Key learning point Essay Example for Free

Key learning point Essay Power refers to the extent to which one can satisfy their target goals, needs or desires. Power can be used either to dominate or control the other, or can be used to work together with the other party involved. Whichever way power is used it gives one an edge over the other party in negotiations. Information provides an important source and a means of acquiring power. Reason for Selection: Informational power comes from a person’s ability to assemble data to support his positions, arguments, or desired outcomes. This resource provides an important tool in challenging the other party’s position, or undermine their arguments or propositions during negotiations. Application to a business or personal situation: A year ago, I was talking to a doctor who was new at one of the centers I am marketing my pharmaceutical products. The doctor openly rubbished my product saying he had absolutely no scope for it in his medical practice basing his argument on the position of a respected doctor in the area of medicine in which my product is applied. What this doctor did not know is that from my market survey on my product and competitor brands momentum in the market, the doctor he claimed was the top prescriber of my product in that town . I provided the evidence and within a month I received a call from my manager that the doctor had placed an LPO for my product. Action or steps taken to improve: I read widely and extensively on new trends in my area of work; undertake market survey on different issues; seek the opinion of experts; attend seminars and conferences on various topics; and in general try to keep an open mind, maintain my curiosity about life and watch informative programs. References Squidoo (2010). A goldmine of journal Writing Prompts. Retrieved on 30th July, 2010, from http://www. squidoo. com/journalwritingprompts

Gun Ownership and Gun Control in Canada Essay -- firearms weapons gun

Gun Ownership and Gun Control in Canada The Oscar-won documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ has aroused people’s awareness of gun ownership and gun control issues. Should gun ownership be banned or should guns be controlled? Does gun ownership create a violent society? The answer is not measurable, however, from the firearm situation between America and Canada, the answer is more obvious. America probably has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. In Canada, the percentage of Canadian households with a rifle is approximately equal to the level in United States. According to the statistics of gun murder rates around the world from ‘Bowling for columbine’, America has 11,127 gun accidents while Canada merely has 165. Is the number of gun ownerships a main factor behind a violent society? Indeed weapon does not commit crimes, the perpetrator does. As well, most crimes do not involve licensed gun owners. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimated the pool of illegal handguns in Canada to be about 50,000. Shockingly, in New York City alone, conservative estimation put the number of illegal handguns at over 700,000. Well, it seems the firearm problem in United States is worsened by the illegal gun owners. So, who should own guns? To the members of NRA (National Rifle Association), anyone who interested in shooting should own a gun; however, guns are more destructive weapons than knives. Therefore guns should only be legalized for certain occupations or certain purposes. Occupations such as policemen, bank or airport security guards and farmers should be allowed to use guns. For leisure gun sport activities, guns should be o... ... law system, however not all illegal applicants can! Some politicians strongly support bans on gun uses will solve the firearm problems more effectively. Significantly, bans on guns will indeed raise the demand for illegal guns underground, which makes it harder for police to control gun uses. i.e. a FAC gun control system in Canada works very effectively due to the fact that fewer guns are traded in black market. ‘Useless laws weaken necessary laws.’ --- Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1775) Importantly, gun ownership doesn’t create a violent society, but lenient gun control does. Nevertheless, bans do not make something disappear, rather harder to control! Therefore a strict, uniform federal gun control system is far more essential so as to ensure no collateral effects of any gun uses!

Importance of Branding Essay

Introduction Successfully building an appropriate brand for a company does more than merely provide an appealing design, picture and slogan for a consumer to view. It provides a value that which is necessary to obtain in order to stay competitive in most industries in modern day society. This is both valid in Business to Consumer (B2C) marketing and Business to Business (B2B) marketing. The approach and importance of successfully branding ones service or product both tangible and intangible through B2C and B2B are similar, but also do have key differences. In this report, we will discuss the advantages of building a strong brand name and image, risks, and some techniques. Relative Literature Brand pundits refer to our modern day society, (that which strategic branding is necessary otherwise one will be faced with a competitive disadvantage) also as a branding world (Sarin). This is due to there being more than 2.5 million registered trademarks in the United States alone (Sarin). With such heavy competition, it is vital that ones company does everything possible to differentiate themselves. Building a strong brand is a great method of doing so. Obtaining a recognizable brand backed with a positive brand image make purchaser’s decisions much easier. It allows an abundant amount of information to be provided to the customer or business representative before any form of research (Robert Vitale). As much as bundling information for purchaser’s to make easier decisions assists businesses increase their sales, it also prevents the consumer or business representative from purchasing the wrong good. Active marketers aim to succeed at two different points of a sale: 1- properly market their product/service to be initially bought, 2- have the person or company be satisfied with the value purchased (Robert Vitale). After the second point, it is likely that the company has just gained a repeat, loyal customer. If an individual/company finds a good/service that meets their criteria, why risk purchasing something else that may not deliver? With a recognizable brand, one can ensure that every time this purchaser seeks the same product/service, they will come right back. Value has been created from the product/service, recognized by the brand, therefore creating a positive brand image. Brand image further establishes a reputation and as long as that is positive then one can expect to notice sales to exponentially increase. Due to extra value added onto companies with an established brand name, there is extra cost. The value added for the purchaser generally encompasses the predictability of getting the same product or service (less risk) and familiarity, in other words, â€Å"the value of trust earned between the brand promise and the brand experience† (Maruca). One CEO of an electrical business producing copper wire reported that he preferred brand products because of consistency (Sari n). Consistency is important for him because the materials purchased are then used by his company to create iron rods that they strive to have quality behind. If they cannot trust the quality of their supplies then they cannot confidently produce their own good. It is too much of a hassle for companies to constantly search for new suppliers, once one is found, it saves an enormous amount of effort to become a repeat customer. A massive steal producer in India explained that he would rather pay the increased premium price for a brand product because the initial cost might be high, but operation costs and maintenance is lower since the brand products purchased come with customer care and instill a workflow stability (Sarin). Companies aiming to establish a positive brand image must provide great customer care. It is hard to build a good reputation, but it is easy to destroy it (Philip Kotler). Strategizing how to properly build a good image for ones company must be consistent. Throughout all avenues of the media a clear message of ones company must be illustrated. A proper division within a company should assemble to do so. Brand management â€Å"establishes a framework systematically managing the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of brand strategy† (Robert Vitale). Evaluation are key tools needed to ensure that the implemented strategy is actually going as planned. There are two ways of evaluating brand strategies. The first is a research-based evaluation. The aim of this approach is to put a financial value on the brand measured by customer’s behaviours and attitudes towards the brand itself. Components of the measurement are: awareness, knowledge, familiarity, relevance, satisfaction, and recommendation (Robert Vitale). Second approach is financially driven. This time brand valuation is used to approximate the value of the brand and it is based on subjective judgments of people within the organization in question. The earnings stream is estimated then divided by those attributable to the brand, to the fixed assets, and to other intangible assets. Next there’s an estimation of value for the brand in the market (Robert Vitale). These tools are so important because without checking up on ones brand image, it could possible take a turn down a path in the minds of the market in a direction the company does not want to go. It takes a long time to successfully establish a brand because it takes a long time to establish trust and confidence in the customer (Robert Vitale). Here B2C and B2B marketing differ. Because B2B business is simply so much larger then B2C, gaining a trustworthy relationship proves to be much more challenging (Robert Vitale). Customers in B2C interactions have less to risk while representatives of companies have to ensure that what they are purchasing is the standard of quality acceptable for their organization. If they fail it is not just a waste of money, they could face much more drastic consequences such as loosing contracts, dropping stocks, investors, or even the purchasing representatives job security. Of course the way that purchase decisions are handled vary around the world. For instance, in South American cultures, any kind of major purchasing decision takes extended periods of time to make (John Daniels). Before people even begin to discuss business the first establish a relationship. To them this builds trust that which is necessary for their way of life otherwise they cannot comfortably move onto negotiations. In B2C interactions however, one can notice that many purchases seem to occur more spontaneously (John Daniels). What this shows us is that is imperative to take into consideration cultural differences when marketing into different countries, constantly evaluate how the market perceives ones brand, but never have contradict the brand image, consistency is necessary or it will have no effect at all. Discussion I believe in terms of importance of brand names, there is a massive factor that which was barely discussed in any of my sources. Income is one the largest, if not the largest factor influencing buying behaviour. This would affect B2C business more, but it would still affect small to medium sized businesses. If they cannot afford the brand name products/services then they would get a lesser-known product/service. This is because value and quality are not synonyms for each other. Yes a brand adds value to a company, but that does not mean it adds quality to the product/service. Furthermore, I would even go as far as to disagree with large companies insisting to buy brand names. If anything they should have a well-experienced purchasing division whom can find suppliers whom can deliver the quality products/services needed and avoid the premium cost that which branded companies incur. Lastly, I also noticed throughout all the academic sources I read through for this thought paper, I couldn’t help but realize that there did not seem to be a large enough focus on the difference between B2C and B2B marketing. Minus the degree of speed it takes to win over a customers trust in B2C marketing, it appeared to myself that marketing in both avenues almost seemed to be the same. I need to disagree with this to some degree. Lastly I would have to disagree with the mentality I observed in all of the academic sources I went through in regards that branding is good for everyone. Based on different people I have met throughout my life, I am confident that there are people whom go out of their way NOT to purchase brand names (or at least big brand names). They believe that local business needs the money and that they should be supported since they are the businesses that bring true culture to the region. On these people, brand names have the inverse affect Suggestions for further Research I suggest that more research be carried out on the contrast of satisfaction levels of companies purchasing brand name products/services and ones who find other less known suppliers. Earlier in this paper we discussed was of evaluating the brand name, there must be another way of evaluating satisfaction of purchases in general and discovering this difference should bring light to how much brands actually matter for B2B marketing. In regards to B2C marketing, I completely agree that having a brand brings value to the company and helps attract and retain customers, but I do not believe that it is the same for B2B. Further research on the differences of B2B and B2C brand awareness would be great as well. While research the differences of B2B and B2C, plunging further into techniques of appealing to the portions of the market who actively seek alternate companies to purchase from who do not have a big brand name. Through this research companies would be able to more accurately direct marketing efforts towards the audience where it matters most, and the best result demonstrated in a favourable Return on Investment (ROI). Conclusion Corporate branding is necessary for any most companies to compete in their industry. In the B2C avenues (minus those who actively look for lesser known names to purchase from) branding is very successful. In regards to B2B avenues of business, many professionals believe that purchasing brand name products/services is still the best option though I am not convinced. Until further research is done comparing general satisfaction levels between brand name purchases and lesser-known product/service purchases on a mass scale of small to large sized companies, I will remain under the impression that B2B branding is not ALWAYS the best way. Of course there are frequent times that brand name companies deliver great value (that is how they usually form their great brand image), but I cannot believe that the â€Å"brand name world† that which we live in is the way of the future just yet. Bibliography John Daniels, L. R. International Business Environments and Operations. Pearson. Maruca, R. F. The Way We Work An Encyclopedia of Business Culture. Philip Kotler, W. P. B2B Brand Management. Springer. Robert Vitale, J. G. Business to Busines Marketing Analysis and Practice. Pearson. Sarin, S. Strategic Brand Management for B2B Markets A Road Map for Organizational Transformation. Response Business Books from SAGE.

Babe Ruths 1927 Home Run Record

Babe Ruth was known as the Home Run King and the Sultan of Swat because of his powerful and effective swing. In 1927, Babe Ruth was playing for the New York Yankees. The Competition Throughout the 1927 season, teammates Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig competed for who was going to end the season with the most home runs. The competition lasted until September when both men reached their 45th home run of the season. Then, unexpectedly, Gehrig slowed down and all that was left was for Babe Ruth to hit the incredibly high number of 60 home runs. It got down to the last three games of the season and Babe Ruth still needed three home runs. In the second to last game, on September 30, 1927, Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run. The crowd cheered wildly. Fans threw their hats in the air and confetti rained down on the field. Babe Ruth, a man known around the world as one of the greatest baseball players of all time, had done the impossible—hit 60 home runs in one season. Gehrig finished the season with 47. Babe Ruths single-season home run record would not be broken for 34 years. Previous Records The previous highest number of Home-Runs in a single season belonged to Babe Ruth at 59 home-runs hit during the 1921 season. Before that, Babe Ruth also held the record in 1920 with 54 HRs and in 1919 at 29 (when he played for the Boston Red Sox). The earliest single-season record was held by George Hall of the Philadelphia Athletics with 5 home runs in 1876. In 1879, Charley Jones batted 9; in 1883 Harry Stovey batted 14; in 1884 Ned Williamson batted 27 and held the record for 35 years until Babe Ruth burst onto the scene in 1919.   Current Record Although Babe Ruth remained the reigning Home Run King for 34 years, several notable athletes have since broken the record. The first of which happened during the 1961 season wherein New York Yankees star Roger Maris batted 61 home runs in the season. 37 years later, in 1998, Arizona Cardinals play Mark McGuire revitalized the competition with an impressive 70-home-run season. Despite impressive seasons from Sammy Sosa in 1998, 1999, and 2001 (66, 63, and 64 HRs respectively), he never held the title of Home Run King because of Mark McGuire slightly edging him out for the record. The reigning Home Run King in 2017 is Barry Bonds who hit 73 home runs during his 2001 season with the San Francisco Giants.