Clifton and Plath on the Feminine Identity Essay

Clifton and Plath on the Feminine Identity - Essay Example While they both appear to be in agreement on the nature of the feminine identity, their American perspectives differ vastly. Clifton, as an African-American, alludes to African themes, and brings into her poem questions about the duality within the African-American experience, and ultimately celebrates herself as a symbol of endurance. Plath's is decidedly different in its paradoxical nature. While her poem focuses on the vivacious and enigmatic legacy that she will leave behind, it is wholly centralized around her death, which creates a somewhat doomed undertone. But while both poets differ in their cultural perspectives, they both produce similar portrayals of the feminine identity as being one of strength, passion, and survival. Clifton brings many symbols to her poem that speak to the African-American, as well as the female experience. She describes herself as a "jungle girl/quick as a snake/a tree girl," (4-6). In aligning herself with such images as a jungle, a snake, and a tree-dweller, she is making a direct allusion to the African identity. Throughout American history, the image of the "African savage" was utilized as a means of persecution, keeping black-Americans under an oppressive rule by larger society. Africans were believed to be tribal jungle-dwellers, savage and uncivilized, and particularly dangerous for their lack of Christianization. Furthermore, the African religions were heavily focused on nature, spirits, demons, and magic, which made them even more frightening to white Americans, who were largely Protestant and highly hostile to Paganism and superstition. Clifton's reference to being "quick as a snake-" the snake being the Christian symbol of evil-seems to be an open embrace of the whi te-American view of the Africans as being aligned with evil and Satan-worship for their ritualistic beliefs. This embrace of a taboo culture is further emphasized in the repeated phrases: "I met me." She has met herself, meaning she has rediscovered her own identity-an identity that has long been buried under social beliefs that it was shameful, uncivilized, and even subhuman. But Clifton also brings a feminine element into her poem, calling herself a "jungle girl" and a "tree girl." Throughout western history, women have been aligned with nature, specifically with the cyclicality of nature, which is similar to the cyclicality of female fertility. Possibly even more revealing is Clifton's description of herself as being "quick as a snake." Snakes have also been ascribed to femininity as, in the Bible, it was a woman (Eve) who fell under the serpent's sway. On the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo went so far as to paint the serpent itself as having the face and torso of a woman. Thus, Clifton is rediscovering two socially repressed identities: her African identity, and her feminine identity. She goes on to write:

UK monetary policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

UK monetary policy - Essay Example United Kingdom has been working hard to recover from recession and support growth over the last few years. The policy mix has been of help in rebalancing the United Kingdom economy from recession toward external demand and investment. The government of United Kingdom has been implementing a strong fiscal consolidation with the aim of reducing budgetary risks. This paper focuses on the UK recession and the role played by the impact of the monetary policy in economic recovery. The United Kingdom has the chance to reduce the interest rates that have been set by the central bank now that the inflation seems to be well anchored (UK Parliament 2012). This is meant to create room for money to be injected into the economy. Consumer and business confidence in the United Kingdom remains weak even after the effort to rebalance the economy in the UK. The economic recovery has been supported by an emphasis on strengthening the bank balance sheet (Giudice & Kuenzel 2012). This has been done though building capital as opposed to reducing the assets (Allen 2012). The government of United Kingdom has adopted measures to ease credit acquisition (Holley 2012). The government is keen in eliminating constraints for both small and medium sized households and enterprises. The government has gone further to boost credit for infrastructure, business and housing (Duthel 2011). The reluctance to clear the government deficits and debts this year is understandable given the sluggish rate of growth of the United Kingdom economy (Giudice & Kuenzel 2012). Restraining the public employee wages has been a move by the government to lessen the effect of reducing deficits and debts to create the process conducive for economic growth (Allen 2012). The government intends to have space for added spending on infrastructure. Additional monetary stimulus should be considered if growth would not get the intended momentum. The government should also consider easing credit in that case (UK Parliament 2012) . Over the last few years, the rebuilding of banks capital has been taking place in the United Kingdom. This has been of much help given the amount of risks arising from the euro zone economic crunch and the consequent volatile financial market. The government of United Kingdom has embarked on raising banks capital (Duthel 2011). The government also advocated for a limitation in bonus payouts and dividends. This is contrary to selling assets. The move has paid off through a substantial economic recovery. According to international monetary fund, high level and quality supervision is vital for the growth of economy and establishment of the incoming government structure that is supposed to oversee the financial system of the United Kingdom. The government has enhanced supervision of financial institutions that are considered crucial for economic recovery (Holley 2012). United Kingdom has embarked on a robust regulation and development policies for raising capital and financial oversig ht duties (IME 2012). The recent United Kingdom economic crisis has posed extreme difficulties to the economic policies. Growth is considered anemic after deep recession (Giudice & Kuenzel 2012). The government of the United Kingdom remains extremely concerned about fiscal sustainability. The government is faced by a fast increasing public debt and large deficits compared to the ratio of gross domestic products (GDP)

Selection and Decision Making in Recruitment Essay Example for Free

Selection and Decision Making in Recruitment Essay For this assignment I am required to produce an information leaflet, for a newly appointed manager, which will describe how to plan for effective selection interviews in order to appoint the perfect individual/s for the job. My chosen organisation is Tesco who conduct different selection processes for different jobs; I will be concentrating on the floor manager of a Tesco store. Newly appointed floor managers for my chosen organisation Tesco will have to plan ahead, communicate effectively and make discuss selection and decision making. One of the main things the manager has to do before the selection process even starts is prior planning, below is what the manager has to do before the interview takes place: The manager of Tesco has to plan prior to the interview; he/she has to select the interview panel. The manager of Tesco can select a supervisor and executive manager for the panel as these people are already working within the store and the manager doesnt have to go and get other human resources from headquarters which waste valuable time. Having a interview panel is effective as it makes sure discrimination against the applicant/s doesnt happen and also the panel can check if the level of techniques such as communicational skills are used throughout all the interviews, it makes sure standards dont slip. Types of interview: The manager has to decide what sort of interview he/she will have to under take, considering in this case the manager is a Tescofloor manager he/she should only consider group interviews if employing staff on a large scale such as floor staff, (shelf stackers, costumer service assistance etc) this will save time as larger number of applicants are interviews quicker, however, having group interview means not all skills of an individual may be known to the manager but this does not matter as much as these applicants are only floor staff. Also one-to-one interviews should be considered because these interviews discover a lot about the applicant as it is only one person and not a group, a one-to-one interview is suitable for a higher ranking job such as assistant manager as more skills are required compared to a shelf stacker. Tescos do not need to  conduct any other types of interviews such as telephone interviews because it is not suitable for the job they advertise. The amount of stages in the interview has to be considered, for Tesco the manager has a choice between singular staged or multiple staged interviews, it is suitable to have a multiple staged interview which Tesco currently do than a one staged interview, more stages means the applicant goes through intense testing and interviews meaning he/she is more likely to be suitable for the job. Doing a singular staged interview doesnt find out all the skills of a person and the wrong person may be selected for the job and also that person may perform bad on that one interview, whereas, having more than one stage means the performance can be averaged which is more fair. However, the more stages in interviews the more time, so, the manager has to consider time as it will take more time for multiple staged interviews. Other selection methods will have to be considered, Tesco currently undertake Psychometric Tests which measure the sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality of the applicant, this should be undertaken by the floor manager of Tescos as most of the staff will need good personality, memory etc for their job as they will be working with costumers. There are also multiple choice questions which are a series of question and usually four possible answers where one answer is correct, this usually finds out the technical knowledge of the applicant of the job. Finally, the manager must consider during the planning equal opportunities, he/she will have to undertake measures to make sure each applicant is treated equally and not discriminated; having an interview panel solves this problem as there is more than one person conducting the interview and less chance of discriminations. Also, a tape recorder can be used so if the applicant protests to the way he/she was treated, the tape can be used as evidence. Communicational Skills The manager has to consider his/hers/interviewers communicational skills; this is a vital role in an interview as it can make the applicant reject the  job due to inappropriate language used. Firstly, the manager has to decide whether to use effective, ineffective or a combination of both questions because asking too many ineffective questions may bore the applicant, whereas, having too many effective questions may make the applicant feel uncomfortable, so, I would recommend to use a combination of both effective and ineffective question so the applicant is neither bored or uncomfortable throughout the interview. As the floor manager will be looking for certain skills from his potential employees, asking various types questions would be ideal to find out the skills, this is an indirect way of knowing the applicants skills and is another way to check the applicant is not lying about his/her skills, a direct way of finding out about the skills is to look at the applicants CV, ask previous employer and/or ask direct questions to the applicant. I would recommend the manager to use various types of questions, below is what the manager should use or tell the interviewer to use during the interview itself: Open questions These are questions without a particular answer and makes the applicant feel less under pressure as its an indirect question, an example of an open question is Why do you want the job? or How do you handle stress?, the advantage of using these types of questions is that it lets the interviewer know the creative side of the applicant and is a way not making the applicant uncomfortable. Closed questions These are basically yes or no questions. They are very direct and I wouldnt recommend the manager to make use of these very much as they make the applicant feel uncomfortable, however, they do find out the relevant information and an example of a closed question is Do you have a criminal record? or Can you work in a group?. Hypothetical/ Situational These are similar types of questions, these are used to see if you would do the right thing during a situations e.g. the interviewer may ask what would you do if you saw someone stealing? this would be an ideal question as this person would be working in Tescos were stealing is quite common and the applicants answer should be something like I would inform security instead of saying something like I would ignore it which would send the wrong message out to the interviewer. The manager has to consider how personal information such as criminal records could be checked; he/she could either directly ask the applicant during the interview, check the applicants CV before the interview and/or check with the criminal records bureau to confirm any spent convictions. The manager of Tescos will also have to make sure the interviewer or himself make use of good body language, this means using the right tone of voice and not being rude, this makes the applicant feel welcomed and feel he/she is an ideal environment rather than in an environment where he/she is under pressure. At the same time the manager has to make sure that the interviewer listens to the applicant, it is always important to ask the applicant if he/she has anything to say rather than ending the interview with a goodbye. Furthermore, the interview is about the applicant not the interviewer, so, the applicant should be speaking more than the interviewer, and about 80% of the interview should be the applicant speaking. Analysis and summarisation of information gathered in the interview is vital as it is needed during short listing candidates, there are several ways in which the interviewer can gather information, firstly via a tape recorder, and this does not waste the interviewers time as he/she doesnt have to write much down. Secondly, the interviewer her/himself can simply use a pen and paper to gather information during the interview, however, this is time consuming and all information may not be accurate and finally, there could be two interviewers, on asking questions and the other gathering and analysing information, this is a good idea as this system also makes sure discrimination doesnt take place.

7 Ps Of Rural Marketing In India Marketing Essay

7 Ps Of Rural Marketing In India Marketing Essay Indias rural market holds high potential for increased consumer buying, as per the reports prepared by the NCAER. This paper explains the potential of the rural market and the issues of concern with regard to rural marketing. Rural markets are becoming important for reasons of economic growth in these areas and increasing interfirm rivalry in urban market. The rural buyer is less educated, price sensitive, more traditional and is keen viewer of T.V and video programmes. Products for rural markets have to be simpler, easy to use, visually identifiable, affordable, communicated in an interesting style and available at the customers door step. Rural consumer behaviour is a very complex phenomenon, which needs more efforts to understand, explain predict. In order to get a clear understanding of the same, every marketer should realize that consumer behaviour is, in fact, an assumption every marketing manager must make, if he plans to hit the rural market. The marketing program consists of numerous decisions on the mix of marketing tools to use. These tools consist of 4Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The marketing mix is considered as the sole vehicle for creating and delivering customer value. 7 Ps of Rural Marketing in India ABSTRACT Indias rural market holds high potential for increased consumer buying, as per the reports prepared by the NCAER. This paper explains the potential of the rural market and the issues of concern with regard to rural marketing. Rural markets are becoming important for reasons of economic growth in these areas and increasing interfirm rivalry in urban market. The rural buyer is less educated, price sensitive, more traditional and is keen viewer of T.V and video programmes. Products for rural markets have to be simpler, easy to use, visually identifiable, affordable, communicated in an interesting style and available at the customers door step. Rural consumer behaviour is a very complex phenomenon, which needs more efforts to understand, explain predict. In order to get a clear understanding of the same, every marketer should realize that consumer behaviour is, in fact, an assumption every marketing manager must make, if he plans to hit the rural market. The marketing program consists of numerous decisions on the mix of marketing tools to use. These tools consist of 4Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The marketing mix is considered as the sole vehicle for creating and delivering customer value. Intoduction What Rural Means Typically, from an Indian census point of view, rural has been defined with a deprivation orientation, rural being a landmass without access to continuous electricity, water, the stock market. There has been a correction in this view, however. Marketers today define rural as people living a different lifestyle as opposed to that of those who have settled in the bigger cities and towns. Rural is defined as pastoral in nature and as a mass of people who relate their income closely to the lands they till or use to raise their cattle and livestock. The Census of India defines urban India, says Gupta of TSMG. Urban India constitutes places with a population of more than 5,000, a population density above 400 per square kilometer, all statutory towns, that is, all places with a municipal corporation, municipal board, cantonment board, notified area council, etc. and with 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural employment. All non-urban is rural. In simple words, we can say that rural India is a less developed countryside where the infrastructure is primitive, houses are of mud or brick but rarely painted well, the primary source of livelihood is agriculture, employment opportunities in the organized sector are negligible, eating choices are restricted to home-cooked, simple food, schools are far away, health facilities are rudimentary. Marketing Mix It refers to a set of actions, tactics, tools or variables that a company uses to promote and sells its brand and product in the markets. The 4Ps of marketing mix are: Product: refers to anything that is capable of or can be offered to satisfy need or want? Price: refers to the amount customers have to pay in order to acquire a product or services. 3 Cs of pricing Customer Values Competitor Prices Cost of Company Place: refers to point of sale Promotion: This refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or services known to and preferred among the consumers. The Rural Market Environment in India The marketing man is a decider and an artist- a mixer of ingredients, who sometimes follow a recipe, developed by others and sometimes prepares his own recipe. And, sometimes he adapts his recipe to the ingredients that are readily available and sometimes invents some new ingredients, or experiments with ingredients as no one else have tired before. This paper is emphasized on understanding the marketing environment as it is the success key to effective marketing management for rural marketing. The rural market environment needs a separate examination as it varies significantly from that of the urban market. The rural customer shows distinctive characteristics which makes him/her different from urban buyers. 1. The Rural Consumer: Size of Rural Consumer Group: We all know that the heart of India lives in its villages and the Indian rural market with its vast size and demand base offers great opportunities to marketers. 12.2% of the world lives in Rural India and to successfully tap this growing market is every marketers dream. Characteristics of Rural Consumer Group Location pattern:-Though the aggregate size is very large, individual subsets of this market tend to be rather small and disparate. Geographical, demographical, statistical, logistical differences are very apparent. Each of these market segments differs and requires different strategies to be formed. The face of Indian agriculture is changing from dry land and irrigated agriculture into high-tech and low-tech agriculture. Farmers in states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have reaped the benefits of adopting new age farming practices. This has radically changed the economics of farming, with the investment in these systems lowering the cost of cultivation, increasing yields due to integrated crop management practices and reducing the dependence on rainfall. As a result, disposable income has grown sharply. The aspirants are becoming climbers showing a sustained economic upturn as purchasing power is increasing in the rural markets. Further, due to the diversity of this market, mar keters need to think, plan and act locally. It is therefore essential to develop an accurate Marketing Mix for selling to rural India. Socio-economic position: The sudden lure of rural India can be attributed to the socio-economic changes sweeping rural areas today. Increased productivity meant more income in the hands of the farmer who now wanted to buy the same products as his/her urban counterpart did.The process of income generation creating hope for better standards of living was also accelerated by companies and banks adopting villages for an integrated rural development. So, while fertilizers companies interest in adopting villages lay in increasing consumption of their products, companies like TISCO, TELCO ITG made it a part of their social commitment. The Integrated Rural Development Programme encompasses education, health, modern farming practices, land development co-operative marketing of produce. Culturally a Diverse and Heterogenous Market:-The rural market is not only a scattered market, but is also diverse heterogenous. Rural consumers are diverse in terms of religious, social, cultural linguistic factors. Various tiers are present, depending on the incomes like those of Big Landlords, Trades, Small Farmers, Marginal Farmers, Laborers Artisans. State to State Variation in Extent of Development:-There is also great deal of difference between different states in extent of development. The study provided by IMRB shows that each sate have different various parameters such as availability of health education facilities, availability of public transport ,electricity, TV transmission, post offices and water supply so on. Literacy Level:-It has been estimated that rural India has a literacy rate of 28% compared with 55% for the whole country. The picture has been changing over the years. For e.g. a decade ago, the literacy rate in rural India was only 20%. The adult literacy programmes launched in the rural areas are bound to enhance the rural literacy rate in the years to come. Lifestyle:-The rural consumers are marked by a conservative and traditional bound lifestyle. But the fact is that the lifestyle is undergoing a significant change. The change can be attributed to several factors such as: Growth of income change in income distribution Growth in education Enlarged media reach Growing interaction with urban communities Marketers efforts to reach out the rural market. Buying Behaviour Undergoes Major Change In recent years, some convergence in aspirations seems to be taking place between the urban and rural markets. The trend seems to be stronger among the younger generations. It is been found that aspirations of youth are same in both urban rural market, the only difference is that rural youth are still not in a position to follow their aspirations as that of urban youth. No stereotype Rural Consumer: The low purchasing power/ low per capita income low literacy level are the common traits of rural consumers. Rural consumers are traditional-bound, with religion, culture tradition strongly influencing their consumption habits. But still, the rural consumers do not share a common buying behavior. There are consumers who can afford high-priced brands and are also willing to buy. There is thus great scope and need for segmenting the rural market on the basis of buying behavior. 2. The Rural Demands Steady Growth: The recent NCAER publication The Great Indian Middle Class further reveals that the Indian middle class consisted on 10.7 million households or 57 million individuals of which 36 per cent lived in rural areas. No wonder, the rural markets have been a vital source of growth for most companies. For a number of FMCG companies in the country, more than half their annual sales come from the rural market. Although with the substantial improvement in purchasing power, increasing brand consciousness, changing consumption pattern and rapid spread of communication network rural india offers a plethora of opportunities for marketer. Composition of Rural Demand:- Many new products have entered the consumption basket of the rural consumer, they have started buying and using a number of modern products, which were unknown in the rural market. There are several products which have already well established in the rural market such as packaged tea, bath soaps, washing soaps, detergents, safety razor blades, scooters, motorcycles etc. On the other side there are many products, the rural market has overtaken the urban as the demand of motorcycles is also more in the rural market than the urban market. Rural Marketing Mix Product: Product for the rural market must be built or modified to suit the lifestyle needs of the rural customers. The rural market is not a homogenous set of customers with preferences frozen in time. The company should keep in mind that before developing the products for rural market, marketers must identify the typical rural specific needs. Urban products cannot be dumped onto rural markets without modifications. For instance, shampoos or soaps with distinctive, strong rose or jasmine perfumes are very popular with the rural women in South India. The urban women do not identify as strongly with these perfumes. Sachetization is also a distinctly rural-driven phenomenon. As demand in several categories is being created, intensity of use is quite low. On average, rural folk would use a shampoo only once a week. Habits take time to change and making unit sachet packs affordable is the key to inducing trial and purchase. Systematic, in-depth research that can help understand the depths of the mind of the villagers, their buying criteria, purchase patterns and purchasing power are an essential input while developing rural specific products or services. In the rural market product developers should aim at eliminating all the cost-adding features, i.e., features which a rural consumer is unwilling to pay for as he sees no obvious utility. This would redefine value in the minds of the consumer and tremendously increase product acceptability. The product strategies to be followed in rural market: Newly/ Modified product Utility Oriented product Avoiding sophisticated packaging Application of Value Engineering Small unit packaging Example: Induce rural customers to buy and try the new product i.e trial by low unit packs, Sachets(HLL),Cavin Care -Chik, PG-Vicks Vaporub, Godrej with 6ml sachet , One Rasna sachet can make six glasses Social Cultural variations Combi- Packs Colgate offers toothbrush with small toothpaste Family Packs-Britannia , Priyagold Price: The villagers due to their price sensitivity are very cost sensitive.This does not mean that a rural consumer is a miser. He is not simply looking for the cheapest product rather he understands and demands value for money in every purchase that he makes. Pricing therefore is a direct function of factors including cost-benefit advantage and opportunity cost. Pricing offered to consumers should be for value offerings that are affordable. The consumer is looking for tangible price advantages today. It is believed that rural consumers believe in smart buying. A study revealed that the average rural consumer takes approximately 2 years to decide on buying a watch! He will not do so unless he is totally convinced that he is getting value for money. Impulse buys and purchases are very rare when considering the value for money factor that reigns supreme in most rural purchase decisions. It must be remembered that the rural consumer does not have a budget problem. He has a cash flow problem. This is because the village folk receive funds only twice a year. At these times, he is capable of making high volume purchases. So, when there is a cash flow crunch, marketers need to provide financial products, schemes or solutions that suit the needs of the rural population. The Pricing Strategies to be followed in rural market Large volume- low emerging Overall efficiencies and passing on benefits to the consumers Low cost/value for money products Low volume-low price Example: Low cost products i.e Clinic-plus in 50 paisa, one rupee, two rupee pack, Colgate at Rs. 50 /- HLL derives 50% of its revenue from rural areas, sells Lux shampoo in a four milliliter sachet priced at 50 Paisa and six-milliliter sachet priced at one rupee Place: A village as a pace of promotion, distribution and consumption is very different from town and city. The most crucial link in ensuring the success of rural marketing efforts is distribution. In Rural India, the selection and use of distribution channels is a nightmare. As in Rural Indias 3 million outlets are located in 6.3 lakh villages. Thus, marketers are faced with the problem of feeding 3 million shops located in vastly diverse areas each of which records an average sale of only Rs.5,000 per outlet. Further problem is that even this sale is mostly on credit. The diversity in the distribution of shops is the self-limiting factor in terms of servicing the rural distribution network. Rural distribution has a rigid hierarchy of markets that make channel decisions relatively structured. It is essential for rural marketing companies to understand this hierarchy. Rural folk are habituated to traveling once a week for their weekly purchases to a satellite town. For durables where the outlay involved is typically large, the purchase would be made in an assembly market for reasons of choice and availability of adequate cash flow. It is therefore not necessary for a marketer of TV sets to take their distribution channel all the way down to the village shop. A TV will not be sold there as the cash flow does not exist at that point in the hierarchy of markets. A television distributor must be present at assembly markets which are much smaller in number, more controllable, easier to reach and service. Keeping the hierarchy in mind will help decide the optimum level of penetration required to reach a critical mass of rural consumers. Haats are the nerve centre of Rural India. They are a readymade distribution network embedded in the fabric of rural society for over 1000 years. Right from the time of Chandragupta Maurya, Haats are seen as a place for social, cultural and economic interchange.One in every five villages with a population of over 2000 has a haat. A lot of re-distribution also occurs through haats. This is because, a large number of retailers and sub-wholesalers buy from haats for their village stores. What is most attractive to marketers is that 90% + of sales in haats are on cash basis. Traditionally, in village shops a lot of credit sales occur due to the fact that in a small geographic area of a village, everybody knows everybody. Apart from the 90% cash sale, 5 to 7% is conducted on barter system and the rest 3 to 5% is on credit. Also attractive to companies wishing to use the system is the low selling overheads. Participation fees at haats are a flat Re.1 to Rs.5 per stall and this rate is comm on to a giant like Hindustan Lever and the smallest local seller. Distribution costs must be reduced through optimum utilization of the network. Thus, incorporating haats in the distribution strategy of a rural marketing organization selling consumer goods and FMCG products (typically once a week purchase items) is a tremendous opportunity. Perhaps the other most important factor to consider while developing rural distribution strategy is that the move from transactional marketing to relationship marketing is most evident in the village market. A strong bond needs to be created with every consumer even in the remotest villages and smallest town. The distribution strategies to be followed in rural market: Segmentation Covering of villages having population above 2,000 Distribution to feeder market or mandi town Direct contact with rural retail. Example: Samsung van displays all the products, the company has tied up with local distributors to showcase the Samsung range in local melas. Promotion: Promotion aspects always create a challenge in rural areas as they have a very thin population density but are spreaded in the large remote area. There are a lot of barriers that militate against homogenous media and message delivery. The rural consumer likes to touch and feel a product before making a choice. Demonstrations are undoubtedly the most effective promotional tool that shapes purchase decisions of the rural population. In todays information era, it is very important for companies to wise-up on emerging technologies. It has in fact become a medium to attract larger audiences for a product demonstration. Technology must be used to prepare a database of customers and their requirements. The use of video using mobile vans and even large screen video walls at events should be arranged. Several visual communication and non-verbal communication are used by the companies to reach the rural audience as large proportion of the rural population cannot read or write. More importantly, in rural India, the word of mouth is the key influencer. Intermediaries are the foundation to rural distribution. If the intermediary understand s and is constantly reminded about your product, then the end user will not be allowed to forget. The re-use capacity and colour of the container in which the product is packed is also a crucial factor. Infact, reusable packaging is considered a major aid in promoting sales for products in the rural market. Consumer and Trade schemes such as discount coupons, off season discounts, free samples, etc. encourage spending. Lucky draws and gift schemes are a major hit in most states. The use of local idioms and colloquial expressions are an excellent way to strike a rapport with the rural consumer and must be borne in mind when developing media plans and public relations programmes. The rural consumer is very down to earth but equally discerning and marketers need to step into the shoes of the rural folk while creating product promotion campaigns. Another unique feature of rural markets is that the Decision making process is collective. The persons involved in the purchase process influ encer, decider, buyer, one who pays can all be different. So marketers must address brand messages in their campaigns at several levels. Apart from regular household goods, several agribusiness companies have also started providing gift schemes with offers for free jewellery that influences the ladies to pressure the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs from select companies. This promotion strategy thus makes women influence purchase decisions that they would ordinarily not be involved in. Youth power is becoming increasingly evident in villages. Rural youth bring brand knowledge to the households. This has forced several companies to change the focus and positioning of their products and services towards this segment that is growing in absolute number and relative influence. The promotional strategies to be followed for promotion in rural market TV Radio Print media Cinema Hoarding Example: 1. Films on products like Vicks, Lifebuoy, Colgate and Shampoos are shown in rural cinemas halls. 2. LIC and Private insurance companies have been showing short movies in rural theatres to create awareness about life insurance People:-An essential ingredient to any service provision is the use of appropriate staff and people. Consumers make judgments and deliver perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with, therefore it is necessary for the companies to provide proper training to their staff. Staff should have the appropriate interpersonal skills, aptititude, and service knowledge to provide the service that consumers are paying for. Process:- It refers to the systems used to assist the organisation in delivering the service. Banks that send out Credit Cards automatically when their customers old one has expired again require an efficient process to identify expiry dates and renewal. An efficient service that replaces old credit cards will foster consumer loyalty and confidence in the company. Physical Evidence:- Physical Evidence is the element of the service mix which allows the consumer again to make judgments on the organisation. If you walk into a restaurant your expectations are of a clean, friendly environment. Physical evidence is an essential ingredient of the service mix, consumers will make perceptions based on their sight of the service provision which will have an impact on the organisations perceptual plan of the service. Cases of Rural marketing mix in India 1.Coca Cola When Coca -Cola re-entered the Indian Market in the mid-1990s , it took the high road to marketing and got nowhere. More recently it re-invented itself and its TV commercial showed Bollywood star Amir Khan first as a Punjabi Farmer and also in other rustic roles in different parts of India .Coca -Cola available at Rs. 5 a bottle Result was within months Coke was able to reach out to rural audiences in large numbers all over India . 2.Arvind Mills When Arvind Mills discovered even the cheapest brand could not make dent in the rural markets .It introduced ready-to-stitch RufTuf Jeans with price as low as 195 a Piece The Jeans were distributed using local retail outlets in villages with population up to 5,000 .Tailors were trained and given Machine accessories needed to stitch heavy denim In about year and a half Arvind sold 50 Lakh Rug Tuf kits because it had beaten the lowest-priced organized sector jeans around Rs. 300 at that time Conclusion Today, the rural market is blooming with the increase in the disposable incomes of the households. By nature, rural marketing is complex and studying the perception of rural consumers is always a difficult task unlike that of urban consumers. An effective communication not only provides information about products, but also educates the consumers regarding the use of products. Therfore, it is necessary that rural consumers have to be thoroughly studied so as to have better knowledge of rural marketing and work out appropriate marketing strategies. The essence of modern marketing concept is to satisfy the customer, and naturally all the marketing activities should revolve around the customers and their buying behaviour. The consumers need to be guided in the proper direction in order to make a decision. Theres a necessity to raise the emotional involvement of consumers in order to prevent brand defection. The marketers must recognize that rural marketing is primarily developmental marketing must be willing to take an approach of market seeding in the initial stages. It is often said that markets are made, not found. This is particularly true of the rural market of India. It is a market meant for the truly creative marketer.

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Why Is Managing Inbound Logistics Important To An Organization? Inbound logistics relates to the movement of goods or the materials from suppliers and vendors into manufacturing procedures or storeroom facilities. Inbound logistics basically comprises of two functions that are the purchase of materials and the logistics that are the procurement and planning. The management of inbound logistics is important to organizations for two major reasons, one that relates to the organization and the other that relates to the suppliers and vendors. Of course, reducing costs by effective management of inbound logistics does not mean that suppliers and vendors are effective negatively. There got to be a way where both take advantage of effective management of inbound logistics otherwise there would be costs increment at other instances (Gonzalez, 2002). Managing inbound logistics is important because managing the expenses of movement of goods all the way through the supply chain is an enormous t ask for both the shippers and deliverers.  A particular consignment comprises of both inter and the intra organizational dealings and exchanges. During this interchange and communication, data and information is required by different people in addition to customers, vendors, transporters, customer service agents, secretarial, acquisition, product management, inventory supervision, storehouse administration, and completion. Companies procure transportation services with specific carrier partners that both meet their requirements for price & service and have a solid understanding of the nuances of their business needs.   Additionally, these companies establish business processes and rules of engagement to facilitate the efficient flow of information and m... ..." References Aldrich, D. (1998) The new value chain – Today’s digital age means companies must rethink how they deliver what their customers value. Information Week, September 14, 1998. Gonzalez, Adrian (2002) Inbound logistics drives strong demand for transportation systems Warehousing Management; Radnor McGinnis, Michael A. and Cancro, J. Patrick (2003) â€Å"Logistics Basics for Purchasing and Supply Professionals†, http://www.google.com.pk/search?q=cache:bviDnM1ZSCYJ:www.ism.ws/ResourceArticles/Proceedings/2003/McGinnisHH.pdf+inbound+logistics+important+to+an+organization&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Rayport, J.F. & Sviokla, J.J. (1995) Exploiting the virtual value chain. Harvard Business Review, 73(6): 75-86. Tyran, Craig K. and James Coakley (2000) Supplemental Class Notes: The Value Chain, http://www2.bus.orst.edu/faculty/coakley/BA471_web/Lectures/Value_Chain_Class_Notes.htm

ECH125 T5CulturalInstructionalStrategies Essay

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MARIA IS AN OUTGOING, HAPPY SECOND-GRADER WITH STRONG LITERACY SKILLS; IN FACT, SHE IS BILINGUAL, SPANISH/ENGLISH. HER FAVORITE PART OF SCHOOL IS READING AND WRITING STORIES. SHE ALSO ENJOYS MATH. SHE IS VERY ACTIVE AND ENJOYS RECESS AND CREATING DANCE STEPS IN PE. SHE IS SENSITIVE AND CAN GET HER FEELINGS HURT EASILY. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ? USE THE READING AND WRITING LOVE AND HAVE READING AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS/ACTIVITIES IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH. ? INTRODUCE MORE COMPLEX READING LEVELS, WORK ONE ON ONE WITH HER TO  BEGIN WRITING STORY SUMMARIES AND IDENTIFYING THE MAIN IDEA. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: WE DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OR REALLY HORNING IN ON STUDENT’S STRENGTHS TO PUSH HER TO ENSURE THE STUDENT IS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW. Ashley SIX-YEAR-OLD ASHLEY IS THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE CHILDREN. SHE IS VERY SHY AND CLINGS TO HER OLDER SISTER EACH DAY WHEN SHE BRINGS HER INTO THE FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM. ASHLEY IS CURIOUS; HER FAVORITE PART OF SCHOOL IS DOING SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS. SHE READS AT A PRIMER LEVEL, BUT ENJOYS HAVING PEOPLE READ TO HER. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ? INTRODUCE STRATEGIES FOR HER TO FOCUS IN ON HER CURIOSITY AND BLOSSOM THROUGH HER LOVE FOR SCIENCE. ? TURN FOCUS TO SIGHT WORDS AT HER LEVEL AND START WORKING ON GETTING HER INTO A TITLE READING GROUP SO SHE CAN GET THE EXTRA WORK IN READING. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: WE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTIFY WHEN A CHILD NEEDS EXTRA WORK SUCH AND A TITLE READING GROUP AND ABOUT HOW EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE IN A OUTSIDE READING GROUP THEY STILL NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE CLASSROOM READINGS AS WELL. Xavier XAVIER IS A KINDERGARTENER WHO REALLY ENJOYS SPORTS, PARTICULARLY BASEBALL. HE HAS LOW LITERACY SKILLS. HE IS VERY SOCIAL AND ENJOYS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CHILDREN DURING RECESS, CLASS ACTIVITIES, AND AT THE COMPUTER. HE IS A HANDS-ON LEARNER, CONFIDENT, AND A RISK-TAKER. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ? USE HIS INTERESTS IN SPORTS AND COMPUTERS TO HELP KEEP HIM INTERESTED IN READING. ? BUILD ON HIS CONFIDENCE AND HAVE HIM LEAD OTHERS STUDENTS WHEN  © 2014. GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLAYING TEAM ACTIVITIES OR WHEN COMPLETELY GROUP ASSIGNMENTS. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: AGAIN WE DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEING STUDENT’S STRONG POINTS. EVERY KID IS DIFFERENT IN WHAT THEY ARE GOOD AT. GOOD TEACHERS NOTICE WHAT KIDS ARE GOOD AT AND HELP THEM THRIVE EVEN MORE. Paul PAUL IS A THIRD-GRADER WHO IS A VERY STRONG READER. HE CHOOSES TO SPEND MOST OF HIS TIME READING AND ENJOYS MANY DIFFERENT TOPICS. HE WRITES LONG AND COMPLEX STORIES DURING WRITER WORKSHOP AS WELL. PAUL SELDOM ENGAGES SOCIALLY WITH OTHER CHILDREN; IN FACT, HE IS QUITE TIMID WITH BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ?HAVE HIM WORK IN SMALL GROUPS WITH OTHER CHILDREN ON ASSIGNMENTS OR HAVE HIM PARTNER READ WHEN APPROPREAITE. ?INTRODUCE AND HIGHER READING LEVEL AND MOVE ON TO MORE ADVANCE PART OF THE WRITING PROCESS. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: WE AGAIN TOUCH ON THE TOPIC OF NEVER STOPPING WITH A CHILD, EVEN THOUGH A CHILD MIGHT BE GREATLY ABOVE THE GRADE THEY ARE IN OR THE GRADE YOU ARE TEACHING IT’S HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO GO FIND MORE CHALLENGING WORK FOR THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL. Jamaica THIS FOUR-YEAR-OLD PRESCHOOLER HAS EXCELLENT FINE AND GROSS MOTOR SKILLS. SHE ENJOYS GAMES WITH OTHER CHILDREN, JUMP ROPE, AND PE CLASS. SHE IS A CREATIVE ARTIST AND PARTICULARLY EXCELS AT PAINTING. HER LITERACY SKILLS ARE AVERAGE. SOCIALLY, SHE IS OUTGOING AND EASILY ACCEPTED BY HER PEERS. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ? ALWAYS ALLOW HER TO USE HER CREATIVITY AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS. ? INCORPORATE READING AND WRITING IN A CREATIVE WAY TO SHOW HER WRITING AND READING ARE FUN AS WELL. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: WE TALKED ABOUT HOW PRESCHOOLERS WHO ARE â€Å"AVERAGE† AND THAT ARE SOCIAL SOMETIMES SLIP BY, IT’S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE TEACHERS WORK ONE ON ONE WITH ALL STUDENTS AND WORK AT THEIR LEVEL AND CONTINUE TO PUSH THEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL.  © 2014. GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Polygraph Research Essay

I began my research thinking I wanted to find out where we were today in our advancement of the lie detector machine and its accuracy. There was a time it was heard of often and considered quite controversial in its legitimacy. My research took me on a different journey then I had expected. A journey discovering that the Polygraph Machine is not only just as controversial today as ever, but also that there appears to be behind the controversy then simply its technology. The Polygraph Machine was traditionally known for its use in lie detection within law enforcement. So I began my search in the Criminal Justice data base of our school library. I came across an interesting article, â€Å"The Truth Surrounding Lie Detection Technology†, written by Rebecca Kanable, a freelance writer specializing in law enforcement topics for the periodical Law Enforcement Technology. Her article, although informative of the details in how the polygraph machine works, what it detects physiologically, and why it might be considered inaccurate, revealed to me there may be more behind the controversial system then simply its technology. She would reference an important sounding entity called the APA (American Polygraph Association), explaining the APA founding, their development, and purpose. After discussing the APA and its extensive research and technology, another official sounding entity was introduced, the NAS (National Academy of Sciences). The NAS reported that contrary to the APA’s pride in their more than 80% accuracy in detecting deception, a majority of the research was unreliable, unscientific, and biased. The APA responded that the NAS findings were confined to a review of the research on polygraph testing in particular, and how it relates to personnel screening. The APA said the NAS relied on 57 of more than 1000 research studies available. The NAS in turn responded that a century of research in psychology and physiology provided little basis for expecting the polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy because the physiological responses are not uniquely related to deception only. At this oint a third entity was introduced, the NACVSA (National Association of Computer Voice Stress Analysis), who also bashed the APA as a flawed method and flawed technology. They would tout how they were supported in agreement by the NITV (National Institute for Truth Verification), yet another official sounding entity. This back and forth seemed a bit odd, as though one or the other had an agenda. That is what redirected my research into whom these entities were, and who was considered more rel iable for the truth about lie detection. First stop was the APA web site (APA. org). I discovered it was a profit driven business selling technology, instruments, research, and advanced training and education programs, as well as advertising their APA magazine. Their primary customers were law enforcement, the legal community, and private sector security screening. It certainly was official, but only in the business sense. Ironically, in my search for the APA web site, it was paired with Antipolygraph. org web site. A location for message board discussions against the polygraph, most of which was specifically directed at the APA. I then moved on to the first entity contradicting the APA in Kanable’s article, the NAS. NASonline. org had nothing to sell, but rather a non profit society established by an act of congress signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and extended by President Woodrow Wilson charged with the mission of providing independent objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. It definitely carried some weight in legitimacy, but to be sure it was not a bias source about this topic, I search its site database for this particular topic, and although it spoke about the technology of the polygraph, it made no specific mention of the APA itself. I was unable to do the same of the APA site as you had to be a paying member to access their database. I felt the NAS response to the APA research was legitimate coinciding with their purpose. What about the NACVSA? It turns out they are a direct competitor of the APA. Upon arriving at the CVSA1. com web site, it was immediately obvious in their solicitation of CVSA software and training. Also solicited were funding assistance through grants from both Walmart and Target to purchase the technology. They tried to hide behind government looking signs and symbols to appear more â€Å"official†. They covered the bases offering insight of cases solved by their technology, who was using their technology, and the history of their technology. They would repeatedly indicate their direct support from the National Institute for Truth Verification. Of course this institute must be official and have a web site. A Google turned up nothing for the NITV, and any mention of them would link you to the CVSA1. com web site. An attempt at Wikipedia also only had them listed as a vendor and tied to the NACVSA. Returning to the CVSA1 website for further investigation, I noticed in small print in the corner the following, â€Å"the NITV is the manufacturer and sole source for the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer†. That certainly did explain their avid support of the CVSA technology. One last scroll through all the sites having mention of the NITV, I noticed a Government site with their mention. Eforia. bis. doc. gov. was a public posting of government documents from the department of commerce. It displayed 11 charges against the NITV of illegal exportation as a private business. So much for that. Realizing I only had information from either the biased private businesses of technology, or the seemingly unbiased sources of government documents and a science society founded by congress, I now wanted to find others with something to say about the polygraph. I went back to the school library database with a refinement for only magazines and newspapers. First was a eye catching title of an article in the Atlantic Monthly by Alan Berlow called â€Å"The Wrong Man†. I gave accounts of cases leading to the conviction and eventual carrying out of death sentences of what would turn out to be discovered as wrongful conviction down the road. The tie with the polygraph came in that the results of the polygraphs, although not admissible in court, did find in agreement with what resulted in their convictions, even in contradiction of there being no physical evidence. This article revealed why the DA in one of those cases was so adamant in ignoring the lack of evidence for guilt and continuing till a conviction. He had knowledge of, and was influenced by, the non admissible results of the polygraph. The Wall Street Journal offered opposite perspectives on the polygraph. In 2003, an Article by Sharon Begley called â€Å"Inertia, Hope, Morality, score TKO’s in Bouts with â€Å"Solid Science†. The dispute with the polygraph was no different then others but with her particular method and terminology of expression. The second Wall Street Journal article, â€Å"For The Polygraph Paradox; Lie Detectors Aren’t Perfect; But convicted Sex Offenders Concede, They May Be Good Enough†, by Laurie P. Cohen. Although alluding to a positive use for the polygraph in spite of its controversy, I doubted the weight of this perspective as the only source of data was that of those who were convicted. It has no opposite data of those who were not convicted. I didn’t take either article as being to far out of bounds as the Wall Street Journal is widely known as quite reputable, whether you agree with a particular article or not. So I then narrowed my search to the immediate locality, and took an article from the Telegram & Gazette. It was a General interest periodical in 1989 with no specific author. It was merely stating a factual outcome of the Massachusetts Supreme Court having ruled the polygraph test as inadmissible in this state. My research into the polygraph, although somewhat informative about its accuracy, was far more revealing about the source of opinions about the polygraph.