American Business Leaders

This essay briefly describes the life and achievements of two successful American business leaders, their brief life sketches, the ways and means used by them to achieve their success . It also goes to explain how each of them affected the American society and finally concludes with a comment on the morality of their actions.The two businessman chosen for this essay are : Andrew Carnegie, the pioneer of the American steel industry who lived in the nineteenth century, and Bill Gates,  the software wizard who has managed to change the definition a computer, from a ‘ highly scientific equipment’ of 1960s, to a necessary machine of every member of every family, not only in America but the entire globe !!!Andrew hailed from a very poor family of a hand weaver of Scotland who was disposed ‘workless’ by the power looms of the industrial revolution, and Bill was an entrepreneur at the age of 14 as a school student !!!! Both climbed up the ladder, to be respected a s the ‘captains’ of their ownrespective industries. Life sketches â€Å" I began to learn what poverty means, it was burnt to my heart that my father had to beg for work, and then came the resolve that I would cure it when I become a man. †. ( Andrew Carnegie) Can anyone believe that he would become the pioneer of the formidable American steel industry and the richest man on this world? Andrew Carnegie was born in a very poor family of a hand weaver who was disposed from his work when power looms came in during the industrial revolution in Britain.His mother used to do household work to manage daily bread. The family shifted to Pittsburgh in US in 1848. Andrew started working at the age of 17 as a telegraph delivery boy, and never missed an opportunity for advancement. Carnegie happened to come close to Thomas Scott, who was an official with Pennsylvanian railroad, while working at the telegraph office. Thomas hired him as his PA, and from there he climbed up to become the later become the superintendent of Pittsburgh division. The outbreak of civil war created a huge demand for iron and steel.Andrew saw this as an opportunity and invested in steel rolling mill. There was no looking back then. He became the richest man on this world during his times. In the later stages of his life, he sold off his steel business and concentrated on philanthropic activities, mainly for the spread of education and global peace. 2500 public libraries were opened with the help of his donations. He had given away $350 million as donations for the improvement of mankind. He had floated the idea of ‘league of nations’ and built the ‘ palace ofpeace ’ which later became ‘ world court ’. He was so disturbed by the hostilities of World War I that the last entry in his autobiography was on the day the war began !! ( Andrew Carnegie) On the other hand, Bill Gates, real name William Henry Gates III, was born in a rich family of Se attle, USA, to a lawyer father and mother was director in a bank. He went to the most expensive school of Seattle, where the fees were $ 5000 as compared to $ 1760 at Harvard. He was interested in programming from his early school days.The Computer Center Corporation banned students from his school, when they were caught exploiting bugs with the operating system to buy computer time!! So involved was he with programming that at the age of 14, he had already made a payroll program in Cobol and formed a venture with his school colleagues to make traffic counters and earn $ 20,000/- in the first year. When his age was disclosed, he was shown the gate !! He went to Harvard for his degree study where he met Steve Ballmer. Both joined hands as partners to establishMicrosoft ® a software consultancy firm, which has become the largest software company on this world. Windows operating system, invented by Microsoft ® has revolutionized the computer industry. Bill Gates is perhaps the only person to be ranked as the richest man on this world for 13 successive years, from 1993 to 2006 !! He announced his retirement from day to day activities in 2006, to turn his attention to philanthropic activities. ( Bill Gates) Methods Both Andrew and Bill have lived two centuries apart, and both were polesapart in their personalities and background. Hence their methods to amass wealth also vary substantially. Andrew lived in times when technology was not so advanced and resources were scarce. A very fierce lust for wealth was the driving force behind all his methods, and this force was driven by necessity. He had seen the ghastly face of poverty in his childhood and his sole aim in life to drive it away. This was coupled with eagerness to progress and earn more. In absence of any good scholastic background, his instincts was the only asset he had.He kept his eyes and ears open and took a right jump whenever he saw a rise in income coming through that jump. Experience was the only teacher, and he was an avid learner. He did not hesitate to jump if it offered financial gains. This was coupled with a sharp sense of vision. A vision to see the shape of things to come in future. He saw an opportunity in iron and steel during the civil war, and he invested in it. Taking right steps at an appropriate time is also one of the salient methods adopted by him.Though he was an advocate of trade unionism, he did not mind exploiting the workers of his own steel company, because self gain is the only motive of any businessman. This is evident from the labor strike at his company. Good administrative skills and good human relations management were the key methods to his success, which has earned him the reputation of ‘Captain of steel industry ’. Bill Gates has lived in a different era when technology had highly developed and he had an enviable scholastic background.His methods are more ‘intellectual’ than ‘physical’. It were the intell ectual abilities, especially his ability to find software solutions , that has enabled Bill to win the race. Like Andrew, Bill also saw an opportunity and lost no time in grabbing it. A salient highlight of Bill’s methodology is that he has always focused on ‘ innovations’ and ‘speed’. The milestones of developments his development are witness to the fact that his thoughts are very fresh and innovative, and he worked at such great speeds thathe has always been the first to offer tangible solutions. It has been Bill’s strategy to bank upon someone else’s idea, work upon it, and present the solutions before others can do it. Bill did not see anything wrong in working upon GUI which originally someone else’s idea. It was Bill who came up with the first GUI ‘Windows-3. 1’ which was an instant success. ‘ Ruthlessness’ was one of the methods which helped Bill to attain his status as the ‘captain of softw are industry’. Impact on American SocietyBoth Andrew and Bill have had tremendous impact on the American life. Andrews’ daunting spirits were not only helpful in establishment of the formidable American steel industry, but also an inspiration to many youngsters who were eager to start on their own. Europe was the focus of all technological development so far, but Andrew was instrumental in demonstrating that America has all the resources to beat Europe in this matter. It was largely due to his efforts that large scale industrialization and mass production concepts startedgaining momentum in the war torn America. Talking of Bill, he has changed not only America but the whole world. So wide and great is the impact of his thoughts and the products of his company that today almost Microsoft ® has become a household name over the globe. He has completely changed the way people communicate across the globe. This has a massive impact on the increase in global trade and comm erce. Today, a Director of a company head quartered in London can get the production figures from its units situated in America, and thesales figures from his office in Tokyo, within seconds. He should thank Bill Gates for making all these possible !! Moral Aspects All of us big or small, rich or poor have a social obligation. Both Andrew and Gates have erred drastically during their young age in their quest for wealth. Even though Andrew had witnessed poverty, he did not hesitate in exploiting the poor workers in his own steel company. The strike and the labor unrest due to this is a blot on his otherwise spotless career. ( Andrew Carnegie) On the other hand Billwent one step ahead, and saw nothing wrong in ‘stealing’ the GUI concepts which were initiated by others. His fierce maneuvering with IBM is one more example of business practice which can be judged ‘wrong’ morally. A legal suit, filed by the American Government over Microsoft ® raises many quest ions about the ethical policies of the Company. ( Bill Gates) Both these ‘captains’, towards the end of their career have exhibited unparallel moral sense by donating huge amounts for the betterment of the society. Andrewconcentrated on improvement through education, while Bill has been more aggressive and even touched social issues like ‘AIDS eradication’. Andrew died as a frustrated man due to hostilities of the first world war and what happens to Bill, only time will tell. Works-cited page 1) Andrew Carnegie, People and events- Andrew Carnegie, 1999, Retrieved on 18-02-07 from, < http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande01. html > 2) Bill Gates, wikipedia the free encyclopedia, 18-02-07, Retrieved on 20-02-07, From: < http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bill_Gates >

Everything Changes Essay

My existence started the day I was born. The day a new angel sent from above live the outside world. And day by day, life is changing and I’m growing up. After years had passed, I realized that only change is constant in this world. Because It seems so normal at all, but as I looked back, I realized, I’ve gone so far. Now, I’m a teenager, and life’s too different compared to childhood years. Childhood years were the time we were learning and copying insights from our parents, neighboors and schools, however it is also considered, to be the most enjoyable time in one’s lifespan. Childhood gives me freedom of doing what I want to do, to buy and to have. It gives me fulfillment on my daily routines and it makes me move outside of my shell. Being a teenager on the other hand, is a critical period of one’s life. During this time we, individuals try to adjust and adapt to our new environment. It’s because we experience changes in all aspects of our life . It is also noted that at this time of life we will automatically admire to our opposite sex. Being a teenager is quite fun but you need to be more responsible enough and learn to be independent for your own good. Teenage life is quite challenging compared to childhood life. This time, you already know what’s right from wrong. You’ll also need time management on your daily activities and you’ll be able to experience difficulties in life. While when I was a child, I play as much as I want, no one’s going to scold me every time I made mistakes and my parents spoils me a lot. A teenager chooses someone to be with while children’s don’t mind who they get along and company them, as long as they will enjoy to the fullest like the feeling on a cloud 9. On the other hand, being child is boring sometimes, not because we keep on repeating what we do, but because life is too dragging staying at home for security reasons. But even though how opposite our life way back 1990’s, we still find time to stand up and never give-up at the cruelty of life.

A META-ANALYSIS OF ADOLESCENT OBESITY AMONG IMMIGRANT LATINO Essay

A META-ANALYSIS OF ADOLESCENT OBESITY AMONG IMMIGRANT LATINO POPULATION IN - Essay Example Thus, it is more comfortable for them to eat in fast foods and do not spend much time on cooking at home. A problem of obesity is a complex phenomenon that should be considered on the social, economic, psychological and cultural levels. A target group chosen for the research consists of immigrant Latino population in San Antonio, Texas. It has been often claimed, that ethnic minority groups are subjected to a high risk of becoming obese in comparison with other Americans. Lower living level, other spheres of occupation, a lack of proper education, inability to have a constant access to information about healthy way of life and possibilities to live this kind of life and many other factors have prevented ethnic minorities from being healthy people. Therefore, this target group is one of the most vulnerable social groups to the destructive influence of obesity. POPULATION: Latinos have become the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States of America, and are expected to grow to about one-fourth of the population by the year 2050 (Delva, O'Malley & Johnston, 2007). The term Hispanic is used interchangeably with Latino and refers to descendents of at least 25 different countries, all of which are Spanish speaking (Centrella-Nigro, 2009). Definition of Hispanic or Latino origin used in the 2010 Census refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Hispanics now make up 38 percent of Texas’s 25.1 million people, up from 32 percent a decade ago. Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, grew by 23.1 percent and is home to 1.7 million. In accordance with the 2010 census San Antonio population grew by 25 percent to 1.33 million people , the Hispanic population grew by 25 percent making to 63.2 percent Hispanics in San Antonio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, over 30% of adolescents in Texas are overweight or obese. That is 1 in 3 teenagers. Obesity is not just a physical condition –it has many psychosocial implications that need to be acknowledged. PREVALENCE: According to the Health Profiles 2005 by The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) the Hispanic population is expected to far outpace other ethnicities by 2040 and beyond. The Hispanic population faces well-documented health concerns, such as obesity. Programs addressing those areas should be maintained or increased. Bexar County’s Hispanic population is also younger with fewer college graduates than any other ethnic population. Those factors are often predictors of future poverty and increased risk for associated health problems such as obesity. Unfortunately, 90% of Hispanics in Bexar County have not earned at least a 4-year college degree. Moreover, the Hispanic population is burdened with additional risk factors for childhood obesity, including parental obesity, low socioecon omic status (SES), recent immigration, acculturation to US diet and lifestyle, and limited health insurance coverage, ethnic beliefs, differences in ideal body images, lack of appreciation of weight management, questionable literacy levels, and access to medical care (Wilson, Adolph, & Butte, 2009; Centrella-Nigro, 2009; & Harrington, 2008). Source: 2009 FITNESS GRAM, According to FITNESSGRAM a Healthy Weight equals BMI ranging from 14.7-27.8 for boys and 16.2-27.3 for girls

Global pedagogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global pedagogy - Essay Example Such issues include global warming, attempts by culture diversities to maintain inequality and oppression against women or children slavery. It also seeks to analyze merits of cultural diversity towards pushing for moral relativism, as well as sustainable management of waste. Global pedagogy incorporates modern methods of achieving democracy, liberty, and equality for all across the world (Noddings, 2013). Pedagogical methods results into global educational transformation through provision of practical and accessible information. Global pedagogy enhances availability of scholarly resources that learners and staff of various institutions need to promote a world over philosophy and citizenship. Developing global philosophy involves many processes. The process demands that individuals, organizations, and states play their respective roles. Appreciating and utilizing world’s cultural diversity is one of the ways we can develop global philosophy and citizenship. Diversity involves differences in age, sex, races, ethnicity, and religious backgrounds. When such cultural differences become a tool for enhancing global philosophy, the world achieves a desirable blend of people (Noddings, 2013). Such blends have an advantage concerning specialization and generation of ideas. Developing global pedagogy involves study and practicing of religion. Therefore, utilization of teachers to employ their professional and rights towards giving students a free environment to study and practice religion is vital (Noddings, 2013). The globalized world, therefore, achieves diversity in terms of professionals, careers, good decision making and unity. Teachers, therefore, should incorporate lessons involving importance and benefits of cultural diversity in their pedagogical efforts. Working with people of diversified colors, political backgrounds, and physical appearances more likely creates unity (Behbehanian & Burawoy,

The effective use of participatory action within public-private Dissertation

The effective use of participatory action within public-private partnership in the provision of housing for key workers bearing - Dissertation Example 6 2.3.1 Carrying field work for CSR †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 2.4 Sustainability in housing provision †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 2.5 Conceptualising participation for both public and private sectors †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 3. Citizen power: The Ghana experience †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. .†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...16 4. The Stakeholders †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 17 4.1 The Ministry of Works and Housing †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 17 4.2 The World Bank †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 4.3 The Home Finance Comp any †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18 4.4 Strengthening Community management in the development and operation of facilities and services (SCMP) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 19 4.5 Shack Dwellers International (SDI) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 5. Framework through participatory methods of stakeholders †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 21 5.1 Ethical Issues Involved †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... ... Assessment: What brings success to a PPP? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 33 8. References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 38 1. Introduction Housing has become one of humanity’s basic needs. Without a roof over their heads, individuals become like nomads searching for their place where they can be pioneers, although nomads are different than refugees who flee ‘because they have no choice’ (Kaplan as cited in Buki, 2003, p. 24). In the so-called third world countries, especially Ghana, housing is one of the primary programs over which government makes decisions. Whether to alleviate poverty, to jumpstart the economy, or to improve the quality of life of the people, providing housing for the workers and ordinary employees with the support of the public and private sectors is a m ajor undertaking of a developing economy. (Mason 1996, p. 176) People in Ghana are not refugees; neither are they nomads. They value housing as basic human need but housing is a precious commodity that is difficult to grasp. In other words, post-colonial Ghana has relatively failed in its housing policy: the 1986 National Housing Policy and 1992 National Shelter Strategy both did not succeed (Obeng-Odoom 2013). However, several administrations have tried to put up housing programs for city residents, employing public-private partnerships although those are still in the implementation stage (Obeng-Odoom, p. 108). Housing leaders and experts have called for secondary mortgage solution to solve the growing problem of housing in Africa. Experts also recommended that the private sector, especially the banking industry, should provide financing in the form of home equity loans, to help solve the housing problem. (Obeng-Odoom 2013, p. 109)

Engineering design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Engineering design - Research Paper Example The ease of accommodating the power source can also be increased by carefully selecting a location for installing the source. The largest dimensions are of Honda GX 35 i.e. 7.8† ? 9.8† ? 12.7†. The calculations of the resistive forces are very simple because the only resistive force to the motion of the bicycle is the frictional force (Wormell). The frictional force can be coupled with the gravitational force while the bicycle is travelling on an inclined surface. For an inclined surface we can assume an angle of 4-8 degrees at the tourist resort at roads where the bike can travel. We will do the calculations for 8o inclined plane. Pr =  µs FN + W sin ? Where Pr is the total resistive force  µs is the coefficient of friction taken as 0.005 for bicycle tyres FN is the normal force equal to the weight (mg) of the bicycle and the driver W is the combined weight of the bicycle and the driver = mg (mass ? gravitational acceleration) ? is the angle of inclination of t he road = 8o Assuming the driver mass to be 80 kg and the total mass of the bike to be 20 kg we can calculate the total resistive force: Pr =  µs FN + W sin ? = 0.005 ? 100 ? 9.81 + 100 ? 9.81 ? sin 8o Pr = 141.43 N In order to calculate the torque required by the motor/engine to produce we have to assume the diameter of the tyre of the bicycle. The average diameter ranges from 55cm to 70 cm. Taking d =70 cm Tr= Pr ? 0.35 m Tr= 49.5 N m The power rating required will be Power = Tr ? 2?N/60 (N = 50) Power = 260 W The power rating of motors and engines provide a factor of safety of more than 5 as the power required is 260 W. The power rating of the battery can be computed by employing the following calculations: Average speed of the bike = 15 mph Maximum Distance to be travelled = 50 miles Discharging time of the battery = 3.3 hrs Power rating of battery = 45 A ? 3.3 hr = 150 Ahr 7. Produce a detailed PDS based on quantified data The manufacturing process is based on a detailed PDS (Musharavati). The various relevant elements of PDS for the product are mentioned below: 1. Function and Performance: The function of the product is to provide an environment friendly means of transport for tourists in a countryside resort. The performance is enhanced by proposing solutions which can provide means of transport with minimum exhaust. 2. Environment: The product is environment friendly because there is no exhaust and thus no addition of harmful chemical compounds to the environment. The design will be in accordance with the emission standards like euro 3 and USEPA. 3. Ergonomics: While developing the product ergonomic principles are kept in mind according and the design will be carried out according to the ergonomics principles. The ergonomics are mainly concerned with the position of the seat, foot rest and paddles and the convenience in the operation of control mechanism. The overall weight of the bicycle should not be greater than 30 kg. 4. Safety: The safety is ver y important and the safety and protection guidelines according to the manufacturing standards provided by ASME and ASTM. 5. Materials: The selection of materials should be done according to the ease of use and feasibility of manufacturing according to the local conditions. The proposed materials are aluminium and iron. 6. Competition: The product under consideration i.e. the environment

The battle of Trenton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The battle of Trenton - Essay Example In fact this war served as a morale booster and gave immense confidence to the American army to continue the American revolutionary war even though American army suffered lot of setbacks earlier. One of the major significances of this war is the fact that it occurred in the Christmas night. Hessians and British troops never thought that American army may attack them on that particular day. Moreover, they never anticipated that American troops may try to cross the Delaware River under difficult and risky conditions. However George Washington took the risk of crossing this river using some boats even though the river was filled with ice blocks. British troops and the hessians were taking rest or sleeping while American troops arrived quite unexpectedly. More than one hundred British and hessians soldiers were killed in this battle and the rest were captured live. Not even a single American soldier was killed in this

International marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

International marketing - Essay Example Marketing communication is the main element, which is responsible for developing a customer’s demand for a product or service by providing brand information as well as facilitating purchase intention (Pelsmacker, 2006). Currently, there are a lot of issues concerned with global marketing communication, such as those related to how much effective the advertising is, testing various marketing and promotional methods, (Onkvisit and Shaw, 1999) the design of content and language used in the advertisement (Hollensen, 2014) etc. For example, although sales volume can be used as a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of advertising, other important factors such as economic conditions and pricing strategies can also affect sales volume. However, the decision regarding whether to standardise a particular advertising strategy or adopt another a new one is one of the most critical issues that business organisations face. This topic has been regarded as an endless debate from 1950 to 1990 (Solberg, 2002). Standardisation means that a company maintains the same advertising strategies in all the countries where it markets its products or services. It is in line with the idea of global marketing strategies, which was first established by Levitt (1983). The globalism concept suggests that the world is becoming a common place where people desire the best product and lifestyle no matter where they live. Particular to international advertising, the globalisation strategy concept was praised by marketing practitioners. By adopting global advertising, companies can create massive economies of scale to maintain a consistent brand image in the minds of the consumers. On the other hand, the conventional view is to localise marketi ng and advertising strategies because every market is unique (Zhou and Belk, 2004) and since consumers have different needs and lifestyle all around the world. Jobber

Truth and Socrates Essay Example for Free

Truth and Socrates Essay Euthyphro – Plato Explain how the concept of holiness emerges in the dialogue and why it takes a prominent position in the conversation between Socrates and Euthyphro. â€Å"Euthyphro answers that there is no difference of opinion, either among gods or men, as to the propriety of punishing a murderer. Yes, rejoins Socrates, when they know him to be a murderer; but you are assuming the point at issue. If all the circumstances of the case are considered, are you able to show that your father was guilty of murder, or that all the gods are agreed in approving of our prosecution of him? And must you not allow that what is hated by one god may be liked by another? Waiving this last, however, Socrates proposes to amend the definition, and say that what all the gods love is pious, and what they all hate is impious. To this Euthyphro agrees. † But the pious or holy is loved by the gods because it is pious or holy, which is equivalent to saying, that it is loved by them because it is dear to them. Here then appears to be a contradiction,Euthyphro has been giving an attribute or accident of piety only, and not the essence. Euthyphro acknowledges himself that his explanations seem to walk away or go round in a circle, like the moving figures of Daedalus, the ancestor of Socrates, who has communicated his art to his descendants. Present the three definitions that Euthyphro uses in his response to Socrates, and then explain how Socrates refutes each of Euthyphro’s definitions. 1) Euthyphro answers that there is no difference of opinion, either among gods or men, as to the propriety of punishing a murderer. Yes, rejoins Socrates, when they know him to be a murderer; but you are assuming the point at issue. If all the circumstances of the case are considered, are you able to show that your father was guilty of murder, or that all the gods are agreed in approving of our prosecution of him? And must you not allow that what is hated by one god may be liked by another? Socrates proceeds to analyze the new form of the definition. He shows that in other cases the act precedes the state; e. g. the act of being carried, loved, etc. precedes the state of being carried, loved, etc. , and therefore that which is dear to the gods is dear to the gods because it is first loved of them, not loved of them because it is dear to them. 2) The next definition, Piety is that which is loved of the gods, is shipwrecked on a refined distinction between the state and the act, corresponding respectively to the adjective (philon) and the participle (philoumenon), or rather perhaps to the participle and the verb (philoumenon and phileitai). The act is prior to the state (as in Aristotle the energeia precedes the dunamis); and the state of being loved is preceded by the act of being loved. But piety or holiness is preceded by the act of being pious, not by the act of being loved; and therefore piety and the state of being loved are different. Through such subtleties of dialectic Socrates is working his way into a deeper region of thought and feeling. He means to say that the words loved of the gods express an attribute only, and not the essence of piety. 3) Then follows the third and last definition, Piety is a part of justice. Thus far Socrates has proceeded in placing religion on a moral foundation. He is seeking to realize the harmony of religion and morality, which the great poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Pindar had unconsciously anticipated, and which is the universal want of all men. To this the soothsayer adds the ceremonial element, attending upon the gods. When further interrogated by Socrates as to the nature of this attention to the gods, he replies, that piety is an affair of business, a science of giving and asking, and the like. Socrates points out the anthropomorphism of these notions, (compare Symp. ; Republic; Politicus. ) But when we expect him to go on and show that the true service of the gods is the service of the spirit and the co-operation Formulate your own argument as to what you think Socrates’s goal is in this dialogue. How do you know that is his goal? What features of the dialogue align with your interpretation of his goal? Generally, we do assume that we know things, although the skeptic is always around to remind us that maybe our confidence shouldnt be too high. The correspondence theorist insists that our knowledge claims are true, or at least very reliable, if our claims match up, or correspond, to the way the world actually is. The coherence theorist, in contrast, suggests that our various beliefs all must fit together, or cohere, correctly. Kant offers an alternative that combines a correspondence theory of truth (that is, our claims are true if they correspond to the world) and a rule–oriented theory of knowledge (that is, what we call knowledge must not break any of the rules that give us the ability to make those knowledge claims in the first place). a. Provide your own definition of piety/holiness and then create a Socratic response/critique of your definition. After you present your definition, take on the role of Socrates and respond to your own definition as you think he would.

Samsung Essay Example for Free

Samsung Essay Samsung‟s competence strategies have recently turned into „aggressive chasing‟ by responding quickly to Apple launches. The Apple vs. Samsung ruling put an exclamation mark to Samsung‟s values of Corporate Social Responsibility towards its stakeholder. „Within Samsung where some designers feel the overlooked and undermined, there are calls for a change of lack‟ (Kim, 2012).Samsung designer who didn‟t want to reveal his identity quoted, „Designers have a lot of unique and creative ideas, but these have to be loved by the top decision makers. The problem was because they were so fascinated by Apple design; these ideas weren‟t really satisfactory to please the top leave‟ (Kim, 2012). Samsung executives that refer the issue as „crises of design‟ seem to move on nationally. The decision making at Samsung appears to be quick, responsive to the demands of market, flexible and meeting the needs of the hour. Samsung‟s mobile chief Shin is optimistic about the future of the company as he guaranteed to proffer extra-ordinary, innovating, and unique products in future at Europe‟s biggest LOCAL AND BUSINESS STRATEGY Local: Samsung Electronics Bldg., 1320-10 Seocho-2-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul 137-857 South Korea Business Strategy: Samsung appeals to more markets by providing a plethora of gadgets such as cell phones, smartphones, tablets, etc. to both low and high-end markets meaning at least one of their products will, presumably, appeal to a person. Samsung has done well in the low-end market, but has only recently begun increasing its presence in the smartphone market and has enjoyed a good amount of success thus far as a result. Samsung is not only the biggest adopter of Google‟s Android software, but they also have smartphones running the Windows Phone OS as well. Samsung‟s flood the market strategy works so well because they are able to not only diversify their hardware, but the software that runs on their smartphones as well. Samsung‟s flood the market strategy works so well because they are able to not only diversify their hardware, but the software that runs on their smartphones as well. â€Å"Working at Samsung has been a truly global experience and tremendous learning opportunity, from professional and personal Strandpoint† (Lindsey Hamilton, 2013) â€Å"I am able to develop a much deeper understanding of the daily operations that fuels the success of the company after transition to a line management† (Chelon Ha, 2013) â€Å"Not only are we one of the world‟s leading technology companies, with a commitment to innovation and growth but we also provide many opportunities for professional development around international business and working across cultures† (David Steel, 2013)

Trade Union Increasing Of Their Membership Commerce Essay

Trade Union Increasing Of Their Membership Commerce Essay It is believed that employee relation is a relevant management activity if the organisation deals with trade unions. As Gennard and Judge (2005) explained in their book, trade unions are organised group of employees who consist wholly or mainly of workers of one or more description and whose principal purposes include the regulation of relations between workers and employers. The primary purpose of trade unions is to protect and enhance the living standards of their members. (Gennard and Judge, 2005) To achieve this objective, there are two main methods industrial and political. Industrial methods include the negotiation of agreements with employers and all that belongs to collective bargaining, grievance procedure, industrial action, use of third-party intervention, joint consultation. Political methods cover all types of union participation in the political process, including pressure group activities in relation to the UK government and the EU decision making bodies. Trade unions which traced from the eighteenth century have developed into a number of forms, influenced by differing political adjectives and activities of trade unions vary, but may include: provision of benefits to members, collective bargaining, industrial action and political activity. Although trade unions bring about lots of benefits to their members, there is a decline in trade union membership. This paper will discuss the question how trade unions can increase their membership. The questions will be answered from four aspects. It will be organise as follow: first it will talk about the partnership, second is the policy specifically to attract younger members, third is organising model, and last is the investment in exploring new information-based technology and communication systems. Also a conclusion will be writing at the last of this paper. Partnership Blair declared partnerships to be an essential part of developing a modern workplace that can produce goods and services of quality. It is part of the answer to the quest for economic success (Brown et al, 2001) Heery (2002) mentioned that social partnership is an imprecise term and in Britain carries a number of meanings and refers to a range of union activities. At European level, it can refer to union involvement in European Social Dialogue and the negotiation of framework agreements. At state level, it can refer to attempts to position the TUC as an authoritative partner in economic and social management. At economy level, it can refer to attempts to revive multi-employer collective bargaining. At company level, it can refer to the negotiation of distinctive partnership agreements between unions and management, which are intended to promote a new and more co-operative set of relations within the firm. Partnership agreements may reflect an exclusive principle of representation; they provide an element of security for union members in relatively good jobs through a policy of deliberate insecurity for others who are less likely to be unionised. Partnership above the level of the company may be oriented towards the broad regulation of the labour market, partnership agreements focus very much on the immediate employment-centred interests of union members. (Heery, 2002) These partnership agreements seek to address interests which have often been neglected by unions in the past. They have common feature like worker entitlement to training and development. Indeed, the Return to Learn partnership concluded by unison with public and voluntary sector employers are confined solely to issue of personal development (Munro and Rainbird, 2000). Partnership agreements seek to cultivate shared interests with employers and take the form of productivity coalition (Windolf, 1989), in which security, d evelopment and involvement ideally are exchanged for worker commitment and flexibility. Partnership brings many benefits such as training and development, and also makes the worker more flexible that employers and employees working under the voluntary rather than law. Partnership is built on principles and practices of shared commitment between the organisation and the people who work there.   Partnership has brought benefits including greater disclosure of information, greater influence, inter-union co-operation and more local decision-making. It provides the opportunity for worker get training and develop their personal skills, increase workers involvement. In a word, there is a big potential of a move towards greater partnership with employers as a way of increasing trade union membership. Attract younger members Throughout Western Europe, trade union membership is declining. The average age of trade unionists is rising, and difference between trade unionists and young workers in perception, culture and identity are widening. If trade unions are tending to reverse the membership decline sustained since 1979, more young workers must be recruited. Sustained membership growth in trade union is facing two major challenges. The first challenge is to adapt their strategies and structures to the rapid growth and diversity of service-sector employment. The second challenge is demographic. Union membership in western industrial nations is ageing and tends to be concentrated in declining or slow-growth sector. As a result, it is vital that unions invent effective ways to recruit the next generation of workers. (Weil, 1994) A review of unionisation among young people in Western European showed that rates of unionisation among young people are lower than among their older counterparts and that the rate of unionisation for young people is declining more steeply than among older workers (Serrano Pascual and Waddington, 2000). It is argued that young workers attitudes towards trade unions are influenced by aspects as follow. First, family networks influence the unionisation of young workers. Young trade unionists were more likely to have parents who were, or had been, trade unionists. Second is the influence of some workplace characteristics and job histories on union membership. Young workers who often change employment rather than accumulate a stock of grievances in a single post are less likely to unionise (Waddington and Kerr, 2002). There are some actions can be introduced by trade unions to stem the sharp decline in unionisation among young people. First, reduce subscription rates for young trade unionists. In order to encourage higher rates of participation in union affairs and to foster contributions from young members on the development of union policy, many unions have set up youth or student sections. Second, launch campaigns on university campuses in an attempt to attract into membership students employed in McJobs, which is low pay, insecurity, unsocial hours and an absence of holiday or sick pay. Third, establish a presence at music festivals and similar events central to the culture of young people, to engage with potential young members. Fourth, establish the Organising Academy to train young people to recruit, amongst others, young workers, with the specific brief to extend union organisation into private-sector services. Organising model The trade union density is described as a product of five forces: macro-economic context, workforce composition, state policy, management strategy, and the recruitment activity of trade unions themselves (Metcalf, 1991). It is also argued that the fall in trade union membership was caused by inadequate investment or deficiencies in union recruitment activity much union recruitment has been unsystematic and reactive (Heery, 2000) (Kelly and Heery, 1994). While there is evidence of UK unions making an increased effort to recruit and organise new members, which has been informed by the organising model since the mid 1990s. (Heery, 2002) The concept of an organising model or organising approach is imprecise and embraces a number of principles and practise (Bronfenbrenner, 1998). Organising model tends to be used in two overlapping senses: First, it can refer to a model of union good practice which contributes to membership growth by re-building or extending organization at workplace level. Second, it represents an attempt to rediscover the social movement origins of labour, essentially by redefining the union as a mobilizing structure which seeks to simulate activism among its members and generate campaigns for workplace and wider social justice (Heery et al, 2000). Organising model includes some practices such as: reliance on targeted and planned organizing campaigns; the use of mapping techniques to research the target workforce and identify those likely to join; reliance on face-on-face recruitment, often in peoples homes and using like-to-like recruiters (Heery et al, 2000). Organising means the empowerment of workers, workers can resolve their own problems without recourse to external representation. The increasing investment by unions in organising leads to a recovery of union membership. Investment in technology and communication systems The union has invested little time or money in exploring new information-based technology and communication systems. The low cost of information, communication, and interaction on the web offers trade unions opportunities to improve services and attract members. The internet is the twenty-first centurys mode of mass communication, the logistic growth curve for internet usage making the internet one of the most rapidly adopted innovations ever. The use of web for workers and union members are very universal. It is believed that if unionists were not making extensive use of the internet, any study of the role of internet in the future of unions would be speculative or at least be limited to its impact. On the contrary, if unionists make wide use of the internet, then it has greater potential for the future of unions broadly. The internet offers unions some areas of opportunity: first, to present the union case various issues to the online population through provision of information; second, to communicate directly with union members or potential members through targeted electronic messages; third, to engage in interactive discourse with members or others by responding to queries and by online discussion forums. The uses of web by union members offer the opportunities for unions to use the new technology to improve their services to members and possibly attract new members, especially those young people. Because of younger union members are more likely to access the internet than older union members. The internet is also an inexpensive medium for communication. E-mails can be sent free to all members of the organization as well as one person to another. It makes union members easier to share information. Overall, by invest in technology and communication system such as internet and E-mail, unions can improve services to members and attract new members. Conclusion In conclude, the purpose of this paper is to discussed the question how trade unions can increase their membership. It answered the question from four sides were partnership, attract young members, organising model, and investment in technology and communication system. By looking at partnership, it is obvious that partnership has brought benefits including greater disclosure of information, greater influence, inter-union co-operation and more local decision-making. It is an effective way to recruit the next generation of workers for increase the membership of trade unions. Organising model had a success inform in unions making an increased effort to recruit and organise new members. It contributes to membership growth by re-building or extending organization. The last method to increase the membership of trade union is to investment in technology and communication system such as internet and e-mail in order to achieve the object of attract new members.

Do Trends Ever Really Die Essay -- essays research papers

Bell Bottoms, beads, polyester, and bandannas - items that defined the seventies, and the nineties? Throughout time cultures have copied the earlier generations trends. Big Band music and swing music both originated in the nineteen twenties, but once again became popular in the nineties. A fashion trend that is dying out very quickly is the wearing of baggy pants. They are pants that seem to fit in the waist, but then drastically get larger. The pants will become obsolete in 2 years, but only to be reborn some twenty years later. It’s astounding how trends go and come with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The baggy pants craze is already starting to die out. Many people are starting to realize that the pants are just a little too big. Twenty years from now though, people wil... Do Trends Ever Really Die Essay -- essays research papers Bell Bottoms, beads, polyester, and bandannas - items that defined the seventies, and the nineties? Throughout time cultures have copied the earlier generations trends. Big Band music and swing music both originated in the nineteen twenties, but once again became popular in the nineties. A fashion trend that is dying out very quickly is the wearing of baggy pants. They are pants that seem to fit in the waist, but then drastically get larger. The pants will become obsolete in 2 years, but only to be reborn some twenty years later. It’s astounding how trends go and come with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The baggy pants craze is already starting to die out. Many people are starting to realize that the pants are just a little too big. Twenty years from now though, people wil...

TV or No TV :: essays papers

TV or No TV This is a question millions of parents are pondering across America. Violence, along with sexual content, on television is at an all time high. So are the ratings, however. Sex and violence seems to draw a larger audience. A larger audience brings networks more money. This all looks simple enough except for the fact that all of the viewers aren’t old enough determine fact from fiction or right from wrong. With violence in schools on the rise, the question arises: Does violent television programming influence our children and their actions? According to some psychological research, violence on television affects children negatively. The three major effects of seeing violence on television are: ï‚ · Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. ï‚ · Children may be more fearful of the world around them. ï‚ · Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive ways toward others. Sometimes kids act differently after they've been watching violent programs on television.In one study done at Pennsylvania State University, about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television. Some kids watched cartoons that had many aggressive and violent acts while the others watched shows that didn't have any sort of violence at all. The researchers picked up on a lot of real differences in behavior between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones. The kids who watched the violent shows were more likely to strike out at playmates, argue, disobey authority and were less willing to wait for things than those children who watched nonviolent programs. Some studies found that kids who watched many hours of television violence when they were in elementary school had a greater tendency to show a higher level of aggressive behavior as they grew older. One of these studies observed these same youngsters until they were 30 years old. The results show that the ones who had watched a lot of television when they were eight years old had significantly greater chances to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults. Some steps have been taken in the right direction, however. The television industry took steps toward implementing a rating system for its programming at a meeting with President Clinton in late February.

Kraft Food

Strength ? Kraft foods is the world second largest food company since it has the presence in 160 countries with 168 integrated factories, (Geographical presence of Kraft foods ) ? It has a heritage of business since 1903 ? The human resource capacity of this company is 97000 which make them the one of largest in the globe, ? Kraft foods carries 40 brands which is in the market over 100 years ? Country led model of the Kraft foods which lead towards making decisions more faster ?Acquisition of Cadbury & LU biscuits which led the strong presence of Kraft foods in the global market because Cadbury had 45000 employees & the presence of the brand in 60 countries , LU biscuit which has 32 manufacturing facilities with 14000 employees which lead more market share , more value or revenue from the segment categories specially in the European region 1. Weakness ? Kraft Foods 12. 5% ( 2009 ) comes from 5 brands portfolio ? Adding the Pan – European centralized management will lead to cul tural effect in the organizational structure ?The acquisition process of Cadbury bought more negative impact on Kraft food since an UK based company was taken over by a foreign based company ? Selling of frozen pizza & post cereal business which effect the convenience foods segments net revenue contribution of 94. 1% & operating income of 8. 8 % as per 2009 figures of Kraft foods north America 2. Opportunities ? Expand penetration in developing markets by the increase of the population Ex: China , India markets 3. Threats ? Holidays & Seasonal Changes effect the demands of the products ?By presenting in globally Kraft foods Came across competition from retail house brands, generic brands, regional , local, & other multinational brands Ex: Super Markets like Tesco , Carrefour developing their own brands on FMCG category in Srilanka Cargills, Keells Super has their own brands ? Cost increase of the raw materials & other local political , legal un stabilities of the countries ( ingredi ents & packaging material ) Ex: Mad cow disease had stop purchase most of the imported or processed meat from other countries 1. Political Political unrest particularly in the Ivory Coast affecting supply of Cocoa and in other parts of Africa. ? European unions condition for acquisition of Cadbury which led to Kraft foods to sell the Cadbury confectionery operations in Romania & Poland ? Favourable regulations allowing relatively easy acquisition of Cadbury in spite of promises by UK Labour Party to enact a Cadbury Law to maintain the UK ownership. ? Government agricultural policies impacting upon Kraft operations ? Competition and antitrust controls. 1. Legal ? Ban on exports of foodstuffs from CIS a result of poor crops – also environmental factor. Compliance with food regulations in different jurisdictions ? Importance of patent protection with regard to branded organisation like Kraft – problems of enforcement ? Contractual rights in various countries 2. Economic ? Fluctuation in currencies especially the US Dollar impacting particularly on Kraft with its operations in over 160 countries ? Recession has impact on business activity economic activity particularly with regard to the value of the UK pound and the Euro with regard to economic problems in Ireland, Portugal and Greece. Sharp increases in commodity prices – the case highlights the situation with regard to coffee and cocoa, a result of speculation and demand increases as the world population grows. There are also supply issues as a result of weather problems and the changeover from food crops to bio–fuel crops. 3. Social ? Growth in demand for coffee from growth of organisations such as Starbucks (economic) ? Move towards health consciousness which will impact on processed foods manufacturers such as Kraft and Cadbury leading to negative perceptions of packaged foods like Kraft manufacture ?Culturally bound markets significance of foods within certain culture ? There are problems of rural communities with migration to urban areas especially young people which accentuates the key problem of aging. ? Corporate social responsibility becoming a key issue as initiatives such as Fairtrade gain support from major food producers notably Cadbury with its flagship brand Dairy Milk. ? There have been changes in food habits as a result of the economic crisis leading to phenomenon such as â€Å"stay at home† and growth of consumption of retailer brands and other cheaper brands. . Environmental ? Global warming causing extremes of weather eg Floods in Pakistan and droughts in CIS leading to disruptions in supplies of raw materials ? Increasing pressure on organisations particularly high profile multinationals such as Kraft, to become greener. The issue of carbon footprint and food miles is critical to global organisations. ? Waste and recycling issues – Kraft uses significant amount of packaging and is also subject to transportation costs. 5. Techn ology Although technologies are converging globally, there are still wide variations in IT availability across countries and multinational organisations such as Kraft must take account of this. ? There is continuous pressure to develop cheaper production techniques via the application of new technologies to become the low cost producer in order to both maximize profits and to resist pressures from retailers such Walmart for lower prices. ? Kraft is particularly strong in R & D ? The growing impact of ITC leading to more e-business and e-procurement. – Kraft Food Strength ? Kraft foods is the world second largest food company since it has the presence in 160 countries with 168 integrated factories, (Geographical presence of Kraft foods ) ? It has a heritage of business since 1903 ? The human resource capacity of this company is 97000 which make them the one of largest in the globe, ? Kraft foods carries 40 brands which is in the market over 100 years ? Country led model of the Kraft foods which lead towards making decisions more faster ?Acquisition of Cadbury & LU biscuits which led the strong presence of Kraft foods in the global market because Cadbury had 45000 employees & the presence of the brand in 60 countries , LU biscuit which has 32 manufacturing facilities with 14000 employees which lead more market share , more value or revenue from the segment categories specially in the European region 1. Weakness ? Kraft Foods 12. 5% ( 2009 ) comes from 5 brands portfolio ? Adding the Pan – European centralized management will lead to cul tural effect in the organizational structure ?The acquisition process of Cadbury bought more negative impact on Kraft food since an UK based company was taken over by a foreign based company ? Selling of frozen pizza & post cereal business which effect the convenience foods segments net revenue contribution of 94. 1% & operating income of 8. 8 % as per 2009 figures of Kraft foods north America 2. Opportunities ? Expand penetration in developing markets by the increase of the population Ex: China , India markets 3. Threats ? Holidays & Seasonal Changes effect the demands of the products ?By presenting in globally Kraft foods Came across competition from retail house brands, generic brands, regional , local, & other multinational brands Ex: Super Markets like Tesco , Carrefour developing their own brands on FMCG category in Srilanka Cargills, Keells Super has their own brands ? Cost increase of the raw materials & other local political , legal un stabilities of the countries ( ingredi ents & packaging material ) Ex: Mad cow disease had stop purchase most of the imported or processed meat from other countries 1. Political Political unrest particularly in the Ivory Coast affecting supply of Cocoa and in other parts of Africa. ? European unions condition for acquisition of Cadbury which led to Kraft foods to sell the Cadbury confectionery operations in Romania & Poland ? Favourable regulations allowing relatively easy acquisition of Cadbury in spite of promises by UK Labour Party to enact a Cadbury Law to maintain the UK ownership. ? Government agricultural policies impacting upon Kraft operations ? Competition and antitrust controls. 1. Legal ? Ban on exports of foodstuffs from CIS a result of poor crops – also environmental factor. Compliance with food regulations in different jurisdictions ? Importance of patent protection with regard to branded organisation like Kraft – problems of enforcement ? Contractual rights in various countries 2. Economic ? Fluctuation in currencies especially the US Dollar impacting particularly on Kraft with its operations in over 160 countries ? Recession has impact on business activity economic activity particularly with regard to the value of the UK pound and the Euro with regard to economic problems in Ireland, Portugal and Greece. Sharp increases in commodity prices – the case highlights the situation with regard to coffee and cocoa, a result of speculation and demand increases as the world population grows. There are also supply issues as a result of weather problems and the changeover from food crops to bio–fuel crops. 3. Social ? Growth in demand for coffee from growth of organisations such as Starbucks (economic) ? Move towards health consciousness which will impact on processed foods manufacturers such as Kraft and Cadbury leading to negative perceptions of packaged foods like Kraft manufacture ?Culturally bound markets significance of foods within certain culture ? There are problems of rural communities with migration to urban areas especially young people which accentuates the key problem of aging. ? Corporate social responsibility becoming a key issue as initiatives such as Fairtrade gain support from major food producers notably Cadbury with its flagship brand Dairy Milk. ? There have been changes in food habits as a result of the economic crisis leading to phenomenon such as â€Å"stay at home† and growth of consumption of retailer brands and other cheaper brands. . Environmental ? Global warming causing extremes of weather eg Floods in Pakistan and droughts in CIS leading to disruptions in supplies of raw materials ? Increasing pressure on organisations particularly high profile multinationals such as Kraft, to become greener. The issue of carbon footprint and food miles is critical to global organisations. ? Waste and recycling issues – Kraft uses significant amount of packaging and is also subject to transportation costs. 5. Techn ology Although technologies are converging globally, there are still wide variations in IT availability across countries and multinational organisations such as Kraft must take account of this. ? There is continuous pressure to develop cheaper production techniques via the application of new technologies to become the low cost producer in order to both maximize profits and to resist pressures from retailers such Walmart for lower prices. ? Kraft is particularly strong in R & D ? The growing impact of ITC leading to more e-business and e-procurement. –

Criminal Justice System Paper Essay

The criminal justice system has goals that it tries to achieve. The CJS is to respond in the name of society when there is a crime that has been committed. The CJS spans from federal, state, and local governments. Within the system, there are three agencies that work together as a system to implement the criminal justice functions. The agencies are law enforcement, the courts, and the corrections. Each one of these agencies has a criminal justice process that proved the justice to the victims and offenders. When the CJS and the CJP work accordantly it benefits and protects society. The goals of the CJS are deterrence, incapacitation, retribution, rehabilitation, and restoration. Deterrence is giving trying to prevent crime with fear. Specific deterrence happens when an offender is arrested and has decided not to commit and other crimes because they understand the consequences of their behavior. General deterrence is taken a person who is caught and displaying to the public in hopes t o scare them into not wanted the same consequences. Incapacitation removing offenders from society in some incarceration. Retribution is when revenge is taken on a perpetrator that must be punished. Rehabilitation is taking a criminal and reforming them. Restoration is making a victim find peace and forgiving the offender. These goals are to help in the ways the CJS do their jobs efficiently. The first component of the CJS is law enforcement that would be the police. The police enforce the laws by serving the public and keeping them safe. Police investigate crimes, apprehend offenders, reduce and prevent crimes, maintain public orders, ensure community safety, respond to emergencies, and protects fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals. The courts are the once that conduct fair and impartial trials. They do this by deciding criminal’s eases, ensuring due process, determining guilty or not, upholds the law, requires fairness, and protects rights and freedom to anyone facing process. The last component is the corrections, which carry out the sentencing of the courts. The corrections also provides safe and humane custody and supervision to the offenders, helps protect the community, respects the legal and human rights, rehabilitees, reforms, and reintegrates convicts. The criminal justice process begins with the investigation and arrest of an offender. After all the evidence is collected there is a warrant put out the offender, after being arrested they are taking into booking. The next process is the pre-trail. In the pre-trail four major events happen which  are first appearance, preliminary hearing, information or indictment, and arraignment. They then move to the next step of the trail, which lays everything out examine all the facts and argue the evidence. When the trail ends, the next step is the sentencing of the offender. When being sentence the jury or judge will make the decision of guilty or not guilty. If found guilty the last step in the process corrections if the offender is found to be incarcerated. The rights of the people and the need to control crime of the citizens. There is a constant competition between the rights of and individual and the need to control crime. This is call due process vs. crime control. Due process is the rights of the individual and rights of groups of people. Being read your Miranda rights and being fair in trials without prejudice or biases. Crime control is maintaining the safety of the community. Arresting as many criminals as possible. Getting criminals off the streets with still maintaining the individuals rights The criminal justice system and the criminal justice process all work together to punish offenders, prevent offenders, protect communities, and still ensure all individual rights are protected. Some criminals can be helped and some cannot, these criminals stay incarcerated. They systems may not always work correctly, but they do work and keep criminals out of the streets.

Event Sponsorship as a Value Creating Strategy for Brands

Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou University of Patras, Patra, Greece Artemisia Apostolopoulou Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, USA, and Theofanis Dounis University of Patras, Patras, Greece Abstract Purpose – The present research involves corporations that served as Grand National Sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and aims to explore whether a strategic approach was employed in the acquisition and management of their Olympic sponsorship.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study analysis was employed, for which data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The study sample included seven of the ten Grand National Sponsors that signed agreements with ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Data analysis was organized around ? ve themes inspired by the existing literature. Findings – With the exception of two ? ms, the majority of the Grand Nati onal Sponsors reported no clear or measurable objectives and limited consideration to strategic or brand-related initiatives in their decisions to invest in the national Olympic sponsorship program. However, they did report plans to invest resources to leverage their rights, even though in most cases no speci? c evaluation processes had been designed. Research limitations/implications – Given that the Olympic Games are organized every four years in a new location, the ? ndings of this research may not ? d direct application to other markets and organizing committees that implement their own sponsorship programs. Nevertheless, this research did show relatively poor recognition of the role of sponsorship in creating value and building the corporate brand. Corporations considering becoming involved in sport sponsorship and also event organizers are encouraged to adopt a more strategic approach in the sponsorship solicitation and management process. Originality/value – Exi sting literature has discussed the role of sport sponsorship in brand management and the communication mix, and has highlighted the bene? s for ? rms that establish long-term ties with the Olympic Games. The present research adds to that line of work by highlighting if and how a strategic and brand building approach was adopted in the context of national-level Olympic partnerships. Keywords Sponsorship, Olympic Games, Brand management, Corporate strategy Paper type Research paper An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article. Introduction The meaning of sponsorship as an integral element of the marketing mix has been conceptualised by Sandler and Shani (1993) with the following de? ition: â€Å"[Sponsorship is] the provision of resources (money, people, or equipment) by an organization directly to an event or activity in exchange for a direct association to the event or activity† (p. 39). Corporate spending on sport sponsorshi p in many European countries and in North America has increased dramatically (Lachowetz et al. , 2003). Global spending on sponsorship was estimated to reach $US28 billion in 2004 (from $US25. 9 billion in 2003) of which, according to the The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. meraldinsight. com/1061-0421. htm Journal of Product & Brand Management 17/4 (2008) 212– 222 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421] [DOI 10. 1108/10610420810887563] International Events Group, 69 per cent relates to sporting events (International Events Group, n. d. ). There is plenty of evidence that sport sponsorship, including Olympic sponsorship, can be very effective in achieving a number of objectives, not the least of which is competitive advantage related to brand image and reputation (Amis et al. 1997; Copeland et al. , 1996; Meenaghan, 1998). The sport marketing literature provides some discussion on the value of sport sponsorship in also deli vering other bene? ts, such as increased awareness levels, sales and greater market share, and opportunities to develop employee and client (i. e. hospitality) relations (e. g. Abratt et al. , 1987; Apostolopoulou and Papadimitriou, 2004; Irwin and Asimakopoulos, 1992; Lough et al. , 2000; Ludwig and Karabetsos, 1999; Scott and Suchard, 1992). The technological developments related to porting, events along with the growing interest of the media for such activities, account to some extent for the steady increase of sport-related sponsorship investments (Meenaghan, 1998; Shilbury et al. , 2003). Meanwhile, the decreasing corporate trust in the ef? ciency of traditional media advertising channels may also explain why corporate investments in sport follow a growing trend (Meenaghan, 1998). Despite the pervasive appeal of the sport sector, however, companies have plenty of other event options at a local, national and international level from which to choose; thus greater emphasis on retu rn of 212Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 investment will prevail their sponsorship decisions (Copeland et al. , 1996). Also, as the corporate demand for accountability in marketing expenditure increases, so does the need for a deeper understanding of the unique elements of event sponsorships as a strategic resource and a tool of marketing (Meenaghan, 1998; Thwaites et al. , 1998). Given the potential bene? ts involved in sponsorship, and in order to maximize ? ancial and other returns, corporations need to be strategic not only in their choice of properties (sport or other) with which to form partnerships but also in the allocation of resources to those agreements. Businesses must consider strategic priorities that suit their needs and systematically exploit the opportunities within their markets, and engage in partnerships that are aligned with those priorities. Furthermore, within those partnerships they need to link corporate objectives to particular strategic initiatives, a process that could turn sponsorship to a value-creating strategy capable of creating a distinctive advantage.Surprisingly, research is scarce on corporate sponsorship and its importance as a strategic resource and a brand management tool. As Meenaghan (1998) stresses, â€Å"The sponsorship literature has traditionally viewed sponsorship as an activity largely similar to advertising and generally, though not always, spoken of in terms of short- rather than long-term horizons† (p. 25). Indeed, most existing studies are descriptive, and focus on objectives and general motivation for making those kinds of investments (e. g. Berrett and Slack, 1999; Cornwell and Maignan, 1998; Doherty and Murray, 2007).Amis (2003) has also outlined the dearth of research on how intangible resources are identi? ed and managed in relation to image and reputation through sport sponsorship. This is also re? ected in the industry, as many companies invest immense resources but still ignore the capacity of sport sponsorship for ensuring longer-term bene? ts (Amis et al. , 1999). Accordingly, the present study attempts to explore the adoption (or not) of a strategic approach to the sponsorship process on the part of large companies involved in Olympic sponsorship.This is a research avenue that has been largely unexplored in the existing literature. and ideals and on leveraging its key brand on a national and international level. The Olympic Partner (TOP) program, which represents the IOC’s sponsorship program, holds a key role in the IOC’s overall marketing efforts as it attracts the interest of many international corporations due to a number of factors, including the long-term (a required minimum of four years) linkage to a very attractive intellectual property, exclusive global marketi ng rights, and the principle of product/service-category exclusivity. The ? st TOP program (1985-1988) involved nine partners and generated $US95 million, a far cry from the more lucrative 2001-2004 program, which engaged 11 corporations contributing $US603 million. Global corporations like Visa, Coca-Cola, Kodak and Panasonic view this type of partnership as strategic, and this is manifested by the fact that since 1986 all of them have invested considerable resources to remain part of the program until at least the 2012 Olympic Games. The IOC has extended their particularly successful marketing concept to a lower stage by introducing Olympic sponsorships at the national level.Revenues from those sponsorships contribute to the ever-increasing cost of hosting the event. The Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs) manage this program, which involves an array of sponsors, suppliers and providers from the host country (provided they are approved by the IOC). The 2000 Olympics attracted the interest of 93 such national partners who contributed $US492 million to the Organizing Committee of the Sydney Games (SOCOG), while the 2004 Olympic Games held in Athens generated e570 million through their national Olympic sponsorship program (Jeanrenaud, 2006).Present research The present study focuses on the national companies that signed on as Grand National Sponsors of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and explores the role of these partnerships in sponsors’ brand management efforts, as perceived by company executives, as well as the degree to which these sponsors’ approach to their Olympic sponsorship was strategic. Furthermore, sponsors’ plans to integrate the sponsorship in corporate strategy and to exploit rights received by the Organizing Committee are also discussed. Given the increased pressure of corporations to maximize ef? iency in the use of their resources and to avoid opportunity cost, there is much interest in identifying whether a strategic approach was adopted in these companies’ Olympic involvement. The practices of these sponsors could provide valuable insight not only to other ? rms considering investment in sport sponsorship, but also to event organizing committees aiming to secure corporate support. The remainder of the paper includes a review of relevant literature, followed by a summary of the methodology and the ? ndings of the study.The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical contributions of the study and also practical recommendations for brand management and marketing executives as well as sport property representatives. Corporate sponsorship and Olympic Games The Olympic Games hold a few distinctive characteristics that make the event a particularly desirable property for a wide range of sponsors, but also for conducting research. First of all, it is a unique and highly prestigious event with a strong ability to reach a global audience through television networks.Secondly, th e marketing program and policies of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the governing body of the Olympic Movement and the Olympics, actively preserve exclusivity for the limited number of international and national sponsorships and favor long-term partnerships. The IOC has worked extensively to raise awareness about how corporate contributions enhance the Olympic Movement and invests resources to achieve sponsor recognition. Thirdly, Olympic sponsorships are linked to attractive hospitality packages, which corporations value highly for networking, roduct display, and employee incentive purposes. Continuing a pattern which began in the late 1980s, sponsorship investments in the Olympic Games have increased exponentially, accounting for 34 per cent of the IOC’s $US4 billion Olympic marketing revenue for the 2001-2004 Olympic quadrennium (International Olympic Committee, n. d. ). This is the end result of the IOC’s strategic plan, which since 1985 has focused syst ematically on enhancing the Olympic image 213 Literature reviewThe review of literature is structured around three themes: 1 sponsorship and corporate strategy; 2 the integration of sponsorship within corporate marketing efforts; and 3 sponsorship and brand management. Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Sponsorship and corporate strategy Understanding what companies do or do not do to remain competitive in a constantly changing environment is at the heart of strategic thinking.Practice has shown that sport sponsorship, because of the bene? ts associated with those agreements, is a frequent strategic choice of many multinational corporations. Of the most indicative examples are Coca-Cola, Kodak and Visa International, three companies with long-standing relationships with the Olympic Games. These partic ular ? rms have integrated those agreements well into their long-term marketing strategies and are continuously promoting their involvement in order to gain competitive advantage (Farrell and Frame, 1997).However, such costly agreements cannot be treated in an ad hoc manner. Successful corporations are well aware that sponsorship deals should be approached as a resource, with the capability to lead to distinctive competence if effectively combined with other organizational resources (Amis et al. , 1997, 1999). Sport sponsorship, if viewed as a strategic resource, can support brand management objectives by enhancing brand image and reputation and by assisting the company to gain competitive advantage in targeted marketplaces (Amis, 2003).This, however, implies that corporations are prepared to engage in long-term commitments and to actively exploit those agreements, or otherwise face the disappointment of low return on their investment. Though limited, research evidence has shown tha t many companies engage in sport sponsorship with limited planning and integration (Farrelly et al. , 1997; Polonsky et al. , 1995). A few companies make those investments with con? ned understanding of the range of bene? ts involved and how those bene? s can be realized. They even lack the growing knowledge of the nature of the particular communication means and this is depicted on their objectives and the poor rationale for involvement. The empirical results of Farrelly et al. (1997) with a sample of North American and Australian companies engaged in sport sponsorship showed that more time is spent into negotiating deals than in integration and planning. Moreover, their research showed that a few North American ? ms approached sponsorship management as a strategic tool, whereas the majority of Australian businesses concentrated more on the communication opportunities of sponsorship (Farrelly et al. , 1997). Similarly, Amis et al. (1999) have provided evidence that companies often engage in sponsorship without integrating it in other marketing initiatives. The consequence involves delivering an unclear and inconsistent image to the customer. Any company considering entering into a sponsorship agreement should ? rst assess the potential bene? s and the probability of gaining a competitive position in the marketplace and then make a decision of whether or not to invest in the sponsorship. Building on the work of Hamel and Prahalad (1994), Amis et al. (1999) argue that sport sponsorship can become a potential source of competitive advantage if it meets three criteria: 1 it allows for a signi? cant increase in the perceived customer value of the service or product; 2 it permits for differentiating the brand from the competitors; and 3 it provides space for exploiting the deal through new services and products. 14 The employment of sport as a strategic tool for developing a position of competitive advantage is well described by Amis (2003) in reference to the case study of Guinness. That particular company has used sport extensively and consistently to build a unifying brand message on a global level. This was achieved by ? rst engaging in a global survey to identify a â€Å"key brand bene? t† (â€Å"Guinness brings out your inner strength†) that would unify its global brand and also ensure differentiation from other popular beer brands (Amis, 2003, p. 200).Secondly, the company used sport and sport sponsorship as a central element of its brand positioning strategy, creating advertisements featuring athletes and driving on-trade promotions and sales during world sporting events (Amis, 2003). The critical element of Olympic sponsorship is that it offers sponsors the opportunity to make use of unique business opportunities by providing concrete rights and speci? c bene? ts associated with the strongest sporting brand in the world (i. e. the Olympic Games), depending on the sponsorship category.Accordingly, and given the competiti ve nature of the growing Olympic sponsorship industry, other sport and non-sport sponsorship options, and the signi? cant resource investment required to get into a sponsorship agreement, strategic thinking becomes critical. Following the example of multinational corporations, one would expect that sponsors involved in Olympic sponsorships on the national level should also engage ? rst and foremost in fundamental strategic thinking related to company brand management efforts and overall corporate strategy, and consider how a potential sponsorship agreement would enhance corporate strategy and objectives.This question is the point of exploration of the present study. Integrating sponsorship into organizational marketing In her discussion on sponsorship-linked marketing development, Cornwell (1995) proposes a model of sponsorship development. That model involves six steps, each linked to the next, including: 1 analysis of the situation; 2 determination of objectives; 3 development of sponsorship-related strategy; 4 creation of sponsorship link; 5 sponsorship implementation; and 6 sponsorship evaluation.In another research effort to standardize the process of selecting a sport sponsorship program and utilizing it as a viable marketing tool, Arthur et al. (1998) proposed a multistep process that involved many of the points discussed earlier by Cornwell. The authors emphasized the necessity of a careful consideration of all options available to an organization in order to achieve company objectives, as well as the need to incorporate the sponsorship within the organization, manage, activate, and evaluate it (Arthur et al. , 1998).Therefore, it should be stressed that sport sponsorship can be an invaluable tool as long as it is fully integrated into a ? rm’s marketing and communication efforts. This involves ? rst of all placement of the corporate sponsorship activities into the marketing departments, clear and appropriate objectives and planning, and full in tegration into the communication mix. Otherwise, sponsorship activities, including those linked to the Olympic Games can be turned into costly mistakes with no substantial return on investment.Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Sponsorship and brand management Wong and Merrilees (2005) stress that, in pursuing competitive advantage in the marketplace, the brand should be in the heart of corporate strategy. In other words, managers should be able to combine corporate, marketing and promotional plans in a brand-based strategy, which can offer their company a sustainable edge over their competitors and lead to high levels of brand equity.Brand equity is one of the most fundamental signi? ers of a powerful brand because it represents the end result of strong brand loyalty, high name awareness, positive br and image, favorable brand associations, and the perception of superior quality (Aaker, 1991). As companies strive to build powerful brands with high value in the marketplace, sport sponsorship can serve as a tool for supporting brand management objectives (Amis, 2003; Sandler and Shani, 1993).Establishing and exploiting a partnership with a sport property can assist a company to strengthen some or all of the elements of brand equity and consequently increase the overall value of its brand (Roy and Cornwell, 2003). A few authors have discussed sport sponsorship’s role in enhancing brand image and reputation, increasing brand awareness and familiarity, and altering public perceptions (e. g. Amis et al. , 1997; Cornwell et al. , 2001; Gwinner and Eaton, 1999; Irwin and Asimakopoulos, 1992). Bene? s have also been reported in terms of brand personality and brand differentiation (Amis et al. , 1999; Cornwell et al. , 2001). The brand-related bene? ts outlined above can be deliver ed with an even greater effectiveness via Olympic sponsorship agreements. Brown (2000) discussed how AMP (an insurance and investment company) and Visa, both companies in the services sector, used their Olympic sponsorship of the 2000 Olympic Games for brand development and brand differentiation initiatives. Crimmins and Horn (1996) have also reported that Visa has bene? ed from measurable changed perceptions of its brand over MasterCard as a result of the Olympic sponsorship. Furthermore, Stipp (1998) showed that managers are well aware of how sponsor image is signi? cantly affected by the special qualities of Olympic advertising, the favorable public attitudes toward Olympic sponsorship, and the strength of the association between the sponsor and the Olympics. This is attributed to the fact that the general public expresses high respect for the Olympic Games and attaches special value to Olympic sponsorship (Stipp, 1998).Even though there is evidence that sport sponsorship, and pa rticularly Olympic sponsorship, is a distinctive resource capable of ful? lling brand management objectives, it should be stated that its effectiveness depends on active management (Amis, 2003; Cornwell et al. , 2001), appropriate and adequate leveraging (Chalip and Leyns, 2002), and longterm agreements which allow time for strong associations to be developed between events and brands (Keller, 1993). Companies should not make the mistake of mismanaging sport sponsorship agreements.They should approach these agreements as a distinctive resource, which needs to be integrated within other company activities in order to produce sustainable competitive advantage (Amis et al. , 1999). Sample On the national level, ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, instituted a sponsorship program, the National Sponsoring Programme, which offered three levels of involvement: 1 Grand Sponsor; 2 Of? cial Supporter; and 3 Of? cial Provider.This sponsorship program contributed a total of e570 million to the Organizing Committee’s budget (Jeanrenaud, 2006). The present research effort focused on the highest of the three levels, the Grand Sponsors. It was assumed that, given the size of the companies and the extent of their investment, there were higher chances that a strategic and/or brand building orientation would have been adopted at that level. Therefore, the sample for this study was drawn from the population of the Grand National Olympic Sponsors of ATHOC. The ten ompanies that served as Grand sponsors were 1 Alpha Bank (private bank); 2 Athenian Brewery (beer producer); 3 DELTA (dairy product company, co-sponsor with FAGE); 4 FAGE (dairy product company, co-sponsor with DELTA); 5 Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT, national broadcasting company); 6 Hellenic Post (ELTA, national postal services provider); 7 Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE, national telecommunications company); 8 Hyundai Hellas (automotive company); 9 Olympic A irlines (national airline company); and 10 Public Power Corporation SA (DEI, national electrical power provider).Data collection The design of this research involved a multiple case study approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with the Marketing Directors or other company executives responsible for coordinating the Olympic sponsorship activities of their particular organization. The particular research design was deemed appropriate for the study objectives as it facilitated the exploratory nature of this research. It also allowed for motivating the interviewees to explore and discuss aspects of their sponsorship-related thinking and enabled in-depth probing into unexpected issues during the discussion.Interviews took place between January and May 2004, and the duration of each interview was approximately one hour. Research efforts resulted in a total of seven of the possible ten interviews. Consequently, all results are based on information from t he seven sponsors interviewed. An interview guide was developed to incorporate the following key themes: . the reason(s) for which the ? rms entered into the Olympic sponsorship agreement; . the way(s) in which the Olympic sponsorship was integrated into the ? rms’ overall corporate strategy, their marketing strategy, and their brand management efforts; . he amount of resources deployed into the sponsorship; . the initiatives introduced to leverage the sponsorship; and . companies’ plans to evaluate the effectiveness of their Olympic sponsorship. 215 Methodology The present study follows a multiple case study approach to investigate the extent to which Grand Sponsors of the 2004 Olympic Games were involved in strategic planning and systematic leveraging activities related to their Olympic sponsorship agreements. Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis DounisJournal of Product & Brand Manage ment Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Data analysis In an effort to explore whether a strategic approach was adopted (or not) by the Grand Sponsors of the 2004 Olympics in the acquisition and management of their sponsorship, the present study focused on four indicators, namely: 1 sponsors’ stated goals and/or objectives; 2 resources allocated to the acquisition and activation of the sponsorship; 3 sponsorship leveraging initiatives; and 4 sponsorship evaluation plans The study attempted to assess the degree to which each of these areas was considered in the sponsorship process.In addition, the perceptions of company-sponsor representatives in terms of the incorporation of their sponsorship in the overall corporate strategy and brand management efforts were used as a ? fth indicator. These ? ve elements were chosen to frame the analysis because they have been proposed in past research (Arthur et al. , 1998; Cornwell, 1995) as indicators of a strategic app roach to sport sponsorship, and thus were deemed appropriate for the objectives of the present research.All data received through the interviews were therefore contentanalyzed based on those ? ve parameters. Results A discussion on each of the ? ve parameters as they relate to the seven companies-sponsors in the sample is presented in the following section. Sponsorship as part of corporate strategy and brand management efforts In order to explore whether a strategic approach was adopted in the acquisition of the Olympic sponsorship at the national level, companies were asked to discuss how iOlympic sponsorship ? tted in their overall (i. . corporate) brand management strategy. From the responses received to that question alone, it appeared that two of the seven companies in the sample clearly saw this sponsorship as an opportunity to support major shifts in the structure and orientation of their companies. More speci? cally, Alpha Bank, a private bank that had gone through a merger in recent years, saw its Olympic sponsorship as a way to support the union of the two banks that merged and also as a cause behind which to unite the two distinct cultures and staffs.Its involvement with the Olympics was seen as a platform to promote the new, post-merger company and to solidify its new name and identity in the minds of consumers. ELTA, the main postal services provider in Greece, which had been a sponsor of the ? rst modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, was also going through major changes at the time leading up to the Olympic Games as the company was preparing for an initial public offering (IPO). Their main interest was to use their Olympic sponsorship to strengthen and promote their corporate image.According to a company representative, â€Å"we want to promote a modern image of effectiveness and quality; a humane image† (personal communication, February 2, 2004). Their investment in this sponsorship intended to support the company’s brand r epositioning efforts that focused on promoting a more positive, a more customer- and service-oriented image. In addition to the role of the sponsorship in shaping a new image 216 for the company, it served as a means to celebrate a milestone in company history, i. e. the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the organization. When asked the same question of how their Olympic sponsorship ? ted with their brand management efforts, the remaining ? ve companies in the sample did not discuss any strategic initiatives that were supposed to be supported by the sponsorship. Instead, they provided reasons for which they decided to become a sponsor. Athenian Brewery, a beer producer, and DELTA, one of the dairy product co-sponsors, mentioned that their decision to become a sponsor was driven primarily by the fact that the Olympic Games was the largest and most important athletic event to occur in the modern history of the country, while the other three cited being a logical choice for the pro? e and size of their company (FAGE, dairy product co-sponsor); obliging to a matter of honor (Olympic Airlines, airline); and supporting their company’s social responsibility strategy (DEI, power provider) as their rationale for entering into those agreements. Even though it seems that, from their responses to that question alone, these ? ve sponsors did not consider any strategic or brand-related initiatives in their decisions to become involved in the program, there was some relevant information that ould be deciphered from their commentary on their sponsorship objectives, which indicates that some consideration of corporate strategy or branding was present. That information is discussed in the following section. Stated goals and/or objectives All of the companies in the sample seemed to have, to a greater or lesser extent, some stated goals for this sponsorship. However, with the exception of two cases, none of them were speci? c or measurable. In general, stated goal s/objectives fell into two categories: 1 pro? -oriented (i. e. sales); or 2 brand-oriented. Table I outlines companies’ goals and/or objectives in terms of their Olympic sponsorship agreements and groups them based on their orientation. In terms of the pro? t-oriented goals/objectives, the majority of the sponsors in the sample seemed to agree that increasing sales for one or all of their products/services was one of their goals. Olympic Airlines, the national airline company, had speci? c objectives in terms of the amount of additional traf? it would generate during the summer months and was also expecting long-term repeat business. Alpha Bank, the private bank, was more speci? c in terms of the group it was targeting; it was looking to attract a younger demographic for its services. As was noted, â€Å"we are aiming to attract a younger audience [as] the pro? le of our clients is middle age† (personal communication, January 20, 2004). Interestingly, there was also th e case of one sponsor (ELTA, postal services provider) that did not declare any speci? pro? t-oriented goals, but rather expressed a desire to at least make up the money they invested in acquiring the sponsorship. As stated by a company representative, one of their goals was â€Å"to cover the minimum guaranteed amount spent to acquire the sponsorship† (personal communication, February 2, 2004). The same company representative indicated that they did not view their Olympic sponsorship as a means that would produce any signi? cant commercial bene? ts and that the ? ancial returns were expected to be marginal. In addition to the pro? t-oriented goals, there were also other stated goals/objectives related to some aspects of brand Table I Goals/objectives of Grand National Olympic sponsors Brand-oriented goals/objectives Brand awareness, recognition Brand loyalty Integrate staff members of two banks Integrate two company cultures Brand associations Brand image, positioning Organi zational culture, employees (internal branding)Other goals/ objectives Grand National Olympic Pro? t-oriented goals/ sponsors objectives Alpha Bank Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Strengthen employee relations through leveraging initiatives Support the efforts of ATHOC – altruism 217 Receive moral bene? ts Increase market share Establish the new bank name in the minds of consumers Gain new customers Attract younger consumers Generate pro? of e50 million Athenian Increase sales (target group: Enhance brand recognition Create a legacy Make Heineken a yearBrewery 18-34) of Heineken after the Games round beer Community involvement DELTA Increase sales Create brand recognition, Community Strengthen company image awareness involvement Project interest in community matters and the country FAGE Generate sales from visitors Promote products abroad Turn foreign visitors into upon return to th eir Create brand awareness consumers of their countries among visitors (foreign products consumers) Hellenic Post [Avoid losses – make up the Create a positive image, (ELTA) money spent on sponsorship] customer- and serviceoriented Support company repositioning efforts Increase prestige as a new Olympic Airlines Increase traf? c by 150,000 Generate exposure and buzz post-Games company travelers (e50 million) Generate repeat travel in the future Create image of trust and Public Power Create credibility association Corporation, SA with the event Create prestige (DEI) Strengthen social pro? le of company Unite employees behind common effort Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Serve noble cause of sponsorship Coordinate communications under one strategy Take advantage of sponsorship rightsEvent sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 management. More speci? cally, the two areas that seemed to be more prevalent in sponsors’ priorities were brand awareness and recognition and brand image. Five of the seven sponsors in the sample stated that they were interested in raising awareness/recognition levels for their brands or a particular product under their brand. For Athenian Brewery, the beer producer, the goal was â€Å"to enhance brand recognition for Heineken [one of the products of that company] [. . . ] to promote Heineken and make it a year-round beer† (personal communication, March 4, 2004).Alpha Bank, the private bank, was more interested in raising people’s awareness of the new name of the bank, while FAGE, one of the dairy product co-sponsors, was focused on making foreign consumers who were visiting Greece for the Games familiar with their products in hope that they would continue consumption upon return to their native countries. The second aspect of brand building that seemed to be important amongst at least four of the seven Grand National Olympic sponsors in the sample was brand image. Through association with an event as grandiose and unique as the Olympic Games, sponsors felt they could create a more positive image for their company.This goal was particularly important for ELTA, the postal services provider that was hoping that the sponsorship would support its repositioning efforts. As their representative stated, â€Å"our company is at the stage of planning or promoting a change in its nature and orientation [. . . ] we are now shifting from the era of the citizen to the era of the customer, and that is important† (personal communication, February 2, 2004). Using the sponsorship to create an image of trust and credibility was one of the goals of DEI, the national power provider, while projecting their company’s interest in the community and the country and cr eating prestige as a new company were goals expressed by DELTA (dairy product co-sponsor) and Olympic Airlines (airline), respectively.Another area related to branding, other than the two mentioned above, which also became evident from the data, is the use of sponsorship for purposes of branding within the organization (i. e. internal branding). Two of the companies in the sample, Alpha Bank (private bank) and DEI (power provider), indicated that they saw their Olympic sponsorship as a means to promote employee relations. According to the representative of one of the sponsors (DEI), â€Å"[one of the goals of our company for the Olympic sponsorship is] to unite employees around a vision and a common effort† (personal communication, May 6, 2004). A third company, DELTA (dairy product producer), made reference to that goal not directly, but through the discussion of their sponsorship activation initiatives.In addition to the two main groups of goals, there were also some other goals/objectives expressed by Grand National Olympic sponsors. Those re? ected mainly altruistic motives and moral bene? ts sought through their involvement in the particular sponsorship program. Allocated resources Another indication of whether a sponsorship is seen as an investment and a brand building tool is the amount of resources invested in the process. There were two types of resources examined in this study, i. e. human and material resources. Furthermore, material resources were distinguished between in-cash versus in-kind, and those invested in the acquisition versus the activation of the sponsorship. 218In terms of human resources allocated to their Olympic sponsorship, all companies in the sample formed some type of committee that was responsible for managing all sponsorshiprelated activities. The size of those committees ranged from two to 15 members and, in most cases, membership included employees from a number of departments within the organization. Furthermore, two of the companies in the sample, Alpha Bank and Athenian Brewery, discussed their intention to involve their employees in the process by initiating employee Olympic volunteer programs. Not all sponsors in the sample were willing to disclose the ? nancial investments they made to acquire their Olympic sponsorships. Of the seven companies in the sample, six provided some information in terms of the ? nancial resources allocated to becoming a Grand Olympic sponsor.From the information provided through the interviews, it was concluded that Athenian Brewery and DELTA invested in cash only, DEI invested in kind only, while Alpha Bank, ELTA and Olympic Airlines invested both in cash and in kind. In general, there seemed to be a commitment toward the sponsorship, which became more apparent from the stated intentions of sponsors to allocate ? nancial resources in sponsorship activation initiatives. Even though all seven companies in the sample discussed some sponsorship activation plans, onl y four of the sponsors (Alpha Bank, Athenian Brewery, FAGE, Olympic Airlines) mentioned that they were planning to invest ? ancial resources on that aspect, with two of those (Alpha Bank and Olympic Airlines) disclosing the speci? c amounts. Some more information on sponsorship activation is provided in the section below. Sponsorship activation In addition to the resources allocated to sponsorship activation, information was collected on speci? c leveraging initiatives. Although there was some variation in terms of the means chosen by each company to activate their sponsorship, most initiatives involved the use of the Olympic logo and symbols as well as the Olympic mascots on sponsors’ products, employees, distribution vehicles, and at points of sale. The most common sponsorship activation initiatives involved Olympic-themed sales promotions (e. g. ontests), themed packaging, new products (e. g. Olympic-themed credit card), and collectible pins. Furthermore, three of the spon sors in the sample (Alpha Bank, ELTA and Olympic Airlines) mentioned the existence of a hospitality program for their clients or partners. In terms of the use of communication media to activate their Olympic sponsorship, the most popular choices appeared to be advertising through mass electronic (e. g. television) and print (e. g. newspaper) media, posters and billboards, displays at sponsors’ distribution outlets or specially created kiosks, and internal company communication media or publications (e. g. employee newsletter).Surprisingly, the use of the internet and the companies’ websites (provided one existed) did not appear to be prevalent, with only three sponsors (Athenian Brewery, Alpha Bank and FAGE) mentioning its use in leveraging their sponsorship agreement, while three other companies (DELTA, ELTA and Olympic Airlines) indicated that promotion through the internet would be limited. Sponsorship evaluation Of all ? ve indicators used to determine the role of these sponsorship agreements in companies’ strategy and brand management efforts, this measure is probably the one for Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 which more general and more vague responses were received.With the exception of three companies that either did not provide any information on this area (Alpha Bank) or provided very general information (Olympic Airlines and DEI), the remaining sponsors in the sample indicated at least some plans to measure sales, company awareness/recognition levels, and perceived image amongst consumers, or to conduct cost-bene? t analyses after the Games. Discussion In light of the ? ndings received from a representative group of the Grand National Sponsors of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, some general observations and practical recommendations are offered for marketing and brand management executives interested in investing in sport sponsorship. Firstly, even though the marketing literature has repeatedly cautioned corporate executives about the need to be strategic with their decisions to invest in sponsorship and also in the selection of an appropriate property that could further corporate objectives (e. g. Farrelly et al. , 1997; Meenaghan, 1998), the ? dings of this study indicate that only a small number of the national sponsors of the Athens Olympic Games truly saw this sponsorship as a tool to further corporate strategy. For a number of other ? rms becoming a sponsor was explained by generally stated objectives of assisting the Organizing Committee’s efforts to put on a good event of the greatest national importance. However, even those companies that did not speak about corporate strategy and brand management made it clear throughout their interviews that solidifying an association with the Olympic Games could affect their brand image and positioning in a positive manner. The use of words such as â€Å"legacy†, â€Å"honor†, â€Å"prestige† and â€Å"image† indicates that these companies were well aware of how an of? ial relationship with an event as unique as the Olympic Games and as important for the history of the country (i. e. Greece) would help to build strong brand associations. This con? rms past research suggesting that sport sponsorship can be used as a brand-building tool through the creation of positive and favorable brand associations (e. g. Amis, 2003; Roy and Cornwell, 2003). Secondly, the companies in the sample highlighted the key strengths of their national Olympic sponsorships by stating the goals and objectives attached to those agreements, even though they were not, in most cases, speci? c or measurable as it has been recommended through past literature (e. g. Arthur et al. , 1998).Interestingly, many of the goals and objectives stated were brand- related. It was evident through the interviews that companies recognized the opportunity to sharpen their brand image and increase levels of brand awareness, but also saw the chance to do that in a favorable light by taking advantage of the positive feelings and emotions people had toward the Olympic Games. Being seen as one of the contributors to an event as important to the country and its citizens – even though not directly related to pro? toriented objectives – if achieved, could have led to positive outcomes via strengthening the company’s image and emotional connection with current and potential consumers.Past research also has connected the existence of positive brand associations to favorable consequences for brands (e. g. Amis, 2003; Gladden et al. , 1998). Thirdly, it appeared from the data that all the companies created teams to manage their sponsorships and, in most 219 cases, those teams involved employees from a number of departments. The involveme nt of various departments in the sponsorship management process could indicate efforts of sponsors to integrate their Olympic sponsorship throughout their organizations. Furthermore, for those companies that decided to involve their employees via Olympic volunteer programs or to incorporate employee bene? s and special corporate hospitality programs, it seems that they also saw this sponsorship as a tool to build employee relations and strengthen their brand internally. Fourthly, the willingness of companies to allocate resources not only in becoming sponsors but also in leveraging their sponsorship relationships indicates an even greater commitment in using this sponsorship as a brand building tool and receiving full bene? ts from their involvement – even though that was not clear from responses related to the ? rst indicator. It also implies that companies saw value in the intellectual property of the Olympic Games and in the rights received through their agreements with th e Organizing Committee. Although most of the managers interviewed failed to report with speci? ity the resources committed in sponsorship activation, this ? nding is in agreement with previous research that proposes spending money to leverage the associated bene? ts of a sponsorship (e. g. the $2-for-$1 additional spending found by Farrelly et al. , 1997). The leveraging initiatives described throughout the interviews were clearly efforts to capitalize on the positive feelings and enthusiasm that were widespread throughout the country. Using a variety of promotional and communications initiatives to take advantage of product/service category exclusivity rights (even for the two dairy product producers that signed on as co-sponsors) and of the of? cial af? iation with the Olympic Games could provide a competitive advantage to those corporations and differentiate them from their competition. Lastly, the lack of data on sponsorship evaluation plans might imply that assessment of the ef fectiveness of process and of the ful? llment of goals might not be an area to which companies devoted much energy, at least in the early stages of their sponsorship relationship. This ? nding is consistent with the existing literature, which indicates that many companies spend signi? cant resources on sponsorship agreements but fail to establish formal sponsorship evaluation systems or procedures (Miyazaki and Morgan, 2001).Furthermore, the fact that most objectives stated throughout the interviews were rather general and not speci? c could make any effort to evaluate the effectiveness of these sponsorship agreements even harder. Consistent with past literature (e. g. Cornwell, 1995; Meenaghan, 1998), in this case it is also strongly recommended that plans to measure whether corporate objectives were achieved should be an integral part of the sponsorship design and implementation, and not merely an afterthought. Olympic sponsorships, especially at the national level, are somewhat u nique in that they are typically once-ina-lifetime opportunities, with sponsorship renewal being less of an issue. Even so, easuring return on investment could prove valuable in guiding a company through future decisions to invest in sport or other sponsorship opportunities. Managerial implications and conclusions Given the increased pressure on corporations to maximize ef? ciency in operations and maximize return on all company investments, sport sponsorship has naturally fallen under Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 scrutiny in terms of its potential to further corporate goals and help strengthen the brand.The main contribution of this research is showing that there are still large corporations – such as the Grand National sponsors of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games – that enter expens ive sponsorship agreements with only moderate consideration to the strategic and brand-building elements of sponsorship. As this study showed, not all cases prove that speci? c brandbuilding initiatives were put in place from the start of those relationships. The ? ndings discussed above hold managerial implications for both sponsorship executives and (sport) event properties. In addition to an overall strategy involving corporate brand management, it is important for sponsors to fully understand what speci? advantages are delivered through their sponsorships and how customers might view those companies’ sponsorship efforts in relation to other media tools. As Farrelly et al. (1997) have suggested, ? rms need to ? rst â€Å"research the role of sponsorship in the strategic plan, communication mix, and its place in the organizational hierarchy† (p. 178). Using a manager-based view of the Grand National Olympic sponsorships, the ? ndings are quite clear in showing that t his type of thinking had not yet (i. e. at the time of the interviews) been adequately established in these agreements. The majority of the 2004 Olympics Grand sponsors had dif? culties approaching their partnerships as a valuable esource able to create competitive advantage in the marketplace. Nevertheless, the marketing department of ATHOC, the Organizing Committee of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games also holds part of the responsibility for the lack of strategic thinking in the investments of some Grand sponsors. Organizing Committees in general hinge on the success of these agreements in order to generate income and positive evaluations on corporate business developments. In addition to the promotion of the unique image of the Games and the rights of the Olympic sponsorship program, it is in the overall interest of the event property to integrate real strategic thinking in the sponsorship program process.This strategic thinking can be oriented, for example, by encouraging and/or as sisting candidate sponsors to explore their strategic link between the Olympic Games’ audience and their ? rms’ target market and overall brand-related objectives. If the property (in this case OCOG) works proactively to promote the unique business links associated to their audience, the brand bene? ts, as well as the other opportunities for meaningful interactions with costumers, sponsors will be more willing to allocate resources on entering the agreements and spending for their full activation. This could result in real strategic and brand management thinking on the part of the selected national Olympic sponsors, as well.Given that the Olympic partnerships involve a four-year period of sponsorship privileges, a strategic approach is particularly critical in order to facilitate a sustained long-term successful partnership with mutual bene? ts. In closing, the results of the study imply that the need for adequate planning and strategic integration of sponsorship withi n other corporate marketing and branding efforts cannot be overstated. Especially with a property as unique as the Olympic Games, the need to be strategic in all decisions related to the sponsorship, to create new and leverage existing unique brand associations, and to implement speci? c measures of success in every step of the process is imperative for sponsors if unique bene? ts are to be realized. 220 References Aaker, D. A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity, The Free Press, New York, NY.Abratt, R. , Clayton, B. 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Thwaites, D. , Aguilar-Manjarrez, R. and Kidd, C. (1998), â€Å"Sports sponsorship development in leading Canadian companies: issues and trends†, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 17, pp. 29-49. Wong, H. Y. and Merrilees, B. (2005), â€Å"A brand orientation typology for SMEs: a case research approach†, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 155-62. About the authors Dimitra Papadimitriou is a Lecturer in the Department of Business Management at the University of Patras, Greece. She teaches in the area of sport management and marketing.Her research interests include o rganizational theory, sport sponsorship and sport tourism, and her work has appeared in the European Sport Management Quarterly, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Sport Management Review, Managing Leisure, and the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. She is also the author of the book Management of Sport Enterprises and Organizations, published in 2005 by Kleidarithmos Publications. In addition, Dr Papadimitriou is an elected board member of the European Association for Sport Management and serves on the Editorial Board of the European Sport Management Quarterly journal. Dimitra Papadimitriou is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email  protected] gr Artemisia Apostolopoulou is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Business at Robert Morris University, USA. She teaches sport management and marketing at the undergraduate and graduate level.Her primary area of research involves brand management and brand extension strategies impleme nted by sport organizations. Her secondary research interests include sponsorship and endorsement issues, as well as entertainment aspects of sport consumption. She has presented work at numerous national and international conferences, co-authored book chapters, and published research in Sport Marketing Quarterly and the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. Theofanis Dounis is a PhD candidate in the Department of Business Management at the University of Patras, Greece. He conducts research in the area of strategic management in the professional football industry.Executive summary and implications for managers and executives This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full bene? t of the material pr esent. This sporting life Corporate sponsorship of sport is a big business and it is growing. In 2003, for example, spend on sponsorship was calculated at $US25. 9 billion. A year later in 2004, it had risen to $28 billion. In anyone’s money, that’s a big business. Of this spend 69 percent goes to sporting events. Sport, it seems, is the ? rst among equals.Event sponsorship as a value creating strategy for brands Dimitra Papadimitriou, Artemisia Apostolopoulou and Theofanis Dounis Journal of Product & Brand Management Volume 17  · Number 4  · 2008  · 212 –222 Within this or any other context the Olympic Games has become a phenomenon of our times. The ancients surely could not have imagined what was to come. The late nineteenth century/early twentieth century revivalists would be, one would suppose, either amazed or aghast. Organizers picking up the baton after the Second World War, such as the modest London Games of 1948, would still have little inkling of what was to come. A global TV audience and, some might argue, a shift in values, have changed the game.For global companies the Olympics deliver a global audience and provide a more or less unique opportunity to reinforce brand values and build reputation. It is an opportunity not to be missed. It only comes around every four years. Athenian outcomes British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, on being asked what represented the gr