Solute Definition and Examples in Chemistry

Solute Definition and Examples in Chemistry A solute is defined as the substance that is dissolved in a solution. For solutions of fluids, the solvent is present in greater amount than the solute. Concentration is a measurement of the amount of solute present in a chemical solution, with respect to the amount of solvent. Examples of Solutes Usually, a solute is a solid that is dissolved into a liquid. An everyday example of a solute is  salt in water. Salt is the solute that dissolves in water, the solvent, to form a saline solution. On the other hand, water vapor is considered a solute in air, because nitrogen and oxygen are present in much larger concentration levels in the gas. Different Types of Solutes When two liquids are mixed to form a solution, the solute is the species present in the smaller ratio. For example, in a 1 M sulfuric acid solution, sulfuric acid is the solute while water is the solvent. The terms solute and solvent can also be applied to alloys and solid solutions. Carbon may be considered a solute in steel, for example.

Bronsted-Lowry Acid Definition

Bronsted-Lowry Acid Definition In 1923, chemists Johannes Nicolaus Brà ¸nsted and Thomas Martin Lowry independently described acids and bases based on whether they donate or accept hydrogen ions (H). The groups of acids and bases defined in this manner came to be known as either Bronsted, Lowry-Bronsted, or  Bronsted-Lowry acids and bases. A Bronsted-Lowry acid is defined as a substance that gives up or donates hydrogen ions during a chemical reaction. In contrast, a Bronsted-Lowry base accepts hydrogen ions. Another way of looking at it is that a Bronsted-Lowry acid donates protons, while the base accepts protons. Species that can either donate or accept protons, depending on the situation, are considered to be amphoteric. The Bronsted-Lowry theory differs from the Arrhenius theory in allowing acids and bases that dont necessarily contain hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions. Key Takeaways: Bronsted-Lowry Acid The Bronsted-Lowry theory of acids and bases was proposed independently in 1923 by Johannes Nicolaus Brà ¸nsted and Thomas Martin Lowry.A Bronsted-Lowry acid is a chemical species that donates one or more hydrogen ions in a reaction. In contrast, a Bronsted-Lowry base accepts hydrogen ions. When it donates its proton, the acid becomes its conjugate base.A more general look at the theory is as an acid as a proton donor and a base as a proton acceptor. Conjugate Acids and Bases in Bronsted-Lowry Theory Every Bronsted-Lowry acid donates its proton to a species which is its conjugate base. Every Bronsted-Lowry base similarly accepts a proton from its conjugate acid. For example, in the reaction: HCl (aq) NH3 (aq)→ NH4 (aq) Cl- (aq) Hydrochloric acid (HCl)  donates a proton to ammonia (NH3) to form the ammonium cation (NH4) and the chloride anion (Cl-). Hydrochloric acid is a Bronsted-Lowry acid; the chloride ion is its conjugate base. Ammonia is a Bronsted-Lowry base; its conjugate acid is the ammonium ion. Sources Brà ¶nsted, J. N. (1923). Einige Bemerkungen à ¼ber den Begriff der Suren und Basen [Some observations about the concept of acids and bases]. Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays-Bas. 42 (8): 718–728. doi:10.1002/recl.19230420815Lowry, T. M. (1923). The uniqueness of hydrogen. Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry. 42 (3): 43–47. doi:10.1002/jctb.5000420302

Marketing Planning and Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Planning and Communications - Essay Example On the shore on the other hand, were millions of inhabitants who had barely recovered from the rampage of Hurricane Katrina and the like. The Gulf of Mexico was also polluted with 5 million barrels of crude oil and methane gas, surpassing the Exxon disaster within four days (Sachs, 2012). Biggest Corporate Fine in US History British Petroleum has so far put aside $42 billion payable as fines, compensation to the victims and well as restoration costs (the economist, 2013). In other words, the company has paid 14 billion for restoration and clean up of the site, 17.5 billion as compensation to individuals and small businesses, $4 billion in the form of criminal charges to the Department of Justice as well and $3.5 billion as penalties for oil leak under the America’s Clean Water Act (the Economist, 2013, p.66). Integrated Marketing Communications According to Percy (2008) integrated marketing communications is about planning, it aims at delivering a consistent and effective mess age. IMC applies to all forms of communications, be it consumer, business-to-business or corporate. Furthermore, by consistent message we mean that the message must have the same visual feel throughout media so as to form a distinct image that can be linked to the brand. Ensuring the proper implementation of IMC requires a strategic plan, the process begins by identifying the target audience and understanding their purchase decisions and behaviours. Strategic IMC for the BP Brand In 1997, the then CEO of BP John Browne was determined to make BP the world’s largest oil company through exploration, acquisition and marketing. Browne was of the impression that the consumers could be taught to identify with a brand of gasoline. But making the consumer identify with an oil brand was exceedingly hard as people hated oil companies and perceived them as villains following the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. With increasing awareness about climate change, oil companies were the worst perfo rming product category in terms of brand affinity (Sachs, 2012). Browne made significant changes to the approach of the company, including investments in solar energy research and withdrawal from oil- interest group Global Climate Coalition. These efforts were perceived positively by the consumers as British Petroleum was no longer resisting the fight against climate change with was now an active participant. By 2000, the company’s name was changed to BP with the tagline â€Å"Beyond Petroleum†, furthermore the company shield was replaced by helios. This new look was received positively by the masses, so the company further invested in advertising to supplement their green stance on the environment. Over the next few years the company built extensive brand equity, and John Browne one of the most popular CEOs in the world was granted knighthood. The truth in fact was very different from the facade created by green advertising because in reality the company was not makin g any significant progress in alternative energy. In 2010, BP’s operations comprised of drilling the world’

Soft Systems Thinking vs. Hard Systems Thinking Essay

Soft Systems Thinking vs. Hard Systems Thinking - Essay Example Both have specific applications and uses for us humans who constantly learn from using these systems thinking. Systems thinking is a rather new concept and one that analyzes a given specific question relating to human systems or systems that involves humans in some other way. This study explores the various quirks and advantages of using these ways of thinking. It also explores how systems can be applied anywhere from everyday, mundane things to the most complicated problems ever. Systems thinking can be though of as a train of ideas and procedures that can help lessen our burden in problem solving if properly executed. Thus with this knowledge, a firm understanding is needed on how these systems work and function to the arrival of a solution. Given today's global problems, our world leaders have utilized time and again that systems thinking does work and the benefits outweighs the negative feedback from these. This study was. To compare and contrast the two different types of thinki ng systems and the way they influence our lives. This paper also manages to determine the details behind these concepts and also to have a better understanding of what systems thinking is all about and it's relevance to our modern society where problems are as common as anything else under thee sun. With this, all that if for you dear reader to go on and find out how these ways of thinking works. The term system is der... Also, one or more components may or may or may not have independent or alternate functions, but they are still part of the same system. Examples of systems are committees within a civic group, the various body organ systems, the ecosystem, socio-economic systems etc. Systems can either be natural such as the ecosystem and the body organ systems or they may be artificial such as electronic systems and farms ("What is system thinking" 2004). For a system to work, each of its components must work together in order to produce something. Its elements must complement each other and must have a certain synergy between them. Elements in a system may have direct or indirect relationships with each other. There are also system types that can be considered as open or closed. An open system's production and function can be influenced by the external environment or it can have an influence on the environment. A closed environment on the other hand is independent and may not be influenced by the external environment or it does not have an influence on the environment. Another classification of systems is physical and conceptual systems. Physical systems are systems are systems that exists materially that it, it has form, mass and is generally tangible. Conceptual systems exist theoretically and do not have form, mass or any other physical characteristic. Conceptual systems are often used for the visualization of certain ideas ("Sys tem", 2006). Another classification of systems is living or biological systems which are composed of living elements or organisms themselves, interacting or performing various functions as a whole. Non-living systems composed of the environment and

Theories of International Trade and Investment Essay Example for Free

Theories of International Trade and Investment Essay Objectives: 1. Theories of international trade and investment 2. why do nations trade? 3. How can nations enhance competitive advantage? 4. Why and how do firms internationalize? 5. How can internationalizing firms gain and sustain competitive advantage? Mercantillism: belief popular in 16th century National prosperity results from maximizing exports and minimizing imports Nonmercantillism: today some argue nation should run a trade surplus labot unions protect domestic jobs farmers keep crop prices high manufacturers some rely on exports Free Trade: absense of restrictions to the flow of goods/services among nations ** Best because it leads to: more/beter choices for consumers/firms lower prices of goods for consumers/firms higher profits/better worker wages imported input goods usually cheaper higher living standards for consumers costs are lower greater prosperity in poor countries Competitive Advantage: foundation concept of international trade. Answers how nations can achieve and sustain economic success/prosperity Superior features of a country that provide it with unique benefits in global competition comparitive advantages are derived either from natural endowments/deliberate national policies **In a firm: Distinctive Assets/competencies/capabilities that are developed or acuired Ex: Saudi Arabia has a natural abundance of oil petroleum products Ex: France climate/soil for producing wine Absolute Advantage: country should produce only those products in which it has absolute advantage or can produce using fewer resources that another country Comparative Advantage: Beneficial for two countries to trade even if one has absolute advantage in the production of all products. **Efficiancy in which it can product the product is the most important Ratio of production costs is key This pplies to all goods shows how countried use scarce resources more efficiently Limitations of Early Trade Theories: Fail to account for international transportation costs Govts distort normal trade / selectively imposing protectionism (tarrifs) or (subsidies) Services some cant be traded. Others can be traded freely over internet Factor Proportions Theory: Factor Endowments Theory each country should produce and export products that need high production Import goods that and don’t need production ** Leontief Paradox revealed that countries can export products that use less resources and be successful International Product Life Cycle Theory Each product and its associated manufacturing go through 3 stages of evolution: introduction inventor country enjoys a monopoly in manufacturing/exports. Ex: TV Set maturity Products manufacturing becomes standardized other countries start producing and exporting the product standardization manufacturing ceases in innovator country becomes net importor of the product. Totally under globalization cycle occurs quickly New Trade Theory economies of scale are an important factor in some industries for superior international performance. Even in absense of superior comparative advantage some succeed best as their volume increases Ex: commercial aircraft industry has very high fixed costs need high volume sales to achieve profit Critical Role of  Innovation in National Economic Success Innovation is KEY source of competitive advantage Firms innovate in 4 major ways: 1. new product/improve an existing product 2. new manufacturing 3. new marketing 4. new ways of organizing Many innovative firms in a nation leads to national competitive advantage Critical Role of Productivity in National Economic Success productivity is the value of the output produced by a unit of labor or capital it is a key source of competitive advantage for firms the greater the productivity of the firm, the more efficiently it uses its resources aggregate productivity is a key determinate of the nations standard of living Michael Porters Diamond Model: Sources of National Competitive Advantage Diamond Model Factor Conditions: quality and quantity of labor, natural resources, capital, tech, know-how, entrepreneurship, other production Ex: an abundance of cost-effective and well educated workers give china a competitive advantage in the production of laptops Related Supporting Industries: presence of suppliers, competitors, complementary firms that excel within a given industry Demand Conditions at home: strengths and sophistication of customer demand firm strategy, structure, and rivalry: the nature of domestic rivalry, and conditions that determine how a nations firms are created, organized, and managed Industiral Cluster suppliers/supporting firms from the same industry located within the same geographic area strong cluster can be sxport platform for a nation Proactive economic development plan employed by the govt. nurture/support promising industry sectors with potential for regional or global dominance Tax Incentives Monetary fiscal policies Rigorous educational syst em Investment in national infrastructure strong legal regulatory systems

My Personal Search For A Meaningful Existence :: essays research papers

My Personal Search for a Meaningful Existence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am the representative embodiment of my nihilistic culture. I am narcissistic, insatiable, petty, apathetic and I am above all an emotional invalid. Yet, up until very recently, I was not consciously aware that I was guilty of having any of these wholly pejorative attributes, because I had unconsciously suppressed my inherent will to attain a meaningful existence, in favor of the comfort and security that complacency and futility provide. There exists in me a void, that is not uncommon to find in the members of my Eurocentric society, which is derived from the conscious or unconscious knowledge that our culture is entirely devoid of meaning. This is, more specifically, the plight of my generation, which has been defined by its disillusionment, apathy and inaction, rather than its accomplishments, beliefs or ideologies. Escapism is the safety mechanism that enables our flight from actuality, and subsequently our ability to exist, because we have been cursed with a wealth of advantages and a lack of restrictions. For example: I am free to choose my own religion, I am not stifled by or subjected to economic disadvantage, I am not bound to subservience by an oppressive or tyrannical government, I am blessed with a myriad of conveniences by my technologically advanced society, and I come from a nurturing and supportive family, so who the hell am I to complain about my circumstances. The only explanation I can give, in retort to my profession that I have been cursed by my inherent advantages, is: since my life is completely devoid of any profound suffering, it is subsequently lacking any meaningful happiness, because man only experiences these feelings in terms of their relative relationship to one another. Thus, I vainly invent my own wholly unfounded reasons to bemoan my existence, in the same way that a hypochondriac invents his psychosomatic illnesses, because the longer we feign to have a justifiable cue for suffering, the more that that suffering actualizes itself. The primary source of my anxieties is derived from the inherent knowledge that I am condemned to be free, in a society of relatively few restrictions, which subsequently requires me to be the master of my own destiny. Thus, I am not only culpable for determining my own fate, but I am also wholly responsible for finding a meaningful purpose in my existence, which instills me with an intense feeling of trepidation, because I'm not sure I'm ready to shoulder such a profound responsibility. I live in a nihilistic society, that is founded on man's narcissistic will to pleasure and power, that

Compare and contrast mesopotamia and egypt Essay

Both Mesopotamia and Egypt have different universal views, which then affected their culture. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers of Mesopotamia have unpredictable flood patterns. This affected their view of the universe because the inability to prepare for floods leads the Mesopotamians to believe that the world was harsh and unforgiving. In contrast, the predictable, opportune floods of the Egyptian Nile led to a trust in supernatural powers. These polar opposite views also were seen in and affected the religious opinions of the afterlife. Due to the accounts Gilgamesh, a hero in an Egyptian epic, the afterlife is seen in a terrorizing light, whereas Mesopotamians looked forward to it. A huge division in these Middle Eastern civilization’s cultures were the formation of urbanization, and class systems. In Mesopotamia, a structured 3-part class system was developed, along with Hammurabi’s Law Code. The top class included land owning males and artisans, as well as royals and warriors. The middle class contained dependent people attached to land, and at the bottom was slaves employed for domestic work. Also the freedoms and some rights of women were lost around the second millennium. In Egypt, there too were classes, yet they weren’t as enforced and structured. Woman were held at a higher standard here because they weren’t secluded in the process of urbanization and class structure, like they were in Mesopotamia. Economically, both regions participated in trade that was under state control, and their economic growth was related to commerce. Although, Mesopotamia relied solely on imports, while Egypt had an import export system within its region along the Nile. Mesopotamia was very poor in resources. In contrast, Egypt was well endowed with resources, yet practiced isolationism, which made global economic trade through commerce impossible.

Implementing Relationship Marketing: the Role of Internal and External Customer Orientation

Developing an internal and external customer orientation will facilitate the implementation of relationship marketing principles by businesses. Relationship marketing highlights the need for an external customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees. Employees will only be customer-oriented if an internal customer orientation is evident in the business. Four constructs pertaining to the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were identified.After checking for internal consistency, effect sizes were determined for these constructs analysing the practical significance of employees’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs. Similarly, four constructs referring to the external customer orientation of the same businesses were identified. The four identified constructs underpinning an external customer orientation were also checked for internal consistency and the practical significance of customers’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs was determined through effect sizes.It was found that the identified businesses lack both an internal and external customer orientation. Recommendations are made to improve internal customer orientation for the sake of an improved external customer orientation. An improved external customer orientation will facilitate implementation of relationship marketing principles in these businesses. INTRODUCTION According to Saren and Tzokas (1998:187) researchers in relationship marketing have come to realise that there is a need for detailed empirical evidence on how this approach could be implemented in order to promote a beneficial customer-business relationship.Morris, Brunegee and Page (1998:360) and Fornier (1998:343) argue that a lack of knowledge and consensus about relationship marketing and the activities involved in the implementation thereof has led to diffi culties in operationalising the construct. This study addresses this concern by arguing that a relationship marketing orientation is facilitated by management being sufficiently orientated to the needs and expectations of employees (internal customer orientation) as well as to those of customers (external customer orientation).The internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were investigated by means of effect size analyses. The goal and objectives of the study are subsequently explained, followed by a theoretical exposition on the interface between relationship marketing as well as internal and external customer orientation. A description of the research methodology is followed by the empirical results on internal and external customer orientation of the businesses that participated in the study.Conclusions are drawn from these empirical findings. Finally, managerial implications are discussed based on the concl usions. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The goal of this study is to explore internal and external customer orientation as elements facilitating relationship marketing implementation by small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives: to explore the interface between relationship marketing, and internal and external customer orientation; †¢ to report on empirical findings related to internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province; and †¢ to consider the managerial implications of the above empirical findings for managing these retailers. FOSTERING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION TO FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETINGSheth and Parvatiyar (1995:261) define relationship marketing as â€Å"an orientation that seeks to develop close interaction with selected customers, suppliers and competitors for va lue creation through co-operative and collaborative efforts†. This definition suggests that businesses should pursue profitable business relationships. Morgan and Hunt (1994:22) define relationship marketing as â€Å"all marketing activities directed towards establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges†. This definition sets out the ultimate goals of relationship marketing, but does not show what relationship marketing entails.Attempts have been made to address this limitation by emphasising the dimensions and activities of relationship marketing. These dimensions and activities include (Too, Souchon and Thirkell, 2001:290): †¢ customer retention; †¢ product benefits; †¢ quality improvement; †¢ customer service; †¢ customer commitment by the business; and †¢ frequent contact with the customer. The first four issues refer to the business’ customer orientation while the last two relate to customer relationsh ip management practices.Kotler and Armstrong (2001:9, 667-681) indicate that relationship marketing is the process of creating, maintaining and enhancing strong value-laden relationships with customers and other stakeholders. According to this definition, relationship marketing does not end with customers, but includes all stakeholders (i. e. employees, channel members, stockholders and others). Relationship marketing advocates the establishment of long-term and profitable relationships between (both internal and external) partners or stakeholders (Zikmund and d’Amico, 2001:8).These relationships are not naturally sustained and should therefore not be taken for granted (Day, 2000:25). Long-term and profitable relationships are only established when trust, commitment and service are inculcated in relationship partners (Buttle, 1996:8-9). Stakeholder relationships also have to transcend functional boundaries (Beth, Burt, Copacino, Gopal, Lee, Lynch and Morris, 2003:67-68). Rela tionship marketing advocates that an engineer should, for example, take time to see how he could best design the product to satisfy the customer’s needs.The same applies to the accounting department – it should develop credit and payment terms that will best suit the customer while it needs also realising a profit for the business (Ostroff and Smith, 1992:22-23). In this respect Day (2000:24-30) argues that the ability to create and maintain relationships depends, inter alia, on the integration of key internal processes in the business. The implementation of relationship marketing therefore depends on a well-developed internal (employee) and external customer orientation.Taher, Leigh and French (1996:218) argue that in order to be customer-oriented, marketers should provide exceptional performance in quality, delivery and cost competitiveness (i. e. customer orientation). The business should also understand how customers measure value and how these value expectations c an be met. To win orders, a business should exhibit an external customer orientation that manifests the relative strength of the business in relation to its competitors (Koufteros, Vonderembse and Doll, 2000:526).To attain lasting customer orientation careful attention should be given to detail, meeting promises and swift response to the requirements of customers – i. e. competitive capabilities. The same authors define competitive capabilities further as a business’ ability to meet customer expectations compared to its competitor’s ability to do the same. Day (2000:28) argues that a customer orientation should be â€Å"immediately evident† in the mindset of those who deal directly with the customer. Kennedy, Goolsby and Arnould (2003:77-79) found that the development of an external customer orientation will be facilitated by: leadership. Staff members must experience â€Å"an unbroken circuit of passionate, sincere, unified and committed leadership from top levels to local managers†; †¢ centrality of customer requirements and performance feedback. This will also assist in achieving the required inter-functional co-ordination and alignment; and †¢ collection and dissemination of external customer data. This data, however, only becomes conducive for customer orientation development when it is widely circulated in the business to become a shared organisation-wide platform from which decisions are made.Patterson and Smith (2001:438) also support this notion. It is stressed that customer orientation should be explicit, otherwise the business risks over-serving unprofitable accounts and wasting resources that might be allocated to profitable customer groups. In this respect Reinartz and Kumar (2002) distinguished between customer groups and suggested ways of managing each group for increased profitability. Relationship marketing raises the need for customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees.Bendapudi and Leone (2002:83) indicate that customers form relationships with employees who serve them, and that these relationships may be stronger than the customer’s relationship with the business represented by the employee. Employees will not be able to develop social relationships with customers if they were not recruited and trained with this in mind (Patterson and Smith, 2001:438). Without customer oriented employees it will be difficult to implement customer orientation because employees are the ones who have to make it happen.If customer-orientation is lacking, the implementation of relationship marketing will suffer. This is because dissatisfied customers will never develop good relationships with the business (Engel, Blackwell and Miniard, 1995:47). Attracting, developing and motivating employees as internal partners foster an internal customer orientation (Conway and Willcocks, 2000:81). Day (2000:28-29) recalls the efforts made by many businesses to m ake employee satisfaction and retention a top priority in recognition of the damage that high employee turnover and disgruntled employees can cause to customer relationships.Employee performance and attitude play an important role in service delivery to external customers. Employee satisfaction impacts on employee attitudes, which in turn influence employee performance and interaction with external customers. Employee interaction with external customers obviously plays a pivotal role in the ultimate success of the business (Lewis, 1989:41). Strauss (1995:62-77) distinguishes between internal customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. He argues that internal customer satisfaction entails employees’ satisfaction with the performance of internal suppliers (workflow satisfaction).Internal customer satisfaction should, however, not be confused with employee satisfaction – i. e. the satisfaction of employees with their working conditions. He argues further that interna l customer satisfaction reflects in external customer satisfaction. For purposes of this study the identified relationship between internal and external customer satisfaction is acknowledged, but the distinction between internal customer orientation and employee satisfaction is rejected. Employees in small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses are not dependent on intricate internal workflow processes.As they derive their workflow inputs directly from management, a distinction between management inputs (relating to Strauss’ employee satisfaction concept) and workflow inputs will be vague. Strauss (1995:63) himself points out that if managers are prepared to take responsibility for quality and act as role models, they can expect commitment from their employees – which will eventually result in improved bottom-line results. Sasser (2003) explains the relationship between employee and customer satisfaction in terms of value the business creates for employees, who in turn will be able to create value for customers.If the value created for employees and customers exceeds costs, value is being created for investors. Internal customer orientation is the result of a conscious management decision about the â€Å"organizational setting† (Strauss, 1995:68). Concerning this organisational setting Malherbe and Pearse (2003:2-12) found significant positive relationships between job enrichment characteristics and job satisfaction, and eventually between job satisfaction and service quality in the South African retail industry.Chaston (1995:332-349) investigated possible actions to establish a stronger internal customer orientation in UK clearing banks, and concluded, inter alia, that management’s improved understanding of internal customer needs will be helpful in this regard. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Small- to medium-sized textile retailers from six selected towns and cities in the North-West Province were investigated to assess their interna l and external customer orientation. Retailers from Brits, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Rustenburg were sampled.These cities and towns were chosen on the basis of their geographical representation in the province. They also represent the largest centres of economic activity in the province. A sampling frame of 61 small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses were constituted by using information obtained from the Potchefstroom City Council, the Bureau of Marketing Research and Braby’s databases. The sampling frame included independent tailoring businesses, textile, fabrics, and cloth retailing businesses (retailers, merchants or distributors).Forty-eight (N1=48) of the 61 business owners/managers were willing to participate in the study and were subsequently interviewed. One hundred and four (N2=104) employees, as found on the 48 premises, were also interviewed. Finally, two hundred and thirty (N3=230) customer responses were gathered using avail ability sampling for periods of two hours at each of the 48 business premises. Separate questionnaires, incorporating close-ended structured items, were developed for management, employees and customers as three separate groups of respondents. Owners/managers had to respond to 77 items.Thirty one (31) of these items pertaining to internal customer orientation were duplicated in the employees’ questionnaire, requiring respondents to respond to them from an employee’s perspective. Thirty-three (33) of the items on external customer orientation related to owners/managers were also put to customers, requiring them to evaluate it from their perspective. Respondents had to respond to the items according to a four-measure Likert scale where: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree and 4 = strongly agree. The responses were statistically processed with the help of SAS software (SAS Institute Inc. 1999). The reliability of constructs associated with internal and external customer orientation was tested by means of Cronbach’s Alpha values and average inter item correlations (Clark and Watson, 1995) as reported below. The practical significant difference between specifically defined constructs for employees and owners/managers (internal customer orientation) as well as for customers and owners/managers (external customer orientation) is indicated by using effect sizes. Effect sizes are calculated as availability sampling was used instead of random sampling.As explained above, the six cities and towns, the businesses who participated in the study, the interviewed employees and the interviewed customers of these businesses were not randomly selected. Statistical inference is therefore not relevant. This eliminates the use of t-tests and p-values as a technique to analyse statistically significant differences between means of responses from management and employees (or management and customers). Unlike t-tests, effect sizes are independent from s ample size, as a standardised difference based on the maximum standard deviation between compared groups is calculated (Steyn, 2000).The effect sizes (d-values) were calculated by using the following formula (Cohen, 1988:20-27): [pic] where: †¢ d = effect size; †¢ [pic] is the difference between means of two compared groups (e. g. management and employees or management and customers); and †¢ [pic] is the maximum standard deviation of the two compared groups. To calculate effect sizes, the maximum standard deviation is used instead of a mean standard deviation to allow for a more conservative approach to practical significance (Steyn, 2000). Cohen (1988:20-27) gives the following guidelines for interpreting effect sizes: †¢ d ? 0. indicating no practically significant effect; †¢ d ? 0. 5 indicating a moderate effect that could be significant if more data had been collected; and †¢ d ? 0. 8 or larger indicating a practically significant effect. EMPIRICAL RESULTS Empirical results regarding both the internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province are subsequently discussed. Empirical results: internal customer orientation Four constructs associated with internal customer orientation, as well as the items comprising these constructs, are reported in Table 1.The items comprising these constructs are also indicated. The four constructs exhibited Cronbach’s Alpha values all greater than 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315). Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are also reported in Table 1. Clark and Watson (1995:316) indicate that the average inter item correlation should also be used as a measure of internal consistency. They recommend that the average inter item correlation should lie between 0. 15 – 0. 50.It is evident from Table 1 that the average inter item correlations fall within this range, indicating internal consistency of the constructs. TABLE 1 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |Average inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |0. 752 |0. 1 | |Applying management principles strictly | | | |Seeking people who can think of new strategies | | | |Culture of supporting staff | | | |Treating staff the same as external customers | | | |Creating an enabling culture for staff creativity | | | |Exercising staff chievement recognition and reward | | | |Following fair disciplinary action | | | |Development and training of staff | | | |Appreciation of staff contribution to business success | | | |Conducting formal performance appraisals | | | |Making staff a part of solutions | | | |Aggressively competing for talented staff | | | |2. Employee development through communication and participative management |0. 713 |0 . 4 | |Promoting staff learning | | | |Encouraging a learning culture | | | |Practising participative management | | | |Marketing the business’ vision to staff | | | |Creating messages to inspire staff action | | | |Understanding the reality staff experiences | | | |Consulting staff with regard to leadership style | | | |Maintaining a two-way channel of communication in the business | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |0. 659 |0. 5 | |Incorporating knowledgeable staff inputs into business decisions and activities | | | |Acknowledging that staff is the business’ primary asset | | | |Involving current staff in the process of appointing new staff | | | |Giving responsibility and accountability to staff for their respective performance | | | |areas | | | |Collaborating with staff to draw up strategies, plans and objectives | | | |Arranging for staff to visit customers | | | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an integra ted effort by all |0. 623 |0. 5 | |involved in the business | | | |All departments working in collaboration with customer focus in mind | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | To indicate the practically significant differences between employees’ and owners’/managers’ view on internal customer orientation, effect sizes were calculated on the respective constructs. These effect sizes are reported in Table 2. Practically significant effects on constructs 1, 2 and 3 are revealed. Construct 4 only revealed a small effect.TABLE 2 EFFECT SIZES FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |3. 103 |0. 447 |2. 787 |0. 445 |0. 707 | |2. Employee development through communication and |3. 137 |0. 504 |2. 767 |0. 504 |0. 734 | |participative management | | | | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |3. 086 |0. 557 |2. 674 |0. 554 |0. 40 | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an |3. 489 |0. 695 |3. 327 |0. 750 |0. 216 | |integrated effort by all involved in the business | | | | | | Empirical results: external customer orientation Four constructs relating to external customer orientation, as well as the items associated with these constructs, are reported in Table 3. The correspondent Cronbach’s Alpha values for the four constructs are all above 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315).Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are once again reported in Table 3. These correlations fall within the range of 0. 15 – 0. 50 indicating internal consistency of the constructs (Clark and Watson, 1995:316). TABLE 3 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |A verage inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |Building customer relationships through the efforts of employees is important |0. 762 |0. 7 | |Attracting, maintaining and enhancing relationships with customers | | | |Establishing and maintaining profitable customer relationships | | | |Maintaining a mutually committed long-term oriented relationship with customers | | | |Moving customers from one level of the relationship to the next | | | |Extending priority treatment to regular customers over irregular ones | | | |Interacting with regular customers | | | |Forging long-term committed relationships with customers | | | |Employees developing business relationships with customers | | | |Fostering an intimate understanding between customers and staff | | | |The business’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs |0. 665 |0. 6 | |Delivering an offer exactly as required | | | |Extending quality and durability as the business’ core offer | | | |Deliverin g superior offers not available from competitors | | | |Continue improving the total offer to customers | | | |Delivering a tailor-made offer to customers | | | |Viewing delivery of the offer from customers’ perspective | | | |Delivering customer satisfaction |0. 642 |0. 6 | |Offering high levels of customer service | | | |Managing and maintaining the delivery of customer satisfaction | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | |Custom fitting service to customers’ particular requirements | | | |Delivering services to the satisfaction of customer desires | | | |Customer orientation of employees |0. 619 |0. 6 | |Instilling customer orientation among staff | | | |Formulating and realising a customer orientated mission statement | | | The effect sizes on the respective constructs for the practically significant difference between customers’ and owners’/managers’ view on external customer orientation are reported in Table 4. Practically significant effects are revealed on constructs 2 and 3, while construct 4 exhibit a moderate effect size. Construct 1 revealed a small effect size.TABLE 4 EFFECT SIZES FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Building customer relationships through the efforts of |3. 303 |0. 557 |3. 100 |0. 442 |0. 364 | |employees is important | | | | | | |2. The business’ offer to customers is geared towards |3. 408 |0. 423 |2. 928 |0. 465 |1. 32 | |satisfying customer needs | | | | | | |3. Delivering customer satisfaction |3. 528 |0. 445 |3. 202 |0. 399 |0. 733 | |4. Customer orientation of employees |3. 360 |0. 591 |2. 991 |0. 635 |0. 581 | CONCLUSIONS From the above empirical results the following conclusions regarding the internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers included in this study can be drawn. Internal custom er orientationFrom the effect sizes reported in Table 2 it is evident that management and employees differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on the following issues: †¢ management’s involvement with employees (construct 1). Management feels more involved with employees than employees experience it to be the case ([pic] > 0); †¢ employee development through communication and participative management (construct 2). Management is of the opinion that employee development takes place through communication and participative management, while employees do not experience the same ([pic] > 0) ; and †¢ acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential (construct 3).Management feels that employees expertise’ and potential is acknowledged, while employees do not feel the same ([pic]> 0). An small effect size was calculated for construct 4. Management and employees therefore agree that satisfying customer needs is realised throu gh an integrated effort by all involved in the business (construct 4, Table 2, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0, indicating agreement on the Likert-type scale). External customer orientation As far as external customer orientation, as reported in Table 4, is concerned, owners/managers and customers differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on: †¢ whether the businesses’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs (construct 2).Management feels it to be the case, while customers differ significantly ([pic] > 0); and †¢ delivery of customer satisfaction (construct 3). Customers feel significantly less satisfied than management thought them to be ([pic] > 0). As far as customer orientation of employees is concerned, a moderate effect size was determined (Table 4, construct 4). Owners/managers are of the opinion that employees are customer-oriented ([pic] > 3. 0) while customers do not experience it to the same degree ([pic] & lt; 3. 0). Table 4 also indicates an insignificant effect size on construct 1. Management and customers therefore agree that it is important to build customer relationships through the efforts of employees (construct 1, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0). MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONSWhen considering the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study, it is evident that employees do not feel appreciated by management. Employees indicated that management is not involved with them and that their expertise and potential is subsequently ignored. They also do not feel empowered through communication or participative management initiatives (or rather the lack thereof) from management’s side. Management and employees agree on a basic principle of the marketing concept (Barnes, 2001:7), namely that customer satisfaction is dependent on an integrated effort of all involved in the business. From the above it is clear that a certain amount o f goodwill is evident among employees.Employees recognise the importance of an integrated effort of all involved in the business to satisfy customer needs. It is recommended that management of these businesses capitalise on this aptitude of employees. Communication with employees on matters relating to management of the business will encourage employee participation, paving the way for the implementation of participative management techniques. This will draw on the latent expertise and potential of employees and will ultimately contribute to employee development and a sense of management involvement. As indicated by the empirical results, small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study lack a pronounced external customer orientation.Customers do not regard the businesses as being geared towards satisfying their needs. They are also of the opinion that employees of small- to medium-sized textile businesses are not sufficiently customer-oriented. By improving thei r internal customer orientation as suggested above, the external customer orientation of businesses may take a turn for the better. This may contribute to greater customer satisfaction as the interaction between customers and (more appreciated, and thus better satisfied and motivated) employees improve. After all: management and customers both agreed that the efforts of employees are important to build customer relationships.This is consistent with Sasser’s (2003) exposition that an improved internal customer orientation will contribute towards a better external customer orientation that will result in more satisfied customers.

Death of a Salesman Essay Essay Example

Death of a Salesman Essay Essay Example Death of a Salesman Essay Paper Death of a Salesman Essay Paper Essay Topic: Death Of a Salesman Literature Playwright Auther Millers, Death of a Salesman, uses Willy Loman as a tragic figure. As Willy struggles to be a successful salesman and provide as the man of his house, he causes suffering to his family. His actions have his wife constantly worrying, his sons unsuccessful in life, and tension between his family. The life of Willy Loman is that of a salesman. In his desire to become an American success, he desperately tries to sell a productive image to his clients, his family, and society. Unfortunately, Willys ambition to become prosperous and well-liked by his family and by society overrides his sense of morality when attempting to project a successful image. He uses a great emphasis on his supposed native charm and ability to make friends. He raises his two sons, Biff and Happy, teaching this way to success. He tells them stories of his work in New England, where he is well known and very much liked. The firm Willy had been working at for 32 years has taken him off of salary. Will ends up being fired when it should be his time of retirement. This evokes sympathy towards Willy as he did not die his ideal death of a salesman and seems to live by measuring how successful people are by the size of their funeral and therefore his own funeral reflects truly how unsuccessful his career as a salesman was. In â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Willy suffers a metaphorical death, the death of his dream of financial success. By the plays conclusion Willy is jobless and broke. Willy has a conversation with his brother Ben, who has been dead for some time, and concludes the best future for his family, especially Biff whom Willy is desperate to become successful, would be for him to kill himself as the insurance company would pay out $20, 000, enough to make Biff successful in Willy’s mind, â€Å"you end up worth more dead than alive.† The irony of Willy killing himself is that he is killing himself to give Biff money in order for him to become a successful business man however the insurance company will not make a payout for suicide and Biff has no intention of following in his father’s footsteps. This evokes sympathy for Willy as he is trying to do the best for his family however he still cannot provide for them even through his death. During the play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† the title is significant as there is a physical death of a salesman in the respect that Willy dies and he is a salesman. Through killing himself Willy hopes to provide the financial support, which he has been failing to gain for many years, for his family that is required. The death of Willy is not honourable as he desires and is sorry ending to his unsuccessful life in business. In conclusion the title of the play is significant as it in further understanding of the events, which occur in the play. Miller uses the title to convey both a physical and metaphorical death and in order for the reader to understand the ending to their full capability.

The American Economy at the End of the 20th Century

The American Economy at the End of the 20th Century After a tumultuous century embroiled in world wars and financial crises, the United States economy at the end of the 20th century was experiencing a period of economic calm wherein prices were stable, unemployment fell to its lowest level in 30 years, the stock market boomed and the government posted a budget surplus. Technological innovations and a rapidly globalizing market contributed to the economic boom near the end of the 90s, then again between 2009 and 2017, but many other factors - including presidential policy, foreign affairs, and domestic innovations and foreign supply and demand needs - affected the rise of the American economy as it entered the 21st century. Long-term challenges like poverty, especially for single mothers and their children, and environmental quality of life still faced the nation as it prepared to enter a new century of technological development and rapid globalization. A Calm Before the Turn of the Century With the presidency of Bill Clinton at the tail end of George Bush Sr.s one-term presidency, the economy of the United States stabilized in the mid-1990s, creating a status in the economy as it prepared to enter a new millennium, finally recovered from two world wars, a 40-year Cold War, a Great Depression and several large recessions, and enormous budget deficits in government in the last half of the century. By 1998, the  gross domestic product  (GDP) of the U.S. had exceeded $8.5 trillion, achieving the longest uninterrupted period of expansion in American history. With just five percent of the worlds population, the United States was accounting for 25% of the worlds economic output, outproducing its closest rival Japan by nearly double the amount. Innovations in computing, telecommunications, and life sciences opened up new opportunities for Americans to work as well as new goods to consume while the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the strengthening of Western and Asian economies offered new business ventures for American capitalists. Uncertainty at the Edge of the Millennium While some may have rejoiced in the new expansion in technology and the economy of the United States, others were skeptical of the rapid changes and feared some of the long-term challenges American hadnt resolved yet would be forgotten in the blur of innovation.   Although many Americans had achieved economic security by this point, with some even accumulating large sums of earnings, poverty was still a large issue facing the federal government and a substantial number of Americans lacked access to basic health coverage. Industrial jobs in the manufacturing field also took a hit at the end of the millennium, suffering setbacks as automation began to take over jobs and certain markets saw a decrease in demand for their goods. This resulted in a seemingly irreversible deficit in foreign trade. Ever the Market Economy As the United States passed into the early 2000s, one principle remained strong and true in terms of its economy: it was and would always be a market economy wherein the economy works best when decisions about produce and what prices to charge for goods are made through the give-and-take of millions of independent buyers and sellers, not by government or by powerful private interests, according to the State Department website. In this  free market economy, Americans feel that the true value of a good or service is reflected in its price, guiding the production end of the economy to only produce what is needed according to the supply-and-demand model, which leads to peak  economic efficiency. As is the tradition in all things concerning American politics, it is essential to limit the governments involvement in determining the economic market of its country in order to prevent an undue concentration of power and promote the pluralist foundation of the United States.

4th amendment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

4th amendment - Essay Example Scaros (2011) describes the Katz case where such a violation did occur. In the case, Katz, who was the petitioner, did not know that the FBI had fixed an eavesdropping device on the telephone booth he used that documented his conversations. He was found guilty, but on appealing, the majority of seven judges on the jury judged that his 4th amendment rights had been violated by the FBI. In the same way, the gathering of my phone records and emails without my consent and knowledge is a violation of the amendment. In the case, the court noted that as long as an individual would logically know that their conversation is and remains private, then such a conversation is protected by the 4th amendment (Scaros 2011). In support of the view that it is a violation, and it amounts to unreasonable search, Hess and Orthmann (2011) argue that warrantless search is validated when approval for the search is given or if no right to privacy exists. Hence, as gathering phone records and emails is not undertaken with a search warrant or my approval, then it violates the 4th amendment and is unreasonable (Hess and Orthmann

International Business Environment Assenment Essay

International Business Environment Assenment - Essay Example The company has maintained at a stable growth of just below 8% in terms of currency revenue and over 5% organic revenue growth. The company has also witnessed a stable profit growth over the past years and last year the company recorded a 9% increase in the operating profit growth margin. Consequently, other business branches in places like North America are performing exceptionally well and are experiencing high levels of customer retentions. Business operations in places like Europe are also firm despite the increasingly harsh economic conditions, which are likely to remain so. The company has also unveiled strategies that will enable it operate competently in the, market and make it own the largest share among their competitors. The current year’s cash flow is quite impressive and is maintained at the top peak. This has enabled the company to indulge in further investment and engage more investors and shareholders in the market. The business also has sufficient amount to aw ard its shareholders. The years also witnessed a number of acquisition in terms of which have also made a significant contribution to the company growth. In addition, the business has experienced growth in some areas due to increased outsourcing from various parts of the world. This enables them to produce a variety, which in return meets various customer needs. The retention rate of the business is high with a 94.3% stand. The company director also attributed the high growth rates to the price increase that was made on the commodities. They are also creating strategies that enable them get high sales in low sales regions such as Japan and Europe. Overall, the company is doing excellent except for the flat sales volumes in Europe and Japan. The company has also instituted strategies to introduce new products that may help in boosting sales in these places. Associated British Foods Associated British foods are equally a very strong player in the food industry. Their multinational eff ect has grown and they are currently competing very strongly against their worldwide competitors. With over 46 branches worldwide, the company has ensured high productivity in terms of o productivity. In regards to financial performance, the company registered an increase in their turnover rate. In 2009, the company had $9255 while in the year 2012 the company had $12252. This signifies a trend of excellence in performance and the manner in which the company operations are done. There is also an increase in the operating adjusted profits from $664 in 2009 to $1077. The company motivates its employees by paying them 130% of their salaries. This in turn led to an increased 20% in terms of achievement of the company objectives. Consequently, the company has set financial targets in every branch that they have, and these operate competitively to achieve the objectives. The company also capitalizes on bonus reduction to increase its net revenues. Identify and provide an assessment of how the key factors within the international business environment