On the Brand Elements of Vodafone

Vodafone India has an integrated marketing strategy to ensure that they reach the maximum customer base and provide a number of touch points for the user. The sales and distribution of Vodafone products is done through their dedicated outlets as well as other outlets, small shops and stores. Vodafone has set up similar format Vodafone stores all over India to give their consumers a seamless and coherent experience wherever they maybe.At the same time a number of mini stores ensure that the customers have more number of places to resolve their minor problems and enquiries. These also provide a venue for the customers to settle their bill dues immediately. Vodafone India also pushes its sim cards through general retailers and pays them a small margin on the sale of each sim card. Post paid consumers are given offers and upgrade schemes to ensure that the company maintains a relationship with them. Thus the sales and distribution aspects of Vodafone in India are taken care by Dedicated outlets:Mini outlets Retail shops Mobile shopsThe marketing communications of Vodafone are typically very up market and generally the positioning is such that amongst the masses Vodafone is perceived as an aspirational brand. With a focus on the â€Å"Power To You† positioning all the current advertisements of Vodafone are focusing on picturization of the benefit that the consumer will get once he becomes a Vodafone customer. The marketing communications always depict Vodafone as a young and up market brand. The TV advertisements of Vodafone are always targeted at ensuring that the customer can understand the benefit that they want to offer.Vodafone typically does not emphasize strongly on print ads and radio ads. Although at the times of important tie ups and events one can see single page ads in the newspapers, magazines etc as well as small audio clips on the radio network. Vodafone uses the events platform as a promotion tool. Events like IPL which are sure to grab eye ba lls are sponsored by Vodafone and large scale TV advertising is done to ensure that the customer may avail IPL related services on his handset. Currently Vodafone has combined with the highest TRP grossing Big Boss and is providing a chance to the customers to visit the Big Boss house.AdvertisingVodafone lays special emphasis on creative advertising. They came up with the highly successful zoo zoo campaign which became a hit with all the consumers. All their ads clearly portray the benefit for the user and are done in such a way such as to induce good brand recall. Television advertising is a major tool used by Vodafone to push its brand as well as the promotions that they are coming up with. From time to time they use other media like print and radio also to push their product or offering to the masses.EventsVodafone ties up with a number of events which are designed to create daily or special brand related interactions. They generally combine with high popularity TV shows and even ts which provides them good eye balls and ensures that a particular number of people always view what they have to offer. Vodafone emphasizes more on above the line activity. Their strong  financial background ensures that they can pump in their money in such events and ensure a strong brand recall.Interactive MarketingVodafone is making extensive use of the online segment to involve more and more consumers with the brand. They have a presence on all the social networking sites and are providing special offers on those pages as well. A number of users can connect with the brand and talk , discuss about the various aspects of the brand online itself. They periodically keep revising the promotional offer advertisement that they put up on such pages. They are providing their entire range of products, service and promotion related information on these sites.Vodafone Communication Strategies:Brand ElementsBrand elements are those trademarked devices that serve to identify and different iate the brand. These are also sometimes known as brand identities. Items like brand name, logo, mnemonics, characters, spokespersons, slogans and jingles are some items that can be characterized as brand elements. All or most of them are trademarked and registered by the parent company of the brand and these are what appear in front of the consumer in the brand’s communication and help increase recall of the brand as these are things that the consumers remember a brand by it.According to theory, there are some specific criteria which need to be kept in mind while deciding on the brand elements. These are points which when satisfied help in serving the full purpose of having brand elements. Some of these criteria are:1. Memorable – These elements should be easily recognized and can be easily recalled.2. Meaningful – If not all then most of the brand elements should have a meaning and should associated in some or the other way with the culture and values of the b rand.3. Likeable – In simple terms brand elements should be fun, interesting or may be aesthetically pleasing so that the consumers like it and attach positive connotations with these elements.4. Transferable – Brand elements need to be the same for different markets and geographies, for different product or service categories. So transferability across these boundaries is critical.5. Adaptable – They must be flexible and the company should be able to update them as and when required.6. Protectable – They should be legally protected from counterfeiting and copyrights violation. Brand Name – VodafoneVodafone is one of the biggest telcom operators in the world along with other big names like Bharti Airtel, Idea and AT&T. It carries with itself a reputation of being one of the finest telecom service providers across the world and the name carries an element of desire with it. In India, the brand was earlier known as Vodafone Essar, due to the parent c ompany’s holding pattern. However, Essar has been a business name since long in the country and is associated with other businesses as well.So the â€Å"Essar† part was done away with and the brand name is now â€Å"Vodafone†. It being a foreign brand attracts consumers and the consumers already on the subscriber list feel proud to be associated with a big international brand. It is easy in terms of memorability and meaning and having a long history attached to it along with the geographies Vodafone is now operating in, it has proved its adaptability and transferability. Brand LogoVodafone calls it the â€Å"Speechmark Logo†. It is a quotation mark in a circle. The quotation marks before and end of a conversation is depicted in the logo and Red color has been its corporate color for long.The name is written below the design. It is the same logo as is used globally although in some areas like Portugal Vodafone has used a different logo. This is vital as it shows to the consumer that the company will offer the same level of quality in service as is being provided globally. Overall the logo has been there for a long period of time. So from the consumer’s point of view, it is memorable and the red color is liked by one and all. It is protected from any violation like copying or faking. It is a likeable logo which helps in increasing the recall of the brand as soon as the logo appears in from of the consumer.URL (Uniform Resource Locator)The website link or URL for the global website is http://www.vodafone.com and the link to the Indian website is http://www.vodafone.in. These are registered domain names so protection is taken care of. As there are provisions of checking and making bill payments online, going through various tariff rates and value added services details on the website, the online interface is a very vital component among the brand elements. The URL simply has the name of the brand and ‘in’ for India a s the extension. It is easy to remember and use, hence making it an effective brand element.CharactersCharacters represent a special type of brand symbol, one that takes on human or real-life characteristics. Since Vodafone entered into the Indian market, there have been two primary characters associated with the brand. The first is the famous pug which was used in the earlier advertisements and portrayed the consistency of service in the tagline â€Å"Wherever you go, our network follows†. The second and extremely popular character which Vodafone created was the Zoozoo.Real people wore grey suits to portray comical characters in a major communication campaign aimed at increasing awareness about the value added services provided by Vodafone. The campaign includes every channel from television and print advertising to billboards and hoardings at the point of sale. Zoozoos as a character have been loved by one and all and have helped tremendously in increasing the brand awarene ss among consumers.However sometimes characters take on such a presence in the mind of the consumer that the characters dominate the brand name itself. Zoozoos have become such a phenomena today that people generally would watch the advertisement and switch the channel before any message is communicated. So in the long run, continuing this campaign indefinitely could hurt Vodafone’s brand equity in India. SlogansSlogans can contribute to brand equity in multiple ways. They can play off the brand name to build brand awareness and image and can also contain product related information and other meanings. Vodafone’s current slogans in the 2010 advertising campaign is â€Å"Isn’t it nice when someone makes you feel special† and â€Å"Power to you†. The ads focus on the close friendship of two school girls and the care each one shows for the other.The company wishes to communicate to the consumer the various value added services it offers, which it term s as â€Å"Vodafone Delights†, to indicate their services intend to delight the consumer in every possible way and the slogan powerfully conveys that Vodafone is a brand that cares about its consumers and believe in doing the small little things to delight them and make them feel special always.Their previous slogans like â€Å"Happy to Help†, â€Å"Power to you† and â€Å"Wherever you go our network follows† have been equally successful in associating different meanings with the brand; meanings like consistency of service, the consumers’ power to choose what service to avail and what to pay for and the brand being ever present in case of any need for the consumer. JinglesMost consumers remember the â€Å"You and I in this beautiful world† jingle, which ran as background in the communication campaign consisting of the pug following the kid, helping him and doing chores for him. The current campaign has the jingle â€Å"The little things you do†, a sweet and melodious song which portrays the intended message quite well. Vodafone’s jingles’ strongest point is their likeability and consumers tend to remember them very conveniently. Jingles, have hence always been a critical brand element for Vodafone. Communication CampaignsVodafone keeps coming out with new communication campaigns at regular time  intervals. It ran the â€Å"Pug† campaign for some time initially. Then it launched the â€Å"Zoozoo† campaign and now it has recently launched the â€Å"Vodafone delights† campaign. Another small campaign that had been running until recently was the â€Å"Rs. 4 me sab kuch† which had a speaking parrot trying to convince people that four rupees are of no value today but Vodafone offers a lot of things in just that amount.These changes in communication campaign strategies and focus on different things every time shows that Vodafone stresses on being innovative in its advertising , trying to come up with something new and refreshing, which will be liked and remembered by the consumer for a long time. They have never used media or sports celebrities for their communication, unlike competitors like Airtel, Idea and Reliance who use sports celebrities and bollywood stars like Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan for their endorsements and advertising.Their campaigns generally have had a 360 degree approach, reaching the audience through multiple channels. Some of the channels which Vodafone always covers are:1. Television advertising is done on most popular channels and in major sports events that generally have a long run and are repeated all over the year.2. Newspapers/Magazine advertisements in all major dailies, but mostly in English newspapers, business newspapers and general and economics magazines.3. Hoardings/Billboards on the highways and on the bus stops all over major cities across the country are helping increase awareness and hence, recall of the b rand.4. Small prints at point of sale, varying from major retail outlets to small panwari shops.5. Event sponsorships for major sporting events like Indian Premier League and the UEFA Champions League in football, an event widely followed in India now. Infact according to a research, Vodafone along with Pepsi were found to be the most visible brands after IPL ended earlier this year.6. Radio – On radio they have only run the â€Å"Parrot† campaign as this does not require any major display to go with the voice.Overall their communication campaigns have been innovative and appealing enough to not only attract the consumer’s attention but also make and maintain the brand’s position is the mind ladders. The Zoozoo campaign according to people was a little over run and at one point of time was contributing to creating a perceptual block in the consumers’ mind.So the new Parrot and Delights campaigns have freshened things up. There have been other small campaigns as well, one prominent one which had Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton featured in it. However the recall for that ad is very low and it can be categorized as an unsuccessful campaign.

Syria Conflict

Introduction The Syrian Arab Republic is an Arab country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the North, Iraq to the East, Jordan to the South, and Israel to the Southwest. In March 2011, the Syria conflict has begun due to various reasons and is still going on today. This outbreak is one of the key factors which resulted the Arab Spring (Arab Uprising). Arab Spring refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world in 2011.The protest originated in Tunisia in December 2010 and quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. In these countries, the citizens intiatied the protests as the ruling families have been keeping the power for too long (Arab Spring, 2012). In Syria, the conflict goes up to its peak as the revolution against the rule of Syria President Bashar Al-Assad’s (Mr Assad). According to the latest report of the Human Right Organization, mor e than 36,000 people were killed in this civil war (Khera, 2012).In this essay, the roots of the conflict will be traced and analysed using the International relation (IR) theories. Literature Review A literature review has been conducted to investigate the causes of the conflict by applying IR theories. The traditional core of IR relates to issues concerning the development and change of sovereign statehood, in the context of the larger system or society of state. In general, there are four (4) major theoretical traditions in IR and will be covered as part of the study scope: †¢Realism; †¢Liberalism; International Society; and †¢International Political Economy (IPE). Realism Several general realist ideas and assumptions were discussed (Jackson, 2010). These are related to different aspects such as pessimistic view of human nature; international conflicts that are ultimately resolved by war, high regard for the values of national security and state survival and basic scepticism that there can be progress in international politics that is comparable to that in domestic political life. In summary, with realist, states are the most important factor.All states tend to pursue self-interested and their primary concern is survival (Wikipedia). Liberalism The other theory is Liberalism, which started by John Locke in the seventeenth (17th) century. He believed that as the development of technologies and people can master the nature, there are great potential that people could flourish in states that guaranteed individual liberty. Liberals, differ from realist, take a positive view of human nature. And for them, conflict and war are avoidable.According to John Locke, the core concern of Liberalism is the happiness and contentment of individual human beings. A country is in a state of liberalism when a citizen within that country can live their lives and pursue their happiness without other people interference. (Jackson, 2010) There is a major debate betw een idealist Liberalism and pessimist Realism. A main point in this debate is concerned about â€Å"human nature†, as Liberalism takes a positive view of human nature while Realism holds a negative view. (Jackson, 2010) (Arab Spring, 21) International SocietyUnlike Realism and Liberalism International Society is one of classical IR approach which tries to avoid the stark choice between state egotism and conflict and human goodwill and cooperation. Instead of adopting the classical Realist pessimistic view or classical Liberalism optimistic view, it occupies a position between those two and develops that into a separate IR approach. (Jackson, 2010) International Political Economy International Political Economy (IPE) is the debate where they claimed that there is a link between politics and economics as well as the nature and extent of economic globalization.IPE is ultimately concerned with the ways in which political forces (states, institutions, individual actors, etc. ) sha pe the systems through which economic interactions are expressed, and conversely the effect that economic interactions (including the power of collective markets and individuals acting both within and outside them) have upon political structures and outcomes. (Jackson, 2010) Syrian Confliction review The first protest erupted on March 2011 in Deraa after the arrest and torture of some teenagers who were painted with revolutionary slogans on a school wall.In order to manage the uncontrollable chaotic situation, minimum military forces were suitably in place to minimise the protest through the use of checkpoint road blocks. As the protest continued and spread widely over the country the citizens demanded for the President Bashar Al-Assad’s resignation. By July 2011 hundreds of thousand people taking to streets, town and cities across the countries such as Alepo, Hama, Homs and Deraa (BBC, 2012). As the act of protest has become uncontrollable, the government applied the militar y forces to crush the dissent and sending tanks to Deraa in late March 2011.Rockets and mortars were also used to hit the rebel stronghold (See Appendix 1. 1 – Homs Feb 2012). After a month of bombardment, the rebels retreated with an estimate of more than 700 people were killed. People within the country have to flee to neighboring countries such as Turkey up to several months. According to the statistics recorded by the United Nations refugee agency, there are more than 200,000 Syrians who have registered with the agency fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. There was also an unofficial estimate of the refugees which puts the number much higher and those figures are expected to rise.The Government in Jordan as well as other countries permitted the stay of Syrians within the countries, provided with minimum necessities and protection such as food and security guards. All the refugees were instructed to assemble in one common area, allowing the government to take care and control the crowds easily. In this Syria crisis, number of bomb blasts took place in different cities. Many people were killed in the civil war due to the bomb strikes. Apart from causing deaths most of the facilities in the cities were destroyed.The war has deniably resulted various negative implications to Syria in terms of people, environment and asset. The Syrian government has put the blame of these activities to the terrorists which linked to the al-Qeada as well as a shadowy group called al-Nusa Front. The al-Nusa Front has said to be one who controlled and manipulated all the attacks and bombing activities. Based on the latest figures provided by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the number of deaths reported has been increased to 21067 and 5980 people were killed due to the security forces.Therefore the United Nations has charged the Syrian government and security forces for the violation of international humanitarian law. A peace plan was sugge sted and conducted by the UN envoy, Kofi Annan and the negotiation mission started in April 2012. However as violence escalated, Mr. Annan resigned and withrew from the country. At the same time Mr. Assad still shows no sign of leaving his power and there seems to be no end to the crisis. Trace down the root of the problem. As mentioned in the previous sections, the outbreak of the civil war has brought many negative implications to the country.There appears to have no solution for the civil war. Thus various researches were conducted to investigate and analyse the causes of the problem. In most recent research, Manfreda has pointed critical points which has led to the Syrian uprising (Manfreda, 2012): †¢Political Repression; †¢Unstable Economy; †¢Media influence; and †¢Fear of state power. The political repression is one of the main reasons which causes the outbreak of Syrian war. Since 1950s, there was not any peaceful transfer of power, as the change appears t o happen through a military coup or an uprising (Manfreda, 2012).For instance as soon as the President Bashar al-Assad has inherited the power in 2000, he quickly rushed into the process of reformation while the power remains concentrated in the ruling family. Besides political repression, the unstability of economy in Syria is believed to be one of the causes which led to the uprising. The economy in Syria has become unsustainable due to the quick expansion of the population. At present the population in Syria is estimated to be 20 million, with an average growth rate of 2. 4 percents. Based on the statistical review this figure stays among one of the world’s highest growth rate.A Syrian economist, Nail Sukkar has agreed that Syria is currently having a problem with the oversizing of population. It is difficult for the government to sustain the citizens by providing sufficient welfares and healthcares. The unemployment rate has increased because the government is not able to create sufficient job opportunities to the people. An official figure was reported by the governmnet stating that the unemployment rate is estimated to be 10 percents. However with the combination of other independent estimates the rate of unemployment is believed to be approximately 25 percents.In addition, the natural disaster such as persistent drought struck north-eastern of Syria. This has caused a severe devastation to the farming communities and affected more than a million of people since 2008. Due to the negligence of the government, thousands of farmer families were suffered from poverty. These people from the farming communities have vented their angers and frustrations through participation of the protest activities. Furthermore due to the cautious reform of the remnants of socialism, it opened the door to private investment which in turn triggered an explosion of consumerism among the urban upper-middle classes.However, privatization has favored families with personal links to Assad, which made the jobs remained scarce for people within the country (Manfreda, 2012). Apart from that the awareness was raised by different means of media. The advancement in technology has exposed the people to the world issues throguh various approaches for instance internet. Previously the government tried to refrain the youths from exposing to more information by limiting the means of media. However the attempt was failed since the state media is no longer the main channel to the citizens.The use of the new media is critical to the activist networks that underpin the uprising in Syria (Manfreda, 2012). Although the fear of state of the citizens has existed for a very long time since the ruling of Assad family, the brutal responses to the people in the peaceful protest in Spring 2011 has outraged the people. As a result of the snowball effect, more citizens joined the protest. Additionally, many Syrians resent the fact that so much power is monopolised by the Alawi families, a Shiite religious minority to which the Assad family belong.Although this is not considered as the driving force of the uprising in Syria, the combination of a majority Sunni pretest movement and an Alawi-dominated military has added to the tension in religiously mixed areas, such as city of Homs (Manfreda, 2012). Analysis the problem using IR theoretical. The causes led to the outbreak of the Syrian war were discussed in the former section. In this section the problems will be analysed using the IR theory. Irrefutably, the brutal and aggressive way of ruling in Syria by Assad family triggered the anger of the people in the country.The Realism theory can be accounted for the approach adopted by the Assad family in ruling the country. As stated in the Realism theory, as a human character, people always desire to be in driver’s seat. Thucydides (1972:406) also stated that the standard of justice depends on the equality to compel and that in act the strong do what the y have to power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept Also, Machiavelli (1984:66) indicated the main responsibility of the ruler is always to seek the advantages and to defend the interests of their state and thus ensure the survival.In this , President Bashar Al-Assad’s ways of ruling the country is understandable, as he wants to lead the country to the new path of development, which can secure the country state and position amongst the Arab countries (Robert, 2010). However, these action moves created a massive conflict between the citizens and Assad family as the security of the citizens is being abused. This has directly caused he citizens losing their senses of security with the ruling family and consequently the rebellion arose.According to Thomas Hobbes , he believes that Sovereign states are the principal factor in international system. States are inherently always obsessed with security which might lead to â€Å"security dilemima† whereby increasi ng one’s security power can bring along even greater instability as an opposing power builds up its own arms in response. Since ruling Syria, the Assad family had built up a very strong security power through various means such as developing the massive destruction weapons.This has indeed intimidated the safety of the neighbouring Arab countie and it is now understandable why certain countries such as Turkey and Isarel supported the rebel by providing armors and weapons for the people to go against the government. At the same time, Mr. Assad was assisted by Russia with the supply of weapons to continue fighting in the war. Therefore the situation has gone worse due to the supports from other countries in the war. With Liberalism theory, liberals believe that monopoly in power must be avoided.With the Republican liberalism theory, it is believed that democary states do not go against each other as they share the same moral values, and to their mutually benifical tie of economi c cooperation and interdependence. However, for the Arab countries in general and Syria in specific, the monarchy system has been adopted by these countries over the centuries. Based on the findings in the previous section, it was identified that there is no peaceful power transfer in Syria since 1970. The prolonged imbalanced situation has resulted in the rise of the awareness among the citizens.Besides the issues of wealth and porverty mentioned by IPE are critical in the world of politic. Violent conflicts nowadays can even take place inside the states due to the unstable economy, especially the weak states where the conflict can be bonded up with the development and underdevelopment. Since 1970, the Assad family has been tightly manipulated the economy. All the privileges of ecocomy went to the family and thus creating an imbalanced condition between the ruler and citizens. In addition, due to the overgrowth of population, there were no adequate job opportunities provided by the government to the citizens.As a result the unemployment rate has increased causing the people to suffer from poverty. Conclusion In a nutshell, the revolution in Syria is inevitable due to the number of reasons such as the adoption of monarchy system and unstability of economy. It is believed that the only way to terminate the civil war is through the assistance of external forces to suppress the furious citizens and introduce a fair and transparent political process for the selection of new ruler in the country for instance through the adoptation of democracy system.Bibliography Wikipedia. (n. d. ). Realism (international relations). Retrieved 11 17, 2012, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Realism_(international_relations) Arab Spring. (2012, 09 21). Retrieved 11 20, 2012, from Sourcewatch: http://www. sourcewatch. org/index. php? title=Arab_Spring BBC. (2012, 08 30). Syria: The story of the conflict. Retrieved 11 04, 2012, from BBC news: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/world-middl e-east-19331551 Jackson, R. (2010). Introduction to International relations Throries and approaches.Oxford University Press. Khera, J. (2012, 05 29). Syria crisis: Counting the victims. Retrieved 11 04, 2012, from BBC News: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/world-middle-east-18093967 Manfreda, P. (2012). Syrian Uprising : Top ten reasons for the uprising in Syria. Retrieved 11 5, 2012, from middleeast. about. com: http://middleeast. about. com/od/syria/tp/Syrian-Uprising. htm Robert, G. (2010). Realism. In Introduction to International Relations (pp. 59-94). Oxfords: Oxfords Univerity Press.

Aversive Racism and Inequality in Health Care

Running Heading: Aversive Racism and Inequality in Health Care Aversive Racism and Inequality in Health Care: Kenisha Wilkerson Walden University Socioeconomic conditions of persons and the places where they live and work do strongly influence their health. In the United States, as elsewhere, the risk for mortality, morbidity, unhealthy behaviors, reduced access to health care and poor quality of care increases with decreasing socioeconomic circumstances (CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report, 2011). Bias in the health care situation is most often indirect and universal (Halwani, 2011). Indirect discrimination occurs when exactly the same services are provided to everybody, but when cultural, religious, linguistic or other reasons it is not possible for members of one or more black and minority ethnic groups to benefit equally from them (Halwani, 2011) . Yet, when African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos are compared to European Americans, these minority groups have higher rate of chronic diseases, higher mortality, and poorer health outcomes which is documented due to health disparities. While, aversive racism is caused by clever bias and ignorance rather than any malicious feelings towards minorities. Persons who often interact with minorities as equals (ei. coworkers, friends) rather than on a different level (employee/employer) will find themselves less likely to have hidden prejudices (Cannon, 2011). However, there are methods that can be used for reducing such racism for some but for others; simply understanding that aversive racism exists can help. In conclusion being in the know about racial or ethnic inequality in health care and aversive racism can help eliminate problems. Raising public and provider awareness of racial/ethnic disparities in care, expanding health insurance coverage (Obama Care), improving the capacity and number of providers in underserved communities, increasing the knowledge base on causes and interventions to reduce disparities, examining your own behavior, and techniques aimed at its roots at both the individual and collective levels. Bibliography

Beauty-Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Beauty-Research - Essay Example Secondly, the fact that the findings of the study will be used for course work purposes besides other external uses such as consumers of beauty products and services as well as the manufacturers. Documentation review. This method will be utilized so as to get historical information since this study covers a wide period spanning 150 years ago. Data will be drawn from the much historical information and the researcher will use observation especially in cases when studying ancient works. Such information may include theories of design in ancient times and study of collections of ancient products. Target population. This research targets manufacturers of beauty products and services, Consumers of beauty products and materials, Media houses and the entertainment companies in order to understand the evolution of beauty. Sampling procedures. Sampling is the process of studying a small but representative group of a population with an aim of applying the results to the wider population (Patton, p.123). Simple random sampling shall be used in this study because it is convenient, timesaving and reliable. According to (Patton, p 234) a good sample must be representative of the entire population. Choosing of respondents shall be conducted randomly and therefore participation shall be by chance. However interviews targeting manufactures shall be done in a semi structured manner. The researcher shall draw elements from the population and will aim at using 200 respondents for purpose of questionnaire response, 50 will be drawn from manufacturers of beauty products, 100 will be from consumers such as women and beauty models while the remaining 50 will media houses and entertainment companies. Ethical considerations. The researcher will treat respondents as an important part of the research by according them respect and human dignity necessary for every human being. The researcher will seek to ensure that no instrument for this research is detrimental to the physical, social, emotional and cultural well being of the respondents. The research shall ensure comfort for the respondents by framing the questionnaire in a way in line with acceptable standards. This researcher shall aim at being all inclusive therefore in selecting respondents the researcher shall aim at incorporating respondent from at least all ethnic communities as well all beauty stakeholders. Any benefits arising from the research will be accorded to all subjects equally subject to copyright conditions. Mutual consent in form of formal letter of request shall be sent out to all participants in advance with an option for acceptance or declining participation. Historical as well as socio-cultural and economic back ground of participants shall be borne in mind as this could have a bearing on how different

Project Manangement The Reluctant Worker Case Study

Project Manangement The Reluctant Worker - Case Study Example Moreover, these skills promote understanding among individuals at workplace and enable them sustain good relationships and this in turn benefits the organization. This paper represents a report based on the case study of the reluctant worker focusing particularly on key professional skills that influence the growth and development of an organization. Actually, there are core skills that are at play in the case of the reluctant workers. Basically, all professionals are required or encouraged to possess a broad range of skills but most importantly, is the ability to communicate effectively with others and be able to express their views freely. For instance, three key skills that apply or are insufficient here are lack of team building, Leadership skills as exhibited by the project manager, and planning. To start with, there is lack of team building among workers and their team leader in this organization. Ideally, team building refers to the ability to form productive groups and confor m to the rules set and cooperate with others with the aim of achieving a common goal. Arguably, team building at workplace enhances goal achievement, efficiency in working process and satisfies the workers (â€Å"Ferguson Publishers†, 2009). ... Team building therefore plays a significant role in motivating the workers hence, organization tasks progress more efficiently and effectively. Secondly, appropriate leadership skills are very essential in ensuring that the management operate in the required manner, workers are motivated to work accordingly with increased efforts thereby increasing productivity of the organization. According to Adair, leadership is regarded as the most important composition of management (Adair, 2013). A leader has to understand others and cooperate with them appropriately (â€Å"Ferguson Publishers†, 2009). Ideally, leadership involves accountability, transparency and understanding. Generally, good leaders act as a role model in the organization and always concentrate on upholding the name or reputation of the organization. They should be able to understand themselves and other people as well. More so, the best leader ensures completion of tasks, roles and responsibilities both assigned to th em and their subordinates (â€Å"Ferguson Publishers†, 2009). They are expected to exercise self development and self management in the light of leadership knowledge and skills. Based on the case study of the reluctant workers, the project manager, Tim Aston to a larger extent did not exhaust and practiced the recommended leadership skills required in his position. Aston failed to clearly define the sequence of activities, create appropriate time for the juniors to be able to attend the meetings, and motivating the workers maybe through teambuilding process. Aston did not actually communicate effectively to the workers and this we can assume that he lacked good communication skills to be able to convince the workers and understand their

The war between Samsung and Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The war between Samsung and Apple - Essay Example instance, California there was a ruling by the jury stipulating that Samsung is to compensate Apple damages amounting to 1.05 billion for infringement, whereby dismissing allegations made by Samsung (Helena,1). There are intentions by Samsung to seek an appeal for the ruling, though it would result to reduced choices, less innovation and increase in prices. In terms of the company’s marketing strategies, they select a range of products through which a marketing strategy can be implemented focusing on supply and demand and an aim of raising the attractiveness of the products, which results to increased sales turn over (Botha, Strydom and Brink, 29). Apple has made the necessary effort of adapting the strategy of releasing its products such as iPhone 5, which has been an effective strategy of marketing. Customers of Apple products are always waiting to acquire the latest products from Apple Company. Moreover, they have a strategy of regulating volumes of iPhone 5 that are suppli ed to the market, in order to ensure that it is below the demand. On the other hand, Apple needs a reform of their marketing strategy, by ensuring that they are entering the market using attractive features on their products, which are no present in their competitors. Marketing theory of 4ps is necessary in comparing products from Samsung and Apple; whereby there are some advantages of Apple’s iPhone 5 over Samsung Galaxy S3, which entail the size of the screen, resolution, life of the battery. However, Samsung has exploited the hype of iPhone 5 launching, by using the chance to inform their customers about the features of Galaxy S3 using the media and the channels offered by the social media. Samsung had ensured that are stores in main cities at the time when iPhone 5 is being launched,... In terms of the company’s marketing strategies, they select a range of products through which a marketing strategy can be implemented focusing on supply and demand and an aim of raising the attractiveness of the products, which results in increased sales turnover (Botha, Strydom and Brink, 29). Apple has made the necessary effort of adopting the strategy of releasing its products such as iPhone 5, which has been an effective strategy for marketing. Customers of Apple products are always waiting to acquire the latest products from Apple Company. Moreover, they have a strategy of regulating volumes of iPhone 5 that are supplied to the market, in order to ensure that it is below the demand. On the other hand, Apple needs a reform of their marketing strategy, by ensuring that they are entering the market using attractive features on their products, which are no present in their competitors.Marketing theory of 4ps is necessary for comparing products from Samsung and Apple; whereby there are some advantages of Apple’s iPhone 5 over Samsung Galaxy S3, which entail the size of the screen, resolution, life of the battery. However, Samsung has exploited the hype of iPhone 5 launching, by using the chance to inform their customers about the features of Galaxy S3 using the media and the channels offered by the social media. Samsung had ensured that are stored in main cities at the time when iPhone 5 is being launched, whereby they used a clear message for their customers.

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

Compare and contrast - Essay Example Most of these artists engaged in paintings of beautiful women a character that we see with works from Sharaku and Katagawa. However, landscapes had been given limited attention by most of thee artists hence the reason for Hokusai’s diversion. Most of the critics of Hokusai’s works defined his landscape paintings as the Western paintings since they differed from Japanese paintings in terms of imagination, composition, atmosphere and the natural observation. A good piece of art showing an assumption of Tsunami off the coast of Japan is an ancient art done by Katsushika Hokusai (Nagata and Bester 28). This piece of art was done between 1760-1849. However, many people argue that this piece of art is not a Tsunami but depicts other things. This geometrical piece of art employs the use of circles, lines, and triangles in an artistic manner, which creates a sense of space collapsing. From the picture, there is an indication that the boatmen are not fighting against the huge wa ve but rather using the flow of the wave for their movement. Most of the artist believes that this picture was created as a symbol of his death since this is just one of the pieces of arts Hokusai produced just before his death. The painting is a traditional Japanese piece of art especially by the Japanese writings that are embedded in it. We also find this feature in the other two paintings indicating that these are traditional ukiyo-e paintings. The piece of art also symbolizes Japanese tradition. Hokusai shows symbols of tradition in this piece of art. Mount Fiji is shown from a background and this time is not shown as a huge mountain but just a small one shifting the focus of everyone’s perception. The picture also indicates Japanese anglers in boats struggling with the sea wave. In addition to this, a sense of energy has been created in this picture. Three quarters of the film is the huge sea wave, which consumes the great mount Fiji. This shows that Hokusai wanted to ex press energy in his composition. The technique used in painting of this picture is from the printing of woodblocks a technique that was mostly used by Buddhists in the 17th century. Otanaji Oniji II is a 1794-95 piece of art, which was developed by Toshusai Sharaku. In this piece of art, Sharaku’s great composition depicts a sense of energy, which is displaying realism and beauty. We can compare the theme of energy in relation to Hokusai’s picture in which the sea consumes three quarters of the space. From Sharaku’s picture, we can see that the artist has employed the use of lines triangles, and circles the same way in which Hokusai developed in The Great wave off Kanagawa. However, Sharaku in this piece of art is more real and articulate (Narazaki 79). The face of the picture takes three quarters of the space emphasizing the key area he wanted to expose. When comparing the themes of these two pictures we notice that Sharaku’s picture illustrates a huge s ense of modernity. The person in the picture is beautiful and with lots of energy shown in the face while Hokusai’s picture indicates a deep sense of tradition from the boats and the physical background. In comparison, all these piece of arts were done in the 17th century a time when most of the artists used woodblocks as their main tool for production of their pieces of art. Sharaku also shows a sense of tradition in this portrait. The clothing of the person in the p

Shouldice Hospital Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 71

Shouldice Hospital - Case Study Example The data indicate that some former patients had been attending the event for over thirty years. The most interesting fact is that out of 100 patients who attend Shouldice hospital one is a doctor. Past data indicates that the large patient turns up at Shouldice hospital is attributed to the efficiency and effectiveness of its service delivery (Chase, Jacobs & Aquilano, 2007). For example, the doctors employ superior techniques such as ambulation to ensure patients recover fist. There is the proper rapport between the nurses and the patient, this attracts patients to come back even after recovering. The management of Shouldice hospital has been faced by two options namely; whether to add one more operating to the hospital schedule or to add a second floor to the hospital by increasing bed capacity by 50%. Based on the Shouldice hospital data it can be observed that there are 5 major rooms for operation. The first room is utilized by a patient for recovery purposes, the second one is t he laboratory where patients are tested blood and other samples are tested to determine the disease that they could be suffering (Schumpelick & Fitzgibbons, 2007). There are other 6 rooms where patient’s health condition is examined. The data further indicates that the hospital had been having an average of ninety beds. This could only allow the doctors at Shouldice hospital to carry out 40 operations each day and an average of 7000 medical operations each year (Robert and Richard, 2012). Therefore, adding one operation day could increase the hospital capacity by 20%. This means that the current hospital capacity will be optimally utilized, this indicates that per year the hospital will be able to serve 1500 patients. However, it might be assumed that increasing an extra working day (Saturday) without increasing doctor’s remuneration could make the quality of service to decline because some workers might feel de-motivated.  

Fashion and False Hype Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fashion and False Hype - Essay Example What do you plan to accomplish with this essay? What do you hope the reader takes away from this argument? This is intended to illuminate the truth behind the fascination of fashion trends and fashion industry. During the research for this Rogerian essay, I came across with some critical aspects regarding the social inequality and individual’s social behaviour in which fashion plays a significant role. I aimed to deliver the grave negative factors which fashion industry implies on society. 2. What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the research? I learnt about the ideals of modernity which is highly constructed on the bases of the principle of equality. In addition, I was exposed to the social role of fashion in our lives which have significantly negative impact on our society. Most importantly, I found the alternative ways to spend money rather on following fashio n trends and wasting too much money on fashion wears. 3. What difficulties did you encounter during the research, writing, or editing phases of the assignment? There were few difficulties mainly in the understanding of the criticality which this argument contains. The biggest reason is my presuppositions about fashion and fashion industry which were well conforming to the developed stature of fashion. The deliverance of the argument in which fashion leads to self centric thinking in writing was a challenging task for me. 4. What did you enjoy about this assignment? The most interesting factor in this assignment was the involvement of both, supporting arguments and the critiques. The aspects which are the positive aspects of fashion are, on the other hand, have negative aspects which are more intense than the positive implications. 5. What made you decide to write about this particular topic?  Is this a topic that you are discussing in another course?  Is this a topic that concer ns you in particular? As we all know that fashion is one of the most important parts of our lives. My interest in fashion leads me to explore about it and the research made me develop the argument against fashion and fashion industry. I am immensely concerned with fashion which made me chose this topic for this assignment. 6. Is there anything else you would like for me to know before reading your essay? It poses an intense critique regarding fashion in contemporary world and it largely deals with social and humanistic aspects which are associated with fashion and fashion industry. [Student’s Name] [Instructor’s Name] [Course Title] [Date] Fashion and False Hype Introduction and Claim Fashion has become one of the most necessary industries in the contemporary world of modern age. Numerous trends in fashion are being acquired by millions of individuals in concordance with their regions, religions and cultures. Almost every single individual in this world aims to appear good and attractive. This desire of millions is fulfilled with those trends of fashion which are produced by the global fashion industry. From a child to teenager and from a young adult to middle aged individual, every single individual spends large amounts on meeting the fashion trends in the contemporary times. As fashion has become an essential part of today’s life, there are numerous negative aspects which are associated with the fashion industry. It consumes a good amount of time and money to keep one’s self updated with the latest trends of fashion along with the unjust which is associated with the labours working in the fashion industry (Cross 155-161). Despite the fact that fashion has become an essential part of the contemporary life but the number of negative aspects involved in fashion propose that the importance of

Microsoft office SharePoint Essay Example for Free

Microsoft office SharePoint Essay Microsoft office SharePoint server which is shortened as MOSS is an integrated Microsoft server that provides the following services; business intelligence share board, web content management, enterprise search, enterprise content services and shared business processes. Microsoft office SharePoint was introduced after SharePoint portal server SPS. Microsoft office SharePoint is a program that has elevated Microsoft office from merely being used on the desk top to being used online (Hillier, 2005). Compared to Microsoft office that can only be used on the desktop, Microsoft office SharePoint makes it possible for a server to share the information online. SharePoint is basically a website that can be displayed on the internet with an interface which displays libraries and lists in a protected database. The key word in Microsoft office SharePoint which is ‘share’ literally means connecting with people and sharing with them information, documents and files. SharePoint contains a number of tools that can be utilized for any small personal work or a wide range of business services. SharePoint services can be customized very easily using web based management interface or alternatively by using the Microsoft SharePoint designer software. There are also 40 pre-built application templates that assist in organizing the various components of the web. They are designed in a way that enables them to accomplish various specific tasks assigned to them. Some of these applications are blog, bug database, project tracking and wiki. Microsoft office offers a wide range of products that form part and parcel of its current technologies. These technologies include; Windows SharePoint Services 3. 0 (WSS), Search Server 2008 Express, Search Server 2008, Forms Server 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 MOSS Standard, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 MOSS Enterprise, Microsoft Office Groove Server 2007, Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer. All this products have been designed to fit in the modern business communication. They enhance the process and method of data sharing and ensure that business enterprises are informed of the current happenings in the business society. The features are easy to use and flexible when it comes to change and expansion. Importance of Microsoft Office SharePoint Microsoft office SharePoint has various benefits that make it preferred for use. The application improves people’s productivity by enabling them to receive information needed via the internet (Adams, 2007). It enhances their capability to create and organize the information and documents which makes their jobs easily manageable. Using the Microsoft office SharePoint, the server will find it easy to manage and track documents that he or she is using. This is due to the enhanced document management features that enable the server to countercheck and even change them. The modified features also enable the user to restore past information and determine the kind of users that access certain files. Microsoft office SharePoint has also enhanced the use of Microsoft office. The menus that were previously available on Microsoft office have been modified making it easy to navigate it. Microsoft office suit which is among the tools in SharePoint increases the speed of the user to use the applications without having to apply new skills. SharePoint has a variety of applications that enable the user to choose the one that is most suitable for him/her. The work spaces available enable the server to design an application that will provide solution to the problem at hand. A collaboration environment has been made easy to build and design as it takes minimum time. The share based SharePoint solution cuts down on the time and effort needed to find such solutions. Microsoft office SharePoint reduces complexities as it enhances the information stored and reduces on the general management costs. The information stored within the site is so easy to manage that it does not require the user to have extra skills. Microsoft office SharePoint enables the user to secure his or her information in a design that seems most appropriate for them (Lachev, 2005). This is due to the applications that enable the user to identify security measures in accordance to the document or file. He/she is also able to create security according to the user groups and teams who can also control the kind of information that they receive according to the defined parameters. File sharing using Microsoft SharePoint is highly improvised. It has facilities such as version history, document check in and check-out and storage which allow the user to browse the state of past files and documents stored and reinstate them to the position he/she desires. It has also a recycle bin that enables the user to retrieve the files that were earlier on deleted. Microsoft SharePoint is designed for both large scale and small scale use. The site can be increased as desired by the user at any time. This allows him to easily expand his operations whenever he feels the necessity to do so. The applications in Microsoft SharePoint are flexible and also multifunctional. The information stored in SharePoint can be customized in any form to suit a specific function and purpose. It can also be used for a wide variety of functions due to its flexible nature. Therefore, it is suitable for any type of business organization that may wish to use a number of applications. There are six main features on which Microsoft office SharePoint server is built on. They include; collaboration, portal, enterprise search, web and enterprise content management, forms driven business process and business intelligence. Pillars of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Collaboration Microsoft office SharePoint integrates work spaces, surveys, wikis, forums, blogs and tasks which boost the working of the Microsoft 2003 windows. The new features enhance partnership and the sharing of knowledge between different parties. Some of the applications that can be used to enhance partnership include; blog tronix, eTouch, social text, automatic, suited two and base camp (Foster, 2008). The features can be customized and used for different share groups as desired by the server. Through such facilities an organization can easily identify business partners around the world that may be engaging in similar activities. They are also able to identify customers and clients that are interested in their products. Portal Portal is a site that can access everything that is related to enterprise. In the new version of the 2007 windows, the name portal server is no longer used. Even though some of the features used have not been changed much, there are some modifications to the portal that include master pages, improved search facilities, improvements on the visual studio and a pluggable single sign-on architecture that improves flexibility. The website is based on the profile of the user (Luckett, 2008). Portal enables a personal user to create a site where they can customize them according to their needs. Portal allows the user to make changes to their profile and receive information and updates in a desired format. Enterprise Search Search on SPS 2003 was a bit hectic and made the process of searching different content stores difficult. Microsoft office SharePoint has provided a solution to this problem due to the new features that enhance searching. MOSS 2007 has an ACL-aware that has the ability to search for people and even expertise using both remote and local data stores. Business managers and other developers can effectively index their data and search in accordance to the line of business that they are dealing with. The best bets search features have added a new wave of intelligence to search procedures that make it exciting and reliable. Enterprise search enables a user to access specific information either from stored files or on the site. The facility is designed to suit the search criteria of the user and avoid the inconveniences of spending a lot of time in retrieving data. Web and Enterprise Content Management Microsoft office SharePoint server provides a wide variety of services that enhance the management of documents. Some of these services include; content type base policies, rich descriptive metadata, check in and out document locking, role based access controls at the library of the document and auditing. The contents received via the web can also be effectively managed and recorded. The features can be developed for use both for single or multiple uses depending on the nature of the work being dealt with. It is now easy for different business partners to exchange and transfer content materials as they desire. Locking facilities enable the user to withhold certain information from reaching certain groups and generally makes him to take complete charge of what is in the site. Forms Driven Business Process Microsoft office SharePoint has an XML driven info path that can be used on various systems including portable wireless devices. This improves on the rate and extent of communication between business partners, customers and clients in a business. The different stakeholders of the company or organization can access the information they want without having to go through a long process (Ferguson, 2002). It also makes it possible for the business management to determine specific information that can be accessed by the wide variety of stakeholders. The InfoPath is still being developed to have the ability of handling many more features. This feature has enhanced flexibility in business operations and ensures that a business man is kept informed no matter their current location. They are also able to comfortably carry out their business transactions despite their locations. Business Intelligence Microsoft office SharePoint server has improved business intelligence through the web based dash boards excel services and excel web base services, data respiratory integration and line of business integration. SharePoint server is used to take business to a higher level due to the improved work group facilities that it provides. Microsoft office SharePoint was developed in 2003 and a new version launched in 2007. Features are continuously being improved as businesses continue to enjoy the services that improve their operations. Companies and organizations are discovering new business opportunities that will expand their operations. With continuous developments that SharePoint is promising, online business partnerships will be greatly enhanced and a secure storage facility ensured. The Capability of Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft SharePoint has indeed been of great relive for business enterprises especially as it enhances the sharing capabilities of data. The share based portals enables businesses to make them be a one stop enterprise destination. The interfaces are dynamic and a lot of time is saved through; enterprise 2. 0 function ability has calendars and other interactive properties which enhance communication. It also has an integrated presence that makes it possible for a user to effectively communicate with another user that has been tagged and authorized (English, 2004). It has an improved interface and usability that enhances interactions, makes it smoother and ensure updates are received on time. Navigating data on site has been made simpler and made the discovery of contents easier. Administrators on site can easily role up certain information from sub sites and transfer it to other portal. It makes it easy to retrieve information on the website and Users who are within the SharePoint environment can now share information from an external RSS feeds. This reduces the possibility of the information being redundant and enhance corporation among different team members. Microsoft office SharePoint has leverage and security architecture that ensures sensitive business information is kept out of unauthorized view groups. SharePoint contains configurable features that make it possible for the user to give a site a definite description, differentiate web parts and XML endpoints. The 2007 version of Microsoft office SharePoint is compatible in NGES 2. 0. This facility makes it easier for an enterprise to effectively communicate with the customers. Most companies that have adapted the use of RSS to manage vital business information have discovered how versatile the technology is. RSS in combination with Microsoft office SharePoint server are proving to be very economical and reliable confirming the deliverance capability of enterprise 2. 0. The 2008 version of the Microsoft office search server that is referred to us 2008 express has been greatly enhanced to ensure that the number of files indexed are not limited. However, there is a limitation on stand-alone installations in that it cannot be scaled out to a cluster. Microsoft office SharePoint designer makes it possible for a developer to change data from external sources like Microsoft SQL server without necessarily having to code it against the NET framework (Webb, 2007). Despite the various compliments of Microsoft office SharePoint, it is criticized on the grounds that its tools are not well integrated for developers. Its customized software architecture is also viewed as complex and differs at a higher degree with the other ASP. NET-based web applications. Therefore, there is a need for Microsoft to improve other versions to make them reliable for use by developers. Microsoft office SharePoint 2007 has been designed to effectively work with other technologies, servers and programs. For instance, it is possible to create PowerPoint slides using Microsoft office SharePoint that can be stored in a library. The stored slides can be viewed by other users who can select their desired slide and receive notifications on the same. Updates can also be automatically set so that the new released versions on the SharePoint are received by the user. The different products of Microsoft office SharePoint have been designed to meet the current business needs. It has made the sharing of information between different groups across the borders easier. This sharing of information has made different business enterprises to be updated of the current happenings in the market and thus making informed decisions. The 2007 version of Microsoft office SharePoint enables users to create their own SharePoint sites that they can personally manage and use as they desire. They are also able to share such information with other people throughout the organization. An organization has different departments in which the administrator may desire to communicate different information, Microsoft office SharePoint server 2007 understands such diversity and makes it possible for the administrator to comfortably send specific information to various departments. SharePoint server ensures that only the right people are able to access certain information. Microsoft windows SharePoint services are technologies that have been modified in Microsoft windows SharePoint server. The services are specifically designed to ensure effective networking among business stakeholders. It ensures productivity on the work done by enabling the users to make informed decisions. Microsoft office SharePoint server depends on the services of Microsoft office SharePoint services 3. 0 technology that provide a wide variety of services such as site administration, libraries and site customization. All the features that are available on windows SharePoint services 3. 0 have also been integrated in office SharePoint server. Even though some features are similar Microsoft office SharePoint server 2007 has additional features that relate to different scenarios in publishing and enterprise. Conclusion Microsoft office SharePoint is basically a site that connects business organization with their employees, customers and partners. It was mainly designed due to the varying needs in the business field. The different products of SharePoint enable the server to customize information in a particular way as he/she desires and send it to prospective recipients. Maximum security is guaranteed for the user who may either desire to share certain information with specific people (Langfeld, 2004). It enhances the work of the managers who are able to effectively coordinate the work within their organization. They are able to create a site where different categories of employees are able to access information and receive the necessary updates. It also enables employees to create sites that will keep them updated on their work performance and progress. An employee is able to assign the work and effectively manage his time due to the calendar features that are provided in Microsoft office SharePoint. Modern technology is making interactions and communications easier. Even though it comes with various challenges and shortcomings, Microsoft office SharePoint is still going through improvements (Hillier, 2007). Various research programs are still being done on the features and new features are being added to ensure that the facility serves people better. Improvements being done on SharePoint make it easier for the server to apply them without having to acquire extra skills. As the years move on, technology is inventing more products that can be utilized on SharePoint. These services are exciting to business organizations and companies that have come to realize how the work of managing files and documents can be much simplified. Hence, they are looking for more promising advances on SharePoint that will further enhance communication with their stakeholders. REFERENCES Adams S. (2007): Pro SharePoint solution development, California: Apress pp39-41 English B. (2004): Microsoft SharePoint products and technologies resource kit, Michigan: Microsoft Press pp987-989 Ferguson R. (2002): Special edition using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Serve, California: Que, Publishing pp601 Foster K. (2008): SharePoint Best Practices, Louisiana: Lulu. com pp134 Hillier S. (2007): Microsoft SharePoint, New York: Springer pp27-30 Hillier S. (2005): Microsoft SharePoint, California: Apress pp17-22 Lachev T. (2005): Applied Microsoft Analysis Services 2005, Greenville: Prologika Press pp9 Langfeld L. (2004): Microsoft SharePoint 2003 unleashed, Michigan: Sams pp44-47 Luckett R. (2008): Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, New York: McGraw-Hill Professional pp 453 Webb J. (2007): Essential SharePoint 2007, Massachusetts: OReilly pp7-11

Nigerian Breweries Marketing Analysis

Nigerian Breweries Marketing Analysis EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report is set to discuss about the marketing report of Nigerian Breweries Plc. It covers their history, the PEST analysis, their strategies and tactics. A good marketing report is needed in an organisation to know the status of the organisation and to know where they are failing and succeeding so that they can correct or maintain the situation. This paper would fully explain the marketing report of Nigerian Breweries with a little recommendation. INTRODUCTION Kotler (2002) defined Marketing as the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. Marketing is essentially about marshalling the resources of an organization so that they met the changing needs of the customer on whom the organization depends. (Palmer, 2003) Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that customer and organizational objectives. (Drucker, 2005) The concept of marketing as a business philosophy defines marketing as a process that is intended to find, satisfy and retain customers while business makes a profit. But central to all these definitions is the role of the customer and his relationship to the product. A market research is imperative for a company to know what type of products or services would be profitable to introduce in the market. Also with respect to its existing products in the market, good market research enables a company to know if it has been able to satisfy customer needs and whether any changes need to be made in the packaging, delivery or the product itself. (Anonymous, 2009) HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Nigerian Breweries Plc (NBPLC) is the countrys pioneer brewery. Incorporated in 1946, it commenced production in 1949. It started as a joint venture between the United African Company (WAC) International, UK and Heineken of Holland. Thus, at inception, it was 100 per cent foreign owned. By the early 1950s, when it began operating fully, some indigenous traders already involved with its products were invited to become shareholders. Under the indigenization policy of the early 1970s the foreign shareholders were forced to sell a significant proportion of their holdings. Today, the company is 60 per cent Nigerian owned and 40 per cent foreign owned. The 60 per cent Nigerian stake is held by company employees and members of the public, while the 40 per cent foreign ownership is split almost equally between CWA Holdings Limited (for Unilever) and Heineken Brouwerijen BV. Its first bottle of beer, STAR Lager, rolled off the bottling lines of its Lagos Brewery in June 1949. Other breweries were subsequently commissioned by the company, including Aba Brewery in 1957, Kaduna Brewery in 1963, and Ibadan Brewery in 1982. In September 1993, the company acquired its fifth brewery in Enugu state, and in October 2003, its sixth brewery, sited at Ama in Enugu. Ama Brewery is the largest brewery in Nigeria and one of the most modern worldwide. Operations at Enugu brewery were discontinued in 2004, leaving the company with five operational breweries. The company has a portfolio of high-quality brands, including Star Lager Beer (launched in 1949); Gulder Lager Beer (1970); Maltina (1976), which now has three varieties, namely Maltina Classic, Maltina Strawberry, and Maltina with Pineapple; Maltina Sip-it (2005), which was packaged in Tetrapaks; Legend Extra Stout (1992); and Amstel Malta (1994). The company also re-launched Heineken Lager into the Nigerian market in June 1998. Nigerian Breweries is the most capitalized quoted company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), it is also the first company in any sector to declare N12 billion in PBT and the first company in Nigerian history to declare dividend of N8 billion (Vanguard, 2003). Nigerian Breweries operates many related companies, including beverage-related manufacturing companies making corks, labels, bottles, packing crates; and a logistics network, including transport companies, warehousing companies and retail sales management THE MARKET ENVIRONMENT Market Environment is the various external forces that can directly or indirectly affect the many activities of an organization. This is an integral part of environmental scanning. These activities include acquisition of human resources, raw materials, financial resources, and development of goods and services. The marketing environment includes forces such as: political, legal, regulatory, economic, social, technological, and competitive. Nigerian Breweries Plc functions in two different market enviroment namely the Macro and Micro which affects it externally and internally. (Kotler, 2004), the PEST analyses and the Porters Five Forces model of Nigerian Breweries would be discussed in this report. PEST analysis stands for â€Å"Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis† and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used. (P)OLITICAL ANALYSIS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Political analysis involves elections, employment law, consumer protection, environmental regulations, industry-specific regulations, competitive regulations, inter-country relationships/attitudes, war, terrorism, political trends in the country where the company is based. The political situation in Nigeria has experienced a stable balance since the commencement of the democratic governance and this has impacted on Nigerian breweries plc in different ways. Politically, Nigerian breweries was affected positively when the ban on importation of barley was lifted as well as placing a 20% tariff on both products by the federal government on January 6 1998, this increased its options of raw materials for production as the company had been forced to make use of local corn and sorghum for brewing in the past. Sales in Nigerian Breweries have been on the rise as opposed to the style in European and other developing markets partly because despite the individual state governments efforts by creating laws to regulate the sales and distribution of alcoholic products it has not put in-place proper control mechanism to checkmate and control the phenomenon of alcoholic consumption, this is due to the laxity in enforcement of laws in Nigeria and the high level of corruption in government (Daily Trust, 11 September 2008). (E)CONOMICAL ANALYSIS Economical Analysis involves the exchange rates and stability of the host country, skill level of work force, labour cost, and Economic level of growth, unemployment rate, inflation rate and interest rate. Nigeria is a growing economy therefore it is less affected by the recent global economic financial crisis and this has a positive impact on the sales of Nigerian breweries products as people have disposable income and can spend more on drinking of beer products, this therefore is a positive development for the company (Malandrakis, 2009). Also, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is really high and it makes a lot of people idle and they spend most of their time at bars which helps increase the sales of beers. The Exchange rate in Nigeria is low comparing to the US dollar and it can affect the business when the raw materials are being imported as it cost a lot of money. Another economical issue which is affecting Nigerian Breweries negatively is based under the labour cost which is the lack of constant electricity supply in Nigeria; this has forced the company to make use of alternative means of power supply such as generators were the company spends a huge budget on diesel which has a constant increasing price. (S)OCIAL ANALYSIS Social Analysis involves the Demographics, Class Structure, Gender, and Age, Attitude (health and environmental consciousness) The production of recreational centres in major cities which have all been changed to drinking joints locally known as â€Å"Joints† (Daily Trust, 11 September 2008) has changed drinking of beer into a social activity. It has observed that people prefer drinking out with friends as drinking of beer has become similar with celebrations such as weddings, parties, clubs and other social gatherings, among youths drinking is done in order to belong. This social drinking habit is clearly evident as it supports on trade sales which dominates the Nigerian market with a market share of 80% sales (Malandrakis, 2009). In northern Nigeria, states like Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto ban beer drinking because of their Sharia Law. A law is passed around that people who drink any form of alcohol or commit adultery, theft would be severely punished (The Guardian, 2002) and this affects the sales of beer in that region. Nigerian breweries is also involved in social responsibility by sponsoring events such as star quest which is aimed at discovering new musical acts (Nigerian Tribune, 8th June 2009) amongst other social events and creative writing workshop, a program created to groom the young writer (Vanguard, 15 July 2009). (T)ECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS This involves inventions, new discoveries, research, energy uses/sources/fuels, communications, and rates of obsolescence, health manufacturing advances, information technology, internet, and transportation. Technology has not been a major aspect in Nigerian Breweries Plc but they have invested in the equipments used for beer production to make it have its original taste. They also invest in generators for electricity because of the electricity issues in Nigeria. The Social factors have the strongest effect on the market power of Nigerian Breweries Plc as drinking is a lifestyle which has evolved over the years. The Porters five forces apply new entrants, Buyer power, Supplier power, Substitute and Rivalry for analysis. POTENTIAL ENTRANTS Potential Entrants are other organisations interested in entering the industry. Potential entrants trying to come into the brewery industry in Nigeria find it very difficult because of a lot of mostly the Government policies, the cost of exit and entrance and this puts Nigerian breweries at a comfortable position as market leaders and leaves the company with nothing to worry about as regards new companies that may spring up. Other reasons why new companies find it difficult to come into the industry is because the switching cost is really high so any new company cannot just switch or leave the industry, brand loyalty is really high because the public is used to the products of Nigeria Breweries. SUBSTITUTES From Porters Model, substitute products refer to products in other industries. To the economist, a threat of substitutes occurs when a products demand is affected by the price change of a substitute product. Finding a substitute for beer in Nigeria is practically impossible because drinking beer in Nigeria has become part of social activity and also with the affordable price for the average and low earners (a bottle of star larger beer costs N140 which is less than a pound and is cheaper compared to wines, brandys and other bottled alcoholic drink) it has the price has a competitive advantage over the type drink like wine and brandy. The only major competitor within the industry that Nigerian breweries has in beer products is Guinness Nigeria Plc and both companies have between them 77% market share (WW8) therefore it would only take a special brand to substitute either of these brands. BUYER POWER Buyer power can be explained as the impact that customers have on a producing industry. This occurs when there are many suppliers and one buyer. In Nigeria Breweries, the buyer power is very little as they are the major supplier in the industry and the customers have little option but to get products from Nigeria Breweries. Buyer power can also explained by switching cost which is expensive due to the high prices of substitutes like wines and brandy. Also, Nigerian Breweries have grown so well that consumers have very strong brand loyalty on their products such as Gulder, Star. SUPPLIER POWER This can simply be explained as when there are many buyers and just one or little supplier. Nigerian breweries has a very high supplier power because the use of local corn and sorghum for manufacturing of beer has a high market value because of the limited availability of barley and other substitutes for brewing of beer, the farmers and suppliers of this raw materials have the power to raise their prices as they wish, leaving Nigerian Breweries at their mercy. RIVALRY The Nigerian beer industry has only 2 major companies in the industry which are Nigerian breweries and Guinness Nigeria Plc and this gives Nigerian Breweries less competition but high rivalry because there is low switching cost since the cost of a beer from Guinness Nigeria is almost the same price. Rivalry could also low because there are only two companies in the industry so it has enough market for both of them and it can gear its strategies against only one major competitor (Oyeyinka, 2002). THE COMPETITION OF NIGERIAN BREWERIES The major competitor for Nigeria Breweries is Guinness limited Nigeria, it manufactures beer in the brand mane of â€Å"Harp† in Nigeria. Harp Lager Brewery is located in Ikeja, Nigeria. This Nigerian brewery belonging to Tony Joyce started production in 1981. The annual production of beer is about 1,500,000 hl. The other beer production units of Guinness Nigeria Limited are located in Agbara, Benin, Aba in Imo. The other little breweries include Benue breweries, Olympic breweries, Sona Breweries and Consolidated Breweries. In general, competition for Nigerian Breweries is minimal as its only major competitor is Guinness Nigeria limited. Nigerian Breweries has the edge over these competitors majorly because of its brand loyalty and because of the fact that it has being producing beer for over 60 years. It also has a lot of branches all over Nigeria so as to reach the customers demands. MARKETING STRATEGY A marketing strategy is a process or model to allow a company or organisation to focus limited resources on the best opportunities to increase sales and thereby achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. (Ulrich et al, 2002) Nigerian Breweries Plc uses Marketing strategy to maintain competitive advantage. It uses the market segmentation, targeting and positioning as a means of carving out its own share of the market and catering for their needs. SEGMENTATION Market Segmentation can be defined as dividing a market into distinct groups with distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviour that might require separate products or marketing mix. (Anonymous, 2002) Segmentation refers to individuals and organisations with similar characteristics having significant implications for the determination of market strategy (Jobber, 2007), Segmentation can be broken down into Geographical segmentation, Demographic segmentation, Psychographic segmentation, Lifestyle, social class, and personality-based segmentation Behavioural segmentation. Nigerian breweries Plc segmentation is in relation to its consumers which serves all classes and ages of legal drinkers. In Nigeria, drinking beer is seen as a social event of festivity and because of its affordable price, it can be seen amongst the high, middle and lower class earners. The advertisement way of life which the company has built up over the years to appeal to all age groups and societal status types has also helped boost their market sales. Nigerian Breweries have advertised their major beer product (Star) as a drink that delivers superior enjoyment and brightens all social occasions this is so because the drink is seen as a key to happiness and celebration by its consumers. In general, Nigerian Breweries focuses on all the segment of market and has produced different types of products which covers all the segment of market in Nigeria TARGETING Market Targeting can be defined as the selection of a particular market segment toward which all marketing effort is directed. Market targeting enables the characteristics of the chosen segment to be taken into account when formulating a product or service and its advertising. (Keegan, 2001) Nigerian breweries have targeted their beers towards different market segments using a differentiated targeting strategy and they have two major beer products that target different classes and age groups. The â€Å"Star† beer product targets the youth, this is evident from most of its advertisements and sponsorship programs which is usually directed toward the younger generation while the â€Å"Gulder† beer product targets the older and higher financial class of people, this is also evident in its own type of advertising methods and sponsorships. POSITIONING It could also be defined as the place the product occupies in consumers minds relative to competing products. (Anonymous, 2002) Market positioning depends much on how competitors position themselves, a producer can be said to be successful if he can achieve the mental position which he/she is trying to make in the mind of the consumer. Nigerian breweries Plc have two major beer brands, Star and Gulder which respectively for the younger celebrating generation and for the more sophisticated and older generation of drinkers., This brandings falls in line with the customers perceptions of the two products as more of the younger generation identify with the Star brand which is not as bitter in taste as the Gulder brand which is more expensive in price than the Star brand. THE MARKETING MIX The term marketing mix refers to the primary elements that must be attended to in order to properly market a product or service. Also known as the 4 Ps of marketing which are Price, Promotion, Product and Place. PRICE The price you set for your product or service plays a large role in its marketability. Pricing for products or services that are more commonly available in the market is more elastic, meaning that unit sales will go up or down more responsively in response to price changes. (Jones, 2007) Price can be stated as the actual or rated value of a valuable product which is up for exchange; some define it as amount of money paid for product (Kotler et al, 2005) The price of the products (Star beer) produced by Nigerian Breweries is affordable for all the consumers in the market because it is produced from local corn and sorghum which is cheap so they make their profit and satisfy the customers which are mostly the youth and since most of their sales are mostly made from youth, the price would always remain affordable so as not to lose customers and reduce sales. PRODUCT Kotler et al, 2005 defined Product as anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need Nigerian Breweries has two main beer products and they can be described as the core products of the organisation i.e. they serve their actual purpose for which it is bought by the customer which is for the quenching of thirst. However Gulder brand can be described as a luxury product meant for the sophisticated individual, these products are classified as consumer product because they are bought by the consumer to actually consume and not for other purposes. Nigerian Breweries has more than enough products for every type of consumers. They produce bottled water for thirst, Star beer for the youth, Maltina for the consumers that do not take alcohol. PLACE This term really refers to any way that the customer can obtain a product or receive a service. (Jones, 2007) Nigerian Breweries Plc has a wide distribution channel and makes use of external companies for distribution of its products nationwide; Nigerian Breweries use other transportation companies to assist distribute their goods nationwide. This system of distribution helps make the product more available to the consumers but this however limits the direct contact between producer and consumers which reduces feed-back time for the producers. PROMOTION Promotion is concerned with any vehicle you employ for getting people to know more about your product or service. Advertising, public relations, point-of-sale displays, and word-of-mouth promotion are all traditional ways for promoting a product. Promotion can be seen as a way of closing the information gap between would-be sellers and would-be buyers. (Jones, 2007) Nigerian Breweries Plc carry out sales promotion in two ways namely Consumer sales promotion targeted at the ultimate consumer market and trade sales promotion targeted at the members of the marketing channel, such as wholesalers and retailers, benefits of sales promotions include increased profit making. Examples of Nigerian Breweries sales promotion are â€Å"Star Xmas Carnival† which was targeted at the companys retailers and consumers were prizes like bags of rice, DVD Players and other items were won by consumers each day for 21 days (Ekeh, 2009), Gulder ultimate search were the winner took home 3 million naira cash prize (Ajayi, 2004). EVALUATION OF STRATEGY AND TACTICS Nigerian Breweries has been one of the major companies in the brewery industry for more than 60 years so it is fair to say that their strategy and tactics over the years have been close to spot on. In response to competition, Nigerian Breweries has been involved in several re-branding, product development and diversification efforts in the last 5 years. In 2006, the company launched its Guilder Max brand which was a darker, richer version of the successful Guilder Lager. In an attempt to enter the soft drink market, NB launched the Farouz brand of soft drinks (pineapple and pear flavour). Recently, they repackaged the Maltina brand by introducing a larger sized bottle while maintaining the price of the former bottle. The Star brand which is the flagship product of the company was also rebranded and has achieved huge success since then. RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT Nigerian Breweries is already a major force in Nigeria but it is still not internationally recognised like other International companies in the industry so the major recommendation for Nigerian Breweries would to expand their products internationally or at least expand it within Africa. They could also build new refineries in different places in Africa to help expand their organisation. Since the distribution of their goods is done by other companies, they could venture into that business so they could proper feedback from their customers and be able to satisfy them more effectively. They could also venture into production of new brands of products so as to broaden their market. Investing in technology can also help with the growth of their organisation. Building vending machines can also help with the effective distribution of their product. CONCLUSION Nigerian Breweries is and would remain one of the major brewery companies in Nigeria and this marketing report that shows their strategies and tactics have tried to explain the reasons why they are such a major force in the brewery industry in Nigeria. It is obvious that there is room for improvement by them expanding their market and business into new countries but the important thing is that they are succeeding in their primary goal which is being able to satisfy their customers in their home land. REFRENCES Amos Etta, 16 october 2004, Gulder; After the search, what next? Vamguard News paper. Bennett Linda A., Ph.D, Carlos Campillo, M.D, C.R. Chandrashekar, M.D and Oye Gureje, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., FRANCZP, 1998, Alcoholic Beverage Consumption in India,Mexico, and Nigeria, A Cross-Cultural Comparison. Ekeh Desmond, 3 January 2009; 2008 Brand review: Consumer promotion as key driver, The Guardian Newspaper Kotler Philip et Al, 2002, Principles of marketing. Fourth European edition 4th European edition. Essential Guide to Marketing Planning / Marian Burk Wood. Jobber David, 2007, Principles and Practice of Marketing, 5th edition; Maidenhead McGraw-hill Education. Jones, Scholes 2007, Exploring corporate strategy: text cases. 8th edition. Malandrakis Spiros, 2009, Nigeria Spearheads Optimistic Outlook for Beer Sales in sub-Saharan Africa, Euro Monitor Moschis P George, 1993, Life Stage Segmentation for Marketing Strategy Development Nigerian Tribune, 8th June 2009 Obike Uche, 2005, Nigeria Breweries Continues to Expand Market Share; This Day Newspapers Oldroyd Mike, 2004, CIM Revision Cards, Marketing Environment; Butterworth Heinemann. Oyeyinka O, Banji, 2002, Manufacturing Response in a national system in Nigeria, The United Nations University. Ulrich R, Mc Donald, Shellhamer, Lopetcharat, 2002, Promoting Brand Benefits; The role of consumer Psychographic and lifestyle. Journal of consumer marketing. Vanguard, 5 June 2003, Nigeria Breweries Consolidates Corporate Leadership; Africa New Wang Weiyue, 2009, Managing Customers and Markets; Salford Business School. http://www.nbplc.com/homepage.php (ww1) http://www.heinekeninternational.com/nigerian02.aspx (ww2) http://web.ebscohost.com/ (ww3) http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110416.html (ww4) http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/publications/theglobe/globe200202/gl200202_p6.html (ww5) http://www.fas.usda.gov/grain/circular/1998/98-02/dtricks.htm (ww6) http://research.afrinvestwa.com:8080/GetDownload.aspx?dwlID=74 (ww7) http://www.euromonitor.com/Alcoholic_Drinks_in_Nigeria (ww8)

Irrational Choices Exposed in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay

Irrational Choices Exposed in The Road Not Taken Self-reliance in "The Road Not Taken" is alluringly embodied as the outcome of a story presumably representative of all stories of self-hood, and whose central episode is that moment of the turning-point decision, the crisis from which a self springs: a critical decision consolingly, for Frost's American readers, grounded in a rational act when a self, and therefore an entire course of life, are autonomously and irreversibly chosen. The particular Fireside poetic structure in which Frost incarnates this myth of selfhood is the analogical landscape poem, perhaps most famously executed by William Cullen Bryant in "To a Waterfowl," a poem that Matthew Arnold praised as the finest lyric of the nineteenth century and that Frost had by heart as a child thanks to his mother's enthusiasm. The analogical landscape poem draws its force from the culturally ancient and pervasive idea of nature as allegorical book, in its American poetic setting a book out of which to draw explicit lessons for the conduct of life (nature as self-help text). In its classic Fireside expression, the details of landscape and all natural events are cagily set up for moral summary as they are marched up to the poem's conclusion, like little imagistic lambs to slaughter, for their payoff in uplifting message. Frost appears to recapitulate the tradition 'in his sketching of the yellow wood and the two roads and in his channeling of the poem's course of events right up to the portentous colon ("Somewhere ages and ages hence:") beyond which lies the wisdom that we jot down and take home: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the di... ...lly understood to endorse -- predicts, in other words, what the poem will be sentimentally made into, but from a place in the poem that its Atlantic Monthly reading, as it were, will never touch. The power of the last stanza within the Fireside teleology of analogical landscape assures Frost his popular audience, while for those who get his game -- some member, say, of a different audience, versed in the avant-garde little magazines and in the treacheries of irony and the impulse of the individual talent trying, as Pound urged, to "make it new" against the literary and social American grain - for that reader, this poem tells a different tale: that our life-shaping choices are irrational, that we are fundamentally out of control. This is the fabled "wisdom" of Frost, which he hides in a moralizing statement that asserts the consoling contrary of what he knows.

The Flawed Characters of Molieres Tartuffe :: Tartuffe Essays

The Flawed Characters of Tartuffe      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be perfect is to be inhuman. Human nature is complete with many flaws and imperfections, one of which is represented in the play "Tartuffe", by Moliere. â€Å"Tartuffe† was written specifically to show the reader a basic flaw in human nature. This flaw is shown through two characters, Madame Pernelle and Orgon. These two are blind to the truth concerning Tartuffe and fall victim to his wiles. The fact that these two are too weak to see the truth is a basic human flaw as well as a major theme of the play, represented through their flawed characters.      If anything, Madame Pernelle and Orgon are incredibly gullible. One author suggests that this gullibility is a shared family trait, stating that â€Å"his mother shares his capacity for self-delusion even after Tartuffe has been found out (we cannot always judge by what we see)† (Weals). Orgon foolishly believes that Tartuffe is a man of God, and, because of this, he should put everything he has into Tartuffe's hands. He proves how much he believes this after Damis tells him that Tartuffe was flirting with Elmire. From this accusation Orgon replies to Damis: "I disinherit you; an empty purse / Is all you'll get from me - except my curse!" (III, vii , 68). Madame Pernelle shows the family trait that she shares with her son when she states: "He's a fine man, and should be listened to."(I, i ,44), while speaking of Tartuffe. Although they share this trait throughout the play, Orgon's eyes are finally opened at the end of the play while his mother is still held by the farce of Tar tuffe.    Although Tartuffe is portrayed as the main character of the play, Orgon is the character who should really be paid attention to the most. As suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" audiences who concentrate on the character who titles the work may miss the author's point: "...vitriol and spleen vented on one man suggests that Moliere's satire of Orgon, nevermind Tartuffe, was steeped in truth." (Smaje). Orgon is the character who represents the weakness in human nature. This weakness is shown throughout the play. Orgon is so willing to entrust everything he has into the care of Tartuffe. He places Tartuffe above the well being of his family. When he returns from his trip and asks Cleante how the household was while he was gone, Cleante tells him that his wife had been very sick.