Friday, September 4, 2020

What Theological Or Ethical Principles Religion Essay

What Theological Or Ethical Principles Religion Essay As palliative consideration is particular solace care for individuals who are moving toward the finish of their lives, it is identified with numerous moral issues and concerns. Its structure depends on the virtues and standards of the experts in question, patients concerned, their families and society overall. Palliative consideration is a touchy issue and it is significant that it is controlled in a fitting way. The fundamental goal is to accomplish the most ideal personal satisfaction, both for the individual, and for their family. In that capacity, palliative consideration is more than the arrangement of clinical help from torment and other troubling side effects. It includes the mental, social, enthusiastic and profound parts of end of life care. The palliative consideration reasoning insists life and sees passing on as an ordinary procedure. It neither plans to hurry nor delay demise. It tries to give a group based emotionally supportive network for the individual, empowering them to live as satisfied an actual existence as feasible for the time remaining; and to enable their family to adapt during their friends and family sickness and get ready for their deprivation. Care can be given at home, in an emergency clinic, a matured consideration office or a palliative consideration unit. Most importantly, palliative consideration regards the poise of the individual who is kicking the bucket, cautiously respecting their story, wishes and needs. A conversation about palliative consideration doesnt essentially imply that demise is inevitable, actually, its far superior to begin pondering your palliative consideration choices before you need them. Palliative consideration is in some cases required for an individual whose demise is exceptionally almost only hours or days while others will require care over a more drawn out timeframe, now and then years. For this situation their consideration needs will in general be not so much serious but rather more wordy. The requirement for palliative consideration doesn't rely upon a specific clinical determination, yet the blend of numerous variables evaluated through the judgment of the individual, their family, the palliative consideration group and other clinical experts, including the people GP. Families and carers may likewise get help from palliative consideration administrations so as to assist them with adapting to passionate and social issues; injured healers additionally need re cuperating. To vindicate is to cover with a shroud of care; to offer assurance and give alleviation in the last part of life. A palliative methodology is a kind of palliative consideration and perceives that passing is inescapable for us all. For me composing, I am helped to remember a remark Professor John Swinton made because of an inquiry at the ongoing CAPS meeting: Any place we are throughout everyday life, there is a tempest coming readiness becomes about the robustness of our establishments. End of life inquiries of value, arranging and poise are morally and philosophically grounded in hardening our establishment. Clements (1990) composed of this, clarifying as the individual traveling through life finds their jobs took from them, and on the off chance that they have no otherworldly establishment, they might be discovered stripped at the center. Private Aged Care Facilities are regularly where individuals spend the last section of their life; individuals come into care since they are not, at this point ready to take care of themselves and most will have constant disease close by maturing. The focal point of care in matured consideration offices is to assist individuals with living great with their sickness and feebleness during their time spent there. This attention on living great is the quintessence of the palliative way to deal with care. Our objective is consistently to evaluate and treat torment and different indications altogether, in natural environmental factors and in the organization of the people friends and family. Theres a Japanese axiom of which I am especially affectionate, A nightfall can be similarly as lovely as a dawn. In my work Ive seen numerous wonderful nightfalls in people groups lives. Tragically, Ive likewise saw some that arent so wonderful. With forward arranging they may have been unique. The unexpected beginning of disease has a method of turning our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, topsy turvy at any age. Unexpectedly choices can be extremely hard to make; that is the reason preparing is significant. On the off chance that we comprehend what a people decisions and wishes are, had the option to regard them if something ought to occur and theyre incapable to disclose to us themselves. Clinical treatment to oversee side effects goes close by comfort care and could incorporate medical procedure or prescriptions. The focal point of a palliative methodology is on living. That is the reason staff will need to set objectives and to get ready for how the individual needs to car ry on with an incredible remainder. The finish of-life stage is a phenomenally significant and enthusiastic time; and an individual doesn't need to be strict to have profound contemplations. Otherworldliness is about how we cause significance in our lives and to feel associated with different things, individuals, networks and nature. Otherworldly inquiries, convictions and ceremonies are regularly integral to individuals when they are in the last section of their lives. Guaranteeing that staff are educated about every inhabitants remarkable otherworldly contemplations will permit them to be appropriately regarded and tended to. Helping the individual to recount to their story can assist them with discovering importance, confirmation and consolation. To viably whitewash would imply that: family and staff impart transparently and with empathy with the individual in care and with one another; that agony control and solace is accomplished quite far; that the occupant has each chance to speak with the individuals who are critical to them; and that their physical, passionate, social, social and otherworldly needs are tended to and beyond what many would consider possible met. One size shroud of care doesn't fit all (Hudson, 2012). At the point when these components are ignored the shroud turns into an unfilled concealment, leaving the inhabitant uncovered as opposed to ensured. At the point when the shroud doesn't fit it is awkward to wear (Hudson 2012) however the defenseless populace of individuals in their fourth age may wear it at any rate because of a paranoid fear of appearing to be dissatisfied. A fitting shroud of care must have an otherworldly covering, and give chances to uncover concealed hurt; pardon, accommodate; and disc over harmony in misfortune through errands of self-reflection and self-greatness. Otherworldly and peaceful consideration in this setting focuses on completeness and profound development. Palliative consideration ought not vindicate passing itself precluding the unmistakable reality from claiming demise and kicking the bucket with bogus maxims and reassurance can cover existential torment and genuine needs and further, make these untouchable. From a Christian religious philosophy, demise is perceived as inescapable and vital. Maturing is an inevitable procedure that to a limited extent characterizes human presence and experience. From the second we are conceived we age. Maturing possibly closes when we kick the bucket. Experience of human life discloses to us that maturing and passing are connected. The scourge of Adam in Genesis 3 acquaints this finitude with our lives. Our job as peaceful carers is one of strengthening, relationship and human nearness. Care of individuals who are enduring methods giving genuine otherworldly consideration, where a closeness or closeness is created between the individual who is enduring and the carer. This is frequently very outsider for wellbeing experts, who, through the way of life of private matured consideration accreditation, are addendum to movement hypothesis and a doing job that underlines activity instead of being with (MacKinlay, 2006). This includes not a feeling of ability, yet a feeling of modesty in the consciousness of our own powerlessness to fix anything, past being with that individual at their place of need. The powerlessness of being available to maturing and demise establishes a straightforward and expensive interest to remain. Not to comprehend or disclose just to remain; Or else to terminate in horrendous wild, forlorn quiet (Caldwell 1960). In MacKinlays (2006) perception that care of individuals who are enduring intends to walk the excursion of enduring with them, to be available with them and bona fide in mindful (p. 167) I am helped to remember Jesus advising his pupils to watch and ask (Matthew 26:36-46)â to take the stand. We can't fix the scriptural most noticeably terrible foe of the lethal sting yet we CAN mind genuinely regarding that the shroud isn't our own to form and that the part will consistently have an end (Hudson, 2012). Jesus, in getting human and by his passing and restoration, routs demise and gives revival any desire for a body liberated from maturing, decay and slightness, giving would like to all individuals, particularly those in the fourth age. Terminal ailments don't repress individuals the manner in which they used to; an individual troubled with such an ailment can live a long and sensibly well life. Thusly fatal ailment is tangled in a morals web concerning restricted wellbeing assets, adding to financing and network strains. These strains characteristically present moral issue in the value of administration arrangement. Originating from this is the delicate idea of progressing to palliative consideration, and further to end-of-life care. End of life can be characterized as that piece of life where an individual is living with, and hindered by, an in the long run lethal condition, regardless of whether the visualization is vague, or obscure. The World Health Organization characterizes palliative consideration as a methodology that improves the personal satisfaction of people and their families confronting the issues related with perilous disease, through the avoidance and help of enduring by methods for early distinguishing proof and immaculate appraisal and the executives of torment and different needs, physical, mental and profound. There is further strain encompassing correspondence and generational information. As with Jefferys Mrs Davis there can be gigantic holes in generational point of view which may bargain educated choices. The onus for dynamic in a palliative consideration group lies with the inhabitant themselves things being what they are, morally, whose duty is it to be certain that a choice is all around educated? Furthermore, further, who can be fair in giving data so as not to control a choice? Opposing convictions, clashing standards, and contending obligations between

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Shouldice Hospital case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Shouldice Hospital case - Essay Example In any case, incorporation of different administrations might be useful to the training monetarily also increment its market importance. Preceding extension, the organization requires reserves that would provide food for the development adequately. Moreover, utilizing the assets it produces from business might be disadvantageous and limit the viability of the progress One significant worry of considering augmentation for this situation is the control and the executives of the new organization. Extension would require an adjustment in the administration framework. If not successfully dealt with, the change may frustrate the nature of activity and administrations rendered to customers. The development to end of the week has caused a fracture in the foundation since the issue has not been officially talked about. Be that as it may, the extension to ends of the week ought to be done just if the establishment builds its HR. The current staff has communicated worries since they have been required to grasp a hierarchical culture they are not used to. What's more, the worries rotate the choice by the office to grasp change. A worldwide development should be a practical choice. The foundation has been in existent for quite a while in this manner having request in remote nations. The association ought to consider using this market (Heskett& Hallowell

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Discuss the implications of your interpretation for social justice Essay

Talk about the ramifications of your understanding for social equity - Essay Example This is a graph which tells the watcher that there isn't a lot of progress in poor socioeconomics, and that neediness is by all accounts a cycle that keeps family units in low salaries at levels of low chance to change livelihoods. Considering how this graph identifies with social equity, one can consider different hypothetical and down to earth quantifies that can create to take care of the issue of pay uniqueness and of the poor staying poor, locally. There are numerous strategies to utilize, going from class-battle hypothesis to the more down to earth utilization of salary changeability support and foundational conveyance of access to approach instruction from private and open elements. Backing on the issue of value inside an all inclusive and adjusted instructive framework not founded on property charge rates, could be created to battle for social equity on a focused on and explicit level by extending the meaning of the issue to concentrate on the individuals who are living in devastated circumstances. Social equity backing could look at advancement dependent on availability, the pattern of neediness, and regard for the nearby level in analyzing the issues on an approach level also It is imperative to move toward the issue of poverty’s propagation legitimately rather in a roundabout way, however successfully, by measuring speculation patterns and posing unanswered inquiries, following an estimation of where the cash goes as far as the populaces who appear to require it most. Others portray the pattern of destitution all the more legitimately, not simply in impromptu terms covered inside an outline that is fundamentally about bringing in cash, yet as an immediate investigation of ruined territories that depends widely on past examinations and tries to build up segment designs. In spite of the fact that these two viewpoints are essentially discussing something very similar as far as separation, the methodology utilized by various strategies for introduction is changed. Generally speaking, be that as it may, those in low salary regions have customarily experienced troubles in

Hitlers Rise to Power Essay Example

Hitlers Rise to Power Essay Example Hitlers Rise to Power Essay Hitlers Rise to Power Essay The nazi party was non-existent in 1919 after world war one, however in 15 years they turned into the greatest party in Germany at that point. There were numerous reasons why this occurred. One explanation was on the grounds that Germany had been experiencing a tremendous financial droop during those 15 years. The conservative was exceptionally solid and as the Nazi party was patriot they began to ascend to control. Hitler was against the possibility of the settlement of Versailles, as was the remainder of Germany so when he said that in the event that he rose to control he would dispose of it, individuals began to decide in favor of him. There was a major danger from socialism. This made the whole rich preservationist individuals vote in favor of him, as they would need to surrender their riches to the state. As there were enormous contentions in the Reichstag during the financial emergency, the administration self-destructed. At the point when the new government came to power, and attempted to set up a financial plan, the entirety of the various gatherings in the alliance couldn't help contradicting one another so the administration self-destructed once more. The chancellor was simply setting off to the president so he could pass the spending plan as a crisis law. After the finish of the first universal war, Germany needed to sign an arrangement saying that they would not begin some other war and furthermore they would need to take care of punishments for beginning the war. A large portion of the Germans were against this from the beginning, including Hitler. Hitler had been blinded from a gas assault during the war. At the point when he at long last came round he was informed that Germany had lost the war. He was crushed, and confounded, as the Germans were so far a head when he was taken to clinic. He felt that the German troopers had been betrayed by the administration which at the time was the communists. Despite the fact that he knew this, he accused the Jews, which turns into a major factor later on during the 1930s. In 1918-19 there was an upheaval which was begun by the mariners. They were advised to go out and battle the partners despite the fact that the officials realized that they would lose the war. There were numerous supporters of the upset, for example, the socialists, the common fighter as they felt that every one of their endeavors battling in the war and taking a chance with their lives was an exercise in futility as Germany surrendered in 1918. The communist likewise upheld the unrest as they believed that everyone ought to be equivalent. The jobless censured the current government for the entirety of their issues and felt that there ought to be an adjustment in the Reichstag. The legislature toward the finish of the war when the Kaiser fled was the SPD (social majority rule party). This gathering settled on some exceptionally questionable choices. In January 1919 they excused a famous police boss who started off mass shows in terms of professional career associations and USPD. The Freikorps (this was a reinforcement armed force of ex officers) raged into their parliament building. During the hour of the Revolution there were a great deal of road fights principally including the Freikorps. In the principal vote in the Weimar republic saw a little move to the conservative. This implies there were early indications of individuals casting a ballot conservative, even before Hitler rose to control. Additionally field Marshall Paul Von Hindenburg was chosen as the new leader of the Weimar republic as a result of his high status from during the war. In 1919 The Germans were informed that there was a settlement coming out that would state what Germany would need to do and furthermore what they would need to pay to the partners for the war. They were told none of the subtleties that would be in settlement. On 28th June 1919, two government priests went to Versailles to sign it. They were made to sign it as though they didnt France would begin another war on Germany and wreck them considerably more. Germany couldn't help contradicting the bargain so much that Scheidemann that when the settlement was given to him, he surrendered with the goal that he didn't need to sign it. He realized who at any point marked it would clearly be rebuffed for cutting Germany down. Germany believed that the arrangement would have been toll as they put together it with respect to the 14 focuses made by President Wilson of the USA. Germany felt that it was uncalled for to such an extent that they would prefer to return to war than follow the bargain. Numerous individuals in needed vengeance on England and France for this and some state this was one of numerous reasons for World War 2. In 1921 the German government was at long last given the bill for the amount they would need to repay to France for beginning the war. Many couldn't help contradicting this. It was 2 years late and the open idea that the possibility of reparations was unforgiving, quit worrying about a bill for I 6600000000 (DM 132000000000). Hitler was against this. The quality of the conservative began to radiate through in 1920 when Germany was informed that they were not permitted to hold their Freikorps under the arrangement of Versailles. This implied they should never again be in administration. As a portion of the Freikorps did no like this choice, they raged upon Berlin and reported that Dr Kapp would be their pioneer. Dr Kapp was an extraordinary patriot. As all the government officials fled, he had the option to run the nation. At the time individuals didn't need him to run the nation, and he understood he was unable to run the nation without their assistance. He ventured down on the 18 March 1920 and the administration returned. Another way that the conservative was so solid is that they had power on their side. As the Freikorps were conservative, they had the option to battle the socialists and furthermore prevent them from making any crusades. Between 1920-33 the savagery of the avenues kept on expanding between the Nazi party and the Communists. Hitler set an association called the S. A. (storm troopers). These were the individuals, who might battle in the city, wreck different gatherings crusades and threaten individuals to cast a ballot Nazi. In 1923 after the financial emergency of Hyperinflation, Hitler imagined this was his snapshot of magnificence. He felt that the Nazi party had increased enough help to assume control over Munich. Hitler had a sponsorship of 55000 individuals. The military subtly sponsored the Nazi party with the goal that they could battle against the socialists. On the 8 November when Hitler began his walk in the city, This was known as the Beerhall putsch as it had begun in a brew corridor and advanced onto the roads. The Army was advised to go out and battle them, yet they cannot. The police were then gotten out and the walk wound up in a gunfight. Field Marshall Paul Von Hindenburg was chosen as President. He was a legend during world war one. In July 1932 Hindenburgs child designated Von Papen chancellor, yet in September the Reichstag dismiss him Hindenburg disintegrates government. In October Hitler was offered the job of bad habit chancellor however he cannot, as he needed to be chancellor, and would not like to be second best. In January 1933 Von Papen approaches Hitler to give him an arrangement. He would make him chancellor yet he would likewise be in a minority so he was unable to settle on any terrible choices.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Turabian Format

Turabian Format The Turabian position has been utilized for reference for a considerable length of time. Indeed, Turabian commentaries and lists of sources have gotten standard at certain colleges. By grasping the standards and rules that Kate Turabian set forth, you can make certain to make fresh and right language for your research papers, each time. The Ease of the Turabian Format Maybe the best piece of utilizing the Turabian group for reference is its sheer presence of mind. There are barely any peculiarities and precarious spots included. Moreover, every guidance is peppered with models for clear examination and perception. The Turabian position incorporates two separate kinds of references from which you can pick. Regardless of whether youre inspired by formal references, or float towards incidental references, the Turabian arrangement can suit your composing needs. Since the Turabian strategy was created by a thesis secretary, this style requests to lower and advanced education levels the same. On the off chance that you are hoping to make documentations in Turabian group, you should seriously mull over putting resources into Turabian Style programming. Utilizing this product, you can make references in Turabian position in a matter of minutes. With simple to utilize interface, these projects can regularly smooth out your creative cycle, and make references a snap.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

I read the news today

I read the news today DID YOU KNOW? The Riemann Zeta Hypothesis was voted to be the most beautiful mathematical problem of the millenium in 2003. One of my friends from high school was voted Most likely to prove the Riemann Zeta Hypothesis if it is actually false. Last year I wrote an entry on a one-question examination that could be used in lieu of an application to admit people to MIT. The question was 1024? and if you immediately responded Hey, thats a power of two! you would be offered automatic admission. I hear that were going to adopt it for the incoming class of 2012. No no, not really. Well, since then Ive seen some comments on other blogs asking things like Oh, I dont know if I should even bother applying to MIT, its so hard and I feel like everybody else is just such a huge nerd, blah blah blah. So yesterday I figured out another test that will tell you if you should apply to MIT. I came across an article on Google news about a reclusive Russian mathematician who solved one of the Clay Mathematics Institute millenium problems and won the Fields Medal for it, and now may refuse both the medal and the $1,000,000 prize awarded for solving any of the millenium problems. The Fields Medal might be better known to you as that thing from the first five minutes of Good Will Hunting. If youre really excited about reading this article now, or if youve already read it before coming across it in my blog, then you should definitely apply to MIT. Well, here you go. According to the article, the mathematician even gave a few lectures at MIT in the Spring of 2003 before disappearing back into the forests surrounding St. Petersburg to pick mushrooms. Oh well, another brush with greatness that I missed. And if youre not excited about the article, hey, dont worry, you could still come to MIT and major in biology or something. Just playin! If you can dream it, you can do it.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Female Characters With Respect To Different Short Stories - 825 Words

Analyze Female Characters With Respect To Different Short Stories (Essay Sample) Content: StudentInstructorCourseDateAn analysis of Female CharactersWomen arent that dissimilar from men, although they face different biological cultural and social pressure, some pragmatic women concede and act in response well to such pressures. The facts remain that the contemporary society treats women in a different ways as compared to men. Therefore, in this paper, I will discuss the role of women and the development of female character in a particular setting as portrayed by Nakamoto Takako short story The Red.In her work, Nakamoto begins by describing a picture of an unfortunate family that relies on Shige wife to Kanenari for survival. The writer's words "pointing out the extreme poverty of their household" (91) describes this statement. The same is also evident from the fact that Shige lacked money to buy even a little bread to soothe her son's hunger (85). The poverty that associated with this family introduces a hardworking woman known as Shige. Her hard work acti ons are evident by her spending time with putting together envelopes for piecework. She has been doing this for a while, though her husband Kanenari is working as at lumber mill, he hardly provide for the basic needs. All his daily earnings end up with the alcohol sellers where he drinks every evening. The writer says that Kanenari earns a day wage of a Yen and eight sen only to be left with thirty five sen that day after buying alcohol. It implies that Shige is the bread winner in that family. Furthermore, She decides to work at an excavation site as a casual in building the road (93). Despite the hard time and harassment from the supervisor, Shige believes that like other women whom she works together with, she will be able to raise money to cater for food and shelter for her six hungry mouths.Besides this, women are also portrayed as loving and caring characters. Shige's personality illustrates a clarification of this statement. After Kanenari had engaged in a fight with the for eperson which resulted in him hit on the head, he stopped going to the lumber mill. Shige decides to pay a visit to the supervisor with an elegant box of sweets. She had to pawn the obi she'd kept since marriage for her to buy the sweets (89). Despite the fact that he accepted the failure of her husband, he would have the gut to solve the conflict. In fact, she went to the foreperson's house for a second time to plead him to use his power to lighten the sentence against her husband or even to hasten his release by even one day. But this was all in vein as she did not succeed, this time round nobody bothered to acknowledge her presence (92). Moreover, the supervisor's wife is a symbol of unity; she promised Shige that she will speak to her husband and plead her to solve the existing conflict when she returns. That is a clear indicator of women's feminism position in the short story.Takako also portrays a picture of struggling women who undergoes difficult challenges while finding the solution to their problems. She argues that at the exuviations, Shige together with other women encounters hard moments as they labor all day in their red underskirts strenuously. Shige draws a clear picture of the struggle, for example despite the pain she undergoes through, the supervisor accuses her of laziness (95).Contrary to the Red story, other feminist writers like Wakasugi Torik...

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Financial performance of ABC Ltd - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2101 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Introduction Accounting is concerned with collecting, analyzing, and communicate accounting information. The accounting information is helpful to those people who make plans about business and in making important decisions related to the business The aim of this paper is to evaluate the financial position of the company and the importance of credit manager to achieve credit sales targeted and importance of actual figures when estimating the budget. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Financial performance of ABC Ltd" essay for you Create order This paper consists of two main sections. In the first part, evaluation of the financial position of ABC Ltd uses gross profit margin and net profit margin. The second part concentrates on things need to consider when preparing the budget in order to prevent from biased budget. Part A A) Account Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Sales 296700 296700 370875 445050 Cost of sales 176900 198128 229970 283040 Gross profit 119800 98572 140905 162010 Selling and distribution expenses 35600 40940 47348 57672 Administration and general expenses 45900 49113 52785 56457 Financial expenses 15800 15484 15168 14536 Net profit 22500 (6965) 25604 33345 Evaluate the financial performance of ABC Ltd. Over the four year period. Financial ratio examines the financial health of the business. It helps to identify the financial strengths and weakness of the business. By calculating the ratio, it is possible to provide a good picture of the financial position and performance of a business. Financial ration can be represented in numerous ways. For example, as percentage, as fraction and as proportion. Financial ratio can be classified into profitability, efficiency, liquidity, gearing and investment. ABC Ltd companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s financial performance is evaluated by using profitability ration of gross profit margin and net profit margin. Gross profit is the difference between the sales and cost of sales. And the ratio is a measure of profitability in buying ad selling goods and service before any other expenses are taken into account. For example: Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit x100 Sales = 119800/296700 x 100 = 40% Gross profit for the year one is 40%. The most appropriate measure of operational performance for comparison purposes is the Net profit margin ratio. The factors which influence the net profit margin of a business are the degree of competition, type of customer, economic climate and industry characteristics. For example: Net Profit Margin = Net profit before interest and taxation x 100 Sales = 22500/296700 x 100 = 8% Net Profit Margin for the Year one is 8% Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Gross Profit Margin (%) 40 33 38 36 Net Profit Margin (%) 8 (2) 7 7 Gross profit margin of ABC Ltd company has fallen down from 40% to 33%. And again increased to 38% and fall down to 36%. The decrease of the gross profit margin of ABC Ltd was a result of high production cost of the company. The raw material used to produce goods and services has increased. As a result the company is experiencing less gross profit margins. Nonetheless, the Net profit margin of ABC Ltd has been maintained for the last two years, Year 3 and Year 4. Whereas in Year 1 company had a high net profit margin and it gradually decreased and company experience loss of (2) % of Net profit margin. This may be because the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Gross profit margin decreased from 40 to 33 and affected the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s net profit margin. Moreover, it may be the reason that, the company has high expense such as high selling and distribution expense, Administration and other general expenses. After experiencing a loss in Year 2, company gain 7% of net profit margin in Year 3 and year 4 also. This shows company has minimized their expenses and cost of sales and increase their revenue by generating more sales. Below show graphical demonstration of ABC Ltd financial performance. Account Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Trend Sales 296700 296700 370875 445050 Increased by 148350 Cost of sales 176900 198128 229970 283040 Increased by 106140 Gross profit 119800 98572 140905 162010 Increased by 42210 Selling and distribution expenses 35600 40940 47348 57672 Increased by 22072 Administration and general expenses 45900 49113 52785 56457 Increased by 10557 Financial expenses 15800 15484 15168 14536 Decreased by 1264 Net profit 22500 (6965) 25604 33345 Increased by 10845 According to the above table, all the accounts except the financial expense of ABC Ltd, all others have increased. Total sales increased. Meaning that number of goods and services sold by ABC Ltd have increased and generated a huge amount of revenue. However, the cost of sales also has increased. But compared to sales achieved, cost of sales is less than the sales generated. Meaning that the money generated by sales by the company was spent to make the sales, such as raw material, Equipements, machineries cost. Therefore the company gross profit has increased. The expenses spent to generate the revenue are selling and distribution expenses, administration and other general expenses and financial expenses. All expenses have increased except financial expenses. This may be due to each years increase in sales of the company. As demand for the goods and service increases, more number of good and services are produced. And to deliver the products to customers, costs incurred will be high such as delivery cost, transportation cost and other administrative cost related to the delivery of goods and services. Financing expenses have decreased such as rent paid, electricity, fixtures and fitting etc. As a result Net profit of ABC Ltd increased by $10,845. Part B A) Why credit manager is to blame for poor credit collection There are certain causes why credit manager is to blame for the deterioration in the credit collection period which are beyond the credit manager. Downturn in the economy When the budget was formulated, during that time economy may have been in a very good condition like in a boom. Businesses earn profits and their ability to pay the suppliers would be strong. And based on credit worthiness, ABC company Ltd has released goods on credit facility during that time. After two months of time, the economy turned into recession. During recession, companies reluctant to spend money and have difficulties in paying to debtors, lenders and suppliers. Henceforth customers, who have bought goods from ABC Ltd under the credit facility, would not able to pay as agreed terms and conditions. Liberalize credit policy The next reason which credit manager cannot be blamed, is a formulation of credit policy terms and conditions and implementation of the policy. When developing a credit policy there are certain conditions which should take into account. For example, buyerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s strength in the market, available net profit margin, size and type of buyers, buyerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s creditworthiness and many more. Any credit policy should include the range of payment, terms, prepayment terms, installments, penalty interest, conditions of sales, methods of assessing customer, explaining credit rating and risk codes, legal actions, follow up methods, staff responsibility and authority, relationship with another and arbitration process. If these clauses are incorporated into the policy, and customers are aware before getting into any sales and customer agreed by signing the terms, then the customer will be binding to it. As a result the credit manager would able to claim for the payment accordingly to the agreement, if a customer is disobeying the agreed terms and conditions. Therefore, it is a responsibility of policy makers of the company and senior management to come up with a strong policy and implementing it. And this could be done in coordination with a credit manager. Another reason could be that, even if the company has a strong policy, without acting upon it, we cannot achieve what we want. For example, if the sales persons or sales manager, or senior management, issue goods without checking the credit worthiness of customer with their friends or close customers and they make own payment paying term their way without consent of credit manager. Increased competition among suppliers The business environment is very volatile. Competition among business increases steadily. Being proactive would be the best solution for the success of the company. During the tough competition, it is essential to revise the credit policy terms as accordingly to customer needs and affordability. Otherwise competitors would be offering more attractive conditions and they are likely to get all customers resulting gain the market share in the business sector. And ABC Ltd would not able to get enough customers to achieve the credit targets allocated in the budget. Quality of goods and services If the quality of the products offered by ABC Ltd is very low, then the customer will refuse to buy the products. Even if they buy the product if the quality is below their expected level, then the payment will be held for some time. And ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a responsibility of the production department to produce the goods with good quality according to customer needs. The goods Delaying in delivering If the company is unable to deliver the goods at the agreed time, then the customer would not able to depend on the company. In other words, failure to deliver the promises will lead to loss of customer and low dependability. Therefore, it is important for production department to provide raw materials and other necessary material to produce goods and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s their responsibility to deliver the goods to customers on time. If the company fails to provide this, then the customers would prefer other competitors and faces low market share and generate low profit. Relationship with sales and credit department The relationship between sales staffs (or sales manager) and credit manager is very important. The credit manager responsibility is that to provide further guidance to achieve sales to the sales staffs. Why manager might submit a budget estimate that is biased. And ways to Company guard against it. According to the CIMA definition of budget, it is a plan quantified in monetary terms, prepared and approved prior to a defined period of time, usually showing planned income to be generated and/or expenditure to be incurred during that period and the capital to be employed to attain a given objective. There are types of budget, managers use when preparing the budget. One of the methods is incremental budget. The budget is prepared using the previous year budget as a basis with incremental amount is added to the new budget. Resources are allocated based on previous years resource allocations. The main advantage of this type of budget is that it is easy to understand and implement and also save time. This could be one of the reasons why budget estimates are based. The main reason is that incremental budget does not take environment changing factor into considerations. Due to changing is economy, budget need to be revised basically periodically and necessary amendments need to be done. Another problem is that, incremental budget does not have incentives to innovative ideas and to reduce cost. Another type of budget could be fixed budget. In fixed budgets, figures are fixed at the beginning of budgetary period. Any change in circumstance, these cannot be changed. For example, due to high inflation, raw material costs (others as well, such as machinery cost, about cost, rent, electricity) increase more that which is estimated in the budget. In fixed budget this cannot be changed. Therefore, actual expenditure exceeds than the estimated value in the budget. A good way to mitigate the budget that is based is that having shorter review periods. For example, if estimated budget is for one year. Then managers can review the budget after three month period or on quarter basis. The second way to guard the company from base budget is that to approach zero based budgeting. Budget starts from zero and items included in the budget should be justifiable to the budget holder. All expenses allocated for the whole project, should justify each activity separately and develop a questioning attitude. This helps to minimize the over spendinging and inefficient. Therefore company cannot spend more that what it is estimated and from the estimated expenditure, expected profits will be generated. Conclusion From above discussion, we can conclude that, increase in company gross profit would have a direct impact on net profit. Generating more sales will increase the gross profits and by minimizing the company expenses, the companies net profit would increase. And the profitability can be compared against the previous years by using ratios and trend analysis. Secondly, businesses normally prepare the budgets annually and quarterly. Regular evaluation of budgets prevents from overspending and adjust the budgets, according to changing the environment. And also in order to achieve high credit facility a budgeted, not only the credit manager should work on it. Other department staffs like sales and senior management should play an important role in doing so. References Atrill, McLaney, Harvey Jenner 2012, Accounting an introduction, 5th edn, Pearson Australia. FICM, GB 1986,  © 2004 FECMA , viewed 1 December 2014, https://www.fecma.eu/Documents/FECMA%20Credit%20Policy%20chapt%20%201.pdf. McLaney, E Atrill, P 2010, Accounting An Introduction, 5th edn, Pearson Education Limited. Riley, Jim 2012, Tutor2u Limited, viewed 1 December 2014, https://www.tutor2u.net/business/accounts/incremental-budgeting.htm. Schaeffer, MS 2012, Essentials of Credit, Collections, and Accounts Receivable, John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. Page 1 of 14

Monday, May 18, 2020

The Culture of Islam Essay example - 1549 Words

Islam is more than a religion, it’s a culture, and as such has an effect on political, social, and economic aspects of life—this is especially true outside of the Western world. Followers of Islam believe in full submission to God and this submission is practiced in the secular realm (Taha, 114). Of the five pillars of Islam, one (the zakat) has a direct affect on economic policy and ethics. The culture of Islam has shaped economic and business guidelines In the Islamic World and continues to do so. Cultural ideals attributed to the Qur’an or the Prophet Muhammad, have been a vital source for economic and business practices that have helped to shape the history of many Islamic nations, and are guiding the creation of policies†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Islam’s original principle is the common or joint possession of property amongst the slaves of God, so that each one takes according to his needs, the basic needs of a traveler (passing throug h this life to the next true and lasting life)† (Taha, 138), it is also important to note that this statement is made in a section titled â€Å"Capitalism Is Not An Original Precept In Islam†. Taha references Muslims as ‘slaves of God’, or submitters, who should have their needs met and then contribute to the needs of others. Much of this communal nature is attributed to the tribal history of many Islamic peoples, and the descendants of these people still have an egalitarian outlook on the world in which they live (Kanna, 109). Muslims are not allowed to make money in ways that require little or no work, the Qur’an states: â€Å"They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: In them is great sin, and some profit for men; but the sin is greater than the profit†, gambling is usually illegal and frowned upon in Islamic societies because it is too easy to attain wealth through it (Williams and Zinkin, 523). Work is important in the Islamic culture, not necessarily for economic purposes in the Western sense, but because it allows for prosperity for everyone and is an example of activities rewarded for in the after-life that are ‘secular’ (William and Zinkin, 521). The idea of mutualShow MoreRelatedIslam Culture Versus Islam Religion The Western Perception of Islam1969 Words   |  8 PagesIslam Culture Versus Islam Religion The Western Perception of Islam Throughout this course we have learned several different aspects of Islam as a culture and as a religion we have also been able to put to rest several myths that have plagued Islam in the eyes of the Western World. In this paper I will discuss the significant difference of Islam as a religion versus Islam as a culture as seen through the eyes of a Malay Muslim. I will then go on to discuss how the WesternRead MoreEssay on Islam: A Religion and Culture1630 Words   |  7 PagesIslam: A Religion and Culture Islam is one of the oldest religions in history dating back to about 600 AD. It began when a man named Muhammad heard a voice from the heavens instructing him to proclaim the word of god. Currently there are over 800 million followers of the Muslim religion. The main text of the religion is the Quran which is said to be the word of God, or Allah as called in Muslim. Within the Quran, The five pillars of Islam are proclaimed along with many other concepts very uniqueRead MoreEssay on Islam Culture and Beliefs1418 Words   |  6 PagesIslam is one of the worlds greatest monotheistic religions. The followers of Islam are known as Muslims, and they believe in God, Allah. The word Islam is an Arabic word that means submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God.† The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word salam† which means peace. Islam is the religion of about one and half billion people in the world. It is the second largest in the number of followers afte r Christianity. I chose this religion as a topic ofRead MoreAnti Islam Sentiments On American Culture Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesThough there is a seemingly massive amount of people who have just now come out with anti-Islam sentiments, it is clear that this is not really the case. Citing the radical policy suggestions and bans suggested by Donald Trump, there is also reference to American history and how the citizens of America are, unlike Europe and Asia, products of immigrants who chose to come to America (aside from slaves and Native Americans). Citing journalist Rose Wilder Lane in 1936, they take her quote that saysRead More The Impact on Culture of Islam and Christianity Essay3721 Words   |  15 Pagesbeliefs of major religions. These differences, seen in the comparison of Judeo-Christian and Islam worldviews, have had an immense impact upon each separate culture and interpretation of religion within each culture. In the current political battles across the world, government regulation determines how large the role that a given religion plays within the societal structure. American culture is a result of a strict Protestant perspective traveling the course of time and an associatedRead MoreHuntington And Mamdani s Views On Culture And Islam733 Words   |  3 Pagesopinions on culture and Islam. Huntington believes that the world can be organized by civilizations based on culture instead of political or economic systems. Huntington focuses on two civilizations, Western civilization and Islamic civilization. Huntington believes that these civilizations will face inevitable conflict. The sources of conflict may be struggles for military, economic, and institutional power or it may come from differences in basic values and beliefs between the two cultures. HuntingtonRead MoreEssay about Islam: The Rich Culture of the Middle East936 Words   |  4 Pagesreligion of Islam is the second most popular religion over the entire globe, and follows a strict set of rules derived from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, a messenger of God, or Allah. Founded in 622 C.E. (also known as A.D.) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion that drew inspiration from earlier religions like Christianity and Judaism. It is divided into three different sections- the Sunn i, Shi’a and Sufi sects. The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam, and is consideredRead MoreIslam : A Western Culture And Many Authors Have Failed2279 Words   |  10 PagesSaudi Arabians consider homosexuality to be a Western culture and many authors have failed to agree on the argument that it found its way from the western countries into the Middle East after and during the offensive in Iraq (Ilkkaracan 58). Considering the strict cultural values of the Muslim lifestyle, homosexuality has no place in the region. Islam is the predominant religion of the region and the way of life is firmly rooted on the teachings of the Quran. The practice goes against the decreeRead MoreIslamic Culture Essay1273 Words   |  6 PagesMUSLIM CULTURE Muslim culture generally reflects the traditions and customs of Muslims that they adopt for a perfect and respectable life in the society according to the lessons of Quran. Muslim culture is a giant combination of diverse cultures, That’s because Muslims live in various countries all over the world. Most of the practices are common faiths and guidance for all Muslims no matter what country or even content they reside in.. These basic faiths and belives are based on theRead MoreCulture Within The Islamic Religion1290 Words   |  6 Pages Culture within the Islamic Religion Culture is the common uniting factors that a community shares. It includes values, customs, habits, thoughts that guide members of the society. Culture can also be defined as practices and knowledge that is transmitted to the generation by social interactions between members of a social community (Pohlong 1). It differs from community to community. The purpose of the essay is to relate and differentiate culture from religion, especially

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

6 Traits of Writing - Using the Model in the Classroom

The six traits of writing model provides a recipe for successful prose writing. This approach defines the ingredients of effective writing for students to practice and teachers to assess, equipping both parties with tools for strategically analyzing written work. Students can become self-sufficient and methodical writers when they learn to develop the following characteristics in their writing. To take advantage of this revolutionary model, learn what the six traits are and how to teach them. What are the Six Traits of Writing? The six key characteristics that define high-quality writing are: IdeasOrganizationVoiceWord ChoiceSentence FluencyConventions Please note that while this method is often called the 6 1 Trait Model, the plus one presentation trait is largely optional as it is a characteristic of the overall product and not the writing itself. This trait will not be described further here. Ideas This writing component captures the main idea of a piece through detail. Only details that are relevant and informative of the main topic should be included. Strong writers have an awareness of how to use just the right amount of detail, using ideas that make the overall message more clear and leaving anything out that takes away from it. How to Teach: Do an exercise with students where you tell a story using no detail while they close their eyes. Could they picture it? Ask them how to improve your story and introduce the concept that ideas need to be supported to be effective.Ask students to describe what is happening in a photograph. Have them do this in partnerships where only one partner can see the picture at a time and the other must convey the message of the photo in front of them.Have students compose a paragraph packed with as much supporting detail as possible. Tell them to choose a specific (true) event that happened to them and use their senses to describe it. Organization This trait describes how all ideas in a piece of writing must fit together within a larger message. The organizational structure of a written work needs to follow a clear pattern such as chronological order for narratives or logical order for informational writing. The writer needs to make strong connections from one point to another so that a reader can easily follow along. A sense of sequence is necessary for organizing. How to Teach Take a piece of writing and cut it into chunks, having students piece the writing back together as best as they can.Jumble a list of directions and have students arrange the steps in order.Read two short informational books whose organization structures vary. Ask your students what is different about the organization of the books. Voice This trait describes the unique style of each writer. Through voice, a writers personality permeates a piece but does not detract from the genre or message. Strong writers are not afraid to express their individuality and show readers their point of view. Good writing sounds like its writers. How to Teach Discuss the personality traits of a few childrens book authors, then read a variety of literature and have students try to identify the author by voice.Compare and contrast the voice in select fiction and nonfiction books.Have students write a letter to a grandparent about their favorite school subject. When they are finished, discuss how they cultivated their voice in the letter and whether they feel that their thoughts and emotions came through. Word Choice Word choice describes the effectiveness of each word in a piece of writing. Strong words enlighten readers and clarify ideas but too many large or misplaced words can muddle the message. Great writing is never verbose. Writers should be economical with their words and choose only the best ones because every word is important. Linguistic awareness and a robust vocabulary are necessary for effective writing. How to Teach Keep a word wall, adding to and discussing it frequently.Show students a paragraph with words missing. Offer options for words to put in the blanks and explain why some of them are better than others.Introduce students to thesauruses. Teach that a well-rounded vocabulary is useful but caution against overdoing it by having them first replace as many words as they can in a paragraph and then only words that make sense to replace. Sentence Fluency This trait describes the smoothness that sentences contribute to a piece. Fluent writing is rhythmic and forward-moving because its sentences are easy to read. Even more important to sentence fluency that correctness and grammar are meaning and variety. The best writers make sure that each of their sentences says precisely what it is supposed to say and vary their sentence structures so that they dont all resemble each other. How to Teach Write a story where every single sentence begins and ends in the exact same way. Talk with your class about why this is problematic and have them help add variety to the sentence structures.Rearrange the sentences in a popular piece of writing. Have the students fix it and talk about why it matters that sentences flow easily into each other.Have students take a sentence in a piece of informational writing and flip the words around. Does it make more or less sense? Is their way better or worse? Conventions This trait focuses on the correctness of a piece in terms of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other rules. Writing can only be great if it is technically correct. Great writers are proficient punctuators, capable spellers, and grammar savants. Conventions require time and patience to master but are easy to practice. How to Teach Give your students a word to correctly work into a sentence. Begin with simple sentence parts such as subjects and verbs and progressively get more difficult with adverbs, adjectives, and more.Teach students to peer review each others work for correctness. They do not need to correct every tiny detail. Rather, focus on one skill at a time (punctuation, capitalization, etc.).Use  curriculum materials such as handouts and mini-lessons  to teach conventions. Sources Nast, Phil. â€Å"6 1 Trait Writing.†Ã‚  National Education Association.â€Å"What Are the Traits?†Ã‚  Education Northwest, Dec. 2012.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Americas Involvement and the Intentions of Wilson’s...

Most of the World’s major Nations were in a state of turmoil from the year 1914-1918, during the conflict of World War I. This War to End all Wars began with the German’s pushing other European Nation’s buttons, including the progression of militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and the creation of alliances among all of the Nations. After the course of three years of grueling trench warfare the tide of the Germans was receding, and President Woodrow Wilson of the United States presented his famous Fourteen Points, in hope that he would direct all Nations to aspire for the establishment of world peace. Wilson’s first proposal for the treaty among the Nations stated that no secret treaties should be made among Nations. This point is†¦show more content†¦Fourth, the amount of arms in a Nation’s possession must be limited â€Å"to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety† during diplomatic crisis. This point was directly related to America, because during the development of the European â€Å"powder keg†, America was extremely out-armed. Wilson believed that if each Nation had substantial arms to defend during crisis, peace negotiations would be made much easier. Point five states that Colonial claims obtained during the war should be centered upon the interests of colonial people and of the imperialistic powers. This point refers mainly to the land acquired by Germany, since they did obtain land, but were defeated, and in serious trouble. America didn’t really have a say in this affair, because they were to gain no land, and lost none either. However Wilson felt that it was his responsibility to keep the other Nations from completely ruining Germany’s economy, by being the mediator and taking reasonable amounts away from Germany. The points 6-13 dealt with boundary changes that were to take place under the Treaty of Versailles. The countries that would be affected by these changes include: Russia, Belgium, Montenegro, the Polish, Romania, Serbia, and the Turkish people. Wilson’s final point promoted the League of Nations. The creation of an International organization would allowShow MoreRelatedEssay on Woodrow Wilson and American Diplomacy2945 Words   |  12 Pagesdestiny, and to remain free of entanglements overseas. Although he could not convince his fellow politicians on Capitol Hill of the probable success of his ideas, he did persuade the fellow writers of the Treaty of Versailles to use his Fourteen Points. America’s role as a political global superpower was established during his Presidency, as well as the modern policy that peace depends on the spread of democracy, and that national interest consists of adhering to a global system of law. The formationRead MoreUnited States Foreign Affairs Between 1914 and 19451289 Words   |  6 Pageswithin the Unites States had changed from non-intervention to direct involvement. A minor border conflict with Mexico over raids by Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa in 1916 led to a heightened sense of conflict with Mexico, but it also revealed Germany’s true intent for conflict with the United States. IN January of 1917, British intelligence intercepted a telegram from German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman that revealed the intention of Germany to help Mexico regain the territory lost to the United StatesRead MoreEruopean Expansion4283 Words   |  18 Pagesnecessary? Why or why not? What might either side have done to avoid war? Explain why it is sometimes argued that the Mexican War was a major cause of the Civil War. Why was there a reassertion of Manifest Destiny in the 1850s? What were the goals of America’s diplomacy at the time? Explain the widespread popularity of the concept of popular sovereignty as a way to resolve the issue of slavery in the territories. Then explain why it ultimately failed.*** Explain the relationship between the Ostend ManifestoRead More The Soviet Union, Communism, and the Vietnam War Essay3150 Words   |  13 PagesEven with the sobering effect of time, passions concerning American policy and behavior in Southeast Asia reach a level normally associated with sensitive social issues. To understand why, one must look at Vietnam in the proper context. American involvement occurred in the middle of, and was the most visible engagement, of the defining paradign of the post World War II era, the Cold War. Only through this prism can the Vietnam experience be defined.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the seven global powers entering WorldRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesappear to be a very coherent unit. The beginnings and ends of what we choose to call centuries are almost invariably years of little significance. But there is little agreement over when the twentieth century c.e. arrived, and there were several points both before the year 2000 (the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, the surge of globalization from the mid-1990s) and afterward (9/11, or the global recession of 2008) when one could quite plausibly argue that a new eraRead MoreModern History.Hsc.2012 Essay25799 Words   |  104 Pagesessay on conservatism in the period 1919-1941. Conservatism became much less influential in the 1930s than it had been in the 1920s. Since many of the causes of the Depression were linked to conservative policies / philosophies, many conservative points of view lost credibility and became unpopular, such as: * either pro-big-business or laissez faire (republican) economic policies, which had led to unsustainable and unbalanced rapid growth, * tax cuts for rich which had led to maldistribution

Higher Education Marketing Mix Free Essays

CHAPTER 3 MARKETING’S ROLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION 3. 1 INTRODUCTION Chapter 2 introduced some of the major changes and trends that have taken place in the higher education environment both internationally and locally. Although higher education institutions can be classified as non-profit organisations, the challenges discussed in Chapter 2 necessitate higher education institutions to take on the organisation-like behaviour of profit organisations and to become more marketingoriented. We will write a custom essay sample on Higher Education Marketing Mix or any similar topic only for you Order Now An understanding of the environment in which higher education institutions operate, provides an essential background against which to understand and assess the benefits of focusing on students as customers. If higher education institutions understand the landscape in which they operate, they can begin to plan to serve the market effectively and efficiently with their marketing strategy. Being marketingoriented requires that organisations have knowledge on external forces (as explained in Chapter 2), but also knowledge on customers’ needs and wants (to be addressed in Chapter 4). It is against this backdrop of changes in the environment, such as the decrease in government funding and the increase in competition, that the need for marketing in higher education can be seen. In order to survive and to develop a sustainable competitive advantage in a changing higher education landscape, higher education institutions should satisfy the needs of their customers by adding value. Institutions should provide more benefits to their customers than competitors if they want to stay competitive. In the competitive environment in which higher education institutions operate (refer to Chapter 2), enhanced customer satisfaction may be one of the ways in which institutions can create and sustain a competitive advantage. This can be achieved with the effective application of the marketing mix elements. Marketing, and more specific a market-orientation, can provide a detailed understanding of the needs of ustomers and ensure that higher education institutions address the needs in as – 73 – efficient and comprehensive manner as possible. In short, higher education institutions need to set marketing objectives and formulate a marketing strategy. Given the market-oriented focus and importance of the marketing mix elements, the main focus of this chapter will be on higher education institutions’ formulation and implementation of the elements of the services marketing mix. This chapter will explore the literature available on the changing role of marketing, the marketing concept, market- and marketing-orientation, consumer behaviour and the integration of all the units of a higher education institution to formulate a service product strategy, price strategy, distribution strategy, communication strategy, people strategy, physical evidence strategy and process strategy in order to meet the needs of students. 3. 2 THE CHANGING ROLE OF MARKETING Marketing plays a major role in any organisation and is viewed by Lamb et al. 2004:5) as a process that starts with identifying customer groups, finding out about their needs and wants, matching what the organisation can offer with what the customer wants and then effectively communicating and selling it to the customer. Although the primary aim of marketing is to satisfy the needs of customers, it involves a cluster of activities such as product/service innovation, design, development, distribution, advertising, selling and how the product/service is acquired and used by the customer. Machado and Cassim (2002:2) regard marketing as the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational objectives. Mowen (1995:7) states that the importance of understanding consumer behaviour is found in the definition of marketing as a human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through a human exchange process. Effective marketing requires a higher education institution to identify their target audiences, understand them, and communicate with them as directly and interactively as possible (Laurer, 2006). According to Shoemaker (1999), marketing is the proactive management of the relationship between a higher education institution and its various – 74 – markets by using the tools of marketing: service product, place, price, promotion, process, people and physical evidence. Marketing’s greater contribution lies in its ability to facilitate the exchange process that takes place between the non-profit organisation such as the higher education institution, and each of the customer groups it addresses (Sargeant, 2005:295). Marketing can provide a detailed understanding of the needs of such customers and ensure that the institution addresses these needs in as efficient and comprehensive manner as possible. This understanding of customers’ needs can aid organisations in creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. Lynch and Baines (2004:171) found that higher education institutions’ sustainable competitive advantages are usually based on superior knowledge, reputation, innovation or architectural related advantages. However, marketing is not stagnant and over the years the marketing activities of organisations have changed. Kolter (2003) and Strydom, Jooste and Cant (2000:10) identify four stages that strongly influence the evolution of organisations’ marketing activities. These stages are referred to as production, sales, marketing and societal marketing. The production orientation focuses on the internal capabilities of the organisation rather than the needs of the market, while a sales orientation is based on the premise that people will buy more if aggressive sales techniques are used. Both of these orientations lack a customer focus. Organisations realise the importance of marketing and building long-term relationships with their customers; thus, a marketing orientation. The societal marketing orientation builds on the marketing orientation but adds that customer value must be delivered in such a way that it maintains or improves the society’s wellbeing. According to Kotler and Fox (1995:11), there are also definite stages in the evolution of marketing in higher education. The focus has moved from â€Å"marketing is unnecessary† to â€Å"marketing is promotion† to â€Å"marketing is positioning† to the stage where in some cases marketing is seen as part of strategic planning for higher education institutions. Law (2002:4) is of the opinion that higher education institutions in South Africa are moving from â€Å"marketing is promotion† to more emphasis on positioning and strategic planning. This stage is also described as the â€Å"marketing company† era. The marketing – 75 – ompany era is characterised by short- and long-term marketing planning and the whole organisation’s efforts are guided by the marketing concept (Perreault McCarthy 2002:34). The marketing concept is a management philosophy with the basic premises that an organisation needs to research the needs and wants of customers and then produce products or services that will satisfy these needs and wants (Strydom, Jooste Cant, 2000:12; and Kohli Jaworski, 1990:467). The marketing concept will be explained in the next section. 3. 3 THE MARKETING CONCEPT Churchill and Peter (1998:12) describe the implementation of the marketing concept as an organisation that satisfies customer needs and wants as a means to achieve their own objectives. Although it seems simple, it is complex in the sense that changes within the economic, social, political and technological environment, as discussed in Chapter 2, constantly leads to changing customer needs and wants. Lamb et al. (2004:17) state that institutions who want to survive in the future will have to be customer-focused, market-driven, global in scope and flexible in its ability to deliver superior value to ustomers whose preferences and expectations change continuously. Foxall and Goldsmith (1998:7) feel that consumer orientation stems from an organisation’s adoption and implementation of the marketing mix (price, service product, promotion, place, people, process, physical evidence), but adds that the adoption and implementation of the marketing concept has four major implications: à ¢â‚¬ ¢ The success of any organisation depends above all on the consumers and what they are willing to accept and pay. †¢ The organisation must be aware of what the market wants, preferably well before production commences. Consumer wants must be continually monitored and measured so that, through service product and market development, the organisation keeps ahead of competitors. †¢ Top management must achieve the integration of all the components of the marketing strategy into a single strategic plan, based on knowledge of consumer behaviour. – 76 – Mowen (1995:4) underlines the importance of the marketing concept by stating that the marketing concept embodies the view that an industry is a customer satisfying process, not a goods producing process. An industry begins with the customer and its needs, not a patent, raw material, or selling skill. The general acceptance of the concept that an organisation functions to fulfil consumers’ needs and wants, through understanding their exchange partner (customers), makes the study of consumer behaviour, and thus this study, essential. Mowen (1995:5) and Churchill and Peter (1998:13) agree that the basic idea of the marketing concept is to give the customers what they want. However, consumers are not always sure of their wants or what they are being offered, and are much more open to persuasion than is commonly acknowledged by the marketing concept. The marketing concept is based on four basic principles: consumer orientation or the target market; long-term maximisation of profitability or another measure of long-term success, total organisation effort, and social responsibility (Kotler, 2003:20 and Perreault McCarthy, 2002:34). The four principles of the marketing concept will be briefly explained below. 3. 3. THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSUMER ORIENTATION Strydom et al. (2000:12) view consumer orientation as the first principle of the marketing concept, indicating that all actions should be aimed at satisfying consumer needs, demands and preferences. Although this implies that the consumer objective is to achieve total need satisfaction, it does not mean that an organisation must provide for unrealistic consumer needs. According to Kotler (2003:20), organisat ions have to carefully choose their target markets and then prepare a tailored marketing programme. Research conducted by Conway, Mackay and Yorke (1994:35) on higher education institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) found that more than half of the institutions did not have a customer orientation in their planning and that most institutions merely pay lip service to the variety of target markets they serve. This study will attempt to gather the necessary information to enable institutions to become more customer oriented in understanding the needs and wants of students, specifically regarding the choice factors and information sources used when selecting a university. 3. 3. THE PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRATION AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES – 77 – Strydom et al. (2000:14) define a system as an integrated whole – a group of related units working together to achieve a joint objective. The second principle suggests that marketing activities of a higher education institution should be closely coordinated with each other and with other functional areas such as production, finance, administration, human resources and procurement. The marketing concept has been a useful mechanism in helping to unify the independent functional areas to increase customer satisfaction. All seven marketing mix instruments (price, service product, promotion, distribution, people, process and physical evidence) should complement and reinforce one another in such a way that the student will prefer the institution’s service offerings to that of competitors. 3. 3. 3 THE PRINCIPLE OF MAXIMISING LONG-TERM SUCCESS The third principle is directed at achieving market share, return on investment and the objectives of the organisation. Marketing plans and corporate goals must be closely coordinated to ensure profitability. Maximising profitability is the primary objective of a profit-seeking organisation and can be achieved only through the consideration of consumer needs. Non-profit organisations attempt to achieve some other objective than profit. This does not mean than they are uninterested in income, as they have to generate cash to survive. However, their primary goal is non-economic, and for higher education institutions that is to provide education. Although there is an emergence of for-profit higher education institutions, as discussed in Chapter 2, non-profit higher education institutions also need to focus on their long-term sustainability. For-profit organisational success is measured ultimately by profitability. For non-profit organisations, measuring success is not so easy. Higher education institutions’ success can be measured in research output terms, number of students taught, student pass rate, range of qualifications of staff or even the quality of teaching. The combination of these factors makes the measurement of success difficult and can lead to conflict. For example: more students and larger classes may reduce time needed for research by staff to deliver the required research outputs. The principle of maximising long-term success is therefore more complex in higher education institutions than for for-profit organisations. Marketing is of growing importance to non-profit organisations, because of the need to generate funds in an increasingly competitive arena. Even – 78 – higher education institutions that rely on government funding must show how their work is of benefit to society and must meet the needs of their customers. 3. 3. 4 THE PRINCIPLE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Zikmund and D’Amico (2001:20) state that the pure marketing concept disregards environmental changes and problems and focuses on short-term customer satisfaction rather than on the long-term wellbeing of society. Involvement and concern for the environment and the society in which the marketing task is performed are typical characteristics of a strategic approach to marketing management. Organisations should therefore strive to obtain the goodwill of the society, rather than only the support of the target market. By demonstrating social responsibility, higher education institutions can earn the goodwill of the public and government. This has a long-term dimension that can favourably influence the future of any institution in terms of funding and a steady supply of customers. From the discussion of the marketing concept and its principles, it is clear that by accepting the marketing concept, institutions have recognised that consumers and their behaviour has a direct bearing on the formulation of a marketing strategy – and therefore the relevance of this study. The marketing concept helps to bring focus and enables an organisation to satisfy consumers’ needs (Perreault McCarthy, 2002:41). If higher education institutions want to be successful in today’s dynamic higher education landscape, competing for resources, support and customers, they too should adhere to principles of the marketing concept, especially being consumeroriented, when conducting their business. Applied to higher education, the marketing concept holds that higher education institutions should conduct their planning bearing in mind and recognising that they exist primarily for the purpose of providing a service product to students. Campus activities should thus focus on satisfying the needs of students (Massad Tucker, 2000:1-5). The philosophy of the marketing concept forms the underlying basis for an organisation’s market- and marketing-orientation. These two concepts will be briefly explained in the next section. – 79 – 3. 4 MARKET-ORIENTATION AND MARKETING-ORIENTATION Throughout the literature, the term market-orientation and marketing-orientation is used interchangeably (Payne, 1988; Kohli, Jaworski, Kumar, 1993 and Sharp, 1991). Notice should however be taken of a small group of authors, such as Cravens, Lamb and Crittenden (1996), who argue that there are slight differences between the two concepts. However, it is not the purpose of this study to argue or investigate if there are differences between these concepts, but rather to show how the adherence to these concepts can enable higher education institutions to survive and grow (Voon, 2006:598). 3. 4. 1 MARKET-ORIENTATION Market-orientation refers to everyone in the organisation being committed to the customer and adapting in a timely way to meeting the changing needs of the customer. Market-orientation is a bias towards the market, requiring knowledge of customer needs and wants, competitors and external forces (Evans, James Tomes, 1996:209). Kasper (2002:1047) defines a market-orientation as the degree to which an organisation and all its thinking and acting (internally as well as externally) is guided and committed to the factors determining the market behaviour of the organisation itself and its customers. Kohli and Jaworski (1990:3) define market-orientation as the activities involved in the implementation of the marketing concept. An organisation with a market-orientation determines the needs and wants of the target market and delivers the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than the competition. Thus, market-orientation extends beyond the marketing concept philosophy, as it also offers a process for delivering customer value. A market-oriented organisation understands customer preference and requirements and effectively combines and directs the skills and resources of the entire organisation to satisfy customers’ needs. According to Kasper (2002:1052), a robust market-orientation has become a strategic necessity for any service organisation due to increasing market turbulence and intensifying competition. He states that the market-orientation of an organisation can be seen as a particular position on a scale ranging from being truly market-oriented to not being market-oriented at all. Results from Kasper’s research show that a market-oriented service organisation has an open, employee-oriented, result-oriented, pragmatic, – 80 – professional, well-communicated, marketing goals-oriented, market knowledge (customers and competition) system with dedicated employees that know what customer focus and service means. Market forces (refer to Chapter 2) changed the landscape of higher education into a competitive environment requiring a market-orientation (Koerwer, 2001). According to Couturier (2002), reduction in government support and increase in new technologies and improved learning produce students with high expectations and this further pressurises higher education institutions to become more market-oriented. Shoemaker (1999) states that glossy brochures, catchy slogans and the existence of marketing programmes do not give higher education institutions a market-orientation. Marketorientation requires a philosophy and a culture that go deep in the organisation. This means an institution where students are involved in the service production process and where administration, faculty and support staff work together effectively. A marketorientation requires a commitment and power from top management. Shoemaker (1999) states that a market-oriented higher education institution is characterised by: †¢ A top management actively involved in providing institutional marketing leadership; †¢ A marketing process integrated to reflect, recognise and involve all institutional stakeholders; Marketing plans that are well distributed among top institutional officers; †¢ Outside marketing consultants used to build and enrich the institutional culture; †¢ Regular and structured marketing research studies of all important stakeholder areas; †¢ A marketing-oriented planning culture that includes the participation of all stakeholder areas; and †¢ Marketing evaluation systems in place to assure continuous monitoring and improvement of marketing programmes and strategies. – 81 – 3. 4. 2 MARKETING-ORIENTATION An organisation with a marketing-orientation adheres to the principles of the marketing concept and offer customers what they need (Perreault McCarthy, 2002:37). Marketing-orientation implies that the main task of a higher education institution is to determine the needs and wants of target markets and to satisfy them through the design, communication, pricing, delivery of appropriate and competitively viable programmes and services (Kotler Fox, 1995:8). Laurer (2006) states that strategic plans of higher education institutions will have to become marketing-oriented plans. This begins with an environmental scan that determines how society is changing and then outlines how programmes, pricing and access to learning (distribution), employees (people) and process will meet these changing needs. According to Massad and Tucker (2000), higher education institutions in the United States have embraced a marketing-oriented approach to admission. They state that the trend began in the late 1970’s in the USA and is driven by increased competition and a shrinking enrolment pool. Higher education institutions in Shanghai started in 1999 to reform their policies to be more marketing-oriented (People Daily, 1999). These policies include practical plans such as providing enough residence and departmental buildings for students and lecturers, logistic service renovations, and improved logistic service quality. Several reasons exist why achieving a marketing-orientation is problematic for some higher education institutions (Sargeant, 2005:297): †¢ Conflict between management and academic interest. There is a split in the responsibility for dealing with customers between departments and an institution’s central administrative function. †¢ The lack of a strategic perspective. Courses are sometimes established and maintained for the status of the department or institution rather than where there is clear evidence of an economic viability or long-term demand. †¢ The diversity of the marketing activity. Marketing is conducted by a variety of players, such as the admissions officer, school liaison officers, research officer and faculties, making the coordination difficult. †¢ Academic value. Some institutions still perceive marketing as being incompatible with their education mission. – 82 – Nevertheless, higher education institutions must aim to become marketing-oriented. The market concept forms the underlying philosophy for both a market and marketingorientation. A marketing-orientation is an all-embracing concept referring to both behavioural and philosophical standing of marketing, therefore incorporating the market-orientation. Thus, for the purpose of this study, the term marketing-orientation will be used to indicate a market- and/or marketing-orientation. 3. 5 MARKETING STRATEGY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR According to Hawkins et al. (2001:7), an effective marketing strategy is based on knowledge of the environment, competitors and customers. The study of customers’ needs, perceptions, aspirations, motivations, culture and decision-making processes is called consumer behaviour (Du Plessis Rousseau 2005:8). Consumer behaviour serves as a basis for marketing strategy formulation. Figure 3. 1 indicates that an understanding of consumer behaviour is the basis for marketing strategy formulation and will serve as a visual guide for the remainder of this chapter. It also visually shows the integration and link between Chapter 2, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Figure 3. begins with the analysis of the market (Step 1) in which the organisation is operating. It requires a detailed analysis of the organisation’s capabilities, strengths and weaknesses, competition, the economical and technological forces affecting the market, and the current and potential customers in the market (refer to Chapter 2). The consumer analysis component of the first step enables an organisation to identify groups of individuals with similar needs . The identified market segments, in step two, can be described in terms of demographics, media preference and geographic location. One or more of these segments are then selected as target market, based on the organisation’s capabilities relative to those of its competition, taking into account current economic and technological conditions. The organisation then decides on the desired image of the service product or brand, also known as the service product or brand position. The third step entails the marketing mix/strategy formulation. Hawkins et al. (2001:14) point out that a marketing strategy basically answers the question: How will we provide – 83 – superior customer value to our target market? The answer requires the formulation of a consistent marketing mix. Thus, the marketing strategy is formulated in terms of the marketing mix. Lamb et al. (2004:12) point out that this step involves the determining of service product features, price, communications (promotion), distribution (place), people, process and physical evidence that will provide the customer with superior value. The total service product is then presented to the target market, which constantly engages in processing information and making decisions to enhance and maintain their lifestyles. The marketing strategy (as implemented in the marketing mix) intervenes between the decision-making process of consumers (Step 4) and the outcomes/goals of an organisation. The outcomes of the organisation are determined by its interaction with the consumer decision-making process. Organisations can only succeed if consumers see a need that the organisation’s service product can address, become aware of the service product, decide that it is the best viable alternative solution, proceed to buy it, and become satisfied with the results (Hawkins et al. , 2004:22-23). The consumer decision-making process will be discussed in detail in Chapter 4. Finally, the reaction of the target market to the total service product produces an image of the service product, brand or organisation, sales (or the lack thereof), and some level of customer satisfaction among those who did purchase. As the components of the market analysis (Step 1) was discussed as part of the trends in the higher education landscape in Chapter 2 and the consumer decision-making process (Step 4) will be explained in Chapter 4, the remainder of the chapter will focus on the STP process (Step 2) and marketing strategy (Step 3) as depicted in Figure 3. . – 84 – MARKETING MIX/STRATEGY (CHAPTER 3) Service product (3. 7. 1) Price (3. 7. 2) Promotion (3. 7. 3) Place (3. 7. 4) People (3. 7. 5) Process (3. 7. 8) Physical evidence (3. 7. 9) Problem recognition (4. 7) Information search (4. 8) Alternative evaluation (4. 9) Selection and purchase (4. 10) Post-purchase process (4. 11) OUTCOME Customer Satisfaction Sales Product/brand image/organisation Source: Ad apted from Hawkins, Best and Coney (2001:8). – 85 – CHAPTER 3 STP- PROCESS (CHAPTER 3) Segmentation, target market and product positioning (3. 6) CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING PROCESS (CHAPTER 4) STEP 4 CHAPTER 2 MARKET ANALYSIS (CHAPTER 2) Competitors Company Consumer Conditions CHAPTER 4 STEP 3 STEP 2 STEP 1 Figure 3. 1: Marketing strategy and consumer behaviour As the components of the market analysis (Step 1) was discussed as part of the trends in the higher education landscape in Chapter 2 and the consumer decision-making process (Step 4) will be explained in Chapter 4, the remainder of the chapter will focus on the STP process (Step 2) and marketing strategy (Step 3) as depicted in Figure 3. . 3. 6 SEGMENTATION, TARGET MARKETING AND POSITIONING (STP PROCESS) Marketing strategy formulation for organisations takes place via the process of integrating segmentation, targeting, positioning and the services marketing mix. Once organisations have segmented the market, they must determine the market potential of each segment and then select segments to target. A target market can be defined as a fairly homogeneous group of customers to whom an organisation directs its market offering. Organisations must determine a mixture of the marketing elements that they will combine to satisfy their target market. Selecting a market-oriented strategy is referred to as target marketing. A specific marketing strategy specifies a particular target customer (Perreault McCarthy, 2002:47). Most non-profit organisations serve several groups or publics. The two broad groups are donors, who may be individuals, trusts, companies or governmental bodies. The second group consists of their clients such as students, parents, government or employers. Often higher education institutions need to satisfy both groups and this complicates the marketing task (Lovelock Wright, 2002:233). Students, prospective students and their families are seen as customers or consumers who must be attracted to the institution, who must be satisfied, and who must have a good experience at the institution. This will ensure that they spread positive word-of-mouth and influence other potential students to select the institution (Reich, 2004). Students can be regarded as the primary clients of higher education institutions and parents, employers and society as secondary beneficiaries. As an institution’s target market changes, new needs and trends evolve (as discussed in Chapter 2), making it necessary for institutions to rethink their position and often to reposition in order to address the new needs or trends (McGolddrick, 2000:54) This study focuses on students as a target market of institutions, as traditionally most institutions’ marketing efforts are directed at satisfying 86 – the needs of students. This study will provide insight into the demographics and choice factor importance that forms part of students decision-making behaviour, which will aid higher education institutions in understanding their target market to ensure satisfaction through implementing an appropriate marketing strategy. After segmentation and target marketing, organisations should position their market offerings in such a way that it is perceived to satisfy the needs of customers better than the competition. According to Hawkins et al. 2001:289), a product’s position refers to the schematic memory of a brand in relation to competing brands, products, services and stores. Brand image, a closely related concept, can be defined as the schematic memory of a brand without reference to competing brands. Strydom et al. (2000:14) regard a product’s position as the way consumers perceive a product or service in terms of its character and advantages in relation to competitors. Du Plessis and Rousseau (2003:276) state that the important underlying principle is recognising that the marketing battle today is fought in the minds of the consumer. Research shows those products or services that enjoy high awareness levels usually enjoy dominant market penetration and market share. But awareness is not enough; the service product must have a meaningful position in the mind of the consumer and stand for something of value to the consumer. Mowen (1995:18) defines product differentiation as the process of positioning the product by manipulating the marketing mix so that customers can perceive meaningful differences between a particular brand and competing brands. A highly differentiated brand may have strong competitive advantages, because it is easily recognisable as being different from competitors. Institutions need to know how they and their service products are positioned in the student’s mind. The stimuli that institutions employ, such as advertising or sponsorships, can influence the service product’s interpretation and thus its position. Hawkins et al. (2001:289) is of the opinion that organisations frequently fail to achieve the type of service product image or position they desire, because they fail to anticipate or test the consumer’s reaction. These positions have developed and evolved over time. Therefore, the message received from the organisation must be consistent or change in a deliberate manner to reflect or alter a desired change in brand position. – 87 – Strydom et al. (2000:134) state that organisations must position their brands so that they are perceived to satisfy the needs of the target market better than competitors’ offerings. The institution must develop a unique appeal for the brand in the consumer’s mind and position the brand as filling a particular need of the consumer. Berman and Evans (2001:122) point out that through positioning, institutions devise their strategy in a way that projects an image relative to the institution’s category and its competitors, and elicits consumers’ responses to their image. Sargeant (2005:322) notes that positioning can also have a profound impact on the success or failure of fundraising initiatives and attempts to work closely with commerce and industry. Those higher education institutions that are perceived as being either of high quality or as unique in some way, are likely to have the greatest success in these areas. Law (2002:3) states that it is important for institutions to distinguish themselves from competitors in terms of values that are important to the student. Therefore, higher education institutions need to develop a clear position that can be stated simply, effectively and often (Dehne, 2001). The author continues by saying that as competition becomes stronger, an integrated marketing strategy based on the identified positioning of the institution will play a crucial role. If organisations want staff and students to project a positive image, they must clearly define exactly what that image is; not vague understanding, but specifics (Sharpe Harville, 1987). Law (2002:4) emphasises the importance of addressing the values that are important for prospective students in the publications of the institution. It can therefore be said that in the positioning of the institution, the needs and perceptions of important values of the respective public should be seriously considered. The elements of higher education institutions’ marketing are mixed to form an integrated strategy where each component plays a role to position the institution in its chosen target market (Van Biljon, 1992:65). According to Czinkota, Kotabe and Mecer (1997:217), organisations must first determine how they want to position their service products and use their service products’ position as basis for developing their marketing strategies. This means that after the STP (segmentation, targeting and positioning) process, organisations must blend the services marketing mix elements into a marketing strategy that reflect the organisation’s desired osition to their target market. – 88 – The next section focuses on the services marketing mix and its elements as it pertains to higher education institutions. 3. 7 THE SERVICES MARKETING MIX OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS The development of a marketing strategy involves the coordination and combination of the m arketing mix elements (Mowen, 1995:19; and Hawkins et al. , 2001:6). It is the combination and coordination of the elements in the marketing mix that enables organisations to meet customers’ needs and provides customer value. A traditional marketing mix consists of the following elements: price, service product, promotion and place (distribution). However, due to the intangible, inseparable, heterogeneous and perishable nature of services, the traditional marketing mix was extended to include process, people and physical evidence (Goldsmith, 1999:178). Because higher education institutions mainly provide intangible service products, the extended marketing mix, better known as the services marketing mix, forms the focus of this chapter. Higher education institutions need a well-developed comprehensive marketing strategy that is carefully communicated throughout the institution (Robinson Long, 1987:44; Brooker Noble, 1985:34) and the services marketing mix will help higher education institutions to shape their service offerings according to the needs of their customers. Grove, in Kraft (2006) showed that in the marketing of education, the marketing mix is the single most important determinant of marketing success. In the light of the fact that marketing can influence the consumer’s behaviour and the services marketing mix can assist higher education institutions in developing a holistic and well thought-through service offering, the seven services marketing mix elements (service product, price, promotion, distribution, people, physical evidence and process) will be discussed in the main part of this chapter. – 89 – 3. 7. 1 THE SERVICE PRODUCT STRATEGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS The most basic decision that higher education institutions have to make is what programmes and services they will offer to their students, alumni and donors. An institution’s service product strategy determines its identity, position and how customers will respond to the institution. A product is anything a consumer acquires, or might acquire to meet a perceived need and thus the sum of all the products and/or services offered by an organisation. To define the term service is not easy or simplistic. Although the process may be tied to a physical product, the performance is essentially intangible and does not normally result in ownership of any of the factors of production. Services create value and provide benefits for customers at specific times and places. Lovelock and Wright (2002:3) define services as an act or performance offered by one party to another. Irons (1997:12) defines services as perishable, transient acts that have no lasting material, being mainly presented by people that cannot be separated from the provider. Therefore, the personal characteristics of the provider are an important part of the service. Du Plessis and Rousseau (2003:175) state that these definitions reveal that the nature of service centres on the characteristic of intangibility and that it is this feature that distinguishes services marketing from the marketing of physical goods. The goods and services continuum is shown in Figure 3. 2 below. Figure 3. 2: Goods and services continuum Tangible dominant Complete tangible products Tangible products with supporting services Intangible dominant Hybrid offers Source: Adapted from Palmer (2005:24). – 90 – Major service with supporting products Pure services It is evident that in services, the intangible element is dominant. The provision of education, although intangible, also contains tangible elements. Institutions provide service activities such as the teaching process and contact with customers (intangible element) as well as learning aterial such as textbooks (tangible element). McCollKennedy (2003:6-7) regards goods and services’ tangibility on a continuum, rather than in one category. At one end of the continuum are the intangible services and at the other end are tangible products. Higher education, which can be described as a major service (intangible) with minor supporting products (ta ngible), are leaning towards the intangible side of the continuum. In addition to categorising services based on their tangibility, it is also useful to identify who or what is the direct recipient of the service. Services can either be directed at people’s bodies, intangible assetes, physical possessions or people’s minds such as education (Lovelock, 1996:29). In order to better understand the concept of services, the distinguishing characteristics of services will now be explained. The basic characteristics of services are briefly outlined below (Lovelock Wright, 2002:14-16): †¢ Customers do not obtain ownership. Customers usually derive value from a service without obtaining ownership of any tangible elements; †¢ Service products are intangible performances. Intangible refers to something that is experienced and cannot be touched or preserved. Although services often include tangible elements, the service performance itself is basically intangible; †¢ Customer involvement in the production process. Customers are often actively involved in helping to create the service product by helping themselves or by cooperating with the service personnel. Customers cannot sit back and wait for the experience to be delivered as they do with the purchase of tangible products they have to participate. †¢ People as part of the service product. Given the fact that different service personnel may deliver the service product to customers, it is difficult to achieve – 91 – uniformity in service delivery. This difference (heterogeneity) in attitude and action will typically result in very different customer perceptions of the quality and overall satisfaction levels. People are such an important component of service delivery that it is added as an element to service organisations marketing mix and will be discussed in Section 3. 7. 5; †¢ Importance of time. Customers have to be physically present to receive services. Customers are becoming increasingly time sensitive and speed is often a key element in good service delivery; and †¢ Services are perishable and cannot be stored like physical goods. Thus, although education includes tangible elements such as textbooks, chairs and notes, students derive value from higher education without obtaining ownership. Students are involved in the education production process as they participate in and help make the final service product, by giving inputs in class or participating in campus events. As higher education is perishable and cannot be stored, students must be physically present to receive education. It is evident that offering educational services involve special challenges, since most services education is intangible, inseparable, variable and perishable. Developing service products that satisfy consumers’ wants and needs are a critical marketing activity for institutions (Hoyer MacInnis, 2001:40). Consumer research can provide useful information for service product decisions. According to Czinkota et al. (1997:109), information provided by consumer behaviour research, such as this study, can help organisations to decide which attributes to add to or change in an existing offering; aid them in correctly naming or re-naming their organisations and make effective packaging and branding decisions. Higher education institutions should evaluate its academic programmes and service product mix periodically, and particularly when considering modifications. Some programmes are more central than others. Education offerings are specifically essential programmes that institutions cannot do without. Other programmes may be easier to modify, like recreational activities that are usually auxiliary programmes. Certain programmes will play a major role in attracting customers and these are called flagship programmes (Kotler Fox, 1995:282). – 92 – Information provided by this study will enable institutions to determine the importance of some components of their service product (variety of study courses, academic quality and sport programmes) in the institution selection process of students. Higher education institutions must also develop a pricing strategy for their service products. The pricing decision is of utmost importance, as this will ensure income for higher education institutions that will enable them to implement al the other decisions such as promotion, distribution, processes, physical evidence and people. Section 3. 7. 2 will focus on the pricing strategy of higher education institutions. 3. 7. 2 THE PRICING STRATEGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS In this section, the pricing strategy of higher education institutions will be discussed by defining the term price, explaining possible pricing objectives of higher education institutions, explaining discounts and highlighting the role of price. Price plays an important role in the marketing mix, quality perception, attracting customers and providing revenue to institutions. Price is the amount of money (or some other item that is exchanged or bartered) that the buyer exchanges for a service product provided by the seller. Lamb et al. (2004:570) describe prices as that which is given up in exchange to acquire goods and services. The price of a service plays two major roles. Firstly, it influences how much of the service product the customer will purchase, and secondly, it influences whether selling the service will be profitable for the organisation or not (Machado Cassim, 2000:99). Prices can be seen as the amount that a customer (students, parents or employers) must pay to be educated. The price of higher education institutions are influenced by the subsidy from government as well as donations and the cost of presenting the course, prices of competition and inflation. Price, for students, consists of a monetary cost as well as other costs, for example effort cost (completing long essay application forms), psychological cost (stress of enrolling in an institution far from home) and time cost (visiting or attending open days at different institutions) (Kotler Fox, 1995:311). Students and their parents are not just interested in the institution’s list price (official – 93 – tuition and fees printed in a catalogue), but also the effective price. According to Kotler and Fox (1995:312), the effective price is the amount the customer will actually pay for all the educational benefits and value received. Prospective students may find it difficult to measure effective price early in the decision process, since effective price can only be known after the student has gone though the application process and has been accepted and financial aid has been allocated. Tuition fees represent only a fraction of the total cost of attending a higher education institution and living cost and other education related expenses must also be considered by students (Anon, 2006b). Diederichs (1987:112) found that price plays an important role in students’ choices of a higher education institution. The first aspect organisations should consider when pricing a service product is to decide on the pricing objectives they want to achieve. Pricing objectives can influence the price of the service product and include: maximising profit (short- or long-term), building market share, maximising long-term customer perceptions of the value of the service product, maximising immediate cash flow, positioning the service product in a certain place in customers’ minds, and targeting a given segment of the market. Higher education institutions may pursue more than one of these objectives at the same time depending on the situation they are facing. A new higher education institution emerging after a merger may aim to position their service product, as well as targeting a given segment and maximising long-term perceptions of value (McColl-Kennedy, 2003:270 and Machado Cassim, 2002:106-107). Higher education institutions should take into account three factors when setting prices for their educational programmes: †¢ Firstly, cost, by determining the amount of revenue needed to cover expected operating expenses; Secondly, customer demand, which emphasises that the final price decision is always made by the customer; and †¢ Thirdly, competition, as institutions have to weigh their â€Å"value† and establish their price relative to their competitors. Institutions should always consider the effects of a given pricing policy on enrolment, the nature and mission of the institution, the prices charged by competition and the – 94 – effect of their prices and price changes on actions of competition (Kotler Fox, 1995:309). The pricing objective of a higher education institution will also affect its discount policy, as discount influence profit, market share, cash flow and positioning. Once the basic price is established, organisations need to establish some flexibility in terms of that price. Discount can be defined as the reductions to the basic price (Machado Cassim, 2002:116). Higher education institutions need to determine and publish their prices (tuition fees) and discounts. Financial aid is seen as a form as discount by students. Kotler and Fox (1995:310) state that financial aid is not just used to attract students to increase the size of classes, but also to ensure the needed composition of the class to meet diversity objectives. Student aid or financial aid makes it possible for many students from low- and middle income families to afford higher education (Anon, 2006b). Cabrera and La Nasa (2000:10) found that financial aid especially influences students positively to select a particular institution and also allows parents to consider a wider range of institutions. This study will include the importance of financial aid in selecting a higher education institution. Diederichs (1987:114) found that a higher education institution’s price policy should take into consideration the facilities needed, quality of education and competitiveness, as students often use the price of a product or service as an indicator of quality. For example, more expensive institutions may be viewed as providing better education. Some institutions make use of their price/quality relationship by trying to raise the prestige and attractiveness of their institution by raising the tuition fees. Higher education institutions must carefully consider the role of price in the marketing mix, as price can be used as a quality indicator and thereby influence the perception of the institution’s position. Higher education institutions often offer substantial amounts of financial aid to talented students to maintain their competitive advantage. Students and parents are looking for the best overall deal in terms of educational quality and prices (Laurer, 2006). Courant (2006:4) is of the opinion that higher education institutions prepare students to lead an examined life and should therefore price higher education as an expensive, high value proposition. Wallace (2003:32) argues that higher tuition fees will enable institutions to improve the quality of education and in countries where higher education is subsidised or offered for free, education would be held in higher esteem if a price were attached to it. However, Beckett (2005) warns that institutions – 95 – should be aware that charging top fees may cause institutions to loose students and not widen the participation. Wallace (2003) states that universities in France, England, the United States and Germany are facing the same problems with the price of education, as government funding for education is decreasing and institutions have to look at increasing tuition fees. The result is that students in these countries are protesting the price increases. The increased value of a higher education degree, increased research at universities, reduced state funding for public higher education institutions and monopolistic behaviour of higher education institutions are other possible reasons for higher prices (Barry, 1998:84). Higher educational institutions rely on tuition fees, donors and government subsidies as sources of revenue. As discussed in Chapter 2, changes in the financial environment emphasise the trend of institutions to cut cost, increase productivity and offer more financial aid to students. Most educational institutions depend heavily on tuition fees to keep operating and pricing therefore becomes very important. Price plays a role in determining who will apply, who will attend, who the institutions will serve, what the institutions will be able to offer and whether the institutions will meet its enrolment objectives and revenue needs. From the discussion it is evident that a pricing strategy is important for education institutions because they depend on revenue to operate, especially in the light of the decrease in subsidies (refer to Chapter 2). Price is part of the marketing mix and should be considered as an element of the institution’s strategy planning. When setting price, decision-makers should understand how students perceive price and the importance of price in selecting institutions. According to Cosser and Du Toit (2002:77), price is an important factor considered in choosing a higher education institution. It is important that higher education institutions know the cost of producing the service, know the price of competitors, identify pricing factors that are relevant to pricing decisions, and decide on a pricing strategy that will attract enough students. It is evident from the above-mentioned that higher education management needs information on the students and market to make effective pricing decisions. This study will provide some insight on the importance of price in the institution selection process. – 96 – Higher education institutions can have good quality educational services offered at the right price to students, but if students and parents are not aware of these services and prices, they will not consider the institution. It is thus important that higher education institutions communicate with their prospective students and parents. The next section will focus on the promotional or communication strategy of higher education institutions. 3. 7. THE PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS Educational institutions need to effectively communicate with their target market(s) and publics. Institutions must inform students and parents about its goals, activities and offerings and motivate them to take an interest in the institution. To identify and satisfy consumers’ needs, an institution must have a good understanding of the consumer in order to gain a competitive advantage through its marketing mix (service product, price, distribution, promotion, process, people and physical evidence). Persuasive communication is central to the marketing of service products as features, benefits and values must be communicated to the consumers to influence their purchase behaviour. Everything and everybody in an institution has a role to play in communication. Examples include the organisation’s brand name or logo, campus grounds, service product quality, prices, employees, delivery vehicles, buildings, the technology the organisation has at its disposal, the capital the organisation has at its disposal and the organisational philosophy. Kelley and Mahady (2003:2) are of the opinion that promotion is an element sometimes overlooked by non-profit organisations. They argue that even if an institution offers some of the best programmes and services, these will not be utilised to the fullest if the market they were intended for has no knowledge of their existence. The remainder of Section 3. 7. 3 will focus on the definition of promotion, the communication process and the integrated services marketing communication (ISMC) mix available for higher education institutions. According to Hawkins et al. 2001:19), promotion or marketing communication includes advertising, the sales force, public relations, packaging and any other signals that the – 97 – organisation provides about itself and its products and services. Lamb et al. (2004:466) describe the promotional strategy as a plan for the optimal use of the elements of promotion, namely advertising, sales promotion, publicity and personal selling. Many higher e ducation institutions are returning to promotional or communication tools to promote courses in an attempt to maintain and/or expand their market share. The importance of communication can be seen in the establishment of communication departments, more funds that are allocated to marketing and appointing marketing managers or external communication experts to help with promotional activities. Higher education institutions are making use of radio, television, newspapers, buses, taxis and open days as well as more professional brochures and promotional material as vehicles for communication (Jones, 2002:41). This is necessary, since higher education institutions can no longer depend on pass rates alone to attract students. In order to utilise the promotional tools to their fullest and to ensure effective communication, higher education institutions need to understand the communication process. Communication involves the creation of shared meaning between participants. The intangibility, inseparability, perishability and heterogeneity of services create special communication requirements and involve the risk of miscommunication that is not so evident in the marketing of goods (McColl-Kennedy, 2003:236). Communication can be viewed upon as the transfer of a message from a sender to a receiver by means of a signal of some sort via a channel or medium. The sender translates his/her objectives, ideas and concepts through language into a message also known as encoding (Strydom et al. , 2000:344). The receiver tries to decode the message before he/she can comprehend its meaning and then the receiver reacts or responds to the message (Lamb et al. , 2004:326). The disturbances (physical or psychological) that prevent the successful transfer of the message are known as noise. Noise influences all the components of the communication process and places obstacles in the way of effective communication. Higher education institutions are the senders, while the receivers of the message are the potential students, existing students, parents, employers or alumni. For the purpose of this study, the focus is on the students of a higher education institution. This does not mean that institutions do not need to communicate with other publics such as alumni, parents, donors, government or the general public as well. According – 98 – to Jones (2002:44) the student’s ability to decode the message is influenced by his/her past experiences, feelings, emotions, attitudes and perceptions of the institution. Thus, higher education institutions need to fully understand their target market to identify the appropriate intended messages for the target market. The communication process gives higher education institutions the opportunity to influence prospective students’ behaviour by developing a message that creates awareness, position themselves in the mind of the student, change the student’s attitude towards the institution, or encourage the student to apply to the institution (Jones, 2002:45). The most popular communication/promotion objectives are general image enhancement and awareness of the institutions (Kittle, 2000). According to Jones (2002:43), emotions or feelings also play an important part in the encoding process and it is vital that higher education institutions should have empathy for other people’s cultural backgrounds. Higher education institutions need to select a medium that will attract attention, arouse interest and present the message clearly (Kotler Fox, 1995:353). Higher education institutions need knowledge about the language of the prospective students, knowledge of forms of communication and general background information about the prospective students in order to encode successfully. The media that will be investigated in this study include: printed media (advertisement in magazines, newspapers or outdoor media), broadcasting media (advertisements on radio and television), direct mail or direct marketing (newsletters and brochures of higher education institutions), body language and direct communication through representatives of the institution (school visits by staff or open days attended by students), word-of-mouth (conversations with alumni, friends or family members), or websites. In Chapter 4 the different media will be further discussed as part of the sources of information used by students. The promotional mix that an institution uses is determined by the student market’s expectations and requirements of the service products, together with the other elements of institutions’ marketing decisions. Machado and Cassim (2002:157) describe the promotional mix as the blend of promotional methods used by the organisation to communicate. A huge array of promotion elements exist, such as direct marketing, sales promotions, advertising, Internet and sponsorships. The communication process and the promotional mix elements (advertising, public – 99 – elations, personal selling and sales promotions) are used by organisations to communicate to their prospective customers. The message that reaches the customer should be the same regardless of whether it is an advertisement on the radio, websites, open days, or a newspaper insert. To ensure the careful coordination of all the promotional mix elements, organisations must adopt the concept of Integrated Marketi ng Communications (IMC) (Du Plessis Rousseau, 2005:345). For a higher education institution, this means that the institution coordinates all its communication activities. Zeithaml and Bitner (2000:405) suggest that a more complex integrated form of communication is needed for services, hence the ISMC approach as shown in Figure 3. 3. This concept requires a complete communication strategy that involves staff, every interface the institution has with its students, stakeholders and the community at large (Jones, 2002:450). Laurer (2006) suggests that institutions must coordinate all the promotional elements so that they meet the needs of students and parents who will pay for their products and services. Figure 3. serves as a visual guide for the discussion How to cite Higher Education Marketing Mix, Papers