Teens And Anorexia Nervosa Theory

Teens And Anorexia Nervosa Theory Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that causes a person to obsess about their weight and the food they eat (MFMER. 2008, Para. 1). Anyone can have the disease, but women are particularly susceptible. People who have this condition will view themselves as fat when they look in the mirror although they are in reality dangerously thin and far below the normal weight for their bodys height and age (Lofshult, 2006). They attempt to lose weight by starving themselves and often by obsessive and compulsive exercise. This condition can affect people of all ages, yet teens in America are greatly affected by the disease because they are at a vulnerable development stage and extremely subject to body image issues. (MFMER, 2008). Anorexia Nervosa is at its core an issue with self worth and not really about food at all. When teens are struggling with emotional self esteem issues, they will often try to cope with these feelings through the unhealthy practice of losing weight. It is believed that if they are thinner they will be more accepted by society. Anorexia Nervosa, also known as Anorexia, is a disease that causes them to equate self worth with being thin (MFMER, 2010) It can have serious complications on the body and be life threatening if not treated properly. During the early development years of adolescence, the body requires essential nutrients for growth, making the disease especially harmful on the bodies of teens. If not handled appropriately at an early stage, irreversible damage can be done to the body (Lofshult, 2006). This disease is always difficult to overcome, but with early diagnosis and proper treatment, serious complications can be avoided and even reversed. MFMER, 2008). Two theories that can be used to describe and explain Anorexia in teens Eriksons Psychosocial Theory Erickson believed that people go through stages of development from birth to death. There are eight stages of human development in Eriksons Psychosocial Theory. These developmental stages include tasks that result from both biological forces and age related social or cultural expectations (Ashford, J. B. LeCroy, C. W. 2010). Eriksons Psychosocial Theory can be used to describe and explain Anorexia in teens. Teenagers are very much aware of their bodies. According to Erickson teens are concerned with the image they portray to others. During young adulthood which is the fifth stage in Eriksons Theory, the identity crisis that teens face is Identity vs. Identity Confusion. Banduras Social Learning Theory Banduras Social Learning Theory can help explain how Anorexia Nervosa begins. Bandura believed people could influence their environment through conscious cognitive learning. This theory contends that people learn through observations taking place around them. People observe behavior of others around them, known as models. Even if there is no reinforcement of the modeling behavior a person may imitate the behavior observed (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). This process requires indirect learning cognition of their environment. It is cognitive because role models must be observed and then information must be processed and stored in their memory to imitate the behavior (Cherry, 2013). Models are the key in the progression of personality development because of the observational learning principle. The Social Learning Theory combines the cognitive processes with learning principles. It ascertains that people learn when watching others, even though there may be no direct involvement (Ashford LeCro y, 2010). Contrast and compare the principal concepts as applied to anorexia in teens According to Eriksons theory, if a teenager is unable to make deliberate decisions they may experience role confusion, which may manifest itself in a number of ways. In the case of eating disorders, role confusion often manifests itself in what Erikson called a moratorium in which teenagers withdraws from adult responsibilities. If teens successfully work through earlier conflicts of childhood such as trusting others and believing in themselves, this moratorium may simply pass. When a teen has and eating disorders their earlier conflicts may not have been worked through, the moratorium stage may keep the teen stuck in childhood. Having an illness such as an eating disorder is a way to extend childhood and to ensure that the child may remain dependent on the parents without having to face the challenges of adult responsibilities. A major component in Banduras Social Learning Theory is self-efficacy (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). This refers to a persons belief that they are able to achieve specific behaviors. When a person has confidence in their ability to achieve a goal it is more likely that they will not give up easily and that they will be willing to work harder to succeed (Cherry, 2013). This is helpful in understanding how the mind works when a person is suffering with Anorexia. Research has shown that the media plays a significant role in the way teens view body image. (Harrison, 2001). Also if a teen believes they are fat, they will see themselves as fat when they look in the mirror, even if they are terribly thin (MFMER, 2010). In comparison, Eriksons theory is inherently dependent upon the childhood developmental stages and Banduras theory hypothesizes that changes can be made in the adult stage though confidence building strategies without accessing childhood experiences. Banduras modeling theory can be used to reshape body image ideals with current effective role models. Erikson theory will need intensive counseling to come to terms with childhood trauma for recovery to be effective (Bandura, Thoresen, Praeger, 2007). Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses to explain anorexia in teens The strength of Erikson Theory is that if teens successfully work through earlier conflicts of childhood such as trusting others and believing in themselves, this moratorium may simply pass. Teenagers have to find a balance between developing a unique, individual identity while still being accepted and fitting in. The weakness to this is that a teen has and eating disorders their earlier conflicts may not have been worked through, the moratorium stage may keep the teen stuck in childhood. For girls, even though its completely normal (and necessary) to gain some additional body fat during puberty, some respond to this change by becoming very fearful of their new weight and feel compelled to get rid of it any way they can. Teenagers are overloaded by images of thin celebrities. When you combine the pressure to be like these role models with a changing body, its not hard to see why some teens develop a distorted body image. Teenage that struggling with an eating disorder, are full of co nfusion, self-doubt and the searching for their identity. The strength of Banduras Theory in explaining Anorexia in teens, is how young girls are greatly affected by peer pressure they experience during the teen years (Harrison, 2001). Most women with Anorexia began to develop the disease in their teens, when peer pressure was at its height. However, it has been diagnosed in children as young as young as five years old and in women as old as 90. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) estimates that almost one percent of all female teenagers between the ages of twelve and eighteen have Anorexia Nervosa. It has also been determined that at least thirty percent of all adolescent girls engage in some form of unhealthy form of dieting. Researchers have concluded that teens who diet on a regular basis have a greater potential for developing this disease later in life than those who do not diet at all. For those that diet a severe level, they were eighteen percent more likely to develop Anorexia (Lofshult, 2006). It is important that we educate y oung girls to the possible dangers of excessive dieting (Harrison, 2001). As social workers it is necessary that we become aware of the severe consequences of early dieting and seek to help young people and their parents to understand that dieting can lead to a much higher risk of developing an eating disorder like Anorexia. Education of the disease is needed to change the culture that is promoted in the media today (Lofshult, 2006). Compare and contrast the theories compatibility with social work values and ethics to describe anorexia in teens and its commitment to economic and social justice Eriksons Psychoanalytical theory forms an important part of social work, as it helps practitioners understand the inner mental universe of affected individuals and helps them come up with effective therapeutic techniques. Today, many modern approaches like crisis intervention and cognitive-behavioral theories have evolved out of early psychodynamic explorations, which help people through individual counseling and rehabilitation methods. According to Erikson the period between school entry and puberty becomes a period of learning a mastering the more basic skills needed in society. Teenagers suffer from Anorexia because of the desire to be thin. However there is absolutely no doubt that the body image obsession is a major causal factor in the high incidence of bulimia in Western society. From a social work perspective the existing conditions should not always be perceived as the fault of the individual, based on his or her bad choices. Addressing social justice and encouraging social change is so important to the field of social work that the preamble to the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics clearly states that social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. (Delegate Assembly, Approved 1996; Revised 2008, p. 2) Many girls that begin a bulimic lifestyle tend to start on or before puberty a critical stage of development where most of us begin to form lifelong beliefs about ourselves. As social workers must help clients understanding oneself strength, help them define who they are. One of Banduras most famous experiments which exemplified the social theory, through observational learning was the Bobo doll experiment (Ashford LeCroy, 2010) Bandura allowed children to observe an adult behaving violently towards a Bobo doll. Later, the children were sent back into the room with the Bobo doll and the children automatically began to imitate the violent behavior they had seen previously by the adults (Cherry, 2013). Bandura hypothesized from the childrens behavior that humans can learn from just watching others, even though there has been no formal teaching taking place (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). He identified 3 basic models that influence behavior, the live model, verbal instructional model and the symbolic model (Cherry, 2013). The symbolic model best exemplifies how social work values and ethics are related to anorexia in teens and encourages more of a commitment on anorexic teens behalf (Cherry, 2013). It is a clear social and economic injustice that the media is allowed to influence young girls in such a strong way by giving impressions of successful young girls and their size (Harrison, 2001). The symbolic model, involves fictional characters or real people being displayed in books, films, online media or television programs (Cherry, 2013). Society does not specifically tell teens that they need to be thin, but messages are sent via media that say otherwise (Harrison, 2001). Bandura indicated that external, environmental reinforcement was not the only factor that influences behavior. He believed there is also a central reinforcement of our cognitive thoughts, such as pride, satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Bandura described these cognitive internal thoughts as cognitive development and said that they could reinforce behavior (Cherry, 2013). Young girls are highly motivated by feeling of acceptance by their peer and due to media representations by social media in America, girls are made to feel pride and satisfaction when thin (Harrison, 2001). Assess the theories contribution to social work practice. Eriksons theory of psychosocial development is one of the best-known theories of personality in psychology among teenagers that struggle with Anorexia. I feel that teenagers are unhappy with the way they look because all of the people on TV are good-looking and are living a good life. I also feel that there is too much pressure in being popular because you would not know who to talk to or to sit with at lunch. This can make teens be overly critical of ourselves, which will eventually lead to self-destruction. Banduras Social Learning Theory has many important implications in the field of teen development. Teachers, parents and medical professionals recognize today that modeling is an important aspect teen behavior. It is common today, for social workers and other professionals to use self-efficacy principles which are found in Banduras Social Learning Theory (Cherry, 2013). New studies show how the brain is linked to positive emotions and having a healthy view of oneself. It is now understood that a persons consciousness plays a major role in how the brain works. The focus of attention of a teen, what they continually think about, can alter their behavior and character (Bandura et al., 2007). Teens are bombarded with thin media in areas such as, magazines, movies, TV programs and billboards, which affects their continued mental processes on the subject (Harrison, 2001). Banduras theories are used to encourage new medical and psychological research that continues to help people learn new b ehaviors by refocusing their cognitive processes through positive outlooks and beliefs. (Bandura et al., 2007). Over the past three decades, Banduras Social Cognitive Theory has been the single most influential and highly cited theory in psychology (Bandura et al., 2007, p. 40). Social work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual. Social Workers we use the strengths perspective assesses the inherent strengths of a person or family, and then builds on them. Strength is defined as almost anything that assists a person in dealing with lifes challenges. It uses peoples personal strengths to aid in recovery and empowerment. Its really about reframing personal perception to find good even in the worst situation.

Theoretical And Conceptual Framework Of Airlines

Theoretical And Conceptual Framework Of Airlines In the past of few decades ago, airline industry is being control very tightly with lots of regulations. For example, United State (US) air transportation industry is being control tightly by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on price, route and schedule of flight. After that in 1978, domestic air transportation market of US is having a free competition among airlines which allowed by the Airline Deregulation Acts of 1978. Through this act, every airline is allowed to set their own price, how frequent they are flying and the destination they want to fly to (Thomas, O.G., 2004). After the deregulation of American airline market, European air transport also experienced deregulation in the middle of 1980. The result of regulation is an increase competition of airlines and to open new entry to new airlines. The airline structure has changed due to deregulations. The airline industry becomes more competitive with numbers of competition. Changes of pricing strategy, marketing strategy and airlines networks such as hubs and spokes had made. There are lots of changes from deregulation such as service patterns, pricing, computerized of the management systems and industry structure. Deregulation and air transport liberalization make a turning point of airlines structure and marketing strategies. Travelers are rational and not willing to pay for a level of service which is not necessary (Pourat, H., 1994). Technological development had improved the management system of airline where they are now having seats inventory system and reservation system had been improved. During that time, lots of existing regulated airlines meet failure and left the airline industry. There are numbers of new entry airlines joined the airline industry as well. (Kaplan, D.P., 1995 cited in Thomas, O.G., 2004) report that, 19 jet operator formerly regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), only 7 survived until 1995. The most famous survivor, Southwest Airlines (created in 1971) remains a prosperous carrier today. Deregulation of airline market also brings in another form of new business model which is the low cost business model into the airlines industry as well. This will be further discussing in the next section. 1.2 Problem Statement The new idea of low cost business model was first brought up by Southwest Airlines in the 1970. It took 15 years for the US airline industry and 20 years for the EU airline industry to take up the challenges of the emergence of low cost airline business model. After the deregulation, in 1978, there are huge numbers of new entry of low cost airlines into the airline industry. Initially these new entry airlines was doing quite success but due to by having only low fare would not be able to sustain their business. They are lack of financial support to compete in the competitive airline industry during that time. There are new entries of airlines and airlines which faced failure and left the industry (Natthida Taweelertkunthon, 2006). There is another new generation of low cost business model emerged in the airline industry in 1990. They startup their business with a strong financial support and with a better and younger aircraft used. This new generation of low cost airline has rewritten the business model to compete in the US competitive airline business environment and also with the commercial airlines market. They had also shifted from their business strategy from product differentiation into low cost. They become more cost advantages through efficiency where their operational efficient help to bring down the cost. The emergence of low cost airline manage to steal customer from the commercial airlines especially price sensitive customer and served with wide range of services. Even those high end customers are not longer willing to pay such a high fare on air transport where this bring benefit toward the low cost airlines. Air transport is not a luxurious thing anymore. At this point of time, traditional airlines faced challenges from low cost airlines where they find difficulty on sustaining their business. In Asia, low cost airline business model is still a new idea and just started in year 2000. Nevertheless, this new business model do faced problem of restrictive of two countries involved. Problem had been solved through the agreement among Southeast Asia (SEA) countries. Air Asia the successful pioneer established in the year 2001 and took the sky in November 2002. The success of Air Asia with low cost business model is the reason of the growth of low cost airlines rapidly in Southeast Asia. There are numbers of new entries of low cost airlines such as Tiger Airways, Nok Air and etc. The fact that Southeast Asia has a massive population is crucial, more than 50 million people with a rising middle class and a growing propensity for travel. The geographical location of surrounding islands without viable and competitive alternatives modes of transportation in Southeast Asia will enhances LCCs an enormous competitive advantage over surface and ground modes. (Natthida Taweelertkunthon, 2006) Low cost business model of low cost airlines is different in between of SEA and US and EU. The application of low cost principle is different. For example, in US and EU, they could have a lower fare on landing at secondary airports. But in SEA, they couldnt be able to avoid air traffic congestion at the core airport easily. Therefore, SEA low cost airlines cannot be able to save and lower fare on landing fees and etc. Besides that, the competition faced by SEA low cost airlines is much competitive as compare to US and EU low cost airlines. This is because of there are lots of competitor in SEA country with low cost airlines. Therefore, the marketing strategy that being implement by the low cost airlines to stay and being competitive is important. This research proposal is focusing on the marketing strategy that implement by low cost airlines to gain competitive advantages in the competitive environment. 1.3 Research Question From the problem statement above, it brings to several research questions where the researcher need to collect information for the purpose of this proposal. What are the marketing strategies implementing by Air Asia? How does marketing strategies influence the sales of Air Asia? What are the objectives, benefits and cost of the marketing strategies implementing? Are there any differences in between of traditional and low cost airlines marketing strategies? How Air Asias marketing strategies make Air Asia to be competitive among other low cost airlines? 1.4 Research Objective Research objectives have been listed down at below to guide the researcher in getting and answering the research questions which had stated above. Identify the marketing strategies that being use by Air Asia. Analyze on the marketing strategies that had being used. Analyze the sales trend of Air Asia. Compare the sales trend and marketing strategies that had implemented. Evaluate the objectives, benefits and cost of the marketing strategies implemented. Compare the marketing strategies of traditional and low cost airline. Evaluate the competitive advantages of Air Asia. 1.5 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 1.5.1 Conceptual Framework 1.5.2 Theoretical Framework The process of this research proposal is shown in the diagram above. First of all, the problem statement would be discussing that the emergence of low cost airlines in the airline industry. 1.6 Scope and Limitation 1.6.1 Scope In the business world, there are plenty of strategies that are implementing by different company to stay competitive in the business environment. The strategies implemented by company are such as marketing strategy, financial strategy, research and development (RD), management information system (MIS) and etc. in this research proposal, the strategy that is being focus on is marketing strategy of an airline. It is to research on the ways of an airline manage their marketing strategy well to gain competitive advantage. Airlines industry is a huge industry which consist of full service airlines and no frills airlines. This research proposal has limited the research topic into a small scope which is focusing on analyzing the marketing strategy of no frills airlines. Besides that, there are numbers of no frills airlines in the world as well. Therefore, the researcher has further scope the topic down to low cost no frills airline of Malaysia which is Air Asia. 1.6.2 Limitation In every research proposal, there would have some limitations which limit the researcher to collect better information or result for the presentation of proposal. There is limitation which face by the researcher when doing research for this research proposal. AirAsia.com (2010), Air Asia is the only low cost airline available based in Malaysia (which not consist of low cost airline (FireFly) with subsidiaries of Malaysia Airline System Berhad). There do not have choice to researcher where Air Asia is the only available choice to be included as the scope of the topic. Besides that, there are limited journals available about the marketing strategy of a low cost airline. Therefore, it is a limitation for the researcher to collect journals for review the literature. In addition, the marketing strategy of low cost airlines differs from airline to airline. It is difficult to finalize the main marketing strategy that is implementing by low cost airlines. 1.7 Significance of the Study This research proposal is important to YBhg. Dato Tony Fernandes, the CEO of Air Asia and the marketing manager of Air Asia. This is because the research proposal has a summary of the effectiveness of the marketing strategies that being implementing by Air Asia where it makes them to be competitive advantage and a head above other low cost airlines. They would have the opportunity to have an outlook on a different angel of view in order to further improve on their current marketing strategy by advancing the current strategic planning model. Besides that, another targeted reader of this research proposal is the marketing managers of other airlines (such as low cost or full service airlines). This is because they could have the idea of how Air Asia is having such an excellent marketing strategy which brings it to where it is right now as the Worlds Best Low Cost Airline. They could use the strategic that Air Asia is implementing as the role model to market their airlines to be more competitive as well. In addition, this research proposal is useful to students who are majoring in marketing strategic management. This is because it would be a good and appropriate case study to read and learn from on the ways of a company could be able to manage their strategic planning model so well and gain competitive advantages over other competitors. Student would have the opportunity to have an in-depth understanding on the ways of a low cost airline planning the marketing strategy model to suit the business model which to keep cost low and being successful. 1.8 Definition of Term ASK = Available seat kilometer ASK is to measure the carrying capacity of airlines passenger. The formula is seat available x distance flown = carrying capacity per plane Chapter 2: Literature Review According to Natthida Taweelertkunthon (2006), there are two types of low cost carrier which are low cost no frills carrier and low cost low frills carrier. Low cost no frills carrier is those low cost airlines which do not provide any other extra services like on board meals. Tiger Airways and Air Asia are the example of low cost no frills carrier. On another hand, low cost low frills carrier refers to low cost airline which provide some extra service like on-board drinks or snacks. The fare of air ticket is slightly higher than low cost no frills carrier. The example of low cost low frills carrier are Nok Air, One-Two-Go and Jetstar Asia. 2.1 Key Features of Low Cost Airline Business Model Figure 2.1: LCCs Business Model Source: (Jiang, H., 2007) The figure above shows the low cost airline business model which is build up three main key features which are simple product, low operating cost and positioning. 2.1.1 Simple Product / No Frills A low cost airline would keep service and product simple to maintain cost advantages to offer product which is value for money to the customers. A simple product which also means no frills or no extra service such as meals on board provided on board to cut down cost. Besides that, meal on board could also be provided with a mean of good quality with extra charges. The seats are narrow to have a large capacity on plane and maximize seat density. This is to have a large volume of sales to cover the cost on the single journey to the destination. There is an only one class seat on aboard available with no seats arrangement allows (Jiang, H., 2007). 2.1.2 Low Operating Cost In addition, a low operating cost is one of the low cost airlines features. Low cost airlines will only land on secondary airports where the landing fee is much lower as compare to core airports. Secondary airports also have the advantage of less traffic congestion where the flight and stop by and take off again in a shorter time. They would have a shorter turnaround time to avoid paying higher tax charges on parking. Besides that, low cost airline practice direct sales of air ticket or through online reservation and buying. A cost cutting strategy would be implementing by low cost airlines to keep their cost low and to have cost advantages (Dietlin, P., 2004). 2.1.3 Positioning Lastly, low cost airline will market themselves mainly to non-business passengers. For examples, leisure passengers and price sensitive passengers are non-business passengers. In recent years, low cost airline starts to target business travelers as well. This is to grow their market to a more large perspective. A good and effective marketing strategy of low cost airline plays an important role to position their product to the public and to gain competitive advantage as well. Low cost airline will have a short haul which fly from point to point with high frequency. Moreover, low cost airline would likely to become the number one or two on most routes operated (Jiang, H., 2007). 2.2 Challenges of Low Cost Airlines In the competitive environment of airline industry, there are several challenges which will be faced by low cost airlines. Explanations on the challengers that face by low cost airlines are explained as below. 2.2.1 Overcapacity First of all, the airline industry of low cost airline is growing rapidly where there is more new entry of low cost airlines. According to Jiang, H. (2007), the author said that there are over thirty low cost airlines launched in the year of 2002. A sudden increase of a large amount of new entry brings threat to the existing low cost airline. The market is overcrowded and overcapacity where all of the low cost airlines need to compete among airlines to generate revenue for their own. 2.2.2 Pressure on Yield or Average Fares With a large amount of new entry it creates a competitive competition environment among airlines. According to Dietlin, P. (2004), worldwide airline yield will decrease by 1.1% per year until 2010 and intra-Asia yield will decrease much faster than that. New pricing strategy had been introduced by traditional airline to compete with low cost airline. For example, for some routes, traditional airline introduce a low aggressive fare especially those routes that being fly by low cost airlines. Besides that, there is a price competition among airlines. The new entry airlines are having lower fares to compete with existing low cost airlines. This pulls down the average fares per customer where it does not benefit any side on a long run. 2.2.3 Difficulty on Keeping Cost Advantages According to Dietlin, P. (2004), Asian airlines are having a significant lower input costs as compare to American airlines and European airlines. This problem of lower input cost is mainly due to labor cost. Dietlin, P. (unpublished, 2004) stated that Airlines in Singapore unit labor costs are USD 0.77 per ASK and airlines in American is having US 2.92 per ASK which is 279% more. Asian airlines are trying to solve the problem by hiring labor from low-income countries where they could have low wages for their labor to increase unit costs. 2.2.4 Product Differentiation With numbers of low cost airlines in the market push every single low cost airline to differentiate their product to gain as much market share as possible. This simple mean more cost will incur. Airlines are coming up with more aggressive and low fares which it would pull down the average revenue of airlines. Low fare of air ticket is no longer enough to be differentiating from other competitor. They are trying to brand themselves to differentiate from others to gain competitive advantages. 2.3 Marketing Strategy that Implemented by Low Cost Airlines There are several marketing strategies that being implement by low cost airlines to market or position their product to their customer. There are some marketing strategies that being practicing by low cost airline are stated as below. 2.3.1 Frequent Flyer Program Frequent flyer program is one of the marketing strategies of Southwest Airline but it is not adopting by most of the low cost airlines. This program gives out frequent flyer point when customers purchase air ticket each time. By using the accumulate points, it could be redeem for free ticket or upgrade class seat which depend on the company policy (Lederman, M., 2003). As a marketing tool FFPs have proved highly successful (Bennett, M.M., 1996). 2.3.2 Point-to-Point Gutstafsson, L. (2005) says that point-to-point could be included as a cost leadership strategy as well as a marketing strategy as well. Point-to-point refers to the air traffic movement system where the flights fly directly to the final destination without going through the hub. This would be able to help airline to save up cost. At the same time, it could be able to attract customer where they do not need to waste time on transiting at the hub. Customer could be able to have a flight directly to the final destination that they wish to be just with a low fare air ticket. 2.3.3 Branding / Image It is difficult for airlines to differentiate their product from other competitor as the basic product of airlines are the same. Therefore, branding and build up good image or reputation is another option to market their product to the public. Branding is do marketing on a product externally to the public. There is another way round of branding being practicing. As an example, Air Asia do brand their product internally to their staff first before to brand it externally to the public (Marketing-interactive.com, 2008). This is to let the staff of Air Asia knows well on the function and attractive of the product where they could sell it more better externally to the public. 2.3.4 Pricing (Low Fares) Low cost airlines are marketing their products with low fare to compete with traditional full service airlines. Low fare is the main attractiveness of low cost airline as compare to full service airline. Low cost airlines keep on introduce low fare ticket to customer and having promotion sales on air ticket. Fare of air ticket is getting cheap as time goes. Fare of air ticket is the main strategy that plays around by low cost airlines. Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology 3.1 General Nature of Research The general nature of the research proposal is qualitative methodology. Saunders, M. et. al (1998) defines qualitative research as an array of interpretive techniques which seek to describe, decode, translate and otherwise come to terms with the meaning, not the frequency of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world. A deeper insight of the ways of Air Asia managing their marketing strategy would be able to gain from doing qualitative research. A research which is base on the meaning which express through words is qualitative research (Saunders, M. et. al, 1998). 3.2 Research Philosophy Interpretive or phenomenology is the research philosophy that selected by researcher on this research proposal. This philosophy is suitable for research which is on qualitative methodology. Interpretive would help to gain new insight about the reality and deeper understanding on the question of how and why. Researcher is more flexible to adapt with changes during the research process. It is more appropriate to study on a small sample for interpretive philosophy. There are threats by using this philosophy. First of all, it will be time consuming when collecting qualitative data. In addition, analyzing of qualitative data would be difficult especially for inexperience researcher to analyze and generate new theory. 3.2 Research Method and Research Design 3.2.1 Research Method The research method that is being use by the researcher in this research proposal is interview research method. According to Saunders, M. et. al (1998), there are several types of interview such as structured interview, semi-structured interview and unstructured interview. The choice of interview selected is semi-structured interview which would have a list of topics to be cover during the section of interview. Semi-structured interview would be able to cover in depth and exploratory study. It would benefit to gain new insight on the particular topic as well (Saunders, M. et. al, 1998). 3.2.2 Research Design 3.2.2.1 General Research Design General research design is known as research strategy. The three main research strategies are experiment, case study and survey. The research strategy that would be use in the research proposal is case study strategy. Case study would have a detail and intensive knowledge on the single case study that is being studied. Case study is very useful in conducting exploratory of the theory and challenging with come up with a new theory. Besides that, case study would provide a very rich understanding on the case that is being studied (Saunders, M. et. al, 1998). 3.2.2.2 Research Approach Besides that, the research approach that being used is inductive approaches. Inductive approach is building theory which is more for case study research strategy. This approach would get the research to involve in the case study as well. The general idea of the problem would be understand well when inductive approach is being use. This approaches would more likely to use up interview data. It would be able to formulate theory by using the result of data analysis but at the same time it would also end up with the same theory as the existing theory (Saunders, M. et. al, 1998). 3.3 Sources of Data 3.3.1 Primary Research There are several primary researches available such as observation, interview and questionnaire. The primary research which is being use in this research proposal is through interview. A semi-structured and in-depth interview would be conduct in order to have an exploratory study on Air Asias marketing strategy to gain new insight. An open-ended interview questionnaire would be design and use to interview the potential interviewee to collect qualitative data. A face-to-face interview would be held where it allow researcher to have more control and strengthen open-ended question (Mona, C., et. al, 2001). 3.3.2 Secondary Research In this research proposal, the secondary research used is through online database to collect useful journals which are relating to the topic. The main online database is being use is [emailprotected] which is an online database of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The information that found through this online database is highly reliable where there is lots of PhD or masters unpublished thesis available on the database. Besides online database as secondary research, websites are being used as well. Official website of Air Asia is being used as the secondary research tool to get information regarding on Air Asia. Newsletters of Air Asias would frequently update the researcher on current news about Air Asia. Besides that, Air Asias blog is one of the secondary research tools where it provides new updates of Air Asia from time to time when latest news of Air Asia could be known from there as well. 3.5 Data Analysis Procedures There is several methods data analysis on qualitative research. The method of data analysis selected for this research proposal is the grounded theory data analysis. This data analysis method uses the inductive research where it collects data from the source of interview. Through interview, data would be able to collect and at the point of time, the data is being grouped accordingly into respective main concept (Gutstafsson, L., 2005). After the grouping of data into different concepts is done, the data could further categories into different supporting theory structure. By doing so, it enable researcher to have a better outlook of the data displayed in the structure. Therefore, researcher could interpret and analyze the data easily. A new theory would be able to generate by using the result of data analysis (Gutstafsson, L., 2005).

Human Resource Leadership - Worker Retention Programs Essay -- essays

Human Resources Leadership (Team 4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Worker Retentions Program Waiwah Ellison Norma Gladhill Daniel Lewis Rachel Luce Angelica Player Lori Ruskey Abstract All organizations want to see an increase in productivity and a positive impact on the bottom line. Successful organizations realize employee retention and talent management is integral to sustaining their leadership and growth in the market place. The focus of this group project is on worker retention strategies. Worker retention strategies are programs designed to preserve existing quality workers by providing benefits and incentives. These benefits and incentives are provided to employees in various ways. Our group chose to explore six organizations in three different industries. These industries include Retail, Package shipping, and Airlines. Through research and investigation of three major industries we were able to develop a comparison of how these major organizations retain quality workers. First, we explore and learn how to keep people motivate to stop turnover within an organization. Secondly, we investigate employer’s benefits and incentive programs to keep quality employees. Finally, we examine workforce motivation and the engagement to commitment as organizations continually change initiatives and strategic planning. TARGET VS. WALMART Target and Wal-Mart have many similarities on their retention programs. Despite the difference in the size of their companies, they are both large enough to allow their employees to switch career paths within their own organization. Wal-Mart offers its employees different opportunities in many diverse department of the huge operation. They are retail, real estate, public policy, merchandising, logistics, IT, marketing, and advertising. Target offers similar areas of careers within the organization. Many other motivation tools are used for both Target and Wal-Mart to keep their employees happily employed. Merit increases in pay based on company performance are used almost the exact same way in both companies. They both have annual increase that depends on individual performance and company performance. Target gives its employees 25 cents per hour raise after 90 days in order to keep new employees. Holiday bonuses are offered to all Wal-Mart employees who have been with the company over one year. Gifts and ... ...e: hire only those who fit perfectly, offer great benefits, and perks. SWA has created an atmosphere that demonstrates appreciation for the employees, and has made Southwest Airlines an organization of which people are proud to be a part. Conclusion Employee retention strategies help organizations. They provide effective employee communication to improve commitment and enhance workforce support for key organization initiatives. Retention strategies build customer loyalty by distinguishing and positioning an organization’s unique products and services in today’s crowded marketplace. Economic growth and employee turnover is one of the most critical issue facing corporate leaders today. As a result there is a shortage of skilled workers. We have explored several aspects of the workforce stability. The employee retention issue continues in the face of unprecedented churning in the employment market. Human Resource Managers are provided with a wide range of tools to control employee turnover. Workforce stability can be a HR Manager’s competitive advantage in these turbulent times. This is one of the hottest topics for corporate leaders in all fields in the United States and globally.

Eminem :: essays papers

Eminem In â€Å"like Eminem says, why all the fuss?† featured in The Age journalist Shaun Carney defends Eminem and his lyrics. Carny stresses that Eminem winning the category should not be so controversial when Mathers is clearly depicting a role. His contention through out the article is to convince the reader to refrain from reaching to eminem, as a parody. Carny effectively seeks the neutral role during the story. He leans neither way. Carny signifies specific word choice and language devices to shock his audience and to create an underlying sense of non-prejudice, realistic view on society perhaps to open up the views of a small-minded prejudice race. Carny’s headline is very striking it creates tension and almost gives a sense of obligation to the audience to read on. Carneys headline is used as a device to capture the readers immediate attention. This foreshadows the final remark made by Carny, â€Å"so much for scandal,† now leaving the reader with a question , a parallel between start and finish tightly constructing the article. This clever technique leaves the reader open handed and open-minded to think about the actual topic of the article. Though Carny’s contention through-out the article is to suggest Eminem is â€Å"Just Joking’, he is not all, scared of presenting Marshall as ‘not so nice’ explaining him as â€Å"a 28 year old production of a peripatetic white-trash upbrining.† Then contradicting himself saying â€Å"Mathers all wounded and victimised by his sole-parent upbrining .† Is this not a slight use of sarcasm? putting himself in the biased head of an out reaged parent. Carney conveys his opinion in a very structured way. He uses Eminem song lyrics to show that he is a role player and only joking, â€Å"I’m just playin ladies. You know I love you.† Carney uses other examples to reassure people say the situations he raps about are â€Å"just clownin’.† Although readers may not realise, Carney these more realistic, human-like comments as a source of evidence to back up his contention that eminem are not real, Marshall Mathers is an actor playing a role, ultimately just doing his job. Carney’s clever style of writing indicates a strong point of view defending Eminem , but his style of writing has allowed the reader to make their own decision, giving a fair balance between good and bad. â€Å"Eminem deals in some very sick stuff, no doubt about it,† but again goes on to say, â€Å"Eminem is a skillfull storyteller and role player.

Leadership Styles :: essays research papers

The style of leadership that would be the most comfortable for me would be delegation. One of the first signs of good supervision is effective delegation. Delegation is when supervisors give responsibility and authority to subordinates to complete a task, and let the subordinates figure out how the task can be accomplished. Effective delegation develops people who are ultimately more fulfilled and productive. Managers become more fulfilled and productive themselves as they learn to count on their staffs and are freed up to attend to more strategic issues. Delegating is a critical skill for supervisors. Delegating involves working with an employee to establish goals, granting them sufficient authority and responsibility to achieve the goals, often giving them substantial freedom in deciding how the goals will be achieved, remaining available as a resource to help them achieve the goals, assessing their performance, addressing performance issues and/or rewarding their performance. Ultimately, the supervisor retains responsibility for the attainment of the goals, but chooses to achieve the goals by delegating to someone else. True delegation means giving up a little of what we would like to hold onto while keeping what we might prefer to give up. Participative style of leadership would be least comfortable for me. A participative leader, rather than making decisions, looks to involve other staff in the process. Often however, as it is up to the manager to decide how much influence others are given, this style can only work well, when both managers and staff understand and are in agreement about which tasks are important. The staffs expertise, experience and intuition need to be encouraged, not stifled, if challenging situations are to be negotiated. The goal of the participative leader is to persuade followers to share their values and connect with their vision. It appears to me, to be obvious that most large organizations, the federal government, the military, etc., require leaders and followers that possess the same core Leadership Styles :: essays research papers The style of leadership that would be the most comfortable for me would be delegation. One of the first signs of good supervision is effective delegation. Delegation is when supervisors give responsibility and authority to subordinates to complete a task, and let the subordinates figure out how the task can be accomplished. Effective delegation develops people who are ultimately more fulfilled and productive. Managers become more fulfilled and productive themselves as they learn to count on their staffs and are freed up to attend to more strategic issues. Delegating is a critical skill for supervisors. Delegating involves working with an employee to establish goals, granting them sufficient authority and responsibility to achieve the goals, often giving them substantial freedom in deciding how the goals will be achieved, remaining available as a resource to help them achieve the goals, assessing their performance, addressing performance issues and/or rewarding their performance. Ultimately, the supervisor retains responsibility for the attainment of the goals, but chooses to achieve the goals by delegating to someone else. True delegation means giving up a little of what we would like to hold onto while keeping what we might prefer to give up. Participative style of leadership would be least comfortable for me. A participative leader, rather than making decisions, looks to involve other staff in the process. Often however, as it is up to the manager to decide how much influence others are given, this style can only work well, when both managers and staff understand and are in agreement about which tasks are important. The staffs expertise, experience and intuition need to be encouraged, not stifled, if challenging situations are to be negotiated. The goal of the participative leader is to persuade followers to share their values and connect with their vision. It appears to me, to be obvious that most large organizations, the federal government, the military, etc., require leaders and followers that possess the same core

Comm/215 Case Study

Case Study Analysis Amanda Lee February 25, 2013 Case Study Analysis INTRODUCTION: Carl Robins is faced with very serious problems as the new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. This case study analysis will show the many problems that evolved when he attempted to recruit new employees to work for Monica Carroll. After reviewing the issues at hand, we will discuss the possible solutions available for Carl to rectify the situation and the proposed solution that he should take. Carl Robins is a competent employee of ABC, Inc. As with any new position a person is involved in, he will face challenges.However, it is not impossible to overcome these challenges. BACKGROUND: In early April, Carl recruited fifteen new hires to work for Monica who is the Operations Supervisor. After recruiting them, he scheduled orientation to take place in June. This was in the hopes that the new employees would be able to start working by July. Approximately one month before orientation, Monica contacted Carl to check on the new hire process for the fifteen recruits. Once Monica was assured by Carl that everything was under control, Carl decided to check on things himself.At this point, Carl is unaware of the problems that he will be facing once he gets into the project. KEY PROBLEMS: The first problem that arises for Carl is when he checks on the new trainee files and realizes that the files are not complete. All new employees went through the interview process and filled out paperwork. Unfortunately, the paperwork is not completely filled out for their applications. To make matters worse, the files should have transcripts to go with them, but they are missing. The problems just get worse when he checks deeper into their files and realizes none of the trainees had drug screening on file.Once he is done looking at the new trainee files Carl checks the orientation manuals and realizes that there are only three copies of the manual. Carl is supposed to have at least fifteen copies of the manu al so that each new hire can have a copy for their own. As he goes through the orientation manual he also realizes that the three copies of the orientation manual that he has is missing several pages from each one. It seems that the problems with the new employee orientation just keep piling up for Carl. The next problem to arise is just as frustrating as the previous problems.Carl checks on the training room that he is planning on using for orientation. When he walks into the room he sees Joe, from technology, setting up computers all around the room. He finds out quickly that the training room has been reserved for both himself and Joe for the month of June so that Joe can train employees on a new software. It has been a very stressful day for Carl and after all of the issues he has found concerning the new trainee orientation, Carl panics. Many of the problems that Carl has found concerning the new employee orientation could have been avoided.Carl is a recently hired employee him self. He should have kept up with the progress of the new employee orientation and checked on the files for the applicants. ABC, Inc. should also have made sure that their new employee was capable of doing his job efficiently. If Carl had stayed on top of his project, the problems that he faced would not have occurred. PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: There are several problems that Carl is facing with his new employee orientation. The first problem is that the new trainees do not have complete applications on file and are missing their transcripts.To fix this problem Carl has more than one possible solution. For the incomplete applications, Carl could have the new hires finish them on the first day of orientation. If this solution does not work, he could mail the applications to the new hires, have them complete the paperwork, and then mail or fax it back to him. To correct the issue of the missing transcripts, Carl can contact the new employees and ask each of them to bring copies with them wh en they report to orientation. After dealing with the issue of the incomplete applications and missing transcripts, Carl still has to deal with the next problem.None of the new employees have been to the drug testing clinic for their mandatory drug screens. This problem can be fixed with minimal effort on Carl’s part. All he would have to do is call the new hires, let them know where the clinic is located, and give them a date for their drug screen to be completed. Once he has spoken with each new hire, this problem will be solved and Carl can focus on the next issue with the new employee orientation. The next difficulty that Carl faces is the problem with the orientation manuals.Carl only has three copies of the manual, which are each missing pages, and he has fifteen new employees that need their own copy. It will take some effort on Carl’s part to rectify this problem, but there is a solution. Carl should take one of the copies of the manual that he already has and find out what pages are missing from it. Then, once he knows what pages he needs, he should get those pages from the other two manuals and add them to the first copy. This will make a full copy of the orientation manual, which he can then use to make fifteen copies of for the new hires.The last problem that Carl faces is probably the most crucial of all of them. Carl has found out that the training room for the new hire orientation has been double booked and will also be used by Joe for computer training. There are two options Carl may choose to try and fix this issue. Carl could go to scheduling and find out who booked the room first. If Carl originally booked the room for orientation, he could force the technology department to vacate the room during his allocated time so that he could still use the room for the new hire orientation on the 15th.Another way Carl could fix this issue would be to talk with scheduling and find out if there is another room that he could possibly use fo r the orientation. If there is another room available, Carl can book the orientation for that place and will not have to push technology out of the original room. This solution will also avoid any possible confrontation between Carl and Joe from Technology services, which is great for work place drama. No one likes a stressful work environment. RECOMMENDATIONS: In order to ensure that these problems do not arise in the future, new procedures should be put into place when hiring new employees.When hiring a new employee, the applicant should have all paperwork completely filled out at the interview. This will save time and difficulties in the future. Transcripts should be collected at the second interview and put in the file with the application. When a new applicant is hired, the new employee should be given 72 hours to report to the clinic for drug screening. Drug screening is mandatory for each applicant. In the future, applicants will be given deadlines. This creates organization in the company and will assist recruiters in the future when hiring new employees.There should be a master copy of the new hire orientation manual on file at all times as a back-up for copies when there is an orientation. When scheduling orientation in the training room, there should be a second room also reserved in case of an emergency. These new procedures should be typed up and filed in the new hire orientation file. These proposed procedures will help ensure the success of new employees throughout the company. In any career path there is responsibility. Many times we face problems in our jobs.No matter what we have to do to overcome these obstacles, there is always a sense of accomplishment when we finish a task. Carl faced many obstacles when he attempted his first recruitment for ABC, Inc. These problems have solutions and Carl should be able to salvage the orientation without too much effort on his part. The incomplete applications can be completed and transcripts attached. Drug testing can be administered. Orientation manuals can be copied for the new employees and the training room can be salvaged. These solutions are manageable.

Introduction of E-commerce

Commerce (the trading of goods) has been a major impetus for human survival since the beginning of recorded history and beyond. The mass adoption of the Internet has created a paradigm shift in the way businesses are conducted today. The past decade has seen the emergence of a new kind of commerce: e-commerce, the buying and selling of goods through human-computer interaction over the Internet. Traditional physical trading of goods and currency is becoming increasingly unpopular and more businesses are Jumping on the e-commerce bandwagon.Today, the line between e-commerce and traditional commerce is becoming more blurred as more businesses start and continue to integrate the Internet and e-commerce technologies into their business processes. 1. 2 DEFINITION OF E-COMMERCE The e-commerce can be defined as a modern business methodology that addresses the needs of organizations, merchants, and consumers to cut costs while improving the quality of goods and services and increasing the spe ed of service delivery, by using Internet.It differs from the traditional electronic commerce (e-commerce) in he way that it enables the trading of goods, money and information electronically from computer to computer. Business is done electronically and there is no longer a need for physical currency or goods to conduct business. 1. 3 EVOLUTION OF E-COMMERCE Evolution of e-commerce can be attributed to a combination of regulatory reform and technological innovation. Though Internet (which played an important role in evolution) appeared in the late sass, e-commerce of today took off with the arrival of World Wide Web and browsers in early sass.The liberalizing of the electrification sector and innovations such as optic fiber, DSL etc. (which has helped to expand the volume and capacity of communications) have helped in the process of that rapid growth. As a result the barriers to entry and engage in e- commerce have fallen rapidly. A brief timeline of evolution is as follows: 2 E-CO MMERCE 1. 4 1969 Internet/Apparent 1989 WWW HTML invented at CERN 1991 NSF lifts restrictions on commercial use of Internet 1993 Mosaic browser invented at University of Illinois, Urbana Champagne, is released to public 1994 Netscape releases Navigator browser 1995 Dell, Cisco, Amazon etc. Gang aggressively to use Internet for commercial transactions The growth of Internet has a special significance in the growth of e-commerce. It has the potential to involve general people into the process thereby increasing its reach far beyond large companies. CONDUCTING BUSINESS ONLINE (E-COMMERCE) Doing business online is electronic commerce, and there are four main areas in which companies conduct business online today: 2. 3. 4. Direct marketing, selling, and services. Online banking and billing. Secure distribution of information. Value-chain trading and corporate purchasing. 4. 1 Direct Marketing, Selling, and Services Today, more websites focus on direct marketing, selling, and services tha n on any other type of electronic commerce. Direct selling was the earliest type of electronic commerce, and has proven to be a stepping-stone to more complex commerce operations for many companies. Successes such as Amazon. Com, Barnes and Noble, Dell Computer, and the introduction of e-tickets by major airlines, have catcalled the growth of this segment, proving the reach and customer acceptance of the Internet. 1. 4. 2 Financial and Information ServicesA broad range of financial and information services are performed over the Internet today, and sites that offer them are enjoying rapid growth. These sites are popular because they help consumers, businesses of all sizes, and financial institutions distribute some of their most important information over the Internet with greater convenience and richness that is available using other channels. For example, you have: ; Online banking Online billing Secure information distribution 1. 4. 2. 1 Online Banking Consumers and small busines ses can save time and money by doing their banking n the Internet.Paying bills, making transfers between accounts, and trading stocks, bonds, and mutual funds can all be performed electronically by using the Internet to connect consumers and small businesses with their financial institutions. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE-?TECHNOLOGY AND PROSPECTS 3 1. 4. 2. 2 online Billing Companies whose bill can achieve significant cost savings and marketing benefits through the use of Internet-based bill-delivery and receiving systems. Today, consumers receive an average of 23 bills per month by mail from retailers, credit card companies, and utilities. 1. 4. 2.Secure Information Distribution To many businesses, information is their most valuable asset. Although the Internet can enable businesses to reach huge new markets for that information, businesses must also safeguard that information to protect their assets. Digital Rights Management provides protection for intellectual and information property, a nd is a key technology to secure information distribution. 1. 4. 3 Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MR.) The Internet also offers tremendous time and cost savings for corporate purchasing of low-cost, high-volume goods for maintenance, repair, and operations (MR.) activities.Typical MR. goods include office supplies (such as pens and paper), office equipment and furniture, computers, and replacement parts. The Internet can transform corporate purchasing from a labor and paperwork-intensive process into a self-service application. Company employees can order equipment on websites, company officials can automatically enforce purchase approval and policies through automated business rules, and suppliers can keep their catalog information centralized and up-to-date. Purchase order applications can then use the Internet to transfer the order to suppliers.In response, suppliers can ship the requested goods and invoice the company over the Internet. In addition to reduced administrativ e costs, Internet-based corporate purchasing can improve order-tracking accuracy, better enforce purchasing policies, provide better customer and supplier service, reduce inventories, and give companies more power in negotiating exclusive or volumetrically contracts. In other words, the Internet and e-business have changed the way enterprises serve customers and compete with each other, and have heightened awareness for competing supply chains. 1. 4. 4 Value-Chain IntegrationNo other business model highlights the need for tight integration across suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors quite like the value chain. Delays in inventory tracking and management can ripple from the cash register all the way back to raw material production, creating inventory shortages at any stage of the value chain. The resulting out-of-stock events can mean lost business. The Internet promises to increase business efficiency by reducing reporting delays and increasing reporting accuracy. Speed is cle arly the business imperative for the value chain. 1. 5 ISSUES IN IMPLEMENTING ELECTRONIC COMMERCEAlthough it is simple to describe their benefits, it is not nearly as easy to develop and deploy commerce systems. Companies can face significant implementation issues: ; Cost Value 4 Security Leveraging existing systems Interoperability 1. 5. 1 cost Electronic commerce requires significant investments in new technologies that can touch many of a company's core business processes. As with all major business systems, electronic commerce systems require significant investments in hardware, software, staffing, and training. Businesses need comprehensive solutions with greater ease-of-use to help foster cost-effective deployment. 5. 2 value Businesses want to know that their investments in electronic commerce systems will produce a return. Business objectives such as lead generation, business-process automation, and cost reduction must be met. Systems used to reach these goals need to be fle xible enough to change when the business changes. 1. 5. 3 security The Internet provides universal access, but companies must protect their assets against accidental or malicious misuse. System security, however, must not create prohibitive complexity or reduce flexibility. Customer information also needs to be protected from internal and external misuse.Privacy systems should safeguard the personal information critical to building sites that satisfy customer and business needs. 1. 5. 4 Leveraging Existing Systems Most companies already use information technology (IT) to conduct business in unlettered environments, such as marketing, order management, billing, inventory, distribution, and customer service. The Internet represents an alternative and complementary way to do business, but it is imperative that electronic commerce systems integrate existing systems in a manner that avoids duplicating functionality and maintains usability, performance, and reliability. 5. 5 Interoperabil ity When systems from two or more businesses are able to exchange documents without manual intervention, businesses achieve cost reduction, improved performance, and more dynamic value chains. Failing to address any of these issues can spell failure for a system's implementation effort. Therefore, your company's commerce strategy should be designed to address all these issues to help customers achieve the benefits of electronic commerce. Your company's vision for electronic commerce should also be to help businesses establish stronger relationships with customers and industry partners.For example, a successful strategy for delivering this vision is described by three work-flow elements (platform, portal, and industry partners), each backed by comprehensive technology, product, and service offerings. 5 From self-service portals to transaction processing, a successful work-flow strategy can be the underlying engine delivering state-based, processed-focused control services for e-busin ess applications. Human labor is expensive, and work-flow technology allows e-businesses to supplement, and in some cases eliminate, reliance on human supervision and intervention. . 6 HOW DO YOU WORK WITH E-COMMERCE? E-commerce is about setting your business on the Internet, allowing visitors to access your website, and go through a virtual catalog of your products/services online. When a visitor wants to buy something he/she likes, they merely â€Å"add† it to their virtual shopping basket. Items in the virtual shopping basket can be added or deleted, and when you're all set to checkout, you head to the virtual checkout counter, which has your complete total, and that will ask you for your name, address etc. ND method of payment (usually via credit card). Once you have entered all this information (which y the way is being transmitted securely) you can then Just wait for delivery. 1. 7 COMPARISON BETWEEN TRADITIONAL COMMERCE AND E-COMMERCE In many cases business processes u se traditional commerce activities very effectively, and these processes cannot be improved upon through technology. Products that buyers prefer to touch, smell, or examine closely are difficult to sell using electronic commerce.For example, customers might be reluctant to buy high-fashion clothing and perishable food products, such as meat or produce, if they cannot examine the products closely before agreeing to purchase them. In the case of traditional commerce retail merchants have years of experience in creating store environments that help convince a customer to buy. This combination of store design, layout and product display knowledge is called merchandising. Sales people in course of time develop skills that allow them to identify customer needs and find products and services that meet those needs.The arts of merchandising and personal selling can be difficult to practice over an electronic link. Through commerce branded products such as books or CDC can be easily sold. As one copy of a new book is identical to there copies and because a customer would not be concerned about freshness he would willingly order a title without examining the specific copy they would receive. The advantage of electronic commerce, namely the ability of one site to offer a wider selection of titles than even the largest physical bookstore, can outweigh the advantage of a traditional bookstore, namely the facility to browse.Some examples of business processes are listed in the following table that suit to the e-commerce and traditional commerce respectively. Business processes well-suited to: Electronic commerce Traditional commerce ; Sale/purchase of books and CDC Sale/purchase of high-fashion clothing ; Online delivery of software ; Sale/purchase of perishable food products ; Advertising and promotion of travel services ; Small-denomination transactions ; Online tracking of shipments ; Sale of expensive Jewelry and antiques 6 1. 8 E-COMMERCE TECHNOLOGIES What technologies are necessary for e-commerce?The short answer is that most information technologies and Internet technologies that we discuss throughout the book are involved in e-commerce systems, biz. – Customers must be provided with a range of secure information, marketing, transaction, processing, and payment services. Trading and business partners rely on Internet and extranets to exchange information and accomplish secure transactions; including electronic data interchange (DE') and other supply chain and financial systems and databases. Company employees depend on a variety of Internet and intranet resources to communicate and collaborate in support of their SEC work activities. . 9 The Internet, intranets, and extranets are the network infrastructure or foundation of e-commerce. Information system professionals and end users can use a variety of software tools to develop and manage the content and operations of the websites and other SEC sources of a company. ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF E -COMMERCE Consumers are pushing retailers to the wall, demanding lower process, better quality, a large selection of in-season goods. Retailers are scrambling to fill the order. They are slashing back-office costs, reducing profit margins, reducing cycle times, buying more wisely, and making huge investments in technology.They are revamping distribution channels to make sure that warehouse costs are down by reducing their average inventory levels and coordinating the consumer demand and supply patterns. In the push to reduce prices, more and more retailers are turning to overseas suppliers, in part because of cheaper labor costs. The effect of e-commerce can also be seen over the retail industry and marketing. 1. 9. 1 E-commerce and Retail Industry Retailers are in the immediate line of fire and are first to bear the brunt of cost cutting.They are putting that pressure on the manufacturing and supplier end of the pipeline. At the same time, the quest for efficiencies has led to turm oil and consolidation within the retail industry. The pressure experienced by retailers and suppliers can be seen in the disappearance of Jobs, in mergers, and in the increase in business failures in the manufacturing sector. The problems are indeed serious. Electronic markets could provide a partial solution by promising customers more convenience and merchants greater efficiency and interactivity with suppliers to revivalist the troubled retailing sector. . 9. 2 E-commerce and Marketing Electronic commerce is forcing companies to rethink the existing ways of doing target marketing (isolating and focusing on a segment of the population), relationship marketing (building and sustaining a long-term relationship with existing and potential 7 customers), and even event marketing (setting up a virtual booth where interested people come and visit). Consider the case of conventional direct marketers, who devote some 25 percent of their revenues to such costs as printing and postages for c atalogs.Interactive marketing could help cut such expenses and may even deliver better results. Interactive marketing is accomplished in electronic markets via interactive multimedia catalogs that give the same look and feel as a shopping channel. Users find moving images more appealing than still images and listening more appealing than reading text on screen. Those are two powerful reasons why every text-based and still-picture-based interactive experimental-based service has ever generated anywhere near the volume of retail merchandise orders that televised shopping channels have achieved.Maximum public acceptance will require that interactive catalog services have a more entertaining visual appearance than traditional text-intensive catalogs have had. Ideally, an interactive shopping program should produce full-motion demonstrations of selected products, but such a practical and economical technology has yet to be developed. 1. 10 INCENTIVES FOR ENGAGING IN E-COMMERCE A basic fa ct of Internet retailing is that all retail websites are created equal as far as he â€Å"location, location, location† imperative of success in retailing is concerned.No site is any closer to its web customers and competitors offering similar goods and services may be only a mouse click away. This makes it vital that businesses find ways to build customer satisfaction, loyalty, and relationships, so customers keep coming back to their web stores. Thus, the key to e-commerce success is to optimize several key factors such as selection and value, performance and service efficiency, the look and feel of the site, advertising and incentives to purchase, personal attention, immunity relationships, and security and reliability.The incentives for engaging in e-commerce are listed as follows: Selection and Value. Attractive product selections, competitive prices, satisfaction guarantees, and customer support after the sale. Performance and Service. Fast, easy navigation, shopping, a nd purchasing, and prompt shipping and delivery. Look and Feel. Attractive web storefront, website shopping areas, multimedia product catalog pages, and shopping features. Advertising and Incentives. Targeted web-page advertising and e-mail promotions, discounts and special offers, including advertising at affiliate sites. Personal Attention. Personal web pages, personalized product recommendations, web advertising, and e-mail notices, and interactive support for all customers.