Egan's Clothiers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Egan's Clothiers - Term Paper Example This made the employees want to sell as much items as possible in order to be ranked at a higher level of productivity. This appraisal system did not perform at it best though, the sales of the firm increased. At one time, the store manager acknowledges that the performance of the employees got worse because they did not respect customers. They would harass them in order to make more sales. Performance appraisal is one of the major tools that are used to improve the productivity of workers at their place of their work and to be effective. In order for an organization to attain its stipulated goals, appropriate performance appraisal tools should be put in place in order to increase workers performance. Most organizations perform below the required level, making very little sales per day since their workers are not encouraged to perform better and to work harder. If an organization does not invest in to the welfare of the workers, problems are bound to happen such as low morale and pro ductivity and low level of commitment at work. Attractive systems of appraisal are set up in order to motivate workers to work harder and recognized through promotions and rewards (Selden & Sowa, 2011). For instance, Egan Clothier uses a promotion strategy that is based on the productivity of the workers. The workers are encouraged to sell as much as possible. The retailers made more sales as compared to its competitors because the Egan’s Clothiers hired employees based on their past experiences. The employees would then undergo through a retail selling skills training and customers services training. This put the Clothier ahead of its competitors who hired inexperienced students from high schools (Snell & Bohlander, 2011). Although, the training program cost the Egan’s approximately 750, 000 dollars, the management thinks it was worth the cost because the workers would perform at their best making more sales and hence more revenue in the long run. On the other hand, t he Egan’s associates rewarding of the workers based on their performance. Their on-going sales would be recorded and used to categorize the workers. The firm would then use the categories to promote the workers within the firm. This activity ensured that the workers sold as many items as possible hence increasing the overall sales turn out of the form. This appraisal system was ineffective because the workers would do everything possible to hit the set individual targets. They would even beat up their customers in order to sell. Are there other performance effects directly and/or indirectly caused by the appraisal system? Appraisal system used by Egan Clothiers had several effects, both directly and indirectly. For instance, the system is not effective in reducing cost of labor instead the worker’s productivity is worsening. According to Paul Kelly, the store manager, the workers are beating up the customers in order to make a sale. Peter Drucker, on the other hand say s that establishing effective decision making is important at every level of the employees. Egan failed to acknowledge the satisfaction of the workers based on the appraisal system used. Egan Clothiers only took the first of improving performance of the workers and neglecting other aspects that affected the performance of the organization. An organization should use successful criteria of evaluation. The criteria based on the performance o

Aquinas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aquinas - Essay Example Man typically behaves in accordance with the nature that leads to the good or what is ideal as convened or sought after by the majority of members in the society. By natural law, this setting enables men to compete with each other exhibiting skills that are subject to desired recognition but the problem emerges when, in an effort to improve, an individual tends to consider deceitful schemes to outwit others and succeed thereafter. Because we all live in a society, the law of nature drives us to excel with the potentials that we have, it is inevitable to think constantly of matters that bring good to ourselves. To Aquinas, anything good is within precepts or dictates of the human intellect over which natural law governs. By knowing what is good for us as humans with the power of will and intellect, we allow nature to direct our capacities to the attainment of such good and Aquinas further claims that our knowledge of the good comes with our knowledge of the opposite so that the natura l law automatically guides our path of thinking and action in discord with the bad or evil. Though this principle can possibly arrive at full realization and in time should make better human beings, still we ask, why do crimes prevail and humans often end up hurting each other in the process of personal development? Analyzing based on the grasp of human intellect, we begin to understand that since there is no way we can fully comprehend God’s design by participating to obtain the perfective object within the realm of divine instructions, we are disposed to compensate by seeking guidance through man-made laws. These laws have correspondingly established norms which are agreed upon by the majority, but not by all. So that those who commit misdeeds to the extent of crime in the society are considered the deviants whose weakness at grasping the moral law as a manifestation of the eternal law renders them to depart from the original precepts of good. Besides crimes or acts of inju stice of one man against the other, the society may be observed with people who continue to live with dissatisfied or emotionally complicated lives. On the basis of a concrete experience of human trouble, say of the state of depression or feeling empty despite the presence of material wealth and quality of intelligence, we examine what could have gone wrong as natural law facilitates human’s inclination toward the good or ideal accomplishments described within its scope. Then gradually, we discover that the satisfaction or happiness aimed for is subject to what a human being uniquely treats as a concept of perfection and desire; and because humans are distinct from each other in several ways, we may not readily guarantee or acknowledge that a common good end applies to everyone under the same sun. Hence, if for instance I were a human being with a broken heart, my highest priority would be to acquire relief from such condition of broken-heartedness and it would bear no releva nce for me to strive to achieve perfection in other fields even if this is where the larger part of the ethical society is headed at. As Aquinas proposed, the human mind is limited and most of us are consumed by the worries of the world in the manner cited due to this limitation which prevents men from resolving to eradicate the consequence of weakness made by it. Moreover, the contemporary society in which we live may be

Textual analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Textual analysis - Essay Example Although I agree with Talbot that the new generation needs a boost to accomplish more, I do not believe that neuroehancers is what our generation needs to get ahead in the white collar competition. Although there are many people out there who are using these drugs to try and get ahead of the competition, not all people are really making any progress in that direction. In fact, the people who are using these drugs are mostly already ahead of the competition that we wonder if these drugs actually even helped these people achieve their goals. Throughout the report of Talbot, we can clearly see that the people who used neuroenhancing drugs did not feel smarter or more creative. First, let us take a look at Alex the guy who recently graduated from Harvard. Alex is a classic example of a student who wants to achieve almost everything at once. He led a very hectic schedule so he needed an energy booster to keep him awake, alert and focused. Since Alex was admitted to Harvard and he ran a student organization, presumably, this guy is already smart and is ahead in terms of academic achievements. During his interview with Talbot, Alex clearly stated that the drug Adderall helped him focus his mind on the tasks at hand but it did not make him feel smarter. According to Alex, â€Å"The drug, along with a steady stream of caffeine, helped him to concentrate during classes and meetings, but he noticed some odd effects; at a morning tutorial he†¦ alternated between speaking too quickly and thoroughly on some subjects and feeling awkwardly quiet during other points of the discussion.† Lunch was a blur: â€Å"It’s always hard to eat much when on Adderall.† Based on the statement of Alex, we can clearly see that the effects of nueroehancers are not always good. The sudden bursts of mental activities followed by silence are not a good sign. If our generation wants stay competitive, we need more than just drugs that boost out mental

Should Greece leave the European Union, or the Eurozone Essay

Should Greece leave the European Union, or the Eurozone - Essay Example In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler wanted to conquer the whole of Europe. In all these cases, the goal was to control and dominate Europe. For many centuries, wars were fought in Europe for religious and political reasons but with no positive results. After the World War II ended, it became clear that war and violence cannot create a unified Europe. By the end of the war in 1945, there was destruction depicted in all the European cities. Many people lost their homes and families. Production and trade were also crippled as factories were destroyed. Many bridges and railroads were also destroyed by bombings. Many Europeans who lost their homes and means of income were devastated as they became helpless and did not know how to rebuild their lives. It became apparent that the need was to adopt an entirely new kind of strategy and concept to recreate the nation, and guide the Europeans to bring their lives back on normal track. For this, it was required that the European people make a peaceful co mmunity by working together to rebuild their nation. The traditional concepts of capturing and controlling Europe because of rivalries had to be eliminated and had to be replaced by a â€Å"new spirit of cooperation.† This new philosophy of cooperation was remarkably followed in the post WWII era. The two instances were the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, and these were examples of how the allied nations helped the defeated nations of WWII. This was the beginning of a new phase in the history of Europe, and paved the way for a peaceful unification of Europe. During the WWII, smaller countries like Netherlands and Belgium entered into economical and trade agreements; the idea was that economical unification of smaller countries will make them competitive rivals of larger countries. This concept was already established in 1921 by the governments of Luxemburg and Belgium. In 1948, the Benelux Customs Union was formed which â€Å"enabled the free movement of goods, workers , services, and capital between the countries.† In 1952, six European countries began the phase of forming the European Union (EU). The Benelux treaty was signed in the year 1958 which formally provided free trade facilities to the Benelux countries (Introduction to the European Union, n.d., p.2). This paper focuses on Greece joining the EU in 1981, the economic crisis faced by the country and in the final part it has been discussed whether Greece should or should not continue to remain as an EU member country. Decision-making in the European Commission EU has a standard process of making decisions which is termed as joint decision. This means â€Å"the European Parliament has to approve EU legislation together with the Council based on a proposal from the Commission.† (Decision-making in the European Commission, n.d.) There are three major institutions which participate in decision making process of EU. The first one is the European Commission which looks after the int erests of EU and makes decisions that are in favour of the interests. It also has the responsibility to formulate proposals for any new laws to be established in Europe. It has the additional duty of ensuring that the EU policies are efficiently implemented and also manages the spending of EU funds. The second institution is the Council of the European Union where the ministers representing each EU country assemble to generate new laws and implement policies. It also approves the annual budget of EU and has signing authority on any agreements between and other countries. The third and final institution is the European Parliament which is a body of members elected by citizens of each EU country which it is a representative body of the countries’ common people. The European Parlia

Sourcing Decisions of Arts and Media Organizations Essay

Sourcing Decisions of Arts and Media Organizations - Essay Example Likewise, the process of fund raising and donations has rather become a commercial activity that not only has resulted in more and more charity events but has also created a market within that is funded by such large organizations. The amalgamation of social services and media and arts has been an eminent result. Hence the market for sponsorships has thrived. These can be seen by the famous charity events by BBC and FOX news (Dan 2011). Thus, activities like fundraising, donations and sponsorships are of strategic importance to such organizations which is why sourcing decisions are of integral importance to not only a firm’s financial standing but also to its public relations. It has no become a necessity to get the charity events sponsored or to sponsor a charity event for that matter, as it adds to the reputation and good will of the company. Likewise, firms involved in fundraising are evaluated on the basis of their participation in social activities and on this has become marketing an essential marketing tactics to broaden their customer base and reach of the brand. Fundraising events or sponsorships act as a contact point for several untapped markets and increases brand loyalty of the existing customer base (Pope 2010). Therefore, sourcing decisions are imperative. ... These may include the extended reach of its brand awareness, the objective to increase its brand exposure by having logos placed on the event’s advertisements or simply the motif of profit maximization. These objectives might sometimes conflict with the objective of the firm especially if the event is a charity event (Pope 2010). In that case both the parties will aim for different incentives thus the marketer must provide more substance than just logo pasting. Moreover, the commercial benefit of the sponsor may often be in direct conflict with the firm’s strategic goals. Hence rounds are negotiations are often common when sourcing decisions are made which however incur much costs for the firm (Simmons 2006). Therefore, the most crucial step is the decision to choose from the various candidates. A firm must choose the sponsor who is the best fit with the company’s strategic goals as well as its public image. The Consumer Involvement theory suggests that consumers make purchase decisions based on the level of involvement they have with the brand and includes the aspects of consumer behaviour like amount of time spent on choosing the product or service, research about the specific product or service, asking friends and family etc. therefore, like the advertisements and promotions, sponsorships should be based on such considerations (Krohmer 2011). Given the nature of arts and media products and services, which are high involvement decision making processes involving emotion rather than rational, the sponsorship should be based on consumers’ preferences of the emotional brands that they associate themselves. Hence if an organization is unable to identify the purchase decisions of its

Case for Analysis Marching Towards Market Essay Example for Free

Case for Analysis Marching Towards Market Essay Introduction Whirlpool Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and a global manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $20 billion. Whirlpool entered the Indian market in the late 80s, and had entrenched itself as a formidable player in the Indian home appliances market by the mid 1990s, with a comprehensive product portfolio covering washing machines, refrigerator, microwave ovens and air conditioners. Today, Whirlpool is one of the most recognized brand in home appliances in India and holds a market share of over 20%. While Whirlpool is an acknowledged player in many of the water purifier markets across the world for the past several years now, Whirlpool entered the growing water purifier market in India in 2008. Given its focus on â€Å"attaining market leadership through Customer loyalty†, Whirlpool aspires to be the market leader in the water purifier market by 2012. This case presents the situation of the water purifier market in India, and poses challenges that Whirlpool will have to overcome to achieve its vision of becoming the market leaders. Drinking Water : A perspective Even as world bodies and governments across the continents are strategizing to manage the growth humanity in a holistically sustainable manner, availability of safe drinking is a major area of concern for all. As high as 884 Mn people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly  one in eight of the worlds population. 1.4 million children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unclean water and poor sanitation one child every 20 seconds. Approximately 80% of diseases in India are caused by water borne micro organisms. This is true in rural as well as urban India. However, awareness of health risks linked to unsafe water The use of water can be broadly divided in to two major categories, namely for Consumption (drinking, cooking etc) and Sanitation. This case focuses on water used for drinking purposes. A brief on Water Treatment methods Throughout human history, different methods of treating water before consumption have been devised. Up until about 100 years ago, it was always found that water flowing from natural springs was safe for drinking in its natural state, but in the 21 century even spring water is first scientifically tested before it is recommended or bottled for drinking. Each of the above methods carries with them significant disadvantages either from a convenience point of view or from health and hygiene perspective. This calls for more sophisticated methods of purifying water, to suit with the evolving lifestyles in the societies. Current State-of-the-Art Water Purification Technologies Today, the more sophisticated and commercially available water purifying technologies are, †¢ †¢ †¢ Manual fill Purifier (Drip Type) Ultra Violet (UV) purification Reverse Osmosis (RO) purification The latter two are generally referred to as Electronic Water Purifier technologies (EWP); by exception, the first one is referred to as Non EWP.  The above three are given in the order of chronological evolution, with RO technology being the latest in the Water Purification technology. The manual fill purifiers do not run on electricity, which is a scarce resource in many parts of rural India, and also have significantly lower costs in comparison to the EWPs. Interestingly , these manual fill purifiers which primarily use chlorine or UF technology are at par in performance with UV in terms of microbial protection. UV has been the oldest technology in the industry. It typically involves preliminary stages of filtration, followed by treating the filtered water through UV rays to deactivate the microbial organisms.   In the RO technology, even the smallest of microbial organisms are filtered using the reverse osmosis technology. RO technology especially scores over UV when the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) count in the source water is high . One disadvantage of RO systems is the wastage of significant quantum of water during its processing. Needless to say, the costs of the products under these different technologies increase from manual fill purifiers to UV purification systems to RO purification. The typical price range of manual fill purifier products is Rs. 1500 to Rs. 3500, while the UV products range in price between Rs. 4000 to Rs. 9000. The RO products are priced on the higher side starting from Rs. 8000 to Rs. 20000. Many products available in the market today in India use a combination of technologies but for the products in the lower end technologies (manual fill purifiers). Water Purifier Market in India The delivery of purified water in the Indian markets follow two conduits, namely, water purified in purification plants delivered to residences and other consumption locations (e.g. restaurants) in cans; and installation of water purification instruments at the place of usage. While the former  One of the oldest methods of treating water, and one still used constantly in Third World and often in developing nations or areas that have seen recent natural disasters, is boiling to kill microbes (but this causes loss of taste and may leave in dirt). Other methods of water treatment include filtering and distilling, use of chemical agents such as Iodine or Silver or Potassium Permanganate into the water supply, or the use of candle filters. methodology predominantly uses multiple technologies mentioned above, provides economies of scale and eliminates initial costs of investing in equipments, the costs involved in distribution of the treated water counters these economies of scale. The l atter provides for visibility and ease of use, which are significant perceived benefits in comparison to the former. While both the delivery mechanisms exist, the latter is fast catching up. This case focuses on the latter, which is typically referred to as the Water Purifier industry. This industry is broadly divided in to two categories namely Electronic Water Purifiers (EWP) comprising of products using UV or/and RO technologies and Non Electronic Water Purifiers (Non EWP) comprising of products that use the manual fill purifiers. Frost and Sullivan report of primary research in 2009, estimates the total market size of the Water Purifier industry in India to be 2000 Cr of which 63% is from product sales and 37% is after sales revenue. Despite the size of this industry, the Water Purifier industry in India has a low penetration (2% Urban and 0.5% All India) as per IRS 2007 and is growing at a strong rate (others use traditional water treatment methods like boiling and filtering, or use of chemical additives like Chlorine, Potassium permanganate etc). As per AC Nielson 2006 study( and internal estimates), the industry is expected to touch approx 2.3 mn units by the end of 2009. Expected growth rate of 15% and a CAGR (‘04-‘09) 21%. The average ASV of the industry is Rs 6700. With a size of approx 1.7mn (units), the EWP market is divided into 2 sub-segments – RO (30% sal) UV (70%). The RO segment is the premium end of the category and has an ASV of Rs 12000 while UV has an ASV of Rs. 7000 .RO UV growths , CAGRs(‘04-‘09) are (15% ,16%) and (10% ,10%) respectively. The Non-EWP segment operates at a sub 2K ASV (Rs 1900). This segment is witnessing an explosive growth with the entrance major players like HUL etc . The Annual growth rate was witnessed at 25% while CAGR(‘04-‘09) at 77%. It is important to note that the technology sold in a given local market is also dependent largely on the characteristics of the source drinking water in the given demography. For example, a region like Delhi with high TDS calls for RO technology, while regions like Cochin with low TDS would depend on products with UV technology. Also, one of the detriments to EWP products is the availability of continuous flow of source water and availability of power, both of which advantages are addressed the products dependent on Manual Fill Purifier technology. While the major element of the market in the water purifier equipment business in India is still in the unorganized sector, branded products are catching up and their market share is improving. The major branded players in the market are Eureka Forbes (AquaGuard, AquaSure brands), Kent, Philips, HUL (Pureit), Ion Exchange (Zero B) Ushabrita and Whirlpool (Purafresh). As per Frost and Sullivan report 2009 , Market share by player and by technology- Approx Shares ( for 2008) Eureka Forbes: RO(20%) , UV(35%) , Drip Type(33%) Kent: RO(25%) , UV(0%) , Drip Type(0%) ZeroB: RO(15%) , UV(0%) , Drip Type(0%) HUL : RO(0%) , UV(0%) , Drip Type(42%) OTH: RO(40%) , UV(65%) , Drip Type(25%) The Non-EWP segment was primarily dominated by local players until recently, when HUL entered the category with its drip type purifier under the brand Pureit at a break through price of Rs 1800 and took the market by storm. The other key players in this segment are Ushabrita Eureka Forbes. The channel for this segment has traditionally been the Direct to Home (DTH) route, with this route still accounting for a whopping 65% of the product sales in this category. The ratio of Eureka Forbes’ DTH sales is higher at 75%. On the trade side(contribution bal 35%), the DAP channel (Domestic Appliances Products) accounts for the larger proportion of the share with 65% while the Durable Trade accounts for the remaining 35%. The DAP Channel mainly consists of small appliance sellers  who sell products like iron , blenders , mixers , gas burners etc. These retailers primarily sell products which lie within the price range of Rs 500-Rs 5000. They are typically not in the prime locations in the market place and their shopfloor size is on an avg10X10ft. The products are displayed mostly in a packed form. The products are sold very close to the MRP and the discounts offered are in the range of only 5-10% HUL has made an entry through a unique channel. It has opened up a large number of ‘Water Safe Zones’ / â€Å"Product Experience Centres’ and is pushing the volumes from there while catering to direct to home service as well While HUL is establishing itself in the entry level segment through consistent advertising and promotions , the more established players in UV RO like Eureka Kent too are active in the media space and are seen promoting their products through several media elements. Recently, HUL was seen rolling out a ‘Rs 1 Crore’ challenge offer and heavily promoting the same. At the same time Eureka Forbes was also seen throwing a ‘Money Back Guarantee’ offer on its products. Eureka Forbes operates with a strong sales service force of 6000 people on the company rolls along with an equally large group of third party franchises. The company has been under pressure to expand its volumes since the avg the productivity of its sales team has come down over years. Lately, they have been seen heavily focussing on retail through their ‘Aquasure’ brand while the ‘Aquaguard’ brand is operating in the DTH section. Kent has its own sales service set up in Northern India while it depends on third party franchises for its operation in the rest of the country. It has branch offices in 6 cities (AP , Karnataka, Kerala , Mumbai , Gujarat , West Bengal). In order to counter HUL’s explosive growth, Kent recently rolled out a NON-EWP (UF based) purifier at a price of Rs 2500 under the sub-brand  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Kent Gold’. This product is being primarily marketed through the retail channel. HUL has set up its Safe water zones with external KSPs ( Key service providers) while continuing to have its internal sales team supervising the operations . In Delhi for example , it has 27 such zones with a sales team of 750 sales men, 17 Territory sales executives (TSE) , 3 business development executives (BDE) , 1 area head.(AH) and 2 service officers . The TSEs, BDEs AH are on company rolls. The following table summarizes the typical product price points in the various segments. Price range (In Rs) Unorganized 1500-2500 4000-6000 8000-12000 Organized 2000 – 3500 6000-9000 8000-20000 Whirlpool Not Applicable Not Applicable 12500-20500 Segment Non EWP Ultra Violet (UV) Reverse Osmosis (RO) Whirlpool’s entry in the Water Purifier Market in India Whirlpool has been present in the Water category in all the key regions of the world including US, Canada, NAR, Europe, Brazil, Mexico Asia in several value added segments like water heaters, bottled water dispensers, water softeners , Refrigerator filters etc. Whirlpool entered the Water Purifier Market in India in the early 2008 to tap in to the growing Water Purifier Market, focused on the RO segment to start with, with the launch of the Purafresh range of purifiers. Currently, Whirlpool Water Purifier products are available across all markets in the country. Whirlpool has garnered a Market Share of 5% in the RO segment in the past 1  ½ years. The Water purifier category is a perfect brand fit for Whirlpool. It is a home appliance used by the home maker to provide safe and pure drinking water to her family, thus building a strong case of placing trust in the brand. This category will lend a lot of credibility to the Whirlpool brand. Whirlpool’s communication strategy also revolves around reinforcing this element of Trust. Equipped with Whirlpool’s patented 6th Sense technology, the new ‘Purafresh’ water purifier is the first Reverse Osmosis system on the market that not only purifies but also protects the purity and freshness of the water with its prestigious gold seal certification (from GOLD Seal of Water Quality Association, USA WQA). Purafresh is available in three models – Purafresh Platinum, Purafresh Elite and Purafresh Deluxe. Trigger Questions for Analysis Given the situation described above, suggest a comprehensive â€Å"Go-To-Market† plan following a systematic methodology for Whirlpool to achieve its overall objective of achieving market leadership in the Water Purifier Market (in the organized sector) by 2012, and its interim goal of achieving market leadership in the RO segment, ensuring its premium brand image, and its operational philosophies (given in the annexure for ready reference). A) Understanding and presentation by a Systematic methodology. B)Inputs: Should reflect comprehensive understanding of the company and competitive environment. 1) Analyze company development , history, Growths. 2) Identify Strengths , weaknesses , 3) Analysis of external environment (Porter 5 forces , SWOT etc) C) Outputs: Understating should result in output 1) Strategy on all 4 P’s 2) Channel Strategy ( Spl Focus) a) Evaluation of SWOT b) Key market insights c) Business Level Strategy d) Recommendations (including articulation of hypothesis) e) innovative approach especially in the communication/promotion strategy Phase II Build a detailed business plan arising out of the above strategic plan, and project the profitability of this business over time, including investments that may be required for new products and their market entries, while achieving this objective. Recommendation evaluated by 1) Strategy 2) Product choice 2) Financials ( volumes, Margins , costs , etc) 3) Process of executing strategy 4) Innovative approach/ideas. {In the first phase, the second phase question and related references should not be circulated} Whirlpools high end Purafresh platinum model, is Indias first and Only Direct Flow RO with no storage tank enabling immediate consumption of freshly purified water with 72 litres per hour capacity (Normal RO products have 8-10 litres per hour capacity). It has an advanced 5-stage purification process and also boasts of a first–of–its–kind electronic interface with a Filter change indicator, which alerts the consumer on the need to change the filter and thus ensures continual purity protection of the water. Other diagnostics functions like no water on tap indication, self cleaning mode indication, and water extraction indication makes it the most advanced and best in class product available in the Indian market today. Whirlpool entered the Indian market mainly leveraging their strength in the durable retail channel and has the highest share (30%) of all Water Purifier sales in this channel. Whirlpool has also entered the DAP Channel and are currently having a 10% share in that channel. The â€Å"Surging to Lead† Challenge Given its focus on â€Å"attaining market leadership through Customer loyalty†, Whirlpool aspires to be the market leader in the water purifier market by 2012, with an interim goal of attaining market leadership in the RO segment by 2010, while at the same time maintaining its brand position. This, no doubt, is a challenging aspiration for Whirlpool, given the well entrenched players in the market like Eureka Forbes, aggressive players like HUL who is focused on tapping the market at the â€Å"Bottom of the Pyramid† and a large unorganized market who would significantly benefit from the growth fuelled by these players. However, Whirlpool has to its advantage of its strong brand position in the hearts and minds of the home makers, and a strong, well established channel in the white goods market. The challenge for Whirlpool is to leverage its strengths, and perhaps work out completely innovative market strategies if it has to achieve its intent of becoming a  market lea der in the Water Purifier Market in general, and that in the RO segment. Annexure : A brief about Whirlpool Whirlpool, right from its inception in 1911 as first commercial manufacturer of motorized washers to the current market position of being worlds number one manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, has always set industry milestones and benchmarks. The parent company is headquartered at Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA with a global presence in over 170 countries and manufacturing operation in 13 countries with 11 major brand names such as Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Roper, Estate, Bauknecht, Laden and Ignis. The company boasts of resources and capabilities beyond achievable feat of any other in the industry. Whirlpool initiated its international expansion in 1958 by entering Brazil. However, it emerged as truly global leader in the1980s. This encouraging trend brought the company to India in the late 1980s. It forayed into the market under a joint venture with TVS group and established the first Whirlpool manufacturing facility in Pondicherry. Soon Whirlpool acquired Kelvinator India Limited in 1995 and marked an entry into Indian refrigerator market as well. The same year also saw acquisition of major share in TVS joint venture and later in 1996, Kelvinator and TVS acquisitions were merged to create Indian home appliance leader of the future, Whirlpool India. This expanded the companys portfolio in the Indian subcontinent to washing machines, refrigerator, microwave ovens and air conditioners. Today, Whirlpool is the most recognized brand in home appliances in India and holds a market share of over 20%. The company owns three state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at Faridabad, Pondicherry and Pune. Each of these manufacturing set-ups features an infrastructure that is witness of Whirlpools commitment to consumer interests and advanced  technology. In the year ending in March 09, the annual turnover of the company for its Indian enterprise was Rs.1,719 Crores. The companys brand and image speaks of its commitment to the homemaker from every aspect of its functioning. It has derived its functioning principles out of an undaunted partnership with the homemakers and thus a slogan of â€Å"You and whirlpool, the worlds best homemaker† dots its promotional campaigns. The products are engineered to suit the requirements of smart, confident and in-control homemaker who knows what she wants. The product range is designed in a way that it employs unique technology and offers consumer relevant solutions. Whirlpool Corporation : Vision and Mission Whirlpools pervasive vision, â€Å"Every Home, everywhere, with pride, passion and performance†, rests on the pillars of innovation, operational excellence, customer-centric approach and diversified talent. These are embedded within our business goals, strategy, processes and work culture. Be it our products that are the result of innovation and operational excellence to meet every need of our consumers or the people behind these products that come from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, everything we do features a distinct Whirlpool way. Core Competencies Innovation: Unique and compelling solutions valued by our customers and aligned to our brands create competitive advantage and differentiated shareholder value. Operational Excellence (OPEX): A methodology for solving problems continuous improvement of products processes through pursuit, acquisition, and utilization of knowledge using critical thought and planned experimentation helps us achieve operational excellence. Customer Excellence: Excelling the customer expectation from the company, its brands,  products and services are a three-step process. The three steps are: Know a customer, Be a customer, Serve a customer. Knowing a customer helps us know who our customers are, how to treat them, how we add value, and what the drivers of brand loyalty are. This information is gathered from the customers data base history. This way we are better able to customize products for them and recommend the right product to solve problems. Being a customer is important to share customer knowledge and insights, drive actions based on customer insights, be passionate about our brands and customer loyalty and provide a positive voice for our brands. We show empathy for customers and seek to resolve their problems by creating consistent customer touch-points, with our endeavour always being to provide unique solutions for the customer . Whirlpool Corporations Transformation Agenda Whirlpool is transforming into a completely customer-centred company where the customer lies in the core of every of our functions. This focus has arrived as direct consequence of our core IDEATE up of five elements: competency of customer excellence. It allows us to build Customer Loyalty. The transformation is made The elements of the transformation hold the promise of making Whirlpool a growing company and thereby increasing value for our shareholders. The five  elements are the basis for describing our strategy internally and guide the development of our plans and initiatives. Whirlpool has swiftly moved from being a World Class Manufacturer to a World Class Marketer using the brand-building framework. 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Shared Talking Styles Essay Example for Free

Shared Talking Styles Essay Communications General Communications Use the ProQuest database to locate and read the article entitled, â€Å"Shared Talking Styles Herald New and Lasting Romance†. Then, visit the Language Style Matching website and, using sample written communication between you and another person, follow the directions on the website to retrieve your language style matching score. Write a two-page paper (excluding title and reference pages) about your thoughts on this article and your language style matching score. In your paper, be sure to address the following: Do you think the results provide by the Language Style Matching website are accurate? Why or why not? Do you believe that language style matching is a comprehensive way to predict the quality of interpersonal relationships? Find a bank that offers free savings and checking accounts. Look around and go with an establishment that works often with students and doesnt charge you extra for a bunch of little things. Ask questions and find out if you can bank online so that you can manage your money when it is convenient for you.