Physiological Aids in sport Essay

Physiological aids are banned substances and methods that athletes use within competition and training to improve their performance. Physiological aids are used in sport as they help an athlete’s performance. Some aids help to increase heart rate, adrenaline rate and stimulate the body but other aids lower the heart rate and change the growth of muscles and bones. Sport is suppose to help us learn from defeat and victory, encourage us to participate in team sports, encourage a spirit of co-operation, and interdependence, and mainly encouraging moral and social values. It also means that an individual person can lead a healthy lifestyle while performing and also helping the individual to bring about a healthy, integrated society. There are many influences on drug use, the media, the money their performance can bring in, the sponsorship and many other critical factors in an athlete’s career. There can be no justification for athletes to cheat in order to win or that the pressures and temptations are all the same for the athletes. Most athletes turn to drugs because of pressure, it all comes down to pressure really but some feel greed and wealth. The main reasons are usually:  ·Winning can bring millions of dollars in sponsorship and endorsement;  ·Society places great emphasis on success in sport, which puts more pressure on an athlete to win;  ·Some banned drugs can speed recovery from injury, which means athletes can be back training, competing and winning more quickly;  ·Some athletes believe their competitors are using drugs and that to be competitive, they need to take drugs as well;  ·Some athletes’ desire to win is so great that they are willing to use any means, including cheating to gain success;  ·Some coaches may push drug use to enhance their athlete’s chances of winning, which boosts their profile as a successful coach. Prohibited physiological aids Anabolic agents- there are two types of these agents- there is anabolic androgenic steroids and beta -2 agonists. Anabolic androgenic steroids are substances that contain anabolic and androgenic properties. The anabolic properties help to increase the growth of the muscles and bones. The androgenic properties help the male’s reproductive system, helping to release more testosterone. Anabolic steroids are used to increase the strength of an athlete and also their muscle size, they also help to decrease the time the body takes to recover after exercise. So because of this the athletes train harder and for longer the extra training gives them an advantage over other athletes. This drug can cause many physical problems like heart problems, liver damage, jaundice, euphoria and there are also mental effects like mood swings, improved self esteem, depression and aggression. Male athletes can suffer from effects like baldness, the development of breast tissue and even infertility. Female athletes can suffer from effects like menstrual problems, foetal damage, clitoral enlargement, increased facial and body hair and also a permanent deepening off the voice. They can be detected by using gas chromatography in an athlete’s urine. Beta -2 agonists are normally used medically to treat asthma, therefore when they are taken they can increase lean muscle mass and also help to reduce body fat. The side effects of beta -2 agonists are dizziness, muscle cramps, headaches, palpitations and some nausea. Beta -2 can also be detected through the urine. This drug is one of many that are banned but in some forms this drug can be taken but only for medical reasons and that will not give unfair advantages to the performer. Diuretics This type of drug helps an athlete with a certain weight category in sport, it helps the body to produce more urine so the body weight can drop significantly so they fall into a certain category. Such sports like judo, horse racing, and weightlifting, when these drugs are taken give the athlete an unfair chance of beating their competitor(s). These also help an athlete to reduce the chances of detection of other drugs by diluting their urine. The main side effect of diuretics is dehydration but they can also cause headaches and dizziness and a loss in coordination or balance. This drug is also detected within the urine. Before, during and after exercise, it is essential that sportsmen and women take in a considerable amount of fluid, this is because dehydration can occur resulting in other side effects and also excessive loss of water effects the heart and kidneys, they could fail which mean this could be fatal to the athlete. Narcotics Narcotics help an athlete to push himself harder and further because his pain threshold is bigger, it helps him to continue exercising/ competing even when injury has occurred. Narcotics have similar effects to heroin or morphine. Narcotics are strong painkillers and they are usually competitors are tested for them when they compete. Many narcotics are illegal substances and not just in sport, these drugs are potentially addictive. Side effects from these drugs can seriously put an athletes performance in jeopardy because if the athlete continues to exercise, whilst injured it can cause further injury, even though narcotics stop the pain once they wear off the pain will be worse, like all other drugs they also cause loss of balance, lack of concentration, nausea and even vomiting, constipation and breathing/ respiratory problems. These drugs can become addictive. Detection of these drugs is also through the urine by gas chromatography. Peptide hormones There are many different substances within this class of drugs: Chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) Pituitary and synthetic gonadotrophin (LH) Corticotrophins (ACTH, tetracosactide) Growth Hormone (hGH) Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) Erythropoietin (EPO) Insulin Chorionic gonadotrophin Chorionic gonadotrophin is a drug that when in a males body can help produce testosterone at a much faster rate, it is mainly used to overcome effects of testicular damage and sometimes it is also used as a masking agent. This drug is normally produced during a pregnancy and increases natural male and female steroids. This drug can cause many side effects just like the effects of most other anabolic steroids but this can also cause gynaecomastia. Immunoessay is the only way to detect this drug and this drug is only prohibited in men. Pituitary and synthetic gonadotrophin The pituitary gland produces pituitary hormones, and the hormones released consist of many different types, including the leutinising hormone. Hormones act as messages from one organ to another, these hormones stimulate growth, a person’s sex drive, pain threshold and a person’s behaviour. The leutinising hormone stimulates the male’s testis or the female’s ovaries. If used in a male this drug (also like hCG) helps to stimulate the production  of testosterone, if used in a female this drug stimulates the ovaries. The synthetic gonadotrophin helps the body to regulate gonadotrophin production or use. This drug has no real side effect it depends on the drug used. An immunoessay test is the only way of detecting this drug as well, this is done through the urine. Both of these drugs are only prohibited in males. Corticotrophin Corticotrophin is a drug that helps to increase the levels of endogenous corticosteroids (cortisone) in the blood. This drug is normally used as an anti-inflammatory drug. This drug has many side effects both long and short term ones. The short-term side effects are ulcers of the stomach or stomach irritation and even psychological effects like irritability. The long-term effects of this drug are weakening of muscles and connective tissues of area of injured muscle, tendon or n ligament and even osteoporosis or cataracts. Corticosteroids, are drugs that are used for therapy or treatment of injuries, there usage is legal but only for these purposes. Blood doping Blood doping is a way an athlete removes blood from their bodies. An athlete will do this about a week or two prior to competition, and then they will replace it just before the competition. After the blood is taken the body has to replace the missing blood, the athlete will then replace the blood they have taken from their own body resulting in the body having additional blood. The additional blood results in additional haemoglobin and therefore a greater ability for oxygen uptake. Many things can go wrong with this method, un-sterile needles can be used, the blood is not stored correctly or another person’s blood can be accidentally used. Athletes can receive AIDS/HIV hepatitis and many other diseases. If their blood is not stored right then that can have major effects on the body and if the blood used is different to their blood group the body will reject this blood causing more problems in the body. Growth Hormone (hGH) The growth hormone is a hormone that is also released from the pituitary gland and is necessary for the growth of bones and muscles and also for the growth of children. The growth hormone is used by athletes to increase their muscle mass size and also their strength. This drug can cause the overgrowth of body parts such as hands, feet, the face and it can also cause soft tissue swelling and increased sweating. The most fatal effect of this drug is it causes heart disease. Insulin- like Growth Factor (IGF-1) This type of drug is often used to increase protein synthesis and reduce muscle cell breakdown in the body. When the muscle cell breakdown occurs it leads to an increase in muscle bulk and helps to reduce body fat. This drug also occurs naturally from a mother’s milk. The side effects of IGF-1 are headaches, joint pains, and enlargement of internal organs, changes in musculoskeletal shape and size e.g. enlargement of the jaw, hypoglycaemia (which is low sugar in the body) and also acromegaly (which is the overgrowth of certain organs like the feet, face and hands). Muscles also become stronger from this drug but taking this drug also results in the muscles getting weaker because of degenerative changes in the joints. Erythropoietin (rhEPO) Erythropoietin is a drug that helps to increase the production of red blood cells in the body. When the red blood cell amount increases the amount of oxygen able to be carried around the body increases meaning the muscles gain more oxygen, this helps the athlete’s performance. When the drug increases the production of red blood cells it also increases the risk of the blood clotting because it is thicker. This is very dangerous for athlete’s that perform endurance events because their blood is much thicker due to dehydration. Insulin This drug is normally used to treat diabetes; it increases the amount of  sugar in the body and also increases the metabolism of foods. If this drug is used alongside other drugs like anabolic steroids and clenbuterol it can increase muscle growth and increase muscle definition. But these drugs used together can cause severe side effects and even death. Insulin can also cause hypoglycaemia, this causes shaking of the body, drowsiness, increases in respiratory rate, weakness, it can also cause the body to be comatose, it can cause brain damage and can also cause death. Stimulants Stimulants are usually only tested for in competition circumstances, but in some causes the drug can be tested for in other sports. Stimulants consist of substances such as amphetamines, caffeine (prohibited in large concentrations) and a number of the active ingredients in cold and flu preparations (i.e. pseudoephedrine). The side effects of stimulants include an increased heartbeat and can have an impact on the body’s natural ability to regulate its temperature. Stimulants are used to reduce tiredness, increase their alertness and arousal levels and also to boost their confidence. Sports such as endurance, fast moving sports and contact sports are the main events in which this type of drug is used. Stimulants can cause many risks to the body, it can cause possible collapse and even death, it increases the blood pressure, and makes the athlete dehydrated and can cause hypothermia. The athlete can also become dependant on this drug, appetite can be lost and the person can also become very anxious and aggressive.

Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Essay

Natural calamities are unpredictable phenomena’s where the damage may be countless and immeasurable examples of natural calamities are earthquakes, floods and famine. In situations like this relief operations are challenging even though many organizations and nations extend their resources to overcome the disaster. We often face issues and concerns in a massive disaster which may lead to ethical-dilemma and criticism. When we analyze disaster situation ethical concerns arises. Here I would like to present the ethical dilemma involved in the rescue operations in Haiti disaster and analysis of the issues. Event and ethical implications One of the biggest and most recent disaster world encountered is the Haiti disaster in January, 12, 2010. It was a massive earthquake with 7.0 magnitudes, wiped out thousands of lives and affected millions of people (Haiti earthquake, 2010). The earthquake ploughed the main city Port-au-prince just into rubbles. Many people were trapped in the collapsed buildings. Many important buildings were damaged including parliament, schools, hospitals and main jail (Haiti earthquake, 2010). It resulted in lack of food, water, shelter and medical services. Many wounded were waiting for immediate medical help and many died without prompt treatment. In natural disasters people from all over the world offer humanitarian aid in the form of donations, medical care team services, food and other necessary supplies. The U.S Government and many other nations extended their hands for rescue operations. The Israel Government sent a military task force consisting of 230 people within 48 hours (NEJM, 2010). Their ultimate goal was to provide lifesaving treatments to the injured to the level it was possible. Other troops and volunteer workers on the scene also tried their best to deliver the best possible care to the causalities. Ethical concerns and ethical dilemma The troop’s mission was to provide help to as many people as possible. But the limited resources fell far short than the demands. This put the medical team in various ethical issues. Haiti is one of the poorest countries of the world with minimal facilities. The disaster left millions of people homeless and in urgent medical needs. The Israeli Field Hospital extended their hospital capacity to 72 from 60 and added one more operating room to accommodate increased causalities (NEJM, 2010). In a normal triage system we are setting priorities among patients depending on their clinical conditions and assuming that we will be able to provide care to all. In Haiti disaster it was impossible for them to provide care to all who needed. Here the health care workers as well as the victims faced ethical dilemma. The medical team was forced to recognize the fact that the clients who need most urgent care may consume the majority of their resources. So they had to set up priorities according to the resources available, the severity of the problem and can they be saved. Another ethical dilemma the medical team had to encounter was those come with severe injuries needed prolong rehabilitation and that may run out all of their supplies. So they planned to accommodate patients who can be stabilized in 24 hours.† The practical implication of this prioritization resulted in people those who have small chance to survive were not likely to be treated in the ICU† (NEJM, 2010). In addition to that discharging the patients were also challenging since no homes left and children without parents, there was no place for them to go. Personal ethical values and position using ethical principles In a massive disaster plan in an ethical aspect I believe the theory of Act- utilitarianism works best to that situation. Act-utilitarianism states, the actions people choose will produce over all good in any given circumstances. This theory also allows different actions in certain circumstances. Their decision on triaging the patients based on the resources and the possible outcome of the intervention in a humanitarian aspect. The ethical principles of beneficence and justice applied in this scenario. According to the principle of beneficence the health care workers were trying their best to provide care to as many as people possible. The ethical principle of distributive justice emphasis on fair and equitable distribution of goods and services (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008), but in certain situations it is impossible for all people to have everything that they might need. In such cases they can formulate and enforce policies for fair and equitable distribution of the available resources. Possible alternatives for resolving the problem I.Ask for more medical supplies from organizations like, World Health Organization, Red Cross et. II.Make arrangements to send patients who need more complex care to the nearest available medical centers or hospitals. III.Call for more volunteers to help there by reducing the cost and request for funds from charitable organizations. IV.Since geographically U. S. is the closest country, request for airlifting the patient to the nearby states hospitals for advanced care. V.Even though insurance can be a hindrance to accept the patients, U. S. Government can offer tax exemptions and grants for the accepting hospitals. VI.Airlift the patients to the accepting countries for advanced care. Examine and categorize the alternatives When we categorize the alternatives from 1-6, the first five options are possible alternatives. The 6th option can be possible, but it will be more expensive, time consuming and unsafe for unstable patients. Since many organizations started their rescue operations, if the military task force can receive more supplies, they will be able to continue with their life saving measures. Possible consequences for the acceptable alternatives When other hospitals can accommodate more patients, it may reduce the burden on a single group. Since they already have disaster plan set up, more supplies from other organizations will help them to continue their task without time delay. With tax exemption and grants, more hospitals may take initiative to involve in the health care delivery and if the patient can be airlifted on time many lives can be saved. Prioritize acceptable alternatives I.Provision of more supplies to the functioning units. II.Make arrangements to transfer patients with complex issues to the nearest hospitals. III.Call for more volunteers for additional help IV.Airlift patients to the nearby countries at the earliest possible V.Request for more funds, grants, donations from the federal governments and common wealth countries. Plan of actions The plan of care is to provide care to as many people as possible with added resources. Transferring of patients to the nearest available hospital for complex care and management. Through financial aid rebuild the health care infrastructure to provide continued care to the Haiti people. Evaluation Natural disasters are unpredictable and every effort needs to be taken to overcome such situation through voluntary support. In this situation the ethics committee from a group of physician had to prioritize the cases according to the availability of resources and the chances of survival. In a humanitarian aspect it is necessary to provide fair and equitable distribution of health care as much as possible for a healthy recovery. We often see the best of humanity in moments of extreme calamity. In every disaster situations people who directly involved often faces some sort of ethical issues and dilemma. The best possible way to overcome such situations through mutual effort, ethical decision making and appropriate action plans. Fair and equitable distribution of health care is the best approach to every mankind.

Customer Engagement on Facebook

Individual Research â€Å"Customer engagement of commercial brand community on Facebook† Ms. Benchawan Phumphuengsri ID: 543-9374 iMBA Batch 3 Section 19 BP6993 Individual Research Submitted to Assistant Professor Dr. Kriengsin Prasongsukarn Graduate School of business Assumption University Submission date: 12 April 2013 Word count: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. words Abstract The rise of the Internet in worldwide there are opportunities and challenges have emerged for marketing brands and products.In its early days, the Internet was seen as an opportunity for marketers to communicate with consumers, and even to engage the customer in two-way communications. However, consumers are becoming overcome by marketers’ attempts to engage them in relationship marketing strategies. The marketing managers and planners should apply new ideas in order to make their brand community more effective because traditional web sites are no longer motivating customers to return and interact to the site. So it is important for the marketer to find out the strategy that involves the development of a virtual community around the brand by focusing on perceived benefits such as social benefits, entertainment benefits and economic benefits to the customer by using online media and social network which are more powerful marketing tools in the current day. In addition, interactions among members can influence the selection of brands, making effective communities very important for the company.In order to get a better understanding of the important factors of community engagement behaviour, this study will show which factor lead to successful online strategies for the marketing on Facebook fan page by using Product Moment Coefficient Pearson Correlation (Bivariate) to analyse the variables and explain that how social benefits, economic benefits and entertainment benefits have a relationship on customer community engagement behaviour. Acknowledgements To complete my individual research, I wo uld like to thank you my advisor Assistant Professor Dr.Kriengsin Prasongsukarn for all helpful advices and guidance since the beginning up to the individual research completion. Moreover I have learned many things from him during the consulting time and he motivated me to try harder to understand and apply his teaching to real practice. I would like to thank to all of my friends, iMBA section 19 for their advice and encouragement which supported me to finish this individual research. Thank you to respondents of my questionnaires.Lastly I would like to thank my family who always believe in me that I could do study and work at the same time. I hope this research will be benefits the business towards understanding ways to enhance customer engagement with their brands. Table of Contents CHATER 1†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 INTRODUCTION †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 1. 1 Background of the topic†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 1. 2 Statement of the problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 1. Research Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 1. 4 Scope of Research †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 1. 5 Limitations of research †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 1. 6 Significant of study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 1. 7 Definition of terms †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 CHATER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 2. 1 Theoretical Literature †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 2. 2 Related Literature Review †¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 2. 3 Summary table of findings of previous researches†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 3. 1 Theoretical Framework †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 3. 2 Conceptual Framework†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 3. 3 Research hypothesis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦.. †¦13 3. 4 Operationalization of the variables †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 14 CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 4. 1 Method of Research †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 4. Source of Data †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 4. 3 Research instrument †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦. 15 4. 4 Data Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 4. 5 Summary of Hypotheses Testing †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 22 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 5. 1 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 5. 2 Recommendation †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 5. 3 Future Study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 25 REFERENCE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. . 26 Appendix A Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 28 Appendix B Questionnaire †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Customer engagement in a Facebook commercial brand c ommunity CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background of the topic The reason to select the studying community engagement behaviors in a Facebook brand community of customers is because nowadays Facebook is a very famous social-networking website that has impacts on daily life and it socially influences the people’s choices. The world is moving toward the cyber world is which internet connections are easily access and reachable for every households and businesses.This study will show how the customer community engagement behavior affects perceived benefits of the Facebook commercial brand, and user of its services and applications. We will focus on both male and female respondents who are Facebook users and fans of at last one brand on Facebook, because these people can respond to our questionnaire effectively as they already experience social-networking. The company is looking for ways to brand loyalty among customers as the brand community offers both companies and customers new ways to engage with each other.Whilst companies aim at engaging with influencing members’ perceptions, loyal customers about the brand, sharing information, and learning from and about customers (Algesheimer et al. , 2005), customers perceive value through the variety of practices that they execute offline and online (Schau et al. , 2009). Although originally, an online brand community referred to a community on the www, recently social media network has been added to companies’ marketing and brand building activities (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).Attracted by the great number of users of Facebook so, the creative marketing activity in Facebook brand community will draw people to participate and make the brand succeed. This study will help the firm understand more about customer engagement in the Facebook brand community. 1. 1. 2 Social Network, Facebook Over the last years, the ways people search, share information and communicate with each other has changed dramaticall y (Hennig-Thurau et al. , 2010). Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube are playing a major role and are more important in business communication.The changes force the company and brand to focus on online services in order to create relationships to customers. Facebook allows companies several services to contact and communicate with their customers. Fan pages are a very interesting tool for companies to use. Usual characteristics of fans are self-identification as a fan, cultural competence, emotional engagement, co-production and auxiliary consumption (Kozinets et al. , 2010). The Internet brought the possibility to overcome geographical restrictions and also help the company build fan communities world-wide.In practice, Facebook users can be fans of a fan page by pressing the â€Å"like-button,† then it identifies that they like this brand and will present their profiles on social network. The content and information of fan page is automatically posted to the customer is Facebook news feed, and the customer can post comments on the fan page, interact with the brand, forward offers from the page as well as the interact with other community members (Jahn and Kunz. ,2012). 1. 2 Statement of problem As a social network, Facebook has affected the social life and activity of people in several ways.With its availability on many mobile devices, Facebook allows users to continuously stay in touch with friends, relatives and other connections wherever they are in the world, as long as there is access to the Internet. It can also tie people with same interests or beliefs through groups and other pages. This study will help the company to understand more how community engagement behavior in Facebook is important to the company for implementing the technique to create company brand perception and gain market share via Facebook.In addition, engaging with the brand community in different behaviors, receive different relationship benefits, for e xample entertainment, may make customers more satisfied. This assumption is based on the reasoning that customers. This study will investigate how a customer engagement behavior affects consumers perceived benefits, and assume a positive relationship between the constructs. (Gummerus et al. , 2012) 1. 3 Research objectives The research objective is to study the affects of community engagement behaviour of Facebook commercial brand on perceived benefits.The company can know more insight of customer behaviour especially the company who focuses on social network marketing activities. This study will help the company create marketing and content to their page on Facebook effectively to increase perceived benefit of the brand. * To study community engagement behaviour has a positive relationship on social benefit * To study community engagement behaviour has s positive relationship on entertainment benefit * To study community engagement behaviour has a positive relationship on economic benefit 1. Scope of research The research studied the affects of community engagement behaviour on three factors of perceived benefits. The three independent variables of perceived benefits factors are social benefit, entertainment benefit and economic benefit. The respondents of this research are male and female Facebook user in Bangkok. This research result would be advantage to the marketing department of the company who has community page of their brand on Facebook they can apply more attractive activities for their members.This study will help them to monitor their Facebook fan page effectively after they understand the fact that the brand community will help a firm draws individual customers and to create relationships with those customers, and also establishing long-term relationships. 1. 5 Limitations of research There are some limitations to this study of customer community engagement behaviours of commercial brands on Facebook. The study is limited to the engagement behavi our in a Facebook commercial brand community, while customers also engage with the brand in other ways.The limitations that need to be considered are first, self-selection of respondents affects the results which may come from inactive community users. Second, the behavioural measures were reported by the respondents themselves, and do not know that the answers are from actual behaviour or not. Finally, because the findings are based on commercial brand on Facebook page and the respondent have to be both Facebook user and commercial brand community page so this will represent only some portion of target customer of the company not the whole market 1. Significant of the study The findings in this study have several implications for social media strategies, and help the company to understand why customers participate in the Facebook brand community which is important to increasing more numbers of Facebook users to become brand community members and towards develop marketing on Faceboo k, which is lower cost than other commercial media. Firms may want to encourage and reward consumers to become more active on the site to receive maximal perceived benefits from the community (Gummerus et al. 2012). 1. 7 Definitions of Terms Fan pages the important tool on Facebook for brand communication. The company can use to integrate and interact with the customers effectively (Dholakia et al. , 2004). Community engagement behaviour is the customer behaviour that is more value than purchasing the product or service, and can be defined as a customer’s behavioural manifestations that have a focus as motivational drivers rather than purchasing by the brand or firm (van Doorn et al. , 2010).Social benefits results from interaction among the company and consumer and mention to recognition and also friendship (Gweinner et al. , 1998). Entertainment benefits is the relaxation and fun which customer perceive and could encourage community participation (Dholakia et al. , 2004). E conomic benefits refer to people joining brand communities in order to get discounts and time savings, or to take part in marketing activity campaign and competitions (Gwinner et al. , 1998). CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2. Theoretical Literature Customer engagement in brand communities Customer engagement in brand communities causes the customer’s interactive experiences direct to the brand, is context-dependent, and develops consumers’ experience of brand value (Brodie et al. , 2011). Customer engagement is sometimes used to represent the highest form of loyalty (Bowden, 2009; Roberts and Alpert, 2010), but as behavioural indicator it comprises all kinds of behaviours, not only those that are characteristic of high degrees of loyalty (Libai, 2011; Narayandas, 1998).The customer engagement consists of five dimensions. First, customer engagement can be defined in a different ways depending on customer time, interest or preference this called customer’s resources. Second, it can generate in different of outcomes for the customer such as improvement in the service. Third, it can be different in scope and be momentary, for example on going behaviour or issuing a complaint. Fourth, it has various impact on the company both negative and positive impact. Fifth, customer can engage in the behaviours for specific purposes (van Doorn et al. , 2010).Consumers engage in a number of behaviours that tie their relationship with the brand. For example frequency of visit, buying behaviours, and intended behaviour which go beyond the traditional measure of the loyalty of the customer (Gummerus et al. , 2012). Perceived benefits of customer engagement in brand communities Before the existence of Web 2. 0, the customers did not consider social benefits important in an online context. They sought to experience trust benefit and special treatment benefit such as saving time and receiving special service rather than experience social benefit (Yen and Gwinner, 20 03).The previous research studied on practical benefits which included informational and instrumental benefits (Dholakia et al. , 2004) which are often achievable through a Facebook fan page set up by the company. This study is focused on social, entertainment and economic benefits which we called perceived benefits. The reasons that people use social networking site are social connections such as keeping in touch with their friends and exchanging information such as events or gossip, (Raacke and Bonds-Raacke, 2008). In similar interest, Foster et al. 2010) found the important motivation of people to participate the social network is the perceived information value from the community and the connection to their friends. The experiential value that derives the satisfaction of the customer of using online services is entertainment (Mathwick et al. , 2001; Nambisan and Baron, 2009; Nonnecke et al. , 2006). Entertainment benefit can be expected as an important more than e-commerce in a brand community context. The Facebook fan pages spend their time with the community page such as game applications (Gummerus at al. 2012). Many previous researches also show that entertainment plays an important role as shared and consumed content on social networking sites (Sheldon, 2008; LaRose et al. , 2001). Economic benefits (Gwinner et al. , 1998) mention to people connecting brand communities because they want to get discounts and time savings, or to be a part in awards and competitions. 2. 2 Related Literature Review Brand Community The companies aim to engage with the loyal customers, influencing the member to have good perception toward the brand, distributing information and earning form and about customers (Algesheimer et al. , 2005), customer perceive value from the variety of practice that they perform online and offline (Schau et al. , 2009). An online brand community referred to a community on the World Wide Web, recently social media has been added to companies†™ marketing and brand building activities (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). In this study, brand community is defined as a group of people who possess a particular brand or who have a strong interest in a brand, and who are active both online and offline (Muniz and O’Guinn, 2001; Jeppesen and Frederiksen, 2006).Research on brand communities found several different dimensions, including geographic concentration, social context, size, and temporality (Dholakia et al. , 2004; McAlexander et al. , 2002). Regarding the size, Dholakia et al. , (2004) found the differences between small group-based communities and big communities in terms of motivation to join the communities. Another dimension is their temporality in communities, some are unchanging and others are short-term.The temporal stability of community members can be benefit to marketers as well as longevity associates with a long-term, stable market. Finally, geographically concentrated or scattered are considered as a dimens ion of communities (Hur at el. , 2011) The keys of brand community participation are hedonic and functional. Functional goals mention to information sharing among community members, while hedonic goals lead customer to have a positive experience over the interactions among the member (Holland and Baker, 2001).Regardless of which aim is established before a participation, the effect of brand community on private lives has been growing, for example over actual product consumption and purchasing, or the formation of opinions toward products or brands (Hagel and Armstrong, 1997), since they have been changing the role performed by existing reference groups (Constant et al. , 1996). The firms have begun to use brand communities for the strategic purpose of getting closer to a specific target market segment.Members of a brand community define the outline and particular community activities by the inter-relationships between members who like the same brand, and as they share information ab out the brand (Muniz and Schau, 2005), they set up brand-centered sub-culture (Schouten and McAlexander, 1995), which could be applied for companies’ brand-building strategies. Then, the interaction between brand communities and companies is helpful for the firms to analyse customers’ characteristics and needs more accurately, so that firms can achieve long-term customer relationships at a lower cost. . 3 Summary table of findings of previous researches. There are many researchers who studied about the customer engagement, brand community, social networking, social benefit, entertainment benefit and economic benefit. The researcher name, objective and result are as follow: Table 2. 1 Previous empirical studies CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 3. 1 Theoretical Framework From previous research two engagement behavioural factors were found, one being community behaviour and one being transactional behaviours as independent variables (Gummerus et al. , 2012).The var iable measuring how often customers visit the page and react to the brand on Facebook. Therefore, the three constructs were social benefits, economic and entertainment benefits as mediator. The dependent variables were relationship outcome, one is satisfaction and one is loyalty. Figure 3. 1 Model of study on relationship benefits mediate the effect on customer engagement on relationship outcomes Source: Johanna Gummerus, Veronica Liljander, Emil Weman, Minna Pihlstrom, (2012),†Customer engagement in a Facebook brand community†, Management Research Review 35 (9), 857 – 877 . 2 Conceptual Framework The theoretical framework of relationship benefits mediate the effect on customer engagement on relationship outcomes (Gummerus et al. , 2012). The researcher adjusted the conceptual framework to study the relationship on customer engagement behaviour and perceived benefits as follows Figure 3. 2 Conceptual Framework There are three independent variables which are social benefit, entertainment benefit and economic benefit. The dependent variable of this conceptual framework is community engagement behaviour. . 3 Research hypothesis The hypotheses studies the relationship between customer engagement behaviour which is community engagement behaviour about the brand community on Facebook and perceived benefit which are social benefit, economic benefit and entertainment benefit and demonstrate that there is positive relationship of customer community engagement behaviour on perceived benefit for Facebook users in Thailand. Customer engagement in brand communitiesFrom previous studies, the researcher examined the customer behavioural engagement in a brand community relationship on perceived relationship benefits of Game Club in Facebook. For this study we will study a customer community engagement behaviour relationship on perceived relationship benefits of Facebook user in Thailand who are members of the commercial brand’s fan page. Perceived be nefits of customer engagement in brand communities From previous studies, the researcher examined the relationship benefits mediation of customer engagement on satisfaction and loyalty of Game Club in Facebook.For this study we will research the relationship of customer community engagement behaviour and perceived benefits which are social benefit, entertainment benefit and economic benefit of Facebook user in Thailand who is fan page of the commercial brand. Hence, the hypothesized model can be summarized as shown below: H1: Community engagement behaviour has a positive relationship on social benefits. H2: Community engagement behaviour has a positive relationship on entertainment benefits. H3: Community engagement behaviour has positive relationship on economic enefits. 3. 4 Operationalization of the variables CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT 4. 1 Method of Research The Facebook user who is a member of the fan page of the brand on Facebook is defined as a target group to distrib ute the questionnaire in order to test the hypothesis. The questionnaires are available into two methods; one is online questionnaire and second is questionnaire paper. The respondent who answered the questionnaire of this study is all Thai Facebook users and also being a fan page of commercial brand on Facebook.The questionnaire combined 4 constructs which are customer community engagement behaviour construct, social benefit construct, entertainment benefit construct and economic benefit construct and consists of 23 questions which this research applied the question from the previous study base on this research objectives. 4. 2 Source of Data This research was applied from the previous study of customer engagement on Facebook. The information was collected from 208 respondents who are Facebook users and members of a commercial brand fan page and were tested to prove the hypotheses.The researcher collected data by distributed 58 questionnaires in Siam Square, Assumption University a nd Thai Summit Tower building in Bangkok, and posted a questionnaire online for Thai Facebook users and there is 150 respondents from online questionnaire. The date duration to collect the data is 24th February 2013 to 12th March 2013. 4. 3 Research instrument The instruments for gathering the data for the research are online questionnaire and paper questionnaire.To test the hypothesis the question paper consists of varies specific questions to measure the relationship of community engagement behaviours on three perceived benefit, social benefit, economic benefit and entertainment benefit. The questionnaires consist of four constructs. The Community engagement behaviours the perceived benefit statement was measured on a Five-point Likert scale with the anchors â€Å"Strongly agree† – â€Å"Strongly disagree†. Table 4. 1 Measurement Scale 4. 4 Data Analysis In this research, there are three types of data analysis.First, this study uses descriptive analysis to ana lyse the frequency and percentage of the data in screening question and demographic information. Second, this research use reliability analysis to test the reliability of each question for dependent and independent variables. Finally, this research use inferential analysis to analyse the correlation between variables by using Pearson correlation (Bivariate). Descriptive Analysis After screening question of the questionnaire from 208 respondents there are 200 respondents who are Facebook users and be a member of brand fan page and 8 respondents who are not Facebook user.The following table shows the frequency and percentage of demographic by using descriptive analysis. Table 4. 2 Screening question Facebook user From table 4. 2 of 208 respondents, we found 200 respondents are Facebook users 96. 2% (200) and 3. 8% (8) are not Facebook user. Brand fan page on Facebook From table 4. 2, after the first screening question we got 200 respondents who are members of a brand fan page on Faceb ook. Frequency of visit fan page From the table 4. 2, the highest percentage of visits to brand fan page on Facebook of the respondents is 1-3 times per week and the lowest percentage is once a month or seldom.There are 37. 5% (75) of respondents who visit 1-3 times per week, 29. 5% (59) of visit daily, 20% (40) of 4-6 times per week, 7% (14) of 2-3 times per month and 6% (12) of once a month or seldom. Table 4. 3 Demographic information Factor of Gender From the table 4. 2, the highest percentage of respondents was female. There are 56. 5% (113) of female respondents and 43. 5% (87) of male respondents. Factor of Age From the table 4. 2, the highest percentage of respondents was age 25-29 years old and the lowest percentage is age below 20 years old.There are 69% (138) of age 25 to 29 years old, 16% (32) of age 21 to 24 years old, 12. 5% (25) of age 30 and above and 2. 5% (5) of age below 20 years old. Factor of education level From the table 4. 2, the highest percentage of respond ents was college/university level and the lowest percentage is high school level. There are 66. 5% (133) of college/university level, 31. 5% (63) of advance degree level and 2% (4) of high school level. Table 4. 4 The Analysis of Descriptive statistics of constructs by using Average Mean and Standard Deviation Reliability AnalysisThe purpose of testing the reliability is to measure the question of each variable by using Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha test. The results of each variable are as follows: Table 4. 5 The reliability Analysis of Research Instrument From table 4. 5, the results show that the reliability of all variables is greater than . 6 so all questions are reliable to use for this study. Inferential Analysis There are 3 independent variables which are social benefit, entertainment benefit and social benefit to analyse the relationship with community engagement behaviour by using Coefficient Pearson Correlation (Bivariate).Each independent variable has a positive re lationship to community engagement behaviour and significant value is less than 0. 01 which means all hypotheses are fail to reject (supported). Hypothesis 1: Community engagement behaviour has a positive relationship on social benefits. Table 4. 6 The Analysis of relationship between Community engagement behaviour and Social benefit As the result in table 4. 6, the sig. is equal to . 000 which is less than . 01 (. 000

Exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Exam questions - Essay Example In addition, exchange rates can make it quite difficult or easier for foreign competition to penetrate the local markets. Exchange rates can also have a direct impact on the losses and profits in a business. Fluctuations in exchange rates can negatively or positively affect both exports and imports. Thus the cost of raw materials that are imported could be more or less on the basis of the exchange rate between two trading nations which may lead to either hard or easy export. When more money is used in producing goods which are exported to a different nation with a less currency rate, it leads to those goods being less priced leading to the business having losses. Because of these changes in exchange rates when importing or exporting, the government gets interested in the exchange rates between currencies of other countries. Thus whenever goods are produced in a different nation, the government concentrates on selling of those goods so as to get more money from other nations from its exports. Production of such goods is usually done at low prices making use of the currency with the country having low currency rate and then profits are gotten by selling the produce in a country having a high currency rate. Such conversion of currencies in the production as well as selling of a similar product is aimed at earning profit. In addition, the government is dependent on some controls that control the exchange rate and these controls are long-term, medium-term and short-term. For instance, in short-term, the major banks like Central Bank operate with foreign markets by either beginning to buy or sell its currency. The interest rate on currency on the medium term can be regulated to make profit only. On the other hand, on the long-term, management of the economy is in such a manner that it results in a direct increase in the demand and value of the products manufactured in the nation (imports) with the demand for foreign currency also increasing. For a country

The Making of Indonesia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Making of Indonesia - Research Paper Example The facts and myths about Indonesia, a Southeast Asian country, make it a highly complex subject matter with its incomprehensibly varied and dynamic history, politics and social structure. Its international image, however, to a certain extent has been defined by Oriental theories that partially represent its true political, social, historical, religious and national aspects. The President of the United States articulated his views, while addressing the students of the University of Indonesia: â€Å"The nations of Southeast Asia must have the right to determine their own destiny, and the United States will strongly support that right. But the people of Southeast Asia must have the right to determine their own destiny as well.† (Obama 2010) The concepts of ‘Orientalism’ and ‘othering’ could not have been explained in better words. The region of Southeast Asia is supposed to have common issues; and this kind of geographical cartography represents the mindset of the Western nations. The phrase, ‘the right to determine their own destiny’ has profound repercussions of centuries of colonialism and imperialism of Southeast Asian countries. This historical fact has so arendered the concept of Orientalism to a great extent. As the heritage of Indonesia is diverse and magnanimous; therefore, it was natural to ignore certain facts about Indonesia while studying and analyzing its existing political, religious and social structures. Islam, being the dominant religion in this country raises concerns in the West that desire it to become a secular country, in its own interest.

Liquidity, Solvency and Profitability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Liquidity, Solvency and Profitability - Essay Example The level of current ratio for any particular organization is dependent on the industry it is operating in; usually the acceptable current ratio is 1.5 to 3. If an organization is able to maintain its current ratio between these levels, the lenders are of the perception that the company has the ability to meet its short term financial responsibilities. If the current ratio is low or in other words, the company does not have enough assets to meet its liabilities, the company is perceived to fail its financial obligations. This ratio is used by creditors while determining whether to provide loan to a company or not. Creditors perceive that if the company’s current ratio is high, it can pay off its debts and if it is low, it will fail to pay off its debts. This is why certain banks require an organization to meet the requirement of maintaining current ratio levels at 1 or above

Fundamentals of Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fundamentals of Finance - Essay Example Fundamentals of Finance Retained earnings means the amount of profit held by an organization, and that should be utilized for meeting the several requirements, except the payment of dividend. Break even point is a point at which the total cost and income equals, so at this point there should not be the question of profit or loss arises. So, the exhaustion of retained earnings also strongly related to the fundamental financing decisions and its implications. Break Even Point (BEP Output) in Units= Fixed Expenses/Contribution per unit.(C) Assume, fixed expenses (F) costs  £60000; selling price per unit  £15; variable cost per unit  £10. Therefore, BEP= F/C per unit. Contribution (in unit) = Selling price per unit_ Variable cost per unit. i.e.  £15_ £10=5 BEP=  £60000/5= 12000 Units. The composite of overall cost of capital of a firm is considered as the weighted average cost of several sources of funds. Weights are taken as the proportion of each source of funds in the overall capital structure of an enterprise. WACC is computed through a step by step process, such as Calculating the cost of specific sources of funds, then multiplying the cost of each source by its proportion in capital structure, and adding the weighted component costs. That is, K0= K1 W1 + K2 W2+†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦; here, K1, K2 etc. are component costs and W1, W2 etc. are weights. Assume total number of equity shares is 1000 shares,  £35/share,  £35000 is the equity capital or NP. While Dividend is  £1750, i.e. 5% of  £35000, and the cash dividend is  £3.25/ share, i.e. 1000 shares @ £3.25/ share is amounted to  £3250.

Email revision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Email revision - Essay Example I would like to take such a chance to submit my request to you as a supervisor in the sense that I have imperative ideas, whose discussion is vital. Therefore, I beg for the date’s adjustment to 22nd since I have a due schedule on 20th where I have some reports to deliver. In the first place, I would like us to consider salary increment due to the extreme economic crisis where we are not able to meet our personal needs. Secondly, we should consider the clothing character where the management should permit casual wear on Fridays. Thirdly, I would like us to factor gender balance in the company. It is a concept, which will establish respect among the employees hence restrict them in their entitlements Further, the management should enhance an effective strategy to promote self-esteem to the staff. Such an approach will involve eradication of the nepotism character in the entity. Further, the idea will enhance equality. Moreover, we should discuss a mechanism, which will factor staff advancement. Critically, it is recommendable for the workers to exchange ideas and train one another a method, which will perfect their skills. Finally, we should determine the remedies towards frequent short notices and excessive travelling. I kindly hope that you will be interested as you respond to my request. Yours faithfully, Miguel

Contract management and Procurement management Essay

Contract management and Procurement management - Essay Example It is therefore, very important that the project managers must manager certain components of the whole project management and project life cycle in more details as compared to other components of the project. It is therefore of great importance that the project managers must find a perfect fit between the different components of the overall project. Contract Management and Procurement management are two most important concepts of project management where project managers tend to interact with external players such as vendors, suppliers as well as regulatory authorities. The management of contract and procurement processes therefore needs special skills to fit them properly into the overall process of project management as well as project life cycles. By law, a contract is "an agreement between competent parties, for consideration, to accomplish some lawful purpose with the terms clearly set forth" (Newell, 2005). The above definition of contract suggests that it is an agreement which is backed up by the legal consideration. Within the context of project management, contract management is a phased process which involves different stages. Project Managers first determine the requirements of the contract i.e. what is required to be obtained and acquired to complete the project. Once the requirements of the project are clearly identified, the project managers issue requisitions and than the next phase are of solicitation. When solicitation phase is over, the contract is awarded to the approved vendors. This whole process requires interaction between the external as well as internal parties to the project therefore there remain very strong chances of the project overruns If the process of contract management is not effectively managed. As the whole purpose of Project life cycle is to focus on how to manage the project therefore, contract management being one of the critical components of the project, requires that the project managers must find a perfect fit between the project management and contract management. As discussed above that the contract management starts at the time when project managers first assess the requirements of the project. In our case, we will be requiring software and hardware to implement our proposed email system, therefore once the requirements of the whole project are determined, the next phase in contract management and the project management requires that the project managers must start the process of solicitation and finally awarding the contract. This whole process is therefore the core process of the project management since it is through the contract management that the project managers tend to manage their schedules, costs as well as other associated activities of the project. It is also important to consider that the contract management, when properly fit into the project management life cycle, delivers very important benefits for the project itself. A good contract management would provide a system for centralized oversight of the whole project however with a degree of decentralized ownership of the different components of the project. Further, contract manageme

Youth Detention as a Measure to Deter Crime Essay

Youth Detention as a Measure to Deter Crime - Essay Example The detention centers perform a number of functions with the main one being to deter criminal activities. Initially, these facilities were not meant for non violent offenders but trends are fast changing to include minors on very minor offenses. These statistics may give a sense of falsehood since these youth who are detained there, may develop deliquescent behaviors by the time they live the detention and pose a larger risk to the community. The unnecessary use of detention centers may expose some of the troubled youths into conditions that resemble penitentiary conditions which instead of solving their problems aggravates them further (Foley, 2001). It is the aim of this paper to argue against youth detention as a deterrence measure since it rarely solves the underlying problems besides compounding it. Detention of youths that have crime tendencies together in large secure holding facilities has been shown to have a very small positive effect in future deterrence of the same. This in fact forms a fertile ground for recidivism aggravation among those minors that are detained together. Studies carried in different states show that 60% of the youth that had been detained in juvenile detention centers returned later in the same facilities for correction purposes. Many factors have been blamed for this observation but the key one is reinforcement of deliquescent behaviors since these youth are detained together. ... within detention centers, their will to control prior offenses goes down and they are more vulnerable than those that had not graced the detention facilities. Most of these studies have been carried in instances where other factors have been held constant such as race and age. Most of the outcome show increased probability of petition before the judicial system which deeply entrenches deliquesce tendencies in them. This is in total contrast of the studies that involve youths that have been committed to community based corrections which stand at 14% less likely to be incarcerated than first time offenders. It therefore helps to have a form of community based correction as opposed to detentions that have similar conditions to those found in jails and prisons (Hughes, 2002; Sheldon, 1999; Steinberg, 2009). Instead of deterring crime, detention deters or interrupts the process of aging out of deliquescence behaviors which should happen naturally. It is a common phenomenon for children wh en growing to show mild tendencies of crime which goes out with time. It has actually been shown that as much as a third of children engage in antisocial behavior that is crime related but they eventually outgrow it. This behavior is usually high in males than females but also the rate of desistance is also unusually high which compensates for the disparities between the genders. The most interesting thing is that desistance happens on its own time with no outside interference and therefore detention in a large way interferes with it. The best way that has been prescribed to help in aging out deliquescence behavior is having a mentorship program that can guide and help the youth to focus in life. The only mentorship that is available in detention is fellow crime offenders which cannot help

Tools of Cinematography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tools of Cinematography - Essay Example This scene slowly immerses the audience into the alien landscape. The 3D effect used by Cameron in this portion of the movie is remarkable. The portrayal of Pandora’s rainforest is simply awesome. The mood at this point is light, no heavy drama. The lighting used by the cinematographer in this scene is suitable to the mood that the director wants to evoke. It draws forth a very naturalistic look with images of the sun rays piercing through the lush Pandora jungle. The cinematographer could have chosen an image of a dark jungle but he opted to choose a jungle showing all its glory in the light of day. The mood of Jake here is one of being hopeful. It is in this part of the movie where Neyteri tells Jake â€Å"You must choose your own Ikran and he must choose you†¦when you are ready.† Jake seems to be looking forward to the day when he will be able to ride his very own Ikran and travel with it through the vast forests of the Na’vi land. The excitement that Jak e feels is somehow reflected in the way Cameron portrayed the swiftness and velocity of Neyteri’s ride on Ikran. I think that by watching Neyteri ride Ikran, Jake was quite impressed because it gave him a liberating feeling. He probably is imagining already how it would feel to ride his own Ikran in the future. This scene gives the audience a hint of the imminent romance that will happen between Jake and Neyteri. It depicts Jake’s amusement at the awesome world of the Na’vis. One can see that Jake is amazed at how Neyteri rides Ikran and how the Ikran seem to be beholden to Neyteri. The ride of Neyteri takes the movie audience to at trip at the brilliantly colored alien world of Pandora.

Project on Motivation of Nurses Essay Example for Free

Project on Motivation of Nurses Essay The most traumatic and stressful moments of an individual’s life are when he or she is taken ill. Nurses are synonymous with care and attention in times of need such as these. In a world mostly driven my personal ambition and corporate profit, nurses with their commitment to patient welfare and selfless service, provide a contrasting study. A nurse acts as a savior in distress and is often called upon to make great personal sacrifices in the discharge of her duties. The profession of nursing, is therefore, not merely a ‘job’ and the potentially powerfully insights about commitment to work that they could provide encouraged us to choose them as our subjects of study. As part of the Phase I of the project, we interviewed four nurses who were diverse in the amount of experience each had, the hierarchy in which they were working in the hospital and the backgrounds from which each of them came. This was done to study the commitment of employees towards an organization and understand the various factors which cause the same we have selected a study of nursing staff in hospitals. From the interviews, many broad themes emerged, all of which point correlate positively with their high commitment level to the organization. These points logically lead us to our hypothesis as to what keeps them committed to their place of work.   However, there were some key themes which we noted across all four of our respondents. All the nurses were very excited by the kind of recognition that the hospital was willing to give them. They seemed to treat this as a reward for their hard work and dedication and were motivated by it. All nurses were also impressed by their working relationship with their superiors (Head Nurse/Doctor) in the hospital who treated them as members of a family and with much respect. Nurses were also willing to stay on with the hospital because it provided them with opportunities for personal development. Accordingly our hypotheses are as follows: * There is a positive correlation between the amount of recognition that the nurses receive for their work and their commitment to the organization * There is a positive correlation between the positive relationship between the doctors/supervisors and the nurses and the commitment of the nurses to the organization * There is a positive correlation between the opportunity for learning and personal development that the organization provides and the commitment of the nurses to the organization RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Based on our earlier survey of 4 respondents, we determined that the following three variables play a key role in determining the commitment of nurses to their respective hospitals: * Recognition * Relationship with superiors * Learning and Development We have then tried to identify whether these three variables actually affect commitment levels of nurses at various nursing organizations. For the same, we carried out a survey of 30 nurses with diverse backgrounds (a detailed description of the respondents is covered in the following section) and questioned them on a scale of 5 to 1 (5: Strongly Agree, 1: Strongly Disagree) on 24 questions. Since our hypothesis determines 3 variables as affecting commitment, we tested the existence of each these three independent variables by framing four questions for each variables. Similarly, we determined commitment levels of the nurses through a set of 12 questions. By using a 5-point scale, we have captured not only the  existence, but the extent of existence of these variables. Since we found the responses to be reliable, we determined the correlation between the three independent variables and the dependent variable ‘commitment’ to see whether our hypothesis of is correct. Hospitals chosen for the survey We surveyed nurses from 4 different hospitals to ensure diversity. The organizations range from a large hospital located in a city like Bangalore, to mid-sized hospitals located in Tier-2 cities like Ajmer and Allahabad and a focused surgical-specialty hospital located in a smaller town like Varanasi. This selection lends diversity to our respondents through differences in location, specialization of hospitals, daily footfall (reflecting magnitude of work for the nurses), number of departments etc. Refer Appendix 1 for a description of the hospitals used for out survey. General Profile of the Nurses We have ensured diversity in our respondents while choosing nurses at all of the survey hospitals. The diversity ranges age, number of years worked at the organization and departments worked in. QUESTIONS IN THE SURVEY The questions in the survey were aimed at understanding the extent to which each of our three independent variables and our dependent variable ‘commitment’ was present in these organizations. We captured the different parameters relating to these variables by framing questions addressing various facets of these variables. Refer to Appendix 2 for detailed discussion on questions used for the survey. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF THE SURVEY Reliability of scales Reliability is used to check the consistency of the question set under consideration. In this survey we are testing if the 3 hypothesis that we have come up with are explaining the commitment of employees towards organization. Reliability in a survey is measured by lot of ways and here we are checking internal consistency reliability which indicates reliability within the survey for the responses of similar type of questions. Reliability of dependent variable * Affective Commitment: In affective commitment the questions that are all trying to test for one feature- Attachment to Organization. The questions are direct and straight forward bringing out the required feature thus making it a set of good reliability. We have obtained a reliability scale of 0.6 for this set which is the highest amongst the 3 different commitments scales that we have obtained. * Continuance Commitment: In this set we are trying to test the commitment by knowing the dependence of the person on the organization and how much of a change it would mean to him to switch jobs. The reliability that we obtained for this set is 0.53 which is a high value for a one time survey result. This is a good indication of question set focusing on the same core question. * Normative Commitment: This question set mainly tries to identify the belongingness the person has towards the organization. The question set is clear in conveying the same objective but this attribute is not so direct and easy to understand from an individual’s perspective. Hence the survey respondents’ answers in this set have a lower value reliability of 0.39. Reliability of independent variables For first and third variables (recognition and learning development), the reliability is low at 0.46 and 0.47 respectively while for the second variable (relationship with superiors), the reliability is relatively high at 0.66. Recognition and Learning Development It’s easy to see why responses to questions around Recognition and learning and development score so low in reliability. They are quite different from each other and same person can have very different responses to each of them, if they interpret the different questions to indicate different things. In comparison the questions related to relationships were fairly interrelated and are able to fetch more consistent responses. Overall reliability of all the responses is still lower than 0.7 which can be attributed to the fact that no pilot study was done, which could have been used as input for framing questions in a better way as to improve reliability of responses. Relationship with superiors We obtained highest reliability for responses for this hypothesis. Reliability for this was found to be 0.66, which is near acceptable range. The reason for higher reliability in this question set (Appendix 2) is attributable for ease of understanding the questions. Every person has a fair idea about relationships and these questions although quite different from each other give a fairly good direction the responder in terms of what is being asked. So they maintain consistency and hence higher comparative reliability. Correlation between predictor and dependent variables a) Affective Commitment According to our expectation before the actual test results we came up with all 3 predictors are going to affect the Affective commitment. Recognition was one factor because the appreciation helps the employee (nurse) develop a connect with the organization. Also opportunities for personal development and training opportunities to assist this makes employees feel good which is essential to improve the commitment levels. Good relationships with superiors definitely help people develop an emotional bond with the organization. b) Continuance Commitment Continuance commitment describes how the employee feel about staying longer in the organization and for this one of the most important reasons is economic considerations which are to some extent explained by rewards and recognition. The recognition obtained will motivate them to work better and stay longer in an organization. Also constant opportunities for growing and training will help them stay committed to organization. c) Normative Commitment This form of commitment mainly explains the sense of giving back to the organization and the predictor which we identified was most important was the relationships with supervisor (Head nurse/Doctor). Training and developments reflect investment done by organization on employees, so employees feel an obligation to stay committed to organization to pay it  back, which increases their normative commitment. Actual results: Statistical Significance of correlations With the acceptable alpha level being 0.05 for social science research and no. of responders being 30, (Dof = 28) gives critical value of correlation as 0.361. When compared with the results we obtained we notice that out of 9 correlations, 3 are not significant (value less than 0.361) and 6 are significant (Value higher than 0.361). When it’s significant we reject null hypothesis of no relationship and accept alternative hypothesis of existence of relationship. Hypothesis 1: From the results it’s apparent that hypothesis 1 is partially supported as only one correlation is significant out of 3. That is with affective commitment. So we can interpret that Recognition affects affective commitment but not the other two types of commitments. Hypothesis 2: For second hypothesis 2 out of 3 correlations are significant so it’s also partially supported. Relationship with doctors is not related to continuance commitment but related to affective and normative commitment. Hypothesis 3: Hypothesis 3 is completely supported as all the correlations are significant i.e. higher than 0.361. It means learning and development is related to all the dependent variables and affects all three dimensions of commitment i.e. Affective, Continuance, Normative which are considered here. Plausible explanation of variations between correlations Recognition: Recognition showed the highest correlation with affective commitment, while significant correlations were not established with the continuance and normative commitment. When nurses are recognized by the organization they tend to develop an emotional connect with the organization. They feel happier working in the hospital and a sense of belonging is nurtured within them. The appreciation received for the work translates into an attachment with the organization. This explains the  correlation with affective commitment. The recognition is mostly in the form of awards and words of praise not monetary in nature. Therefore a significant continuance commitment has not been established. Similarly, recognition for work does not lead to a feeling of obligation towards the organization. Rather, the positivity generated by the appreciation of work manifests itself as an emotional attachment towards the organization, which is reflected in the correlation with affective commitment. Relationship with superiors: This independent variable showed highest correlation with normative commitment and lower correlations with affective commitment, while correlation with continuance commitment was insignificant. The nurses tend to view the exceptionally good relationships with the doctors as being facilitated by the hospital. They therefore feel indebted to the hospital for providing them with an excellent working environment, which would be missing at other places. The moral obligation that they feel towards their hospital for the respect and dignity with which doctors and supervisors treat them is translated into a high correlation for normative commitment. Learning and development: It is seen from the results of the survey that learning and development has a high correlation with Affective Commitment to the organization and comparatively low correlation with continuance and normative Commitment. Intuitively we expected high correlation between learning and development a nd normative commitment to the organization. This is because employees would feel an obligation towards an organization that invests time and resources to train its employees and ensure their personal development. However, we realize these may not necessarily hold true once we take into account the atypical nature of the nursing profession. Nurses feel sense of duty towards their patients and ethical and moral obligation to serve the sick to the best of their capacity. In fact, nurses who have been trained well, dealt with varied patient cases and experience a great deal of learning would perhaps experience higher motivation to the society. Hence perhaps they would experience low moral responsibility to staying back in the organization. We believe existence of a caring and people centric management could be the reason for the high correlation between affective commitment and learning and development. An organization that has caring and people friendly management would earn emotional loyalty from its employees due to care and good treatment given to employees. Such an  organization would also take efforts to ensure that its human resources constantly learn and develop so as to contribute to the success of the organization.

Genetic Mutations Result In Faulty Proteins

Genetic Mutations Result In Faulty Proteins The DNA sequence codes for a particular gene which is then copied into a protein sequence code. Protein is found in every cell in human body and has a vital role in cell growth and tissue repair. The amino acids are the building blocks of proteins which are arranged in a specific order to determine the proteins shape and function. The incorrect amino acid sequence leads to harmful consequences because it can lead to the formation of faulty proteins which can cause disruption in metabolic and regulatory pathways which cause genetic disorders (1). Genetic mutation is a change in genomic sequence which encodes DNA. It can be either inherited or somatic mutation. Somatic mutations are introduced either during DNA replication or when the DNA repair process fails. Agents which damage DNA are frequent carcinogens. Most carcinogenic agents are mutagens. There are two classes of mutations caused by mutagens. The first class is spontaneous mutations caused by depurination, deamination and demethylation(3). The second class is induced mutations caused by ionizing radiation,chemical mutagens and ultra violet radiation(3). Mutation during DNA replication Before cell divides, cell duplicates its entire DNA sequence. To start DNA replication, the DNA helicase separates the DNA molecule into two strands. Then DNA polymerase copies each strand of DNA in order to create two double-stranded DNA molecules. Somatic mutation occurs when this DNA polymerase makes an error in copying which takes place once every 100,000,000 bases (4). Mutation effects Single base substitution: The consequences of single base substitution mutation depend on the location of the protein which can lead to either silent mutation, missense mutation or a non-sense mutation. Silent mutations are those which dont produce any change in an amino acid sequence of a protein. They occur in that region that either doesnt code for a protein or doesnt alter the final sequence of amino acid chain. For example GCA codon turns into GCG codon as in result of single nucleotide replacement because both GCA and GCG codons mean arginine in mRNA (8). Missense mutations involve a change in a single nucleotide to cause substitution of a different amino acid. This can result into a non-functional protein. Sickle cell anemia is an example of missense mutation where CTC in the DNA sense strand specifies glutamate residue get altered with GUG in the mRNA which results in a Valine residue in the protein causing sickle-cell anemia (8). Non-sense mutations are those which results in a premature stop codon leading to the formation of a non-functional protein. An example for non-sense mutation is a single nucleotide replacement from C to T in codon CAG which forms a stop codon TAG. This incorrect sequence causes the shortening of protein (8). Frameshift mutation: This mutation is the result of an insertion or a deletion of one or more nucleotides from the DNA sequence but not in multiples of three because bases in set of three forms a codon which provides the code for an amino acid sequence of the protein. So as DNA polymerase read the triplet nature of codon so an insertion or a deletion can disrupt its reading frame which results into a completely different translation done by the DNA polymerase (8+6). Chromosome mutation: Any change either in structure or arrangement of chromosomes is a chromosome mutation which frequently occurs in meiosis during crossing over. The different types of chromosome mutation are:- Translocation: In this mutation, a piece of one chromosome gets transferred to a non-homologous chromosome. For example when translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 takes place, an abnormal gene forms which codes for an abnormal faulty protein resulting the development of leukaemia (8). Inversion: During this mutation, a DNA region on a chromosome flips its orientation leading the formation of an abnormal gene which then codes for a faulty abnormal protein. Deletion: In this mutation, a chromosome section gets deleted which results in the loss of genes (6). Duplication: During this mutation, some genes get duplicate and get read twice by the DNA polymerase on the same chromosome resulting in the formation of a faulty abnormal protein (6). Non-disjunction: This is when chromosomes dont separate successfully to opposite poles at anaphase stage during meiosis which allows the presence of an extra chromosome in one of the daughter cells. Downs syndrome is an example of non-disjunction which occurs in chromosome 21 of a human egg cell (8). Removal of faulty proteins In eukaryotic cells, faulty proteins are recognized and degraded very rapidly in cells to prevent any harmful consequences. The two major faulty protein destruction pathways are:- Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway for faulty intracellular proteins: In the case of formation of faulty proteins which are defective get ejected into the proteasome from the endoplasmic reticulum through channels called retrotranslocons. Proteasome is a large multi-catalytic protein complex found in all eukaryotes which is located in nucleus and cytoplasm. It is responsible to degrade faulty intracellular proteins through proteolysis(2). The enzymes which carry out proteolysis are known as proteases. Those intracellular proteins which need to go under degradation get tagged with another small protein called ubiquitin(2). Ubiquitin binds to the amino group of the side chain of a lysine residue. This tagging process is catalyzed by ubiquitin ligase. Once the protein gets tagged,a signal gets released to other ligases allowing more ubiquitin molecules to attach to form a poly-ubiquitin chain. Poly-ubiquitin chain then bound by the 26s proteasome complex which leads to the degradation of tagged protein(7). Ubiquitin does get released which that can be reused in next cycle. However ATP is used for the attachment of ubiquitin and for the degradation of tagged proteins (5). Lysosomal proteolysis for faulty extracellular proteins: Lysosomes are membrane-enclosed cellular organelles in animals containing digestive enzymes and proteases. They have important roles in cell metabolism including the digestion of extracellular proteins taken up through endocytosis. So during this protein degradation pathway, the protein is uptaken by lysosomes through the formation of vesicles derived from endoplasmic reticulum called autophagosomes. Then these autophagosomes fuse with lysosomes so in result the digestive lysosomal enzymes digest their contents (5).

Products And Services Offered By Pepsico Commerce Essay

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