Critique Nursing

Essay preview The purpose of this assignment is to critique and evaluate the chosen article in terms of strengths and weaknesses, to demonstrate an understanding of the research process. According to Polit and Beck (2004) the aim of critically appraising an article is an attempt to determine its strengths and limitations. Therefore, the research critique should reflect an objective and balanced consideration of the study's validity and significance (Polit and Hungler 1999). The task of critiquing is, according to Lo Biondo-Wood and Harber (2006) a challenging one and can only be effectively achieved through much practice and skill.For the purpose of this critique, the frameworks of Parahoo (1997) and Polit and Hungler (1999) have been used as a guide. This will assist in producing an organised sub-headed piece of work. Title The title of an article is the first part of a study to be encountered and Parahoo (1997) states that a title should draw the reader's attention to the precise a rea of study and make reference to the population from whom the data is collected. Cormack (2000) and Marshall and Kelly (2007) agree, stating a title should be concise and reflect the content of the study.The chosen article is titled ‘Perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing research findings in the Irish practice setting'. This title utilised by Glacken and Chaney is concise, consisting of 13 words in bold print. Rumrill et al (2000) state that a standard length title is 12 – 15 words. However, the title does not reflect the population of the sample group i. e. Registered Nurses. Although the title still provides insight into what the article is trying to accomplish. Author(s) According to Cormack (2000) researchers must be qualified to commence a esearch study. The researchers qualification and credentials in the article are clearly stated and easy to find. They both have initials after their names, one of which has a PHD, which indicate that they have an educational background. A search using Glacken and Chaney using the ProQuest database identifies several published articles by Glacken. According to Lo Biondo-Wood and Harber (2002) this enhances the credibility of a study placing confidence in the findings. The article was submitted for publication on the 1st July 2003 and was accepted on the 9th January 2004.This illustrates that it was still relevantly recent and not dated when published which could have posed questions regarding validity and reliability. â€Å"The Journal of Clinical Nursing† has published the article. This also adds to the credibility of the research study, as all published articles are double bind peer reviewed. Abstract The purpose of the abstract is to provide a short comprehensive synopsis of an article (Rumrill et al 2000). According to Parahoo (1997) it should quickly focus the reader's attention on the main points of the study.Langford (2001) also states that a well-presented abstract should be ac curate, self-contained and readable. This abstract gives a brief summary of the study and within the first few lines identifies what the study is trying to achieve – to ascertain what registered nurses perceive as barriers to the utilisation of research findings and discover what they perceive would facilitate the implementation of these findings. The remainder of the abstract provides a summary of approach (cross-sectional survey), the population (registered nurses) and overall findings.One limitation noted is that the researchers do not give the exact sample size in the abstract. By reading this summary it is believed that the reader would be able to make an informed choice about the relevance of the article for their purpose. The keywords used within the abstract were – barriers, clinical practice, facilitators, Republic of Ireland, utilisation. It is vital that researchers choose appropriate keywords for their articles in order to aid literature searching through d atabases (Webb 2005).The keywords used by Glacken and Chaney are all relevant to the research study. Introduction The purpose of the introductory section is to clearly identify the problem and give a rationale for the study been carried out (Cormack 2000). Poilt and Hungler (1999) agree by stating that the introduction should explain the research problem and why the study is important, worthwhile and relevant. Russell (2004) also states that the introduction should thoroughly describe the background of the research problem so that the need for the study is apparent.The introduction given by Glacken and Chaney builds a cause from existing literature that the problem is of adequate value to justify further research. The author of this critique believes the research problem is in the last sentence of the introduction. It states that there are many difficulties involved in achieving evidence – based practice and many barriers that may impede research utilisation. If this is in fa ct the research problem, the researchers comply with Russell's (2004) recommendation that the research problem should flow directly from the introduction and conclude this section.However one would feel that this introduction deals more with the importance of research rather than explaining that the remainder of the article will focus on the barriers that impede research. According to Cormack (2000) an introduction should also state the study's limitations. This particular introduction does not make the study's limitations explicit to the reader. Literature Review/Background According to Parahoo (1997) a literature review serves to put the current study into the context of what is already known about the subject.Cormack (2000) states that the literature review is a critical review of previous literature relating to the research topic. Therefore this section aims to provide the reader with an understanding of what the current state of evidence is in the selected area of study. This r eview is organised by heading that correspond to the key study concepts, which makes the review easy to follow. The researchers attempt to review previous studies relating to the topic, thus preparing the ground for new research. The studies presented highlight the significance of the problem under investigation.It was difficult to identify the exact research question, as there was no definite question asked. Although Valente (2003) states that sometimes researchers may hide the research question within the purpose of the study. The final statement of the literature review is therefore the purpose of this study – ‘it is timely that perceived barriers†¦ are identified and acknowledged'. Therefore as you read the review it moves from broad to specific relevance with the last section of the review clearly outlining the need for the study. Due to the article been published in 2004, it is expected that the references used will be relevantly recent.From reading the refer ence list, it can be seen that this is the case and only three references before 1994 have been used. There was a need for these older references as the original author who employed the Barriers scale did so in 1991 and the purpose of the 1978 reference was to illustrate that access to research reports has been a problem for many years. Also noted is that the articles included in the reference list are clearly related to the topic under study and include international resources, all nursing – related. http://repository. uwc. ac. a/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10566/308/RoweBlendedLearning2012. pdf? sequence=3 Method According to Polit and Hungler (1999) the heart of the research critique is the analysis of the methodology decisions adopted in addressing the research question. Cormack (2000) suggests the method section should clearly state the research approach to be used and asks whether the method is appropriate to the research problem and whether the strengths and limitations of the approach are stated. Although not written in text it is clearly pointed out that the article is of a quantitative approach.Burns and Groves (1997) describe quantitative research as a method used to gain more information, test relationships and uses numeric data to answer problems. In reviewing the methodology section which is under the subheading â€Å"Methods†, the researchers clearly demonstrate that the design method is a cross – sectional survey using a non – probability sample. According to Polit and Hungler (1999) a cross – sectional design involves the collection of data at one point in time. This descriptive study uses the established 29 – item Barriers 5 point Likert scale, after firstly gaining permission from the main author to employ the instrument – S.Funk. Therefore a strength of this article is related to the measurement tool. The researchers used an already developed measurement device in which the reliability of the tool would have been determined. They reinforce this fact by saying that the scale is recognised to be psychometrically robust. A further quantitative research tool – a questionnaire, was selected as the method to solicit opinions regarding the barriers to research. Cormack (2000) believes that questionnaires are the most widely used method of collecting data.However he recognises that if participants are aware that they are partaking in a study, it is natural that they might alter their response – the Hawthorne Effect (Cormack 2000). The researchers do not state how they minimised this Hawthorne Effect. In addition to the questionnaire, a demographic information sheet was utilised. This is in line with a descriptive design, as the purpose of such is to gain more information about the characteristics of a group (Vitale 2003). The research participants were a convenience sample of registered nurses who enrolled in a nursing focused academic course in Trinity College, Dublin .All who enrolled were invited to participate in the study. However the recruitment process is not described in much detail. It is not until the Findings section that the size of the sample is revealed – 169 participants responded. According to Thompson (1999) the sample size in quantitative research is preferably a large sample. Vitale (2003) states that the general rule regarding sample size is ‘sample error decreases as sample size increases'. It is harder to generalise a sample of this size. It is recognised by the researchers in the Discussion section that the particular mode of sampling employed may introduce bias into the findings.This may result in the findings becoming less reliable. A limitation noted in the method design used by the researchers was the lack of an explicit framework. The researchers did not identify if they used one. When researching the other studies that used the Barriers scale the vast majority used a framework. Ethical Consideration Ethics is an important part of nursing and nursing research. It is about researchers doing what is fair, decent and moral and is underpinned by values and believes of the community (Crookes and Davies 2004).There is no designated section allocated to ethical considerations, however Hek (1996) states that ethical issues may be integrated throughout the article. This article addresses ethical issues in both the abstract and under the method section. The researchers clarify that the ethical issues of a persons right not to be harmed, right of full disclosure, right of self-determination, right of privacy and confidentiality were respected. According to the researcher all participants provided their consent to the study by the returning of the completed questionnaire.Consent is vital as it respects the autonomy of individuals, their right to privacy and their right to choose (Tingle and Cribb 2002). Results Cormack (2000) states that the results should be presented clearly and in enough detai l so that the reader is able to judge how reliable the findings are. Polit and Beck (2004) agree by stating that the most critical element of any study is getting your results across and understood by your readers. Valente (2003) believes that the researchers should repeat the research question before delving into the findings.The researchers in this case presented the data in succinct form with little discussion at the start, but organise their findings under subheadings. According to Russell (2004) researchers frequently organise their findings by research question to facilitate readability. The aim was to quantify the barriers to research implementation. The authors of this article present their findings systematically, utilising a variety of graphs and tables. Figure 1 shows a graph depicting that 38% of the participants consulted journals more than twice a month.Table 1 presents the barriers to research utilisation in descending order of importance. Results were also explained and summarised alongside which according to Clifford (1997) is a form of descriptive statistics. According to Russell (2004) if a descriptive design was used the reader should find descriptive statistics such as mean, mode, median and standard deviation. All these statistics are included within the results section. The target audience (professional nurses) are more than likely to be able to interpret the figures within each table and, thus, judge hoe reliable the results are.It is important that results are presented in such a way that they are clearly understood (Cormack 2000). Parahoo (1997) is an advocate of comparing results with other similar studies. The researchers adopted this style and compared the top 10 barriers with those found in three recent studies (Table 3). The researchers showed their findings to be very similar with the studies undertaken in both Northern Ireland and Australia. Discussion/Conclusion The discussion section should flow from the data results and plac e the study's findings in context with what is already known (Parahoo 1997).Valente (2003) believes that under this section the researchers should summarise their major findings and conclude their application to practice, research, and theory and knowledge development. The researchers state that this section will discuss the findings in comparison with other studies undertaken. Valente (2003) states that author(s) should compare and contrast their results with other studies and interpret the findings. The discussion is unambiguous and supported by the results obtained. Again the researchers used subheadings to ease readability. There are many implications to practice identified by the researchers.According to Valente (2003) implications should describe how the results of the study could be applied to nursing practice. For example the researchers discovered that their study and many other studies identified nurses' perceived lack of authority as the most common barrier to research. T herefore they exposed a need to implement some change into the organisational setting. Also, more support from managers was noted to be the top ranked facilitator of research implementation. The researchers also suggest a further research study, which would explore the reasons why nurses do not access research journals on a regular basis. General ImpressionOverall the article was interesting with clear aims and use of methodology. It was quite simple to interpret and has provided interesting fact regarding this topic. The study contains few flaws and represents a valid example of descriptive quantitative research. The results have addressed the aims of the study and are both informative and descriptive. It is recommended that it should contain a section of ethical consideration however the ethical issues are evident throughout the article. In the introduction the article stresses the importance of research in nursing and health care. This builds a good case for continuing the study. Research is an essential part of every nurse's role. But as this study revealed there are many barriers for nurses to overcome to properly utilise and implement research. This study has brought these barriers to the foreground and identified ways to overcome them. The findings were interesting, although it might become more reliable if the study was replicated using a larger, random sample group. The top ranked barrier to research utilisation was surprising to read, as it was made known to be nurses' perceived lack of authority. The article was very good overall and a lot of interesting facts emerged from the study. References

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Essay

Out of the three that I chose, the program that I feel that would be the most valuable for the organization that was profiled in Appendix A is Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services. Program’s Objective: The objective of the block grants for community mental health services program is to provide territories and states with assistance financially in the making of their plans to provide mental health services to adults and children, as well as monitoring all progress and providing technical assistance. Eligibility: The States and U.S Territory Governments are eligible applicants and the recipients of States and U.S Territory Governments are the beneficiaries. Type of Assistance: This particular program is provided with Formula Grants Dollar Range and Average Amount of Assistance Awarded: The dollar range that is listed for this program is $50,000 to $53,096,425. The Average amount of assistance that is awarded is $6,761,619. How this program is utilized by the organization that is profiled in Appendix A: The organization in Appendix A’s needs are that they are able to provide psychiatric counseling services to the residents of El Paso County who are considered to be low income. I believe that the block grants for community mental health services program would benefit the state of Texas by providing funding so that this program can continue services and develop new innovative ideas and future plans to better its services. Since residents only need to pay an amount that is based on their income I believe that the cost would work well for them as well.

Immigration Paper

From the air we breathe to the food we eat, we as people are all the same. Whether it may be light skin or dark skin, characteristics in which make us different on the outside differ, not because we want it to, but because of our ancestral history. History shows us that because of a person's location, adaptation to that location occurs.For instance, history shows us that people of darker skin are found in countries closer to the equator because more pigment is needed in a persons genetic makeup In order to withdraw themselves from the various diseases and effects that may be obtained from standing in the sun for an extended period of time. There are several causes and disparities of external traits or appearances that divide us Into several groupings or categories which are called â€Å"races. † In other words, races categorize people through socially significant hereditary traits.With the has been defined differently all throughout history. These indistinct interpretations ef fect the way one approaches the topic. Racism can broadly be defined as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement; usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. Racism and discrimination being the acts of ones prejudicial thoughts can lead us to believe that discrimination based on someone's ethnicity occurs everywhere.From the houses or apartments we live in to the shoes we wear anything and everything is a reflection of ethnic discrimination. For example, in America we have a capitalistic economy. In a capitalistic economy entrepreneurs profit off of work done by others who are hired to do the Jobs that business owners do not want to do. Statistics show that Jobs such as farming, cleaning, plumbing, etc. Are done by minorities while the superior race who is usually a white male gains a vast majority of profit due to many hours worked and low pay. Racism, a n ideology that is taught not born with, is present throughout the labor force.Ethnic discrimination is used to maintain balance throughout the division of labor. As stated previously in a capitalistic economy every Job requires someone of a Geiger position. No matter what Job title a person may have there is always someone of higher power. With that said, the workers who usually do the low end Jobs are usually Latino and African-Americans who are a minority race in America the land we call a democratic territory, though many beg to differ. Everywhere we look serves as a primary example to ethnic discrimination.This can be illustrated when stepping foot into a McDonald's seeing almost every worker of colored skin working six to twelve hours, still having trouble having a place to sleep, and knowing that the rooters Richard and Maurice McDonald are multi billionaires off of the work done by mostly minorities. Ethnicity: I am Spanish. I am White. I am Black. I am of Korean decent. I a m British. I don't have race or culture. Comments such as these are every day examples of how many people view their race and identity. Even though many people are unsure of what it truly means to have culture we make claims about it on a daily basis.Some feel they have a race while others simply feel they do not. We include based on who fits into this ideal and exclude those who do not. The fact of the matter is that culture is employ, learned through every day experience, conflicting and contradictory, relational because it is learned through interactions with others, and per formative, as our interactions are performances with public domain, is something that people never seem to think about, until we are put in a situation, in which we then become aware that we are different.Our knowledge of culture, ethnicity and identity is subconsciously internalized on a daily basis through constant social interactions. Although the concepts of race and ethnicity are socially constructed, th ey are real in their consequences. Their affects on the social world can be seen from my very own how Vive come to view my own sense of identity. As an adoptive child of white decent in a Hispanic family which lived in a predominately African American neighborhood I noticed many things as a child that allowed me to constantly become aware that I was different.Through interactions with peers in my elementary school, I noticed my hair was different; my color was a lot lighter than most, and that I was overall different. â€Å"Look who has nice shiny hair† were comments that lingered through my Junior high school days, where I struggled o fit in by shaving my head and dressing a certain way. Although I longed to feel a part of a certain group I kept sane by hanging with people of similar background. We were all ethnically similar in the sense that we all derived from Hispanic households. Based on this exclusion, ethnic symbols such as Spanish music and dancing were what set us a part and defined us.Not only was this alienation felt among my peers and myself, but it was also felt inside the classroom. Growing up I never quite felt that I could speak up in class and show my outgoing personality at such a young age n fear that people would make fun of me. I knew I was different and did not want to cause them to focus their attention on that difference. For projects in school, I would always take the role that required speaking the least, so that I wouldn't have to speak in front of them. I got along with everybody, but was not truly myself until I set foot inside my home, my private domain.At home I could eat all the rice and beans I wanted to without the fear of abandonment. Moving on to high school it was as if there was a shift from being ashamed of my race and culture to embracing it and wanting to showcase it. It was overnight, and I don't think that there was ever a time where I Just changed overnight, but it was definitely a process of starting to becom e comfortable in my own skin and being surrounded in an ethnic school with different cultures, and not Just whites, that allowed me to really embrace my racial difference. High school whether subconscious or not, racial sub-cultures emerge.In high school, cliques are formed on that very aspect of ethnicity and culture. People hang out with people that look like them, that dress likes them, and who they feel they can relate to. It was high school where I truly Egan to have a sense of my Hispanic culture. I ate all the rice and beans, danced to salsa and meringue, and sang along to Marc Anthony and Victor Manuel. It was only there that my true outgoing and friendly personal came out. I became more a more active participant in the school. For instance, becoming part of committees such as film club, debate club, and music club. Also big part of the swim team.Although I associated with all races, I took pride in hanging with my friends in my ethnic group. Only there we could talk about t he latest of our countries. The newfound confidence in my culture had a lot to do with media presentations. Despite the embedded racism towards Hispanics and African Americans on television, when growing up Hispanic artists had become increasingly popular, and so had urban culture. Spanish music had been brought back to light, and it had taken my fear of being different with it. Not only did I listen to it, I made it apart of me and welcomed it with open arms.When I watched television though I look nothing like the Hispanic people on television I knew I was apart of them because of the family I had been growing up in. I related to the culture. The culture have respect for it. Not only did media representations of black culture help me to understand my identity, it also helped redefine it. What I through it meant to belong to my Hispanic culture had begun to change. â€Å"Why can't you dance to Meringue? â€Å", â€Å"Can't talk Spanish? † , were common questions that were m ade to me as I moved up in my high school years.I began to feel stigmatize by my own Hispanic people. No I had to work twice as hard because I didn't fit in with the whites, and I didn't fully fit in with the Hispanics. For whites, I was to loud, liked too much Spanish music and had a style that was too â€Å"ghetto'. So again, I began to have doubts as to where I fit in. My university years were where I surrounded myself with other adoptive students who were able to relate, and find a true sense of identity. It is now since I am older and in university do I understand the power the media had in reinforcing stereotypes and maintaining social inequalities.It is this aspect do I continue to four struggles with today. As I am plagued with images of Hispanic women pregnant, speaking in slang, fighting, and in music videos half naked. Only within the last few years have I come to understand why I was struggling with fitting in. It is because the media portrays how they perceive the majo rity of Hispanic women. We get caught up in their misconceptions, and Just buy into what we think we are destined to become. The media leaves out the successful Hispanics who have struggled to make their life one worth living.Immigration: In 21st century America, illegal immigration is an issue at the forefront of many a debate. While people have always unlawfully crept across borders, recent history has seen no such wave of this crime as has been on display in the USA over the last few decades. Stemming from Central and South America, primarily Mexico, the flow of â€Å"border mummers† has increased substantially, and continues to do so, despite the efforts of border patrols and organizations such as Americans for Legal Immigration, Americans for Immigration Control, and the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.According to the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) estimates of the illegal immigration population, between 1990 and 2000 the amount of illegal immigrants to the US rose at an average of 350,200 people every year, doubling the nation's entire illegal population. ‘ The amount of illegal immigrants has become so vast that since the mid-sass the umber of people entering the US illegally has surpassed that of their legal counterpart. Ii In 2000, INS estimates had the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico alone at 4,808,000, more than 60% of total Mexican immigrants. Ii By amount of illegal immigrants, the next 9 source countries combined provide less than a quarter of the people Mexico does. One of the most significant impacts of illegal immigration in the US has been crime. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on incarcerated arrested a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. 49% had previously been convicted of a felony, 20% of a drug offense; 18% a violent offense, and 11%, other felony offenses. 1% of the arrests occurred after 1990 56% of those charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted on at least 5 prior occasions. Defendants charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories. 90% had been previously arrested. Of those with a prior arrest, 50% had been arrested for violent or drug-related felonies. Iv Note the â€Å"reentry offense† in the last two statistics. There are criminals who had already been convicted of crimes and deported on previous occasions, only to return illegally and continue a life of crime.According to the US Justice Department, over the course of 2003 an estimated 270,000 illegal immigrants served Jail time throughout the country. Of those, 108,000 were in California, the state that suffers the most from crime on the part of illegal immigrants. According to an Urban Institute study, 17% of America's prison population at a federal level consists of illegal aliens, an astounding f igure, engendering they only make up 3% of the US population. Former California Gob. Pete Wilson places the percentage of illegal aliens in U. S. Prisons even higher, at 20%.The incessant illegal immigrant crime wave shows no signs of slowing down, and the US government is not taking serious enough prevention measures. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, citing US Justice Department statistics, â€Å"In March 2000, Congress made public Department of Justice statistics showing that, over the previous five years, the INS had released over 35,000 criminal aliens instead of deporting them. Over 11,000 of those released went on to commit serious crimes, over 1,800 of which were violent ones [including 98 homicides, 142 sexual assaults, and 44 kidnappings]. While many deported aliens reenter the country, it is a daunting enough task to prevent some from doing so a second time, and undoubtedly is a more effective measure in prevention than simply releasing them on to the streets, where crime in their demographic is prevalent. Part of the reason for such an enormous amount of crimes carried out by illegal aliens is the ease with which they can obtain assistance and backing from gangs, cost notable Mar Cultural, otherwise known as MS-13.Created in the sass by a group of Salvadoran peasants trained in guerilla warfare, MS-13 has become possibly Central America's greatest problem, and a growing one in the United States. Since â€Å"precise† statistics are impossible to obtain, the true strength of MS-ass's presence in America is unknown, but estimates claim over 15,000 members in over 115 cliques in 33 states, and these numbers are ever growing. Unlike Mafias of the past, where there was at least some code of conduct, MS-13 has become infamous for their depravity and brutality, not limiting themselves in any way.As noted in press releases by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, in 2003 multiple members of MS-13 were deported for the sexual assault of 2 minors, aged 16 and 17, displayed this brutality with the killing of children. V Physical harm caused by illegal aliens does not only come in the form of outright crime. Of 71 fatal car accidents on the Eastern Shore since 2002, thirteen were caused by illegal aliens, all but three of which had no insurance. In most cases, the vehicles had no inspection stickers, the drivers carried no license and alcohol was a factor.To anyone with common sense this comes as no surprise, seeing as one who displays contempt for the law by illegally entering the country, will probably show the same lack of respect toward any other laws, such as those put in place to keep US drivers safe. As well, there is the factor of diseases that are not endemic to the United States being spread by illegal aliens, who cross the border unscreened. Diseases either no longer existent in America, or seen only rarely, have seen comebacks or growth, including Malaria, Dengue, Leprosy, Hepatit is A-E, Chaos Disease, Sadomasochists,Guiana Worm Infection, Whooping Cough, Streptococci, Morsel's, Tuberculosis and HIVE. Malaria has seen recent outbreaks in New Jersey, New York City, Houston, and California, although it was eradicated from the US in the sass. Dengue, a disease heretofore unknown in the US, has now been recognized in a few outbreaks. In the 40 years prior to 2002, only 900 cases of Leprosy had been recorded in the US. From 2002 to 2005, that number ballooned to 9,000, most of which were illegal aliens.In 2004, more than 650 people contracted Hepatitis A at a single Mexican restaurant in Pennsylvania, four of whom died. Chaos disease is endemic to Central and South America, and until recently was unknown in the United States; current estimates show up to 500,000 people infected with it, mostly illegal aliens. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease that kills approximately 2 million people around the world each year, and is spread in the same fashion as the c ommon cold.The United States has one of the lowest Tuberculosis rates in the world, whereas Mexico is 10 times higher. As if that wasn't bad enough, a few years ago a Multi-Drug-Resistant (MAD) strain of TAB has emerged, that is resistant to all tankard antibiotics, and treatment can cost between $250,000 and $1 per person. According to one expert, in 2005, of the 407 known cases of MAD-TAB in California, 84% were in â€Å"foreign born† patients, mostly from Mexico and the Philippines who had been in America less than 5 years.According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 a newer strain was recognized, referred to as CDR-TAB (Extensive/Extreme Drug Resistant), which, as of late 2006, accounted for 4% of all US MAD-TAB cases, and is virtually incurable regardless of cost. While exact numbers for HIVE infected illegal aliens are impossible to obtain, due to he fact that researchers rarely ask one's citizenship status, what is known is that in California there are roug hly 2 HIVE infected Latin women for every infected Caucasian woman. The criminal ramification of so many illegal immigrants plays a role in the financial effect as well.Between 2001 and 2004, the Federal Bureau of Prisons' cost to incarcerate illegal aliens rose from about $950 million to about $1. 2 billion. As this is federal spending, it is money obtained through taxation, essentially leaving law- incarcerated illegal aliens deported, federal spending could drop more than $1 lions dollars a year, by all means a small move toward pulling the country out of debt, but a move nonetheless. The sheer mass of humanity pouring over the borders is something that cannot be withstood by America's financial means, and it's starting to show. In August 2009, the unemployment rate in America peaked at 9. %, more than double the 4. 6% of Just 2 years earlier, partly due to the fact that illegal immigrants have taken many Jobs once held by taxpaying American citizens. These illegal laborers have little trouble finding Jobs, especially those requiring little to no special skills, since they are willing o work for little, and their employment is under-the-table, saving employers money that would otherwise be spent on employee benefits and taxes. In the US, illegal immigrants currently make up 20% of cooks, 25% of construction laborers, 22% of maids/housekeepers, 25% of grounds maintenance workers, and 29% of agricultural workers.The combined total Jobs now unavailable to taxpaying Americans Just in these 5 professions exceeds 1. 72 million! Viii As if the direct financial ramifications of illegal immigrants taking Jobs from citizens weren't enough, taxpaying Americans are all but forced into financial benison by the second half of the coin. Due to millions of dollars in taxes not being paid due to illegal immigrants being paid off the books, taxes are hiked up to compensate for the drop in money being obtained by the government through taxation.So, while the illegal alien has a Job that pays him in cash, and no taxes to pay, the unemployed American citizen is now forced to pay higher tax rates without any income, which by definition can only lead to financial ruin, and subsequent reliance on the government for sustenance. A vast majority of those who advocate amnesty for illegal aliens are liberal Democrats, whose central political belief is that of a powerful government, and perhaps the fact the sudden influx of humanity would force more people into reliance on federal aid is precisely why.Amnesty for illegal aliens is, in concept, a beautiful, humanitarian idea. The argument usually flows along the lines of how poor, unskilled, uneducated workers from foreign countries only want to legally succeed, and support families, and become law abiding citizens who can better society. Statistics, however, quickly disprove this by displaying the truth behind the scourge of illegal immigrants. How their blatant, overall lack of respect for the nation's laws harms Americans financially and physically. How even after being arrested, or deported, they continue to break the law with little regard to possible consequences.As well, advocates for amnesty refuse to realize the practical impossibility of it. If amnesty to all illegal aliens was granted, the economy would not be able to provide nearly enough Jobs (as we are now seeing). Thanks to â€Å"anchor babies† (babies born in the US to illegal alien parents, so that the baby will be US citizen by birth, thus asking deportation of its parents all but impossible), millions of dollars are doled out by the government every year to illegal aliens to care for their US citizen children in the form of WICK, food stamps, and welfare.If the parents of these children were all suddenly legalized, welfare and food stamps would be handed out for them as well, raising government spending, and vicariously all taxpaying citizens would suffer by sustenance to families that would prefer to suckle at the t eat of the American government than to go out and work for a living. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people pour into America unlawfully. They upriver Americans of Jobs, receive government benefits that cost every taxpaying citizen, bring diseases, steal, assault, kill, drive recklessly, over-populate our prisons, and generally ignore the law.They come in such swarms that the entire American culture has been forced to bend to their will, with every large corporation and government agency now offering Spanish versions of all their services. They make life for American citizens financially difficult, and infuriate many with their brazen attitude toward learning English, with the belief that things must be available to them in Spanish. They make America a more dangerous place for all. Illegal immigration is a plague, and like all other plagues throughout history, it must be quashed quickly and decisively.Conclusion: All in all, we are all people. We all aspire to be something. Des pite the facts that show the negatives upon minorities, they are forced into situations in which they cannot control or have a hard time in doing so because of racism. Racism puts them in an environment in which violence is constantly around them. Without the absence of racism and the acceptance of people into a new world in which is made for all and not Just some, there will never be a world which can prosper.

Exam 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exam 2 - Essay Example The car accident in which I was involved with offered me realizations that I never thought I would have and shed light on the things that I should prioritize first other than my career and goal setting. My life is always in the fast lane ever since I tried working for me to enroll in the university I wanted. I began to miss family dinners and forget important family events. Fortunately, my family understands this and tolerated me because of what I want to achieve. The realization came all of a sudden when I woke up in a soft-lit room with my mother and father all looking towards me. They smiled and sighed of relief and asked me if I were alright. I had a heavy feeling when I regained consciousness and feeling slightly dizzy. My arm was wrapped with tourniquets, and I could see that there was heavy bleeding on it before I was sent to this hospital. I was driving towards home around nine in the evening. Although the night was young and there were still people doing their business, goin g home after eight o’clock was not the usual thing for me to do. However, my job calls for it and I would be more than willing to stay late for it to get done, at least, there would be something in store for me and could help with my savings for my dream university life. The car seat was not so comfortable, as it was an old model from my father bought when he received his retirement fee. It was quite old, but I felt that I was older than the car I was driving. I was so tired and my eyes were sleepy. It has always been like that since the first day I started at work. The cars passing by were already like light bulbs racing as I see it. No matter how tired I was, I still preferred to drive since transportation allowance was not in my budget list. I remind myself all the time that I should be cautious when driving, little did I know that that caution has less to do when the body could no longer be awake. I remembered that night in February when I almost lost my life in pursuit o f a dream. While I was driving, lights flashed suddenly into my tired eyes while my hands are holding lightly the steering wheel. I was from an overtime job. The sound of which an exploding-like sound resonated in my ears, and I realized that I have just encountered an accident. I could only remember few things with the crash itself. Maybe because I was too tired to drive that I mishandled everything inside the car. I could say that my vision at that time was not already suitable for driving, but because I was already on the road and I was quite near from my home, I decided to go on. The light-headedness I felt disappeared suddenly when I realized that there was a car approaching my direction. I tried to avoid it by moving the steering wheel away to the car’s direction, but it was too late. The car also ran very fast; it seems to me that the driver was losing control of his vehicle. Soon after, the light coming from the car’s headlights became too strong which blinded me and caused me to lose my control as well. After that was a complete darkness. Me and the driver of the other vehicle were lucky enough to have survived the accident as the police said that the crash was fatal. Although he was also confined in the hospital because of serious injuries and wounds, I was happy to know that he was alright. The police said that the man driving the other car was drunk. Instead of being mad at the man, I was thankful to him somehow, because he led me to the way of

Compar three individuals in the McCarthy Hearing to three individuals Research Paper

Compar three individuals in the McCarthy Hearing to three individuals in The Crucible - Research Paper Example The Crucible explores the fight of one man with his ethics, and his ultimate refinement, drawing parallels with the McCarthy Hearing through characters like John Proctor  and Judge Danforth. Miller gives a warning at the beginning of this play that The Crucible is not history but it is dependent on the storys historical events. This play presents two periods of the American history. The main period of this play lies in the 17th century, particularly during Salem Witch trials according to Burnet (57). Running parallel to these ancient events in the history of the United States are those that occurred in Miller’s own time on which the author figuratively comments. The author used this play to condemn the 1950s’ McCarthyism and the RED SCARE. He states that history repeats itself and thus there is the need to recognize it and in this case he repeats himself. He claims that McCarthyism was beyond the contemporary day witch hunt. Miller cautiously uses the historical information to form the basis for the play. The play uses the language of modern the 17th century religious customs, which he often employs, expresses the carefulness of his historical examine into the traditions of this period. Miller was interested in political matters, including socialism which had developed after the WW II after Russia’s socialist government became an important world power. The McCarthy hearing subcommittee was renamed after Senator Joseph McCarthy. Senator McCarthy went into the limelight of national interest in February 1950 with a speech delivered at Wheeling, West Virginia as suggested by Collins (97). At this time, McCarthy was in the final days of his first term as a senator and was in need of an immense issue to strengthen his run for the second term. A week before he gave his speech, China had fallen to the communist side and the USSR had developed an atomic bomb which was aimed at

Economic event ( read steps down ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic event ( read steps down ) - Essay Example In brief, the Reagan Tax Reform Act of 1986 was passed by a bi-partisan majority in both house and senate and signed into law by the President. What this affected was lowering the top individual income tax rate from 50% to 28% (Cebula 132). Although this was a vast reduction, it was in fact revenue â€Å"neutral† as the tax burden that was created from the savings was merely passed off onto businesses. President Bush further passed legislation that reduced the tax burden down from 28% to 20%. This has caused an ever increasing budget deficit as Washington is both unable to curtail spending and seemingly obsessed with further tax cuts. It is this cycle of ever increasing budgets and the inability to raise taxes on any group due to the political pressures that have evolved into the unique situation that both political candidates face. Further complicating the issue is the fact that Mitt Romney’s plan intends on keeping the Bush era tax cuts and extending them indefinitely. Similarly, his tax plan claims that although no additional percentage tax increases will be affected, additional revenue will be generated by reducing itemized deductions and other special benefits that the wealthy typically enjoy on their taxes. Analysis by independent think tanks and tax analysts have proven that this particular maneuver will not even come close to closing the revenue gap that further reduction in the highest individual rates will have (William 4). Furthermore, if Mr. Romney will be able to meet the same level of tax revenues while reducing the tax revenues generated from the wealthy, this will invariably be dependent upon the plan’s ability to cover the shortfalls of tax revenue/generation. Likewise, a primary issue that one quickly realizes when analyzing Mitt Romney’s tax plan is the fact that he is interested in: cutting the

Mother Teresas Style of Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mother Teresas Style of Leadership - Essay Example According to the study  by the time Mother Teresa started her missionary work, she had little money in her hand, but she proved to the entire world that a person can achieve anything and flourish in  this world without money. Mother Teresa taught individuals that being wealthy does not necessarily mean everything. She proved to all that it is possible to prosper without money. Mother Teresa created a world full of love where the disadvantaged are cared for and showered with unconditional love. Mother Teresa was so caring to the extent that she used to beg others to give her food so that she can provide the orphan children dying of hunger with something to eat. Some of these individuals had no mercy on her and spit on her hand when begging but she would respond calmly that she would continue keeping the spit for herself and continue begging them to provide food for the poor and orphaned children. In addition, at the end, they realized her gentle character and donated something for the poor whenever she asked for. This shows her magnanimity, which is one of the best leadership qualities she possessed.From this paper it is clear that  Mother Teresa displayed a great mental strength by building homes for the destitute through fundraising and seeking support. Furthermore, Mother Teresa was a teacher and a caregiver who majorly focused on how to relieve suffering from the poor and the disadvantaged in the society      

Assessment, Diagnosis, and Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assessment, Diagnosis, and Research - Assignment Example Clinically, identification and evaluation of available resources are instigated in the assessment process (Vacc & Loesch, 2000). In typical function, assessment is foremost action towards therapeutic interventions. It is primarily employed in the aim of â€Å"screening for...psychopathology, treatment planning, and monitoring of (psychological) progress† (Krishnamurthy et al., 2004, p. 727). In the instance of inadequate assessment, the whole counselling activity is rendered unreliable. Illustrated in the case of geriatric clients in depressive states, some counsellors may mistake related symptoms as normal in the aging process (Benek-Higgins, McReynolds, Hogan, & Savickas, 2008). If properly assessed, conceptualizing the case can be more accurate, resulting in effective therapies and improved health status. Otherwise, clients may further suffer, as experts pass such conditions as natural. Upon complete clinical inquiry and screening, the next step is diagnosis. Black and Andr easen (n.d., pp. 4-5) provided a list of purposes that diagnosis performs, such as create an organized body of thought regarding complicated clinical events, â€Å"help predict outcome...choose an appropriate treatment...search for pathophysiology and etiology.† Diagnostic procedures make it possible for coordinating assessment data with existing diagnostic systems.

Inventory stystems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Inventory stystems - Assignment Example The system used by Kroger allows for the shelves to look like they are always full with the same type of products. This allows the products to look readily available at all times. The system works well when the projected amount of sales are accurately made. Allowing for too much or too little inventory will mean for inadequate operating costs. This is also known as order quantity issues. This can mean losing customers or allowing food to expire. Firms like Kroger that use perishable inventory are dependent on an accurate inventory. Order quantity issues can arise from any type of inventory system. This system that is used by Kroger is pretty acceptable. The only problem is that because most of the inventory is perishable, inventory accuracy must be perfect so that money is not lost. Proper management, research and production teams are essential to making sure proper inventory levels are maintained. The development of a new hybrid model can eliminate wasted inventory. Wasted inventory is a common problem for firms such as Kroger. No matter which inventory system is used, there has to be some sort of a control that allows the firm using the system to remain orderly and profitable. Without the chance for steady inventory and profit, the firm will not survive. Inman, Anthony. "Inventory Management - Levels, System, Model, Type, Business, System, What Is Inventory?, Why Keep Inventory?, Controlling Inventory, Balancing Inventory and Costs, Other Lot-sizing Techniques." Reference For Business - Encyclopedia of Small Business, Business Biographies, Business Plans, and Encyclopedia of American Industries. Web. 06 Mar. 2011.

To what extent does achieving customer satisfaction help to retain Essay

To what extent does achieving customer satisfaction help to retain customers in the hospitality industry - Essay Example 451). The fact that the hospitality industry is seasonal serves to ensure that constant marketing is the only way to keep the customers interested in the services and other products that are offered (Gallicano & Van Rheede 2010, p. 26). There is need to ensure that connections with customers run throughout the year. This paper will be aimed at analyzing the extent to which customer satisfaction affects the retaining of customers in the hospitality industry. Additionally, the paper will attempt to analyze to what extent relationships between the customers and organizations are valued in order to satisfy them. The marketing communication methods will also be central in the determination of the way that relationships with customers and other stakeholders are maintained in a bid to creating the platform for the satisfaction of said customers. There is need for the generation of competitive advantage so as to ensure that customers are loyal to the hospitality outlet in question. This is in a bid to conquering the perennial problem of market saturation. Many hospitality outlets nearly offer the same products and services. This means that customers are more focused on the outlets that offer a unique range of products and services. The major focus of the hospitality industry today is the segmentation of the market so that a few ranges of products are offered that reflect the needs of a few people in the population (Boksberger & Laesser 2010, p. 311) (Montinaro & Sciascia 2011, p. 661). The fastest growing sector of the hospitality industry is that which deals with pets. It is amazing to learn that in the Americas alone, the only industry that competes with the pet hospitality industry is consumer electronics. Large chain hotels, kennels, airlines and other hospitality outlets have realized the potential of these types of bus iness and are now working tirelessly to ensure that their customers are satisfied (ONeill &

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 94

Discussion - Essay Example otivation theory however elaborates on the behavior of individuals who are exposed to health threat communication hence arousing fear in them (Orbell, Hagger, Brown & Tidy, 2006). The health belief model focuses on perceived barriers and benefits whereas the protection motivation model has its core values on response efficacy and perceived self-efficacy. The two theories share on vulnerability and severity (Ajzen, 2002). Self-efficacy theory is built on outcome expectancies which are perceived as either positive or negative depending on the performed behavior. On the other hand, the theory of planned behavior works under the assumption that most social relevant behaviors are volitionally controlled. Hence, an individual’s intent on performing a particular behavior is seen as the immediate determinant as well as the only and best predictor of the behavior (Hunter, Grunfield & Ramirez, 2003). The health belief model and the protection motivation theory share the same concepts on perceived vulnerability and severity. This level of overlapping is sometimes criticized since it causes defining of these models challenging (Orbell, Hagger, Brown & Tidy, 2006). Hunter, M. S., Grunfield, E. A., & Ramirez, A. J. (2003). Help-seeking intentions for breast cancer symptoms: A comparison of the selfregulation model and the theory of planned behavior. British Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 319–333. Orbell, S., Hagger, M., Brown, V., & Tidy, J. (2006). Comparing Two Theories of Health Behavior: A Prospective Study of Noncompletion of Treatment following Cervical Cancer Screening.Health Psychology, 25(5),

Once upon a time Essay Example for Free

Once upon a time Essay These mechanical birds are books, with many wings, meaning pages. The body shrieking without pain is laughter and the eyes melting are the readers tears. Model T is a room with the lock inside A key is turned to free the world For movement, so quick there is a film To watch for anything missed. These seventh and eighth stanzas are talking about a car. This is simple as Raine refers to Model T, a well-known car. Raine says it is a room because you go inside of the car and you are away from the outside world. You need a key to turn the car on and off and to lock the car. As you read on, you can see some of the poets influences for his writing. Raine is participating in a very ancient poetic ancient tradition. If you look at the poem as a series of riddles to be deciphered by the reader, then that takes us back centuries to the riddle poems in Anglo Saxon literature. In stanzas 10-13, the following lines are- In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, That snores when you pick it up. If the ghost cries, they carry it To their lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds. And yet they wake it up deliberately, by tickling it with a finger. This is a reference to a phone, a haunted apparatus. If it cries- rings, we pick it up to our lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds, meaning we speak into it. If we tickle it with a finger, we dial into it. The following lines have possibly the most bizarre descriptions of the whole poem- Only the young are allowed to suffer Openly. Adults go to a punishment room With water but nothing to eat. They lock the door and suffer the noises Alone. No one is exempt And everyones pain has a different smell. These are probably the hardest stanzas in the poem, but with some hard thinking, the lines all make sense- A punishment room with just water is a bathroom. When Raine writes, only the young are allowed to suffer openly he is talking about a baby getting their nappies changed in the open. Yet, us adults have to go to the bathroom and suffer our pain alone. Raine has written three exceptional stanzas, nobody really thinks about their own or other peoples daily use of the toilet. It is generally unspoken about and could almost be seen as a taboo subject, not to be raised in public. The last two stanzas end on a peaceful note- At night when all the colours die, They hide in pairs And read about themselves In colour, with their eyelids shut. This is a normal full day seen in the Martians eyes. It has now come to an end, reading about yourself in colour with your eyes shut, is quite obviously understood as dreaming. These two poems both share one very significant subject which links them together overall, but it is important to state first the similarities and differences between each persons work. Gabriel Okara seems to feel strongly about the idea of such falseness in our mannerisms and ways of speaking in everyday western life, as it is not like the hospitable place his homeland was. Gabriel Okara seems to be speaking from his own mind, about how he feels about this environment. Craig Raine has been born and bred in England, and doesnt talk about a strange westernised country like Gabriel Okara, but about life on this planet in general. Craig Raine does not seem to be annoyed at our everyday customs (or if he is, he hides it in his wording very well), merely humoured at how humans generally structure their lives. With Gabriel Okaras style of writing, there are no riddles to unveil and his poem is structured very differently in contrast to Craig Raines. Okara simply starts with Once upon a time, son, which is straightforward enough, rather than Caxtons are mechanical birds with wings, which can baffle most readers. Gabriel Okara is quite dark about the cold place he has come to, not at all like his native Nigeria. He certainly did not intend to humour the readers. I think that Raine wrote this poem to give his mind a rest from the real world. Perhaps he wrote it for pleasure and humor. I think this would be an enjoyable type of poem to write. Raine wanted his readers to be humored, to see life through somebody elses eyes, who has never seen life on Earth before. Also, the Martian seems merely bemused by human life and our everyday rituals. Mysteriously, the Martian never discusses what life on his planet was like, unlike Gabriel Okara whom describes the warmth he used to experience before. However, despite these many differences, the poets come together on one extremely important subject. It is, the way we take our lives for granted while others, unsuspectingly wander around feeling confused at all the social and physical complexities of the strange and alien world around them. The poets both write about separate characters commenting on their experience in another place, and not feeling at ease with it as the other members of the population are. It is true that one poem is quite dark and the other is lighthearted, the stanzas and couplets are differently placed, the wording is different etc, but overall, the characters in question are both feeling out of place and confused about all the common perplexities. They comment on life on this Earth we experience every day and take for granted. We hardly notice how a car may sound to an outsider or how It was nice having you here today with us could hurt a guest or client who knows you didnt mean what you said. We are all so accustomed to our lives; we do not think much of how it may seem to anybody else who has never been in that state of environment.

The Effectiveness Of Mass Media Advertisements Marketing Essay

The Effectiveness Of Mass Media Advertisements Marketing Essay For many years mass media advertising was seen as the strongest form of creating awareness to a companys brand. However, the 21st century brings with it the decline of traditional mass media. As humans are being exposed to more and more advertising on a large scale, it is only inevitable that the effectiveness of the mass communication will greatly diminish. Magazines and newspapers are losing readers, radio is losing listeners, and most importantly television is losing viewers. Whats driving this trend is that consumers are drifting more towards digital media driven by online content typified by social media sites and online gaming, as well as more and more homes having access to broadband internet connectivity   and its capability to provide an ever-growing and an ever-higher quality of video content. Marketers also face a general proliferation of media and distribution channels, with declining trust in advertising, multitasking by consumers, and digital technologies that give u sers more control over the their media time. These trends are simultaneously fragmenting both the audience and the channels needed to reach them. The danger for marketers is that this change will render the time honoured way of getting messages to consumers through TV commercials less effective at best and a waste of time and money at worst. Therefore, companies must be intuitive in seeking alternative marketing communications to increase their brand awareness and therefore utilise this now wider scope of tools. Tools that companies already acquire can be utilised and modified into an effective medium of communication. Promoting public relations and accompanying it with one of the reasons for the decline in the effectiveness of television advertising (social media). Companies are able to generate an effective, yet efficient means of delivering a brands message through a two way relationship. Accompanying an advertising industry that is in decline with the economic downfall, consumer s have little confidence towards brands and therefore developing a medium that can deliver a message that is portrayed through a story enables brands to once again deliver effective brand awareness. Brand awareness refers to the ability of the consumer as to whether they can recall or recognise a brand, that is, whether consumers know about the brand (Keller, 2008). Brand awareness must be established before building brand equity. The brand name develops the memory nodes in consumers minds (Aaker, 1991). Brand awareness consists of two factors: brand recognition and brand recall performance (Keller 1993). Consumers tend to link related brand knowledge to the brand name, this ultimately constitutes in the end product of brand equity (Aaker, 1991  and  Keller, 1993). Hence, brand awareness evokes an important learning advantage for the brand (Keller, 2008). Consumer decision making is also affected by brand awareness, especially for low-involvement packaged goods. Brands that consumers know are more likely to be included in the consumers consideration set (Hoyer and Brown, 1990  and  MacDonald and Sharp, 2000). Consumers may use brand awareness as a purchase decision heuri stic (Hoyer and Brown, 1990  and  MacDonald and Sharp, 2000). Therefore, brand awareness amplifies brand market performance. The decline of mass media advertising In its prime, network television was seen by marketers and ad agencies as the benchmark to successful brand awareness campaigns. This was due to the sheer number of consumers that tuned into the most popular television shows. The emphasis of these marketers was mass messaging of the brand to the consumers as companys based their television spending on the share of voice, that is making sure your market share, expenditure of competitors and the companys growth expectations of the brand was in line with the advertising budget. However, fragmenting media and shifting behaviour by consumers are revealing the traditional models limits due to the following trends. Media propagation. In the United States, what used to be a handful of stations has developed and evolved into 1,774 full power TV stations. Multitasking. With the development of the internet, more and more people are multitasking. According to Ulla G. Foehr, the average US teenager engages in an average of two other activities, one of these activities in homework. Therefore, as students are studying they have the ability to selectively listen to the television. Meaning that they can zone out when advertisements are aired and back in when the program returns. The same concept is applicable with the multitasking of surfing the internet and watching television. In a similar concept that supports multitasking. Switching Off is the process of consumers being selective of what they watch and the advertisements they trust. Yankelovich Partners state that 65% of consumers believe that they are constantly being bombarded with too much advertisement, with 65% saying they would be interested in products and services that would help block marketing, and 54% saying that they would avoid purchasing products that engulf with advertisement and marketing. What Communications should be exploited? As Brand awareness is scrutinized as being the focal point towards the succession of a brand, and therefore the company, it is essential that marketers develop efficient and effective messages in a communication that ultimately would increase the recognition and recall of the brand. Therefore, as the decline in the effectiveness of mass media continues, it opens a Pandora box of opportunities throughout other communications for marketers to develop and exploit. Marketers need a more meticulous approach to a fragmenting world, one that dismisses mentalities and norms from mass media advertisings golden age and understands the investment it really is. In other words, it will be necessary to boost marketings return on investment (ROI). Academicians and practitioners have debated the merits of integrating the related yet distinct functions of marketing and public relations (PR) for decades to develop an alternative route in developing brand awareness (Kotler and Mindak 1978.) Public relations is commonly related with communication activities that are designed to craft and maintain an organisations image with its publics (Kitchen P Proctor R, 2010) The role of organisational public relations is expanding with the changing times: PR doesnt just focus on your business product; it also assists in shaping strategic messaging .(Anonymous, 2010, p. 28). Traditionally, this meant that public relation professionals would meet and work with members of the news media to build a favourable image by publicising the brand throughout newspapers and broadcast media. However, with the development of web 2.0 defined as a platform whereby content and applications are no longer created and published by individuals, but instead are continuously modified by all users in a participatory and collaborative fashion (Kaplan Haenlein, 2010, p. 61), Winchell (2010) states that brands are being dismissed, measured and documented in real time and should therefore join the conversatio n in social media. American Airlines, one of the worlds largest air carriers, believes that public relations can help to maximize shrinking advertising budgets in tight economic times (Bush, 2009). It is therefore seen in modern society that the role of public relations can be two fold. As creator of the story, such as the conversation towards the consumer, and, as the curator of the medium to use, ie., social media. As a result of the economic downturn, many consumers have lost trust and confidence in the business environment. In a 2005 Starcom study, it was stated that 65% of consumers believed that advertisers paid to have their products placed or featured in magazine articles (Starcom Study 2005). Therefore, marketers must attempt to instil a new sense of comfort and confidence between the consumer and the brand. This is where public relations can be extremely effective, as authenticity can illicit strong connections from brand to consumer through the means of storytelling (Allen 2005). Storytelling has a role throughout organisations and even throughout public forums, as word of mouth through brand conversation is on the rise (Finchum 2010). Therefore, when consumers come into contact with a brand for the first time; strong, favourable and unique brand associations would have a higher probability of being evoked when an authentic story is told by the product or service itself, or by the cust omer word-of-mouth or by a credible third party (Denning, 2006, p. 43). Schipul (2009) proclaims that since todays society is centre of a conservative economy, the aim is to focus on an organisations relationship with its publics and social media is the communication medium for such a thing to transpire. Social media, with its greater ROI and its two way communication with consumers is the solution to support public relations in creating brand awareness with positive associations. Extraordinary advances in technology are dramatically altering the way, speed and nature humans are communicating with each other (Bandura 2001). Moxham (2008) states that when an organisation is in conversation with a consumer they should tell the brands story and empower the consumer to also spread the word. This is ultimately delivered through storytelling in the communication of social media. This never used to be the case, as public relations was only seen a one way sender-orientated approach to communication, whereby mass media such as television, newspaper and radio were used to address the public (Helder Kragh, 2002). However, in the digital age, there is now what is known as receiver oriented approach and this involves having two way conversations through the medium of social media. Therefore this polar opposite approach results in individuals shifting fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. The creation of basic, easy to use software enables any consumer to comment, post, share content and form an online community around shared interest (Thornley 2008). McDonalds is an organisation that has successfully incorporated the sharing component through the social media communication of Facebook. They have achieved this by delivering a message, and encouraging its consumers to share it if it relates to their friends. This is where the traditional one way, sender orientated communication protocol fails, as communication will only occur because the consumer sender wants it to. This message will only work if the consumer is able to ascertain the meaning that the advertisement was attempting to portray (Stidsen 1975). Nikes 2012 Olympic Twitter campaign flourished as 16,000 people tweeted the hash tag Nike during the event, demonstrating the audience that can be i nteracted. Public relations, as skilled relationship builders, therefore have the advantage over traditional advertisement as they are able to ensure the consumer has a deep understanding of the message that the brand was illustrating. As the effectiveness of traditional mass media declines, organisations must be able to adapt their communications with the changing times to ensure that they have the greatest probability in creating consumer brand awareness whilst not only having a superior ROI but a communication that will reach the masses. Through the fusion of public relations and social media, brands have an opportunity to develop relationship between the brand and its publics, creating deep and meaningful stories that intend to divulge strong, unique and favourable brand associations with the consumer through online social networks. Companies then hope that these stories will continue to be shared by publics to other new consumers. These findings hold significant importance to the marketing communications industry, particularly companies who partake in mass media advertisement. A lot of uncertainty surrounds the issue of companies creating brand awareness and loyalty when consumers are becoming more immune to m ass advertising effects. This is why public relations has been emphasised, as it attaches more credibility to the brand and emphasises to two way communication, which completes the communication cycle by ensuring feedback from customers to ascertain brand experience and value. Therefore integrating public relations with social media will be the new key to unlock the door of the consumers mind. As medias golden age has come to a close, many marketers are frustrated and have limited agreement about what to do next. Some business managers are attempting to dissect marketing-mix models that exercise refined econometric methods to meticulously decipher the diverse effects of the marketing mix on business results. Managers should utilise public relations and ensure that they convey a strong and deep message to the consumer. This is a simplistic, yet effective proposal, and would be efficiently installed in most companies. The consequences of not implementing this marketing strategy are for everyone to see. Mass media advertising was exceptionally effective in previous decades as it was able to target such a large audience, particularly television viewers. The reasons for this can be seen as the downfall of it today. In consideration to todays amount, there were only a handful of channels, resulting in an increased target size. People do not watch television in the same manner as they used to. A majority of the population multi task and therefore disregard advertisements as it is being aired. Therefore, whilst advertisement expenditure increases it can only be predicted that companies that do not apply this strategy have the risk of not creating enough brand awareness and losing brand loyalty with its customers. It is therefore recommended that companies take advantage of these findings as it can only provide future benefits for the brand by accessing a wider audience, because it could be a consumer th at is multitasking between television and social media only to take all attention away from the televised commercial and onto the social media page where they become aware and informed about a brand online. Further research can deeper analyse the forms and methods that can be put incorporated in using this social media, such ways that take into account the costs and audience scope. Studies can also be partaken to evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating social media and public relations in developing brand awareness compared to other forms of communication.

Product Summary Of Continental AG Marketing Essay

Product Summary Of Continental AG Marketing Essay Continental AG stands fourth in position globally as the supplier of Automotive spare parts. The company is the Europes second largest in the same industry. The manufactures and provide services over a wide range of automotive parts. Continental AG was started in HANOVER IN GERMANY in the year 1871. The company stands differently from its competitors and gives prior importance to the safety and comfort of the consumers. The company is also conscious about reducing the harm to the environment. Although the company faced many travails and hindrances in its path of growth, it efficiently faced and solved them and continues as one among the giants in the industry. In this BUISINESS PLAN I am focusing on the thorough study of the business of Continental AG. This industry provides employment to millions of people and provides a good source of income for many countries. The demand for rubber and other related products are increasing day by day. Many branded companies and firms are operating in this industry. The competition in this industry resulted in the evolution of the giants in this industry. The graph for this industry is showing positive signs in the beginning of this century and the experts predicted that this trend will go on. The increasing demand for the rubber related products can be considered in this regard.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire) It is estimated that the demand for rubber and tube and other related products will exceed 31.3million metric tones and that of the tire cord industry will exceed 1.3 million metric tones by 2015. The recession caused for a depression in this industry but now this industry is again on its path of growth and growing at a rate of 4.3%. The prolonged recession in the developed countries caused distress in the automobile industry in those industries and developing countries like India and china emerged as promising market for this industry. The recession caused for the geographic change of the industry from the Europe to the Asia pacific. Availability of the material resources and human resources available in the area fastened the growth of the industry. After the recession the healthy recovery of the motor vehicle industry in the leading producing countries like France, Canada and United States of America also fastened the growth of this industry. The increasing growth rate of china demands almost half of the new rubber in the industry and the country accounts for the consumption of almost one third of the production in the industry. As this industry is a growing and a highly competitive industry all the companies and corporate in this industry are seeking for better strategies to get achievement and sustained development in the industry. The major holders of this industry are organizing researches to modify their strategy and to develop new to make their company adaptable to the changing demands and priorities of the auto mobile industry. The companies are adopting new theoretical models to improve the organizational performance and to improve marketing of the product. Good and competitive global corporate policy is essential for the proper coordination and function of the particular firm in this industry. They have to review their business objectives and organizational aim and to determine whether they are going with the international trends and demands. PRODUCT SUMMARY OF CONTINENTAL AG The company Continental AG focuses on the development, production and marketing of the automotive and vehicle parts which helps to improve the driving comfort, safety and dynamics of driving. Continental AG stands for innovative technology and products world wide and they got a world wide network. The organization of the company is mainly divided in to two grouped and each group is further divided into three sections. The two main groups include AUTOMOTIVE AND RUBBER Automotive group include three sections namely Chassis and Safety, Powertrain, and Interior The Rubber group includes three sections namely Passenger and light truck tires, Commercial vehicle tires, and Contitech tires. Chassis and safety: focuses on the safety of the customer and provide various techniques and equipments which ensure the safety of the driver and passenger. Powertrain: involves all the innovative techniques and system solutions which affect the powertrain of the vehicle. It also aims at increasing the comfort and pleasure of the driving. Interior: This division is concerned with the information management that is display, and administration of the information in the vehicle. Passenger and light truck tires: this division manufactures passenger and light truck tires for compact, medium and full sized cars. Commercial vehicle tires: This division ensures economic stability in goods transport, passenger transit etc. Contitech tires: This division s specialized in rubber and plastic technology The Continental AG Is one among the giants of the au8tomnobile industry. The company holds the fourth place in the Worlds Leading produces in the tire and tube industry. The company manufactures a wide range of products. The products include tire, brake systems, chassis and its components, and various electronic products for the vehicles, list of products and the various services available from the company. BUISINESS STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL AG Every employee in the continental AG has the full responsibly of all his actions and he is ready to perform it all the time. Constructive criticism and suggestions are welcomed from the employees to increase their activities and role in the management process and to develop their own ideas. Another important characteristic of the leadership in the Continental AG is that they provide and encourage continuous education for all the employees. By this process their knowledge will be improved and they can contribute more significantly for the organization. It also help them to adapt to the quickly changing environments in the industry. The management and leadership is keen to make sure the exchange of knowledge between the external and internal environment of the organization. By 1991 Continental AG become the worlds largest producer in rubber and tube industry. They had to face severe economic crisis during the early 1990s. The company made some significant effort to extend their share in the automotive industry during this time. In the early 1990s the company faced severe competition in the market. The company achieved some recovery during the first half of 1992 but the condition of the company was miserable in the beginning of the 1993. During this time the company introduced cost reduction plans and widespread restructuring in the company. The company reduced labor cost as the preliminary step to bring down cost reduction in the organization. As the second step they laid down 20% of their total work force. In 1994 company announced a plan to trim another 2000 employees from their ranks. In order to increase the profit they changed the manufacturing centers from Germany to other countries. This is because of the high labor cost and other restrictions in the country. By 1998 Czech Republic become the center of the companies largest car tire manufacturing unit.(http://www.nytimes.com/keyword/continental -ag) FINANCIAL SUMMARY The continental AG achieved sale of 28,030,286,188 $ in the year 2009.The statement is according to the company reports in Dec 2009.The company raised I billion euro in January 2010 to repair the sagging balance sheet of the company. The total revenue of the company as per the financial data in dec2006 was 14887 million Euros and it is increased to 16620 million Euros in Dec 2007. The total revenue in dec31 of 2009 was 20096 million euro. The gross profit in Dec 31 2009 was4014 million Euros. The other operational expenses in 2009 was 3108 million euro IN DEC2009 CONTINENTAL AG STRATEGY Here in this assignment we are studying the strategies and theories applicable to the global rubber and tube industry by taking the example of the Continental AG the leading company in the global rubber and tube industry. This German company is shortly known as Contl and it manufactures diverse products for the automobile and transport industries. This company is based in Hanover in Germany. It holds the fourth place in the leading tire manufacture of the world. One of the important strategies followed by the technological and production wing of the company is fuel consumption reduction and this is achieved by the use of efficient fuel ejection systems, reduced rolling resistance of the tire and by the use of sophisticated propulsion systems. The company produces tires for almost all type of vehicle and therefore got wide and good acceptance in the industry. As a part of the strategy to enlarge the company and business they purchased German automotive rubber and plastic company. This is also carried out some important takeovers. During the time of takeovers also the management tried to preserve the independence of the company. As a part of their strategy to expand the trade the entered the north American tire industry in the year 1987.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_AG) The Continental AG follows a clear cut corporate strategy in their company. They clarified that their strategy is to develop products and services according to the trends of the automotive industry. The company wants to maintain a leading position in the area where they are operating. The companys strategy is to embed entrepreneurial action in all levels of their organization. One of the most important strategies which they are following is to generate 40% of their sale outside the automotive industry. This will reduce the total dependency in the automotive industry and the immediate fluctuation and trends in the automobile will not affect the company badly.(http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Continental-AG-Company-History.html) There are some important components for the strategy of this company. They are giving the prime importance to safety due to the law requirements and demand by the drivers. So the company is focusing on developing and manufacturing components and systems which ensure the safety of the customer. The safety division of the company is aimed at increasing the road security and adopted this as one of the important strategy of the company. Another strategy is to reduce the number of the fatal accidents by providing driving assistance systems, electronic braking systems etc. Another strategy of the company is the environment friendly operations which is relevant and important in this century. The environmentally friendly technologies which the company is following are aimed at reducing the fuel consumption and thereby reducing carbon dioxide emission which will subsequently reduce global warming. This is also because of the strict standards and regulation followed in the industrialized countries like US, France, EU, and Japan. They are providing consumers which helps in reducing fuel consumption. Another important strategy is that the company is enabling the exchange of information between the drivers and the external environment. This will help in reducing traffic and to increase safety during driving. The information is exchanged in a concise manner. This facility is aimed at providing the necessary information to the passengers and drivers during driving. The companys strategy is to remain among the top three in the area where they are operating. They are also aiming at maintaining a balance between the sales between the automotive and other sectors. 67% of the total sale is from the automotive industry and the rest from outside industries such as replacement market. Their strategy is t increase the share of the outside sector to about 40%. Another strategy which they are planning for the future growth is the mutual cooperation with Schaffler group. The mutual cooperation between the two companies is aimed at forming a new company with a wide range of diverse products and thereafter to acquire a leading role in the automotive industry. MODEL FOR STRATEGY Porters Value Chain Porters Value Chain is invented by porter. It is a chain which is showing the relations between inputs and outputs in an organization. The idea of the Porters Value Chain is based and clarified on the process view of the organization. Cost, labor, input output, major systems in the organization, subsystems in the organization, transformations equipments,, building, administration and management of the organization. The way we carry out the value chain determines the cost and profit of the organization. Most of the companys particularly large companies engage in thousands of activities in transforming inputs to outputs. Out of these some are primary activities and the rest are support activities. According to porter in 1985 the primary activities are listed below. Primary activities 1. Inbound logistics: It involves relation with the suppliers who provide with the necessary inputs for the organizational 2. Operations: It includes all the activities involved in the transformation of inputs to outputs. 3. Output Logistics: It includes all the activities required for the storage and distribution of products or outputs. 4. Marketing and Sales: It helps to improve the sale of the products and the various steps taken to improve the sale of the products. 5. Service: These are the steps taken the company to keep the product or service working effectively after the product is sold.(Porter, Michael E., Competitive Advantage. 1985, Ch. 1, pp 11-15. The Free Press. New York.) Secondary activities: 1. Procurement: It involves the acquisition of the inputs and other resources for the firm 2. Human Resource Management: It includes all the activities which is aimed at the proper utilization of the human resources available for the organization 3. Technological development: It includes the development of the technological aspects which is required for the transformation f inputs to outputs. 4. Infrastructure: It includes the various departments which is required for the smooth functioning of the organization. The infrastructure include departments such as finance, planning, public relations, legal affairs, general management etc.(http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/dstools/paradigm/valuch.html) Technical innovation is one of the methods achieved by company to bring down the total cost of the company. To facilitate the globalization of the tire products the company developed a technique known as modular manufacturing process which means manufacturing of the parts in low cost areas and assembling these parts in the main factory after shipping them to the sites. As a result of these reforms the company achieved 67% increase in the income in the year 1997. So we can conclude that the company was successful in applying the Poters value chain in their company which advocates the principle of cost reduction and increase in the profit through the proper management and control of the various processes in the organization. Corporate leadership in Continental AG The company is focusing on corporate spirit. The leadership and entrepreneurship of the company aims at achieving this. They are conscious to maintain a culture of high performance in their company. The leaderships emphasis on high performance inspires each and every employee at various levels of the company worldwide. They are following then practice of striving for the best in their business practices. The leadership plays the most important role in this. The make the employees aware about the ambitious aim of the company and insist the employees to hope and work for the best. The leadership in the Continental AG plays a key role in encouraging team work and cooperation in the company. The spirit of cooperation controls and drives all the levels and divisions in the cooperation. This will in turn helps to maintain good relationship with top level management, employees at the various levels and the representatives of the company. The leadership in the cooperation encourages both external and internal cooperation in the corporation. They took some revolutionary steps to encourage cooperation and team work in their company that is they abolished bureaucracy and hierarchy in the company. They promote and follows a culture of delegation and rewards entrepreneurship.(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smj.4250150703/abstract) . MARKETTING STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL AG The marketing strategy of the company is innovative and stands different in the content and method. Continental AG continues marketing strategy for light truck and passenger tires. The Continental AG was the official tire partner for the 2010 FIFA world cup held in South Africa. They have the option to extend their sponsorship to 2014 football world cup in Brazil MARKET TRENDS Market trends can be defined as the tendency of the market to move in a particular direction over a period of time. Market trends can be considered as the driving forces in a particular market or industry. The Global financial crisis created scars on the Growth of the Continental AG. But the situation has changed. Now the market trends are favoring the growth of the industry as there is increase in the sale of automobiles increased worldwide and is showing signs of growth in the coming future. The trends in the rubber industry do not affect the company much because the major income of the company is coming from the automotive sector. MARKET RESEARCH OF CONTINENTAL AG The market research done by the Continental AG identified India as a promising market for future. The company wishes to launch products in the country which focuses on safety, information, and environment and at an affordable rate. The importance of the automotive industry in the Global arena is increasing day by day. With this aim the company participated in the Auto Expo 2010. By market research the company means a thorough analysis of the organizational factors, the business segments of the company and the competitors in the market. By carrying out the market research the company can identify the trends prevailing in the particular market and the scope for the development in the particular market. A thorough market research is a necessity for the expansion of the business in to particular area. MANAGEMENT OF CONTINENTAL AG The success of the Continental AG in the highly competitive industry is attributed to the efficient management of the company. Visionary leadership and innovative ideas of the management team also contribute to the success and growth of the company. The project team of the company is constituted with experts in the respective fields and constituted separately for the interior and tire division of the company. The company management is conscious of implementing quality systems in the organization and carry out continuous monitoring of the overall activities of the organization. The management of the organization is giving prior importance to the proper and complete utilization of the human resources of the organization. BUISINESS LOCATIONS AND DESTINATIONS OF CONTINENTAL AG The company considers India as a key market in the future. The country is emerging as one of the key Asian market for the company. The development of the automobile industry in the country makes the country a promising market for the Continental AG. The Company is planning to expand its operation in the country in the next few years. The company is planning to start new tire manufacturing unit with the aim of acquiring prominent place in the worlds second largest automotive industry. Despite of the market saturation in the automobile industry in certain parts of the world such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, The worldwide production of cars is increasing at a drastic rate. It was predicted that the sale of the cars will be 74 million by 2013. Countries like India, China, Russia and Brazil are predicted as the emerging markets for the automotive industry. There share in the car production will increased firm 14% to 20% by 2013.( http://www.autospectator.com/cars/topics/continental-automotive) Budget allocation of a company is very essential for the proper management of the organization. OPERATIONS OF CONTINENTAL AG The company mainly operates in Europe. The headquarters of the company is in Hannover in Germany. The company holds employee strength of almost 140000. The company suffered a severe fall in its revenue and income due to the economic crisis of 2008. The company suffered a loss of 17% in the year 2009 when compared to 2008. The net loss of the company in the year 2009 is $2300 million which is less compared to the loss in2008 which is almost $1653 million. CONTINENTAL AG Continental AG is the leading tire and tube producer in Germany and ranks fourth in the world market. It acquired prominence in the international market through a series of major acquisitions in the Europe and in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. It started acquisitions in the year 1979. The company faced severe economic crisis in the 1990s.Yet the company management faced the challenges with courage. The most important and large acquisition is made by the company in the year 2001 when it bought TEMIC auto electronic systems from Daimler Chrysler. The Company has its origin in the year 1871 as a rubber good manufacturing company. The Company was established in Hanover in Germany and still this place is continuing as the centre of the companys business operations. The Continental AG was promoted by a group of financiers and industrialists having interests in the rubber industry. The initial capital of the company was 900000 MARKS. The companies initial products include water proof fabrics, footwears, and tires but soon they expanded their business to sundry consumer items such as balls toys, medial products and industrial rubber goods.( http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/24/Continental-AG.html) The increasing demand of the automobiles in the 1890 and 1990 favored the growth of the industry. The prominence and efficiency of the German engineers created additional market for the company. SWOT ANALYSIS OF CONTINENTAL AG SWOT Analysis of the Continental AG is very important. Because it is an important source for the getting the top level management data and information regarding the top level organization of the company. In SWOT analysis there is a thorough analysis involving the key business areas of the company, the history of the company, and the product and operational strategy of the company and analysis of the financial lines of the company. The SWOT Analysis of the company analyses the various products of the company such as tire and tube, braking systems, electronic systems for the vehicle and identified the markets and share of the products. The SWOT Analysis carried out a significant research in the fiscal matters of the company and Analyzed the loss and reduction in the total revenue of the company which the suffered in the years 2008 and 2009. The SWOT Analysis identified that this is p[primarily due to the financial crisis which the world economy and market faced during these years. The SWOT Analysis of the company provides the necessary information to plan future business strategy of the company and to face the competition in the market. The SWOT Analysis of the company helps in the easy understanding and study of the various internal and external factors affecting the company. The studies are supported and evidenced by the various elements used in the SWOT Analysis such as key executives, business strategies, and structure of the company. SWOT Analysis of the company helps in increasing the sales of products because of the increased knowledge of the customers interests. The SWOT Analysis helps to maintain quality through out the operations of the company. This analysis helps to gain a better understanding of the competitors business, strategy and prospects. The analysis keeps a record of the performance of the company during the previous years. COMPETITORS OF CONTINENTAL AG Continental AG is ranked as the one of the giants in the suppliers of automotive parts and is facing severe competition fro the industry. The important ant competitors for Continental AG in the industry are Good year, Michelin etc. Both the companies hold major shares in the industry and providing quality service to the consumers and got a widely accepted brand image. Yet the Continental AG has been successful in maintaining the key position in the industry and got the scope and strategy for future growth and development in the industry. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS The Continental AG introduced innovative Tire Finder technology for commercial vehicles. This technology provides the consumers with clear recommendations for truck tires. This technology is highly beneficial to the consumers. The importance3 is that the technology is available online and the service can be used and ailed easily. This technology recommends the right tire for the users after collecting the necessary information from the consumers. The Consumer segment, the transport category and the type of assignment are decisive here. They technology efficiently categories the various transport categories and suggest the tire size and vehicle for the consumer by analyzing the various factors. They are the only company which provides this technology and recommendation regarding the use of the most appropriate vehicle parts after considering the various influential factors. PRICE STRATEGY OF CONTINENTAL AG The companys strategy is to achieve profitable growth through the marketing of the innovative and quality products and my maintaining competitive price. Continuous profitable growth is the main motto of the company. The Company knew that the lowest possible cost is essential to maintain its ability to compete in the market. The cost awareness is so important for the company because the automotive manufactures expect price reduction at the rate of 3 to 5% every year as the suppliers of the auto motive parts. This demand not only affects the technological aspect of the company but also the procurement of essential raw materials and components for the industry. The overall coordination of then activities of the company is relevant in determining the pricing strategy of the company. MARKET DEVELOPMENT The company is conscious about converting the positive developments in the automotive industry to increase their sale. The globalization of the automotive industry and emerging industry like Brazil, China, and India provide them with the scope of achieving future growth in the industry. The company is looking for new markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. The automobile manufactures are setting up new factories in these countries and this demands the supply of vehicle parts. So the company has to set up new production units in this countries and this requires huge capital investment which is driving the consolidation process in the industry. This is beneficial for a large vehicle parts supplier like Continental AG. ADVERTISING OF CONTINENTAL AG They are focusing on soccer as a strategic platform for advertising their premium tire brand. They are following different and diverse methods for advertising. TYRE TV spots are one of the most important methods of advertising of the company. Print campaigns are also successfully applied by the company as an advertising tool. Internet advertising is an innovative method adopted by the company for advertising their products. Boarding thee stadium during soccer games and other games is also adopted by the company as tool of advertisement. Special advertising formats are also used by the company to improve the sale and brand image of the company OBJECTIVES AND PLANS OF CONTINENTAL AG The Continental AG Corporation has got clear cut objectives and plans to achieve further growth and development in the future and to remain competitive in the industry. The global automotive industry is showing signs of growth and this favors the growth of the Continental AG which is the global leader in thee supply of automotive parts. Te Company is looking forwarding in the emerging markets of China, India, Brazil and Russia. The company started tire manufacturing unit in China as a part of their strategy to expand their trade to the global level. The company aims at providing quality and innovative services to the consumers such as tire finder technology. The companys objectives is not only limited to selling of the products and making profit but also aimed at providing security, comfort and safety to the consumers. The company also plans to implement excellent engineering technology in the organization to improve the quality of the products and to expand their business to the glo bal scenario. RESOURCE ALLOCATION OF CONTINENTAL AG One of the important problems faced by the Continental G is the fluctuating price of the raw materials and other resources of the company. The rubber division of the company will be adversely affected by the rising prices of oil and natural rubber. The automotive sector of the company will be affected by the rising prices of the steel and other ele3ctronic components. The source for the natural rubber for the company is Malaysia and India. BUDJET ALLOCATION OF CONTINENTAL AG As per the records of the economic times the company has plan s to invest$216 million in China to build a tire manufacturing unit there. The companys strategy is to boost the sales in the worlds second largest auto market. This is a good example for the intelligent budget allocation of the company with a future perspective to boost the sales. The company is planning to start a production plant in Hefei, in Anuhi province by the beginning of the 2010. The company is planning to manufacture 4 million tires annually from this plant. The company is planning to implement an increase in the pay for 25000 employees in the German metal and electrical industry by feb2011.( http://www.just-auto.com/companies/continental-ag_id174) START UP BUDJET OF THE COMPANY The company was started in the year 1871 with an investment of 200000 marks in Hanover in Germany. The company was greatly supported by the industrialists and other investors interested in the rubber and allied industries. So the company got favorable conditions for the initial growth of the company. CHART SHOWING THE SALE OF CONTINENTAL AG Snapshot of CONTINENTAL AG (CON) OPEN â‚ ¬57.41 PREVIOUS CLOSE â‚ ¬57.35 DAY HIGH â‚ ¬57.98 DAY LOW â‚ ¬56.64 52 WEEK HIGH 12/7/10 â‚ ¬68.53 52 WEEK LOW 02/25/10 â‚ ¬31.86 MARKET CAP 11.5B AVERAGE VOLUME 10 D 574.9K EPS TTM â‚ ¬0.93 SHARES  OUTSTANDING 200.0M EX-DATE 04/29/10 P/E TTM 61.6x DIVIDEND DIVIDEND YIELD K  =  Thousands  Ã‚  M  =  Millions  Ã‚  B  =  Billions Current Stock Chart Performance for CONTINENTAL AG (CON) CON:GR Historical Stock Quote CON:GR Advanced Stock Chart (http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=CON:GR FORECASTING THE FUTURE GROWTH OF CONTINENTAL AG Continental