Factors influencing buying behaviors in Metro Cities - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 18 Words: 5333 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Life Insurance in its modern form came to India from England in the year 1818. Oriental Life Insurance Company started by Europeans in Calcutta was the first life insurance company on Indian Soil. All the insurance companies established during that period were brought up with the purpose of looking after the needs of European community and Indian natives were not being insured by these companies. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Factors influencing buying behaviors in Metro Cities" essay for you Create order However, later with the efforts of eminent people like Babu Muttylal Seal, the foreign life insurance companies started insuring Indian lives. But Indian lives were being treated as sub-standard lives and heavy extra premiums were being charged on them. Bombay Mutual Life Assurance Society heralded the birth of first Indian life insurance company in the year 1870, and covered Indian lives at normal rates. Insurance is an Rs 450 billion industry in India. The life insurance segment writes about 80% of the overall market value. Indian Insurance market was at its all time high in 2003 with a growth of about 17.4% over the pervious year. Since 2001 Insurance is growing at the rate of 15-20 % annually. The growth in the insurance industry is affected by volatility in real estate rates, GDP rates and long term interest rates. Fluctuations in exchange rates also affect the growth in this sector. The gross premium as a percentage of the GDP has gone up from 2.3 in the year 2000 to 4.8 in 2006. The premium as percentage of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) has increased from 4.8 percent in 2006 to 5.2 percent in 2011. Together with banking services, it adds about 7% to the countrys GDP. Some of the important milestones in the life insurance business in India are: 1818: Oriental Life Insurance Company, the first life insurance company on Indian soil started functioning. 1870: Bombay Mutual Life Assurance Society, the first Indian life insurance company started its business 1912: The Indian Life Assurance Companies Act enacted as the first statute to regulate the life insurance business. 1928: The Indian Insurance Companies Act enacted to enable the government to collect statistical information about both life and non-life insurance businesses. 1938: Earlier legislation consolidated and amended to by the Insurance Act with the objective of protecting the interests of the insuring public. 1956: 245 Indian and foreign insurers and provident s ocieties are taken over by the central government and nationalized. LIC formed by an Act of Parliament, viz. LIC Act, 1956, with a capital contribution of Rs. 5 crores from the Government of India. Indian Insurance in 21st Century: 2000: IRDA starts giving licenses to private insurers: ICICI prudential and HDFC Standard Life insurance first private insurers to sell a policy 2002: Banks allowed selling insurance plans. As TPAs enter the scene, insurers start setting non-life claims in the cashless mode 2007: First Online Insurance portal, www.insurancemall.in set up by an Indian Insurance Broker, Bonsai Insurance Broking Pvt Ltd. 1.2. A brief introduction about project: The project is focused on analyzing the Internal and the External factors which aims at determining the customers buying behavior towards insurance products in India. It is mainly focused in trying to understand the various factors responsible for the buying decision, in order to try and understand these factors are a critical task. The purchase decision in general is prompt by number of factors viz. Psycho graphical, Economical, Social, Politico legal and Demographical. There are certain other factors which need to be understood while keeping in mind the investment decisions made by customers which includes Customer Buying Behavior, Customer Preferences, and Customers Perception, Brand Loyalty etc. 1.2.1. Objective of the Project: Primary Objective: To provide some simple tools that can be used for thinking about consumers, speculating about their possible behaviors, analyzing marketing problems from a consumer. To find how consumers learn about products and services from their environment and how they use this information to direct their behavior. Secondary Objective: To present a simple model in order to analyze the consumer decision making for IDBI. To give the information about customers values ,life styles and culture of the customers 1.2.2. Study and Research Methodology: Initially I have been interacting with customers directly in the field by various means like tele-calling, cold calling, campaigning and through references in order to know their interest whether to invest in insurance or not. Secondly a questionnaire has been developed by me in order to know the consumer behavior and as a data base (My time credit) for the company also. This study, which was conducted in the suburbs of Hyderabad city. The duration of the study was 4 months. The method which I used to collect the information was through questionnaire and personnel interaction. The data collection method was through random method and the sample size is moderate. I met around 180 people among them actual eligible were 150. The collection of primary and secondary data was then restructured and reevaluated according to the need and the objective of the study. The data thus collected undergone the various round of editing, coding and decoding .The target group for the stu dy was the age group of above 25 yrs. I have started searching for the potential consumers in the offices, employees from the natural market and around my residence Main Aim to conduct this study was to get the closer view of the consumers about life Insurance which was a little difficult as it is an intangible product .Filling up questionnaire from the people was a great experience as they ask all the information about the insurance terminology and it was a satisfying survey also as more and more customers are aware about the presence of IDBI Life Insurance. 1.2.3. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE BUYING BEHAVIOR: Understanding Consumer Buying Behavior offers consumers greater satisfaction. We must assume that the company has adopted the Marketing Concept and are consumer oriented. Cultural Factors: Culture is the most fundamental determinant of a persons wants and behavior. Whereas lower creatures are governed by instinct, human behavior is largely learned. The child growing up in a society learns a basic set of values, perceptions, preferences and behaviors through a process of socialization involving the family and other key institution. Subculture: Each culture contain smaller group of subculture that provide more specific identification and socialization for its members Social Class: Virtually all human societies exhibit social stratification. Stratification sometimes takes the form of a caste system where the member of different caste is reared for certain roles and cannot change their caste membership .More frequently, stratification takes the form of social classes .Social C lasses have several characteristics. First, Person with in each social class tends to behave more alike than persons from two different social classes. Second, persons are perceived as occupying inferior or superior positions according to their social class. Third, a persons social class is indicated by a number of variables, such as occupation, income, wealth, education , and value orientation, rather than by any single variable , fourth, individuals are able to move from one social class to another up or down during their lifetime. The Extent of this mobility varies according to the rigidity of social stratification a given society. Social Factors: A consumers behavior is also influenced by social factors, such as the consumers reference group, family, and social roles and statuses. Reference Group: A persons behavior is strongly influenced by many group .A persons reference group are those groups that have a direct (face to face) or indirect influence on the persons attitud es or behavior. Group having a direct influence on a person are called membership group. These are group to which the person belongs and interacts. Some are primary groups. With which there is fairly continuous interaction, such as family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Primary group tend to be informal. The person also belong to secondary group, which tend to be more formal and where there is less continuous interaction: they include religious organizations, professional associations, and trade unions. Family Group: Members of the buyers family can exercise a strong influence on the buyers behavior. The distinguish can be made between two families in the buyers life. The family of orientation consists of ones parents. From parents a persons acquires an orientation towards religious, politics, and economics and a sense of personal ambitions, self -worth, and love. Even if the buyer no longer interacts very much with his or her parents, the parents influence on the unconsciou s behavior of the buyer can be significant. In countries where parents continue to live with their children, their influence can be substantial. In case of expensive products and services, husband and wives engage in more joint decision making. The market needs to determine which member normally has the greater influence in the purchase of a particular products or services. Either the husband or the wife, or they have equal influence. How to succeed: Before establishing the base of product, they should engage in a lot of researches. Their researches were made on the peoples social life, personal tastes and preferences, way of life, how they identify an effective product and what makes them get attracted towards a product. The social and economic conditions were analyzed. A customers want has to be identified and his expectations must be matched with the other economic and social factors so that their product is receptive. This can be related to any product. Adapting to social conditions play the most important role in establishing brand in the market. This also means that customers are open to new and different products from time to time. Its just that they want the product to be flexible and adaptable to their needs and preferences. People are changing from time to time, so do their tastes and preferences. Identifying those is the first step towards achieving success and the rest depends on the performance of the product . 1.2.4. Changing customer trends: As insurance sector is becoming more and more competitive the consumers are changing the trends according to the situation. The survey reveals the main challenging trends in the consumer buying behavior. The profile of the typical insurance customer is taking a new and definite shape and one thing is clear: the customer is increasingly aware about internet, comparative pricing and increased bargaining power. In short customers have become more self sufficient, price sensitive, and less loyal. Lets take a look about the changing trends in consumers: Priority Relationship: Consumers want that insurers should give them a priority in every aspect. As insurers are already giving them priority they are more inclined towards increased attentiveness and less patient. They dont like to wait for the solution of their problem. So this will became a trend setting pattern in Insurance to satisfy these less patient consumers. 85% consumers give preference to Priority relationship. Less Formality: Consumers prefer those insurers who are having a quick processing of documents and less formalities and practice approach. 72% give priority to fewer formalities. Agent relationship and Transparency: Insurance is an intangible product and it is sold on sole trust on the agent (Advisor) of the company. Also the total transparency in the transactions the trust of the customer and help in increasing the business. Among 75% surveyed said that that they have purchased this product because they believe in their advisor and they like the performance of the company and they feel safe with this company. Want improved ease of purchase and interaction: Easy availability and more convenient interactions help in increasing the business.75% of total surveyed give priority for this. Knows information about insurance products: With consumers becoming more and more interactive in using the technology they are well versed with the knowledge of completion in insurance indu stry. 57% were regularly evaluating their insurance with other products. Price sensitive: Quote of insurance premium is gaining a more importance in Insurance industry as people are more inclined towards more coverage at fewer premiums. As it is in initial stage about 46% were aware about this. 1.2.5. Primary Factors Influencing Purchase Decisions: Consumers of Insurance products are mainly influence by various social, psychological and demographical factors but here are some primary factors about the insurance purchasing decisions. Brand: The consumers give most preference to the popular brand who has achieved the highest safety in the insurance market. Consumers feel trust about the popular brands and more inclined towards them. Life Stage: Life Stage plays an important part in the purchasing decision of the customer as youngsters are more inclined towards short term policies while middle age people are inclined towards family safety. Service: General image about the Service of the insurance companies plays an important part in the decision making. Companies with higher customer satisfaction and hassle free claims get maximum market share. Advice: Mostly consumers dont believe in the advisors but believe in their close friends and wife. In fact wife plays an important part in decision making. Product: A fter evaluating all these criteria people evaluate product feature. The product having most customer needs satisfying features sells the more. Price: Price plays an important role in purchasing behavior of consumers. Insurer with competitive price and more coverage with fewer premiums take the maximum market share 1.2.6. Insurer switching behavior: In the very competitive market like India switching from the trusted one to the new one happens through the following reasons: Poor Claims Service / Experience: Most people switch their insurer because of the default in the Service. Customers need faster settlement of the claims and hassle free settlement of the claim. Agent: People get influenced by the behavior of the Agent; if the agent is not fully prepared about the products of the company and having lack of knowledge about insurance companies then consumers are not wiling to buy insurance from them. Agent who is not quick responsive is also a major reason for switching Competitive Product: Consumers are more inclined towards the trend setting products than the traditional products Price: After service customers are more inclined towards the competitive price and getting maximum coverage for minimum premium. 2. Company profile 2.1. About IDBI Federal: IDBI Fortis Life Insurance Co Ltd, is a joint venture between three leading financial conglomerates Indias premier development and commercial bank, IDBI, Indias leading private sector bank, Federal Bank and Europes premier Banc assurer, Fortis, each of which enjoys a significant status in their respective business segments. In this venture, IDBI owns 48% equity while Federal Bank and Fortis own 26% equity each. IDBI Fortis launched its first set of products across India in March 2008, after receiving the requisite approvals from the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA). Today, IDBI Fortis offers services through a vast nationwide network across the branches of IDBI Bank and Federal Bank in addition to a sizeable network of advisors and partners. IDBI Fortis endeavors to deliver products that provide value and convenience to the customer. Through a continuous process of innovation in product and service delivery IDBI Fortis intends to deliver world-class wealth m anagement, protection and retirement solutions to Indian customers. 2.2. Incomesurance: INCOMESURANCE is a combination of endowment and money back. Endowment means the insured person has maturity and death benefit and in case the insurer is safe and sound the money is given back to him with a ROI of 8% depending on the payout period. Money back gives returns every year after the premium period or after the maturity period customer will get lump sum amount. It gives a guaranteed annual payout which is the summation of minimum annual payout (MAP) and additional annual payout (AAP). GAP = MAP+ AAP MAP interest rate is declared earlier only AAP is based on G-Sec rate which is declared at the time of giving each premium. 2.3. Organization Charts: IDBI Life Insurance Organizational Chart: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mr.Nageshwara Rao COUNTRY HEAD Mr.Murali HUMAN RESOURCES HEAD Mrs. Radhika Venkatraman TRAINING HEAD Mrs. Vaishali Zonal -Wise Organizational Structure: COUNTRY HEAD Mr.Murali NORTH ZONAL HEAD EAST ZONAL HEAD SOUTH ZONAL HEAD Mr.Balaji WEST ZONAL HEAD COIMBATORE AREA HEAD Mr. Vijay Kumar m HYDERABAD AREA HEAD BENGALURU AREA HEAD MUMBAI LUCKNOW Area-Wise Organizational Structure: BRANCH HEAD COIMBATORE AREA HEAD Mr. Vijay Kumar BAND 3 BAND 2 BAND 3 BAND 2 BAND 1 CORPORATE CHANNELS BAND 1 BAND 3 BAND 2 BAND 1 DISTRIBUTION CENTER BANKS AGENCY MANAGEMENT TRAINEES T To be the leading provider of wealth management, protection and retirement solutions that meets the needs of our customers and adds value to their lives. Our Mission: To continually strive to enhance customer experience through innovative product offerings, dedicated relationship management and superior service delivery while striving to interact with our customers in the most convenient and cost effective manner. To be transparent in the way we deal with our customers and to act with integrity. To invest in and build quality human capital in order to achieve our mission. Our values: Transparency: Crystal Clear communication to our partners and stakeholders Value to Customers: A product and service offering in which customers  perceive value Rock Solid and Delivery on Promise: This translates into being financially strong, operationally robust and   having clarity in claims Customer-friendly: Advice and support in working with customers and partners Profit to Stakeholders: Balance the interests of customers, partners, employees, shareholders and the  community at large. IDBI Federal offers various products: Healthsurance Bondsurance Wealthsurance Retiresurance Loansurance Incomesurance Group microsurance Termsurance Homesurance COMPETITORS OF INCOMESURANCE: Aviva Dhanvridhhi plan of Aviva insurance Classic Endowment plan of birla sunlife 3. Project Overview This project can be bifurcated mainly into two streams one is market research and the other is the sales of insurance. Both these processes can be done simultaneously. In market research, I need to approach at least 4 customers per day and give them a clear idea of what are the various products offered by IDBI and how they give benefits than other companies products and recommend them for the best suitable product. Next comes the sales part, I need to sell Insurance policies to customer there are many possible ways of selling insurance like approaching the known members (relations, friends, etc.,) i.e., via natural market or through hard core marketing i.e., from various databases and so on. The market research was undertaken with the help of a questionnaire designed by me .The questionnaire consists of the personnel details of the consumer his opinion and idea about the use of insurance policies .Whether he is interested in buying insurance or not and is he/she aware of the var ious products offered by IDBI Fortis For the sake of clear understanding of the work done by me so far, I have written the progress in a weekly schedule and the database is available as My Time Credit which also consists of the list of customers I have interacted through calls or met personally. 3.1. SCHEDULE FOR 14 WEEKS OF SIP IN GANTT CHART 3.2. Sampling plan: Since it is not possible to study whole population, it is necessary to obtain representative samples from the population to understand its characteristics. Sampling units: The target population of the study includes the general population above the age of 25 years. The individual respondents for studying customer buying behavior selected randomly from different areas in Hyderabad, like various shopping malls and markets, and among working men, women and professionals and housewives of Hyderabad. Sampling technique: Random sampling Research instrument: structured questionnaire Sample size:150 respondents The procedure that we followed consisted of: Choosing the relevant questions to ask in the questionnaire Designing the questionnaire Deciding on an objective Developing survey instruments Getting the right mix of respondents to take the survey Analyzing the various data and their influencing factors 3.3. Data Interpretation: Out of 150 participants who take the survey,75 % were employed in the service sector,25% were businessmen, 20% were professionals,10 % were not employed and 20% did not disclose their occupation. With regarding to income of the participants,50% were earning less than Rs.150000 p.a. 42% were earning between Rs.200000 p.a. and Rs.500000 p.a. 25% were earning above Rs. 500000 p.a. 13% did not disclose their income.7% were earning very less income. Do you have a life insurance policy? If yes, Please mention the details of the policy below Response No. of Respondents Share % Yes 125 125 No 25 25 Total 150 150 Out of the 125 people who had insurance, 75 people had a policy with the Life Insurance Corporation of India while 20 people had a policy with a private insurer. Others did not enclose their option. Name of the policy: Response No. of Respondents Share % LIC 75 78 Private 20 21 Total 95 99 2. What are your main reasons for buying insurance or what would be the likely reason for buying an insurance policy? Response No. of Respondents Tax 65 Investment 20 Security 75 Disciplined saving 35 Retirement 15 Others 5 Security is the main reason why people buy insurance,75 out of 150 people have chosen security as one of their main reason for buying insurance .we can note that savings in tax is still an important factor in the consumers buying decision as 65% of participants in the survey have said that tax is one of their main reasons for buying insurance. Only 15% of people have chosen pension as the main reason for buying insurance. The reason for this could be due to the age group of the people who took the survey; a large number of people were in the age 25-35 age and this age group tends not to think that far in to the future. Insurance companies should target this age group with regards to pension plans as the sooner one starts saving for a pension, the better it is for the individual .Also ,people in the 25-35 age group have a higher disposable income and are in a position to afford such products . 3. What criteria do you apply for selecting an insurance company? Response No. of Respondents Service 74 Trust 80 Advertisements 60 Recommendations 20 Agent 12 Features of Products 30 Trust is the main criteria in selecting the company .Secondly service take the second place. Even advertisements also plays good role in selecting the company. 4. When asked to rate the importance for each factor the respondents were as follows Factor No impact Minor impact Moderate impact Major impact Only factors for buying service 4 10 80 3 Trust 4 10 90 0 Advertisements 20 0 20 80 0 Recommendations 6 18 40 25 2 From friend/family 60 20 6 20 0 Agent 23 28 18 14 0 Features of product 1 7 11 50 10 According to the survey trust, service and advertisements are the main criteria in selecting an insurance company, while agents, recommendations from friends and family had no or little impact in the buying decision. From this we can decide that trust can only be built by payment every time. With so many companies in the market, it is imperative that service will improve through out the industry due to increased competition. Brand name is a priority to me while buying insurance Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree 0 8 10 18 90 I only buy insurance from well known organizations Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree 2 5 0 20 95 Most of the people buy insurance only from well known organizations that too people prefer braded organizations. What type of Advertisements are influential in my knowledge of insurance products Response No. of Respondents Television 100 E-mails 10 Bill boards 5 Door to door 20 Company calls 9 Here we can see that most of the people prefer advertisement which is influencing them 8. Which type of insurance policy would you entertain with increase in return Response No. of Respondents Whole life policy (5 to 6% low risk) 48 Endowment (9% moderate) 75 ULIP (gt;15% high risk) 23 Equity (very high risk) 4 Total 150 9. Do you know about IDBI? Response No. of Respondents Yes 125 No 25 If yes in what mode Response No. of Respondents IDBI bank 77 IDBI Fortis life insurance 48 Here we can observe that most of the people know about IDBI but in the mode of bank .Only 48 out of 125 aware of IDBI Federal Life Insurance. This shows that more penetration should be done for the IDBI Life Insurance and its products. 10. Do you know about any of the following Insurance plans offered by IDBI Fortis? Response No. of Respondents Yes 48 No 102 If YES: Response No. of Respondents Incomesurance 45 Wealthsurance 3 Homesurance protection plan 0 Termsurance 0 Retiresurance 0 A major area of concern was providing more information to customers and improving the service of the agent. More specifically the customers gave the following suggestions; Free online software to compute premium payable and returns; and compare the same with policies/products offered by the insurance company. Reminding the customer to pay the premium in time Not phoning the customer when they do not disturbed? 4. Conclusions: The important factor, which has been recognized from the data that has been collected, is that 75% of the people who took part in the survey had a life insurance policy. This shows that insurance as a sector is picking up in this country. Another important point to note regarding the life insurance buying behavior of individuals is that people give most important to their security and that is their main reason for buying insurance. However, tax savings come a close second with 65 people choosing tax as a reason for buying life insurance. Other factors (savings and investment) increase the attractiveness of insurance among people People place a high amount of weight age to factors like trust and service while selecting an insurance company .it is important to note that factors like agent or recommendations do not place high among the people taking the survey .This shows that the consumer mindset is maturing, now people take insurance according to their needs and not due to their fear. They understand their needs. Due to this reason now people first concentrate on policy scheme and brand, when they are going to choose an insurance company and policy. Whole life policy is popular due to family need and can be used as a method of controlled savings, Endowment policy is popular due to life stage need and offers decent returns ULIP is popular amongst those consumers who want to combine investments with the benefit of insurance. Security is the number one reason why people buy insurance today. Insurance companies can help enhance the other factors in the eyes of consumers and tap those individuals who are interested in investment or disciplined savings. Advertisements also played a very good role in the buying decision of the consumer .It gives the insurers an opportunity to take a different approach when it comes to advertisements in the television as well as the news paper. Insurance policies give good returns but it cannot complete with other finan cial tools (i.e. equity).So there is basic need to increase the return on investment with regard to insurance products. In India people think that insurance is a tax saving and a protection tool ,not an investment tool .If insurance companies increase awareness among the public that insurance is a good alternative investment ,this will work as value added service which will increase penetration of the Indian market. A lot of people are not satisfied from the post service of insurance companies due to dependence on agents or lack of knowledge about the process, so there is a need to increase awareness about self service, product features and training of insurance agents and staff. Insurance is a long term contract and saving tool, and policy holders may feel less interested towards their policy or may surrender their policy. Insurance companies need to motivate their customers and educate them about the importance of their policy and ensure that they do not surrender or let the ir policy lapse. People are not aware of IDBI products, so this is an area where company need to increase awareness among the consumers. 5. Recommendations: IDBI Federal Life Insurance should look forward for more interactions with customers through arranging the annual meeting. Insurance policy gives good return but it cannot compete with other financial tools (i.e. equity). So this is basic need to increase return in the field of insurance sector. IDBI Federal Life Insurance should illustrate the most successful products through local news paper. Encouraging the young people for the insurance particularly the 3 yr premium Products will be more beneficial Policy scheme is main factor to choose insurance company. If insurance companies give more concentration on policy scheme then they can compete with another financial tool in better way (i.e. equity and mutual fund). In India people think that insurance is tax saving and protection tool, and not investment tool. If insurance company increase awareness among public, that insurance is good alternative saving and investment tool, this will do work as a value added service which will increase penetration in insurance sector Now only product knowledge is not sufficient for selling insurance, some thing should be added up in training program like human behavior, CRM, knowledge of other financial tools, communication program, and especially how to improve way of delivery. Mostly, people are not satisfied from the past service of insurance companies due to dependence on agents or no knowledge about process, so there should be need to increase awareness about self service and awareness among people by training and advertisement. Insurance is long term contract and saving tool, after a time people feel less interested towards it, so time to time motivation is important. 6. APPENDICES APPENDIX-I INSURANCE QUESTIONNAIRE This is a questionnaire intended to determine the factors which leads to buying of insurance products. Name: Age: Contact Number: Occupation: Annual income: Address: 1. Do you have a life insurance policy? If yes, Please mention the details of the policy below Yes company name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Type of Product†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ No 2. What are your main reasons for buying insurance or what would be the likely reason for buying an insurance policy? Tax Investment Disciplined saving Retirement others 3. What criteria do you apply for selecting an insurance company? Service Trust Advertisements Recommendations Agent Features of Products 4. Rate the importance for each factor (Tick in the appropriate box) Factor No impact Minor impact Moderate impact Major impact Only factors for buying Service Trust Advertisements Recommendations From friend/family Agent Features of product Brand name is a priority to me while buying insurance Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree I only buy insurance from well known organizations Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree I expect good returns while investing in insurance Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree Life cover is vital in an insurance policy Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree My spouses choice influences my decision to buy insurance Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree What type of Advertisements are influential in my knowledge of insurance products Television E-mails Bill boards Door to door Company calls Insurance agents have convinced me to buy products previously Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree Amount of premium to be paid decides which insurance I would buy Strongly Disagree Mildly Disagree Neutral Mildly Agree Strongly Agree Are you married? i) If married to whom you will insure wife Child Parents Yourself ii) If you are single to whom you will insure Parents Brothers Sisters Yourself 14. What are the features you consider before taking an Insurance policy? Insurance Coverage High Returns Low premium amount Flexible withdrawals Risk Involved Others 15. Which type of insurance policy would you entertain with increase in return Whole life policy (5 to 6% low risk) Endowment (9% moderate) ULIP (gt;15% high risk) Equity (very high risk) 16. Do you know about IDBI? i) Yes ii) No If yes in what mode IDBI bank IDBI Fortis life insurance 17. Do you know about any of the following Insurance plans offered by IDBI Fortis? i) Yes ii) No If YES: Incomesurance Wealthsurance Homesurance protection plan Termsurance Retiresurance APPENDIX-III Sample of My Time Credit Database Customer name Age Mobile number email id Address Sravan.T 23 9676999797 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad Satish.M 42 9246181857 no Challapalli Sita Maha Lakshmi. 60 9701740350 no Mekavaripalem T.V.Laksmi 45 9391306066 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad Prassana.M 28 9247202968 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad Ramesh.M 45 9299052340 no Vijayawada Manasa.S 24 9951736393 [email  protected]/* */ Tirupathi Rajya Lakshmi.k 55 8008665052 [email  protected]/* */ Indore Masood Khan 34 9866975670 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad prasad.T 53 9490490738 no Khammam Sujatha.k 34 9493217915 no khammam Vimala.T 43 9703244154 no Khammam Bhadhram 38 9949475696 no Khammam Swatantra.J 29 7893482851 no Hyderabad Aruna Mandava 38 no no Hyderabad Nagaraju.B 28 9948263630 no Hyderabad Bhavani Meka 40 9247927490 no Challapalli Shalini.V 23 8019393207 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad Lakshmi 40 no Khammam Praful Laxman Fulzele 26 9505680508 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad Subbarao.M 42 9849236465 no Hyderabad Anand.M 24 9989606504 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad Ram chandra rao.M 29 9246873067 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad U.Veera Brahmam 27 9885796006 [email  protected]/* */ Rajmundry P.Naveen Sagar 22 9177706112 [email  protected]/* */ Hyderabad C.Madhav Bhaskar 23 9866874504 [email  protected]/* */ Chennai K.Kiran 23 9642125321 [email  protected]/* */ Vishakhapatnam Padavala Kiran 26 9160023089 no Rajmundry B.S.Vivekananda 52 7600038023 [email  protected]/* */ Ahmedabad

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â€Å"Someone yelled from the bottom, ‘if you voted for Trump, you better be fucking scared.’ Everyone clapped and applauded,† recounted Kathryn Hinderaker, Vice President of the St. Olaf College Republicans. â€Å"Obviously, it didn’t feel super safe.† Conservatives on college campuses are being terrorized across the nation, facing threats of violence and sometimes worse. The portrayal of campus conservatives as monsters is an apt comparison to the monstrosity the reader observes in the novels When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, novels where characters face unfair oppression and are feared because of things or events that they cannot control. Both the girl and the creature start off as confident and†¦show more content†¦The creature’s greatest desire is to be welcomed by man, and he is prepared to work hard to achieve this goal. He says, ‘â€Å"What chiefly struck me was the gentle man ners of these people; and I longed to join them, but dared not... I would remain quietly in my hovel, watching and endeavoring to discover the motives which influenced their actions,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Shelley 77). Upon gathering more information about people, the creature leaves his hovel. When he is alone with the blind man, De Lacey, in the cottage, he says â€Å"‘...I trust that by your aid, I shall not be driven from the society and sympathy of your fellow creatures.’†(Shelley 98). The creature genuinely believes that despite his physical deformities, he will be accepted by mankind. He thinks that through his ability to contribute to society and his kindness, people will treat him with respect even though he is not physically like them. The creature’s confidence that he would be accepted shows that was overly optimistic about the morality of mankind. At the start of their tumultuous journeys, both the girl and the creature are confident, optimistic being s that seem on track for success. However, these dreams of success are derailed by unfair treatment at the hands of others. The creature and the girl are discriminated against based on things that are out of their control. The girl has to deal with more adversity and discrimination than anyone should ever have to face, particularly at a young age. She says, â€Å"Someone had thrown

Training and Development Paper Free Essays

Training is an essential part of any field without which even a qualified person cannot contribute effectively to an organization. It is important to evaluate every kind of training in order to determine whether it is producing the desired goals or it needs to be improved. Evaluation mostly involves getting ongoing feedback from the learner, trainer and supervisor so that there is continuous improvement in the quality and quantity. We will write a custom essay sample on Training and Development Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now The different ways through which training can be evaluated are as follows: Â · Effectiveness of training can be measured through employee performance evaluations which are carried out from time to time as a regular appraisal process. The impact of training can be known by evaluating employee’s performance and training can be altered if necessary. Â · Training also has impact on business performance therefore evaluating business performance through sales, production costs, output, absenteeism, and turnover. Business performance can also be evaluated through qualitative improvements like quality of products and services, customer satisfaction achieved through superior customer service and greater innovation. Â · The most useful way is through employee feedback. Employees should be asked directly that if the training was according to their expertise and expectations, what have they learnt and how will they put the training into action, can the training be improved so that it better work etc. Employees might hesitate to give responses face to face therefore, training assessment or evaluation forms can be used for this purpose. Â · Finally, observation can also be a useful technique for evaluation the effectiveness of the training. Observation should be according to the objective of the training. If the training’s purpose was to enhance the communication skills of the employees then it can be observed how employees communicate with each other and with their customers in order to determine the training effectiveness. Training should be treated as a necessity in the organizations and therefore, it should be continuously reinforced and sustained so that the employees can always show better performance than before. Training should be ongoing in order to sustain the performance of the learners. In order to accomplish this training should be never stopped instead it should be properly evaluated and improved from time to time. There will not come any time when employees don’t need training because the business environment is continuously changing which require different abilities and skills at different times. Therefore, continuous training is the right way to sustain and reinforce better performance. Another way is support from the top management. When the superiors support their subordinates in acquiring knowledge then training can be reinforced. Thus, providing training is not the end instead sustaining and reinforcing it is also critical to ensure its effectiveness. REFERENCES Bramley, P. (1991). Evaluating Training Effectiveness: Translating Theory into Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill. How to cite Training and Development Paper, Papers

The Advantage Of Commercials Essay Research Paper free essay sample

The Advantage Of Commercials Essay, Research Paper The Advantage of Commercials It began in the early 1940 # 8217 ; s and to this twenty-four hours still is in many of our lives, even more so so before. It # 8217 ; s the Television that I # 8217 ; m mentioning to. The Television started merely as lone musicals on it, . But finally proceeded up to today # 8217 ; s oriented universe, with films, athleticss, and force. Today more than 98 % of all families have a Television. Over 75,000,000 of Television sets are colour. To how haw our lives depend on Television ; harmonizing to A.C. Nielsen, America watches more than 7 hours per twenty-four hours. Many people say Television has many disadvantaged, like expensive commercials. For illustration, on 30 2nd commercials in the 1984 Super Bowl cost about 450,000 dollars. If you merely look at the monetary value it sounds dearly-won, but in world Television is one of the most cost-effective media there is. Not merely is cost an advantage of Television commercials, so are TV # 8217 ; s impact credibleness, selectivity, and flexibleness. Television is powerful in may ways, largely by holding the ability to combine all major medial into one media called commercials. Television commercials are like direct mail because it comes straight to the consumer in his or her house. It is like the wireless because Television has to hold sound to do it powerful impact. It is besides similar to publish or newspapers because Television is able to demo the merchandise entirely, in a scene, or in usage. Finally, unlike any other advertisement vehicle, Television can portray the object in gesture while the other signifiers of media can non. Television is credible largely because of the old of # 8220 ; seeing is believing # 8221 ; an that is what Television does. Commercials have an incredible capacity to bring on belief because of this old expression. The other major print that make Television commercial believable is that the histrions make the commercials and A or the A+ . What is meant by this is that when and histrion uses a merchandise on Television and has a fulfilling expression on his or her face, that # 8217 ; s connoting that the merchandise is making it # 8217 ; s occupation efficaciously. Besides the histrions can show the merchandise tooo The most common manner to turn out a merchandise worthyness, is to prove it against a well known rival. All of these ways make Television commercials non merely really believing, but besides really carrying. The following quality that Television commercials have is that the commercials are selective. Commercials can make any mark audience. For illustration, if a commercial is toward kids, the commercial will be played in between after school plans that the kids like. If commercial is directed toward homemakers, they will be played largely during the midmorning and afternoon. Another manner Television commercials are selective national concatenation shops can publicize in markets in which a shop or merchandise demands excess support, or have gross revenues are the greatest to maintain them the greatest. Finally, Television commercials are flexible they are flexible in the manner they can buy clip on Television locally, regionally. Television is besides flexible in how both local and national companies can utilize this type of media if it suits their demands and budget. As one can obviously see, if you own a nationally known concern, you can air their merchandising messages either from seashore to seashore or in selected local markets. As stated before, the ground little companies can publicize with Television commercials is because of it # 8217 ; s relatively low cost to all other signifiers of media. With such a huge figure of people being affected by a Television commercial, there is no uncertainty that it is, by far the best signifier of media Television commercials have the ability to make people, it # 8217 ; s powerful, credible, selective, and flexible. The handiness of acquiring a commercial is high, with a monetary value on it to hopefully suit your budget. While the other signifiers of media a good occupation at pass oning with the purchasers, Television commercials top off all other ways of media by the advantages stated earlier.

Group Dynamics free essay sample

Work is being restructured around groups of all kinds and in all sizes of organizations. Managers need an understanding of group behavior and the concept of teams in order to appreciate what groups can and cannot do within organizations and how groups function. Any one member in group can influence the behavior of the individuals in the group and teamwork. We will examine some basic characteristics of groups including the types of work groups, the development of informal groups, and the manner in which groups operate. UNDERSTANDING GROUP BEHAVIOR Groups exhibit different behavior—more than just the sum total of each group member’s individual behavior. In this section, we’re going to look at various aspects of group behavior. What is a Group? A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve particular objectives. 1. Groups differ from mere aggregates of individual because the latter have no interdependence, interaction, or common goal. We will write a custom essay sample on Group Dynamics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Groups differ from organizations because the latter involve systematic efforts and are engaged in the production of goods and services. 3. Teamwork occurs when groups are able to work efficiently and effectively together to achieve organizational goals. There are a number of types of work groups 1. A formal group is a group officially planned and created by an organization for a specific purpose. a. A command or functional group is a formal group consisting of a manager and all the subordinates who report to that manager. ) Each identifiable work group consisting of manager and subordinates is a command group. 2) A linking is an individual who provides a means of coordination between command groups at two different levels by fulfilling a supervisory role in the lower-level group and a subordinate role in the higher-level group. 2. Informal groups are natural social formations that appear in the work environment. An informal group is a group that is established by employees, rather than by the organization, in order to serve group members’ interests or social needs. Informal groups are unplanned groups. a. An interest group is an informal group created to facilitate employee pursuits of common concern. b. A friendship group is an informal group that evolves primarily to meet employee social needs. Overview of Group Dynamics Formal and informal work groups are becoming increasingly important competitive factors in organizations. Teamwork is the result of groups working together to effectively and efficiently achieving organizational goals. Formal groups include command and task groups. Informal groups include interest and friendship groups. A useful way to analyze groups is to view them as systems that use inputs, engage in various processes or transformations, and produce outcomes. Managers can help bring about higher performance from formal work groups by weighing the characteristics of members they assign to particular groups. Group members should have task-relevant expertise and appropriate interpersonal skills. Also, it has been found, that a degree of diversity among group members usually adds to performance. Group training, particularly for diverse groups, has been found to be useful. Members may be attracted to a group for a number of reasons including being attracted to or liking other members of the group, liking the activities of the group, the goals or purposes of the group, because the group satisfies an individual’s need for affiliation, and/or because the group can help an individual achieve a goal outside the group. The absence of attraction can prevent the group from achieving high performance. Member roles in groups include group task roles, group maintenance roles, and self performance. Member roles in groups include group task roles, group maintenance roles, and self oriented roles. The size of the group has also been found to have significant bearing on the group’s performance. Mid-sized groups, from five to seven members, seem to be an optimum size according to recent research. Smaller groups can often exacerbate individual differences. Large groups tend to be when working in groups than when working alone. Free riding is particularly likely when members exhibit individualism rather than collectivism. Managers can combat social loafing by several methods. Assign just enough people to do the work is one key method. Other methods include making each individual’s work visible, providing for individual feedback, have people work with those the respect, have standards to actually measure group performance, and making rewards contingent on a combination of individual and group performance. The work group processes usually result in greater or lesser performance than would occur if the individuals worked alone rather than as members of the group. This process is called synergy. Managers strive to have a positive synergy from the group rather than negative. Three key characteristics of the group help determine the synergy levels. These are group norms, group cohesiveness, and group development. Norms are the behaviors of group members that are acceptable to the group. Norms stem from explicit statements by supervisors and coworkers, critical events in a group’s history, primacy, and carryover behaviors. Group cohesiveness has important consequences for group communication, satisfaction, performance, hostility and aggression toward other groups, and a group’s willingness to innovate and change. Factors influencing the amount of cohesiveness in a group include whether or not members of the group share attitudes and values, the amount and severity of external threats to the group, whether or not the group experiences recognizable successes, the degree of difficulty encountered in joining the group, and the size of the group. One view of group development shows groups passing through five distinct stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. A group’s performance varies depending on the stage it is in. A special kind of group behavior is found in group meetings. Because of the considerable amount of time spent in meetings, it is important for managers to know how to maximize group meeting effectiveness. This chapter includes an excellent short guide for how managers can lead more effective group meetings. Groups can also help facilitate creativity and innovation in the organization. Some of the major mechanisms that organizations use to encourage the creative and innovative capacity of groups include the use of task forces, or ad hoc committees, and teams, particularly entrepreneurial and self-managing teams. Group Dynamics free essay sample Day one in Group Dynamics was quite interesting. The class as a whole was a diverse mix in culture and age. The activity for that session thankfully helped to break the ‘ice’ and become more comfortable with one another. It amazed me, although strangers, how much we actually had in common. My peers became a familiar face I could seek out in the passing of the hall. Thus, the transition from aggregates to Campbell’s entitative group had begun. In group entitativity, the group perceives themselves as a unified whole in which the members are bonded together. We already chatted and laughed together as if we were already familiar with one another. I was very curious as to what our next meeting would bring. As our group continued to meet every Thursday, I felt a bond grow. We were becoming an educated quasi-family. My peers made me feel comfortable around them whereas in other classes I barely knew their face. We will write a custom essay sample on Group Dynamics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This bonding reminds me of the group I teach on Sundays in my church. They are a youth group ranging from ages 13-17 years of age. At first when I started to teach, they listened to the lesson I taught. As time progressed, they became comfortable enough to let me view a little piece of themselves with each meeting. I learned in order to engage them, it was important to listen to what they had to say. Usually at such a young age, they are experiencing Leon Festingers, Social Comparison, where there is a need to compare or validate information and inner thoughts. I would warn them of the negative downward social comparison some teens would seek to emulate. These types of teens have low self-esteem of themselves so they tended to hang out with gangs or thugs or kids that did drugs, had premarital sex, and usually ended up in trouble with the law. I am there as teacher and friend, helping to guide them according to how God wants us to live so that life can be full of blessings rather than unnecessary heartaches. It is my hope that my soul investment in them will stimulate a hunger for righteousness, a passion for Love, and the incentive to grow into conscientious productive young adults with morals, values and the tools needed to think critically when making life decisions. With growth comes change. In the film we watched in class, The Dead Poets Society, the boys started their own secret club. In the beginning of their secret meetings they would take turns opening the start of the meeting with the opening ritual of reading a Thoreau poem. In Church, we start with the opening ritual of reading a passage from the Bible and praying. The boys from Welton Academy welcomed the change from the monotony of rigorous rules. Their decision to continue meeting in secret met their individual interpersonal needs buffering each from the stress of constricted rules and mundane living. Any kind of change, namely positive, begins with a small group getting together with a common goal. American scientist Margaret Mead said it best, â€Å"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, its the only thing that ever has. † Tuchman’s Five Stages of Linear Progression In the first stage, the orientation or forming stage aka â€Å"the milling† stage by Carl Rogers, the group first experiences feelings of curiosity, tension, and other feelings of just ‘not knowing. ’ Each person may be curious about the other (or may not be) but there is a certain degree of risk-taking and sharing in the beginning in order for orientation to take place. I can recall the excitement of my first day in Group Dynamics. I knew we would have to form groups to complete assignments but these were complete strangers. Would they sabotage my grade? Would we be able to work together? These are just some of the few questions I had during this milling around stage. Soon, I would receive my answer. We were given different roles to play demonstrating the characteristic of that particular role with the intention of coming together to brainstorm on how to save the hospital. I was given the role of the Red-neck. I loved going into character, it was fun and we all laughed. It served as a dual purpose for me, it helped relieve stress from life and it also helped me to feel more comfortable with my peers. In the movie, shy Todd Anderson who lives in shadow of his brother at home becomes more confident with becoming a part of the Dead Poet’s Society. The unorthodox and controversial English teacher, Mr. Keating, introduced his favorite Latin phrase, â€Å"Carpe Diem† for seize the day. The boys adapted this indoctrination so much that the next stage, the conflict stage or the storming stage began. Charlie, who is the outgoing extrovert, assumes his new role as the daring leader calling himself, â€Å"Norwanda. † But without the knowledge of the group, he writes a letter to the school newspaper insisting girls be allowed in the school, thereby leaving the infant group vulnerable to the scrutiny of the conservative administrators of Welton Academy. Despite it all, the group did become cohesive. In the norming stage there is a strong sense of â€Å"weness. † It was them against Welton Academy. I can remember in my youth having such a strong sense of belonging to a â€Å"weness. † As being part of a group in my Church, I felt the sense of belonging, security, comfort and protection. It helped to elevate my self-esteem. Alone I didn’t feel worthwhile but in this group I felt I was part of a loving â€Å"quasi† family who loved me. I had developed such a special bond with them that still today we keep in contact with one another. In the task performing stage, everyone has a role to play to get the job done. â€Å"It seems clear that group members could benefit from a better-developed concept of roles that should be filled in meetings, specifically, the roles that they will fill. Participants should ask themselves what they can contribute from a role perspective. They should also be conscious of the possibilities created by a group support systems environment, namely that they have an opportunity for both greater role focus and greater role diversity. † (Zigurs; Kozar, p7 para8). Suffice to say, the task performing stage should be the ultimate test to true cohesion. If the group bonded effectively, the performance should be effective but if it were ineffective, the performance will have been a ‘flop. ’ This reminds me of the activity where we were made to ‘survive’ in frigid temperatures with items we were to list from the most important to the least. Sad to say, Rescue teams would have looked at my group and saw frozen statues instead due to the inability to get pass the conflict stage. Nobody wanted to work together and everyone thought they were right. Borman’s threshold of group tension chart would’ve shown a huge upside down bell curve screaming extreme high stress. I wonder if we actually made it to the task performance stage, would we have had some hope in surviving effectively. In the last stage, the dissolution stage is one of sadness and pleasure. Sadness because goodbyes are said and phone numbers are exchanged. Pleasure because of the opportunity to meet and share the pleasure of each other’s company through thick and thin for the time spent together, a memory that was built together and will be with you forever. Just like in group dynamics, the end will be met with mixed feelings because we really did bond as a group. We got to know one another, we got to play games, laugh together, and even uplift each other with counsel, and we even got to know a little more about our unique and awesome professor that normally we would not have the pleasure of. In the film, The Dead Poets weren’t given the pleasure of a planned dissolution, Neil took his life before his friends could say goodbye. I can only imagine how devastating this must’ve been for them! A spontaneous dissolution especially in that manner is beyond terrible. No closure, no emotional preparation. Conformity â€Å"There is still some debate about why descriptive norms might affect people’s attitudes and behaviors. On the one hand, people might be uncertain about what to think and do in a situation. Under these circumstances, people might rely on others to determine what is correct, particularly if the reference group is seen to be motivated and competent. This form of influence-referred to as informational influence-is not an irrational process; rather, it is a functional way of defining a position in the face of limited information. Informational influence is internalized by the individual and, it is assumed, leads to genuine attitude change. † (Hornsey, et al. , p319 para7) The power of conformity is what most teens face today. To smoke or not to smoke, to have sex or not, and the latest amongst tweens (according to the group I teach), to be bisexual or not. Homogeneous pressure is so great in young society that if one doesn’t conform, one runs the risk of being bullied, or teased. It really takes a character of strength and I think stubborn will to not conform and to remain heterogeneous. The activity in class where Matt conformed even if his gut told him he was initially correct when he saw the lines on the board really showed me how powerful conformity can be. It can change your judgment. I can recall being about eighteen years of age drinking a malt beer called â€Å"Crazy Horse† because my friend did it. I think I did want to drink it, but if she weren’t around would I have drunk it? The fact that Matt changed his mind and agreed with us during the conformity activity really opened my eyes and made me think, if I were in his situation, would I have conformed? I’m not sure I liked the activity because it made me question myself. This activity showed me that potentially, conformity can happen at any age. A person probably has to have a significant amount of will power and life experience not to conform. On the other hand, conformity can be a useful when the event to conform to is for self-improvement, of course self-awareness of the conforming event is vital for your decision otherwise you may be blind sighted. But ultimately it is a decision, to conform or not to conform is the question; the final choice is ours to make.

Politics Of The 1900 Essays - Sex Industry, Casual Sex, Free Essays

Politics Of The 1900 Essays - Sex Industry, Casual Sex, Free Essays Politics Of The 1900 The events that occur in Upton Sinclairs book The Jungle were same things that people in the early 20th century had to deal with everyday. For example labor was exploited to the employers benefit. Political corruption and prostitution were some main points in the book. The most important idea, the book supports socialism over capitalism as an economic and social structure. These things are what they had to go through and will be further explained. The labor force was exploited to the employers benefits. The workers didnt have any set wages. A very few days of practical experience in this land of high wages had been sufficient to make clear to them the cruel fact that it was also a land of high prices, and that in it the poor man was almost as poor as in any other corner of the earth; and so there vanished in a night all the wonderful dreams of wealth that had been haunting Jurgis. What had made the discovery all the more painful was that they were spending, at American prices, money which they had earned at home rates of wagesand so were really being cheated by the world! There were unsafe working conditions that the workers had to tolerate day after day the company had no care of. . The injury was not one that Durham and Company could be held responsible for, and so that was all there was to it, so far as the doctor was concerned. Also was no job security, the workers fear of being fired anytime of the day. For example, due t o their overproduction in the summer, the workers were forced to shut down in the winter making the workers unemployed when they need financial support the most. Political corruption and prostitution were some things that went on in the story. The politicians didnt care about anybody but themselves and the vote that they get. Whose fault was it that at the hours when workingmen were going to their work and back, the cars were so crowded that the conductors could not collect all the fares? And besides, the companies were thieves, people saidhad stolen all their franchises with the help of scoundrelly politicians! Also prostitution was a big problem also. Young girls who are just trying to survive or women who have to families need means to support them were forced into prostitution as an easy way of getting money. Marriage and prostitution were two sides of one shield, the predatory man's exploitation of the sex pleasure. If she had no money, she was a proletarian, and sold herself for an existence. The book also supports the idea that socialism over capitalism as an economic and social structure. The book shows that the working class is lowest end of society, but if the workers can make a difference. If they pull together and fight the system they will win their freedom. When a Socialist was elected to office he voted with old party legislators for any measure that was likely to be of help to the working class, but he never forgot that these concessions, whatever they might be, were trifles compared with the great purposethe organizing of the working class for the revolution. These were some of the things that went during that time. It was a hard time for the immigrants but it turned out that these immigrants were the ones that made this great country America. Without them we wouldnt be at where at without them.

The solutions to the body and mind problem Essay

The solutions to the body and mind problem - Essay Example The solutions to the body and mind problem The problem of the body and the mind is description of the different opinions of different scholars on the level of interactions between the body and their collective and individual roles in the development of an individual. How exactly could the mind initiate an interaction with some parts of the body that results into movements and actions like asking questions in class? How exactly could individual sensation in other parts of the body stimulate the mind while their natures were identical and different based on Descartes’ dualism? Different philosophers have made different desperate attempts and sociologists to solve the body and mind problem and this paper will discuss the various attempts that have been made so far and how they attempted to give a conclusive answer to these questions (Taylor 33). Descartes believed that the body and the mind were two independent faculties and only one substance existed which was united and that was god. The existence of finite substance therefore depended on the mercies of God to exist and to function well. The mind is however nonphysical occupies no space and is only manifested by the behaviors of the individual who owns it. The body also has a three-dimensional view making it possible to divide into three symmetrical parts, which are the mind, does not occupy any space and lacks a basis for division.The concept of dualism as advanced by Descartes however have a number of problems as its notion that the mind is non-physical and immaterial makes the notion of zombies and mutants immaterial.

Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Response - Assignment Example I have always had a desire to be a director someday and I intend to work towards that goal. The airline industry is a great industry to enter as an employee due to the expected expansion of air travel in the next of couple of decades. The airline industry is forecasted to grow at a rate of 3.6% annually until 2030 (Faa). If your aspirations are to become an administrator of a major airline you must keep an open mind to working at an international location. Hopefully from five years from now I will be working at a well known accounting firm if not earlier. Later I will like to go for my master degree because that what most careers are looking for. If I cant find a good job with my degree in New York, then I will move somewhere else as possible. The place Im doing my intern will place me in a good position for helping them out or Im wondering being at Macys for six years with my bachelors degree I hope they put me in corporate in Ohio. Accounting is a great career choice. When you open any newspaper and read the classified ads you will always find work in accounting. If you want to reach the upper managerial accounting positions a master’s degree will help you a lot towards that goal. I also recommend that you pursue a professional certification in accounting such as a CPA or CMA. This course has really helped me out a lot and I really enjoyed reading other classmates thoughts about the topics. In 5 years from now I hope to have landed a job that I have been looking for and been preparing for, and in ten years from now, hopefully have moved up in that company. I don’t plan on returning for grad school with all of this knowledge I have obtained, I hope that if I do decide to change career paths, I am prepared for the worst and best. I don’t really want to change my career path, because I have always had a passion for fashion and I plan to succeed in the fashion

Paying for Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paying for Motivation - Essay Example Duffy (2010) relates to the present and the expected value of the educational organization, only if it is used to increase the long term performance of the employees. The management of an educational organization should, therefore, come up with strategies that would result in providing a long term and substantial results for the benefits of the stakeholders. Pay may also be associated with the expected performance of the employees but it the performance of the employees is not completely influenced by pay. There are some other factors that may directly influence the present and expected value of the organization as well as the employees. A study was conducted on three groups which contained people with equal qualifications who were required to complete a single task for a freelancing website desk. One group was being paid $4 per hour, while other was paid $5 per hour. The third group was told that they will be working at $4 per hour; however, they were also told that there is some ro om in the budget; therefore they will be paid a little more but the increase in salary will be a surprise for them. The performance of the three groups was evaluated by measuring the productivity at the task. The results of the first and the second group were almost same, irrespective of the fact that one was being paid more than the other. The third group, who was granted with higher surprised pay rate, exhibited 20 percent more effective results than the other two groups.

UK grocery market

UK grocery market ‘‘Co-Operative Foods Market Segmentation and Brand Positioning Grocery Market Overview Market Structure The Co-Operative Group The Co-operative Foods Segmentation Market Segmentation Consumer Market Segmentation Target Marketing Co-Ops Target Market Brand Positioning Marketing Mix (4Ps) Co-Ops Brand Positioning Co-Ops Brand Strategy 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 9 10 Executive Summary The Co-Operative group is in UK market for over 150 years and operates across the food, travel, funeral, pharmacy and banking and insurance sectors. It has 4.5 million members and around 5,300 retail outlets. This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the strategy adopted by Co-Op in order to target the consumers and market. It also explores the brand positioning of Co-Op in the grocery retail market in accordance with the consumer demands. In order to do this analysis market segmentation framework is used to separate the target market into groups and by keeping the Co-Ops ethical and fairtrade principles in mind. Brand positioning strategies adopted by the Co-Op food were identified by using the marketing mix framework (4Ps). It is found that Co-Op is having intense pressure from its rival Tesco and Sainsburys who are growing rapidly into the convenience retailing. Although Co-Ops profits are gone up as compared to recent years but there is still room for improvement. 1.0 Grocery Market Overview 1.1 Market Structure The UK grocery market is mainly dominated by the big fours who have acquired almost 64% of the market share and of which Tesco is holding the 30% of the market share (Mintel 2009) and it also shows the oligopolistic nature of the market. The grocery market players have divided their customers into two groups: primary shoppers and top-up shoppers , and according to Mintel (2009) the primary shopping is dominated by big fours (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons) plus Waitrose who are sharing 80% of the market share. The UK is through its worst ever recession which has also affected the grocery retailers and lead to change their strategies. According to Keynote (2009) the ‘hard discount strategy was adopted by most retailers in last two years which was quite successful. Another strategy adopted by the supermarket retailers is to diversify their chains in rural areas in form of convenience stores in order to targets people who have a little access to supermarkets (Mintel 2009). 1.2 The Co-Operative Group This is UK base co-operative established in 1863 and it is quite diversified organization which mainly operates through its two divisions: trading and financial services. The Co-Operative group is well known for its ethical nature and fair trade principles which reflects within its organisation and differentiates it from its competitors. The Co-operative Group operates across the food, travel, funeral, pharmacy and banking and insurance sectors. It has 4.5 million members and around 5,300 retail outlets 1.3 The Co-Operative Foods The Co-OP food operated in UK through its 2223 food stores which can be found in two formats: convenience stores and small/ medium sized supermarkets (Data monitor 2008) The Co-Op food lies on the 5th place in grocery retail market with 8% shares, thanks to its merger with Somerfield in July 2008 (Mintel 2008). The Co-Op used to be the UKs largest grocery retailer in 1960s and through Somerfield acquisition it will be able gain this position again in neighbourhood market. According to the Telegraph (2009) Peter Marks, chief executive of the Co-op said that: ‘‘the move from the big four UK retailers Tesco, Asda, Sainsburysand Morrisons- to a big five including the Co-op will further boost competition for UK consumers. The Co-Op targets its consumers through its ethical and fare trade approach which is the main emphasis of the Co-Op group as stated above. The key strategy adopted by Co-Op is ‘be local act local but in recent years they are having intense competition from Tesco and Sainsburys who are extended their business in convenience sector and grow rapidly. 2.0 Segmentation According to Jobber (2004) the ways in which individuals and organisations with similar characteristics were put together that have significant implications for the determination of market strategy is called market segmentation. 2.1 Market Segmentation Each buyer can act as a potential separate market due to its unique demands and needs (Kotler 2005). It depends on companies to either follow this approach or not, companies can practise no segmentation (mass marketing), complete segmentation (micromarketing) or something in between (niche marketing) according to Kotler (2005) The Co-Op food is following the micromarketing approach rather mass marketing which has its own drawbacks. Kotler (2005) says that the micromarketing is a way of tailoring products to suit individuals according to their taste and needs. Through these criteria (Co-Op) it is targeting the local market by keeping them in convenient locations and addressing the key ethical issues. Although with the merger with Somerfield in July 2008 (Mintel 2008) they got some medium sized super market in their camp but the main focus is still the ‘c-store format. 2.2 Consumer Market Segmentation As Kotler (2005) stated that there is no single way to segment a consumer market. A marketer has to try different segmentation variable either alone or in combinations. These segments can be divided into four groups: * Behavioural Segmentation * Psychographic Segmentation * Geographic Segmentation * Demographic Segmentation The Co-Op is mainly targeting the behavioural and psychographic consumer segments. Through psychographic approach it is targeting the consumer on the basis of their social class, lifestyle as well as their personality through its ethical and organic food products. On the other hand through behavioural segmentation it is targeting peoples loyalty, their usage rate and attitude towards its product range. 3.0 Target Marketing Choosing a specific segment to serve in a market is called target marketing (Jobber 2004), also firms need to segment the market and target that segment in order to work effectively. 3.1 Co-Ops Target Market The segmentation strategy is been adopted by the Co-Op Food in order to remain competitive in the market. The Co-Ops target market is given below: * Neighbourhood market * Ethical market * Fair trade market * Top-up shoppers These above mentioned areas are the key segments targeted by the Co-Op, as it mainly operates in c-store format and it emphasis on providing fresh food products by targeting the local market and by keeping its ethical dilemma and fairtrade principles in mind. There is another important segment it targets is top-up shopping market, through this area Co-Op gets the opportunity to gain customer and introduce them to their ethical principles. 4.0 Brand Positioning 4.1 Marketing Mix (4Ps) The marketing mix model which is also known as 4Ps is used as a tool by marketer in order to implement the market strategy. The 4Ps are: * Product * Price * Place * Promotion Product: Co-Ops product offering is pretty simple, it has fairtrade products, organic products and also simply range which targets almost all segments of the market on the basis of quality and ethics. According to Mintel (2009) the most of the supermarkets have the good-better-best product range but Co-Op is so far concentrating on the better and best product range. Few of the key brand product offered by Co-Op are mentioned in table2. Price: At Co-Op the price is a big issue at Co-Op which can be expected at a convenience store but its their ethical stance which keeps the prices high too. But in order to remain competitive Co-Op offers range of discounted products and through its loyalty cards it gives an opportunity to get points against spending which can be used for further shopping at store. Place: This is the most important part of the strategy adopted by Co-Op through locating its stores at convenient and accessible places. As reported by Mintel (2009) the first criteria by C-store shopper is the location rather than price. Due to its convenient placement of stores Co-Op provides child friendly and time friendly environment right in the heart of community for its customers who find out of town shopping time consuming and stressful. Promotion: The current slogan by Co-Op is ‘Good with food. Other initiatives include the ‘Green dot scheme, highlighting healthy products. Mainly Co-Op promote its brands through local radio and TV and also by donating in local community projects 4.2 Co-Ops brand positioning According to Mintel (2009) the key rule followed by the Co-Op is getting into the market with bigger brand prospective which weve seen by the acquisition of Somerfield. Through this merger, Co-Ops gone bigger but still theyve opted to remain in the heart of local community by acting as local convenience store. And this message is conveyed by the Somerfields brand message ‘Britains favourite local grocer. 4.3 Co-Ops Brand Strategy The Co-operative Group has adopted strong brand strategy in order to sustain the market shares. As stated by Mintel (2009) its brands lie on the basis of * ethical credentials * environmental issues * local sourcing * Fairtrade. This is underlined by Mintels consumer research, with the Co-ops customers the most likely to buy locally sourced and Fairtrade items. In order to become a responsible retailer Co-Op launched it Ethical Food Policy which resulted because of good response from its 250,000 members. As result Co-op switched all of its premium meat products with RSPCA Freedom-food label (Mintel 2008). Simply value brand is also a replacement for every range and actually it is a Somerfield brand 5.0 Conclusion Although Co-Op operates through its large number of small stores by targeting different location and consumer groups but the average foot fall in some of stores is relatively less (Mintel 2008). As it is facing intense pressure from supermarkets in order keep the prices at a competitive level which is quite difficult as it is operating on such a large scale and operating cost are high. The main problem is that Co-Op is not seen as a shopping destination for majority of consumers and they treat it is as top-up store which nearby and available most of the time. A recent study by Mintel shows that only a significant percentage of people take ethical issues seriously while they shop. For them fairtrade and organic food are just another premium line on the shelf and the price factor restrict them from buying. Mintel (2009) shows an improvement in fairtrade sale but it seems organic products are struggling to keep up sales target during recession. It is clear that Co-Op is facing intense pressure from its rivals but it has improved a lot through merger and rebranding strategy. Its profits are record high as compared to last 10 years. More and more people are getting awareness of ethical approach adopted by Co-Op and it shows the significance of Co-operative food in the intense market environment. 6.0 References * Data Monitor (2008), Company Profile: Co-operative Group Limited, June 2008, London: Data Monitor. * Jobber, D. (2004), Principles and practice of marketing, 4th Edition, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education. * Hall, J. (2008), Co-op swoops on Somerfield in  £1.56bn deal, Telegraph.co.uk, 16th July. * Kotler, C. (2005), Principles of marketing, 5th Edition, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd. * Keynote (2009), Market review Food Catering, Jan 2009, 19th Edition, Keynote Publishing Ltd * Mintel (2008), Mintel market report- Food retailing, November 2008, London: Mintel. * Mintel (2009), Mintel market report- Convenience retailing, September 2009, London: Mintel. * Mintel (2009), Mintel market report- Food retailing, November 2009, London: Mintel. [http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show/display/id=395621/display/id=496165/display/id=496171#atom2] accessed 10/12/09 * Mintel (2009), Mintel market report- Food retailing, November 2009, London: Mintel. [http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic//display/id=395621/display/id=496166] accessed 05/12/2009

Computer Communications :: essays research papers

Computer Communications Communications. I could barely spell the word, much less comprehend its meaning. Yet when Mrs. Rubin made the announcement about the new club she was starting at the junior high school, it triggered something in my mind. Two weeks later, during the last month of my eighth grade year, I figured it out. I was rummaging through the basement, and I ran across the little blue box that my dad had brought home from work a year earlier. Could this be a modem? I asked Mrs. Rubin about it the next day at school, and when she verified my expectations, I became the first member of Teleport 2000, the only organization in the city dedicated to introducing students to the information highway. This was when 2400-baud was considered state-of-the-art, and telecommunications was still distant from everyday life. But as I incessantly logged onto Cleveland Freenet that summer, sending e-mail and posting usenet news messages until my fingers bled, I began to notice the little things. Electronic mail addresses started popping up on business cards. Those otherwise-incomprehensible computer magazines that my dad brought home from work ran monthly stories on communications-program this, and Internet-system that. Cleveland Freenet's Freeport software began appearing on systems all over the world, in places as far away as Finland and Germany - with free telnet access! I didn't live life as a normal twelve-year-old kid that summer. I sat in front of the monitor twenty-four hours a day, eating my meals from a plate set next to the keyboard, stopping only to sleep. When I went back to school in the fall, I was elected the first president of Teleport 2000, partially because I was the only student in-the school with a freenet account, but mostly because my enthusiasm for this new, exciting world was contagious. Today, as the business world is becoming more aware of the advantages of telecommunications, and the younger generation is becoming more aware of the opportunities, it is successfully being integrated into all aspects of our society. Companies are organizing Local Area Networks and tapping into information resources through internal networking and file sharing, and children of all ages are entertained by the GUI-based commercial systems and amazed by the worldwide system of gopher and search services. As a result, a million more people join the 'net every month, according to a 1994 article by Vic Sussman in U.S. News & World Report. They say that the worldwide community used to double its knowledge every century. Right now, that rate has been reduced to seven years, and is constantly decreasing. I've learned more since I started traveling the information highway