Pregnancy And Breastfeeding Essay

Lisa and her husband have decided that they are ready to prepare for their first child. Lisa is 26 years old, weighs 125 pounds and is 5’6†. Lisa has been reading everything she can find on pregnancy because she knows that her prepregnancy health is important to the success of her pregnancy. She knows she should avoid alcohol, especially because alcohol is potentially toxic to the growing fetus in the first weeks of pregnancy, and she could become pregnant and not know about it right away. Lisa is not a smoker and does not take any medications. Although, she does drink 4 cups of coffee per day and drinks 3 diet cokes each day. She has already modified her diet to include some extra protein, along with more fruits and vegetables. She has always taken the herbal supplements glucosamine for her joints and ginseng for energy. She recently started taking an over-the-counter vitamin and mineral supplement. Lisa has always kept in good shape by running and yoga, and is admittedly worried about gaining too much weight during the pregnancy. She plans to continue exercising throughout her pregnancy. Answer the following questions. Women during pregnany do not recive the proper nourishment of vitamin and mineral supplemts. It is reccomended that they take a prental multiviamin mineral supplement due to the lack of calories, protein, folic acid, vitamin d, calcium, iron, iodine, and zinc in their diets. Deficiencies of these nutrients can result in deficiencies in infants such as low birth weight and reduced head size. I would recommend that Lisa should reduce her coffee and soda intake as they consist of high caffeine. Heavy caffeine use (in animal studies) showed reproductive problems such as mis carriage and birth defects. It would be safe for her to eat up to 12 ounces of fish such as tuna or salmon. The four types of fish that she should avoid are shark, swordfish, kings makerel, and Tilefish which they all contain high levels of meurcury. Consumtion of these products during pregnancy can lead to developmental delays and brain damage. It is common for pregnant women to experience morning sickness and constipation due to hormonal changes in the 1st trimester. I recommend that Lisa eat small frequent meals, eat dry crackers, and avoid food with odors to prevent nausea and vomitting. If she is undergoing constipation, the hormonal changes slow down the GI tract. She should have a high fiber diet and consume at least 8 glasses of fluids a day anlong with exercise daily.

Human resouce management Essay

1. To confirm that the supervisor’s claims are true, who will you contact? What questions will you ask? What precautions should you take to assure that your investigation is confidential and legally defensible? To confirm that the supervisor’s claims are true, I would contact data processing to look at the sales data. I would want a record of Jeanette’s sales, and also the department sales for comparison. I would also request this from the supervisor. I would instruct both the DP department and the Sales Manager to keep my request confidential. However, it would be reasonable to confirm data so there is nothing wrong with checking data. 2. Review the documentation available related to this case. Is there enough documentation in place based on discipline policy and your experience as an HR manager? Explain. There is enough documentation based on the discipline policy to suspend the employee. According to Exhibit 12.3.5 an employee will be given a verbal warning, which is signed by supervisor (12.3.3.). Next a written warning will be documented, signed by supervisor (12.3.2). I am guessing the dates are October of prior year for exhibit 12.3.3. It is followed by December to June of the next year. In Exhibit 12.3.4 follows the procedure of a written warning to be documented and copied to the HR manager. The next step, however, is suspension. The employee should be suspended. The sales manager is correct, it will not help most likely, but that is the company policy. 3. Assume that the termination is warranted. Managers typically hold termination meetings at The Daily Review but it is not unheard of for the HR department to conduct this meeting. Given the available information, who should conduct the meeting? What steps will you take to prepare the manager and/or yourself for this meeting? Prepare an agenda for the termination meeting. Nevertheless, assuming the termination is warranted it would be wise for the sales manager to handle the termination in the presence of an HR representative. I would go through the entire process with the sales manager of possible scenarios. In addition, I would confirm that he would call Jeanette in, inform her of his decision to terminate her based on her lack of sales and failure to schedule training previously petitioned. The agenda would inquire to call Jeanette in the office. Tell her she is being terminated for failure to perform her job and to attend training. Hand Jeanette her last check, walk her to her desk to get her belongings and assist her out the door. Terminations should be handled quickly and professionally. I would advice Paul, the sales manager, not to add any editorial comments regarding her performance but keep to the bare minimum on the facts. This termination should not come as a surprise to Jeanette. She and the rest of the department are aware that she is not making sales. It is time for a change, while the process should be professional, without emotion and discussion. 4. The Daily Register has some guidelines for severance packages, benefits, and outplacement services, but they are very informal and typically decided upon on a case-by-case basis. In this situation, what would you recommend for Jeanette? I would not offer Jeanette any severance package, benefits, or outplacement services. Jeanette was warned she was not completing her job. She has already cost the company money for failure to perform her duties. Discussion Question #6 I know, this unit_6 is talking about to build relationship, but some times is necessary to fire people. The question here is on how to terminate employees for cause, typically for disciplinary reasons or for poor performance. How do I fire people legally and humanely? Three Legal Reasons for Terminating an Employee 1. The first legal reason that an employer can use to confirm the termination of an employee is if the employee violated a â€Å"known† company rule. For such reason to be upheld in a court of law, the employer will need to prove that: (1) the rule actually exists; (2) the employee knew that it existed; (3) the rule was violated; (4) other employees were terminated for the same infraction; and (5) the termination was reasonable punishment for the infraction. 2. The second legal reason to terminate an employee is if they are not able to perform their job sufficiently. I order to defend this reason for termination in a court of law the employer must be capable to establish that the employee was incompetent to do their tasks. For instance, the employer took reasonable steps to try and improve the employee’s performance by addressing the issue’s in several instances before terminating the employee. Documented evidence is crucial in a scenario like this to prove that the employer’s position in this kind of situation is correct and legitimate. 3. The final legal reason for terminating an employee is if it is in the best economic interest of the company in question. For example, the company is downsizing its workforce for economic reasons. Layoffs are common reasons for terminations in firms that are downsizing or restructuring. Courtesy should be held high in a layoff situation, giving employees who are involved in a layoff need to be given at least 60 days notice. This civility or remark is required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN). http://www.aftermarket.org/Magazine/InsiderArchives/Toolbox/Termination.pdf http://www.doleta.gov/programs/factsht/warn.htm View as multi-pages

Basf Marketing Report

In order to be known as â€Å"The† global chemical supplier BASF redefined its image by officially changing its name from â€Å"BASF† to â€Å"BASF the chemical company† in 2004. This bold statement is expressed in their brand, corporate identity and company logo. BASF has lived up to this goal establishing itself as the largest chemical company in the world. (1) BASF, which stands for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik (Baden Aniline and Soda Factory), has used its image marketing to evoke the concept that We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ®. BASF posted sales of 52. 6 billion euro in 2006 (1) placing itself above Dow Chemical, its closest competition, followed by companies Bayer AG and DuPont. BASF the chemical company markets a strategy in all its divisions called the â€Å"Verbund† concept, a German word meaning â€Å"linked†. This concept of total integration is how BASF aligns its businesses internally as well as with customers and suppliers. BASF has realized a competitive advantage by not only integrating but interlocking value chains. In the last three years practicing on the Verbund concept acquisitions like Engelhard Corporation, Degussa AG and Johnson Polymers have allowed BASF to further its vertical integration of its businesses. In 2007 BASF found its place at a rank of 81 on the Fortune Global 500 Companies list, up from 94 in 2006. In February of 2006 Fortune magazine performed a survey of U. S business professionals and BASF earned the distinction of being one of the 50 most admired companies in the world in a global comparison. Introduction When you say â€Å"BASF the chemical company† many people may not know the name but those who do can usually recite the slogan: We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ®. Even those that can recite the slogan can be quite challenged to give one example of a product that BASF makes. Given this you would be amazed at some of the everyday products that use BASF chemicals. The additive that thickens your shampoo, the Ibuprofen used in your pain medication, the Legos  ® your kids play with all have components supplied by BASF. The only reason an average person would hear of BASF is through their corporate level image advertising. How is it that a company whose products are never seen by the average consumer ends up as the worlds largest in its industry? How it is a company that many have not heard of could make acquisitions in the 1. 6 billion dollar range? How is it a company can post sales in the 52. 6 billion euro range and the average consumer does not know who they are yet there products are everywhere? The first team discussions on what company to do the report on a team member brought some information to the table. This information is that he works for the world’s largest chemical company and no one knew what the company truly makes provoking the questions from above. The challenge is to understand how a company markets itself to a global position without the normal consumers influence. Our team chose this company to look at a business that would perform its marketing in a different environment than the main stream consumer environment and to better understand how a company markets without being seen. This is a report on business to business marketing observations of BASF the chemical company. Table of Contents †¢Macro-Environment Context †¢Marketing, Research Customer Analysis †¢Segmentation Target Markets †¢Differentiation and Positioning †¢Marketing Decision Levers †¢Recommendations Macro-Environment Context BASF is the worlds leading chemical company. They offer intelligent solutions based on innovative products and top notch services to its customers globally. This is the basis of their mission statement and purpose as a company. Their mission is also to create opportunities for success through trusted and reliable partnerships. BASF visions of success include sustainable profitable performance, innovation for the success of customers, safety health and environmental responsibility, personal and professional confidence, mutual respect and open dialog as well as integrity. Creating a Sustainable Profitable Performance to BASF is the basis for all activities within the company. They are continually committed to the interest of their customers first and foremost. They take pride in rewarding their employees, shareholders and take the same stance with regards to society as a whole to better the environment around them for future generations. BASF takes pride in developing innovation for their customers to add continuous long term partnerships well into the future. Their trade mark statement of We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ® clearly states this philosophy. They derive nearly all of their business from Business to Business (B2B) sales. This makes innovation very important in all of their many niches in multiple markets they involve themselves in. Partnerships are valued within BASF and are built upon continually to mutually take advantage of highly scientific and technological advances. Due to the nature of the business, that being a chemical company, the environment must take precedence to ensure success. In this day and age, if your company doesn’t take steps to protect the environment that it is in, it won’t be in business long enough to matter. BASF takes safety, health, and environment responsibility to a level that supersedes that of economic considerations. BASF makes their products environmentally friendly for future generations by supporting the Responsible Care TM initiatives. BASF puts itself among the best in the world by fostering group-wide diversity personal and professional competencies. They feel that diversity leads to global success and capitalizes on competition by offering many differing views. They encourage employees to be creative and utilize their potential for common success. In addition they treat everyone fairly and with mutual respect. They try to keep open dialog with all employees, customers, stockholders and relevant groups within society to keep all on a level playing field. The last core value that BASF incorporates is Integrity. The company acts with respect to their words and values. They comply with all laws and respect all good business practices in the many countries that they operate. BASF has a great strategy that includes 4 simple strategic initiatives. They earn a premium on their capital, they help their customer be more successful, they form the best team in the industry, and they ensure sustainable development. All of which are conveyed in the visions for the company same as above. The strategic initiatives are the product of years of providing excellent products at a competitive price to all of its customers. Politically speaking, BASF is globally involved. Based in Germany and intertwined within business all around the world it would be impossible to not be involved in politics. It takes a great stance on political issues to continue its success in business and to show continued enthusiasm in protecting the environment. With regards to the Environment, BASF strives to be the best and let the world know that this is an important issue. Environmental issues in past years have shown light on companies that make their business creating and working with chemicals. BASF cannot escape the microscope of this issue. They comply with all government regulations in all countries it does business to ensure their future. They support the Responsible Care TM initiatives and keep them at the forefront of their values. Environmental issues to BASF ties directly to their social responsibility. The people at BASF value their own lives as much as their neighbors and support this by their integrity. They treat those around the world with the same respect that they feel they would want, regardless of what they are doing. Be it they are selling products to another company or creating a new product, social responsibility is never taken lightly. Technologically BASF prides itself in being the best for themselves and those they do business. They invest millions upon millions to ensure success in the ever changing markets all over the globe. They pass their technological advances on to their customers to ensure continued success and lasting partnerships. Technological advances in the chemical field have undoubtedly kept BASF at the top for so many years. Given a clear SWOT analysis of BASF from any level of the organization, the business unit, the product line or the specific product yields a clear image of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats all over the globe. SWOT analyses are often used during sales meetings to identify opportunities in the market. They have proven themselves over and over by being a superior company throughout all markets. A tried and true philosophy rooted in the company’s vision and values brings this out in them. They continually identify trends in the industry and counter the changes all the time. In addition they analyze their competition whenever possible to capitalize on those before them. BASF analyzes itself through multiple management channels to ensure continued innovation and profit for its customers, employees and shareholders. Teams all around the globe research the firm’s present and future clients to build lasting relationships and capitalize on hidden opportunities to improve themselves. Their strengths encompass being a globally prestigious brand, a large market share, and universally known for its social and environmental activities. Opportunities lie within possible joint product lines with other companies and customers. Weaknesses of BASF are global spreading in the way of having employees all over the world and keeping focus on attainable goals. They are influential in just about all markets and run the risk of being thin in a small amount of them. Threats within the chemical market could be the continual need to stay environmentally friendly. This can add costs and reduce focus on core assets of the business. While everyone wants to stay â€Å"green†, it comes at a price and that has to be economically accounted for keeping the cost benefit ratio at an equilibrium that is good for all. Marketing Research Customer Analysis BASF being a company that markets its goods and services to organizational firms primarily focuses on the practice of business marketing and being a company that produces no real end product the analysis of normal consumer behavior is not widely used. The success of a business to business marketing plan is in the hands of an organizations purchasing group. These groups that make the purchasing decisions for organizations usually have numerous deliverables that could drive the individual market. One group may see delivery performance as a key factor in their purchasing decisions, the next market segment may see price, value added services or warranty as the key elements. Because of this BASF must continually scan the environment of each of its individual segments and markets using a multidomestic marketing strategy. Being a global provider of chemicals the use a multidomestic marketing strategy helps in the sale of their diverse array of products dependant upon the particular market and the unique region. Marketing research in a commodity based business like the chemical business is primarily based on the use of combination of secondary data analysis and a small amount of primary data gathering and mainly environmental scanning. Scanning the environment and staying on top of the latest social, economic, technological, competitive and regulatory forces help BASF form its global strategy in marketing. This strategy then flows down to the different divisions using more practical marketing research tools to grow the business. Being a business to business company means marketing research is primarily secondary data. BASF globally uses SAP business software. The information gathered in this software is used to formulate sales forecast based off past performance. It is also used to analyze what products are moving and which are not giving key indicators of what products or even divisions are the Stars which are the Dogs, Cash Cows and Question marks. Corporate sales, procurement and logistic systems like WorldAccount or Ensphere ® are also used to gather this data to better service the customer. Trade magazines and publications are used by many of the divisions to gather data in the development of marketing plans. Here is an example from one of the divisions; BASF Industrial Coatings uses trade publications like Metalmag and Construction News to analyze industry trends. Along with trade magazines industry web sites provide information as well. Sites like the one listed below provide valuable information to keep BASF on top of the industry and what’s the voice of the customer. These sites are for the Industrial Coatings division. http://www. coolmetalroofing. org (cool metal roofing coalition) http://www. coolroofs. org (cool roof rating council) http://www. metalconstruction. org (metal construction association) http://www. themetalinitiative. com http://www. designandbuildwithmetal. com (new website lots of pertinent info). Although this is just one division of BASF the same practices reflect across the different divisions. Although not highly used, BASF does a small amount of primary data gathering. In the different divisions web polls, new product or service trials and focus groups have been used to gather information about the voice of the customer. Companies like Ducker Worldwide have performed â€Å"Voice of the Customer Focus Groups† to gather information on the performance of BASF as compared to their competition. Trials include potential new products or services that are either presented or given to a customer to test the markets interest in such goods. These goods or services are run through a customer in the industry to collect information on what the markets tolerance is for such goods or services. Regulatory, social, economic, competitive and technological forces help steer the marketing plan of the various BASF divisions. Through environmental scanning in each of these unique regions BASF collects data. The data is then analyzed to focus on trends in the global market. This data is then used to help direct the company and marketing plan. Canada has had legislation banning/limiting the use and importing of the chemicals such as Isophorone. Isophorone is a distillate of acetone a chemical used in inks, coatings and copolymers. This markets regulatory force led to a change in the components used in coatings sold into Canada. This led to the marketing of â€Å"Isophrone Free† coatings. This information was gathered and then marketed through brochures and fliers as well as the face to face interactions of the BASF sales force with their Canadian customers. With the ever increasing focus on the health of our environment, not only locally but globally, BASF has recognized this social pressure and focused an incredible amount of energy on marketing to the â€Å"Green Movement†. A mere visit to the BASF web site will show the amount of energy being placed upon marketing to the environment. This Green Marketing can be seen in headlines like â€Å"Intelligent solutions for climate protection†, â€Å"Sustainable development†, â€Å"Eco-Efficiency† and â€Å"Climate Protection† on the lead in page of their web site. BASF is currently marketing its association with world wide movement â€Å"Eco- Efficiency Analysis†. Figure 1. Eco-Efficiency Analysis comparing BASF Ibuprofen to competition This term that was coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in its 1992 publication Changing Course looks at the overall footprint of a product from â€Å"cradle to grave†. Realizing the negative image of chemicals and their effect on the environment BASF uses Eco-Efficiency certification to market and sell the total impact a product will have on the environment. The hope is that their product will stand out as environmentally better than the competitions (Figure 1). This certification is being offered on many of its product lines across the globe. Products like Ultradur  ® high Speed easy flow plastic, Ecoflex  ® biodegradable packaging material carry the Eco-Efficiency seal. Other products like or Ultra-cool  ® paints with UV resistant pigments to reduce heat transfer in buildings carry the Energy Star certification. All these have come from environmental scanning. Ultra cool was marketed well enough that it pre-dated any legislation that followed. California’s â€Å"Title 24 Energy Code† now mandates solar reflective coatings used in construction. In the metal roofing industry BASF was the only company producing â€Å"cool† coatings that could meet this legislation and they were producing it before the legislation was enacted. Since then all major suppliers of paint for metal roofing have developed and now market â€Å"cool† coatings. This market segment did not exist until the development of BASFs Ultra-cool ® coatings. This is a testament to the effects of collecting marketing data using environmental scanning, product development and marketing. In scanning the economic climate BASF has gathered data for years on the benefits of their concept Verbund also known as total integration. The Verbund concept has been marketed through every division of BASF the chemical company. There is a â€Å"Purchasing Verbund†, â€Å"Safety Verbund†, a â€Å"Production Verbund† and many more. All of these wide variety of products would make you think that there are a lot of different prices to consider when purchasing from BASF. Because the products they offer are mostly raw materials, the prices of their products change with the economy. When the price of oil goes up, their prices for materials related to that product go up as well. They don’t base their prices off of any index or manufacturer recommendation. This price fluctuation does not affect the quality of their services as there is really no comparison by price to judge whether or not the product is quality. The price that BASF offers for it’s products does not affect consumer perceptions of their company. It seems that along with the business of providing chemicals, they also bring along the feeling of connecting with their customer on a higher level. That overrules the price effect on a consumers decision to go with BASF. BASF does not use the concept of off-peak pricing, which consists of charging different prices during different times of the day, week, or month. This usually reflects the varying demands of the services or products offered. BASF would not benefit from this tactic because the only reason their price changes would be due to the economy and their resources. They do not have a peak time or an off-peak time of demands for their products because they are raw materials and chemicals. The chemicals that BASF offers are in need to make finished products by many different companies at all times of the year. Place BASF uses the e-commerce network widely to reach their customers and suppliers. E-commerce is the electronic handling of business transactions with purchases and production. They conduct most of their transactions through the web in which a customer can log into their personal account and purchase their products through what they call WorldAccount. BASF uses the new internet e-commerce world as a way to make communication faster, more effective, and more direct. It allows customers to have service 24/7, get precise product information, have orders processed faster as well as keep current data on all of your orders. BASF found that the e-commerce way of providing products was the best way allowing more detail and service to be provided to the customer. BASF also has a good representation with production and sales facilities in all of the economic regions. They are located in five continents which are Europe (which is their home market), North America, Asia, Africa and South America. They have more than 100 large sites throughout the world which allows them to be closer to their customers in 170 countries and supply them with their products in a reliable manner. BASF has verbund sites located in Germany (Ludwigshafen), Belgium (Antwerp), Freeport Texas, Louisiana, Malaysia (Kuantan), and China (Nanjing). The term verbund is a German word and means â€Å"linked† or â€Å"integrated†. These verbund facilities make use of integration production processes which makes it less expensive to manufacture the products. This allows BASF to supply a wide variety of different sectors. BASF also operates important production sites which are located in Germany (Schwarzheide), Spain (Tarragona), Port Arthur, Texas, Mexico (Altamira), Brazil (Guaratingueta), China (Shanghai), Japan, (Yokkaichi) and Korea (Ulsan). The use of these multiple locations makes BASF a company that one can rely on almost anywhere you are located. This allows the company to become inseparable from their customers making it more convenient to do business with them in person, as well as through their online stores. Promotion The main idea about BASF’s promotional campaign in Europe is to show that certain things would not exist without their chemicals. It aids you in the course of life and without them, certain things would not be attainable for you. Their main slogan is â€Å"Invisible Contribution. Visible Success. They are aiming to show you that BASF is often working behind the scenes to make their invisible contribution that creates a visible success for their customers through using their chemicals to create the end product. Their image campaign in Europe(which is made up of television commercials and print ads) is directed at the opinion leaders. These are members of society who lead others and shape the views of the general public. The campaign has been covered in Germany, France, Great Britian, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands through newspapers and lifestyle magazines (such as business, news and science magazines). Their television ads are broadcast during scientific and sport programs, new bulletins, films and television series and is aimed at a wide target audience in Europe. They feature different ads for each type of chemical that they provide which include television ads for the paper industry, the semiconductor industry, water treatment, house construction, sports and leisure, road construction, agricultural products, extreme sports, automotive industry, bridge construction, sun protection, fuel, and plasticizers. They are making sure that they cover each kind of service that they offer by showing this wide variety of television and print ads. BASF uses a discrete way of creating publicity for themselves. When you are on their website for Europe advertising you have the opportunity to download their several different print ad campaigns and use them how you would like. They also offer the option for you to purchase either a postcard or poster of the ad. Publicity is something that is nonpersonal and an indirectly paid presentation of an organization, good or service. In this case, the customer, or fan of BASF, is paying for the poster or postcard, and in turn when sending that postcard or putting up that poster, they are providing no personal advertising that was not directly paid for by BASF. It is a pretty creative way of getting a profit and recognition while allowing their customer’s to do the advertising for them. In this case, the publicity works for them. When it comes to advertising in America, the rules are a little different than they are in Europe. Their main theme is that they are helping to make products better. Their main focus is to show how their chemicals can make your everyday life better here and around the world by creating remarkable and visible changes in many of the most important industries. Their slogan is â€Å"We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ®Ã¢â‚¬ . This slogan, according to BASF, has made them the most recognized of any chemical company in North America. The purpose of the several different TV ads allow you to see that they don’t make the finished product, they just provide the quality ingredients to make the best products. It also allows you to see that there are countless uses of the BASF materials that allows you to enjoy life. Just as their slogan says, in most of their TV ads they tell you that they don’t make the product, they just make the product itself better. For example, â€Å"We don’t make the helmet, We make it tougher† is a slogan used in a commercial about their Ultramid polymide nylon that provides hardness and abrasion resistance commonly used in helmets. Along with their TV and print ads, BASF is moving into a more innovational way of advertising to keep up with the demands of advertising and today’s technology. They offer through their website Podcasts. These podcasts include an audible innovation magazine of BASF that offers monthly topics on how chemistry and chemicals will design and shape our future. The other podcast available through the BASF website is â€Å"The Chemical Reporter†. This podcast is for the curious person that has questions about chemistry in your everyday life. This podcast offers answer in their weekly episodes. You can download this to your iTunes account or as an MP3 file for you MP3 player. Another innovation offered is to receive all news alerts and press releases through a RSS feed free of charge. This allows a customer to receive up-to-date news about BASF in a very quick and comfortable way (at your own computer). The only draw back is that you have to download and RSS-reader, but once you have you can select from several different news topics about BASF available online at their website. I’m sure these new innovations are there to create a buzz and traffic to their website. Recommendations The success of BASF marketing can be seen in there continual growth globally. To make recommendations would be easier if we were to look at one division of the company. Either due to market conditions or poor market strategy planning not all the divisions of BASF can be doing well at any given time. The American auto industry is in a state of flux with ever present pressures from the global market. Although divisionally BASF will feel these pressures globally their affiliation with non-US auto makers absorb some of this industries variation, this allowing time for the US market to be analyzed and adjustments to be made. Pure recommendations would have to come from some direct market analysis based off of the division of the company. BASF has done a great job in their Verbund concept. Being a supplier, the concept of interlocking processes or systems creates a relationship with the customer that is hard, or sometimes inefficient to break. From this alignment with cusotmers long term relationships are established. BASF could draw better on global technologies. In looking through the BASF corporate web site many of the technologies that are seen are from different countries. Online information on the use of these products in a specific country could not be confirmed or denied as a potential customer it would have been nice to know that they are available domestically. One observation is that BASF although a hidden part of many â€Å"name brand† products does not benefit from any of their customers successes. Co-branding could lock in the business through the social pressures felt by dropping BASF as a supplier in favor of an alternative. One flaw of focusing on the Verbund concept to lock in customer loyalty is it makes social pressure less of a final end consumer pressure and more of an industry pressure which in the end may not affect sales. In not hurting sales the decision to drop BASF is less of an issue of end unit sales and more of an internal issue of efficiency. Companies like Dow and DuPont often add their name to products in advertising. One example is LineX. LineX is a truck bed liner that is spray applied. This product uses BASF chemicals yet it is DuPont that benefits from co branding with LineX. LineX advertises on their website the following â€Å"LineX, fortified with DuPont Kevlar†. This co-branding is getting the name DuPont and their product Kevlar out to the end consumer. Thus if the customer is happy with the bed liner they may be happy with a product like â€Å"Suave shampoo with DuPont thickening agent† when it should be â€Å"Suave shampoo with BASF thickening agent†. This co-branding would broaden BASF’s evoked set and lock in customer relationships. BASF should capitalize on their success more publicly. The successes of BASF can only be found through their website. These high points in the story of BASF would help establish the confidence that a purchasing group would have in dealing with a stable successful company like BASF. One last recommendation would be to sponsor more events. Dow and DuPont get much of there brand awareness from the sponsorship of events like racing. BASF does a limited amount of this and mostly on a divisional basis. Sponsoring events would get the BASF name out there making it more of an everyday name than it is today.

Please write a 2,5003,000 word research paper incorporating MLA Essay

Please write a 2,5003,000 word research paper incorporating MLA documented information from the five primary sources you have abstracted that evaluates an Amer - Essay Example We are the microcosm of the culture that shaped and is shaping our lives. Although we exhibit our own culture everyday through our actions and thinking, it is hard to talk about or explain it because it already seem second-nature to us. For example, Americans celebrate Independence Day to commemorate the end of war and oppression, celebrate Thanksgiving with roasted turkey, and celebrate Halloween with kids going door to door for the "trick or treat" - all these are part of the American tradition. Americans are also pro-democracy, and will go to a great extent to fight against tyranny. These traditions and beliefs all seem very natural to an average American that most go about them without question or resistance. They are just the way they are, and they represent the status quo. Our culture defines and dominates us as result of a lifetime of socialization through many cultural institutions (Pearce, 1999). Socialization is important for a culture to survive, so it can pass itself from one generation to the next generation. A culture needs to perpetuate itself and preserve the society and its identity, and it does this by conditioning its members that the culture is natural, normal, good and in their best interests (Pearce, 1999). Children are sociChildren are socialized by their parents or caretakers to behave in a way that is pleasing and socially acceptable. At an early age, they are subjected to authority, to control, to conformity, according to society's beliefs and practices. In the same principle, teenagers follow the same socialization process but modelling from friends and peer groups rather than from parents. Women too have been socialized to act, think and feel as second-class citizens by the generally paternalistic society, although the advent of feminism is slowly changing this. Lastly, poor people and the ethnic minorities have also been socialized to feel and believe that they are economically and culturally inferior compared to the dominant educated, affluent majority. In our lifetime, we are exposed to many different cultural institutions such as schools, churches, the media, the arts, and others. These institutions shape the way we think and the way we communicate. We conform to social conventions that were thought to us by these institutions. Conventions can be any commonly agreed forms of behavior, dress, art, literature or film, etc (Pearce, 1999). For instance, we label a girl who wears a miniskirt, a cleavage-revealing top, high heels and full make up, as a slut. We do so because there is a common understanding in our society about how a slut should dress, and we agree to that understanding. Since childhood we have been conditioned to understand how the world of adults is like. Parents give their children toys that actually are smaller versions of adult objects such as playhouses, dolls, cars, kitchen utensils, appliances, toy guns and many more. All these toys, with the exception of educational toys, mean something and they all present to the child how modern adult life is played (Barthes, 1954). The toys are conditioning and preparing children to accept adult life, and not merely entertaining them. For instance, girls are given dolls and playhouses to play with, which is in fact a way of

Traditional Circus vs Contemporary Circus Essay

Traditional Circus vs Contemporary Circus - Essay Example The origins of contemporary circus (or "cirque nouveau") can be found in 70s. In this circus a separate story is told to the audience in a chain of different small performances, unlike a traditional circus, where no separate story was told. This new movement has not theoretical background and there is no a clear intention to be separated from a traditional circus. The main aim was to position a contemporary circus as a kind of incarnation from a traditional circus. For example, there is no total abandonment of the use of animals during performances, because animals are poor narrative means. In the contemporary circus animals are often used with success. There are different means to amaze the audience in the contemporary circus, because acrobatics, juggling or clown acts are often not unique for the audience and are not very fascinating. In accordance with the artists from one of the contemporary circuses: "Circus in general has its own tradition; but at the Cirque, we try to regroup and or add multiple disciplinary approaches to synergize the creation process. Every time we add a new collection, we have to capture the relationship between the information sources and the usage† (Spencer 2007, p. 23). In the contemporary circus the main emphasis is made on a story told to the audience through a number of different acts of performance instead of separate successive performances of jugglers, clowns or animals. There is more about topic in the modern circus and the spirit of modern times. Thus, the artists of the contemporary circus are able to appeal for the emotions and feelings of the audience by referring to the most critical themes, such as love, friendship, children et cetera. They develop a chain of their actions on the background of one common theme. There are no circus families performing in the contemporary circus, but rather conservatory-trained artists; character-driven acts are conveyed to the audience through a chain of narratives embodied in a series of successive acts of performance. The audience has the ability to sit in front of the stage and get involved in the story told by the contemporary circus. There is no ringmaster in the contemporary circus anymore, because a number of performances are connected by a common theme. Thus, the representatives of the contemporary circus Nanjing I claim: â€Å"It seems that the 'cultural signifiers' related to training do not simply 'jump from one body to another' but are embodied through slow, repetitive ongoing application according to a set of cultural values imported from China. The project challenged the attitudes to training of the trainers, students and administrators of Nanjing I and encouraged them to question their cultural assumptions† (Farrel 2008, p. 2). Thus, there is a special atmosphere and environment in the contemporary circus, which depends on the quality and thematic connection among different acts of performance. To reach a wholeness of narration, the artists in the contemporary circus introduce different changes in their performance, music and costumes. This is an evident difference between a traditional circus and the contemporary circus. The modern artists wear simple leotard s and there are no traditional costumes for clowns. Human bodies of the modern artists are moving in such enchanting manner that it is really fascinating to watch movements of their strong bodies and not to pay attention to their weird costumes, wigs or any other

The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Shawshank Redemption - Movie Review Example In the movie it was shown that a white person is jailed and he meets a group of other prisoners, having mixed ethnicity. He develops a kind of intimacy with the group. This is kind of unusual in real life, considering the time depicted in the movie. As at that time there was a great deal of racism and mostly people preferred having friendship with people of the same color. But the movie continuously follows the theme of a bond of friendship between a white and an African-American prisoner. This theme has been the basis and the beauty of the movie. Even though it would have been unlikely in real life scenario, but it was opted for creating a temptation among the viewers (Bossik). The primary allegory in Shawshank Redemption is the myth shown in the prison assortment it. In the film there is shown an airborne gunshot of the jail yard. The thing odd about this shot is it’s depictured of non-segregated racial diversity. Prisoners framed in the scene are depicted like a disperse plot with no association. Apart from that, the education level and social class is also been highlighted in Shawshank Redemption which somewhat contradicts with the reality. Andy is shown as a man who is well educated and belongs to an upper social class. Not only does this raise questions on the educated society but also, this kind of a scenario is not seen much amongst the people in real life. The prisoners of those times in real life were not very interactive with each other and especially with those which did not belonged to them. For example a white man would always be found with a white man. But the movie eliminated the concept of racism which at that time was considered to be a serious issue. The movie depicts many things which are not only to be taken as fantasy, but also were very opposite of what actually happened during that time. The

The Ideal Classroom and School Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Ideal Classroom and School - Assignment Example This essay describes the role of education and how it can be assisted by the ideal classroom and school, ultimately concluding that such concepts are tied into present culture and needs and so should remain flexible. Ultimately, the construction of any ideal is dependent upon perspective and the ability to meet the needs of one's learners. It is therefore imperative that ideals are not copied from one place to another, but that each educator seeks their own answers. Many of the more pragmatic suggestions for creating an ideal classroom in research literature relate to secondary education, but interestingly the two projects currently attempting to construct an ideal classroom are focussing on the primary age range. With the practicalities of constructing an ideal classroom at an early stage in academic literature, a more philosophical approach is taken in this essay. From this perspective, practical ideas are discussed in terms of why they are thought to be ideal. As the notion of an ideal classroom is as much a theoretical as a practical concern, I do not judge the existing literature to be lacking as empirical research into an ideal classroom would be heavily dependent upon its culture and context, arguably suffering from a lack of generalisability from its very nature. The broader role of education discussed by Wragg in Moon et al. ... The broader role of education discussed by Wragg in Moon et al. (2002) includes flexibility, that the aim is simply to meet students' needs. While this slightly dodges a question by posing another question (e.g. who determines and limits the needs), the intent suggests that the concept of 'ideal' has to be a fluid one. An ideal classroom now may not be one in 20 years, nor is the ideal classroom for a London school necessarily ideal for a similar school in Hull. The concept of an ideal classroom and school may be culture bound as much as it is resource driven, so it is necessarily to strictly define for what purpose the classroom is 'ideal'. As with Moon et al. (ibid), this poses the question "ideal for what" To argue that education has changed so little over millennia suggests comparison to another field where little has changed, namely philosophy. Philosophy has value to society for its questions rather than its answers, and I would argue that education is very much the same. It is so much a part of our human and social condition that each generation must ask itself the same questions even if the answers are only temporary. If philosophy is the question of who we are, education represents who we want to be. In the thousands of years of human education, classrooms and schools are a relatively recent innovation. They arguably account for a small proportion of what is learnt through a lifetime, for example Moon argues that the challenge for formal teaching is how to transpose the extraordinary human capacity for learning, particularly in the young, to those artificial worlds we have created in schools and classrooms. (Moon et al., 2002 p.3) McIntyre illustrates this point by stressing that the "concept of teaching has no