Proctor & Gamble Marketing Mix Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Proctor & Gamble Marketing Mix - Research Paper Example The paper attempts to explore how each element of the â€Å"marketing mix† such as product, price, place and promotion were understood, and practiced by the company during two different time periods. The Concept of â€Å"Marketing-Mix† during Pre-1964 Era With a humble beginning in the 1830, P&G spearheaded its growth through forward thinking and by 1890 the company was selling more than 30 different types of soap. Varieties of soaps were produced to meet varied consumer needs and the innovative techniques were used to market those products that include product sampling, and radio "soap operas". A way back in 1924, the company realized the importance of the market research department and formed the one to study consumer buying habits and their preferences – perhaps the only one of its kind during those days. In 1926, Camay, a beauty shop, was introduced in the market as an outcome of the in-house research that spoke about the consumer preference toward perfumed s hops. In 1931, the company establishes a marketing department to manage various brands in the competitive market. Dedicated groups of people were given responsibility to formulate marketing strategies for each brand and perhaps that is how the brand management system came into being. P&G launched Tide detergent in 1946 and the product became highly successful in the market due to its superior quality. The product provided much needed growth to the company into many new markets of the world. Between 1947 and 1952, the company launched a wide range of products such as shampoos, household cleaning products, granulated and liquid detergents that were largely liked and accepted by the consumers. Crest, a fluoride based toothpaste became an all time success soon thereafter fulfilling a long need of the customers. The product was endorsed by the American Dental association. The company came along with the several other products such as toilet tissue paper, disposable diapers called Pampers during 1961. It is astonishing to learn that though no marketing guru had firmly established the philosophy of marketing mix by then as effective marketing tools in the form of product, price, promotion and place in the market place yet P&G was already practicing the marketing philosophy mixing these four elements successfully for last several decades (P&G 2012). Kotler (2010) emphasizes that the firm uses various marketing patterns in the form of product offering, the pricing structure, the distribution system (place) and the promotion activities so as to satisfy the market needs and thereby the organizational objectives. Accordingly, various combinations of these elements of marketing mix were harnessed strategically by P&G to spearhead the growth of the company. P&G's success in the market place is attributed to its business model that derives its strength from its ability to discover what consumers need and want. With this insight, they develop noticeably superior products. Jus t developing a product is not enough if its superior quality is not communicated to the target customers effectively and P&G has been quite successful in doing so through various means such as advertising, demonstrations and visuals. If the product is not priced appropriately, then the very purpose of developing a superior product is defeated and P&G has always priced them most

Financial Accounting Theory Essay Example for Free

Financial Accounting Theory Essay The article â€Å"GM to Take Charge of $20. 8-Billion† here reproduced from The Globe and Mail (February 2, 1993) describes the potential impact of SFAS 106, â€Å"Accounting for Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions,† on General Motors and Ford. For example, it appears that General Motors will be required to record a liability of $20. 8 billion, reducing its shareholders’ equity from $27. 8 billion to $7 billion, about a 75% reduction. Describe and explain how you would expect the efficient securities market to react to this information. SFAS 106, Accounting for Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions: â€Å"This Statement establishes accounting standards for employers accounting for postretirement benefits other than pensions. It will significantly change the prevalent current practice of accounting for postretirement benefits on a pay-as-you-go (cash) basis by requiring accrual, during the years that the employee renders the necessary service, of the expected cost of providing those benefits to an employee and the employees beneficiaries and covered dependents. In exchange for the current services provided by the employee, the employer promises to provide, in addition to current wages and other benefits, health and other welfare benefits after the employee retires. It follows from that view that postretirement benefits are not gratuities but are part of an employees compensation for services rendered. This Statement relies on a basic premise of generally accepted accounting principles that accrual accounting provides more relevant and useful information than does cash basis accounting. Accrual accounting goes beyond cash transactions and attempts to recognize the financial effects of noncash transactions and events as they occur. Recognition and measurement of the accrued obligation to provide postretirement benefits will provide users of financial statements with the opportunity to assess the financial consequences of employers compensation decisions. In applying accrual accounting to postretirement benefits, this Statement adopts three fundamental aspects of pension accounting: delayed recognition of certain events, reporting net cost, and offsetting liabilities and related assets. (FASB, 2012) I would expect the efficient securities market to find this practice acceptable. â€Å"Accrual-based accounting is more effective than cash-based accounting. A few arguments to support this theory are: certain cash receipts and disbursements are â€Å"lumpy,† within operating cash flows receipts and payments can be lumpy, accrual-based accounting is a better predictor of a company’s long-term financial performance. Also all formal statements need to be set up using accrual-based accounting, and publicly traded companies need to use accrual-based accounting to conform to GAAP standards (Keener, 2012). 2. Chapter 4: Problem 12 (Imax) a. To what extent can revenue growth substitute for net income as a predictor of future earning power? Explain. Use efficient securities market concepts in your answer, and consider the requirement under GAAP for immediate writeoff of research and startup costs. â€Å"Both revenue growth and net income are useful in determining the financial strength of a company, but they are not interchangeable. Net income describes how efficient a company is with its spending and operating costs and how effect ively it has been controlling total costs. Revenue, on the other hand, only indicates how effective a company is at generating sales and does not take into consideration operating efficiencies which could have a dramatic impact on net income (Investopedia, 2012). † â€Å"Start-up costs are defined as â€Å"those unusual one-time costs incurred in putting a new plant into operation, opening a new sales outlet, initiating a new process in an existing plant, or otherwise commencing some new operation (FASB, 2012). † †Costs of start-up activities, including organization costs, should be expensed as incurred (FASB, 2012). â€Å"Definition of Revenue Recognition An accounting principle under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that determines the specific conditions under which income becomes realized as revenue. Generally, revenue is recognized only when a specific critical event has occurred and the amount of revenue is measurable. Revenue Recognition explained For most businesses, income is recog nized as revenue whenever the company delivers or performs its product or service and receives payment for it. However, there are several situations in which exceptions may apply. For example, if a companys business has a very high rate of product returns, revenue should only be recognized after the return period expires. Companies can sometimes play around with revenue recognition to make their financial figures look better. For example, if XYZ Corp. wants to hide the fact that it is having a bad year in sales, it may choose to recognize income that has not yet been collected as revenue in order to boost its sales revenue for the year (Investopedia, 2012). † b. Use the concept of relevance to defend the revenue recognition policies outlined above. Relevant financial statements give information to investors about the firm’s future economic prospects (Scott, 2009). † c. Use the concept of reliability to criticize the revenue recognition policies outlined above. â€Å"To be reliable, information must have representational faithfulness and it must be verifiable and neutral (Scott, 2009). † d. To the extent that investors are aware of the possible use of revenue recognition policies that overstate revenues (even though, for a specific firm, they may not know the extent to which that firm is using such policies), what is the effect on the operation of the capital market? Explain. â€Å"Investors have prior beliefs about a firm’s future performance. These prior beliefs will be based on all available information. If net income is high, or higher than expected, this may be good news. If so, investors would revise upward their beliefs about future performance. Other investors, who perhaps had overly high expectations for what current net income should be, might interpret the same net income number as bad news. Investors who have revised their beliefs about future performance upward will be inclined to buy the firm’s shares at their current market price, and vice versa for those who have revised their beliefs downward. We would expect to observe the volume of shares traded to increase when the firm reports its net income. Furthermore, this volume should be greater the greater are the differences in investors’ prior beliefs and in their interpretations of the current financial information (Scott, 2009). †

Effectiveness of Reduced Carbohydrate Intake

Effectiveness of Reduced Carbohydrate Intake Introduction/Background The ketogenic diet proposes a reduction of carbohydrate intake, replaced with high fat. Studies convey that low carbohydrate diets promote a higher degree of short term weight loss than conventional low fat diets (Manninen, 2004). Moreover, reductions in fasting blood lipids and insulin concentrations are greater in low carbohydrate diets (Manninen, 2004). Fundamentally, the reduction in carbohydrates renders the body in an efficient metabolic state of dietary ketosis whereby fat is turned into ketone bodies within the liver and burned for energy to utilize in the extra-hepatic tissues. Thereby, short term restriction results in a significant decrease in fat mass and a related increase in lean body mass as fat stores become a primary source of energy (Manninen, 2004). However, low carbohydrate diets may significantly increase fat and cholesterol volume, correspondent with an increase in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (Hu et al., 2012). Furthermore, reduction in an accustom ed fibre intake may result in constipation, or fatigue induced by a carbohydrate deficiency from altered hormonal states and electrolyte imbalances (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). Additionally, complications relative to kidney function may arise (eg. osteoporosis and kidney stones) and can be linked to the long term restriction of carbohydrates (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). Ketosis is a common metabolic adaptation in low carbohydrate diets. Glycogen stores are utilized to meet energy demands of the body when dietary carbohydrates are limited; the reserves are exhausted within 24 to 48 hours of carbohydrate restriction (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). However, glycogen is bound to water in a proportion of 1:3g (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). Therefore, the subsequent 1-2kg fat reduction can be attributed to diuresis as opposed to burning adipose body fat stores. Consequently, the decrease is not a true indicator of weight loss as glycogen and water stores will be replenished (ie. rebound water weight will be gained) once the diet is terminated due to an influx of carbohydrates, which retain water in the muscles glycogen stores (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). As depicted in rodent studies, Caton et al. (2009) discerned that the termination of a low carbohydrate diet resulted in weight regain once the habitual diet resumed. Notwithstanding, the diuretic effect is restr ained to the first week of the low carbohydrate diet. Subsequent weight loss is entirely due to the ruminant adaption to energy expenditure and balance. Larosa, Fry, Muesing, Rosing (1980) observed a 7.7 kg loss in participants on the Atkins diet in 8 weeks; 1.8 kg lost per week in the initial two week period, and 0.7 kg per week thereafter. Westman et al. (2002) remarked alike results with a range of 0 to 18.6 kg in body weight reduction over 24 weeks (Figure 1). Once glycogen reserves are exhausted, fat oxidation is increased to satisfy the energy demands unfulfilled by gluconeogenesis and triglyceride breakdown as lean mass is inefficiently broken down to glucose and energy deficits proceed uncovered. A directly proportional increase in muscle fatigue and catabolism (conversion of protein to glucose via gluconeogenesis) transpires when muscle glycogen is depleted, however; an important substrate within ATP production (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). Liberation of fatty acids into the blood are oxidized by the liver for energy expenditure to form acetoacetate and further converted to ÃŽÂ ²-Hydroxybutyric acid (ie. ketone bodies) from acetyl CoA, filtered by the kidneys, inducing an increase in renal loss of sodium and consequent water loss. Furthermore, dehydration is common due to the increased water loss associated with ketotic-induced diuresis, onsetting early fatigue in contracting skeletal muscle (Bilsborough Crowe, 2003). The long term restriction of carbohydrates pose an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. LDL cholesterol is an eminent factor in atherogenesis, directly correlated with blood ÃŽÂ ²-Hydroxybutyrate (Johnston et al., 2006). Lin Borer (2016) denote a 30% decrease within physiological insulin resistance 24 hours after three low carbohydrate meals, which increase cardiovascular disease mortality. Moreover, metabolic costs may be associated with the utilization of fatty acids as intermediates of the citric acid cycle imperative for energy expenditure are depleted. Russell Taegtmeyer (1991) isolated rodent hearts utilizing acetoacetate as an energy source. The researchers observed a 50% reduction in the contractile ability of the heart within an hour; a contractile failure reversed by pyruvate carboxylation. Indeed, there are benefits and detriments of the dietary regime. However, evidence from clinical and animals trials to achieve a loss in weight and adaptive metabolic risk factors is preliminary. Review of papers Research concerning the effectiveness of reduced carbohydrate intake is limited by small sample sizes and short treatment periods. Westman, Yancy, Edman, Tomlin, Perkins (2002) investigated the effects of a low carbohydrate dietary regime upon body weight and variable metabolic factors in a 6 month trial. 41 overweight (26-33 kg/m^2) yet otherwise healthy volunteers ages 18-65 were assigned to a low carbohydrate diet of A mean decrease in body weight of 9.0 +/- 5.3 kg among 39 volunteers was observed (Figure 1). Weight loss correlated with adherence of the dietary regime and ketonuria (P Statistically significant changes were obtained for various metabolic parameters relative to changes in serum levels (Table 1). Beneficial effects upon serum lipid levels are indicated; 29 volunteers experienced a net reduction in LDL cholesterol over 6 months (Table 2). Moreover, 37 volunteers had an increase in HDL cholesterol (Westman et al., 2002). However, there was no objective measure of physical activity, which is potentially confounding. Moreover, adherence is the largest determinant of a regimes effectiveness. Although group meetings are an objective measure of behaviour adherence, the conceptualization of dietary adherence is disparate, propagated by psychological and socioeconomic determinants. Nonetheless, multiple indicators of adherence to the assigned dietary regime was employed in an attempt to negate the aforementioned issue. Furthermore, all 41 participants developed ketonuria during the trial, strongly correlated with self-reported adherence to the dietary regime. However, it is indispensable to obtain baseline data of macronutrient intake relative to the regime in question to ensure no dietary deficiencies confound the results. Additionally, past dietary intake is principal to document when controlling for baseline, yet macronutrient intake prior to the trial was not assessed. Often, blood/plasma ÃŽÂ ²-Hydroxybutyrate levels are the only index of ketosis as exhibited in the study of Westman et al. (2002). However, urinary ketones poorly represent the concentrations of blood/plasma and yield less informative results (Table 2). Acetoacetate and acetone are rarely measured and should be investigated in a low carbohydrate dietary regime; direct manipulation is necessary as the correlational approach cannot provide casual evidence of ketones. Moreover, dietary regime data can be subject to concerns of memory and recall. Additionally, volunteers who completed the dietary records may be more likely to report adhering to the regime. However, macronutrient data was to be recorded within 24 hours of consumption. Also, the usage of skinfold calipers to estimate fat mass poses another limitation. Clasey et al. (1999) discerned that anthropometric estimation yield large mean differences and appreciable inter-individual variability. Volunteers were not recruited according to strict inclusive criteria, therefore the group is particularly inhomogeneous. However, as the participants were healthy, extrapolating the results to individuals with metabolic diseases should be with discretion. Moreover, no substantial losses to follow-up were incurred as a completion rate of 80% was noted. However, the disadvantageous effects regarding volunteers who did not cohere to the program cannot be eradicated; structured programs are more effective at weight loss than self help approaches (Heska et al., 2003). Nevertheless, the findings of Westman et al. (2002) emphasize the imminent need for large scale trials on the compound interplay between low carbohydrate diets and long term aftereffects. The mechanisms and contributing factors underlying the effectiveness of low carbohydrate high fat diets (LC-HFD) remain uncovered. Caton, Yinglong, Burget, Spangler, Tschà ¶p, Bidlingmaier (2009) examined the effects of a LC-HFD upon body composition and metabolic parameters (eg. growth hormone, IGF-I) in 48 male Wistar rats over a 32 day period. Two studies were conducted. Study one constituted the maintenance of standard laboratory chow (CH) or LC-HFD in adolescent or mature rodents for 16 days prior to a switch in dietary regime (Caton et al., 2009). However, only mature rodents were maintained on the diets for 16 days in study two in an attempt to illuminate the culmination of LC-HFD upon fat pad mass. All rats were pair-fed to ensure the observations would be due to the macronutrient composition of the diet. Metabolic assessments (eg. energy expenditure) were made at baseline and 16 days post-exposure to the first and second diet with indirect calorimetry (Caton et al., 2009). ANOVA was performed to assess feeding efficiency and corresponding body weight changes relative to age and diet. Moreover, an alpha value of 0.05 was rendered in t-test analysis to examine the disparity between body weight and fat pad mass, with Bonferroni to discern any significant differences between the groups (Caton et al., 2009). LC-HFD rodents exhibited a significant reduction in body weight irrespective of age and subsequent diet change (Figure 2). Nonetheless, ingesting CH after initial LC-HFD resulted in weight regain in comparison to CH maintained rodents (Caton et al., 2009). Moreover, mature rats maintained on LC-HFD gained remarkably less body weight than CH (CH 27 +/- 1g; LC-HFD 2 +/- 3g; P LC-HFD may have implications for the alteration of body composition as hormones (eg. GH, IGF-I) known to increase lean body mass diminished within the study; reflective in decreased muscle mass. Declines in IGF-I, lean body mass, and glycogen availability may contribute to the increased fatigue experienced in ketogenic diets. Subsequently, the weight loss procured is not effortlessly sustainable due to an energy imbalance propagating an enhanced drive to regain lost mass. However, rodent studies are not entirely translatable to human subjects, and moreover, not appropriately designed. Perigonadal fat pads have a large surface area and are readily accessible. Consequently, they are frequently utilized in research, as exhibited in the study of Caton et al. (2009). However, humans do not harbour a fat depot analogous to the fat pads; and thereby cannot be truly deemed as visceral. Furthermore, Bazzano et al. (2014) measured body weight and a myriad of biomarkers in 148 participants on variable carbohydrate diets over a year. The researchers concluded that a low carbohydrate diet was more effective for weight loss and reduced cardiovascular risks. Whereas Vogt (2014) published a conflicting paper; a low carbohydrate diet in maternal rodents alters offspring metabolism whereby risk for obesity is pronounced. There are indeed neuroanatomical similarities between humans and rodents which coincide with food intake and energy homeostasis. However, the study un covered that the diet damaged the hypothalamus, pivotal for appetite and energy management. No attempt was made to elucidate the contradiction between the reaction of a rodent versus a human, which is misleading. Additionally, rodent strain can determine the susceptibility to diet-induced metabolic changes. If a more resistant strain is utilized, effects may go unnoticed. Moreover, trials disregard elements of rodent diets (standard laboratory chow; high carbohydrate low fat diet) that have direct metabolic outcomes, such as soy, which has effects akin to estrogen relative to activity, fat storage, and macronutrient and water retention. In contrast, low carbohydrate high fat diets often have sugar as a constituent associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, ultimately selecting for fat sensitivity. It is notable that a sufficient amount of protein is required to maintain lean body mass, yet the diet in the study of Caton et al. (2009) constituted of low protein. Dietary control in rodents is possible to a degree unfeasible in humans. Metabolic attributes of the human condition cannot be entirely recapitulated in a single animal model. Summary opinion/Conclusion A multitude of clinical trials that concern low carbohydrate diets have small sample sizes and insufficient statistical power to detect the incremental changes that occur in metabolic risk factors (Hu et al., 2012). Such factors are important determinants of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; thereby, it is ineffective to derive conclusions upon the effects of low carbohydrates upon overall health long term. In contrast to the results inferring an increase in cardiovascular risk, Hu et al. propose low carbohydrate diets as an alternative approach for fat mass reduction without worsening metabolic risk factors. Moreover, Bueno, de Melo, de Oliveria, da Rocha Ataide (2013) denote a doubled average increase in HDL compared to low fat dieters, conferring cardiovascular benefits with an improved cholesterol profile comparable to Westman et al. (2002) noting an increase in HDL. Nonetheless, six weeks is a short duration of time, and the research conveys that the dietary regime is sl ightly advantageous in weight loss for up to six months (Fields, Ruddy, Wallace, Shah, Millstine, 2016). Potential metabolic consequences can be alleviated with increased water, fibre, and calcium intake. References Bazzano, L. A., Hu, T., Reynolds, K., Yao, L., Bunol, C., Liu, Y., He, J. (2014). Effects of low  -carbohydrate and low-fat diets: A randomized trial. Annals of internal medicine, 161(5), 309-318. Bilsborough, S. A., Crowe, T. (2003). Low carbohydrate diets: What are the potential short and long  term health implications? Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 12(4), 397-404. Bueno, N., de Melo, I., de Oliveira, S., da Rocha Ataide, T. (2013). Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic  diet v. low-fat diet for long-term weight loss: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal Of Nutrition, 110(07), 1178-1187. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007114513000548 Caton, S. J., Yinglong, B., Burget, L., Spangler, L. J., Tschà ¶p, M. H., Bidlingmaier, M. (2009). Low  carbohydrate high fat diets: Regulation of energy balance and body weight regain in rats.  Obesity, 17(2), 283-289. Clasey, J. L., Kanaley, J. A., Wideman, L., Heymsfield, S. B., Teates, C. D., Gutgesell, M. E.,   Weltman, A. (1999). Validity of methods of body composition assessment in young and older  men and women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 86(5), 1728-1738. Fields, H., Ruddy, B., Wallace, M., Shah, A., Millstine, D. (2016). Are low-carbohydrate diets safe  and effective? The Journal Of The American Osteopathic Association, 116(12), 788.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2016.154 Heshka, S., Anderson, J., Atkinson, R., Greenway, F., Hill, J., Phinney, S. et al. (2003). Weight loss  with self-help compared with a structured commercial program. JAMA, 289(14), 1792.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.289.14.1792 Hu, T., Mills, K., Yao, L., Demanelis, K., Eloustaz, M., Yancy, W. et al. (2012). Effects of low-  carbohydrate diets versus low-fat diets on metabolic risk factors: A meta-analysis of  randomized controlled clinical trials. American Journal Of Epidemiology, 176(suppl 7), S44-  S54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws264   Johnston, C. S., Tjonn, S. L., Swan, P. D., White, A., Hutchins, H., Sears, B. (2006). Ketogenic low-  carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. The  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(5), 1055-1061.   Larosa, J. C., Fry, A. G., Muesing, R., Rosing, D. R. (1980). Effects of high-protein, low-  carbohydrate dieting on plasma lipoproteins and body weight. Journal of the American Dietetic  Association, 77(3), 264-270.   Lin, P. J., Borer, K. T. (2016). Third exposure to a reduced carbohydrate meal lowers evening  postprandial insulin and GIP responses and HOMA-IR estimate of insulin resistance. PloS  one, 11(10), e0165378.   Manninen, A. (2004). Metabolic effects of the very-low-carbohydrate diets: Misunderstood  villains of human metabolism. Journal Of The International Society Of Sports Nutrition,  1(2), 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-1-2-7   Russell 3rd, R. R., Taegtmeyer, H. (1991). Pyruvate carboxylation prevents the decline in contractile  function of rat hearts oxidizing acetoacetate. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and  Circulatory Physiology, 261(6), H1756-H1762.   Vogt, M. C., Paeger, L., Hess, S., Steculorum, S. M., Awazawa, M., Hampel, B., Predel, R. (2014).  Neonatal insulin action impairs hypothalamic neurocircuit formation in response to maternal  high-fat feeding. Cell, 156(3), 495-509.   Westman, E. C., Yancy, W. S., Edman, J. S., Tomlin, K. F., Perkins, C. E. (2002). Effect of 6-month  adherence to a very low carbohydrate diet program. The American Journal of Medicine, 113(1),  30-36. Table 1 Effect of a low carbohydrate dietary regime upon metabolic parameters Table 2 Effect of a low carbohydrate dietary regime upon serum lipid level and 24-hour urinary excretion Table 3 End-point hormone, glucose, and albumin analysis (study one; mean +/- s.e.m.) in adolescent and mature rodents maintained on CH or LC-HFD for 16 days Table 4 Energy expenditure (kcal/24 h) normalized for body mass at baseline; 16 days post-maintenance of CH and LC-HFD Figure 1. The effect of a low carbohydrate diet with additional nutritional supplementation upon body weight (n=41). Fat mass was estimated from skinfold thickness measurement. Fat mass decreased from 36.9 +/- 6.2 kg to 3.0 +/- 5.7 kg. Fat-free mass = body weight fat mass. The asterisk indicates P Figure 2. The development in body weight (g) of adolescent and mature rodents initially maintained on standard laboratory chow (CH) or low carbohydrate high fat diet (LC-HFD) for 16 days prior to a switch in dietary regime (denoted by an arrow) for another 16 days (means +/- s.e.m.). LC-HFD rodents exhibited a significant reduction in body weight compared to CH irrespective of age and subsequent diet change.

Voice Recognition Software: Comparison and Recommendations :: essays research papers

Voice Recognition Software: Comparison and Recommendations Use of voice recognition software is under consideration by medical office administrators nationally. Administrators have long searched for alternatives to the expense, error rate, and record-completion delays associated with conventional transcription. It is no wonder that, with the recent advances in voice recognition software, medical transciptionists are looking at this emerging technology as a powerful way of accomplishing essential record-keeping tasks. This report investigates four of the leading voice recognition applications to determine whether this technology has become a practical option and to determine which application is the best choice. And so that this report and further study of the software can be better understood, an introduction to the subject of voice recognition software follows. Introduction to Voice Recognition Technology Several different voice recognition products currently exist in the marketplace, and viable choices are greater in number than they were only a few years ago. Rapid changes have been fueled by the ever-increasing power and plummeting prices of desktop systems. Though room for improvement still exists, accuracy has advanced tremendously in a stunningly short time. Brief history. The first software-only dictation product for PC's, Dragon Systems' DragonDictate for Windows 1.0, using discrete speech recognition technology, was released in 1994. Discrete speech is a slow, unnatural means of dictation, requiring a pause after each and every word [11]. Two years later, IBM introduced the first continuous speech recognition software, its MedSpeak/Radiology. These systems often had five-figure price tags and required very expensive PCs. Continuous speech technology allows its users to speak naturally and conversationally, relieving much of the tedium of discrete speech dictation [11]. Dragon Systems made an enormous stride in June, 1997, when it released NaturallySpeaking, the first general-purpose continuous speech software program. Much more affordable than earlier programs, it brought the realm of continuous speech recognition to a much wider range of users. Two months later, IBM released its competing continuous speech software, ViaVoice [10]. Stringent demands. Much is demanded of speech recognition programs. Accuracy is critical, and speed is essential to any effective program. Added to these challenges are the enormous variance that exists among individual human speech patterns, pitch, rate, and inflection. These variations are an extraordinary test of the flexibility of any program. Voice recognition follows these steps: Spoken words enter a microphone. Audio is processed by the computer's sound card. The software discriminates between lower-frequency vowels and higher-frequency consonants and compares the results with phonemes, the smallest building blocks of speech. The software then compares results to groups of phonemes, and then to actual words, determining the most likely match. Contextual information is simultaneously processed in order to more accurately predict words that are most likely to be used next, such as

Recruitment & Selection

Recruitment and Selection Part 1 Produce a report, advising HiTech on how it should move forward as far as recruitment is concerned i. e. what advice would you give? Introduction HiTech International is one of the fastest –growing companies in the world. It currently employs over 30’000 people in 60 countries and has annual turnover in excess of $19billion. Located in West Dublin, HiTech European headquarters employs 2’500 people. 90% are employees of the company and remaining 10% are employed on a subcontracted basis.HiTech specialise in provision of computer hardware and bespoke software solutions for corporate clients to assist them in maximising the use of the internet. HiTech also provide a complete after-sales service which goes beyond regular software maintenance. The company is recognised as global market leaders in several of its principal line of business. Due to the competitive market that HiTech operates in innovation and continually evolving technolo gy developments through research and development department is central to the company’s future success.HiTech offers employees excellent terms and conditions of employment with top-salaries, generous bonus schemes, discounts, pensions, health and life insurance. The environment in which they work is very attractive with excellent facilities such as staff cafeterias, fitness facilities and valet services. Staff retention is very good; turnover levels are currently at 5% of which half are accounted for by dismissals and non-renewal of fixed-term contracts. HiTech are experiencing some difficultly with finding sufficient number of employees with the required skills to meet its expansion needs.Due to the fast-moving nature of the industry graduates are not utilised as by the time they are trained with a set of skills technology has moved on making their training redundant. Some graduates do succeed but most struggle, and are dependent on too much from the start. HiTech’s m ain source of new recruits is staff employed by competitors or working in closely related fields. They also have adopted a ‘no poaching’ policy with companies that HiTech has a customer relationship with or partner companies.Currently HiTech have two principle methods of recruitment in addition to a small- scale graduate training programme; advertising in national newspapers and head-hunters. HiTech are not satisfied with either method; adverts bring in too many applications that take up too much time to work through them. Head-hunters have found some suitable candidates but put at a great cost plus there is a risk that candidates would be lured away again by the same agent. And with the small pool of labour agencies are unable to identify the required individuals that are not already know to HiTech.Recommendations Improve on employer brand Although HiTech has global market leadership in several lines of its business and is recognised for its products as potential a bra nd leader but has it adopted an employer brand. Edward (2005) â€Å"employer branding is clearly aimed at attracting and retaining staff† (Edwards, 2005 Employer Branding) HiTech aim should be to develop and maintain a strong brand image as an employer that will reinforce their efforts to attract and subsequently retain the most effective performers.According to CIPD Survey â€Å"nearly three quarters of organisations have made efforts to improve their employee brand over the last year, most commonly through employee surveys and developing online career sites† (CIPD Annual Survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning). HiTech need to project a favourable impression of experience working there, similar to the reputation or brand that Google and Face book have. Evidence strongly suggested that employers can gain an edge in labour market through development of a good brand.Charles Schwab from US investment bank states â€Å"having a strong brand for an employee is a compet itive advantage and strategic advantage†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ it really does help to attract the best candidate†¦.. †(The Conference Board 2001, pg 5/people resourcing Chp 3 pg 68) Using different media to search for talent Website One of the most effective methods that attracts applicants to an organisation is the organisations own corporate website. Corporate websites is an excellent pool for attracting potential candidates. HiTech would have the skills in house to setup a corporate website at a minimum cost.The website should attract people to the careers section, convince them of the desirability of a career in HiTech and capture them as a candidate with an exceptional online response process. Furthermore to the website development HiTech should improve process of applying for a position within the organisation which would address the large quantity of applications received when they run a national newspaper advertisement. Adopting an online application will eliminate unquali fied candidates from first round and then suitable applicants can progress onto the second stage of competency test.This would highlight the qualified personnel with the required skills much more effectively. Trade Journals HiTech could sign up to the specific trade journals that are relevant to the specific industry, profession, trade or business that it in association with. Trade journal would effectively reach a number of the potential candidates that HiTech need to make their presence aware. LinkedIn It would be in HiTech best interest to get connected with social networking website LinkedIn that is geared towards companies and industry professional looking to make new business contacts, keep in touch with previous co –workers and clients.According to CIPD annual survey on resourcing and talent planning professional networking 16% of organisations find that it is an effective method of attracting applications to an their organisation (CIPD annual survey 2011 on resourcing and talent planning). HiTech can create profile that details the company profile and can link in with similar professional establishments and people. This can then form a platform for HiTech to search through profiles of people that they are interested in hiring new employees and also for candidates to search for potential job opportunities.Education Development Even though HiTech skills shortage is an immediate concern they also need to think long term especially when it comes to skills shortages as planning for the future will ensure the organisations continued success. Linking up educational establishments to ensure that the curriculum being taught is relevant to skills set required and preparing students for work and developing their internal talent pipelines around skills shortage areas.HiTech could also offer work experience placements with students to begin the internal training process of the organisation and therefore once qualified will be more up to date with the technol ogy and possible bring new ideas in order to remain innovate. Apple have developed an excellent link in with local colleges and students ; they approach colleagues in different fields and establish a campus rep that is trained in the apple technology and then the campus Rep hosts workshops , demonstrations and build up the Apple brand as a desirable employer.They also have an internship programmes to students through summer placements or co-op during academic year. Apple provides hands on experience by allowing interns to work on critical projects and also offer employment opportunities after they have graduated. Graduate Recruitment From the case study it is said that HiTech has a small scale graduate training programme and that they have difficultly employing graduates with limited experience and train them.HiTech need to further resource and enhance their graduate programme to ensure that candidates get the best possible opportunity during their studies and that they receive the relevant work experience so that once they graduate they can ‘hit the ground running’ . Sony has launched a European Graduate programme that is well structured and offers graduates the experience of all elements of the organisation. The structure is divided up into Business Experience – which is run over two years and graduates rotate on two assignments taking in all roles.They are then provided with training modules that are delivered by top management and highly skilled personnel giving them a unique networking opportunity. Each graduate receives a mentor from the middle management leadership development programme. And finally they are offered social entrepreneurship were they collaborate in groups and apply their business skills making a real contribution to a social project. â€Å"One in ten organisations is considering sponsoring students through university† and â€Å"over a quarter of organisations operate a structured graduate programme† (CIP D annual survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning).Talent Management Graduates struggle to succeed in developing their careers within the company and it doesn’t mention in the case study about any development programmes for employees. Talent management is â€Å" systematic attraction , identification, development , engagement , retention and deployment of individuals who are of particular value to an organisation, either in view of their ‘high potential’ for the future or because they are filling business/operation –critical roles†( CIPD Factsheet; Talent Management An Overview).HiTech need to develop this further for their graduates and employees, it would include a range of activities such as formal and informal leadership coaching, networking events and board-level and client exposure. This would assist HiTech to maintain competitive advantage and get the best from their people. This can be achieved by focusing on four areas of the talent manag ement loop; Attracting talent – as previously mentioned attracting external talent through corporate website to offer a recognised graduate programme enhance the employer brand which will attract new talent.Developing talent- learning and development initiatives should be in implemented to enhance employees and assist graduate to succeed in their career. Managing Talent – this could be linked to development aspect but focuses more on the retention. Succession planning can help HiTech to identify future and potential skilled personnel. Tracking and evaluating talent – continuous evaluation of talent will help improve the staff retention and give focus to areas that management need to work on. SecondmentSecondment refers to the temporary movement of an employee to another part of organisation. HiTech could find this very beneficial if they temporary moved the employees from other countries to Dublin based office. It would certainly assist with the immediate shorta ge of skills, they would not have to train the candidates as they would be familiar with the organisation and it would provide the time for the organisation to adopt the recommendations mentioned above to improve the employer brand and training and development programmes.Another option would be external secondment , HiTech have develop relationships with partnership companies and even with no poaching policy in place they could come to an agreement with another organisation to loan a required skill employee to them for short-term basis to relieve the immediate requirement . Conclusion HiTech International case study highlighted the fact that even been the fast growing company it the world and recognised as global market leaders without the requires skilled staff can cause significant effect on the companies continued success and to maintain competitive advantage.Without a defined, well recognised employer brand an organisation that depends on innovation and creativity attracting spe cialised skills in a relatively small pool of people can be difficult. Reviewing the organisations methods for recruiting talent and researching how successful they are and be willing to adapted and change to the diverse global market is important. Making connections with educational establishments and encouraging graduates to sign up with the programmes will help to prevent future shortages but all programmes and connections must be supported, managed and evaluated on a regular basis.Focusing on in house training and development of staff with career structures will further enhance the organisation and challenges employees to continue to be creative and motivated. Sourcing staff from other branches in other countries could relieve short-term shortage of staff while progress is being made on the employer brand to attract external candidates, training and development programmes are set up and implemented. Regardless of how successful an organisation is, skills shortages can cause sign ificant negative effects on the competitive advantage of an organisation.Continuous assessment of organisation recruitment strategy and ensuring that it is linked to the corporate strategy of the organisation should be re-evaluated on a regular basis to remain a successful organisation and a global market leader. Part 2 With reference to relevant academic literature; evaluate the effectiveness of the interview as a selection method. Introduction â€Å"There is a long tradition going back to the beginning of the twentieth century of academic research into the relative merits of different selection tools (People Resourcing Chp 11 Pg 254). Organisations worldwide must adapt selection method to recruit personnel in order to operate their businesses. The method that they select, be simple or sophisticated depends on a number of factors such as financial, cultural, resources that are available and if their requirements are immediate or for the future. â€Å"You are attempting to predict how a person will perform their work, interact with their future colleagues, treat your customers and respect your business†. (Recruitment and selection slide 8 Selection) All selection methods have positive and negative results and none are infallible.According to CIPD Annual report 2011, interview remains the most common selection method. (CIPD Annual report 2011 resourcing and talent planning). Main Body â€Å"Interviews of one kind or another are almost universally used â€Å"(IRS 2002c, CIPD 2007c). Interviews are popular as they provide the opportunity to meet face to face with the potential future employee, assess candidate’s ability to carry out the job. It also provides the opportunity for the employer to describe job specification, discuss the terms and conditions of employment and project a positive impression of the organisation and emphasise the organisations brand. A controlled conversation with a purpose â€Å"(Torrington, 1995). Despite their widespr ead use, interviews are often questioned as to how effective in selecting people for specific roles they really are. A number of draw backs that Anderson and Shackleton (Anderson and Shakleton, 1993) gather from a variety of studies show some of the reasons why interviews can been criticised. These include; Expectancy Effect – this is where the interviewer gains impression of the candidate before the interview Stereotyping – interviewers assume that particular characteristics are typical of a particular group of people.Personal Linking – interviewers may make decisions on whether they liked or disliked a candidate. Halo and Horns Effect – interviewers may rate candidates as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Mirror Effect –interviewers may give preference to candidates that perceive to be similar to them. Contrast Effect – the interviewer may allow the experience of interviewing one candidate to affect the way they interview o thers. Primary Effect – interview puts too much emphasis on information gained in initial part of interview. Information overload Effect- interviewers may make decisions on only part of the data available to them.Temporal extension Effect – interviewers may assume that a candidate’s conduct at interview is their general personality. One thirds of employers make an initial hiring decision in the first ninety seconds of an interview, based entirely on interviewees appearance† (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey). It could be said that interview selection tool is prejudiced and biased but it is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure that interviewers are adequately trained to help eliminate these errors.It would appear that recruiters are positive, although not passionate about the effectiveness of the interviews as a selection tool (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey) Two thirds of employers rate interviews as â€Å"effective† bu t just 16. 7% say they are â€Å"very effective† (App1). Studies have found that the predictive validity of the structured interview is quite high (Campione et al. 1988; Wiesner Cronshaw 1988). Structuring interviews can also help improve the ability to predict performance in the role as they provide interviewers with a framework to follow when interviewing each candidate, based on the criteria for the job.Adapting structure to the interview means that questions are planned carefully before the interview, all candidates are asked the same core questions, answers are scored using a rating system and all questions focus on the attributes and behaviours needed in the job. Evenden and Anderson ( 1992) suggest that the choice of questions and the appropriate use of them can ensure greater balance and flow in the interview itself (Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland Chp 5 pg 128) The types of questions that can be used are ; * Direct or Closed – are useful to get f acts but too many lead to repetition. Leading – no real value in this type of question as most interviewee would follow it. * Topic Changing- help to create a flow through interview. * Probing and developing- help to test the interviewees specific knowledge or skills. * Open-ended- are useful to encourage interviewee to talk and get involved. * Reflecting back – are useful to ensuring information is understood. * Command – are useful retrieve additional information on specific area. Structured interviews can be behavioural, they focus on past performance or situational, they focus on future performance. A growing number of employers are now taking his approach, 60% carry out structured interviews as part of the selection process. (XpertHR2011 selection interview surveys). Interview format can also provide additional structure to the interview selection process, where her they are one to one, panel interview or sequence of interviews but whatever format is chosen the effectiveness of the interview should be the same. Newell (2000) warns that while efforts have been made to improve the selection process through a more systematic approach , currents trends in organisations make ‘best practises’ model somewhat problematic.Job specification and analysis can become difficult if job requires flexibility and also with a number of organisations looking for innovation and creativity the term ‘fit’ has less relevance. (Gunnigle, Human Resource Management in Ireland, Chp 5 pg 124). Other criticism of the structured approach is although highly effective method with the use of controlled questioning etc its doesn’t actually represent the more relaxed environment that a candidate can easily open up. â€Å"The main disadvantage of using a structured interview is that its rigidity can limit the information-gathering process.Instead of exploring an applicant’s responses by further questioning during the interview, th e process is often rushed in order to get through all the questions on the schedule, and the assessment of the individual can inaccurate as a result. Also, since the interviewer takes the lead, he or she may dominate the process, denying the applicant sufficient time to provide a considered and accurate response† (Du Plessis 2003 Pg 170). Approaching a system in reality there is always so sort of compromise as without flexibility systems wouldn’t be sustainable.The interview selection tool would need to adopt a degree of flexibility and would help to improve the problems that have been suggested above. Adopting a mixed approach of semi-structuring or mixed approaches into the process would create the more open relaxed situation that interviews are perceived as but also the structure process remains which overall would make the interview selection method more effective. Conclusion Through the research that has been carried out and reflecting back on some of the statistic s that have been reviewed , the interview process across a wide ange of organisations and even in different markets would be reasonable to say that it is and will continue to be an effective selection tool. Even more so structured interviews have a greater effectiveness, however rigid the process is interviewing remains essentially a selective process. Organisations must ensure that they provide adequate training to equip their interviewers with the essential knowledge and skills required to maximise the interview process and also that they offer the best opportunity with no bias or error for the candidate in question.Furthermore organisations need to be flexible in order to adapt to external and internal factors effecting their organisations environment for example economic, political cultural and technology. Thus the selection processes also needs to be adjusted; we can see this through compromising with the structure approach to interviewing with semi-structure or mixed approache s that slight modifications can improve the outcome. Organisations need to be flexible in order to maintain best practise for their organisation and jobs roles would need to be adjusted accordingly.The interview as a selection tool is still by far the most effective and widely used method across the globe. There are a number of draw backs and there are other selection tools that are more effective but a cost. The interview is the most cost effective, time effective method and with selecting the wrong candidate for the role costing an organisation approximately â‚ ¬15’000 you are not going to offer a position to someone that you haven’t meet face to face now are you ? Appendences 1Bibliography Anderson and Shackleton(1993) Successful selection interviewing. CIPD Fact Sheets Selection Methods. CIPD Fact Sheets Secondment. CIPD Fact Sheet Talent Managment. CIPD Annual Survey Report 2011 Resourcing and Talent Planning. Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland. Tayl or People Resourcing. www. sony. com www. apple. com XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Effectiveness and Training Article. XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Interview tools and record-keeping. Recruitment & Selection Recruitment and Selection Part 1 Produce a report, advising HiTech on how it should move forward as far as recruitment is concerned i. e. what advice would you give? Introduction HiTech International is one of the fastest –growing companies in the world. It currently employs over 30’000 people in 60 countries and has annual turnover in excess of $19billion. Located in West Dublin, HiTech European headquarters employs 2’500 people. 90% are employees of the company and remaining 10% are employed on a subcontracted basis.HiTech specialise in provision of computer hardware and bespoke software solutions for corporate clients to assist them in maximising the use of the internet. HiTech also provide a complete after-sales service which goes beyond regular software maintenance. The company is recognised as global market leaders in several of its principal line of business. Due to the competitive market that HiTech operates in innovation and continually evolving technolo gy developments through research and development department is central to the company’s future success.HiTech offers employees excellent terms and conditions of employment with top-salaries, generous bonus schemes, discounts, pensions, health and life insurance. The environment in which they work is very attractive with excellent facilities such as staff cafeterias, fitness facilities and valet services. Staff retention is very good; turnover levels are currently at 5% of which half are accounted for by dismissals and non-renewal of fixed-term contracts. HiTech are experiencing some difficultly with finding sufficient number of employees with the required skills to meet its expansion needs.Due to the fast-moving nature of the industry graduates are not utilised as by the time they are trained with a set of skills technology has moved on making their training redundant. Some graduates do succeed but most struggle, and are dependent on too much from the start. HiTech’s m ain source of new recruits is staff employed by competitors or working in closely related fields. They also have adopted a ‘no poaching’ policy with companies that HiTech has a customer relationship with or partner companies.Currently HiTech have two principle methods of recruitment in addition to a small- scale graduate training programme; advertising in national newspapers and head-hunters. HiTech are not satisfied with either method; adverts bring in too many applications that take up too much time to work through them. Head-hunters have found some suitable candidates but put at a great cost plus there is a risk that candidates would be lured away again by the same agent. And with the small pool of labour agencies are unable to identify the required individuals that are not already know to HiTech.Recommendations Improve on employer brand Although HiTech has global market leadership in several lines of its business and is recognised for its products as potential a bra nd leader but has it adopted an employer brand. Edward (2005) â€Å"employer branding is clearly aimed at attracting and retaining staff† (Edwards, 2005 Employer Branding) HiTech aim should be to develop and maintain a strong brand image as an employer that will reinforce their efforts to attract and subsequently retain the most effective performers.According to CIPD Survey â€Å"nearly three quarters of organisations have made efforts to improve their employee brand over the last year, most commonly through employee surveys and developing online career sites† (CIPD Annual Survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning). HiTech need to project a favourable impression of experience working there, similar to the reputation or brand that Google and Face book have. Evidence strongly suggested that employers can gain an edge in labour market through development of a good brand.Charles Schwab from US investment bank states â€Å"having a strong brand for an employee is a compet itive advantage and strategic advantage†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ it really does help to attract the best candidate†¦.. †(The Conference Board 2001, pg 5/people resourcing Chp 3 pg 68) Using different media to search for talent Website One of the most effective methods that attracts applicants to an organisation is the organisations own corporate website. Corporate websites is an excellent pool for attracting potential candidates. HiTech would have the skills in house to setup a corporate website at a minimum cost.The website should attract people to the careers section, convince them of the desirability of a career in HiTech and capture them as a candidate with an exceptional online response process. Furthermore to the website development HiTech should improve process of applying for a position within the organisation which would address the large quantity of applications received when they run a national newspaper advertisement. Adopting an online application will eliminate unquali fied candidates from first round and then suitable applicants can progress onto the second stage of competency test.This would highlight the qualified personnel with the required skills much more effectively. Trade Journals HiTech could sign up to the specific trade journals that are relevant to the specific industry, profession, trade or business that it in association with. Trade journal would effectively reach a number of the potential candidates that HiTech need to make their presence aware. LinkedIn It would be in HiTech best interest to get connected with social networking website LinkedIn that is geared towards companies and industry professional looking to make new business contacts, keep in touch with previous co –workers and clients.According to CIPD annual survey on resourcing and talent planning professional networking 16% of organisations find that it is an effective method of attracting applications to an their organisation (CIPD annual survey 2011 on resourcing and talent planning). HiTech can create profile that details the company profile and can link in with similar professional establishments and people. This can then form a platform for HiTech to search through profiles of people that they are interested in hiring new employees and also for candidates to search for potential job opportunities.Education Development Even though HiTech skills shortage is an immediate concern they also need to think long term especially when it comes to skills shortages as planning for the future will ensure the organisations continued success. Linking up educational establishments to ensure that the curriculum being taught is relevant to skills set required and preparing students for work and developing their internal talent pipelines around skills shortage areas.HiTech could also offer work experience placements with students to begin the internal training process of the organisation and therefore once qualified will be more up to date with the technol ogy and possible bring new ideas in order to remain innovate. Apple have developed an excellent link in with local colleges and students ; they approach colleagues in different fields and establish a campus rep that is trained in the apple technology and then the campus Rep hosts workshops , demonstrations and build up the Apple brand as a desirable employer.They also have an internship programmes to students through summer placements or co-op during academic year. Apple provides hands on experience by allowing interns to work on critical projects and also offer employment opportunities after they have graduated. Graduate Recruitment From the case study it is said that HiTech has a small scale graduate training programme and that they have difficultly employing graduates with limited experience and train them.HiTech need to further resource and enhance their graduate programme to ensure that candidates get the best possible opportunity during their studies and that they receive the relevant work experience so that once they graduate they can ‘hit the ground running’ . Sony has launched a European Graduate programme that is well structured and offers graduates the experience of all elements of the organisation. The structure is divided up into Business Experience – which is run over two years and graduates rotate on two assignments taking in all roles.They are then provided with training modules that are delivered by top management and highly skilled personnel giving them a unique networking opportunity. Each graduate receives a mentor from the middle management leadership development programme. And finally they are offered social entrepreneurship were they collaborate in groups and apply their business skills making a real contribution to a social project. â€Å"One in ten organisations is considering sponsoring students through university† and â€Å"over a quarter of organisations operate a structured graduate programme† (CIP D annual survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning).Talent Management Graduates struggle to succeed in developing their careers within the company and it doesn’t mention in the case study about any development programmes for employees. Talent management is â€Å" systematic attraction , identification, development , engagement , retention and deployment of individuals who are of particular value to an organisation, either in view of their ‘high potential’ for the future or because they are filling business/operation –critical roles†( CIPD Factsheet; Talent Management An Overview).HiTech need to develop this further for their graduates and employees, it would include a range of activities such as formal and informal leadership coaching, networking events and board-level and client exposure. This would assist HiTech to maintain competitive advantage and get the best from their people. This can be achieved by focusing on four areas of the talent manag ement loop; Attracting talent – as previously mentioned attracting external talent through corporate website to offer a recognised graduate programme enhance the employer brand which will attract new talent.Developing talent- learning and development initiatives should be in implemented to enhance employees and assist graduate to succeed in their career. Managing Talent – this could be linked to development aspect but focuses more on the retention. Succession planning can help HiTech to identify future and potential skilled personnel. Tracking and evaluating talent – continuous evaluation of talent will help improve the staff retention and give focus to areas that management need to work on. SecondmentSecondment refers to the temporary movement of an employee to another part of organisation. HiTech could find this very beneficial if they temporary moved the employees from other countries to Dublin based office. It would certainly assist with the immediate shorta ge of skills, they would not have to train the candidates as they would be familiar with the organisation and it would provide the time for the organisation to adopt the recommendations mentioned above to improve the employer brand and training and development programmes.Another option would be external secondment , HiTech have develop relationships with partnership companies and even with no poaching policy in place they could come to an agreement with another organisation to loan a required skill employee to them for short-term basis to relieve the immediate requirement . Conclusion HiTech International case study highlighted the fact that even been the fast growing company it the world and recognised as global market leaders without the requires skilled staff can cause significant effect on the companies continued success and to maintain competitive advantage.Without a defined, well recognised employer brand an organisation that depends on innovation and creativity attracting spe cialised skills in a relatively small pool of people can be difficult. Reviewing the organisations methods for recruiting talent and researching how successful they are and be willing to adapted and change to the diverse global market is important. Making connections with educational establishments and encouraging graduates to sign up with the programmes will help to prevent future shortages but all programmes and connections must be supported, managed and evaluated on a regular basis.Focusing on in house training and development of staff with career structures will further enhance the organisation and challenges employees to continue to be creative and motivated. Sourcing staff from other branches in other countries could relieve short-term shortage of staff while progress is being made on the employer brand to attract external candidates, training and development programmes are set up and implemented. Regardless of how successful an organisation is, skills shortages can cause sign ificant negative effects on the competitive advantage of an organisation.Continuous assessment of organisation recruitment strategy and ensuring that it is linked to the corporate strategy of the organisation should be re-evaluated on a regular basis to remain a successful organisation and a global market leader. Part 2 With reference to relevant academic literature; evaluate the effectiveness of the interview as a selection method. Introduction â€Å"There is a long tradition going back to the beginning of the twentieth century of academic research into the relative merits of different selection tools (People Resourcing Chp 11 Pg 254). Organisations worldwide must adapt selection method to recruit personnel in order to operate their businesses. The method that they select, be simple or sophisticated depends on a number of factors such as financial, cultural, resources that are available and if their requirements are immediate or for the future. â€Å"You are attempting to predict how a person will perform their work, interact with their future colleagues, treat your customers and respect your business†. (Recruitment and selection slide 8 Selection) All selection methods have positive and negative results and none are infallible.According to CIPD Annual report 2011, interview remains the most common selection method. (CIPD Annual report 2011 resourcing and talent planning). Main Body â€Å"Interviews of one kind or another are almost universally used â€Å"(IRS 2002c, CIPD 2007c). Interviews are popular as they provide the opportunity to meet face to face with the potential future employee, assess candidate’s ability to carry out the job. It also provides the opportunity for the employer to describe job specification, discuss the terms and conditions of employment and project a positive impression of the organisation and emphasise the organisations brand. A controlled conversation with a purpose â€Å"(Torrington, 1995). Despite their widespr ead use, interviews are often questioned as to how effective in selecting people for specific roles they really are. A number of draw backs that Anderson and Shackleton (Anderson and Shakleton, 1993) gather from a variety of studies show some of the reasons why interviews can been criticised. These include; Expectancy Effect – this is where the interviewer gains impression of the candidate before the interview Stereotyping – interviewers assume that particular characteristics are typical of a particular group of people.Personal Linking – interviewers may make decisions on whether they liked or disliked a candidate. Halo and Horns Effect – interviewers may rate candidates as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Mirror Effect –interviewers may give preference to candidates that perceive to be similar to them. Contrast Effect – the interviewer may allow the experience of interviewing one candidate to affect the way they interview o thers. Primary Effect – interview puts too much emphasis on information gained in initial part of interview. Information overload Effect- interviewers may make decisions on only part of the data available to them.Temporal extension Effect – interviewers may assume that a candidate’s conduct at interview is their general personality. One thirds of employers make an initial hiring decision in the first ninety seconds of an interview, based entirely on interviewees appearance† (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey). It could be said that interview selection tool is prejudiced and biased but it is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure that interviewers are adequately trained to help eliminate these errors.It would appear that recruiters are positive, although not passionate about the effectiveness of the interviews as a selection tool (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey) Two thirds of employers rate interviews as â€Å"effective† bu t just 16. 7% say they are â€Å"very effective† (App1). Studies have found that the predictive validity of the structured interview is quite high (Campione et al. 1988; Wiesner Cronshaw 1988). Structuring interviews can also help improve the ability to predict performance in the role as they provide interviewers with a framework to follow when interviewing each candidate, based on the criteria for the job.Adapting structure to the interview means that questions are planned carefully before the interview, all candidates are asked the same core questions, answers are scored using a rating system and all questions focus on the attributes and behaviours needed in the job. Evenden and Anderson ( 1992) suggest that the choice of questions and the appropriate use of them can ensure greater balance and flow in the interview itself (Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland Chp 5 pg 128) The types of questions that can be used are ; * Direct or Closed – are useful to get f acts but too many lead to repetition. Leading – no real value in this type of question as most interviewee would follow it. * Topic Changing- help to create a flow through interview. * Probing and developing- help to test the interviewees specific knowledge or skills. * Open-ended- are useful to encourage interviewee to talk and get involved. * Reflecting back – are useful to ensuring information is understood. * Command – are useful retrieve additional information on specific area. Structured interviews can be behavioural, they focus on past performance or situational, they focus on future performance. A growing number of employers are now taking his approach, 60% carry out structured interviews as part of the selection process. (XpertHR2011 selection interview surveys). Interview format can also provide additional structure to the interview selection process, where her they are one to one, panel interview or sequence of interviews but whatever format is chosen the effectiveness of the interview should be the same. Newell (2000) warns that while efforts have been made to improve the selection process through a more systematic approach , currents trends in organisations make ‘best practises’ model somewhat problematic.Job specification and analysis can become difficult if job requires flexibility and also with a number of organisations looking for innovation and creativity the term ‘fit’ has less relevance. (Gunnigle, Human Resource Management in Ireland, Chp 5 pg 124). Other criticism of the structured approach is although highly effective method with the use of controlled questioning etc its doesn’t actually represent the more relaxed environment that a candidate can easily open up. â€Å"The main disadvantage of using a structured interview is that its rigidity can limit the information-gathering process.Instead of exploring an applicant’s responses by further questioning during the interview, th e process is often rushed in order to get through all the questions on the schedule, and the assessment of the individual can inaccurate as a result. Also, since the interviewer takes the lead, he or she may dominate the process, denying the applicant sufficient time to provide a considered and accurate response† (Du Plessis 2003 Pg 170). Approaching a system in reality there is always so sort of compromise as without flexibility systems wouldn’t be sustainable.The interview selection tool would need to adopt a degree of flexibility and would help to improve the problems that have been suggested above. Adopting a mixed approach of semi-structuring or mixed approaches into the process would create the more open relaxed situation that interviews are perceived as but also the structure process remains which overall would make the interview selection method more effective. Conclusion Through the research that has been carried out and reflecting back on some of the statistic s that have been reviewed , the interview process across a wide ange of organisations and even in different markets would be reasonable to say that it is and will continue to be an effective selection tool. Even more so structured interviews have a greater effectiveness, however rigid the process is interviewing remains essentially a selective process. Organisations must ensure that they provide adequate training to equip their interviewers with the essential knowledge and skills required to maximise the interview process and also that they offer the best opportunity with no bias or error for the candidate in question.Furthermore organisations need to be flexible in order to adapt to external and internal factors effecting their organisations environment for example economic, political cultural and technology. Thus the selection processes also needs to be adjusted; we can see this through compromising with the structure approach to interviewing with semi-structure or mixed approache s that slight modifications can improve the outcome. Organisations need to be flexible in order to maintain best practise for their organisation and jobs roles would need to be adjusted accordingly.The interview as a selection tool is still by far the most effective and widely used method across the globe. There are a number of draw backs and there are other selection tools that are more effective but a cost. The interview is the most cost effective, time effective method and with selecting the wrong candidate for the role costing an organisation approximately â‚ ¬15’000 you are not going to offer a position to someone that you haven’t meet face to face now are you ? Appendences 1Bibliography Anderson and Shackleton(1993) Successful selection interviewing. CIPD Fact Sheets Selection Methods. CIPD Fact Sheets Secondment. CIPD Fact Sheet Talent Managment. CIPD Annual Survey Report 2011 Resourcing and Talent Planning. Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland. Tayl or People Resourcing. www. sony. com www. apple. com XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Effectiveness and Training Article. XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Interview tools and record-keeping.

Baidu Enters African Mobile Browser Essay

Executive Summary Baidu Inc. will benefit from partnering with France Telecoms’ Orange to enter in Africa’s mobile searching market which has large potential opportunities and revenues. Africa, the Next Major Mobile Market Africa with the second large population in the world and emerging purchasing power from new middle class requires telecommunication to be popularized. The sudden growth and high density of mobile connection in Africa across countries generate large demand of smartphones and mobile webs or other mobile services. The fast speed of growth rate and potential opportunities in this market attract large mobile operators and search engines, and then Africa will become the major mobile market and transform the global economic landscape. Baidu should enter this market earlier to develop its international business Benefits and Limits of Partnering with Orange Exclusively Benefits:Enjoys Orange’s mass customer base Orange has health growth rate Orange has invested 3G networking in order to expand its market share Orange has more than 800 million customers and spreads its operation across 20 countries. Risk: The exclusive agreement limits Baidu’s expand from cooperating with others Evaluation: Despite the limits of the exclusive contract, the benefits of partnering with Orange are great. Baidu, which has less international business experiences, is good to start cooperating with large mobile operators like Orange to step into the large mobile competition in Africa, which has large potential market, opportunities, and revenues. Introduction Baidu Inc. signs its first global agreement with Orange, on an exclusive basis. The Baidu-Orange browser will provide more affordable and richer browsing experience for customers across Africa by enhancing data  compression capabilities up to 90% of compression. The browser is one-click access to web-search like apps. About Baidu: Baidu is the largest searching engine in China, taking more than 70% of the market share. It beat Google out of the Chinese market in 2010 because it was familiar with Chinese web culture in which allows free downloads and develops general searching However, Baidu lose its ability to be business internationalized, since Baidu satisfied its large market share in the region; at the same time it also lose its good timing to establish and develop its mobile searching while the popularizing and development in smartphones has changed the rules of the game from web networking to telecommunication networking. The need of Baidu expanding its global market and mobile web services is important and urgent. Baidu now is targeting in African as an emerging mobile market in the partnership with Orange, a France’s telecom Africa, the Next Major Mobile Market According to the observation from GSMA, African mobile market has dramatically grown and reaches the highest growth rate worldwide due to the governments have liberalized the telecommunication, and competitions between private telecoms have increased service affordability. Africa has large mobile connection penetration and has speedily gown From 2000 to 2011, mobile penetration has rapidly increased in Africa, from just 2% in 2000 to 63% in 2011, representing a compound annual growth rate of over 46%. It is expected to reach 85% mobile connection penetration in 2015 (GSMA, Africa Mobile Observatory Report, September. 2011) (See Figure 1) Figure 1: Mobile connections and penetration in Africa since 2000. Data sources: Wireless Intelligence. The number of cennections in North Africa has grown by 41% while Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest growth rate with 44% worldwidely, compared to an average of 34% for developing countries and 10% for developed countries.(Deloitte;GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory Report, November 13, 2012). (See Figure 2) Figure 2: Growth in the number of mobile connections world wide, 200-2012. Data source: wireless intelligence The rapid growth of mobile communication in Africa generates high demand of mobile telephony and mobile service and increases revenues According to Wireless Intelligence and International Monetary Fund (IMF), mobile operators reported over $35 billion revenues in 2011, growing by an average of 18% each year from $8.2 billion in 20000 in Africa. According to GSMA Africa Observatory 2011 Report, over the past 5 years, the number of subscribers across Africa had grown by almost 20% per year and was set to reach more than 735 million by the end of 2012. The mobile ecosystem in Africa currently generated approximately $56 billion or 3.5% of total GDP, with mobile operators alone contributing $49 billion. Africa is transforming the global economic landscapes. African economies are among the fastest-growing in the world while emerging economies in Asia have been slowed down due to their increasing capital and labor costs and markets saturated. Economists predicted that Africa would be poised to transform the global economic landscapes (John J.; Wild Wild, International Business: the challenge of globalization, January 16, 2013). Annual GDP growth averaged 5.7% between 2000 and 2010 in Sub-Saharan Africa. (IBM, â€Å"Is mobile Africa’s future?,† 2011) Expected annual growth averaged 7% over the next 20 years. (IBM, â€Å"Is mobile Africa’s future?,† 2011) 14% of the world’s population, the second large population in the world, provides large consumption base. (IBM, â€Å"Is mobile Africa’s future?,† 2011) New middle class has been emerging in Africa The purchasing powers from large population and middle class must stimulate the sales of mobile products and co-related mobile services. Africa’s mobile market is a good start for firms like Baidu, which seeking opportunities to expand its international business and mobile operation with  less experiences. Demands from large consumption’s requests and purchasing from new class created substantial profits. Benefits and Limits of Partnering with Orange Exclusively The Chinese Web services giant Baidu will bring its mobile browser to Africa in signing an exclusive contract with France Telecom’s Orange network, the third-biggest mobile operator in Africa. Benefits of partnering with Orange Orange, which has a mobile customer base of more than 80 million subscribers and covers 20 countries in Africa, has continued to see its smartphone user base in Arica and Middle East increasing, for example the demand for Android devices in Egypt has doubled in the second half of 2012 by Marc Rennard, senior executive vice president for Orange. (Deloitte;GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory Report, November 13, 2012) Orange has recently been deploying 3G networks in countries where it has operations and makes more low-cost smartphones available; customers have been steadily moving from basic feature phone towards more low-cost Android smartphones. (Deloitte;GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory Report, November 13, 2012) The mass user base, the wide geographical operations and the increased growth of smartphone users from Orange help Baidu expand its mobile services and data collecting in the new emerging market. This not only makes Baidu get a slice of Africa’s lucrative mobile and data market but also helps Baidu gain experience of transforming itself to be business internationalized and searching mobilized under the pressure of globalization and development in smartphones. Limits of Partnering with Orange Emeka Obiodu, Principal Analyst for Telecom Strategy, Ovum Research, pointed out that there is a limitation for Baidu by dealing with Orange exclusively. Baidu’s deal with Orange may limit the firm’s maneuverability in the market. If Baidu sticks to Orange exclusively, it will depend on Orange’s expansion of its geographical footprint. Obiodu later added his concern for Baidu that Over time, this lack of maneuverability will influence, and maybe undermine, Baidu’s ability to exploit emerging opportunities in the market. While Baidu is tie-up with Orange, its largest competitor Google has already entered in the Africa’s mobile browsing market. Google not only has a deal with South Africa’s giant telecom operator Telkom’s cellphone network unit 8ta but also rolls out a new services in Sub-Saharan Africa though operator Zambia Telecommunication Company, a government-owned telecom. (IDG Reporter, â€Å"Africa is the newest telecoms battleground,† January 27, 2013) The spread of Baidu browser is limited because it is depended on Orange’s geographical footprints due to exclusive agreement, compared with Google, which has multiple partnerships with large government-owned and private-owned operators. Despite the limitation, the benefits from cooperating with Orange for Baidu are greater. Baidu as an inexperienced international investor could decrease its risk to fail the first entry into an emerging market with the helps from sharing Orange’s wide geographical footprints and mass customer base. (TitaniumMedia, Baidu’s Radical Internationalization, 2013) Evaluation of Baidu’s Entry into Africa’s Mobile Bowering Market though Exclusive Partnership with France Telecom’s Orange. Africa’s mobile market Mobile market in Africa is potential and profitable (Deloitte;GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory Report, November13, 2012): 85% mobile connection penetration in 2015 (forecast)  44% mobile connection growth (the highest growth rate worldwide) $49 billion revenues (mobile operator alone)  The fast and wide dissemination of mobile connection and communication in Africa makes the demand for smartphones and mobile web be on the rise remarkably, creating potential mobile market and providing healthy grown profits for Baidu, which is seeking opportunity to internationalize and  mobilize its operation. Partnership with France Telecom’s Orange Despite the limitation of just cooperating with one company, Orange is still a good partner which already has mass customer base and keeps growing users doubly though its investment in 3G networking. Baidu, a Chinese searching engine which has less international business’ experiences, takes advantage of cooperating with Orange in order to lower the risk of first entry into a unknown market by sharing Orange’s mass customer base and wide geographical operation . Entry into Africa and cooperation with Orange are a good start for Baidu turning itself internationalized and mobilized. References Wild, J. J., & Wild, K. L. (2013). International business: the challenges of globalization (Seventh ed.). : Pearson College Div. Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory 2012. Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory Report. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from www.gsma.com/†¦/SSA_FullReport_v6.1_clean.pdf Arican Mobile Observatory 2011 Driving Economic and Social Development through Mobile Services. African Mobile Observatory Report. Retrieved , from www.gsma.com/†¦/2011/†¦/Africa-Mobile-Observatory Afica is the newest telecoms battleground. (2013, January 27). . Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.cnmeonline.com/analysis/africa-is-the-newest-telecoms- battleground/ Is mobile Africa’s future?. (2011, January 1). . Retrieved May 15, 2014, fromhttp://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/global/share/19jan2012/mobile_africa/ Baidu’s Radical Internationalization. (2013, March 31). . Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://tech.163.com/13/0331/09/8R9JOH9O000915BF.html Appendix A Important notice about GSMA and Deloitt Frequent uses of data, facts, and statistics are from â€Å"Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory 2012†, a report is prepared by Drloitte for GSM Association with contract. The â€Å"Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory 2012† is provided exclusively for the GSMA’s use under the terms of contract. No party other than GSMA could be entitled on the report for any purpose whatever Deloitte accepts or not. Appendix B Figure 1 and 2 Figure 1 is from GSMA’s â€Å"Africa Mobile Observatory 2011 Driveng Economic and Social Development through Mobile Services.† Figure 2 from GSMA’s â€Å"Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory 2012.† Both figures of the charts are collected data from Wireless Intelligence

sociocultural aspects essays

sociocultural aspects essays At the beginning of this semester, I went into a classroom without the intentions of it having any impact of my life. What I did not know was that this course held not only a vision for the future but also answers to my past. Growing up, I was influenced by a society that was inhabited almost entirely by whites. For that reason only, I have been completely unaware of any bias or unfair treatment to minority and female students. Because of this upbringing, I found many incidences discussed in class quite unbelievable. However, my views on our society and the educational system have been broadened which leads me to believe that the teachers of the future now have the key to a fair, unbias education for each student that enters the school. I was also fortunate this semester to engage in mentoring a young African-American student named James. Although this assignment was geared toward working with a student from a different culture in order to examine the differences in our lives as well as our values, I think that it was very fortunate for not only my experience but also for the students experience that we shared so many of the same hurdles growing up. The death of a sibling as well as the experience at multiple schools as the new student are just a few of the ways in which James and I were quite similar. As many people know, dealing with issues like this can be quite hazardous to how a young child develops into a functioning adult. Because James and I are linked based on our past, we were able to share with each other more honestly than we have before. With that, we grew from one anothers experiences and found the answers to our past with and through each other. As I said before, the course discussions and lectures that I experienced had a dynamic impact on my personal beliefs and values. Honestly, I hardly ever had an ounce of belief in the books we read and discussed or even the topics brought u...

malkovich and steppenwolf essays

malkovich and steppenwolf essays In 1976, John Malkovich joined Chicagos Steppenwolf Theatre. His friend Gary Sinise founded the Steppenwolf theatre. Although not officially established until 1976, Steppenwolf began performing plays informally in a church basement in Highland Park under the leadership of Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise. John Malkovich got his first film experience as an extra in Robert Altmans 1978 feature Wedding. A. Seven years later Malkovich showed up in New York and won an Obie in the play True West. He then went on to appear with Dustin Hoffman in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman and won an Emmy after it was made into a Television Movie the following year. Malkovichs box office debut came in Places in the Heart in 1984 where he earned an Academy Award Nomination for best supporting actor. After appearing in several more movies his next big movie was Dangerous Liaisons in 1988 that featured Michelle Pfeiffer and Glen Close. During his run of big screen acting, Malkovich pe riodically returned to Chicago to both act and direct. Malkovich was listed as one of twelve Promising New Actors of 1984 in John Willis Screen World, Vol. 36. Malkovich received his education at Eastern Illinois University and Illinois State University. While at Illinois State he was told by the head of the theatre department that he would not have a career as an actor and his name does not appear anywhere at the University. John Malkovich is an intense actor who came to Hollywood after an exceptional career in theatre. At Steppenwolf, Malkovich directed and performed some of Americas most vital noncommercial stage productions. In 1992, he played a marvelous role in Of Mice and Men as Lennie that I have seen and enjoyed. Of Mice and Men costarred and was directed by Gary Sinise. Malkovich is making a return to Steppenwolf for the 2005 season. Malkovichs last appearance at the Chicago Company he gave star-l...

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According to the study of the project planning, I found that branding of products related to any specific organization is getting innovated day by day in order to provide effective brand value to organization. The concerned case study is elaborating about the effective measures related to sensory branding of product. In contrast with this fact, I am evaluating the project of improving branding of products in this essay. There are various phases involved in this project. I am considering three main considerable areas in the project to be evaluated in this essay.   According to stages used in improving branding of Color Studio Professional I have found three considerable phases related to the project implementation that needs to be reviewed in order to make the project implementation successful. Development of Gantt chart, Work breakdown structure preparation and Estimation of budget for the project development are the three considerable areas according to my point of discussion.    I have found that in the contemporary time the organizations are using sensory branding or sensory stimuli in order to make their brands powerful. Various organizations used two dimensional branding schemes for making their products popular in the target market. I noticed that, application of five senses during finalizing the branding schemes for making the product popular is the better way to attract the customers with respect to developing trends. In the concerned project of Color Studio Professional (CSP), the organization develops their brand value with the help of innovative strategies within their target market. I realized that the thought behind launching the products of CSP was justified with the five senses: â€Å"A typical day in her life†. I need to elaborate that this implementation of new branding perspective needed various project management stages that helped CSP to master the five sense in their branding perspective. Preparation of WBS and Gantt chart for proje ct success was the most effective one. In addition to this, budget estimation is also one important aspect to be considered in this segment. The project management is one of the important aspects that need to be managed by the project manager. In contrast with this fact, I found the project planner of CSP very unprofessional in this particular project of improving branding of CSP. There are various aspects I noticed that the project planner needed to consider in the project development phase. Every project development concern should be based on a structured and systematic way of execution. In contrast with the segmentation of tasks and scheduling techniques I noticed various aspects are missed out in the segment of scheduling and segmenting the task. According to my specific study on the budget estimation of improving the branding of CSP I have found that the budget is correctly estimated based on the respective functionalities of the project members in this particular project of CSP. In spite of this aspect I would like to introduce one more aspect into this critical evaluation of budget estimation of CSP project. This important aspect is the project planner of CSP did not used any advanced project management tools for calculating the project budget, this is another negative aspect involved in the pproject development. In contrast with the project phases of improving branding of CSP I found the Work breakdown structure to be inefficient in parison with one effective WBS structure. The project planner of the CSP did not explain the involved stages within the project development. According to the critical evaluation done by me I have found various inefficiencies within the concerned improvisation of branding related to CSP. The organization mainly introduced various perspectives within their strategic planning in improving their branding. I found the strategic perspective related to application of five senses in improving the brand value of product. I feel this concept pletely justified with respect to the objectives of the project. In spite of this primary stage of the project is justified correctly with respect to my critical evaluation of project management. There are other three aspects that were not maintained by the project planner in this project. First of these is, preparation of Work breakdown structure. I found the project planner inefficient in managing the project stages effectively, the project planner considered the project requirements in the WBS preparation; he did not considered the phases of project development. Second aspect that needs evaluation is that the budget estimation for the project cost estimation is correct but this can be improvised with the help of advanced project management tools such as Microsoft Project. Third aspect is that the project planner neglected the effectiveness of scheduling of Gantt chart. There are two day of gap between the project development phases that may include several malfunctions within project development. In addition to this, the project manager should also consider one testing phase after implementation of the project. I have found these stages being inappropriate within the project development. I think the project planner and organizational heads should be more responsible for these issues within the project planning. In contrast with this phase, I think the careful attention towards the project planning and scheduling will be helpful in solving these kinds of issues. Besides this, every project should consider one testing phase for viewing the result’s appropriateness. Therefore, the addition to testing phase will be helpful to resolve these issues. The process of improving branding within the CSP for gaining more revenues and attracting more customers, I have fund the project plan inefficient in some phases. I have critically reviewed these phases in this essay in order to develop a proper structure of effective project management. In addition to this, I have provided effective measures to resolve these issues with respect to the demands of CSP. The critical evaluation is helpful in understanding the effective measures related to project management of Improvisation of branding of CSP with respect to current business trends. I have evaluated all of these aspects within this essay in order to highlight the critical review of project planning of CSP. Alexander, B. and Heyd, B., 2014. Sonic branding within fashion retail brands: restrictions, opportunities, effectiveness and success.  BS Publications, p.154. Amsteus, M., Liljegren, F., Markovic, S. and Mà ¥nsson, M., 2016. Chocolate or Succulent Chocolate: the impact of sensory descriptions on choice. Berg, P.O. and Sevà ³n, G., 2014. Food-branding places–A sensory perspective.  Place Branding and Public Diplomacy,  10(4), pp.289-304. Chakravarty, S.M., 2015. Sensory Branding: Branding with Senses. In  Cases on Branding Strategies and Product Development: Successes and Pitfalls  (pp. 327-365). IGI Global. Chatterjee, S., 2015. Olfactory branding: a new trend for defining brands through smell-a case of ITC Sonar Hotel in Kolkata, India.  International Journal of Trade and Global Markets,  8(3), pp.196-206. Kumar, P., 2014. Multisensory Marketing-Building Sustainability Perspective in Diverse Sectors.  International Journal of Marketing & Business munication,  3(2). Richards, G., 2015. Food experience as integrated destination marketing strategy.  World Food Tourism Summit in Estoril, Portugal,  10, p.2015.