Kongi’s Harvest Essay

President Kongi, the dictator of an African developing nation, is trying to modernize his nation after deposing King Oba Danlola, who is being held in detention. Kongi demands that Danlola present him with a ceremonial yam at a state dinner to indicate his abdication. Daodu is Danlola’s nephew and heir, and he grows prized yams on his farm. Daodu’s lover Segi owns a bar where Daodu spends most of his time. Segi is revealed to be Kongi’s former lover. The different tribes are resisting unification, so Kongi tries to reach his goal by any means necessary, including forcing government officials to wear traditional African outfits and even seeking advice from the man he deposed. In a climactic scene at the state dinner, Segi presents Kongi with the disembodied head of her father. Post-Colonial review Colonization and Post colonization are twin evils in the so called civilized times. During colonization criticizing the Empire was not possible. But in the postcolonial era the colonized is not spared. Personal freedom demands that a human being has the right to follow any religion and faith. According to social rights he has the right to social security, protection and participation in the cultural life of the community. But these fundamental rights were denied to the colonized and the post colonized. The writers in the post-colonial period expose the cruelty and dehumanization ruthlessly practiced on the colonized. The very means and ways by which the native was discredited become effective weapons to hit back at the colonizer. The native was demeaned as a ‘savage’, his land called ‘a dark continent’, his heart ‘heart of darkness’, his religion ‘barbarous’ and himself ‘a cannibal’. The post-colonial writers use their cultural myths to prove the ignorance of the colonizer and his racial prejudice. They prove through their myths the greatness of their religion, the cosmic vision engendered by it, the possibility of rejuvenation inherent in it and the lesson of universal brotherhood advocated by it. The writers aim at exploiting various techniques as myths, carnival, intertextuality, palimpsest, contrapuntal reading, symbol etc. to help the reader see things from a new angle so as to question the official version of history, the so-called authenticity of the canon and the authority of intellectual hegemony exercised. The difference between the post-modern writer and the post colonial writer is that the former does it to promote nihilistic playfulness, whereas the post colonial writer is always conscious of the suffering undergone by the individuals; starting from concrete experience of pain he expresses his characters’ utter disorientation at the psychic level. The post colonial writing aims at rejuvenation of the wronged colonized and restoration of their prestige and identity. Myths engender ageless wisdom. When a writer uses it creatively and dynamically, he invests them with fresh layers of meaning and interpretation which highlight the contemporary reality. Malinowski’s observation affirms this; â€Å"Myth contains germs of the future epic, romance and tragedy† and continues that it â€Å"finds itself in certain of its forms of subsequent literary elaboration† Myth and ritual in a primitive society are the sustaining forces both in normal times and crises. No wonder all the African writers seek recourse to myths for restoring the fragmented personality of their fellowmen and reclaiming the distorted faith in their cultural tradition. Soyinka as a great traditionalist uses myths as the core of all his writings whether they are poems, fiction or drama. Kongi’s Harvest, Wole Soyinka’s latest play, has predictably created a sensation at Dakar, where it was presented at the Negro Arts Festival. For Soyinka has chosen a topical subject, African nationalism, and whether he tikes it nor not, his hysterical Kongi has probably been judged as much in terms of Nkrumah’s ejection, for example, as by artistic merit. This reviewer is largely unfamiliar with African politics and the traditional values upon which Soyinka apparently bases so much of his work. Consequently, these remarks of an unabashed outsider of necessity concern only the clarity and coherence of the play considered, perhaps unfairly, outside its social context. As mounted in the Arts Theatre at the University of Ibadan—that is, without the final scene, called â€Å"Hangover† and with considerable confusion attending its conclusion—the play depicts for the outsider what sort of harvest a man reaps if he sits alone on top of a mountain. That is Kongi’ssituation through the greater part of the play’ he descends, at its conclusion, to a harvest festival at which he is presented not with the expected new yam, but with a decapitated human head. Kongi, as several characters, in the play remark, is a poseur , a man who thinks of the world as watching him at all times. He sits upon his mountain looking out on the world, and at the same time, he is visible to that world. Such an approach to living seems to have taken its, emotional toll. Kongi is, hysterical, and in the final scene, he delivers in mime what we are told is a four-and-a-half hour speech, while the affairs of the world – the preparation of the new yam and the noise thereof— completely submerge the words of the speech. The speech is pure gesture, devoid of sound, unheeded by the world. The gestures, full of fury only, are those of a man out of all emotional control. Ranged in various more or less defined sorts of opposition to Kongi are at least three characters. The first of these is Oba Danlola an old arid obstinate, fiery, traditional leader. He is in detention as the play opens, presumably for opposition, and one of the major actions of the play involves bringing Danlola to present Kongi with the new yam—to renounce in effect his traditional authority in I he feast. The old order passeth, and DanLoJa finally consents. The outsider is not really competent to judge Obas generically. One imagines that, as sketched, Danlola is a stock traditional figure, and he seems a pleasant enough fellow. Yet, at one point, two characters liken him to Kongi in the important matter of posing. To the uninitiated there seems little obvious point in the comparison not because Danlola does not pose, but because his posing does not seem to have produced hysteria. This point may also be made in terms of the notion of â€Å"isms† developed in the play. Kongi, rules a land called Isma and his devotion to â€Å"isms† seems to be a function of his posing. Danlola, poseur though he may be, can’t really be said to participate in this fondness for â€Å"isms†. We have only the bare, unqualified assertion of Danlola’s likeness to Kongi and nothing visible on the stage to suppport the statement. Surely, here Soyinka has either led us considerably astray, or has failed entirely to carry us with him. Apparently, Danlola’s nephew and heir, Daodu, is also ranged against Kongi and his â€Å"isms†, â€Å"Apparently†Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ because we see Daodu do precious little. He is a bar fly, a habitue of Segi’s Night Club, and Segi’s present Lover. Segi is a sort of Herculean whore, Kongi’s former mistress about whom terrifying stories circulate: she destroys men, the suggestion is, sexually. It does not appear to what extent. Kongi’s present, highly disorganized condition is owing to his experiences with her. Nor is it clear whether it is Segi or Daodu who has the upper hand in their relationship. When he is not drinking Segi’s beer. Daodu raises champion yams on a farm settlement which runs a sort of Loose competition to the Kongian establishments, outdistancing them every time, it is his yam which is selected at the concluding festival, pounded and presented to all but Kongi, Obviously in the matter of harvest Daodu and his yams are separated from Kongi and hiS human head by the distance between life and death. However, Daodu at one point in the play announces a platform of resistance to Kongi which is predicated upon very nearly universal hatred and, to follow the metaphor, human heads. Segi opposes his position pleading for a loving approach to one’s fellow men, but, like so much in the play, the point of this conversation remains obscure. One is left to speculate whether Segi here asserts her basic domination of Daodu, or whether Daodu is to be viewed as the â€Å"developing character† who grows out of his hatred, or whether it is all a horrible joke. Segi’s words of love sullied by her profession. At any rate Daodu’s program of hatred seems clearly opposed to his benevolent yam growing, and we never see him do anything which resolves the issue. Segi may also be placed in opposition to Kongi, but if it is difficult to determine Daodu’s and Danlola’s positions, with Segi the problem is hopeless. Primarily this is true because we see her do even less, than Daodu. She never acts unambiguously in such a way as to disprove the persistent story that she destroys men. Her relation with Daodu is so undefined as to shed little light on this matter. For much of the play she maintains silence, which she breaks most noticeably with her passionate appeal for universal love. Here, her destructive tendencies seem open to question. Her other major action, completely at odds with her profession of universal love, concludes the play. Facing Kongi directly, she presents him with the decapitated head of her father. As staged, the confrontation is symbolic with a capital ‘S’ , in view of the obvious sexual overtones of the harvest festival, one immediately suspects that Kongi’s particular harvest results from cultivating the Likes of Segi, that if one resorts to her one can only get abominations. Here again Soyinka may have led us astray. If Segi is a champion in the pitched battle between the sexes—engaged in the good fight Soyinka his portrayed in The Lion and the Jewel—destroying men as rumor reports he does, Soyinka has carried us a long way from African nationalism in that final scene. For in that case, Kongi, and also Danlola and Daodu are mere tools in a perverse fertility rite, and the trouble with Africa lies not in its dictators, but in its whores. In view of the series of major interpretive alternatives suggested above, one is forced to conclude that Kongi’s Harvest is, to the outsider an incoherent sprawl. Alternative, and mutually exclusive interpretations are not artistic ambiguity, Soyinka sets us on a number of scents, which pursued, lead in no single direction. We are led into every briar patch in the area, along widely divergent andmutually exclusive paths, and end by running in very small, perplexed circles. Against such a view of the play two objections might be raised. First, some of the suggestions about the meaning of various actions might be termed over-ingenious. Such an objection must be at least partially granted; yet, Soyinka himself must bear partial responsibility for this critic’s over-zealous application, Soyinka has the true dramatist’s gift of making actions seem significant. His imaginative use of action and language effectively commands the audience â€Å"look here, this is important, and you should watch carefully†. When a comparison of two characters is underlined try considerable discussion of the comparison, when a dumb character finally speaks, when a passive character finally acts, we cannot choose but suspect the situation is important. Perhaps Soyinka is too good at gelling, our attention, with the result that we are fascinated by the non-essential as well as the essential. On the other hand, it might be objected that a man as unfamiliar with African politics and culture as this reviewer cannot form a proper opinion of such a play. This too is a formidable objection. Still, drama is a public form of art, if it is anything, and an artist like Soyinka should decide whether he wants to reach anything larger than a purely Nigerian or African public. It would seem that an artist tries to order parochial events in such a way that they have more than a parochial significance in presenting the uninitiated a dramatic experience with African politics Soyinka only confuses, and one can only suspect that he is confused himself. The matter of Right and Left Ears of State exemplifies the outsider’s difficulties very nicely. Those two remarkably named characters are introduced, as the henchmen of Kongi’s Organizing Secretary. They are a grand â€Å"sight gag†Ã¢â‚¬â€the conception funny enough to demand our attention, and we expect that they will do something amusing. Instead, they disappear mutely into the backroom of Segi’s Night Club, never to re-appear. We later learn that they have been killed in retribution for Kongi’s politics. Their memory lingers on, however; we can’t really believe that we have lost them so early; moreover, various characters employ â€Å"ear† phrases which recall their names to us. As a result, when in the last scene, the head is presented to Kongi, we, without Soyinka’s stage note stating whose head it is, recall, even if only for a brief moment, our old friends the Ears. Our attention, in other words is at least partially distracted at this important point by the strong expectation that the Ears will prove interesting. Soyinka must reckon with the fact that he can arouse our interest, and in nonessential matters, handle that talent carefully. It is a great disappointment to realize finally that, in the interests of coherence and clarity, many fascinating dramatic touches in Kongi’s Harvestshould, like the Ears of State, be more fully developed, carefully subordinated, or lopped off. Conclusion The end of the play leaves no hope in us for the purging of such societies. The struggle by Daoudu and others to overcome Kongi’s destruction is doomed. This futility of action is first hinted in the proverbs from â€Å"Hemlock† . Even Daodu and Segi who are the only ones courageous enough to openly condemn Kongi’s rule, are in the end victims of the predicted general clampdown indicated by the iron grating that clamps on the ground at the end of the play.

Drink Business Plan Essay

The following marketing plan forms the basis for the introduction of an innovative new product by the Coca-Cola Company. The analysis allows us to outline the best strategies to follow for the achievement of the company’s strategic goals. â€Å"Bubble Buzz† will be marketed as a unique functional drink while striving to reinforce the company’s status as the leader in innovation and successful product launches. The marketing strategies will enable to reach a market size of an estimated 8,688,300 people (targeted) with a forecasted sales growth prospect of 7. 3% over the next 4 years ($243,029. 47 profits), while satisfying the needs of the still-unserved market for ready-to-drink bubble tea. Success will be reflected by a sizeable capture of market shares within this market, while strategically carrying the company up to the top spot as the market leader in the functional drinks segment of soft drinks. Export potential will be considered in China. [pic] Brief description of the company The Coca-Cola Company’s core undertaking is to benefit and refresh everyone it reaches. Founded in 1886, we are the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, which are used to produce nearly 400 beverage brands that make up for our wide portfolio. Our corporate headquarters are established in Atlanta, and we are holding local operations in over 200 countries around the world. Our activities cover all sectors of the beverage industry. We are the second leading player in functional and Asian specialty drinks, while ranking number one in value for the ready-to-drink tea sector (ref. 1, p. 1). Brief description of the new product, & strategic role in the future position of the company â€Å"Bubble Buzz† will be a bottled beverage and will be positioned as the only ready-to-drink Bubble Tea product available on the market. The beverage will have a green tea base with enhanced fruit flavors (passion fruit, strawberry and lime) as well as tapioca pearls. It will bring an entirely unique drinking experience to its consumers. It will present itself as a funky and unusual alternative to traditional tea while providing the great taste of authentic fruit juice in an attractive and convenient packaging. The strategic role of Bubble Buzz for The Coca-Cola Company is centered around three objectives: †¢ To stay at the forefront as the market leader in innovative product introductions and successful product launches; †¢ To strengthen and satisfy the needs of the more adventurous Generation Y consumers with a new eye-catching and FUNctional product; †¢ To become the market leader in the functional drinks segment with increased market shares. [pic] INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Consumption: The sales volume for the functional drinks segment (ref. D2) in Canada has reached $342. 2 millions in 2004 for a volume of 125. 9 million liters (ref. 2). This product segment has shown a steady growth since 1999: an increase of 13. 5% over a period of 6 years (Appendix A). The consumption rate per capita in 2004 has reached 3. 94 liters, which represents a 4. 0% increase compared to 1999 (ref. 3). The growth of this particular market is largely due to a slow shift in consumer trends. Trends: Through the early 1960s, soft drinks were synonymous with â€Å"colas† in the mind of consumers. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, other beverages (from bottled water to tea) became more popular. Coca-Cola and Pepsi responded by expanding their offerings through alliances (e. g. Coke & Nestea) and acquisitions (e. g. Coke & Minute Maid), but also by focusing efforts on portfolio diversification. Today, while the soft drink industry’s value has increased in 2004, the volume sales of carbonated soft drinks has declined due to a large proportion of consumers who are opting for the trend towards healthier alternatives in the functional drink segment (energy drinks, smoothies, milk & juice drinks, sports drinks) as well as bottled juices and water (ref. 5). Companies have been actively engaged in new product developments in order to counter the growing concerns about negative health impacts of high-fructose drinks, but also to increase the demand in a market where product offerings are quickly maturing (ref. 4). New flavor introductions and health-conscious formulations have been launched in an attempt to offset the decline in carbonated soft drink sales (ref. 6). The functional market is expected to show sustained growth and consumer interest in the future years as consumption shifts to trendier, healthier and more sophisticated products (ref.7). Profitability & future growth potential: In 1993, Concentrate Producers earned 29% pretax profits on their sales, while bottlers earned 9% profits on their sales, for a total industry profitability of 14%. While the functional drinks sector only accounts for 3. 7% of the total soft drinks sales in 2004 (Appendix B), estimates are forecasting a growth of 7. 3% in sales and 11. 0% in volume consumption by 2009 (ref. 4). SWOT ANALYSIS (Strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats) |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Brand strength |Reliant upon line extensions | |Effective stride in new markets |Reliant upon particular carbonated drinks | |Results of operations |Brand dilution | |Strong existing distribution channels |Entrance into difficult non-core categories | | |Saturation of carbonated soft drink segment | |Opportunities |Threats | |New product introductions |Strong competition | |Brand is attractive to global partners |Potential health issues | | |Free trade | Explanations in APPENDIX C COMPETITION Coca-Cola’s top competitors for the soft drinks industry are PepsiCo (31. 6%) and Cadbury-Schweppes (15. 8% of market), which combined, represent about 48% of the total market (ref. 9). Coca-Cola is leading with 43. 7% of the total soft drinks market. In the functional drinks sector, PepsiCo is the current market leader with 60. 5% of the market shares in 2004. Coca-Cola Co is second with 32. 8% (ref. 2, see Appendix D1). Bubble Buzz will launch into a currently unserved subset of that market (RTD â€Å"Ready-To-Drink† Bubble Tea), which is until now unexisting. It is anticipated that the following brands could potentially compete with Bubble Buzz in the functional drinks market: Brisk, Lipton Iced Tea, Sobe (owned by PepsiCo), as well as Snapple’s and Hawaiian Punch (owned by Cadbury/Schweppes). Bubble Buzz also creates a potential situation for cannibalism with Coca-Cola’s very own brands of iced tea and other functional drinks. The current market for traditional Bubble Tea is fragmented, since the distribution is restricted to local outlets and selling points such as counters and small Bubble Tea shops in scattered locations across Canada. However, direct competition from these local players is not anticipated, since the marketing roll-out will initially emphasize on product awareness and both sales channels do not reach or serve the same market (retailing vs. counter/restoration). A strong distribution system already exists with Coca-Cola, since partnerships and channels are already in place. This will facilitate the product’s reach into its target market. Further data concerning competing market shares and distribution channels are available in Appendix D(1-3). Barriers to entry: |Business practices |Manufacturing | |Due to the number of competitors, it will be hard to prevent |Producing bottled Bubble Tea requires sizeable capital | |imitation behaviour (especially from PepsiCo) |investments for the specific needs of the manufacturing chain | | Risk of competing with emerging private labels (e.g. President’s|(from ingredients to final packaging specifications) | |Choice) |The marketing campaign to make this unknown brand popular | |Given the wide array of brands (saturation in the soft drink |requires more promotional expenditures than a traditional brand | |market), it becomes a challenge for Bubble Buzz to stand out |extension | TARGET MARKET. Segment identification: RTD (Ready-to-drink) bottled Bubble Tea, to be established within the Functional Drinks sector Segment needs: The product will cater to both physiological needs (hydrating and nutritional value) and social needs (perception of a social, fun drink with a sense of belonging within peer consumer groups) † (ref. 11, p. 127). Segment trends: The current trends include a shift away from junk foods and carbonated drinks, a growing interest for healthier / beneficial products for the â€Å"mind and body† (ref.10), the trend towards the availability of on-the-go products for those with an active lifestyle, as well as the trend for personalization through customization (or for beverages, through variety-seeking in a wide introduction of flavours † ref. 6). Segment growth potential: Statistical reports anticipate a segment growth of 1. 72% over the next 9 years (2015) for the 10-29 years old subsets (ref. 12). Refer to Appendix E. Size of the segment (population): 8,688,300 (329,600 L). Refer to Appendix E. |Segmentation variables and breakdowns for Canadian consumer market of Bubble Tea | |MAIN DIMENSIONS |VARIABLES |BREAKDOWNS | | |Region |Nationwide (all provinces and territories) with emphasis on urban / metropolitan areas, and| | | |adapted strategies for all geographical groups | | |Area size |5000-19,999 to 4,000,000+ | | |Density |Urban, suburban | | |Climate |All (East, West) | | |Age |10-29 years old (teenagers, studying age and young adults) | | |Gender |Male and Female | | |Income |All under $30,000 | | |Occupation |Students; new graduated; new workers; young professionals | | |Education |Elementary 4th grade, High school, CEGEP and University | | |Race |All: Asian, Black, White, Native; other; with adapted strategy for Asian consumers already | | | |familiar with Bubble Tea | | |Home ownership |Renting apartment/condo, living with parents | | | |(Highly discretionary in personal spending) | | | Personality |Brand conscious, anchored in popular culture, inclined for differentiation and | | | |sophistication, very tolerant towards multiculturalism and internationalism (open-minded), | | | |quick maturation with modern products | | |Lifestyle |Most of them dependent on parents, no major responsibilities, highly influenced by peer | | | |groups, active life, importance of school, work and social life | | |Benefits sought |COMMUNICATION BENEFITS | | | |-Nutritional information | | | |-Informational text on history of product | | | |FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS | | | |-Healthier than soft drinks | | | |-Convenient, easy to take out | | | |PERCEPTUAL BENEFITS | | | |-Quality/Premium price | | | |-Social standing/good-looking | | | Usage rate |Seasonal (peak in summer), daily-basis, weekly basis | | |User status |Non-user, regular user (current user through existing bar-shops) | | |Loyalty status |None, medium, strong | Positioning strategy: The only RTD bottled bubble tea available. Funky & eye-catching bottle, functional packaging, premium-priced, cool, new and unusual, unique drinking experience, aspects of play (tapioca pearls, oversized colored straw), variety of flavors, sweet, refreshing, for hip & young people, healthier alternative to heavy-sugar drinks. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS Profile: Name: Bob Thomson Date of Birth: 25. 03. 85 Age: 20 Occupation: University Student Country: Canada Needs: Healthy lifestyle/Social belonging People: Roommate/Friends/Family Places: Clubs/Coffee shops/University/Gym Activities: Basketball Team Due to his active and quick-paced life, Bob wakes up at 6:30AM every morning. Today, he puts on his trendy Lacoste Polo and Diesel Jeans, and of course, he always has his Puma shoes on. After having called his friends with his new Samsung camera phone, he leaves his apartment and goes to his gym by metro, while listening to his favourite music that he downloaded to his iPod. Bob usually likes to work out before he has to head to University. That way, he feels he has more energy and feels ready to confront his busy day attending courses and getting things done. On his way to school, Bob knows he is thirsty and he feels the need for something very refreshing. He stops at a convenience store next to the gym. Standing in front of all the choices in the beverages aisle, one particular bottle catches his sight. And he instantly recognizes the brand. He knows that this is a bottle of Bubble Buzz, because not only does his other friends often drink it, but he also heard them talk about this brand new product that Coca-Cola just launched. He also previously saw Bubble Buzz ads when he surfed on his favourite websites. He grabs a bottle, and takes a closer look at the nutritive information label. He is very pleased to see that the new drink is more nutritive and definitely healthier than the other soft drinks that were available on the shelves next to it. The higher price of the product doesn’t bother him, since he perceives â€Å"Bubble Buzz† as a high-quality, functional product, which is manufactured by a well renowned company. Plus, he did not feel like simply buying bottled water, or carbonated soft drinks. Because of his inclination towards more sophisticated tastes, and because he likes to try new products on his own, he thinks this bottle is worth the price. Because of his busy schedule, Bob prefers to save time as much as he can. Thus, he decides to buy two bottles. One to quench his immediate thirst, and another one that he wants to save for later in the day. He sees that the packaging is so convenient and easy to carry, and so when he exits the store, he puts the second bottle in his backpack. He attends all of his classes. During his break, he always hangs out with his friends. A lot of them are drinking from different â€Å"Bubble Buzz† flavours. He opens his second bottle, since he had such a great experience with the first one. He liked that the beverage was so unusual, yet refreshing. The drink surpassed many of his expectations. He has no doubt about it. Bob will continue to buy Bubble Buzz for its good taste, and also because at his age, he sees it is the coolest trend right now. [pic] Based on the aforementioned analysis, Bubble Buzz appears to be a profitable and innovative product with a strong outlook for market share presence and segment growth opportunity. Upon implementation of the marketing plan, the Coca-Cola Company will regain increased market shares and claim its targeted situational position of market leader in the functional drinks segment as well as keeping its long-standing consumer recognition for innovative and successful product launches in diversified markets. Projected profits will be $243,029. 47 (see financial projections). Marketing Plan Part 2: Marketing Strategy [pic] The objectives of the marketing plan are strategically centered around 3 criteria: to create a strong consumer awareness towards a completely new bubble tea product from Coca-Cola, to establish a wide brand recognition through the capture of market shares in the functional drinks segment, and to become the top market leader in that particular segment within the forecasted sales figures. [pic] PRODUCT STRATEGY The core o Bubble Tea beverage in a pre-bottled, ready-to-drink format. The actual product o Packaging and labeling: see figure below o Branding: colorful, aspect of play, round shaped, prominent Bubble Buzz logo written in modern font, catchphrases such as â€Å"Think outside the Bubble† and â€Å"Get Your Buzz†. o Trade name: Bubble Buzzâ„ ¢, a Coca-Cola product o Brand personality: energy, funky, cool, functional, original, funny, healthy, etc. o Brand equity: Coca-Cola provides a quality, consistent, innovative and accessible soft drink reputation. Augmented product o Nutritional information, Status (social drink), Features promoting the website, Health benefit of a green tea base (ref. 17) Marketing considerations o Product life cycle: Bubble Buzz is a low-learning product. With a strong marketing campaign, â€Å"sales [will] begin immediately and the benefits of the purchase are readily understood† (ref. 11, p. 301). Since Bubble Buzz is prone to product imitation, Coca-Cola’s strategy is to broaden distribution quickly, which is currently feasible thanks to the company’s high manufacturing capacity. o Product class: Food & beverage ( Soft Drinks ( Functional Drinks (refer to Appendix D2 for a break-down of the functional drinks market). o Bubble Buzz follows the practice of product modification (ref. 11, p. 304): Coca-Cola is introducing an existing beverage (bubble tea) but redefines the drink with a new, more convenient package. Bubble Tea will now become a widely available drink in multiple retailing (distribution) channels. [pic] PRICE STRATEGY The price strategy that will be undertaken should consider the following aspects: 1. Consumer demand 2. The product lifecycle 3. Potential substitutes Customer demand. Customer demand is a crucial factor which is driven by tastes, income and availability of others similar products at a different price (mentioned later in the potential substitutes section). For a lot of consumers, value and price are highly related: ‘’the higher the price, the higher the value’’. Consequently, Coca-Cola’s intention to position Bubble Buzz as a unique, innovative and attractive product gives it a certain control over Bubble Buzz price. To be able to implement higher pricing though, the minimization of the non-monetary costs to customers should also be include along with awareness of the product (notably by advertising) and value (benefits) . The product lifecycle. The company should take advantage also to the fact that the newer the product and the earlier in its lifecycle the higher the price can usually be. It ensures a high profit margin as the early adopters buy the product and the firm seeks to recoup development costs quickly and it also brings a certain prestige to the product. Potential substitutes Coca-Cola is constrained by the monopolistic market in which it competes. The main characteristic however is product differentiation. Other constraints (See Appendix M) PROMOTION STRATEGY Objectives: †¢ To initiate strong awareness about the launch of Bubble Buzz throughout Generation Y (10-29 years old) consumers as well as their parents. †¢ To win market shares over our top functional drinks competitor, PepsiCo. Message: The promotional outputs will convey the clear message that â€Å"Bubble Buzz is a healthy drink for sporty and young people who simply enjoy taking care of their body and life. † Concepts: †¢ â€Å"Think outside the bubble†: Be Bold, Be Original, Be Different, Be Yourself. †¢ â€Å"A good spirit in a good body. † †¢ â€Å"For the out-of-the-ordinary individuals who like to challenge themselves. † Media selection: Before choosing the appropriate medias, it is important to note that Generation Y consumers only give partial attention to media. However, they can be reached through integrated programs. They are typically using more than one communication media at a time; a behaviour that is often called â€Å"multitasking†. This group of consumers doesn’t give its full attention to one single message, but rather uses continuous partial attention to scan the media. Marketers can still communicate with Generation Y by using a variety of targeted promotional tools. Another important tactic to reach our target market is through â€Å"Viral† or â€Å"Buzz† marketing, which Coca-Cola will heavily use in this campaign (campus, contests). Advertising: Refer to APPENDIX H for detailed explanations |Output |Examples | |Television |MTV, Much Music, VrakTV, YTV | |Radio |MIX96, CKOI 96. 9, 94. 7 FM, Universities | |Magazines |For girls: Cosmo, Elle | | |For boys: Sports Illustrated (or Kids edition) | |Internet |Banners on select websites (gaming, sports, etc. ) | | |Official promotional website: www. BubbleBuzz. ca | |Outdoors |Billboards and prints in select areas including: | | |Campuses, transportation (bus, metro, stations) | | |Tourist areas in high seasonal periods | | |Outskirts of key cities in geographical reach | | Others |Not relevant | |Personal selling |Direct contact with retailers, sales kit strategies to be explained later in the | | |text. | |Public relations |Stands or special displays and events in schools, malls, sports events (i. e. 2008 | | |Beijing Summer Olympic Games), sponsorship activities | |Publicity |Conferences, press releases (print and online), buzz marketing through TV coverage | Promotional Mix: Consumer oriented: †¢ Contests: â€Å"Win another Bubble Buzz flavour†, â€Å"Uncover a secret code underneath the bottle cap and win sporting goods and electronics by logging on the website†, â€Å"Win a trip for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing†. (Arguments: It will increase consumer purchases and encourage consumer involvement with the product). †¢ Samples: distributed in supermarkets, school/universities. Samples are a way to avoid product resistance since people are not used to find bubbles in their drinks. Arguments: It will encourage new product purchases and it represents low risk for consumers since they get it for free. They have nothing to loose by trying it. †¢ Point-of-purchase: in supermarkets (to reach the parents of generation Y). Arguments: It is also a mean to increase product trial and provides a good product visibility. †¢ Others: In subsequent years, engage in product placement in TV shows or movies. Trade oriented: †¢ Allowances and discounts: case allowance (Arguments: The â€Å"free goods† approach will be used so it can encourage retailers to buy more of the product to get a certain amount for free). †¢ Cooperative advertising: to encourage retailers to buy our product and to maintain our high level of advertisement that consumers expect from Coca-Cola. Other considerations: †¢ Scheduling of the advertising: Pulse scheduling (promotional presence year-round, but emphasized and intensified before and during summer). †¢ IMC (integrated marketing communication) Target Audience: †¢ Intermediary: personal selling will be more often used. †¢ Ultimate consumer: Coca-Cola will use more of mass media because the amount of potential buyers is large. PLACE (DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY) Bubble Buzz will be distributed through these channels: supermarkets, convenience stores, independent food stores, discount stores, multiple grocers, vending machines, direct sales. [pic] |Projected Financial Performance | |Revenues |$ 597,124. 00 |Based on sales @ different channel’s price | |COGS |214,964. 64 |Based on weighted average percentage in past data | |C. M. |382,159. 36 |Revenues – COGS | |Fixed Costs : | | | |SG&A cost : |113,453. 56 |Half of the O/H costs estimated, based on past data | |Capital expenditures : |25,676. 33 |4. 3% of revenue, based on past data | |Profits |243,029. 47 |CM † SG&A † Capital expenditures | Requirement for success analysis: C. M. per bottle = 382,159. 36 / 328,000 = $1. 17 Break-even: (113,453. 56+25,676. 33) / 1. 17 = 118,914 (bottles) Market share: 118,914 / 1,000,000 = 11. 9% In one year, if Coca-cola can sell 118,914 bottles of Bubble Buzz, or in other words achieve 11. 9% of the functional drink market share, it will break even. After this point, every bottle Coca cola sells will generate average $1. 17 towards the profits. The potential profits can up to $1,030,770. 00[1] based on our target market. Expected Costs: COGS: $597,124 * 36% = $214,964. 64. O/H: $597,124* 38% = $226,907. 12 Expected Revenues (total) = $597,124 (refer to Appendix J) [pic] China is the target country we’re going to expand our product. Reasons: 1. With a total population of 1,313,015,000 in the end of 2005 and 327,714,000 in our target market (age 10 to 25 years old), compared with the total population of Canada—304,453 million, there definitely is a great potential worth to work on. 2. absolute expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages is expected to increase from 1,777 billion in 2005 to 2,154 billion in 2010 (though the proportion of consumer expenditure on this part is decreasing from 28. 39% to 25. 75% ) 3. Soft drinks industry is one of the fast growing industries in China, especially fruit/vegetable juice, RTD tea, and Asian speciality drinks and bottled water have shown a sharp increase during 1998 to 2003. 4. Bubble tea was originated in Taiwan. Soon after its introduction in China, it became one of the most popular beverages sold in tea stores on the streets due to the similar taste and similar cultural background. So, it is a good chance for us to enter into this market. 5. Since we are the top sponsor for the upcoming Beijing Olympic in 2008. With more opportunities to expose to the public, it is going to benefit our sale there. Our entry-strategy for entering China is through licensing. Reasons: 1. We have already provided licenses for manufacturing our products in China (licensing the bottlers and supply them with our syrup required for producing). Therefore, added in one or two more products in our production chain would not be that difficult. 2. It is relatively low risk when compared with direct investment there. It is low cost to export our new products there since we can maintain lower labour cost and lower material cost if we produce our products locally, especially in China. Changes to be made: 1. Price: Price sold in China is going to change to accommodate the local desire. As we set our price sold in Canada $2. 00. Compared to the price sold in the bubble tea store ($ 3. 50), it is about 57. 14%. So, with the information we gathered from the tea store in China[2], the price sold there would be 57. 14% of what sold in the tea store—$12 Yuen in China currency. Then, it would be around $7 Yuen, about CAD$1[3]. 2. Naming the product: In order to be recognized and accepted more easily for the local market, we need not only translate our product name but also make sure there’s not hidden unintended meaning that would damage our product. 3. Develop other flavours that would attract the local market: Since milk based bubble tea sell better in China, we will add in this product line. Also, we will avoid using too many artificial colors as they are not appreciated as much as in Canada. Moreover, people in China are becoming more and more health concerned, especially the amount of sugar and additives added in the drinks. We will make some changes in the ingredients used to appeal the local market, i. e. less sugary drinks. 4. Promotion: In contrast to the radio ads in Canada, we will use more TV and Web advertisement there due to the highly exposed environment in China. Also, we will put more emphasis on the ads on the public transportation such as underground/subway system and bus service due to the more frequent use of the public transport service there. Also, since the outdoor display screen is quite popular in big cities, we will also take advantage of it. [pic] [pic] APPENDIX A (ref. 2) [pic] APPENDIX B (ref. 4) [pic] APPENDIX C (ref. 1 & 8) STRENGHTS Brand strength (see Appendix F for brand rankings) The Coca-Cola Company is the largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world. The Coca-Cola brand is unarguably one of the most recognizable brands in the 200 countries where it sells its products. The strong brand name is one of the basis for the company’s competitive advantage on several of its core markets. Effective strides in new markets. Coca-Cola has partnered with several companies (such as the joint venture with Nestle) in order to increase the ability to react to demands and changes in the markets of iced tea, coffee and juices. The developing markets are more complex than the carbonated soft drinks. Results of operations In 2004, net-operating revenues totaled approximately $21. 9 billion, an 8% increase from 2002. Gross profit totaled $14. 3 billion in 2004. The company generated $5,968 million from its operating activities and re-invests heavily into its business. The ability to generate significant cash flows is one of the its key strengths (ref. 16). Strong existing distribution channels Coca-Cola has operations worldwide and is well established in its distribution channels (such as store retailers or vending machines). Therefore, a new product launch can typically rely on the existing distribution system in order to reach the majority of its target market while requiring no major supply / delivery developments. WEAKNESSES Relying upon line extensions Coca-Cola is relying on brand extensions increase sales in specific lines, particularly its long-time carbonated soft drink products (i. e. the introduction of Vanilla Coke helped maintain sales for the core Cola beverages). However, there is a strong risk of cannibalizing existing sales in the long term (for example, Bubble Tea might deter on sales for iced tea). Reliant upon particular carbonated drinks The long-time presence of Coca-Cola’s Coke beverage has established this particular line as a flagship product. While the core Coke products bring a solid base of sales and loyalty to the company, consumers’ expectations also become more and more anchored and single-lined, taking away freedom in the areas of line diversification and product modifications (taste, packaging, price). Brand dilution The tremendous amount of existing brands and new product being introduced by the company could diminish the value and differentiating strength of each product that is being manufactured. Entrance into difficult non-core categories The Coca-Cola Company is a truly global multinational business giant. While some categories of products are distributed in many areas of the globe (Coke, Powerade, etc. ), geographical needs already require that these global brands are heavily adapted to their target region. Furthermore, many smaller and diversified product lines are more or less popular in one particular region over another. Therefore, the process of diversifying the production and marketing each product involves costly investments. These capital requirements typically increase as the product becomes heavily focused (for example, since the Coca-Cola brand is highly recognizable worldwide, marketing a bottle of Coke in Japan would be less difficult than marketing a bottle of â€Å"Qoo† in that same country † â€Å"Qoo† being a lesser-known non-carbonated drink which was one of Coca-Cola’s newest brand introduction in 1999). Saturation of carbonated soft drink segment Due to the countless number of brands available on the market, it becomes increasingly difficult in the soft drinks segment to innovate and create new products that genuinely stand out from their competition. And as we have seen, an analysis of the industry has shown that growth in the soft drinks market becomes difficult and challenging when the conditions and consumer trends cause a market demand that stays stagnant. OPPORTUNITIES New product introductions The functional drinks market is one that particularly allows more innovation opportunities and gives greater freedom for creativity in the design, production, manufacturing, distribution, promotion and retailing choices and processes. Brand is attractive to global partners. Because of the company’s size (including value, brand name and operating revenues) and wide portfolio base, Coca-Cola enjoys a strong purchasing power over its suppliers, and also attracts large partnerships with various levels of consumer reach (e. g. Burger King, movie studio promotions, sponsorship agreements, etc. ). Existing brand awareness also provides an international playing field for powerful marketing strategies. THREATS Strong competition Coca-Cola is competing in a global market that is characterized by an oligopoly between several (but few in numbers) competitors. The fight for market shares and sales in crowded markets becomes a complex one. Potential health issues. The current trend of consumer and consumers groups’ awareness towards goods and services is both beneficial and threatening for companies in the food and beverages industry. Over the last few years, concerns over health issues have risen in the media through an expanded and ever-growing network of â€Å"knowledge outputs† (journals, TV channels, internet and so on). The move of the younger generation towards a healthier lifestyle call for careful planning and decision-making in new product developments. Large companies can also easily become the target of consumers’ apprehension.

Atticus Finch, a Father and Teacher

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is full of life lessons and influential figures as siblings Jem and Scout grow up without a mother. As a single parent raising Scout and Jem, it is their father Atticus Finch who influences the children most. Atticus challenges them to be better people and helps them to discover many important life lessons. Some of these include not judging a book by its cover, compromising and keeping your head high and fists down. These lessons play a crucial part of Jem and Scouts’ growth into young adults and allow them to stay strong during the controversial trial of Tom Robinson. One of the first lessons Atticus teaches Scout is compromise He promises that â€Å"If [she] concedes the necessity of going to school, [they’ll] go on reading just as [they] always have. † (Lee 31) Atticus knows Scout is fond of him reading to her, so takes advantage of the situation, not only to convince Scout to go to school, but also to teach her how to compromise. Someone who did not know Scout as well as her father does would not have seen this unique solution or been able to explain the concept to her as well as her father could. Scout’s disastrous first day at school proves to be a flop but is full of valuable teachable moments for Atticus. During the very same conversation† Atticus teaches Scout not to judge a book by its cover. (†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢First of all’ he said, ‘if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. ’ ‘Sir? ’ ‘Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it:’† (Lee 30) This lesson helps Scout to get along better with her teacher while teaching her to be more understanding of other peoples situations as she exams situations from their point of view. This is not the only time Atticus has to address Scout’s volatile personality, and how it comes out in public. Nor is it the only tie he uses it to teach her a lesson. Atticus again has to address Scouts aggressive behavior after she gives Cecil Jacobs a bloody nose while defending Atticus’s name. This is not the first time Atticus has had to talk to Scout about fighting, but unlike other times, He take the opportunity to teach her a lesson, which sticks with her more than just a simple scolding ever could. He tells her that â€Å"[She] might hear some ugly talk about his [defense of Tom Robinson] at school, but to do one thing for [him] if [she] will: [to] just hold [her] head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to [her], don’t †¦ let ‘em get [her] goat. † (Lee 76) By asking her to do it for him, Atticus makes a stronger impression on her than threats over could. Scout would take a punishment if it meant standing up for Atticus, but she wouldn’t do anything to disappoint or break a promise with her father. Atticus knows this, and uses it to his benefit to make sure Scout does not get into trouble. Given his situation as Tom Robinson’s lawyer, this is one of the most important lessons he could ever teach Scout. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows Atticus teaching not only Scout valuable lessons, but also the reader too. Lessons such as compromise, not to judge a book by its cover and to use our words not our fists. These valuable lessons are learnt in our youth but often forgotten, as we grow older. Atticus Finch influences his children in such a way that they will never forget these vital life lessons. Lesson we can all learn and live by!

Work based learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Work based learning - Essay Example As if that not serious, imagine a police officer chasing after armed robbers who care less for their lives. Sometimes things are so tough in that one is in a dilemma. Imagine an officer chasing after a pickpocket within a crowd of people, and yet the suspect is running away making it hard to identify him in a huge crowd. To worsen the matter, the officer always engages himself in diffusion of a bomb that if it explodes, it may kill many people. Therefore, in general, the police career requires a dedicated person who takes risks for the love of his people (SAGE, 2012 p. 67). However, sometimes the duty delegation becomes so hard that some dies, resigns or performs poorly leading to their suspension. Therefore, to strengthen the force, regular recruitments and selections are made on yearly or emergency purposes (PSR. 2012, p. 1). However, for the few days have worked in Met police division, I Have discovered a few issues that are not ethical at all in terms of selection and recruitment. According to the United Kingdoms PUWER regulation of the health and safety executive (2006, p. 1), only competent persons should be selected in any vacant position. Competence will depend on the job, competence of the existing workers, circumstance of the job and the work equipments (HSE, 2006, P.1). Therefore, the act allows random selection of all persons that qualify for the post without any biasness on color, race or religion (HSE, 2006, P.1). However, the situation is not so in the Met Police. Several critics have been forwarded by many an indication that the suffering of innocent applicants is evident. According to Camber (2014, p. 1) in his article of the daily mail; the MET police has been criticized for racialism during its recruitment and selection activities. It is claimed that the agency has great racism against the blacks and other ethnic groups in favor of the white (Camber, 2014, p. 1). 40% of the London

Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Homeland Security - Assignment Example I chose to study the New Town High School because this is the school that my daughter attends. She is involved in a number of the school activities, both curricular and co-curricular ones. Besides, this school is in my community and my neighbors’ children attend the same school. For these reasons, any security threat to the school is also a threat to our community; hence it is our responsibility to oversee the security of the school Interviews I interviewed the school principal, a teacher, a parent from the parent teachers’ committee, my daughter, and a junior student. The school principal has a good knowledge of security issues that the school faces, and takes part in formulation of policies that are instituted to address the issues. The teacher has been a member of staff for four years now and his interaction with both the students and administration enables him to access information from the two sides. The parent from the parent teachers’ committee has been a member of the committee for three years now. She interacts with students through her daughter who is a student in the school, and with teachers and faculty in the board. Being a parent in the school, she is concerned about the security issue of the school and lives in the same community the school is in and will give valuable information. My daughter is currently a senior in the school having attended it for the past four years. She actively participates in the school functions such as drills enabling her to interact with other students in an informal capacity, thus being able to pick up any useful information. Lastly, I will interview one junior student who, just like my daughter, participates in a number of activities in the school. The names of the two interviewees are withheld for obvious security reasons. Interviewer: Mr. Principal, could you please tell us the greatest challenges to security and safety of students and staff in the school. Principal: The greatest security chall enges are the manmade threats such as terrorist threats, arson, computer malware, and unprofessional conduct. This is because while we are able to predict and control or prevent natural disasters, we are not able to easily detect and prevent manmade threats because of their malicious intents. The school’s intelligence services are not so sophisticated to get hold of malicious plans beforehand, thus prevention is difficult. Interviewer: What measures has the administration put in place to keep the school safe from natural disasters. Principal: When constructing the premises, we ensured that they were away from fault lines that could lead to earthquakes. We are in constant touch with the meteorological department for any updates on looming disasters. With the break of avian and swine flu, we increased the stock in our clinic with sufficient equipment to detect and treat such pandemics. Besides, our hygiene standards are good with qualified personnel to keep such sanitation outb reaks away. Interviewer: Your school comprises a majority of black students. How are you able to ascertain that they are not a security threat, especially with respect to drug and gang activities. Principal: We are in the process of instituting a full time intelligence service with the help of the Department of Homeland Security. So far, we just look out for any strange activity among the students and investigate. Interviewer: What

Outline President Kennedys foreign policy problems as they related to Essay

Outline President Kennedys foreign policy problems as they related to Cuba - Essay Example This was intended to spur a rebellion to overthrow the then communist leader Fidel Castro. However, the mission was a failure and led to great embarrassment to the president (Haney & Vanderbush 45). Kennedy’s foreign policy was heavily influenced by the cold war, the continuing conflict of the Soviet Union as well as conflicts in Cuba. From 1960 until after the 1962 Missile crisis, the American objective was to get rid of Cubans leader, President Castro. Subsequently, during the years of the cold war the U.S foreign policy objectives were to get Cuba to halt its aid to revolutionaries, reduce its military ties to the Soviet Union and to show greater respect for human rights (Haney & Vanderbush 185). The United States trade embargo and other sanctions against Cuba have been in place for some 36 years, and the U.S policy towards the island has changed a little in that time. In the absence of full access to the diplomatic records in this country and abroad, it is not possible to resolve this debate on Kennedy fully, but certain studies by analysts on the Cuban missile crisis, lend support to the more friendly view of Kennedy. The president certainly made mistakes in foreign policy, and he raised more hopes than he fulfilled. However, he demonstrated a relatively cosmopolitan and sophisticated view of the world, grew in office, and had a feel for diplomacy, which for some time had been lacking in American

Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Law - Assignment Example so have the expertise to interpret laws and the constitution, but both have vested interests and citizens do not stand a chance against the creator and the enforcer of the law. Only the Supreme Court can objectively assess the constitutionality of laws or government actions. Indictment and information both refer to the written instrument which formally charges an accused with an offense. Both are required to state with clarity the acts and circumstances that constitute the offense as defined by law. An indictment is returned only by a grand jury while in the case of information, the authority is with the Department of Justice. As such, an indictment states that â€Å"the grand jury charges† while an information begins with, "The United States of America, acting through its attorneys, charges". If I were charged with a criminal case, I would prefer an information over an indictment because in an information, I will have the chance of entering into a plea agreement with the prosecution. As an accused, I have the right to waive an indictment and opt for an information instead. A reasonable suspicion is basically an educated guess used by the police to frisk or detain a person. If the police suspects that a person is about to commit or has committed a crime, he can stop, frisk and detain the person provided that his suspicion has some valid and reasonable grounds. And these grounds must be supported by facts or circumstances that point to such facts. A probable cause is the requirement in order to carry out a valid and legal arrest or search. Before issuing a search warrant or a warrant of arrest, the police must convince the judge that a probable cause exists that the person to be arrested has committed the crime or that the objects they are looking for are at the premises to be searched. In the case of warrantless arrest and search, the police officer may base the existence of probable cause on the reliable and available information that they have at that

Observations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Observations - Assignment Example Describe ALL observed locomotion. The chimps depicts quadrupedalism in which four legs are used while walking on the ground. In addition, there is bipedalism as the hands are used to look for food and eating. Brachiation is also evident as the chimp’s moves from one tree or branch to the other. Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What do the primates do? Try to identify the sex and adult/juvenile/infant age category of the participants. Do adults behave differently with infants than with juveniles or other adults? How does their sex affect interactions? Note both behaviors and responses to them. The young ones appears aggressive in the group. They play amongst each other. Mostly, they follow the guidance of the male in the group and also tries to seek the attention of the male. Their mothers also carry the young as they move from one place to the other. What forms of locomotion do you observe? (quadrupedalism, bipedalism, brachiation, knuckle-walking...) Under what circumstances are they using the different methods of locomotion? Describe ALL observed locomotions. Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What do the primates do? Try to identify the sex and adult/juvenile/infant age category of the participants. Do adults behave differently with infants than with juveniles or other adults? How does their sex affect interactions? Note both behaviors and responses to them. ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  Grooming (describe it. Self-grooming, pairs, multiple individuals? Do some get more than they give?) The gorilla are seen grooming in pairs. This is evident as the male groom the female as a way of getting intimate. What forms of locomotion do you observe? (quadrupedalism, bipedalism, brachiation, knuckle-walking...) Under what circumstances are they using the different methods of locomotion? Describe ALL observed locomotion. Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What do

Technical Communication Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technical Communication Assignment - Essay Example So, from the wide variety of fields or branches that will be available, the individuals will chose their field, specialize in it, ‘graduate’ in it and even ‘Master’ it, going through different stages. So, I James Peck, an estate agent also went through all these stages or part of these stages. Working in the property development sector, I have quite a good knowledge about my field and the job I do. As mentioned above, each of the individual will have an academic choice and career choice of their own, based on their interest, influences and also expected opportunities. If anyone is interested in my field of property development, or if anyone haven’t made their career choice, or if anyone wants to change their current choice to an estate agent, or even if anybody wants to know about the field of property development, as a general knowledge subject, my speech will be quite useful. Importantly, this speech could also be an influencing activity. To entice the listeners and make them attentive to my speech, I intend to plan the outline in a logical way. That is, firstly, I wanted to speak to them about their interests and influences in their childhood and during their school life. This is because; humans are mostly ‘made’ in their childhood and teenage years, before they enter their adulthood. Every human’s life will be composed of several stages, which are inter-linked. And, for every living individual in this world, who has lived long enough, the stage when they were young will be considered the crucial one. At that stage only, an individual’s life can take a turn, both in the positive as well in the negative direction. Positive direction in the sense, if the individual, when he/she was a juvenile concentrates on education, career, etc, their lives will be a successful one. Even if their parents or

Situation Background Assessment Recommendation Assignment

Situation Background Assessment Recommendation - Assignment Example There are a number of them. But the best is SBAR (Situation Background Assessment Recommendation), according to most of the healthcare organizations for transfer of information in the correct manner. They are useful in communicating among medical staff, between doctor and patient between nurse and patient etc. The language is clear and simple and is applicable for both written and oral communication. The steps include stating the situation, the circumstances causing the situation, determining the problem and arriving at the best solution. The healthcare organization has their own procedures to fill up forms concerned with the patient's clinical history during the course of their treatment in the unit. That will give clear, concise information about the patient and the type of treatment he gets. However, the accuracy of the record is doubtful. At times the patient would not have given the proper information. It may so happen that the recording may not be proper or legible. Even so clinical record can be considered very valuable in most instances. During verbal communication, there is every chance of data being missed or misunderstood. The reason is that the doctors, nurses and other health personnel etc lack effective communication skill, though they may be good in their own field. The healthcare professionals including nurses have been educated to deal with patients in communic ation, but not among themselves or how to communicate during an emergency. Also, there are no rules for verbal communication, whether direct or through telephone. It is obvious that communication errors may have adverse effects on the patients. It is praiseworthy that various steps have been taken for the improvement of communication among the staff. These will ultimately result in the safety of the patients. According to Dr. Michael Leonard, MD, nurses' communication is descriptive. But that of the physicians is strictly to the point. He feels that SBAR model will nullify the differences in approach and style. It proposes how a nurse should communicate with a doctor. Adopting the SBAR tool has considerably improved patient's safety. It is valuable not only for communication between doctor and nurse but among a number of team members. Let us look at the following instance. One Mr. Joy took his wife to hospital. She had hysterectomy with bowel perforation. An overdose of medicines resulted in permanent brain damage. Joy had no idea about the SBAR tools. So because of his precarious and tense situation, Joy failed to inform the actual cause to the doctors. If he had communicated properly, he could have avoided the mental agony that he and his wife suffered. His wife would have got the correct treatment and would have been better placed. Even the doctor, who felt guilty for not successful in treating the wife would have been spared. Summary of Article This clearly shows how a little bit of care can prolong the life of the patient and enhance the happiness of his beloved ones. At the same time sheer neglect can endanger his life. The hospital staff should consider it their duty to contribute to the well being of the patients. There comes the importance of SBAR techniques. Conclusion It is

Organizational Psychology Essay Example for Free

Organizational Psychology Essay An employee of a certain company responsible for fueling company vehicles was given a credit card for the purpose of paying bills after fueling the vehicles. One night after all the companys vehicles were all packed, the employee decided to fuel his friends cars and pay using the companys credit card. The employer had asked him why he acted unprofessionally but the employee found nothing wrong with using the credit card to pay bills that did not belong to the company. When the employer consulted other professionals about his employees case, he was advised to do a psychology test on his employee. In Kenote town, a policeman was reported to have shot and killed seven people in a restaurant after he was insulted by a group of people in the restaurant, among them his friends. When the employer was questioned about his mental status and whether he had undergone any psychological testing, the employer said that the policeman looked intelligent and had other required qualifications, so there was no need for a psychological test. Organizations undergo various problems due to lack of psychological testing as well as practicing it. In some cases, workers feel it is infringing their privacy. The management of an organization should be very kin on the type of people they employ. Determining the peoples ability, intelligence or attainment requires a standard procedure which is the tests procedures. Different organizations perform different duties or have different objectives therefore will have some different specific areas of assessment. Psychological Tests  These are tests obtained from a prepared standardized procedure used to assess the mental status of a person as compared to the normal mental status in order to determine a persons intelligence and ability. This is mostly done through asking questions then assessing the responses. The importance of psychological tests is that they provide a means of measuring the abilities and characteristics of an individual (Armstrong, 2006). These tests are used by managers to determine the employee competence and morale and for reliable management training. Some professional ethics do not accept these kind of tests and view them as invasive to human rights while some of them go against the labor laws that protect employees from being used for experiments. When conducting some of these tests, the employee acts as a laboratory animal since the tests are done on him (ODonohue and Ferguson 2003). There are five types of psychological tests. Intelligence psychological tests, personality psychological tests, aptitude psychological tests, ability psychological tests, and attainment psychological tests (Armstrong, 2006). Intelligence tests are use to determine the general thinking and reasoning of an individual and personality tests are used to predict the behavior of a person in the role that he/she will be given or is given at the time. The use of psychological tests A good psychological test is one with sensitivity, reliability, standardization and validity characteristics. When selecting a test to use, these characteristics should be considered, for the outcome of the assessment to be of quality (Armstrong, 2006). There are basic standards for psychological tests use which are based on a formal psychometric assessment. This formal psychometric assessment should have an administrative and scoring manual with the scoring characteristics and points, it should show evidence of being reliable, should be valid for the purpose to which it is being conducted and to the people it is being conducted on, and should have a reference group data (Toplis et al. , 2004). The use of psychological tests requires that the test protocols be used by only professionals, the psychologists or if one would like to use them, then he/she must be certified to have the capability of using the tests and then authorized to do so (Toplis et al. 2004). This is based on the acquisition of the psychological tests. The tests are acquired on permission from the authors, copy right holders and distributors. It is therefore unethical to copy write or photocopy the psychological tests standards be it the psychometric assessments or the psychometric questionnaires. On the psychological tests security, the storage should be done according to the administrative, scoring and interpretation requirements. Assessment too should be done according to the same procedure as storage. There are access and storage policies that protect the tests such as not interfering with the ethical purpose of testing, and policies on what range of errors are accepted in the scoring and interpretation of the tests, in order to maintain the validity (Toplis et al. , 2004). The period to which a record should be kept is decided by a psychologist based on certain factors. The factors are such as the clients requests, acting professionally to abide by professional accountability and legislative factors. Psychological Tests Confidentiality and tests Results  Professional ethics indicate that it is the responsibility of a psychologist to inform the people being tested or the people to undergo a certain psychological test, of the terms and conditions regarding confidentiality of the testing situation. It is also their responsibility to control the access to the psychological test protocols. It is always the psychologist contracted by a manager in most cases to conduct a test on an employee. The psychologist has all the responsibility to keep the results or release them based on the terms and conditions agreed upon by the employer (Toplis et al. 2004). In case of a government facility, the release of reports are according to legislative acts on information. Governments have different systems in different facilities so the information release will also depend on the type of facility and the system while considering the legislation on the freedom of information. The systems have different application procedures for release of information. Psychological testing and Labor law. Labor law requires employers to adhere to good labor market practice rule. In psychological testing, there are no legislations that apply to the personality tests, though there are areas that the test can be considered invalid. An example of a case where a psychological test can be considered invalid is when it has exclusionary effects on women. This can be treated a sex discrimination case. Psychological testing is considered as a matter of employee privacy and there are rules to be followed before an employer or a manager decides on psychological testing on an employee (International Labor, 1993). According to the International Labor Office report (1993) the initial step is for an employer to negotiate with a local trade union on the psychological test the employer intends to conduct on his/her employees. The trade union and the employer must come to an agreement, failure to which the trade union must give the reasons for refusal in writing and submit proposals of terminating negotiations within ten days. Fresh negotiations can only be done on the trade unions proposal and if no agreement is made then the employer cannot impose the psychological test until review by the national trade union (International Labor, 1993). Conclusion Employers/managers need psychological testing to determine the ability and the competency of those that they want to employ or those that they have employed. Some of the psychological tests are not accepted by the trade unions and are considered as infringing the privacy of the employee. The employers have to abide by the labor law requirements and trade union rules to make sure they are not in problems. The managers themselves cannot conduct the tests, they have to look for professionals in that field as that is what is ethically considered right. All these are discussed in this paper.

Pro-social effects of the media Essay Example for Free

Pro-social effects of the media Essay One explanation of the pro-social effects of the media on behaviour comes from Banduras Social Learning Theory. Banduras research suggests that children learn through observing a behaviour, then later imitating it if the expectation of reward is high. For example the child needs to pay attention to a role model for example seeing a super hero, then there needs to be retention of the information into the LTM, reproduction, so the child imitates the same type of behaviour such as helping others, and finally the child needs to be motivated to imitate the behaviour such as, being the same gender. The process of social learning works in the same way for learning pro-social acts as seen on television as it does for learning anti-social acts (vicarious reinforcement). Unlike the depiction of anti-social acts, however, the depiction of pro-social acts (such as generosity or helping) is likely to be in accord with established social norms (e.g., the need to be helpful and generous to others). Assuming that these social norms have been internalised by the viewer, the imitation of these acts, therefore, is likely to be associated with the expectation of social reinforcement, and so the child is motivated to repeat these actions in their own life. Furthermore, Bandura would also suggest that the pro-social effects of the media derives from reciprocal determinism whereby people who watch programmes about helping people will make friends with people who watch similar TV programmes. A second explanation of how the media influences pro-social behaviour comes from research into developmental trends. Pro social behaviours have been shown to be contingent on the development of pro social skills, such as perspective taking, empathy and a high level or moral reasoning which continue to develop through adolescence, which increase with age (Eisenberg, 1990). E.g., research has shown that young children are less able to recognise the emotional state of others and are less sure of how to help. It has also been found that children have difficulty recognising and understanding pro-social messages, and may be less affected by pro social messages if these portrayals are more complex than the simple modelling of specific behaviour (Mares, 1996). One strength of media influences on pro social behaviour comes from further empirical support from Woodward (1999). In their study they found that US programmes for pre-school children had high levels of pro-social content: 77% of programmes surveyed contained at least one pro social lesson. This suggests that there is wider academic credibility for the influence media has on pro-social behaviour. A further strength of LST comes from further empirical support provided by Mares and Woodward (2001). They found from their research that children are most affected when they are able to see exact steps for positive behaviour, such as when someone donates tokens. This could be because they can remember concrete acts better than abstract ones. This suggests that there is wider academic credibility for the idea of imitating pro-social behaviour. Furthermore, the explanations into the media effects on pro-social behaviour is that there are practical applications. For example, Johnston et al. Found that learning pro social behaviour was best when there were follow up discussions. For example, when Johnson showed students a TV programme in a classroom and accompanied by teacher-led discussions students were more willing to help. This suggests that using SLT of media can improve the quality of peoples lives who are anti-social. Finally, the research into media effects on pro-social behaviour is that it has high reliability. The reason for this is because the research is carried out in a laboratory study, where there is control over the IV and DV and most extraneous variables are reduced. This suggests that if the research was tested and re-tested then the same results would be achieved. However, one weakness of the SLT is that because the theory is based in research from the laboratory is it lacks ecological validity. Huston (1983) argues that some programmes foster only limited types of pro-social behaviour that do not really apply in real life. For the best effect stories need to depict ordinary everyday kindness and helping and, after the programme adults in the childrens life need to discuss the programme content with them and role model pro-social behaviour in the course of play. This suggests that the findings from this research could not be applied to real life situations. Another weakness of Johnstons research is that there is contradictory evidence provided by Rubenstein et al. (1982). They found that in a study of adolescents hospitalised for psychiatric problems, found that post-viewing discussion led to decreased altruism, possibly because the adolescents wanted to take up a view that was contrary to that held by adults. Moreover, the effects of media on pro-social behaviour is that it is reductionist. The reason for this is because other factors need to be involved, for example personality and temperament of the child and parents. This suggests that the research is oversimplistic when explaining helping behaviour. A final weakness is that the research is culturally specific. The reason for this because the majority of the research has been carried out in the USA and therefore the criteria of pro-social behaviour may be different to non-western societies. This suggests that the research cannot be generalised to the whole population.

Business Culture And Communication Of Australia Management Essay

Business Culture And Communication Of Australia Management Essay The Report is an endeavour to demonstrate the feasibility of an Australian based University to open their new campuses in Taiwan and Japan. It presents a detailed informative study about the cross cultural means of communication, business culture and practices as well as business strategies in different regions of Asia-Pacific. There are significant issues presented in this report that will provide the readers an in-depth understanding of the topic presented. Moreover, the report is an ongoing attempt to focus on the social and cultural differences and how they play an important role in doing business across the world, important cultural aspects that influence business such as verbal communication in business, dress code, scheduling and appointment and other factors are discussed in this research, which provides guidelines for University staff. It is recommended that: Introduction Culture and communication require people to communicate across different cultures and geographical locations. In a lecture, Informatics, Culture and Communication (COMM 20036), Mr. Alexander Hoetzer described culture as involves work habits, life style, communication style, religious instruction, human behaviour and business activities. To do business successfully around the globe, all organizations need to overcome cultural barriers. background: Australian University intends to open new campuses in Tokyo and Taipei. The guidelines will be provided on cross cultural communication for Australian staff who will be liaising with the university staff in Japan and Taiwan. The guidelines must incorporate computer mediated communication channels such as videoconferencing, teleconferencing, memos, email, staff meetings and discussion forums with procedures and protocols which take into account the different cultures involved and promote effective cross cultural communication. Aim: The most aim for this report is provide guidelines on Cross-Cultural Communication for the Australian University, which intends to open their University campus Tokyo and Taiwan. 1.3 Scope: In this report, our Group presents guidance for Australian staff of a University who will be liaising with university staff in Taiwan and Japan in order to open a new university campus there. Present Report analyses the Cross-cultural issues and emphasizes the main streaming of the cultural values of Taiwan, Japan and Australia. This report examines the issues related to Australia University which intend to open campuses in Taiwan and Japan that considers not only the establishment of effective communication can be achievement. Moreover, the report illustrates the pros and cons of an organization that must have adequate knowledge of the cultural backgrounds of its members and the management must educate its employees in the aspects of cross-cultural communication. Besides, this report recommends the commitment of the strategic management to consider the culture and business issues of a country. The ability to learn within this multifaceted context to translate learning into effective decisions will add to the Australian university success. Methodology: A wide range of majority of the information formed for this proposed report will consist of research primarily from a number of online articles, case studies, journals and different resources from various websites were used to gather relevant information for this research and more over available market research reports. The literature where there is extensive contributing to be competently searched those methods currently in used. Gathering information with respected to improvements and innovations. Discussion Business Culture and Communication of Australia: Australia is great multi cultural society .Australians are friendly, outgoing, informal people who move to a first name basis quickly. Business Ethics, Culture and Meetings of Australia: Australia has a tradition of consensus that can make it an easy place to do business. Australians are generally wary of appearing boastful or arrogant. They usually dont praise any one for doing good job, because they think everyone doing their best in their jobs .This extends to their own accomplishment, successes and expertise, often point withholding information about themselves (Maria J.C.P, Ik-Whan G. K, Philipp A. S, Raymond.B, 2003).Generally Australians way of contacting will be on the basis of the first name of the person ,preceded by Mr, they greet both men and women by smiling, eye contact and shaking hands. Australians values friendship, they believe being good mates which is as important as doing business together and consider mutual respectful and beneficial relationship and is termed to be more important. Australians are generally result oriented and they prefer to make quick decisions, they are conservative and move fast to put their decisions into action. In smaller businesses, one person could be the sole decision maker for the entire company and makes decision immediately. Though, they generally take time to committing to a deal. Negotiating is not generally part of Australian business culture. They offer what they believe is a fair deal and expect you to do the same. In the business world traditional business suits are standard for men. Skirted suit or suit with pant for women. Avoid excessive jewellery or accessories. All business dealings will be in English. Australians dislike the negotiating and aggressive sale techniques because they value directness; presentation of any kind should be straight forward with both positive and negative outcomes. Meetings start on time .Appointments is mandatory to meet someone and they believe it is easy to schedule meetings and meetings should start on time if someone is running late, let your associate know in advance. Australians will not exchange business card in social meetings, because they operate more than one relationship with a contact and they never discuss about the business in social meetings. 3.1.1 Business culture and communication of Tokyo: Overview: Japan is a country of peace and harmony that continues to develop in a positive construction of tradition and modernization. Japan has been extended and colourful history and culture, a separate model hierarchy, the EEA and the etiquette that still makes social and business practices today. Due to the influence of Confucianism, it is important to have more respect for the oldest members appear in Japanese business culture. Age and rank are strongly linked. A change in the current business environment requires educational background and power often about age appropriate. Culture: Wa The most valuable principle alive in the Japanese society today is the concept of WA or harmony. The preservation of the first Constitution in 604 AD and teamwork is required when who live and work in collective farms, which dates back to social harmony. In the operating conditions, WA is reflected in the avoidance of self-assertion and individualism and the maintenance of good relations despite differences of opinion. Kao One of the fundamental elements of the Japanese social system is the concept of face. Glance is a trademark of personal pride and is the basis of an individual reputation and social status. Preservation of sight is delivered via the confrontations and direct criticism to avoid when possible. Omoiyari Closely linked to the concepts of wa and kao, omoiyari refers to the sense of empathy and loyalty in Japanese society, encouraged and authorised in Japanese business culture. Business Culture in Tokyo: In terms of business culture, Japan remains the second largest economic position in the world and its economic environment is forcing the local population to the so-called Japan style of the corporate culture and rules by which they have lived for a long time to make drastic changes. Japan has with its elaborate culture, a separate model hierarchy, the EEA and the etiquette that still reflected in many social and business practices today. A significant part of the former Japanese business protocol was a gift. In the modern contemporary Japanese business culture, it is not expected that the gesture is still practiced and accepted with gratitude. However, be careful not to take great gift as it can be thought of as a buy. It is good business practice in small talk before negotiations. The Japanese counterpart questions relating to education, family and social life. More private questions are not acceptable. Greet Hofstede Cultural Dimensions for Japan: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/graphs/hofstede_japan.gif Image courtesy: Hofstede (2009) According Hofstede (2009), above diagram terms are: Power Distance Index (PDI). Individualism (IDV). Masculinity (MAS).   Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI). Long-Term Orientation (LTO) (Hofstede 2009).  Ã‚   Business Culture, Meetings and Workings Practises in Japan: In the Japanese, companies will be reflected in the negotiating process. They begin at the executive level and continue at the middle level. Decisions will be made, however, often within the group. It is important to realise that in todays Japan, even a low-ranking individuals allows a Manager to receive his or her performance as well. Because of the great contemporary business competition in Asia, the old concept of the unhurried Japanese negotiation process no longer applies the decisions quickly and efficiently. When a business appointment, will arrange a personal call more effective than sending a letter and seen as good ways Late is as a sign of violation punctuality is essential in Japan .Due to the influence of Confucianism, it is important to have more respect for the oldest members appear in Japanese business culture. Age and rank highly connected, but a change in the current business environment means that educational background and power often about age appropriate. Physical contact, other than a handshake is never displayed in public. It is good business practice in small talk before negotiations. In General, Japanese business meetings will be aligned in order of seniority, with the leading person on the front and at the very least, a senior person closest to the door. In addition to this rule, however, it can happen that the highest person where choose. Physical contact, other than a handshake is never displayed in public. The Japanese counterpart questions relating to education, family and social life. More private questions are not acceptable. Japanese Business Etiquette: DO use apologies where the intention is serious and express gratitude frequently as it is considered polite in Japan. DO avoid confrontation or showing negative emotions during business negations. Express opinions openly but evade direct or aggressive refusals. DO greet your counterparts with the proper respect and politeness. If your counterpart bows make sure you return the gesture, which is usually performed shortly and shallowly. More often than not, a handshake is sufficient. Business Culture and Communication of Taipei: Overview Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the south-eastern coast of mainland China, is the largest island in the Republic of China. Taiwans population is mostly Han Chinese, who were born on the mainland and divided into three groups based on the dialect of Chinese they speak (Taiwans Country information 2007). Taiwanese value a well crafted message. They appreciate sharing a deep and broad contextual understanding in order for the core message to be delivered and understood. That context comes in the form of words, gestures and facial expressions. 3.1.2 Taiwanese Communication and culture: Communication in Taiwan can be difficult, if someone does not speak official languages such as Mandarin Chinese or Taiwanese, a southern Fujian dialect, which are broadly spoken. Levels of English will be irregular even within Taiwanese multi-nationals and major large companies based in the country. Within small to large-sized businesses, little or no English at all will be spoken. It may, therefore, be necessary to employ the use of a translator, which will further slow down an already slow process. Be prepared for the inevitable delays and confusions (Taiwanese Communication Styles n.d.). As in several Asian cultures, language is infrequently used in a completely literal fashion. Much of what is actually meant can be hidden behind a smoke screen of vagueness and coded language. It is not polite and disrespectful to disagree openly and therefore anything other than a clear yes (Taiwanese Communication Styles n.d.) should be viewed with some wariness. Search for further information; go back to the subject later in the meeting and apply diagrams, charts etc. to support to mutual comprehension. Unlike Japan, it is not unknown for meeting to become emotions, with heated, erupting and then subsiding quickly. Its better to try to ignore this lack of reserve and avoid referring back to it in an attempt to score points. This could result in loss of face and a fracture in the relationship (Taiwanese Communication Styles n.d.). Hofstede (2009) analysis for Taiwan is almost all identical models for Republic of China. Like other Asia countries relationships are in Taiwan, a primary part of the culture. Individualism is the lowest ranking factor, Long-term Orientation (LTO) is the peak factor and the Taiwanese are a collectivist society. Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions for Taiwan: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/graphs/hofstede_taiwan.gif Image courtesy: Hofstede (2009) According Hofstede (2009), above diagram terms are: Power Distance Index (PDI). Individualism (IDV). Masculinity (MAS).   Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI). Long-Term Orientation (LTO) (Hofstede 2009).  Ã‚   Taiwanese Business Culture ,Meetings and Business Practices: In general in Taiwanese society, the business culture is Confucian with strong hierarchical and family influences, particularly in the important small to large size business sector. Decision-making tends to be concentrated in the hands of organization or company owners. They are proud of their achievements and history and continue to be energetic, in the main economical. They have a natural commercial style and are welcoming to foreigners. Relationships are the key issues to success in Taiwan, its take time be familiar with your business partners (Taiwan economy brief 2008). The best relationships usually meet testing times before belief and trust develop. Taiwanese are generally tough negotiators, while they are enjoying negotiating. But Taiwanese are not formal as Japanese, it is good to continue formalities until they invited to do otherwise, self addressing like Dr Alex, Chairman Alex, Mr Alex etc (Taiwan economy brief 2008). Business visiting cards are compulsory and business cards are should be presented and received with both hands, starting with the top manager present. Instead of place the card in a pocket, treat the card with respect at the meeting. If possible print names at back of business card in Chinese and it is advisable to carry a passport for identification when dealing with government agencies (Taiwan economy brief 2008). A thoughtful gift is a suitable gesture for introduction and indicates of person desire to explore and build a good relationship. Taiwan economy brief (2008) suggested that do not give clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, handkerchiefs and sharp objectives, those are indicating that cutting or breaking a relationship. Time is money (Taiwan economy brief 2008) normally Taiwanese are comfortable to quick response and they expect quick action and decision-making. Face feeling are important in great business dealings, it is polite to speak of others in glowing expressions and be modest and deprecating about the negotiator. Never let others lose face, even in worry situation. Meeting schedules are not highly structured in Taiwan. There may be an agenda, but it serves as a guideline for the discussion and may act as a springboard to other related business ideas. As relationships are valued, there may be some time in the meeting devoted to non-business discussions. Time is not considered more important than completing a meeting satisfactorily, therefore, meetings will continue until the discussion is completed and may extend well past a scheduled end time (YVONNE .S, JEANNE H. Y STEVEN CHIH-CHIEN L, 2008). For formal meetings it is best wear a suit and tie, after relationships are made strong, it is appropriate to dress according to the occasions and season (Taiwan economy brief 2008). Asians and Taiwanese in particular, have high regard for those older than themselves. Between 9.30 am and 11.30am, and between 2.30pm and 4.30pm are the best times to seek appointments. However eating is a serious business in Taiwan, offers of lunch and dinner are accepted a nd when suitable, reciprocated. When dinning out it is common for Taiwanese to rise from the dining table promptly at the end of the meal (Taiwan economy brief 2008). Business practices: Men should wait for a woman to extend her hand. If you are in a group, try to assemble in rank order, with the most senior person first. Greet or introduce the most important person first. A handshake is the common greeting. Handshakes are not as firm as in many other countries. Many Taiwanese lower their eyes during the greeting as a sign of respect. People are usually addressed by their title and surname (Yvonne et al., 2008) 3.2 Effective Cross-Culture Communications: Globalisation makes every country interdependent with each other. As more companies join the globalisation role, diversity in the corporate world will become renowned. This diversity is the inclusion of all groups at all level regardless of locations, competition, background and position. Besides, there is some pattern in cross-cultural communication that has to be considered to achieve successfully (Cross Cultural Communication n.d). One of the significant changes this has triggered is the required to communicate effectively with different people in different languages and from different cultures. It is now recognised that linguistic and cultural knowledge are both, most essential areas of knowledge that organizations must come to obtain if they are to join together, progress and succeed in the marketplace. Cross cultural communication is a must (Cross Cultural Communication n.d). 3.2.1 Computer mediated channels In this Globalization age, computer mediated communication channels are the most important elements to conduct the business in cross-cultural environment (Anderson et al. 1995). This section explains how the intercultural communication, mediated by cultural artefacts such as internet communication tools, E-mail, Videoconferencing, staff meetings. Nowadays computer-mediated communication is playing the key role in everyones life, it is the most effective way to communicate with the people no matter how far away they are. People using communication technologies to develop new contacts, save existing relationships, and maintain relationships with others. Most popular means of communications are videoconferencing, teleconferencing, and email, internet. Knowing the relationship of ideas between the technologies and the cultural differences is vital for two reasons. One is with the worldwide rapidly increased use of technology and interactions between different people are more often mediated through individual extensions. Rapidly, personal use communication technologies to, find, learn about and communicate with each other. Secondly the communication between people, especially between the cross culture people are developed and maintained through these technologies. So selecting the proper technology for communicating with personals across a cross culture requires an understanding of how people use these technologies in their culture. ( Arun V, Hao C,2008) 3.2.1. a Digital telecommunication channel: Videoconferencing. Video conferencing is tool in communication channels which enables people to meet and work together through the sight and sound medium no matter where there are located throughout the world. Video conferencing allows two or more location to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. Participants should join meeting at least 10 minutes before the start. Make sure all the equipment is working properly if not consult the technician. Video conference goes out of control unless someone take the job of traffic cop. Dressing up appropriately is important avoid very bright colours. Do not zoom cameras extremely close up on the participant. It is imposing. Be loud and clear always if audio is not clear on the other side try adjusting settings and avoid screaming. Avoid double talk wait for other side to finish before replying. Look straight imagine that you are making eye contact with the person other side. Do not move adjust your settings to ensure you are visible to the person on the other side. Make spot where the camera can view you best. Do not mute microphone when starting the connection, mute the microphone after the connection is established if you want. Make sure the presentation slides should be in the large format. Mute the microphone because even murmur can be heard out loud. 3.2.1. b Digital telecommunication channel: email. E-mail is used to maintain the relationships with people, and it used to expand and strengthen people, and it can be used to notify issues to the group to resolve problems more effectively, it can be also used to communicate with different people though there are not at their desks, used to communicate with different people irrespective of location. (Laurie M, 2007) The use of e-mail is one of the primary features of the internet and is still the most popular function. In this all the parties need not be considerate all the time as in face-to-face situation but can still participate fully in the conversation via e-mail without losing track of the argument (Anderson et al. 1995). They can read messages and respond to proposals in their own time, as their own tempo. But as the Taiwanese and Japanese have a non-verbal communications and high context culture and use indirect language to correspond, they prefer to communicate by telephone or personally rather than by impersonal means such as E-mail. However the Australians have low context culture, so they tend to use overt, plainly and explicit coded messages to make everything else, and convey plain and literal meaning. Therefore E-mail will be a superior way of communication for Australians (Anderson et al. 1995). 3.2.1. c Digital telecommunication channel: Teleconferencing Teleconferencing systems are ideally for meetings, new program introductions, seminars and all forms of personnel and management training. In effect, teleconferencing is the most powerful communications technology developed to date; it is the most effective way of communication which saves time and money. (Laurie M, 2007) 3.2.1. d Digital telecommunication channel: 3.2.1. e Digital telecommunication channel: 3.3 Effective written communications: Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium by means of a series of characters or symbols. Writing is an extension of human language in time and space. Write probably began as a result of political expansion into the old cultures, which reliable resources needed for the transmission of information, maintaining financial accounts, historical records, and similar activities. Around the 4th millennium v. Chr. the complexity of the trade and the Administration outgrew the power of memory and writing was a more reliable method of recording and transactions in a final form to present 3.4 Effective verbal communications: The basis of communication is the interaction between people.   Verbal communication is one way for people to communicate face-to-face.   Some of the key components of verbal communication are sound, words, speaking, and language.   Aside from written communications, Australian Universities staffs are supporting the communication through conferences, negotiations and videoconferencing. Asian culture value silence when talking and are patient and understanding. The formality of Asians, while speaking in English is high and will avoid slang, jargon and also avoid confrontations as much as possible. Asians often prefer to speak what is implicitly rather than explicitly, in order to prevent conflicts, and to a more ambiguous interpretation of meaning open .In Discussions, Asians like harmony and piece. Most of the time non-native English speakers prefer to know what one is saying as face is important to them. They use words that are common and understandable as they mostly prefer facial expressions are important to them. Avoid of casual, and they appreciated politeness and formal way of communication. Asian values personal relationships; they prefer actual meeting rather than phone conversations or video conferences. In conducting a video conference where they mind gesture, eye contacts, body movements, and facial expressions as these are given more attention by the As ians rather than the messages. Therefore, opinions are often better proposed discretion; instead of directly expressed (Seltman 1991).This is reinforced by the fact that the Asians instructors are generally a direct translation methodology. If resources permit install translation software, which is termed to be particularly helpful. In negotiations, an agreement may need to be amended from time to time. So, remember that the deal is not final even if the signature has been affixed. People in general are not hard to talk, touching, unless forced by overcrowding or other disturbance in places that are traditionally considered to be public. People keep to themselves and between strangers In contrast, Australian English speakers value clear and concise conversations and they speak words carefully, they understand and prefer written formats rather than the verbal massage, on the other hand, their way of communication is more direct and constant .Silence is regarded as confusion in the case of Australians. In negotiations a deal is finalized and binding up on the signing for approval only. high and low contexts culture High context refers to groups or societies where people have close relationship over a long period of time. Several aspects of cultural behaviour are not made explicit because the majority members know what to do and what to think from years of interaction with each other. Hall (1976) states that most Asian countries include Japan and Taiwan are classified as high Context cultures. Low context refers to groups where people tend to have many connections but of shorter period or for some specific reason. In these groups, cultural behaviour and beliefs might need to be spelled out explicitly so that those coming into the cultural environment know how to behave. Australians are classified as low context cultures (Hall 1976). Conclusion: This report concludes with the reflections of cross cultural business communications of different places like Australia, Tokyo and Taipei. The results of this studies about the awareness and understanding of the cross cultural and communicational characteristics of the country and are termed to be crucial for the successful business interactions between members of different countries. More precisely, too effectively and ethical business in countries like Australia, Japan and Taiwan requires an understanding and acceptance of collectivism, saving face particularise and the maintenance of the harmony. With the advent of globalisation means of doing business have changed dramatically. Most organizations open at store to working with different people across the globe. For this reason it is essential to understand how cultural adversity effects and how business is being conducted in various countries Asians and Australian culture vary greatly in terms of their believes, life style and business practices, Asians have high context culture which gives much importance to inter personal relationship ,whilst Australians belong to low context culture where individualism is highly regarded , in order for these two countries to collaborate in business venture. It is important to understand these differences. Communication strategies are affected by cultural differences in a number of ways. For this reason, respect on each others culture should be regarded to avoid any conflicts that arise. In nut shell cultural differences should not be a hindrance to a successful business venture .Rather, understanding an embracing these differences will help improve the relationships of countries across the globe. 6.0 Recommendations: