Financial Inclusion Essay

Role of Government in financial inclusion Abstract:- This research paper contains the full information about the financial inclusion of the world’s economic. In this research paper we describe the financial inclusion basic meaning, definitions, scope & significance. Now we move towards the second phase which include role of government & role of banks in financial inclusion. we also include the reforms that has been done by the government and the other government organizations . We also include the main article that has been given by the different ministers about financial inclusion & its reform. Financial Inclusion Meaning: Financial inclusion is a policy adopted by many countries to include more people in the financial set up of the country. It aims at tackling poverty and deprivation in the country. In simple terms financial inclusion refers to making the finance or the financial/banking sector more accessible to people. For example: Debit cards, internet banking and direct debit facilities are now common, convenient and cheap ways of paying for goods and services. Yet there are still people who are excluded from using these services. People who are losing out as they are unable to take advantage of the benefits offered by the range of financial products available. In developing and poor countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Afgan etc there are many people who do not even have a bank account or who are unable to take advantage of the loans and deposit benefits offered by banks due to various reasons like lack of knowledge, fear, lack of proximity etc. Today, personal debt is at a record igh and borrowing without a bank account means using high interest lenders. Many of the people in this position live in our poorest communities and find themselves without choice or access to basic financial services, making it even more difficult to find routes out of poverty. Defination: Financial Inclusion is the delivery of banking services at affordable costs to vast sections of disadvantaged and low income groups. Unrestrained access to public goods and servic es is the sine qua non of an open and efficient society. It is argued that as banking services are in the nature of public good, it is essential that availability of banking and payment services to the entire population without discrimination is the prime objective of public policy. The term Financial Inclusion has gained importance since the early 2000s, and is a result of findings about Financial Exclusion and its direct correlation to poverty. Financial Inclusion is now a common objective for many central banks among the developing nations. Financial Inclusion in India The Reserve Bank of India setup a commission (Khan Commission) in 2004 to look into Financial Inclusion and the recommendations of the commission were incorporated into the Mid-term review of the policy (2005-06). In the report RBI exhorted the banks with a view of achieving greater Financial Inclusion to make available a basic â€Å"no-frills† banking account. In India, Financial Inclusion first featured in 2005, when it was introduced, that, too, from a pilot project in UT of Pondicherry, by K C Chakraborthy, the chairman of Indian Bank. Mangalam Village became the first village in India where all households were provided banking facilities. In addition to this KYC (Know your Customer) norms were relaxed for people intending to open accounts with annual deposits of less than Rs. 50, 000. General Credit Cards (GCC) were issued to the poor and the disadvantaged with a view to help them access easy credit. In January 2006, the Reserve Bank permitted commercial banks to make use of the services of non-governmental organizations (NGOs/SHGs), micro-finance institutions and other civil society organizations as intermediaries for providing financial and banking ervices. These intermediaries could be used as business facilitators (BF) or business correspondents (BC) by commercial banks. The bank asked the commercial banks in different regions to start a 100% Financial Inclusion campaign on a pilot basis. As a result of the campaign states or U. T. s like Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have announced 100% financial in clusion in all their districts. Reserve Bank of India’s vision for 2020 is to open nearly 600 million new customers’ accounts and service them through a variety of channels by leveraging on IT. However, illiteracy and the low income savings and lack of bank branches in rural areas continue to be a road block to financial inclusion in many states. Apart from this there are certain in Current model which is followed. There is inadequate legal and financial structure. India being a mostly agrarian economy hardly has schemes which lend for agriculture. Along with Microfinance we need to focus on Micro insurance too. The scope of financial inclusion The scope of financial inclusion can be expanded in two ways. ) through state-driven intervention by way of statutory enactments ( for instance the US example, the Community Reinvestment Act and making it a statutory right to have bank account in France). b) through voluntary effort by the banking community itself for evolving various strategies to bring within the ambit of the banking sector the large strata of society. When bankers do not give the desired attention to certain areas, the regulators have to step in to remedy the situ ation. This is the reason why the Reserve Bank of India is placing a lot of emphasis on financial inclusion. In India the focus of the financial inclusion at present is confined to ensuring a bare minimum access to a savings bank account without frills, to all. Internationally, the financial exclusion has been viewed in a much wider perspective. Having a current account / savings account on its own, is not regarded as an accurate indicator of financial inclusion. There could be multiple levels of financial inclusion and exclusion. At one extreme, it is possible to identify the ‘super-included’, i. e. , those customers who are actively and persistently courted by the financial ervices industry, and who have at their disposal a wide range of financial services and products. At the other extreme, we may have the financially excluded, who are denied access to even the most basic of financial products. In between are those who use the banking services only for deposits and withdrawals of money. But these persons may have only restricted access to the financial system, and may not en joy the flexibility of access offered to more affluent customers. Steps towards financial inclusion

Disconnected in an Interconnected World

Disconnected in an Interconnected World Danielle Searle In a world filled with interactivity and interconnectedness, how is it possible to be so disconnected from the people who live the closest you? Peter Lovenheim’s article, â€Å"Won’t you be my Neighbor,† discusses this very ideal. After a terrible murder-suicide occurred in Lovenheim’s neighbor he was forced to asked him-self do I really know who lives next me? Lovenheim realized he didn’t and decided to something about it. He decided he was going to sleepover neighbor’s homes in order to get to know them better.What Lovenheim should have taken into account is that, not everyone cares to â€Å"connect,† with his or her neighbors; others may simply just not have the time. And finally with the technology today, our â€Å"neighborhood† has grown to be more then the surrounding blocks near our home. Since when does living next door to someone automatically mean they have to be involved in your life? Lovenheim claims that, â€Å"Property lines isolate us from the people we are physically closets† to: our neighbors. (Lovenheim, 2008) When in reality it’s people that isolate themselves from other people.We all have freedom of choice. Just because you share an address, doesn’t mean you have anything in common with your neighbors. Starting a relationship with a person just because they live next door, is almost as idiotic as befriending someone just because they have a lot of money. Time is a huge factoring in life. People have to choose how much time to spend on different aspects of their lives based on priority, so sometimes time to make friends with neighbors is probably extremely low.Lovenheim asks, â€Å" Why is it that in an age of cheap long-distance rates, discount count airlines, and the Internet we often don’t know the people who live next door. † (Lovenheim, 2008) The answer to that question is that people are busy . For example a full time student, who also works, might not have a lot of time to get chummy with her neighbors. Or even a doctor who works the night shift at the hospital, or a new mom that’s focused on her newborn. Lastly, back in the day, your neighbors may have been important people in your life because they were all you knew.Most women stayed at home, so befriending neighbors wasn’t so shocking. Therefore it makes sense that in the 1950s neighborhood ties were way stronger. (Lovenheim, 2008) Today, with most men and women working there is even less likely of chance to get to know your neighbors. But, advances technologies has allowed us to extend our communities to further then just by our house. The Internet lets us keep in contact with friends and family that live far away. Social media allows people to know what going on with each other at all times.Even travel is easier with public transportation, cars, and planes allowing you to travel to almost anywhere. Wh ile it is possible to be isolated from the people who live the closets to you, what really matters is whether you choose to isolate yourself or not. With technology nowadays they is no reason to be disconnected from people; use your freedom on choice to â€Å"connect† with the people that matter most in your life. Use your time wisely and be open to extending your community with this new-wired world.

Applied Problem Solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Applied Problem Solving - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the structure of centralization will face resistance to change given that some members of the management team would not willingly minimize their power and authority to the subordinates. Another likely hurdle is inadequacy of resources and the necessary finance to oversee the transitional process of change and integration of better approaches such as brainstorming. Further, the time required to develop a delegated system of the company is a constraint given training and repositioning must be conducted while still in operation.This study highlights that the organization structure of the organization was analyzed by the author in order to develop an in depth understanding of the process of decision making and the personnel involved in implementing the derived conclusions, so that constraints can be easily identified. The author reviewed relevant literature relating to the organization and talked to different people such as; key staff in the company, managers in organizations that have introduced and managed similar change and analysts from professional and trade associations.  The author’s organization maximizes its constraint throughput by using the available resources at the time it is discovered. The objective is to establish rapid relief while forming a basis where more complex and advanced analysis of the constraint can do in a later period.

Statistical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Statistical analysis - Essay Example Kazemi, et al. used generalized estimating equations and logistic regression to analyze effects of motivational interviewing on frequency of blackouts among first year students. Generalized estimation equation is appropriate to the correlation problem and the discrete scope of variables on which it is used. Logistic regression is also applicable to the factor as blackout and gender were measured on a categorical, discrete, and binary scale. Other variables were measured on other scales but these are applicable to the estimating models (Muth, 2009). Inferred binary assumption on blackout and gender are also valid. Badger and Werrett however used descriptive statistics for analysis and this is consistent with the discrete and ordinal scope of the analyzed data. Frequency of occurrence was the focus of the descriptive study that lacked assumptions on the investigated variables. The statistics are however effective for the study’s objective (Muth, 2009). Awerczek et al. also used descriptive statistics for quantitative aspects of their study. The discrete nature of the investigated variables, measurable on ordinal scale, justifies use of descriptive statistics such as percentages but no assumption can be deduced from the analysis to justify the

Denial-of-service attack Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Denial-of-service attack - Essay Example There are a number of network activities which people carry out in order to prevent users from working with a particular website or virtual organization effectively. Denial-of-service attacks are not a new phenomenon in the technological industry. These attacks are launched to slowdown or affect the smooth running of a particular website. These attacks are really troublesome for the users who have an immediate need to launch a website and retrieve information or process a transaction online (Morley & Parker 2009, pp. 383-384). Such attacks are, hence, widely discussed by researchers and the debate relating to the causes, effects and prevention of such attacks has been continuously given attention. This paper aims to analyze the causes, effects and reasons behind denial-of-service attacks. Denial-of-attack refers to a situation created by an attacker with an aim to stop or make difficult for the legitimate users from accessing the information they require or using services offered onl ine (Komar et. Al., 2003, p. 99). An attacker may affect the performance of the network or the computer system of the user or the computers and network of the website that the user is trying to get access to (Zhang, Zheng & Ma 2008 p. 588). An attacker may be able to stop users from getting access to the emails, chat databases, websites, online services like banking, online educational websites etc and so on (Vacca 2007 p. 238). It is important to understand the ways in which an attacker manipulates or worsens the situation of the network and its working abilities. The most common method used by attackers of Denial-of-service attack is the use of massive amounts of information to slow down the network. The ‘flood’ of information or massive requests for access to a site for viewing the information uploaded there, prevents a number of legitimate users from gaining access (Das & Gulati 2004, p. 214). Servers are designed to process a limited number of access requests or in formation

Contract & Purchase Negotiation Creating a Deadlock Flinching Essay

Contract & Purchase Negotiation Creating a Deadlock Flinching - Essay Example Deadlocks in negotiations can be overcome through the set aside tactic; changing the mood from competitive or resistive to cooperative; introducing deadlines; changing the negotiating team to find conforming match to other party or to ease emotional baggage etc. Flinching is a manipulative tactic used by offerees in contract negotiations. No matter how sweet an offer is, offerees would act indignantly to conceal their joy as way to convince the offerors that their offer or proposal is not sufficiently good. Flinching can take such forms: gasping for air suddenly, shaking of the head and visible expressions of shock, disappointment, and surprise. However, as offeror you can overcome flinching technique by sticking to your initial request and avoiding statements such as, lets now look the costs because they can force you into concessions. On the other hand, offerees can neutralize ‘flinching’ by using questions to get to the bottom of the proposed terms to determine if the other party is trying pulling a fast one or is being honest with the stated

Businesses Polluting In a Third World Country Essay

Businesses Polluting In a Third World Country - Essay Example This paper illustrates that businesses might choose to obey the rules that regulate pollution or risk the chance of being penalized for not obeying the pollution rules. Considering the financial requirement of the penalty in comparison to fixing the problem, most businesses would rather pay the ‘smaller’ penalty, than fix the problem. This is usually exacerbated by the fact that majority of most environmental problems are not addressed by the government. The existing regulations are neither implemented fully nor the penalties punitive enough. For instance, an American Company established in an African country would find it easy to pay fines imposed on them as the exchange rate favors them. Equally, the cost of ‘fixing’ the problem, such as moving a factory from a populated mining area is too high compared to the fine imposed on the same. Thirdly, businesses in the third world find it easy to pollute because their ‘home’ environment is not affect ed. This is usually the case chiefly because the existing regulations and repercussions are inferior to those in their ‘home’ country. The third world governments are also to blame for the increase in such activities because with poorly implemented rules and regulations, the majority of authorities are easily compromised can accept bribes. Some companies bent on polluting the environment and failing to take responsibility opts to entice the local authorities through bribery and ‘sweet’ deals that they cannot refuse. As a result, the regulations are imposed unfairly; hence exposing the country to ultimate disintegration. Third World countries (also known as the least developed countries), in addition to their poor economic conditions also suffer from the effects of extremely poor environmental conditions. As governments strive to address the most basic of their fundamental needs (food, clean water, and healthcare), pollution and other countless environmental problems are neglected; with pollution primarily remaining unrestricted.

Sex and sexuality a cultural taboo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sex and sexuality a cultural taboo - Essay Example (Bristow 2) Sex is the physical course of action of the process of intercourse where as sexuality is how you feel, perceive or experience it. Studies have shown that when individuals move from one culture to another, the impact of culture on the sexuality of females is much greater than that on males. Christensen and Carpenter, (as cited in McAnulty and Burnette, 2006) argue that recently more information is being accumulated on the subject of sex and how it differs across different cultures and this will increase the knowledge database on the subject which wasn’t available in such a quantity in the past, the information provided by studies conducted on such matters gives proof that there is not much unevenness between the cross-cultural practices of men and women but when comparing the two one can conclude that that women tend to be at variance a lot more across those cultural margins in comparison to the male individuals. The basic concept and understanding of sexuality cann ot be altered in any manner no matter how much the society attempts to do so (Aggleton 188). The impact of sexual cultural practices on general health and the lives of its members: People have varying cultural practices regarding sex and sexuality; their beliefs and culture depend upon their religion, beliefs, social customs and area in which they are living. Where their cultural practices offer benefits, they also pose high risks for the individuals undergoing them e.g. FGM is mostly done in unhygienic conditions and also without anaesthesia, it is an extremely painful procedure and if things don’t go well, it could result in infection, diseases, infertility or even death. Also it permanently deprives the child of sexual pleasure for without her genitalia she will never be able to enjoy her sexual life. It is a cultural norm for those people, and any girl who is not circumcised loses her chance of marriage as it is considered disgraceful to marry a girl who is open. The topi cs of sex and sexuality are considered taboo topics in most cultures as well as religions. The youngsters when growing up and going through physical change have many questions regarding sex and sexuality but are unable to discuss them since it is an unmentionable topic they are inquisitive about their sexuality and how they perceive themselves in that manner but they end up keeping their queries and fears to themselves since they don’t have the opportunity to discuss. Female circumcision is a brutal practice and requires our attention to be curbed. The various cultural practices can be better explained as follows: Male circumcision: Circumcision is basically a small operation performed on the male`s penis to remove the skin covering the tip of his penis (Milos & Macris 1994). It was thought that young babies don’t have their senses fully developed and are unable to feel pain which is why it was recommended that circumcision be performed preferably on infants. But later it was discovered that infants are fully capable of experiencing pain and they can very well feel the excruciating pain inflicted upon them during the circumcision process (Northrup 2004). Circumcision has been practiced for

MDCM (A) write up Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MDCM (A) write up - Case Study Example Each of the company’s subsidiaries operates autonomously and so they compete on their own terms instead of as one company. It therefore means that the price that the company pays for its products is too high when compared to the competition. This is even more so with the large number of suppliers that MDCM deals with as a group. Additionally, MDCM is not obtaining time critical information that will allow it to produce and mange its operations more efficiently. Based on the information given in the case the overall strategic goals of MDCM at this time are to improve its organizational structure, improve its information systems, reduce its operational cost and gain a greater market share. This can only be done through the integration of MDCMs information systems both departmentally, regionally and worldwide. The company has recently done some major re-organizations but the root cause of the problem has not been fixed. The CFO has indicated that margins have been shrinking for eight quarters with too much working capital and an inefficient cost structure (p.1). The structure of MDCMs operation does not augur well for its efficient operations. The company has done some restructuring and has reduced its staff complement but it still needs to do a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of its operations in order to see what additional restructuring is required. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) has indicated that because of the inability to forecast MDCM is spending almost three times as much as the company needs to spend on materials because of having to expedite the process in order to satisfy the needs of customers. Production cannot be scheduled properly because of the rush to satisfy the immediate needs of customers. All of this suggest that the company does not have the information that it needs to plan or is not getting the information early enough in order to carry out its operations efficiently. Indeed the COO has

The History of England to 1689 by Clayton Roberts Essay Example for Free

The History of England to 1689 by Clayton Roberts Essay For many years, historians have argued among themselves on how history ought to be seen and studied. There is a lot who consider that the fact concerning history is that history does not narrate accurately. There are also those who disagree to such a view- including Clayton Roberts, the author of â€Å"The History of England. † Clayton Roberts published his writings at the time wherein the prevailing thought was that history is â€Å"nothing but a reenactment of past thoughts in a historian’s mind† (Collingwood 282). His works rather stood out because in these, not only does he boldly assert that history tells truth, but even explains past events causally (qtd. In PSU Press 1). His belief was that, historical exploration is not hopelessly immanent, not irremediably comparative and that every man is not his own historian. The objectivity of history lies in the fact that historians widely agree upon the validity of these canons of evidence and rules of logic† (Roberts x-xi). For Roberts then, history is not merely a description of a sequence of events; rather these events are causally linked together in an orderly fashion, as if following a certain rule or law (George and Bennett 225). Such a view of history of his is very much evident in his work, â€Å"The History of England†. The manner by which he had arranged and discussed Britain’s experiences, the type of language he had used, and his overall writing style conveyed his theory on the effective way of proceeding to a historical inquiry into a subject matter, such as Britain’s history. Well-regarded as one of the more trusted resource materials for students or just about anyone who wished to get a general education of Britain, this author concurs that Robert’s approach does provide for a better understanding and appreciation of history. Theme As earlier discussed, Roberts held that events in history are not just a series of events that happen without any cause or reason. These are linked together in a cohesive manner and understanding how these are inextricably related to one another provides for a thorough discussion of history. This can be visibly seen in his book. In â€Å"The History of England,† he discusses different parts of the country’s history providing for smooth transitions in between to show that each and every event that happened has led to the later occurrences. Before he put in the part detailing the Protestant-Catholic religion, a section showing the growth of Protestantism preceded such, Catholicism still being regarded the primary religion at that time, to provide for the explanation of the impending colloquy between camps from the two aforementioned religions. He always answered the questions, â€Å"how† and â€Å"why† in every significant incident that he explained in his book. In Chapter Two of the book for example, he vividly describes the demise of the Roman rule. The subsequent chapter then goes on to discuss the conquest of Britain and the conversion of the people to Christianity- all resultant of the fall of the Roman Empire. Roberts also spoke of the wars in the 1300s and the 1500s and the significant events therein. But prior to discussing those hard times, he explained the systems of government and provided a descriptive account of the type of life that the people had, as well as the tensions and minor instances wherein people displayed their dissent with regard to those types of systems that governed them and their dissatisfaction with their current state of lives. The showing all these conflicts existing before tackling the waging of full-on wars provided the necessary â€Å"build-up† for readers to understand the true nature of wars- that they are not merely caused by an isolated event, but a combination of political and social factors that converge at a time, that which cannot be contained anymore or settled amicably. The manner by which Roberts organized the events in Britain’s history and the major themes he assigned them under also show his absolute subscription to the theory that events in history are invariably associated under a common factor or rule. In the Chapter of the Elizabethan Rule for example, he not only relays the events that happened under the woman monarch’s rule simply because these happened at the time she sat on the throne, he specifically included the events that he discussed under the said topic: Queen Elizabeth and her relationship with the Church and Scotland, the War against Spain, the Queen and the Government of England- all to characterize and capture what was meant by the Elizabethan rule and its long-term effects to the events thereafter, moreover, the existing English culture as a whole. Finally, the author used a variety of primary and secondary resources that were up-to-date, appropriate and adequate in the discussion of the topics he had set to give the reader a wide view of Britain’s social, economic, cultural, intellectual and political history from as early as the Paleolithic stage to 1714. One must take note that although he stressed dominant themes in every Chapter, he never espoused any single interpretation to such, and even provided suggested ‘Further Reading’ lists at the end of each chapter. Such is still keeping in line with his belief of the possibility of objectivity in history because he never asserted his account or interpretation to events that transpired as the gospel truth. The abovementioned situations are just some of the specific examples that show Robert’s consistency in maintaining his thesis that there is indeed a causal link between the various events that transpired in history. Though he has always been careful to note that in terms of major events, these causal links are not as pronounced as in the minor events, there is a relationship between them nonetheless, a lesson that people must not forget in studying history. Critique Robert’s â€Å"The History of England,† though lengthy and descriptive, is easy to read. Therein, it becomes clear that the author’s primary intention in using descriptive but simple language is to make his work easy accessible to people coming from different parts of the academe from the few highly specialized scholars to the broad popular audience who said that it is not surprising that this book is being used by a lot of students and professors who wish to get a general view of England’s history. Overall, Robert’s work is well-written and organized, primarily thanks to Robert’s painstaking attention to showing the links between the events that transpire in history. Not only has it taught me to scrutinize historical data from his work, but writings by other authors as well. To be quite honest, as a student of history who has read numerous history books by different authors who possess different styles in writing, I appreciate history more when my attention is focused in knowing and understanding why and how an event in history happened in a certain manner, rather than memorizing a multitude of names of famous people or significant dates in history. Robert’s style which was mindful of the relationships between events in time changed my perspective on studying history and has made doing so easier and more enjoyable. History for me became more than just a field of study wherein memorization of events, dates and names of people were of primary importance- that which was difficult for me to do. Now, not only do I find history more fascinating, I am also able to retain factual data with less time and effort than before. Studying the significance of knowing the relationships between the events, which Roberts espouses, has greatly contributed to such.

Cameras are an everyday commodity

Cameras are an everyday commodity Introduction / history Cameras are an everyday commodity and are commonly used today. It is a much simpler and advance device compared to the first ever camera made; the camera obscura. It was a sliding wooden box camera with a dark chamber which consists of an optical device. The first photograph taken with the camera obscura was by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in year 1814 but the image was only temporary. Soon after, the first practical photograph method was invented by Louis Jacques Daguerre and named it â€Å"daguerreotype†. However the process was perfected by William Fox Talbot and named it the â€Å"Calotype† in 1840. It is the first negative-positive process making multiple copies possible. The use of photographic film was found by George Eastman. His first camera called â€Å"Kodak† was a very simple box camera with a fixed focus lens and single shutter speed. It came along with a relatively low price which appealed to many average consumers. In 1900, He broadens mass market photography by introducing the concept of snapshot also known as â€Å"the Brownie†. George Eastman is known to bring photography and cameras general to the public. In 1913, the first 35mm camera develops. Oskar Barnack explored using 35mm cine film while building a compact camera capable for high quality enlargements. It gains immediate popularity as the format of choice for high end compact cameras. The 35mm cameras were expensive for most people and remain rollfilm as the format of choice for mass market cameras. However, 35mm film came to dominate the market when the cheapest cameras using rollfilm was discontinued. As conventional cameras became more sophisticated, a new type of camera appeared in the market. Edwin Land invented instant cameras; Polaroid photography. The Polaroid camera allows photographer to remove a developing print after the image is snapped. It was later made available to the public in 1948. In 1986, Fuji introduced disposable cameras. It is a camera that recycles parts which later was named â€Å"single use cameras†. In the late 1980s, digital photography entered the market of commerce. Kodaks introduction on the professional digital camera system (DSC) allows photojournalists to take electronic pictures. However, the first real digital camera introduced to consumers was in 1990. The camera was able to store compressed images and later downloaded into a PC or a Mac via cable. Photography became common to consumers and made available to consumers by the creator of Macintosh computer. It is a color digital camera with a 50mm fixed focus lens. Also able to store images into its memory, this had set some quality for digital cameras in the future.

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Essay -- essays research papers

One of the more significant or essential concepts in my opinion is communication. Communication, the exchange of information is a key concept because when information is shared in a constructive manner there is an opportunity for understanding and even acceptance in most cases. Communication develops a sense of trust and portrays a gesture of sensitivity which usually results in a more positive reaction and cooperation. Open communication is especially important when transition is involved. Communication will enable a smoother transition because all will be aware of the changes taking place and with some explanation may welcome the change due to the greater understanding the communication may have provided. When an organization withholds information it creates havoc and mistrust amongst the members of that organization. Communication may not always be negative; it is just as important to communicate when the information is that of a positive nature. Organizational effectiveness and efficiency relies on each member of the organization’s participation or contribution. An organization must identify what their goals and strategy are and recognize what their strengths and weakness are. They must improve their methods and practices to greater their strengths and evaluate the areas or factors that are preventing or weakening their productivity and overall progress and restructure or eliminate to achieve the organizations goals. This is one area where organizational learning...

Cansecos Steroid Allegations :: essays research papers

In Jose Canseco’s 60 Minutes interview, he stated that he and some of his teammates used steroids in the past. With all the hoopla surrounding Major League Baseball and its connection with allegations made by BALCO president Victor Conte, this report is intriguing at the least. High profile athletes such as Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds have been under direct scrutiny over the past year because of the steroid issue. Canseco firmly states that he and former teammate Mark McGwire casually injected together during their playing days as an Oakland Athlete. â€Å"After batting practice or right before the game, Mark and I would duck into a stall in the men’s locker room, load up our syringes and inject ourselves† with steroids, starting in 1988, Canseco wrote, according to an excerpt made by the N.Y. Times. Tony Larussa, manager of the A’s at the time denies that his players ever used steroids. Supposedly, steroids give an edge to a players’ psyche as we ll as increased size and strength. Larussa then reiterated that McGwire got his strength and size from weightlifting and a careful diet. In a league where the most glaring aspect of the sport is the art of the homerun, it seems as if these allegations could be possibly true. Homerun king Mark McGwire has made a name for himself with hitting the long ball. He and Sammy Sosa, another alleged user has a hit an impressive amount of homeruns over the span of their careers. Canseco also called out former Texas Ranger Rangers teammates, Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Gonzalez, and Rafael Palmeiro. All the players named above are potential Hall of Famers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reports made by Canseco have sparked another issue as to where the integrity of the sport lies, which is very significant to sport management. Baseball is America’s pastime and it’s a shame to see how the image of the sport is being tainted by these allegations. Although baseball recently adopted a tougher steroid-testing program due to the BALCO trial, it will take some time for the MLB to rid themselves of these issues. With new stiffer testing, the production of the major leagues elite might decline in the upcoming years. Sosa and McGwire chased Roger Maris homerun record of 61 by totally eclipsing it, smashing 66 and 70 homeruns respectively. Maris’s record was one of the longest standstill records in baseball history before the record was broken.

Racism: Lessons Learned Essay -- essays research papers

Many things have been shared in this classroom environment. Issues have been studied that have caught the attention of the class and made them consider things that perhaps were not contemplated before. Over the past semester, one series of lessons have stood out to me more than any other. That particular set of lessons revolved around the issue of racism. Racism has taken on a new comprehension within my thoughts and mind over the course of this semester. I had always considered racism a baneful idea and an even more wicked practice. We defined it as a prejudice based upon the color of one’s skin or race. Although laws have outlawed the practice of segregation and racism, we have seen as a class that it is still practiced within a country that declares it to be illegal. We have learned ...

Practice †Theory Analysis Essay

During internship, I was able to witness some incidents in the educational system which is relatively important with regards to the questions of equity and fairness in schools. These reflect various policy issues that I have learned throughout the course. The most evident issue that I have encountered was regarding various forms of discrimination. Despite efforts to promote equality, some people still have their biases, and that is the common root of discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In one class that I have observed, I noticed that this certain white instructor has a bias towards his white students. This is not obvious because he is not vocal about his preferences, but it can be noticed when he asks questions to the class. As a keen observer, I noticed that he gives the easier questions to his white students, but when it comes to the hard, tricky questions, the ones which usually require analysis and in-depth knowledge, he would call on his black and Asian students. Well, it could have been okay even though they’re called to answer the hard questions, but the problem is, he would usually have his side comments when they are not able to answer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is not a big deal if a student wasn’t able to answer a teacher’s question or a class problem. This usually happens in any class with any race or gender. But real issue would be the comments being given by the professor. For some, it could be just a joke, but for the students, it could cause them to lose their confidence, thus affect their performance in the class. The whole class would laugh at the student, who gave an incorrect answer, thus lowering his self-esteem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my observation, this is a form of discrimination, as his biases towards a certain race would lead to degrading other people. His black and Asian students might loose their confidence and would feel inferior compared to their white counterparts. For me, directing the harder questions to these students would mean that they’re being unfairly treated, even though it is their responsibility to study. Also, giving side jokes and comments by the professor should not be tolerated, as it only strengthens the assumption that he is biased in his profession as a teacher.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main issue that must be addressed in this case is about discrimination. The teacher in this case can be accused of discrimination by the students who he has allegedly discriminated. There are various forms of discrimination, but the concern in here is racial discrimination. Because of the instructor’s bias towards some of his students, he unknowingly discriminates other students. This is the issue that must be immediately resolved for this case. Another issue that must be addressed is whether or not the instructor is allowed to give side jokes about his or her students’ racial or social status. In the point of view of the involved instructor, he could be unaware that he is already discriminating other races because of his actions. It can be viewed as a joke of some sort as a sign of humor in the class. But for the students involved, they could take it as an insult or something that cold degrade their morale and self-esteem, thus greatly affecting their performance in the class. For other students, it could be seen as something humorous but would truly have an impact on how they would perceive their classmate the joke was directed upon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several rules that apply in this case of racial discrimination. According to the Equality Rights, under the Constitution Act of 1982, subsection (1) states that â€Å"Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular without discrimination based on race, national or ethic origin, color, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability† (â€Å"Legal Digest for Ontario Educators,† 2007-2008, p.4). This clearly states that what the instructor has been doing was a violation of the constitutional act of these students, as it discriminates them of their race o their ethnic origin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In relation to the said equality rights, it is as if the instructor is denying the black and Asian students of the right to equal protection of the law. On my observations, most of his jokes and side comments are directed towards these people whenever they give incorrect answers. He is fond of doing this, which is usually taken by other students as a regular classroom humor. But if the white student incorrectly answers the relatively easy question given to them, the instructor would not make a joke or any reaction to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Part I Freedom from Discrimination of the Human Rights Code under services, it is stated that â€Å"Every person has the right to equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities, without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, color, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, or disability† (â€Å"Legal Digest for Ontario Educators,† 2007-2008, p.28). In relation to this, the instructor has clearly deviated from this, as he didn’t acknowledge the black and Asian student’s right to equal treatment with respect to the services being given. As a teacher, the service that he offers is teaching these students lessons and new information on various concerns. Because of his bias towards the white students, he is denying other students of an equal treatment in terms of the services that he offers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to address this problem, we should look at it in an unbiased perspective. The concern would be on how to take care of the problem of discrimination. Every student has the right to be accommodated and to be served, and this is according to the Part IV, Boards, Duties and Powers under no.6 provide instruction and accommodation (â€Å"Legal Digest for Ontario Educators,† 2007-2008, p.27) The first move is to deal with how the instructor treats his students and how he would be able to fairly give out the hard and easy questions. He needs to devise a way which he could randomly pick a student to answer a question regardless of their color or race. This could be done by drawing note cards containing the names of the students. Drawing lots would lessen the need to directly pinpoint which student answers what question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If a legal action is to be made against the instructor, then the student should be given the support they need from the parents, and has to be given proper representation in the court of law. If he or she is under 18 years of age, he is still entitled to what should be given to a person more than 18 years old (â€Å"Legal Digest for Ontario Educators,† 2007-2008, p.28). This is according to the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accommodation of person under eighteen of the Human Rights Code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The instructor also has to work on his habit of joking about his students, regardless of the race or class they came from. This could lead to complications like lack of interest in the subject, as well as poor performance in the class. Instead of joking about his students, he could think of similar situations and imaginary names of people to be used when he feels the need to give a joke to the class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this exercise, I’ve learned that people view things differently. Their perspectives could be affected by their color or race, so commenting or joking about this matter could directly affect their feelings. Because of this, we must be careful of what we say or do, as we don’t know how others might perceive our actions or statements. References: Legal Digest for Ontario Educators, 2007-2008. (2007).  Ã‚   Retrieved February 9, 2008, from www.e-laws.gov.on.ca   

Erp Project Oracle vs Asap

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Project Students name: Registration number: Course: Date: Table of Contents ABSTRACT3 INTRODUCTION5 VENDOR OVERVIEW8 INTRODUCTION8 SAP8 ORACLE9 BUSINESS FUNCTIONS13 Production14 Sales14 Support services15 External services15 BUSINESS FUNCTIONS SUPPORTED BY ORACLE AND SAP16 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM FROM SAP AND ORACLE19 COST COMPARISON BETWEEN SAP AND ORACLE20 EASE OF USE22 ERP MODULES23 Oracle’s Financial Management Analytics23 Oracle database 11g enterprise edition24 VENDOR SELECTION27 ERP DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE28 SCOPE AND COMMITMENT STAGE28 ANALYSIS AND DESIGN29 ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT STAGE30IMPLEMENTATION STAGE30 OPERATIONAL STAGE30 Bibliography31 ABSTRACT Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a system that integrates all the internal and external functional units of an organization, the functional units may be manufacturing, finance, storage, management, transport, customer satisfaction etc. in order to integrate all the organizationâ₠¬â„¢s functional unit into a flawless and harmonious system, computer software have been developed by different vendors, these software may be custom made for a particular organization or they may be general for use by any organization (Jerferson, 2010).ERP systems are put in place to improve on the efficiency of information management of the organization, all the data from the different units of the organization are managed by the software and is usually stored in a central location called a server, the server may be physically located in the organization or it may be a virtual one on the internet, the virtual serve uses a technology called cloud computing.The ERP system normally contains modules that are specialized sub-systems that are task-oriented, these modules include human resource, production planning, financial planning, quality management, materials management, sales and distribution, maintenance, controlling, asset management, project management and industry solutions. T he ERP software are developed and sold by vendors under different levels, the highest level is the large Enterprise ERP tier I which include vendors such as SAP, Oracle and Microsoft, this level is for larger enterprises with complex communication protocols between so many functional units.The second level is the midmarket ERP tier II which include vendors such as Infor, QAD, Lawson, sage and IFS, these ERP software are suitable for medium companies that have average complexity in terms of information management. The last level is the small business ERP tier III, vendors of these ERP systems include Exact Globe, Syspro, NetSuite and Visibility, ERP software in this are suitable for small businesses with simple information management systems (Jerferson, 2010).In this project, a detailed analysis of a hypothetical university’s information management system is made, and then an ERP software will be selected from one of the two vendors, SAP or Oracle. The selection will be based on the steps of the ERP development life cycle, the cycle will involve all the standard phases of an ERP development life cycle. The major activities of the university include provision of education, research activities and community service. The functional units of the university include the academics affairs, inance department, staff administration, medical services, marketing and public relations, central store, catering, students welfare and quality assurance. The project will analyze the software modules that are provided by Oracle and SAP, a detailed investigation on the suitability of the two will also be made, and then one of them will be selected for use as the university’s ERP system. This selection will be based on facts and will be as systematic as the ERP development cycle.INTRODUCTION There are several ERP vendors in the global market, each is fighting to be the dominant brand, and as a result, stiff competition between the vendors is taking place. Each vendor i s engineering better ERP software to attract the customer’s attention and fulfill their needs, some of the vendors are SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Lawson, sage and IFS. In this project, the two most dominant vendors in the market will be analyzed, these are SAP and Oracle.The two vendors had a total market share of 55% between the year 2005 and 2009, and they have developed a wide range of products that are tailored to suit several organizations, be it military, government or industrial (Jerferson, 2010). SAP and Oracle are both in the large enterprise tier I category and they have mainly designed products to suit this segment of the market, however, nowadays they are developing ERP software for midmarket tier II. The project will take a hypothetical university as a case study, the university offers a variety of courses and has a number of campuses distributed all over the country.As part of the management policy, the university is divided into several departments that represent the business functions of a generalized organization, the departments are:- 1. Academics affairs This department deals with the core business of the university, which is provision of education, the department organizes the timetables, assigns lecturers to the different units, manages the curriculum, manages the student’s results, ensures that all the university policies are adhered to and organizes the tests and exams. 2. Central storeIn this department, they receive anything that is supplied by the suppliers. The central store also makes requisitions for general materials such as stationery, staff uniforms, sanitary consumables etc. but they don’t make orders for special materials that are specific to a certain department only such as machinery, computers, furniture etc. 3. Finance This department deals with the management and controlling of the university’s budgets, it also deals with monitoring and management of the school fees as well as the staff salaries a nd allowances.The department relies heavily on computer software to carry out its daily activities, all data is stored in a central server. 4. Students welfare The student’s wellbeing is taken care by this department, activities such as sports, festivals, parties, concerts are organized, monitored and financed by this department. 5. Human resource The recruitment of new members of staff, promotions and disciplinary procedure for misconduct of staff are all carried out by this department. The department also carries out training programs for members of staff. . Catering This department manages the catering services at the students and staff cafeterias, the department also makes orders for all the ingredients they need for preparing the food on the menu for the different days. The sales from the cafeteria are not managed by the catering department, they are managed by the finance department. 7. Medical services The student’s and health needs are meet by this department, the staff in this department include doctors, nurses and pharmacists.They treat any sick student or staff for free, but they use software to keep their data such as medical records, inventory and lab results. 8. Public relations This department deals with uplifting the university’s image, maintaining good relations with other stakeholders and promoting the university at different levels of the socioeconomic setup. 9. Other department Other smaller departments include quality assurance office, advertising department and repairs and maintenance, transport and research institute. VENDOR OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION SAPSAP AG is a software company based in Germany that makes enterprise software, the company was founded in June 1972 and was started by former IBM engineers, the company was initially called Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung (â€Å"System Analysis and Program Development†) but the name was later changed to Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung (â€Å"System Anal ysis and Program Development†), in 2005, the name was officially changed to SAP AG, SAP AG was included in the German stock index DAX in 1995 and was included in the Dow Jones STOXX 50 in 2003 (Leakey, 2013).Currently, SAP is the world leader in the sale of business and database software with a market share of 32%. Some of the main products of SAP are:- CATEGORY| PACKAGE NAME| Business| Analytics| | Advanced Planner And Optimizer| | Business Information Warehouse| | Portal| | Enterprise Central Component| | Governance, Risk And Compliance| | Human Resource Management Systems| | Knowledge Warehouse| | Internet Transaction Server| | Catalog Content Management| | Hana| | Supply Chain Performance Management| | Training And Event Management| | Manufacturing | | Master Data Management| | Service And Asset Management|Industry| Oil And Gas| | Healthcare| | Telecommunication| | Public Sector| | Utilities| | Retail| Small and midsize enterprises| Business One| | Business ByDesign| Other | CCMS| | Sapgui| | eCATT| | Central Process Scheduling| | Solution Manager| ORACLE Oracle is an American database and business management software company that was founded in 1977, its first name was Software Development Laboratories, in 1979 the name was changed to Relational Software Incorporation, the name was changed again in 1982 to Oracle Systems Corporation and lastly it was renamed Oracle Corporation in 1995 (Wikipedia, 2013).Oracle is ranked as the world’s third largest software maker after Microsoft and IBM by revenue, however, it is ranked second in as an ERP software maker by market share after SAP. Oracle had a market share of 23% in ERP software between 2005 and 2009 while SAP had a staggering 32% market share. Some of Oracle’s products are listed below CATEGORY| PACKAGE NAME| Applications| Oracle E-Business Suite| | Enterprise performance management| | Financial management| | Oracle fusion applications| | Oracle CRM on demand| | Customer relation manage ment| Hyperion| | JD Edwards world| | JD Edwards enterprise one| | Human capital management| | Master data management| | Primavera| | Web commerce| | Sustainability| | Procurement| | Project management| | Siebel| | Supply chain management| Database| Oracle database 11g enterprise edition| | Oracle database 11g standard edition| | Oracle database 11g standard edition one| | Active data guard| | Advanced security| | Airline data model| | Database security| | Express edition| | Label security| | MySQL| | OLAP| | Oracle database appliance| | Database vault| NoSQL database| | Secure backup| | Secure enterprise search| Engineered systems| Oracle big data appliance| | Oracle database appliance| | Oracle exadata database machine| | Oracle exalogic elastic cloud| | SPARC superCluster T4-4| | Sun ZFS storage appliance| Enterprise management| Application management| | Application performance management| | Application quality management| | Cloud management| | Database management| | Hardware man agement| | Lifecycle management| | Middleware management| | Oracle enterprise manager 12c| Java| javaFX| | Oracle JDeveloper| Java platform Micro edition| | Java platform standard edition| | Oracle java SE suite| | Netbeans IDE| | Oracle java SE support| Middleware| Application grid| | Application server| | Collaboration| | Portal| | Linux| | Developer tools| | Weblogic| | Webcenter| | SOA| | Identity management| Others| Solaris| | Servers (hardware)| | Integrated management| | Sun ray clients| | Virtual desktop infrastructure| From the list, it can be seen that Oracle makes more products than SAP, this may explain why their revenue is higher. BUSINESS FUNCTIONSBusiness functions are the routine tasks performed in order to achieve the goal of an organization. The figure below shows the business functions (LLC, 2002). These functions are similar for almost all types of organization, but in some organization some functions are totally omitted based on the products or services offered. The figure below shows the most common business functions of any organization. A brief description of the business functions is given below Production Research and development: in this level, the organization develops new products and new designs for existing products.Tests, experiments and survey are the characteristic activities of this phase, data collected from tests and experiments is stored, managed and utilized by the organization’s decision makers Production and quality: this is a major function and usually represents the biggest part of the organization in terms of human resource, at this level, the production is managed, scheduled and planned. Effective machine and staff utilization is a very important aspect in this function, the quality and production rates are controlled based on the data received from the sales and design team.Distribution and Logistics: this function deals with the supply chain, it manages the raw materials and the final products. The activiti es that fall under this function include the coordination of storage of raw and finished products, management of transport and staff who directly deal with the supply chain. Sales Sales: under this function, the relationship between the organization and its customer comes in, the sales team presents the products to the customers in a convenient and persuasive manner, the team also makes tenders, proposals, invoices etc. o the customers. The team also gives feedback to the research, development and marketing teams on the status of customer satisfaction. Marketing: the marketing department deals with promoting the products of the organization, marketing will involve managing the packaging, advertising, forecasting, budgeting, pricing and planning. Carrying out market research and survey is also a key role played under this function Support services Finance: this is a key function in any organization, even for non-profitable organizations.Management of funds and budgeting are the key a ctivities in this function, the finance department records the incomes and expenditures of the organization and carries out future planning in terms of increasing the income and reducing the expenditure. Computing: the use of computers has become almost mandatory for any business, therefore, having computing support services is very important. In this category, the organization’s database, network and software are effectively managed.Human resource: it deals with recruitment of new members of staff, promotion of staff, formulation of contracts and job descriptions for the staff, training of the staff and carrying out disciplinary tasks concerning the staff. Materials: under this category, the requirements of the organization are identified and then the potential suppliers are contacted, the prices are negotiated and the purchase orders are prepared. The staffs working in this area have to closely work with the production team as well as other teams in order to ensure that all teams in the organization have the necessary materials.External services Chartered accountants: the accountants carry out audits to validate the company’s accounts, they also give advice on matters relating to tax and other issues related to the finances of the organization. Management consultants: the consultants carry out surveys on the organization’s policies, procedures, methods, governance and administration. Then they use the data from the surveys to recommend changes to the areas that have any flaws or require improvements.Recruitment agency: they carry out job interviews for recruitment purposes, they look for the necessary skills required by the organization and recommend to the human resource department a list of candidates who can best fit in the job. Advertising: in most organizations, advertising is done by the marketing team, but in large organization, a separate external body is charged with advertising the organization’s products and services. T he advertisers will propose to the management the best approach to get an edge over the competitors.Market research: this can also be done by the marketing department or by an external agency, surveys, data analysis, drawing conclusions from the analysis and formulating recommendations are the main tasks in market research. Public relations: this has recently become a very important business function for almost all organization, the public relations department uplifts and maintains the image of the organization, they answer to any inquiries made, carry out exhibitions, attend and organize conferences and also prepare press releases, brochures and newsletters.BUSINESS FUNCTIONS SUPPORTED BY ORACLE AND SAP From the list of business functions and the list of packages of the two vendors, it is easy to see that the two vendors have packages for almost all the business functions, packages such as procurement, Human capital, JD Edwards world, Master data management, Database security, Data base management etc. from oracle cover almost all the business functions. SAP also has packages that support business functions these packages included Supply Chain Performance Management, Human Resource Management Systems, Manufacturing, Business One, Central Process Scheduling etc. the table below compares the two vendors in their ability to support business functions, BUSINESS FUNCTION SUPPORTED| SAP| ORACLE|Research and development| * Master Data Management * Central Process Scheduling * Analytics * Solution Manager| * Project management * Master data management, Advanced security * Active data guard * Application management * Database management * Collaboration * Identity management| Production and quality| * CCMS * Business One * Utilities * Manufacturing * Advanced Planner And Optimizer| * Integrated management * Hardware management * Lifecycle management * Application performance management * Oracle exalogic elastic cloud * Database security * Siebel| Distribution and Logist ics| * Central Process Scheduling * Service And Asset Management * Supply Chain Performance * Management * Catalog Content Management| * Central Process Scheduling * Service And Asset Management * Supply Chain Performance * Management * Catalog Content Management| Sales| * Business ByDesign * Retail * Master Data Management * Portal * Internet Transaction Server| * Business ByDesign * Retail * Master Data Management * Portal * Internet Transaction Server| Marketing| * Training And Event Management * Analytics| * Application quality management * Project management * Enterprise performance management| Finance| * Enterprise Central Component * Internet Transaction Server * Master Data Management * Service And Asset Management * Business One * Business ByDesign| * JD Edwards world * Financial management * Oracle E-Business Suite * Web commerce * MySQL * Oracle database appliance * Database vault * Database management| Human resource| * Human Resource Management Systems * Training And Ev ent Management| * Human capital management| TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM FROM SAP AND ORACLE Technology platform refers to the ability to create or edit a software on an existing or future system, different ERP vendors have platforms that support their range of products and even their rivals products, this helps in allowing the customer to purchase a mixture of products from the same vendor or from two or more vendors. The table below shows the technology platforms of the two vendors SAP| Oracle| Sapgui * NetWeaver * Enterprise Workspaces * Cloud * SAP StreamWork * Mobility * Sybase Unwired Platform * Sybase Afaria * Project Gateway * Duet Enterprise * In-Memory Computing | * Virtual desktop infrastructure * Developer tools * Linux * Portal * Application grid * Oracle java SE support * Netbeans IDE * Java platform standard edition * Java platform Micro edition * Oracle JDeveloper * javaFX * Application server * Collaboration| The table below shows the technology platform of the two In terms of the operating systems they support and other platforms. SAP| ORACLE| * Windows * Open Source * Web Based * Linux| WindowsLinuxUnix| COST COMPARISON BETWEEN SAP AND ORACLEThe total cost of implementing an ERP project is the total amount paid to put the system in place, it involve the purchase of the system, the cost of implementing the changes required for the system to work and the salaries and wages of the personnel who work in the system. In term of the initial cost, SAP has a higher price than Oracle, SAP has maintained their high billing rates because their focus is mainly on larger enterprises, so the price seems unreasonable for small and medium enterprises, and therefore, most customer rank SAP as the most expensive (Jerferson, 2010). However, SAP has the lowest average cost overrun at about 8% over budget but Oracle had the highest cost overrun at about 15%, which is almost double that of SAP.The payback period for SAP is 13 months while that of Oracle stands at 11 months (Jerferson, 2010). According to a research conducted by Panorama consulting group, the project cost for the two vendors were as depicted on the graph below It can be seen that the two normally go beyond the anticipated budget (at 53. 6% SAP, 52. 6% Oracle) suggesting that the budgeted cost for ERP projects are likely to be less than the actual budget by an average of 53. 1% (Jerferson, 2010). The tables below were extracted from Nucleus Research and they were comparing the costs of SAP and Oracle (Jerferson, 2010). EASE OF USE The ease of use of an ERP system can be compared by looking at the customer’s satisfaction after purchasing the software. 2% of SAP’s customers were satisfied while 74% of Oracle’s customer were satisfied, this indicates that Oracle’s software are easier to use than SAP’s software but the margin between the two was very close (Jerferson, 2010). ERP MODULES The two modules were selected from Oracle, and they are Oracleâ€℠¢s Financial Management Analytics This module provides the top financial management team with a good insight into the status of the financial department and the financial results, it offers a unified solution that can be deployed quickly and contains packaged dashboards and analytics tools that help give a quick insight into the status of the financial system.This module supports the financial business function, finance involves a lot of staff and workload, and the staffs carry out routine tasks that can be repeated daily, weekly, semi-annually or annually. These records are often kept in files and this poses a huge challenge when the top management needs a quick insight or review into the results. Oracle’s Financial Management Analytics automates this system and maintains the records in a database system so that they can be accessed easily. The working principle of Analytics is depicted in the figure below (Oracle, 2012). The key features of Analytics are shown in the table below FEATURE| DESCRIPTION| Executive View| Gross Profit By Region, Income By Region, Net Cash Flow| Process Management| Metrics, Trend Analysis, Overall/Entity Status|Financial Close Schedule Summary| Summary, Graphs, Milestones, Compensation| Performance Indicators| Ratios Year On Year Comparison Table, Ratio Components, Ratio Trend Analysis| Profit And Loss| Summary Income Statement, Variance Analysis, Trend Profit And Loss| Gross Profit| Variance Analysis, Gross Profit By Product, Trend Gross Profit| Balance Sheet| Consolidating Balance Sheet, Metrics, Variance Analysis, Trend Balance Sheet| Cash Flow| Cash Flow Summary, Consolidation, Variance Analysis| Current Analysis| Variance Analysis| This module supports the finance business function, this is a key function in any organization, even for non-profitable organizations.Management of funds and budgeting are the key activities in this function, the finance department records the incomes and expenditures of the organization and carries out future planning in terms of increasing the income and reducing the expenditure. Oracle database 11g enterprise edition Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition is a database management software that is suitable for small and medium sized enterprises, this module manages all the data in the organization and enables all the business applications to benefit from the performance, reliability, security and scalability of Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition (Wikipedia, 2013). Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition supports all standard data types such as XML, Text, Documents, Images, Audio, Video and Location data.Access to data is via standard interfaces such as SQL, JDBC, SQLJ, ODBC . NET, OLE . NET and ODP . NET, SQL/XML and Xquery, and WebDAV. It also has some analytical tools for modeling in SQL-based systems (Wikipedia, 2013). The figure below shows the working principle of Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition. DATA STORE PROCESS DA TA STORE USER USER PROCESS DATA STORE PROCESS DATA STORE PROCESS DATA STORE USER USER PROCESS DATA STORE PROCESS This module support several business functions, for example it supports the sales, finance, logistics, human resource management, production etc. by keeping all the relevant data in a secure and organized manner for easy access and retrieval when needed.The two selected modules can perfectly fit in the university’s operation. The university has a finance department which deals with the management and controlling of the university’s budgets, it also deals with monitoring and management of the school fees as well as the staff salaries and allowances. The department relies heavily on computer software to carry out its daily activities. Oracle’s Financial Management Analytics can be used to manage the finance department of the university. Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition can be used to manage all the university data including the studentâ⠂¬â„¢s results, past and present exams, e-books, financial records, hospital records, timetables etc. VENDOR SELECTIONThe preferred vendor is Oracle, this is because, they are cheaper compared to SAP, the payback period is shorter than that of SAP and their customers enjoy higher rates of satisfaction. In addition, Oracle has better customer services than SAP and has a wider range of products to choose from than SAP. The domain of the organization under study did affect the choice, the university is a service provider and not a manufacturing organization, hence, some of the modules needed in the manufacturing domain may not be needed by the service providing university. The size also affected the choice of the vendor, the university can be considered as a big enterprise with branches (campuses) in different regions, thus a powerful tier I ERP system would be required to manage the university. A customized version ofERP will be the most appropriate for use in the university, this is because, the university is a unique enterprise with unique types of data management protocols, some data can be accessed by a few authorized users while other types of data should be available for every user, the levels of authority in the university are different from those in other service providing enterprises. Therefore, a great deal of customization will be required if a successful ERP system is to be implemented, this is nevertheless, an expensive option since customized ERP system cost more and take longer to implement. ERP DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE The ERP development life cycle can be summarized in a flowchart below (Motiwalla, 2010).SCOPE AND COMMITMENT STAGE This is the first stage of the cycle and it entails carrying out a feasibility study to determine whether the ERP system will actually work and if it works (Motiwalla, 2010), will it benefit the university. In addition to this, the university will develop the scope of the implementation based on the resources and time re quirements. Then the characteristics of the ERP implementation are defined to determine what features should be included in the ERP and the customization it may need, the top management’s commitment becomes very important at this stage and the short and long term vision for the new ERP system are formulated.Once this has been done, the suitable vendor is selected based on criterions such as price, reliability, payback period, customer support etc. The scope and commitments required at this stage include: * Gap analysis: an evaluation of the functions provided by the proposed ERP system is made and a comparison between the functions it can perform and the required functions is also made * Physical scope: the number of users who will use the system, the location where the system will be implemented and the sites that will be addressed are considered at this point * BPR scope: at this level, the users, department and sites affected are identified, the current processes are looke d at to see if any changes will e required to implement the system * Technical scope: evaluate the ERP system to establish if there are any modifications to be done on the system * Resource scope: the time and money allocated to the project are determined at this point * Implementation scope: the actual implementation is considered to determine which modules will be implemented and the link with the existing system ANALYSIS AND DESIGN At this stage, the ERP system is designed by the appointed teams, the user requirements are established, and the differences between the current business process and the ERP are identified and accommodated in the design (Motiwalla, 2010).Conversion of the data and the system is done at this point so that the new system is linked with the old one, a change in the management plan is also formulated to ensure successful implementation of the ERP system. Training of the staff on how to use the new system is also done at this stage. ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPM ENT STAGE The software is purchased from the vendor and the license is paid for as well, tasks identified in the gap analysis are executed at this stage, the changes in the management are also implemented to allow for the proper functionality of the new ERP, the old data is transferred to the new system and finally the security of the new system is configured. IMPLEMENTATION STAGE The purchased software is installed and implemented, the approach used in implementation can be one of the following * Phased * Pilot * Parallel * Big bangEach of these approaches has its pros and cons, but for our case, the best approach would either be phased or parallel because these two would give the staff and the students enough time to adapt to the new system. OPERATIONAL STAGE This is the final stage of the cycle, the project team officially hands over the system to the university, the university will own the system and shall be responsible for managing new releases, installation of the patches and upgrades and renewal of contracts and licenses with the vendor. Bibliography Jerferson, D. (2010). Battle of the Titans: SAP vs ORACLE. Denver: Panorama Consulting Group. Leakey, J. (2013, February 21). SAP AG. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/SAP_AG LLC, A. P. (2002). Business Etiquette. London: ILT. Mereddy, R. (2011).SAP basis Administration Handbook. New Dehli: McGraw-Hill. Motiwalla, L. F. (2010). Enterprise System for Management. New Jersey: Pearson Education Incorporation. Oracle. (2012). Oracle Financial Management Analytics Data Sheet. California: Oracle Press. Research, N. (2010). TCO CASE STUDY: SAP VERSUS ORACLE JD EDWARDS. Alabama: Nucleus REsearch Incorporation. SAP. (2013, February 19). SAP Home Page. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from SAP: http://www. sap. com/index. epx Wang, J. (2011). Oracle Database 11g. New York: Oracle Press. Wikipedia. (2013, February 22). Oracle corporation. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from Wikipedi a: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Oracle_Corporation

A Critical Evaluation of Myself

Life is a continuous succession of events. The happiest incidents always linger in our minds as sweet memories. The most memorable incident in my life is the transition of Hong Kong into an integral part of the great country China. This brought about great changes in the life style and the political affairs of the people.I am proud to be a Chinese citizen now. Actually, I was born in Shanghai and brought up in Hong Kong. I consider myself to be very lucky to be the part of a very large country with a glorious past and a rich cultural heritage. The ‘great wall of china’ is one of the greatest wonders of the world. This beautiful structure clearly demonstrates the glory and power of ancient China.Growing up in modern Hong Kong was a great opportunity. Hong Kong has an international culture firmly rooted in age-old Chinese traditions. Life in Hong offers a fine blend of tradition and modernity. My life itself is proof of this wonderful fusion.Though I come from a traditiona l family, I was given the freedom to choose my life and pursue my career. I chose to major in art for my graduation. This may appear a bit odd for a person living in a commercial metropolis like Hong Kong. My ambition is to become a great artist. I believe I can achieve my dream because I am a very imaginative person. My specialization is photography and each time before I take a picture, I imagine how it would look like. This critical thinking power has greatly helped me to become an excellent photographer.All great countries are built upon the solid foundations of their culture. A number of great kings belonging to different dynasties who ruled China built up its great traditions. I love the Tong dynasty very much because they had developed China into a very powerful nation. Today China is a modern nation built upon the foundation of its tradition and culture.The success of a country is defined by its harmonious blending of the past and the present as in the case of Japan as well. The Japanese are rooted in history and tradition, but they are ready to embrace the new as my Japanese friend Satoko Nishikawa (2009) says: â€Å" In the city, there are tall buildings and old temples next to each other.Japanese culture is very traditional but at the same time people like to embrace the new. Japanese try to find a guide into tomorrow by taking lessons from the past†. Similarly, my other Japanese friend, Lidia Asato talks about the advantages of the fusion or blending of two diametrically opposed cultures. Born and brought up in Peru, Lidia   Asato (2009) though a full-blooded Japanese, grew up imbibing the Peruvian culture. Unlike the Japanese who are low profile and disciplined, the Peruvians are extroverts with a sense of humor.Mylinh Phu (2009), my Vietnamese friend also believes in accepting other culture without losing one’s own identity by declaring that â€Å"I grew up in America but I am proud to be a Vietnamese.   I still maintain my own culture by teaching my children how to speak Vietnamese†. This attitude is a clear proof of the power of critical thinking in myself as well as in my friends.

Social Responsibility, Consumerism, and the Marketing Concept

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, CONSUMERISM, AND THE MARKETING CONCEPT Robert D. Winsor, Loyola Marymount University ABSTRACT This paper compares the often-criticized â€Å"selling orientation† or â€Å"selling concept† with the commonly-praised â€Å"societal marketing concept â€Å"from the perspectives of consumer rationality and persuasibility. It is suggested that both orientations view consumers as relatively irrational and as easily prone to manipulation by marketers. The implications of this similarity are explored from the perspectives of consumerism and social responsibility. INTRODUCTIONCritics of marketing have consistently attacked the discipline for discounting consumers' intelligence and capacity for rational choice and for deliberately confounding consumers in their efforts to make rational, informed, unbiased, and free economic choices. At the same time, societal trends have pushed U. S. businesses in the direction of increasing concern for social issues and a ttention to long-run consumer welfare. The aforementioned criticisms and pressures for increasing social responsibility are largely driven by the same social paradigms and constituents.Yet, it is noteworthy that the ultimate result of an expanded social responsibility of business is the concomitant diminishment of free consumer choice. Moreover, this obstruction of consumer discretion is the inevitable consequence of presumptions of consumer irrationality. Thus, while groups such as consumerists have often criticized marketers explicitly for rejecting notions of consumer rationality, these same groups and sentiments have forcefully promoted the social responsibility of business and the societal marketing concept as advancements in business thought and practice.As a result, contradictions can be seen to exist within the consumerist agenda, and are apparent (but unacknowledged) in the â€Å"societal marketing concept† and calls for increasing the responsibility of business towa rd social issues and concerns. The goal of this paper is to expose these contradictions and to elaborate upon their implications for business and society in general. THE EVOLUTION OF THE MARKETING CONCEPT In January of 1960, the marketing discipline entered a new age.In this year, we were presented with no ground-breaking theory, no pioneering methodology, no brilliant adaptation of another discipline's construct, and no monumental grant. We were, however, given something we would come to treasure much more highly than any of these. We were provided a raison d'etre and a philosophical foundation. It was on this date that the Journal of Marketing published an article by Robert Keith (1960) entitled â€Å"The Marketing Revolution. And, since its publication, marketers have been able to feel justified in believing that their efforts were not only indispensable, but that they have been instrumental in bringing about sweeping improvements in the evolution of business practice. Although the revolution described by Keith has been tamed to become the â€Å"evolution† of the marketing concept, and the generalizablity of the evolution it described has been questioned by some (e. g. Fullerton, 1988), the transformation in American business described by Keith's model has nonetheless served as a source of explanation and justification for marketing academicians.The â€Å"post-evolution† marketers have been lent a degree of dignity and a sense of purpose which was conspicuously lacking before. Prior to this date, marketers were perceived to be at best superfluous, and at worst dishonest or unscrupulous. Not that the average citizen considers marketing in any different light today, but the belief in an evolution of the marketing concept has allowed the academic marketing community a certain degree of self-respect. In his article, Keith described four â€Å"eras† or periods of thought and practice through which his organization, The Pillsbury Company, pr ogressed.Keith believed that these eras were characteristic of most businesses which were contemporaries of Pillsbury, and thus speculated that an overall movement was in evidence. Since the publication of Keith's article, other writers have modified, refined, and extended the basic thesis advancing this evolutionary process: The most noteworthy and well-known of these descriptions is that of Philip Kotler. Kotler describes five alternative concepts or philosophies through which most businesses have evolved.Although any given business can operate under any of the philosophies, the underlying precept of the evolution thesis is that these philosophies form a hierarchy, with later philosophies being superior to those of earlier eras (Keith, 1960; Kotler, 1994). The implication is that to move from a lower level (earlier) philosophy to that on a higher level (later) is not only insightful, but also good business. The first eras or business philosophies are termed the â€Å"product† and the â€Å"production† concepts.The product concept emphasizes product quality and/or performance, and assumes that at least some consumers are knowledgeable enough to recognize and respect superior attributes in these areas. The production concept focuses upon systems for producing large volumes of products in an effort to drive down costs by exploiting economies of scale. This philosophy is based upon the assumption that most consumers not only recognize, but prefer high value (benefits – price) offerings and are knowledgeable and rational in selecting among alternative products.A later era is known as the selling concept, and is based upon the premise that consumers are relatively uninformed regarding product attributes, or base their selection upon fashion or other â€Å"non-rational† criteria. Moreover, this orientation assumes that consumers are easily influenced. As a result, organizations employing the selling concept typically resort to aggressive selling and promotional efforts, with the goal of seducing or coercing customers into purchasing the product. A considerably higher plane of enlightenment is represented by the marketing concept era.The marketing concept is considered to be a quantum leap up the evolutionary hierarchy, and continues to be embraced by a great number of marketing scholars and businesses. The marketing concept â€Å"holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consists in determining the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors† (Kotler, 1994, p. 18; 1977a). The motto of the marketing concept is â€Å"find a need and fill it,† and its credo is â€Å"The Customer is King. Like the product and production concepts, but unlike the selling concept, the marketing concept is founded upon the assumption that consumers are knowledgeable, intelligent, and rational, and base their product purchases upon a c areful consideration of the relationship between their own needs and product attributes. As a result, the fundamental premise of the marketing concept becomes a focus on the consumer as the pivotal point for all business activity (Barksdale and Darden, 1971).The thinking underlying the marketing concept was espoused as early as the 1940's and 1950's (Samli, Palda, and Barker, 1987; Bell and Emory, 1971). In 1958 the term â€Å"marketing concept† was coined to describe the philosophy behind this approach (see McKitterick, 1958), and â€Å"by 1965 practically all introductory marketing texts included some discussion of the ‘new' marketing concept† (Bell & Emory, 197 1). The reason that the marketing concept was considered a major breakthrough in business philosophy is that it represented the antithesis of the product, production, and selling concepts.Rather than taking an existing product and endeavoring to modify demand for it by adding features, reducing price, o r varying promotional technique, the marketing concept holds that businesses should first determine the existing needs in the marketplace and then design and produce a product to satisfy this need. In this sense the marketing concept is driven by the needs of the marketplace, rather than the existing abilities of the firm.The fifth, and supposedly highest stage of evolution in marketing philosophies is what Kotler terms the societal marketing concept. In each of his writings referencing the marketing concept, Kotler (1972, 1977b, 1994) clearly states his belief that the societal marketing concept embodies a higher and more enlightened plane of marketing thought and practice, and suggests that this new concept represents an attempt to harmonize the goals of business to the occasionally conflicting goals of society.As such, it postulates that the â€Å"the organization's task is to determine the needs, wants, and interests of target markets and to deliver the desired satisfactions mo re effectively and efficiently than competitors in a way that preserves or enhances the consumer's and society's well-being (Kotler, 1994, p. 29). It should be noted that the societal marketing concept is founded upon one dominant and critical proposition.This is the assumption that â€Å"consumers' wants do not always coincide with their long-run interests or society's long-run interests,† and that, given this, marketers should place the â€Å"emphasis on ‘long-run consumer and societal well being† (Kotler, 1977b). As a result, the societal marketing concept represents an endorsement and justification for the social responsibility of business in contemporary society, and a refutation of Milton Friedman's infamous assertion that â€Å"the social responsibility of business is to make a profit† (Friedman, 1962). THE CONSUMERISM MOVEMENT AS THE CATALYST FOR THESOCIETAL MARKETING CONCEPT The latest consumerism movement is a cause that has been accumulating mom entum for over 30 years in the U. S. , and its disciples assert that all consumers have an inherent right to products which are: safe in use (and even misuse), effective for the use designed, economical, reliable, honestly labeled and advertised, and benign in their impacts upon the environment. Moreover, consumerists have been very proactive in seeing that these â€Å"rights† are guaranteed to individual consumers, either by the firms selling the products, or by the government of this country.Adherents of consumerism tend to believe that businesses are so overwhelmingly motivated by the desire to make a profit that they commonly compromise the quality of the product offerings, thereby jeopardizing the safety of consumers. Consumerists cite examples of this â€Å"greed,† such as the Beech-Nut case involving the sale over 10 years of millions of cases of â€Å"apple juice† which was in reality only sweetened, flavored water (Business Week, 1988).The fact that suc h a large number and variety of these cases exist and continue to be exposed on a regular basis lends a great deal of credibility to the consumerism movement and its underlying assumptions. In explaining the rise of consumerism, Peter Drucker blamed the marketers for failing their consumers and publics in using the marketing concept: We have asked ourselves where in the marketing concept consumerism fits or belongs. I have come to the conclusion that, so far, the only way one can really define it within the total marketing concept is as the shame of the total marketing concept.It is essentially a mark of failure of the concept†¦ (Drucker, 1969) This quote is now famous to marketing practitioners, scholars, and critics alike, and the legitimacy of Drucker's view is generally conceded. In the same year that Drucker made this accusation, Business Week (1969) also asserted that â€Å"In the very broadest sense, consumerism can be defined as the bankruptcy of what the business scho ols have been calling the ‘marketing concept. â€Å"‘ These condemnations of the marketing concept reflected a general assumption within both the business and academic spheres regarding the implications of consumerism's growing popularity.A substantial portion of scholars and managers surveyed in 1971, for example, believed that the rise in consumerism was a direct reflection of the inadequacy of the marketing concept (Barksdale and Darden, 1971). As the presumed response to the failure of the marketing concept, then, the consumerist movement became the foundation for â€Å"a revised marketing concept† which Kotler (1972) proposed as the successor to the â€Å"failed† marketing concept. As in earlier stages of the marketing philosophy evolution, the â€Å"societal marketing concept† was ostensibly constructed upon the ruins of its immediate predecessor.Since the most recent consumerist movement in the U. S. served as the catalyst for today's concept ualization and implementation of the societal marketing concept, it would seem important to understand the modern origins of this movement. ORIGINS OF THE MODERN CONSUMERISM MOVEMENT Writing in 1987, the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide described one car as â€Å"perhaps the most sophisticated (certainly one of the most ambitious) cars ever to come from Detroit† (Langworth and Robson, 1987, p. 51). These authors went on to proclaim that these were â€Å"the kind of cars we should have had in the 1970's, and didn't. The car was the Chevrolet Corvair of the 1960's, and its conspicuous absence in the 1970's was the direct result of what many consider to be both consumerism's explosive postwar debut and also its finest hour. Indeed, the tomb of the Corvair became the foundation of consumerism as we know it today. While business historian's (e. g. , Halberstam, 1986) are eager to criticize Detroit's apparent indifference and ineptitude regarding the 1970's invasion of small, econom ical automobiles from foreign countries and the oil crisis which precipitated this invasion, this blame has been clearly misplaced and undeserved.In 1959, General Motors, acknowledging an existing need in the marketplace for a small, inexpensive, sporty, and fuel-efficient automobile, designed and marketed a vehicle to fill this need. This automobile, the Corvair, was indeed revolutionary in many respects, having four-wheel independent suspension, a rear-mounted air-cooled six-cylinder engine, the option of turbo-charging (a first), and an exhaust system design which would be used on a majority of automobiles for years to come.Both the Corvair and its functional, but considerably more primitive predecessor, the Volkswagen Beetle, were designed, built, and marketed with the highest regard for the marketing concept–offering lower-income consumers the opportunity to own an economical, reliable, and fun-todrive automobile. Both cars were strong sellers, and appeared to satisfy a number of preexisting needs in the marketplace. In 1960, Consumer Reports praised the Volkswagen for its good workmanship, and handling and roadability which were â€Å"well ahead of the U.S. average†. Additionally, about the worst thing that Consumer Reports could find to say about the Corvair was a remark about its â€Å"unimpressive trim quality† (cf. Abernathy, Clark, and Kantrow, 1983). Unfortunately for many consumers, Ralph Nader would use these cars as a catapult for his career, and in so doing, would become synonymous with the consumerism movement. In 1965 he wrote a book entitled Unsafe at Any Speed, in which he criticized General Motors as being irresponsible, greedy, and unconcerned for the public's safety.Nader used the Corvair as the book's primary example, developing an elaborate, scathing, but also relatively misplaced criticism of the Corvair. Due to the negative publicity which the book generated, the book dealt a death blow to the Corvair, which imme diately began a downward sales spiral toward its eventual extinction in 1969. Inspired by the â€Å"success† of Unsafe at Any Speed, an equivalently brutal and faulty criticism of the Volkswagen Beetle was written in 1971 by a colleague and ally of Nader, and was entitled Small—On Safety (Dodge, 197 1).Since, by the time of this book's publication, millions of Volkswagens were on the road and were well-regarded as providing reliable, economical, and serviceable transportation, the book failed to achieve any credibility, and did little harm to Volkswagen's sales. What should have been evident to readers of either book and to consumers in general, but was perhaps not appreciated until much later, was that it was physically impossible to construct a small economy car which was as safe as the leviathan Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Chryslers of the same period.Had a well-designed car such as the Honda Civic (or any other contemporary compact automobile) been introduced into the market in the 1960's, it too would have certainly been labeled as unsafe, and forced off the market. THE SOCIETAL MARKETING CONCEPT AND THEORY X The societal marketing concept is largely congruent with the â€Å"multiple constituency model of organizations† (Kimery and Rinehart, 1998), and general notions of the responsibility or obligation of businesses to social and environmental stakeholders.Contrasted to the marketing concept or orientation, which posits the direct and simple relationship between organizational profitability and responsiveness to customer needs and concerns, the societal marketing concept or multiple constituency model suggests that success is highly dependent upon an organization's attentiveness to all constituencies simultaneously (Kimery and Rinehart, 1998). Yet due to the common opposition between immediate consumer needs and long-term societal and individual needs, the simultaneous â€Å"satisfaction† of all of these demands is frequently dif ficult if not impossible.Moreover, the focus upon â€Å"un-stated† or long-term customer needs and a concomitant discounting of stated consumer desires have distinct overtones of corporate or governmental paternalism and the assumptions of producer or governmental sovereignty, which this perspective necessarily implies. In short, where the marketing concept is the economic equivalent of the democratic process, the societal marketing concept is antithetical to the tenets of democratic equality and more comparable to economic fascism.In an eloquent paper outlining the conceptual foundations of his societal marketing concept, Kotler adapted Douglas McGregor's managerial â€Å"Theory X / Theory Y† to illustrate alternative perspectives of customers (Kotler, 1977b). According to McGregor, Theory X managers view their employees as being lazy, ignorant, gullible, suspicious, and disloyal. In contrast, Theory Y managers view their employees as informed, intelligent, motivated, unique, and rational (McGregor, 1957, 1985).In his adaptation, Kotler makes the assertion that businesses subscribing to the philosophy embodied within the societal marketing concept make assumptions about their customers which are consistent with Theory Y (as opposed to Theory X). In other words, Kotler believes that the societal marketing concept is philosophically consonant with a perspective of the consumer as informed, intelligent, and rational, suggesting the higher plane of enlightenment shared by adopters of this concept and alluding to the concept's supposed capacity for consumer empowerment.Although Kotler makes a valuable contribution in adapting this managerial framework to the marketing discipline, he grossly errs in his interpretation. A far more plausible observation is that the societal marketing concept is solidly built upon Theory X assumptions about consumers on the part of the marketer. According to Kotler (1977b), â€Å"societal marketers are more attuned to t he buyers' unexpressed needs than overexpressed wants,† and place an emphasis upon â€Å"long-run consumer and societal well being. Because of this, the societal marketing concept clearly forces or compels marketers to make judgments about what is â€Å"best† for consumers, and what needs are valid (as opposed to those that are spurious or unwholesome). It is in this way that the societal marketing concept becomes the ultimate subscriber and underwriter to the Theory X mentality. The conceptual foundation of the societal marketing concept (as well as of the consumerism movement) rests eavily upon the belief that the individual consumer is unable to â€Å"look out for him/herself,† is gullible, ignorant, easily misled, does not know what is actually in his/her own best interest, and thus needs to be protected from powerful and unscrupulous marketers. In this way, the belief that the role of the marketer is to interpret what is â€Å"best† for society and i ndividuals necessitates the assumption that individuals do not and cannot know what is best for themselves. Nor is this an overstatement of the societal marketing concept's goals and assumptions.Bell and Emory (1971, p. 40), proponents of this concept, assert that â€Å"The typical consumer is at such a disadvantage that he cannot assure his own effectiveness. Business has the responsibility to help him, and if business fails then the government or other parties must act on the consumer's behalf. † In addition, in circumstances â€Å"where the buyer is unwilling or unable to make rational decisions,† Bell and Emory believe that â€Å"It is the duty of business to promote proper consumption values† (Bell & Emory, 197 1, p. 40, emphasis added).Yet these are precisely the â€Å"paternalistic† attitudes which characterize the Theory X â€Å"manager† according to McGregor. The fact that some consumers may choose to buy a subcompact automobile because th ey prefer economy over a certain degree of safety, or that some choose to subsist on McDonald's hamburgers, fries and milkshakes despite their â€Å"unhealthfullness† does not imply that these individuals are stupid, or gullible, or that they need to be â€Å"enlightened† by consumerism or societal marketing techniques, This is in fact the precise point at which the â€Å"evolution† of the marketing concept breaks down.The marketing concept holds that marketers should strive to supply products for every consumer need, provided these needs are not grossly threatening to society, and that â€Å"any decision the customer makes to serve his own perceived selfinterest is rational† (Bauer & Greyser, 1967). It is thus impossible to interpret the societal marketing concept as anything but a move backward into the period where the selling concept ruled–where consumers were â€Å"ignorant,† â€Å"irrational,† and easily anipulated by more insig htful marketers. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS While consumerists and other critics of the selling concept regularly and loudly chastise business organizations for employing marketing strategies and campaigns which are ostensibly based upon assumptions of consumer ignorance and irrationality, these same guardians of consumer interest are typically synonymous with those pushing organizations most forcefully into programs of social responsibility and the societal marketing concept.Yet, as noted above, the agenda of social responsibility in business is clearly based upon assumptions of equal (or even greater) degrees of consumer ignorance and irrationality. Disciples of the societal marketing concept appear to be largely oblivious to the relatively absurd levels that businesses have been pushed by forces in concert with their agenda. (Witness the warning on McDonald's coffee cups: â€Å"Caution: HOT! . . . CAUTION: CONTENTS HOT! †¦ Caution: HOT! . . . Caution: HOT! . . . WARNING: HOT! †¦ /! .. † which are combined with a corollary reduction in the temperature of the liquid itself — actions which were necessitated by the infamous multimillion dollar legal claim against the company — a lawsuit which was applauded by numerous consumerist groups. ) But, as Levitt noted in 1958, â€Å"self-conscious dedication to social responsibility may have started as a purely defensive maneuver against strident attacks on big corporations and on the moral efficacy of the profit system. But defense alone no longer explains the motive. The motive for corporate social responsibility and the overwhelming push for social responsibility in the pursuit of sales now arises out of the industrial sector's near-total dependence on social trends and the sentiment of a minority of consumers. Corporations that have been beaten into submission by frivolous lawsuits and that are afraid to arouse consumerist accusations of indifference have been forced to pander to t he lowest common denominator of consumer passivity, ignorance, and laziness.As predicted by McGregor, these Theory X attitudes and actions have subsequently bred and reinforced the very passivity, ignorance, and laziness in consumers they were designed to anticipate and amend. Ironically, the similarities between the selling concept and the societal marketing concept regarding their shared assumption of consumer ignorance can be seen as forming the perfect foundation for either societal altruism or, alternatively, opportunistic exploitation.In many cases, these efforts can be difficult to distinguish from one another, and apparent acts of altruism or social responsibility can provide the perfect camouflage for exploitation. Because organizations are rapidly becoming aware of the power of â€Å"greenconsumers,† for example, there is a significant temptation to advance this agenda through the marketing program as a powerful device for cultivating customer loyalty and anesthetiz ing consumer prudence and vigilance.As Kotler (1994, p. 30) notes, â€Å"a number of companies have achieved notable sales and profit gains through adopting and practicing the societal marketing concept. † One of the two shining examples Kotler cites is The Body Shop, started by Anita Roddick in 1976. This organization has experienced phenomenal sales growth by actively promoting its products as all-natural, environmentally friendly, and non-animal-tested, and its business practices as sociallyconcerned.Moreover, Roddick has frequently and publicly ridiculed other cosmetics companies, noting that they are â€Å"run by men who create needs that don't exist† (Zinn, 1991). Indeed, The Body Shop became in the 1980's the prototype that all â€Å"earth-friendly† businesses would seek to emulate. As the vanguard of social responsibility, The Body Shop and its founder became the beneficiary of huge volumes of positive publicity, international acclaim, and consumer goodw ill.Yet recent explorations into The Body Shop's products and business practices have found elements which yield a stark contrast to the public images and perceptions noted above. Products of the company have been found to be largely petrochemical-based and of relatively poor-quality, and a large proportion of them have been tested on animals. In addition, the â€Å"socially-enlightened† business practices of this company have been exposed as creative public relations efforts, and the FTC has nvestigated the firm for fraudulent business dealings (Entine, 1993; Buszka, 1997). Clearly, it must inevitably be those organizations which are encouraged to view their consumers as ignorant or irrational that can and will most easily extend that notion to discover opportunities for exploiting that ignorance and irrationality. It is for this reason that those espousing the societal marketing concept and the social responsibility of business can be seen as the greatest danger to consumer sovereignty and consumer welfare.As Lord Acton observed, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Yet it is a corollary rule that in reducing one individual's power, all others with whom that person deals have their relative power increased. By forcing consumers into the roles of ignorant, helpless, and mindless children in need of protection and corporate welfare, advocates of the societal marketing concept have liberated consumers from both responsibility and power, and have concomitantly made business more powerful. REFERENCES Abernathy, W. 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