The Role of the HR Function Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Role of the HR Function - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that some of the main challenges that HR departments are confronted with are the acquisition of new technologies, new skills, incorporating social values, deteriorating conditions of work, etc. The project makes an assessment of the major roles of HR and their importance in the organizations. The basic function of HR in a variety of technical, complex, analytical tasks is to support the internal HR services in the department. The department conducts various duties apart from recruitment and selection, compensation plan administration, classification, affirmative action, position control, benefits administration, and personnel policy administration, labor contract. Besides it is also required to handle such responsibilities as interpretation, processing, and tracking of grievance, labor and employee relations, acting as the chief negotiator for the agency’s contract/s performance appraisal tracking, and also a wide variety of activities. One of the major roles of HR functions is to manage line management. The HR departments have the responsibility of communicating the roles of the line managers. There is also an increasing requirement for the personnel activities to be measured against the costs involved and the value that they add. The HR plays the main role in measuring the balance between the above aspects. Team development and management account for another important function of the human resource departments in organizations. This is done starting from the process of recruitment, selection, management, promotions, staff development etc. Recruitment involves looking for the right candidates according to the requirements of the organization. This includes choosing candidates according to their educational qualifications, setting the job roles and job descriptions etc.

The Impact of Globalization on the Growth of Tourism and Hospitality Essay

The Impact of Globalization on the Growth of Tourism and Hospitality Industry in India - Essay Example Indian tourism and hospitality industry has been poised for a big growth over the last few years owing to multitudinous factors. Among the various drivers of growth of these sectors as a boost for economic development, globalisation and its resultant plea for economy integration of the country with rest of the world is considered to be the key factors. In the light of globalization, the country is forced to keep in track with the needs of the travelers from across the world and find amenities and possibilities to make them happy to sustain the development of the industry. Not only in India, tourism and hospitality is the most sought after service that experience an unprecedented growth and development (Bezbaruah 1999). Indeed, globalization has facilitated the sector in a big way and at the same time there might be some threats, social, cultural; and economic. By virtue of repeated arguments for the liberalization of the economy, India reformed its economic policies in the year 1990 as the first move towards globalization (Bhatia 1995). Since then, there have been many milestones in the service and manufacturing sector that contributed faster economic development than in the past. The globalization of tourism industry and eventual spurt in the hospitality sector has resulted in cross-border delivery of health services for around $140 billion (Chanda 2002). In the first half of the 1990s, hospitality industry has grown at an annual rate of 16% and as of 2007 the total value comes to not less than $34 billion. This is further increased to $34 per capita, or roughly 6% of GDP. It is also estimated that by the end of 2012, the country7's hospitality sector is projected to improve to $40 billion (Emerging market report 2007). At this juncture, the present essay is an attempt to highlight the impact of globalisation on the tourism and hospitality industry. It is understood that globalisation has many dimensions such as economic, socio-cultural, and political and lega l. Therefore, he paper mainly focuses on these implications as a result of globalization. A Brief Note on Globalization The term globalization' was first used by Thodore Levitt in 'The Globalization of Markets'. He used the term to characterize "the vast changes that have taken place over the past two decades in the

The Nature of Science Essay Example for Free

The Nature of Science Essay Science plays an important role in development of mankind, its cultural and technological progress. Science helps humanity to understand natural phenomena and biological changes, evolutionary processes and shifts. Science can be defined as a particular way of knowledge and perception of the world and human beings based on historical information, hypotheses and experiments. Biology and Earth Sciences allows researchers to understand the evolution of species, explain natural phenomena and predict possible changes in the Universe. In fact, the revolutionary changes are invariably prompted by contradictions which occur when the previous concepts are applied to particular phenomena, and it is in the attempts to remove these contradictions that the changes are made. Science can be seen as the criterion of truth. Science is logic of discovery as well as of confirmation. Seeking to reconstruct what happened in the past, Biology and Earth Sciences must and do take as data only presently available written reports, and the presently surviving physical remnants of antiquity; and part of the interest of the research lies in its relevance to present and future situations somehow related to those of the past (Gierer 2000). Science is not a self-contained or self-sustaining activity. The most important it is conducted only in a community that has reached a certain level of intellectual development, which involves and implies social organization, culture, art, and religion, as well as philosophy. Biology and Earth Sciences are closely connected with and depend upon historical progress and cultural development of society which determine that main trends and direction in experiments and research. For instance, during the Middle Ages, Biology and Earth Sciences were influenced by inquisition and dominance of theological doctrines while at the end of 17th-18th century these sciences flourished because of new economic conditions and separation of church and the state. These examples show that Biology and Earth Sciences are part of a culture and cannot exist apart from it. For a long time, people supposed that Earth was flat and the stars related directly to the earth. When humans mastered the cosmos (1961), it has opened a new era in scientific discoveries and the evolution of knowledge. A link between culture, society and biology is evident in current analysis of social settings and impact of biological perquisites on humans: â€Å"One way of asserting the relevance of â€Å"biology for understanding human social behavior is to propose that our understanding of human activities can be greatly enhanced by specific consideration of humans as evolved species shaped by processes of natural selection† (Freese et al 233). In Earth Sciences, scientists can achieve control in the laboratory where results are reproducible. In both Biology and Earth Sciences, the course of science may solve the puzzles researchers have encountered in the application of their theories, anomalies and contradictions arise. For instance, â€Å"serious scientific debates about the neo-Darwinist synthesis as the overarching explanation of the origins of our species are, in the larger scheme of things, disagreements over details† (Freese et al 234). Today, Earth scientists argue about the impact of global warming on population and climate change. These research fields are determined by cultural conditions and historical importance for the mankind. In many cases, changes in philosophical and cultural paradigms paralyze the advance of knowledge producing a crisis which is only removed when eventually a revolution occurs in the thinking and practice of scientists with the introduction of a new conceptual scheme (Gierer 2000). In sum, the nature if science is determined by historical, cultural and philosophical paradigms and the discoveries of the scientists made during a particular period of time. Accepting these restraints on his freedom, the scientist secures to himself the protection given by the community of others who accept the same canons of science and scientific knowledge. References Gierer, A. (2000). On Modern Science, Human Cognition and Cultural Diversity.   Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin. Retrieved 20 March 2007 www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/Preprints/P137.pdf Freese, J., Li, Jui-Chung Allen, Wade, L.D. (2003). The Potential Relevances of Biology to Social Inquiry. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, pp. 233-235.

Application of Database Developmental Cycle

Application of Database Developmental Cycle Task 1: Apply the database developmental cycle to a given data set or a case of your own Myreadingroom[1.1] details that the database development lifecycle, DDLC, contains six phases: the initial study, the design, implementation and loading, testing and evaluation, operation, and maintenance and evolution. The first phase of the DDLC is the initial study. This involves investigating the companys current solution, determining what is causing it to fail and providing a future solution to resolve the issues, whilst ensuring that it is in the companys capabilities. This can be achieved in four stages: analysing the company, defining the problems and constraints, defining the objectives, and defining the scope and boundaries. To analyse[1.6] is to examine something methodically and in detail. An understanding of what is currently in place helps to decipher the problems and constraints of the current way of working, whilst helping to determine what the companys objectives are. Whilst developing a database there is always an objective[1.7], something planned to be achieved, or there can be several, depending on the requirements. During the initial study consideration should be made as to what the the desired outcome is, as well as the scope and boundaries of the solution. The issue I have been asked to resolve is that there is no way for my client to determine if they have, or want to purchase, a dvd, blu-ray or tv series. The objectives they have defined for the outcome is a fully functional system which allows a users to view and update a media. My client also requires the ability to generate a wish list, as well as view a list of all current media. The solution I have proposed is a Microsoft Access database as there are minor limitations to the system. The only limitation I believe may occur is that the data held may grow to be astronomical so a desktop database application may not be sufficient in the long term. A review should be undertaken throughout the lifecycle of the application to determine if it needs to be transferred to a relational database, hosted on a server. As Access allows you to customise the database to your requirements, my understanding is that there will be no limitations of the data stored. The second phase is the design[1.1]. This is defined as the most crucial phase in the database development lifecycle as this phase revolves around ensuring that the users requirements and objectives are met. If they are disregarded by the system developer, it would ultimately be deemed a failure and the DDLC should commence again. The implementation and loading phase of the database development lifecycle consists of installing the database management system, creating the database and loading, or converting, the data. Installation of the database platform should only occur if it is required. If the platform is already existent, or the install of the database has taken place, creation of the database can occur. The proposed design of the application is a main table which is essentially based on a series of lookups from other tables within the application. This is to ensure data integrity and remove any duplication that may otherwise need to occur. As part of the proposal for the table layout and relationships, consideration should be made as to the performance of the system. Due to Microsoft Access being preinstalled as part of Office, an installation does not need to occur, however creation of the database, designed in the previous phase, is required. The proposed solution for the application is as follows, with each relationship defined utilising a one-to-one relationship[1.8], where a row in one table is linked to one and only one row in another. From there the data needs to be loaded, and possibly manipulated, into the database. As there is no current solution in place a request has been given to my client in order for the main core data to be imported. Once this has been completed, data should be added through the application itself. The third phase, testing and evaluation, consists of testing the solution, tuning the database and finally evaluating the database and its application program. Testing is often referred to as User Acceptance Testing, UAT, in Yorkshire Coast Homes and involves both yourself and the superusers reviewing the system to determine if it is fit for purpose and if navigation throughout is fluid. From there, the system needs amending to introduce any of the anomalies found as part of UAT. My client will undertake the testing of the application which involves ensuring that data is able to be added to system, without any errors or having to go back to any previously accessed fields. In addition to this, they should also review if the application performs adequately and transactions are easily completed without delay. The penultimate phase is operation, which is essentially making the system live and operational. This involves the superusers training any users, within their department, how to use the system to undertake their job role. This results in the application moving from a project state to becoming part of the day to day workings of a department. As my client is going to be the only user of the database at launch, no training needs to occur; and the transition to live should have minimal impact to them as they have worked alongside myself to deliver the application. Throughout the lifecycle of the application being used, maintenance needs to occur and the application needs to evolve as the industry does. This phase is known as maintenance and evolution. Google[1.2] informs that the purpose of system maintenance is to sustain the capability of a system to provide a service. This phase consists of four maintenance types, which will occur as regularly as required. They are periodic, corrective, permissions and adaptive. Periodic maintenance refers to something of a regular occurrence. For example, in Yorkshire Coast Homes, the main housing system has a regular nightly queue which imports any monies received from customers and processes each night, alongside abandoning any no longer required repairs. Another example of periodic maintenance, which should occur in any organisation, is a backup[1.3], the copying and archiving of computer data so it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. These can occur as regularly as an organisation requires. Periodic maintenance is partnered with corrective maintenance. This is most commonly known as recovery[1.4], the process of salvaging inaccessible data which has been lost, corrupt, damaged or formatted. As a database administrator you must always be prepared to restore any loss of data for any user, however this form of maintenance should only occur as and when required. The permissions element of maintenance consists of three aspects: adding, amending, removing and reviewing. Each aspect of the permissions are closely linked as a user may change job roles, requiring the adding or removing of permissions, or a third party decision may require a change. An example of where this has occurred in Yorkshire Coast Homes is access to tenants rent accounts. As part of a historic decision, everyone within the organisation had access to the rent account. Following a change in the law, users permissions were removed so that those who can access it are only those who require it within their job role, whether it be for informing a tenant of their rent, chasing any arrears or for IT to support any technical issues. The final maintenance type is adaptive. This is the process of adding features to the current system, or enhancing it. This can also be referred to as evolution. This is the process of the system evolving throughout time as either an organisation, or the technology utilised, advances. An example of where this has occurred in Yorkshire Coast Homes is our Total Mobile solution[1.5], a digital workforce management solution. We recently upgraded to the latest version of software, as the version we were previously running was old technology, which didnt support Android. Through the final phase of DDLC for the Media Database, the periodic maintenance that should occur is the copying of the database. This is to provide a recovery point in the event of data corruption or loss of data. Both the permissions element and adaptive maintenance have limited impact on the application. Currently only one user accesses and updates data, however periodic reviews should be undertaken to determine if my client requires further users to have access. From there, adaptive maintenance may need to occur to lock down certain parts of the system my client may not want users to access. In addition to this, Microsoft may upgrade the Access application which may potentially corrupt or remove a functionality currently used within the application. Reviews should be undertaken to determine if an upgrade to a new version of Access may corrupt the application. If a decision is made to undertake an upgrade, the DDLC lifecycle should commence again. Task 2b: Evaluate the effectiveness of the database solution and suggests methods of improvement My client asked me to produce a fully functional system which allows users to view and update a media. The solution I proposed was a Microsoft Access database which utilised relationships and joins, rather than duplicating data. The first objective, a fully functional system which allows a users to view and update a media, has been achieved utilising the Media Information form. As you can see from the screen print below the form details the title of the media, the media type and category. It also includes the purchase information and the genre(s). The second and third objective are closely related as my client requested the ability to generate a wish list, as well as view a list of all current media. This information can be accessed from the main form, as you can see from the print screen below. When selecting either the Wish List or Purchased icon the following report appears, detailing the information. As each of the objectives have been achieved, with the addition of my client being able to access sold media, I would deem the development of the database a success. One factor within applications that should always be considered is performance[2b.2], how well something works. There are three elements that I would deem beneficial to the applications performance. These are the storing of data, the navigation and functionality. When defining the tables and relationships in the design phase of the database development lifecycle, I ensured that the data is stored with a series of joins, rather than duplicated data. This data is then collated in a query and presented in a form to provide the information required to my client. This ensures data integrity[2b.1], the assurance of the accuracy and consistency of data. It also enables the end user to access the information required without having to navigate throughout the whole of the system. The application also benefits from having a limited number of ways to access the data. Providing the information required in one form, and a few reports, provides consistent information. As well as all of the information being provided, the inputting of information is simplistic as when entering data and moving through each field, it navigates in a top to bottom method rather than a muddled method. In addition to navigation through the form, navigation through the application is simple also. Each report and form has been provided with an exit icon, as well as the form having a create, save and delete button. These are controlled by macros. The macros have also been created in a managed way as rather than having multiple macros in one location, they are all their own macro. This removes the need for a triggered action to search a long macro before undertaking it, saving time and increasing performance. As well as successes in the system there are also failures[2b.3], the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended object. There are two failures which have simple resolutions. There are inputting data into the data dictionary form and the search functionality. In order for information to be entered into the data dictionary, the superuser must bypass the initial launch to display the tables. From there information can be entered into both of the data dictionary tables in order to update the related query. There are two issues with this method: firstly, having to enter data in both tables separately, and secondly, there is no password protection so anyone can update the tables. The solution for this issue would be to create an input form which its sole purpose would be to update the data dictionary. In addition to this, the form can be password protected so that only users with the password can update information. The second, and final issue, is the search functionality. As the database has minimal information currently, the only search available in the system is the one provided by Microsoft Access. As more information is entered, the harder it will be to locate the required media. The recommendation for this issue would be to provide a search option on the home screen with the ability to query any value within the database which may need to be updated, such as returning a list of wish list items. Although there is currently a report in the system available, this does not provide the ability to update the data. A form would be required for this. To conclude, the application is fit for purpose and meets the objectives defined by my client. However, there are some minor failures of the system which can be easily addressed. Task 2c: Provide supporting user and technical documentation Supporting your system The Media Information database is a desktop application database developed within the application Access, which is both provided and supported by Microsoft. Any issues relating to the core application is supported until Microsoft decide to cease cover, which is currently set to be October 2020[2c.1]. In the event support has expired, you can quite simply convert to the latest version of Access. In order to do this, make a copy of the database so you dont corrupt the information. With the copied database open, select File, Save As. Select the Save as type drop down menu and change it to the latest version. Ensure full testing is undertaken so that you know that functionality has not been lost, including adding new media types or genres. From there, you are able to delete, or archive, the previous database version. **Please note: DO NOT delete the previous database until testing has been completed, as it may result in corruption of your data** Overview The database provided is referred to as the Media Information database. It is a series of tables which logs whether a media type is owned, the format, genre, and many other things. Upon launch of the application, the following screen is displayed: This screen allows the user to navigate through the system. An exit application button is also provided to close the database. Upon selecting the Media Information icon the following screen is displayed: The main screen details the media title and any information held regarding it, including the status of purchase. Along the bottom pain, there is the ability to navigate throughout the records. In addition to this, the user has the ability to create, save and delete records. A Close button is also provided to return to the home screen. A number of blue boxes open the listed report for the user to peruse. Each report which opens correlates to the title detailed on each icon. The report displayed will look similar to this: As you can see from the screen above, there is also a Close button provided. This is available on each report to navigate back to the home screen. The final icon on the home screen is Data Dictionary. This report details, the table name, a description, what fields are included and the data type. The information is displayed as follows: Maintaining the database Throughout the lifecycle of a database, review and development must occur to determine if it is still fit for purpose. As a result, additional fields or tables may be added. If this is required there are a few things which need to be considered or remembered: The database is currently set up to provide lookups rather than having to manually enter information. This is the preferred method for data integrity. There are multiple relationships defined, detailed below You must remember to update the Data Dictionary tables Adding fields or tables is easily achievable through the backend, which can be accessed from the left hand panel of the application. The current tables in use are as follows: The core tables begin with Media, whereas those which help provide the Data Dictionary, begin with Data Dictionary. If you want to add additional tables into the system, try to add tables with a lookup to the original database. In order to do this, create your table with a primary unique key and the columns required. Then add the lookup column into the required table. For future reference, the database as it currently stands is configured like this: The main tables included and the relationships defined B) The data dictionary tables and the relationships defined Functionality help As part of the configuration for the forms and reports, there are a series of macros enabled which allow fluid interactions throughout the application, without having to exit it completely. These are the macros that are currently in use: When creating macros, ensure that a user friendly name is assigned to enable yourself, and support, to easily determine what it is for as a later date. This can easily be done by selecting the Properties of the tab and creating a description in the Caption field. This will ensure that it is displayed correctly in the macro overview window. In some instances, there may be things you dont know. As Office is one of the market leaders, there are many forums and online help sites available for use. The sites I would recommend are https://support.office.com/en-gb/access and https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_access?auth=1. If these sites do not provide the solution, Youtube is always an alternative or a Google search. References: [1.1] http://www.myreadingroom.co.in/notes-and-studymaterial/65-dbms/506-database-development-life-cycle.html [1.2] https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=QbCXWN_AL4vQgAaC57GQDAq=system+maintenanceoq=syatem+maintenancegs_l=mobile-gws-serp.1.2.0i13k1l5.11736.12598.0.14403.8.8.0.0.0.0.149.897.1j6.7.0.01c.1j4.64.mobile-gws-serp..4.4.54735i39k1j0i7i30k1.g8bS8KwNeBs [1.3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup [1.4] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_recovery [1.5] https://www.totalmobile.co.uk [1.6] https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=tablet-android-googleei=ZOaYWMLKJcLCwATvz5bwDAq=analyseoq=analysegs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3..0l5.14074.14927.0.15108.8.8.0.3.3.0.149.769.6j2.8.0.01c.1.64.mobile-gws-serp..1.7.466.3..41j0i131k1j0i67k1.uUVjfA3KtLw [1.7] https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/objective [1.8] http://www.databaseprimer.com/pages/relationship_1to1/ [2b.1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_integrity [2b.2] http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/performance [2b.3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure [2c.1] https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/lifecycle?p1=13615

High Cholesterol :: Health, Dementia, Alzheimers Disease

Evidence is increasing concerning an association among vascular risk factors in midlife with an increased risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia decades later (citation). Diverse studies have found total cholesterol measured in midlife to be a significant predictor of subsequent dementia (Whitmer et al., 2005), mild cognitive impairment (Kalmijn et al., 2000) or cognitive decline (Kivipelto et al., 2001). Total cholesterol on midlife was also associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in some studies (Kivipelto et al., 2001) and especially with concomitant hypertension (Beeri et al., 2009). Meanwhile, the exact mechanism of high blood cholesterol in dementia is not known, because cholesterol is not able to pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) (Bojanic et al., 2010). Beyond that, observational studies have yielded mix results for lipids levels and cerebrovascular disease risk (Bowman et al., 2003). Of interest, lipid abnormalities have been also implicated in the pathogenesis of ischemic cerebrovascular disease (Demchuk et al., 1999; Goldstein, 2007). Stroke contributes to the development of cognitive disorders in nearly 20% of elderly patients (citation). Stroke related features such as multiple strokes, white matter lesions, left hemisphere infarct location, atrophy, and volume of infarcted tissue are associated with an increased risk of post-stroke dementia (Rasquin et al., 2004). Nevertheless, even though a decrease in cholesterol concentrations with statins can reduce the incidence of stroke in high-risk populations and in patients with a stroke or transient ischemic attack (Amarenco et al., 2006), serum cholesterol traditionally has been considered a poor predictor of total stroke risk (Ansell, 2000) and epidemiological evidence has failed to demonstrated a clear relationship between the risk of stroke and serum cholesterol levels (citation). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to the transitional state between the cognitive changes of normal aging and very early dementia (Petersen and Negash, 2008). MCI is defined as memory deficits with preservation of other cognitive and functional brain activities (Nestor et al., 2004). However, whether the MCI results from neuronal loss within circuit-specific pathways involved in learning and memory (Verkhratsky et al., 2004) and/or from cerebrovascular deregulation within these pathways (Iodecola et al., 2004) remain debatable. The aim of the current study was to determine whether a cognitive impairment associated with elevated plasma cholesterol levels over aging is related with structural pathology or white matter disease (vascular lesions?

Lady In A Rocking Chair Essay -- essays research papers

Back … forth … back … forth … she sits in her creaky rocking chair pleasantly reminiscing about her lost childhood as she crochets a warm fuzzy quilt for her granddaughter. Out of nowhere her desire to finish the quilt before noon fades and she find her attention drifting towards the window and looking at a giant maple tree bejeweled in sparkling frost. The tree is old and withered, it has aged immensely; it is somewhat like the old woman … even the texture of the bark is likened to the wrinkles on her face and body. Beyond the bark there is a history of both painful wounds and happy memories, each and every one just as vivid as the next. It is astounding how this tree, such an ordinary and natural commodity can bring back so many fond and colorful memories. One of the lower branches of the tree appears to be mangled and frayed. She remembers it when it was in perfect condition, housing a handmade, wooden swing hanging from a brand new strand of coarse r ope. Over the years the rope had turned from a brilliant golden-yellow to an almost brownish-amber. She would come home each day and was always comforted by that same tree and that same swing, though she never understood why because to everyone else, it was just a tree, but to her, it was as comforting as a warm fuzzy blanket. She remembered attending her first day of school when she was a young child. Everything was so unfamiliar to her; new faces, new voices, a whole new world she could then discover on her own, without her mother holding her hand. Unfortunately the fun she expected to have did not go as she could have hoped. It was a seldom occurrence for anyone to ask her to play with them. She spent most of the school day in seclusion quietly playing in the corner with an array of plastic blocks. At certain points she just wanted to cry or go back home to the warm, loving arms of her mother; that is where she felt safe and shielded from the evil of the world. Somehow, no matter how bad her day had gone, her mother could always make it all go away with a soft kiss to the cheek and a gentle pat on the bum. She would always pack a nutritious lunch for her to take to school. There was something about the way a mother makes a sandwich that makes it taste so much better than when you try to make it yourself , maybe it’s because it’s made w... ...t year, the worst happened. She was diagnosed with cancer, the same kind her mother had died from just a few years back. The bad news hit her like a ton of bricks. Ingo attempted to ease her pain by taking her out and doing all sorts of fun activities, but she found herself getting even more depressed and frustrated every time they went out. To her, it was just a reminder of the bad news and what was yet to come. Her condition began to worsen each and every day. It was unbearable for the family to watch, and as painful as it was to do, they began to avoid her. Anytime they tried to comfort her, she would only snap at them, even though she knew they were only trying to help and had her best interests at heart. Here she sits, rocking in her rocking chair, back … forth … back … forth … with her quilt nearly finished now. Her rocking chair creaks with each subtle movement and eventually the creaking diminishes to a faint sound and finally no sound at all. She had left the world in peace quicker than she had entered it but still much too soon. I guess it’s true what they say about your life flashing before your eyes just before you die.

Procter & Gamble Company Essay

In November 1981, Mr. Chris Wright, Associate Advertising Manager of the Packaged Soap & Detergent Division (PS&D) of the Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) was evaluating how the division could increase volume of its light-duty liquid detergents (LDLs). 1 The excellent growth of Dawn dishwashing liquid since its national introduction in 1976 meant that P&G now manufactured and sold three leading LDL brands, holding a 42% share (by weight) of the industry’s $850 million in factory sales. Based on input from the three LDL brand managers who reported to him, as well as his own knowledge of the LDL category, Wright believed there were three major opportunities for volume growth: (1) the introduction of a new brand, (2) a product improvement on an existing brand, and/or (3) increased marketing expenditures on existing brands. In preparation for an upcoming meeting with Bruce Demill,, PS&D advertising manager, Wright began evaluating the volume and profit potential of the three options. Company Organization The company comprised eight major operating divisions organized by type of product: Packaged Soap & Detergents, Bar Soap & Household Cleaning Products, Toilet Goods, Paper Products, Food Products, Coffee, Food Service & Lodging Products, and Special Products. Each division had its own brand management, sales, finance, manufacturing and product development line management groups. One of the most important responsibilities of the brand group was the development of the annual marketing plan, which established volume objectives, marketing support levels, strategies and tactics for the coming year. The brand manager promoted the interests of his brand while the associate advertising manager assumed responsibility for building the business of all P&G brands in his or her category. The brand groups worked closely with the following four line departments in both the development and the implementation of their marketing plans: Sales: The brand groups and sales force frequently interacted. While the brand groups managed categories and brands, the sales force managed markets and accounts. As such, the sales force provided important perspective and counsel on trade and consumer promotion acceptance, stock requirements to support promotions, competitive pricing and promotion activity, and newproduct activity. Each brand group worked closely with the sales force to develop the optimal sales promotion plan for its brand together with appropriate merchandising aids. LDLS are defined as all mild liquid soaps and detergents designed primarily for washing dishes. Product development department (PDD). Since superior product performance was key to the success of P&G products, each brand group worked closely with PDD to ensure continued improvement of its brand’s quality. Fifteen professionals worked exclusively on research and development for LDLs. The PDD continually strove to upgrade product quality or explore new product formulations. If a potential new product was developed, it was extensively tested in consumer and laboratory tests before any test marketing began. Manufacturing department. The brand group provided the manufacturing department with detailed brand volume estimates (by month, size, and form/flavor) to facilitate efficient production, as well as five-year volume base forecasts for capacity planning. In addition, the brand group discussed promotions requiring label or packaging changes with manufacturing to determine the most efficient production methods. Manufacturing informed brand groups about ongoing manufacturing costs and provided potential cost-savings ideas. Interaction between the advertising and manufacturing departments was particularly frequent during any new-product development process, and included discussions on manufacturing requirements, custom-packing options for test markets, and critical paths for production. Finance department Based on volume and marketing expenditure forecasts provided by the brand groups, financial/cost analysts developed and fed back brand profit and pricing analyses as well as profit and rate-of-return forecasts on new products and promotions. This information was key in helping the brand groups to recommend action which would maximize volume and profit growth. Advertising services department. Within the department, there were nine staff groups which serviced the advertising department. These were market research, art and package design, TV commercial production, media, copy services, field advertising, marketing systems and computer services, promotion and marketing services, and advertising personnel. PS&D market research included the following: 1. Market analysis, including bimonthly  syndicated market data that P&G purchased from A.C. Nielsen Co., as well as selected data purchased from Nielsen, Selling Areas Marketing, Inc. (SAMI) and other suppliers for test markets. 2. Consumer research, including studies to: a. monitor how consumers used products and track consumer usage of, attitude towards, and image of P&G and competitive brands; b. test the performance of current products and possible product modifications under in-home usage conditions; and c. evaluate the advertising, packaging, promotion and pricing of P&G brands; also, to evaluate the potential of new-product ideas, using such techniques as concept research and simulated test markets. LDLs could be conceptually divided on the basis of product benefit into three major segments: (1) the performance segment (35% of category volume) provided primarily a cleaning benefit; (2) the mildness segment (37% of category volume) provided primarily the benefit of being gentle to hands; and the price segment (28% of category volume) whose primary benefit was low cost. Volume is measured in P&G statistical cases, each containing 310 ounces. Household growth was a better indicator of LDL volume than population growth (research indicated LDL household consumption varied only slightly with the number of people in the household). 4 ADW households still used LDL for pots and pans and small cleanups. Price brands were sold to retailers for an average of $7.50 per statistical case versus $17.00 per statistical case for the premium-priced mildness and performance brands. the greatest growth in the past 10 years. Some LDL brand managers expected the performance segment to continue to grow at the expense of the mildness segment, since market research indicated that more consumers rated performance attributes (such as grease cutting and longlasting suds) as the most important (see Exhibit 2). The price segment had been in decline, but was expected to stabilize at its current share level due to increasing consumer price sensitivity resulting from the depressed state of the economy. LDL brand managers did not expect this segment to grow because most price brands were not a good value, requiring two or three times as much volume to create the same amount of suds as a premium brand. P&G’s Ivory Liquid, the market leader, used this comparison in its advertising to persuade consumers that Ivory was a better value. The LDL market was relatively stable, with one new premium brand introduced every two and a-half years and an average of two price brands introduced and discontinued per year. As Exhibit 3 shows, 3 companies sold almost 75% of LDLs, with P&G holding a 42% share 6 of the market, Colgate-Palmolive Company a 24% share, and Lever Brothers, the U.S. subsidiary of Unilever, a 7% share. 7 The remaining 27% of the market consisted mainly of generic and private-label brands. As shown in Exhibit 4, marketing expenditures including advertising and promotion typically represented 20% of the sales of an established LDL brand.