Hawaiian studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hawaiian studies - Essay Example These events include Easter and Joiking, which is the act of singing yodel-like song-poems (Lucas 3). Sami people maintain their identity by maintaining the use of their language, many people still wear traditional and embroidered blue, and red felt clothing. They also have their own national anthem, flag, radio station, and representatives in the Norwegian parliament (Lucas 9). Their exclusive culture and isolation imply that they have been politically and historically marginalized. Sami culture is becoming more westernized since they are integrating more technology into their lifestyles. Chapter three of reading and films address how Sami language has transformed over the past centuries. The original Sami language is spoken Hawaiian or olelo. This expressive language comprises of vocabulary of about twenty-five thousand words (Irimoto & Yamada 361). However, Hawaii became a bilingual as compared to other European nations two years after the arrival of missionaries. Current statistics indicate that Hawaiian second-language speakers are more than native Hawaiian speakers are (NeSmith 4). This implies that the spoken olelo is on the verge of extinction. Therefore, there are some key strategies the Sami people are implementing to retain their language. One these strategies include the use of Hawaiian language in sports as the films indicate. Sports have proven to be significant social places for the young Sami people to interact and learn their original language. These sports include ‘Aha’I olelo ola, Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Anuenue Football, and Wai ‘Awaà ¢â‚¬â„¢awa (Irimoto & Yamada 365). Therefore, such activities are highly anticipated to reclaim and maintain Sami’s traditional culture and

Dinosaur ridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dinosaur ridge - Essay Example On the 20th September 2014, I visited the famous Denver Dinosaur Ridge for a practical activity that involved fossil examination, gold panning, mineral recognition and dinosaur track printing. The place has experts and representatives from FODR geologists who help in the analyses of the geographical activities. For instance, the experts take students and visitors through the faulting, volcanic and earthquake processes that took place in the area. However, the geohazards occur in different ways due to the geological structure of the terrain and the localities of the features. This implies that the influence of the geohazards may vary in separate places depending on the geological composition in that area. The impacts of earth tremors on plain lands cause minimum risks compared to the one on rugged terrains. For instance, earthquakes on barren lands might cause destructions to properties, especially in congested areas. According to the FODR experts, volcanic ash bends are the common influence of geohazard processes at the Denver Dinosaur Ridge. This is because of the dumping nature of the volcanic bends during eruptions as was evidenced at the Colorado disaster. The experts further indicated that the determination of the geohazard activities is undertaken through checking on the mineral zircon crystals. This model considers the date of the rocks and their nature that might contribute to the breaking. It emerged that the volcanic ash bends had taken place over 100 million years ago because of the nature of the rocks and the number of mineral zircon minerals found. Geohazard activities may have also occurred at the Karst Hazards in the recent years. The formation of the Karst Hazard occurs because of the sinkholes that damage the infrastructure. It is evident that the sinkholes dissolve in the underlying limestone, exposing the infrastructure, such as roads or buildings, to risks of collapsing or sinking

Leadership In Health And Social Care

Leadership In Health And Social Care 1.1 This report looks at my existing leadership skills and how they have developed when implementing a postnatal group within my practice. Through developing this group, I will look at how the team responds to my leadership and how I approach situations. As part of my continuing professional development, I will identify changes needed in my approach to future practice in order to provide a quality working environment and improved development of service provision. This community health care project was chosen because Hall et al (2009) states that governments are increasingly interested in community healthcare programmes because, in partnership with other agencies, they can reduce social exclusion and the inequalities within and between local communities. Support groups can relieve feelings of isolation and loneliness in a study of women with post-natal depression, the support from others meant that mothers gained in self-esteem and felt empowered (Eastwood et al, 1995). 1.2 The Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) must follow performance standards in association with health enhancing activities (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004, p12). Part of these standards state that I am responsible for applying leadership skills and managing projects to improve health and well being. Promoting partnership working and leading public health interventions through innovative and visionary approaches is key to my role as a SCPHN. Historically much of health service provision has been service led rather than needs led, designed and developed at the convenience of the providers rather than the patients (Wilkinson Murray 1998). Healthy lives, brighter futures (DOH, 2009a) and Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (DoH, 1999) highlight the importance of there being partnership between services, children and parents which must be driven by strong leadership by SCPHNs. These improvements need to be achieved through an agreement between health practitioners and services and parents, children and young people. 2 . Aims 2.1 The aims of this report are to identify different leadership approaches and my own approach and evaluate positives and negatives of these approaches to improve my leadership skills. To explore the SCPHN role as a leader and the opportunities and obstacles that may impinge on effective leadership requirements in public health nursing through leading the development of a postnatal group. All SCPHNs interventions should operate on a partnership and empowerment model of delivery, which ensures acceptability of the service by both professionals and clients. Further aims will be to understand the principles of change management and conflict management, to enable effective resolution and promote a cohesive team environment. 3. Leadership in Practice 3.1 Through my experience as a SCPHN I believe that I hold transformational leadership traits, which include communication, motivation, decision making and conflict resolution. I believe my current skills lie in communication and motivation but areas where development is required are conflict within teams and on an individual basis. Two types of leaders have been identified transactional leaders set goals, give directions and use rewards to reinforce employee behaviours associated with meeting or exceeding established goals. Transformational leaders have the ability to motivate performance beyond expectations through their ability to influence attitudes (Mcguire Kennerly 2006, p.180). I endeavoured to follow Johnsons (2005) research, which suggested that highly effective leaders need both vision as well as a specific plan in order to carry out their plan if goals are to be achieved. I have demonstrated vision by creating this idea for a postnatal group. As a transformational leader I will try to share my vision with my followers, enthusing them with a high level of commitment (ChangingMinds, 2002-2006). In previous professional roles I was a follower and therefore I need to develop leadership skills. It is important as a practitioner to be aware and incorporate the qualities of both leadership styles in practice. 3.2 In my role as a leader I need to use interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal exerting influence by using a flexible approach of personal behaviours which is important in forging links, creating connections amongst organisations in order to promote high levels of performance and quality care (Sullivan Decker, 2009). I have approached a fellow SCPHN within the team and by recognising her individual expertise and praising her knowledge have encouraged her to contribute to the group by leading a session on womens health. As a leader I recognise Raffertys (1993) work by caring for the people I lead and I can see that by encouraging and praising my team I am able to promote high levels of performance, which therefore results in the delivery of high quality care. 3.3 In my leadership experience I have recognised the need to focus on the relationship between the people and the organisation this is described as Action Centred Leadership by Adair (1979) (Appendix 1). Adair highlighted the importance of a leader having the ability to meet three functions these where; to achieve the required task; to maintain the team and to meet the needs of individual team members. I have recognised the complexity of achieving successful leadership which requires the overlapping of these three functions in variable proportions to achieve the desired outcome. I have identified that both my team members and I have individual strengths and weaknesses and therefore task completion requires a multidisciplinary team approach, considering the organisational skill mix and resources available. Team members need to have an understanding of what is expected of them, and an understanding of how their individual contributions relate to the whole project. When developing the idea for the postnatal group we had a team meeting to share ideas and to ensure that everyone was aware of the aims of the project. Consideration of the needs of the team involved my considering training needs, communication systems and team development in order for my multi-professional team to function. Prior to commencement of the postnatal group a multidisciplinary team introduction meeting was held to ensure that every team member was familiar with their colleagues expertise and skills. As a leader it is important to recognise team members have individual skills, needs and problems, and to give praise and status to everyone. Again training and development is essential in order to maintain quality of care delivery as outlined in the benchmarks within the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006). When delegating work to others as a registered practitioner I have a legal responsibility to determine the knowledge and skill level required to perform delegated tasks. Like other public bodies, health service providers are accountable to both the criminal and civil courts to ensure that their activities conform to legal requirements. As a registered practitioner I am also accountable to regulatory and professional bodies in terms of standards of practice and patient care (RCN, 2006). If a focussed and effective group is to develop huge importance should be given to valuing all the skills and contributions of team members. As the team leader on this project I made myself available for one to one support for staff and held regular update sessions to see how their role was developing within the project and give them opportunity to raise concerns or highlight areas of improvement. 3.4 As a leader in Health Care it is my role to promote and develop partnerships between clients and other agencies, to empower and motivate individuals in order to develop services and service provision in communities. In 2006, the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006) outlined the importance of partnership working health promotion is undertaken in partnership with others using a variety of expertise and experiences. In many areas of the health service funding is limited but if individuals within my community can be motivated to take the lead on this project, they may be able to apply for extra funding (such as lottery grants) in order to be able to achieve future aims and targets. 3.5 An important aspect of leadership is having a good understanding of your team and an awareness of team relationships which includes how you view yourself as a leader and how your team view you. Having the ability to reflect on your own leadership style is essential in order to promote flexibility and the ability to change methods to suit different teams and individuals. I look to my manager to provide active displays of recognition, commitment and vision to ensure that my skills and those of other health professionals are utilised to improve the health and well being of communities, families and individuals (McMurray Cheater, 2004). I realise that vision is a key characteristic of effective leadership; it reflects the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, attractive picture of the future for individuals and organisations that grows out of and improves upon the present (Robbins, 2000). I agree with Barr Dowding (2010) who stated that you do not need to be a man ager to be a leader but you do need to be a good leader to be an effective manager. 4. Leadership styles applied to the complexity of delivery of care. 4.1I have encountered many different leadership styles in my work in the Health Care sector. Many theorists have discussed leadership styles; Lewin et al (1939) identified three main leadership styles. Laissez-faire can present as disorganised, team members not aware of what is required from them with feelings of panic and lack of time. I have worked with a Laissez-faire leader which led to stressful situations where the leader would shout and not warn team members of future roles and responsibilities. This led to a very disjointed team and high levels of absence with stress related conditions. Directive/Autocratic this mode of working generally focuses on task specific allocation which great emphasis on precision delivered in a military style. I see my own leadership style as being non confrontational and therefore an autocratic leadership technique is not my preferred choice. I aim to develop my leadership style to become a participatory leader with a quiet contributory presence, encourage a happy team spirit where each member of the group supports and values each other, and there is a sense of belonging. I aim to deliver quality patient care with effective monitoring of standards, by allocating task driven duties, which give my team feelings of achievement. To progress and develop the skills required to achieve this form of leadership style I need to be aware that different teams require flexible approaches and this style may not suit all. I will need to seek continuing professional development and take advantage of available training throughout my career to develop my leadership skills. I can continue to grow as a leader by maintaining evidenced based practice and keeping abreast of key research into healthcare leadership. I recognise that there are disadvantages to this participative style of leadership it can be time consuming when decisions need to be made quickly which can prove costly in terms of resources. 4.2 As a SCPHN I must be an effective leader, which means possessing the ability to communicate with others in such a way that they are influenced and motivated to perform actions that achieve desired outcomes (Daft, 2005). As a leader we must focus on our own strengths and use a reflective approach to access the willingness of each individual to take on board change (Barr Dowding, 2010). It is my aim to stimulate awareness of health needs and lead on such initiatives by delegating aspects of practice to other agencies and facilitating the work of relevant team members (NMC, 2004). This collaboration presents significant challenges to the success of the proposed intervention and requires me to make important professional considerations about the proper implementation of a change strategy. Effective leadership is required to ensure that various practitioners communicate with one another and provide a holistic, coordinated service tailored to local needs (DoH, 2009c). Communicating an understanding and awareness of workload, resource and time pressures for staff is important as a leader in order to delegate work appropriately to team members and to avoid further stress and aid motivational leadership. 4.3 More flexibility in service delivery has been highlighted in the NHS Plan (DoH, 2000) confirming the drive to blur professional boundaries. The resulting flexibility of approach in relation to who does what, at what time and in what setting, has changed the skill mix of teams. As a result of new flexible service delivery plans, every individual needs good leadership to be fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to avoid confusion or potential conflict. To implement the postnatal group I need to introduce a careful change management program to ensure complete engagement of the whole team. I can use the structure of a framework to shape the change process. Lewin (1951) model of planned change breaks the change process down into three stages. These stages are: Unfreezing the existing organisational equilibrium, Moving to a new position, Refreezing a new equilibrium position. The unfreezing stage is commonly greeted with guilt and anxiety and it is important that as a lead er I provide psychological safety that helps these anxious individuals to convert their anxiety into motivation to change. This did cause friction and resistance with some team members who were unwilling to adapt to their new roles therefore a detailed rationale for changes was clearly explained through discussion groups. Demonstrating my leadership skills through effective communication was of paramount importance in order to try to avoid hostility towards any perceived threat (although not actual). The moving stage needs a new role model (within the partner organisations) to champion the proposed change and help others to follow and establish the new service. This may involve convincing senior management for the need for change and responding to any suggestions for modifications. Time may need to be negotiated in order to share information and update staff on the necessity for communication between professionals perhaps through workshops or focus groups. The refreezing stage invol ves integrating the new initiative into the organisation and consolidating significant relationships. The successful implementation of this change process is crucial to the success of the initiative; this can be aided by audit of results. Evaluation of my role is vital to validate the implementation and also to help diminish the risks against conflict as professionals can feel they own a project and have the ability to make changes and modifications. 4.5 By implementing a skill mix I have ensured staff ownership from the outset, utilising a bottom up approach. Barr Dowding (2010) state that the bottom up approach is encouraged within the humanistic technique, whereby the subordinates (followers) are encouraged to share ideas with their leaders and will be involved with the decision making process. As the leader I used a full and clearly defined evidence of staff members and their relevant skill mix in order to utilise them effectively. It is vital to utilise research and evidence of best practice in relation to postnatal groups in other areas of the UK. The current economic climate challenges our leadership skills and means that all practitioners need to scrutinize their practice to organise their work and be as innovative and productive as possible within the constraints of health service budgets (DoH, CPHVA, Unite, NHS, 2009b). 5. Leadership benefits to the quality of client care. 5.1 My role as a leader is to promote and implement concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda with a new way of thinking and methods to use in order to work dynamically (Cowley, 2008). These key concepts highlight the importance of this postnatal group being effectively led and supported by multi-agency organisations and community partnerships. As a registered practitioner and leader it is my responsibility to ensure that there is a supervision system in place within an organisation to protect the patient/client and maintain the highest possible standards of care. On-going supervision is used to assess team members abilities to perform delegated tasks and capability to take on additional roles and responsibilities. Supervision will be offered indirectly or directly at set points in time and team members will be given weekly opportunities to discuss any issues, concerns or worr ies they may have. 5.3 As the leader of this project it is important to be aware of the five areas of clinical governance identified by Crinson, 1999 clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, clinical risk management, quality assurance and staff development. It is important that within the leadership role I improve services based on complaints, evaluation and feedback by both professionals and clients, while accepting criticisms of my leadership skills. Any service must involve professional groups in multi professional audit. Proactively identifying clinical risks to patients/staff should make for a sound provision and aid myself as a health professional to be an effective leader. I aim to monitor my ability to measure the capacity and capability to deliver services by ensuring that there is effective clinical leadership as stated by the National Audit Office, 2007. 5.4 As a leader I believe setting high standards of quality care for clients is a key responsibility. This can be done by identifying key benchmarks set by the NMC (2004) where it is stated that the public have the right to expect that health care professionals will practice at a high standard. The use of benchmarks can assist in identifying the need for change. Within the Norfolk PCT I believe the value of the Nursery Nurse is recognised by SCPHNs with particular relevance to their skills being utilised. Using this as a benchmark it may therefore be suggested that integrating a Nursery Nurse into the postnatal group would compliment my role as a SCPHN in addressing the needs of the client in the most effective manner. Effective delivery of information at the postnatal group is dependent on the capacity of the workforce to implement it and having the appropriate resources to support the work force. This capacity relates to having sufficient staff in place, who have the requisite know ledge, skills and confidence to undertake assessments (DoH, DFEE Home Office, 2000c). The team that I am responsible and accountable for leading is multi-skilled and able to share relevant information in order to offer help and support to each other. 5.5 To be an effective leader I believe it is an essential requirement to undertake evaluation and analysis of any intervention on a regular basis to give the opportunity to implement change, which is supported by Summerbell et al (2005). They highlight that stakeholders (families, school environments, and others) be included in the decision making and I believe this allows for a broad range of ideas to be shared to provide quality care and services that are effective and appropriate for the target client group. Evaluation is key to quality assurance and an essential part of the leadership role is to ensure that followers are actively involved in the quality control process (Marquis Huston, 2009). 5.6 As a leader by utilising this service I am able to effectively share other agency resources and the skills of professionals with similar aims and objectives. The Department of Health (2000) promotes the collaboration of services and the ability to pool budgets and resources in order for services to be maintained and obtain sustainability. I believe that shared ownership of a strategy encourages partner agencies to incorporate targets into their individual plans and to work together to provide appropriate support for children and families this is supported by Hanson, 2010. The key to successful collaborative working and partnerships is to reach a common understanding of the priorities of the community and how to best tackle them (Mitcheson, 2008). Concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda all provide me as a SCPHN with new ways of thinking and methods to use in order to wo rk dynamically (Cowley, 2008). Once the group is more established, their own personal development aims will enable some of the clients to take a more prominent role in the leadership and development of the group as peer supporters. 5.7 Within the team I believe that the consequences of poor leadership to client care could be that staff members becoming unsettled and unhappy in their position and they may transfer these feeling towards the clients resulting in a lack of motivation on both sides. I feel that if staff are not behind their leader then this will reflect into the group through misinterpretation of the service Coe et al (2007) and Smith and Roberts (2009) found that barriers to attending groups include misinformation about the organisation. This evidence highlights the importance of my supportive leadership of health professionals to be clear, consistent and supportive in the information they are giving. 6. Dynamic and flexible approaches to leadership issues. 6.1 I have found through experience that awareness of conflict management is a key area of responsibility for an effective leader. To date I have found that in health there are a huge variety of professionals all with different knowledge and backgrounds and interacting with each other giving considerable potential for conflict. Conflict can arise through the competition of different groups vying scarce resources. An individuals personal objectives may also be a cause for potential conflict. As a leader it is vital that I do not ignore any potential conflict situations and if conflicts do arise, I will plan solutions before patient care is compromised. I intend as a leader to promote a positive working environment through my leadership skills, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2005) state that many professionals experience both positive and negative working environments and recommend a useful tool to explore relationships on an individual and team basis. I aim for my team members to view me as a leader who is able to collaborate and involve relevant parties to solve a situation rather than one who avoids conflict. Conflict can result in poor productivity (Barr Dowding, 2010) by being a dynamic and flexible leader who is able to resolve conflict effectively I can ensure a continuing high quality of patient care. 6.2 If I had conflict within a team I am leading, I would use a tool created by Tuckman (1965) on stages of group development. The four stages of group development Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing can be used to break down a difficult situation into manageable elements. During the forming stage of team development and development of the group it was my aim to ensure that I explained all tasks and objectives in a clear manner and to emphasise and reassure team members that I was happy to listen to ideas but decisions would be made so that everyone had a good understanding of what they were required to do. To team then moved into the storming stage of development where the group were happy to discuss ideas but showed respect if there was disagreement and communication skills to come to amicable decisions. The next stage is the Norming stage were the group began to support each other in their roles. This stage can sometimes develop slowly currently the team has not reached t he consistent performing stage as partners and team members continue to develop and learn how to work effectively together. By maintaining and developing the group further I hope to achieve consistently high standards of performance within the group. This will require effective communication, shared labour, greater cooperation, lower absenteeism and increased resistance to frustrations. If I continue to perform as a leader to a high standard I believe I can achieve the delivery of high quality care and a motivated team. 6.3 In order to maintain professional development and practice based on evidenced-based research I believe health professionals need to access relevant training, and share knowledge and skills within the team environment. Reflection is essential in order to look back at achievements. Consideration of what has been successful and what would be done differently in future practice to make a service as beneficial and effective as possible for children and families is essential. I aim to promote partnership working as I feel it is key to the implementation of this intervention in order to sustain it and continue future development within the area. 6.4 At the end of the project I aim to collect data in order to evaluate and analyse the cost-effectiveness of the intervention and identify opportunities for cost savings, which is part of my professional responsibility identified by NICE, 2007. I aim to involve service users and engage them in a simple customer feedback questionnaire to establish how well the initiative meets their needs. 7. Conclusion 7.1 I feel that further and continuing research is required on what clients require within a service. It is my responsibility as a SCPHN and a leader of a team to maintain evidenced based practice and respond to the needs of professionals and clients. I aim to continue developing the key skills of reflecting upon experiences and improving practice at the beginning, during and after action, to ensure improvement of services. From the experiences and reflection I have undertaken I have identified my leadership style and conclude that I will try to respond to individuals within the context of their understanding and community. Consideration of ideas generated by members of the team and client group are key to effective leadership. 7.2 I endeavour to share and input values such as honesty, respect, integrity and emotional strength as I believe they are essential for working with team members and clients. Promotion of my values and constructive criticism need to be demonstrated within any team. Adaptability and flexibility of leadership styles must also be developed and used. I aim to continue and develop my participatory leadership approach with both colleagues and clients. This will enable me to evaluate, question and confirm all of my actions within my role as a SCPHN. 8. Recommendations 8.1 As a SCPHN I should lead change and encourage change in a flexible and appropriate manner to aid the development of healthcare services. 8.2 I acknowledge that I need to develop my skills in applying quality care frameworks in practice to improve my quality assurance. 8.3 I recognise that my conflict management skills should be developed through experience and used effectively to promote good leadership. 9. Appendix Appendix 1 Adair, 1997 interaction of needs within the group 11. References Adair, J (1979) Action Centred Leadership. Aldershot: Gower Press. Barr, J Dowding, L (2010) Leadership in Health Care. London: Sage. Changing Minds (2002-2006) Transformational Leadership. (Online) Available at: http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/leadershipstyles.htm (Accessed 24th June, 2010). Coe, C. Gibson, A. Spencer, N. Struttaford, M (2007) Sure Start: voices of the hard-to-reach. Child, care, health and development. 34, 4, 447-453. Cowley, S (2008) Community Public Health in Policy and Practice. 2nd Edition. London: Balliere Tindall. Crinson, I (1999) Clinical governance: the new NHS, new responsibilities. British Journal of Nursing. 8 (7): 449-453. Daft, R (2005) The Leadership experience. 3rd Edition. Canada: Thomson South-Western. Department for Education and Employment, department of Health Home Office (2000c) Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. London: HMSO. Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan. London: HMSO. Department of Health, CPHVA, Unite NHS (2009b) Getting it right for children and families. Maximising the contribution of the health visiting team. Ambition, Action, Achievement. London: The Stationery Office. Department of Health (2009c) Healthy Child Programme Pregnancy and the first five years of life. London: The Stationery Office. Department of Health (2009a) Healthy lives, brighter futures The strategy for children and young peoples health. (Online) Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/publications (Accessed 5th June, 2010). Department of Health (2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say. London: HMSO. Department of Health (1999) Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation. London: HM Stationery Office. Eastwood, P. Horrocks, E Jones, K (1995) Promoting peer group support with post-natally depressed women. Health Visitor, 68 (4): 148-150. Hall, D, Williams, J, Elliman, D (2009) The Child Surveillance Handbook. 3rd Edition. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing. Hanson, S (2010) Empowering change. Community Practitioner. 83, 36-37. Johnson, S (2005) Characteristics of effective health care managers. Health Care manager 24(2), 124-128). Lewin K (1951) Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper and Row. Lewin, K, Lippitt, R White R (1939) Patterns of aggressive behaviour in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology 10: 271-299. Marquis, B Huston, C (2009) Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing Theory and Application. 6th Edition. London: Lippincott, Williams Wilkins. McGuire, E Kennerly, A (2006) Nurse managers as transformational and transactional leaders. Nursing Economics 24(4), 179-186. Mitcheson, J (2008) Expanding Nursing Health Care Practice Public Health Approaches to Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. National Audit Office (2007) Improving Quality and Safety Progress in Implementing Clinical Governance: Lessons for the Primary Care Trusts. London: NAO. National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2007) Behaviour Change. London: Department of Health. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Standards of proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses. Norwich: The Stationery Office. Rafferty, A (1993) Leading questions: a discussion paper on the issues of nurse leadership. Kings Fund Centre. Robbins, s (2000) Organisational Behaviour. 9th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2005) Working with Care: Improving Working Relationships in Healthcare. London: RCN. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2006) Supervision, accountability and delegation of activities to support workers A guide for registered practitioners and support workers. London: RCN. Smith, D Roberts, R (2009) Young parents perception of barriers to antenatal and postnatal care. British Journal of Midwifery, 17, 10. Sullivan, E Decker, P (2009) Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing. 7th Edition. London

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts :: essays research papers

Krispy Kreme Donuts, Inc. Since Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937, it has grown into a leading branded specialty retailer, producing more than 5 million doughnuts a day and over 1.8 billion a year. In addition to Krispy Kreme stores, their premium quality doughnuts are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and other retail outlets throughout the country. Best known for their fresh, glazed, yeast-raised doughnuts, known as "Hot Original Glazed†, Krispy Kreme also make more than a dozen other varieties of yeast-raised and cake doughnuts. But the company is currently going through financial turmoil along with possible earnings management. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts recently announced that they are slashing 125-130 jobs, the vast majority in Winston-Salem. The company is eliminating one-fourth of their staff in order to cut costs. Also, they recently sold their corporate jet to a Wilmington company for $30.5 million. It is evident that the donut empire is suffering from liquidity and cash flow problems. Some investor argue that they didn’t see this coming because the once highly profitable, ever expanding company, seemed incapable of fiscal failure. The layoff shows that they have experienced a major downturn in the past year. Less than two years ago, Krispy Kreme’s shares sold for $50 and are currently selling for $7.21. The bottom line is that Krispy Kreme must revamp sales in order to increase cash flow or they will not make it. Their board of directors said that the downsizing would create an annual pretax savings of about $7.4 million; they will take a restructuring charge in their fiscal first quarter to pay for the work force reduction. The company also stated that selling the jet will result in annual pretax savings of $3 million; but it will have to take a $300,000 charge in its current fiscal first quarter because of the deal. Also in January, Krispy Kreme's long-term debt lenders contracted to extend for two months to March 25, 2005, the date on which the company would be in default on its $150 million credit agreement. This agreement restricts the company from borrowing any money until repaid. Kripsy Kreme is witnessing the results of a low-carbohydrate phase combined with expanding too fast; plunging profit, crumbling stock price, its accounting is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (because they have yet to file quarterly reports that were due February 1,2 005), and it is the subject of various

Men and Animals Essay

What does it mean to be human? Are we animals? Or are we something different? â€Å"Animals Like Us† by Hal Herzog talks about the relationship between human and animals. The article inspired me to think about what is it that makes us human. I believe humans are similar to animals in many ways, but also unique because of the complex decisions humans could make. as discussed in Herzog’s article about the many contradicting relationships humans have with animals. Interestingly, human have a lot of similarities with animals. For example, human and animal are mammals in which both give birth instead of lay eggs like reptile. Also, we would raise our children rather than abandon and let them live on their own. Animal and human both eat vegetable and meat, meaning we have similar lifestyle; Hal Herzog mentioned that cat eat flesh for living, as humans would also eat flesh to live. However, human are also different from animals in particular that human have higher intelligence than animals. For example, human will educate the next generation not only about survival skills but also the way of life. Human brain also operate in two main parts, one is the logical part and the other one is the emotional part. Animals may also have emotional part but their logical part is not as developed as us, so human may raise moral and ethical questions. In this article, Mr. Herzog noticed that he once painted himself into a moral paradox that feeding his boa constrictors rodents are more morally preferable and permissible than feeding the bodies of the kittens to it. Ultimately, in the animal world, the more important question in their mind is whether they got sufficient quantity of food rather than what kind of meat would be permissible. After comparing the two, what does it mean to be human then? Hal Herzog gave many examples of what makes human in our relation with animals. Human have a brain, just like all the animals, but what makes us different is we are intellectually able to mak e â€Å"contradicting† judgments and thinking, and on the contrary, animals thinks in black and white. Although our more developed intelligence sometimes make our lives complicated and force us unable make decisions; however, these contradictions distinguish the level of intelligence between animals and us. Therefore, human beings are unique unlike animal because we find contradicting issues and thinking solutions to solve our problems. Our world is not only the clear black and white sides, we always see the world in shades of gray. Both author and I believe that even though there are so many similarities between us and animals, what makes us â€Å"human† is our paradoxical relationship with them, for example, we love them, but we also eat them. It is difficult to clearly delimit our relationship with animals because of the gray side between emotional and logical parts.

Death of Stressman Essay

One of the factors that results in the rise of Hitler is the death of a capable leader that brought stability and prosperity back to Germany. This capable leader is known as Gustav Stressman . Stressman died of a heart attack on 3rd October 1929. On behalf of the Weimar government, Stressman had negotiated the Dawes and Young Plans for more time to pay reparations to the Allies. In 1925, he also helped to end the Ruhr occupation by French and Belgian troops which had begun in 1923 and signed the 1925 Locarno Pact with France and Britain, promising to respect Germany’s Western borders. Thus, Germany’s relations with her former enemies improved and Germany was even allowed to be a member of the League of Nations. Therefore the years between 1924 and 1929 is considered as a golden age for Germany. Since then, Germany’s economic recovery depended on US loans. This made Germany vulnerable as it depended on America’s ability to keep lending. Therefore when Stressman died and The Great depression started in 1929, thousands of business closed and millions of Americans were thrown out of work. It also affected economies around the world. The loans from the United States of America on which Germany depended dried up. This resulted in the massive unemployment of many Germans which brought poverty to them. However, the Weimar government was helpless in solving the economic crisis without the leadership of Stressman which resulted in the German people to lose confidence in both the Weimar government and democracy. Therefore, the Germans started to search for any people or group that could help them . Hence ,due to the loss of confidence in the Weimar government, Hitler began to gain support from the Germans as they wanted a change of government and support Nazism which lead to the rise of Hitler.

101 Ideology, Responding, and Structure Professor Ramos Blog

101 Ideology, Responding, and Structure What is an Argument? Quick Write In academia we use the word argument when referring to writing. What do you think we mean by argument? What is the difference between an argument and a fight? What is an Argument? Contradiction? Claims, reasons, and evidence. Argument – a reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong. Paraphrase Our book does not cover paraphrase in detail. What is a paraphrase? What is the difference from a summary or quoting? Summary v Paraphrase v Quoting Paraphrase means putting what you have read into your own words. You paraphrase by reading something, thinking about what it means, and then restating it in your own words. Paraphrasing is a useful strategy to check to be sure that you have understood when reading something difficult or something that is important to remember. If you cannot paraphrase after reading, it is important to go back and reread to clarify information. You are going to be paraphrasing as we learn about Ideology. Ideology What is ideology? A system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. â€Å"the ideology of republicanism† In social studies, a political  ideology  is a certain ethical set of ideals, principles, doctrines, myths, or symbols of a social movement, institution, class, or large group that explains how society should work, and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order. The set of ideas and beliefs of a group or political party. Jonathan Haidt: Can a Divided America Heal? 20 Minutes. Jon Haidt is a Social Psychologist. Write down anything you think is important or that stands out to you. Write down any words you don’t know so we can make a list for everyone. So the first thing that you have to always keep in mind when you’re thinking about politics is that we’re tribal. We evolved for tribalism. One of the simplest and greatest insights into human social nature is the Bedouin proverb: â€Å"Me against my brother; me and my brother against our cousin; me and my brother and cousins against the stranger.† Summarize Write for three minutes on the point that stood out to you. What did the author say?   Try to with hold your opinion in the summary portion. We will respond next. Responding Templates The book includes many templates. Including to  Disagree p. 60,  Agreeing p. 62, and  Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously p. 64. Write a response using the templates in chapter 4. Why did we do this exercise? Show, Don’t Tell The writing you do at this level should do the work, instead of you having to tell us. No more lines like: In this essay†¦ My narrative is about†¦ Building Structure Focus on events in your story. What events help you to tell your story? First Event Next Event Next Event Final Event Do tell us what you went through. Show us what happened. Place us there with you. Four Frames You have four frames to tell us the story. What scenes will you include? What details will you want to draw into each scene? Details are important when telling a story. It helps your readers see what it is you are telling them. Homework Take everything we did today and use it to write your draft. Bring a full draft for tomorrow to peer review.

Free Essays on Technology & Business

How Technology Effects Business Business owners have a different opinion on how much new technology their company needs. We are speaking about both the technology used to produce your products and the very "mediums" themselves. Our firm represents the full spectrum of media content providers, from traditional printing companies to the most high tech Internet Web page designers. We can tell you, with some certainty, that the way companies apply technology in the creation of products and services and utilise technology to deliver the content are two of the most critical factors that raise the value of media companies. Many of our clients are book publishers and the world of Internet Web pages and CD-ROMS are mostly foreign to them. For these companies it is the use of computers for editorial, design and layout and that may bring them the highest benefits. Our video and film clients are more in tune with the digital world and employ both digital and tape based editing to complete their projects on tape and as CD-ROMS. The printers we work with who employ the most labour saving equipment in their pre-press departments are among the most profitable in the industry. I have a saying, "Computers do not create even one minute of leisure time, they just allow us to do more". The productivity that each employee enjoys by utilising computers on their job should make their hours more productive and more profitable for the employer. This in turn lowers labour costs and should lead to higher profits. The question is - Are you using technology to it s maximum labour saving effect? Many business owners look at technology as if it were a river running across their path. They know that they must get into the river and swim if their company is to ever emerge as a leader†¦ but where and when do they get in? They wonder, how deep (expensive) is this river and do they get in now or move up stream where the river (technology) is more advanced. Do the... Free Essays on Technology & Business Free Essays on Technology & Business How Technology Effects Business Business owners have a different opinion on how much new technology their company needs. We are speaking about both the technology used to produce your products and the very "mediums" themselves. Our firm represents the full spectrum of media content providers, from traditional printing companies to the most high tech Internet Web page designers. We can tell you, with some certainty, that the way companies apply technology in the creation of products and services and utilise technology to deliver the content are two of the most critical factors that raise the value of media companies. Many of our clients are book publishers and the world of Internet Web pages and CD-ROMS are mostly foreign to them. For these companies it is the use of computers for editorial, design and layout and that may bring them the highest benefits. Our video and film clients are more in tune with the digital world and employ both digital and tape based editing to complete their projects on tape and as CD-ROMS. The printers we work with who employ the most labour saving equipment in their pre-press departments are among the most profitable in the industry. I have a saying, "Computers do not create even one minute of leisure time, they just allow us to do more". The productivity that each employee enjoys by utilising computers on their job should make their hours more productive and more profitable for the employer. This in turn lowers labour costs and should lead to higher profits. The question is - Are you using technology to it s maximum labour saving effect? Many business owners look at technology as if it were a river running across their path. They know that they must get into the river and swim if their company is to ever emerge as a leader†¦ but where and when do they get in? They wonder, how deep (expensive) is this river and do they get in now or move up stream where the river (technology) is more advanced. Do the...

Cafeteria Food Essay Example for Free (#2)

Cafeteria Food Essay Some people think that school cafeterias should be required to provide low-fat and/or vegetarian lunch options to accommodate the government’s nutritional guidelines, but all students do not eat the same. In my essay about cafeteria food, I will explain what students want in their food. I will also share the likes and dislikes in the food and what we can do to improve it. Cold pizza, undercooked hamburgers and brown lettuce sounds nasty. Many students from different states and districts have to deal with that every day at their schools. The food from the cafeterias used to be good, with a sweet flavor, but in the last few years the food had taken a different flavor, a flavor that cannot be tolerated by the students. The students need a better quality in their food, don’t they? It’s time for a change, a change to food, so students can be satisfied while their eating, a change to food that can be really worth it. As a matter of fact, we students pay money to the district every year and this is what we get? It’s time for a change. Everybody knows that eating healthy was from the past. However, now students and not necessarily just students eat fast food like McDonalds or Taco Bell. Now everybody does, which can be a good and a bad thing. The changes of the food’s taste has made many students to not eat at school, or even made students to bring lunch, and this as a matter of fact causes the school to lose money. In all actuality is the loss of money causing the school to give students poorly made food? If the schools would serve students food from places like Pizza Hut and Subway I can guarantee that most or all students would eat at the cafeterias and it would benefit to both school and students. These types of foods would be so great to have in schools, but unfortunately the district and the governments have taken action and unfairly, they have set down laws that prohibit these foods in the schools. They have settled these laws because they want us as students to eat healthy, but if they want to keep us healthy, why are they giving us food with a bad and nasty taste? Also, with these laws they keep students like me away from eating too much â€Å"junk† food because they can cause obesity. But do they keep on giving us food that is not even worth the amount of money our parents give to the government every year? If they were the ones who eat all of the nasty food given by the cafeteria they would of get tired of eating cold pizza and uncooked hamburgers with brown lettuce just like we the students do. In conclusion, we all understand what the government and the school system is trying to do with this healthy eating program. They want to promote healthy eating habits in an effort to prevent obesity. Although nutrition is important, students feel that there is a better way to have healthy food without ruining the taste. Therefore, in an effort to keep students healthy and leave with their stomachs satisfied we should all come together to realize that we are the ones that have to make it through the school day with the food. Cafeteria Food. (2017, Mar 21).

The Development of Electronic Music in the age of Post Modernism Essay

The Development of Electronic Music in the age of Post Modernism - Essay Example This further allowed the reintegration of Acoustic sounds to allow for the reintegration of Acoustic sounds through carefully sampled computer based musical instruments. (Schwartz, S. 1993.).This is particularly true in terms of the graphic signal-processing software which when it came out allowed for real-time MIDI control allowing the post modern composer to use this system even with limited technical knowledge. Chadabe, J, 1997).The availability of of such techniques and the further advent into the market of the Yamaha DX-7 MIDI keyboard in 1985 and of hard disk recording and editing softwares were all set to revolutionise Electronic music. (Schwartz, S. 1993.).The nineties further paved the way for more interactive computer-assisted performance and the release of the multimedia CD-ROM meant that the MIDI sequencing programmes were all set to expand to include digital audio. Chadabe, J, 1997). This is in contrast to the position of technology available for the electronic composers back in the 1940’s. where as the musicians were still struggling with amplifiers (for example John Cage’s Imaginary Landscape no.1 (1939)).Towards the fifties there was the Radio-diffusion-television upon which the modern musique concrete is based upon.The founders of the French version of the Groupe de Musicque Concrete included the likes of Messiaen, Boulez and Stockhausen. Another studio opened very soon under Karlheinz Stockhausen and made generous use of electronic sound generators and modifiers.

Quality Function Deployment - Carry out a QFD assessment. & Submit a Essay

Quality Function Deployment - Carry out a QFD assessment. & Submit a completed 'House of Quality' diagram to show the results - Essay Example The first brick or building block should give us some information about what our target audience wants. Analyzing performance of our hand held battery operated drill among the target audience of small business operators they gave us answers in deep expecting â€Å"Voice of the Customer† that main features they require from a hand held drill are time of operation before it needs recharging, its weight as they have to carry it and hammering speed if they need to drill into concrete. (Akao, Yoji., 1990) They were not concerned about other features like durability, parts and service availability, warranty, price or maintenance so we did not have to group customer wishes into smaller groups in a way of affinity or a tree diagram. In our next step we encounter Planning Matrix at the right side of QFD house modeled matrix. Its function is many-fold as it quantifies the â€Å"Voice of the Customer† and allows for its adjustments with the issues concerning the design team. (Gibs on, J., 1995) First we need to get our customers rate how important is for them chosen requirement that we found asking them on the left side of the house. (Gaucher, E., Coffey R., 1993) We can gather this information by questionnaires where customers can rate how important the feature is for them on a scale from 1-5 or 1-10 or we can use analytical hierarchy process by combining two features and asking them which one means more to them. The second method requires a little more work on our side. At the same time when we already have a customer willing to cooperate we should also ask if she/he can evaluate his satisfaction with our product and some competitors products as a whole and by separate features. Once done and statistically measured this number are basis for comparison and calculations of Planned Satisfaction Rating, Improvement Factor, Sales Point, and Overall Weighting. Our customers gave us Feature Importance rating of 4.5 for ability to work longer without recharging 2.7 for having hammering ability and 1.8 to be light to carry around. They marked our product with 3.6 for battery life, 1.8 for easy carrying and 3.1 for hammering ability. Competitor A and B got the following marks respectively: battery life 3.2 and 2.9, easy to carry 2.9 and 3.7, and for hammering ability 1 and 4.4. (Akao, Y., 1990) Our guys from technical department added a column for Planned Satisfaction Rating at 4 for battery life, 2 for easy carry and unchanged for hammering ability. Thus improvement factor for battery life came at 1.4, for easy to carry feature at 1.2 and unchanged 1 for hammering ability. We thought that battery life could be our next sales point so we added additional 1.5 weights to it from sales perspective. (Cooper, R., 1993) The third building block oh the â€Å"House of Quality† matrix consists of technical requirements recognized as the Voice of the Company. (Gibson, J., 1995, p.8) QFD team here identifies all measurable characteristics of the pr oduct as they relate to customer wish list. A line can be added here that shows whether we need to increase or decrease the feature as decrease to make it lighter or increase to make it last longer. In our case we noted battery life increase requirement and weight decrease requirement while we think that we are on the money with one hammering speed. In the middle section of the â€Å"House of Quality† matrix we assign different weights to relationships. This is rather subjective and may lead to wrong

Critically assess the changing relationships between TNCs and nation Essay - 1

Critically assess the changing relationships between TNCs and nation states, comparing their respective roles, objectives, flexibility and power - Essay Example In a recent attempt, globalization has been described as â€Å"a process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and trans-cultural integration of human and non-human activities† (Al-Rodhan and Stoudmann, 2006). Information technology (IT) has played a very important role in the globalization of economies across the world. Improvements in information technology from the early 90’s and the growth of disruptive internet technology, computer hardware and software have made it easier for both business enterprises and common people to access information. It has turned the world into a small global village. Improvements in technology have brought down the cost of doing business by all sectors of the economy and contributed in their efficiency gain. Information technology has made it easier for companies to restructure their business practices by modifying their inventory management system and â€Å"just-in-time† production technologies. Nation states have been described as a state which has the basic function of creating a cultural self-identity based on the strength of its national identity. It has been argued that the very creation of the nation state is a type of an invention that signifies a combination of nation and a state. A nation state is connected in terms of its nationality, social and cultural aspects and a strongly organized political system that works in best interest of the nation. The role of the nation state has changed considerably in the era of globalization. In the modern era, the role of the nation state has changed from that of a chief political organization. In the present times they are adapting themselves to become the singular units that can meet the needs of its local people at a time when world economies are integrating strongly. In a research that has been conducted by Zhou (2011) it has been highlighted that sovereignty of nation state has become more complex, conditional and

Management appreciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management appreciation - Essay Example Is a forecasting tool that is used to comprehend the Strengths of a particular organization its Weaknesses, Opportunities, and involved Threats (BHC 1999). It includes identifying the objective of that particular business or organization and specifying the internal and external aspects that are supportive or unfavorable towards achieving that objective. SWOT is also used during the process of strategic planning. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats make up the acronym SWOT (Austrainer 1999). The SWOT Matrix Model at first sight this might look like a simple and easy model to apply, but to do an effective and meaningful SWOT analysis, one requires time and a significant input and requires teamwork since it cannot be done by just one person effectively (PMI- Plus, Minus, Interesting 1999). The decisions of managers of any business are affected by various macro environmental factors. PESTEL analysis describes suitable framework of these factors to be used in the environmental scanning section of strategic management (Havergal & Edmonstone 1999). PESTEL is an acronym for political, economic, social, technological, and legal analysis. These factors can be categorized into: Political factors, economic factors, Social factors, technological factors, environmental factors and legal factors: An executive assistant is the epicenter of a number of managerial duties that fall under the senior management executives. His/her duties include managing a wide range of administrative tasks such as; scheduling, prioritizing of tasks, representative of the executive, executes the executive’s instructions among others (Parkinson 1993). SWOT and PESTEL techniques help the executive assistant to come up with useful procedure for evaluating the environmental forces on the team or an organization (Boone & Kurtz 1992). It also helps in researching information for future predictions revolving

Discuss how demand-side policies and supply-side policies can be used Essay - 1

Discuss how demand-side policies and supply-side policies can be used to stimulate economic growth - Essay Example Literature has shown both the policies have relative influence on economic growth (Ajisaf and Folorunso, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of monetary and fiscal policies on economic growth. Various studies reveal while money supply has a positive impact on economic growth performance, the choice of inflation rate has no substantial impact on economic growth performance or GDP growth rates. This paper also highlights the implications of the great recession of 2008-2009 on microeconomic theory and policy. In general, both fiscal and monetary policies look for attaining relative macroeconomic stability by maintaining stable prices and ensuring controlled inflation. Various studies show that that monetary policy alone is not capable enough to control inflation, and therefore, it should be supported by other fiscal, non monetary and non fiscal measures. Fiscal measures are extremely efficacious to control government expenditure, public and private investment, and personal consumption expenditure. Policies for taxation and public spending are formulated and implemented by governments all over the world. These policies have been the central point of economic and political debates, and can have greater influences on economic growth. Having existed for long time, the debatable topic in economic theory, research and economic policy-making is the effect of fiscal policy on economic growth. Economists mention fiscal policy as being an important determinant for growth. The population and techno logical progress are exogenous factors which drive steady rate growth in the neoclassical model. The growth rate can be affected by fiscal policy in transition to steady state (Esterly and Rebelo, 1993). Price stability is maintained by the central bank by controlling money supply in an economy. The money supply measure comes under monetary policy and this is the way through which

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research Proposal - Essay Example However there is still uncertainty as to whether the healthcare providers feel comfortable using the electronic medical records (EMRs). Their perceptions and attitudes as concerns the use EMRs are unknown and therefore also difficult to know whether they are adapting to the transition or not. There are very few studies if any on these issues of perceptions and adoption. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK LOSCIN’S TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCE MODEL Locsin’s model of technological competency as caring in nursing is a model that specifically integrates who nurses are as professional, with the modern technology they encounter at their work places. Locsin’s central premise is that the competent use of technology demonstrates caring in nursing. Since the contemporary nursing is believed to be a call to practice in a technologically mediated profession (Casterline 2006). The ultimate purpose of the technological competency in nursing is to acknowledge that wholeness of persons is a focu s of nursing and that various technological means can and should be used in nursing in order for nursing to realize wholeness of person more fully (Locsin & Purnell 2009). ... The theory is highly linked to the various statements of the research questions. The theory as applied to the use of EMR’s, health care providers can show they care about their clients or patients through the use of the EMRs to better synthesize the important health information about their patients. For example the nurse’s knowledge of the person as a whole human being improves the nursing process and ultimately patient care. Therefore through great organization and efficiency of the EMRs the nurse is able to use this t his or her advantage to know the patients more completely and thus provide quality care. The theory is linked to attitudes and perceptions such that if the health care providers perceive the EMR’s positively it will lead to â€Å"knowing† of the patient as a â€Å"whole† and this is important in improving health care delivery. If they know the patients and feel that the use of EMRs is good it means that they will easily adopt it for their continued use and in so doing improve patient health. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The research aims to answer the question: What are the attitudes and perceptions of health care providers as concerns the use of electronic record keeping in medical practice? A qualitative research is a kind of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning. This is because the research is ordered or planned, following specific rules that are defined by members of a given community. The research is grounded in the world of experiences that members of a given community have gone through. The research therefore intends to find out what people make sense of these experiences (Yin 2011). Therefore qualitative research involves a qualitative and

Discuss how demand-side policies and supply-side policies can be used Essay - 1

Discuss how demand-side policies and supply-side policies can be used to stimulate economic growth - Essay Example Literature has shown both the policies have relative influence on economic growth (Ajisaf and Folorunso, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of monetary and fiscal policies on economic growth. Various studies reveal while money supply has a positive impact on economic growth performance, the choice of inflation rate has no substantial impact on economic growth performance or GDP growth rates. This paper also highlights the implications of the great recession of 2008-2009 on microeconomic theory and policy. In general, both fiscal and monetary policies look for attaining relative macroeconomic stability by maintaining stable prices and ensuring controlled inflation. Various studies show that that monetary policy alone is not capable enough to control inflation, and therefore, it should be supported by other fiscal, non monetary and non fiscal measures. Fiscal measures are extremely efficacious to control government expenditure, public and private investment, and personal consumption expenditure. Policies for taxation and public spending are formulated and implemented by governments all over the world. These policies have been the central point of economic and political debates, and can have greater influences on economic growth. Having existed for long time, the debatable topic in economic theory, research and economic policy-making is the effect of fiscal policy on economic growth. Economists mention fiscal policy as being an important determinant for growth. The population and techno logical progress are exogenous factors which drive steady rate growth in the neoclassical model. The growth rate can be affected by fiscal policy in transition to steady state (Esterly and Rebelo, 1993). Price stability is maintained by the central bank by controlling money supply in an economy. The money supply measure comes under monetary policy and this is the way through which

Market research about Porsch Essay Example for Free

Market research about Porsch Essay Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 3 I. Executive Summary Currently, a number of people in Vietnam can afford luxury brand name cars such as Audi and BMW. Despite the fact that car outlay in Vietnam are three-times higher than its original price, demand seems not have any deduction. The research objective of this research is tounderstand about the Vietnamese target segment of Cayenne Porsche, their buying motives and usage, which require both the qualitative and quantitative information. The three research objectives we follow including: Customer’s? perceptions? create? a? relation? between? their? needs? and? the? cars, some factors customers consider before purchasing a car including? the? image? of? car? related? to? customer’s? image? of? success,? their? characteristics? and? the? current? trend? in? the? market and the occasions customers can use the car affect and the way they take care of it can affect their buying decision. Thus we used the combination of the online focus group discussion, the experiment survey, the secondary data analysis and the depth interview in order to get the needed information. Firstly, some introductory information and backgroundof Porsche Company are presented. Then the secondary research and literature review which include the Industry overview as well as Company overview, the Sale and market and the Customer trend would provide the greater understanding interrelated components about the auto market. Next, the Qualitative research is taken place with the use of Online Focus Group Discussion (getting the responses from luxury car’s? users? on? the? website? Otofun),? the? Secondary? Data analysis and In-depth? interview? which? together? give? the? group? a?greater? understanding? about? the? luxury? car’s? target? market,? their? purchase decisions and usage. Besides that, the Quantitative research is activated with the conduction of the experiment survey, dealing? with? the? statistic? in? order? to? generalize? our? findings? and? understand? more? about? the? luxury? car? brands’? consumer? trend and experiences. After collecting data, the group works with the SPSS software to transfer the information found from the survey and interview and then? export? chart,? graph? and? data? tables? in? order? to? get? the? result? (the? output)? and?interpret? them.? Finally,? the? group’s? members will appraise data collected and formulate the conclusion for the information researched and evaluated in each stage of the research, in order to answer the research questions as well as provide short-term and long-term recommendations for the Cayenne product line to get the competitive advantage in the market. Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 4 II. Introduction and background Over the last 60 years, the Porsche Holding Salzburg is the largest and most successful specialty automaker business company in Europe. Today, Porsches roster is quite wide-ranging and now even contains a luxury sport car, the Cayenne. Porsche Cayenne was elected? by? MotorTrend? to? be? the? â€Å"SUV? of? 2011†.? Absorbed? by? latest? Porsche’s? design,? Cayenne? attracts? attentions? by? the? look? of Safety, Elegance and Gentlemen. According to AutoVina, experts said that Cayenne, with high class, appropriate internal forces and latest? engine? V6,? is? a? SUV? that? best? suit? with? Vietnam’s? transportation? circumstances,? while? still? serve? the? needs? of? class? clients. The research study is conducted to find more opportunity in Vietnamese luxury car market, specifically understanding deeply Vietnamese customer as the key to ensure further growth in Vietnam. III. Secondary research and literature review 1. Industry Overview Vietnam is considered as one the countries that has the fastest developing economy. Since 1986, Viet Nam moved from planning economy to free trade and this policy brought the fastest development in Vietnam economy, ranking in the Asia area. In 2007, Vietnam had also joined the World Trade Organization and this milestone opened the new era for Vietnam economy and trade. Since then, many importers appeared and put a step onto the automobile market which was just in the initial stage. Despite the high rate of trade deficit, decreasing purchasing power and rocketing inflation, the luxury car sales has still risen. Besides, limiting the loan rate and increasing interest policy from Central Bank would not actually influence the Vietnam luxury automobile market. According to Mr. Laurent Genet, the CEO of Automotive Asia – official? Audi? importer? in? Vietnam:? â€Å"Our? target? customers? are? the? ones? who? do? not? have? financial? concerns†.? For? them,? a? car? is? the? reputation,? social? position? and? investment. †? Following this sustainable tendency, many luxury automobile importers are extremely optimistic about this fresh but potential market. 2. Sales Market Developing economy, increasing population and improving standard of living are main factors which help rocketing Vietnam Car sales in? recent? years.? According? to? the? latest? report? of? the? Vietnam? Automobile? Manufacturers’? Association? (VAMA),? sales? in? September/ 2012 increased by 9%, reaching 7660 vehicles nationally. However, the majority of businesses, forecast that by the end of the year, the market will only consume less than 95,000 vehicles. At the same time, VAMA statistics has just announced that in the first nine months, sales were down 38% compared to the same period last year. One of the biggest recognizable reasons is due to the? government’s? contradictory? policies,? which? is? rises? in? fees? and? taxes? policies.? According to VietnamNet, at least nine types of taxes and fees have been imposed on car owners which narrows the automobile sales. Do Huu Hao, Chair of the Vietnam Automobile Engineering? Association,? former? Deputy? of? Industry? has? recently? stated? that? â€Å"If? Vietnam? does? not? make? a? breakthrough? in? its? policies,? its? automobile? industry? will? never? be? able? to? develop†. Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 5 3. Customer Trend Referring? to? â€Å"Personal? Finance? Monitor†? of? Nielsen in 2011, Hanoi people adore luxury product such as sport car or mobile phone†¦? and? easily? got? attracted? by? them.? They? willing? to? pay? high? price? for? lavish? products? and? believed? that? purchasing? and? consuming them are economic investment. As studied in the International Marketing Review written by Lien Le Monkhouse, Bradley R.? Barnes,? Ute? Stephan,? (2012),? Hanoi? people? can? be? reflected? as? the? kind? of? person? who? highly? appraise? â€Å"saving? face†,? and? consequently? have? high? insights? of? the? â€Å"extended? self-component†? as? well? as? â€Å"the? conspicuousness? dimension†? of? luxury.? Dissimilarly, the Saigonese only bought things when needed. They think high-class? goods? are? for? boasters,? and? they’d? just? spend? on? necessary instead of boasting purposes. Accordingly, Vietnamese consumers? are? aware? of? the? financial? crisis? yet? it’s? easier? for? high- end name brands to attract northern clients; and for southern clients, enterprises should differentiate business strategies and products to meet all demands. Nowadays, a numberofpeople in Vietnam can afford luxurybrand name cars such as Lexus and BMW. Despite the fact that car outlay in Vietnam are three-times higher than its original price, demand seems not have any deduction. In? their? journal? â€Å"Business? Strategy? Series†? (2009),? the? authors stated? that,? for? Trends,? â€Å"there are differences in trends these days. People want safety, fast, sexy, but economical cars†.? Therefore,? â€Å"Efficiency†? becomes? one? of? the? newest? major? trends. The second run-up? is? â€Å"to? personalize? your? style†.? For? example,? men?who love speed and sport conventionally dream about a top-gun car at least once in their life. The third run-up? is? â€Å"Safety†,? and? â€Å"making? cars? more? safety†? is? a? permanent? trend? (like? Lexus’s? pre-collision). Last but? not? least? is? â€Å"Entertainment†,? because? everybody would be so pleased as they have a bottle of wine chilled in the mobile refrigerator inside their luxury car. IV. Problem statement Marketing problem Research Question Research Objectives Hypothesis What Vietnamese market segment should be targeted? (Target segments) Will customers choose the Cayenne? How do the answers to above questions differ depending on demographic group (age, income), psychological (social class, lifestyle and spending on household) and behavioral (benefits and usage rate)? Who are the best prospects? To measure purchase intentions, their lifestyle and perception in order to find out is there a relation between their needs and the car HO: Having Luxury cars is independent from monthly income over 36 millions. H1: Having luxury cars is associated with monthly income over 36 million VND. HO: The people with high social class do not feel the luxury car fulfills the need to enjoy life. H1: The people with high social class feel the luxury car fulfills the need to enjoy life and make the enjoyable life more completed. Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 6 How and Why do they purchase a luxury car? (Buying motives) How the performances of Porsche Cayanne affect people? Which factors will customers consider most when choosing a type of car except the budget (the interest or family benefits)? What extent do customers think a luxury car is a status symbol for successful Vietnamese people? What can be the channels they get information? What can be the proper time in their life they consider to buy a luxury car? Will the opinions of their friends/colleagues affect them? To measure the purchase intentions. Understand what factors affect the purchase decision, the reasons and time a customer will buy a car. Also to determine how and what a customer consider before making the purchase. Ho: Different age groups have the same opinion about the statement that? â€Å"luxury? cars? create? good? impressions? on? others† H1: Different age groups have different opinions about the statement that? â€Å"luxury? cars? create? good? impressions? on? others† Ho: On? average,? people? do? not? agree? with? the? statement? that? â€Å"Luxury car is a symbol for successful of most Vietnamese customer. † H1: On average? people? agree? with? the? statement? that? â€Å"Luxury car is a symbol? for? successful? of? most? Vietnamese? customer†? Ho: Customers still buy a luxury car irrelevant with the characteristics with which they describe themselves. H1: Customers do not buy a luxury car irrelevant with the characteristics with which they describe themselves Ho: It is not important to have my car the newest car in the market that few people owns it. H1: It is important to have my car the newest car in the market that few people owns it Ho: Family? members’? opinions? do? not? affect? the? decision? making? of? choosing a car H1: Family? members’? opinions? affect? the? decision? making? of? choosing? a car How do customers use a luxury car? (Usage) What can be the perceived benefits they like when using the car in terms of speed, upgraded safe systems? In what kind of occasion they prefer having a luxury car (business and travelling? ) To determine customers’? lifestyle and usage. Understand the ways customers use the car about. Measure Ho: Consumers do not think that it is important to upgrade the new technical developments. H1: Consumers think that it is important to upgrade the new technical developments. Ho: The job requirement is not the purpose for buying the car (mean =3) H1: The job requirement is the purpose for buying the car Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 7 the relationship between the car which helps to reflect their prestige. H0: Customers do not like to travel by their luxury car H1: Customers like to travel by their luxury car V. Methodology 1. Qualitative 1. 1 Online Focus Group Discussion (OFGD) We raised online focus group on Otofun. net forum because we can easily find people who have ability to own a car or have knowledge about car from the famous car forum. In Online focus group, respondents can feel free to express any their opinions without embarrassing or awkwardness due to undirected discussion. Many current users of luxury car brands in the forum were happy and willing to respond clearly to our topic after only some hours since we have posted it. We received nearly 120 comments from nearly 15 members of this forum. So, we got many detail and clear information from that sharing. Some respondents in the forum that even actively give us their mobile number for discussing their deeper information since they think their opinions, ideas cannot be completely reflected through the online comments. However, some people merely answer what was asked by us (the topic owner), so it is quite difficult to expand the information and ask more questions and? because? they? are? seem? â€Å"lazy†? to follow the topic. One more problem with OFGD is besides some members who are willing to help us, some them do not answer the questions and just joke around about the topic. Question Similarities Differences Evaluation Q. 1: Why do you want to choose a luxury car brand? Their? image’s? improvement when choosing luxury car brand. Belief? in? car’s? safety? and? quality? based? on? the brand reputation and long-term business establishment. Most respondents believe that consuming a luxury? car? is? a? way? for? them? to? â€Å"highlight†? their social position to surrounding people and show their success. So, if they have enough money, they actually choose a luxury car brand to purchase, especially business people. Q. 2: How do the family factors affect your car purchase? Not concentrate much on the family factors. When choosing a luxury car brand, people tend to focus on the Some respondents who are married and have children see family factors as a small or medium concentrated factor because they can have more than a car which can be separately used for family factor and. Briefly, most respondents do not think the family factors affect completely their luxury car brand consuming. Most of them tend to be affected by other individual factors. Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 8 individual image or personal factors individual factors. Q. 3: What do you think about â€Å"Cayenne†? Porsche brand? Cayenne style and design is more appropriate to elder people, who are more than 40 years. Most young wealthy people may not choose Cayenne although it is a luxury and unique car? brand.? They? think? Cayenne’s? design? is? not fashionable and sporty for young drivers. So when people purchase a luxury car, they do not only focus on the image of car brand, but also the design, style and performance of specific car to fit to their style. 1. 2 Secondary Data Analysis Secondary? data? is? used? for? â€Å"Fact? finding†? purpose? to? understand? clearly? about? the? reason explaining the behavior of consumers who owns a car, explain the outcome of quantitative resources and estimate the market potential or target segment for Cayenne car line of Porsche. TNS, AC Nielsen and International Marketing Review are high authority, as these three legal market research agencies.? These? companies’? major function is to provide the research about the market. We will also use famous online newspaper such as Vnexpress and Vietnamnet for searching the updated news. Moreover, it must be accurate, objective, right time and cost benefit. 1. 3 In-depth Interview Depth interview is an effective interview that allows researchers to discover high amount of information needed about customer behavior. Here, the team conducted depth- interviews with 6 people who own Luxury cars to know more about their consumption and usage. These people are full-time manager positions, around more than 35 years old, already married and working at different areas such as Airlines, Baking, Medical science and Auditing Logistics. On average, their estimated gross income is above 30,000USD. The exact numbers are not revealed. These people are open-minded to share their thoughts during interviews. Some of them have more than 2 luxury cars. One team member has a close relationship with these people, hence they are very willing to help us. In fact, all respondents use car to drive to work every day because they believe it can create a good image in front of their customers and business partners. In other hand, when asking about the perceived benefits they like most when using a luxury car, every respondents agree that the personal convenience and comfortably they received from their luxury car are much more valuable than just for showing off. Furthermore, most interviewees think Cayenne product category is suitable for their age. However, respondents said the style of Cayenne is classical and powerful, it may suit with someone in high-class but classic in style. These Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 9 opinions help researchers in discovering the potential targeted Vietnamese customers for Cayenne product line. Finally, most respondents shared that they would like to try a new brand for the next time purchasing car. Thus, researchers need to focus and catch opportunities from those potential customers in order to make them become their customer. It is undeniable that thanks to the interviews, our team had more knowledge to modify the survey questionnaires and provide proper explanation for the outcome of quantitative research. 2. Quantitative research 2. 1 Survey This project utilized survey as data collection tool, and chose cross sectional study as survey method. To generalize unknown problem and relevant data, survey is considered as the most sufficient due to its? â€Å"quick,? inexpensive,? efficient,? and? accurate? means†? (Zikmund Babin 2011). In addition, cross sectional study helps to find out the in-need representational information about the chosen market- car? industry? in? general? and? Porsche’s? market? in? particular? (respondents’? attitude? and? behaviors)? at? a? single? point? in? time.? Data? collection consisted of personal interview and self-administered questionnaires (mail survey). Collecting information via conducting survey is indisputably to have several forms of errors. To preserve the quality of the survey, before starting to launch the actual interview, the team had gone through the pretesting process with classmates and asking for lecturer’s? advices.? The? corrected? final? interview questionnaire contains 11 structured and 1 unstructured questions (see Appendix 1), which are happened to be all straightforward (undisguised questions). Since each team member individually contacts every participant, we could explain them any confusing questions hence it ensures that the survey has been done by the right target segment and since we individually contact them, they realize the seriousness of our work and more willing to put effort in answering the questions. Therefore it significantly helps us eliminate respondent error. 2. 2 Sampling The interview process was administered to a broad range of potential target segment (n=104). Compound interviews were planned with respondents in order to produce more in-depth data collection and opportunities for complement. It took us one week to complete? the? survey? process,? as? each? member? contacts? with? their? parents’? friends? who? already? own? a? car? or? request? our? RMIT? friends’? parents to complete the survey. For the purpose of diminishing random sampling error, we mostly focused only on people who already have car, high income and have credible social status. For example questionnaires had been sent to qualified and high-positioned employees of Vietsov Petro Ltd, Trustbank and Indo China airlines. 2. 3 Instrument: Data collection consisted of personal interview and self-administered questionnaires (mail survey). As it provides many advantages such as geography flexibility, low cost, standardized questions and time-consuming, we can collect the relevant data from targeted respondents. Generally, there are 7 sections containing 12 small questions in this questionnaire. All the questions are diverse, spreading from simple-dichotomy, determinant-choice questions to filter questions and likert scale. Section Iis filter questions in order to identify respondents who meet sample criteria. This section collects data? about? respondent’s? situation? whether? they? own? or? Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 10 desire to have a car. Section II and III apply simple dichotomy and determinant choice to collect information about respondents’? demographics such as gender, age, kids and income. This can be seen as using Funnel Technique which requiring general information before leading to more specific questions. In Section IV, semantic differential scale is used to help illustrating the comparison of respondent’s? attitude? towards? Porsche? and? one? other? brand.? Based? on? this? part,? a? further? image? profile? made? from? the? comparison between Porsche and another brand will be built up. From section V, Likert Scale is applied. These questions are vital to the survey as they gather information about purchase motivations from different perceptions, usage purposes and personal image. These questions help figure out what really? drives? respondent’s? attitude? and? behavior. Moreover, understanding exactly their lifestyle, desire, and purpose? may? help? the? researcher? take? a? closer? step? towards? respondent’s? mind? then? form? a? better? strategy.? The questions are standardized, short and simple with specified structure that would avoid complexity and ambiguity. Besides, there are also multitude of? options? which? may? avoid? ‘leading’? questions? and? making? assumptions. VI. Survey Result 1. Actual Sampling The sample size of survey questionnaire is 104 people. However, since we only want to choose the people who already own a car, there are 100 people reach this standard since other 4 people merely intends to buy a car. As aforementioned, our team aims at individuals who have a high possibility to possess a car, therefore the percentage of respondents owing a car counts for 96% of sample size. The survey result also reveals that the proportion of people has the income from 36 million VND to above 63million VND counts for65 %of total respondents and only 14. 56 % of them earns lower than 16 million VND per year. Since it can be unreasonable that people earning 16 million VND cannot own a car, but the reason could be they are RMIT students who cannot purchase a car by themselves, but their families have strong financial power so they already drive cars as a main vehicle. 2. Resul t analysis Research objective 1: Customer’s? perceptions? create? a? relation? between? their? needs? and? the? cars Question 1: Do the monthly salary affect the need of having luxury cars? HO: Having Luxury cars is independent from monthly income over 36 millions. H1: Having luxury cars is associated with monthly income over 36 million VND. Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University |. Market Research | Sem C 2012 11 Results Firstly, the bar graph shows that most of the respondents have a car ownership. These cars are mainly from many popular car brands, namely Audi, Acura, Toyota, Mercedes, Ford, BMW, Chrysler, Lexus, Chervolet, Nissan, etc. In contrast, there is a small percentage of 4. 81 not available, presenting for those did not answer the filter question. However, in overall, the study has met the quota of 100 respondents, having cars, as it shows a wide range of the car brands. Toyota seems to bethe most preferable brand since ittakes themost proportion sincethe graphs represents the highest percentage of 27. 88 is gained by those, owning Toyota cars. The runner up is Ford with 10. 58%. The line chart represents the respondents, having monthly income above 36 million VND mostly have an ownership every kinds of cars, from middle cars such as Subaru or Kia to high-class cars such as BMW and Audi. For example, based on the chart, respondents, owning either BMW or Lexus or Mercedes or Honda that have the income above 63 million have lesser respondents, compared to those driving Toyota. Furthermore, those using either Audi or Acura have an income under 16 million. Thus, it strongly supports for the statement that luxury cars independent from monthly income over 36 million. Secondly, based on this Chi-square test, even though there were more rich people own luxury cars than low income level people (21/67= 31% rich people own luxury cars; 7/36=20% average low income level people own luxury cars); this difference is not statistically significant according to the chi square test (test statistics = 1,675, degree of freedom= 1, p-value=0. 196 0. 05). Therefore, it can be concluded that it do not reject H0. On the other words, having luxury cars is independent from monthly income over 36 million. Explanations. Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 12 It can be explained that the desire to own a car can be affected by many other factors, such as whether it is relevant to the customers’? characteristics or fit with job requirement (referred to the next objective) therefore even people who have high income still do not choose a luxury car. In addition, there is a noticeable problem here, which is about the respondent error since the income is a sensitive question so some of them have the tendency to choose a higher range than the actual income or vice versa. Question 2: How do the people with high social class feel the luxury car fulfills the need to enjoy life? Ho: The people with high social class do not feel the luxury car fulfills the need to enjoy life. H1: The people with high social class feel the luxury car fulfills the need to enjoy life and make the enjoyable life more completed. Results The bar chart indicates that the group of people with high social class also mostly disagrees with that idea, counting for more than 12. 5% even though the amount of people who agree also counts a certainly high rate which is around 8%. Based on the Car-fulfill-life. Crosstabulation, most of the high social class respondents agree that luxury car could not help fulfill their need to enjoy the life. This difference is not statistically significant according to the chi square test (test statistics = 1,771, degree of freedom= 1, p-value=0,183 0,05). Therefore, we do not reject H0. It can be said that the people with high social class do not feel the luxury car fulfills the need to enjoy life. Explanations From the data collected, the car purchased is compatible with the owner’s? living? standard.? From? the? bar? chart? in? Q1,? successful? businessman with high monthly income above 36 million tends to own a luxury car brand. However, on the other hand, a luxury car somehow does not really take high position in their perception of life fulfillment. This can be explained that the Vietnammese high-class? people’s? perception? is? quite? different? to? the? general? materialism? tendency among Vietnam society. According to ThanhnienOnline article, the real global billionaires do not really stick with materialism containing luxury car, house.. as common thinking of many Vietnamese people. To those people, car is only a mean of transportation, not a demonstration of their richness and success. This tendency also affects a part of VietNam high-class people and gradually forms a different perception among those successful and wealthy people. Recommendations As what have been proved, there is a gradual changing in Vietnam high-class customers which may put luxury car sales at risk. Taking this in consideration, Porsche should launch campaigns focusing on different aspects of luxury car image such as quality, durability, Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 13 service and loyal customer incentives. A luxury car does not only bring a high-class outlook and position but also provides the best quality and many other beneficial incentives. Porsche must demonstrate that it deeply understands this insight, that it knows the car is not just a vehicle, it sticks with successful moments in their career and with happy moments with their families. By recognizing and conducting? strategic? plans? on? time,? Porsche? may? affect? targeted? customer’s? perception? and? change? their? behaviour? in? more? positive ways. Research Objective 2: Some factors customers consider before purchasing a car including the image of car related to their image of success, their characteristics and the current trend in the market. Question 1: How customers evaluate Porsche compared to other three competitors (BMW, Audi Mercedes Benz)? Results To clarify, the study has been conducted through the use of ranking Porsche, presented by the red line in the graph and other brands, including BMW, Audi and Mercedes, presented by the blue line, for each of 9 attributes, namely performance, safety, luxury brand image,? driver’s? image,? prestige,? elegance,? desire? of? the? updated? edition? of? car? model? (desirable),? uniqueness? of? car? accessories and level of equipment. The value in the graph has been calculated to the mean for each attribute. Overall,? the? graph? figures? out? Porsche? is? believed? that? the? car? can? be? raised? the? car? driver’s? social? status? which? is? representative of luxury? brand? image,? driver’s? image,? prestige? and? elegance.? To? illustrate,? the? attribute, gaining the highest mean is the image of the driver with the mean around 4. 8, compared to other brands with the mean around 4. Thus, there is a significant gap between Porsche 3. 6 3. 8 4 4. 2 4. 4 4. 6 4. 8 Other luxury brands Porsche Porsche Market Research Report RMIT University | Market Research | Sem C 2012 14 and one of the other car brands, which is 0. 8. Moreover, in the comparison of prestige, there is a magnificent gap between these car brands which is 0. 2. This is because the red line gains around 4. 4, while the blue one is approximately 4. 6. However, in the comparison of desirable, Porsche is underestimated with the mean near 4. 1, whereas, the other one is approximately 4. 6. This can be explained that there is not much updated version of Porsche Cayenne in recent years. Besides that, most Vietnamese customers are a bit interested in SUV market, not quite much as other foreign market. This can be proven that not much Cayenne models are available in Vietnam much, for example, Cayenne S, Cayenne S Diesel and even Cayenne Turbo S. Explanations: In the social image comparison, all the participants of OFGD agree that current Cayenne models raise the image of the driver.? This? also? supported? for? the? question? no.? 2? that? different? age? groups? have? same? opinion? about? the? statement? â€Å"luxury? cars make good? impressions? on? others†. The graph shows there is no much difference between Porsche and the other brands towards performance, safety, uniqueness of car accessories and level of equipment. This can be explained that the cars chosen for the comparison are premium cars. Based on both OFGD and in-depth interviews, most of the participants acknowledge that premium cars have to meet the certain requirements about safety, performance, its uniqueness of the accessories and the high level of equipment. Recommendations: It is recommended that press releases for the updated version of Cayenne should be widely introduced to be launched. This is because this is the opportunity that can enhance the brand awareness of Porsche, especially Cayenne model. Question 2: Do the customers in different age groups similarly care about the impression they have from other people while driving a luxury car? Ho:? Different? age? groups? have? the? same? opinion? about? the? statement? that? â€Å"luxury? cars? create? good? impressions? on? others† H1:? Different? age? groups? have? different? opinions? about? the? statement? that? â€Å"luxury? cars? create? good? impressions? on? others† Results Firstly, based on the graph, the age groups that have been surveyed includes under 24, 24-under 34, 34-44, 44-under 54, 54-under 64, and 64 and above.