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