Take an email break - Emphasis

Take an email break Take an email break Heres one to tell your manager about: taking time out at work to dip into your personal email can be good for employees morale. Research by email provider GMX has found that 69 per cent of UK workers will spend time working through their own inboxes on company time (or at least thats how many admitted to it). And one in three of these people said that these brief breaks actually offered much-needed light relief in the midst of daily responsibilities (they would though, wouldnt they?). Be it exchanging a joke with a friend, sorting out your evening plans or merely a moment of writing in an informal style for a change, youll probably return to the task at hand the fresher for it. While no-one is suggesting that spending hours on end scouring YouTube or throwing virtual sheep at people is a valuable or reasonable use of your workday, reminding yourself that youre not a report-writing automaton (before getting back to writing that report of course) is definitely worth a cheeky five minutes. Happy workers are productive workers, right?

Build your Author Street Team in 4 Simple Steps

Build your Author Street Team in 4 Simple Steps Authors: Build Your Street Team in 4 Simple Steps Last updated: 2017/12/07â€Å"No man is an island,† as the old poem goes. In much the same way, you don’t get to become a successful writer without some help along the way.  When you're marketing your book, companies like  Reedsy can certainly give you access to experienced freelance marketers – but in time you must also learn to rely on your Street Team.2. Finding your ‘first gangers’ Even if you end up with a fabulous book deal down the line, your street team will remain amongst your most important allies during the process of marketing your book. By staying on their radar and not wasting their time with spam, you can keep your street team happy and ready to help you the next time you release a book. Have you put together a street team before? Where did you find them and how did they help you promote your book? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Contract Law in Marketing Programs Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contract Law in Marketing Programs - Case Study Example There are many aspects of contract law that form the common law entity in individual countries. Within the United Kingdom there are basic issues addressed within the basic common law contract which include: when and how is a contract formed, when may a party escape obligations of a contract (such as a contract formed under duress or because of a misrepresentation), what is the meaning and effect to be given to the terms of a contract, and, what is the remedy to be given for a breach of contract.1 Within the contract itself, there is the need to have a few explanatives inside the contract which includes an offer of acceptance, consideration and contractual intention for a simple contract to exist, otherwise no consideration is needed. This inclusion of consideration in a contract formation is important to be in place otherwise no consideration will be in place. A consideration under English Law is defined as "a very controversial doctrine comprising a series of sub rules which purport to govern when a promise made by one party may be enforced by the party to whom the promise is made. Consideration in its traditional form in English law means no more no less that this: that, for parties to be able to enforce a promise, they must have given some quid pro quo for it: something in exchange for the promise"2 Rationale / Aims The aim in discussing contract law inside an existing company is to understand their marketing schema while at the same time looking to understand how their marketing methods relate to contract law. The chosen company is British Gas that now forms part of the Centrica group. There are many areas of the British Gas/Centrica marketing plan that can affect or not affect the contractual obligations to the customers and the government. Literature Review Through Centrica's website and their Investor Relationship, it is the objective of British Gas to transform its current objectives with respect to its customer service agenda as well as appealing to the needs of future marketing schemes. The current customer data base shows there are low gas and high gas users and look to segmentation of their customer base by "choosing not to deliver, by exclusion, retention treatments or attempt to cross sell additional products, probably because of their debt profile. When we see the demonstration later of what we call 'screen prompts', one of the potential prompts we may apply to this customer group is the no sale prompt, which is critical for the agent to not waste their time and effort" (Smith, 2003) The marketing schema is not just limited to phone marketing, but also using total household management as well as web online methods. This will allow for the importance of full disclosure. As a prime method of ensuring contract law is followed, the online website requires full disclosure of the contract that the customer is to sign; but, in the other marketing methods such as door-to-door customer signups and phone signups, this is not always possible or not used. The legal information found on the site includes the following privacy

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Project Management - Essay Example The fertile soil of the Delta consists of alluvial and marine deposits; Increasing use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides â€Å"are compromising the water and habitat quality of large portions of the Delta ecosystem.† Fish grown and exported provide a large portion of the economy’s export earnings. â€Å"water quality is compromised from the industrial and municipal effluent of the capital city of B. located just northwest of the Delta.† Decrease in numbers of migratory birds in the Delta - affects the newly developing tourism industry. A stakeholder interest and influence chart is devised illustrating the stakeholder groups’ relative interest and influence in the project. This identifies those who should be managed, monitored, or kept informed or satisfied. Additionally, communities and environmentalists are specially interested in reducing pollution; workers in enhancing their livelihoods, and L due to violations of the EEZ. Desperate stakeholder groups are the poorer communities and those facing water shortages in S. Capacity for participation is expected to be greatest by those who stand to benefit economically, especially the tourism industry, and the international and national NGOs. Generally, those stakeholders with the greatest interest coupled with influence will have greater capacities. In keeping with the objective of frank disclosure of project information, fostering a culture of improvement, and stakeholders are encouraged to participate commensurate with their importance and valuable contributions. The WRB requires appropriate structures, mechanisms and systems in place, which all stakeholders must work together to ensure. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the problems and needs of the region, and, to recommend measures for poverty reduction, ecological sustainability and macroeconomic development. In doing so, we seek active involvement of

The Longest Day Essay Example for Free

The Longest Day Essay The primary task of many forms of media, and in this case films, is to entertain an audience. Taking the examples of The Longest Day directed by Darryl F. Zanuck and Saving Private Ryan directed by Steven Spielberg however, it is possible for the audience to look past the story of the D-Day landings at face value and begin to think of the deeper meanings and true purpose of the film. What does the director want to convey with his use of lighting, dialogue or camera movements? How does he or she want the audience to react? Both The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan have been made for entertainment, but although the clips analysed cover the same event and try to be as histrically accurate as possible, they vary in many ways. In summary, The Longest Days purpose is to convey a historically accurate idea of the D-Day landings and inform its audience of the events that took place. It also glorifies the bravery of the soldiers who took part in the landings. The film is what can be expected of a war film made in the 1960s made less than 20 years after the war ended it tries to pay tribute to the men who risked or gave their lives to their country, some of whom would have been very much alive when the film came out. The purpose of Saving Private Ryan is slightly different. It also tries to convey a historically accurate picture of the landings but focuses more on the horrors of war and the attitudes and reactions of individual soldiers. Both films are aimed at the same audience, which is the whole of society. The two clips can both be split into five sections. Both clips begin with the troops arriving in the landing craft, but the shots are very different. In The Longest Day the landing craft are filmed moving quickly through the water with the soldiers sitting quietly and reasonably relaxed inside them. The commmanders are giving their orders to the troops calmly and clearly. This is a huge parallel to the same scene in Saving Private Ryan. The shots are filmed as though from another landing craft, giving the audience a real feeling of moving through the water and discomfort in the small boats. The conditions are much wetter and rainier and the troops seem much less confident. Some are being sick, some are taking drinks from hip flasks and some are saying prayers and kissing crucifix pendants. Historically, the audience is watching the same day played out in front of them but there is a difference in purpose, as Spielberg is focusing on specific characters rather than the D-Day landings a a whole event. The image of the troops given in Saving Private Ryan therefore seems much more disheartening and depressing than that in The Longest Day. Spielberg has focused on individual soldiers, and has used many more close-ups than Zanuck. This has the effect of the audience feeling like they could themselves be one of the soldiers on the craft, and makes the same shot in The Longest Day seem a lot more comfortable for the troops and appears less tense. In this section, Saving Private Ryan succeeds in extracting emotion from the audience and draws us into the story. The next shot is of the troops disembarking from the landing craft. The biggest difference to be seen is when the ramp of the craft is opened. In The Longest Day, the soldiers begin to cheer and shout as they run up the beach, with very few being shot straight away. In contrast, as the ramp is opened in Saving Private Ryan at least half of the soldiers appear to be killed before they even get out of the landing craft. Men that are not killed jump into the water for safety, and here there is a long section which is not included in The Longest Day. The camera appears to escape the craft with the soldiers and the audience is made to feel as thought they are going underwater as well. As the camera becomes submerged, the sound effects change also. The action above the water becomes muffled and distant but we are remoinded that the soldiers are still not safe, as in front of us we are shown soldiers being shot or drowning. The images Spielberg creates are graphic and disturbing but they are part of the historical facts he tries to convey to the audience. One of the ways in which Saving Private Ryan succeeds in its realism is the editing of scenes in real time. All the events that take place are filmed for the amount of time they would take in real life, for example The Longest Day spends about twenty-five seconds showing the troops disembarking from the landing craft whereas in Saving Private Ryan the same scene takes around a minute and a half. Saving Private Ryan is very realistic but, ironically, Spielberg uses unreal techniques to achieve this; slow motion doesnt occur in real life but when it is used in the clip it works because it shows something beneath the surface of the action. Spielbergs audience is being shown the psychology of the scene and slow motion is used to explore workings of Hanks mind. We look around the beach through his eyes, hear what he hears and experience it with him. A lot of emotion is evoked from the audience in this way. Real time gives us a feeling of involvement in the scene and viewers are made to feel more connected with the characters. In the next section of the clips the troops are getting on to the beach and running up towards the land. Both clips show in detail the injuries many soldiers receive and bring home to the audience some of the horrific deaths that were suffered by them. Brutal realism is widely used but especially in Saving Private Ryan; the audience is shown open wounds, dying men and even a soldier picking up his own arm, all in a very graphic way. A big difference to be seen in this section of both the clips is first or third person narration. As with books, scenes in films usually take on the view of either someone involved in the action (in this case a soldier). by using the camera as eyes and showing what a soldier might see, or showing the action from further away and using the camera to give a wider perspective. The Saving Private Ryan clip is shot almost entirely from a first-person viewpoint, which therefore shows the audience a lot more gory injuries and suffering. A first person viewpoint can often give a much more shocking effect can change the audiences emotions more directly. Spielberg uses this type of filming to bring feelings not only of horror at the situation but sympathy and sadness. The Longest Day is mostly shot from a third-person perspective because its main purpose is to inform the audience, and give the viewer an accurate picture of the situations encountered by soldiers and the action that took place. There are almost no close-ups in the clip, and it seems Zanuck has concentrated on showing us the big picture, whereas Spielberg uses close-up shots to initiate a feeling of friendship between the audience and the characters, as we follow the same characters throughout the film. To show troops moving up the beach. The Longest Day uses a continuous shot which lasts approximately thrity seconds. In this shot the camera pans steadily up the beach, slightly raised from the troops. The audience is given a view along the coastline and is shown hundreds of troops cheering and shouting, running up the beach. This shot is used by Zanuck to give an idea of the vastness of the operation, and to show the viewer the number of lives that were lost even on a a small part of the coastline. As a significant part of this films original audience would have been involved in the war and specifically this operation, Zanuck focuses also on a sense of heroism in the characters, the courage and willpower in the most difficult of situations. At the end of each clip, dialogue between two soldiers takes place, but the tones of voice, attitudes, reactions, and expressions of the characters couldnt be more different. This scene in The Longest Day seems staged and unemotive, as a young soldier is told to go back and get his rifle which he has dropped on the beach, because, as the General tells him, hes sure to need it before this day is over. This sentence seems too structured to be realistic; in a war situation it wouldnt be normal to come out with such a complex sentence. However, the General reassures this young, frightened soldier and the short scene illustrates the kind of bonds that were created between troops. A feeling of security and trust is portrayed to the viewers in the father and son relationship we see on screen. The same scene in Saving Private Ryan shows more spontaneity and realism as a young soldier screams to the commander What the hell do we do now, sir?! . He is panicking because he has no idea what he ought to be doing, but when he asks his commander he too has no clue. There is much confusion and the audience feel uncomfortable and unsafe as we do not know the fate of the people we see before us. The characters are presented in different ways but the important thing that links both the scenes is why the director has decided to introduce the characters at all. By the introduction to the characters of the boy and his superior we start to care about their individual fates, and pathos is used over us to so that we become concerned over whether the characters live or die. Both directors use this to evoke sadness and pity among the audience. One of the most important aspects of the clips to analyse is the directors presentation of war. The Longest Day is an epic, giving an accurate, historical account of the D-Day landings. It conveys to the audience the bravery of the soldiers who fought in the war and the situations they had to deal with. A huge proportion of its original audience would have either fought in the war themselves or been closely related to someone who had, so the purpose of the film would have been to pay tribute to those people. The purpose of Saving Private Ryan is different because almost none or even none at all of its audience would have fought in the war. Spielberg shows us the operation not just from a factual view but from an emotional view and shows us tragedies and horrors. Although the two clips cover exactly the same event we can see that they are very different in style, but even though they were made decades apart from each other there are also a similarities. By comparing and analysing these films so closely, we as an audience can begin to see into the directors minds and realise their hidden purposes behind making the film.

Middle Passage :: essays papers

Middle Passage The triangular trade system was so named because the ships embarked from European ports, stopped in Africa to gather captives, after which they set out for the New World to deliver their "human cargo," and then returned to the port where they had originated. The Middle Passage was that leg of the slave triangle that brought the "human cargo" from West Africa to North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Depending on ship design, weather conditions, and points of departure and arrival, the journey across the middle passage lasted from six weeks to three months. A few days before departure on the slave ships, all enslaved men, women, and children had their heads shaved, supposedly to reduce the spread of disease and facilitate hygiene. On the day of departure for the New World, they gave slaves who had been confined to the holding camps awaiting ships an "abundant" meal, signaling their last hours on their home continent of Africa. They were then stripped naked of their clothes, chained in pairs by the ankles, and taken by canoes, usually at night, to slave ships which were usually anchored in the harbors. Inside the ships, slaves were stacked and crammed into the dark and small holds, which now became their home. The conditions on slave ships repulsive, horrifying, painful, and inhumane. These peoples entire journey was primarily spent sitting on top of each other on wooden plank floors. Besides many diseases, ship holds were poorly ventilated, sometimes causing suffocation during storms when the few existing hatches had to be closed. And of course, normal bodily functions had to be done: people used the restroom, bled, vomited, coughed, sneezed, died, etc., all in the holds of slave ships. In addition to the stench of slave ships, the practice of throwing dead and dying slaves overboard brought sharks from miles around to feed on the bodies. Many people committed suicide by jumping overboard or hanging themselves with any available rope. It has been said that "if the Atlantic Ocean were to dry up today, there would be a trail of human bones stretching from Africa to the Americ as.

Motivation Plan. About my mentor Essay

Tangie Stevenson works for Medicredit Corporation, which is a Management and Recovery Agency, better known as The Outsource Group. This agency is a third party collection agency which a third-party collection agency is as agency that was not a party to the original contract between a creditor first-party and a debtor second-party. In most cases, a third-party collection agency is used once internal first-party collection efforts have been considered unsuccessful. First-party collection agency usually lasts for a period of months before the debt is turned over to a third-party collection agency. A creditor assigns accounts to a third-party collection agency for a fee. The fee differs depending on a wide variety of factors ranging from the collection agency that the creditor chooses to work with, to the number and type of accounts that will be submitted on a routine basis. The fee can be as simple as a flat fee per account submitted or a performance percentage fee on each amount that is collected. In some cases, it may be a combination of both. It is dependent upon the relationship that is agreed upon. As a collections manager Tangie oversee’s all activities related to the company’s credit and collections. She is responsible for formulating, implementing, and maintaining credit and collections policies, monitoring collections and past due accounts, reporting on the activities of the accounts receivable department, and ensuring timely collection of customer accounts receivables. She also provides training, direction, and evaluation of credit and collections employees. In addition to overseeing the collection department staff, she tracks customer feedback through the review of incoming letters, emails, and phone calls and the analytical data collected through outside reporting agencies. She also identifies errors or glitches in collection procedures and recommends solutions to increase collections on delinquent accounts while ensuring customer satisfaction and retention. The Plan I have established a plan to keep the employees in Tangie’s department motivated and satisfied. Keeping employees motivated and satisfied are important elements of not only getting the most out of your employees, but also in retaining your best employees. The best employees are always in high demand, and will change companies if they are not kept motivated and satisfied at work. It doesn’t matter what you build, invent or sell; your organization can’t move forward without people. CEOs, company founders and managers the world over know that keeping the teams beneath them moving forward together in harmony means the difference between winning and dying. The plan that can be applied to Tangie’s department that would increase the motivation, satisfaction and performance would be to first, have the team members build ownership among themselves. They must feel as if they own the place and not just work here. Once of the principles of self-managed teams is to organize around a whole service or product. One way to inspire this feeling is to have each of the members become familiar with what the other members are doing, allowing them to bring their ideas for improvement to the table and have input in the entire process. If the roles are too specialized, have each of the members of the team exchange responsibilities often. This all makes them feel like â€Å"it’s mine†, and most people, when it’s theirs, really don’t want to fail. Next, you must trust the employees to leave their comfort zones. This means to allow them to do more than one specific task, it will allow them to grow and become more confident in their abilities while making them feel more valuable to the organization. Even though as a manager it may feel like allowing individuals to try new things presents a risk to productivity or places workers outside of their established place, it heads off other issues. The bigger risk is having people get burnt out or bored. Then, is to keep the team informed; business leaders have a clearer perspective on the bigger picture than their employees do. It’s really important to tell subordinates what’s going on. What a manager may take for common knowledge about how things are going or what challenges are down the road, employees should be informed of. Spreading the intel lets everyone in on the lay of the land and at the same time strengthens the feeling among workers that they are an important asset to the organization. Then, is the fact that your employees are adults so treat them as such. This is also important when it comes to motivation and satisfaction in the organization. Employees need to be dealt with in a respectable manner. In any organization there is going to be bad news. It could have to do with the individual or the company as a whole but just remember to treat employees accordingly. As a manager, if you choose to keep people in the dark about trying times or issues, the fallout could be more serious than the issue itself. When people are left out, they tend to make things up. An important part of the plan is to remember that money matters, but not as much as you think. Compensation packages are a big deal when employees are hired, but once hired the motivation tends to go downhill. The motivation then comes from things like the challenge of the work, the purpose of the work, the opportunity to learn, and the opportunity to contribute. Last, is to reward and recognize employees if they’ve done something truly outstanding. Instead of telling others that your employees are doing such a great job, take the time to bring a specific person into your office or write an email or note along with that person’s paycheck to let him know that his work is truly outstanding. Rewarding them with small gifts like tickets to a movie, a gift certificate to a grocery store or even highly wish for tickets to a sports game is a good reward. Reward employees with time off, you will be astounded to see how quickly your employees get to work when you offer to let them leave a little early or if you give them the option of coming to work a little late the next day. Reference Forbes. (2013). 7 Ways to Keep Your Employees Happy (And Working Really Hard). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2013/09/08/7-ways-to-keep-your-employees-happy-and-working-really-hard/

Gibson Insurance Company

Overview Gibson Insurance Company has tasked Rebecca Hampton, the controller, with reviewing the company's allocation of corporate support costs in order to better assign the cost attributed to product lines and business units. This is important because it would help to provide better information for pricing decisions, sales compensation, and focus on areas in cost improvement. Gibson sells two categories of financial products: annuities and life insurance. They are both sold by in-house sales agents.Gibson decided to start purchasing other corporations in order to quickly grow the company’s customer base and its assets under management (AUM). GIC acquired Compton Insurance Services and Midwest Mutual Insurance Company, and although they all sold the same services, the prices and features were different. Gibson had a decision to make: keep the new acquisitions as separate legal entities, or completely absorb them into its corporate system. GIC chose to keep them as separate le gal entities, and treat them as wholly owned subsidiaries for legal and financial reporting purposes.Rebecca decided to re-evaluate the cost allocation structure. She chose to list them under 4 categories: Policy Acquisition, Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, and Corporate Overhead. All Relevant Issues Gibson Insurance main issue is its cost allocation system that allocates support costs to its various product lines based on total number of policies. This provided for an inadequate application of resources for each business unit and product line. For example, selling a new policy takes more resources and effort than maintaining an in-force policy.Another concern is a decline in profitability although the sales volumes are increasing. This is possibly due to hidden cost problems or incorrectly set prices. After a breakdown of support cost, Gibson also had a issue with possible inefficiency of processes. Hampton felt as though they used to many resources with selling new policies . Relationships Among Important Issues GIC’s current cost allocation system provides for a inadequate allocation of cost. With the true costs for each division and product line mis represented Gibson is unable to accurate set prices to match expenses of products.This also does not allow them to identify problem areas, or inefficient processes, in need of attention. With those two issues secretly effecting the books, GIC profitability has suffered. Relationships of Case Issues to Aim of the Company Gibson’s poor cost allocation and lost in profits has it wanting to develop a new allocation method. With this new method they will be able to more accurately apply resource cost and pricing to specific business units and products. After implementing the new drivers they will be able to streamline processes to lower costs.Making these changes will allow Gibson to get to gain control of costs and by affect its profitability. New Problem Statement Resulting from Case Analysis G ibson is concerned about its current allocation of corporate support costs. Currently it feels the resources of various business units are not properly assigned. Rebecca Hampton, the controller, must come up with a new allocation method to obtain a better handle on profitability, product pricing and agent compensation, and current costs. Objectives – verifying the old or developing new based on analysis Gibson Insurance main objective is to improve profitability.Its second objective is to better control pricing and resource allocation. To control pricing and resources, Gibson third objective is to develop a new cost allocation method based on different cost drivers. Finally Gibson aims to streamline its processes in the future to further lower cost to increase profit. Statement of Alternatives After analyzing the case we have come up with five possible alternatives for Gibson Insurance company. First, Gibson can choose to use the new cost drivers, developed by Hampton, to rea llocate costs to provide a more accurate picture of indirect costs.Second, Gibson can choose to reanalyze cost to come up with different cost drivers also to provide a more accurate picture of indirect costs. Third, they can redivide the support services to individual business units. This will help eliminate the simple allocation issue. Only the cost incurred in each department of the business entity will be attributed to the operations of the business entity. Fourth, Gibson can separate the individual product lines support. They can have have four separate departments for new and in-force insurance and annuities.This will dial in the cost not only to individual product cost but what status these products use the most resources. It can turn much of the indirect cost into direct costs. Lastly, Gibson can choose to do nothing. It can continue to use current method of allocation and make educated guess on what costs are incorrect and what prices are set correct. This option is not an i deal one because Gibson is currently losing money. After choosing and implementing one of the above options, Gibson can begin to work on underlying issues.They can use the new cost allocation analysis to see if any area of business is in need of adjustment. It can then decide if price meets the cost demands of division and product line. Action Plan We agree with Gibson’s controller that the new way of allocating costs is the best plan of action for Gibson. Under the old system, costs were broken up by separate legal entities and product lines. Using the old method, Midwest has $5,087,166 in total support costs, while Gibson has $5,080,997 and Compton has $3,751,837 totaling $13,920,000.The new method calls for the allocation of costs based on cost drivers, which Hampton divided into four categories: policy acquisition, customer service, sales and marketing and other corporate support. Each cost account is driven by a cost driver. Policy acquisition is driven by the number of steps required to move a new policy application to an in-force status. Customer service costs are driven by the number of incoming calls. Sales and marketing costs are driven by the number of solicitation needed to sell a product. Lastly, other corporate costs are determined by the dollar value of AUM.The total support costs of $13,920,000 is broken up into $4,375,000 in policy acquisition costs, $2,426,000 in customer service costs, $4,552,000 in sales and marketing costs and lastly $2,567,000 in other corporate support costs. The new cost allocation system allows Gibson to identify where the costs are emanating from. It helps them identify where they can cut costs and where to focus their resources to meet their aim. By employing the new system, the per units costs for each cost-driver is as follows: $42. 20 per step, $44. 06 per customer service call, $10. 2 per sales solicitation call and $14. 92 per policy for the overhead costs. Under the new system it was found that Compton h as the support highest costs, as opposed to the old system where Midwest had the highest cost. The costs for new life insurance policies makes up 40% of the total costs, which is $5,609,243. However, the new life insurance policies bring in $19,200,000 in AUM for Gibson. Yes, it is costing Gibson more to bring in new policies, but new customers are expensive because they take away from the profit. Therefore, we do not see any problem with this plan.Moreover, the new plan allows them to see that the in-force policies are not costing them anything, which tells them to focus their resources on the new-policies for both the product lines. By analyzing we decided that it is definitely costing Gibson more to bring in life-insurance policies than annuities. For example, it takes five steps to complete a policy acquisition for life insurance compared to only two steps for annuities. Also, it takes them 10 extra sales solicitations per policy for life-insurance compared to annuities. We also feel that 20 solicitation calls for one life-insurance is expensive.It costs $881. 22 to make 20 calls and the AUM for a new life-insurance policy is only $1500, so the profit margin is less than 60%. Perhaps they can train their sales employees to better perform each call and sell a policy with less number of calls. By doing this they will be able to cut their sales and marketing costs by 50% and increase their profits. Their total sales and marketing costs will go from $4,552,000 to $2,276,000 and it brings down the new life-policy costs from $5,609,243 to $4,326,989, which will make their product line more profitable and bring in more profits for Gibsons Inc.Knowing Constraints – Potential Problems Gibson Insurance Company also has to deal with potential problems. If they break up the costs into individual processes, they could possibly spend a lot more money and time than they need to. By gathering the data and breaking it up into many costs accounts will eventually cost them more in terms of management compensation, rather than helping them save. Also by implementing a new training program we may have resistance from current employees because they may feel that they are doing their job correctly without needing more training.Analysis’ Presentation Leads to Definition of Problem By analyzing the cost structure and re-allocation the costs with the new cost drivers, we have determined that the problem is the cost of sales solicitation and, possibly, the price that Gibson is charging for its insurance policies. Develops, Justifies, and Rank Objectives Gibson has five objectives. Their primary objective is to improve their profits, which requires that they prioritize other objectives, which will help them reach their goal of maximizing profit.By developing a new cost allocation method based on different cost drivers helps them to find places where they need control costs and resources, which helps them maximize profit. Develops and Weighs Altern atives We have listed five different options for Gibson to choose from. First option is to go with Hampton new cost drivers and reallocate cost on that basis. By choosing to go with the controller’s numbers we will save time and money on research vs Option 2. After we do that we will have a more accurate picture of cost and resource allocation. This will allow Gibson to work on specific reas of cost that may be hindering the company such as the number of sales solicitations. By implementing the new training program we can reduce sales and marketing by 50% by cutting the contacts needed in half. Second, Gibson can choose to reanalyze cost to come up with different cost drivers also to provide a more accurate picture of indirect costs. By going back and re-evaluating the drivers it would take more management resources. We would need to pull department heads off jobs and waste time possibly to return to the with same drivers that are already presented.So by choosing the first al ternative we can get the new cost implemented faster and begin work on fixing problems sooner. Third, they can redivide the support services to individual business units. This will help eliminate the simplify allocation issue. Only the cost incurred in each department of the business entity will be attributed to the operations of the business entity. This will not be ideal because it would require additional spending on recruiting new personnel including management. Fourth, Gibson can separate the individual product lines support.They can have have four separate departments for new and in-force insurance and annuities. This will dial in the cost not only to individual product cost but what status these products use the most resources. It can turn much of the indirect cost into direct costs. This will prove to be an inefficient method of allocating cost. Gibson would need to assign more resources to hiring personnel and restructuring processes. Gibson would possibly have to redesign it entire operating process to separate its departments and consolidating its different products line from different companies under one business entity.It would also have to deal with the backlash of current customers who may run into problems during the shift. Lastly, Gibson can choose to do nothing. It can continue to use current method of allocation and make educated guess on what costs are incorrect and what prices are set correct. This option is not an ideal one because Gibson is currently losing money. Selects Appropriate Alternative After analyzing the alternatives, we decided pick the first alternative that calls for to use the cost drivers developed Hampton.The costs are divided into four different costs namely, policy acquisition, customer service, sales and marketing and other corporate support. Each cost has cost driver, which decides the total cost for that cost account. Policy acquisition costs are driven by the number of steps required to move a new application to in -force status, which is two steps for annuities and five steps for life insurance. Number of incoming customer calls drive the cost for customer service while the number of sales solicitation drives the cost for sales and marketing costs.And finally, corporate overhead costs are driven by the dollar value of AUM. This plan will facilitate the decision process for the management because it helps them see where the costs are emanating and where they better turn their resources. For example, by allocating the costs differently they were able to see that Compton has the highest support costs at $5,100,202. 17 as oppose to the last plan where Midwest had the highest cost. It also allowed them to see that the in-force policies are not costing them anything in terms of policy acquisition and sales and marketing costs.This tells them which product line is more profitable and which is not, so they focus their resources accordingly. By finding where the costs are stemming from, they will be a ble to better control the costs thereby increasing their profits, which is their primary objective and that is that the first alternative is appropriate alternative for Gibson. Probability of Success This action plan will be successful for Gibson because it will help the managers realize where the majority of their costs stem from. It will also help them determine where they should be focusing their attention to.

SWOT Analysis for Amazon Company

SWOT Analysis for Amazon Company Amazon.com Inc, commonly denoted as (AMZN) is a leading global electronic commercial company and the most visited internet retail shopping destination internationally.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis for Amazon Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main headquarters of the company is in Seattle, Washington. Commercial icon, Jeff Bezos founded the company in the early 90s as Cadabra and later renamed it as Amazon.com. Amazon sells a variety of products, such as books, video, consumer electronics, music, household products and clothing (Mennen, 2010). The following is a detailed SWOT analysis of the company. Strengths Amazon.com, the U.S. largest internet retailer, commands three times the revenue of its close rival, the Staples Inc. It sells educating and entertaining media products. Amazon has had enormous acquisitions that resulted in the growth and faster delivery of purchased products. In the recent past, Amazon.com boasts on its strategy of rebuilding and investing in Research and Development, establishment of technology and innovative research centers. Seven years ago, it invested $700 million to establish offices for customer services, fulfillment and software development centers majorly in America, Europe and Asia. Moreover, the viewers’ assessments and comments provide feedback for any adjustment aimed at increasing revenue (Bangs, 2002). Weaknesses For the past four years since 2006, Amazon’s profits were negative implying that they are not able to cover operational costs. Outsource delivery firms contribute to low earnings and Amazon Associates, their marketers, receives 40% of revenue for marketing efforts. There have been reports of price bias within the Amazon marketing strategies. For example, DVD prices are different on some buyers. This posed as a competitive and a divisive barrier in on-line trading. In 2008, it received a lot of critics for i nhibiting publishers from directly selling at a compromise from their websites. The reason behind was that Amazon does not prioritize on those customers with heavy purchasing power. It has also reduced most of its services to major customers. Recently, it attracted negative publicity due frequent tax avoidance in Britain and U.S. Amazon is also under criticism for poor warehouse environment for staff, price discrimination and anti-competitive actions. Amazon sells products at zero margins to reap the market and do away with the competition. Though it is a tactical strategy in the short term, it reduces the profits in the long run (Madura, 2007). Competitors, on the other hand, will adapt by undertaking a differentiation strategy, thus losing customers.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Opportunities There are plenty of opportunities for Amazon to invest and uphold cu stomer beliefs that endorse the customer’s allegiance towards the company. Investing into technology is desirable for all their phases of interaction with buyers and suppliers which will augment the company’s reliability (Stubbs, 2011). Ventures in carrying out will present an enlarged level of sincere customer services, therefore, meeting consumer prospects. Moreover, partnerships in the private and community division such as with the famous British Library, will offer the surrounding community with the essential services of being competent to search for historical books. Amazon must initiate joint ventures, acquisitions and partnerships in order to increase the delivery time and efficiency. Amazon should consider partnering with other firms especially for the on-line retailing to promote seasonal stuff and attract new customers. Amazon can pursue niche clients by providing goods and services in diverse cultures and religions. They can also open more online retail sto res in those countries experiencing growing economies such as Asia and Europe so as to maintain growth levels. The company can consider releasing their own products and services and brands in its markets. Threats Amazon customers have to wait longer to take their delivery as compared with the time they can get from nearby retail stores. The enormous internet trade has attracted a lot of competitors making it difficult for Amazon to differentiate their services. Increasing delivery costs impacts negatively on the end user giving rise to poor reputation of the company. New alliances, networks and partnerships, shaped by the rival firms have strengthened battle for the market, thus increasing the marketing cost (Weber, 2010). High delivery period and charge have a tendency to divert the present and potential customers to regional bookstores. This gives rise to loss of revenues on those customers opting for local retail stores other than shopping at the Amazon website. When a customer m akes a transaction, personal bank details leak to unauthorized persons, therefore, posing a security threat leaving customers with an option to make their purchases on local bookstores. Concerns, over how these global companies avoid the payment of taxes to various countries is on the rise. Therefore, the governments will have no other option other than make it mandatory the payment of taxes based on their incomes. In this instance, Amazon’s earnings would be drastically reduced (Weber, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis for Amazon Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given its global size, Amazon will not evade the growing competition from its competitors. For example, alliance between e-books providers and Apple Inc posed a challenge to them on internal pricing strategies. Without such a strategic alliance, most content providers were powerless to compete versus Amazon’s bargain ing power (Mennen, 2010). In conclusion, there are mixed perception on whether Amazon will remain leading in internet retail or not. From above, it is clear that Amazon is in a strong position because of more strengths and opportunities than the weaknesses and threats respectively. Reference Bangs, D. H. (2002). The market planning guide: Creating a plan to successfully market your business, product, or service. Chicago: Dearborn Trade Pub. Madura, J. (2007). Introduction to business. Mason, OH: Thompson/South-Western. Mennen, M. (2010). Global Corporate Strategy A Critical Analysis and Evaluation of Amazon.com. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Stubbs, E. (2011). The value of business analytics: Identifying the path to profitability. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley. Weber, P. (2010). Abercrombie Fitch Marketing Analysis: A macro-environmental and competitive audit. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Passing the Buck Slip

Passing the Buck Slip Passing the Buck Slip Passing the Buck Slip By Maeve Maddox The other day I received a letter that directed me to refer to an enclosed buck slip. Id never heard the expression, but I figured out that what was meant was a printed insert. Apparently this term, along with lift note, is common in the world of direct mailing: theres really very little difference between a buckslip and a lift note except that a lift note is generally written as a mini-letter. Buckslips can be any sort of additional insert. I wondered where the expression got its name. Could it be that the buck slip was called that because it was about the size of a dollar bill? Other questions bubbled up. Why is buck another name for dollar? And why does passing the buck mean avoiding responsibility? Heres where the questions led. The word buck to mean a dollar may come from the use of buckskins as articles of trade. Answer.coms definition of buckslip (spelled as one word), a small insert added to a mailing package; it is usually about the size of a dollar bill implies that the name may derive from the buck/dollar connection. Merriam-Webster, however, favors a different origin, defining buck slip (two words) as 1. a routing slip used especially in military offices to indicate the persons to whom the attached material is to go and usually the kind of action to be taken with such material and 2. an object formerly used in poker to mark the next player to deal or to deal a jackpot, the winner of each jackpot placing the buck in front of him; especially : a buckhorn-handled knife used for this purpose According to J.W. Keller, author of Draw Poker (1887), The buck is any inanimate object, usually knife or pencil, which is thrown into a jack pot and temporarily taken by the winner of the pot. Whenever the deal reaches the holder of the buck, a new jack pot must be made. According to a site called Dutch’s English Language Oddity Clearing House: Some card games use a marker called a buck. Players take turns acting as dealer with the buck marking the current dealer. When the buck is passed to the next player, the responsibility for dealing is passed. The buck slip as routing list explains the expression to pass the buck. Before email, when someone at work wanted everyone to see the same message, one copy of the message was sent around with a list of recipients. Each recipient checked or crossed off his name and passed it on. The person who passed the buck slip on without checking his name could claim he wasnt responsible for knowing what was in the memo. When President Harry S Truman placed a sign that said The Buck Stops Here on his desk in the Oval Office, he was assuring his staff that he would take responsibility for all problems that came to his attention. I dont know that any of that really explains buck slip as a term for a mailing insert, but it was an interesting exploration. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Dawned vs. Donned10 Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

KFC topic and marketing yes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

KFC topic and marketing yes - Essay Example limited products, though unique, KFC has been impacted by fierce competition from competitors like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King among others. A close analysis of the case study draws to the conclusion that there is need for KFC to diversify its products while attempting to retain its uniqueness in order to remain viable in the long run. In the early 1950s, Harland Sanders embarked on a franchising strategy which saw KFC rapidly growing in America to become one of the most recognizable brands. Having been taken public and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, KFC grew a strong foothold in the United States which prompted it to venture into international markets. Thus, the major motive behind PepsiCo’s acquisition followed a strong belief that the restaurant industry complemented their business of soft drinks and snacks. It was believed that restaurants increased the number of outlets to sell soft drinks and this would also increase the organisation’s popularity. Given that KFC was an already established business entity in the market, PepsiCo sought to capitalise on this through an acquisition which would sort of transfer all the loyal customers from KFC to them. PepsiCo believed that it could take advantage of the numerous synergies available for operating different businesses under one umbrella name. Management skills could be transferred among three businesses. The company had earlier own acquired Pizza Hut and Taco Bell which were leaders in pizza and Mexican categories which could create a synergy with the chicken brand. These synergies were hoped to create competitive advantage for PepsiCo since it would be operating different lucrative businesses which will help it gain more market shares. It can be seen from the case study that the fast food industry is characterised by stiff competition from other rival competitors. Reynolds and Lancaster (1999) suggest that Porter’s Five Forces Model is an ideal business strategy that is used to analyse