Bliss Travels Marketing Plan

Bliss Travels Marketing Plan Introduction The purpose of this report is to discuss the prospect of e-marketing strategy to increase the customer base and to increase profit level of Bliss Travels. However, this report will concentrate on the local competitors, the customer behaviour to select a travel agent, and related factors such as the influence of age, experience, price range and location.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Bliss Travels Marketing Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, this paper will focus on the advertising and strategic management system to prepare a guideline for the company to design different Web-based promotional and communication program. On the other hand, this report will estimate the web development costs, propose website ideas for this business, and assess the performance of programmers, Internet Web hosting providers to attain highest outcomes from them. However, this report will also identify the In ternal Strengths and Weaknesses, long-term objectives, Marketing Problems and Opportunities, Market Segments, Target Market, and strategies in order to prepare an Action plan for future development. Situational Analysis Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson (2001) pointed out that business organisations need to identify situational analysis in order to design future strategic plan or to restructure or develop product and service categories. Service line: Bliss Travels offers range of travel and tourism services to satisfy the customer such as ticketing and reservations, unique culinary and cultural adventures, meal in a private home, cruise holidays, package for new couples, global hotel reservations, special for holiday package, booking air tickets and so on (Bliss Travels, 2010). Competitive situation: OECD (2005) reported that there are too many large and medium size competitors exist in the market and most of the companies have long experience to operate business in this industry and the fol lowing figure give some information about local firmsAdvertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Figure 1: Number of operators in Australia.  Source: OECD (2005) Figure 2: Characteristics of the competitors.  Source: OECD (2005) Internal Strengths and Weaknesses of Bliss Travels Figure 3: Internal strengths and weaknesses of Bliss Travels.  Source: self generated Strengths The key strengths of Bliss Travels includes:Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Bliss Travels Marketing Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Brand image: Bliss Travels has already created a strong brand image in the industry though it is a family business; Human resource: According to the report of Bliss Travels (2010), it has many efficient employees to ensure quality service for the customers. In addition, experience, innovative idea, the communication skills of the employees and guide will encourage the travellers to longer their tour duration; Internal control: The top executives have strong control over the company, and they follow local laws where it provides. In addition, it has also follow the provision of memorandum and article of association; Organisation structure: It has maintained simple organisational chart to operate more efficiently; Experience: The owner of this company has long experience with strong educational background to enter the global market with its outstanding services (Bliss Travels, 2010); Customer base: Loyal customers are the main strength for the company; Quality: the owner of Bliss Travels is committed to ensure superior quality; Rapid Expansion: Rapid expansion in local and international market help the company to increase market share in global travel and ticketing industry; Other: However, it experiences many positive issues in case of implementation of the decision i n the company, supply chain management, customer relationship management, financial position, growth rate, economics of scale and other factors. Weaknesses Tthis company has many weaknesses besides strengths, such as: Operating cost: The operating expense increases gradually, which can adversely affect the net revenues; Staff turnover: High turnover of the employees is another problem from the company, because they leave the market; Investment: This Company need more investment in order to expand its operation all over the world, so unavailability of the fund from external sources is another problem for the company; Risk Management: The business segment of Bliss Travels demand to assess the risk to ensure risk management system, which will help the company to increase the confidence of the employees as well as the customers. Organisational Goals and Objectives The Bliss Travels in Moonee Ponds has various corporate objectives for the development of its business in the next three years in the existing markets as well as new markets. At present, this company considers few objectives, such as: Bliss Travels has target to boost its annual profit from Moonee Ponds market by 25% within next 3 years; It has aim to expand customer awareness about the Bliss Travels brand from 20% to 35% over the selected period; Doubling the budget within this fiscal year for promotional activities to enlarge loyal customer base of Bliss Travels; Fixing budget for RD in order to research on present market condition, customer’s behaviour and so on; Bliss Travels aims to apply a few more life endowment strategies in order to raise its annual sales by 30% over next 3 years. Marketing Problems and Opportunities Figure 4: External threats and opportunities of Bliss Travels.  Source: self generated Problems Competition: Severe competition among the travel and ticketing companies is one of the major problems for Bliss Travels while competitors quickly copied the new strategies to promote their companies. Financial crisis: the purchasing power of the regular travellers has decreased due to the adverse impact of global financial crisis. Therefore, the outcomes of advertising campaign may not reach at expected level; Customer behaviour: It is really difficult for the marketers of Bliss Travels to understand customers’ behaviour and take measure accordingly, as their mind change frequently; Operating expense: The operating expense of the Bliss Travels is increasing due to many external and internal factors, such as, volatility of the service charge. In addition, the remuneration of the employees need to increase time-to-time to reduce staff turnover, which increase the operating expense; Weather: Bad weather condition or natural disaster can reduce the number of customers of Bliss Travels. However, this is the common problem of all companies in this industry; Environmental issues: Bliss Travels has corporate social responsibility to save the environ ment from pollution but many employees are not enough conscious in this issue; Legal: Bliss Travels is committed to follow local rules but it may have to face legal problems for several issues. Opportunities Growth: Bliss Travels has competence to perform strongly in existing market and enter new zone with outstanding service range; Joint venture: As a new potential company, Bliss Travels has the opportunity to joint venture with local companies or target to merge with multinational companies to get competitive advantages; Technology: Bliss Travels can increase number of new customers by using advance technology for promotional activities, for instance, building e-commerce website to sale the products and carry out integrated marketing communication programme create large customer base; Ownership: It has opportunity to enter the stock market to generate additional capital by changing the form of ownership from private to public. Target Market Travel and ticketing company Bliss Tr avels deal with many business segments, for instance, ticketing and reservations, offers holiday packagers and many other segments. As a result, the marketer of Bliss Travels targets different range of customer groups though it has a common customer base for different segments. However, the target customers of ticketing and reservations segments are mainly tourists, new couples, upper and middle class people, foreigners, high profile customers and businessperson. On the other hand, the marketer of Bliss Travels has target tourists because OECD (2005) reported that Australia experienced huge success from tourism sector and number of tourist is increasing per year. However, OECD (2005) further added that tourism industry contributes 4.2% of national GDP, and 5.7% of total employment; therefore, targeting tourists as main customer group would be prospective for Bliss Travels.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Market Segments Johnson, Seholes Whittington (2008) stated that segmentation is the process to separating a market into different groups of customers by considering different cultural background, personality, and behaviour of the customers, consequently, the marketer of this â€Å"Bliss Travels† conduct research to understand customer behaviour. Bliss Travels (2010) reported that it has design special offer for segmented customer because few customers are brand oriented, but significant parts are cautious group. Control and Review The organisational structure of Bliss Travels in Moonee Land area is simple like other small size companies in this industry. However, this report will suggest the person who will implement the strategy and action plan and the following table makes it clear that the owner of this business will take major decisions, as he is CEO of the company and maintain management team. However, Bliss Travels has memorandum, article of asocial and ethical codes t o control the company in accordance with local legislation, but this marketing plan recommends introducing efficient governance system to control the company and help its stakeholders, clients, and other workforce. Strategies of Bliss Travels E-commerce Model for Bliss Travels Anckar and Walden (2000) added that the travel agents are long familiar with computerized system for booking and reservation from seventies; online web technology has just facilitated them with a wider opportunity to perform all business function such as ticket and hotel booking and reservation tour operation, customer’s communication, payment and including employees’ management and accounts from a single website. To do so Bliss Travels has to integrate e-commerce software or it would be capable to develop a customized website, as it needed, but above all Bliss Travels needed to understand its business model that would be implemented in the website. Figure 5: Travel Agents E-commerce model.  S ource: Self generated from Anckar and Walden (2000) Dikenelli et al (2005) pointed out that for e-commerce strategy for tours travel agent has aligned with agent-mediated framework to develop the website, as the Bliss Travels needed to serve customer from any location, it will integrate paramount practice and trials in transport and tourism with agent for network security, IT service providing, engineering and software amalgamation capabilities. Web site of Bliss Travel Agent Liu (2005) has scrutinized with the nature of changing requirements of the consumers of tourism industry and added that they are gradually less loyal, most of them are taking regular vacation but for shorter period and spend minimum time to selecting their preferred tourism service. It is essential for Bliss Travels to understand how the proposed website would generate an accelerated value chain for as a new entry in the industry by satisfying the customer’s wants- Value extraction: Implication of suc h strategy would facilitate Bliss Travels to increase its operational efficiency by reducing associated costs, upgrading the total process automation including customer and service from airlines, hotels and tour operators; Value capture: The proposed website would smoothly progress the data mining that predict to the management of Bliss Travels how many customers are have visited the site and looking for further information those could be contacted in future for marketing purpose by capturing data; Value addition: This strategy that engrosses Bliss Travels with a linear amalgamation of tourism products to generate more affluent tourism product packages, for instance time worthy mobile SMS services from the website regarding the passengers flight schedule would provide enhanced satisfaction for the customers; Value creation: With this strategic focus, the website would provide an opportunity for Bliss Travels to generate an effectual network connecting service providers, customers , agents, payment processors in a single platform where customers would be capable to take service without visiting Bliss Travels office. Integration of such strategy with an e-commerce website would shift the existing business process of Bliss Travels while it would be capable to make different product and service offering to the huge customers with a single click from the website expanding the assortment of options for the customers. The website will provide further opportunities to utilize the contents optimization to appear easy search result of online payment and account maintenance without any additional cost. Implementation of the website For Bliss Travels to build a website enabled for e-commerce, the necessary elements and stepping are as follows: 1. Managing the Domain Names: It is necessary for Bliss Travels to select the domain name with a unique identity of in the online community, which may not be used by any other company and typing this domain name in the address b ar of web browser all customers can visit Bliss Travels and can purchase any travel product or service. There are lots of companies offer domain name with dot com, dot net dot org, for Bliss Travels it would be wise to take a domain name similar to its company name with dot com or dot biz, the cost for domain registration would be US$ 35 to US$ 60 per annual. Bliss Travels would register for at l lest 3 to 5 years at a time. 2. Website Design: For website design Bliss Travels would prepare a project clarification document its describing its business model and necessary tools that it intend to get in the website and the website developer could understand the requirements and details specification from this document. It is necessary to be the description in easy language for better understanding of the developers. There are huge website developers available in online and in the Bliss Travels would choice to select outsourcing the website developers from Bangladesh, India or China for cost effective solution and the approximate cost would be US$ 750 to US$ 1000. 3. Utility software: Bliss Travels may need different software for accounting and CRM purpose, which would be integrated with the website, in this context the cost would be around US$ 1500 to 2000 and would purchased online. 4. Merchant Account for Online Payment: For online payment system, Bliss Travels needed to integrate Merchant account API for which the company may not to have any upfront fees but have to pay 1 to 3.5 % for each transaction; 5. Website Site Content: It is very important aspect for Bliss Travels to secure the contents of the website to protect copy and paste by any other similar companies, as content need to write with appropriate measure of keyword with the aim to optimizing for web browsers. Thus, Bliss Travels would appoint a content writer where the cost would be US$ 20 to US$ 30 per page. 6. Security measure: For an e-commerce enabled website of Bliss Travels, security measu res are the major issue to emphasis customer’s and employees individual password integration, SSL certification, VeriSigns Authentication and so on. For the user’s password and captcha generation, it would be website developers responsibility and other security measures would be integrated with website hosting package. 7. Hosting and Trail Run: Bliss Travels would select suitable hosting company with high bandwidth to host its website with unlimited web space and the associated cost would be US$ 50 to US$ 75 per year depending on the bandwidth. After competition of the website, Bliss Travels will first upload it to the hosting server for trail run with the objective to remove errors and then go for commercial use. Action Plan of Bliss Travels Phase 1: Web designing and hosting It has already included that the owner will take the advantage of e-marketing to attract new customers, so, it should need design a web designing and hosting in order to step forward in next act ivity. Phase 2: IMC Campaign Bliss Travels notes the importance of â€Å"building close relationships with customer†; therefore, it will conduct the IMC campaign in order to aware people about the importance of visit in a new place, and the contribution of this company to make the journey more interesting way. The owner of Bliss Travels should appoint two new employees to co-ordinate the IMC campaign and to complete initial activities, such as, they will make promotional video, select target audience, and prepare suitable slogan, write web content and so on. Phase 3: Reducing Service Charge and operating costs This marketing plan recommend the owner of Bliss Travels to conduct research on the market situation, external business environment, the position of the competitors, the influence of global economic downturn, market demand, and buyer attitude to redesigning the pricing of its services. In addition, Bliss Travels has experienced intense competition to operate business in Moonee Ponds area, which affects the integrated market share of the company; consequently, reform of pricing structure is one of the most crucial criteria to sustain in competitive market while all local competitors setting price considering customers’ financial capability. However, it is important to mention that the marketers of Bliss Travels would like to reduce its operating cost by 15% within the fiscal year 2013 because Kotler Keller (2006) and David (2008) stated that cost control is an effective strategy for the company. Table 1: Action Plan of Bliss Travels Action Tasks Functions Start Date Duration Costs Phase One Web designing and hosting Initially it should require to find out the web designers or programmers to design a dynamic Website with e-commerce facilities Integration of the software for maintaining the customer relationship management Search Engine Optimization (SEO), advertisement through social networking sites, website development, blogs, e-mail, online advertising in different areas) and an aggregate development of IT processes to deliver simple IT operations 01 July 2011 2 Months The approximate cost would be US$ 750 to US$ 1000 if Bliss Travels uses low cost web designers otherwise, it should require up to US$ 5000 Web content costs US$ 25 per page It should require US$ 100 to $250 Phase Two IMC Campaign It should require to select target audience, prepare a strategic plan and other tactical plan in order to conduct the program smoothly Recruit two managers for co-ordination and 10 employees to help the managers The target customers are the target audience for the IMC campaign and it should require to make video for the campaign It should have many volunteers. Therefore, it should require mainly advertising in various media (including television, print media, direct mails) to aware the target audience 15 November 2011 6 months Salary $750 per Promotional activities $1000 Advertising costs $10000 Phase Three Reducing Service Charge and operating costs Redesigning pricing strategy by conducting market research and reduce the operating costs by developing the efficiency level of the employees and managing the company more efficient way Reduce unnecessary costs 01 October 2011 6 months Reference List Anckar, B Walden, P. (2000) Becoming Your Own Travel Agent: A Web of Potentials and Pitfalls. [pdf] Available from: http://csdl2.computer.org/comp/proceedings/hicss/2000/0493/07/04937023.pdf Bliss Travels (2010) About Us. [Online] Available from: blisstravels.com/aboutus.html Bliss Travels (2010) Special Offer. [Online] Available from: blisstravels.com/alacarte.html Bliss Travels (2010) Travel Services. [Online] Available from: blisstravels.com/alacarte.html David, F. (2008) Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. 12th ed. London: Prentice Hall. Dikenelli, O. Topaloglu, Y. N. Erdur, C. ÃÅ"nalir, O. (2005) An Agent-Mediated E-Commerce Framework For Tourism Domain. [pdf] Available from: srdc. metu.edu.tr/webpage/projects/hermesProject/documents/AGENT-TOURISM.PDF Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E. (2001) Strategic Management. 4th ed. South-Western Thomson Learning. Johnson, G. Seholes, K. Whittington, R. (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text Cases. 8th ed. London: FT Prentrice Hall. Kotler, P. Keller, K. L. (2006) Marketing Management. 11th ed. Prentice Hall. Liu, S. (2005) A Theoretic Discussion of Tourism E-commerce. [pdf] Available from: icec06.net/icec06sample.pdf OECD (2005) Tourism Industry in Australia. [pdf] Available from: oecd.org/dataoecd/61/33/34609098.pdf

Communication Frameworks, Models and Methods in Social Work Practice Term Paper

Communication Frameworks, Models and Methods in Social Work Practice - Term Paper Example As per my personal view, the need for forming efficient communication capabilities is mainly required for understanding the cultural norms as well as the traditions of others. It would be vital to mention in this similar concern that the development of effective diverse communication skills through a better understanding of theoretical frameworks or models can also be applied in the context of performing best social work practices. Together with the individuals and the modern business organizations, the requirement for continuously developing a diverse set of communication skills is also indispensable for supporting the best practices of social work. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the development of communication skills would certainly support in conducting best social work practices through the acquisition of valuable information, conveying the same to others without distortion and contribute in making effective decisions (Koprowska, 2010). Prior to analyzing the communication frameworks, models and methods that are persistent within the social work practice, it is quite indispensable to acquire a brief idea about the notion of communication and its different ways or modes. From a theoretical perspective, â€Å"communication is a two-way process in which there are an exchange and progression of ideas towards a mutually accepted direction or goal† (Kaul, 2000, pp. 2).  Ã‚  

History of Canadian Labour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History of Canadian Labour - Essay Example Triggered by a conflict between metal workers and their bosses, the agitation rapidly spread throughout the city's working class. This essay is going to trace the growth and development of the working class people in the history of Canada between 1880 and 1920. A thorough assessment of the period will be made with regards to simultaneous union and splitting of the working class on the basis of race, gender, region and skills. The Knights of Labor made their presence felt by uniting workers of different types. Gradually the organization spread its control over small towns and villages. It was in 1881 when Hamilton became one of the strongholds of the labor organization, followed by Qubec and BC, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. The local neighboring areas of New Brunswick and Alberta were also parts of the 450 local assemblies across Canada. Labor politics rose to prominence as the Knights of Labor reform group coordinated and controlled the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada. The self-governing labor political campaign, which played a crucial role in terms of growth and development of working class militancy in Canada in the end of the nineteenth century, led to parliamentary lobbying, thus bringing the most pertinent issues of the working class before political and administrative authorities. The fundamental rights of the working class people were brought to notice through intensive campaigning and follow-up mechanisms. The dedication of the Knights leaders and more importantly, the spontaneous participation of labors from all areas of manual works helped enormously to turn the campaign into a success story. The Knights approached Ontario and the West in 1886, but the major success as far as voicing peoples' rights and demands is concerned came in Qubec and Ottawa in the 1890s. The development of working class unions in Canada prior to the World War II hastened up when the Knights of Labor organization was forced out on the ground of duality from the TLC at Berlin in 1902. The influence of the Knights of Labor on the working class did not concern just the idea of making unions, but the intent to curb the monopoly and exploitation of the contemporary capitalist social structure by developing alternatives based on equality and justice. To expatiate furthermore on the thesis topic in hand, one needs to gain a clear insight on the value of skilled labors. In any society, skilled labors do have an upper hand over incompetent labors. The age of rapid spread in industrialization necessitated deployment of efficient labors to maximize output in factories. During the span of forty years from 1880 to 1920, the working class fraternity of Canada orchestrated community business to maximize production. In Toronto, skilled and experienced craftsmen exercised far greater control over their employers in terms of production. The individual as well as collective discipline of veteran labors was considered to be an asset in Canada in those times. The labor unions in Toronto and other places acted forthrightly on choosing the right people for the right cause. But when the industrial capitalization threatened to disturb the balance of the working class society, a protest movement was on the cards. By and large, the working clas

Ethical Theories In Human Rights Philosophy Essay

Ethical Theories In Human Rights Philosophy Essay underlying the currently influential business and management theories. Ethics may be viewed as the study of human conduct with an emphasis on determination of right and wrong (Fraedrich and Ferrell, 1992). Together with this, it is the assumption that management must adhere to a narrow version of positivism that excludes any reference to intention (Ghoshal, 2005). According to (Mallor et al., 2010), for centuries, religious and secular scholars have explored the meaning of human existence and attempted to define a good life. Ethical theories and principles are the foundations of ethical analysis because they are the viewpoints from which guidance can be obtained along the pathway to a decision. The four ethical theories according to the text are rights theory, justice theory, utilitarianism, and profit maximization. The rights theory covers a range of ethical philosophies that holds that certain human rights are important and must be respected by other society and her rights. Rights are also considered to be ethically correct and legitimate given that a large or ruling population endorses them. Few rights theorists are stringent deontologists, and one of the few is the 18th century philosopher by name Immanuel Kant and his theory is known as the Kantianism. Kant viewed humans as moral actors that are free to make choices and he also believed that humans are able to judge the morality of any action by applying his famous categorical imperative. One of his formulations of the categorical imperative is Act only on that maxim whereby at the same time you can will that it shall become a universal law. The meaning of it is that we judge an action by applying it universally. The most important strength of rights theory is that it protects fundamental rights, unless some greater right takes precedence. A major criticism of the rights theory deal with the near absolute yet relative value of the rights protected, making it difficult to articulate and administer a comprehensive rights theory. The Justice theory which came into limelight by John Rawls in 1971 when he published his book entitled: A theory of Justice, the philosophical underpinning for the bureaucratic welfare state. He reasoned that it was right for governments to redistribute wealth in order to assist the poor and the destitute. Furthermore, Rawls expressed this philosophy in his Greatest Equal Liberty Principle: each person has an equal right to basic rights and liberties. He further limited the principle with the Difference Principle: social inequalities are acceptable only if they cannot be eliminated without making the worst-off class even worse off. Rawlss justice theory has application in the business context which requires decision makers to be guided by fairness and impartiality. The strength of Rawlss justice theory lies in its basic premise, the protection of those who are least advantaged in society. The ethical dilemma for managers is to determine the fair rules and procedures for distributing outcomes to stakeholders. Managers must not give people they like bigger raises than they give to people they do not like, for example, or bend the rules to help their favorites. On the other hand, if employees want managers to act fairly toward them, then employees need to act fairly toward their companies and work hard and be loyal. Similarly, customers need to act fairly toward a company if they expect it to be fair to them-something people who illegally copy digital media should consider. The criticism that justice theory with the rights theory is that it treats equality as an absolute, without examining the costs of producing equality, including reduced incentives for innovation, entrepreneurship and production. Utilitarianism entails a decision maker to maximize utility for society as a whole. Maximizing utility means achieving the highest level of satisfactions over dissatisfactions which means that a person must consider the benefits and costs of her actions to everyone in society. A utilitarian will take action only if the benefits of the action to society outweigh the societal costs of the action. There are two types of utilitarianism, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism judges each act separately, assessing a single acts benefit and its cost to societys members. Rule utilitarianism judges actions by a rule that over the long run maximizes benefits over cost. The strength of utilitarianism as a guide for ethical conduct is that it is easy to articulate the standard of conduct; which coincides with values of most modern countries like the USA who is capitalist in nature by focusing on total social satisfactions, benefits, wealth and welfare. In general under ca pitalism, the interests of shareholders are put above those of employees, so production will move abroad. This is generally regarded as being an ethical choice because in the long run, the alternative, domestic production might cause the business to collapse and go bankrupt. If this happens, all of the companys stakeholders will suffer-not just its employees. According to the utilitarian view, the decision that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people is best. In this case, that means outsourcing the jobs. The criticism of utilitarianism is that it is difficult to measure ones own pleasures, pains, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, let alone those of all of societys members. Profit maximization as an ethical theory requires a decision maker to maximize a businesss long-run profits within the limits of the law. This has been based on the laissez faire theory of capitalism first expressed by Adam Smith in the 18th century and more recently promoted by economists such as Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell. Profit maximization is closely related to utilitarianism, but it varies essentially in how ethical decisions are made. Profit maximization optimizes total social utility by narrowing the actors focus, requiring the decision maker to make a decision that merely maximizes profits for himself or his organization. The strengths of profit maximization results in ethical conduct because it requires societys members to act within the constraints of the law and a profit maximizer, therefore, acts ethically by complying with societys mores as expressed in its laws. The criticism of profit maximizer is that if profit maximization results in an efficient allocation o f societys resources and maximization of total social welfare, it does not concern itself with how wealth is allocated within Society. An ethical theory that was not found in the text is that of rationalism, which this ethical theory focuses mainly on norms. The moral rationalism is that in which the decisive factor of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive, and it has its major proponent in Emmanuel Kant (Llano, 2002). Mr. Kant attempted to change our everyday, clear, rational knowledge of morality into philosophical knowledge. He went after a technique of using practical reason to reach conclusions which are able to be useful to the world of experience. Kant is also known for his theory that there is a single moral obligation which he called the Categorical Imperative, and derived from the perception of duty. He further stated that these moral norms must be obeyed in all situations and circumstances if our behavior is to observe the moral law. In a way to improve corporate governance and corporate social responsibilities, according to Mallor et al., 2010, one can modify the corporate governance model to educate, motivate, and supervise executives and thereby improve corporate social responsibility. Corporate governance is the structure used to direct and manage business and affairs of the company towards enhancing prosperity and corporate accountability. Corporate critics however did propose a wide rang of cures, all of which have been implemented to some degree and with varying degrees of success. Ethical codes: Ethic codes in a way have been adopted by many large corporations and several industries to guide executives and other employees. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act required that a public company discloses whether it has adopted a code of ethics for senior financial officers, and to disclose any changes in the code or waiver of the codes application. The codes can be viewed in two ways; one sees the codes as genuine efforts to foster ethical behavior within a firm or an industry while others view regards them as thinly disguised attempts to make the firm function better, to mislead the public into believing the firm behaves ethically, to prevent the passage of legislation that would impose stricter constraints on business, or to limit competition under the veil of ethical standards. Better ethical codes make clear that the corporation expects employees not to violate the law in a mistaken belief that loyalty to the corporation requires it. These kinds of codes work best, however, when a corporation also gives its employees an outlet for dealing with a superiors request to do an unethical act. Ethical instruction: Some corporate organizations require their employees to enroll in classes that teach ethical decision-making. The idea is that a manager trained in ethical conduct will recognize unethical actions before they are taken and deter herself and the corporation from the unethical acts. Majority of corporations in this present day express their dedication to ethical decision-making by an ethics officer who is not only responsible for ethical instruction, but also in charge of ethical supervision. The ethics officer tends to be a mentor or sounding board for all employees who face ethical issues. Greater Shareholder Role in Corporations: As shareholders are the vital stakeholders in a corporation in a capitalist economy, several corporate critics argue that businesses should be more attuned to shareholders ethical values and that shareholder control of the board of directors and executives should be increased. Evidence suggests that sources of ethical dilemmas will continue to increase. To understand this assessment, it will be useful to look at four categories of conditions influencing ethical behavior: global, social, organizational and individual. Global: A variety of global conditions affect our lives and our society; many are well-known to all of us. They include the increasing influence of cultural values substantially different from those of our Anglo-Saxon heritage; impacts of a complex global economy on local economic structures; and our rapidly increasing technological capacity to communicate and interact with the global community. Within the past few years we have watched the beginning of the development of a new world order that will be substantially different from our sense of world order developed over the last half century. Among the implications resulting from this picture, two are especially important: (1) we as a people no longer have a secure sense of our role in the world or our control over it; and (2) it has become increasingly acceptable, and even logical, to admit that we simply dont know what the appropriate response is. This era of rapid change has an indirect but important influence on our sense of ethi cal appropriateness. Social: A more direct source of ethical conflicts is social change. Change has been so rapid that some have argued that we have lost our sense of values or that we must seek better mechanisms to resolve value conflicts. This line of reasoning is incorrect for several reasons. First, value conflicts (and, therefore, ethical dilemmas) reflect our social and cultural fabric. Second, stakeholders have a relatively easy time gaining access to our policy making system; therefore, value conflicts are very visible and, frequently, cause our problem-solving process to forge slow, painful compromises. These processes continue to represent one of the great comparative advantages of our society and should not be changed without sober reflection. Organizational: Thirdly, we are witnessing rapid change in the nature and role of the public organization and concepts about administrative behavior. Organizational values are vital influence on the majority of us; thus far our organizational lives are becoming increasingly participatory, open, communicative and interactive. While I believe that the decline of organization hierarchy is among the more positive aspects of our society, it also signals a decline in another source of behavioral guidelines. Individual judgment, group dynamics and social interactions are replacing traditional rules of behavior dictated by the organization. We are also facing increasing conflicts between the bureaucratic ethos and the democratic ethos (Hejka-Ekins, 1998). The bureaucratic ethos includes such traditional organizational standards as efficiency, competence, loyalty and accountability. Individual: lastly, ethical anxieties are caused by changes at the individual level. In particular, individualism and materialism are at the present celebrated within major social institutions and have become a dominate ethos of the baby bust generation. Self-indulgence, greed, self-interest, and privatism are accepted components of the ethos of this generation (Frederickson, 1982). In order to improve the ethical climate of an organization, management must effectively communicate proper ethical behavior throughout the organization. Wimbush and Shephard (1984: 637-647) reported that businesses annually spend an estimated $40 billion on the ethical behavior problems. Thus, pointing to the fact that ethical dimension of employees behavior has a clear impact on the profitability of the company. It is generally accepted that customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors in successful business strategy. Although a company must continue to develop, alter and adapt products to keep pace with customers changing desires and preferences. It must also seek to develop long-term relationships with customers and its stakeholders. By focusing on customer satisfaction, a company continually deepens the customers dependence on the company, and as the customers confidence grows, the firm gains a better understanding of how to serve the customer so the relationship ma y endure. Successful businesses provide an opportunity for customer feedback, which can engage the customer in a cooperative problem solving. As is often pointed out, a happy customer will come back, but a disgruntled customer will tell others about his or her dissatisfaction with a company and discourage friends from dealing with it. When an organization has a strong ethical environment, it usually focuses on the core value of placing customers interest first. An ethical culture that focuses on customers incorporates the interests of all employees, suppliers, and other interested parties in decisions and actions. Employees working in an ethical environment support and contribute to the process of understanding customers demands and concerns. Ethical conduct towards customers builds a strong competitive position that has been shown to affect business performance and product innovation positively.

Cold Blood :: Character Analysis, Perry Smith

In Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, the Clutter family’s murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, are exposed like never before. The novel allows the reader to experience an intimate understanding of the murderer’s pasts, thoughts, and feelings. It goes into great detail of Smith and Hickock’s pasts which helps to explain the path of life they were walking leading up to the murder’s, as well as the thought’s that were running through their minds after the killings. Perry Smith was a short man with a large torso. At first glance, â€Å"he seemed a more normal-sized man, a powerful man, with the shoulders, the arms, the thick, crouching torso of a weight lifter. [However] when he stood up he was no taller than a twelve-year old child† (15). What Smith lacked in stature, he made up in knowledge. Perry was â€Å"a dictionary buff, a devotee of obscure words† (22). As an adolescent, he craved literature and loved to gain insight of the imaginary worlds he escaped into, for Perry’s reality was nothing less than a living nightmare. â€Å"His mother [was] an alcoholic [and] had strangled to death on her own vomit† (110). Smith had two sisters and an older brother. His sister Fern had committed suicide by jumping out of a window and his brother Jimmy followed Fern’s suit and committed suicide the day after his wife had killed herself. Perry’s sister, Barbara, was the only normal one and had made a good life for herself. These traumatic events left Perry mentally unstable and ultimately landed him in jail, where he came into acquaintance with Dick Hickock, who was in jail for passing bad checks. Dick and Perry became friends and this new friendship changed the course of their lives forever. Hickock immediately made note of Perry’s odd personality and stated that there was â€Å"something wrong with Little Perry. Perry could be such a kid, always wetting his bed and crying in his sleep. And often [Dick] had seen him sit for hours just sucking his thumb. In some ways old Perry was spooky as hell. Take, for instance, that temper of his of his. He could slide into a fury quicker than ten drunk Indians. And yet you wouldn’t know it. He might be ready to kill you, but you’d never know it, not to look at it or listen to it† (108). Perry’s short fuse and dysfunctional background were the two pieces to Perry’s corrupt life puzzle that soured and tainted the final â€Å"picture†.

The Many Beneficial Effects of Adopting a Pet

The Many Beneficial Effects of Adopting a Pet Adopting a pet is advantageous to both the pet owner and the pet. When considering the pros and cons of welcoming a furry friend into the family, many are unaware of the fringe benefits that are gained from having a pet. These benefits are not Just one sided either – both the pet and the owner gain by the association. Besides having an affectionate pal, pet owners experience healthful side effects as a result of their relationship. For adopted animals, the most significant endorsement is much more basic and often overlooked: life.Still, many people are hesitant to take n the responsibility of a pet for various different reasons. We recently decided to make room in our household for a new resident. Having weathered the death of our 14 year old terrier Hercules, we wanted adopt another pet. Prior to arriving at that decision, we did some research to determine what type of animal would best fit into our home, which includes two cats. Of the many choices available to us, we finally settled on adopting another cat from a shelter. Here are my top compelling reasons to own a cat from a local humane organization.It comes as no surprise that each year millions of animals enter shelters and a igh percentage are put to sleep due to overpopulation (Salk, 2013). Pet adoptions from non-profit organizations, shelters or humane societies drastically reduce the necessity to euthanize these displaced animals and provide them with safe, loving homes. Adoption also creates an opportunity for new animals to receive help by freeing up space and resources. In addition to adoption, many humane organizations offer vaccinations, micro chips for tracking and spay or neuter services.There is a common misconception that animals in shelters are there because of behavioral or temperament issues. The reality is that most shelter animals are abandoned for reasons such as divorce, relocation, or financial constraints (Salk, 2013), making thei r situation all the more heart wrenching. Providing a healthy, loving environment is most certainly a wonderful gift to a homeless animal. And while the advantage to the animal is obvious, owners also receive unsought personal benefits. Pets are faithful friends that offer unconditional love and companionship.They keep secrets, aren't Judgmental and simply bloom when shown attention. Cats in particular adore snuggling and appear to be the happiest when in the presence of heir owner. Historically, cats have been characterized as solitary creatures, given to â€Å"diva† personality traits and snooty dispositions. While this might accurately describe the temperament of a few, cats are most commonly known for being loving, playful and inquisitive. It's not unusual for my cat to follow me around the house as I complete chores, watch TV with me or wait patiently outside the door for my re- emergence from the bathroom.As an only child, many times I found myself with the family cat a s my only companion. Though it was sometimes quiet, I never felt alone. When I moved into my first apartment, a cat proved to be the best option for my situation. Cats are the pertect pet tor apartment dwellers due in part to their relatively small size. Unlike dogs, cats are quiet – no raucous barking or whining to annoy the neighbors. They require only small amounts of food for survival and do not need to engage in long sessions of strenuous play for exercise.This makes them a budget friendly, low maintenance pet option. Additionally, cats are independent creatures that typically sleep the majority of the day, making them self-sufficient and very easy o maintain. Unlike many pets, cats require little input from their owner. For entertainment, simply give a cat a ball of yarn and he or she will be quite content to pass the time rolling around on the floor playing. Other playthings, such as cat nip laced balls or feather toys not only provide amusement but have the added adva ntage of providing active cats with exercise.Window sills afford cats the enjoyable opportunity to engage in favorite pastimes such as observing the outside world or soaking up the sun while napping. The low upkeep required for a cat is particularly convenient for hose with busy schedules or limited space. Another time saver is the fact that cats need little training. This is especially helpful when it comes to the potty. While training some animals to use the bathroom can be a time intensive labor of love, cats are quite intelligent and require very little direction.Show a cat the location of the litter box and essentially you're done. Cats are very persnickety about their hygiene and environment; therefore, if the litter box is scooped regularly, there are usually no potty accidents to address. Fastidious creatures, cats are incredibly lean animals and spend hours a day grooming themselves. This behavior is intuitive, much like their ability as hunters. Cats are great contributors to the household and earn their keep. Excellent hunters, cats can often be seen relentlessly chasing a fly or mosquito around the house.Spiders, mice, frogs and other small beasties, all fall prey to playful yet determined cats. Having a cat in residence growing up, we never had to purchase traps or other devices to maintain a vermin free household. While being a hunter is an important aspect of their personalities, cats also provide actual health benefits to heir owners. Studies have shown that pet owners receive quantifiable health benefits directly attributable to their pet. Pets are known to lower blood pressure (Sweat, 2013), reduce stress and even strengthen the immune system (Nazario, 2012).Cats are intuitive and sense the emotional state of their owners. It's been my personal experience that when I'm ill, my cat will not leave my side until I'm better. Loyal companions in sickness and in health, cats can be counted on to provide quiet support, sympathy and affection to assi st their caretakers in overcoming depression or other melancholy moods (Sweat, 2013). Did you know that having a special buddy around even helps to alleviate loneliness? With so many upsides, who wouldn't want a pet?There are countless reasons to own a pet in general and a cat in particular. Cats are the ideal pet for any circumstance, whether living in a house or in the small confines of an apartment. Cats are low maintenance, clean, intelligent and make wonderful friends for all ages. As with any animal, there is no greater expression of love then to offer them a safe haven. To homeless animals, adoption means the difference between life and death. In return, you get a friend for life and improved health. My cats are more than pets – they are my family.   

Implicit Parameters in Java

The implicit parameter in Java is the object that the method belongs to. Its passed by specifying the reference or variable of the object before the name of the method.  An implicit parameter is opposite to an  explicit  parameter, which is passed when specifying the parameter in the parenthesis of a method call. If a parameter isnt explicitly defined, the parameter is considered implicit. Explicit Method Example When your program calls a method of an object, its common to pass a value to the method. For example, here, the object Employee has a method called setJobTitle: Employee dave new Employee(); dave.setJobTitle(Candlestick Maker); The String Candlestick Maker is an explicit parameter being passed to the setJobTitle method. Implicit Method Example However, there is another parameter in the method call that is known as the implicit parameter. The implicit parameter is the object the method belongs to. In the above example, its dave, the object of type Employee. Implicit parameters are not defined within a method declaration because they are implied by the class the method is in: public class Employee {  Ã‚  public void setJobTitle(String jobTitle)  Ã‚  {  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.jobTitle jobTitle;  Ã‚  } } In order to call the setJobTitle method, there must be an object of type Employee.