Developmental Psychology and Early Childhood Education Essay Example for Free

Developmental Psychology and Early Childhood Education Essay Introduction The first six years of life are critical years of human life since the rate of development in these years is more rapid than at any other stage of development. Global brain research also informs us about the significance of early years for brain development. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) makes a positive contribution to children’s long term development and learning by facilitating an enabling and stimulating environment in these foundation stages of lifelong learning. Parents as caregivers are critical in providing a stimulating learning environment to the child and the first two and a half to three years need not be in a formal learning environment. The National Curriculum Framework acknowledges the significance of involvement of parents, family and community. The programme at the early childhood stage helps to ensure opportunities for holistic learning and growth. The ECCE programme needs to be determined by children’s developmental and contextual needs, providing for more need based inputs and an enabling environment. Given this need for an individualised approach, it was believed that a common ‘curriculum’ would not be appropriate for all. However, over the years it has been observed that the practical realities are different and most of the ECCE programmes on offer currently do not have developmentally appropriate programmes for the young child. The vacuum created by a lack of curriculum framework has resulted in its being filled with either a minimalist programme or the downward extension of the primary stage curriculum. To ensure optimal development for all children, there is a need to create a planned curriculum framework, encompassing developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills, with flexibility for contextualization. A curriculum framework is also required to ensure that important learning areas are covered, taking care of all the developmental needs of the young child. It also facilitates adoption of a common pedagogical approach to reach for a certain level of quality and address the widespread diversity in the ECCE programmes available for the young children in India. This Curriculum Framework is in line with the Government’s vision of ECCE as spelt out in the National Early Childhood Care Education Policy and is a broad framework of basic guidelines for curricular goals, programme content, classroom practices, parent guidance 4 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012  and teacher preparation across different provisions and across all regions. The purpose of this open framework is to promote quality and excellence in early childhood education by providing guidelines for practices that would promote optimum learning and development of all young children and set out the broad arrangement of approaches and experiences rather than detailed defining of the content. A cautious approach is being adopted to not provide a detailed curriculum/syllabus which would be prescriptive and ‘delivered’ to the young children in a ‘straight jacketed manner’. The Curriculum Framework calls attention to the common principles and developmental tasks, at the same time, respecting the diversity in the child rearing practices and contextual ECCE needs. Each programme is expected to develop its own curriculum to meet the needs of its children, their families, the specific setting, the linguistic culture and the local community. However, the programmes should be based on the curriculum principles and guidelines laid down in this framework. This Framework is a dynamic document and would be continually reviewed and evolved in the light of emerging needs. Also, with the adoption of the framework, case studies of emerging best practices will follow and learnings from them would further strengthen the framework. This Framework is firmly focussed on the needs of the child and should lead to improved quality of learning and increased attainment of learning outcomes for children participating in ECCE programmes. The other components for the holistic ECCE programme such as nutrition, health and care are to be ensured by cross reference from related instruments. Objectives of Early Childhood Education The aim of Early Childhood Care and Education is to facilitate optimum development of the child’s full potential and lay the foundation for all round development and lifelong learning. This aim is to be achieved through enabling the child to: ? Develop a positive self-concept. ? Establish a sound foundation for a good physique, adequate muscular coordination and basic motor skills. 5 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 ? Imbibe good health habits and basic life skills/ self-help skills necessary for personal social adjustment. ? Enhance verbal and non- verbal communication skills which would facilitate expression of thoughts and feelings in fluent, correct, clear speech. ? Develop the five senses and cognitive skills and concepts which are foundation for higher order thinking and reasoning. ? Develop emotional maturity by guiding the child to express, understand, accept and control feelings and emotions. ? Imbibe values, social attitudes and manners important in his/her socio cultural context and to become sensitive to rights and privileges of others. ? Develop independence, aesthetic appreciation and creativity by providing child with sufficient opportunities for self-expression and active exploration, investigation and experimentation. ? Make a smooth transition from preschool to primary through development of emergent literacy and school readiness. Principles of Early Learning Learning begins from birth: From infancy children are mentally and physically active. They learn through all their senses and stimulations. Children construct knowledge: They construct their own knowledge or working models while they actively engage in their environment and through repeated interactions with people and materials. This simply means that children touch, taste, shake things etc. to find out what happens and learn about things in their environment. Children’s curiosity and desire to learn: Children are curious and eager to learn. They have an inherent need to make sense of their experiences and learn about the world around them. Children learn through play: Play is central to the child’s well-being and development Children’s spontaneous play provides opportunities for exploration, experimentation, manipulation and problem solving that are essential for constructing knowledge. Play contributes to the development of representational thought. 6 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 Child development and learning are characterized by individual variation: No two children are same. Each child has an individual pattern and timing of growth and development as well as individual styles of learning. Children’s personal, family experiences and cultural backgrounds also vary. Children’s learning reflects a recurring spiral that begins in awareness, and moves to exploration, to inquiry, and finally, to application. Any new learning by children begins with awareness, which is generated from their experiences with objects, events, or people and ends with utilization, where children are able to use what they have learnt for multiple purposes and apply their learning to new situations. At this stage children start exploring the next level of information and the spiral continues. Children need to experience success more than failure to form a positive self-concept: The experiences should be planned in accordance with the maturational level of the children, such that they are challenging yet achievable, so as to promote self-confidence. When children have confidence in themselves, they do better. They are eager to try new and harder things; they gain new skills and become more confident and capable. Children develop holistically and benefit from integrated experiences and education: Learning and development of children takes place in totality. All the domains of development i. e. physical, motor, cognitive, language, socio-personal, emotional and creative and aesthetic appreciation are interrelated and take place simultaneously. Curriculum Content The curriculum must address the following interrelated domains of holistic development through an integrated and play based approach which focuses on development of life skills. ? Physical and Motor Development: Gross motor skills; coordination of fine muscles with dexterity ; eye hand coordination; sense of balance, physical co-ordination, and awareness of space and direction; nutrition, health status and practices. ? Language Development: Listening and comprehension; oral skills/speaking and communicating; vocabulary development; pre- literacy/emergent literacy skills like phonological awareness; print awareness 7 and concepts; letter- sound Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 correspondence; recognition of letters; building words and sentences and early writing. Introduction to language of school transaction. ? Cognitive Development: Development of various concepts including pre number and number concepts and operations (knowledge and skills related to comparing, classification, seriation, conservation of space and quantity, one to one correspondence; counting); spatial sense; patterns and estimations in measurement; data handling; skills related to sequential thinking, critical thinking, observing, reasoning and problem solving; and knowledge about concepts and physical, social and biological environment. ? Socio-Personal and Emotional Development: Development of self-concept; selfcontrol; life skills/ self-help skills; habit formation; initiative and curiosity; engagement and persistence; cooperation; compassion; social relationships; group interaction; pro- social behaviour; expressing feelings, accepting others feelings. ? Sensorial Development: Development of the five senses through visual, auditory and kinaesthetic experiences. ? Development of Creative and Aesthetic Appreciation: Exploring different art forms, develop dispositions, expression and appreciation for artistic, dance/ drama and musical activities Physical Motor Development Creative and Aesthetic Appreciation Language Development Socio-Personal Development Cognitive Development Emotional Development 8 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 ECCE is†¦.. †¢ A balanced play based programme of language, cognitive, creative and psychomotor activities A child centered programme catering to individual children’s learning emotional needs through individual, small and large group activities and one to one communication. A school readiness programme which ‘readies’ children for learning to read, write and do arithmetic later. A programme which indirectly promotes self-control and thereby inner discipline in children through interactions. †¢ ECCE is not†¦.. A syllabus bound programme for teaching 3R’s nor ‘a song and a rhyme and go home’ approach. A teacher centred programme that follows formal classroom approach as in school A program for formally ‘teaching’ reading, writing and arithmetic, which is to be done in primary. Not a programme which demands unquestioning obedience or exercise strict classroom discipline †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ (Source: Kaul, V. (2010): Early Childhood Education Programme. National Council for Educational Research and Training) The ECCE programme should ensure ‘holistic development’ of the child and reflect the inseparable nature of care and education by comprehensively addressing the need for care, nutrition, health and well-being of young children and parent counselling along with supporting the development of all domains. The holistic development approach is vital for provision of interconnected and interrelated activities covering all domains of development. Suggestive Developmentally Appropriate/Age appropriate Activities for ECCE For Children Under 3 years ? Focus on health, nutrition and early psycho social stimulation through free play and a lot of adult child interaction. Eg. s. , (infant games, traditional songs syllables, access to variety of play materials, individualized adult attention and interaction, opportunities to explore, early introduction to stories, infant books, drawings etc. ) in safe, spacious and clean environment. 9 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 For Children between 3 to 4 years ? Planned play based programme for all round development with more of free play. Continuous opportunities, more free but some guided, for adult –child, child to child Basic Tenets of Curriculum Development ? Based on needs and capacities of young children ? Recognition of special features of children’s thinking ? Mix of formal and informal interaction ? Familiarity and challenge in everyday rhythm ? Primacy of experience rather than expertise ? Developmentally appropriate practice and flexibility ? Use of local material, arts and knowledge which reflect the diversity and culture of the children. Source: Position Paper, National Focus Group on ECCE, 2005 interaction and interaction with play materials and environment through a variety of individual, small group and large group activities. ? Opportunities to listen to stories, learn rhymes, create, indulge in imaginative play, ask questions, do simple problem solving, experiment to promote active and interactive learning and generally have a ‘feel good’ experience for a positive self-image. For Children between 4 to 6 years Moving towards an increasing ratio of adult guided vs. free play activities, and more of large group activities for 4-5 year old and focused more on specific school readiness for 5-6 year old, with increasing complexity in all of above. ? Reading Readiness: e. g. picture –sound matching, shapes, phonetics; increasing vocabulary; verbal expression, developing bond with and interest in reading through picture books, storytelling, charts etc. 10 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 ? Writing Readiness: e. g. eye hand coordination, interest in writing, left to right directionality. ? Math: developing skills in classification, seriation, pattern making, reasoning, problem solving, forming concepts: pre number and number concepts and space concepts and vocabulary, environment concepts. ? Motor development: fine motor development through activities such as beading, pegboards and puzzles and large muscle development through running, jumping, balancing activities etc. ? Creativity and aesthetic appreciation: Creative drama, cultural activities, field trips etc. The programme should be relevant to individual and societal needs. The age demarcations are indicative and the activities have to be planned according to the developmental level of the children. Principles of Programme Planning ? ? ? The activities should be age and developmentally appropriate. Activities fostering all domains of development should be appropriately planned. The attention span of young children is 15-20 minutes; therefore the duration of activities should be 20 minutes, with additional time allotted for winding up and initiation of the next activity. However, the programme should allow space and flexibility for need based variations. ? There should be a balance between structured and unstructured; active and quiet; outdoor and indoor; self-directed and adult initiated learning opportunities and individual, small group and large group activities. ? ? ? ? The experiences should progress from simple to complex. A wide range of individual and group experiences should be planned which are related to the child’s environment, are enjoyable and challenging for children. Routine fosters a sense of security in children. Therefore some routine should be followed in the daily programme. The ECCE programme should never be rigid. 11 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 ? The duration of the pre-school programmes should be 3 to 4 hours. The programme should provide for some rest period during the day and if it is of longer duration, as a full day programme, then a nap time is to be ensured. ? Learning opportunities should be interconnected, linking learning experiences across developmental domains in a meaningful context, reflecting the real life context of the children. ? The language used should be the mother tongue of the child. Efforts should be made to extend their language sensitively and introduce the school language gradually to facilitate school readiness. ? Curriculum goal and objectives should guide classroom process and assessment of the children. The curriculum should be implemented in a manner that reflects responsiveness to family/ home values, beliefs and experiences. ? The programme should provide opportunities for exploration and experiential learning, promoting active engagement with people and objects in the environment. Outcomes of Early Childhood Education Curriculum Children who ? ? ? Communicate effectively Display emergent literacy skills, mathematical skills and scientific temperament Express emotions in socially acceptable manner, are socially adaptive and cooperative ? Have physical control, strength and healthy habits Pedagogical Approaches The curriculum adopts a play and activity based approach. Children are visualised as active beings who construct their own knowledge and the process of teaching –learning is one of co-construction of knowledge, with adults as facilitators. 12 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 Various approaches are practised for transacting the Early Childhood Education programme. Some commonly adopted approaches are: Montessori Method: This method is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development and is transacted through specialised sensorial material. Regio Emillia: Based on the work of Loris Mallaguzi, this is a constructivist approach which focuses on creation of a learning environment that enhances and facilitates children’s construction of their own thinking through the combination of communicative, expressive and cognitive languages as they engage actively with people, material and environment. Progressive Method: This is an eclectic approach which draws from the major child development theories. Recognizing the many paths of learning, latest researches and contemporary work lay the foundation of this framework. Thematic Approach: Integrated themes and projects form the core content of the curriculum. These themes should enable the children to make meaningful connections among the different concepts and develop holistic understanding of the world around them. The curriculum should be flexible and responsive to the needs of the children in the class. It is to be constructed to suit the diverse social, cultural, linguistic contexts in the country, and initiate integrated learning. A programme can adopt any of the above mentioned approaches to transact the curriculum. An integrated daily/ weekly/ monthly programme should be prepared with a well-rounded selection of learning experiences that strengthen all domains of development and are age and developmentally appropriate. The activities for different domains and concepts should be planned purposefully to enable a child to actively engage with and experience the concepts. These will help to consolidate the learning and lay the foundations for future. Caution should be observed to not equate the curriculum to just an exercise of organising activities, rather it should be viewed as a planned and purposeful intervention and adult child and child to child interaction to facilitate the process of knowing, understanding and construction of knowledge by the children. The aim of the curriculum should be to foster 13 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 development through integrated activities rather than mere completion of worksheets or repetitive exercises and activities. To address the needs of the large group of children in one class and multi-age setting, the strategy would be to conduct the activities in large group, small group and individual level. Essential Play and Learning Material In early childhood stage, a child learns through interacting with immediate environment hence environment should be stimulating and should have a variety of materials to arouse and sustain the child’s curiosity, interest and promote his learning. ? Adequate supply of developmentally appropriate play materials to foster all round development should be available at the ECCE centre ? The materials should be safe, clean and in good conditions. Sufficient quantity should be available to work in small groups and it should be easily accessible to the child. ? The materials should promote gross and fine motor development and help the child to discover and explore including constructing and reconstructing. It should promote sensory exploration and social interaction along with creative expressions through arts, painting, etc. Some essential play materials are Indoor Material o Blocks for constructive play o Manipulative toys 14 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 o Material for imaginative play /Dramatic play – dolls, puppets, masks, kitchen sets, mirrors, old spectacle frames, purses, old shoes, weighting scales, clock etc. o Material to develop Language skills – books and picture books, storytelling aid, puppets, story cards, sound board, conversation cards, flash cards, picture dominoes, collection of rhymes and stories, visual discrimination and auditory and visual association materials, slates, chalks, crayons, blackboard, drawing paper, etc. o Material to develop cognitive skills – sound boxes, visual discrimination cards, touch cards, feel bag, food items of varying kind to develop sensory skills, number domino cards, picture jigsaw and self-correcting puzzles for matching, sorting, arranging, classifying, problem solving, memory and sequential thinking to develop cognitive skills and materials in the environment o Musical instruments o Art material for creative expression such as paints, crayons, pencil, paint brushes, cotton, threads, clay, knife, papers, scissors, cloth, gum and fevicol, bead, etc. In addition to locally available material, teachers/caregivers can develop play and learning material for specific activities planned in the programme. Outdoor Materials o Play equipment to build balancing, jumping, climbing, swinging, swaying, cycling, etc. o Materials like large or small balls, old tyres, rings, etc. for throwing, catching, kicking, rolling, etc. 15 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 o Sand and water play arrangement with sand pit, mugs, spoons, cups, bucket, sieves, strainer, etc. Assessment Assessment is an essential and integral component of any ECCE programme to ensure that the programme remains child centric and the experiences and activities are planned according to the level of the child. It gives an insight into children’s interests, achievements and possible difficulties in their learning from which next steps in learning and teaching can be planned and thereby provides a platform to support the planning of a coherent curriculum for progression in learning. In order to ensure that the programme is responsive to the developmental needs of the child, it is essential to maintain their developmental and learning profile. The purpose of assessment is to give useful information about children’s learning and development to the adults providing the programme as also to children and their families. It also helps ensure early identification of developmental delays, special educational needs and particular abilities. Assessment contributes to evaluation, revision, and development of programmes. The areas of assessment ? ? ? The child’s interest and participation Skills and abilities Social interactions The assessment of the children should be formative, continuous and flow from the experiences planned in the curriculum. Formative continuous assessment implies documenting the development of the child, by interpreting the evidence from the day to day experiences of the child with the purpose of recognising and encouraging strengths and addresses learning/developmental gaps. Teachers need to evaluate each childs progress on an ongoing basis, through observations of their behaviour; their artwork and other products. Home-based observations may also be 16 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 conducted. The current level of performance should be rewarded to reinforce small steps of accomplishments towards the long term goals. Portfolio should be maintained for individual child. It should contain anecdotal records, developmental checklists, samples of drawing, writing and other activities, observation notes and parent teacher meeting notes. Role of Caregiver/Teacher The caregivers/ teachers in an ECCE programme are facilitators who engage children in multiple experiences to foster their all-round development. They play the following roles: ? Observe children to identify their needs and capabilities and move with the pace of the child’s development ? Plan appropriate, ? ? ? developmentally holistic and challenging activities Focus not only on planning and conducting activities but also on continuous processes for interaction and relating learning to child’s environment. Create nurturing and positive relationships with children and among children Organise supportive learning environment by taking care of aspects such as the arrangement of the physical environment and equipment; the scheduling of activities and events and groupings ? ? ? Work in partnership with parents Facilitate learning to meet the objectives of the curriculum Help in early identification and intervention for children with special needs 17 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 To accomplish the above the teachers need to enjoy being with young children, be knowledgeable about children’s development and early childhood curriculum and should be skilled at implementing the curriculum. Role of Parent The young child spends most of the time at home and much of the early learning occurs through the child’s day to day interactions with the family. The parents have a major role to play in the child’s development, much beyond merely being around the child and providing food and other basic needs. Parents need to: ? Provide a conducive environment at home for optimal development and learning and spend quality time with the child ? ? ? ? ? Encourage exploration and experimentation at home and optimally utilise the ample opportunities for incidental and lifelong learning arising from the daily activities Play a cooperative role and establish a relationship of trust and mutual respect with the teacher/caregiver at the ECCE centre Share and plan the development of their child along with the teacher/caregiver Participate in the open days and other events for parents and community Not to force formal learning and competition at this early age and respect children’s abilities and personalities. Supportive Essentials The open framework approach to curriculum adopted herein requires certain preconditions as essentials. These are: ? An enabling and stimulating learning environment which has been carefully designed and is child friendly 18 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 ? ? ? ? ? Contextually and culturally appropriate curriculum content Developmentally appropriate learning and play material Activity; rhyme and story bank Children’s Activity Book Trainer’s Manual and Teacher’s Guidebook addressing adult-child interaction, arrangement of the physical environment and equipment, planning of the daily routine etc.to help teachers implement the curriculum effectively ? ? Supportive supervision Professional development opportunity for ECCE caregivers 19 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 Annexure 1 Some Significant Themes to be covered in the Curriculum Myself, my family and community Food, health, hygiene and cleanliness Natural world and environment: plants; animals and birds; fruits and vegetables Physical environment: air, water, universe, seasons Social environment: My country; festivals and celebrations; neighbourhood; means of transport 20. Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 Annexure 2 Sample Weekly Plan Theme: Animals Time 9. 00-9. 30 9. 30-10. 00 Monday Circle Time Free Conversation (Animal Names) Tuesday Assembly Guided Conversation (Homes of Animals) Sorting Cards (Animals and their young ones) Block Play Lunch Tearing and pasting on animal drawings Wednesday Circle Time Free Conversation (Food of Animals) Soft and Hard Surface Thursday Assembly Guided Conversation (Animals and their young ones) Shape: Circle Friday Circle Time Guided Conversation (Uses of Animals) Pattern Writing. 10. 00-10. 30 Seriation Activity (Small to large animal) 10. 30-11. 00 11. 00-11. 30 11. 30-12. 00 Animal Race Lunch Free hand drawing of pet animals Swings and slides Lunch Models of animal homes Walking on Zigzag line Lunch Making Clay Animals Sand Pit Lunch Mask Making 12. 00-12. 30 Animal Rhyme (Pet Animals) Music and Movement Activity (How animals move) Rhyme Dramatization (Farm Animals) Animal Story (Wild Animals) Song and Dance (Birds) 12. 30-1. 00 Winding up Departure Winding up Departure Winding up Departure Winding up Departure Winding up Departure. Note: The time allotted for each activity is 15-20 minutes; the time slots of 30 minutes allotted in the plan include setting up, distribution of material and winding up for each activity. 21 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 Annexure 3 Sample Thematic Web Numeracy: Sorting pictures of animals and their young ones Creative Art : Models of Animal Homes Language: Rhymes and stories on Animals Cognitive : Animal names Types: Pet/ Wild/ Aquatic Animal food, sound , home Animals Physical Motor: Animal Race Tearing and Pasting on Animal Drawings. Socio-Emotional : Free Conversation Music Movement : Song and Dramatization 22 Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework 2012 Important Resources 1. Bhatnagar, R (2005): Little Steps. A Manual for Preschool Teachers. National Council for Educational Research and Training. New Delhi 2. Kaul, V. (2010): Early Childhood Education Programme. National Council for Educational Research and Training. New Delhi 3. Mother and Child Protection Card, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. 4. Muralidharan, R. , Asthana, S. (1991): Stimulation Activities for Young Children. National Council for Educational Research and Training. New Delhi 5. Position Paper on Early Childhood Care and Education, National Focus Group (2006). National Council for Educational Research and Training. New Delhi 6. Soni, R, Kapoor R, Vashishtha, K. K. (2008): Early Childhood Education. An Introduction. National Council for Educational Research and Training. New Delhi 7. Swaminathan, M. and Daniel, P. (2004): Play Activities for Child Development: A Guide to Preschool Teachers. National Book Trust, New Delhi. 8. WHO Child Growth Standards- Methods and Development, World Health Organisation 23.

Decision Making in a Nursing Ethical Dilemma

Decision Making in a Nursing Ethical Dilemma Introduction Decision making in an ethical dilemma circumstances could be difficult at time as one is prone to use similar past experience as a yardstick to analyse the circumstances. McGhee and Perrin (2008), define ethical dilemma as a situation that gives rise to conflicting moral claims resulting in disagreements about choices of action. Therefore using a framework as a tool to guide one through the ethical dilemma would aid in arriving a client-centred decision. This paper aims to look into Ranjit’s decision to die in his own home instead in a hospital as requested by his children using the model for ethical decision making by Kerridge, Lowe and McPhee (2005). Clearly state the problem Ranjit, a 77 year old man diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease lost his motor functions. He prefers to be cared and die at home however his children are concerned about not being able to meet his needs as they do not possess with necessary skills to handle his disease if he deteriorate. Ethical Problem Ranjit may have Parkinson’s disease however it does not limit his freedom to make his own decision. Therefore the ethical issue is raised in contradiction of his autonomy. Social Problem No one is able to care for Ranjit when his condition required more attention, therefore a caregiver is required if Ranjit wish is passed through. Legal Problem Ranjit is of a legal age in the eye of the law; he is capable to make sound decision for himself. His diagnosis may lead others to make baseless assumption about his capability to make a decision. Get the facts Parkinson’s disease is defined as chronic neurodegenerative disorder, which is related to loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Symptoms such as tremor, brandykinesia and rigidity present in early stage and later stage non-motor features including autonomic dysfunction, falls, and sleep disturbances as loss in non-dopaminergic areas (Ministry of Health, 2007). According to Hoehn and Yahr (1967), Parkinson is classified into five stages, from stage one tremor over one limb to stage five confinements to bed. The prevalence rate in Singapore was found to be 0.3% for the population aged 50 and above (MOH, 2007). People with Parkinson do not only experience distress with their own movement, but the increasing motor deficit also diminishes their ability to express, communicate and interact with others (Doyle Lyons, Tickle-Degnen, Henry, Cohn, 2004). Disability is seen more prominent as the disease progresses, caregiver may experience strain, burnout or financial bur dened (Tan 2013). Therefore communication is critical for patient and caregiver to discuss openly about the disease, understanding their frustrations will help them to live with the disease (Chiong-Rivero et al., 2011). Although with pharmacotherapy can improve the quality of life ancillary approach in managing disease cannot be overlooked. Utilisation of rehabilitation services for Parkinson patients will go a long way to keep them active within the community to prevent isolation and depression. Occupational therapy can be involved in teaching client and care givers in coping with activities of daily living. Physiotherapist can be involved in gait training and strengthening muscles to prevent falls. Caregivers can consider sending Ranjit to various alternative services such as Agency Integrated Care (AIC), day care centre or respite care. Consider the four principles Autonomy Autonomy is defined as the freedom and ability to exercise one’s choice and the ability to decide for oneself. The principle in autonomy is to respect a person’s decision, privacy and confidentiality and receive full disclosure (Staunton and Chiarella, 2008, p. 31; Butt and Rich, 2008, p. 42). His children are against Ranjit decision to be cared and die at home, despite his disease his right to choose should not be stripped off. As healthcare provider it is important to respect and promote client’s autonomy (Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, 1999, p.4). Beneficence Beneficence is described as taking action to help other; the desire to do good (Butt and Rich, 2008). The nurse would advocate client’s interest accordance to SNB Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (1999, p.8) value statement 7, to promote client’s best interest by ensuring desires are acknowledge and considered by the healthcare team. The team shall consider Ranjit’s decision to be cared at home as it is deemed good for him. Non- Maleficence Non- maleficence is defined as â€Å"above all, do no harm’ (Staunton and Chiarella, 2008). (ANMC) Code of Professional Conduct (2008) conduct statement 4 stated nurses to ensure the safety and quality of care are not compromised. If Ranjit’s decision was granted, a caregiver should be nominated to prevent harm at home such as fall. Justice Justice is based on the concept of fairness (Hendrick, 2000, p. 121). This suggests that one shall be treated fairly and be given equal chance to make decision. Statement 2.3 under Australian Nursing Midwifery Council (ANMC) National Competency Standards for Registered nurses (2006), to demonstrate respect for client’s legal right in relation to health care. Identify Ethical Conflicts Beneficence versus Autonomy The first conflict to be addressed her is whether Ranjit should be cared at home or die in hospital. No doubt hospital is well equipped with equipment and healthcare team to provide a care plan for him till he die but however Ranjit has the right to refuse admission, treatment or care from the hospital. Therefore his primary treating doctor should provide a full disclosure on the disease process, risk and potential problems to allow him to make an autonomous choice. Beneficence versus Non Maleficence The second conflict here is his children perceived hospital is the best place for him as they do not have the necessary skills to look after him. However what seem to be best may not be as it place Ranjit at risk for acquiring infection or develop depression to his wish rebuked. Non Maleficence ethical principle here is involved if Ranjit’s decision is approved by his children. Due to the lack of care at home, he may be faced with potential issues such as falls, pressure sores and chest infection. Consider the law Consent Mr Ranjit has the mental capacity to take consent as evidenced by his active commitments with various activities. His consent may be deemed valid if he is able to understand and retain information and communicate his decision as stated in Mental Capacity Act (2008). Right to refuse treatment As the children wanted him to be institutionalised, Ranjit can refuse admission to a hospital or a nursing home. Advance directives An advance medical directive (AMD) an Act to provide for, and give legal effect to, advance directives to medical practitioners against artificial prolongation of the dying process and for matters connected therewith (Advance Medical Directive Act, 1996). Mr Ranjit may consider AMD to safeguard his wishes, case he became unconscious or terminally ill. Making the ethical decision Ranjit’s decision to be cared at home should be granted as he is competent to make his own decision and what is deem best for his interest. Family conference involving patient’s treating doctor, patient and his family may be helpful in this circumstance to hear from individual’s perspective to reach a conclusion that may benefit all. However the ultimate decision is still on Ranjit thus his children should respect his decision and look for alternative revenue to provide care for their father. Document the decision In accordance to statement 6.3 of ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse (2006), Documentation must be written clearly and concise to provide accurate assessments. Therefore it is important for nurses and doctors to document all discussion shared as evidence to prevent unnecessary miscommunication. Evaluate the decision Ranjit’s care plan will need to be evaluated when there is a change in his condition or needs (ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse statement 8.2, 2006). As Ranjit is able to make an autonomous decision to be cared at home, his children can employ a caregiver to be home to look after the father, the care plan will need to be evaluated every three months to better support and meet his needs.

Products And Services Offered By Pepsico Commerce Essay

Products And Services Offered By Pepsico Commerce Essay PepsiCo is one of the most successful beverage and snack food business in the world. PepsiCo started on 1965, during that time Pepsi-Colas CEO and President Donald M, Kendall approached Herman Lay, Frito-Lays Chairman and CEO with a proposition of merging the two company in providing food and beverage with complementary products that would give a lesser opportunity for cost sharing, joint merchandising and knowledge and skill transfer (MightyStudents, 2010). PepsiCo brands are available in nearly 200 countries and territories. Its expertise is to create different food and beverage products that would soothe the taste of its consumer.  PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with revenues of about $57 billion and over 294,000 employees (JobsGlobal Online, 2011). The reinvention of different products, the introduction of new product, expansion into international markets and clever advertising campaigns are the primary focus of PepsiCo Inc.   PepsiCos considerable marketing expertise could be leveraged in the marketing of fried chicken, pizza, and Mexican fast foods. The companys current operating locations, headquarters and current initial public offering stock market. Pepsi-Cola North America, headquartered in Purchase, New York, is the refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo Beverages and Foods North America, a division of PepsiCo, Inc. PepsiCo Beverages and Foods North America also comprises PepsiCos Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker Foods businesses in the United States and Canada. Brand Pepsi and other Pepsi-Cola products account for nearly one-third of total soft drink sales in the United States, a consumer market totaling about $57 billion. Outside the United States, Pepsi-Cola beverages are available in about 160 countries. Today Pepsi-Cola products account for about a quarter of all soft drinks sold internationally (Global Finance, 2011).. The company has also established operations in the emerging markets of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, India and Russia, where Pepsi-Cola was the first U.S. consumer product to be marketed. Pepsi-Cola provides advertising, marketing, sales and promotional support to Pepsi-Cola bottlers and food service customers. This includes some of the worlds best and most recognized advertising. New advertising and exciting promotions keep Pepsi-Cola brands young. Performance and achievements PepsiCo current performance and achievement is Conserved more than 12 billion liters of water through efficiency improvements within PepsiCo operations as compared to the 2009 baseline. Achieved a 16 percent reduction in per unit use of energy in beverage plants and a 7 percent reduction in snack plants in 2010 compared to a 2009 baseline. Introduced the first fully compostable Sun Chips bag, which is made with 100 percent renewable plant-based materials. Increased the percentage of executive positions held by women globally to 30 percent. Reduced saturated fat by more than 50 percent in U.S. Lays and Ruffles potato chips. PepsiCos success is the result of superior products, high standards of performance, distinctive competitive strategies and the high integrity. The Macro-environment analysis of PepsiCo Company. Political Factors: The production distribution and use of many of PepsiCo product are subject to various federal laws, such as the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act ad the Americans with Disabilities. The government plays a role within the operation of manufacturing these products in terms of regulations. There are potential fines set by the government on companies if they do not meet a standard of laws. The businesses are also subject to state, local and foreign laws. The international businesses are subject to the Government stability in the countries where PepsiCo is trying get into underdeveloped markets. The businesses are also subject to de taxation policy in each country they are operating. They also have to comply with federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations. In political stability, whenever the Government Is Considered to Be Stable, the business will grow. If there is political stability in the country the policies and strategies made by Pepsi can be consistent to be implemented. Foreign companies are also keen to invest in those countries which are politically stable where they have no fear of decline in their market share or shut down due to sudden change of government. In mixed economy government and private sector both plays their role in developing the economy of the country. Investment by foreign companies like Pepsi is more likely to flourish in mixed economy. Economic Factors: The key elements taken into consideration are the principal market risks, which PepsiCo is exposed to inflation rate, interest rate, and foreign exchange rate. These are specified as: The major economic issue facing PepsiCo and its subdivisions is the rising input costs of  their businesses due to structural inflation.   Agricultural, energy, and some metal industries are going through periods of steady inflation.   Because PepsiCo relies on these industries, inflation costs must be factored into their cost equations.   In inflation rate, if the country faces inflationary trend in the market, the price of the Pepsi will ultimately increase which will lower its demand. Interest rate on PepsiCos debt as well as it short-term investment portfolio: PepsiCo can manage its overall financing strategies in term of balancing investment opportunities and risks. The company is using interest rate and currency swaps to effectively modify the interest rate in order to reduce the overall borrowing costs Foreign exchange rate and other international economic conditions, operating in international markets involve exposure to movements in currency exchange rates, which typically affect the economic growth, inflation, interest rate, government actions and other factors. Once these changes occur, they will cause PepsiCo to adjust its financing and operating strategies. Changes in currency exchange rates that would have the largest impact on translating PepsiCos international operating profit include Mexican peso, British pound, Canadian dollar and Brazilian real. Social cultural Factors: Consumers today are not as much joyous to cola products as they were before. Age and ethnicity are two main characteristics that affect consumer preference for soft drinks and alternative beverages. With age, health concerns become more of a factor when choosing a beverage. To illustrate, some studies show that cola products or soft drink in general may cause kidney stones and other related diseases. In contrast to older consumers, younger consumers particularly teens and those in their twenties have less attention spans for products and are more likely to prefer products that seems to be fun and different .   Age and ethnicity are two main characteristics that affect consumer preference for soft drinks and alternative beverages. With age, health concerns become more of a factor when choosing a beverage (PepsiCo, 2006). The requirements of different age groups are different. PepsiCo should target that age group that consumes it the most and make promotional strategies according to their behavior. So their main target is the young generation. The social environment within food services markets are changing significantly.   A new demand for healthy food and beverages coupled with a push towards green operations and environmentally-friendly company management has changed the social playing field within most markets.   With this in mind, PepsiCo have successfully adopted new goals and produced new products in order to meet this more health-conscious market.   PepsiCo and moreover Pepsi is subject to the lifestyle changes, because of it bases her advertising campaigns in a concrete kind of people with an special lifestyle, it is for that PepsiCo has to pay a special attention on the lifestyle changes. Particularly in the United States Pepsi drinkers are much defined, there is a kind of people who drinks Pepsi another kind who drinks Coca-Cola; it is for that they have to pay attention to the social mobility for not losing a possible market. Technological Factors: PepsiCo and its subdivisions utilize technology in order to sustain company growth, keep up with the demands of its sustained growth, and perform efficiently.   PepsiCos delivery systems provide a strong competitive advantage.   In particular, their most powerful distribution system, Direct store-delivery (DSD) allows them to supply all of their retailers and customer-distributors with up-to-date stock.   Direct store-delivery allows us to create maximum appeal and visibility for our brands and support in-store promotions.   DSD works well for popular products we restock often, because it allows us to distribute new products quickly.   Our DSD system reaches hundreds of thousands of retail outlets this way, from neighborhood convenience stores to large-format supermarkets (Annual Report, 11). Through research and development quality of the product can be improved or better techniques or machinery can be developed which can increase the production. When technology is advance the supply of the product increase hence the company experiences growth in their business. Some factors that cause companys actual results to differ materially from the expected results are as follows: The effectiveness of companys advertising, marketing and promotional programs. The new technology of internet and television which use special effects for advertising through media by make some products look attractive. This helps in selling of the products. This advertising makes the product attractive. This technology is being used in media to sell their products. Introduction of cans and plastic bottles have increased sales for PepsiCo as these are easier to carry and you can bin them once they are used. As the technology is getting advanced there has been introduction of new machineries all the time. Due to introduction of this machineries the production of the PepsiCo company has increased tremendously then it was few years ago. Legal Factors: In elements with changes to legislation, Waste Management and Public Concerns of growing environmental awareness are leading to increasing legislation. The companys operation is affected by federal legislative proposals that address the four objectives. First, minimize the quantity of packaging material entering the nations solid waste system. Second, minimize the consumption of scarce natural resources. Third, maximize the recycling and reuse of packaging materials. Fourth, Protect human health and the natural environment from adverse effects associated with the disposal of packaging materials. Laws Formulation in order Government has given copy rights to PepsiCo by Pepsi product, so that another company cannot sell their product by the name of Pepsi. The countries where laws are formulated, the strategies and activities of the company are different. This is one of the most important factors that a company needs to consider while starting, establishing and expanding operations in any country. Legal Environment is important because a company needs to confirm to the laws of the land and carry out its operations accordingly. While political environment is important as it can play an important informing opinions regarding the company. This is the reason why PepsiCo operates in India in collaboration, initially it started its operations in India with Punjab Government and then it started its operations in the carbonated and non-carbonated beverage segment n collaboration with RKJ group in India. Environment Factors: This plays an important role in determining the acceptability of the product according to the environment norms of the market and the effect the company has on each of these. In the area of Environment, PepsiCo Foundation seeks programs that protect water sources and create better use for existing water, in order to help minimize the growing water crisis that is faced by millions of people around the globe. In social responsibility, PepsiCo social responsibility is to provide its customers with clean and hygienic product so to do this they have increased the use of disposable bottles. Companies need to be very careful about this issue as people are very sensitive about their culture and may not tolerate any infringement. This determines the ingredients of the products and the type advertisement and promotions used by the company. The international considerations Where do they operate? PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become the countrys largest selling food and Beverage Company. One of the largest multinational investors in the country, PepsiCo has established a business which aims to serve the long term dynamic needs of consumers in India (PepsiCo India, 2011). The group has built an expansive beverage and foods business. To support its operations, PepsiCo has 36 bottling plants in India, of which 13 are company owned. In addition to this, PepsiCos Frito Lay foods division has 3 state-of-the-art plants. PepsiCos business is based on its sustainability vision of making tomorrow better than today. PepsiCos commitment to living by this vision every day is visible in its contribution to the country, consumers and farmers (PepsiCo India, 2011). What is/are their internationalisation method(s)? In order to enter the market scene, PepsiCo has been able to use joint venture. Joint venture is the term used when a business company merged to other company for the purpose of entering the international market.   This is an alternative mode of exploiting a particular asset such as retail and potential branch network to form an arrangement with an established supplier of the product. PepsiCo gained entry to India in 1989 by creating a joint venture with the Punjab government-owned  Punjab Agro Industrial Corporation  (PAIC) and  Voltas India Limited. This joint venture marketed and sold Pepsi  until 1991, when the use of foreign brands was allowed; PepsiCo bought out its partners and ended the joint venture in 1994. With the joint venture method used by the company to enter an international market, PepsiCo has been able to be known in the international market. Hence, it can be said that the method used by the company as a mode of foreign market entry is effective and appropriate to achieve the goal of the company of having a strong competitive position in the international market.   The company has used suitable market entry mode to ensure that their products will be delivered to international market. Discuss the problems faced by the company in international business and propose solution to overcome the issues. Problems Initially, the India market was highly fragmented, and the wholesale and distributional systems were outdated. This was further complicated because PepsiCo was the actually  existing wholesaler of concentrate, and did not have access to the operation of the bottling plants. To add to this problem, the companys local market agents were fully responsible for production and distribution during the initial stages of market entry. The India government exerted tight control over the development of the soft drink industry and was careful to nurture domestic brands. PepsiCo was not permitted to enter into a Joint Venture bottling business with its local partners until 1992, and even then it was restricted to a minority stake.   Pepsi is also facing the problem concerning environmental issues like the supply of raw materials to produce their products. If Pepsi fails to help in environmental issues, the situation it had been during World War might happen again  when they almost went out of business because of the shortage of sugar.  Ã‚   Solution To overcome the above problem, PepsiCo internalized market transactions through a strategy of long-term investment and, with the approval of the government was able to co-ordinate this with an increased control of production and domestic distribution. In the highly competitive market share driven business of carbonated soft drinks, to assume control of production and distribution is strategically essential. This meant that the acquisition of majority stakes in the bottling plants is almost a prerequisite for gaining the control over management. Pepsi also has to deal with such environmental issues like the supply of raw materials to produce their products. If the environment will provide them a good raw material they might have a more profit.  PepsiCos dedication and commitment to the environment is stated in their Worldwide Code of Conduct. The  Worldwide Code of Conduct  defines PepsiCos commitment based on the following environmental principles. Developing programs that promote clean air and water, energy conservation, and reduce land fill waste. By supporting programs that educate, train and motivate employees to help the environment. Business is conducted by complying with all applicable laws and regulations and provides a safe and healthy environment. Minimizing the impact of our businesses on the environment through methods that are socially responsible, scientifically based and economically sounds, such as recycling and conservation. By cooperating with different organizations and governments to find solutions to reduce pollution and by supporting environmental policies. In order to make this foreign operational mode combination a success, PepsiCo should consider the most suitable and effective expansion strategy. It can be said that the spread of PepsiCo is truly global. The company has hundreds of brands, which can be found in almost 200 countries and territories around the world. Market concentration is the result of interaction between the market size and a few vital factors. It is said that the industry of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) is highly concentrated. There are three major industries that compete in this business (PepsiCo and Coca-Cola). This shows that PepsiCo have a high market concentration. In this manner, the international market entry of PepsiCo is a good expansion strategy so as to maintain its position in the global market. In order to ensure that the market entry combination strategy used by the company will succeed, the company must be avail to consider the aspects of control and monitoring. In this manner, the company must have a monitoring team that will ensure the profitability and growth of the company as the expansion strategy has been initiated.   The monitoring team will be responsible for identifying the possible risks that the company will encounter upon the initiation of the expansion strategy through foreign market entry mode. In addition, this team will also be accountable for determining the cost that will be needed to implement that new strategy. Product competitive analysis SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the companys products. Strengths Branding One of PepsiCos top brands is of course Pepsi, one of the most recognized brands of the world, ranked according to Interbrand. As of 2008 it ranked 26th amongst top 100 global brands. Pepsi generates more than $15,000 million of annual sales. Pepsi is joined in broad recognition by such PepsiCo brands as Diet Pepsi. Diversification PepsiCos diversification is obvious in that the fact that each of its top 18 brands generates annual sales of over $1,000 million. PepsiCos arsenal also includes ready-to-drink teas, juice drinks, bottled water, as well as breakfast cereals, cakes and cake mixes. This broad product base plus a multi-channel distribution system serve to help insulate PepsiCo from shifting business climates. Distribution The Company delivers its products directly from manufacturing plants and warehouses to customer warehouses and retail stores. This is part of a three pronged approach which also includes employees making direct store deliveries of snacks and beverages and the use of third party distribution services. Weaknesses Second Mover Disadvantage Diet Pepsi Cola does have the first mover advantage which Diet Coke has and this may prove to be a major shortcoming also in the US Market no Extensive efforts have been made to popularize it. By brand, on a comparative scale Diet Coke proves to have a better brand image in customers mind than. This compels to incur extra expenditure in Advertising, Promotions and Sponsorship. Competitor The main competitor of the company is the Coca Cola. At the international level, Pepsi has a very strong competition with Coke. Coke has started its advertisements more effectively to increase their demand and it is a very strong threat for Pepsi. Expenditure Right from the very beginning Pepsi has hired the biggest and the most expensive stars in the country as its brand ambassadors and has spend heavily on advertising which has affected its balance sheet Opportunities Lowest Per Capita Consumption Even after almost decades of presence in the market, there are growth opportunities for Pepsi in US as here the per capita consumption of carbonated beverages is one of the lowest in the world. Health Based apart from its Juice Based drinks portfolio Pepsi can use the Slim Diet can to the maximum by promoting it as a health drink at cheaper prices. Healthy foods supportive The increasing concern for healthy foods supportive of diet and wellness will open a new door of opportunity for PepsiCo.   The acquisition of Aquafina, Tropicana and Quaker Oats is already a significant positive step towards the consideration of a healthier food and beverage alternative.   The awareness does not limit itself to these products and in fact, as if in a synergistic dedication,. PepsiCo is also committed towards the healthy lifestyle of children through school programs.   As PepsiCo caters to snack foods that are high in fat, PepsiCo must continue to challenge itself in the provision of healthy foods in the light of a deteriorating contemporary times.   The spotlight on healthier foods would hopefully cut the costs of the ever-inflating cooking oil prices as focus is made on high protein snacks. New markets expansion New markets are similarly opening up in the world, open for further expansion.   Most apparent is the opening of the Chinese market.   Taking in mind the large population of this country, Pepsi must find measures to quickly penetrate, expand to China and beating the competition that will arise from there.   They must appeal to the tastes, culture and locale of their new Asian markets using a local feel to their products which can be manageable in their strong advertising campaign. Pepsi continuing diversity will provide the much needed back-up for the company and allow it to rely on other companies and businesses than just a sole powerful brand. Threats Health Growing health awareness among people and some of ill effects of carbonated beverages have pursued many people to switch over to non-carbonated beverages that can seriously impede the long-term prospects of the entire Industry and Pepsi. Environment Environmental concerns are often raised because of the massive amount of water extracted by the bottling plants resulting in the drop in groundwater level which affects the local population adversely Intense Competition The Coca-Cola Company is PepsiCos primary competitors. But others include Nestlà ©, and Kraft Foods. Intense competition may influence pricing, advertising, sales promotion initiatives undertaken by PepsiCo. Recently Coca-Cola passed PepsiCo in Juice sales. Suggest solutions to recover the position of the weaknesses and threat of the product line. The solutions to recover the position of the weaknesses and threat of the product line is Pepsi should also introduce a version of Diet Pepsi Cola as a sports drink range this is a completely new and untapped market which will help in providing the impetus for Diet Pepsi. Pepsi should start more aggressive marketing of its Diet Pepsi range of products as they have very good growth and future prospects while there is not much growth in the carbonated beverages sector. Next solution is the Pepsi is at its maturity stage and the sales of company are not growing very rapidly. Company is doing a lot of promotional activities to let the product remain in the market. It holds a large share of the market and whenever the sales state declining, the Pepsi can improve it by different promotional activities. Marketers of Pepsi can try to improve sales by improving one or more marketing mix elements. They can cut prices to attract new users and competitors customers. They can also launch a better advertising campaign or use aggressive sales promotion to improve the sales. Thus, Pepsi is at its maturity stage. The next solutions to recover the position of the weaknesses and threat of the product line is for Pepsi is to move forward with commitment to provide industry leadership in the health and wellness arena. Pepsi should do a better job of staying in touch with shoppers and consumers and in the process of innovating and creating value. This is absolutely essential for value creation in the beverage industry. I think the most important driver behind the demand for beverage is population demographics. The final solution for Pepsi is to develop strategies to win the cola war in this century. Winning the cola war in twenty-first century is critical for Pepsi to maintain its industry leadership position and to be a total beverage company. New Venture Barriers to entry New entrants Pepsi to the Norway industry were very high human development (VHHD) are not a strong competitive pressure in the soft drink industry. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo dominate with their strong brand name and superior distribution channels. In addition, the soft-drink industry is fully saturated. New growth is small. This makes it very difficult for new, unknown entrants to start competing against the existing established firms. Another barrier to entry is the high fixed costs for warehouses, trucks, and labor and economies of scale in Norway country. New entrants cannot compete on price without economies of scale. These high capital requirements and market saturation make it extremely difficult for companies to enter the soft drink industry; therefore new entrants are not a strong competitive force. Pepsis product differentiation caused by their marketing strategy has limited the threat of new entrants. Also the heavy start up costs of manufacturing and packaging plants would be a deterrent. But, the biggest deterrent is brand image and reputation; a new company would be very hard pressed to take market share away from established players like Pepsi, Coke etc. More importantly, the access to distribution channels is currently one of the biggest barriers to entry, and this barrier remains because both Coke and Pepsi maintain very strong relation with their channel partners. 6.2 Threat of Substitutes Substitutes for Pepsi products in Norway with (VHHD) are bottled water, sports drinks, coffee, and tea. Bottled water and sports drinks are increasingly popular with the trend towards the health conscious consumer. There are a growing number and varieties of water and sports drinks that appeal to different consumers tastes. These are advertised as healthier than soft drinks. In addition, coffee and tea are competitive substitutes because they provide caffeine. Soft drinks can be substituted with coffee. Specialty blend coffees are also becoming more popular with the increasing number of Starbucks stores that offer many different flavors to appeal to all consumer markets. Low switching costs for the consumer makes the threat of substitute products very strong (Datamonitor, 2006). 6.3 The bargaining power of supplier Threats of Suppliers to in Norway (VHHD) are suppliers Pepsi are bottling equipment manufacturers and secondary packaging suppliers. Since Pepsi owns the majority of the bottler, it looks like that particular supplier does not hold much bargaining power. However, there has been increased concern about the simmering tensions between Pepsi and its increasing powerful independent bottlers such as PepsiCo. PepsiCo controls 80 percent of the US market as well as parts of Europe. Pepsi is introducing new product at a significant rate. The operational and distributional complexity due to new product introduction is affecting the bottom line of the bottlers. Some bottlers have even refused to carry new products. In terms of equipment manufacturers, the suppliers are generally providing the same products. The number of equipment suppliers is not in short supply, so it is fairly easy for a company to switch suppliers. This takes away much of the suppliers bargaining power. However, rising sugar and packaging material prices have a direct impact on the profitability of the Pepsis products. 6.4 The Bargaining power of Buyers The buyers power in new venture of Norway with Very High Human Development County, Pepsi and other soft drinks are mainly large grocers, discount stores, and restaurants. The soft drink companies distribute the beverages to these stores for resale to the consumer. The bargaining power of the buyers is very evident and strong. Large grocers and discount stores buy large volumes of the soft drinks, allowing them to buy at lower prices. Restaurants have less bargaining power because they do not order in large volume. However, with the number of people drinking less soft drink, the bargaining power of buyers could start increasing due to decreasing buyer demand. The interesting shift in buyer demand because of increased demand for healthy choices has driven the market share of substitute drinks. Consumers are focusing more on healthy choices and buying healthy drinks from high end specialty stores. This phenomenon is due to health and wellness trend sweeping across the global beverage market. Soft drink consumers are moving their consumption from regular cola carbonates to low-calorie carbonates, bottled water, sport drinks, juice and teas. Pepsi should adapt to this consumer behavior for future growth. 6.5 Competitive rivalry The competitive pressure from rival sellers is the greatest competition that Pepsi faces in the soft drink industry to enter to Norway. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Cadbury Schweppes are the largest competitors in this industry with global presence. Though Pepsi owns four of the top five soft drink brands (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda, and 7 up), it had lower sales in 2006 than did Coca-Cola. However, PepsiCo has higher sales in the global market than Coca-Cola. In 2006, PepsiCo dominated North America with sales of $22 billion, whereas Pepsi only had about $7 billion, with more of their sales coming from overseas. PepsiCo is the main competitor for Coca-Cola and these two brands have been in a power struggle for more than a century.

The Yellow Wallpaper -- essays research papers

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story that deals with many different issues that woman in the 19th century had to deal with on a daily basis. Some of these issues were within their control, but many of them were outside of the realm of control for women. The main point that I will focus on is how restricted societal roles can cause insanity. I will do this by deciphering the meaning of the "yellow wallpaper" and its symbolism. In my opinion, I believe that once we get a better understanding of the author's interest in this subject area and get a feel for life in the 19th century, then we will have a better understanding of the story. First, let's take a look at the background of Gilman before and after she wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. Gilman lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and she definitely had her fair share of troubles. Her biggest struggle in life was living within the constraints of a society that put women in a class apart from everyone else; when in her heart she felt that she was an equal counterpart to men. She suffered depression from this problem for many years, until finally she was seem by a world-famous neurologist, Dr. Weir Mitchell, who simply prescribed her with rest. This "rest period" sent her into an even deeper state of depression, which she didn't come out of until she tried to resume her normal life, along with joining the American Woman Suffrage Association as a writer and active participant. Unfortunately, Gilman's life got so bad that her condition got worse and she fell to the insanity level, eventually causing her to commit suicide with chloroform. Now that we have a little background on the author, we can take a closer look at the actual work and its characters. The two main characters of the story a narrator and her husband, John, and the story takes place in the 19th century. Life for the two is like most other marriages in this time frame, only the narrator is not like most other wives. She has this inner desire to be free from the societal roles that confine her and to focus on her writing, while John in content with his life and thinks that his wife overreacts to everything. Traditionally, in this era, the man was responsible for taking care of the woman both financially and emotionally, while the woman was solely responsible for remaining at home. This w... ...John comes home and finds the door locked. He begs her to open it and she tells him "The key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf!" (Gilman 669) When he comes back and opens the door, he sees her ripping the rest of the paper off the wall, with the rope tied around her and he faints. This is when John realizes that his wife has reached the point of hysteria and is insane. But, the narrator sees it differently. She declares that she is now free by saying: "I've got out at last,..in spite of you and Jane! And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!" (Gilman 669) The one theme that I pulled out of The Yellow Wallpaper only cracks the surface of understanding this story. The wallpaper was used by Gilman as a medium to expose the constraints that were placed upon women in the 19th century. The same constraints that she utterly despised and tried so hard to get rid of them. The narrator's overexposure to the wallpaper was just like Gilman's overexposure to societal roles. They both needed to get out in order to keep their minds intact. Eventually they both did, but it took a long time and a big toll on their mental health and psyche. The Yellow Wallpaper -- essays research papers Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story that deals with many different issues that woman in the 19th century had to deal with on a daily basis. Some of these issues were within their control, but many of them were outside of the realm of control for women. The main point that I will focus on is how restricted societal roles can cause insanity. I will do this by deciphering the meaning of the "yellow wallpaper" and its symbolism. In my opinion, I believe that once we get a better understanding of the author's interest in this subject area and get a feel for life in the 19th century, then we will have a better understanding of the story. First, let's take a look at the background of Gilman before and after she wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. Gilman lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and she definitely had her fair share of troubles. Her biggest struggle in life was living within the constraints of a society that put women in a class apart from everyone else; when in her heart she felt that she was an equal counterpart to men. She suffered depression from this problem for many years, until finally she was seem by a world-famous neurologist, Dr. Weir Mitchell, who simply prescribed her with rest. This "rest period" sent her into an even deeper state of depression, which she didn't come out of until she tried to resume her normal life, along with joining the American Woman Suffrage Association as a writer and active participant. Unfortunately, Gilman's life got so bad that her condition got worse and she fell to the insanity level, eventually causing her to commit suicide with chloroform. Now that we have a little background on the author, we can take a closer look at the actual work and its characters. The two main characters of the story a narrator and her husband, John, and the story takes place in the 19th century. Life for the two is like most other marriages in this time frame, only the narrator is not like most other wives. She has this inner desire to be free from the societal roles that confine her and to focus on her writing, while John in content with his life and thinks that his wife overreacts to everything. Traditionally, in this era, the man was responsible for taking care of the woman both financially and emotionally, while the woman was solely responsible for remaining at home. This w... ...John comes home and finds the door locked. He begs her to open it and she tells him "The key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf!" (Gilman 669) When he comes back and opens the door, he sees her ripping the rest of the paper off the wall, with the rope tied around her and he faints. This is when John realizes that his wife has reached the point of hysteria and is insane. But, the narrator sees it differently. She declares that she is now free by saying: "I've got out at last,..in spite of you and Jane! And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!" (Gilman 669) The one theme that I pulled out of The Yellow Wallpaper only cracks the surface of understanding this story. The wallpaper was used by Gilman as a medium to expose the constraints that were placed upon women in the 19th century. The same constraints that she utterly despised and tried so hard to get rid of them. The narrator's overexposure to the wallpaper was just like Gilman's overexposure to societal roles. They both needed to get out in order to keep their minds intact. Eventually they both did, but it took a long time and a big toll on their mental health and psyche.

How to Meet Your Deadlines :: Process Essays

How to Meet Your Deadlines It's a gorgeous fall day and my mind is drifting like a dinghy on the lake. But I'm inside my house watching the clock tick away, hoping to pull together this essay before the deadline arrives. If you're like me, deadlines drive you crazy, but they also keep you driven. Chances are, you've spent countless nights awake, fretting over an upcoming deadline, even ones that are easy to meet. The Pressure Cooker So how can you handle the pressure -- real and imagined -- of deadlines? And what should you do if it looks like you're going to miss one? Here are a few tips on handling the dreaded D-word. Always meet your deadlines. There's simply no excuse, short of calamity not to. As Cameron Foote writes in "The Business Side of Creativity": "You're very raison d'etre is to do for others what they cannot or will not do for themselves. When you accept an assignment, the client expects you to be competent, professional, and most of all a fanatic about meeting his or her deadlines." Treat deadlines with the respect they deserve. Woody Allen once said, "eighty percent of life is just showing up." You'll be amazed and how much return business you can earn simply by being on time. Negotiate longer lead times. Deadlines are like money, they aren't easily renegotiated. Even if you think you can meet the proposed deadline with little problem, it's best to win yourself a little extra time during the initial negotiation. Extra time acts as insurance should a work or personal emergency arise or if the job becomes inexplicably complex. The slack can also come in handy if you need to accommodate a rush job, particularly one with extra dollars attached. Ask for an extra day or week or month, whatever is appropriate to the work you do and the scope of the project. Whenever you start talking to a client about a deadline, think about your kids, significant other, or beloved hobby, and silently ask yourself: Is this deadline going to prevent me from spending time with the people or activities I love? If nothing more, this ploy gives you the incentive to ask for that extra week or two. Break up chores into manageable pieces. Perhaps the problem is not the deadline, so much as the sheer size of a project you face. One way to battle this daunting specter is by creating a Gantt chart to break the project into smaller chunks.

Delivery of Customer Service Excellence within UK universities Essay

There has been continuous increase in the number of people pursuing higher education. This has been contributed to by the changing society that requires one to continuously update and keep up with the education standards. As the demand of education increases, there is an increase in demand for higher education in the face of decreasing government funding (White, 2007, p.67). The decrease in government funding in many countries has resulted to self-sponsorship among most of the students. With the students, being self-sponsored there is need for amore market driven stress on focus on the customers’ needs and in this case, the students are the customers. As the number of students with the objective of going to universities increase so does the application of marketing in the field of higher education (Lomas, 2007, p.456). The marketing of university services has necessitated the change in the relationship of the students and the university to have a customer provider relation. The treatment of students as customers has been at an increase due to the increase in number of universities. The increase in number of universities increases competition-necessitating need for customer service among the universities to increase the number of student’s enrollment rate. To establish if the students are customers one has to determine the services provided by universities and the consumers of the products or services provided. According to Martinez (2013, p.56), education provision can be classified as a service, which can be separated into service delivery and service content. Whereby service, content cannot be negotiated with the students but service deliver is negotiable. Simple the content covered in the classrooms is not determined by the students but the way in which this content is delivered can be negotiable. The customers of the service provided by the universities are students. The service delivered in this case refers to the standard way in which education is applied or impacted on the students. The quality of service is determined by the standards applied in an institution, the equipment’s applied, technology, materials, instructor, and the timing in which this education takes place. The two types of service provided by the universities attract different consumers. The service content attracts customers that are external to the institution who include private and public employers and the society. The students are described as the service consumers since they are partners with the institutions and are the main consumers of the services provided by universities. Universities can also be described as service providers since it cannot be classified as service provider since they do not manufacture any of their final products instead they offers good that are not physically visible. Having classified the services provided by universities it could be established that there are several types of consumers of the universities products. The main customers are however, the students who are directly affected by the quality of services provided. Secondly, there are external consumers who are affected by the services provided in a secondary level. Having established students as consumers then universities should strive to always satisfy customer’s needs. In addition, universities should be improved by comparing them with the service provision industry, as an ever-increasing competition forces to do so. Trends in the universities also draw it closer to customer-oriented service industries. Students   want to be involved in the decision making process of the universities more than depending on the market forces, this qualifies   the students to be the customers since the articulation of their opinions increases or decreases the royalty and retention rate of the universities customers. In some countries like UK and Austral, universities senior management and government agencies insist on the need to consider students as the customers. This is evident in Oxford University where the satisfaction of the students is a paramount objective for the institution. This is justified by the fact that the marketing department of the university has students suggestion cites where they collect the needs and wants of the students. This opinion is however, not supported by the academic staff that states that recognition of students as customers decreases the quality of education since the needs of the students are not in all cases right like the expectation in businesses(Lomas, 2007, p.34). Governments all over the world and particularly the UK government have been seen to put in place mechanisms for assessing the quality of the services provided by universities. This assessment is meant to allow the government to identify areas that need improvement. The government also puts in place measures that drive up the quality of education and provide enough information about the universities that will help students determine on what institution is proper or the best among the many provided. Government makes reforms at universities to change the perception of universities into business –like organizations (Lomas, 2007, p.54). According to Pittman (p. 342), the relationship between the student and the universities are special unlike most of the service industries. The recognition of universities as service providers, in one way or another the market forces lead into the treatment of the institutions as businesses. The treatment of universities as businesses has been evident in the running of Cambridge university and other leading universities in the UK that engage in marketing strategies aimed at pleasing the students in the universities. This therefore includes the marketing strategies used by businesses. The business focus is the satisfaction or meeting customer needs and similarly universities should focus on meeting the students’ needs to survive in the market. Students attend universities with different objectives including, pursuit of their person interest, desire to gain qualifications, prepare for academic and research careers and preparation for the world of work. These needs are sufficiently provided by most of the universities however, the students choose the universities that provide these services with a more customer centric culture. The universities are now under pressure to make the students feel as the kings and at the same time not deteriorate their standards of their curriculums or standards. This calls for the universities to differentiate themselves and creating a customer oriented relation with the students to increase the enrollments and retention rate. Customer Relationship Management Theory Customer relationship management is an important aspect of any business. It is the process of obtaining, retaining an increase the market share, or customer base of a business. It includes the management of off-line and in-line relationships with consumers. Customer relationship management requires the running of business in a customer centric approach that considers the customers first. Universities have increased in number necessitating the need of marketing activities that differentiate each university and increase their competitive advantage. The ever-increasing competition levels have brought about changes in the dynamics of the education business particularly in the university level. The customers of universities have continuously been enlightened and choose the best among the universities. This has increased the need and importance of a customer centric culture that strives to understand the customer’s needs. Universities have understood the need to invest in new technologies to allow them to gain advantage in the competition by exploiting their brand value, customer base, and investments in infrastructure in order to increase the number of enrollments, as their direct link to the customer satisfaction and profitability (Martinez, 2013, p.56). Customer relationship management allows the universities to analyze their consumers at different levels to allow the detection of their needs, preferences, potential areas that require improvement and after this, the universities are able to establish or implement the necessary actions to achieve customer satisfaction. Universities engage in every year orientation for the students to display the facilities in the institutions. This is evident in Manchester University, Liverpool and Cambridge that allow the interested students to view the facilities and from their judgment choose a university that best suits their needs. Achievement of customer satisfaction is a core objective to many businesses as it increases the competitive advantage and thus increasing profitability of the organization. The increase in number of universities increases the bargaining power of the consumers who in this case are the students. Today students want to enroll in universities with better services, lower fees, good infrastructure, skilled tutors, and access to various services within an institution. This pressures the universities to look for new ways that are going to satisfy these needs and ways to keep the students and the rest of the customers satisfied before any other institution does (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2010, pg.89). According to Bay, Darlenen, Daniel, &Harold (p. 15), students are the purchasers of the service provides and therefore the customers of some of the campus services and the facilities, which are provided at a price. Students have to pay for the education provided at full price in order to benefit. The service provider determines the standards of the service though the services provided at aimed at satisfying the customers. This is similar with the universities who are expected to determine the needs of the customers but at the same time ensure that they satisfy the customer’s needs. Students can also be seen as clients of the campus facilities such as libraries, administrative services, and computer laboratories. Students could use these services as free of charge but since they are charged this makes the students the clients of the universities. These universities have a responsibility to the students Total Quality Management According to total quality, management customers are the people to whom an organization sells its services or products. This makes the students and in some cases the parents, private and public institution, and the government the customers of the universities. TQM model identifies students as stakeholders in educational decisions. They are however, not the only stakeholders and at times, the needs of the students come second to those of the society. Under the TQM, frame work the students create a market force under which the universities have to adopt to survive in the market (White & Naomi, 2007, p. 600). The TQM model states that quality starts and ends with the customer, this is because of the increased competition in the market that has necessitated the focus on the customer to gain a competitive advantage. According to the concept, the satisfaction of internal customers leads to the satisfaction of the external customers and consequently every customer both the external and internal are satisfied. The theory states that several factors including, customer expectation, company operations, and the employees responsible for delivering the services to the customer bring about customer satisfaction. The creation of a customer centric culture is of great importance to an organization. This creates satisfaction among the consumers and the customers increasing their royalty and increases the retention rate of customers. Focus on customers increases the advertisement of a product by the word of mouth of the satisfied clients reducing the operation cost and increasing the number of consumers. Concentration on consumers is the best tactic or weapon against competitors since the customers are the final determinants in the existence of an organization (George & David, 2007, p.970). Universities are businesses that should re-orient the services rendered so to keep the customers satisfied. In the past universities were not treated as businesses since there were countable universities and the number of students were minimal and there were no competition. Currently the market is flooded with universities, which increases the need of the perception of the customer as the king and always right. With the increased number of universities the buyers of universities services are fewer and this increases the need for quality services   which is dependent on the extent that   an university is able to meet and exceed the customers’ requirements (King, 2001, p.190). Total quality, management recognizes the student’s perception of quality change as they progress from one stage to another. This allows the institutions to continuously update their services to meet the customers’ needs and expectations in every level, Needs of the customers in universities consist of the minimum necessary human elements that must be rendered to retain the customers in this case the student. If the students’ needs are not met then they are likely to discontinue their education in one university and continue in another that meets its needs. Universities are defined to be successful if the student enrollment and retention rate is high compared to the rest in the market. Total quality, management programs are also seen to be successful if they facilitate customer retention and enrollment in universities. Needs and want satisfaction in universities is therefore structured towards the basics of performance, providing what the students want and what they are unable to survive without (White & Naomi, 2007, p. 600). Ways in Which Expectations Can Be Managed and Service Excellence Achieved Universities can use different mechanisms to improve their service excellence. The first strategy on improving service excellence is the determination of the superior services they offer. The service must identify and target customers segments according to the type of services attributes that they must demand. Universities must identify group or students with similar expectations in terms of what aspects are associated with the excellence in service. The universities should continuously find the proper trade- off between inferior performance for one attribute with superior performance for another (Bay, Darlene, Daniel &Harold, 2001, p.16), The customers themselves best understand their needs. Expectations can be managed if the service providers are able to understand the needs of the customers. In universities, the students are the main consumers of the services offered. Universities should identify the students’ needs by encouraging feedback on the services provided. This allows the meeting of their needs and consequently increasing the customer royalty and the enrollment rate. The second strategy is the employee management system that allows ensures that the employees treat the customers are content. Universities should ensure that their employees meet the needs of the customers and have a customer centric culture. In the case of universities the academic personnel should ensure the student’s needs are met and also that the services rendered are of quality (Lomas & Laurie, 2007, p.35) The third element is benchmarking the service provided and the services provided by other universities. This allows the universities to identify the areas that need improving and the areas that are outstanding. This allows the universities to merge or close up the gap between them and their competitors. Benchmarking also gives new ideas of products or the services that the competitors are offering. This increases the products offered and the quality of service (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2010, pg.89). The fourth element is continuous improvement of the services and products offered by institutions. The continuous improvement of services reduces the chances of products becoming obsolete. University students needs keep changing with periods, change in equipment infrastructure, and the time. This necessitates the universities to update their services continuously so at to increase customer satisfaction and maintain customer royalty. The last step is being of conscious of bad service delivery. Looking at the past bad experiences allows and institutions to learn what are being done wrong. Continuous review of past mistakes allow the correction of the poor standard services previously provided and introduction of new services that meet the customers need. The last is the implementation of technology to improve customer satisfaction and in meeting the customer needs. The increased perception of students as customers has increased the enrollment in most universities. This is because of the students feeling that their needs are catered for. This has been evident with the increased enrollments in the oxford university. Conclusion The focus on customers is a core objective for any business. Universities are classified as service delivery business with the students being the major customers. The identification of the customer needs is a relevant and important factor in the satisfaction of customer needs. In universities and higher education institutions students are classified as customers since they are the purchasers of the services provided by the institutions. Universities are obliged to provide quality services to the students. There has been increased number of universities with time, which has increased the competition among the universities to gain competitive advantage. The increased competition has necessitated the need for a customer centric culture to gain more customers. References Bay, D.   & Daniel, H. 2001. â€Å"The Student Is Not the Customer-An Alternative Perspective†, Journal of Marketing for Higher Education Vol.11, No. 1, pp.1-19 Biswas, S. 2011. Relationship marketing: concepts, theories and cases. New Dehli, India, PHI Learning. George, D. 2007. â€Å"Market Overreach: The Student As Customer†, The Journal of Socio-Economics, Vol.36, pp.965-977 HErnon, P., & Whitman, J. R. 2000. Delivering satisfaction and service quality: a customer-based approach for libraries. Chicago, American Library Association. Hess, E. D. 2011. Growing an entrepreneurial business: concepts and cases. Stanford, California, Stanford Business Books. King, S.P. 2001. â€Å"The Funding of Higher Education in Australia: Overview and Alternatives†, The Australian Economic Review, Vol.34, No.2, pp.190-194 Lomas, L. 2007. â€Å"Are Students Customers? Perceptions of Academic Staff†, Quality in Higher Education, Vol.13, No.1, April, pp.32-43 Martinez, M. 2013. Creating a service culture in higher education administration. West, D. C., Ford, J. B., & Ibrahim, E. 2010. Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage. Oxford, Oxford University Press. White, N, R. 2007. â€Å"The Customer Is Always Right? Student Discourse About Higher Education In Australia†, High Education, Vol.54, pp.593-604.   

A Microfinance MIS

Mifos is an internet based management information system designed for microfinance. The system is user friendly and flexible for the company and it’s client information. Mifos is a unique system that provides tools which allows the user to research client’s information. This information used for this system would research information such as payments, client personal information for their accounts, reports and much more. The system helps the user navigate to different accounts and provides details of an individual client. There are several tabs the user can navigate to with the system. The first tab is the home tab which allows the user to search for the client’s information by name or groups. The second tab is clients and accounts tab to give full detail of the client’s information. In this tab the user can assist the client with opening accounts, closing and reviewing the client’s information and questions the client may have. The third tab is the report tab; this tab is used to process operational and financial reports. The last tab is the Administrative tab which is only used by a designated office administrator to create new system users and find office products. These tabs are provided to make sure information can be accessed and the side tabs are in place help the user navigate through the system without problems. The Mifos system is for IT skilled users and designed for financing purposes only.