Brand Placement

Businesses strategically place their brands and products in movies or in TV series to subtly get consumers to notice their brands, this Is called brand placement. Two products which I have noticed In movies are Apple Imams In the Twilight movie Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) and Manual Blank shoes in the Sex and the City Movie (2008). These were both big blockbuster hits which many people viewed and obsessed over. They both star very famous celebrities who play desirable characters.In the movies both the brands are clearly shown with the characters so the viewer ill relate who the character is with the brand to give the brand symbolism (Levy, 1959). In Sex and the City we first see the Manual Blank heels when the mall character Carrie Bradshaw Is shown her new wardrobe which will soon be filled with her clothes that are envied by viewers. The scene is romantic and everything is perfect in Carrie's world which suggests that the consumer would be in a similar situation if they had theses shoes.The label on the box is clearly shown as Carrie carefully puts her prized possession on the shelf. The shoes appear at the end of the vie during a special scene where Carrie Is being proposed to, the heel is used to close the deal of the proposal. This once again Incorporates the shoe with happiness and romance. Sex and the city has been a popular TV series (1998 – 2004) so there was a huge hype when the movie was released. Carrie Bradshaw is a well known character for her glamorous life; Carrie is an icon for fashion and high class.We straight away draw a connection with any brand associated with Carrie Bradshaw to being an ultimate luxury brand, and as a viewer I desire to own the brands shown in the movie to make myself appear more glamorous. The Sex and the City's target audience are females over 16 years. It has an emphasis on relationships and high fashion. I aspire to be Like Carrie and her friends as they were Independent and bring out ideas of their own about s ex and women being in control.The Manual Blank shoes are targeted to me and women with similar interests in fashion and their appearance. The shoes are a very high priced item but the brand makes me think that I would be superior to others if I own this luxury good. By owning Manual Blank shoes I would feel a part of the top label brand community which they associate Carrie with (Ganglier, 2012). I believe that If I owned them I would appear more glamorous and they would give me class and style. These shoes would affect self image positively for me (Williston, 2012).This is because I would feel more important and confident with these shoes on. Mascots Hierarchy of Needs suggests that â€Å"people are motivated to fulfill their basic needs, before moving on to other, more advanced needs† (Cherry, n. D. Para. 1). The needs are shown on a pyramid starting with physiological needs then safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs and finishing with self-actualization (Cherry). M anual Blank shoes fall Into the self- esteem group as they can give the owner confidence and status (MBA Online Programmer, n. ). The Culled family in Twilight are depicted as perfection. They are beautiful, rich, and intelligent and are identified as superior to everyone else. The brand Apple appears in Breaking Dawn during a serious scene in the movie where the Culled family are desperately researching to find a life line. As the computer is reliable and a good source of research as an intellectual family such as the Culler's use them. Breaking Dawn was the third top grossing movie of 2011 which shows the age audience that this movie reached out to (Midi. Mom, Inc. N. D). The Apple symbol glows on the screen with the family in the background to emphasis that this is a brand that a family as perfect as the Culler's would use. The Twilight series is targeted to teenage girls and women who fantasize over the desirable men in the movie (Denial, 2011). The Twilight Saga has been a huge hit, as at 13/04/12 its Faceable page has 31 ,951 , 1 55 likes with many of these fans being obsessed over the characters and actors in the movie.With other 31 million fans, Apple is getting their rand out to a huge audience who are likely to be influenced by what the characters are associated with. Twilight fans will believe that by associating themselves with the brands that are used in the Twilight Saga movies they will be more alike the characters. I am a fan of the brand Apple; I personally own an Apple pod and an Imax. My pod is something I could not imagine functioning without as it holds many songs as well as having other functions such as the internet, email and camera.I personally spend a lot of time on my Imax both for social reasons communicating with people and to get university work completed. These Apple products are essential for me as I could not imagine my daily life without them. It is part of my culture to be up to date on the latest technology, and to be able t o communicate indirectly through the internet with my peers (Williston). It is a norm within my culture to own Apple products, the people around me and I use Apple products daily (Williston).By having Apple associated with famous actors such as Robert Patterson and Kristin Stewart, the brands are a part of these actors indirect reference group as the actors are people you aspire to be like (Williston). These groups give us â€Å"a point of reference in deciding what consumption behavior to undertake† (Williston, 2012. Group Influence & Social Norms Lecture). Indirect reference groups can have a different amount of influence on consumers depending on many factors including how attractive the reference group is, whether the product is being used publicly and the consumer's self-esteem (Williston).Apple is already a very well known brand and as soon as the logo came into view on the screen the viewers would have straight away recognized it and began to make connections with he b rand and the Robert Patterson or Culled family reference group. Brand equity is important when trying to make your brand familiar with consumers it is â€Å"The value premium that a company realizes from a product with a recognizable name as compared to its generic equivalent† (Investigated, n. . Para. L). Brand equity is about the name and symbol of the brand, it includes brand loyalty, name awareness, perceived quality, brand associations and other proprietary and brand assets (Ganglier). With Apple and Manual Blank appearing in these well known and popular movies they are gaining a lot of brand awareness which is important as when consumers are choosing between options they will pick the brand they are most familiar with.Viewers of Sex and the City associate Carrie with high quality goods so by seeing Carrie with her Manual Blank shoes consumers will automatically relate the Manual Blank to top quality which will add value to the brand. Manual Blank and Apple have been suc cessful at getting their brands out Breaking Dawn Part One. The characters and actors are dollied by many so a lot of consumers are likely to be influenced to purchase these products. By owning the products shown in the movies consumers will be able to associate themselves with the brand communities and reference groups.

Audie Murphy

World War two was the greatest of all wars ever fought on this earth, with millions of men from every corner of the planet fighting for the cause that they felt right. Out of all of these men from this war and arguably any war Audio Murphy is the greatest. Born the seventh out of twelve children to a sharecropping family on June 20th 1924, all Audio wanted to do in life was â€Å"to be somebody' (Gale). To do this Audio had to fight against the odds his entire life on to his way to becoming one of America's most recognized and cherished people during and after the War.One of the reasons Audio was such an icon to the rest of America, is because at the end of the day he was Just an ordinary boy. Even before the war, at the age fifteen in 1939 Audio dropped out of school to help support his family. The year after that his father left his family making him the man of the house, only to have his mother die when he was seventeen in 1941. These events would cause most men to break but this Just drove Audio into trying to help the cause at war, to make himself somebody.At first he did not succeed in enlisting being only five foot five inches and a hundred and twelve mounds none of the branches of the armed forces would accept him. Eventually on the 30th of June 1942 the US Army accepted him, placing him in company B, 1st battalion, and 15th infantry regiment of the 3rd division. After extensive training in Africa he was in part of the invasion of Italy, after his first contact with the enemy he said â€Å"Ten seconds after the first shot was fired at me by an enemy soldier, combat was no longer glamorous, † Then later saying â€Å"But it was important, because all of a sudden I wanted very much to stay alive† (Gale).This represents very well of how America's youth, though ready felt with their first taste of war. Out of all the times that Audio went above the call in which he was asked to during his time at war, there were two instances in which he prove d to everyone that he was a hero. The first instance happened when his company made their way north the eastern border of France during â€Å"operation dragoon† (Biography). There was a hilltop dotted with German machine gun and sniper nest; he single handedly worked his way up the hill taking them out (Gale). In the midst of this his friend, Lattice Tiptop Joined him in the assault.The Germans at this point acted like they surrendered, with this Lattice stood up then was shot from the lying Germans (Biography). Seeing his friend getting shot, after being lied too, Audio went on a rampage taking out the remaining nest using the German guns and grenades (Gale). For this Audio was given the second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and for his next act of valor he is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Audio received the highest of all medals in woods in France. It all began when his B Company was ambushed by six German tanks and infantry.He then he ld position to call in artillery while his troops retreated to the wood lines safety. He then headed too tank destroyer that was already hit and mounted to 50 Caliber gun, proceeding to mow down the Germans infantry. He was exposed on three sides but with deadly accurate shots he kept off all the advancing troops. Artillery then came in with deadly effectiveness, a squad of Germans tried to sneak up on Murphy but when they were within ten yards they were taken out. He was hit in the leg but fired till the ammunition was gone, peeling back to the wood effective and drove the remaining Germans out.Audio at the end of it all saved his men and took fifty German soldiers in the conflict (Honors). After the Germans surrender to the allied forces, Audio returned home to America. He was paraded around for being a hero of war and was put on the cover of Life on July 16, 1945. After seeing this photo actor James Chaney asked Murphy if he would try a career in Hollywood. He started doing small movies and wrote a book about his stories in the European campaigns: To Hell and Back. The post war America loved this book became a national bestseller and later a movie in which he starred in (Biography).In conclusion Audio Murphy was perhaps the most import unit during the entire war. He killed two-hundred and forty enemies in the process of saving his men. He is the most decorated person in history with thirty-three medals, of them there are three Purple Hearts and French Crosses of War, a Silver Star, Distinguished Service Star, and a Congressional Medal of Honor. Through Audio Murphy's heroic acts of selflessness and by keeping his head level in horrific situations, he became one of America's most loved people during and after the war. Work Cited â€Å"Audio Murphy.

British Satellite Broadcasting: the Beginning of the End

Entrepreneur Research Paper Adriel McBride DeVry University December 17, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Abstract 3 History behind BSB 4Reasons for Failure 5 Analysis 7 Works Cited 10 British Satellite Broadcasting: The beginning of the end IntroductionMany companies fail within the first two years of opening, according to small business administration which is seven out of ten, and 51 percent last at least five years. Starting a business is not an easy task, there are tons of things that have to done in order for it to be around for more than a couple of months or years. Unfortunately, that’s the case with the company I chose, British Satellite Broadcasting. Abstract British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) set out to establish a television company that provided direct airing to television services from a satellite to the United Kingdom.Which it did from 1977-1990 and had its first broadcast on March 25, 1990, most of the time was used towards creating a policy to hav e British be able to broadcast via satellite (Holden, 1998). The company had to merge with Sky Television in November of 1990 to form the British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB’s). History behind BSB In 1977 the development of British satellite broadcasting policy started, a meeting was held at the World Administration Radio Conference for a hearing for the division of broadcasting frequencies.During the meeting the administration assigned each country five high-powered channels for direct broadcast by satellite for domestic use. In 1982 BSB was awarded with two channels through the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and in 1983 it started to negotiate with the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to join a joint-venture with other countries and start a joint satellite service but failed in 1985 (Holden, 1998). It was said that the government insisted that the BBC should pay for the cost of constructing and launching a dedicated satellite. The hearing concluding in 1992, whi ch followed the Conservative Party’s fourth consecutive election victory and BSkyB’s successful, momentous bid for the rights to screen live English Premier League football matches† (Holden, 1998). The BSB had one main competitor which was Sky broadcasting, it had an advantage over BSB and proved that its system gave sufficient picture quality and many viewers didn’t want to wait on a promise that was vowed by BSB for excellent programming. Many customers compared the competition between the rival satellite companies to the format war between VHS and Betamax home video recorders and chose to wait and see which company would win outright as opposed to buying potentially outdated equipment† (Holden, 1998). BSB mission was to create a satellite dish to broadcast high quality television programming for the British and hopefully expand to other countries. The reason BSB failed can be related to a lot of things but mostly money. Before BSB and Sky merged, Sky debuted first which hurt BSB, Sky provide a cheaper dish, which made it even more difficult for BSB.In January 1989 BSB experienced higher than expected cost that were required to achieve their planned air date. That caused them to push back their fall launch date. This resulted in delays for developing a new semiconductor chip required for its satellite dish receivers, which raised their cost to ? 131 million (Holden, 1998). Many say that if BSB would have launched first they could possibly still be around. Sky and BSB were in financial trouble and after BSB collapsed in November 1990, they were forced to merge.That is how the BSkyB came about, no more BSB it was over and a new company had begun which was marketed as Sky TV. Reasons for Failure British Satellite Broadcast failed for a number of reasons one was the lack of financial stability and commitment. BSB was spending millions of dollars on equipment for receivers so they can be available for purchase. But they were slack ing in the production department because they needed more money to make sure they had quality programming but missed their deadline. By the time they finally launched people had already turned to the competition because they were tired of waiting.When a promise is made to consumers it’s best for the company to do everything in their power to oblige them or otherwise they will lose their support and money. That’s exactly what happened with BSB they were focused on quality which was great but couldn’t provide it in a timely matter. Their competition offered a cheaper product and adequate quality which was better than nothing. The merge only helped Sky stay alive and killed BSB because they took all of BSB quality equipment and satellites and created something great.But if BSB would have kept their commitment/ launch date it could have been a different outcome today. So it kind of boils down to customer satisfaction, which is always a big part of a business success . When BSB couldn’t make good on their promise it reflected badly on the company and made their consumers wonder if they were really up for the challenge. For example take a gamer that is anxiously waiting for a new Xbox game console to come out and is schedule for release in May but is pushed back to August, a lot of loyal customers will be let down and possibly turn to PlayStation which new console came out when vowed.They may not lose a lot of of customers but it could cause a ripple effect for the ones that did chose to get a PlayStation instead. That is what happened with BSB, they had satisfied customers when they finally launched but not enough to keep them in business. Another thing that caused them to fail was not having the sufficient operating funds. The owners didn’t estimate how much money they would need to accomplish what they set out to do. It is always important to know how much money your business will necessitate, that includes the starting cost and staying a business.That was not well executed when the owners of BSB started the company which was a major cause of why it failed. Too much money being put into the company but not enough coming in. They had major financial issues they caused them to basically turn over their business to their competitor. That is never how an entrepreneur plans their business to turn out especially a few years after starting. While a lot of people were still happy with the 5 channels that they had globally, a lot of people were also tired of having only 5 possible things to watch and so they got Sky as soon as it was available.As it turned out, hundreds of thousands of people got Sky before BSB even launched (William, 2011). Most of the people who were interested in having a greater choice of channels had already opted for Sky. There was hardly anyone who still wanted a DBS system left for BSB to sell their service to. As a result, BSB launched with only a few hundred systems installed, and never re ally increased beyond that. The real cause of their failure can probably be laid at the door of the IBA.While they never intended for BSB to fail, they locked BSB into a contract to build and launch satellites, implement new picture systems which were not standard in the UK (and still aren't today) and do other things which Sky were not required to do (Holden, 1998). This resulted in severe hold ups which allowed Sky to eat up almost all of the market that BSB was aimed at. While BSB were busy launching satellites and awaiting delivery of MAC equipment, Sky had launched and was building up a growing customer base (Holden, 1998).Analysis BSB could still be around if it wasn’t for the IBA contract and making unrealistic goals. If BSB would have started out with a less expensive product they could probably still be in business. They wanted too much too fast, the best quality and products that cost some big bucks that they did not have. Therefore it hurt them, a better plan and t eam would have set them above the rest. Better planning in general could have prevented the business from failing. They could have cut out every unnecessary expense and reduce the expenses. Became a saver with cash and collect every dime owed to them.Finally they could have started selling their products and service at a discounted price until they built up a loyal customer base. If the entrepreneur would have recognized the company was failing before it was too late, he could have taken actions to turn around the business. The business owners and leaders should have taken every action necessary to first preserve their own interests and salvage/protect personal assets associated with the company. Protecting the business assets is critical for survival of any company. The idea of satellite broadcasting was great but not well implemented nor calculated.BSB wanted to give customers better than what they were receiving from the competitor but didn’t go about it the right way. The y started off spending way too much money and still coming up short. When developing a new product it takes lots of inputs such as money, skills, energy etc. that is supposed to add value to their product output (Hatten, 2009). The four major functions of managing a business is planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Hatten, 2009). Within those four boundaries BSB went wrong with at least three which were planning, organizing, and leading.I didn’t choose controlling because they really had no control of their project because of the IBA. If they would have never signed the contract with IBA and stayed with the BBC things could have turned out differently. IBA demanded services that BSB just couldn’t provide. Even with that being the case, if the entrepreneur was better at leading he could have had a strategic plan to keep his company alive while pleasing the IBA as well. That could have been done by trying to develop one of the requirements at a time. The best t hing to do would have been to get working satellite receivers on the market.Then see how well they do by getting feedback from the consumers and find out what could be done to improve the service and products. After they obtained enough information on what was wrong with the â€Å"prototypes† that was first released they could start improving the devices and making it available for sale and send an upgrade device to the customers that already had a receiver. Sometimes it’s about taking a chance with a bad product versus failing as company altogether and putting out a few bad receivers. There are tons of companies that started off horribly but still made a profit and are now at the top.For instance Sprint Wireless, everyone including myself hated their phones and service back in the 1990’s but now in 2012 they are one of the top cellphone providers. They accomplished that by staying afloat during the rough patches and critiquing there services and products. BSB s imply wanted to be the best and provide excellent programming and quality but didn’t plan accordingly. Having a great plan and knowing how to execute it can be what makes a business succeed. BSB had a great plan but just couldn’t meet the expectations.Sometimes less is more, if they would have started a little smaller and worked its way up I believe Britain’s would be watching British Satellite Broadcasting instead of Sky TV. Works Cited Brown, M. (2009). Sky tv's launch: ‘a wing and a prayer' . Blog, Retrieved from http://www. guardian. co. uk/media/organgrinder/2009/feb/04/sky-tv-early-years Pnakaj, G. (1997). Entry and deterrence in british satellite broadcasting. The mitt press. Retrieved from http://people. stern. nyu. edu/abranden/EntryAndDeterrenceBritishSatellite. pdf Hatten, T. (2009). Small business management. (4 ed. , p. 460; 536).Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Holden, W. (1998). The history and development of british satellite broadcast ing policy, 1977-1992. (Master's thesis)Retrieved from http://etheses. whiterose. ac. uk/552/2/holden_1998. pdf Feder, B. (1990, December 20). Murdoch's time of reckoning. New york times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/1990/12/20/business/murdoch-s-time-of-reckoning. html Williams, G. (2011, March 2). News corporation and bskyb: What price remedies? Campaign for press and broadcasting freedom. Retrieved from http://www. cpbf. org. uk/body. php? id=2462&selpanel=1

The Importance of Utilizing the Large Databases or Other IT Resources Essay

The Importance of Utilizing the Large Databases or Other IT Resources So As To Introduce New Types of Strategies - Essay Example The researcher states that now a day, existence is the essential requirement of an organization because of a competitive business environment around the globe. Along with this, enhancement of profitability is also important for the improvement of the organization in long run. So, most of the members of the management team desire to analyze the market situations and changing scenario, prior introducing or formulating the strategies of the organization. This is because strategies act as a positive source or ideas essential for the sustainability of the organization. However, it might be effective only if appropriate information or strategies are implemented within the organization. Otherwise, it might become an utter failure for the organization in terms of profit margin as well as brand value. If the strategies implemented or formulated are not as per the requirements, then it might lead to negative impacts. The brand image and reputation of the organization might reduce and resulting downfall of the reliability and trust of the brand within the minds of the customers. If the customers switch over to other rival brands, then the brand may never sustain in the market for a long time in the market. So, it is extremely imperative that the organization might attain or formulate accurate information to continue its supremacy or competitiveness. In this recent age, the most imperative process to formulate accurate strategies or information is by analyzing the databases. This is because it offers the highly reliable form of data and information that might facilitate for the betterment of the organization. Along with this, it might facilitate the enhancement of the value of the market shares leading to amplification of its profitability and market share. Along with this, if the profit margin increases, then more and more workers or employees might get engaged in the operations of the organizations thereby improving the rate of productivity.

Long question answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Long question answer - Essay Example Here, some of the differences between the terms recruitment and selection are being enumerated which are very basic and initial in nature, for the purpose of the betterment and the clear understanding of the line managers. One of the foremost differences between the recruitment and selection is that of the nature of the processes. The former is a positive process which includes the calling of all the applicants or candidates for the job opening or employment and the latter is a negative process which includes the choosing of the suitable or appropriate candidate or applicant for the job opening. But some further light should be shed on the differences between recruitment and selection. The term recruiting means the process of finding the suitable candidates for a specific job. The criteria are given in the advert or the recruiting agency or the HR office or any other place. All the persons that meet the criteria of the respective advert are able to recruit themselves with the employment agency or what ever the source may be. There is no discretion of the administration of the respective agency or the source, in terms of hiring or not hiring the person who meets the criteria defined for the recruitment. Therefore, if a person meets the criteria of recruitment then, the manager or even the high administration cannot stop him from being hired. The condition is that he meets the criteria perfectly and is not disqualified otherwise. The most common example of the recruitments is the Army of any country. Let us take the example of U.S military. Once a person has cleared all the tests and the physical training programs, which are criteria for the recruitment of military, no one can stop him from being a part of the U.S military. It is hoped that the concept of recruitment is clear to some extent. Some light is now shed on the other term, known as selection. Selection is referred to as the opposite of recruitment in some cases. Most

Business Process Management in Hospitality Case Study

Business Process Management in Hospitality - Case Study Example Configuration is defined as "making choices about what a company will do and how it will do it, andensuring that the things a company does reinforce each other". They argue that the lack of a focused competitive strategy is one of the key causes of poor organisational configuration. However, the problem of organisational configuration is not just restricted to understanding markets, with poor configuration being found in a number of key areas, including hospitality SMEs' relationships with their customers, which are fraught with uncertainty. There is an acknowledged advantage in that small firms are closer to the customer, enabling more personal relationships to develop (Crook , 2003). However, this is tempered by the danger that having a limited customer base (Gray, 2005) facilitates the development of deferential supplier-customer relationships. Research by Harrison (2003) concludes that, apart from those firms which operate only in very low profit or niche markets, hospitality SMEs are consistently found to be subservient to their larger counterparts. This view is supported by Wong (2005) who suggest that hospitality SMEs have a lack of control over their futures because of demands made by stronger customers throughout the supply chain. An additional burden is a lack of power to leverage payment of debts from these customers, as noted by (Okumus, 2003), who point out that many smaller firms are "afraid to press customers too hard for payment for fear of loss of future business". It is this scenario which most severely affects hospitality SMEs as their limited resources cannot cope with the fluctuations in cash flow that late payment inevitably brings. The overall effect of the fiercely competitive environment in which hospitality SMEs operate is that, very often, strategic planning becomes a seemingly pointless exercise, again lowering competitive advantage through poor organisational configuration. Tangen (2004) points out that unless the internal structures and the external competitive environment of the hospitality SME are effectively aligned with its strategy, it is unlikely that it will ever be implemented successfully. The difficulties associated with aligning strategy to the external competitive environment led ( Harrison, 2003) to conclude that the majority of hospitality SMEs in the automotive sector are not concerned about future strategic developments, as survival in the supply chain requires them only to maintain a reactive strategy. In addition, McAdam (2004) found that it is not unusual for firms to retain the original strategy developed by the founder, thereby leading to a "strategic hangover", which, if the competi tive environment or the company structure has changed, may actually be detrimental to future business success. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that many established hospitality SMEs rely solely on internal or financial planning as their main approach to preparing for the future (Crook, 2003). This might be due to the fact that accountancy information has been shown to be the most important factor in determining survival or

Unit 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Unit 3 - Essay Example written, the illusion of class mobility was in existence since leaders created the assumption that strategies were put in place to minimize class differences. However, the society still had massive class based divisions. Meritocracy refers to the ability of the society to acknowledge the success of a person based on their achievements and rewards rather than their wealth and social status. Class marker is the definition towards a certain class level or perception towards a class. The article aims to change the class marker based on wealth and social superiority. In the article, the role of the media in creating class differentiations is criticized. The article criticizes the media for shielding the truth of the nature of the different class levels. In particular, the article cites that the media tends to favor the rich class as it provides information that praises the class (Mantsios 386). Information provided on the low class has limited information and depth. However, this may not be true. The modern day media provide massive information on the situation at the low class. In addition, there are increases calls to improve life in the low class as well as bridge the gap between classes. This is done by highlighting the plight of people living in the low class. Considering the era the article is created, much has been done to improve media coverage on social classes. The media then only focuses on strategies put in place to develop the high class. In addition, the low class has never been viewed as significant part of the society thus sparki ng a much less interest to the public. The main difference between the poverty and wealthy gap is the size. The income gap is determined by the ability of a society to live a comfortable life with access to social amenities. In regards to economic status, the poverty gap is disadvantages significantly. The class is poorly compensated for their services. The article uses data from the number of women with color who live wealthy

America Civil Aviation Authority Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

America Civil Aviation Authority - Essay Example The authority is housed within the America Airports Authority (AAA) head office. It is around 18km from the city centre and about 20-25 minutes ride depending on the traffic. The authority’s broad key functions are to regulate the aviation industry in America, to provide air navigational services within America’s Flight Information Region (FIR) and to offer training for aviation personnel. The company provides an air transport reimbursement facility to those employees who incur expenditures in flight ticketing, which means that the expenditure incurred by employees in air ticketing is compensated by the company. The process described above has been automated by a system and some IT infrastructural resources and assets that depend on IT for a complete transaction or operation. The average users of the system include the staff, the IT administrators and the finance employees. The staff members require the following IT requirements: a computer networked with the organizati on’s server in the server room. The computer should be able to remotely connect to the server in the server room in order to access the system remotely. The server is able to identify the users with specific IP addresses. The server then filters the addresses and initiates an access control procedure. Access to the system is controlled on the basis of the users’ IP addresses. Once the server identifies the IP address, it displays the appropriate interface to the user. The IT administrators are the technical users of the system. They handle all processing of applications by other staff members. They also ensure that the system is available to all users 24 hours a day 7 days in a week. The finance staff members, on the other hand, only verify the identification of the employees who are to be compensated. The reporting structure of the organization and the senior IT group are as shown below: ACAA Infrastructure The following diagram shows the organizational structure of t he America Civil Aviation Authority starting from the chief information officer (CIO) to the other departments within the organization. It is one of my duties as the CIO of ACAA to protect all the information regarding ACAA as an organization as well as an enterprise. All the ACAA IT functions are overseen by me. In addition, I also ensure ACAA data integrity is protected. Given that ACAA treats IT as an organizational asset, it is my duty therefore, to make sure that IT is perfectly aligned with the ACAA business goals. Such duties as the establishment of technical service centers, data centers, scheduling production, communication networks, the development of computer programs and employee training are tasked to me. I am privileged with the ability to make and take strategic decisions regarding IT given the availability of large amount of information associated with my position. I, however, work closely with the executive management, CEO, stakeholders and Board of Directors in the decision making process. It is my duty to ensure that complete and accurate data are obtained by both the ACAA internal and external customers in a timely manner. This is achieved through research and implementation of the latest developments, technologies and trends. I make sure my IT staff is innovative in order to be able to convert the organization’s opportunities to its strength.  

Derek Jarmans Blue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Derek Jarmans Blue - Essay Example Discovering he was HIV positive in 1986, it comes as no surprise that Jarman’s work passionately embraced the call of AIDS activism. Indeed, until his death from AIDS in 1994 a great amount of Jarman’s visual and sound art concerned the nature of homosexual identity and the need for increased attention to victims of this disease. While Jarman’s artistic production exhibits a considerable range of work, from stage design to writing and even conceptual pieces, it’s unquestionably his work in the filmic medium that has garnered him the most critical acclaim. While beginning with crude super 8 mm films, Jarman progressed to more elaborate film art visions. In Sebastianne (1976) Jarman is credited with producing the first British film that depicted homosexuality from a positive perspective. In the 1980s Jarman increasingly turned his attentions to questions of homosexuality and AIDS activism. These themes and style continued until Jarman eventually experienced health concerns and began constructing more paired down works. It is in this context that Jarman’s seminal film Blue was produced in 1993. During the time of its production Jarman was dying of AIDS and his sight was rapidly diminishing. The film itself consists of an entirely blue screen with text and music interspersed in a stream of conscious like narrative format. Rowland Wymer has articulated the film as, â€Å"The return to the suffering body - the blue screen representing not only an 'open door to the soul' but also an after-image on the retina left by the 'shattering bright light of the specialist's camerea' - is also a return to politics.† While the narrative contains ambiguity characteristic of Jarman’s personal artistic approach, it’s clear the film exhibits a relationship between the motif of transcendence and AIDS activism. This essay considers Derek Jarman’s Blue within this context, and attempts to situate it within the broader contex t of Queer theory, and the aural landscape of the relatively new field of sound art. Analysis In great part one detects in Derek Jarman’s Blue the interrelation between the form of the film and the underlining subtext of the film’s narrative and artistic intentions. Perhaps the most pervasive and overarching structural concerns one notes is transcendental nature of how the flow of life equals the stream of conscious flow of the narrative. In these regards one thinks of the transcendent in the Emersonian sense, as life is understood not as the singular entity of the individual, but rather as a universal oneness. This flows from Jarman’s own confrontation with morality in the film and the impending questions all individuals with AIDS must face regarding their own transitory existence. While the film returns to a number of thematic tropes, it is this underlining subtext, namely the motif of transcendence and AIDS activism, that is perhaps most prevalent throughout Jarman’s work in this film. As the film progresses these thematic concerns gradually become articulated through a number of structural means. While the predominant emphasis is on the nature of sound and text, one must also consider Jarman’s implementation of the blue background throughout the entirety of the film. Early in the film, one notes Jarman’s direct discussion of the color blue. The film states, â€Å"Blue is the universal love in which man bathes. It is the terrestrial paradise.† The film then transitions to the narrator describing himself walking along the beach in which he hears the voices of dead friends. Here the blue background represents the transcendence of the ocean and sounds of past friends. It functions as a testament to these individuals who perhaps died from AIDS, drawing attention to the

Business statistic Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business statistic - Article Example The political unrest in the Middle East, the earthquake in Japan, and the weak housing market are some of the factors that contributed to the decline in economic growth during the first quarter. Coming from a 3.1% growth in fourth quarter of 2010, the first quarter growth rate of gross domestic product declined at 2.7%. Economists, however, maintain a positive outlook on economic recovery. The unemployment rate which currently stands at 8.8% is predicted to fall to 8.3% on December 2011. This decline in unemployment is attributed to the 200,000 jobs which economists believe will be offered by the government next year. More jobs extend purchasing power that’s why consumer prices are also expected to rise at the end of 2011. Economists predict the inflation rate to register at 2.8% by year-end. The price per barrel of oil, in addition, is estimated to fall under 100 dollars. Interest rate, meanwhile, is forecasted to increase by the end of 2011. Economists point to decreasing unemployment rate and increasing inflation rate as factors that would likely cause the Federal Reserve to increase interest

Nuclear Weapon and Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nuclear Weapon and Cold War - Essay Example The debate on nuclear policy has addressed the deterrence of aggressive nations and the proliferation goals of nuclear weaponry. The Cold War, which took place following World War II, was a power struggle between the world powers, more specifically the United States and the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, nuclear proliferation became inevitable as the world powers and their allies struggled to obtain the resources necessary to build their own nuclear weapon. As other nations developed the capability to produce nuclear weapons, limiting nuclear proliferation to the greatest degree possible became one of the primary goals of American foreign policy. The events following World War II, inadvertently changed the international politics of the United States by requiring the American government to take a more active role in the affairs of the nation. In the long run, the proliferation of nuclear weapons increased the Cold War but diminished the desire for a hot war. For centuries, the United States' foreign policy was isolationism, however, the Americans' international politics changed dramatically by the end of World War II.2 The United States rarely developed international policies, military advancements, or technological advancements before other nations. "The United States through most of its history had hardly led the world in developing new war-fighting technologies. Americans had tended to imitate rather than to originate weaponry"3 As the war came to a close, the United Stated tested the first nuclear weapon, an atomic bomb. The Americans' development of the first nuclear weapon was unprecedented, but the United States was trying to find a fast and cost effective solution to bring World War II to an end. "Having acquired this awesome weapon, the United States used it against Japan for a simple and straightforward reason: to achieve victory as quickly, as decisively, and as economically as possible Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed"4 This devastating demonstration of the atomic bomb ended World War II only weeks after the creation of the United Nations. The United States government started to take an active role in the world and the security of the nation instead of maintaining its isolationist views. The United States government enacted organizations, policies, plans, and treaties to insure the safety and security of themselves and their allies, therefore taking on a very untraditional role. At the end of the Second World War, the major concern was the containment of communism and the security of the United States and its allies. In 1946, Winston Churchill warned the United States about the Iron Curtain. The Iron Curtain was a "symbolic separation of Europe" between countries that were controlled by the Soviet Union and those that were not controlled by the Russians.5 The fear was that a "domino effect"6 (one country falls to communism then they all

Review of Financial Statements Essay Example for Free

Review of Financial Statements Essay Financial statements are essential accounting tools which include balance sheets, cash flow statements, and income statements that provide information on a companys past and present financial history. Information on financial statements can be used by any number of public and private entities to determine if an organizations financial status is healthy. Burger King and McDonalds are two organizations that use financial statements in conducting business. Further, this paper will discuss the financial statements of each company, the firms which audit each companies financial statements, and define accounting concepts, terminologies, and transactions used in the financial statements. Additional information will provided regarding when McDonalds and Burger King were established and what product and services they provide to the public. Overview of Organizations McDonalds first opened its doors in 1940 introducing the concept of the speedee service system offering french fries, hamburgers, and shakes to satisfy the hungry customer quickly at a low price. Over the next 65 plus years the McDonalds menu has changed from just french fries and hamburgers to salads, wraps, chicken nuggets and many more items which cater to the ever changing tastes of consumers. McDonalds has been criticized over the years as being a major contributor high obesity rates, in part due to the speedee service concept. These criticism have caused McDonalds to rethink menu items and helped the company to enact numerous changes to the menu which now offers nutritional guides for each menu item and healthier choices such as salads, fruit, and milk. McDonalds has changed the oil used to fry foods to make the fries healthier and includes a choice of meal sizes and most recently started a new line of coffee drinks, which offers the desired Starbucks taste for a fraction of the cost. The fast food chain currently has 31,000 restaurants worldwide and operates in 119 countries and serves approximately 47 million customers daily. McDonalds is also highly associated with the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) that has donated money and services to families and communities for over 35 years to approximately 37 million children and families. (McDonalds, 2009). The McDonald Corporation pays for most of  RMHCs global administration cost so that all donations go directly to the community and families. The charity is in such high demand that RMHC plans to expand their programs by 37% by 2010 to better help those in need. Burger King started in 1953 first known as Insta Burger King offering hamburgers to consumers that was cooked on a small cooker called an Insta-Broiler oven; the concept proved to be successful. In 1954 the name changed to Burger King, the broiler oven first used was replaced with the flame broiler and soon became popular for offering their flame broiled hamburgers and what is now known as the Whopper burger. (Burger King, 2009). The next 60 plus years for Burger King began suffering the same criticisms as McDonalds. It seemed all fast food chains were being blamed for the increased obesity rate in the U.S. Burger King followed suit and began making changes to their menus adding chicken, salads, fruit, food nutritional guides, smaller sizes, choice of drinks such as tea, milk, and changing the oil used to fry French fries as well as additional changes. Burger King Corporation is associated with a few charity organizations such as Have It Your Way which works to alleviate hunger, disease, and promotes community education through scholarship programs; the McLamore Foundation provides scholarships and is associated with several charities for When Organizations Were Established Burger King was founded in 1954 in Miami, Florida by James McLamore and David Edgerton. McLamore and Edgerton, both of whom had extensive experience in the restaurant business before starting their joint venture, believed in the simple concept of providing the customer with reasonably priced quality food, served quickly in attractive, clean surroundings. (New York Job Source, 2009), thus, the invention of the Whopper which was an instant success. Today Burger is found in all 50 states and 74 countries and territories throughout the world with more than 11,700 restaurants. In 1967 the Pillsbury Company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota purchased the company and its employees and the company went public in May 2006 at $17 a share. Today the company remains majority-owned by an equity group comprised of Texas Pacific Group, Bain Capital Partners and the Goldman Sachs Funds. (New York Job Source, 2009). McDonalds was founded by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald of San  Bernardino, California. Ray Kroc, a milkshake machine distributor happened on the brothers restaurant as he was curious to discover why such a small establishment would need 10 milkshake machines. Kroc was impressed by the speed with which these two brothers were able to provide service in their busy hamburger stand and he asked the brothers for a briefing on their McDonalds Speedee System and after the briefing he requested and secured the rights to duplicate the system throughout the United States. Ray Kroc opened his first outlet in Chicago in 1955, 50 years later the number of McDonalds locations had expanded to over 31,500. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, Swain, 2008, pg. 76). Today McDonalds averages over 100 million dollars a day and is located in 121 countries around the world. Both companies had meager beginnings and have grown into fast food superstars. Accounting Organizations Providing Audits Both McDonalds and Burger King offer burgers, fries, and creamy shakes. However, the differences between McDonalds and Burger King are far more than golden arches and golden crowns. McDonalds has both and internal and external audit committees. The internal audit committee is composed of five Directors, each of whom meets the independence and other requirements of the New York Stock Exchange (Santona, 2009). The committee abides by a charter which states all its responsibilities and is reviewed annually. Ernst Young LLP (Ernst Young), the Companys independent auditors, is responsible for performing an audit of the Companys annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and for issuing a report on those statements (Santona, 2009). The Burger King Corporation also has both internal and external audit committees. The internal committees perform quarterly internal audits that are published for investors, but these audits are indicated as unaudited by an external entity. KPMG LLP is the external organization the Burger King Corporation uses for its external audits. Financial Statements Used and Terminology As a publicly traded company within the United States Burger King Corporation (BKC) has taken all the necessary steps required to abide by the regulations set forth the Sarbanes-Oxley Act  of 2002. The annual report for FY2008 includes information such as business information, risk factors, physical assets, legal proceedings, stockholder matters, and finally a comprehensive financial statement. (Burger King Corp, 2009). This section of the annual report begins with management reports on internal controls which are in place regarding financial reporting which explains in detail the understanding of both the CEO and CFO and their obligation to take full responsibility for the content of the annual report. The report of the independent registered public accounting firm (KPMG) is and additional statement of responsibility from the independent accounting firm which states the firm has reviewed the information. Paged within the reportcontain the balance sheet, statement of income, statem ent of stockholders equity, and statement of cash flows for FY2008 compared to 2007, 2006, and 2005. While BKCs annual report was presented in a standard no-frills format, McDonalds Corporations 2008 annual report included graphics and photos as the driver of the information. Along with the financial statements, McDonalds annual report focused on highlights from the menu to the money along with letters of welcome from the Chairman, Andy McKenna and CEO, Jim Skinner. (McDonalds Corporation, 2009). The financial reporting still included the managements report on internal controls, the report of independent registered public accounting firm (Ernst Young, LLP), the balance sheet, statement of income, statement of stockholders equity, and the statement of cash flows. In both instances a dedicated effort was made to satisfy the requirements regulated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Basic Accounting ConceptsIn 2008, McDonalds financial report shows annual total revenue at 23,522.4 million dollars compared to Burger Kings 2,455.0 million dollars; a difference of 21,067.4 million dollars; McDonalds clearly having earned more revenue (MSN Money, 2009). However, prior to 2003, the difference between McDonalds profits and Burger Kings were even greater. From 2001 through 2003 Burger King was losing money, but has made a steady annual gross profit since. (CNN Money, 2006). Transactions In 2008, Burger Kings annual profit was 1,452.0 million dollars and in 2007 the profit was 1,317.0 million dollars, a growth of 135 million dollars. McDonalds has also encountered gross profit over the past two years, however, at a much greater scale. In 2008 the gross profit recorded was 8,639.2 million dollars and in 2007 a gross profit was recorded of 7,905.2, an increase in profit of 734 million dollars. Accounts Affected by Transactions While the two fast food restaurant chains are no where near comparable in revenue, both chains are increasing revenue year after year. Since 2006, when Burger King became a publicly traded company; like McDonalds, they both worked to maintain a profitable growth for share holders which has increased the amount of profit each year (MSN Money, 2009). Both companies have cash assets as well as land and property, rental fees, food, supplies, salary responsibilities, and advertising. Financial Statements Affected by TransactionsEach of the transactions listed for Burger King and McDonalds are provided in detail on a number of the financial statements. Specifically, the profit can be followed on the balance sheet, the statement of income, and the statement of cash flows located in each annual report. In addition these figures are compared to the previous years numbers on each of these statements. Conclusion McDonalds and Burger King have been in business for decades and each company has established its respective company in the hearts of the American people and consumers across the globe when they expanded into global market. Both companies use reputable accounting firms and the same types of financial statements in order to assess the health of their financial status. This paper has shown how important understanding the concepts, terms, and transactions listed on financial statements are in order to better gauge how a company is faring financially on a year to year basis. References Albrecht, W.S., Stice, E.K., Stice, J.D. Swain, M.R. (2008). Accounting: Concepts and applications, (10 ed). Cengage Learning Center, Mason, Ohio. Burger King Corp. (2009). Company Info. Retrieved June 20, 2009 http://www.bk.com/Companyinfo/corporation/fact.aspxCNN Money. (2006). The King Meets his Public. Retrieved June 18, 2009, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/03/06/8370602/index.htmMcDonalds. (2009). Our company. Retrieved June 18, 2009 from http://www.aboutmcdonalds. Com/mcd/our_company.htmlMcDonalds Corporation (2009). 2008 annual report. Retrieved June 18, 2009, from http://www1.mcdonalds.com/annualreport/index.htmlMSN Money. (2009). McDonalds Corporation: Financial Statement. Retrieved June 18, 2009,from http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statement.aspx?Symbol=MCD1stStatement=IncomestmntView=AnnMSN Money. (2009). Burger King Holdings Inc.: Financial Statement Retrieved June 18, 2009, from http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statement.aspx?Symbol =BKC1stStatement=IncomestmntView=AnnNew York Job Source. (2009). Burger King: Worlds second largest food chain. Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://www.nyjobsource.com/burgerking.htmlSantona, G. (2009). McDonalds: 2009 Annual Shareholders Meeting and Proxy Statement. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/etc/medialib/aboutMcDonaldsinvestor_relations.Par.58.686.File.tmp/2009%20Annual%Shareholders%20Meeting%20Proxy%20Statement.pdf

Dell Business Analysis: Organisation and Effectiveness

Dell Business Analysis: Organisation and Effectiveness Summary The research is about study of distribution channel management at Dell Computers, UK. My work is more practical in nature, studying the Distribution Channels of Dell, both at a strategic and an operational level. I would be analysing the business function on its efficiency and effectiveness, comparing with the other industry performers. I would mostly be comparing the function against Sony Electronics, the most respected name in multi-channel distribution network; Acer, pioneer of value computing products and proprietary brands like Advent. The research aims to analyse and study the distribution channel of Dell in UK, distribution channel of its competitors, efficiency and effectiveness of Dells Distribution channel as compared to its competitors. And based on the research and analysis propose recommendations to enhance its effectiveness. The literature review section of the dissertation explores the definition of distribution, channel, and distribution channel and distribution channel management. Apart from that the section also examines the activities and the levels of distribution channel. The latter half of the section focuses on the distribution strategy adopted by Dell, Sony and Acer. Research is conducted by means of case study as well as survey. Case study analysis incorporates the study and effectiveness of the distribution strategy of Acer, Sony and Dell. Two set of questionnaires are designed to collect data from the end customer and the channel partners. Apart from that secondary data is used from from books, journals, company reports and documents, government websites whereas primary data is collected by means of survey questionnaire distributed channel partners and the end customers. In all 50 questionnaires are collected duly filled out of 60 questionnaires being sent out to the end customer whereas the questionnaire for the channel partners was send to 50 channel partners out of which only 30 responses were received. Questionnaires were sent out using survey distribution services of a web site. Care was taken to ensure that diverse demographic is covered for the survey. The research has its own drawbacks such as the work limited to the English market. Financial and time constraints of my semester mean that Im not able to conduct a global research that would be more apt in this case. Another limitation is most of my work is conducted through a personal observation method; as such it is prone to my personal bias. Thirdly distribution channel model is a sensitive piece of company information. As far as information on the competitors distribution channel is concerned its bit difficult. CHAPTER 1: Introduction This chapter will introduce the topic, specify the key aim and objectives of the dissertation, discuss the research approach and state the dissertation outline. The key aim of this chapter is to establish the foundation for the research topic by giving out basic information. 1.1 Introduction The research is about study of distribution channel management at Dell Computers, UK. The dissertation is more practical in nature, studying the Distribution Channels of Dell, both at a strategic and an operational level. I would be analysing the business function on its efficiency and effectiveness, comparing with the other industry performers. I would mostly be comparing the function against Sony Electronics, the most respected name in multi-channel distribution network; Acer, pioneer of value computing products and proprietary brands like Advent. Dell Inc. is a multibillion dollar, multinational technology firm that manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computing and computer related products. Dell has seen a rapid growth to become one of the top three vendors in the PC manufacturing industry, and has seen a substantial increase in share price and market value. While many other companies were unable to handle the demands of the competition, Dell has proved successful in such an environment. The main key to success to Dell has been its two innovative practices that is direct sales and build-to-order business model. This model is simple as a concept but highly complex to execute, especially in the present conditions of rapid growth and change. Dell has continually renewed and extended its business model while striking a balance between control and edibility. Dell made changes in its design, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics processes to reduce the costs, and to speed up the entire distribution system. It has expanded into International markets and it started making notebook and server product lines which has led to extraordinary profits for dell, and has given a great market value for the company. Dell has reached sales of $18.2 billion by the year 1998, with a profit of $1.46 billion, and Dells market share in the PC market grew from 3% in 1995 to 9.2% in the year 1999 with stock price increasing by 40 times. Dells market capitalization has reached $100 billion. 1.2 Research aim and Questions The primary purpose of my research work is to analyse the role distribution channels play in the functioning of a business, both in the long run and in the short run. My study is to present a detailed description of the unique distribution channel adopted by Dell Inc., analyse its efficiency and effectiveness, identify possible loopholes and put forth recommendations for development. My study is being undertaken with an aim to answer the following research questions: * How are the various distribution channels organised within Dell Inc.? * How does it compare with its competitors? * How effective and efficient is this channel management at Dell? * What can be done to make it better? The four research questions are the guiding blocks of my entire research and all of the work would be done, keeping them in view. Distribution Channels within Dell: I would be looking at Dells innovative distribution channel management which has literally revolutionised the importance of Direct Marketing in the consumer electronics space. Direct marketing is still the primary distribution mechanism within Dell. I would be documenting the evolution of this concept within Dell right from its customized sales regime during PCs Limited to the complex and sophisticated systems that it employs currently. I would be presenting a visual of the entire distribution network that it stands at today. Comparison with its competitors: I would be comparing the dynamic distribution systems of its arch rivals. Sony and Acer are the brands that I would be concentrating upon. I would be looking at the strategies adopted in different economies, though my primary concentration would be on the English markets. Efficiency and Effectiveness: I would be conducting an efficiency and effectiveness test of Dells powerful distribution network against its competitors. This would be an empirical study. I would be concentrating on the parameters of Customer Satisfaction and Vendor relationship management. Recommendations: Finally, I would be putting forth recommendations for future developments along with the cost benefit analysis of such implementations. 1.3 Research approach The study is conducted by collecting secondary data and primary data. Secondary data is collected from books, journals, government websites, company documents whereas primary data is collected by means of survey questionnaire distributed among channel partners and the end customers. Participants of research would be intermediaries in the distribution network and the end customer. In order to select the participants the study has made use of stratified random sampling method in order to make sure that major demographic segments are represented while selecting the samples (Rao Skinner, 1996). Questionnaire design consists of two parts. The first part contained the demographic information while the second part dwelled on each of the subjects perception on each variable using five point likert scales from 1 (â€Å"Strongly Agree†) to 5(â€Å"Strongly Disagree†). The study did not require any assistance from a third party or any other institution. In order to collect data the study made use of web portal survey to distribute survey and get responses. The system was designed in such a way that the respondent have to submit all the answers. Out of 60 questionnaires, responses for 50 surveys were obtained. The duration for the survey was kept as two weeks, a reminder mail was being sent to the respondents at the end of week one to remind them. 1.4 Importance of the study Organizations have been undergoing strategic changes over the past decade. More so in the past couple of years. The current recession has proved that risk management and strategic planning are most vital for an organizations long lasting and self-sustaining performance. My work will strive to highlight one such areas of strategic thinking and inform the senior management about the benefits involved. 1.5 Research Scope My work would primarily be concentrated on the UK market. Though Dell is a global corporation with intermediaries present across the globe, all working towards forming an effective value chain to maximize business potential and ensure efficiency in operations; UK being the second biggest market after the US will be a general approximation of the entire organizational behaviour. Furthermore, the cosmopolitan nature of London and demographic diversity ensures that it would be a close estimate of the general population. 1.5 Limitation of Research I intend to undertake my research as comprehensively as possible. As in any research work, inherent are some unavoidable drawbacks in my study. Few of them are: * Financial and Time Constraints: As outlined before, the scope of my work is limited to the English market. Financial and time constraints of my semester mean that Im not able to conduct a global research that would be more apt in this case. * Personal bias. Most of my work is conducted through a personal observation method; as such it is prone to my personal bias. However as the person who is to do the entire research right from formulation of research questions to recommending solutions, I would be most qualified to comment on the topic. * Information Constraints. Distribution channel model is a sensitive piece of company information. Though I have secured access to Dell, wherein I could do all the data mining myself, the extent of information that I would be able to muster about the rivals model is still to be seen. 1.5 Dissertation outline The structure of the dissertation is as follows Chapter 1: Chapter 1 encompass introduction to the topic, followed by brief background into the research topic. This beginning chapter also lays bare aims and objectives of the research followed by structure of the thesis. Apart from that this chapter also gives information on the research approach adopted and the limitations of the research. Chapter 2: The literature review section of the dissertation explores the definition of distribution, channel, and distribution channel and distribution channel management. Apart from that the section also examines the activities and the levels of distribution channel. The latter half of the section focuses on the distribution strategy adopted by Dell, Sony and Acer. The final section compares the distribution strategy by all the three players. Chapter 3: The thesis then moves on to methodology section wherein the research model, research framework and data collection methodology is discussed. Questionnaire method is used to collect the necessary data from the consumer. Chapter 4: This chapter explores data findings Chapter 5: This chapter presents the conclusion. Chapter 6: This includes references using Harvard referencing style Chapter 7: This includes the Appendix 1.6 Summary The chapter introduced the topic of the dissertation, specified the key aims and objectives of the research. Discussed the research approach in form of secondary and primary data collection through the means of questionnaire and clearly stated the limitations of the research in brief. The chapter also outlines the research structure specifying the contents of each chapter. Chapter 2: Literature Review During my research, I would primarily be looking towards the concepts of Distribution Channel and its management. I would be guided by the various contributions in the field, though my work would primarily be influenced by the theories and suggestions of Philip Kotler in the area. A Professor of Business Studies at the Kelloggs Business School, Kotler is often regarded as the ‘Father of Modern Marketing. My work also coincides with various other management thinking like Consumer Behaviour, Relationship Management, Marketing Mix and Optimization, among others. 2.1 Definition 2.1.1 Distribution Kotler (1996) states that distribution is a key element in the marketing mix (place amongst the 4Ps). It is the systems and practices in use which make a product or service available to the consumer of such a product or service. 2.1.2 Channel Channel is defined as â€Å"a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for consumption or use† (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). It can also encompass physical movement, warehousing, ownership of the product, presale transaction, post-sale activities; order processing, credit and collections; and other different types of support activities (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). 2.1.3 Distribution Channel The Distribution Channel is the chain of intermediaries, each of them passing on the product or service to another intermediary until it reaches the consumer. The business dictionary defines it as â€Å"The route by which a product or service is moved from a producer or supplier to customers. A distribution channel usually consists of a chain of intermediaries, including wholesalers, retailers, and distributors, that is designed to transport goods from the point of production to the point of consumption in the most efficient way† (Dictionary, 2010) Another definition of Distribution channel states â€Å"A group of independent and interdependent organizations involved in the sale and movement of goods and services to the end users may be called a distribution channel or network† (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). More specifically, a distribution channel is: * The transfer of goods from manufacturer to the end user. * Route of a company for distributing the goods. * The process of moving goods from the manufacturer to the consumer. * A supply chain consisting of all parties in between production to the end user. 2.2 Types of channel members The activities in the distribution channel can be carried out by the marketer himself or it can be carried out by specialist organizations. The specialist organizations and the channel members can be categorized into two types. * Resellers * Specialty Service Firms. Resellers are the companies which usually buy and take the ownership of the products from the manufacturer with the intention of selling to end consumers. An organization can have one or more than one reseller in the chain. The network or chain of resellers is known as reseller network. The resellers can be further classified into: Retailers: A retailer sells the product directly to the end customer. Wholesalers: Wholesalers buy the products from manufacturer or other wholesalers and then they sell the products to the retailers. Industrial Distributors: They are the ones who sell products from one business to other, they are suppliers who buy the goods and sell it to another firm. Specialty service firms are organizations that do not take the ownership of the products. They also provide additional services along with the products. Specialty firms can be: Agents and brokers: They are the firms which bring together the suppliers and buyers and mediate the sale and they charge a fee for this kind of service. Distribution service firms: They provide services which help with the movement of goods in the distribution channels like transportation, processing and storage of goods and products. Others: They are the firms which provide other services to the channels in distribution like insurance, routing assistance etc. The distribution channels consist of many parties among which each of them is trying to meet their objectives. Relationships between channel members should be strong with each others especially on which they are depending for the further distribution of product. 2.3 Levels The arrangement of the distribution channels can be classified into two types: * Independent channel arrangements. * Dependent channel arrangements. Independent channel arrangements: In this type of arrangement the channel members negotiate deals with others which do not result in the binding of the relationships. Channel members are free to make arrangements which they feel is in their own and best interest. An individual member decides what is best for them and not the entire channel. This is also called conventional distribution arrangement and often significant conflict as each member decides what is best for him and not in concern with the entire channel As shown in the figure 2 there are four levels of distribution channels. Channel 1 is called the direct marketing channel which is the distribution of products or services from the manufacturer to the customer. The best example for this channel is Dell which does not makes use of any intermediaries to distribute its products to end customers; there are no retailers, agents or wholesalers. The channel does not have any intermediaries. This type of channel helps to eradicate the excess cost and also helps to have good control over the quality and marketing. The other three channels fall in the category of â€Å"indirect marketing channels†. As shown in the figure 1, the second channel has one intermediary, if the market is a consumer market the one intermediary is basically a retailer. Electronic consumer goods market of UK is an example of second type of channel arrangement. In this type of distribution arrangement the companies sell good to large retail chains, example would be Sony, Canon, and HP selling their electronic goods to large retail chains such as Dixons. These retailers in return sell the goods to the end customer. As shown in the figure Channel 3 consists of two levels which are the wholesaler and the retailer. The role of the wholesale in this channel is to buy the products at bulk from the manufacturer and then sell the same to retailer in smaller quantities. This model works best for retailers on small scale and not for big chains such as Dixons. This type of distribution channel is best when there are large number of small retailers and not big companies. Example in this case would be the medical drugs distribution market in the UK. The fourth channel has added level to it in the form of agents who work as intermediary between manufacturer and wholesaler. The agent acts as representative for both the sides. This works in textile market. Figure 2 gives information on the four types of distribution channel. Dell follows the manufacturer to direct customer channel thus discarding the intermediaries in between. Source: http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-MADRAS/Management_Science_II/Pdf/1_4.pdf A direct distribution channel is where a company sells their products direct to consumers. While direct channels were not popular many years ago, the Internet has greatly increased the use of direct channels. Additionally, companies needing to cut costs may use direct channels to avoid middlemen mark-ups on their products. Distributors, wholesalers and retailers are the primary indirect channels a company may use when selling their products in the marketplace. Companies choose the indirect channel best suited for their product to obtain the best market share; it also allows them to focus on producing their goods. Though, in practicality, a number of other players exist, they can be generalised to the above. The specific channel of distribution adopted by a company depends, to a major extent, on its business model, the industry type and the scale of its operations. As an Instance, Sony has its own set of company operated exclusive showrooms. The strong brand equity of Sony, the scale of its business and clearly identifiable product differentiations that it enjoys with the consumers, allow it to leverage on its economies of scale and scope by operating its own outlets. Directly, this result in better margins for the company and indirectly it helps building on its already demanding brand leadership. Dell, on the other hand, relies more on online sales. This is because of the organization of its service delivery utility. Dells business model is based upon its centralised manufacturing facilities, rather than the nuclear organization at Sony. Online sales suits such a strategy by negating the high costs of transportation and inventory planning issues involved. A manufacturer selling a physical product might require three channels: Sales Channel, Delivery Channel, and Service Channel. In Our case, Dell uses telephone and internet as sales channels, express mail services as the delivery channel and local repair people as its service channel. 2.4 Distribution Channel Activities Distribution includes different range of activities (Richard Gay, 2007) * Linking many suppliers to provide wide range of consumer choice * Assist the exchange process identify the needs of the buyer in the context of product categories, quantities, range etc. and devise manufacturing, inventory and packaging schedules to fit. * Marketing information: This encompass collection, distribution and analysing marketing research information such as the past sales data about the players within the organizations marketing environment. * Promotional activities- This involves setting of promotional objectives and activating the various elements of the marketing communications mix and measuring their effectiveness, this will encompass identify and communicate with prospects. * Pricing: Deciding on the sales terms and conditions at each stage of the value chain * Risk management This includes analysis and resource sourcing required for involvement in the channel , the degree of control and influence and the potential benefits such as revenue and profit generation. * Physical Distribution Management It includes the transportation all aspects of warehousing management and information flows. Other Activities that may be part of the distribution channels are as follows: * Order Generation. * Handling of Goods. * Shipping of Goods. * Storage of Goods. * Display of Goods. * Promotion of Goods. * Sale. * Feedback. 2.5 Distribution Channel Management Distribution Channel Management is all about getting the product or service to the right people at the right time under the constraints of profits, efficiency and effectiveness. Successful marketing does not end when a business has developed a product or service and has found its appropriate target audience with a view to selling it at the right price. The next issue that needs to be faced is how they are going to distribute and sell this product/service to these people- the consumers. When a product/service is purchased by a consumer, it may have been bought directly from the business, or it may have been through a number of intermediaries (wholesaler, retailer, etc.): these are known as distribution channels. Small businesses need to acknowledge the different types of distribution channels to utilize sales potential. Distribution channel management involves a lot of channel decisions, strategic alternatives and numerous linking concepts, all of which would be explored in my research paper. Distribution channel management involves a lot of channel decisions, strategic alternatives and numerous linking concepts. The PC industry is driven by rapid technological improvements in components, particularly microprocessors, other semiconductors, and storage devices. The improved performance of hardware has been matched historically by increased complexity of software, creating demand for the latest hardware. Figure 2 PC Supply Chain This means that time is a critical competitive factor in the industry in two ways: * Firstly, excess inventory loses value (at an estimated 10% per month 😉 and costs money; * Secondly, products incorporating the most advanced technologies are in high demand and carry a price premium. As a result, companies that minimize inventory and bring new products to market faster can reduce costs, increase market share, and maintain higher margins. Two factors come into play in determining the ability of PC companies to manage inventory and introduce new products. First is the standardized, modular nature of the PC. PCs are built from standard components, using common architectural interfaces determined largely by Intel, Microsoft, and, earlier, IBM. PC makers also can outsource much of their production and purchase components from a well-established production network of contract manufacturers and components suppliers. This makes it quite easy for PC companies to introduce new PCs with the most advanced technologies. By the 1990s, PC makers could no longer gain much of an edge by virtue of design and manufacturing, as everyone had access to the same technical information and supply base. The difference among PC companies was determined increasingly by the second factorâ₠¬â€the structure of distribution. The traditional distribution system of the PC industry is an indirect model often referred to as â€Å"the channel†. The PC maker sells its products to distributors, who buy products from many manufacturers and then sell them to a variety of retailers, resellers, system integrators, and others, who sell products and services to the final customer. This distribution system was an effective means for distributing high volumes of PCs with a variety of configurations to reach a broad customer base. However, it had inherent weaknesses that left it vulnerable in a time-based competitive environment. First was its reliance on market forecasting to drive production. Even the most successful PC makers, such as IBM, Apple, and Compaq, were chronically bedevilled by their inability to accurately forecast demand in a market driven by ever shorter product cycles. They were either caught with short supplies of hot products, causing them to lose sales to competitors, or stuck with excess inventories of slow sellers, which clogged the distribution channels and often had to be sold at a loss to move them out. Even with the best forecasting, the indirect model was plagued by the need to hold inventory at each step. In the early 1990s, it was common for PC makers to have up to 90 days of inventory on hand and in the channel. The high inventory costs and lack of responsiveness of the indirect channel meant that there was an opportunity for someone who could a way to circumvent the channel. The company that seized this opportunity was Dell, which pioneered a new business model based on selling PCs directly to the final customer, and building the PC only when an order was received Selling directly removes two links in the supply chain where inventory could build up and also enables Dell to know its final customers, provide better service to them, and promote repeat or expanded sales to them. Build-to-order production allows Dell to introduce new technologies as soon as customers want them and makes it possible to adjust production to demand very quickly. It also means that Dell does not purchase components and assemble PCs until it has received payment from the customer, giving the company a negative cash conversion cycle in which it receives payment from customers before it must pay suppliers. The current environment for the computer hardware industry is shaped by several macro forces. Primarily, Dell and its competitors are influenced by economic, demographic, technological and national forces. Government, social, physical and national forces peripherally affect the computer hardware industry to varying degrees. The commoditization of the personal computer—a vital tool for business and consumer. Customers- are a key driver for the economics of this industry. Corporate spending accounts for 80% of all technology spending, and economic conditions decreasing business capital expenditures has a negative and direct impact on the computer hardware industry. While this industry is mature in the U.S., leading to decreased growth expectations, computer spending by other countries around the world will likely fill this void. Pricing in the computer manufacturing industry is extremely competitive. IT reflects the rapid pace of technological change and decreasing PC costs. Since 2000, the prices of chips and disk drives declined and the standardization of primary components of PCs led to a decline in PC prices. Direct sellers, including Dell, have traditionally been able to under-price indirect sellers in the industry including Compaq and HP. However, most PC vendors now offer a desktop model for less than $500 and a laptop for $700. Key success factors for companies in this industry continue to evolve as the industry matures. Specifically, they include: * Competitive prices * Superior relationships with suppliers * Product customization for business and consumer customers * Quality customer service * Excellent cost structure 2.5.1 Channel Issues Some of the channels issues that the companies face are as follows Product related issues Promotions related issue Pricing related issues Target market related issue Product related issues: The nature and type of the product decides the distribution option that should be chosen for the product. A few products require special handling. Ex. Flowers, Fragile goods etc. Promotion related issues: The type of promotions that are required to sell the products to the customers also decides the distribution options; there are products which require an extensive contact of the sales person with the customer like automobiles etc. and there are products which require no sales assistance from the sales person like milk etc. Pricing issues: The price at which the marketer desires to sell their product also decides the distribution option for the channel if a product is prices really less it cannot have many members in the distribution channel as each one of them looks at making their own profit in the channel. Target market issues: The distribution channel is successful only if the product can reach the right customer. Choosing a distribution channel is the path to reach the target customer. A key decision in setting of a channel arrangement is for the marketer to choose the approach to reach his target customer in the best possible manner. 2.6 Dell 2.6.1 Company Background Dell Inc. is a multibillion dollar, multinational technology firm that manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computing and computer related products. Based out of Texas, it employ

Public perceptions of policing

Public perceptions of policing This paper will critically examine the effect media representations of the police can have on public perceptions of policing. In doing so it will argue that the media has a considerable influence on public perceptions of policing, highlighting that positive representations of the police are a necessity in reducing crime and creating social cohesion as a whole. This paper will conclude that negative representations should be reduced, through the media and through police accountability. In order to critically examine the effect of media representations on public perceptions, the role of the police must be discussed. Traditionally, the police role was based on the role of the night watchmen. In the late 17th Century, from every evening until sunrise, night watchmen would patrol the streets with a task to examine all suspicious characters (Emsley et al. 2012). Their main responsibility was to arrest offenders of minor crime and to deter offenders of more serious crimes (Emsley et al. 2012). To clarify, part of their role was to detect and prevent crime which generally adds to the maintaining of public order in society. This is considered to be a traditional role of the police, but, in present times this role has become much more complex. The role of the police can now be considered as split into two; to punish or to support. To explain, civil policing has a minimal distance between the police and the community, with concerns to conflict resolution and peace keeping. H owever, as a coercive and repressive force, military policing distances the service and the community by concentrating on punishment rather than community involvement. For instance, military policing has been used as an attempt to tackle the war on terror, despite the debates surrounding its considered effectiveness (Murray, 2005:347). Despite this, in recent years greater emphasis has been placed on designing policing services around public need (Myhill, 2011:273). Not only can the overall role be considered torn into antithesis, the duties within the role are numerous. McLaughlin (2007) describes police work as multifaceted in that the duties of the police include officers on the beat, stopping crimes in progress, investigating serious crimes and the arresting of offenders. In addition, the police have to focus on the deterrence of criminals as well as the reassurance of the public. On this view, police activity is in fact difficult to define and, for the most part, unrelated to law enforcement and criminal detection (Mclaughlin, 2007:52). With a police role that is in itself hard to define, it is important to discuss what the public perception of the role of the police is. The public can be considered to perceive the police as symbols of moral authority (Jackson et al. 2009:104). Therefore, the role of the police is to resolve immoral acts, and set the standard of morality. To illustrate, if the police are found to be corrupt then they are arguably damaging the moral symbol, which reduces the confidence the public have in the symbol. Perhaps due to this focus on morality, the public demand that offenders (the wrong-doers) are caught and crime is prevented (Manning cited in McLaughlin, 2007:53). Public views on policing are considered as important as administrative assessments (Myhill, 2011:273-274), this can help to ensure that their duties are executed in a satisfactory manner. Overall, public perceptions of policing are influential in their own right. In regards to this, it is important to address the perceptions of the efficiency of the police and the confidence the public have in the police. Bradford (2009) discusses four distinct groups in regards to confidence and perceptions of police effectiveness; these groups being identified through research undertaken in London. Firstly, there are the supporters who are confident about policing and the improvements in policing but have little direct experience of the police, for example, they are unlikely to have been a victim. Secondly, the contents are satisfied with policing but have indifferent feelings towards policing, similarly, they have little contact with the police. Thirdly, the needy have negative views towards the improvement of policing and do not appear to be satisfied with policing; they have high levels of police contact and victimisation. Lastly, there are the demanding who have high levels of police contact but less of this contact is caused by victimisation. They are not completely satisfied with policing but are more likely to feel informed about neighbourhood policing (Bradford, 2009:144). From this, it seems that public perceptions of the police vary due to personal experience, but the amount of contact one has with the police doesnt entirely determine whether one has a positive or negative view of policing. For example, the contents and the supporters have similar contact with the police but have differing perceptions and confidence in policing. Arguably this could be due to vicarious experience (Bradford, 2009:42), for example, stories about the police which one hears from others or through the media. This type of experience could influence ones views on policing. Concerning the split role of the police, it has been established that a more service-oriented style of policing can improve public confidence, for example neighbour policing (Myhill,2011:276). Public confidence in policing is important as it aids police-public relations, and can help to deal with the reassurance gap (Bradford, 2011:179). To clarify, crime is falling but it appears to have had little impact on public confidence in policing (Jackson et al. 2009:101). Due to this, the police are having to deal with the fear of crime in addition to attempting to control crime. The police service is trying to reduce the fear by dealing with broader concerns, for example, social disorder, as well as increasing police visibility and police-public relations (Jackson et al. 2009:101). In recent years, the media can be considered to play on this fear of crime. Ditton et al. explains that although the dominant current attitude towards the relationship between the media and crime is of the formers causing fear of the latter, it wasnt always soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦most research attention in the field was oriented to connecting the media to viewers aggression (i.e. as potential offenders) rather than to their anxieties (i.e. as potential victims) (Ditton et al. 2011:443). On this view, if the media was to concentrate on the aggression instead of the victimisation, the fear of crime would be reduced. If this fear was reduced it would increase public confidence in policing as they would believe that crime has fallen, as opposed to the public lacking confidence in the falling rate of crime. In addition, if policing does not have to tackle the fear of crime, it leaves more time to tackle actual crime, which in turn may make police-public relations stronger. Moreover, trends in public perceptions of national and local crime rates in England and Wales of 2003/2004, found that the more people thought crime was increasing, the more they lacked confidence in the police (Myhill, 2011:275). Overall, one can argue that the media influences the public into fearing increasing crime, this lowers their confidence in the police and so infringes on the strength of police-public relations. As media representations are available for general consumption, they are one of the few means whereby the public can make sense of crime and justice (Schlesinger et al. 2010 :255). In fact, the media can be considered as something that is no longer something separable from society (McRobbieThornton, 2010:488). Furthermore, the media can emphasise what they desire to cover, and neglect others (Schlesinger et al. 2010 :260). For example, a problem with policing which can be easily sensationalised in order to sell more newspapers may be reported on, whereas a successful policing crime-prevention technique lacking dramatic value may not be. Predominantly, one may view the representations of policing in the media as negative. To illustrate, the death of Ian Tomlison was heavily reported in the media. Between Tomlisons death and the Crown Prosecution Services decision not to prosecute, there was a shift in news media attention-from police violence to the wider problem of systemic institutional failure' (Greer,2011:275). To explain, the media acknowledged the misconduct of a particular police officer, but in time forwarded alleged problems of policing itself. As the public use the media to access knowledge of crime and justice, it can be considered that the public would have followed this story from the start, and so would have gained negative perceptions of policing by the end of this string of media representations. As well as producing hyperbole in the news, the media can be guilty of misrepresentations . To illustrate, McLaughlin (2007) argues that the boundaries of the real have become heavily blurred and, to some extent, erased, in that the many fictional police based programmes give a incorrect impression of policing, and produce false perceptions of policing. The media has put the once sacred icon of national security and social order at risk (McLaughlin, 2007:114) On the other hand, the media can produce positive representations of the police, which in effect may increase positivity among the public perception of policing. For instance, Neighbourhood Blues (BBC1, 2012) represents the police in a positive light, demonstrating how they integrate with the public, for example, liaising with the homeless, giving advice, showing care and compassion as well as enforcing the law. Therefore it seems that the televised representations of policing can have its strengths and weaknesses in regards to public perceptions of policing. To clarify, on-screen media can take away the reality of policing and create false representations, however it can also be a means to demonstrate the real work that the police actually undergo. In regards to media as news reports, it appears that the more sellable the story the more likely it will be printed, and so the more scandalous stories, such as police misconduct, will be presented on a larger scale than other less sensational stories. As previously acknowledged, the effects of media representations on public perceptions of policing also affects the trust the public have in the police. Greer Castells explain, When public officials and institutions are repeatedly and sensationally named and shamed as incompetent or corrupt, and failing to adhere to the norms and values they are supposed to uphold and encourage in others, public trust is undermined (Greer McLaughlin,2012:289) An example of such, is the media reaction to the MacPherson Report, in relation to the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. Allegedly, collusion and corruption on the polices behalf occurred during the Stephen Lawrence enquiry which affected the time-scale of the case achieving justice. There were also claims of unprofessional treatment of the Lawrence family during the enquiry (MacPherson, 1999). The media was immediately receptive to the enquiry (Neal, 2003:65), taking a hold of the misconduct within the police, and transforming representations to focus on institutional racism and the need for policy intervention, with four major newspapers reporting about this on their front pages (Neal, 2003:65). These newspapers heavily criticised the police in a way which was considerably unmanageable for the police (Neal, 2003:63). It is thought that higher levels of trust are linked to positive outcomes in terms of co-operation, deference and even compliance with the law ( Tyler cited in Bradf ord 2011:179 ). In this sense, one could argue that this excess of negative representations from the media hindered this trust by encouraging public perceptions that were damaging to policing. However, on the opposite view the media can be considered to have had positive effects on public perceptions, arguably it was the sole reason for the Lawrence case eventually coming to justice. If it was not for the media initially reporting on the case, the MacPherson report might never had emerged, and the issue of institutional racism may never had been acknowledged. Taking this into account, the media helped to increase the professionalism of the police. This may not have provided a positive perception of policing , but ultimately by tackling corruption, policing will improve, and in turn this could limit the negative publicity of the police. Arguably, if the police had held themselves accountable for the misconduct in dealing with the Lawrence case, then the media would not have had to expose the corruption in the police on behalf of the community. Thereby, the police need to safeguard their trust from the public and maintain a positive representation of policing by being accoun table and professional. As well as maximising audiences as much as possible, on behalf of the public the media also challenges state institutions (Mawby, 2002, 30), therefore it is in the police services interest to have positive media relations and be more proactive in order to control the police image. There exist certain strategies as a result of this interest, the main objective being the generating of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦positive publicity, thereby influencing public opinion in favour of force objectives (Mawby,2002:317). By promoting a positive light on police work, making use of all opportunities to obtain positive publicity, ensuring a professional image, and using the media to promote policing in a positive way, the public can gain a better understanding of policing and policing objectives(Mawby,2002:317). To clarify, if the police were to be continually accountable for their acts and professional in undertaking tasks and dealing with the public, they would begin to tackle the negative image of policing that the media represents so often. This is due to the fact that the media would have less need to expose the police on behalf of the community, as the police would have deem themselves responsible prior to any media report. Moreover, the police can only do a limited amount in the realms of policing in producing a positive image to the public as it is the media that has the influence on the police-public perception. Ultimately, policing must focus on improving media relations and taking a pro-active role in promoting themselves in a positive light. This would reduce the negativity that the media can present to the public, ultimately improving the publics perception of policing. In summary, this paper has argued that media representations of the police do influence the publics perception of policing. With the police role being a debatable, complex concept, public perceptions of policing are important. As was illustrated through Bradfords distinct groups, ones perception of policing is not solely dependent on personal experience. Due to the medias need to sensationalise and their duty to speak for community, the media generally represents a negative view of the police. Furthermore, the media can be considered to play on the fear of crime which has had a massive effect on public perceptions of crime, and is counter productive in the tackling of crime and in improving the trust the public have in the police. However, the media can present policing in a positive light in informative programmes for example. This paper has argued in favour of the importance of a positive police-public relation, as this positive relationship can not only help to reduce the fear of crime but can tackle crime itself. With emphasis on the importance and the benefits of a positive relationship, it is paramount that the media limits its negative representations of policing in order to improve the public perception of the police and so the police-public relationship. However, this paper has acknowledged that the media is not always incorrect when negative perceptions of policing are represented, in fact the media can be a necessary tool in holding the police to account in certain cases. Ultimately, this can add to the professionalism of the police service, and so can improve community satisfaction. Even so, the police need to control their own image and take charge in presenting themselves positively, regardless of the media. Overall, the representation of the police in the media needs to be positive, this could be achieved through the police service itself improving its professionalism by showing accountability, alongside the necessity of the media changing throug h acknowledgment of the disadvantages they can bring by negatively representing the police. To conclude, this paper has critically examined the effect that media representations of the police can have on public perceptions of policing, and has argued that these representations do have a considerably negative effect on public perceptions, of which needs to change.