about keeping pornography away from children. His self-serving interest had been to keep the government away from the movies. His misguided attempts would backfire years later as the PCA would evolve into the center of cultural warfare. The Legion of Decency, headed by Breen, joined alliances with Hays, not to regulate morality, but to create an agency who's purpose was to control society, further their personal political ideals, and shape the mind of America. There is little room for controversy over the need to protect our children from the vast array of products and influences available today. There are good reasons why alcohol, tobacco, and pornography are well regulated by society and kept from the hands of children, and it is nothing new. Censorship has existed in every society since the Athenians arrested Socrates for "... corrupting the children and offending the Gods" (Riley 4). Yes, the world has censorship and censorship is here to stay. In fact, without the modern movie code system of PG, PG-13, and XXX that was spawned by the PCA, it would be impossible for responsible parents to adequately screen the volume of content available today. In spite of the problems within the PCA, the Codes have turned out to be a workable solution to a very complex problem. However, there is a wise old adage that says, "The good is found in the intentions, but the bad is in the unintended consequences". In the case of the PCA, it may be exactly t he opposite. The PCA may have resulted in good consequences, in spite of the worst of intentions. Peering 75 years into the past to measure the intentions of men long passed is not an easy task. Yet, we can examine the things they said and the things they did. We can read their quotes and read their writings. We can evaluate what was cut out, what was left in, and try to see if there is a common thread that runs throughout that might re-stitch the fabric of their thoughts. Putting this information in context with the cultural and social setting of the time, the depression, the looming war, bigotry, and racism can give us a glimpse inside the mind of the PCA. The original PCA codes were adopted from the Catholic Movie Code and were very specific as to what they deemed a transgression. In part they stated that a film could never "...lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrong-doing, evil or sin"(Heins). What was considered wrong-doing, evil, and sin varied far and wide and was almost always at the mercy of Breen's interpretation. Semi nudity, lustful kissing, and sexual innuendo were all forbidden. Brutality, drinking, bathrooms, double beds, extra-marital affairs, and other transgressions of Catholic Doctrine have all fallen victim to the censor's ax at one time or another. Yet, the PCA went further to dictate that, "Government and

What do we see How visual contribute to the participation in the Essay

What do we see How visual contribute to the participation in the culture - Essay Example It is mostly seen that some advertisement do have striking visual images and mostly lack substance.(Mitchell ,12-24) â€Å"More advertisements contain visual elements, and many advertisements provide little product attribute information†. The advertisement is containing a very catchy phrase which makes the audience think deeply as well as ponders about the quality of the product. It attempts to create a spark in the minds of the viewer as to the subtle meaning hidden in the ad. The ad is very appealing with the bright green leaves of mint as fresh as a morning dew as the main focus point. The brand is trying to persuade the soul of a person and keep them attracted to the product which is portrayed natural and fresh. It is very important for an advertisement to capture the minds of viewers visually and verbally. Ad from the point of view of audience From the point of view of audience the ad is very spontaneously appealing as the concept is directed to the freshness and subtle b eauty of the nature. There is a lot of serenity which comes along with this ad and this takes the audience to a world of health and freshness. The persuasive technique of the ad is very commendable as the main theme of the ad is nature. The graphic is soothing and simple and gives a wholesome and graceful look to the ad. Any ad to be effective needs to look upon the uses and gratification it gives away to the audience. As per (Blumler)â€Å" Uses and gratification is the optimist’s view of the media. and the media can have an unconscience influence over our lives and how we view the world.   The idea that we simply use the media to satisfy a given need does not seem to fully recognize the power of the media in today’s society†. The gratification aspect of this ad is very over powering, natural and subtle. The viewer gets an immense touch of nature while viewing this ad and understands that the product is completely natural, wholesome and refreshing. The use of ad is to satisfy the appetite of the consumer in an eco –friendly way. For the same reason, the brand has used the theme of nature by portraying fresh mint leaves.Poeople always go for products which are organic and healthy and nothing can be more appealing than mint. Its bright green color with its refreshing nature grabs the attention of the readers. msk209@hotmail.com msk209@hotmail.com Visual culture and its impact on viewers of the ad Culture is the traditions, values and beliefs followed by a community or group of people when it comes to visual culture it is the images and sign we come across in every day life and the influence our culture place have on us. According to our culture or belief certain images in an advertisement can persuade us significantly to buy them. Advertisement for food products like ice cream needs to come with unique visual effects. While observing the ads for ice creams it can be seen that the flavor of the ice cream is always the conveyed to th e viewer in an amazing way. As this ad is about ice cream which is mint flavored a mint twig is the main point of visual encounter here. There is also a phrase beneath the primary focus which is very poetic and heart feeling. Since the world is nowadays very health conscious and eco – friendly a depiction of natural object brings in lot of customer confidence and loyalty to product. Visuals penetrating the environment Visual effects play an important role in the advertisement field.

Ethical Integrity in a Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethical Integrity in a Business - Research Paper Example St. Augustine, a medieval philosopher, based his concept of ethics on religious injunctions. He argued that persons should have compassion expressed in a Golden Rule: do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Hosmer, 1994). Modern philosophers such as Hobbes and Locke assailed that compassion is an ideal virtue in a world that is competing on resources and on political posts; people compete and take advantages (Hosmer, 1994). Thus, Locke and Hobbes proposed that people ought to moderate themselves from competition; maintain societal peace and to abide on laws (Hosmer, 1994). Bentham and Mill, proponents of utilitarianism, contend that business ethics is possible if people abide to fundamental rules and if those who are serving in the central government are bereft of self-interests (Hosmer, 1994). Both also proposed that there should be a measure on government laws and to evaluate the justice in all actions (Hosmer, 1994). Thus, an act is good if it’s helpful to the greatest number of persons benefitted. Kant, on the other hand, contended that there is universal rule and such must be free from decision-makers’ interests. Kant proposed that ethics must forbid any action one is unwilling to see from others if on similar situation, one would be encouraged to take (Hosmer, 1994). This is further elucidated by modern philosophers, Rousseau and Jefferson, who postulated that removing self-interest is impossible thus, civil rights are necessary to protect persons from arbitrary actions and to guarantee them freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and the like (Hosmer, 1994). It also protects civilians’ properties and liberties, following due process. Moreover, Rawls argued that ethics is based on distributive justice. He advocated for equitable distribution of wealth and services, especially for the disadvantaged in the communities (Hosmer, 1994). Rawls posit that this is possible through social contract. Nozick’s argued that liberty is the bulwark of what is morally upright. Liberty allows freedom from constraints, from laws and market. Under the concept of Social Contract, Nozick argued that no one should be allowed to interfere with the rights of others for self-development and fulfillment (Hosmer, 1994). Larue (1987) perceived that ethical issues relating to business management are most discussed as a relevant matter in human resource management. Hosmer (1987) posited that ethical issues are foremost considered when workers experienced being harmed or at a loss especially when the company undertakes restructuring or closure. Such add to common transactional details on legal and financial matters where ethical imperatives are sought to resolve an ethical dilemma that would considerably be right, proper, and just (Hosmer, 1987). Thus, it’s wise to integrate management’s moral obligation and ethics in strategic planning as part of corporate responsibility (Hosmer, 1994). This is essential to create an environment of trust and commitment among company’s stakeholders to ensure business leverage in the market and its economy (Homer, 1994). He cited that managers whose general

Current Job Problem in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Current Job Problem in US - Essay Example Revenue in the middle earnings range for most Americans citizen has declined for more than 20 years. Manufacturing employments are moving offshore.   Internationally, the set of supplies and services that is tradable is increasing, but the United States and other developed countries are not contending productively for an enough share of the tradable field. Some 5.9 million US employees have been out of employment for over twenty seven weeks or more. Economists approximate that one million people lost all federal joblessness advantages last year after being incapable to find employment for 99 weeks. Almost two million citizens total are amongst this group of 99ers. The portion of employment age people who are in employment is 57.6 %, the lowest level ever since 1983. This denotes that the transformative result of women inflowing in the manual labor force over the previous three decades has been completely offset by the overwhelming increase in joblessness. The job population fractio n for men is at its lowest level. In another era, such circumstances would have been treated as a national shame, and the political organization would have felt some compulsion to take administration action. On January 11, 1944, as the United States of America was packaging up the war in Europe, Franklin D. Roosevelt (2010) gave a lecture to parliament, in which he announced that the political rights assured in the American Constitution had showed insufficient, needing a financial bill of rights. Roosevelt’s (2010) suggestion was dead on arrival. American free enterprise proved incompetent of eliminating poverty and joblessness, even in rumble years of the postwar era. For decades after that, American leaders and politicians gave lip service to the perception of full employment as a basic objective of domestic strategy. Joblessness insurance was brought in some states in 1932 and extended all through the country in the 1930s, in response to the Great Depression. These efforts were part of a common program of social improvement determined in no small part by fear in the ruling group of social turmoil and revolt. Roosevelt himself was talking only a few years after the Russian revolt. The American policy is directed towards eliminating the remains of the postwar era reforms, as well as joblessness advantages. The political organization has deserted even the vaguest suggestion that people have the right to a job. The actual problem in the United States right now is employment: not just obstinately high joblessness, but a bigger crisis described recently in a considerate article by Andy Grove, the longtime C.E.O. of Intel. He argued that manufacturing is fading in the United States, a tendency that must be upturned (Andy 56). There is little uncertainty that America’s societal contract is beginning to break. It had on one side an open, supple economy, and on the other the guarantee of jobs and rising earnings for the aggravated and hard-working. It i s the second fraction that is disentanglement. The unemployment consequences of these tendencies over the past fifteen years have been followed by surplus consumption and the overdevelopment of fields such as economics and property, health care and administration. These sectors are now set to shrivel, as international companies develop where they have access to high development up-and-coming marketplaces in Asia and Latin America. Such businesses will relocate their

Personal Finance Case- develop a solution a road map advice for the Case Study

Personal Finance - develop a solution a road map advice for the families - Case Study Example Their credit card debt is an indication that Bruce and Faith are living beyond their means. This is supported by the fact that they do not have any cash savings with them. It is important for this couple to save at least ten percent of their earnings and hold it in liquid cash so that it can cover any emergencies since their assets cannot be easily liquidated. Bruce and Faith should consider travelling to shorter destinations and drop their plans for a new car that they are to planning to buy. This will assist them save money to pay their mortgage and meet the expenses that come as a result of late parenthood. They can also consider cutting their expenditure for their daughter’s wedding by half and use that money to increase their bank savings. This will increase their net worth. The couple should also consider using both their employer’s health covers, take up disability insurance cover and have a retirement account. This will reduce their taxable income. If the couple gets the one hundred and fifty thousand dollar inheritance from Faith’s father, they should use it to clear their mortgage and other debts. The remaining amount should be put in long term investment to increase their net worth. An overview of Peggy Brie’s case shows that though widowed at an age that is eight years below the average widow age, she can meet her financial obligations without too much struggle. Her strategy should be to use the amounts from her husband’s life insurance policy, IRA and inheritance to clear her debts. This will result in an increased disposable income for her as almost half of her salary goes to paying debts. If she manages to do this, then her worries about how to maintain her house will be over as she will be able to live comfortably with her children. Brie should go ahead and use her husband’s life insurance policy funds to pay for her mortgages so that she can be able to use

Rise and fall of American labor unions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Rise and fall of American labor unions - Essay Example This kind of project is non-routine work that is not done regularly. A project has duration. Example, the project of basketball construction has duration of two months. Project needs Resources. Project needs, men, materials, time and money to finish the basketball court. Resources are scarce. So, if the organization wants to finish the project, they have to make a budget estimate within which to finish the work. 1.2. Planning and organization. The purpose of planning is to determine the best possible way of achieving specified objective within the specified period of time and costs. It is a technique that aims at maximum utilization of resources. Every person, organization or a government entity has plans. For example, Martha has plans to build a house, the neighborhood plans to build a club house, and the government plans to build a connecting highway. In all of these plans, the elements of project management are important. These are planning, scheduling, implementation, control and monitoring. These are easily done with small projects, but gets difficult and complex when it comes to big projects like government projects. A basketball court construction is simpler in details than a government road project. 1.4 Project appraisal and financing Financing is the significant link between the project and implementation because no matter how good or feasible the project in terms of technical and economics, it cannot work without money. The problem concerns of the project is not only measuring the financial needs but to be assured of financing, where and when needed. This usually entails a loan proposal, and identifying sources of financing. The proponent or organization could resort to borrowings from banks or institutions for private entity; or if it is a government project, funds may come from general appropriations, grants or loan from government banks or rely on foreign loans. In our example, funds for the purpose may come from donations. 1.5 Project life cycle A project has a life cycle. It starts with the conception stage. It is the time when the idea started. Next is the design stage – this is where designs of the project area are presented; usually a committee appraises the appropriateness of the design. Then we have implementation – this is the time of actual work; and the commissioning stage that marks end of project. Going back to project, idea came from the Youth Association, and the design could come from another group who will design, next is a group that finances and implements the project. Last stage is the ending of the project or turn over. 1.6 Organizational workflow, staffing processes and project planning elements Workflow is defined as a sequence of steps that consists of work process involving two or more persons that adds value to the organization’s activities.2 Workflow has two processes, the sequential and parallel work flow. The former is dependent on the occurrence of the previous steps, while th e latter allows two or more steps concurrently. Staffing process. A project requires manpower, and for this purpose, there is a need to establish manpower inventory. First step to staffing is to plan for a manpower inventory in order to match manpower requirements and demand3. Afterwards, other processes follow like recruitment, selection, orientation and placement; and remuneration. A short project does not necessarily involve promotion and

Euthanasia Essay Example for Free

Euthanasia Essay Euthanasia is challenging moral, ethic, and religious values. There are some groups of people who favor the right to die; even the state of Oregon has statutes such as the right-to-die or death-with-dignity. The purpose of these groups is to achieve nationwide recognition of the right to die with dignity. Other groups, such as the Hemlock Society, believe that in justified cases (terminally ill) there is an obligation to help, if asked, a dying person to end his of her life. At the present this is against the law nd the Hemlock Society wants to see this rule modified so that a doctor may help without fear of prosecution (Berger and Berger 162). On the other hand, religious groups are horrified by this idea. For example, the Catholic tradition sees death as a negativity and not as something one has a right to. In this tradition, spiritual death in which human being rejects the offer of Gods self-disclosure and cuts himself or herself off from the source of supernatural life, is worse than physical death. Thus, to directly take the life of a person is not only wrong because of the harm done to the other party, but, for Catholics, it is also rong because it is an act of appropriating to oneself an activity reserved to God alone (Berger and Berger 14). There is no need for euthanasia. God gave life and only God should resolve when life ends. In the article Active and Passive Euthanasia, Rachels describes the situation of a patient who is dying of incurable cancer of the throat. He was certain to die within a few days, but he did not wanted to go on living for those days, since the pain was unbearable. So, he asked the doctor to put an end to it (Rachels 485). Life is sacred, and this illustration provides a clear denial for the physical pain and not for the ife itself. Therefore, if there were methods to alleviate the pain caused by any disease, fewer patients would opt for euthanasia. Indeed, no one (doctor, patient, family) would have to attribute to him of herself a decision reserved only for God. Life is a gift from God, and euthanasia represents a crime against God. Another objection to euthanasia is the fact that physicians may not be completely assured that a patient is dying. There are practitioners who contend that no one really knows when death is inevitable(Frank J. Ayd, Jr. qtd in Larue 9). Sidney Hook is n example of this fact. He was a stricken patient who suffered from congestive heart failure. While in the hospital, Hook experienced violent and painful hiccups for several days. His left side and one of his vocal cords became paralyzed. The physician who was assisting Hook did not know if Hooks case was incurable. For this reason, at Hooks request he refused to discontinue all life supporting services. Miraculously enough, a month later Sidney Hook was discharged form the hospital (Hook 483). He survived what many people believe to be an irreversible coma. Euthanasia is unnecessary. In addition, doctors are, as well as patients, human beings with feelings and emotions. The purpose of their professional career is to assist and cure the ill. They have been prepared to save not to kill. Adopting euthanasia as part of their medical practice would contradict with the purpose of their existence, as doctors. Medical practitioners are not prepared to deal with some of the psychosocial dimensions of dying and death. Their training has prepared them as rescuers form illness and pain, and physicians may see themselves as archrivals of death (Larue 11). Legalizing euthanasia could lead to involuntary euthanasia. And, because this practice can be performed without the patients knowledge, newborn infants with defects, comatose people, and senile aged, to mention some, could eventually be killed as the terminally ill. As Marcia Angell explain in her essay, The Supreme Court and Physician- Assisted Suicide-The Ultimate Right, although it is possible that we may someday decide to legalize voluntary euthanasia under certain circumstances or assisted suicide for patients who are terminally ill, legalizing assisted suicide for the dying does not in itself make these other decisions nevitable (Angell 504). Thus, euthanasia should not be legalized in this country. More over, depressed patients would have the option to request euthanasia. And, they will since depression is a state of mind that renders people unable to think rationally. As Marcia Angell states, depressed patients would seek physician-assisted suicide rather than help for their depression (The Supreme Court and Physician-Assisted Suicide-The Ultimate Right 505). Depression is a treatable problem and does not count as an irreversible suffering. People in such conditions usually feel nwanted. They do not see a reason why they should continue on with their lives. However, these people are in great need of love. They do not need euthanasia as an option. Contemporary advances in medical technology have made possible the prolongation of life. Indeed, it has contributed to the inability for Americans to accept death. Americans have developed a paradoxical relationship with death-we know more about the causes and conditions surrounding death, but we have not equipped ourselves emotionally to cope with dying and death (Dickinson and Leming13). Nevertheless, illness and disability at advanced age have created the possibility for the act of painlessly ending the life of a person. Groups of people who support euthanasia believe that it is the quality of life that should influence the decision and that death may be preferable to a severely impaired life (Rottenberg 481). However, life is sacred, and no matter how severely disable the patient may be, no human being can arrogate to him- or herself a decision reserved for God (Rottenberg 481). Doctors are not totally convinced of when a patient is dying. They may misdiagnose the ailment such as Sidney Hook who survived from a presumed to be irreversible coma. Depressed patients would have the option to request physician-assisted suicide instead of help for their depression. Even in the terminally ill, a request for assisted suicide might signify treatable depression, not irreversible suffering (Angell 505). More over, euthanasia would create a moral slippery slope. It is impossible to avoid slippery slopes in medicine (or in any aspect of life) (Angell 504). For these reasons euthanasia should not be legalized in this country.

Compare and Contrast the different quality philosophy, systems and approaches

Compare and Contrast the different quality philosophy, systems and approaches The various quality approaches and systems are the Deming philosophy, the Juran approach, the Crosby system, six sigma and other approaches. These are the various philosophies that are available to an operations manager in assessing the quality and suitability of systems in an organization that can be applied for increasing efficiency and gains .The various quality approaches are briefly explained as under: Deming Philosophy: Based in improving the products and services by reducing uncertainty and variability in the design and manufacturing processes. Variation is considered the only reason for poor quality. Variations in parts of pieces in manufacturing leads to wear and premature failure. Better quality leads to less rework, fewer delays and better use of factor inputs. It includes profound knowledge consisting of four stages -appreciation for a system, some knowledge of theory of variation, theory of knowledge and psychology. Based on these four aspects Deming had devised 14 points of quality management. (Chambers, Johnston, Slack, 2007) Juran philosophy: The Juran philosophy is based upon the companys current strategic planning and minimum risk in rejections. He states in his quality management program that different employees at different levels of the organization hold different factors as priority top management holds money as important and speaks in money terms, workers hold things as important and mid management holds both the things and money as important and can speak for in money as well as things terms. His method of quality management focuses on the interdependencies of functions of manufacturing, process control, testing and feedbacks and that the quality system needs to be continuous and never ending. The three aspects of quality called quality trilogy are important -quality planning, quality control and quality improvement. (Greasley, 2007) Crosby philosophy: Crosby philosophy on quality management is based upon the absolutes of quality management and basic elements of improvement .The absolutes of quality management are: quality is conformance to requirements not elegance, there is no such thing as a quality problem, no such thing as economics of quality, the only performance measure is cost of quality, the only performance standard is zero defects , and the basic elements of improvement include determination, education and implementation. Six Sigma: It is a quality improvement approach which is a statistical tool and stands for the six standard deviations from the mean .It provides the techniques and tools for improving capability and reducing defects in the industry. Benchmarking: It is a process of measurement of internal processes and then the identification, understanding and adaptation of outstanding practices from the best companies in the industry. ISO 9000:US based quality standards called the Q9000-1994 series were recognized by about 100 countries and also by Japan .These standards were to define quality system that guide a companys performance of specified requirements in areas of design, development, production, installation and service. Continuous improvement: implies that the organization and its efforts are directed in a incremental and breakthrough improvement which is continuous at the sametime. These activities should be a part of daily regular part of daily work, seek to eliminate problems at their source and be driven by opportunities to do better and rectify problems that are needed to be corrected. (Krajewski, Malhotra, Ritzman, 2006) Thus when the regular cycles of planning, execution and evaluation are being conducted a quantifiable measure of continuous improvement needs to be assessed. Kaizen system: It is a system for quality improvement from internal sources and within the firm rather than from outside sources. It means in Japanese change for better. It is also continuous and ongoing improvement. TQM: Total quality management is a description of the culture, attitude and organization of the company that requires quality in all aspects of the operations with things being done right the first time and defects eliminated or eradicated from operations completely. Comparison and Contrast: The various quality philosophies and approaches determine quality to be achieved by the organization in respect of various aspects of quality in an organization and not necessarily dependent on any one approach or philosophy. The philosophy of Deming is a 14 point programme for evaluating and implementing quality and philosophy of Juran emphasizes the importance of quality training for reduction in failure costs, higher productivity and emphasizes data collection and analysis. Whereas the Crosby philosophy implies the behavioral aspects in quality, more emphasis is on management processes for changing culture and attitudes than relying on statistical techniques. But it does not provide finer details on quality management and bases itself on management thinking instead. Thus Crosby approach is more easily fit into the company and does not have implementation problems faced in implementing Deming philosophy but it has issues of being not acceptable worldwide or being that popular. Many issues exist in being able to interpret what ISO 9000 exactly is and its definition whereas few others suggest that its usefulness is questionable considering the high implementation costs in many small and medium sized companies. Although it is being implemented in successful companies by majority and is hugely popular measure/approach. (Shim et al., 1999) In Kaizen approach the human processes are important, processes evolve by gradual changes; improvement is based on statistical and quantitative performance measurement, requires trust between managers and employees. In Six Sigma approach the process of measuring variation is important .It is a statistical tool, quite effective and hugely popular. Benchmarking as a quality approach is a one off exercise not necessarily continuous helps the organization strategically and is outward looking into the industry and market the company serves. Continuous improvement is a learning paradigm which involves learning enhancement by continuous changes in the organization. TQM is an integrated approach to quality, with total resource deployment and no exceptions to quality as a standard. Thus in contrast whereas one of the approaches is a statistical tool other approaches are basic principles on effective management and whereby they take advantage in being specific and distinct from the others at the sametime they lose more on grounds of effectiveness .But many of such approaches do implement successful quality improvements in organizations leading to becoming more popular. For example six sigma was applied in Motorola, benchmarking was started by Xerox etc. (Reid Sanders, 2004) Whereas the kaizen approach involves greater trust from managers and employees alike the stress from TQM is on integration and involvement .On the other hand the continuous improvement is a management paradigm for continuously implementing changes the benchmarking is a standalone exercise in quality assessment and improvement. Thus similar comparisons can be drawn from the quality approaches and philosophies and further analysis can be made. Analyze the differences and evaluate the impact of these differences on innovation, change and competitiveness. The differences of various quality approaches and philosophies indicate that the quality can be measurable from various standpoints and tools of statistics, from various aspects of processes in organization, from output and inputs and from productivity of factor inputs .There is a wide manner of employing quality in an organization and many concepts in management can be applicable here. The most important differences are in being either traditional method, in being a one off measure, an integrated approach, statistical tool, based on manager relations and trust, continuous change and a standard acceptable by the authorities. The impact of these differences on change, innovation and competitiveness can be gauged from various standpoints. The impacts for various change management techniques can be assessed and Realized on these aspects as enumerated below: (Schroeder, 2005) The impact on change of the differences among the quality approaches and philosophies: Change The change in an organization due to quality approaches is evident from the fact that without continuous change and improvement the quality programme would be rendered ineffective. The quality programmes are initiated and lead to changes in organization because of following reasons: I. The change in customer perceptions is ongoing and therefore when an organization accepts the product design and development the first year the changes in preference and buying behavior the next year might suggest that there would indeed be more than the demand for the specific product or service. Therefore the change in demand pattern requires that the company be involved in redesigning of the product afresh and this is costly and time consuming. Hence due to changes in customer perceptions the changes in product design from quality perspective becomes apparent .The various approaches and their differences impact the assurance and reliability of specific approaches for quality programme selection in that the benchmarking approach which is one off is reliable since it can be initiated in few days and can be carried out any time of the year. An integrated approach like TQM on the other hand can address most of changes in demand by being able to be integrated from before the percepti ons of consumer start changing. Kaizen can be applicable but trust and interpersonal relations effectiveness cannot be built in a year and therefore the quality programme and its impact on change in organizations effectiveness might lead to further issues .The statistical tool of Six Sigma is a healthier alternative by being cost effective and easy to implement although both six sigma and ISO 9000 have problems in being interpreted and understood properly. (Schroeder, 1993) II Competition is continuous in the environment or market place implying that for the organization to keep ahead it needs to change implement continuously .Although the market is dynamic the organization faces constraints in time and cost .The impact of various quality programmes is effective for few approaches only like the approach of TQM which is integrative of all the factors in management and organization ,also the approach of Crosby is effective since it is based on the quality standards and thinking style which needs to be effective for management thinking in an organization facing highly competitive market. The approach of Deming and Juran impact if applied only when the organization is ready to implement such programmes due to their traditional nature and the impact takes longer time to predict as both the philosophies have implementation problems. The approach of six sigma, continuous improvement is more applicable and worthwhile when the change becomes highly impacted in s hort period of time and in lesser costs than for other approaches. (Stevenson, 2001) III The change in organizations is also impacted specifically when it is acknowledged that the change in systems and processes however sensibly designed would become obsolete after a time period and the complicacy involved adds to further changes being impacted. The philosophy of Juran and Crosby if implemented have lesser impacts since by then a change managed mindset has evolved as also in TQM and continuous improvement approaches. Whereas for implementing the Deming programme in quality the implementation and successful change management might take few years but once set there could be huge successes .The processes and management thinking if are accepting six sigma and ISO9000 standards then the quality philosophy would impact greatly the change in the structure, processes, culture of the organization and bring simplified answers to complex measurement and qualitative aspects. Competitiveness The differences in philosophies also impact greatly the competitiveness of the organization in different ways .The various philosophies and their impact on the organization with regard to competitiveness is in the following ways: Cost reduction :The Deming, Juran and Crosby approaches imply greater reduction in costs and lead to higher cost efficiencies and scale of operations if applied for few years and having overcome the initial implementation issues. The continuous improvement, Six sigma and ISO9000 standards of quality also improve the effectiveness in costs if applied and interpreted correctly .The kaizen philosophy does not indicate costs reduction that easily since it takes time for trust and long term effectiveness to materialize .The benchmarking process indicates the slack areas pretty quickly and if applied continuously the results can be successful in bringing more competitiveness. Productivity :Out of the given approaches the Crosby and Juran approach lead to greater increase in productivity than the Deming philosophy in short term only whereas the continuous improvement philosophy implies that the competitiveness increases in much lesser time duration and lesser costs .Six sigma and ISO9000 would tend to be better in estimating the level of competitiveness and productivity for the organization .The benchmarking and Continuous improvement approach are also highly recommended for enhancing the productivity and competitiveness in the company. Kaizen philosophy has more than required impact on enhancing competitiveness and productivity as it involves each and every manager and as well as employee. Differentiation: The effect of these quality approaches on product design differentiation is more marked .The product can be classified as custom, option oriented and standard in designs. The design differentiation is applicable for Juran and Crosby philosophy which indicate better results when their impact on implementation for changing custom and option oriented product designs are better than the standard products. Also the Continuous improvement, Kaizen and benchmarking are highly effective in determining the best changes in design for the market is ever changing and the competitiveness based on differentiation strategy could be the marked presence for competing companies. The six sigma and ISO9000 can deliver better if they are combined with a strategic perspective rather being utilized in a standalone environment. Innovation The competitiveness and increase in number of industries competing for market share has increased in the past decade. This has been leading the companies fighting in the market place scenario for developing innovative products and inventions through rigorous research and development programs .The innovations and inventions enhance credibility in a fast changing environment .The philosophy of Juran and Crosby are highly effective whereas Deming philosophy takes time to implement .The six sigma and ISO 9000 have been highly appreciated as being successful programs in delivering innovations and building needs for greater enhancement in quality from new products and services. Whereas the Kaizen philosophy has impacted innovations to a great extent yet the problem of long term applicability from human relations perspective has lessened its applicability. The continuous improvement and benchmarking have found to be effective in developing the new products directly rather than approaching i ssue from other standpoints. (Stevenson, 2008) Recommend actions that organizations might take to improve its existing quality approach with respect to their impact on innovation, change and competitiveness, and identify any areas that need further analysis. The various approaches and quality programmes have been able to deliver their impact on change, competitiveness and innovation .The Company and organizations ability to enhance the quality is stemming from the various issues and situations that the company would necessarily be facing in the real time. Thus for the company and organization to evaluate the different approaches impact and selecting the right combination of strategies would be important. The varied approaches and scenarios would then be based upon following factors: culture, life cycle study of organization, size of organization, money budget, Time period for implementation. Quality programme will be implemented that best suites the organization and its level of management culture and involvement. Thus the Kaizen philosophy which is highly cost effective and has a thinking style would be appreciated if it is applied in an organization which is small to medium size, with sensible budget, has time for evaluating quality responses internally, has an independent and welcoming culture .The programme for Deming philosophy would be best applicable in a large organization with higher budget, greater requirement for innovations and change management and greater time for application .If the culture is appreciable then the quality programme would also be greatly and easily applicable. The benchmarking can be effective along with continuous improvement in the organizations where budgets are limited, highly competitive environment and change is crucial for survival. The Juran and Crosby philosophies are applicable for those companies and organizations where the need for implementing change as cultural factor is important, which have bigger budgets with medium time and conflicts in culture are more marked. The approach of ISO9000 and six sigma are also applicable to firms which have innovation and change management in highly competitive environment, whose budgets are smaller and need for growth is large .The application of TQM is only applicable when it is started early on in an organization since the total quality approach requires greater integration and applicability of the respective quality approach in an organization which is facing budget costs, need for innovation continuously and requires change management as well. It could be a large or small company with limited or unlimited budget. The areas needing further analysis and work in quality improvement in organizations are huge and great in number. One can enumerate few aspects which need to be cleared in the meantime like benchmarking with respect to innovation and cost reduction ,reengineering processes ,measurement of quality from better scales, quality team building and management, quality circles in different organizations, evaluations of quality programmes with respect to availability of data on sales and revenues from including change management and other strategies. This area of research where the availability of multitude of factors impinge upon the given quality level therefore is a growing area of management and developing work in this area would lead to further benefits. (Waters, 1999) Conclusion Due to the nature of quality management as being a latest phenomenon of the 20th century it is a highly unorthodox concept which needs to be evaluated in the light of current changes and improvements in market behavior of suppliers and buyers both at the same time as also the increase in competitiveness and innovativeness in organizations along with increases in change management styles .therefore the study has been important in highlighting the need for quality approach for a particular company from the required abilities and situations .The realization of benefits of the quality programme have been therefore been found as applicable to the organizations operations management which have been able to implement such programmes with success. Success in implementation further depends upon the quality of selection of programme with respect to situation and scenario analysis.Expert advice and comments with the organizations is not available in easy way and has high costs and fees. Thus it is expected that the firm or organization which would be intending to have quality programme for effectiveness in operations would ascertain the applicability of the programme and then buy the programme from a suitable expert or develop one internally. The learning from the quality approaches and philosophies has been greater in recognizing the worth of quality in managing organizations and that is started early onwards quality improvement and correct estimation could lead to better results in long term and strategically positioning the company. The ability of the company in being able to ascertain competitiveness, change management and innovations is highly likely to grow with the years to come as research gathers pace in this area. At the moment the respective situation analysis and proper utilization of correct quality programme is the only actionable criteria. From the above quality study I have gathered that as a manager for a given organization the quality improvement guidelines that I have come across are highly important in making me discover the respective ability and impact on the organization and management. The level of quality improvements and future work that would be applicable would be the concern areas which I would be intending to study as part of my efforts in gaining further knowledge and learning in other disciplines. Although the study has been highly informative and guided through the process I would be of opinion that a larger study on quality management and its imperatives for operations management is further possible.