Real Juice Analysis

Market With an annual consumption of more than 300 million litres (Source: Tetrapak India Study), fruit juice is not an alien concept for the Indian market. However, a very large part of the Indian consumer today feels alienated when fruit juice is packaged. Perhaps, that is why packaged juice accounts for only between 15% and 20% of the total juice consumption in India. Compared to the West, packaged fruit juice penetration, at just 4%, is still very low (Source: NRS 2005). Symbolised by the orange fruit, packaged juices and nectars are driven by fresh juice made at home and popularised by the street-side juice vendor. Dabur Foods Limited (DFL) has always taken an uncompromising stand on these consumer barriers and has consistently been thinking out of the box for the last nine years, with a resolve to innovate and evolve new products. The Real concept of sweetened juices grew from the insight that Indian consumers preferred juice sweetened – not bitter as is commonly available in the West. It innovated variants like Litchi and Guava and also introduced the latest packaging technologies in the Indian market. These innovations, driven through Real and its sub-brands, have become accepted paradigms for the industry. Innovations, coupled with rising affluence and the justarrived consuming class have injected new life into this Rs. 300 crore (US$ 66. 7 million) market – today growing at 40% per annum. Achievements With an innovative range, Real has driven the growth of the packaged fruit juice market in India. Along with its sub-brands, Real commands a market share of more than 50% in the packaged juices and nectars market (Source: ACNielsen, December 2005), achieving for itself a position of an undoubted category leader. The most important achievement of Real has been introducing the taste dimension into a category traditionally driven by health and dogood properties. With Real, DFL was also able to segment the market early, thus effectively creating a differentiated niche in the no-added sugar juice category with its sub-brand, RealActiv. The success of this variant was demonstrated in numbers, when Real-Activ garnered two-thirds share in the no-added sugar juice category within six months of its re-launch in 2005 (Source: Tetrapak India). Today, Real and its sub-brands retail across 100,000 retail outlets and 4000 food-services accounts, selling approximately 4. 5 million packs every month to more than one million consumers. Testimony to Real’s achievements has come from various quarters. While a host of brands – domestic and international – have entered this high growth market in the last few years, Real continues to be the brand consumers trust the most. In this context, Real won the Platinum award in the 9th Reader's Digest Trusted Brands Survey in the Juice category, for the year 2006. A Platinum award means that Real achieved a rating score of more than three times its nearest competitor. Since 2002, Real has been consistently winning the award for the Highest Sales Growth achieved by a brand in a non-dairy product category, at the National Dairy and Beverage seminar – Innovation for Growth – organised by Tetrapak. History The introduction of Real fruit juices and nectars was triggered by a personal unmet need of Amit Burman, the CEO of DFL who, on returning to India after working in the US, found the absence of packaged fruit juices frustrating. Traditionally, drinking fruit juices in urban India has been a social indulgence or consumed for seeking health benefits. DFL foresaw the imminent inflection point in this consumer behaviour, glimpses of which were already being witnessed in rapid urbanisation, growth in income and lifestyle changes. Also Dabur was in an ideal position to grow on the potential of the processed foods category. Its understanding of the Indian consumer, experience in managing natural foods and expertise in creating and marketing successful consumer brands was a rare mix that gave it a cutting edge. Acknowledging these positive indicators, DFL introduced the Real range in 1996 as India’s first completely natural, healthy, packaged fruit juice with no preservatives. The value add-ons revolved around several factors – ready availability of great tasting, natural, preservativefree juices in a range of fruit variants, availability in all seasons; convenience of open-pour-anddrink packaging; complete hygiene; and a healthy beverage option that gave consumers more choice. Recognising the trend that an increasing number of Indians were eating out, DFL also identified the institutional opportunity much earlier. In fact as early as 1998, Dabur became the first fruit juice company to set up a separate food services division to cater to the institutional segment. This division also partners and develops customised solutions for hotels, 156 SUPERBRANDS airlines, restaurants, caterers and hospitals. However, the road to success for Real was not a smooth one. It had to understand the very special Indian nuance of adding sugar to fruit juice extracted at home. The second learning was the fact that Indian consumers believe that packaged juices are inferior and become stale over time and that chemicals are added to extend shelf-life. Dabur invested considerably in convincing consumers that Real fruit juice was natural, preservativefree, healthy and convenient. But perhaps, the biggest challenge was developing a food-sensitive warehouse-management training programme at all levels of the channel to ensure that the freshest product reached the market. Recent Developments In recent times, Real’s single most important endeavour has been to drive relevance through segmentation and widen brand appeal. With a view to attract consumers of fruit drinks into Real’s portfolio, Real Mango Twist was launched in 2005. Mango Twist is a unique blend of mango nectar with other fruit juices. It is available in two variants – Mango Orange and Mango Papaya. In the no-added sugar category, Real-Activ offers a range of healthy fruit variants like Orange and Apple and fruit-vegetable blend juices such as Orange-Carrot, Mixed Fruit-Beetroot-Carrot and Mixed Fruit-Cucumber-Spinach. Coolers, a range of summer fruit drinks is an occasion-led variant of Real, which offers variants made from fruits known for their cooling properties. It is currently available in four variants – Aampanna, Watermelon-Mint, Lemon-Barley and Rose-Litchi. Product Targeted at the family, Real offers the largest range of fruit variety in its juice and nectar range. It has consistently innovated to re-define and strengthen its position in the Indian market. Real not only offers the most basic and generic-to-category variants like Orange and Mango, but also an assortment of varieties like Pineapple, Mixed Fruit, Grape, Tomato and fruit nectars like Guava and Litchi. On the more exotic side, Real also has Cranberry nectar. Research conducted by Blackstone Market Facts found that Real was preferred by over 50% of the respondents. Real was liked for being the better tasting juice – a category where likeability is primarily driven by taste. Ensuring that batch after batch of the right taste is delivered to the end consumer, DFL has instituted an internal taste panel, which evaluates every new product before it is sent out for product test or test marketing. DFL also recognised very early that packaging was the cornerstone of innovation in this category. This was even more critical in today’s environment where packaging has become so integral to the whole product experience and marketing communication. DFL was the first company to introduce cap on-pack. This enabled consumers the flexibility of re-use even as the cap helped retain freshness. Real uses the Tetrapak spin cap, cold fill technology and spill-proof double seal cap for packaging. This technology protects the juice and keeps it fresh longer. The spin cap also makes it convenient to pour the juice without spillage. In introducing Real-Activ, Dabur became the first juice brand in India to offer the Tetra Prisma packaging format, which is easy-to-open and has better pouring control. ability to effectively use innovative merchandising opportunities and promotions at a local level – for example, merchandising Real at fruit kiosks – to draw out the association with fruits strongly and communicate the key brand benefit of ‘As good as eating a fruit’. Promotion At DFL, the belief is that brand equity can be developed by promotions that are strategic. The advertising campaign for Real communicates the key brand benefit of ‘As good as eating a fruit’. While the family consumes the brand, the child is always at the centre of any communication. Besides the mainline communication, Real has also accomplished some innovative consumer promotions. Real Taste Challenge, for instance, was an interesting way to communicate the core benefits of Real and reinforce the brand’s core position. It involved asking consumers to identify the fruit by tasting the juice. When consumers guessed correctly, they were offered a trial discount on purchase of a onelitre Real juice pack. The ‘Real Fruit ka Juice’ offer was an innovative national promotion in which consumers were invited to contribute fresh fruit in exchange for a pack of Real. The fruits collected at various centres were donated to local NGOs working for the cause of underprivileged children. With Real, DFL is also actively involved in conducting consumer education programmes to promote nutritional awareness. These programmes are conducted at various levels – schools, doctors, nutritionists and corporates. In schools, the communication is centred on the concept of Power of 5, which conveys the importance of a well balanced, nutritious packed lunch for school kids. The doctors and nutritionists' programme is focused around the role of a septic technology in fruit juices, the benefits of packaged juices and about nutrition and safety. The corporate programme, on the other hand, addresses the role of fruit juices in building a healthy lifestyle and importance of a nutritious diet in disease prevention. One of the biggest assets for Real has been its teams’ Brand Values A housewife has succinctly put the essence of Real during a focus group session – â€Å"Real naam se hee lagta hai real juice hoga. † In the consumers’ mind, Real stands for authentic fruit juice, which defines the standard of taste and quality. As a brand, Real radiates originality; it offers the most novel products, fruit variants and a taste that the consumer is familiar with. The core essence of the brand is Original Goodness tangibly displayed by delivering healthy juices through tasty fruit variants. www. daburfoods. com THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT Real Fruit Juice Real is India’s first packaged fruit juice brand. Real and its sub-brands served more than 140 million juice helpings last year. 75% of all mocktails served in India are made from Real juices. The number of packs sold by Real last year, laid side-by-side, would exceed India’s coastline of 7516 kilometres. Evolution of the Real packaging SUPERBRANDS 157

Duties of A Teacher Essay

BEFORE A STUDENT BECOMES A STUDENT TEACHER HE NEEDS TO PASS THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OF THE COLLEGE. THE COURSES IN EDUCATION ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE INSIGHTS INTO THE SOCIOLOGICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION, THE CURRICULUM, METHODS OF TEACHING, UTILIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, TECHNIQUES OF EVALUATION AND THE PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL. INDICATED BELOW ARE THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STUDENT TEACHER. 1. SET CLEAR PURPOSES — COMPETENT TEACHERS HAVE CLEAR PURPOSES IN MIND FOR EACH LEARNING EXPERIENCE. EACH DAILY LESSON PLAN, EACH UNIT OF STUDY, CONTRIBUTES TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF WORTHWHILE PURPOSES. 2. STUDY INDIVIDUAL AND CLASS NEEDS — HE FORMULATES PURPOSES AND BASES HIS PLANNING ON THE SPECIFIC NEEDS, ABILITIES, ACHIEVEMENT AND INTERESTS OF THE PUPILS WITH WHOM HE IS WORKING. 3. STUDY THE COMMUNITY — THIS IS DONE TO GAIN UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDREN AND THEIR HOME BACKGROUND. 4. PROVIDE A BALANCED PROGRAM — UTILIZE TEACHER’S GUIDES, TEACHER’S MANUALS, COURSES OF STUDY AND OTHER CURRICULUM MATERIALS. 5. MAKE EFFECTIVE PLANS —GOOD PLANNING INVOLVES BRINGING TOGETHER CLEAR PURPOSES,  KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHILDREN AND THE COMMUNITY AND SUGGESTIONS FROM CURRICULUM GUIDES AND TEACHER’S MANUAL. 6. MAKE CONTENT MEANINGFUL — A THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER AND USE OF EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR DEVELOPING BOTH THE MEANING AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT IS TAUGHT. 7. PROVIDE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP WORK —INDIVIDUAL WORK IS PROVIDED TO ENSURE THAT THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF EACH LEARNER ARE MET. GROUP WORK IS PROVIDED WHEN COMMON NEEDS AND PURPOSES OF THE ENTIRE CLASS, OR A GROUP WITHIN THE CLASS ARE TO BE MET. 8. PROVIDE A GOOD ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING — IT SHOULD BE A HEALTHFUL ENVIRONMENT WITH PROPER LIGHTING, VENTILATION AND TEMPERATURE. THE ROOM SHOULD BE INVITING AND CHAL- LENGING TO CHILDREN. 9. USE APPROPRIATE METHODS AND MATERIALS — EMPLOY SKILLS IN USING THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHODS AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES. 10. EVALUATE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END — APPRAISAL OF CHILDREN’S LEARNING AND VALUE OF VARIOUS METHODS AND MATERIALS SHOULD BE DONE. 11. MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP —RELATIONSHIPS WITH ONE’S CO-WORKERS, PUPILS, PARENTS, THE COMMUNITY AND THE PROFESSION, ARE CLEARLY OUTLINED IN THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL. IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THE AFOREMENTIONED DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, THE FOLLOWING  EXPECTANCIES SHOULD BE BORNE IN MIND. STUDENT TEACHING IS THE CULMINATION OF ANY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM, AND STUDENT TEACHERS REPORT THAT IT IS THE MOST CRITICAL ELEMENT OF THEIR PREPARATION. IT REPRESENTS THEIR BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR APPLYING THE RESEARCH, THEORY, AND BEST PRACTICES THEY HAVE LEARNED IN UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS; RECEIVING FREQUENT, EXPERT SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK; AND REFLECTING ON AND LEARNING FROM THEIR PRACTICE. IT IS DURING THIS TIME THAT STUDENT TEACHERS BEGIN TO DEVELOP THEIR PERSONAL TEACHING STYLES AS WELL AS THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SCHOOLS  OPERATE. WE LOOK TO YOU TO HELP THEM ALSO DEVELOP A SENSE OF PROFESSIONAL EFFICACY, A COMMITMENT TO HIGH STANDARDS FOR ALL STUDENTS, AND THE HABITS OF MIND OF A GOOD TEACHER, INCLUDING THE HABITS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, AND LIFELONG LEARNING. The Role of the Cooperating Teacher THE COOPERATING TEACHER PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE AS THE STUDENT TEACHER’S MODEL AND MENTOR AND HAS GREAT INFLUENCE OVER THE STUDENT TEACHER’S LEARNING EXPERIENCE. STUDENT TEACHERS TEND TO ADOPT THE PRACTICES OF THEIR COOPERATING TEACHERS, SOMETIMES WITHOUT QUESTION,  ASSUMING THAT THEY HAVE NO CHOICE. WE ENCOURAGE YOU, HOWEVER, TO ENGAGE YOUR STUDENT TEACHERS IN ONGOING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE AND TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO ASK QUESTIONS, TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES, TO SHARE WHAT THEY OBSERVE ABOUT YOUR CLASSROOM AND PRACTICE WITH YOU, AND TO BE WILLING TO SUGGEST TO YOU AND TRY OUT STRATEGIES AND METHODS THEY HAVE LEARNED WITH WHICH YOU MIGHT NOT BE FAMILIAR. OVER TIME, AS STUDENT TEACHERS GET TO KNOW YOU, YOUR CLASSROOM, AND YOUR STUDENTS, WE ASK THAT YOU INCREASE THEIR CLASSROOM AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES UNTIL THEY CAN  BECOME PARTNERS WITH YOU IN TEACHING YOUR STUDENTS. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SURRENDER YOUR CLASSROOM TO YOUR STUDENT TEACHER (NOR SHOULD YOU). WE EXPECT YOU TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND PRODUCTIVELY TOGETHER TO OFFER ENRICHED INSTRUCTION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION TO YOUR STUDENTS. WHEN THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN COOPERATING TEACHER AND STUDENT TEACHER WORKS WELL, THE STUDENTS BENEFIT THE MOST. PLANNING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE STUDENT TEACHER 1. THE COOPERATING TEACHER WELCOMES THE STUDENT TEACHER THE INITIAL DAYS OF STUDENT TEACHING ARE CRUCIAL FOR THE STUDENT TEACHER. EACH  COOPERATING TEACHER SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE STUDENT TEACHER FEELS WELCOME. INTRODUCTIONS TO TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS, AS WELL AS OTHER PERSONNEL EMPLOYED IN THE SCHOOL, ARE IMPORTANT. THE STUDENT TEACHER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE BUILDING AND GROUNDS, MATTERS OF SCHOOL ROUTINE, AND APPROPRIATE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL STAFF. 2. THE COOPERATING TEACHER INTRODUCES THE STUDENT TEACHER INTO THE CLASSROOM A DESK OR TABLE IS ALWAYS USEFUL FOR THE STUDENT TEACHER. THE STUDENT TEACHER SHOULD BE INTRODUCED TO THE STUDENTS IN A WAY THAT ENCOURAGES THEM TO RESPOND TO THE  STUDENT TEACHER AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER. Importance of NCBTS AS A PRACTICE TEACHER, KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THE NCBTS IS VERY IMPORTANT. THE NCBTS DEFINES WHAT IS EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND WHO IS AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER. THIS MEANS THAT I SHOULD USE THE NCBTS AS MY GUIDE IN MY PRACTICE TEACHING. IF I USE THIS AS A GUIDE, IT WILL HELP ME IMPROVE HOW I MAKE MY LESSON PLANS AND TEACH MY PUPILS. ALSO, THE NCBTS CAN ALSO SERVE AS MY BASIS IF I AM DOING THE APPROPRIATE THINGS IN MY LESSONS AND FOR MY PUPILS. I MAKE USE OF THE NCBTS BY ANALYZING FIRST ON ITS CONTENTS THEN TRYING TO APPLY IT IN REAL TEACHING. FOR EXAMPLE, SHOWING COURTESY AND RESPECTING EVERYONE AT ALL TIMES. I DO THIS BY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT CTS HAVE MORE EXPERIENCES IN HANDLING DIVERSE PUPILS AND LOOKING TO THEM AS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAT THEY DESERVE HIGH REVERENCE FOR THEIR WORK. ON THE OTHER HAND, I DO THIS TO MY PUPILS BY NOT HUMILIATING THEM IN CLASS. I RESPECT THEIR ANSWERS AND OPINIONS IN DISCUSSIONS AS NCBTS WAS A PART OF THE BENCHMARK OF PRACTICE TEACHING, I WILL ALSO USE IT AS MY BENCHMARK IN MY TEACHING FIELD. I WILL TRY MY BEST TO APPLY THE COMPETENCIES AND FOLLOW THE RULES OR TIPS STIPULATED IN IT. I WILL USE IT AS MY GUIDE IN TEACHING AND IN MANAGING THE CLASS. FOR THE PROBLEMS THAT I MAY ENCOUNTER, I WILL USE IT AS MY â€Å"KEY ANSWER† IN SOLVING MY PROBLEMS. NCBTS WILL HELP ME TO BE AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT TEACHER. THESE WILL HELP ME TO TEACH HOW TO LEARN, PROBLEM SOLVE, AND SYNTHESIZE THE OLD WITH THE NEW. THESE WILL SERVE AS MY GUIDE AND MY BASIS. I MAKE USE THE NCBTS AS MY FRAMEWORK IN MY REMAINING PRACTICE TEACHING BY TAKING IN-DEPTH THE CONTENTS OF IT THEN PERFORM THE NECESSARY INDICATORS OF EACH DOMAIN. THE IMPORTANT CONCEPTS MUST BE IN MIND ALWAYS AND ABLE TO PORTRAY IT. FOR EXAMPLE, I DEMONSTRATE PUNCTUALITY IN ALL ASPECTS IN THE FIELD SUCH COMING TO SCHOOL BEFORE THE CALL TIME AND PASSING OF REQUIREMENTS; ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A GOOD ATMOSPHERE INSIDE THE CLASSROOM DURING THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS AS WELL AS TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUPILS TO PUPILS, PUPILS TO TEACHERS AND TEACHERS TO TEACHERS BY BEING A GOOD ROLE MODEL TO EVERYONE AND ACT PROFESSIONALLY; AND TEACH EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY TO ATTAIN THE HIGHER LEARNING OF EACH PUPILS BY USING VARIED STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES WHICH CAN ASSESS, EVALUATE AND TEST THEIR HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS. I MAKE USE OF NCBTS AS: †¢ MY GUIDE FOR ME TO BE EFFECTIVE IN DELIVERING MY LESSONS †¢ MY BENCHMARK IN PLANNING, CREATING AND PUTTING INTO ACTIONS ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTES EQUALITY AMONG MY DIVERSE LEARNERS †¢ MY CHECKLIST OF THE THINGS I NEED TO DO FOR ME TO DEVELOP AND GROW AS A TEACHER †¢ MY DAILY REMINDER OF THE THINGS I SHOULD AND I SHOULDN’T DO AS A FUTURE TEACHER. IT REMINDS ME OF MY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS A PRACTICE TEACHER †¢ MY IMPROVEMENT/ DEVELOPMENT METER AS I VENTURE THE WORLD OF PRACTICE TEACHING How to Improve your Oral Communication Skills 1. BE SURE OF YOURSELF. YOU SHOULD BE CONFIDENT BEFORE YOU START TALKING. 2.. BE CONCISE AND CLEAR. DO NOT ADD IRRELEVANT STUFF IN YOUR SPEECH. 3.. READ A LOT. IF YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. 4.. MAKE SOME MENTAL NOTES FIRST. YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT. THERE MUST BE A RELATION BETWEEN YOUR MIND AND YOUR WORDS. IT WOULD NOT LOOK GOOD IF YOU STOP BETWEEN A CONVERSATION AND START TO THINK. 5. TRY TO ADD HUMOR. BUT IT SHOULD BE UP TO THE MARK. VULGAR JOKES CAN BE A GREAT TURN OFF. 6. RELAX. YOUR BODY LANGUAGE SHOULD BE RELAXED. YOU SHOULD NOT STIFFEN UP. DO NOT SPEAK IN HURRY, AS IT WILL MAKE THE LISTENER THINK THAT YOU ARE CONFUSED OR YOU HAVE CRAMPED THE SPEECH. 7. MAKE EYE CONTACT. IT IS SO IMPORTANT. BUT IF YOU ARE FACING A CROWD YOU SHOULD NOT LOOK AT ONE FOR MORE THAN 5 SECONDS. ACTIVE LISTENING – THIS IS A KEY ELEMENT OF ORAL COMMUNICATION. ACTIVE LISTENING IS PROACTIVE RATHER THAN PASSIVE. IT INVOLVES LISTENING TO AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS BEING SAID – AND WHAT IS NOT BEING SAID. IT PICKS UP ON VERBAL COMMUNICATION, THE SPOKEN WORD, AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION SUCH AS BODY LANGUAGE. IT LISTENS TO THE STORY BEING TOLD  AND ALSO TO THE FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS EXPRESSED; IT INVOLVES READING BETWEEN THE LINES, IDENTIFYING WHAT HASN’T BEEN SAID, AND ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND WHY. DEAF PEOPLE CAN BE EXCELLENT LISTENERS EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HEAR; IN ADDITION TO LIP READING, THEY HAVE TO PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO BODY LANGUAGE, GESTURES AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS TO DETERMINE THE MEANING OF WHAT IS BEING SAID. PRESENTATIONS – TAKE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS DURING YOUR COURSES AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. THE ABILITY TO PERFORM IN PRESENTATIONS IS A SKILL HIGHLY VALUED BY MANY EMPLOYERS. DISCUSSIONS – DEVELOP THE CAPABILITY OF DISCUSSING IDEAS AND OPINIONS IN MEETINGS AND OTHER WORK SETTINGS. YOU CAN LEARN TO PUT FORWARD YOUR IDEAS IN A PERSUASIVE AND STRUCTURED FORMAT BY PARTICIPATING IN DEBATES AND BY JOINING COMMITTEES SUCH AS UNIVERSITY SOCIETIES. INTERVIEWS – YOU WILL HAVE TO DESCRIBE YOUR EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN JOB INTERVIEWS. TO DEVELOP INTERVIEW SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE, YOU SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN MOCK INTERVIEWS AND SEEK GUIDANCE FROM YOUR UNIVERSITY CAREER SERVICE. ALWAYS SEEK FEEDBACK ON YOUR PERFORMANCE AFTER AN INTERVIEW – EVEN IF YOU ARE OFFERED THE JOB.

A teaching assistant work Essay

A teaching assistant works alongside a class teacher in a primary or secondary school. All over Europe, they have different names, such as : ‘aides’, ‘classroom assistants’, ‘learning support assistant’, but the moment the most common one is the one used at the beginning of the sentence.(Study Topic 1) In present, their role is extremely important, and it is hard to imagine things as easily as they run now without their help, especially because there is a big deficit in the number of teachers in primary schools. Skilled teaching assistant bring a very valuable contribution to pupils achievement within the learning environment. Unfortunately I started working in a school later than I should have, but I feel as every experience I’ve been through led me to this. I volunteer as teaching assistant 3 days a week, and in the rest of the time I look after two children, aged 9 and 5 years old, that attend the school I work in. My job description involves certain things, such as assisting the teacher by supporting the pupils during the teaching of the curriculum and always working under the direction of the class teacher. Because I am all the time surrounded by children, I can assist the children and understand their learning needs.(K.U 1.1) My prior job inside the classroom is to listen to the children, respect and value them. Even though I haven’t been working for too long with them, the pupils in my classroom already gained respect and confidence in me, and I can see how slowly, with my help and of course, the teacher’s , they are gaining the sense of independence, which is extremely important for a child developing. I’m helping by ensuring they have access to the curriculum at all the times, and by using plenty of praise and rewards. I make sure that all the children participate fully in every lesson, by reminding them of teaching points made by teacher and help them organise and participate in appropriate play activities or games. Most of the times I’m working with pupils in Year 3, but sometimes I’m in Foundation Stage. In the Year 3 (7-8 years), I encourage the pupils to work independently when the case and to try to manage their own reading. I’m also always encouraging them to use the library independently, as I am with the pupils in Foundation Stage, which need to be encouraged to develop their independent learning skills. They have to learn to take turns and speak and follow simple written instructions. I need to make sure that the pupils are able to make choices about books and to persuade them to learn independently. In both cases I am always trying to teach the pupils to use information from various sources and to complete all tasks set in a given time. I have to be aware at all the times of the school’s policies, for example in the case of children protection, the school has a member of the staff who is responsible for child protection matters, a Child Protection Policy and certain procedures to deal with any child protection issues arising(K.U 1.2). Another important matter that I must always keep in mind are the policies regarding bullying, as unfortunately, is a very common problem in schools all over the world. In order to provide support for the school, I must attend all the staff meetings and training sessions and to make sure that I’m in constant process of acquiring the full range of skills and knowledge needed to satisfy job requirements, especially as I come from a foreign country. It is also very important that I, as a teaching assistant, I understand my roles and responsibilities in relation to school’s policies and insist that the pupils conform to the standards detailed in the school’s policy in behaviour, and if necessary, take measures to isolate (conform the policy of behaviour) a disruptive child from the rest of the class. As stated in the title, my most important role is to provide support for the teacher, and a very important way of doing that is by participating in meetings with parents and carers, where I have to listen, support and  discuss issues sensitively with them, whilst providing them an accurate feedback (K.U 1.7) Participating at these meeting is a real delight, as I can analyse the other teachers and teaching assistants and I can improve, as a teaching assistant. One of my jobs is to listen what the children have to say. ‘Pupils can provide valuable feedback so we do need to invite them to tell us what they think.’ (E111 Reader 1, Chapter 4, My history of helpers). So far, the feedback I have received from the pupils has been very helpful, even though in certain moments I’ve been disappointed by what I heard. Thanks to this and also to the feedback received from the colleagues, I was able to realise where I have to improve. (K.S 4.3) I have to help the teacher plan the weekly programme and sometimes , I have to supervise the class and maintain good order and keep the pupils on the task. I have to promote the home school partnership and to ensure an appropriate learning environment. At the moment I am dealing directly with 2 teachers, offering them full support any time when required. Luckily, they are aware of the fact that between us it’s a co-dependent relationship, where I need them and they need me. (P.S 3.3) all the time I am in direct contact with the other professionals from the school and mostly with the other teaching assistants. Every afternoon I have to set out , prepare and tidy the equipment. During classes, I must monitor and evaluate pupil’s responses to learning activities and I must provide accurate feedback and reports to the teacher. In order to provide support for the curriculum, the school got me involved in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT ) area, even though the teachers I work with are computer literate, but this is a subject that I am very interested in. Every day I must make sure that the equipment is working properly and I must ensure that the teacher has some non-computer work handy in case something goes wrong with the power or with the computers. The past experience is essential when working with children, with special needs or not. Not only that most of the schools are looking for experienced teachers and teaching assistants, but it is very difficult to keep up when not experienced. Fortunately for me, I have a wide experience related to working with children, even though it’s not in United Kingdom. I started working part time in a kindergarten when I was 14 years old, and even though my attributions weren’t so many in the beginning, it really helped me understand the way children develop and sometimes I was able to see the world from their point of view. By the time I was 18 I was working full time, one on one with the classroom teacher. Kindergarten is a very important experience as it can be considered the child’s first experience in school, and I tried to help them get the most of it. In the same time I’ve been working as a babysitter in my spare time, and my most important experience was volunteering in a centre for children with special needs. First of all I learned that it is important to listen to what children have to say, even without asking, and to respect their opinion. I think it’s amazing how children learn from constructive play. One of the most important things I did with the children in the past was helping them learn how to resolve their problems and improve their social skills, and this is one of the things I’m still doing, I’m always trying to help the pupils gain confidence and developing. Working as a waitress helped me gain my own confidence while working with the other people. Just like in my previous jobs, I am working in a team, along two other teachers directly, but also with the secretary. According to Belbin, there are nine different roles which team members play are based on their personalities, ways of thinking: completer/finisher, coordinator, implementer, monitor/evaluator, plant, resource investigator, shaper. specialist, team worker. (Nigel Belbin, Belbin Reports). In my case, I am definitely a team worker, with strict responsibilities. Although I would like to say that I am 100% effective in school, the truth is that I have my own strengths and weaknesses that impact my  effectiveness. Unfortunately, I have a big disadvantage, as the school system in United Kingdom is new to me, but I’m willing to develop and learn as much as I can. The first thing I am doing is to have a good attitude and take initiative whenever I can. I have to improve my skills, and one of the most important one is the communication skill. I’ll be more effective in my role if I’ll learn first of all to be a good listener and if I’ll be careful with my writing skills as well (emails, messages). Even though at the moment it is not absolutely necessary, I have to work on my leadership skills. â€Å"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Dwight D. Eisenhower Developing my skills in order to improve my effectiveness is a challenge for me, just like working in British school is. I come from a country where the style of teaching is very strict and rigid, and classes are very formal. At first, I found it difficult to adapt, but at the moment I think being able to compare the two styles of teaching is going to help me improve in front of the pupils. Unfortunately, most of the time the training needs of the non-teaching staff are neglected. â€Å"They are seldom invited to participate in staff meetings or training events, but they can be asked to do cleaning or redecorating during the time set aside for other people’s development.† .(Action Research for Inclusive Education: Changing places, changing practice, changing minds, Forging and Strengthening Alliances, pg 49. ) It’s not the case for me, though, as I have been very well received by all the staff members and the school itself is extremely supportive, trying to help me develop as much as I can. References †¢ The Open University (2005) E111 Supporting Learning in Primary Schools, Study Topic 1; †¢ School Policy of Behaviour; †¢ The Open University (2005) E111 Reader 1, Chapter 4, My history of helpers; †¢ Nigel Belbin, Belbin Reports; †¢ Action Research for Inclusive Education: Changing places, changing practice, changing minds, Forging and Strengthening Alliances, pg 49

Commiuncation in business- case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Commiuncation in business- case study - Essay Example The case study content will be highlighted first where the client is described in detail and key terms will be described in detail and these include motivation as well as culture. The overview of the situation will be discussed in detail and the last part will specifically focus on suggestions about recommendations as well as solutions about how a team leader might use these theories to motivate their employees. Terms of reference In my capacity as a human resources consultant, Google Inc has approached me to offer advice about how it can improve its operations with regards to motivation of its employees across cultures. Basically, Google Inc is a multinational public company that specialises computer services and internet search corporation based in California. According to its official website, Google operates one of the biggest internet search engines in the world and it develops a number of internet based services and products. The organisation operates more than one million seve rs in data centers around the world and it has more than 200Â  000 employees worldwide. Against this background, they have approached me to offer advice about how they can improve their operations across cultures given that they operate in different countries with diverse cultures in a bid to ensure that these employees are satisfied with their work. The organisation is primarily concerned with obtaining information about how the leaders can motivate their employees across cultures. The concept of motivation plays a very pivotal role in as far as viability of the organisation is concerned. Employees form the back bone of each organisation given that they are the ones who actually perform all the work. In this given case, the leaders of Google ought to know that there is every need to satisfy the needs of the employees for their own good with regards to growth of the organisation. Motivation in this case is not only limited to financial gains but it extends to include other psycholo gical benefits. These will help create a sense of belonging to the organisation whereby retention of key staff can be possible. In this regard, this client has consulted me with the main aim of ensuring that the company continues to grow since it is their aim. The organisation is also concerned with establishing the impact of culture on its operations. Operating in diverse cultural backgrounds is not an easy feat given that people from different countries have different values that determine the way they behave. These values ought to be taken into consideration the reason why Google has sought advice from an expert in this area. Different people have different values and these ought to be taken into consideration so as to ensure that the organisation achieves its goal of remaining a leading internet service provider globally. Culture also plays a pivotal role in an organisation as it is mainly concerned with establishing the expected standards of operation within the organisation. T he leaders of Google have also approached me to get information about leadership in the organisation as this

Discussion Board Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Discussion Board - Assignment Example Therefore instead of looking at their own interests, they should be looking at the interest and welfare of those that they serve. In this case, they are able to be examples just as the number one leader in Jesus Christ was (Maxwell, 2007). In this sense, leaders must purport to serve others first in order to be able to accomplish the goal as a whole group and not just as an individual person. They should forget about the leadership. This form of leadership is important in the sense that it encourages team effort. It makes those in the position to be led. It means that if one person was in a position to do the task alone, it could have been done. Thus being in a leadership position to gain all the praise rather than to serve the people is being in the leadership position for a gain and not to help others. If Jesus provided this example by washing the feet of his disciples, then other leaders should follow the same. Servant leadership helps others to lead by example. For this reason, it is important to rely on Jesus will and ways in relation to leadership as it is only through this way that leaders can become the best leaders. They will be able to do things for others and not think of themselves. The Bible shows people serving others eagerly and not just for their gain (1 Peter 5:2-4). Thus following Jesus means following the humble manner. Jesus was able to lead in humility, love, compassion and in fellowship with others. It is important to note that leadership is not a single sill but the collective teaching of what is in the Bible. Thus, for a leader to be effective, he must emulate good qualities to the best of their abilities. This can be done by copying Jesus (Iwuala,

How outsourcing could be accomplished in ways that improve employee Research Paper

How outsourcing could be accomplished in ways that improve employee acceptance and reactions to change - Research Paper Example The paper tells that in today’s global world, outsourcing jobs is increasingly a fact of life. Outsourcing may be necessary to retain a competitive advantage, as other firms are outsourcing to take advantage of lower costs and higher quality. That said, outsourcing may not always be acceptable to the affected employees. Employees may be cynical about the changes brought about by the outsourcing, which leads to decreased employee morale. There are ways that firms should approach outsourcing decisions, namely communicating directly with employees in an effective manner. There are also ways not to approach outsourcing, which involves blindsiding employees and lying to them, as OzBank, the case study detailed below, approached their outsourcing. Moreover, appointing an effective, transformational leader to guide the process is essential. Guang Qu et al. researched what characteristics regarding IT firms made the firms more likely to outsourcing. They found that industry munificenc e and dynamism was positively correlated with the amount of outsourcing done by the individual firms in the industry. On the other hand, industry concentration is negatively correlated with outsourcing, due to the power and resources such firms have. They also found that high capital intensive industries are less likely to downsize than low capital intensive industries. This is because high capital intensive industries do not put a premium on risky and novel practices, which outsourcing is considered to be. Cox et al. (2011) also studied outsourcing with regards to IT firms. They identified two different categories of IT outsourcing – IT outsourcing with regards to core value-chain operations, and IT outsourcing with regards to support activities. The main outsourcing in the core value chain operations is distribution, whereas, with support activities, human resource management and facilities management are the two main support activities which involve outsourcing. They state that firms outsource because they want to retain a competitive advantage, including costs savings and quality improvement. Outsourcing may also increase flexibility of the firm, as well as restructure the firms’ costs. The focus of their study is on IT firms which are in the public sector, as opposed to the private sector, and the research method was case studies with semi-structured interviews. They found that, with the firms in the public sector, that the cost savings was the most important factor in the decision to outsource, and that the firms which did outsource found that there was also a quality advantage to doing so. This is because there is generally a larger pool of skilled workers to draw upon when a firm outsources. That said, there might be a disadvantage to firms which outsource due to industry perception of these firms. Oh et al. (2006) studied this factor. They found that, with regards to investors, one half of the investors in IT firms responded negatively t o announcements that the IT firm would be outsourcing, and one half of the firms reacted positively. The positive reactions came when the level of transactional risk for the firm was low, and the opposite when the level of transactional risk was high. The key drivers for negative reactions were â€Å"the relative size of the contract, the inability to monitor the vendor’s performance, the asset specificity of the IT outsourced resources, and the relative size of the vendor† (Oh et al., 2006, p. 299). Lee et al. (2000) further studied information systems (IS) outsourcing. They identified five research issues with regards to this. The first was why firms used outsourcing for acquisition. In particular, a firm must decide whether to make or buy developed technology. The next issue is the motivation for outsourcing. Lee et al. (2000) notes that there are inherent advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing. The advantages include cost reduction and quality enhancement. The disadvantages include loss of control, loss of qualified personnel and loss of flexibility. The third

Drawing upon the historical lessons of the Reconstruction Era and Essay

Drawing upon the historical lessons of the Reconstruction Era and cotemporary times, what should the role of government be in society - Essay Example ng and vital role in defending the rights of minorities, and must take action to atone for the wrongs of its past (for instance, by not simply ending slavery but actively redressing its effects).; The problem, however, is that from both that time period and today show that the government cannot be fully trusted: it will always act in its own self-interest. One of the most important lessons from the reconstruction era is that the government, to actually make societal changes for the better, must work to actively redress the crimes of its past – this is something that was simply not done enough during the reconstruction era, to the detriment of America today. Slavery was a crime committed by the various governments of the United States for almost 100 years – a crime that led to millions of people suffering and dying needlessly.2 America fought the civil war, at least in part, to atone for these crimes. The government also passed â€Å"constitutional amendments, [and] laws for racial equity† following the Civil war, believing simply outlawing their past crime was enough to make up for it.3 The problem, however, was that this did little to actually make up for the crimes of the past – black Americans were still widely discriminated against, and still relied on â€Å"privileged whites†4 for their work and sustenance – and if they tried to stand up against those whites they could be fired, deprived from work, otherwise harassed or even suffer violence.5 This led to black Americans having generation after generation of oppressed people, to the point where they still, more than one hundred and fifty years after the end of slavery, suffer from more societal ills such as poverty and crime. The United States government should have made a concerted effort to actually reverse the effect of the crime of slavery, not just stop committing that crime – if it had we might not need to be having debates about things like affirmative action today – and we would not

Speeches of the Security Members during the Resolution over Syria Essay

Speeches of the Security Members during the Resolution over Syria - Essay Example Even though, America and NATO expressed their concern regarding the affairs in that region their worry was the intimidation masqueraded by Islamic terrorism (Amnesty International, 2012, Pg.123-124). The latest Sino-Russian support over Syria in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and other global meetings is suggestive as it reveals a mutual sense of dangers, and solidarity to develop a policy to resist America, NATO and other regional nations where their course of action threatens Chinese and Russian interests. This paper shall analyze the latest Security Council debate, which led to the resolution S/2012/77 and criticized the extended brutality caused by the Syrian authorities. I shall particularly analyze the five speeches made by the representatives of the Security members, which includes, USA, China, Russia, Syria and Azerbaijan countries (Khashan, 2011, Pg.120). In the context of the latest Security Council, the debate that led to the veto resolution S/2012/77, the Syrian government is under criticism regarding its brutal actions, and the purpose of this debate was to stop violation of human rights and attacks caused by Syria. Instead of endorsing the move to full capacity, the Russian and the Chinese ambassadors, Vitaly Churkin and Li Baodong respectively, implemented a mutual policy purposed at creating a resolution that would not be harsh on both the Syrian authorities or remove president Bashar from office. In endorsing their policy, they claimed that implementing such a resolution would provoke external armed intrusion in Syria, and this may cause an outbreak of a bloodier civil war (International Crisis Group, 2011, Pg.100-101). Vitaly Churkin emphasized that Russia’s idea was an objective solution that would eradicate human violence and attacks and commence a political healing in Syria. He said that Russia had already arranged a meeting with President Al-Assad the following week, in order to obtain a concession that would create a peaceful dialogue between the regime and the opposition parties.  Ã‚  

Intergovernmental Finance and Paying a Share of the Cost Incurred by P Assignment

Intergovernmental Finance and Paying a Share of the Cost Incurred by Provincial Governments for Infrastructure Improvements - Assignment Example The control of funds is in the central government and it determines the distributable pool of resources. This is a Type D grant. It is a shared type of grant because it comes from the national tax. It however under the discretion of the central government where the 10% incomes tax will be allocated that is why it is Type D which is an ad hoc type of shared tax. IV. Annually the national government determines the amount of aid it will provide to subnational governments. The distribution of this financial aid is based on population density, the percentage of citizens under the age of fifteen, and the average household income. This is a Type F grant. This is an ad hoc transfer since it is under the central government’s discretion where to allocate the funds. It is further classified under the formula type of ad hoc transfer since the division of funds for allocation will be based on the computation of certain objective criteria and elements, in this case, population density, household income and percentage of a citizen under 15. This is a Type K grant. This is a type of reimbursable expenditure based on an emergency situation in a local unit. The funds will be approved and will come from the central government and the funds to be allocated would be the total or partial cost needed by the local government. VI. Local governments receive 40 percent of the motor vehicle license fees collected by the provincial government. The fees are allocated to the local governments based on the percentage of motor vehicles the province that is owned by residents in a particular local government jurisdiction. This is a Type B grant. It is a shared type of government funds but instead of being a national tax, the funds are from the provincial government collected from regular fees collected for the issuance of motor vehicle license. Forty percent is allocated to the local unit based on certain elements, in this case, the percentage of a motor vehicle owned by residents in a certain province.

Case Study of Personality Theories Essay Example for Free

Case Study of Personality Theories Essay Abdul Hnnan a 12 year old boy, who has been presented with language, academic and behavior difficulties. Hnnan had a traumatic delivery and suffered from hypoxia. Hnnan’s early motor and language milestones were grossly delayed. He sat and crawled at 2.6 years of age and walked after 3 years. His language was delayed and he spoke his first words at 4.6 years to 5 years and in sentences after 5 years. His speech was unclear and could be understood by his parents at age 6 years. However, even now outsiders understood 75% of what he said. His gross motor skills and fine motor skills were poor. He started climbing stairs at 4 to 5 years and started pedaling at 5 years. He still could not pedal a bicycle, tie his shoelaces and button his shirt. Hnnan was a placid baby who did not respond, had no eye contact and had a squint. He slept for long hours and had to be force-fed. He was hyperactive, destructive and aggressive after 3 years. He banged his head. He disliked visitors and could get very distressed. He hated any object in the house being displaced and insisted on having everything in order. He was very difficult to manage. He liked to spin around and jump. At the age of 4 to 5 years, he started noticing other children and started taking interest in them. He became less hyperactive, less aggressive and was more amenable to instructions. However, presently he was still restless and jumped a lot. He could still spin around for hours. He liked being on his own but also could be talkative, over friendly and odd. He repeatedly asked the same questions and was naive. For example, during the interview he repeatedly asked â€Å"Can a cow hurt or not? What if I play with it, will it hurt me or not?† He had writing problems because of his hand tremors. He was always restless and distractible and could not sit for more than a few minutes. His memory was very good but his understanding was weak. His mother has to sit with him for hours to teach him language and concepts. He has difficulty with understanding complex or abstract concepts. He did not have problems in social interaction but had difficulties in social communication and imaginative and flexible thinking. Difficulties with self control is presenting as restlessness, inability to follow adult agenda and paying attention to other people, to what they might be saying, thinking or feeling. SOCIAL HISTORY Abdul Hnnan was born in Lahore, Pakistan by Pakistani parents. He was the first child in the family. His mother, Wajiha, had a positive family history. One of her cousins was mentally retarded. Hnnan was born at term. His mother had high blood pressure. The labour was prolonged, 11 hours and a caesarean was suggested but refused. He was born limp and blue. He had hypoxia. He was in NICU for 5 days. His birth weight was 2.54 kilos. He cried well after 15 days of life. Hnnan’s early motor and language milestones were grossly delayed. He started noticing children at 4 or 5 years and started taking interest in them. Hnnan’s younger sister, Amen, 3 years of age was very sociable and talkative. Hnnan’s father was more patient and his mother more irritable. Hnnan was very difficult till age 6 years and was aggressive, non-compliant and unreasonably demanding. As he grew older he became more co-operative and could be rationalized with. Whenever his mother asked him to do something he ignored 5 to 6 times. After that he started to argue. His mother used reprimands, bribes, threats and force to make him do things. Hnnan did not go to school. The family moved to Saudi Arabia when he was 7 years old. His parents took him to a Neuro-Developmental Pediatrician when he was 9 years old. His mother reported that he did not like to play with toys. All he did was jump on a bed or spin around. He was very restless and distracted and had a short attention span. He could be very stubborn and insisted on doing things his way. He was generally cheerful and friendly. He repeatedly asked the same questions and insisted that his parents answer them in the same way or he answered them himself. He watched the same cartoons repeatedly. He constantly jumped or spun around. He used to grab things from strangers. He ignored a child crying till age 5 years but after that he gradually became more empathetic. Hnnan avoided staying in crowds as he knew that he was different from others and that’s why people were laughing at him. After that his condition got better. Following difficulties may become apparent in early childhood: Problems performing subtle movements, such as tying shoelaces, doing up buttons and zip, using cutlery, handwriting. Many will have difficulties getting dressed. They have problems carrying out playground movements, such as jumping, playing hopscotch, catching a ball, kicking a ball, hopping and skipping. They have a higher tendency to bump into things, to fall over and to drop things. Some find it hard to go up and down stairs. Some have problems with using scissors, coloring, drawing, playing jigsaw games.

What are the causes and effects of unemployment

What are the causes and effects of unemployment Unemployment  occurs when a person is able and willing to work but currently without  work.  The prevalence of unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate, which is defined as the percentage of those in the labour force  who are unemployed. The unemployment rate is also used in  economic  studies and economic  indices  such as the  United States  Conference Boards  Index of Leading Indicators  as a measure of the state of  macroeconomics. The causes of unemployment are disputed.  Keynesian economics  emphasizes unemployment resulting from insufficient effective demand  for goods and services in the economy (cyclical unemployment). Others point to structural problems and inefficiencies inherent in labour markets;  structural unemployment  involves mismatches between demand and supply of laborers with the necessary skill set, sometimes induced by  technologies  or  globalisation.  Classical  orneo classical economics  tends to reject these explanations, and focuses more on rigidities imposed on the labor market from the outside, such as unionization, minimum wage laws, taxes, and other regulations that may discourage the hiring of workers (classical unemployment). Yet others see unemployment as largely due to voluntary choices by the unemployed and the time it takes to find a new job (frictional unemployment).  Behavioral economics  highlights phenomena such as  sticky wages  and  efficie ncy wages  which may lead to unemployment. There is also disagreement on how exactly to measure unemployment. Different countries experience different levels of unemployment; traditionally, the  United States  tends to experience lower unemployment levels than countries in the  European Union,[2]  although there is some variation there, with countries like the  UK  and  Denmark  outperforming  Italy  and France  and it also changes over time (e.g. the  Great Depression) throughout  economic cycles. Types of unemployment Economists  distinguish between various  types of unemployment, including  cyclical unemployment,  frictional unemployment,  structural unemployment  and  classical unemployment. Some additional types of unemployment that are occasionally mentioned are seasonal unemployment, hardcore unemployment, and hidden unemployment. Real-world unemployment may combine different types. The magnitude of each of these is difficult to measure, partly because they overlap. Though there have been several definitions of  voluntary  and  involuntary  unemployment in the economics literature, a simple distinction is often applied. Voluntary unemployment is attributed to the individuals decisions, whereas involuntary unemployment exists because of the socio-economic environment (including the market structure, government intervention, and the level of aggregate demand) in which individuals operate. In these terms, much or most of  frictional unemployment  is voluntary, since it reflects individual search behaviour. On the other hand, cyclical unemployment, structural unemployment, and classical unemployment are largely involuntary in nature. However, the existence of structural unemployment may reflect choices made by the unemployed in the past, while classical (natural) unemployment may result from the legislative and economic choices made by labour unions and/or political parties. So in practice, the distinction between voluntary and involuntary unemployment is hard to draw. The clearest cases of involuntary unemployment are those where there are fewer job vacancies than unemployed workers even when wages are allowed to adjust, so that even if all vacancies were to be filled, there would be unemployed workers. This is the case of cyclical unemployment, for which macroeconomic forces lead to microeconomic unemployment. Frictional unemployment Frictional unemployment  is the time period between jobs when a worker moves from one job to another. Frictional unemployment is an example of a productive part of the  economy, increasing both the workers long term  welfare  and  economic efficiency, and is also a type of  voluntary unemployment. Frictional unemployment is always present in an economy, so the level of involuntary unemployment is properly the unemployment rate minus the rate of frictional unemployment, which means that increases or decreases in unemployment are normally under-represented in the simple statistics. Classical unemployment Classical or real-wage unemployment occurs when real wages for a job are set above the market-clearing level, causing the number of job-seekers to exceed the number of vacancies. Libertarian economists like  F.A. Hayek  argued that unemployment increases the more the government intervenes into the economy to try to improve the conditions of those with jobs. For example,  minimum wage  laws raise the cost of labourers with few skills to above the market equilibrium, resulting in people who wish to work at the going rate but cannot as wage enforced is greater than their value as workers becoming unemployed.  They believed that laws restricting layoffs made businesses less likely to hire in the first place, as hiring becomes more risky, leaving many young people unemployed and unable to find work. Some, such as  Murray Rothbard,  suggest that even social taboos can prevent wages from falling to the market clearing level. Some economists theorize that this type of unemployment can be reduced by increasing the flexibility of wages (e.g., abolishing minimum wages or employee protection), to make the labor market more like a financial market Cyclical or Keynesian unemployment Cyclical or  Keynesian  unemployment, also known as deficient-demand unemployment, occurs when there is not enough aggregate demand in the economy. It gets its name because it varies with the  business cycle, though it can also be persistent, as during the  Great Depression  of the 1930s. Cyclical unemployment is caused by a  business cycle  recession, and wages not falling to meet the equilibrium level. Cyclical unemployment rises during economic downturns and falls when the economy improves. Keynesians argue that this type of unemployment exists due to inadequate effective  aggregate demand. Demand for most goods and services falls, less production is needed and consequently fewer workers are needed, wages do not fall to meet the equilibrium level, and mass unemployment results. Some consider this type of unemployment one type of frictional unemployment in which factors causing the friction are partially caused by some cyclical variables. For example, a surprise decrease in the money supply may shock participants in society. With cyclical unemployment, the number of unemployed workers exceeds the number of job vacancies, so that if even all open jobs were filled, some workers would remain unemployed. This kind of unemployment coincides with unused industrial capacity (unemployed capital goods).  Keynesian  economists see it as possibly being solved by government  deficit spending or by expansionary  monetary policy, which aims to increase non-governmental spending by lowering  interest rates. In contrast,  Austrian economists  argue that government spending and policies are the root cause of economic cycles and cyclical unemployment and should be reformed or removed. Classical economics  rejects the conception of cyclical unemployment, seeing the attainment of full employment of resources and potential output as the normal state of affairs. Structural unemployment Structural unemployment  occurs when a labor market is unable to provide jobs for everyone who wants one because there is a mismatch between the skills of the unemployed workers and the skills needed for the available jobs.[10] Structural unemployment is hard to separate empirically from frictional unemployment, except to say that it lasts longer. As with frictional unemployment, simple demand-side stimulus will not work to easily abolish this type of unemployment. Structural unemployment may also be encouraged to rise by persistent cyclical unemployment: if an economy suffers from long-lasting low aggregate demand, it means that many of the unemployed become disheartened, while their skills (including  job-searching  skills) become rusty and obsolete. Problems with debt may lead to  homelessness  and a fall into the vicious circle of  poverty. This means that they may not fit the job vacancies that are created when the economy recovers. Some economists see this scenario as occurring under British Prime Minister  Margaret Thatcher  during the 1970s and 1980s. The implication is that sustained  high  demand may  lower  structural unemployment. This theory of persistence in structural unemployment has been referred to as an example of  path dependence  or hysteresis. Much  technological unemployment  (e.g. due to the replacement of workers by machines) might be counted as structural unemployment. Alternatively, technological unemployment might refer to the way in which steady increases in labor productivity mean that fewer workers are needed to produce the same level of output every year. The fact that aggregate demand can be raised to deal with this problem suggests that this problem is instead one of cyclical unemployment. As indicated by  Okuns Law, the demand side must grow sufficiently quickly to absorb not only the growing labor force but also the workers made redundant by increased labor productivity. Otherwise, we see a  jobless recovery  such as those seen in the United States in both the early 1990s and the early 2000s. Seasonal unemployment may be seen as a kind of structural unemployment, since it is a type of unemployment that is linked to certain kinds of  jobs  (construction work, migratory farm work). The most-cited official unemployment measures erase this kind of unemployment from the statistics using seasonal adjustment techniques. Long-term unemployment This is normally defined, for instance in  European Union  statistics, as unemployment lasting for longer than one year. It is an important indicator of  social exclusion. Hidden unemployment Hidden, or covered, unemployment is the unemployment of potential workers that is not reflected in official unemployment statistics, due to the way the statistics are collected. In many countries only those who have no work but are actively looking for work (and/or qualifying for social security benefits) are counted as unemployed. Those who have given up looking for work (and sometimes those who are on Government retraining programmes) are not officially counted among the unemployed, even though they are not employed. The same applies to those who have taken  early retirement  to avoid being laid off, but would prefer to be working. The statistic also does not count the underemployed those with part time or seasonal jobs who would rather have full time jobs. Because of hidden unemployment, official statistics often underestimate unemployment rates. Full employment. In demand-based theory, it is possible to abolish cyclical unemployment by increasing the aggregate demand for products and workers. However, eventually the economy hits an inflation barrier imposed by the four other kinds of unemployment to the extent that they exist. Some demand theory economists see the inflation barrier as corresponding to the  natural rate of unemployment. The natural rate of unemployment is defined as the rate of unemployment that exists when the labor market is in equilibrium and there is pressure for neither rising inflation rates nor falling inflation rates. An alternative technical term for this rate is the  NAIRU  or the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment. No matter what its name, demand theory holds that this means that if the unemployment rate gets too low, inflation will get worse and worse (accelerate) in the absence of wage and price controls (incomes policies). One of the major problems with the  NAIRU  theory is that no one knows exactly what the NAIRU is (while it clearly changes over time). The margin of error can be quite high relative to the actual unemployment rate, making it hard to use the NAIRU in policy-making. Another, normative, definition of full employment might be called the  ideal  unemployment rate. It would exclude all types of unemployment that represent forms of inefficiency. This type of full employment unemployment would correspond to only frictional unemployment (excluding that part encouraging the  McJobs  management strategy) and would thus be very low. However, it would be impossible to attain this full-employment target using only demand-side  Keynesian  stimulus without getting below the  NAIRU  and suffering from accelerating inflation (absent incomes policies). Training programs aimed at fighting structural unemployment would help here. To the extent that hidden unemployment exists, it implies that official unemployment statistics provide a poor guide to what unemployment rate coincides with full employment. Causes of unemployment. Causes of frictional unemployment Frictional unemployment may be a result of the following reasons: Mobility of labour: People generally seek another job either because they are fired from the existing job or because they are they want to get a better job. In the transition period they are unemployed. Expansion of the Labour force Every year more and more individuals join the labor force. During the phase of their job search they are unemployed.   Many economists have termed frictional unemployment a sign of economic well being. Frictional unemployment can exist only in a fast growing economy where the labor force is expanding, mobile, flexible and adaptable.  People generally seek another job either because they are fired from the existing job or because they are they want to get a better job. In the transition period they are unemployed. Expansion of the Labour force Every year more and more individuals join the labor force. During the phase of their job search they are unemployed.   Many economists have termed frictional unemployment a sign of economic well being. Frictional unemployment can exist only in a fast growing economy where the labor force is expanding, mobile, flexible and adaptable.   Labour mobility In the presence of perfect information and mobility of labor, people out of job can easily find in an industry, which is in need of labor. This way, structural unemployment may be reduced. Structure of the regional economy If certain industries are closing down then it may so happen that industries may get concentrated in a certain part of the nation. This may make employment difficult and increase the resulting structural unemployment.   High Gross Domestic Product, it is seen, is not indicative of a low structural unemployment : The main reason for the high level of unemployment is technological progress. Dont get me wrong; progress is good and it makes life easier. But if every year we produce the same amount of goods with fewer people in a few years far less working hours are needed to produce all the goods that are required. The historical trend has been to use less and less working hours per week.  If  we do  not  continue this trend, the supply of working hours is greater than the demand. An  oversupply  of working hours means they are worth less, wages and salaries get reduced. Also many persons are out of work; their working hours are no longer needed. Those that are out of work have no income and therefore  the demand for goods  goes down. With fewer sales, less gets produced, more persons are laid off. This is a vicious circle that accelerates unemployment and produces crime; because some will turn to crime to obtain income . Causes Of Unemployment In Pakistan: Economy of an individual is at the utmost priority of every democratic as well as welfare state. Since the dawn of human history, individual needs have been prioritized by every human being. These individual needs can be met by proper sources of employment. After the transformation of the world from a feudal to an industrial society, the needs of an individual have risen sharply, giving due importance to finance.In Pakistan, due to gigantic rise in population, individual finances have been disturbed a lot. This is because of rising unemployment. The major cause of unemployment in Pakistan are following. The first cause of unemployment or joblessness  in Pakistan is worsening law and order situation. Owing to this negative social phenomenon, foreign direct investment is sliding down to the bottom. According to the economic survey of Pakistan, in the current decade FDI was minimum last year.Also investors are loosing confidence in the political and economic system of the country therefore they are reluctant to invest in any new business venture. Resultantly, new jobs are not generating while the job seekers are rising continuously in the country. Secondly, Agriculture is account for the maximum job provision in the country. Agriculture sector is facing severe challenges of water shortage, climatic changes and technological backwardness in recent years. These factors have hit the per acre yield negatively which caused loosing of jobs of several people. In 2009-10, agriculture showed a growth of only 2% against the target of 3.8% while nearly 62% of Pakistan population is living in rural areas, and is directly or indirectly linked with agriculture for their livelihood. Thirdly, Industry is also a heaven for educated as well as semi-educated labour force in the country. Pakistan industry is short listing its labour because of gradual decrease in demand as well as acute energy shortage. Energy shortfall crosses 5500 MW at time causing severe damage to production capacity. Fourthly, World economic depression coupled with American war against Terror has also put negative impacts on our economy. It has not only doubled our expenditures on military front but also defaced Pakistans image in international arena. These factors have put international investment in Pakistan at risk. Therefore, Pakistan is not attracting new investment causing unemployment in the country. Fifthly,  United States of America spent 368 billion in 2007 on research and development whereas Pakistans attention towards this sector is the least. By spending on education and research, we can create more specialized fields thus generating more jobs. In the 2010 budget, Pakistan has earmarked only 2% of its GDP on education which is the lowest in whole of the region. Sixthly, Population increase is also a cause of unemployment in Pakistan. Till 2010, Pakistans population is 173.54 million wheras most of the population is unable to survive in the financial race because of illiteracy. In Spite of these factors poor governance, deep rooted corruption, faulty educational system, lack of quality educational institutions and feudalism are also aggravating the situation further. Finally, we can hold the government responsible for the its poor performance in financial sector. Poor governance have marred the performance of our economic sector by every side and government has taken only cosmetic measures to redress the problem. Dr. Ishrat Hussain suggestions to improve the governance  have been put  on the backburner. Economy of an individual is at the utmost priority of every democratic as well as welfare state. Since the dawn of human history, individual needs have been prioritized by every human being. These individual needs can be met by proper sources of employment. After the transformation of the world from a feudal to an industrial society, the needs of an individual have risen sharply, giving due importance to finance.In Pakistan, due to gigantic rise in population, individual finances have been disturbed a lot. This is because of rising unemployment. The major cause of unemployment in Pakistan are following. The first cause of unemployment or joblessness  in Pakistan is worsening law and order situation. Owing to this negative social phenomenon, foreign direct investment is sliding down to the bottom. According to the economic survey of Pakistan, in the current decade FDI was minimum last year.Also investors are loosing confidence in the political and economic system of the country therefore they are reluctant to invest in any new business venture. Resultantly, new jobs are not generating while the job seekers are rising continuously in the country. Secondly, Agriculture is account for the maximum job provision in the country. Agriculture sector is facing severe challenges of water shortage, climatic changes and technological backwardness in recent years. These factors have hit the per acre yield negatively which caused loosing of jobs of several people. In 2009-10, agriculture showed a growth of only 2% against the target of 3.8% while nearly 62% of Pakistan population is living in rural areas, and is directly or indirectly linked with agriculture for their livelihood. Thirdly, Industry is also a heaven for educated as well as semi-educated labour force in the country. Pakistan industry is short listing its labour because of gradual decrease in demand as well as acute energy shortage. Energy shortfall crosses 5500 MW at time causing severe damage to production capacity. Fourthly, World economic depression coupled with American war against Terror has also put negative impacts on our economy. It has not only doubled our expenditures on military front but also defaced Pakistans image in international arena. These factors have put international investment in Pakistan at risk. Therefore, Pakistan is not attracting new investment causing unemployment in the country. Fifthly,  United States of America spent 368 billion in 2007 on research and development whereas Pakistans attention towards this sector is the least. By spending on education and research, we can create more specialized fields thus generating more jobs. In the 2010 budget, Pakistan has earmarked only 2% of its GDP on education which is the lowest in whole of the region. Sixthly, Population increase is also a cause of unemployment in Pakistan. Till 2010, Pakistans population is 173.54 million wheras most of the population is unable to survive in the financial race because of illiteracy. In Spite of these factors poor governance, deep rooted corruption, faulty educational system, lack of quality educational institutions and feudalism are also aggravating the situation further. Finally, we can hold the government responsible for the its poor performance in financial sector. Poor governance have marred the performance of our economic sector by every side and government has taken only cosmetic measures to redress the problem. Dr. Ishrat Hussain suggestions to improve the governance  have been put  on the backburner. Five steps to helping Pakistans educated unemployed: While the problem of individuals who are highly educated but unemployed can be found around the world, the situation in Pakistan is particularly dire and urgent: in 1994, nearly half of the unemployed in Pakistan were educated. This form of unemployment is not only expensive, since it wastes valuable education dollars, it is also socially disruptive. Jobless but educated youth often become hopeless for any kind of future in Pakistan, or in a growing number of cases, become part of the brain drain and leave for countries in industrialized nations where there are more employment opportunities. Part of the problem is the lack of emphasis on vocational and technical training and too much stress on abstract knowledge. In Pakistan, about 323,000 students pass the matriculation exam yearly. Out of these students, it is estimated that over half will choose post-secondary education and only 20 percent will seek vocational training or business education. Of those who choose the path to higher education, the majority enter the general bachelors and masters degree programs with little to no career counseling. This is explained by the fact that the state provides a 91 percent subsidy to higher education while recovering only nine percent of the total cost through fees. Therefore, it is very easy to obtain higher academic education in Pakistan. The problem though is that this education does not teach skills that will be marketable in the job market after graduation, thus creating a mismatch between the degrees students earn and the jobs available to them, especially in the private sector. The other option is to seek employment with the government. This too, however, is problematic, since regional quotas and financial constraints make the pool of jobs possibly even smaller than in the private sector. As for those who enter the job market right after high school, studies indicate that only two-thirds of them are able to find jobs, while the rest continue to be unemployed. In addition, 20,000 to 30,000 intermediate-level students fail to find jobs each year. However, even in faculties that offer technical training, the skills taught are sorely lacking. One example is in the sciences. Only one-quarter of matriculating students pursue further education in science. Among those who decide to pursue a career in engineering, the only option the Pakistani Universities of Engineering and Technology make available is a Bachelors of Science in engineering. That means these schools act as engineering colleges rather than universities, by churning out graduates with a bachelors degree level education and completely ignoring post-graduate training. To make the problem worse, there is an too much emphasis on traditional areas like civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, while areas like computer and software engineering, which offer more opportunities, are generally ignored. This deals a nasty blow to young, bright students who have the interest and intelligence to succeed in such fields which are more likely to provide the promise of a job than in the traditional domains of engineering. To bridge the yawning gap between qualified Pakistanis and the countrys job market, a number of urgent steps need to be taken to reform the educational system. Here are five that can help: 1. After students pass the Matriculation level, they should be required to take a National Aptitude. This will create two streams of students. One will include those students who will pursue general education and the other technical/vocational training. This is why the test must be designed to identify students with an aptitude for technical work so that a larger number of youth can be directed towards training programs and apprenticeship schemes. 2. Students who pursue higher university education should be more focused on research. Only the brightest and the most talented students who show an aptitude for scholarly research should be encouraged to choose higher university education. 3. Employment in the public sector should not be based on quotas, but rather on merit. 4. There must be career counseling and guidance provided to youth, so that trained experts can share their knowledge and help steer the next generation to fields that will benefit them and the country. 5. The Pakistani government should conduct labor market surveys to provide students with information about job prospects, labor market requirements and job descriptions. Armed with this information, students will be able to make better choices for their future. Rate Of unemployment in Pakistan: Differnce between the two previous governments Efforts Made By Government: GOVT PURSUING POLICIES TO REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT: PAKISTANI PM GILANI ISLAMABAD, Mar 4 (NNN-APP) Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the government has devised a comprehensive policy for achieving sustainable economic growth. Addressing participants of the 92nd National Management Course here Wednesday, he said the government has designed its polices keeping in view the objective to reduce poverty, unemployment and meet the targets set out in Millennium Development Goals. He said the effective policy implementation to stabilize the country?s economy met with success in arresting the downward trend and the difficulties in this regard had been largely contained. It is heartening to note that all economic indicators are now showing positive trend, he added. ? Governance is a shared responsibility of all the state institutions at all levels and the people can only be satisfied when their needs and problems are resolved at their doorstep,? he said adding this required coordination and harmonious relationship among all the institutions with the objective to serve the common man. He underlined the need for every institution to function within its own ambit and discharge its responsibilities with sincerity of purpose. Gilani said the concept of good governance has gained much importance in the present day where the public representatives implement an agenda which has the backing of mandate. The key role in this regard is played by the civil servants as they are entrusted with the role of policy inputs and implementation of government?s initiatives, he added. He said best practices and success stories from the private sector and the civil society have to be incorporated in the government?s working. Motivation and initiatives are incentives of proper service delivery at the grassroots level. Similarly, the efficiency of the government agenda is based on the quality of governance, he observed. If good governance is lacking the system becomes dysfunctional and service delivery is unattainable. Inculcation of a spirit of public service must be the hallmark of your professional approach while discharging responsibilities at different government positions, he commented. Gilani said primary responsibility as state functionaries is to perform duty with integrity, justice and honesty. He quoted from the address of Quaid-e-Azam to the gazetted officers on 25th March, 1948: ?Of course you must be loyal to the Government that is in power. The second point is that of your conduct and dealings with the people in various departments, in which you may be: wipe off that past reputation; you are not rulers. You do not belong to the ruling class; you belong to the servants. Make the people feel that you are their servants and friends, maintain the highest standard of honour, integrity, justice and fair-play. If you do that, people will have confidence and trust in you and will look upon you as friends and well wishers?.   The Prime Minister said the government is striving for a democratic, prosperous and progressive Pakistan which is the anchor of peace and stability for the entire South Asian region. ?Every country has its unique features, which require indigenous solutions. In our case too, we need to solve our problems by devising solutions according to our own conditions. That is where the role of civil servant is most crucial,? he added. He said it is important that outdated and obstructive rules and regulations are revisited from time to time. The implementation level of public policies itself is a big challenge before the civil servants. He said policies are formulated with zeal and enthusiasm but at times their implementation is too slow or delayed and thereby the original purpose of the agenda is either lost or becomes irrelevant. He said the government is committed to improving the capabilities of the civil servants to become responsive in delivering basic public services to the common citizens in an effi

A Chinese Multinational Computer Hardware Marketing Essay

A Chinese Multinational Computer Hardware Marketing Essay Lenovo Group Limited is a Chinese multinational computer hardware and electronics company with its operational headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina, United States and its registered office in Hong Kong. Its products include personal computers,  tablet computers,  mobile phones, workstations,  servers, electronic storage devices, IT management software and  smart televisions (Wikipedia, 2012). Lenovo is the dominant supplier of computers in Mainland China; however,  current economic system is transferred to be more globalised, integrated and interdependent. Thus for many enterprises or just like Lenovo, to have a plan on the international expansion strategies is of the essence. This report will analyse Lenovo PC businesss marketing mix and marketing strategy through environment, target market, positioning, and 4P. Brand History and Evironment 1.1 Brand History In 1984, with an initial capital outlay of only RMB200,000, (US$25,000) Lenovos founding chairman Liu Chuanzhi, together with 10 like-minded colleagues, launches the New Technology Developer Inc which was named Legend at that time (Lenovo Company History, n.d.). By 1989, now known as Hong Kong Legend has branded out into motherboard manufacturer and it has changed its name to Lenovo and launched itself on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1994 (Malone, 2004). In 1996, Legend became the market share leader in China for the first time and introduced the first Legend brand laptop to consumers. In 2005, Lenovo completes the acquisition of IBMs Personal Computing Division, making it a new international IT competitor and the third-largest personal computer company in the world (Lenovo Company History, n.d.). According to the data, Lenovo has become the worlds second largest supplier of  personal computers  during the third quarter of 2011, which held around 13.5% of the worldwide compute r market as of October 2011 (Conn, 2011). Today, Lenovo is a global corporation with significant operations on six continents and operating in more than 60 countries and selling products in 160 countries (wikipedia, 2012). 1.2 Internal Environment Figure 1 Marketing Environment Competitive Economic Macro-environment Micro-enviroment Political-Legal Technological Social-Culture Competitors Customers General Public Distributors Suppliers Internal environment Men Money Machinery Materials Minutes Started from a square room, only 11 individuals Lenovo Group, currently has more than 10,000 employees. Facing with rapid development of the internet, April 2000, Lenovo Group restructured the whole company, from the division as the core system to a subsidiary of the core change in the system. Today, Lenovo has the most advanced technology in China, the high-level professionals, and abundant capital support, for example, its gross profit margin improved 11.7 percent in 2011 (Lenovo, 2011). Meanwhile, the Lenovo Groups management level has been committed to developing the development strategy, implementing the management philosophy, maintaining and carrying forward the corporate culture, in order to make the Lenovo to become a long-term, large scale high-tech enterprise. 1.3 Micro-Environment 1.3.1 Bargaining power of suppliers PC belongs to sophisticated instrument; therefore, the worldwide major CPU vendors are only two: AMD and INTEL. So the CPU suppliers has a strong bargaining power. On the other hand, there are many hardware providers in Chinese mainland, so for Chinese PC market, the local brand Lenovo has obvious advantages. 1.3.2 Bargaining power of buyers Because more and more PC brands can be chosen by consumers in global market, consumers have the ability to replace a companys products with the goods or services from a competing firm. 1.3.3 Potential new entrants and Threat of substitute products Because the cost of entering the PC market is high and the PC industry require the patent as a basis to develop the company, the threat of new entrants can be moderate. Additionally, the product like smart mobile phone may become substantial product for PC. It has many functions like PC which bring the large value to the customer. However, in the short term, it has little impact on Lenovos marketing strategies. 1.3.4 Rivalry among competitors In Chinas PC market, Lenovo is the number one PC vendor, which occupies the largest proportion of Chinas PC market share. Overall, rivalry is moderate in China. However, facing with HP, Dell, and Acer etc. in global market, Lenovo has to enhance the function of its PC products and the quality of sevices in order to gain competitive edges in some specific markets. Figure 2 illustrates the market share in U.S. PC market during the third quarter in 2012. Figure 2 Preliminary U.S. PC Q3 2012 Market Share by Vendor Chart by  The Mac Observer  from IDC data 1.4 Macro-Environment 1.4.1 Political-Legal environment In the 1980s, Chinese Academy of Sciences invested a lot of money when Lenovo needed financial support to develop itself. Indeed, Lenovo has a strong political background in China and it has been regarded as the birthplace of Chinas computer technology. Additionally, as a global company, Lenovo has to comply with unfamiliar laws and regulations. 1.4.2 Economic Environment Firgure 3 Lenovo RD Center in ShenZhenWith the increase income of Chinese consumers, people increasingly like to put money in hi-tech products, such as laptop, digital camera, and smart mobile phone. However, in global market, with the deepening of European debt crisis, the global economic are facing deflation and the unemployment rate are shotting up. Consumers wil be more prudent to make decision in purchasing. 1.4.3 Technological Environment Chinese Academy of Sciences which has 1,800 talents in From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediathe field of computer technology can povides efficient and effective support to Lenovo during RD process (Wikipedia, 2012). A prevalent trend that some hi-tech companies have cooperated with PC firms, such as HuaWei and Cisco, improving the existing products and offering better customer service challenges the PC leader of Chinas market. 1.4.4 Social-Cultural Environment To remain competitive, Lenovo must be sensitive to societys demographic shifts and changing values. However, in the global PC market, because the characteristics of the population, values and attitudes of consumers, and lifestyle are various, it is difficult to satisfy every consumer. Additionally, raising the awareness of consumerism is important to current companies. 1.4.5 Competitive Environment The competition of hi-tech products is very fierce in global market. Lenove are facing with some outstanding company, such as Apple, HP, and Dell. The products from different companies with various distinguishing features attract consumers to buy, which increase the level of competition. Furthermore, the indirect competition also has an impact on this market, such as smart mobile phone and iPad, because Wi-Fi makes the Internet available via radio waves and can be accessed at any number of public hot spots. Target Market and Positioning 2.1 Target Market Market segmentation is an inevitable trend in a mature market. The target market for a product is the specific segment of consumers most likely to purchase a particular product. Marketers should try to isolate the traits that distinguish a certain group of consumers from the overall market, in order to serve consumers and maximize the profit. 2.1.1 Geographic Segmentation From 2009 to 2012, Lenovo divided the overall market based on mature market and emerging market. However, from January 2012 onward, Lenovo gave up this method of market segmentation, while Lenovo divided the global market into four parts: Chinese market, North American market, EMEA market (Europe, Middle East and Africa market) and Asia Pacific Latin American market. In this four parts, Chinese market has a large number of population, which means great potential for profit growth. In contrast, North American market is relatively difficult to enter, because it is a mature market and consumers are loyal to former brands, such as Dell and HP. Overall, Lenovo combine its marketing efforts for countries and regions that share similar population and product-use patterns instead of treating each country or region as an independent segment. 2.1.2 Demographic Segmentation Gender: the purchasing habit of women can not be overlooked in PC market, because most woman buyers focus the stylish appearance and lightweight portable design rather than the computer performance, such as software and hardware. Age: tweens and teens usually use their computer for study and online game, while Generation X use their computer for work and social contact. Lenovos two main PC products ThinkPad and IdeaPad are different. Specifically, The IdeaPad design marked a deviation from the business-oriented  ThinkPad  laptops, towards a more consumer-focused look and feel (Jackson, 2008). Income and Expenditure patterns: because the income directly determine the purchasing power of consumer, Lenovo PC products are distributed across low end market, mid-range market and high end market. Figure 4 ThinkPad logo and IdeaPad logo From Lenovo official website 2.1.3 Psychographic and Behavioural segmentation Lenovos marketers quantify aspects of consumers personalities and lifestyles to create goods and services for a target market. For example, Lenovo products advertisements are different in Mainland China and America. Because consumers in China focus on the performance of the product while American consumers focus on the spirit that the product convey. Furthermore, most Chinese PC consumers like comparing goods before taking money form their wallet, while European consumers prefer to pursue high-quality product and to make decision quickly. 2.2 Positioning From the view of laptop market structure, business market account for the largest proportion of laptop market share, especially in government, manufactoring industry, school and university, and financial industry. From the view of sales, mid-range market is the most important part while the sales in low end market increase rapidly. The target market selection of Lenovo PCs is based on market size, development prospects, business goals and competitive advantages. To maintain the leading position in the Chinese market, Lenovo PCs must be on the market for comprehensive coverage. Specifically, Idea-branded focus on individual and family consumer market with low price and stylish design, which targets to low end market. While Think-branded focus on medium and small business, not-for-profit organizations, which is committed to provide a stable, safe, and high-quality computer product. Furthermore, because of the acquisition of IBMs personal computer business, Lenovo have the ability to en ter the high end business market. IBM PCs regard the high end of key account market as the target market. The distinct level of Lenovos marketing positioning helps distinguish its products from those of competitors and provides a basis for marketing communications. Marketing Mix Variables 3.1 Product Strategy Lenovo targets clearly its product strategy at the diversification development in such a new information era. Lenovo leads the PC industry in product innovation and it mainly focuses on PC business. Therefore, we divide products of Lenovo into two parts: laptop and desktop. 3.1.1 ThinkPad IdeaPad ThinkPad were originally an IBM product, which is line of business-oriented laptop computers known for their boxy black design (Wikipedia, 2012). ThinkPad series is made up of T series, X series, L series, W series, and ThinkPad Edge and each of them has their own feature. Specifically, T series is the most popular ThinkPad because of its performance and portability; X series is the thinnest and lightest with the longest battery life; L series is the green choice for professionals; W series is defined as a portable workstation. The IdeaPad line of consumer-oriented  laptop computers  was introduced in January 2008. The IdeaPad is the result of Lenovos own research and development (Wikipedia 2012). IdeaPad consist of U series, Y series, Z series. Specifically, U series is a stylish choice for everyday use; Y series design for gamers, movie buffs and audiophiles; Z series has a balance of price and multimedia features. 3.1.2 ThinkCentre IdeaCentre There are two series of ThinkCentre: ThinkCentre Edge Series (stylish, business-class) and ThinkCentre M series (sophisticated space-savers, dependable business partners). ThinkCentre is a system that combines reliability with ease of use. The marketing concept of ThinkCentre is You name the challenge, well bring the solution. IdeaCentre were described by HotHardware as being uniquely designed, with users needing to gaze on each one to see which design would look best in your place.(Willington, 2011). Indeed, IdeaCentre desktops come in all shapes and sizes.   Theres the skinny all-in-one that hides its working bits, the tiny nettop no larger than a book, and the regular desktop that traditionalists will view with satisfaction. Figure 5 Lenovo IdeaCentre 3.1.3 Service and Warranty From hothardware.comLenovo services is various depending on different kinds of customers. For example, Lenovo offers a comprehensive portfolio of value-added services that support the full lifecycle of Lenovo assets to large enterprises while Lenovo offers warranty support services and accidental damage protection to personal and home. 3.2 Promotion Strategy Lenovos prior goal is to create a new and successful international brand by the advantageous promotion of IBM; therefore, advertisement is the best option for this goal. Then promotional activities are also in effective and direct ways. 3.2.1 Advertising Lenovos personal computer mainly targets some individual clients made up of personal and home groups, and some small-and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, the advertisement should be designed differently according to different segments. However, IBM aims at high-level computer market oriented to large organization for commercial functions. Therefore, advertisement strategies for ThinkPad are designed in an orientation of commercial application. Because consumers in China focus on the performance of the product while American consumers focus on the spirit that the product convey, the style of Lenovo advertisement is different globally. 3.2.2 Personal Selling The marketing strategies for individual users and large enterprises are different in requirements to sales person. As for individual users, what sales person need are a full set of materials of new products, like specific introductions, on-site demonstration disc, some certifications, and some samples. In addition, the training offered to salesperson is necessary including sales technologies, products knowledge, and companys regulation. In contrast, for the large enterprises, Lenovos salespersons play pivotal roles in promotion. Because they do not only promote products, but also perform necessarily in public relations, sales, training, commerce and customer services. 3.2.3 Sales Promotion Public Relation Because of two different product orientations, they will be differentiated in promotional activities. Personal and home groups consumers will mostly buy from stores or agents, and their purchasing behaviors are readily influenced by promotional activities. Therefore, users promotional activities are more effective for this type of users. However, ThinkPad goes oppositely since its users are mostly large enterprises commercially, and they unlikely go into some stores to buy a ThinkPad. Therefore, promotional activities will not work the same effectively as individual users do. Thus some special activities will introduced, such as inviting them to products exhibition or new products training, trial for new products for VIP clients, or organizing some member club to promote new products by conference, traveling, or sightseeing to enhance brand images and improve the knowledge or ThinkPad products. It is worthy mentioning that Lenovo was an official computer sponsor of the  2006 Winter Olympics  in  Turin,  Italy, and the  2008 Summer Olympics  inBeijing. In July of 2012, Lenovo and the National Football League (NFL) announced that Lenovo had become the NFLs Official Laptop, Desktop and Workstation Sponsor. 3.3 Pricing Strategy The objective of Lenovo is to capture a substantial market share and attract more and more buyers to buy its products. Lenovo pricing stratrgy is based on offering the consumers high quality at low price as well as competitor pricing. Lenovo has always maintained a product mix such as bread and butter products like 3000H series and high end products like ThinkPad and ThinkCentre, which helps Lenovo develop a vast range in its prices. The pricing of some models in America market are as follows: Lenovo  Y Series Laptops are priced  from $600- 1000 Lenovo U  Series  Laptops  are  Priced from  $500- 800 ThinkPad XZ series are priced from  $1000- 2000. Obviously, the laptop price is so competitive in current commercial situation that it should be considered at the first place of production based on a short lifecycle in high-technology industry. Therefore, perception value pricing of Lenovo is adapted to gain an acceptable profit. The middle and high-level Lenovo products are priced to compete in market, therefore, the price of these products should be referred to competitive products. Indeed, For comparable products, Lenovo priced its products at about two-thirds of foreign-made PCs (Xie, 2004, p. 412). In order to maintain the largest share and leader position in Mainland China and remain competitive in global market, Lenovo is a market follower after Dell and HP and this pricing strategy can allow them to ensure values as well as the optimal price of the products. Additionally, Lenovo constantly offers discounts on its  products through its showrooms and online purchases which are often in the range of  25-30%. Also there are many coupon codes and promotional codes available on all product models which add to the total discount. 3.4 Place Strategy 3.4.1 RD Center and Marketing Center Because HongKong is a global center of intermediary trade, it has a more perfect and more complete market in information channel than Chinese mainland. So Lenovo established the RD center and marketing center in Hongkong, in order to acquire the timely market information and technology information and thus shorten the product development cycle and closely follow the international trend. 3.4.2 Wide Coverage A direct marketing strategy is implemented to target the new industry and new big organization. However, the combined channel modes of retailors and agents are basically applied in individual buyers. The market Lenovo targets is not only China, but also other countries. The scope and extension it covers is featured to be in large quantity, wide distribution, and diversity of channels. Therefore, Lenovo choose intermediate channels like provincial retailors or regional wholesales in order to occupy a greater market. 3.4.3 Outlets and Sales Channel Most PC buyers purchase their products through retailer. Lenovo find that Internet buying is convenient for customers to compare products, specifications, prices and after-sales services. Some loyal customers like to buy products in Lenovo specialty shops. Today, Lenovo has the excellent distribution channel consist of 6,000 retail outlets in China that nearly impossible for foreign and even most domestic competitors to replicate. Figure 6 lenovo specialty shop From File Photo/ China Times 3.4.5 Transportation and Stock Level Modern logistics is important to Lenovo, that is say, Lenovo transportation is based on customer needs, carrying the products form supplier to demand side with the most economical cost. From 1995, Lenovo began to implement SCM system (Supply China Management). In 2004, Lenovo carried out VMI mode (Vendor Managed Inventory), thus almost 90% inventory were outsourced to Third-party logistics firms. 4. Cohesive Marketing Mix The 4Ps strategies of Lenovo forms a cohesive marketing mix in an effective and innovated way. Lenovo is transcendent in a vision of its market orientation and products innovation. It develops a systematic strategy with a good combination of two different brands in different levels. By definition, Lenovo improves its products designs and quality to reach an international level in order to meet the requirements of PC users all around the world. Regarding to its market orientation, Lenovo covers low level, medium level, and high-level products, targeting various users ranging from individuals to large enterprises. The pricing is also tactically different in different levels, so that Lenovo products can reach different users from personal utility to commercial application. In addition, it also optimizes different distribution channels and lowers the cost of producing by different segmentations of personal computer users by an application of direct market penetration to individuals and c ombined marketing channels to those large enterprises. Therefore, the promotion should also be designed in a different ways, from advertisement to salesperson training. The market mix of Lenovo successfully integrates product, price, place and promotion strategies in its market orientation and its maximum profits. Only in this way, can such a growing Chinese brand enter an international market to compete with its innovation and creation. 5. Target Market and Marketing Mix Variable There are many methods to segment the overall market. After that, the company will choose the appropriate market as their target market. As to Lenovo, from 2009 to 2012, Lenovo divided the overall market based on mature market and emerging market. However, from January 2012 onward, Lenovo divided the global market into four parts: Chinese market, North American market, EMEA market (Europe, Middle East and Africa market) and Asia Pacific Latin American market. Specifically, in mature market like North America, Lenovo covers low level, medium level, and high-level products, targeting various users ranging from individuals to large enterprises. Additionally, Lenovo is a market follower after Dell and HP and this pricing strategy can allow them to ensure values as well as the optimal price of the products in North American market. In contrast, Lenovo attack emerging market, such as Kenyan market, with cheap PCs, and the product range is fewer than American market. Furthermore, The Group s PC business across the mature markets are facing challenges in the retail channel due to significant slowdown in consumer demand. On the other hand, Lenovo begin to set up more specialty shops in Africa and Latin America, because people there dont adapt to online shopping and the demand from enterprise and government is low. Overall, Lenoovos target market will be considered when making decision about the four marketing mix variables. 6. Positioning Strategy Facing the volatile market and ever-shifting needs of customers, Yang Quanqing (2001), Chief Executive Officer, said that Our Protect and Attack strategy is working and will continue to guide our execution. Lenovo aims to extend the leadership position and increase profitability in China and relationship business in mature markets. In contrast, in emerging markets and transactional sales in mature markets, Lenovos focus will be on capturing growth. Although in recent years, Lenovo aims to extend the business beyond the traditional PC arena and to capture opportunities globally in the rapidly growing areas including mobile internet, smart TV, etc., the PC business remains as the Lenovos core business and Lenovo consistently accelerate the growth and expand market share by delivering quality products to customers around the world. Lenovo outgrew the worldwide PC market in unit shipments, and gained market share across all geographies, products and customer segments, making it the worlds fastest growing PC company. Lenovo divides its PC brand into two parts: Idea-branded and Think-branded. Specifically, Idea-branded focus on individual and family consumer market with low price and stylish design, which targets to low end market. While Think-branded focus on medium and small business, not-for-profit organizations, which is committed to provide a stable, safe, and high-quality computer product. The positioning strategy of Lenovo PC business is very effective. The company saw a record high in sales and market share despite an ongoing downturn for the overall PC industry. Based on data from IDC, Lenovo held  15.7 percent of the global PC market by November 2012, its highest market share ever. 7. SWOT Analysis 7.1 Strengths Lenovo is the leader in chinese PC market, accouting for over 30 percent market share. Under the support and protection of government policies, Lenovo can focus on product research and marketing. There are about 6,000 Lenovo retail outlets in China that nearly impossible for foreign and even most domestic competitors to replicate. Globally, after the acquisition of IBM PC division, Lenovo brand image has been enhanced. More and more overseas customers are willing to purchase Lenovo PC products. Lenovo has the excellent distribution channel not only in china but also all over the world. 7.2 Weaknesses Globally, the single marketing channel leads the products and services mainly sold by monopolized stores. Lenovo does not has its own core technology and it has to follow Intel trend. Too many staffs lead to the overstaffed orginizational structures. The human resource, technology, and capital need to be intergrated after the acquisition of IBM PC division. 7.3 Opportunities PC market is dynamic. prompt response to market changes and solid execution with a clear vision are crucial to continued growth of Lenovo. There is a potential for great development in Chinese market and other emerging markets. 7.4 Threats Acer, Dell and HP are the main competitors in global PC market. Today, there are too many cheap PC products appearing in the world and the market protect in some countries is strong. In addition, some smart mobile phones like iPhone can become the substitute. 8. Conclusion 8.1 What Is the Company Doing Well Liu Chuanzhi (2011), the chairman of the board, stated that we will continue to invest in innovation, marketing, and branding to protect our core business and drive growth through attacking. Four parts have been considerated in making decision in Lenovo: credibility, differentiation, product life-cycle, and evolution. Specifically, first of all, Lenovo is the leader in Chinese PC market, and the brand recognition and traditional reputation of Lenovo are very good in China. In global market, from 2005 to 2010, the Group used IBM logo optimally to build brand Lenovo, which led Lenovo to be known by overseas customers. Second, the differentiation of PC products in performance, style, and services make Lenovo have the ability to deliver the high quality, reliability and durability to meet various of customers demand. Third, every product has its own lifecycle. Facing with this problem, Lenovo delicates some new product strategies in light of the lifecycle as follow: improve products desi gn and products innovation, decrease of product costs and optimize the distribution, and integrate service system and develop the service quality. At last, The PC market is expected to experience more and rapid evolutions in the future. Lenovo continues to leverage spirit of innovation and history of technological breakthroughs to into new product categories and drive future growth. In addition, Lenovo actively took step in asserting its position as a global leader by launching its new global branding campaign. Known as Lenovo: For Those Who Do, the campaign captures the essence of who we are as a company, and the customers we serve. Lenovo does more than just build technology; it creates engines for the worlds doers and the mind-blowing things they create. The Groups breakthrough products are made to serve people on the quest to build whats next. 8.2 Suggestion Lenovo do not have its own core technology in PC business, which means Lenovo have to highly rely on CPU vendors like Intel and AMD. Therefore, in oreder to maintain market share and competitive advantages in global market, Lenovo should allocate more money to technological innovation and product upgrade. Other than that, Lenovo can copy Dell success model, which Lenovo can invest in special computer for certain industry, such as financial industry, education industry, in order to expand the coverage of the products. Lenovo pricing stratrgy is based on offering the consumers high quality at low price as well as competitor pricing. However, in recent years, more and more individual and family buyers reflect that there is price discrimination existing between Chinese market and North American market. Chinese market is Lenovos test bed. Most new products will be evaluated in Chinese market before selling abroad. However, Lenovo can not use its leadership in PC market to make money, regardless of consumers profit. In mature market, the Groups PC business are facing challenges in the retail channel due to significant slowdown in consumer demand; therefore, Lenovo should set up online-sale network and develop and maintain the relationship with the suppliers,distributors, and large enterprises. Although the brand image has been enhanced in recent years, especially after the acquisition of IBM PC division, Lenovo should continue to emphasize the global concept of product design and implement Protect and Attack strategy which protects the core business in China and relationship business in mature markets while attacking high-growth opportunities in emerging markets.