Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Customer Value Management: Advantages and Disadvantages

Customer Value Management: Advantages and Disadvantages Executive Summary What is this report about? This report aims to identify the importance and long term benefits from adopting a customer value management (CVM) strategy for a life insurance company (â€Å"insurer†) in Singapore. It highlights the reasons why insurers need to adopt a CVM strategy and showcases the various means by which the strategies facilitate customer satisfaction which in turn results in profitability for the insurer. By following a well planned CVM Framework, an insurer will be able to analyze customer data, calculate profitability per customer, identify key customer drivers, and segment customers, thus targeting the right customer with the right product at the right time using the right channel of distribution. The report will benefit an insurer already based in Singapore as it highlights best practices and case studies of existing players in Asia and what they are doing to acquire and retain new customers in this region. The insurer can also focus on the key drivers and specific needs of the insurance customer in Singapore and position itself accordingly. Along with the CVM Framework, the analysis and recommendations from our research will benefit a life insurer in determining whether or not it is aptly positioned to penetrate the life insurance industry in Singapore and to a large extent the Asia Pacific market. Research Methodology For the purpose of this report we performed both primary and secondary research which assisted us in refining our objectives as described in Figure 1: Customer Value Management (CVM) Framework Based on our secondary research we described the process flow for a CVM framework for a life insurance company. The successful implementation of a CVM based strategy involved understanding and performing the following key processes: Best Practices of CVM in the Life Insurance Industry Highlights of the best practices followed by insurers, brokers and advisors in the Asia Pacific region are depicted. Introduction What is CVM? In industries where products, marketing promotions and channels are transitory, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of customer relationships. Today customer relationships play a very important role in increasing the profits of any organization. There are reports which suggest that customer retention of 5% may increase the profits of a company by 25% or more[1]. An organization experiences increase in profits primarily when the customer makes more purchases thereby offsetting the acquisition cost. Efficient customers over a period of time tend to be more cost effective to service as they are well versed to dealing with the organization. Loyal customers are a source of value for an organization but are scarce in nature and managers must maximize customer value and formulate strategies to successfully measure and align it with the organizations goals. As we evolve from product centric to customer centric marketing, a set of best practices are emerging to measure and increase the lifetime of the customer. These practices are defined as Customer Value Management[2]. CVM in the Life Insurance Industry The life insurance industry, long considered a pillar of stability, is now facing major challenges stemming from various internal and external factors: With increased competition as a result of globalization and the de-regulation of markets worldwide, several new entrants have entered the playing field making customer acquisition and retention all the more challenging. These new entrants include financial institutions such as banks and security firms. Advent of new technologies is challenging the effectiveness of previously established product distribution channels and has given the customer access to shop for life insurance products from multiple web based platforms such as www.policybazaar.com in India and www.compuquotes.com in the United States, with each offering different quotes for the same product offered by various organizations (life insurance companies)[3]. Rising costs as a result of high number of fraudulent activities is declining the life insurance industrys profitability. The strategies deployed by organizations to tackle these challenges will have a profound effect on both short and long term profitability. One such strategy that can make a positive impact on the profitability of an organization is Customer Value Management. Customer Value Management (CVM) from a life insurers perspective revolves around the identification of each profitable customer. Upon identifying this customer, CVM techniques can be used to measure the return on investment made by the organization in acquisition, growth and retention of the profitable customer. If the return on investment from the profitable customer is positive then the insurer should further implement strategies to maximize the lifetime value of its relationship. At the same time CVM solutions also facilitate an organization in: Segmenting customers by similar risk profiles Improving cross selling and up-selling programs Improving the effectiveness of the marketing campaign Maximizing profitability The successful implementation of a CVM strategy also involves the identification of the following: Right Customer Objective Identifying profitable customers and reducing customer acquisition costs. Traditional Practice Acquire competitors customers irrespective of profitability from each customer. Current Practice Acquisition of only profitable customers likely to generate repeat business. Example Consider two life insurance companies, one that focuses on providing life insurance products to â€Å"safe customers† and the other serves customers that fall in the high risk category; individuals engaged in adventure sports and activities such as mountaineering, cliff diving, cave exploration etc. The â€Å"safe customer† company would be acquiring the wrong customers by advertising in adventure sports magazines. Advantages Lower customer acquisition costs Higher profitability per customer Right Product Objective Providing the right customer with the right product thereby increasing customer retention and reducing costs. Traditional Practice Providing an array of life products irrespective of the customers preference and need resulting in customer dissatisfaction and attrition. Current Practice Providing only those products as desired by the right customer by segregating them on the basis of demographics, purchasing habits, lifestyle and risk factors. Example In Europe, life and health insurance companies determined that majority of their customers wanted to be fit and live a healthier lifestyle. Insurers provided their customers with a product which included incentives such as discounts on health club memberships and seminars on nutrition and healthy eating. Advantages Increase in customer retention Increase in cross and up selling opportunities Decrease in the number of claims filed Right Channel Objective Having identified the right customer and the right product for that customer, approaching the customer using a preferred channel of distribution. Traditional Practice Direct-response[4] marketing such as direct-mail and telemarketing targeted towards all customer segments including those that preferred a face-to-face meeting. Before the advent of Web 2.0 organizations relied on marketing intermediaries such as agents and brokers. Current Practice Besides using traditional direct-response marketing media and intermediaries, organizations have also launched web portals, comparison websites, and formed distribution alliances with financial institutions to sell products. Examples A study conducted by a British firm, Datamonitor in 2007, revealed that aggregators and comparison websites account for instigating 22% of individuals seeking motor insurance[5]. Likewise websites such as www.policybazar.com in India target price conscious customers seeking better deals online. Another study by Datamonitor revealed that in 2007, 37% of those individuals that purchased insurance online changed their provider upon renewal as compared to 17% that purchased through call centers[6]. The recent bank assurance alliance between Prudential Corporation Asia and UOB Life Insurance Limited will give Prudential the opportunity to sell its products to UOB customers in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Advantages Offer more comprehensive life insurance products through direct-response marketing methods. High response rates from personalized direct-response methods Well informed customers and higher customer retention Right Timing Objective To make the sale and to win a customer for life by marketing the right product at the right time. Traditional Practice Organizations either marketed the right product at the wrong time or were unable to identify the right time to promote a product. In either case the customer was not acquired and/or retained. Current Practice With the use of sophisticated data analytic tools, organizations are able to predict customers future purchasing habits with the passing of each life stage. They then target the customer whose life insurance needs change due to: Marriage Birth of child Schooling of child Marriage of child Retirement Example Customer A bought a life insurance policy a couple of years ago and declined coverage for her immediate family citing lack of disposable income. However, Customer As preferences may have changed now and assuming her experience with the product, customer service, and the insurer has been satisfactory thus far and she has a higher disposable income than she did earlier, she can be contacted again for buying life insurance for her family. Advantages Increased cross and up selling opportunities Increased customer retention Decreased customer defection Customer Perception of the Life Insurance Industry Life insurance products are considered by many as complex yet much needed to minimize risk. Organizations have come up with products that meet the needs of the individual customer, however because the insurance contracts are fraught with complex legal terms, the customer ends up perceiving the life insurance industry as one that is not transparent and â€Å"user-friendly†. Furthermore, customers consider insurers as organizations that are only interested in ensuring that their customers pay their policy premiums on time; however when its time for the insurer to resolve a claim or a dispute the turnaround time is slow resulting in frustration and anxiety for the customer. To cite an example of customer perception towards the insurance industry, an insurance survey by IBM and University of St. Gallen in Switzerland revealed that roughly 60% of the participants[7] did not completely trust their insurance company. Because of such negative perceptions the insurer faces a high rate of customer defection. As the cost of acquiring a new customer are much more than the cost involved in retaining an existing one, insurers are coming up with innovative methods to build and foster a long term relationship with their valuable customers: Creating trust and reliability: More than 80% of the participants in the IBM and University of St. Gallen insurance survey placed a high value to honesty and trustworthiness and building a solid reputation in the market has become ever so more important for an insurer. Organizations are taking actions to build trust and credibility by: Modifying the legal jargon in insurance contracts to simple, brief and layman terms. Remodeling the direct selling agents compensation package to include commissions based on parameters such as repeat sales and customer retention, thereby encouraging them to act more customer oriented. Establishing social communities such as interactive web portals, blogs and chat forums, thereby fostering communication with the customer. This strategy has also given insurers with invaluable information about the customers evolving needs. Creating an ensemble of touch-points: This strategy involves personalizing the approach to customers and making meaningful touch points available to generate a positive and rewarding experience for customers and the organization. For instance, price sensitive customers rely on the Internet when shopping for a life insurance policy, whereas relationship oriented customers seek advice from insurance agents / brokers and banks. Various touch-points available for customers of a life insurer can be bucketed as depicted in Figure 6. Therefore, it is essential for an organization to plan carefully before deploying or cutting back on any of the above touch points. For instance, in the first quarter of 2009 tied agency channels contributed to 59%[8] of total new business generated in Singapore. If an insurer were to downsize its tied agency channel it could result in a high rate of customer defection for a customer segment that seeks a personal relationship based on reliability, sound advice, and competence. Being flexible to the customers needs: The insurer should make room to tailor the offerings to the specific requirement of the profitable customer. Furthermore, in the life insurance industry, multiple insurers offer similar products but the ones that offer flexibility are the ones that are able to hold their market position as well as attract the competitors customers. In North America and Europe, customers have identified various aspects of flexibility from their insurance providers. These aspects are covered in Figure 7. As customers in the Asia Pacific region become more and more sophisticated for their life insurance needs they will require similar levels of flexibility (as noted above). Need for CVM in the Life Insurance Industry Based on the challenges faced by players in the global life insurance industry, we have identified the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) typical to the industry and the impact of such on the insurer as well as the customer. The objective of the exercise is three-fold: Firstly, identify the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the life insurance industry. Secondly, identify the impact of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats on the insurers and their customers. Thirdly, to justify how an insurer can implement strategies and solutions to mitigate the weaknesses and threats and capitalize on strengths and opportunities. STRENGTH KEY STRENGTHS IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Consolidated customer and marketing databases. More accurate prediction of changing customer needs Faster turnaround time in resolving claims and disputes. Customer has products that meet insurance/investment needs. The systems and customer data should be shared across the organization to promote innovation in business solutions. Multiple products offerings Targeting and acquiring various customer segments Increases customer retention by cross selling and up selling Customers have multiple products to meet their changing needs and circumstances. Identify the most profitable customer segment and retain them by offering innovative products and quality service. Multiple distribution channels. Increased profitability. Multiple distribution channels have given access to a wider customer base. Customers obtain product knowledge from their preferred touch points. Increases brand perception and product knowledge. Target specific customer segments through cost effective and customer preferred distribution channels. Flexible payment options (ex. payment in installments, cash, cheques, and credit/debit cards). Increases revenue generation, customer acquisition, and retention. Customer values flexibility and convenience and remains loyal. Marketing strategy to showcase the differentiating factors not provided by competitors. WEAKNESS KEY WEAKNESSES IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Important customer data resides in silos resulting in poorly defined customer segments. Customer information resides with different departments preventing a holistic view of the customer. Wrong products sold to the wrong customers resulting in customer dissatisfaction. Consolidate and analyze customer data residing in various systems to identify profitable customer segments likely to do repeat purchases. Lack of information sharing across departments marked with territoriality and fierce internal competition. Results in weak product orientation and ineffective cross selling and up selling opportunities. Results in defection to competitor as insurance needs are not satisfied. Develop a common repository of customer data to provide various departments with the ability to develop products and provide quick response to changing needs. Lack of trust and reliability on the insurer. Negative reputation leads to mass customer defection. Un-satisfied customers pass on the poor experience to prospective customers Promote social computing communities such as blogs, chat forums. Also provides value add information about the customer. Snail paced claims and dispute resolution. Higher costs and time to serve the customer as multiple follow ups are required. Increased customer frustration due to lengthy dispute resolution period. Implement analytical models to predict and quantify the likelihood of claims. Measure and reward employees on time taken to resolve customer disputes. Insurance contracts are loaded with complicated insurance jargon. Increases in cost per customer Customer dissatisfaction and defection Simplify insurance contracts Recruit knowledgeable agents to assist customers. Insurance agents are primarily commission driven and are not customer oriented. Results in tarnishing the insurers reputation. Customer perceives a negative image of the insurer when faced with agents that are solely motivated by profits. Remodel agent compensation to include commissions based on parameters such as repeat sales and customer satisfaction surveys. Make customer centric training programs mandatory for all agents. OPPORTUNITY KEY OPPORTUNITIES IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Tie-ups with banks and other FIs will give access to a wider customer base. Lower cost of acquisition of new clients. Lower operational costs. Financial and protection needs are met by a single channel. Develop bancassurance agreements to target a banks customer base. Un-tapped markets such as HNWI and Takaful (Islamic insurance). Access to a wider client base resulting in increase in profitability. Positive brand building exercise.  · Ability to provide protection for themselves and family.  · Diversification of investment strategy for HNWI.  · Launch products to non-mass market segments.  · Organize brand awareness campaigns in locations that are frequented by such segments. Deregulation has opened new markets. Insurers have access to a wider customer base. Competitive premium to the customers. Market entry strategy for de-regulated countries. Since the 3rd quarter of 2009, new business premiums in Singapore have been consistently increasing[9]. Opportunity to re-acquire customers. Multiple product and service offerings at competitive prices. Acquire customers that defaulted during the financial crisis by providing coverage at the same premium or payment in installments. Increased competition from the Internet. High costs involved in changing and/or updating technology platforms. Customers have a clearer idea of product offering and higher bargaining power over insurers. Provide high quality service to convert a one-time online sale by cross selling and up selling. THREAT KEY THREATS IMPACT ON INSURER IMPACT ON CUSTOMER STRATEGY Deregulation of the insurance industry has increased competition from new entrants. Lower profit margins and increased customer acquisition and retention costs. Financial and protection needs are met by a single channel. Joint venture, merger or acquisition with/of a bank and other financial institutions. Increased competition from the Internet. High costs involved in changing and/or updating technology platforms. Customers have a clearer idea of product offering and higher bargaining power over insurers. Provide high quality service to convert a one-time online sale by cross selling and up selling. Develop a powerful and customer friendly web platform. Rising costs due to increase in fraudulent activities. Lower profit margin and increased operational cost. Customer dissatisfaction with high turnaround time for claim resolution. Implement CDI tools to reduce duplication of records and redundant customer data. New government regulations may result in lowering profit margins for the insurer. Inability to serve customer segments resulting in declining profit margins. Customer has limited option of products to choose from or has to pay higher premiums. Develop products that abide by government regulations but at the same time are able to meet customer needs. Implementing a CVM Framework for a Life Insurer Customer Value Management (CVM) provides a systematic methodology of modeling the value proposition relative to competition by putting process improvements into operation and communicating these improvements back to the customer in terms of better service and value add. From a life insurance organizations point of view, customer value management can be structured into the following three components[10]: Analysis Planning Continuous Improvement The three components interact with each other to drive the value proposition of the customer. The components align business operations with the value proposition and create specific action plans to help realize the customer value over a lifetime. CVM components can be further broken down in to a structured process as shown in Figure 8. This is done to deliver the specified objective of implementing a customer value management strategy for a life insurance company (insurer) The phases explained in Figure 8 are summarized in the below section. Analysis The Analysis Phase consists of analyzing data and formulating strategies using data mining techniques to improve the customer profitability. The key processes which are included in this phase are: Data Quality and Single Customer View[11]: To improve profitability from the customers, analysis of the customer data stored in various systems is performed. Thus life insurance companies need to integrate them to understand the customer trends and purchase patterns. Life-time Value Model: Once the data is integrated, it is used to calculate the life time value of existing customers using various available methods. Discounted Cash Flows (DCF) method is one such model. Key Drivers: Key value drivers for a life insurer are determined by analyzing the data from the single customer view and the life time value model. Identifying key drivers that affect the purchasing decisions of a customer and the method by which an organization delivers on those drivers forms an important part of the Analysis Phase. Segmentation: Based on the customer values generated by lifetime value model, the customer segments are segregated into current and future low to high value customers. Further these customers are also segmented based on demographics, customer behavior etc. to capitalize on the current and future trends in the life insurance industry Planning The Planning phase ensures that the information collected after analyzing the data is valid and relevant for improving the customer value. Strategies at product and market level are formulated and implemented in planning phase. The tasks associated with planning phase are: Planning at the Business and Product/Market Level: Campaign planning based on customer segment is associated with planning at product and market level to implement the overall strategy of the organization. Campaign planning may include marketing plans, product development, cross-selling or up-selling of products to existing customers. After the completion of campaign planning, campaigns actions are implemented with intend to improve the customer profitability. [12] Key performance indicators: Based on the overall strategy, key performance indicators are identified based on financials, marketing performance, customer satisfaction, customer retention. These indicators allow insurers to measure the outcome of various actions on a periodic basis. Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement phase includes updating of action plans and strategies to make it more efficient and effective to achieve the organizational objectives. Objectives of continuous improvement are achieved by: Continuous performance measurement: The performance indicators established in the planning phase should be reviewed on a periodic basis to avoid any deviations from the stated objectives of each business unit. Process Improvement: Based on the outputs generated from the actions plans and performance indicators implemented in the planning phase, associated processes and action plans are updated to make it more efficient in achieving the stated objectives. Each phase will be dealt separately and in more detail in the following sections of the report. Analysis The Analysis Phase consists of analyzing data to identify the key drivers which affect the value of a customer and segment customers to improve the profitability of the insurer. The analysis of data establishes a relationship and a trend between the internal information and the market value of customers. This phase includes an analysis of the following processes: Data Quality and Single Customer View Over the past decade, insurance companies have gradually started shifting their focus from policy sales, pricing, and claims to understand the needs of the customers and the possibility of repeat purchases of additional products from these customers. Insurance companies have now started servicing and understanding the customers needs from a holistic perspective and further the insurers efficiency to service their customers is dependent on the information provided by the customers on the use of specific products and services. The information solicited from customers is used by insurance companies in developing new and re-modeling old products, by call customer representatives in providing quality service, and by marketing departments in selling new products to segmented customers. To achieve the above, insurance companies have started stressing on the need for customer data integration (CDI). A typical data integration solution (Figure 9) should encompass the following subsystem in the life insurance organization. An insurer needs to integrate various components of an insurance policy management solution into one and use data mining techniques to recognize the current customer trends, purchase patterns and fraudulent activities. Customer data integration in the insurance industry creates growth in the companys top line by: Improving the design of insurance products and pricing; Increasing the success rate of marketing campaigns; and Improving the overall customer experience resulting in maximization of the customers life time value Similarly, customer data integration also makes a positive impact on the bottom line of a life insurance company by: Streamlining the service centers and leading to shorter call times, resulting in increased customer profitability; and Savings in several operational areas such as claims Figure 10 displays the benefits of customer data integration as it applied to the organization. To further elaborate on how insurers can leverage from customer data integration let us demonstrate its effect on the following areas of the company: Product and Service Offerings: A typical product development process at an insurer is described in Figure 11. The figure highlights the data required from various sub-systems for product development. Data integration reduces the time required for product development using improved analytics. In short the insurer can have the first mover advantage by reducing the product development lifecycle. Insurers also spend a significant amount of time in customizing enrolment materials, benefit summaries, and claim submission forms and reports for a major customer. These activities have a high cost as they require the services of sales, underwriting, compliance, and legal and can wipe out the entire cash flows and profit expectations of the insurer. Here, data integration plays a significant role in formally defining, marketing and tracking these services and developing them. Data integration allows the insurer to integrate information about its target customers and their use of high cost services and bundles these services with the product to improve the pricing model. This enables an insurer to recover its costs incurred in designing the product and services while providing high end customers with value added services at the same time. For example, Eurovida[15], a Portuguese life insurer and part of Grupo Banco Popular faced a challenge of providing its customers with the right products in the most cost effective ways while driving growth, profitability and shareholder value. It was only after they deployed an activity-based management system were they able to consolidate customer and product data thereby determining the profitability of products and the costs incurred in delivering the product and service to the target customers. Marketing and Sales: An immediate advantage of customer data integration in the life insurance industry is the ability to detect and consol

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Essay --

In the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all greatly changed American agriculture at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery had a large role in the late 19th century, giving farmers the opportunity to produce a surplus of crops. The railroads also had a large influence on agriculture. Although they were able to quickly transport goods, the railroads were also used to charge the farmers large fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating a multitude of monopolies which the farmers simply could not compete. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt, eventually producing outcomes such as the crop-lien system and sharecropping. All of these tie into government policy which favored the large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers. Farmers began to cultivate vast areas of crops such as wheat, cotton, and corn. A picture of The Wheat Harvest in 1880 shows men on tractors and over a large amount of horses pulling the tractor along the long and wide fields of wheat. As farmers started to accumulate their goods, they needed to be able to transfer the goods across states. Some farmers chose to use cattle trails to transport their goods while others were forced to choose, and pay for, the ever-growing railroad system. Maps provided show the difference in the amount of railroads and cattle trails within the Unites States from 1870 to 1890. Eastern States such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and many others were filled with existing railroads prior to 1870, as Colonel John Stevens started out his railroad revolutionizing movement in New Jersey in 1815. By 1890 there ... ...e greatly needed and then how they got across to states that would take weeks and months to get to by cattle or wagon. It also showed a time when the economy fell and desperately tried to climb back up. To sum it up, throughout the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all changed agriculture in America but at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery gave frames the ability to produce more crops. Railroads quickly transported goods but also forced farmers to pay hefty fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating monopolies which the farmers could not compete with. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt. And, finally, the government policies favored large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Marketing analysis of Famous Amos (Singapore) Essay

Famous Amos was established in the year 1983 in Singapore. It is now under Kellog’s Company since it was bought over in year 2001. Famous Amos offers cookies with nine varieties of flavours. It products also includes muffins and brownies. They serve the consumer with its finest and freshly made cookies. They believe in making the chip for the future generation. Famous Amos Cookies are also recognised as the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Their cookies also meet the needs and wants of the audience. Famous Amos is also widely distributed in the island. Famous Amos targets audience are mainly the cookies and chocolate lovers. However, they segment their products Geographically; around the world, Demographic; targeting kids, young adults and adults, Psychographic; interest in chocolate cookies, and Behavioral Segmentation; can be used in any occasion. Famous Amos strength is mostly on its superior quality product and its weakness is mainly on its marketing skills, which is promotion. This is because, they did not advertise as frequent to inform the consumer about its existence. Famous Amos opportunity is having international expansion and threats that it may face is the increase in aging population when its target audience are mostly young adults. Famous Amos competitor is Mrs. Field and Little Jerry’s Place. Mrs. Field is its major competitor as they are selling mostly the same and it is also known. However, Famous Amos still stays competitive by continuing to produce new products and packaging designs to strengthen their competitive positions. Company Profile of Famous AmosFamous Amos was found by Wally Amos. He was a veteran who worked as a talent agent with William Morris Agency. He started with sending home-baked chocolate cookies to celebrities mainly to attract them before opening a store in Los Angeles, California on 10 March 1975. By 1985, his sales had grown to more than $10 million. By then the people around the world could see how â€Å"famous† Famous Amos is. However, between 1985 to 1989, Famous Amos went through four different owners since inception. The President Baking Company bought the brand from the Shansby Group in 1992 before Keebler foods purchased the President Baking Company in 1998. Kellogg’s Company then bought over Keebler in 2001. Thus, Famous Amos is now part of Kellogg’s Company. It was only then Famous Amos came to Singapore. Famous Amos was first established in Singapore in the year 1983. It serves the cookies lovers varieties of cookies flavour to choose from. Famous Amos is categorized as one of the Food and Beverage industry and Bakery sector in Singapore which they specialised in cookies, muffins and brownies. With 13 stores located island wide, their minimum requirements of Corporate Structure for each store are one Service Provider and a Baker. These are number of employees who serve the customers at each branch of the stores. Famous Amos also then came out with a new way in reaching the market. They produce the packed Famous Amos Cookies that is convenient to be sold at Convenient Shop such as NTUC Fairprice and Cheers. These are for the convenience of the cookies to be reached (manufactured) around the world without having the physical stores at a country or region. Famous Amos does not have any specific mission and vision since it is now part of the Kellogg’s Company. However, they have a tag line, which states that Famous Amos is â€Å"Truly the Chip Made for the Next Generation†. This shows that they want to serve its original and the best cookies made from generation to generation. Overall, Famous Amos has gone through around the world. They served the people around the world with its finest and freshly made cookies. With these, Wally Amos is now known as the father of gourmet cookie industry. Marketing PhilosophyFamous Amos adopts the Product Concept. The product concept holds that consumers will favour those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. They focus on making superior  products and improving them over time. Thus, based on Famous Amos, we can see that it offer the most quality, which are their finest and freshly baked cookies. They bake their cookies at their each stores everyday to make sure that its cookies are always fresh. Famous Amos also produced the packets one without changing its concept in serving quality cookies. They make sure that the taste of their cookies stays the same. This is to make sure that their performances meet the standard of the consumers. Marketing OfferFamous Amos is a Profit Organization. It offers mainly Cookies. It serves the finest in freshly baked cookies. It satisfies the wants of its customer due to its freshness of products. They offer nine flavours such as â€Å"No Nut Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip Pecan†. Their product includes Cookies, Speciality Cookies, Soft â€Å"N† Chewy Cookies and Cookies Cakes. It also includes a wide range of Muffins and Brownies. However, the core benefits that customer received is actually the exceptional taste of Famous Amos Cookies. SWOT AnalysisInternal Environment (Strengths & Weaknesses)Famous Amos brand is the ultimate strength for the company. Its brand â€Å"Famous Amos† shows it all about them being a â€Å"famous† cookie company. To add with it, Famous Amos received an International Brand Recognition, which is widely recommended and recognised. Famous Amos also has the reputation for its homemade cookies. It has a unique taste that would always attract buyers and especially chocolate cookies lover. Being a product company that is Halal Certified is also strength as it does not limit its product to only non-Muslim but to Muslim people too. Its product that is well distributed in Singapore is also a strength to Famous Amos as it reached its target audience easily. Its packed cookies are also convenient that people can purchase almost everywhere. Famous Amos also provides delivery service that makes it easier and convenience for the customer who bought it online. Its Research and Development (R&D) department also make sure that they always improve on its products and packaging design so that they remain competitive company.  Famous Amos also provides training for its employee to provide good services to the customer. Famous Amos does not need experience bakers and only required a minimal space for its store to operate. Therefore, it is cost effective for Famous Amos and act as a strength to the company. Famous Amos main weakness is in its marketing and promoting as it does not advertise its product as frequent that would inform consumer about its new product or its new stores. These will not create a want for consumer to consume its products as advertisement usually attracts the public and advertisement help to reach the public geographically. It also shows that the public are lack of information about its products. External Environment (Opportunities & Threats)Famous Amos operates stores world wide and it has successfully grow in every market it operates. This shows that Famous Amos has the opportunities in its international expansion. It is the best way in expanding its market. Famous Amos also has the opportunity to develop new strategic ways to increase their profitability. They may ask customer for suggestions or they can give suggestions and ask customer to give opinion. For example, Famous Amos can ask consumers for suggestion if they might want to produce other food products besides cookies to be sold in its stores. However, reports have shown that there is more aging population in Singapore. This will thus be a threat to Famous Amos Cookies as their target audience are mostly kids, young adults and adults. Cookies are also considered bad for health, especially when it contains a lot of sugar. This can also be a threat to the company as government has been encouraging the public to have a healthy lifestyle. Consumers will then avoid consuming something that they might consider unhealthy for them. Target Customer SegmentsFamous Amos basically targets those Cookies and Chocolate Lovers. These are their main customer they are targeting at. However, to be specific, Famous Amos segments their products through marketing segmentation. They are Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic and  Behavioural Segmentation. Famous Amos segments their product geographically generally to attract Cookies Lovers around the world such as the one in Melbourne Shopping Centre in Australia. In Singapore, Famous Amos scattered its stores island wide and it is usually at places that is at convenient to the consumers. For example, they have a store in Compasspoint located in Sengkang which caters the needs for the North-East people and Tampines for the convenient of the East people. Demographic Segmentation segment markets by age, gender, income, education, occupation, religion and race, ethnic background and family life-cycle or size. Famous Amos segments their products within most of these parameters such as the age, income and family size. Age is actually concerning anyone above 3 years old but specifically teenagers and adults of both genders. Their price is relatively affordable for consumers to buy it. They also provide packaging for immediate consumptions and as well as larger family size packs. This means that they do cater to these markets segments to attract buyers with large family size. Psychographic Segmentation consists of social class, lifestyle and personality. Famous Amos mostly segments its market through lifestyle. Lifestyle is a person’s pattern of living as expressed in his or her activities, interests and opinions. When a person bought the Cookies, this may show their interest in consuming the chocolate cookies. Lastly, Famous Amos segments their products through Behavioural Segmentations which segment markets through occasions, benefits sought, user status, usage rate and loyalty status. However, in Famous Amos case, they markets through occasions and target the gift giving market. They provide special promotions and labels for special occasion. For example, they provide hampers and gifts that customer can give at any occasion. Famous Amos also offer benefit sought to the customer from its appealing gift designs. Their gift tins, hampers and products have since to become a gift to be treasured by the person who receives it and a pleasure for the one who gives it. This is the benefits sought a customer may receive. Needs and DemandsTherefore, Famous Amos target audience needs are basically to eat or to have a snack. However, the consumer wants Famous Amos Cookies to satisfy their need. Thus, when the consumer finds a need and has the purchasing power, they will then demand for high quality Famous Amos Cookies. Competitor AnalysisFamous Amos competitors are Mrs. Field and Little Jerry’s Place. Mrs. Field is Famous Amos major competitor as it sells exactly the same as Famous Amos which is cookies, brownies and muffins. Mrs. Field are also its competitor as Mrs. Field is also well-known food and beverages products. Little Jerry’s Place is also a competitor to Famous Amos as it sell cookies and muffins too. Mrs. Field products are slightly the same as Famous Amos as they provide a range of products from cookies, nibblers, cookie cakes, brownies to muffins with a wide range of flavours. In Little Jerry’s Place, they sell only cookies but claim to offer slightly more varieties than Famous Amos and they differ by the taste as Little Jerry’s Place contains more milk, thus the rich milky taste. Mrs. Field prices are considerably the same as Famous Amos whereas Little Jerry’s Place cookies prices are cheaper as compared to Famous Amos. This is a way for Little Jerry’s Place to attract customer, which is to provide good products with low price. Mrs. Field has 8 stores located mainly around the town area and at Singapore Changi Airport. Little Jerry’s Place have 3 stores, located in West Mall, Square 2 and Ang Mo Kio Hub. This shows that Famous Amos has the advantage over its competitors for its distribution area. Mrs. Field offers 10 percent discounts vouchers and season’s offer through its website. Thus, those internets savvy might have the chance to get  discount if they came across the website. Mrs. Field also have Students Special promotion, which is free flow of drinks when dining-in before 6 in the afternoon. Little Jerry’s Place also have a current promotion. They offer one free Muffin if the customer buy four of its Muffin. Both Mrs. Field and Little Jerry’s Place promotions are to attract more customers to buy their products. However, in this case, Mrs. Field has an advantage over Little Jerry’s Place as they target the students which can be the main consumers of cookies industry. Famous Amos is definitely the market leader as it is widely known and recognised around the world. Mrs. Field main strength over Famous Amos is the promotion. Mrs. Field promotions are always up to date as compared to Famous Amos. Mrs. Field shop is also attractive. However, another factor besides being a known brand, Famous Amos has an irresistible aroma that other shops like Mrs. Field and Little Jerry’s Place does not have. Little Jerry’s Place weakness to Famous Amos is its new entry to the market. It is still unknown and does not have any official websites for the consumers to check out their details. Thus, Famous Amos has advantages over Little Jerry’s Place due to Little Jerry’s Place weakness. With these, Little Jerry’s Place could not challenge the Famous Amos high quality, freshly baked and irresistible taste of its chocolate chip cookies. Famous Amos continues to provide its customer with the delicious sweet treats. They make sure that they always meet the standard of its customer by their performance in providing the finest in freshly baked cookies. They also continuously rolls-out new products and packaging design to strengthen their competitive position. Marketing Strategies (4Ps)ProductFamous Amos is classified as a Convenient Product. Convenient Products are products that are purchased frequently and immediately, sold at a lower price, mass advertising and many purchase locations. Thus, based on Famous Amos Singapore, Famous Amos is actually purchased frequently and immediately since it has many purchase locations. It can found mostly in shopping centres that are convenient to the markets. It has 13 stores located around Singapore such as in Cineleisure Orchard,  Tampines Mall and Marina Square. Famous Amos offers wide varieties of flavour for just its Cookies. This is to cater to different markets. For example, Double Chocolate Chip with Pecan targets those who really love chocolate as they offer twice the amount of chocolate chips than a normal favour such as Chocolate Chip with Pecan. Its cookies include the brand name, Famous Amos, quality level which they are known as the world’s best chocolate chip cookies and providing appealing gifts designs. It is nicely package even for own consumptions as it has its own packaging (Appendices: Pictures). PricingFamous Amos uses the Market-Skimming under the New Pricing Strategies. Market-Skimming states that company set a high price for a new product to â€Å"skim† revenues layer by layer from the market and make fewer, but more profitable sales. It is used when a product’s and image support the high price. Its costs of smaller volume could not be so high that they cancel the advantage of charging more. Market-Skimming strategies also make sure that competitors are not able to enter the market easily and undercut the high price. Famous Amos adopts these pricing strategies as it is a product of value. Their product and image thus supports the high price they are selling. The consumers are willing to pay as high as $4.20 for only 100 grams of Famous Amos Cookies that they purchased at the available stores. Competitors are also unable to enter the market easily and undercut the high price. This is due to its known brand and quality of its Cookies around the world for ages. DistributionFamous Amos has a Direct Marketing Channel. Direct Marketing Channel is a marketing channel that has no intermediaries. Famous Amos is a direct marketing channel as the cookies are baked freshly at its own stores that are located island wide in Singapore. This shows that it does not went through a number of intermediaries. However, the packed Famous Amos Cookies went through a number of  intermediaries. It has the Intensive Distribution as it aimed at having a product available in every outlet in where consumers might want it. This is to cater and meet those beyond reached of the cookies. PromotionsFamous Amos does not do any mass advertising for its product. However, Famous Amos has done a rapport with its consumers when they won the international acclaim as the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. It is so unique that it spun the birth of an entire new industry. Its cookies are special with a crisp, nutty and richly flavoured at just the right size. This is the public relations that the brand has done over the years. Famous Amos had also made contributing in helping the needy people by partnering with Community Chest in March 2006 (Appendix: Famous Amos Public Relations). This is to promote their cookies to the public. Famous Amos Website is also a public relation as it is a form of reaching and communicating with its audience through internet. Famous Amos provides Sales Promotion on its Cookies in Gift Tins, Gift Sets and Cookies in Gift Boxes. These are all the premium items that Famous Amos offers at lower prices as an incentive to buy their cookies. Strengths & Weakness of Marketing StrategiesFamous Amos products are definitely strength to the organization. Its product is well-known to the public due to its quality of cookies that always meet the standard of the consumers. It is strength as it can be a perfect choice for midmorning snacks or at any time of the day. It is so handy that it can also be brought for picnics or birthday parties. The same goes for the Packed Famous Amos Cookies. Packed Famous Amos Cookies that is usually manufactured to the convenient chop is strength too as it can easily reached its target audience. This is because convenient shops can be found easily and mostly everywhere. Thus consumers can purchase Famous at their convenient. Being well-located throughout the island is also strength for the organization because having stores island wide shows that consumers can easily purchase the products wherever they are. Famous Amos brand name is known that its pricing strategies are strength to them too. Competitors will be unable to challenge its cookies due to the product quality n well-known brand. Competitors have to make sure that their products are better than Famous Amos Cookies to compete with them. The original cookie that is being sold at the stores is strength as they do not have to go through a lot of intermediaries. These thus save the cost of the organization and eventually save cost for the customer. This is because each intermediary that the organization went through, they will usually tax the products and it will then increase the selling price. Famous Amos weakness is mainly on its promotion. It does not have mass advertising that will subsequently inform its consumer about their existence or that they are still there to offer them the delicious sweet treats, their Cookies. They also do not have any con-current sales promotions that usually attract the consumer attention. This will eventually go back to its product. Its irresistible aroma produced at its stores will be the only factor that shows Famous Amos is still alive. This will be its weakness as for those areas without the stores will then cause the consumer to forget about it. Even so, their products are still at advantage as its quality products are irresistible by most Chocolate Lovers. However, Famous Amos could not base on its products and do not make any changes to them. This is because they will soon be forgotten when a new brand arises. They have to make sure they did some activities to increase the relationship with the customer. Recommendations and SuggestionsFamous Amos promotion has always been its key weakness to its competitor such as Mrs. Field. Thus, they should improve its marketing, especially public relations. This is an important factor as they must communicate with the customer to show them that they are vulnerable to the company and they treasure them for consuming their products. Advertising  is equally important as advertisement helps in reminding customer about their existence. Distributing flyers or their pamphlet can also be done. Famous Amos may also like to offer financial benefits to its regular customer by having Frequency Programs. This will help its consumer to enjoy benefits that the company provide. They may also like to give out its pamphlet when they produce new products. This is also a form of promoting its products. Famous Amos may also want to wider their product varieties like providing Famous Amos may also like to make its place for the consumer to dine-in. This means that consumer can dine-in while enjoying the cookies and aroma of Famous Amos cookies. Famous Amos may also like to produce something new that target the older generation since Singapore is having more aging population. This also helps in widening its audience thus generate more profit. ConclusionFamous Amos is widely known in the world. However, it is always good for the company to improve any of its weakness, grab any chances, and be prepared in challenges that they will face and always be innovative that will strengthen their competitive position. In my findings, I found that Famous Amos is preferred as compared to its major competitor, Mrs. Field. This is so as when I consulted some people about cookies company in Singapore, some does not realise the existence of Mrs. Field. Even so, Famous Amos has to really improve on its marketing strategies to attract the consumers. It is because, Famous Amos has the opportunities in doing more than what they are doing currently. They should really inform the public about their new products if there is any. This is because, I did not know they produce a new product until I visited a Famous Amos store located in Tampines. There is a sign that shows that there is new Fudge Cake. When I asked one of the salesperson, they mentioned that it has been out for quite sometime. That is why it is important for Famous Amos to promote their products as to generate more profit to the company. However, one most important factor that Famous Amos has is its cookies fragrance. It  is strong and attract consumer to crave for their cookies. I also visited both Famous Amos competitor stores, Mrs. Field located in Changi Airport Terminal 3 and Little Jerry’s Place located in Ang Mo Kio Hub. Mrs. Field stores are so attractive. It has a good sense of attracting consumer by using bright metallic red as a theme to their store. Little Jerry’s Place does not really attract the public with its appearance. However, it use the strategy of promotion such as â€Å"Buy 4 get 1 free† to attract consumers to buy their product. Thus, I find that it is important for company to plan on its marketing strategies. This will help in their profit maximisation. I also realised that it is important for the company to be attractive in attracting the public attention. However, as a whole, I can say that Famous Amos has done a great job in its effectiveness of providing standard and superior quality products. Famous Amos has also stays competitive and innovative in managing its products. Websites Famous Amoshttp://www.famous-amos.com.sg/Main website of Famous Amoshttp://www.speakers.ca/amos_wally.aspxFounder of Famous Amoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_amosHistory of Famous Amoshttp://www.sugarstand.com/sc/sc0073-famous-amos-cookies.htmhttp://www.instaoffice.com/famous-amos-chocolate-chip-chocolate-chip-cookie-cookies-famous-amos-food-keebler-snack-snack-food-s.keb98067.0.7.htmInformation on Packet Famous Amoshttp://www.ncss.org.sg/about_ncss/press_release_archives.aspPress Release of Famous AmosMrs. Fieldhttp://www.mrsfields.com.sg/index.htmlMain Website of Mrs. Fieldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._FieldsHistory of Mrs. Fieldhttp://www.asiacase.com/ecatalog/NO_FILTERS/page-GLOBIZ-653127.htmlInformation of Mrs. Field (e.g. Industry)Little Jerry’s Placehttp://www.timelessfacade.com/2007/04/amk-hub.htmlhttp://www.soshiok.com/print/9256Information websites

Friday, January 3, 2020

Trick or Treat Diabetes - 863 Words

Trick or treat diabetes Diabetes also known as diabetes mellitus is a disease related to metabolism, caused due to high level of glucose present in the blood. Diabetes is caused because pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin or cells are not able to respond to the insulin. The most common symptoms include periodic urination, increase thirst and hunger. There are different types of diabetes mellitus some are listed below: 1) Type 1 diabetes is caused because of the destruction of ÃŽ ²-cells in pancreas. According to Daneman (2006) type 1 diabetes account for approximately 5-10% of people diagnosed with diabetes. 2) Type 2 diabetes is caused because the cells are not able use the insulin properly. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011) type 2 diabetes account for approximately 85-90% of people diagnosed with diabetes. There are nearly 40.9 million diabetic patients in India which contributes approximately 1% of world’s diabetes Arunachalam, Gunasekaran (2002). Since India has most diabetic patients in the world it is earned the infamous title of the â€Å"diabetes capital of the world† Shaw, Sicree, Zimmet (2010). Around 10% of India’s health budget is spent on prevention and treatment of diabetes. It is assumed that by 2021 India will lose almost US$237 billion because of diabetes Kumar (2011). As per Leader, Raymond, Greenberg, Liu, Esson (2004) 40% of India’s population is under 18 thisShow MoreRelatedA Brand New Therapy1649 Words   |  7 Pagespracticed in the United States for 25 years by its founder Teddy Gagnan. Also called dynamic energy therapy, it boosts energy fields in the body, which in turn strengthens the immune system and enhances the body s healing capacity. According to Trick Or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine by Simon Sin gh, Edzard Ernst, The therapy works by sending invisible and soundless energy waves into the body via key points - the hands, feet, back of the neck, chest, shoulder and abdomenRead MoreChildhood Obesity : A Real World Problem Essay1412 Words   |  6 Pagesbeen estimated that one out of every three children are considered obese. Not only do children suffer from obesity but also with the problems that obesity carries. Children with obesity may suffer from high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, depression, upon many other diseases and health complications. I have seen many children that are above their suggested body weight in my own community. Children at fast food restaurants eating a meal made for an adult. Parents buying eachRead MoreHealth Risks Associated With Diabetes1696 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion people (or 6.3 percent of the population) in the United States have diabetes† (Palo Alto Foundation). Considering all the disadvantages and health risks associated with diabetes, it is essential that we find healthy and more natural ways of battling such an illness. One way that is becoming more and more prevalent in the United States is the research and usage of herbal oils and medicines in regards to diabetes. Herbs provide a more natural approach to healing rather than continuous consumptionRead MoreEffects Of Sugar Addiction On The Body803 Words   |  4 Pagesmechanism is just like the case of engine, there are bad fuels which can destroy engine. Table sugar is just a bad fuel for the body. Several research studies have arraigned sugar first culprit for the epidemics of complicated health problems such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. Worst of it, several research now ranking sugar as addictive substance as drugs. Realising sugar as enemy in disguised makes World Health Organization to implement a new recent recommended daily calories intakeRead MoreThe Cultural Analysis of Memento1208 Words   |  5 Pageskiller and the key life rules because he wants to keep them in mind. The movie presents the development of medicine as well. Sammy’s wife has diabetes which was hard to treat before the 1980s, but in the movie, she can be controlled with daily insulin injections. Medical technology has made great improvement. Although some serious diseases, such as diabetes, leukemia, and cancer, are still hard to cure, most of them can be treated now. In the past, the personal health only means physical wellnessRead MoreNutrition Case Studies1534 Words   |  7 PagesShe is 5 foot 4 inches and at the health fair her weight was 145. Her blood pressure was 120/85 and her blood sugar was 130ml/dl. Debbie is surprised that her blood sugar was high because she doesnt really eat sweets; she prefers savory treats like chips. Debbie loves to cook and usually eats 3 large meals a day, but rarely eats between meals except for drinking Dr. Pepper. Debbie and her husband do like to go on evening walks around their neighborhood and do so a few nights a week. Read MoreWeight Loss Methods to Try Before Surgery Essay525 Words   |  3 Pagestruth is there are really ways to avoid risking one’s life from this â€Å"alternative way† at the same time still getting the loss in weight. To start proper dieting, enjoy one’s meal but do it in moderate portions of food. It is an effective weight loss trick to start with vegetable soup because it fills up the tummy and the common tendency is to eat less. Make lunch the main meal of the day. Choose to enjoy the food’s taste and quality rather than its size of servings. Combine and explore the food’s tasteRead Mor eThe Effects Of Food On The Health And Economics Of A Nation1374 Words   |  6 Pagesbiggest killer after smoking. (â€Å"Organic Consumers Association†) Americans have to eliminate the general and frequent consumption of fast food; this is because the fast food diet prompts preventable and extravagant health issues, for example, obesity, diabetes, and heart and artery disease. This paper identifies the different argument analyzed by Marion Nestle, Redley Balko and Kristen Kirkpatrick. I will also provide my own ideas considering the views related to their presented arguments. The articleRead MoreThe Effects Of Television On Our Lives1586 Words   |  7 Pagesmean the original version of products and foods. There are plenty of better foods and products than Pediasure, Yoplait yogurt, and Little Critters gummy. Pediasure, Yoplait yogurt, and Little Critters gummy vitamins are three commercials that all trick kids into eating their product simply because it is â€Å"better† than the alternative. Pediasure is a liquid nutrient product for kids, made to replace eating daily nutrients that kids don’t like. Pediasure is aimed at kids that are picky eaters, whoRead More Immorality of Human Cloning Essay1550 Words   |  7 Pagesthe first cloned sheep, Dolly, was announced. Since then, it seems that science has progressed faster than moral understanding. Each breakthrough in genetics presents us with both a promise and a dilemma. The promise is that we may soon be able to treat and prevent diseases such as cancer and Parkinson’s. The dilemma is that we will have the power to manipulate our very nature-- to choose the sex and other genetic qualities of our next generation in attempts to make ourselves perfect. Despite the

Thursday, December 26, 2019

2008 Financial Crisis the Large Financial Institution Failed

The U.S. economy experienced a deep recession in years of 2008 through 2009. A huge factor in this was the number of large financial institutions that failed. Also, the stock market declined significantly which can be contributed to the bailout plan that was passed by our government. Third, spreads on many different types of loans over comparable U.S. Treasury securities has expanded significantly (Chari, Christiano, amp; Kehoe, 2008). The financial crisis is the result of the collapse of the housing bubble in the U.S., which can be seen as the starting point of a crisis in the global economy afterward. The sudden financial crisis and the unexpected economic collapse in 2008 came as a shock to many because the speed and severity of the†¦show more content†¦In that situation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) banned short sales. The financial crisis in America had spread to Europe. Banks in the UK bear the greatest impact from the credit crisis sub-prime housing loans in the U.S. For example, Northern Rock Bank had a bad debt account of up to 191.6 billion U.S. dollars in July 2008 and the Bank of England had to pump 27 billion pounds to rescue Northern Rock Bank. At the end of September 2008, there were some other big banks in Europe such as Dexia and Hypo Real Estate falling in the crisis and these banks were rescured by the governements throught financial bailout. (Alexander, 2008) The banking system, stock market, and financial markets in Russia were also seriously affected. Russian government had to pump tens of billions of dollars to rescue financial markets and banking system of the country. In the last three months of 2008, under the general decline in the global stock market, numerous Asian stock markets were in free fall. The key stock index such as Nikkei 225 in Japan, Hangseng in Hongkong and Sensex in India suffered significant drops. (Rose amp; Spiegel, 2009) Financial crisis is really a major concern for all economies in the world. Every time a crisis occurs, companies, banks and financial institutions should draw their own lessons, because if the lessons are not recognized, they may still go on the trail of failure ofShow MoreRelatedHelping The United States During The Time Of Financial Crisis1103 Words   |  5 Pagesaround the world assisted in regaining the financial system and bringing the economy back to good terms at the peak of the financial crisis. Together they helped stop the financial system from upturning, and with tremendous effort, helped reestablish financial and economic stability. The United States’ central bank is known as the Federal Reserve, and they are accountable for making sure the country’s financial system functions effortlessly. During the crisis of 2007-2009 the Federal Reserve was passiveRead MoreBank Of America s Financial Crisis1744 Words   |  7 PagesBank of America in the 2008 Financia l Crisis – An Even Bigger Financial Giant Suffered Losses and Lawsuits from Risky Behavior Summary of Bank of America in the Financial Crisis As one of the largest banking holding companies, Bank of America has taken a significant role during the whole process of the financial crisis. Compared with financial institutions whose business focused on specific fields, like investment banks or mortgage companies, Bank of Along got involved in activitiesRead MoreBanking of Uk1564 Words   |  7 Pages1. The financial crisis of 2007/2008 and its impact on the UK and other economies Do you still feel vague about the causes and the effects of the financial crisis of 2007/8? Are you preparing for a job interview in either the private or public sector? The events of 2007/8 have shaped both the current UK commercial and business scene and are now having a massive effect on the public sector. Similar impacts are being felt across Europe and the wider world. Knowing a bit more about what happenedRead MoreThe Global Financial Crisis Of 2008-10 And Its Impact On The Financial Health Of The Institutions999 Words   |  4 Pages The Global financial crisis has been described as the worst financial crisis after the Great Depression of the 1930’s. This was a Financial Crisis and affected terribly the banks of the United States of America. The banks during this time had low capital base and suffered from a serious liquidity crunch. Leveraging was very common at this time. This increased financial instability of the banks called for major changes in the financial regulations by the government. This essay will discuss theRead MoreFactors Responsible For The Global Financial Crisis1430 Words   |  6 Pages we are trying to look at the factors responsible for the global financial crisis in 2008-09 which started in US and later spread across the world. By now, a lot of studies have been done on the global financial crisis of 2008. We explain briefly the role of the financial engineering which leads to combination of various financial securities, the actual risk of which is not clearly assessed and hence leading to the financial crisis. There were also some serious lapses in regulation and failure ofRead MoreNotes On Credit Default Swaps1401 Words   |  6 PagesCredit Default Swaps Another financial vehicle that could be problematic was CDS (credit default swap). CDS is a financial derivative works like insurance on securities. The underwriter is obligated to pay a pre-determined fee to counterparty if a certain security default. In return, underwriters charge a fee as compensation. CDS can be used to hedge against risks. However there are still some difference between a CDS and an insurance contract. The CDS does not require buyers to actually hold underlyingRead MoreThe Financial Crisis Of 2008 : Deregulation And Corruption1173 Words   |  5 PagesThe Financial Crisis of 2008: Deregulation Corruption There has been a debate for years on what caused the Financial Crisis in 2008 and if there was one main cause, or a series of unfortunate events that led to the crisis. The crisis began when the market was no longer funding many financial entities. The Federal Reserve then lowered the federal funds rate from 5.25% to almost zero percent in December 2008. The Federal Government realized that this was not enough and decided to bail out Bear StearnsRead MoreThe Big Short1293 Words   |  6 Pagestransparent, the bond market consisted of primarily large institutions and escaped serious regulation. This lack of legislative control played a great part in allowing the credit default swaps on subprime mortgage bonds, CDO’s, and the eventual collapse of the subprime market. Following the subprime mortgage crisis, the Department of the Treasury released a new regulatory plan, The Department of the Treasury Blueprint for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure, which is referred t o as â€Å"theRead MoreThe Financial Crisis Caused By The Foreclosure Crisis1534 Words   |  7 PagesBefore the pre-2008 economic recession era, people were ignorant of what was bound to happen. Life was a party. Incomes were steadily rising: most people in every financial class had a credit card, a family to support, and an opportunity to do so by moving into the biggest house they could find. Mortgage loans were given out to anybody with a heartbeat and credit rating, this is called a subprime mortgage. If somebody wanted a new home they could get it, no matter if they could afford it or not.Read MoreWhite Collar Crime Report : Red Collar Crimes1585 Words   |  7 Pagesbut it is also a decade of widespread corporate criminality. The number of activities that involved acts committed through deceits and motivated by financial gain has increased considerably. Terms such as â€Å"Corporate Crime† or â€Å"White Collar Crime† are used to describe a variety of these a ctivities. In 2008, the U.S. economy faced its most dangerous crisis since the great depression in the 1930’s. The contagion, which began in 2007 when inflated home prices deceivably turned downward, spread quickly

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Sexual, Gender, And Gender - 964 Words

Sex refers to biological identity male or female while gender refers to social expectation and behaviors assigned to each sex, but not everyone conform this expectation we can say that gender is based on self-concept and the way we interact with others this is formed through social life(family ,friends , religion , media†¦)where a lot of behaviors are shaped through what is socially accepted and what is not which for example even though many people are not naturally born into these gender expectation there is a strong set of ideas built about how â€Å"normal† men and women should look and act, with all of this associated mostly with masculinity and femininity for example men become doctors and women become nurses, men are the breadwinners and women take care of home and children, boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls men are tall and muscular and women are petite ,thin and sensitive and of Couse men are supposed to marry women and only this anything else is a n undesirable and not accepted there is no place for intersex people too. â€Å"Intersex† is a term used for a many conditions in which is someone who is born with a different sexual anatomy that is not what you can call typical female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male characteristic anatomy on the inside. Or they be born with genitals organ that seem to be in-between the natural male and female types. nobody consider that situation or even talkShow MoreRelatedGender, Sexual, And Gender1091 Words   |  5 Pagesyour gender is somewhat up to you. Your gender can vary and change over time. It could have a different meaning depending on the culture, a geographic location, or even a specific group of individuals. â€Å"Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person s biological sex. Behaviors that is compatible with cultural expectations is referred to as gender†normative; behaviors that are viewed as incompatible with these expectations constitute gender non†Read MoreGender, Sexual, And Gender862 Words   |  4 PagesWithin Western society, frequently, we hear the terms ‘gender’ and ‘sex’. However, each of these terms are used interchangeably and therefore incorrectly. We are born, assigned a sex, and sent out into the world. For many people, this is cause for little, if any conflict. However biological sex and gender are contrasting; gender is not inherently nor solely connected to an individual’s physical anatomy. Even so, one’s biological gender or ‘sex’ is determined at birth through physical attributes,Read MoreGender, Gender And Sexual Orientation Essay2043 Words   |  9 Pageslegislation has been passed to rectify past oppression of racial, gender and sexual orientation groups, America remains a patriarchal society whose institutions are structurally desig ned to favor white, cisgender, heterosexual males. The film Higher Learning, brings to light this issue of institutional racism, while perpetuating in majority of the male characters what the ideal man represents and how that is related to racial issues and sexual orientation in the film. Issues of homosexuality is not onlyRead MoreGender, Gender And Sexual Norms1399 Words   |  6 Pageshas been shaped by changing ideas about gender, sexuality, race, and class. The institution of the family has changed but it has also remained the same in some aspects. Society’s acceptance of changes in gender and sexual norms have reshaped representations of the family. Betty Friedan, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Dorothy Sue Cobble have written articles that pertain to the changing of the institution. As the American society changes its views on gender and sexual norms, sometimes through movements, itRead MoreGender And Gender Development : Sexuality And Sexual Behaviors905 Words   |  4 Pag eshumans consistently experience changes throughout in different areas including sexual, physical, social, and emotional. In looking at sexual development, several theorists have developed explanations governing sexuality and sexual behaviors. In my Critical Annotation of the book â€Å"Sex Gender: An Introduction (6th ed.)† I reviewed stances from several theorists on sexual/gender development. According to Freud, gender development occurs as a â€Å"response to early interactions with caretakers† (Lips,Read MoreThe Sexual Orientation And Gender1455 Words   |  6 Pages The two individuals I interviewed are homosexual males that differ from me in their sexual orientation and gender. I met my first interviewee for an hour on Wednesday, September 21st, and I met my second interviewee for an hour on Wednesday, September 28th. Through these interviews, I learned a great deal about each individual and it allowed me to gain insight into each of their lives. The first individual I interviewed is named Brandon and lives in Lebanon, Missouri. He was born in Osage BeachRead MoreGender And Sexual Attitudes And Behavior1520 Words   |  7 Pagesculture it is certain there are gender dissimilarities in the topic of sexuality. Over time scholarly work has proved an abundant amount of different components correlating to the difference in sexuality resulting in the distinctions of sexual behaviors as well as attitudes among males and females. Difference in sexual attitudes and behavior can be seen between genders across various studies. This research study indicates the differences in sexuality according to gender. It is known that most malesRead MoreFemisim, Sexual and Gender Equality1153 Words   |  5 PagesFeminism/Gender and Orientational Equality Even though many say that the idea of allowing same sex would be against Gods will, and that women are also the lesser sex of the two binary genders, as well that it is unnatural for people to be transgender, everyone, regardless of gender (binary or otherwise) and Sexual/Romantic orientations, deserves equal rights in all cases. Because in only seventeen of fifty states, homosexual couples have marriage rights. This leaves thirty-three states with thoseRead MoreGender Identity And Sexual Identity869 Words   |  4 Pages When I first started thinking about gender roles and how they influence us, I wanted to argue for how things have gotten more equal for both sexes in our society. Women and men alike have gradually shifted into roles once believed to be the sole territory of either one sex or the other, making gender equality highly valued by most people now-a-days. We also now acknowledge the differences between gender identity and sexual identity, and the roles that transgender, bisexual, gay/lesbian, and heterosexualRead MoreGender, Sexual Orientation And Education1746 Words   |  7 PagesIn today’s society, there are divides that impede the movement of progress. These divides may disperse around a number of issues that revolve around gender, religion, sexual orientation and education. These divides have created an un-opened minded society that judge people and groups based on the prejudices and stereotypes that treat them differently. In the aspect of identity discrimination, American society plays a big role in keeping those that are different isolated from the rest of the world

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Is Prohibition A Appropriate S Essay Research free essay sample

Is Prohibition A Appropriate S Essay, Research Paper Is Prohibition an Appropriate Standard? Richard Dennis, the writer of Chemical Dependence: Opposing Point of views, says that # 8220 ; The appropriate criterion in make up ones minding if a drug should be huffy ; e legal for grownups ought to be whether it is more likely than intoxicant to do injury to an guiltless party. If non, censoring it can non be justified while intoxicant remains legal. # 8221 ; By using Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion to the prohibition of marihuana in the United States, the logical determination would be that it is undue to censor the usage of marihuana. This is due to the fact that # 8220 ; alcohol-related offenses in the United States account for 54 per centum of slayings and attempted slayings, 68 per centum of manslaughters, 52 per centum of rape/sexual assaults, and 48 per centum of robberies # 8221 ; ( FADAA ) , accordingly it can be concluded that intoxicant is more likely than marihuanas to do injury to an guiltless party. Alcohol is still legal even though it is associated with an obscene sum of offense in the United States, along with the fact that intoxicant is the ingredient that causes 1000s of auto accidents. Dennis therefore believes that this is adequate justification to either legalize marihuana, or forbid the usage of intoxicant. Is Richard Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion for legalising drugs appropriate to use to the legalisation of marihuana in the United States? Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion is formulated for the interest of drug argument. This criterion was devised to back up the motion to legalise marihuana. His position is that the authorities can non hold a rational statement against the legalisation of marihuana when intoxicant is legal. This is due to the fact that intoxicant is more damaging to society, than marihuana. This is beliing the Torahs of America. The challenge is turn outing that marihuana is less harmful than intoxicant. If this is proven, so does that intend that both drugs should be legalized, or illegalized? Than morality is so the issue. The statement # 8220 ; two wrongs don # 8217 ; Ts make a right # 8221 ; , seems appropriate. The fact is that the prohibiting of what a good part of society is making, and does non happen morally incorrect, has been proven in the yesteryear to non work. This is because the prohibition of intoxicant in the 1920 # 8217 ; s caused more offense, and endanger the citizens who ignored the prohibition, due to the deficiency of ordinance. Persons will exert their single rights, beyond doubt. John Stuart Mill in his book # 8220 ; On Liberty # 8221 ; provinces that, # 8220 ; To individualism should belong the portion of life in which it is chiefly the person that is interested ; to society, the portion which chiefly involvements society # 8221 ; ( 73 ) . Mill believes that if a individual # 8217 ; s behavior does non consequence society, so the authorities should non step in, therefore the determination should be left entirely to the person. Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion follows John Stuart Mill # 8217 ; s philosophy on individualism. It is apparent that intoxicant # 8217 ; s effects reach manner beyond the person, therefore the issue of whether marihuana creates any societal reverberations demands to be explored. It must besides be determined whether the American authorities # 8217 ; s war on marihuana is doing more harm than good. If America # 8217 ; s intercession is doing more injury, so Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion is farther supported. Marijuana from a hazard point of view is far less unsafe than intoxicant. Alcohol is estimated to kill 30 thousand people, straight, a twelvemonth. The usage of intoxicant and baccy is responsible for 95 per centum of the 500,000 deceases caused, each twelvemonth, while merely one per centum is from drug users ( Nagorney ) . # 8220 ; Even though 26 1000000s of Americans use marihuanas each twelvemonth, no 1 who is merely seeking to acquire high dies from marijuana # 8221 ; ( Violence ) . # 8220 ; The sum of THC, the chief psychotropic substance in marihuana, needed to kill person is 40,000 times the sum needed to acquire high, whereas the sum of intoxicant can be every bit low as 4 to 1 ( Sam ) . Therefore, the societal impact, on deceases of citizens due to utilize of marihuana is minuscular, and no comparing to the figure of deceases caused by intoxicant. It is virtually impossible to o.d. from smoking marihuana. Marijuana unlike intoxicant is non physically habit-forming. Since dependence is a danger to society, marihuana would non present to be a menace to American citizens. Marijuana can genuinely be considered a recreational drug . Marijuana has besides been argued to be a â€Å"gateway drug† , which is really a myth. The statement originated from the fact that marihuana is illegal and is sold through a black market. This causes harder drugs to be offered along with marihuana by the drug traders. It’s non that marijuana it self is a â€Å"gateway† drug it is that society, through prohibition, instead than ordinance, has created a black market. Still, nevertheless, there are 70 million people who have tried marihuana, and merely one million people who have tried cocaine. That is rather a little gate. ( Dennis 140 ) Interestingly plenty, Holland, since marihuana has been legalized, cocaine, diacetylmorphine, and the usage of other difficult drugs has declined ( Myths ) . So, legalisation is a enticement to acquire people back through the gate. The statement has been made that # 8220 ; Legal marijuana would do slaughter on the main road # 8221 ; . Thought marihuana is a hallucinogenic with effects similar to alcohol, 85 per centum of marihuana users who caused traffic accidents were besides drunk on intoxicant. In add-on, in provinces were the punishments for marijuana ownership were reduced, a rise in marihuana usage was reported, but they besides experienced a diminution in intoxicant usage, which lowered the sum of motor vehicle accidents. It seems, since intoxicant is more harmful to society than marihuana, that through the legalisation of marihuana the societal deductions of intoxicant appears to be reduced. By turn outing this thought to be true, Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion would demo to be appropriate. Due to the thought that intoxicant # 8217 ; s injury does travel beyond the single, society would profit by pulling people off from the more damaging option. Meaning that though Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion is ment ioning to the justification, if his logical thinking was followed, societal benefits would besides happen. The American authorities spends 75 billion dollars of taxpayer # 8217 ; s money yearly on the prohibition of marihuana. Through the legalisation of marihuana, that waste would so be eliminated. Besides the legalisation, decriminalisation, ordinance, and revenue enhancement of marihuana, would do big sums of gross to be produced. This could travel towards something other than a losing conflict. If marihuana was legalized, our authorities would profit from an excess 12 and a half billion dollars a twelvemonth from revenue enhancement gross ( Dennis138 ) . In add-on, marihuana can be used for medicative intents, to relieve symptoms of malignant neoplastic disease, AIDS, glaucoma, or multiple induration. Through the ordinance of legalize marihuana, underage usage could be controlled, the merchandising of corrupt marihuana could be prevented, and the black market will be virtually eradicated. All of these points will greatly profit society, and do what American citizens are making anyhow , safer and more good. An statement that arises against the benefits of legalising marihuana is by legalising marihuana, America will be compromising their citizens. However, the occupation of the authorities is non the instillment of ethical motives. Moral values are fathered, by faith, household, and are influenced by society, and civilization. Identifying what ethical motives to value, is an single determination. To follow the beliefs of John Stuart Mill, leave what effects the person to the person. The determination to smoke marihuanas should be left up to the person. Equally long as marihuana is smoked responsibly, the societal benefits outweigh the nonexistent societal reverberations. In decision, Richard Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion for the legalisation of drugs is appropriate for statement # 8217 ; s interest. His rationale inquiries the logical thinking of the authorities and discredits their aims. If the authorities is seeking to protect society from harmful drugs, so holding alcohol legal is a contradiction in footings. The two societal drugs legal in the United States, intoxicant and baccy, are extremely habit-forming. Alcoholism is one of the most preventable unwellnesss ; yet 7 out of 10 grownups drink intoxicant. Of these, one out of seven is an alcoholic ( FADAA ) . Though Dennis # 8217 ; s criterion does non straight back up the legalisation of marihuana, it inquiries the authorization of the authorities, and discredits the # 8220 ; because I say so # 8221 ; authorization, which is a misdemeanor of civil autonomy. Dennis # 8217 ; s standard suitably supports the demand to oppugn the justification of the authorities # 8217 ; s prohibition of marihu ana. 344