Imagine you are a service-disabled veteran and have made your hobby of building model airplanes into a small business that produces very small remote control aircraft capable of long sustained flights. You are ready to expand your business by competing for Department of Homeland Security contracts.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:
1. Determine at least three (3) specific programs created by Congress that benefit your business.
2. Analyze the small-business programs created by Congress and provide details of how they will benefit your company over large multinational organizations that build aircrafts (e.g., Lockheed Martin).
3. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
• Differentiate between business sizes and analyze the opportunities for small businesses.
• Evaluate common small-business preference programs.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in contract administration and management.
• Write clearly and concisely about contract administration and management using proper writing mechanics.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Small Business Preference
Small business is responsible for many of the job opportunities that exist in the United States. Therefore it becomes imperative that the small problems be given a preference when it comes to certain matters in business. The Congress decided to come up with an initiative and passed specific laws that saw the incorporation of small business compete effectively with the large corporations for the business space. The small business act of 1953 states that a fair proportion of the federal contacts should go to the small business. Also congress set aside 23% of the contracts to go to small business while 5% would go to small disadvantaged groups. Additionally another 5% would go to women owned small business and the last 3% would go to historically neglected business zones. The small Business administration is in charge of all the above programs as permitted by the congress law (Calof, 2006).
The small set aside program is one of such programs implemented by small business administration. It is one of the most suitable socioeconomic programs that have been put forward by the Unite state. For example, only small business is eligible for contracting under such a program. Big business and firms who might have applied for the same contract are rejected since they do not meet the required set standards by the program. A business is considered to be small when it does not have more or close to five hundred employees and its revenue is way beyond $ 7 billion annually. Additionally the small business under this program are much likely to benefit from subcontracting as they are able to cut down or reduce on the costs required in the purchasing of certain items (Dachis,& Lester n,d). For example they are only required to cater for 50% of the total cost making it more favorable for them. In this case such a program provided will enable small companies to be able to contracts without fear of competition from the big companies such as Lockheed Martin
The second congress plan that favours small business is referred to as small disadvantaged business. The rules that fall under this category essentially lock out most of the large multinational countries. For example it requires that the business be identically small as put across in the small business acts and by the small business administration. Also it requires that the business be about 51% owned by the individuals who are socially disadvantaged in this case refereeing to either one being black American, Hispanic , native American or east pacific American (Maher, 2015). Furthermore, it classifies the disadvantage as either being physically handicapped in terms of gender or age and lastly that the net salary is less than $ 750,000 which categorically fits into the company I intend to model. Additionally such a program is provided if only you fall under specific categories as outlined by the law. In this case, the contract would fall under the transportation system.
The service disabled veteran program is the last law that exclusively falls within the scope. First I qualify because I am already a disabled veteran. The awards in this case are made at a fair market price and the contracting officer ensures that at least two or more service disabled officers can raise the required amount. A contract can also be awarded on a solo basis if the contracting officers realises that no two service disabled officers can raise the required amount to be given the contract. Basically, the contract has same features as the Historically Underutilised Business zones.
The above three laws shows the difference between small business and large business. It also shows the opportunities that are presented by the preference programs. Large companies are those which have a great number of employees and can therefore be comfortably be able to raise more revenue in this case greater than $7 billion. Because small programs cannot raise such revenues that are provided by an equal opportunity to be able to compete effectively in the market. The small preferences programs that have been put across reduce the monopoly that is normally a practise of the large corporations. The awarding of the specific contracts as seen from the above features follows strict management policy. A contract is only given to the small business provided it meets the set criteria that have been established by the various laws. Each contracting officer is required to follow the laid down stipulations in following the laws and if a small business is not identified in the process the contract is given to two small business owners who come together to join their business and raise the required funds.
In conclusion laws that have been enacted by congress promote an equal chance for competition between the small companies and the established large incorporation. Since majority of the people in the United States have smaller business the law serves to protect them against monopoly that is commonly associated with the large corporation. Lastly it is only fair enough for the small business to be protected to avoid their extinction in the market and also since they contribute to more jobs in the United States.
Dachis, B., & Lester, J. Small Business Preferences as a Barrier to Growth: Not So Tall after All. SSRN Electronic Journal. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2609527
Maher, C. (2015). Social enterprise manager’s career path preferences. International Journal Of Globalisation And Small Business, 7(1), 59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijgsb.2015.069032
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The Effects of Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices Paper
The Effects of Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices Paper
The Effects of Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices Paper
Order Instructions:
Doctoral Study Proposal Draft: Your Research Problem and Social Change
Topic is The Effects of Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices on Employee Performance.
As part of your Doctoral Study Proposal, you will articulate the potential ways in which your proposed research project will positively affect social change. Keeping your goals in mind, and thinking about the literature that you have reviewed, you should be able to formulate a clear statement of the problem you have identified for your doctoral study research. Recall that a research problem worthy of a doctoral study must be broad enough to be significant to others outside your immediate school community. It must also be specific enough, however, that a research project can be designed to examine it.
• Discuss how your research problem is sufficiently significant to be of interest to leaders who have a goal of positive social change.
It is important that the writer pay attention to all details in this order and follow how to formulate a clear statement of the problem you have identified for your doctoral study this is critical and the writer must follow all instructions here.
Also APA and in text citations critical for this papers as the writers have previously ignore this and I am getting very bad feedbacks in regards to that. the writer must use in text citations for all my papers.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Human Resource Management
The performance of most organizations is affected by the performance of their employees. Such organizations that want to be successful have to understand that a working human resource organization is an essential aspect of that development. It has been observed that the success of any company is dependent on the behavior and the decisions of its employees. Other contradicting factors like how big the company is and the mature of its environment may be hindrances to organizational success. For this reason, human resource management practices are used to evaluate employee performance in an organization. Improving the human resource management practices has been proven successful in improving the performance of employees (Boyne & Entwistle, 2009).
An employee uses their skills, abilities, knowledge and overall experience to complete assignments by their managers and employers in an efficient and effective way. The benefits of the performance of employees can be on several key factors. They can assist in estimating and controlling the cost of the resources that were used to perform specific tasks. They can also be helpful is assessing the quality and even the amount of work done. HRM practices in employee performance can be of assistance in the survival and interaction between organizations and departments. Besides, they can help in the assessment and attainment of performance goals that also help in the making of good decisions (Andresen and Nowak, 2014).
Some of the proven methods of evaluating the performance of employees can be based on getting a strategy that identifies employee characteristics that are beneficial to the organization (Boyne & Entwistle, 2009). Another practice that is of importance is one that assesses their behaviors that affect how effective they will perform a task. In addition, HRM practices that can also be employed are those that show whether goals and objectives of a job have been met.
The effects of Human resource management on the performance of employees depend on how the employees respond to them. They will tend to bend towards the perception of these employees towards these practices by HRM. The impact of human resource management will influence how effective the employees are. Human resource practices in the hiring and training of staff influence the effectiveness by providing the required skills. The adoption of appropriate selection practices will subsequently add value to the overall organizational productivity. Training is seen as a tool that is useful for improving the performance of employees in any organization (Ingley, 2015).
The planning for career seems an efficient practice by HRM to affect the influence the performance of employees. When employees are allowed in increasingly participating in the firm, there will be an observable increase in the levels of production (Price, 2011).
Practices that are geared towards the compensation of employees for their efforts in a firm have proven to have motivational and attraction factor to employees. Regarding the expectancy theory, it can be argued that the performance of an employee or a group of them will directly be influenced by the pay (Andresen and Nowak, 2014). Employees, therefore, will work hard to increase their efforts in a bid to get a better pay. Increased employee performance by compensation will lead to the overall rise in the performance of the firm. This practice’s effects can be increased by channeling more resources towards employees’ compensation based on how well they perform. This practice is the most widely used practice in HRM as it gauges and rewards staff for their performance (Price, 2011).
The implementation of the best human resource management practices equates a higher performance by the employees. This good performance is transferred to the overall success of a company. Proving these theories in HRM practices and their effects on the performance of employees should thus be a priority of many human resource based studies. Results will encourage many organizations to adapt quickly many of these practices to increase their overall productivity. By the development of a highly effective workforce, the organizations will have achieved double success by improving the overall welfare of their workers and the organizations productivity success (Boyne & Entwistle, 2009).
References
Boyne, G. A., & Entwistle, T. (2009). Public service improvement: Theories and evidence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
In Andresen, M., & In Nowak, C. (2014).Human resource management practices: Assessing added value.
Ingley, C. (2015).Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on management, leadership and governance. Place of publication not identified: Academic Conferences &Pu.
Machado, C., & Davim, J. P. (2014).Work organization and human resource management.
Price, A. (2011). Human resource management.Andover: Cengage Learning EMEA.
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You are to provide an overview of the concept of marketing from the early stages to current marketing initiatives, strategies, processes, and trends. You are to fully support the midterm paper with extensive research with both text material and peer-reviewed literature.
This is an academic assignment and authoritative/scholarly sources are required You are expected to discuss the concepts of marketing in a way that demonstrates graduate-level critical thinking skill, extensive analysis, and evaluation of current research.
The paper is to be written in accordance with APA writing standards, which includes a cover page, an introduction, the body of discussion, a conclusion, and a reference section.
The key terms to use in the paper are as follow:
Branding
Brand equity
Brand strategies
Brand management
Types of branding
Value of branding
Effective strategies
Various brands
SAMPLE ANSWER
Each and every business organization develops marketing strategies with the aim of winning more and more clients and gains a competitive edge over other producers in the market. Consumers are spoilt for choices as there are different alternatives available for them in the market. Therefore, organizations must focus on developing winning marketing strategies that can actively promote their products and increase their market share. Marketing also helps in building customer loyalty by constantly reminding consumers about the availability of a product on the market.
In a nutshell, marketing refers to communication aimed at informing consumers about the value of a product, service or a brand with the goal of promoting the product in the market (Armstrong et al., 2013). On the other hand, branding refers to a company identity branding expresses the intrinsic value of an organization, product, or a service. It is the expression of values and attributes that give identity to an organization. Branding goes beyond marketing to the practice of creating a name, design or symbol that can be used to identify or differentiate a good from other available products in the market (Aaker & Biel, 2013).
However, this paper discusses the development of marketing and the marketing process. On the same note, the paper discusses branding and brand management are giving a couple of examples of some popular brands existing in the market.
An organization with a strong marketing strategy put in place can align the marketing activities with the organization objectives. This ensures that the enterprise can maximize the proceeds from their marketing efforts. A marketing process encompasses the development, planning, implementation, documentation and review of marketing systems and procedures (Boone & Kurtz, 2013). This is imperative to ensure that the marketing goals of delivering the right product and quantity in the right place at the time required and in a profitable manner. The marketing concept goes through a system of steps beginning with situation analysis, development of a marketing strategy, marketing mix decision and finally implementation and control.
The Marketing Process
Situation Analysis: It is imperative that a firm perform a in-depth research of the situation so as to discover any available opportunities to satisfy unfulfilled customer needs. On the same note, the firm must analyze its capabilities and the business environment in which the company operates. The organization must analyze both the external environment and internal environment. External environment refers to micro-environmental factors that have an effect on the firm operations.
Situation analysis should not only look at the present but also the past and the future aspects. The organization should analyze the different trends in the market so as to accurately forecast on the market situation (Czinkota & Ronkainen, 2012). A good situation analysis should be able to reveal challenges and opportunities existing in the market. Some of the frameworks used in carrying out situation analysis include the 5 C analysis, PEST analysis and SWOT analysis.
Marketing Strategy: After the identification of opportunities in the market, the firm should develop a strategic plan aimed at taking advantage of the available opportunity. The market research will provide insights about the market to give the business an opportunity to choose the market segment and optimal position itself in the market. The marketing strategy encompasses of market segmentation, target market identification, and value proposition.
Marketing Mix Decision: This involves the development of convenient constraints of the marketing mix. Marketing Mix encompass product development, pricing decisions, distribution contracts and the development of the promotional campaign.
Implementation and control: after developing a good marketing plan and launching the product, the organization should closely monitor the outcome of the marketing efforts and make necessary changes accordingly.
Brand Marketing and Brand Concept
Branding refers to the marketing activity that involves creating a name, design and symbol that clients can identify with when buying a product in the market (Balmer, 2012). Developing an effective brand strategy enables a firm to obtain a competitive edge over other competitors in the market. A good brand communicates a promise to the clients. The brand tells a consumer what to expect from the company products and services. Branding helps to differentiate firm products from those of its competitors. An organization brand is derived from the firm’s identity, what the firm intends to be and how consumers perceive the firm to be.
A brand strategy involves how, where, when, what and the citizens you plan communicating and conveying the firm’s brand messages. Marketing strategy such as an advertisement is part of a brand strategy. On the same note distribution channels is also the firm’s brand strategy. Branding is a wider concept that precedes any marketing effort and should cover all the creative and innovative elements that help to convey your identity to the market.
A consistent and strategic branding often result in a strong brand equity. Brand equity symbolizes the value added to the firm’s goods and services because of a recognizable name as compared to other identical unbranded products in the market (Keller et al., 2011). Business enterprises can craft their brand equity by developing products that are memorable, easy to recognize, reliable and possess superior quality as compared to its generic equivalent in the market. Having an extensive marketing campaign can also enable an organization to create brand equity (Chaston, 2014). A good example of an organization with strong brand equity is Coca-Cola. Consumers are disposed to compensate a higher price for a bottle of Coca-Cola as compared to other brands of soda in the market.
The value added because of brand equity arises from the perceived superiority or emotional connection to a brand. Coca-Cola products are often associated with happiness and customers will always transfer the emotional feeling of happiness by opening a bottle of a Coca-Cola product. Creating brand equity is a long process, and it requires consistency and persistence in the market. Brand equity is imperative when launching a new product in the market. A company having positive brand equity can increase the chances that clients are likely to purchase the firm’s new product by associating the new product with an existing and triumphant brand.
A good brand strategy is also created by creating a superior product, good positioning in the market, longevity, a comprehensive marketing and good advertising strategies (McDonald & Wilson, 2011). For the branding process to commence, it is essential that the company can create a perceived promise of quality to the consumer. Some of the essential components of a comprehensive branding strategy include:
Purpose: A successful brand should have a defining purpose because there are many competitors and consumers budget constraints are high. Therefore, firms should develop a purpose by creating a functional brand by coming up with concepts that focus on the appraisal of success based on the market expectation. Purpose can also be created based on the concept of intention of associating success with making profits and giving back to the society. A good brand should exhibit the willingness of achieving more than just proceeds.
Consistency: a good brand should communicate in a consistent manner and in a way that it enhances the organization’s brand. For a brand to stand out, it is paramount that the organization messaging is cohesive. This is because consistency creates brand recognition and customer loyalty. A good example of an organization that has achieved brand reputation is Coca-cola. The company can maintain consistency by making sure that each and every marketing element works harmoniously together to achieve organization sustainability.
Emotion: a powerful brand should be able to invoke emotions that consistently convince a customer from buying from one company as compared to another. This can be achieved by creating a community around the brand. Firms can give their clients an opportunity to feel like they constitute the part of the organization by consuming their products.
Flexibility: a good brand should be flexible and able to change constantly and adapt to the changes in the market so as to remain relevant. This objective can be achieved by engaging clients regularly in fresh and new ways.
Employee Involvement: a good brand should involve employees to engage clients and other stakeholders to achieve a greater good. It is imperative for employees of the firm to communicate well with customers and represent the brand in a memorable and innovative ways.
Competitive Awareness: Organization should embrace competition as an opportunity to improve the company strategy and create a greater value in the firm’s overall brand.
Brand Management
Brand management is part marketing that employs strategies to help enhance the perceived value of a merchandise line or a brand over time. It encompasses analysis and planning of how clients perceive the brand in the market and mounting a good relationship with the target market (Torres et al., 2012). Some of the tangible rudiments of a brand management are the product itself, price, look, and the packaging among others. The indefinable elements of brand management, on the other hand, include the experience clients had when utilizing the brand, and the customer loyalty to the brand. An effective brand management can help promote a product resulting in an increase in price and building of customer loyalty. This benefit is achieved because of positive brand association, good organization reputation and a strong market presence of the brand. It is imperative to possess a comprehensive understanding of the brand, target market, and the firm’s long-term objective so as to develop a winning strategic plan that can help maintain brand equity and gain brand value.
Therefore, when implementing marketing plans, it is imperative that the core brand values are emphasized, and it is aligned with the company objectives through internal or external branding. It is also equally imperative to understand how the organization compares with other competitors in the market. Some of the metrics that a brand manager can use to evaluate the effectiveness or campaigns include profitability, testimonies, and clients turnover.
Note that an effective brand management can result in an increase in demand for not only one good but also other goods and services associated with that specific brand. For instance, if a client loves pizza from McDonalds and trusts the brand, then he is likely to try some of the other products offered by the organization such as fried chicken.
Types of Branding
There exist various types of branding which collectively helps to achieve marketing goals, organization goals and finally organization sustainability. Some of the types of branding include corporate branding, personal branding, product branding, employer branding, and culture branding (Wheeler, 2012).
Corporate branding: Corporate branding is developed based on the foundation of promising to deliver quality products and service promptly to the clients. The purpose is to attract new clients and retain past customers through creation of brand loyalty.
Product branding: Product branding is reflected in the uniqueness of similar products produced by different firms in the market. A firm differentiates its product by branding through packaging, tastes, quality among others. An effective branding is what motivates a client to select one brand over the other.
Personal branding: personal branding is common among politicians, musicians, sportsmen and other celebrities. A politician, for instance, will focus on portraying himself as an honest and a performing person so that voters will want to put him in the office. A celebrity, on the other hand, has to be self-branded based on his/her personality, dress code, and voice. Organizations can use celebrity as a brand and marketing strategy for their products. For instance, Samsung Mobile uses Didier Drogba, a popular football player to promote their brand in the market. Chevrolet uses Manchester United to market its products across the world by associating the game with their products. Popular musicians have often been used to promote brands especially clothing and accessories such as tablets and mobile phones. Organizations also use different music from different artist as their theme song in advertising their products.
Employer branding: Employer branding center of attention is on making the organization employees to conceptualize the mission, vision, objectives, products and services of the company. The aim is to enlighten employees so that they can uphold the corporate brand when communicating with the organization’s client.
Culture and community branding: Community branding involves building organization reputation by engaging in activities that shows the collective good of the company to the community and employees. This can be achieved by developing programs aimed at helping people in the society through corporate social responsibility (Torress et al., 2012).
Some of the effective strategies for brand building and brand positioning is understanding the market. It is imperative for an organization to understand the market and customers needs before embarking on branding and developing a marketing strategy. After proper understanding of the market will enable a firm to define its brand based on customer requirement. Defining a brand is critical because in the end it will be what the organization truly stands for. An organization should look for the core strengths to capitalize on and weaknesses to improve on and create a better brand.
A company should also strategize by differentiating and positioning the brand in the market. This trend is imperative as it helps the company to win new clients and maintain a competitive edge over other producers in the market. A company should always focus on creating unique advantages in clients mind to create perceived value. After creating a unique value proposition, the firm should focus on developing an effective marketing and branding strategy to help gain market share by permitting consumers to appreciate the greater value of your products.
A firm should also focus on building and exposing the brand. Branding takes a lot of time to grow but has numerous benefits. Firms can use marketing strategies to expose a brand. This can be achieved by using promotional channels, online forums, blogs and social media.
Finally, it is essential that a firm constantly review its brand, marketing plans and other critical features that can help the organization to attain organization sustainability. A company should develop a brand cycle where new events, changes, and environmental conditions are evaluated to identify opportunities and challenges a brand face (Balmer, 2012). This is important as it can be used when enhancing brand product and re-establishing it to stay relevant in the constantly changing business environment.
A brand may be expressed through storytelling. Some of the most popular brands in the world include
Coca-Cola: Coca-cola is one of the oldest firms that have existed in the market for a long time. The company can stay relevant in the market through effective marketing and branding. The company uses color coding and the design of the actual bottle that soda is packaged because it is a source of competitive advantage. Most consumers like to be associated with the company slogan of creating happiness through the production of refreshing products. Coca cola competitors such as Pepsi may win consumers, but most people would like to buy Coke because they enjoy the experience of drinking Coca-cola products. The company has built brand loyalty through effective marketing to become one of the most valued products across the globe
Volvo can position itself as a company that produces safe vehicles to ride on the road. Nike, on the other hand, is able to build a brand reputation by producing quality sports products such as shoes. IBM is also another example of a company that has been able to produce quality computers that consumers will want to buy over other computer accessories in the market.
Starbucks coffee has been able to build its image and reputation over the last twenty years. The company has not only made an impact on the coffee industry but also on the society. The company focused on building its brand identity based on color and shape excluding the use of typography.
By and large, it is evident from the discussion that marketing is not just focused on advertisement and use of promotion to increase market share. It also involves crafting a memorable experience by building a reputable brand that consumers will want to associate with everyday (Kapferer, 2012). Successful branding often results in enormous benefits beginning from an increase in market share, the price of a product and customer loyalty. However, it is important that a company image can be tarnished easily when an organization participates in activities that can hurt customer or the community in general. In conclusion, firms should focus on developing marketing strategy and brand strategy that can help in increasing profitability. This can achieve through branding and branding strategies aimed at creating brand value and obtaining a competitive edge over the competitors and hence organization sustainability.
References
Aaker, D. A., & Biel, A. (2013). Brand equity & advertising: advertising’s role in building strong brands. Psychology Press.
Armstrong, G., Adam, S., Denize, S., & Kotler, P. (2014). Principles of marketing. Pearson Australia.
Balmer, J. M. (2012). Strategic corporate brand alignment: Perspectives from identity based views of corporate brands. European Journal of Marketing,46(7/8), 1064-1092.
Boone, L., & Kurtz, D. (2013). Contemporary marketing. Cengage Learning.
Czinkota, M., & Ronkainen, I. (2012). International marketing. Cengage Learning.
Chaston, I. (2014). Small business marketing. Palgrave Macmillan.
Kapferer, J. N. (2012). The new strategic brand management: Advanced insights and strategic thinking. Kogan page publishers.
Keller, K. L., Parameswaran, M. G., & Jacob, I. (2011). Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity. Pearson Education India.
McDonald, M., & Wilson, H. (2011). Marketing plans: How to prepare them, how to use them. John Wiley & Sons.
Torres, A., Bijmolt, T. H., Tribó, J. A., & Verhoef, P. (2012). Generating global brand equity through corporate social responsibility to key stakeholders.International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(1), 13-24.
Wheeler, A. (2012). Designing brand identity: an essential guide for the whole branding team. John Wiley & Sons.
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Identifying and assessing the process of planning and managing change within an organisation
Order Instructions:
Identify and assess the process of planning and managing change within an organisation.
What role should HR play in change management?
SAMPLE ANSWER
Process of planning and managing change
Business transformation and change is often difficult and involves changing organization culture and employees attitude towards accepting new way of doing things in the organization. Change management refers to organization practices and structured procedures that management of an organization adopts to lead people towards achieving a new vision or the stated goals of an organization (Cummings & Worley,2014). The process of planning and managing change begins by understanding the employees and their capacity to change. According to Hayes (2014), change management process encompasses three stages as follows:
Change preparation: This stage entails the preparation, assessment and strategy formulation. The leader in charge of the change process has to define the change management strategy and prepare the change management team. This preparation is done in readiness to carry out the required organizational direction in alignment with the corporate level strategy, and finally the change management leader has to develop the sponsorship, model.
Managing change: Phase 2 involves thorough planning and proper management and implementation of change process. The management team in this phase develops change management plans, take action on decisions made on earlier phase and implement plans on the functional level and operational level of the organization.
Reinforcing change: The last phase involves data collection, corrective plans, and acknowledgment. In this level, the management has to collect and analyze data from relevant departments. On the same note, the management also looks out for challenges that the team is facing and develop strategies that help to manage resistance from the employees.
The responsibility of Human Resource Management in change management process
Human resource management plays a critical role in change management because many of the issues tackled concern the people’s aspect of change. The human resource has the responsibility of ensuring that employees are motivated to undertake and participate in the change management program (Kuipers et al., 2014). The human resource department is also responsible in aligning organization goals, with the change management process.
On the same note, Human resource has to ensure that impetus for implementation of change at every managerial level is available such as the provision of structured framework for change. Furthermore, the management must provide mechanisms of aligning the management concerns with those of the employees (Raineri, 2011). This is achieved by identifying and establishing a workable change management process and finally Human resource management has to reinforce change management communiqué as a means of attaining the desired change.
In conclusion, Managing change as a progression from an organizational point of view helps to make certain that the right actions are taking place at the right moment. And those workers are gaining the right information they require to proceed through their personal process of change. The three processes is a sequence that in the end ensures that change impact is seen in the organization’s performance. Human Resource Department plays a primary role in managing and overseeing the change process. This role is imperative as it helps to align organization goals, change objectives, and the change process to ensure a smooth transition to achieve organization sustainability.
References
Cummings, T., & Worley, C. (2014). Organization development and change. Cengage learning.
Kuipers, B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., & Van der Voet, J. (2014). The management of change in public organizations: A literature review. Public Administration, 92(1), 1-20.
Raineri, A. B. (2011). Change management practices: Impact on perceived change results. Journal of Business Research, 64(3), 266-272.
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PART A: Individual Component (5%)
This is a research assignment and requires the use of independent, academic research. In your group assignment you have been asked to use Net Present Value analysis to analyse Beaver Tales Pty Ltd. Why would a financial manager feel more confident using NPV analysis than the discounted payback period method? Is there potentially a better method to undertake such an analysis?
You will be assessed on the following criteria:
1. Strength and relevance of arguments presented. This will include the persuasiveness (including breadth and depth) of the arguments presented. Any material needs to be structured in a logical manner to enhance your arguments. (3 marks)
2. Depth and Quality of research undertaken to support your arguments (1 marks)
3. Grammar, spelling and referencing style (1 Marks) Assignments should be succinct in their language and arguments.
You are required to submit the following:
1. You are required to submit an assignment of no more than 300 words by the due date. Any words beyond this limit will not be marked.
2. You are required to display the word count on the front page of your assignment.
3. You are expected to submit a file using 12-point double spaced Arial font.
4. You are encouraged to research this topic well in advance of preparing to write your submission.
5. You are required to reference using the Harvard Referencing style.
6. References should be from credible sources (Note: Wikipedia and Investopedia are not acceptable).
SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
The payback method is a capital budgeting process where the period taken to recover the initial amount is calculated. The discounted payback method differs from the payback method as it utilizes discounted cash flow system in its calculations.
The discounted payback system has limited relationship with wealth maximization concepts. Net Present Value estimates all the future cash inflows and outflows as it also discounted to the present value. Positive NPV adds real economic value to the cash flows in a company. NPV is one of the most reliable capital budgeting techniques presently (Hermanson, Edwards & Invacevich, 2011).
Beaver Tales Pty Ltd
Beaver Tales Pty Ltd
Capital Budgeting
Capital Budgeting
Discount rate
15.00000%
Discount rate
15.00000%
Year
Cash flow
Year
Expenses
0
-15,609,792
0
0
1
4,470,000
1
7,143,000
2
4,498,000
2
2,267,726
3
4,529,650
3
2,267,726
4
4,565,413
4
2,267,726
5
4,605,807
5
2,267,726
6
4,651,415
6
2,261,264
7
4,702,891
7
2,261,264
8
4,760,966
8
2,261,264
9
4,826,464
9
2,261,264
10
4,900,302
10
2,261,264
PV for future Earnings
$23,085,154.42
PV for future Expenses
$15,609,791.75
NPV
$7,475,362.67
The above calculations indicate that the NPV is positive and the project would be profitable and viable. All positive NPVs represent projects that are viable but projects with negative NPVs should not be undertaken.
Discounted payback system
PV for Exp
33217430.05
6,211,304.35
27,006,125.70
1,714,726.62
25,291,399.08
1,491,066.63
23,800,332.45
1,296,579.68
22,503,752.77
1,127,460.59
21,376,292.18
977,607.01
20,398,685.17
850,093.06
19,548,592.11
739,211.35
18,809,380.76
642,792.48
18,166,588.28
558,949.98
17,607,638.30
The total expenses for the Beaver Tale Pty ltd amounted to 33,217,430 while the total earnings for the project for the next ten years would amount to 46,510,906.25. The figures when discounted at 15% for ten years periodically would amount to 17,607,638.30 as the negative balance under discounted payback period.
The discounted payback suggests that the project is unviable.
Reference
Hermanson, R.H., Edwards, J.D., & Invacevich, S.D. (2011) Accounting Principles: A Business Perspective. First Global Text Edition, Volume 2 Managerial Accounting, 37-73.
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The primary purpose of this paper is to identify two print advertisements of a product of choice. In this case, I will use Coca-Cola Company that targets two different consumers in the market according to this study. The paper therefore, seeks to determine the positioning of the product in the market and the segmentation of the company’s products. Also included in the paper will be an analysis of the target market of the company’s advertisements and their effectiveness in communicating the message to its intended audiences.
Part A
The Positioning of the Products in the Advertisements
The Coca-Cola company has been in the soft drink industry for quite a period, with this achieved through an approach that seeks to keep the company’s position safely. The company has formally taken the privilege of drawing its strength globally since its products are known in the entire world through an efficient marketing strategy.[1] In accordance to the ads detailed in the appendix, it is evident that the company pays its attention to the cultural and social attributions in the society as a strategy of positioning its products.
The first add gives a depiction of an image that relates well with youths who would want their names registered on the Coke bottles for a proposal of marriage. The company has in the second image used a social interaction as a possibility of sharing its product, a factor that depicts the approach in using the social platform as an avenue to position its product globally and locally.
According to the two images, it is critical to note that the positioning is different. This is in consideration of the fact that experiences, and personal preferences of individuals may differ in accordance to their different localities.[2] Marketers therefore make the products positioning different to meet the individual needs of each customers and for the benefit of the company. This remains the key element that has kept its positioning in the market, a factor that has supportedthe company’s profitability and effectiveness. The Five Bases of Segmentations Utilized
Market segmentation according to sources is an approach used by marketers in dividing a market into groups or rather segments to suit the different needs of customers who exhibit similar purchasing behaviors. In our case, Coca-Cola in segmenting the market acknowledges its various buyers by developing a different marketing mix.[3] Through a mass marketing approach, the company uses a marketing approach that treats the market as a total whole by providing its Coke products for the buyers in the market. Through market segmentation, the company is in a position of targeting different groups of customers through an approach that adapts the product to suit the targeted segment. This example can, therefore, be depicted in the ads since they focus on;
Geographic Base;
In both the ads, it is evident that the setting of the region is urbanized, thus giving the illusion that the company has segmented its product to the urban population.
Demographic Base;
In this, the ads depict a certain age and genders.[4] The first ad gives the illusion of a young man proposing to a lady upon the putting of his name on the coke bottle. In the second ad, there are two intellectual men of young age sharing their possibilities through indulging in the company’s products.
The Target Market within the Advertisements
It is critical to determine that Coca-Cola primarily targets the whole market rather than particular sections of the population. However, this does not typically mean that the company has not a differentiation strategy to meet the needs of the whole market. In the ads, it is notable that the company has introduced a diet coke as a segment of its different products.[5] Through this, the consumers, young in nature are given the privilege of writing their names on the bottles, a factor that is enhancing the buying power of the young population. The diet coke according to the image is a product also designed for people who would not want to take too much sugars and calories, thus making it acceptable to different people in the targeted market.
On the second ad, the company has also developed an approach to working smart through giving an illusion of intellectual young men sharing a coke over a chat. This ad gives the impression that Coca-Cola Company seems popular within the young generation who would share possibilities through a drink.[6] Both the ads, therefore, provide the company’s target groups the privilege of choosing what they want, especially for the people who would not want to drink much sugar. This makes diet coke the option for such consumers.
The Effectiveness of Communication in the Ads
According to the two ads, it is critical to determine that the advertisers have effectively communicated the message to their target audiences. The ads have well-detailed information giving the consumers the necessary knowledge they need to know about the products. The diet coke ad enables different customers also to have their preferences acknowledged by the company, a factor that would promote the buying power of the targeted audience.[7] However, it is essential; to determine the fact that the advertisers did not include the products prices in the ads, a factor that may challenge their audience in determining the prices of the products.
Part B
Stimulus Generalization
It is critical to mention that some private labels and brands often mimic the trade dress of other leading market brands. This is how stimulus generalization occurs with the features linked to the leading manufacturers brands generalized as a private-label. An instance of this can be depicted in a positive relationship that involves a pleasurable feeling for certain products in the market that can be steered by another product that is identical to an original brand.[8] The main reason for copying of other brands is to increase a company’s sales through a parallel response given by customers who perceive the product has the same individuality similar to the original product. The primary objective of using this approach remains in the fact that it enhances the projection of one brand to others.
How the Concept of Stimulus Generalization Has Been Used
Otherwise known as copycat branding, the stimulus generalization enables manufacturers to get opportunities of developing product packages that are in a way similar to that of a leading brand in the market. Manufacturer’s for that used the visual cues such as size, shape, color and image of the main brand that attracts consumer’s attention within the marketplace.[9] It is, therefore, essential to note that the stimulus generalization approach has mainly been used in:
1. Family Branding;
I this, several products capitalize on the reputation of another manufacturing companies name. Companies such as Campbell, Heinz, Google, Virgin, and General Electric rely on various corporate brands to sell their products.[10]
2. Licensing;
This approach allows well-known brands in the market to rent names.[11] This approach has gained fame in the market today since many marketers link their products and services with the already established brands.
Product-Line Extension;
In this, related products are inclusively added to an already established brand. This can be depicted in Dole, which mainly deals in fruits and was in a position to incorporate refrigeration juices and juice bars while Sun-Maid included raising bread from raisins.[12]
Look-alike Packaging;
Through this approach, distinctive packaging designs are created in strong associations with particular brands. This method is primarily utilized by the makers of generic brands and who wish to communicate a quality image by inducing the similar packages of a leading brand.[13] The imitation of successful brands is an approach that is likely to occur in a crowded market environment.
According to this study, it is evident to note that the attitudes and behaviors that are mainly conditioned to a particular brand may be transferred to another product into a similar category and name as well as other products with the same name but of a different group. To demonstrate this in an example, Wal-Mart opened its functions as an organized retail store for multibrand.[14] As soon as the brand was registered in the consumer’s heads and recognized in the market, the company developed a private label for the parallel and the unparallel merchandises, a factor that saw a similar response from their consumers who purchased these products from the company’s stores.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Copying From an Original Brand
In this study, the quality and performance of a brand in the market remains one of the essential factors in spurring the process of stimulus generalization. It is therefore, essential to determine that companies can either be advantaged or disadvantaged in the copying of their brands. This is ostensible from the fact that the quality of a brand determines the consumer’s interest in the brands.[15] In the event that the quality of a copied product is lower than that of the original brand, the consumers are likely to exhibit a positive feeling towards the original product, a factor that benefits the brand manufacturer.
However, in any case the quality of the two competitors turns out to be equal, consumers are likely to consider the pricing premium they pay for an original brand and choose to purchase the copied product. In this, it is, therefore, essential to note that the consumers association with a product can be influenced by their belief in a product.[16] A company’s reputation, therefore, plays a role in creating a strong impact on brand evaluations.
It is empirical to mention that the strategic benefits of stimulus generalization may outweigh the advantages within the confines of strategic marketing. In my view, the stimulus generalization is likely to present itself with the opportunities of an open economy[17] that is offered by different markets.
In as much as the market is not only limited to a single brand, the main disadvantage evident in this case is in the challenges that consumers face in making a choice. In the case that a customer is not pleased with a chosen version of products, they have the liberty to pick another product with a similar brand name.[18] Some companies will therefore never get out of business once they get hold of the marketing concept of establishing their ventures as brand names.
Similarities and Differences between the Two Products
The images attached in the appendix of this paper give two principal products; Nescafe and Sainsbury’s full roast. The table below depicts the similarities and differences between the two products with Nescafe being the original brand.
Similarities
Differences
1.Same Content between the two products
1. Dis-similar shape on container or packaging
2. Same color of container used in packaging
2. Dis-similar lead color used in covering the content of the package.
3. Same container size and shape
3. Different visual cue.
4. Same Label coloring
4. Different brand names.
Through the use of visual cues, shape, color, and size of an established brand, consumers are at times attracted to such private labels within a shopping environment, a factor that makes the private-label products generated by the original brand in the market.
WhetherCopying Bring Benefits or Harm to Consumers
Copying a brand can generally displace other brands in the market which as second or third in market share thus reducing the nature of innovative products, a factor that reduces the choices of consumers.[19] It is therefore, essential to note that some of these products may be harmful to consumers since they give the users no reassurance of consistent quality since the qualities of the products may vary.
The branded originals give the consumers an assurance that the quality of the manufactures products purchased is compatible. At times, consumers may be influenced by the prices of the copied products but the quality may be a challenge, thus causing more harm than gain. However, in some cases, copying can be beneficial to the consumers in the event that the product meets the exact demands of the consumer and is compatible with the original brand.[20] This may, however, be a challenge to the brand manufacturers since the copied brand may turn out to be a competitor. In this, the customers will, therefore, determine the price variances in purchasing these products.
Strategies to Counter Copying
Copying other brands has some negative implications to the marketers. In cases where copying is a free ride, the markets encounter challenges on reduced incentives that allows them to invest and compete on quality that impacts consumers.[21] Copying therefore damages the reputation of brand manufacturers and their abilities to earn fair returns on their innovative ventures. In order to counter the element of copying, it is essential that laws are established within a country to protect the rights of the brand manufactures.
Marketers can therefore register their trademarks including their logos as a strategy to the infringement of their brands. It is also essential for marketers of well-established brands to encourage their consumers to discriminate against the buying of cheap imitations since the products are note up to their expectations.[22] In this, some marketers have adopted a strategy called the masked branding that hides a product’s true origin, a factor that mitigates the chances of consumers from experiencing the same conditioned response.
Conclusion
The study has therefore established the market positioning and segmentation approaches used by Coca-Cola in the ads. Through this paper, I have also determined the prospects of stimulus generalization as employed in the market and how to regulate a manufacturer’s brand from infringements that come with copying.
References
Ali Sair, Shrafat. 2014. “Consumer Psyche and Positioning Strategies.” Pakistan Journal of Commerce & Social Sciences 8, no. 1: 58-73. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2015).
Eisend, Martin. 2015. “Have We Progressed Marketing Knowledge? A Meta-Meta-Analysis of Effect Sizes in Marketing Research.” Journal of Marketing 79, no. 3: 23-40. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2015).
Hakhshir, Ghassan. “Positioning Strategies Development.” Annals of the University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series 23, no. 1 (July 2014): 979-988. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2015).
Hong-Youl, Ha. 2011. “Brand Equity Model and Marketing Stimuli.” Seoul Journal Of Business 17, no. 2: 32-60. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2015).
Till, Brian D., and Randi Lynn Priluck. 2000. “Stimulus Generalization in Classical Conditioning: An Initial Investigation and Extension.” Psychology & Marketing 17, no. 1: 55-72. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2015).
Appendix
PART A
PART B
[1] .Hakhshir, Ghassan. “Positioning Strategies Development.” Annals of the University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series 23, no. 1 (July 2014): 979-988.
[13] . Eisend, Martin. 2015. “Have We Progressed Marketing Knowledge? A Meta-Meta-Analysis of Effect Sizes in Marketing Research.” Journal of Marketing 79, no. 3: 23-40.
[20] . Till, Brian D., and Randi Lynn Priluck. 2000. “Stimulus Generalization in Classical Conditioning: An Initial Investigation and Extension.” Psychology & Marketing 17, no. 1: 55-72.
The American Stock Exchange; WidePoint Corporation
Order Instructions:
Select an industrial or commercial U.S. based company that is listed on one of the major stock exchanges in the United States. Each student should select a different company. Avoid selecting an insurance company or a bank—the financial ratios for insurance companies and banks are different. Write a seven- to eight-page double-spaced paper about your selected company answering the questions posted under the Week 2 Minicase assignment posted in Doc Sharing. This Minicase paper should be submitted to the Week 2 Minicase Dropbox.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
The American Stock Exchange comes third after NYSE and NASDAQ of all stock exchanges in America. It is estimated to handle around ten percent of all trades in America. It lists companies from all over America. These companies are of different sizes and deal with different goods and services. It is famous for having the least requirements in terms of minimum requirements for the listing companies. As a result, it has listed many small companies who find the other exchanges too harsh. The American Stock Exchange trades in small cap stocks, exchange trades funds, and other options (World Bank, 2010).
WidePoint Corporation is based in McLean, Virginia in the United States of America. The company provides products that are closely linked with technology. It targets both the US government and commercial American markets. WidePoint Corporation has established itself as a top provider of managed cyber security solutions mobility services, and telecom lifecycle management. It offers information technology solutions, which are cloud-based, secure and wide in terms of enterprises targeted. Such solutions are necessary for both government and companies to comply fully with advanced system requirements and the government-mandated regulations on information technology(World Bank, 2010). WidePoint has a high discount due to its position currently. It is in a trend of growing further. The reason behind its bright future is that it is in a position to acquire a growth trend that can be both inorganic and organic. Looking at the revenue figures and the expenses incurred by the company, a price point for the next few months can be estimated (Heisterberg & Verma, 2014). A figure of between two and five is reasonable as a price point for the company is the aforementioned period. Widepoint Corp received a financial boost from Homeland Security as fierce court battle. The financial blanket has helped it cushion it capital debt and is thus less volatile. There are positive estimates for the foreseen revenue to be generated. Most of America’s powerful brands have reached their level of success through long-term campaigns that have great visibility. These campaigns are marked a consistent recital or trumpeting of a simple message for the masses. This move proves a strategy of high economic demands through vigorous promotions. However, some brands that have emerged do not follow the vigorous marketing strategies. They instead focus on quiet behind the scenes approach instead of promoting sales for their products (Mergent, 2009). Widepoint Corp falls in the first category.
The company has endured a rough period being near bankruptcy, but it pulled through. The Widepoint Corp has gone through an amazing graduation and growth in the last couple of decades. These changes have brought forward demand for its products worldwide an objective of many managers. These numerous changes in competition in a highly attractive motorcycle industry and the brands extended reach for much-untapped business have resulted in the brand’s success. The company is now enjoying many sales and gaining lots of profit after reinventing itself as both a brand and a company(Heisterberg & Verma, 2014)..
Widepoint Corp indicates a beta of 1.61. This beta value shows that its volatility is higher than of its market. If the company did not have any long-term debts then it would be less volatile (Mergent, 2009). Within the structure of its capital, the beta would be less than one. This beta value would mean that Widepoint Corp is less volatile while compared to the market.
The company’s financial statements show a marginal tax rate of 34% for statutory federal income and 4.9% of state income tax. These figures lead to a cost of debt of 13,281,134 dollars before interests and tax, 3.6 million dollars of interest expenses and 4.5 million income tax expenses. The results are 141,302, 128 dollars after tax debt. There is a long-term debt to equity ratio of 3.71. The total shareholder’s equity sums up to 34.9 million dollars. The average earning per share is -0.11 down from -0.08. As such, the cash dividend yield went down with an average sale of shares at 0.73 getting an operating profit of -0.6 with a working capital and tangible books values of 0.15 each. The average capital expenditure of Widepoint Corp is 0.1. The price earnings of the shares stand at 5,209,890 up from 3,410,322.
Preferred Stock can be defined as special security for equity. It possesses properties of the debt and the equity. WidePoint Corp’s preferred stock for the last quarter was averaged at €0.00 Million. The market value of common stocks has to be added to that of preferred stocks to get an enterprise value. WidePoint Corp gained an enterprise value for that quarter of €-6.88 Million. WidePoint Corp’s book value per share for the same period was €0.38 with its diluted earnings per share being €-0.02 million (World Bank, 2010).
The calculations are listed below:
The Enterprise Value = Market Cap +Preferred Stock + Long-Term Debt + Short-Term Debt + Minority Interest – Cash and Cash Equivalents
Book Value per Share = (Total Shareholders’ Equity – Preferred Stock) / Total Shares Outstanding
= (31.1004187829 – 0) / 82.48 = 0.38
Earnings per Share (Diluted = (Net Income – Preferred Dividends) /Shares Outstanding (Diluted)
= (-1.2563485699 – 0) / 82.125 = -0.02
It is important to note that all numbers are in millions except for the ratio and the per share data. The numbers are also represented in their representative currencies.
A group of senior managers reacquired the company after it had been acquired by an American organization AMF. While under AMF, The Widepoint Corp suffered huge losses as it tried to cope with competition from similar companies. One chief manager suggested a change of strategy to deal with the collapse of Widepoint Corp market. He suggested going back to the details in the IT solutions. This decision was because the business key was in knowing both the clients and the business environment. The rebuilding of the Widepoint Corp involved considering the already existing corporate culture beliefs in restructuring its brand image. This strategy was based on the basic American main principles of being adventurous free and an individual (Graham et al., 2010). Widepoint Corp’s Management ideology and the plan were aimed to control innovation and its penetration to the international markets. It also aimed to adapt to differences in culture and beliefs while at the same time maintaining the brand image(World Bank, 2010).
A transformational leadership style that was stirred by customers and employees focus on more than themselves was quickly utilized by the company (Heisterberg & Verma, 2014). Widepoint’s management team was actively involved by participating in activities like following their trading online and attending promotional rallies. A policy of not selling transportation but rather a transformation was important to their marketing (Graham et al., 2010).
The company has had an up and down tent in the stock market. The last two years , however, have resulted in a tremendous increase in its shares turnover. The company has thus enjoyed a successful trend over the last couple of years. It is ranked as an aggressive competitor when compared to all the stock exchanges in America (Smith, 2012). By these observations the companies risk structure is tolerant to many risks both financial and operating. Widepoint Corp has a debt to capitalization ratio of 9.28.
Investing in the company would be beneficial, as the company has made plans to remain relevant and competitive in America and globally. In controlling the external business environment, Widepoint Corp has defined a new strategy that focuses on marketing and advertising. This strategy mainly looked at the odds involved in the setup of relations with stock consumers. A big portion of their market today consists of members from the professional sector such as the legal officers, physicians, accountants and teachers(World Bank, 2010). The management team understands they have to shift focus to their efforts of knowing their customers to grow a better customer loyalty foundation. Some key factors were considered by the management team when trying to decide on where to expand. They first had to understand the culture of the new clients they were targeting. They also had to study critically demographics on average client size and annual or monthly income. This data would guide them in segmenting the market (Mergent, 2009).
The company also has a good corporate and clientele handling culture. As thus, it is likely to maintain its market share. Widepoint Corp realized that people needed to have a vision that is shared with the company values. This move was aimed at knowing the customer and the business. It also had an objective to look closely at the details on the products and consumer preferences. This unique and bright management style gave Widepoint Corp the chance to move away from a self-managed style to a more customer-based approach. The strategy was to get the company to braid its customer support base(Koller et al., 2010)and (Wasserman et al., 2009).By employing a theory on acquired needs, its management used the need to achieve a theory focused on motivation with the need to overcome its challenges in a better and more efficient way. Some of these problems were changing the corporate structure, brand and marketing to produce and sustain its offerings and supply of products. Another way was to monitor closely customer needs and detail on products and the market. Widepoint Corp management had learned of the importance of these relationships with workers and clients. Developing these relationships was a major part of the company’s corporate culture. These values and strategies make it an ideal company to invest (Heisterberg & Verma, 2014).
Conclusion
The Widepoint Corp has made tremendous efforts in selling technology solutions in the US and other markets abroad. It has overcome very many problems since it was established. This success can be attributed to the development of serious management strategies by the company’s management team. Some of these strategies like the focus on detail and consumer demands were developed after the company had incurred huge losses. However, these strategies emerged as the turnaround points for the company’s success. The management team that has been in charge over the years have done a great deal of work in raising the company to where it is today. It now has a large shareholder backing making its capital base to be un-marched amongst its competitors.
References
Graham, J. R., Smart, S. B., &Megginson, W. L. (2010). Corporate finance: [linking theory to what companies do]. Mason, OH: South-WesternCengage Learning
Heisterberg, R. J., & Verma, A. (2014).Creating business agility: How convergence of cloud, social, mobile, video, and big data enables competitive advantage.
Koller, T., Goedhart, M. H., Wessels, D., & Copeland, T. E. (2010). Valuation: Measuring and managing the value of companies. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mergent, Inc. (2009). Mergent OTC unlisted manual.New York: Mergent.
Smith, R. C., Walter, I., & DeLong, G. (2012). Global banking. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wasserman, P., McLean, J. W., & Gale Research Company. (2009). Consultants and consulting organizations directory. Detroit, Mich: Gale Research Co.
hi all,
Reference to the order number 113311 please add for me around 300 words discussing the strategies followed by the telecom operators to face the OTT providers threat.
Please use recent journal articles and mention three examples of telecom companies that applied strategies to face this threat.
SAMPLE ANSWER
The Threat of OTT Players
Almossawi (2012) give that strategies to avert the situation include the telecom industry engaging in rebranding. The telecom companies need to rebrand their products such that they provide products that are competitive to those of the players. In 2010, Everything Everywhere rebranded itself EE to maintain its competitive advantageous in the British market. Another strategy related to the above one is to adapt to the changing customer preferences for current services (Jho, 2013). For instance, bundling has been used by telecom industry to cut the fierce competition from the players. This strategy involves employing new mobile tariffs that are speedy, plentiful, and has SMS that have no extra costs. For instance, the mobile operators are able to provide pay-TV bundles and fixed broadband bundles. Mobile operators are sure that when they give their customer bundling services, they considers it cheaper and can hardly change like those with single services Another strategy to avert the situation is to collaborate with the OTT players. For instance, Vodafone collaborated by YouTube to raise revenues from sporting events. This was observed in 2010 world cup in Brazil. Almossawi (2012) argues that telecom companies merging with OTT players as third parties to cut cost of production. For example, Orange merged with T-Mobile to form Everything Everywhere to cut down operational costs. Leah (2014) gives that the best strategy to deal with competition from OTT players is by reviving the previous relationship between the companies and customers (Kreutzer & Land 2014). The industry has to confirm that it can still give the services it used to give before the OTT players invaded the telecom market. For instance, in 2013, Vodafone instituted a campaign to remind its customers that its services have been added by announcing offers and bonuses.
References
ALMOSSAWI, M.M., (2012). Customer Satisfaction In The Mobile Telecom Industry In Bahrain: Antecedents And Consequences. International Journal Of Marketing Studies, 4(6), Pp. 139-156.
JHO, W. (2013). Building Telecom Markets: Evolution Of Governance In The Korean Mobile Telecommunication Market.
LEAH, M. (2014). The EU Approach To Net Neutrality: Network Operators And Over-The-Top Players, Friends Or Foes. Computer Law & Security Review, 30(5), 508-520.
KREUTZER, R., & LAND, K.-H. (2014). Digital Darwinism: Branding And Business Models In Jeopardy.
SHEEHAN, M. (2010). Why Is Ramsey Pricing: The Case Of Telecommunications Regulation. Journal Of Economic Issues (Association For Evolutionary Economics). Vol. 25(1), P21-32.
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The effects of OTT players on the mobile operators
The effects of OTT players on the mobile operators
Order Instructions:
Dear all,
Reference to the on going project we are working on:
Please refer to the order number:
113162 for the project proposal
113311 for the literature review
Now i want you Please to start working on the introduction or the chapter one, please make sure to use the same references you used in the proposal and the literature review, as soon as this part will be ready we will start the last chapter for the methodology and the data collection.
– Please find below the instructions for this chapter:
1- we need to show couple of diagrams in the introduction.
2- Introduction should cover the literature review.
3- the research questions will as follows:
a) What are the OTT players/ providers.
b) How they are affecting the mobile operators?
c) what are the strategies applies by the Mobile operators?
4- what is my hypothesis?
5- the methodology used will be qualitative through interviews top management in couple of the mobile operators, quantitative survey for the consumer on using the OTT rather than the service from the operators.
PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR ANY CLARIFICATION AND HELP ME TO PASS THIS SO THAT WE CAN START THE THIRD PART.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Abstract
OTT players have been considered a potential threat to the telecom companies. Mehrotra & Kumar (2014, p.169) argue that the OTT players have the tendency to provide services across all IP networks. The mobile operators find that it is hard to compete with the actors because they provide services that are value added. With the development of technology such as adoption of tablet computers and smartphones, the players have become more advanced than their counterparts’ telecom mobile operators. The OTT players include Internet-based alternatives such as WhatsApp and Skype (Tsai, Lee & Yu 2009, P.210). The OTT players also include third-party content and social networking firms such as Facebook and YouTube. Their effects are alarming as there is a considerable fall in revenues on the side of the mobile operators (shown in diagram 1). Usually, their (OTT players) operations are not under the administrative control of the content of the service giver. The players have drastically affected conventional telecom services, particularly SMS and voice. OTT messaging is projected by Adejuwon (2013, p.51) to surpass SMS in 2012 (shown in diagram 2). The effects have caused the mobile operators to work ineffectively. For instance, the players have started to use data to supplement loss.
Park, Jung & Noh (2014) and Sheehan (2010) argue that the mobile operators are in a ferocious cycle of confusion. The mobile operators are viciously engaging in investing much of their considerable money and time searching how to provide similar web services models for the altered telecom customers. Noticeably, the business models used by mobile operators and OTT players are quite different. Observably, the OTT players generate their income from advertising and the sale of the content or services they provide. Martinaitis & Rogoža (2015) argue that the revues from advertising are satisfactory to the players since they tend to have a larger churning subscriber base. This is apparent because the customers can switch between products whenever they want. Therefore, the client has a direct correlation with the OTT players and is free to contact subscriptions from any place, at any given time, and using any available technology.
Research background
The literature review gives that the mobile operators have been devising the mechanism to decrease the competition from the players. The mobile operators have been focusing on leveraging their primary business of selling data, thereby projecting to increase their walled market share (Kreutzer & Land 2014). The mechanism used in leveraging is by decreasing the content and service to those subscribers who use their products (Smith 2014). In addition, the leveraging takes the shape of offering the best quality of service to its customers. This method is mostly defensive.
One of the strategies to be improved to lessen the deep scars of OTT players on the mobile operators is by developing new ecosystems. Nelder (2011, p.204) and Stage & Wells (2013, p.6) argue that the mobile operators can facilitate new ecosystems and advances. This is possible because the operators can use the network infrastructure to expose APIs (application programming interfaces) correlated to their pieces of equipment (Keefe 2009). The net effects will be that the mobile operators will create innovative services that could connect into multifaceted infrastructure. In addition, the operators will be able to provide value-added services to communications (Leah 2014). Commendably, the operators will also be able to give application-based communication services.
The next strategy is to ensure that their (mobile operators) products are of high quality and have service reliability (Star 2014, p.239). Relating that the operators enjoy the ownership and control of the network, it can be able to ensure that it services meets reliability and quality for its respective subscribers. Observably, the mobile operators own as well as control the billing correlation (Jimenez-Castillo & Sanchez-Perez 2013, p.19). Therefore, it can use this opportunity to charge subscribers for the use of OTT services. This process can be affected through the monthly subscription or based on the per-event basis (JHO 2013). Furthermore, the operators can take advantage of the market by comprising free access to these OTT players as a component of a serving price plan, which will comprehensively include SMS, data, and voice minutes. Deregulation of markets can be enhanced to make sure mobile operators operate efficiently (Harris 2009, p.208). Apparently, the performance of mobile operators is retarded by rigid regulations in most countries. Therefore, they are unable to flex their innovations to compete with the OTT players. In addition, going digital can be enhanced to make sure that they use the most sophisticated methods to compete in the digital market (Adejuwon 2013, p.56). Going digital imply the adoption of technological advancements that can have equal or more production to those of OTT players.
Diagram 1: how share traffic volume is shared in LTE networks (Gates, Milgrom & Robert 2009, p.427)
Diagram 2: The percentage usage of the application mobile data traffic by a device type in 2012 (Dowling, Boulton & Elliott 2010, p.208)
Research aim statement
The purpose of this research is to examine how the mobile operators in the telecom industry can address the effects of OTT players.
Research Objectives
The following research seeks to achieve the following:
Determine the effects of OTT players on the mobile operators
The strategies the mobile operators have been using to counteract effects from OTT players
III. Find out the best solution to handling the effects of OTT players
Significance of the research
The study aims at finding the extent at which the OTT players have affected mobile operators. Research also aims at giving the appropriate solutions on how to handle the effects of the OTT players (Carlson, Vincent, Hardesty & Bearden 2009, p.864). This is because the pieces of the literature failed to provide the best solution to deal with effects of the OTT players. There is a call in the literature review for further research to investigate how the mobile operators can strategize itself to weather the storms of OTT players non-defensively (Car, Pilepić & Šimunić 2014, p.207). This is because the pieces of literature appeared to concentrate much on the defensive strategies to deal with the situation. The defensive strategies include limiting access to the network and other mechanisms (Azzara 2010). The research will aim to find how non-defensive strategies such as collaboration can make the mobile operators rejuvenate their sales.
Delimitation
The research aims at studying two hundred and thirty top management persons in the couple of the mobile operators (Almossawi 2012, p.139).
Research methodology
The methodology used will be qualitative through interviews top management in couple of the mobile operators, quantitative survey for the consumer on using the OTT rather than the service from the operators (Mitchell & Jolley, 2010). The quantitative research will be an impact to give the exact figure the OTT players has affected with the mobile operators Zachariadis, Susan & Michael 2013).
References
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Car, T, Pilepić, L, Šimunić, M 2014, ‘MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT – LESSONS FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY,’ Tourism & Hospitality Management, Vol. 20 Issue 2, p207-219, retrieved from EBSCOhost Database: Business Source Complete on 07.09-2015.
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Competency Frameworks in the Arabian aviation industry
Competency Frameworks in the Arabian aviation industry
Order Instructions:
What do you see as a major problem in constructing a competency framework? Do you find these frameworks used regularly in your industry or culture?
Note: My industry is aviation.
Note: My culture is Arab culture.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Competency Frameworks in the Arabian aviation industry
Introduction
A competency framework is a structure that entails setting and defining each competency required by individuals executing their responsibilities while working in a firm. These competencies range from problem-solving capabilities as well people management skills. Most industries in the Arab culture have distinct competency frameworks to enable them place themselves at a significant point in the realization of the set objectives. Alzeban (2015, p.58) argues that a competency framework is indispensable in assisting an organization to have effective management and efficient decision -making process in respect to promotions, hiring, and selection (Elragig & Townley 2012, p.132). The aviation industry in the Arabian countries, to be exact, has a distinct competency framework towards its employees. However, the process of formulating a competency framework in those states becomes a problem to the formulators. Therefore, the following discussion indulges in discussing major problem addressing the major problem experienced when producing competency framework in the Arab culture. In addition, the paper looks into whether the formulated structures are regularly used in the aviation industry in the Arabian countries.
Discussion
The Arabian aviation industry faces problems when formulating competency frameworks. The competency model in the Arabian aviation industry comprises of management skills, occupation-particular prerequisites, industry-wide technical competencies, and industry-sector technical requirements. In addition, the Arabian aviation industry also demands competencies that comprise of workplace competencies such as teamwork, planning and organizing, business fundamentals, and working with tools and technology (Elragig & Townley 2012, p.134). Furthermore, the industry requires academic qualifications ranging from science, engineering, basic computer skills, mathematics, reading, and writing. The above competencies are not limited to personal effectiveness competencies comprising reliability, initiative, professionalism, and interpersonal skills. However, formulating a competency framework with the stated competencies above is addressed with issues. One of the critical problems in constructing competency framework in the Arabian aviation industry is to illustrate a perfect set of behaviors and traits for any particular role. Li, Weiss, Mueller, Townley & Belmont (2012, p. 394) argues that one of the distinctive values of the Arabian culture is teamwork. Therefore, the individual role is not emphasized in this particular society than group work. This situation poses a problem when formulating a competency framework since the Arabian aviation industry uses a pre-list of common standard competencies. This condition makes it hard for the industry to customize the competencies to individual roles in the place work.
The unclear customization of group roles to individual functions makes the Arabian aviation industry static. This obscures the respective industry towards future expectations. This major problem also causes an obstructed identification of a range of competencies (Li, Weiss, Mueller, Townley & Belmont 2012, p.398). Furthermore, the Arabian industry being static implies that it provides greater insight into current behaviors that are rewarded by the management rather than focusing on what effective performance should look like in the future. The social context of the Arab culture incomprehensibly influences the construction of competency framework. Individual performance in the Arabian aviation industry is gauged against social context (Townley & Ezard 2013, p. 1237). For instance, teamwork association defines an individual productivity. The more the group performs, the more individual is said to become more productive. Thus, it can be said that constructing a competency framework in the Arabian aviation industry will continue experiencing problems because of its overreliance on the societal factors (Alzeban 2015, p. 59). The competency framework in the Arabian aviation industry can only improve if the industry stops over relying on societal factors when formulating competencies frameworks. Once the industry deviates from over relying on social contexts, it will be able to focus on the workforce’s qualities.
The competency frameworks are regularly used in the aviation industry and Arab culture. When the focus is placed on the airline sector, the competency framework is used mostly during selection, hiring, and promotion (Elragig & Townley 2012, p. 138). When the industry is interviewing applicants to fill positions in the Aviation industry, most of the competencies tested are mostly social ones. Once a candidate demonstrates the tested societal competencies, the candidates are hired and assigned the respective job that meets his or her specifications. The industry’s environment approves teamwork than individual work (Rebarber, Tenhumberg & Townley 2012, p. 82). Thus, even after employment, an employee’s performance is measured against how the respective employee relates with his or her colleagues. For instance, the industry gives members of a group mandate to investigate the competencies of one of them about executing roles. Hence, competence framework is used in the Arabian aviation industry to evaluate how the staff is situating their skills towards the development of the industry (Li, Weiss, Mueller, Townley & Belmont 2012, p. 401). In the Arabian culture, competence framework emphasizes the importance of work experience towards industry’s progression. In this culture, the age of person does not matter: what matters are the competencies of the individual employee and his or her competence experience.
Conclusion
Constructing competency framework entails addressing many challenging issues. In the Arabian aviation industry, the cultural society is pertinent in formulating competency frameworks. The issue of age does not make sense in the Arabian industry than in the American aviation industry where competencies are attributed to advanced years.
Reference list
Alzeban, A 2015, ‘The Impact of Culture on the Quality of Internal Audit: An Empirical Study,’ Journal of Accounting, 30, 1, pp57-77, retrieved on 26 August 2015 from Database: Business Source Complete
Elragig A, & Townley S 2012, ‘A new necessary condition for Turing instabilities,’ Math Biosci, 239, 1, pages 131-138, retrieved on 26 August 2015 from Database: Business Source Complete
Li, G, Weiss, G, Mueller, M, Townley, S, & Belmont, M 2012, ‘Wave energy converter control by wave prediction and dynamic programming,’Renewable Energy, 48, pages 392-403, retrieved on 26 August 2015 from Database: Business Source Complete
Rebarber, R, Tenhumberg B, & Townley, S 2012, ‘Global asymptotic stability of density dependent integral population projection models,’ Theor Popul Biol, 81, 1, pages. 81-87, retrieved on 26 August 2015 from Database: Business Source Complete
Townley, S,& Ezard, T 2013, ‘A G matrix analogue to capture the cumulative effects of nongenetic inheritance,’ J Evol Biol, 26, no. 6, pp.1234-1243, retrieved on 26 August 2015 from Database: Business Source Complete.
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