Practical lessons to deliver premier customer service under tough situations

Some of the practical lessons to deliver premier customer service include:-Effective communication. This is very essential in every business for it ensures understanding between the employer and the employees towards the customers in tough situations. The source of conflict and misunderstanding is inadequate communication in all set of organization. Communication enhances understanding of the concepts and ideas which is very crucial in how teamwork operates and in making of decisions.Listening ability and proving to the customers that you are listening is very crucial for it enhances proper understanding in the organization. Another lesson is practicing how to relate with customers by adding value to the customers and making sure proper information is conveyed to the right people (Woirhaye, 2006). One should be focused and have passion. The personality of selective service should be eliminated in the business for it leads to downfall that supports negative culture.The ability to hand le customer complainants is of utmost importance for they often rise in every organization. One should be very careful for the things one say to the complaining customer for it can lead to relationship building or relationship salvaging and this affects business directly. Anger management is another practical lesson that employer and the employee should learn in order to deliver premier customer service. While dealing with difficult clients in tough situations, it is important to stay calm even when the customer results to insults.When faced with this situation, it is important to stay calm and think carefully before you say anything. This is because anger can lead to one saying things to the customer that can lead to regretting later. The employer and the employees should not expect the behavior of the customers to be exactly as they (employer and employees) behave. When faced with a difficult customer, it is important to lighten up and use humor. This helps in releasing the tensio n (Customer Service Zone, 2010).

Cheating on College Examinations

Any form of cheating is a form of dishonesty. It is an act of accomplishing something in an unethical behavior. Cheating is used in any kinds of exams, especially college exams. Does it really happen? Sure it does. We argue that many college students cheat during examinations because of several reasons. They can be nervous that is why they cheat, it can also be a reason of time management wherein some college students also work while taking time to attend school classes or, maybe they are Just lazy enough to study ahead of examination date.There are a lot of reasons why cheating on college exams happens and along with it, there are numerous effects out of cheating. Whatever the reason behind cheating, still it is an act of dishonesty and unethical conduct; besides the reality that cheating on college exams is also cheating yourself. Cheating on College Exams One of the most common reasons why student cheats on college exams is that he just forgot to study, so it is more likely that h e will cheat, but as an effect, there is a high possibility that his teacher might catch him while doing it or even worse, fail the xam after cheating because of different set of examinations.Another common reason for cheating is to complete the course as shortly as doable. In todays world, once you look into the word cheating you'll be able to realize several definitions and meanings for it. Everyone contains a completely different definition for the word cheating. Students will always find the way to cheat with the use of reference materials or by obtaining the solutions ahead of time to be ready for a closed book test. Some students pay others to complete their schoolwork. Cheating could be a concern for all colleges and teachers.Students forever find the way to avoid the results of cheating, notwithstanding how rigorously colleges work to stop it. For some students, cheating is an easy way to get better grades. Although several students assume that their individual dishonesty wo n't have an effect on anyone else, negative outcomes would still have impacts towards their personal knowledge. One impact of student cheating is that they are not learning accordingly. Some students get into the cheating habits, they do not study and in the long run, this habit affects their career development.Once the student decides to cheat, he could or might not understand he material. What a student fails to understand is that the material that the course is covering could be a necessity to use in daily life. Whatever the student doesn't learn within the course as a result of cheating can have an effect on them to get an employment with a decent pay, as a result of the fact that the student never learned the course material. Once a student takes an exam, its results are supposed to show the amount of information learned that the student has on the material that his course offers.In fact, there would be no employer who will keep someone that has no he numerous negative outcomes that cheating provides aside from not being true and honest to their self, which surely will have negative effect on students. Cheating on college exams has an effect on students one time or another throughout their school life. As mentioned, no good comes from college exam cheating because in doing this, you are cheating yourself. Once caught during college exams, a consequence comes in.As a result, a student may receive the maximum punishment their teacher can give, especially those who are hard on their students. On the other hand, there are teachers who are quite lenient with their students. Minimal unishment such as warning may be given to the student as an effect of cheating. However, cheating on college exam is commonly occurring if the student lacks effort with their studies. Students may not be able to attend his class due to some reasons, leading them to cheat during examination.Whatever the reasons for absence are, the point is they are not likely to pass through their o wn knowledge besides the fact that it will be more complex for them to cope with the upcoming lectures. That reality, which shows students who want to pass on the subjects that they find difficult for them, is also another cause why they cheat on college exam. There are times that a student, no matter how hard he studies, still finds it hard to cope with lectures in a specific subject causing him to cheat during exams.A student may also be forced to cheat if there is a parental expectation regarding his grades. Another common reason why they cheat on college exam is because of the other students who also cheat, especially when they found out that the head of the class also cheats making them realize that cheating will give them better grades. If this is the case an effect would be more and more students will be attempted to cheat during exams rovided that the first one who committed it was not caught.Conclusion Cheating on college exams is one of the most common behaviors that some students do. A cheater may find it helpful as it may lessen his or her effort to pass the exam, hence getting higher grade is possible without an effort if they cheat. Yes, it can help a student, but it will Just be a temporary help because cheating on exams will never help them learn, which is opposed to their primary purpose of attending college course. Additionally, cheating without learning is like admitting your weakness and letting the learning opportunity pass through your hands.

The Impact of Globalization on Economic Injustices towards Women Essay

The Impact of Globalization on Economic Injustices towards Women - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Lisa Lowe believes that the Utopia and dystopian narrative of gender and sexuality address how women of color provide an ideology of liberal formation which advocates for equal rights between male and female sex. She thinks that utopia has played an important role in campaigning for women's rights in the present and during the cold war. She argues that utopia, though contradicting to dystopia, was responsible for the mass movement of women's rights which saw to the intervention of the liberal state in the United States and protected the rights of minority and women who came from different races. She echoes that despite the difficulty that was experienced by women at the time, they emerged and took over roles which were male dominated and thus defined the element of freedom, capitalism, and globality. Moreover, she argues that Utopia was responsible for the scientific revolution that unleashed innovative power for both men and women ali ke. New communication approaches came up as a result and aggregation of opinions made it possible for women to be heard in the society. Her contributions in the field are immense as she contributed towards significant and transformative of Asian American studies, therefore, enabling the current and future generation to understand the past histories and critique the past issues that affected women and are still being practiced currently. Glenn was valuable in opposing theories and ideologies that encouraged the discrimination of women and greatly contributed towards the intersection analysis of power and sexuality to free women from men bondage. Her ideologies were against liberal feminism and global feminism, but she advocated for a society where women’s could be men’s equal. She was among the scholars who took the three move off in scripting women in the book of rhetoric. She also highlighted the different issues which were affecting women and criticized the issues, t herefore, creating awareness in the field of gender studies. She drew feminist scholars from other disciplines and composed in several of her works of how women were men’s equal thus changing the contemporary society’s view of women. She highlights the different discriminative acts that were being perpetrated against women like the battle against birth control, the contraception coverage debate and the intensifying attacks on choices made by women. Her struggles contributed towards the change of women's status in the society over the years as the issues were taken into consideration and the status of women changed. Saskia Sassen argued that globalization played a major role in contributing to the sovereignty of countries. She states that women are affected by the sovereignty which is being unbounded by different economic practices within a country. She notes that women are still secluded from major economic practices and this affects how they are being treated and look ed upon by men who are their equals in the society. She develops a feminist analytics of globalization and states that for development to be achieved in all sectors, the economic conditions of men and women should be considered alike and business should be shunned away from the process. Moreover, she campaigned using the feminist analytics that taking women’s perspective into consideration allows for strategic instantiations of tendering that promotes development in all major economic areas within the society. According to Mendoza, there are many dimensions of transnational and women of color feminist theoretical perspective contributing to the new the new gender analyses of a globalizing economy and economic injustices as mentioned by women scholars. Feminist geography is among the factors affecting gender and feminist perspectives of women.

Compare and contrast media coverage Research Paper

Compare and contrast media coverage - Research Paper Example Making this news channel the home of the Democratic Party. Not to be outdone, Rupert Murdoch, a well known staunch backer of the Republican party set up Fox News to rival CNN in the cable and online news front. That rivalry of the two moguls was a given since politics has always been news fodder for Americans. A late comer to the cable and online news scene is MSNBC. A network known for trying to remain in the middle of the issues and never taking political sides. That is a representation for MSNBC that cannot be denied while viewing the news channel or reading the partner website. Basically, the three news websites exist as an extension of their cable news channel counterpart. With fast breaking news reports as collated from various sources and compiled into a comprehensive article that is available for reading anytime and for free. This compare and contrast essay hopes to be able to compare the three websites in order to help people decide upon which particular site best suits thei r tastes in terms of news reporting and information dissemination. Since the American troop pullout from Iraq is a very hot topic this election season, I decided to look further into the way that the three sites covered the news item on an almost real time basis. Pres. Barack Obama is expected to meet with his Iraqi prime minister counterpart soon in order to discuss the pullout plan and what America's role in Iraq shall be after the full troop pullout. It is of the utmost importance that the information regarding their meeting be as concise and informative as possible. Which is why I decided to begin our comparison testing of the sites by looking at the overall layout and presentation of information. The first thing that stood out for me was the way that the CNN website tried to keep the layout as clean and concentrated on the main news topic as best as possible. Cleverly using the â€Å"Story Highlights† tag on the left side of its news story, the reader no longer has to re ad the full article if they do not have the time to do so because the â€Å"highlights† are already spelled out for the reader. The most important parts of the news story is already on hand and that mere snippet contains almost all the important information that one needs to remain truly informed of the events on hand. Fox News tended to crowd their news page covering the troop pullout and discussions between Pres. Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki with other links to news items that had no direct relation to the Obama - Maliki meeting. Instead their website directed you to links of news items which were localized in setting and content. On the other hand, MSNBC was the same as CNN in the sense that they concentrated their news item on the historical meeting between the president and prime minister. However, just like Fox News, MSNBC tended to insert different news items and links that had no relation to the story on hand and instead, concentrated on natio nal politics such as the elections and a supreme court justice under fire. In terms of how well these three news websites present their information, what becomes evident as one reads the report is that each website has the news of the meeting between the two leaders is that the coverage and theme of reporting has a tendency to show the political inclination of the news agency. CNN spoke highly of the way that the troop pullout happening in Iraq is the

The History of Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The History of Work - Research Paper Example From creation, people used to live unorganized lifestyles where they for example lived in caves doing nothing for livelihood. The urge to get organized and engage in some activities geared towards making their lives productive and enjoyable led to development of some tools which they utilized to make a living, for instance, through hunting and gathering. It is from there that they saw the importance of settlement and they became more organized and engaged in activities like farming although to very small scale which later developed to large scale production with advancement or utilization of technology in terms of the tools and products used. The farming revolution was experienced after 9,000 BC and brought a lot of notable changes in the world as people considered farming of crops like wheat, peas, barley and lentils among other plants as opposed to engaging in gathering them or hunting animals. Domestication of animals for instance sheep, goats and pigs was also an aspect that was adopted by the people. The first farming practices can be traced in the Fertile Crescent, which spreads from north Israel to the south east Turkey all the way to the south east of the Persian Gulf. Agriculture was however developed differently in other parts of the world as people now attached a lot of importance to it. Farming spread from the Middle East to Europe and some traditional forms of farming was practiced, for instance, the use of oxen to pull the ploughs and even the wagons. Farming was considered a very critical source of work in the agrarian revolution and people did not think of formal work since things like education and industrialization had not hit their minds. Aspects of farming did not change much in the middle ages as the peasants still considered it a difficult task due to lack of technology that could make their work easier and enjoyable. Changes were only experienced in terms of invention of some new

Police in New Orleans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police in New Orleans - Essay Example In 2002 and 2003, the state reported highest number of homicide cases. The law enforcement agencies are criticized for their failure to protect and safeguard the lives and properties of the citizens. Poverty is considered to be the major reason behind the involvement of the police into corrupt practices, the official poverty rate of the state is 28%, more than 25% of the residents of New Orleans, which include large number of police officials, earn less than $20,000. The Katrina episode brought the inefficiency and incompetence of the police officials evident, in the Times Picayune edition it was reported that, "Neighbors in the area near Hickory and Short Streets Uptown said a body has been floating nearby in five feet of water since the unidentified man was shot five times on Monday. Neighbors said the shooting was reported, but police and other officials apparently have been unable to respond" (Nicole Gelinas, 2005). The New Orleans police was previously considered to competent force, in mid 1990s the former commissioner Richard Pennington struggled hard and was successful in reducing the crime rate. However, since Pennington's departure, the crime rates have risen significantly. The New Orleans police department is considered as corrupt, brutal and an incompetent institution and the Katrina episode turned the situation worst. The police have been involved in differe... The investigations concluded that more than 12 officers were involved in the alleged practices of their involvement in looting. More than 250 police officers i.e. 15 percent of the police force faced disciplinary motions against them for their unreported absence during and post Katrina disaster (Associated Press). The police department was reportedly accused of violence and brutality, and the senior police officials personally involved themselves for the clarity and investigation of the allegations. In one of the cases, an officer's wife lodged complain for being physical tortured by three police officers, who penetrated into her house without any warrant. The police authority launched the investigation instantly, and three officers were suspended with immediate notification. According to Police Supt. Warren Riley, 'We take our integrity very, very seriously'(Hampton, 2005). There were certain other accusations, in many of the crimes the police officials were caught red-handed. In one of the cases the police officials interrogated 12 officials for looting a market. The accused were traced through the installed security camera. The senior police officials were frank enough to confirm the allegations, and promised 'swift and decisive' actions against the accused, the senior officials reported th at, 'There is zero tolerance for misconduct or unprofessional attitude by any member of this department'. (Hampton, 2005) The police authorities did take considerable remedial measures to combat the allegations of corruptions. The police department revised their infrastructure, and the federal government provided the required resources for the up gradation of the services. The police department adopted

Visual arts and film studies IP5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Visual arts and film studies IP5 - Essay Example These three art works have been taken from the Baroque, Renaissance and Enlightenment period – three different movements in history that greatly influenced the art and artists of their time. Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Ecstasy of St. Teresa The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is one of the greatest masterpieces that have been sculpted by the baroque artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini created this life-sized sculpture in white marble for the Cornaro Chapel in Rome under the commission of Venetian  Cardinal Federico Cornaro. This sculpture depicts the scene from the autobiography of Teresa of Avila, a nun and reformer, when she was under the throes of religion ecstasy when the Angel sent by God pierced her heart with a pointed arrow. Done entirely in white marble, Bernini in this detailed sculpture has managed to achieve a variety of textures such as the fold of the Angel’s cloth, the texture of the clouds and the sculpted body of the Angel. Bernini has also added drama to the sc ulpture through the strategic placement of the art piece within the Chapel. The sculpture is placed in a niche where the sculpture is overcast with light falling from above in such a way that the sculpture appears private and secluded. The use of light and dark is typical of the Baroque technique of chiaroscuro (Strickland and Boswell, 2007). Bernini, himself was a devout Catholic and was the favored artist of Pope Barberini but following his accession of Innocent X, Bernini soon fell out of the favor of the new Pope. It was during this time that Bernini was approached by Cornaro and created this sculpture. However, the theme of religion is apparent in this sculpture also since Bernini attended mass regularly and was part of the movement known as Counter Reformation. Counter Reformation was a movement where the church and devout Catholics wants to bring back the passion for the Christ that Protestants had managed to attack furiously in their Reformation movement. This sculpture is t ypical of the Baroque period when most of the artwork was based on the theme of reviving the religious theme and their passion for the people. Baroque tended to favor the elaborate and the dramatic while also emphasizing on detail. The sculpture of St. Teresa is a perfect example of the Baroque period. Michelangelo and the Creation of Adam The Creation of Adam is a fresco created by Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. This fresco is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican, Rome and was commissioned by Pope Julius II. This fresco uses symbolic imagery as Michelangelo makes the pointing of the two fingers the focus of the fresco to depict the creation of Adam by God. The pointing of fingers illustrates God giving the breath of life to Adam. This fresco along with the rest of the frescos painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is adapted from the Book of Genesis and thus represents a religious theme. The use of bright colors and outlines make the ceiling more eye-cat ching and clearly visible. Michelangelo was reluctant to work on these frescos since his expertise was sculpture rather than frescos but these frescos marked Michelangelo as one of the best artists in the history of art. While fresco was not the forte of the great artist, elements within the fresco brand these fresco as the work of Michelangelo, such as the use of nude males that were characteristic of the great artis

In the context of TV and Movie businesses, what legal and economic Essay

In the context of TV and Movie businesses, what legal and economic issues exist, which may prevent the full exploitation of such content over the Internet To w - Essay Example works had been conducted with regards to Intellectual property issues in the cyberspace.Some of the limitations to my study became obvious to me during my research. Managing time during this hectic academic year was tough as I am one of those people who nurture a strong ambition to make my way to the top. Organisation is a key word in my personal, social, academic and professional life and I firmly believe that organisation makes any business entrepreneur succeed like success. I have made this vital principle as the guiding star of my life and so for this dissertation. I believe that harmony with my colleagues at work and class-fellows and schoolteachers can work wonders in the efficient achievement of group tasks. Last but not the least I tried to keep focused. This is partly due to my family oriented lifestyle and fatigue from my job which I need to finance the running expenditure of my further studies. This dissertation aims to explore a number of issues in the context of the intellectual property rights issues particularly in the context of the copyright industry’s historical and present reliance upon the law of copyright to acquire commercial value and basically how the advent of new technology has threatened such reliance on copyright law. The digital age seems to have compromised the concept of copyright material and has had negative outcomes for the publishing, music and the computer industries. An important example of this is the peer-to-peer file sharing system of copyrighted music. The Napster and Grokster cases are a good illustration of the legal response of the industries .The copyright industries themselves have responded with new business strategies by providing legal download services.1The internet has been famously defined as a network of networks, and the denser these networks become; the more complicated it becomes to prevent the bane of copyright infringem ent and other intellectual property violations from occurring. 2Even though the

Parental rage and violence in youth sports Research Paper

Parental rage and violence in youth sports - Research Paper Example Such type of violence is often seen through brawls and fistfights involving parents, children and coaches. These incidents have disrupted youth leagues. Moreover, these brawls and similar incidents end up being controlled by the police and forced into settlement and exchange of apologies among the opposing parties. However, other incidents end up with criminal prosecution. Nevertheless, regardless of how these brawls and other acts of sports rage and violence end up, what is sad is that they often disrupt schoolchildren especially preschoolers. There was even one incident where the umpire’s decision has left more than twenty parents and coaches swinging punches at each other in the field, much to the curiosity and amazement of the preschoolers who were watching and who thought that â€Å"the adults were [merely] entertaining them by staging a wrestling match† (Abrams 259). What is harmful about this is that children exposed to parental rage and violence will somehow ten d to learn that such fights are normal and that it is perfectly all right that people fight if they believe that they are right. What children should learn at an early age is humility and diplomacy in order for them to grow up into individuals who will foster peace. However, sports rage is teaching them otherwise. People who are involved in sports rage and violence usually end up with hurt feelings as well as physical problems like cuts, bruises, and other forms of physical injuries including split lips. However, some would end up in something much worse like the forty-year-old father of four who was beaten by another father of the opponent team in a hockey game. The attacker simply thought that the victim’s son had played against the former’s son too roughly during the game. After a series of punches, kicks and wrestles, the victim lapsed into a coma and immediately expired after removing life support (260). Moreover, what is even worse is that the victim’s chi ld was subpoenaed in order to testify in his father’s behalf (Fiore 114). One could therefore only imagine the amount of pressure that the child has to undergo after being exposed to testify against or in favor of his own violent father. The mental and emotional trauma that the child experiences will most likely remain with him for a long time, or even for the rest of his life. One can therefore only imagine its negative consequences on the child’s personality as he grows up. Another negative effect of parental rage is the consequent unavailability of good coaches. In fact, it is interesting to note that many youth sports programs do not have qualified referees and umpires because they cannot find any adult who is â€Å"willing to endure abuse from parents and coaches† (Abrams 261). This lack will most likely further the negative consequences of youth sports and violence as assigned coaches will not have the skill to handle conflicts that may arise. Ultimately, it is the children again who would be on the receiving end of the negative consequences of such problems. According to Abrams, a dozen states have already enacted laws against assaulting coaches and officials of youth sports groups and the purpose of this is to enforce the law in order to restrain parents and coaches from creating an outrage and from physically hurting each

IT Professional Responsibilities toward the Society Essay

IT Professional Responsibilities toward the Society - Essay Example Nevertheless, metadata can be dangerous if the document gets passed on to others electronically. This can happen, for instance, during the submission of an electronic document into a court, distribution of the documents among the adverse groups, or during the document’s circulation to the opposing counsel during negotiations. â€Å"The document’s metadata may contain hidden information that the sender would not want to share with the recipients, such as comments on revisions or the time and by whom the comments were made† (Day et al., 2008, p. 12). Computing professionals assume this responsibility to be very careful in their handling of the metadata for their own safety, safety of their coworkers, and of the whole society. The responsibilities of the computing professionals extend beyond compliance with the policies and goals of their company to include the interests of the society at large. â€Å"Lack of security awareness and training, operating system design and security, open source issues, design complexity and multiple layer approach are some of the current issues with ICT† (Beqiri, n.d.). Computing professionals need to have a firm hold over all these areas to secure the information whose leakage may put the future of the society in the hands of the enemies. The responsibility of computing professionals toward members of their profession and the society translates into the broader area of business ethics. Over the passage of time, organizations have become quite experienced and informed about the delicate nature of information technology issues. This has brought a change in the employers’ attitude toward what skills they want in the information technology professionals. â€Å"When employers of newly qualified information systems professionals are asked what it is they would most like them to know, the answer is very rarely

Underserved Countries Essay Example for Free

Underserved Countries Essay Using the marketing techniques in the local commerce may not be appropriate for some segments of the international market. In this case, it would be necessary to first know the overall opportunities and challenges which may be found among countries or regions where a particular company may want to invest in. Considering the implementation of plans to invest in underserved countries, the region to be analyzed is the Asian general market. Apparently, Asia is on the verge of development as an offshoot of the Asian Miracle in the early 1990’s. Although it suffered from a financial crisis in 1997, it has already recuperated itself to attract even more investors outside the region. The main opportunities which can be found in Asia are inline with how the Western investors prefer in a developing market. In fact, the looming US recession lead investors to consider South East Asia as a possible haven for investment following the growth of China and India (Crispin, 2007). Another good investment factor in Asia is the fact that the region’s economies offer very low labor rates (Gumbell, 2004), a plus for companies which intends to increase its manpower for direct selling and distributorship. Although Asia provides some of the greatest investment opportunities, the region is also exposed to defined challenges. For one, most Asian economies heavily depend on the western economic performance such as the United States and European Union. If there will be a slight undervalued performance from these regions, direct stock market hits can be felt in Asian markets. Although it is not that huge of an impact, there is always a tendency to slow down especially when it comes to unstable economic commodities such as oil prices and imports (International Herald Tribune, 2005). In addition to possible risks in economic dependencies, some Asian countries are also vulnerable to peace and order concerns which badly affect investor confidence. In a larger perspective however, Asia remains as one of the top performing regions when it comes to foreign investments. Getting to know the specific profile of a country can help in deciding about an investment plan. This analysis can open up more decisive factors to enable a company to consider doing business with a specific economy or not. References Crispin, S. 2007. SE Asia offers haven from US turmoil. Asia Times Online.Retrieved February 26, 2008 from http://www. atimes. com/atimes/Asian_Economy/IL22Dk01. html. Gumbell, P. 2004. Outsourcing Chasing Cheap Labor to the East. Time Inc. Retrieved February 26, 2008 from http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901040412-607777,00. html. International Herald Tribune. 2005. East Asia Growth Rate Expected to Slow. IHT. Retrieved February 26, 2008 from http://www. iht. com/articles/2005/08/09/business/adb. php.

The drug metabolism

The drug metabolism Introduction: If an exogenous microorganism enters the human body, this invokes the immune system to produce antibodies to come into contact with the foreign potentially pathogenic species and lead to its destruction. Although when drug molecules enter the human body this does not result in the synthesis of antibodies, due to their relatively small molecular weight. This is why the endogenous metabolism of drugs is vital in ensuring no or the minimum toxicity from a very broad spectrum of xenobiotics i.e. molecules/compounds which are found in a given organism, but are not synthesized naturally by it and or normally found within it. We can define drug metabolism as the enzymatically catalysed conversion of exogenous drug molecules into generally less active metabolites, which have a faster rate of clearance from the body. (While this is true for the majority of metabolites it is important to acknowledge that some metabolites actually are of higher toxicity than their precursors.) This occurs throu ghout nearly every organ (excluding ectodermal tissue) in the human body, but specifically the gastro-intestinal tract, lungs, kidneys and most importantly (and abundantly) the liver. While drug metabolism is essential in preventing a specific toxicity being produced from the accumulation of a drug(s), there are drawbacks that need to be addressed; a given drug may be a xenobiotic, but it is taken (or administered) in order to produce some degree of a therapeutic effect for its specifically targeted disease/pathology. Thus drug metabolism can inhibit the therapeutic benefit of a given molecule that ideally needs to be retained in a particular tissue of the body for a set period of time, to bring about a therapeutic effect. This is mainly due to the fact that a large number of drug molecules do mimic the structure of endogenous molecules close enough for the corresponding specific enzymes to target them as well as nonspecific enzymes which only identify certain molecular groups as opposed to the entire pharmacophore of a given drug. This unexpected drug metabolism could result in an undesired decrease in the bioavailability of a drug which would lead to increased d oses or dosage frequencies; this would cause a decrease in patient compliance which in the current medicinal environment is vital. Absorption and clearance: In the case of drug absorption into the desired tissues of the body generally a lipophilic character is required. This is because regardless of the site of drug uptake, it must pass through the cell membranes of targeted cells. These cell membranes are lipophilic in nature as they consist of a phospholipid bilayer. The inside of this bilayer is made up of hydrocarbon tails which are straight chain hydrocarbons which interact with each other via Van der Waal interactions and London forces. Thus drug molecules are designed to have sufficient lipophilic character that they can form these interactions with the lipid bilayers and pass into cells. Unfortunately this means that they are of limited hydrophilicity and either do not go into dissolution in an aqueous environment at all or do so at a very slow rate. As previously mentioned as this is unacceptable due to the accumulation of a given drug that would occur and produce toxicity, the drug must undergo a series of transformations that serve to increase the hydrophilic nature of the drug molecules. This predominately occurs in liver cells (hepatocytes) in processes known as phase I and phase II metabolism. Phase I and Phase II: Phase I metabolism is constituted of oxidative, reductive and hydrolytic reactions. These serve to produce primary metabolites that are susceptible to other reactions, which consist of the following conjugations; glucuronic acid, sulphate, amino acid, glutathione, water, acetyl, fatty acid and methyl. These occur via the corresponding conjugating agents and are known as phase II reactions. They aim to produce secondary metabolites that are far more hydrophilic nature than their precursor drug counterparts. This is with the addition of e.g. amine, carboxylic acid, hydroxyl groups as well as others, simply to increase the number of very electronegative atoms (with lone pairs of electrons) in a given species. Thus these metabolites can from a greater number of hydrogen bonds with the aqueous medium of the nephronal filtrate of the kidneys and be excreted at a faster rate via the passing of urine. The main constituent of phase I transformations are oxidative reactions, as they activate the selected species in generally one of two ways; hydroxylation and epoxidation. We can define oxidation as the gain of oxygen in a molecule or more precisely the loss of at least one electron from a species reacting with molecular oxygen. This is true for the two general mechanisms mentioned above as adding either a hydroxyl group or an epoxide ring to a molecule increases the number of oxygen atoms that the molecule contains. Firstly this increases the ability of the newly formed metabolite to act as a nucleophile due to the lone pair of electrons available for covalent bond formation (from the oxygen atom added to the molecule). Secondly it increases the chances of attack by an electrophilic species, because of the high electron density of the lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom. Oxidation Properties and mechanisms of the Cytochrome P450 isoenzyme superfamily: The majority of these oxidative metabolic reactions are carried out by a superfamily of enzymes known as cytochrome P450, this can be displayed as: RH + O2 +NAD(P)H + H+ ? ROH + H2O + NAD(P)+ [1] The P450 enzymes catalyse the biodegradation of other exogenous species that are not drugs such as; organic solvents, ethanol (or consumed alcohol), anaesthetics, pesticides and carcinogens [1]; While endogenous molecules such as organic acids, steroids and prostaglandins are also biodegraded [1]. These enzymes are intracellular hemoproteins that function as external monooxygenases (mixed function oxidases) enzymes that serve to incorporate a single atom of molecular oxygen into a lipophilic xenobiotic substrate (i.e. a drug molecule), with the concomitant reduction of the other atom to water [1]. While internal monooxygenases take two reductive equivalents from the substrate in order to reduce one atom of molecular oxygen to water, this is normally done with an external reductant for external monooxygenases [1]. In eukaryotic cells the P450 enzymes consist of around half a thousand amino acid that compose their quaternary structure, these hemoproteins are membrane bound and have a heme prosthetic group at their centres. It is thought that the reason the enzymes can be bound to the cell membranes is the N-terminus of the enzymes tertiary structure has numerous hydrophobic amino acids (i.e. ones which contain aromatic/cyclic groups and have few very electronegative atoms such as oxygen and sulphur) that can interact with the lipid bilayer of the cells. Most hemoproteins in mammalian cells have nitrogen atom from the histidine residues imidazole group to form a ligand with the iron-heme prosthetic group. While for P450 enzymes this ligand is formed between the prosthetic group and the thiol group of a cysteine residue which is located near the C-terminus of the protein. This ligand activates the porphyrin ring (four conjugated pyrrole rings) to nucleophilic substitution by an oxygen atom. This is because the thiol group has an electron inductive effect due to its high electronegativity and so makes the carbon atom it is directly bonded to very electropositive and thus of greater electrophilicity/susceptibility of nucleophilic attack by the lone pair of electrons from the oxygen atom, so allowing oxidation to take place. The general process of the catalytic oxidative cycle of the cytochrome P450 enzyme superfamily: The substrate binds to a specific P450 enzyme and is followed by the first electron of the coenzyme NADPH via the electron transport chain. This is then followed by the binding of an oxygen atom that accepts the second electron from the coenzyme to produce a ferric peroxy anion [1]. The anion forms a ferric hydroperoxy complex via protonation, which in turn is heterolytically cleaved to form a Fe(V)=O species [1]. The newly formed highly electrophilic iron-oxo intermediate then attacks the substrate to form a hydroxylated metabolite. This product disassociates to allow another substrate to bind and the oxidation cycle to continue [1]. Schematic organisation of different cytochrome P450 systems. Upper row, left: bacterial system, right: mitochondrial system. Lower row, left: microsomal system, right: self-sufficient CYP102 (P450-BM3).[1] Aromatic hydroxylation: This leads on to the first major constituent of oxidative reactions; aromatic hydroxylation. This is simply the addition of at least one hydroxyl group to a given substrate although depending on the chemical environment that the product is formed in (e.g. pH) the hydrogen atom may be lost from the hydroxyl group. Aromatic compounds are first metabolized to the corresponding arene oxides; this is by electrophilic addition of the aromatic ring (of the previously mentioned iron-oxo intermediate) to produce either a carbocation species. This carbocation would be formed via the movement of an electron to the Fe(IV) species, giving a Fe(III) species bound to a the mentioned carbocation; or by formation of a radical which serves as a tetrahedral intermediate. The produced arene oxides then take on further transformations, which involve removal of the epoxide group that was added and introduction of a hydroxyl group and potentially another nucleophilic substitute. The simplest transformation is simply intramolecular rearrangement to for a para-arenol. Also hydration can take place in the presence of water and using the enzyme epoxide hydrolase. This causes opening of the epoxide ring and formation of a trans-3,4 arenediol. These primary metabolites can also undergo attack by large macromolecules which serve as nucleophiles. This is because the oxygen in the epoxide ring serves to make both the meta and para carbon positions electropositive and electrophilic in nature. Although any nucleophilic substitution that does go on to occur is at the para position, due to greater resonance stability of the formed secondary metabolite. Another example of aromatic hydroxylation would be the metabolism of isoliquiritigenin. It is a chalcone found in licorice roots and other plants [3] which has shown potent antitumor, phytoestrogenic activity and antioxidant properties. [3] Schematics for its metabolism can be shown below. [3] The metabolism of aromatic compounds that get hydroxylated can be slowed by using para-substituted aromatic compounds with either chlorine or a fluorine atom in the para position. While electron withdrawing groups deactivate the ring towards electrophilic substitution and activate it towards nucleophilic substitution; electron donating groups activate the ring towards electrophilic substitution and deactivate it towards nucleophilic substitution. While most ring deactivators go in the meta position, halogens direct ortho-para, i.e. the same as ring activators. This is because the halogens, especially fluorine and chlorine are very electronegative and thus have an electron inductive effect and decrease the electron density of the ring. This inductivity is far greater than the resonance stability that the halogen can give the ring thus deactivating it. Thus the addition of these halogen atoms decreases the nucleophilic nature of the ring and decreases the rate of metabolism. This can b e shown with the metabolism of the drug Diclofenac (shown below [4]) which is an anti-inflammatory drug as it is has a half-life of around one hour. While its derivative fenclofenac which has a para-substituted chlorine atom has a half-life twenty times longer. Alkene epoxidation: Epoxidation of alkenes occurs readily, because they are more volatile than the ? bonds of aromatic compounds, this simply involves the addition of an epoxide ring to a molecule in order for it to then undergo further transformations. For example the drug Coumarin has been used clinically at high dosages in humans in the treatment of high-protein lymphedemas (Jamal and Casley-Smith, 1989) and as an antineoplastic agent in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (Marshall et al., 1994) and malignant melanoma (Marshall et al., 1989). [5] It and its 3/7-hydroxy isomers undergo epoxidation and then either glutathione conjugation or non-enzymatic intramolecular rearrangement [5] to secondary metabolites. This is shown schematically below. [5] It is also vitally important that environmental carcinogens are broken down via drug metabolism, in particular by the P450 enzymes. For example acrylonitrile (AN2) is widely used in the production of acrylic and modacrylic fibres, plastics, rubbers, resins, and as a chemical intermediate in the synthesis of many other industrial products (IARC,1999). Early epidemiological studies have suggested that AN may increase the incidence of lung, colon, and stomach cancers among exposed workers (Thiess and Fleig, 1978; Blair et al., 1998).[6] As a result P450 epoxidation is vital for preventing carcinogenic action of AN. While the metabolic basis of the acute toxicity of AN has not been fully elucidated, it is generally attributed to its metabolism to CEO (cyanoethylene oxide) and cyanide, and glutathione depletion. The primary target of acute toxicity of AN is the central nervous system due, at least partially, to the liberation of cyanide (Ahmed and Patel, 1981; Benz et al., 1997). [6] The below diagram illustrates how AN is metabolised by the P450 enzymes, specifically the CYP2E1 isoform.[6] Alcohol and aldehyde metabolism: Alcohols and aldehydes can be metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes to aldehydes and carboxylic acids respectively, but the majority of these transformations are catalysed by alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. These enzymes are predominantly in the liver and require the coenzyme NAD+ or NADP+. General equations for these reactions are shown below. [Alcohol Dehydrogenase]Ez + RCH2OH + NAD + RCHO + NADH + H+ [Aldehyde Dehydrogenase]Ez + RCHO + NAD+ + H2O RCOOH + NADH + H+ Reduction: Cytochrome P450 enzymes are used along with reductases to metabolise drugs that have a carbon atom that is able to be reduced such as a carbonyl or an unsaturated carbon, a nitro group or a compound with an azo group. In addition upon reaction usually a specific stereoisomer is formed. The structure of the rest of the compounds often attribute to which stereoisomer is formed. Some stereoisomers can prove to be toxic. Carbonyl compounds: Carbonyl compounds are reduced by cytochrome P450 into alcohols and are NADP or NADPH dependent. The enzymes involved in the reduction of carbonyls are classified based upon their gene sequence, 3-D structure and cofactor dependence into superfamilies of; medium-chain dehydrogenases/reductases, aldo-keto reductases, short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases which include carbonyl reductases. The majority of these enzymes are present in the cytosol however there are some that are found in the microsomes and mitochondria. Short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) and aldo-keto reductases (AKR) are the most common enzymes used in drug metabolism. These enzymes also exhibit high specificity for the drugs that they reduce. Saturated ketones reduced to alcohols whilst in an unsaturated ketone both the ketone group and the double bonds are both reduced. Steroidal drugs undergo oxidoreduction of the hydroxy/keto group at C17[7]. This makes the compound more water soluble and hence easier to be excreted. Some metabolising enzymes behave differently and undergo different types of reactions when in different cells. An example is carbonyl reductases within tumour cells and normal cells. These have become a target of new drugs such as oracin in the treatment of breast cancer [9]. The enzymes within the cancer cells metabolise oracin and doxorubin more effectively than in normal cells hence reducing the efficacy of the cytostatic effect of the drugs. Some carbonyl compounds however do not undergo reduction via the cytochrome P450 pathway but are rather reduced by other pathways including the aldo-keto reductases (AKR). An example is a drug containing a 1,3-diketone derivative S-1360 which upon reduction produces a key metabolite HP1 which constitutes a major clearance pathway[9]. Nitrogen compounds: The reduction of nitrogen containing compounds are reduced to amines in order to aid excretion as amines are more water soluble than their nitro groups. Azo compounds on the other hand may be metabolised within the body to produce the active drug as opposed to the precursor which may be formulated to get pass the first pass effect or the hydrophilic barrier in order to enter their target cells. The azo group provides 2 compounds with amine groups which can be further metabolised like any other amine. Both of these functional groups are both reduced by cytochrome P450 enzymes and are NADPH dependent. Hydrolysis: This is part of the Phase I metabolism pathway. The metabolites produced are all susceptible to Phase II conjugation and thus being excreted after the conjugation. The functional groups of the drugs that are metabolised by hydrolysis include esters and amides, which produce carboxylic acids, alcohols and amines. Esters are hydrolysed quicker than amides in vivo. Unlike oxidation and reduction the reactions are typically not carried out by the cytochrome P450 system. The most significant enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of the esters and amides are carboxylesterases and arylesterases, cholinesterases and serine endopeptidases. The active site of the enzymes involved may be stereospecific as to which enantiomer of the drug is metabolised and in addition which enantiomer of the drug is generated. Some of these products are toxic and dangerous to the body. Amino acid reactions Several phase I reactions produce a carboxylic acid metabolite. Xenobiotic carboxylic acids can be metabolised before elimination by amino acid conjugation. Glycine; the most common conjugating amino acid forms ionic conjugates that are water soluble with aromatic, arylaliphatic and heterocyclic carboxylic acids. In these reactions, first the xenobiotic carboxylic acid is activated by ATP to form the AMP ester by the enzyme acyl synthetase. Then the AMP ester is converted to a Coenzyme-A thioester. Next, an amide or peptide bond is formed between the thioester and the amino group of glycine. The latter reaction is mediated by the enzyme acyl transferase. These reactions are shown in figure 1. The amino acid conjugate produced is ionic and therefore water soluble, hence it is easily eliminated in the urine and bile. (1) Glutathione conjugation Glutathione is a protective compound in the body that removes potentially toxic electrophilic compounds and xenobiotics. Drugs are metabolised by phase I reactions to form strong elecrophiles that can react with glutathione to form conjugates that are not toxic. This phase II reaction differs from others since electrophiles are subject to conjugations rather than nucleophiles. The nucleophilic thiol group on the glutathione compound (figure 2) attacks elecrophiles (electrophilic carbons with leaving groups). Compounds that can be conjugated to give thioether conjugates of glutathione: Epoxides Haloalkanes Nitroalkanes Alkenes Aromatic halo- and nitro- compounds Glutathione-S-transferases (GST) are enzymes which catalyse the reactions above. There are thirteen different human GST subunits which have been identified and they belong to five different classes. They are located in the cytosol of the liver, kidney and gut. The enzyme GST is thought to increase the ionisation of the thiol group of glutathione, leading to an increase in its nucleophilicity towards electrophiles. (1)(2) Once formed, GSH conjugates may be excreted directly or more often they are further metabolised to N-acetylcysteine conjugates which can then be excreted via phase III metabolism. Phase III Metabolism further modification and excretion Before being excreted in the urine, most xenobiotics are made less toxic and more water soluble as polarity increases by metabolising enzymes in phase II reactions. In phase III metabolism water soluble compounds are excreted in the urine. However, some drug compounds are not metabolised and therefore are not excreted. These non-metabolised compounds are readily reabsorbed from the urine through the renal tubular membranes and into the plasma to be recirculated. (3) Some xenobiotic conjugates from phase II reactions are further metabolised during phase III metabolism reactions. Glutathione-S conjugates may be metabolised further by hydrolysis of the glutathione conjugate (GSR) at the y-glutamyl bond of the glutamate residues by y -glutamyl transferase (y -GT) followed by hydrolysis of glycine residues resulting in a cysteine conjugate containing a free amino group of the cysteine residue. This then undergoes N-acetylation to form mercapturic acid. The final products; mercapturic acids are S-derivatives of N-acetylcysteine synthesised from glutathione (figure 4). (1)(2) First-pass Metabolism The metabolism of many drugs is dependent on the route of administation therefore orally administered drugs are subject to first pass metabolism and consequently their bioavailablity is reduced. This occurs as a result of the orally administered drugs entering the systemic circulation via the hepatic portal vein, so the drug is exposed to the intestinal wall and the liver, which is thought to be the main site of first-pass metabolism of orally administered drugs. Other possible sites are the gastrointestinal tract, blood, vascular endothelium and lungs. First-pass Metabolism in the Liver During first-pass metabolism, the cytochrome P450 enzymes family represent the most significant of the hepatic enzymes. It has been estimated that the endoplasmic reticulum of the liver contains approximately 25 000 nmol of cytochrome P450. Although there are several human P450 subfamilies and multiple individual isozymes within subfamilies, only five P450 enzymes are shown to be significant for the process of first-pass metabolism: CYP1A2 CYP2C9 CYP2C19 CYP2D6 CYP3A4 Cytochrome P450 drug substrates are commonly highly extracted during first-pass metabolism. Examples of these drugs are; morphine, verapamil, propranolol, midazolam, lidocaine. Drugs that are highly extracted such as lidocaine have a low bioavailability when taken orally therefore they are not administered orally. CYP3A4 is the most commonly active isozyme against P450 drug substrates. This is possibly due to the enzymes abundance and broad substrate specificity. Highly extracted substrates for conjugative, reductive or non-P450 oxidative enzymes are less common. These include labetalol, morphine, terbutaline, isoproterenol and pentoxifylline. The gut is also an important organ involved in pre-systemic metabolism. Metabolism here for drugs with high first-pass metabolism leads to a reduced bioavailability. Some metabolizing enzymes such as CYP3A4 is found at a higher level in enterocytes than in the liver. Recent findings state that gut wall metabolism is the major cause of low bioavailability of certain drugs. Intestinal First-pass Metabolism Various drug metabolizing enzymes found in the liver are also found within the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract. These include cytochromes P450, glucuronosyl transferases, sulfotransferases, N-acetyl transferase, glutathione S-transferases, esterases, epoxide hydrolase and alcohol dehydrogenase. The small intestine contains high amounts of three cytochrome P450 enzymes; CYP3A, CYP2D6 and CYP2C. Unlike the liver which has a relatively uniform distribution of P450enzymes, the distribution of P450 enzymes is not uniform along the small intestine and villi. Proximal mucosal P450 content is normally higher than distal mucosa P450 content. Therefore it has been established that protein level and catalytic activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes in the small intestine are generally lower than those in the liver. This has been demonstrated by comparison of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver and the small intestine. The extent of first-pass metabolism can result from interindividual variability: Genetic variation Induction or inhibition of metabolic enzymes Food increases liver blood flow. This can increase the bioavailablity of some drugs by increasing the amount of drug presented to the liver to an amount that is above the threshold for complete hepatic extraction Drugs that increase liver blood flow (similar effects to food) and drugs that reduce liver blood flow Non- linear first pass kinetics, i.e. dose Liver disease increases the bioavailability of some drugs with extensive first-pass metabolism (4) To avoid first pass metabolism a drug can be administered sublingual and buccal routes. These routes lead to drugs being absorbed by the oral mucosa. During sublingual administration the drug is put under the tongue where it dissolves in salivary secretions. An example of a sublingual drug is nitroglycerine. During buccal administration the drug is positioned between the teeth and the mucous membrane of the cheek. Both of these routes avoid destruction by the GI fluids and first pass effect of the liver. Drugs may also be administered via other routes to avoid first-pass metabolism, for example; rectal, inhalation, transdermal, intravenous. (5) Prodrugs Many drugs require metabolic activation in order to exert their pharmacological action; these are described as pro-drugs. There are two types; type I and type II which has subtypes A and B dependent on the site of activation. Type I prodrugs are converted intracellularly at the target cells (A) or at tissues that usually metabolise compounds (B). An example of a type IA prodrug is Zidovudine and type IB prodrug is captopril. Metabolic activation of type I prodrugs is usually linked to phase I metabolic enzymes. Type II prodrugs are converted extracellularly in GI fluids (A) or in the systemic circulation (B). An example of a type IIA prodrug is sulfasalazine and type IIB prodrug is fosphenytoin. Type II prodrugs are very popular as they are involved in overcoming bioavailability problems, which are commonly experienced with many drugs, by improving permeability and reducing the first pass effect. (6) Type I Prodrugs are used to target a drug to its specific site of action; an example of this is the drug used in Parkinsons disease levodopa; the inactive form of the drug which is metabolised in the neurone by the enzyme dopa decarboxylase to the active form; dopamine. Dopamine does not cross the blood-brain barrier so it is given as the levodopa precursor which is lipophilic so it can cross the barrier and then metabolized in vivo to dopamine. (7) Another example of the use of prodrugs is the pharmacological activation of a type II prodrug Azathioprine to mercaptopurine which is a chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of leukaemia. When mercaptopurine is administered, its clinical usefulness is restricted because of its rapid biotransformation by xanthine oxidase to an inactive metabolite 6-thiouric acid. Therefore larger doses have to be given as it has a low bioavailability, this leads to toxicity. By administering mercaptopurine as its cysteine conjugate, the limitations can be overcome. This ionic form of the pro-drug conjugate is selectively taken up by the renal organic anion transport system. The kidney B-lyase enzyme system then cleaves the prodrug conjugate to give the active mercaptopurine in the kidney (figure 5). (8)(9) To conclude, prodrugs can be metabolised in different ways to form the active drug. They can be used to target specific sites, improve absorption and improve oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. They can also be used to avoid first pass metabolism in drugs with high first pass extraction and reduce toxicity. (6) Factors affecting metabolism There are several factors that can affect drug metabolism. Age, sex, inducers and inhibitors are some of which can effect drug metabolism which are mentioned below. How does age affect drug metabolism: There are many physiological changes that occur with ageing. The changes have the potential to affect both drug disposition and metabolism. Drug metabolism is mainly functioned by the liver, its size, blood perfusion and synthetic capacity for proteins which all determine the rate of hepatic drug elimination[5]. Paediatric population Phase one and phase two metabolic pathways may not be active at birth due to maturational changes. The paediatric population and elderly population have differences in their capacity to metabolise a drug which can therefore produce a lower or higher plasma concentration of active substances compared with adults depending on the enzyme system used. There are examples of metabolites produced by therapeutic agents in children that are not usually seen in adults. The metabolites produced maybe the reason for some of the efficacy and or toxicity visible with drug administration in children. An example is: caffeine production in a neonate receiving Theophylline. Other therapeutic agents which show changes in metabolite production in children are; Valproic acid, paracetamol, Chloramphenicol, Cimetidine Salicylamide. In most cases the differences that occur between children and adults are in the ratios of the metabolites relative to the parent drug rather than in new metabolites individual to the paediatric population with some exceptions. The paediatric population shows the same set of enzymes as the adult population. (1) In general age related changes in drug metabolism have been shown to occur due to a consequence of diminished enzyme activities within the elderly human liver due to the size of the liver decreasing and hepatic blood flow decreasing. With age the liver blood flow is generally reduced by about 20-30% and there is a decrease in liver size by about (17-36%). Currently there is no clear pattern; however there are two general trends that influence the rate of metabolism. One trend is that drugs that are undergoing hepatic microsomal oxidation are more likely to be metabolised slowly in the elderly and those which are conjugated are not likely to be influence by the age factor. Secondly, drugs that have high hepatic clearance, extraction ratios example-Chlormethiazole, and Labetalol and undergo extensive first pass metabolism whilst oral absorption may show a large increase in bioavailability in the elderly. Elderly population In general in the elderly population hepatic blood flow decreases up to 40% and there can be a considerable reduction in the amount of drug reaching the liver per unit. Studies have shown that the effect of ageing on liver enzymes with particular drug

Electrical Appliances Good Retail Marketing Essay

Electrical Appliances Good Retail Marketing Essay Goa is Indias smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. WHY TO ESTABLISH A RETAIL STORE IN GOA Goas gross state domestic product for 2007 is estimated at $3 billion in current prices. Goa is one of Indias richest states with the highest GDP per capita and two and a half times that of the country as a whole, and one of its fastest growth rates: 8.23% (yearly average 1990-2000) Tourism is Goas primary industry: it handles 1 of all foreign tourist arrivals in India. Goa has two main tourist seasons: winter and summer. In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to Goa to enjoy the splendid climate. In the summer time (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend the holidays. Tourism is generally focused on the coastal areas of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. In 2004, there were more than 2 million tourists reported to have visited Goa, 400,000 of which were from abroad. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES GOOD, RETAIL LIVE WELL My term paper is to open up the retail store of the electrical appliances. The name of my store is LIVE WELL.This store to be contain the number of variety and assortment of the electrical goods. My retail store LIVE WELL to be contain the CFL tubes ,Usha fans , Bajaj fans , Philips tubes , Sylvania tubes , all types of circuits , Crompton fans and White tubes etc . Business MissionVision LIVE WELL mission statement is to focus on bringing high quality electrical goods and services to the market at the lowest possible prices every day. The mission statement is well understood throughout the organization. LIVE WELL offers their customers with low prices on selected private and a limited selection of nationally branded products in a wide range of merchandise categories. Rapid inventory turnover, high sales volume per warehouse, leveraging an efficient operating structure, reduced handling of merchandise, and making themselves the low cost operator in retail is all key elements that make the retail store so successful. LIVE WELL defines its business in terms of benefiting their customers. In addition to offering low prices on top-quality goods and a variety of convenient services Type of retail format and ownership (Variety and assortment decisions regarding products or services to be offered);I am opening these electrical goods retail, on my own ,i.e Partnership business Electrical Goods Store Product services. TUBES Basically the best quality tubes are Philips , Crompton , Surya . All these different brands are kept in my store . Basically 40 walt tubes are demanded by the customers and very less quantity of 20 walt tubes are demanded by the customers . So these particular brands are kept in my store . FANS Fans are required in the summer season. There are different brands of fans . But most popular brands are Khaitan , Bajaj , Usha etc . The quality of these brands is very good. There is hardly any complaint regarding these brands. BULBS Today people dont like yellow light bulbs . At present people like white light bulbs . The best quality brand for white light bulb is Crompton . Crompton provides 2 year guarantee. The light of Crompton bulbs is very good . At night people like colored zero walt bulbs . SWITCHES The best quality in switches is anchor and Havell. There are various varieties in switches. Like two pin plugs, three pin plugs , bed switches , multi-plugs , extension . FANCY LIGHTS Today people like to have fancy lights in there houses . They use different fancy lights for decorating their houses. Different types of lighting stands are there. WIRES Wires OF Havel are kept in the store. HEATERS Heaters are required in the winter season . Usha and Apsara are two major brands. MARKETING PLAN:- MULTI CHANNEL DECISIONS LIVE WELL retail ELECTRICAL retail to use the multi-channel these channel were used for selling the electrical good. By using a combination of channels to be provided unique benefits to my electrical retail store by attract and satisfy more customers. My electrical retail uses all three channels to interact with its customers. These are following STORE CHANNEL It is provide the browsing to the customers before purchasing of products It is also provided touching and feeling products opportunity to the customer store channel to given advantage for the customer to get the product immediately after they buy it. CATALOG Our electrical retail is also provided the Catalog channel; offer the convenience of looking at product and placing an order on any day at any time from almost anywhere. We are also provided the photographs of electrical goods in catalogs, while not as useful as in store presentations, are superior to the visual information that can be displayed on a CRT screen. INTERNET CHANNEL Our electrical retail provides the information to customer about which the electrical good are available in our retail store. These Internet channels also contain the all information about electrical good price. The benefit of Internet channel as compared with the other two channels is the vast number of consumers to purchase the product easily. Retail market strategy to be followed and preparation of Strategic Retail planning; Retail market strategy is a statement identifying The retailers target market The format the retailer plans to use to satisfy the target markets need The vases upon which the retailer plans to build a sustainable competitive advantage. Our electrical retail will be containing the strong brand electrical product for the customers. It will be developing clear and price positioning strategies and creating an emotional attachment with customers through loyalty programs. We also will be using the retail mix to create an image of the retailer in the customers mind relative to its competitors. Stores will be offering fine quality electrical goods at competitive prices Retail market strategy to be followed and preparation of Strategic Retail planning. RETAIL FORMAT In which I have included the different strategies which lead our business and used different competitive promotional planned which make our retail store attractive and effective. And these should be done according to these points; Nature of merchandise and services offered Pricing policy Advertising and promotion programs Store design and visual merchandising Customer services. LOCATION Location of retail store is important aspect as customer point of view because location is the critical factor in consumer selection of store and whenever we opened a retail store than we have assumed the different factor which showed our retail store features like as: Demographic features(to know about the potential customer in that area, metropolitan statistical area) Competition(to know about the competitors and how they far from my retail store) Strategic fit(to must know about the life style of potential customer) Operating cost(different area have different cost) No. of small shops in that area Economy of scale We are establishing our ELECTRICAL BUSINESS LIVE WELL in the state GOA,near Dabolim airport.while establishing a business in GOA some certain requirements should be taken into consideration :- TRFFIC This refer to both regular and pedestrian traffic as GOA being a main Centre of tourist industry so there will be a high traffic in GOA.The traffic that passes the site is an important determinant of the potential sales that can be generated from that store. However it is essential that the traffic is suitable to the kind of products to be retailed in the store. ACCESIBILITY TO MARKET Accessibility of market in terms of availability of public transport in GOA is essential while determining the site of retail store .Public transport refers to means of recharging the market the frequency of bus/train services and connectivity to different parts of the city. THE NUMBER OF STORE AND TYPE OF STORE IN THAT AREA If there are large number of stores in market then there more and more customers will come .The type of store exist in the area is also important .The type of competition also be taken into consideration while deciding the site AMENITIES AVAILABLE Depending upon the type of market to be retailed facilities like free and amplex parking become important. This is a factor that has gained importance. OPERATIONAL PLAN. The operational plan is an essential component of our retail established in GOA store and it tells the reviewer how you are going to get your product out to market. That is how you are going to get your product out of production stage to the doorstep of the target à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Who is doing what? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What are the day to day activities? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How will the suppliers and vendors be used? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Who are the suppliers? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What are the labor requirements? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What are the sources of raw materials? Basically, you want to explain that how you are going to deliver your product. What are you and/or your employees going to be doing on a daily basis from the time you open up to time you close. This is what your reader wants to know. Some issues often addressed in an operational plan include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Production or manufacturing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Facilities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inventory à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Distribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maintenance and service Order fulfillment and customer service Production or Manufacturing Every manufacturing business has a production process, and in my retail store of LIVE WELL ELECTRICALS there is a certain production or manufacturing department who manufactures the product. The way it goes about fabricating a raw or component material and creating an item with greater usefulness or desirability. However, even if our business is a service or retail operation, you have to use a method of producing something of value for your customers. Integral to the overall understanding of a production oriented business is an appreciation of how the company will manufacture its products. One straight forward way of conveying such information is to examine this activity in terms of resources, processes, and output. Capacity In my retail store established near Dabolim airport(GOA) capacity must be taken into consideration i.e Capacity is the measure of how much work your facilities, labor force, and equipment can handle. Does your production process have the capacity to keep orders up? Do you have too much capacity? Not enough capacity Productivity PRODUCTIVITY is very necessary in every retail store .In my store too productivity of electrical material is very important .Productivity measures how long and how many people it requires to produce your product or service. If you can produce more goods in less time, you can improve the bottom line from every dollar spent on equipment and operating costs such as salaries and rent. Labour In a city like GOA we should judge what kinds of and how many employees do you require to produce your product or service in the Electrical Retail store How are you going to use them? Are you going to be using seasonal workers Quality Assurance There should be a constant check in my retail store LIVE WELL of how are you going to keep consistent and maintain the same standards with each product or service. Such activities include regular inspections throughout the production process, occasional testing or sampling of goods. Facilities As my Retail store is located in GOA In business, the location of our facilities can prove a critical factor for your success. If your business is going require a large outlay of capital assets at the onset, you will need to make sure the facilities are adequate and are positioned properly. Whats the use of setting up a manufacturing facility in a rural setting with no transportation mechanisms? You will need to decide how you are going to get your product to your consumer and position your facility that will be both cost effective and efficient. Location My Retail store LIVE WELL should be established in an area which include the location of company headquarters, retail store (s), branch offices, additional plants, and others. Describe the size and how each will be allocated. Mention why you are located at your particular location and the benefits associated with it. Describe access to parking and transportation; air, rail, and surface shipping access, and loading docks, warehouse, and other facilities. Lease/Rent GOA being a small state so to have enough land for constructing is somewhat very difficult so we have too rather pay rent or to have a lease option . This is very important and make sure you understand all aspects of the lease. You dont want to be stuck in a 5 year lease if your business fails after the first year (Ive seen this happen a few times). Maintenance For the construction of a Retail store in GOA we should also see the operational costs associated with the building? Include the cost of gas, water and electricity. What are the costs for janitorial, trash removal and other operational costs Inventory Different businesses will have different inventory requirements. Of course, a large retail operation will have much more inventory than an engineering consultant so remember to use those points that apply to your business. Most of the retail operations I deal with overlook the importance of inventory management. An effective inventory management process can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making a huge profit. Merchandise Management For the purpose of Merchandise management in my retail outlet located In GOA the order received from a Vendor is kept in container and the inventory is raised whereas sale of each SKU to customer decreases the level of inventory. Therefore there is need to keep a record of total orders received and sale of SKU. There is a need to manage the merchandise so as to keep minimum level of stock which should be there the entire time.In store, Inventory for re-order and the time to which an order with vendor is to be placed so as to run business efficiently. Inventory management report: In my Electrical retail store established in GOA there is need to maintain this report so as to know the Level of Sales to do the forecast of sales for the next year, Amount of inventory available so as to know quantity of re-order, product which are available in the Store. This report is prepared to have a record for current year and recognize the deviations from the set standards and to make forecast for future years. This report will have information about the SKU which have been most sold during that period according to month, season. Buying Merchandise: My Retail store located in GOA will have a mix of Private and National-label brand so as to give both the quality and compatibility to customers. National brands are kept in stores so as to create an image in the mind of customers about quality that has been offered in stores where as private brands are kept because the target group of customers are people who are very price conscious and can compromise quality for cost moreover Private-label Brands have strong margins for retailer. Planning the retail communication program In my Retail store established in GOA the objective for communication program is to provide direction to people implementing the program about the long term objective and what effect will it have in creating brand image and other is to provide basis for evaluating its effectiveness. The objective for:- planning retail communication mix for the store is to create a store image among consumers such that whenever they have need for and home ware appliances the top-of-their-mind is our store and the amount of assortment which are being offered to customers here and they have favorable attitude coming into store. Next part of planning retail communication mix is to develop a budget, so as to make resource allocation decisions, allocation of merchandise to stores, staffing stores and floor and shelf space devoted to merchandise categories and to determine all these things correctly MARGINAL ANALYSIS METHOD is best which states that a store should increase communication expenditure as long as each additional rupee spent should generate more than a rupee. The strategy is to increase the expenditure so as to create brand image among customers, build brand uniqueness, and sustain that brand name of store unless it is giving in return more than the expense incurred on communication program. Setting the Promotion Mix LIVE WELL STORE in GOA we will decide how to properly utilize the marketing communications mix to meet our marketing objectives, it is important to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of each component of the mix. Further, we must always define our total budget first (generally defined in the Marketing and/or Business Plan) and then decide upon the best way to leverage the different elements of the mix to maximize the return on our investment. We will balance the various parts of the mix to not only create an integrated approach to our marketing communications but we must also devote enough resources for each component to be successful. Advertising Reaches For the advertisement of my Retail store LIVE WELL I will prefer large, geographically dispersed audiences, often with high frequency; Low cost per exposure, though overall costs are high; Consumers perceive advertised goods as more legitimate; Dramatizes company/brand; Builds brand image; may stimulate short-term sales; Impersonal, one-way communication. Personal selling In my store established in (GOA) I will too give importance too personal buying as most effective tool for building buyers preferences, convictions, and actions; Personal interaction allows for feedback and adjustments; Relationship-oriented; Buyers are more attentive; Sales force represents a long-term commitment; Most expensive of the promotional tools Sale Promotion may be targeted at the trade or ultimate consumer; Makes use of a variety of formats: premiums, coupons, contests, etc.; Attracts attention, offers strong purchase incentives, dramatizes offers, boosts sagging sales; Stimulates quick response; Short-lived; Not effective at building long-term brand preferences Public Relation In my Retail store LIVE WELL in (GOA) it should be Highly credible; Very believable; Many forms: news stories, news features, events and sponsorships, etc.; Reaches many prospects missed via other forms of promotion; Dramatizes company or product; Often the most under used element in the promotional mix; Relatively inexpensive (certainly not free as many people thinkthere are costs involved) Many forms: Telephone marketing, direct mail, online marketing, etc.; Four distinctive characteristics: Nonpublic, Immediate, Customized, Interactive; Well-suited to highly-targeted Direct Marketing. Visual merchandising In my Retail store which planned to be located in GOA Visual merchandising is one of the final stages in trying to set out a store in a way that customers will find attractive and appealing and it should follow and reflect the principles that underpin the stores image. Visual merchandising is the way one displays goods for one displays goods for sale in the most attractive manner with the end purpose of making a sale. If it does not sell, it is not visual merchandising FINANCIAL PLAN While opening a retail store in Goa, finance plays an important role in the commencement of any store. Organization should manage its resources in a best possible manner to ensure that it has enough amount of money in Reserves. Goa is a great place to establish a retail store. Financial plan is at the end of your business plan, but the financial plan section is the section that determines whether or not your business idea is viable, and is a key component in determining whether or not your business plan is going to be able to attract any investment in your business idea. Basically, the financial plan section of the business plan consists of three financial statements The income statement: Shows that whether the retail store is making Profit or not: Cash incoming to your business and cash out. Shows whether or not your company has enough cash to pay its bills The cash flow projection The balance sheet and a brief explanation/analysis of these three statements. All the costs of getting your business up and running go into the startup expenses category. These expenses may include: Business registration fees Business licensing and permits Starting inventory Rent deposits Down payments on property Down payments on equipment Utility set up fees This is just a sampling of startup expenses; your own list will probably expand as soon as you start writing them down. Operating expenses are the costs of keeping your business running. Think of these as the things youre going to have to pay each month. Your list of operating expenses may include: salaries (yours and staff salaries) rent or mortgage payments telecommunications utilities raw materials storage distribution promotion loan payments office supplies maintenance cost BALANCE SHEET OF MY RETAIL STORE LIVE WELL LIABILITES RS Share capital Equity shares of Rs.10 1000000 Each General reserve 400000 Profit loss a/c 200000 Current liabilities 200000 TOTAL 1800000 ASSETS RS Fixed assets 800000 Investment 200000 Current assets 800000 1800000 Customer Relationship Management CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a process or methodology used to learn more about customers needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. There are many technological components to CRM, but thinking about CRM in primarily technological terms is a mistake. The more useful way to think about CRM is as a process that will help bring together lots of pieces of information about customers, sales, marketing effectiveness, responsiveness and market trends. CRM helps businesses use technology and human resources to gain insight into the behavior of customers and the value of those customers.

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream :: William Shakespeare Midsummer Dream Essays

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream The stage production of William Arden Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by a British director Tim Supple was one in a million-that everyone talked about it and questions rode questions, on how the performance went. ‘It is the best production I have ever seen. What grapples me most, is the cast, ravaging with a rich choreography’, this was said by the British Ambassador to India in a chat with Times of India. The almighty dramatist play was sponsored for production by the British Council, India. Staged at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, on Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi, on the 3 of March, the old, but became-new play was performed by what Mr. Supple described as ‘an all Indian and Sri Lankan cast’, spoken in many languages, from English to Hindi and Bengali. It was free. But one has to get a pass to be admitted in. All and sundry came for this mesmerizing production-and all came and went, but only one person never went from my memory. The one and only Arundhati Roy-the world acclaimed author of The God of Small Things. She was there. She was there for good and praises poured on her. Her presence sweetened the sweet production, as well as heightened emotions. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, written sometime in the mid-1590s. It depicts the adventures of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors in a moonlit forest, and their interactions with the fairies who inhabit it. Today, the play is one of Shakespeare's most popular and is performed across the world. When the production came to an end with a big coctail and wide applauds, I realised that I have never read this acclaimed bestseller. And so, I wobbled into a bookshop around and got a copy. It is cheap here in India. Everything is cheap. And I read this book in three days. Unbelievable? That is the truth. Because the story line is straight and sweet. But before then, the writer-activist who lives in New Delhi spoke about life as a writer. ‘You have to be yourself. No pretence. And if any pretence, that should be embedded in your characters. Think like your characters and see what this life is all about’, Ms Roy said, intoned. There is something surreal about her. Her benevolence and non-descriminative wit and candour. India has bestselling authors like Salman Rushdie (Satanic Verses), Amitav Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies), Chetan Bhagat (One Night @ the Call Centre), the Nobel Laureates and more.

Role Models in The Odyssy Essay -- Homer

Role models come in all shapes and sizes. In the epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus faces many challenges in which he has to use certain traits of his to overcome his problems. Odysseus is a good role model because he is brave, intelligent, and unwavering. One of Odysseus’ traits is bravery. One example of Odysseus’ bravery is when he injures a Cyclops that is 5 times his size, â€Å"I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/ gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/ as more than natural force nerved them, straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/ deep in his crater eye. 329-332† This quote shows how brave Odysseus and his men are to face the Cyclops. Odysseus was intelligent to think about this idea, but he was brave for actually following through and doing it. Odysseus was also brave for fighting Penelope’s suitors even when he was outnumbered, â€Å"Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands/ leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand/ he poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver/ and spoke to the c...

Humorous Wedding Toasts to the Newlyweds :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Toasts to the Newlyweds Learning to Love To the newlyweds, When you learn to love hell, you will be in heaven! Forsake Not Forsake not an old wife, for the new is not comparable to her. A new wife is as new wine: when she is old, thou shalt drink her with pleasure. A Clean Shirt Here’s that you may always have A clean shirt A clean conscience And a dollar in our pocket. Health and Prosperity Here’s to health and prosperity, To you and all your posterity. And them that doesn’t drink with sincerity, That they may be damned for all eternity! Diplomacy Getting married is like getting a masters degree in diplomacy. In just two short years you will develop the ability to tell your husband to go to hell, So that he will look forward to making the trip. Facing Problems Sooner or later, in every marriage, you will encounter problems: When this time comes, you must take the bull

Developing Marketing Strategies and Plans MCQS Essay

1. A key ingredient of the marketing management process is insightful, ________ marketing strategies and plans that can guide marketing activities. a. creative b. measurable c. macro d. micro e. niche Answer: a 2. According to a chapter story about H&M clothing stores, H&M is able to put products out quickly and inexpensively by all of the following EXCEPT ________. a. having few middlemen and owning no factories b. buying large volumes c. having extensive experience in the clothing industry d. having a great knowledge of which goods should be bought from which markets e. having total control of its distribution channel from the time the goods are produced until the time they are sold Answer: e 3. The task of any business is to deliver ________ at a profit. a. customer needs b. products c. customer value d. products and services e. improved quality Answer: c 4. In a hyper competitive economy such as ours, a company can win only by fine-tuning the value delivery process and choosing, providing, and ________ superior value. a. communicating b. selecting target markets with c. composing d. developing e. researching Answer: a 5. The traditional view of marketing is that the firm makes something and then ________ it. a. markets b. sells c. distributes d. prices e. services Answer: b 6. Today, the â€Å"mass-market† is actually splintering into numerous ________, each with its own wants, perceptions, preferences, and buying criteria. a. micro markets b. market targets c. macro markets d. customer cliques e. demographic units Answer: a 7. The first phase of the value creation and delivery sequence is ________ that represents the â€Å"homework† marketing must do before any product exists. a. choosing the value b. market research c. target marketing d. service consideration e. projective thinking Answer: a 8. The last step in the value creation and delivery sequence is ________ the value where the sales force, sales promotion, advertising, and other communication tools announce and promote the product. a. developing b. distributing c. communicating d. reversing e. researching Answer: c 9. The Japanese have refined the value delivery process to include a component that emphasizes ________. a. zero servicing b. zero customer feedback time c. zero promotion d. zero dependency on intermediaries e. zero marketing costs Answer: b 10. The ________ is a tool for identifying ways to create more customer value. a. value chain b. customer survey c. brand loyalty index d. promotion channel e. supplier database Answer: a 11. The ________ identifies nine strategically relevant activities that create value and cost in a specific business. a. value proposition b. value chain c. mission statement d. annual report e. manager’s log Answer: b 12. The ________ in the value chain cover the sequence of bringing materials into the business (inbound logistics), converting them into final products (operations), shipping out final products (outbound logistics), marketing them (marketing and sales), and servicing them (service). a. operations process b. manufacturing process c. primary activities d. secondary activities e. tertiary activities Answer: c 13. Procurement, technology development, human resource management, and firm infrastructure are handled in certain specialized departments and are called ________. a. materials handling b. support activities c. inventory activities d. primary activities e. benchmark activities Answer: b 14. The firm should estimate its competitors’ costs and performances as ________ against which to compare its own costs and performance. a. competition b. standards c. challenges d. benchmarks e. moveable standards Answer: d 15. The firm’s success depends not only on how well each department performs its work, but also on how well the various departmental activities are coordinated to conduct ________. a. core strategies b. satellite businesses c. core values d. core business processes e. core technologies Answer: d 16. With respect to core business processes, all the activities involved in gathering market intelligence, disseminating it within the organization, and acting on the information is referred to as the ________. a. market sensing process b. market research process c. target marketing process d. market pulse process e. deployment process Answer: a 17. With respect to the core business processes, all the activities involved in researching, developing, and launching new high-quality offerings quickly and within budget are referred to as the ________. a. new product process b. new offering realization process c. product development process d. product launch process e. return on investment process Answer: b 18. With respect to the core business processes, the ________ is considered to be all the activities involved in defining target markets and prospecting for new customers. a. customer acquisition process b. customer relationship management process c. fulfillment management process d. customer prospecting process e. customer equity process Answer: a 19. A good way to describe the ________ would be discuss all the activities involved in building deeper understanding, relationships, and offerings to individual customers. a. customer acquisition process b. customer relationship management process c. customer prospecting process d. customer fulfillment management process e. customer equity process Answer: b 20. Another way to describe a value delivery network (partnering with specific suppliers and distributors) is to call it a ________. a. teamwork group b. cabal c. domestic power center d. link to relationships e. supply chain Answer: e 21. The key to utilizing organizational core competencies is to ________ that make up the essence of the business. a. make the competencies pay for themselves b. own all intermediaries who come in contact with your goods and services c. own and nurture the resources and competencies d. emphasize global promotions e. segment workforces Answer: c 22. We can say that a ________ has three characteristics: (1) It is a source of competitive advantage in that it makes a significant contribution to perceived customer benefits, (2) it has applications in a wide variety of markets, and (3) it is difficult for competitors to imitate. a. core competency b. business strategy c. core technology d. strategic business unit e. winning strategy Answer: a 23. Core competencies tend to refer to areas of special technical and production expertise, where ________ tend to describe excellence in broader business processes. a. process benchmarks b. distinctive capabilities c. core business values d. value statements e. mission statements Answer: b 24. George Day sees market-driven organizations as excelling in three distinctive capabilities: ________, customer linking, and channel bonding. a. target marketing b. market research c. fulfilling customer needs d. market sensing e. customer service relationships Answer: d 25. Competitors find it hard to imitate companies such as Southwest Airlines, Dell, or IKEA because they are unable to copy their ________. a. product innovations b. distribution strategy c. pricing policies d. activity systems e. logistics system Answer: d 26. One conception of holistic marketing views it as â€Å"integrating the value exploration, ________, and value delivery activities with the purpose of building long-term, mutually satisfying relationship and co-prosperity among key stakeholders.† a. value creation b. value proposition c. value management d. value research e. value chain Answer: a 27. Holistic marketers achieve profitable growth by expanding customer share, ________, and capturing customer lifetime value. a. undermining competitive competencies b. building customer loyalty c. milking the market for product desires d. renewing a customer base e. inspecting all market share data Answer: b 28. The holistic marketing framework is designed to address three key management questions. Which of the following is one of those questions? a. Value claims—how does the company deal with value erosion? b. Value proposition—how can value propositions be made profitable? c. Value chain—are there weak links in the company’s value chain d. Value network—how can a company effectively network? e. Value exploration—how can a company identify new value opportunities? Answer: e 29. The customer’s ________ reflects existing and latent needs and includes dimensions such as the need for participation, stability, freedom, and change. a. competence space b. resource space c. emotional space d. relationship space e. cognitive space Answer: e 30. The companies ________ can be described in terms of breadth—broad versus focused scope of business; and depth—physical versus knowledge-based capabilities. a. business mission b. core strategy c. cognitive space d. competency space e. resource space Answer: d 31. The collaborator’s ________ involves horizontal partnerships, where companies choose partners based on their ability to exploit related market opportunities, and vertical partnership, where companies choose partners based on their ability to serve their value creation. a. resource space b. competency space c. cognitive space d. rational space e. service space Answer: a 32. Business realignment may be necessary to maximize core competencies. Which of the following would be one of the steps in this realignment process? a. Reviewing all macro relationships. b. Reviewing global outreach projections. c. Redefining the business concept (the â€Å"big idea†). d. Reviewing successes from e-commerce (if any). e. Revamping the ethics statement. Answer: c 33. ________ allows the company to discover who its customers are, how they behave, and what they need or want. It also enables the company to respond appropriately, coherently, and quickly to different customer opportunities. a. Network management b. Strategic management c. Marketing management d. Customer relationship management e. Total quality management Answer: d34. To respond effectively and provide value delivery, the company requires ________ to integrate major business processes (e.g., order processing, general ledger, payroll, and production) within a single family of software modules. a. human resource management b. internal auditing management c. internal resource management d. strategic management e. marketing management Answer: c 35. With respect to value delivery, ________ allows the company to handle complex relationships with its trading partners to source, process, and deliver products. a. a value matrix b. a global distribution policy c. a business development strategy d. business partnership management e. total quality management Answer: d 36. Successful marketing requires having capabilities such as understanding ________, creating customer value, delivering customer value, capturing customer value, and sustaining customer value. a. customer loyalty b. customer per c. customer retention d. customer value e. customer benefits Answer: d 37. According to a McKinsey research study, which of the following is one of the main challenges that marketing must face in the twenty-first century? a. The threat of ethics-based lawsuits. b. Doing more with less. c. Hostile takeover attempts. d. Increasing control by big government. e. Being independent of the distribution process. Answer: b 38. Strategic planning in the twenty-first century calls for action in three key areas. Which of these key areas deals specifically with devising a long-term game plan for achieving long-run objectives? a. Creating a viable business opportunity. b. Producing a strategic fit. c. Developing an investment portfolio. d. Expanding core competencies. e. Establishing a strategy. Answer: e 39. Most large companies consist of four organizational levels: the ________, the division level, the business unit level, and the product level. a. board of director level b. major stakeholder level c. management team level d. corporate level e. strategic level Answer: d 40. The ________ is the central instrument for directing and coordinating the marketing effort. a. strategic plan b. marketing plan c. tactical plan d. customer value statement e. corporate mission Answer: b 41. The ________ lays out the target markets and the value proposition that will be offered, based on an analysis of the best market opportunities. a. organizational plan b. strategic marketing plan c. corporate tactical plan d. corporate mission e. customer value statement Answer: b 42. In which of the following plans would we most likely find directions for implementing and addressing daily challenges and opportunities in product features, pro motion, merchandising, pricing, sales channels, and service areas. a. The tactical marketing plan. b. The target marketing plan. c. The deployment plan. d. The product launch plan. e. The product development plan. Answer: a 43. If you wanted to find out more about target markets and the organization’s value proposition, which of the following types of plans would most likely contain information that might be useful to you in your quest? a. The marketing plan. b. The organizational plan. c. The strategic marketing plan. d. The tactical marketing plan. e. The marketing mix plan. Answer: c 44. The ________ process consists of corporate, division, business, and product planning. a. implementing b. controlling c. innovation d. planning e. competitive Answer: d 45. All corporate headquarters undertake four planning activities, the first of which is ________. a. defining the corporate mission b. establishing strategic business units and assigning resources (SBUs) c. assigning resources to each SBU d. assessing growth opportunities e. understanding target markets Answer: a 46. A clear, thoughtful mission statement provides employees with a shared sense of purpose, direction, and ________. a. profitability b. target market feasibility c. opportunity d. continuous improvement e. quality products Answer: c 47. Mission statements are at their best when they reflect a ________. a. market b. strength c. competency d. vision e. value Answer: d 48. Which of the following terms matches to the phrase â€Å"it is a single business or collection of related businesses that can be planned separately from the rest of the company†? a. Strategic business unit. b. Diverse business unit. c. Growth business unit. d. Niche market unit. e. Specialized business unit. Answer: a 49. Market-penetration, product-development, and market-development strategies would all be examples of ________ strategies. a. concentric b. conglomerate c. horizontal d. intensive growth e. integrative growth Answer: d 50. A(n) ________ is when a company might seek new businesses that have no relationship to its current technology, products, or markets. a. concentric strategy b. conglomerate strategy c. horizontal strategy d. intensive growth strategy e. integrative strategy Answer: b 51. Which of the following terms most closely matches to â€Å"the shared experiences, stories, beliefs, and norms that characterize an organization†? a. Organizational dynamics. b. A business mission. c. An ethical/value statement. d. Customer relationships. e. Corporate culture. Answer: e 52. The first step in the business unit strategic-planning process deals with which of the following? a. Goal formulation. b. Business mission. c. Strategy formulation. d. Program formulation. e. SWOT analysis. Answer: b 53. When a business gets to know market segments intimately and pursues either cost leadership or differentiation within the target segment it is referred to as a ________. a. defined strategy b. focused strategy c. value-added strategy d. competitive advantage strategy e. customer-focused strategy Answer: b 54. If a firm pursues a ________ strategy, it must be good at engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, and physical distribution. a. differentiation b. overall cost leadership c. focus d. domestic customer relationship e. market share Answer: b 55. To keep their strategic alliances thriving, corporations have begun to develop organizational structures to support them and have come to view the ability to form and manage partnerships as core skills. This is called ________. a. value managed partnership b. synergistic partnership c. centralized partnership d. partner relationship management e. win-win relationship management Answer: d 56. Traditionally, most businesses focused on stockholders. Today, the focus is on what are called ________. a. stakeholders b. partners c. regulators d. consumer triads e. supply-chain relationships Answer: a 57. A ________ is a written document that summarizes what the marketer has learned about the marketplace and indicates how the firm plans to reach its marketing objectives. a. strategic plan b. marketing plan c. sales plan d. target market plan e. competitive analysis plan Answer: b 58. Which of the following permits senior management to grasp the marketing plan’s major thrust? a. The situation analysis. b. The marketing strategy. c. The executive summary and table of contents. d. Financial projections. e. Implementation and controls. Answer: c 59. Most marketing plans cover ________. a. one year b. two years c. three years d. four years e. five years Answer: a 60. The most frequently cited shortcomings of current marketing plans, according to marketing executives, are lack of realism, insufficient competitive analysis, and a ________ focus. a. long-term b. profit c. short-run d. product e. price Answer: c