Introduction to Industrial Relations - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2131 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Contents Assignment Question2 Background3 Introduction 3 Perspectives in Employment Relations 4 Conclusions6 References7 Introduction to Industrial Relations Title: In your view which of the two perspectives (Unitarist or Pluralist) discussed by Alan Fox in his 1966 article (copy on Moodle) most closely fits the world of work of today. Tasks: Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Introduction to Industrial Relations" essay for you Create order Read the article on perspectives written by Alan Fox, (1966) Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations, Donovan Commission Research Paper No. 3, HMSO, London. A copy is available on Moodle. Compare and contrast the two perspectives (Unitarist and Pluralist). In essence you will be emphasising the strengths (appropriateness) of one perspective and the weaknesses (inappropriateness) of the other perspective. Your argument should be fully supported by reference to the Fox article, other articles available to you on Moodle, academic publications in the college library or other appropriate academic sources. Academic research must be the basis of your exploration of the topic. You may draw on personal experience to illustrate your discussion. You should, however, avoid an over-reliance on personal experience as this will weaken rather than strengthen the integrity of your work. Your Bibliography must include appropriate reference to Foxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s article as well as a number of other academic writers in the industrial relations field. Background Industrial Relation is a field of studies that includes a set of phenomena that regulates inside and outside the workplace, which is concerned with determining and controlling the employment relationship. This paper explains the basis of employment relationship and analyse the motivations with the main set of frame of references which will influence behaviour and help managers to shape methods to understand social phenomena. Alan Fox suggest ways in which frame of reference plays an important role on employment relations and organisations, according to (fox. 1966:1) that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ones attitude towards anything depends on ones frame of referenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (fox. 1966:1) Implying that it depends on the personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s value, belief and determines judgement which in turn shows the persons motivated behaviour in response to objects when they are professed. More specially, the theory of frame of reference helps to access behaviours outcomes and institutions no t just the individual but as a group to separate the employer and employees ideology. In this essay on the Unitarist and Plurist perspectives there will be three main strands. Firstly, I will evaluate the two perspectives to the extent of what they mean and why they are important, to the point of their strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, I will discuss the key principles by placing them in an employment relationship and workplace to see what implications arise from each perspective such as conflict and see how management power and control each one with the link of ideologies from management and employees that influence the shape of their actions. Finally, I will discuss the possible future direction of the employment relationship with my final conclusion and opinion. 2.0 Introduction The Unitary perspective which is a capitalist society or viewed as one happy family, emphasis on cooperative relations at work and assumes that the organisation is or should be an integrated gr oup of people or team with a single authority and loyalty structure with a set of common values, interests and objectives shared by all members of the organisation. According to Guinnigle, Wallace, and McMahon they suggest that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the Unitary perspective on employee relations systems is all that an employment units should be cohesive and harmonious with total commitment to the attainment of a common goal with a structure and purpose with shared goals, values and interests with one source of authority and the staff relations are set upon a plinth of mutuality and harmonyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Guinnigle, Wallace and McMahon, 2004, p. 26). A key strength of Unitary is that they want to integrate employer and employee interest so it can enhance employee commitment and loyalty. Employees are seen as important stakeholders of organisation so their well being is considered in ensuring the welfare of organisation. Untarist assumes that all stakeholders are rational members who will find common interests. This provides a steady rationale for stressing common goals so that a stable employment relations system can be achieved. Conflict is perceived as disruptive with the clashes of personalities or poor communication and is resolved by coercion which includes the law or management power therefore trade unions are deemed as unnecessary or an intrusion from the outside. According to Salamon, (2000) he implies that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ the managerial prerogative is used so that managers have the right to manage and make decisions is regarded legitimate rule, rational and accepted and any opposition to it is seen as irrationalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Salamon, 2000, pp5). The typical weakness is that the lack of realization between employer and employee that there is a power inequality which in turns generates conflict plus it is unclear how individual worker sentiment can be integrate into organisations objectives because Unitary is very normative and lacks description of how common interest can be identified and shared across organisation. They only assume that members are rationale enough to reach solid decisions on how personal and organisations interest are to be combined. The Pluralist views society as being post capitalist where its being made up of powerful and divergent sub groups, ownership is distinguished from management and authority and power in society are more distributed. This approach sees conflict of interest and disagreements between managers and workers which causes competitiveness between sub groups of leadership, authority and loyalty. Fox argues that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“it gives rise to a complex of tensions and competing claims which have to be managed in the interests of maintaining a viable collaborative structureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (fox, 1973, op. cit, p. 193). The role of management would lean less towards enforcing and controlling and more toward persuasion and co-ordination by dynamic process to achieve their objecti ves which then employees, individual mangers and management are all judged. Pluristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s believe that effective industrial relations interventions can resolve conflict while it makes use of conflict management to engage groups that are in conflict so that resolutions can be discussed and implemented. The girth of employee relations policies can make Plurism beneficial for diverse organisation and national cultures. Williams and Adam-smith suggest that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“there is now an emphasis on developing procedures that are designed to resolve conflict in particular establishment of bargaining relationships with trade unions, given the plurality of interests that potentially existà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ (Williams and Adam-Smith, 2010, pp13). Trade unions are deemed as legitimate representatives for employees so that they can express their interests and influence management decisions to achieve their objectives. Conflict is dealt by collective bargaining and is viewed not necessarily as a bad thing but if managed could well be in a positive change. Realistic managers should accept conflict to happen because there is a greater propensity for conflict rather than harmony. Salamon suggests that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Trade unions and their representatives are as much an internal part of the organisation which simply provides a highly organised and continuous form of expression for sectional interests which would exist anywayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Salamon, 2000, p8). A typical weakness of Plurist is that it dwells on the rules and procedures and discards the processes that contribute to the resolution of conflict. These rules can not adapt to emerging workplace conditions while Plurist focuses too much on workers interests plus can lead to inefficiencies of collecting bargaining processes. 3.0 Perspectives in Employment Relations In relation to implying both theoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s into employment relations and how management power and control each per spective is different because each theory comes from a set of norms, it would be wrong to insist a single theory, but to understand each theory which will help differentiate the individual. In a Unitary perspective on employment relations they are obliged to accept trade unions but they never really are prepared to accept them, they tend to accept the decisions of management and submit to the previous management power. Fox suggests in his article (fox.1966:10) that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Modern workers are perfectly safe in the hands of their managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (fox.1966:10). Most managers in a Unitary system would stress about the common purpose of shared goals and objectives with the absence of conflict of interest between employer and employee if asked about their views on employment relations. These beliefs influence their behaviour most importantly management prerogative. For instance with my own experience as I work in the hotel industry that some mangers would show resent ment towards trade unions and try to emphasize that we are a happy team. According to (Wallace, Gunnigle, McMahon, 2004, p.27) that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ the consequent rejection of collective bargaining is based upon management perceived legitimate prerogative to proceed without the incumbency of negotiations to attain consent to their decision making initiatives and responsibilityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ (Gunnigle et al., 2004, p.27). The Unitary system is essentially individualist which works best for industrial relations system, many industrial relations systems have shifted from collectivist paradigms to individual paradigms including some companies in the UK so that the Unitary perspective will be useful for industrial relations system. In relation to Pluralist to employment relations which recognises employers and employees interests which will be reconciled if the organization is to function effectively. The main concern for Pluralist system is that any conflict that arises from d ifferent interests is managed and contained in a way that it prevents it causing too much disruption. Conflict is viewed as inherent as a logical feature of work and requires management by representativeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s procedures and specialists institutions. The emphasis is on developing procedures like shop stewards that resolve conflict and collective bargaining from trade unions which is accepted and recognised to protect employees in the employment. According to (Williams, Adam-Smith, 2010, p.13) they suggest that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Managers cannot assume that the organisation is characterized by shared interests and common goals in particular employees will have divergent interests and may want to express them through their own independent institutions, trade unionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Williams and Adam-Smith, 2010, p. 13). Trade unions compete with employees and the government for a input to national level in return for wage restraint, cooperation with change and industrial peace, if they fail to resolve differences a third party from the union which provides a resolution of contrasting objectives and conflict, which emphasises the diffusion of power and authority to the organisation. Williams and Adam-Smith suggest that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unions are a means of reasserting managerial authority, stronger bargaining relationship between employers and unions should be encouraged given the advantages of developing effective procedures for contain conflict through joint regulation of the workplace.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Williams and Adam-Smith, 2010, p.13). 4.0 Conclusions In my final conclusion suggest that some of these features will help the future of employment relations by staffing policies that should unify effort which will inspire and motivate workers. Rewards systems should be put in place to help loyalty and commitment in the organisation, with the objectives of every individual employed in the business should discuss and integrated in the organi zationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s needs. In a Pluralist system the firm should have an industrial relations and personal specialists who advise managers and provide services relating to consultation and negotiation. Union recognition should be encouraged and representatives given scope to carry out their duties with collective agreements should be negotiated with union. The effects of both Philosophies of Pluralist and Unitarist in industrial relations they highlight interests rather than values or they try to combine interests and values, which is important to separate both of them, value from interests because there purpose is different in many ways like group dynamics. Unitarists at least emphasize values but for Pluralists its culture and self-identify which are characteristically important for people. The situation does raise some problems for both Unitarists and Pluralists the main problem for Unitarist is that managing values cause contradiction, for Pluralist it changes the whole st ructure to handling conflict with different rules and trade union recognition as they tend to centre interests rather than values. New structure needs to serve identity groups to allow recognition. Bibliography Fox, A., (1966) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Donovan Commission Research Paper No. 3, HMSO, London. pp. 1-10. Fox, A., (1966), Industrial sociology and industrial relations, Research Paper No. 3, Royal commission on Trade Unions and Employers Associations, HMSO , London. pp. 1-10. Gunnigle, P., Wallace, J., and McMahon, G., (2004) Industrial Relations in Ireland. 3rd ed. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. Provis, C., (1996) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Unitarism, Pluralism, Interests and Valuesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, British Journal of Industrial Relations 34:4 December 1996 0007-1080 pp. 473-495 Salamon, M., (2000), Industrial Relation: Theory AND Practice. 4th ed. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited. Williams, S. and Adam-Smith, D., (2010) Contemporary employment relations: A Critical Introduction. 2nd ed. United States: Oxford university press. https://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/pluralistic-perspective.html https://moodl e.ncirl.ie/mod/resource/view.php?id=28614 https://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/pluralistic-perspective.html https://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/unitary-perspective.html https://moodle.ncirl.ie/mod/resource/view.php?id=28613 https://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/unitary-perspective.html https://moodle.ncirl.ie/mod/resource/view.php?id=28612 Powered by Compare InfoBase Limited (2012) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Industrial disputesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ [Online]Available from: https://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/industrial-disputes.html[accessed 29th July [2014]. 1 | Page

Catholicism And Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - 1248 Words

Catholicism and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder mix like oil and water that was set on fire and then thrown into the Hudson. To put it simply, sin scared me. The second that rancid word entered my mind, the Hudson that was my mind would only get more contaminated and become virtually unswimmable. Once the word â€Å"hell† was poured in as well, radioactive three-eyed fish would be seen dead on the surface of the river. I would constantly annoy people due to my excessive apologizing. This fervor of guilt would culminate into me apologizing for apologizing, which would then leave me feeling guilty due to bothering people with all my apologizing. To me, minor offenses such as cursing and lying seemed grave enough for the death sentence, so†¦show more content†¦It was excruciatingly tedious in every aspect, but my parents believed it would be good for me, and I felt it would be a good way to educate myself in order to avoid sin. As monotonous and unhelpful as these classes were, they did make me more interested in the actual scripture that Catholicism offered. I would constantly tell myself that I was going to read the entire Bible on my own. I d get a few pages into Genesis, read the same story of Adam and Eve, tire, and then re-read the same chapter a couple weeks later. At this point in my life, I had become an altar server. The presiding pastor of my church was an old Brooklynite named Msgr. Dominick. In retrospect, if there was ever a pastor who had tragically lost his faith, it was surely Father Dom. Father Dom was the kind of man you picture with a scratchy voice and a pipe in his glove compartment. He was a sarcastic and cynical man, who would do everything in his power to mess with the congregation. When the choir would go on strike, he would use a tiny thrift shop speaker to play children s choir music in spite of them. On occasion, Father Dom would pretend the altar servers were deaf to confuse the lectors. Every Sunday morning, he would tell me it was time to â€Å"wake up the Jews†, and would play the church bells as loud as he could. Despite the fact that Father DomShow MoreRelatedWhy Are Religious Individuals More Obsessional?1373 Words   |  6 PagesThe article, Why Are Religious Individuals More Obsessional? The Role of Mental Control Beliefs and Guilt in Muslims and Christians, presents the data results from a study comparing Canadian Christian and Turkish Muslim students’ measures of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and beliefs, guilt, religiosity, and negative affect. It is a unique study, as there have been few studies directly exploring this topic and even fewer using a non-Western Muslim sample. Thesis Cognitive-behavioral theory recognizesRead MoreComparing a Non-Denominational Church with the Catholic Denomination1671 Words   |  7 Pagesin many people’s daily lives. Maybe you have a ritual of tailgating before a football game, or simply washing your clothes on a certain day every week it is still a form of ritual. When you are around someone with mild or severe OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, they carry out many rituals that get to the point that affects their daily living. Rites of passage are another common feature of religion. Everyone has to encounter rites of passage in their lifetime whether it is being brought into

Heart Healthy Diet free essay sample

Not Just for Those with Existing Heart Disease Teaching Project Ashley Page Fort Hays State University Heart Healthy Diet: Not Just For Those with Existing Heart Disease A heart healthy should be followed by the general population and not those with just heart disease. Men, women, children, adolescents, middle aged, and elderly can all benefit from eating healthy. If the heart healthy diet is followed properly it may decrease risk of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. The audience that I plan on educating regarding a heart healthy diet is people who do not have documented heart disease but may have risk factors including a poor diet. I will present a power point with discussion to a middle-aged African American male who presented to the emergency room with chest pain and was admitted to rule out a myocardial infarction. The patient’s wife and two children are present at the bedside. I will provide the patient and his family with education regarding a heart healthy diet prior to discharge mid-afternoon. We will write a custom essay sample on Heart Healthy Diet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Physical resources present in the patient’s room are a computer that is height adjustable on wheels, multiple power outlets, and adequate lighting. Following the presentation the learner will demonstrate increase awareness of the importance of a good diet in maintaining health and resisting disease. Following the presentation the learner will demonstrate increase in awareness of the foods which are essential to make up a balanced diet. Following the presentation the learner will be able to verbalize heart-healthy substitutions that individuals can make in order to prepare flavorful food with hypertension in mind and increase consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, oily fish, and other healthful components that can play a role in reducing risk of heart disease. Following the presentation the learner will be able to describe the role of nutrition in heart health. Introduction to a heart healthy diet will take approximately two minutes. I will begin the power point that I have created for this subject. Six questions will be asked of the learner. The pretest will take approximately seven minutes. I will then continue the power point and discuss the importance of a heart healthy diet, goals, how to eat heart healthy, basic nutrition information, diets that use heart healthy recommendations, and other ways to change ones lifestyle to become heart healthy. This discussion of the heart healthy content will take approximately ten minutes. I will then give the learner the posttest which will take approximately seven minutes. After presentation of all of the content I will then answer questions and encourage discussion regarding heart healthy diet and lifestyle. The pre and post test are both orally given. The Health Belief Model is an intrapersonal theory that â€Å"addresses a person’s perceptions of the threat of a health problem and the accompanying appraisal of a recommended behavior for preventing or managing the problem. † (McKenzie, Cottrell, Girvan, 2006). The Health Belief Model (HBM) has been commonly used to guide preventive interventions in heart health. The learner was brought to the hospital due to chest pain. Although, a myocardial infarction was ruled out the patient realizes that he is at risk of heart disease and the risk is enough to change current eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. The patient’s grandfather died due to heart disease and his mother has diabetes. The patient is receiving encouragement to start living heart healthy from family members. The patient sees that his current eating habits and sedentary lifestyle plus his family history puts him at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. The patient recognizes the benefits eating heart healthy and living a heart healthy lifestyle. These benefits include better health, decrease in heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. References: American Heart Association Nutrition Committee; Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, Carnethon M, Daniels S, (2006). Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. 4;114(1):82-96. Krauss R. (2007). Braunwalds Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Saunderschap. McKenzie, J, Cottrell, R, Girvan, J, (2006). Principles and foundations of health promotion and education. Benjamin/Cummings Pub Co. Resources: www. americanheart. org American Heart Association http://fnic. nal. usda. gov Food and Nutrition Information Center

Reading Response #6 Essays - Philosophy, Visual Arts, Construction

Reading Response #6 In A Brave New World, Chuck Byrne and Martha Witte explore the concept of Deconstruction and apply the meaning of it to design. The term Deconstruction refers to the dissemble of something to decode its parts. In design, deconstruction breaks rules but in a meaningful way, where every choice has a reason. Because every decision has a reasoning behind it, this movement is a philosophical approach to design, where the questioning of every part results on a meaningful whole. Jacques Derrida initiated the study of Deconstruction by decoding language and analyzing each component that forms meaning. Ellen Lupton explains that "Deconstruction focuses not on the themes and imagery of its objects but rather on the linguistic and institutional systems that frame the production of texts."1 By primarily focusing on the structure rather than content, it is possible to uncover intentionality. When creating a complex composition in design, the designer asks the viewer to not read the poster, but to feel it. Deconstruction in design dismantled modernism by creating chaotic visuals that questioned conventions and forced the viewer to study the piece meticulously. One of the most innovative approaches in this postmodern movement is how type was displayed. Manipulation of readability broke the boundaries of basic literacy and pushed the viewer to understand typography instead of reading it. By literally breaking words and organizing its pieces in unusual ways, the desig ner forces the audience to pay attention in the details. The meaning then becomes subjective, given that each viewer will interpret the piece in a different way. Byrne and Witte discusses that "formulaic structures seem to be blurring in favor of a kind of empirical context for the page that serves to create a new relationship between form and content specific to an individual piece of work."2 Inviting the reader to a close reading of the art transforms the viewer in a member of the deconstruction movement, because they too, will have to dismantle each piece of the design to create a conclusion. Increasing appropriation of historical styles and use of known symbols was another approach of Deconstruction. Designers wanted to prove that originality did not depend on new content, so the use of existing imagery in new artwork was prevalent. "Suspicion that everything had already been said, drawn, photographed () stood in contrast to the modern enthusiasm for innovation."3 Appropriation was used a tool to enforce search for meaning, where the images used could bring associations to the viewer, making the "old" have influence on the "new." Historical images with certain connotations could be repeated, and the viewer would connect the older image to its replica, that is purposely created so it can translate certain connotations to the work. This approach allowed designers to be even more abstract in their compositions, because the use of appropriated image would point to the meaning faster. Postmodernist movements like Deconstruction allowed for artists to stray from conventions an d experiment without constraints. Meaning would be delivered like the modernist way, but with a complexity that asked the viewer to think before jumping to conclusions. Works Cited Byrne, Chuck, and Martha Witte. "A BRAVE NEW WORLD: UNDERSTANDING DECONSTRUCTION." Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design, 1994. Drucker, Johanna, and Emily McVarish."Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide," Boston: Pearson, 2009. Lupton, Ellen. "Deconstruction and Graphic Design." Ellen Lupton RSS. http://elupton.com/2009/10/deconstruction-and-graphic-design/.

Cómo Ejercer Como Médico en Estados Unidos

Cà ³mo Ejercer Como Mà ©dico en Estados Unidos El deficit de profesionales de la salud que existe en Estados Unidos se compensa cada aà ±o con un ingreso promedio de 6.000 profesionales de la salud extranjeros, entre mà ©dicos, enfermeras, dentistas y farmacà ©uticos. Cada uno de estos international medical graduate (IMG) debe cumplir una serie de requisitos para validar sus estudios, obtener la residencia y sacar la licencia profesional en estado en el que desean trabajar. El rea con ms deficit es el de los mà ©dicos generales, y en particular en las zonas rurales. Los mà ©dicos locales optan por reas de la medicina mejor pagas y en zonas ms urbanas. Aquà ­ resumimos algunas de las opciones para los diferentes casos de mà ©dicos profesionales que ingresan a Estados Unidos. Visa para los Mà ©dicos Interesados en Investigacià ³n y Docencia. La visa J-1, tambià ©n conocida como de visitante de intercambio. En este caso el solicitante entrarà ­a a la categorà ­a de researcher o scholar, y no en la categorà ­a de physician. La visa H-1B, o la visa temporal para profesiones especà ­ficas. Aunque las plazas otorgadas cada para esta visa aà ±o son limitadas, no hay là ­mite si se trabaja en entidades sin nimo de lucro o instituciones pà ºblicas. La visa O-1 o de talento especial, es para profesionales que puedan demostrar habilidades extraordinarias.La visa TN para mexicanos o canadienses. Si la enseà ±anza o la investigacià ³n se combinan con la atencià ³n a pacientes, es importante que estos candidatos no està ©n en trabajo acadà ©mico ms del diez por ciento de las horas del trabajo. La residencia por patrocinio de un empleador. Requisitos de Visa para Mà ©dicos Extranjeros en Contacto con Pacientes Estudios de medicina finalizados en el paà ­s de origen.Licencia sin restricciones del paà ­s de origen para ejercer la medicina.Residencia mà ©dica hecha en Estados Unidos asà ­ se haya completado en el paà ­s de origen.Examen aprobado de conocimientos de inglà ©s (administrado por ECFMG) menos para los profesionales que vienen de un paà ­s angloparlante. Examen USMLE aprobado, excepto para los especialistas reconocidos internacionalmente por su trabajo. Este es el examen que otorga la licencia mà ©dica. Licencia mà ©dica aprobada en el estado en el que se quiera trabajar. Apostillas de La Haya de todos los documentos del paà ­s de origen. Opciones de Visa para la Residencia Mà ©dica en Estados Unidos La visa J-1 o de intercambio. En este caso el ECFMG puede otorgar un patrocinio y este dura el tiempo que se requiera para completar la residencia mà ©dica. Una de las ventajas de esta visa es que permite a los cà ³nyuges obtener una visa J-2 y trabajar en Estados Unidos. Adems, la J-1 permite el acompaà ±amiento de los hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os, quienes pueden estudiar gratuitamente en las escuelas pà ºblicas de Estados Unidos. El inconveniente de esta visa es que prohibe la permanencia en Estados Unidos una vez finalizada la residencia, pero es posible solicitar un permiso (waiver) y obtener la visa de trabajo si se est casado con un ciudadano o residente permanente, si se sufre de persecucià ³n en el paà ­s de origen, si una agencia del gobierno est interesada en el trabajo del solicitante, o si el departamento de salud pide el permiso a nombre del mà ©dico para que este trabaje en una zona rural o econà ³micamente deprimida. La visa H-1B es mucho ms compleja d e obtener porque adems el candidato debe probar que se le pagar, por lo menos, el salario promedio para su cargo. Debe adems contar con una peticià ³n de visa de parte de cada uno de los hospitales donde desee trabajar. Como en el caso de los mà ©dicos que aplican a residencia, estos solicitantes deben pasar el examen de ECFMG y haber completado el USMLE. Esta visa se aprueba por tres aà ±os y puede extenderse hasta por seis. En este caso los familiares que acompaà ±an al mà ©dico no pueden trabajar en Estados Unidos, aunque sus hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os sà ­ pueden estudiar. La visa de residente permanente es otra opcià ³n si es que un empleador lo patrocina, o hay un auto-patrocinio para mà ©dicos establecidos internacionalmente que se quieran radicar en Estados Unidos.La visa L, o de transferencia entre multinacionales, si es que el candidato trabaja en su paà ­s de origen en un centro clà ­nico con sucursal en Estados Unidos. Este es un artà ­culo informativo y no pretende ser asesorà ­a legal.

Best Off-Campus Job Options

Best Off-Campus Job Options Its no secret that most college students work during their time in school because they have to, because they want to, or because they both want and have to. And while working on campus has some obvious benefits, working off-campus can be downright amazing. If youre thinking of working off-campus during your time in college, check out any of the following options: Coffee Shop It sounds so simple, but working in a coffee shop can be great for college students. It keeps you busy; youll meet a lot of people; youll likely get discounted, if not downright free, coffee; you can earn tips; and youll learn a skill that will transfer to wherever you live next. Additionally, some major chains offer benefits for part-time workers, which can be a serious bonus during your time in school. Wait Staff at a Nice Restaurant If youre going to wait tables, do your best to find a really nice restaurant. Your tips will be higher, your boss will likely be more experienced, and the little things like air conditioning during the summer will all add up to a nice work experience. Retail Retail can be great for college students, especially if you work at a major chain. The skills and training you receive in your college town, for example, will make you highly appealing to similar stores back in your hometown. Additionally, any discounts you receive on clothing or other items can come in extremely handy. Lastly, because retail stores are often open in the evenings and on weekends, you might be better able to find shifts that accommodate your class schedule than if you worked in a traditional, 9-5 office. Entry-level Administration Dont sell yourself short; even a semester of college might put you ahead of other administrators who dont have any college experience. Consider looking for entry-level administrative jobs that can help you build a resume and some important skills during your time in college. Ideally, when you do graduate, youll then have both the experience and the formal education to skip past entry-level jobs. In a Field Youre Interested In If youre extremely interested in a certain industry, try finding a job you can get during your time in school thats still in the field. True, you likely wont be able to start at the level youre hoping to after you graduate, but working in your desired field can help you confirm that youre aiming for the right place. (Additionally, any connections you make can help you once you do start looking for more advanced work.) In a Non-profit Non-profits can be amazing places to work because they offer so much. In addition to helping communities and individuals, non-profits offer some great benefits to their employees, too. Because most non-profits are small and/or understaffed, you can learn a lot of skills through just one job. You might do a bit of marketing, some community work, some financial management, and some supervision of projects and other people. Consequently, what seems like a small non-profit job just might end up being a huge opportunity for you to learn all kinds of skills. Any Job with Benefits Lets be honest; it can be hard to coordinate benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and even tuition payments during your time in school. If youre lucky enough to find an off-campus job that offers these benefits (tuition reimbursement, anyone?!), leap on it. While you may not see the actual money behind these benefits in your paycheck, youll undoubtedly feel their advantages during your time in school. Any Job that Provides Housing Fortunately, there are some pretty great off-campus gigs out there that also provide housing. Being an apartment manager, for example, can be a great option during your time in school if you can great free or reduced-cost rent as part of your paycheck. Being a nanny, too, might also be an option, as long as your family is understanding and flexibly about your college commitments. Any Job Online Working off campus doesnt necessarily have to mean working in a traditional brick-and-mortar place. If you can find a job working online, youll have no commuting costs. Some online jobs offer flexible schedules while others require you to be available during specific days and times. Finding something that works for you can be key and a great way to experience an off-campus job without the traditional drawbacks. Any Job at a Place You Want to Work After Graduating Getting your foot in the door in an entry-level job still counts as getting your foot in the door. And while everyone has their dream job, most people also have their dream place to work. If you know where youd absolutely love to work after you graduate, see if you can get a job - any job - there during your time in school. You can meet people, build your reputation, and network in a way that youd never be able to do from the outside. And all of this will, of course, come in handy once you toss your graduation cap and are looking for full-time work away from campus.

Breack Even Point Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Breack Even Point - Coursework Example The breakeven point is also taken into consideration by the management for finalising the marketing budget and other vital expenses for a particular month, quarter or year. Breakeven analysis is also necessary for new entrants to determine the total capital requirement for starting a business. In reality, majority of the companies need approximately 18 months to reach a point from where they can start making profit. Until then, the company needs extra capital (working capital) to run the business. Breakeven analysis is one such vital tool that assists in understanding when the business will start generating profit, how much extra working capital should be arranged and how much money should be allocated for marketing and other vital activities. The given project will attempt to discuss breakeven analysis in depth to understand how it is conducted, what are the factors that should be used while determining the breakeven point. The concept will be discussed with help of a numeric exampl e so one can understand the real life application of this analytical tool in the decision making process. â€Å"Breakeven point is the point of zero profit† (Hansen, Mowen & Guan, 2007, p.591). In simple words it can be said that breakeven point is a sales volume at which the revenue earned by a firm equals the cost incurred within a specific time period. While developing the business plan for a new venture, the management takes into account different types of costs that will be incurred in the business process. The management then decides the profit margin on the products and hence the final selling price per unit is determined. Considering the total cost as well as the selling price per unit, the management determines the minimum sales so that the company can pay for all the expenses without making any profit. There are two commonly used approaches to determine the breakeven point; it can be

Need for communication in the international sports events Essay

Need for communication in the international sports events - Essay Example The project seeks to present the ways in which communication can be used effectively in the 2012 Olympic Games. As it is one of most awaited and popular events the world would wait eagerly for, it is crucial that a solid communication foundation is created and implemented for connecting the global audience and employees associated with it together. The game is likely to employ numerous temporary staff from all over the world to give effect to the big international event. Thus it is crucial that these staffs are united together through an effective communication system. It is also important that technology is applied for the purpose for enhancing and improving the efficiency of the system. The project presents certain communication strategies which might be employed in the 2012 Olympic Games and their contribution to the overall success of the game. Need for communication in the international sports events The international sports events, such as the Olympics require extensive coordination of activities of its employees. Olympics games employ numerous temporary staff, volunteers from different nations. This requires the implementation of a concrete communication infrastructure to collaborate workings and activities. Moreover it must also be ensured that there are not hurdles or hindrances in the communication process in the system. Also the greatest challenge in such international events is that they employ a huge number of employees.... Thus it is crucial that these staffs are united together through an effective communication system. It is also important that technology is applied for the purpose for enhancing and improving the efficiency of the system. The project presents certain communication strategies which might be employed in the 2012 Olympic Games and their contribution to the overall success of the game. Need for communication in the international sports events The international sports events, such as the Olympics require extensive coordination of activities of its employees. Olympics games employ numerous temporary staff, volunteers from different nations. This requires the implementation of a concrete communication infrastructure to collaborate workings and activities. Moreover it must also be ensured that there are not hurdles or hindrances in the communication process in the system. Also the greatest challenge in such international events is that they employ a huge number of employees. Managing the num erous numbers of people is likely to be problematic and create commotion. In such a condition it is crucial for the organization to employ a systematic and hurdle free communication strategy for smooth communication between the numerous employees employed in the system. The aim of an integrated and specialized communication system is to provide opportunities for the employees for exchanging information with one another in as minimum time as possible. This would consequently eliminate chances of miscommunication in the system which would consequently reduce chances of errors and complications too. Moreover errors leading to extra costs and investments could also be eliminated completely. In this regard, the

Report on Toyota Plant Visit Essay Example for Free

Report on Toyota Plant Visit Essay Three aspects about TPS witnessed during the plant visit: 1. Just-in-time production system: this concept is used in TPS where they produce only based on the order received and their level of inventory is limited. Once the inventory is over the next batch of stock is replaced simultaneously they order for the next stock. Every 2.36 minutes 1 unit is produced. The process is very fast and much organised. They have skilled employees who are very well trained which improve their quality and production. They have limited number of suppliers who deliver the stock on time whenever the order is placed. There is no lead time involved in this process. 2. Jidoka: This is improving their quality in the production system by empowering their employees. Proper training and trust among the employees are very much present in the plant. The employees are also rewarded for providing ideas which encourages them to perform better. They are various inspections after each process whenever there is defect it is rectified immediately and only then sent to the next process. There is final inspection before test drive if there is any fault it is sent for fixing the error. Every process is in order in the assembly line where different models follow similar line of production. 3. Kanban: since they follow a fixed inventory system once the inventory is withdrawn for further production from the container simultaneously production begins to fill the inventory. While the order is being filled the quantity in the second bin is used. The reorder point is determined so that demand can be met while an order for new material is being processed.

Drawings for King Lear :: William Shakespeare Plays Literature Essays

Drawings for King Lear While in Paris in 1843-4, Ford Madox Brown sketched a set of eighteen pen-and-ink studies for King Lear. Two designs he later developed as finished paintings--Lear and Cordelia (1848-49) and Cordelia's Portion (1866)--and a third he turned into an oil-sketch, Cordelia Parting from Her Sisters (1854). Sixteen of the drawings were shown in 1865 at his Picadilly Exhibition, and Brown wrote the captions that appear below the drawings for the exhibition catalog. The sixteen sketches with captions are owned by the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, and the two without captions are in the City Museum and Art Gallery of Birmingham. The drawings are done in pen and sepia ink over pencil on paper; they are approximately 11 x 14 inches in size. The idea of a series such as this was not original with Brown; the German artist Moritz Retzsch had completed his series of outlines of Shakespeare's plays (1828-46), which included a series on King Lear, and Eugà ¨ne Delacroix had published his series of thirteen lithographs for Hamlet in 1843, a year before Brown executed his drawings. Critics think Brown knew the work of both artists and was influenced by them. Brown regarded these sketches as no more than "outlines," writing in the catalogue that accompanied his 1865 retrospective exhibition that they "were never intended but as rude first ideas for future more finished designs" (19). Despite their unfinished quality, they powerfully evoke what Lucy Rabin describes as a "vaguely remote historical period" (52), a time represented by Shakespeare as post-Roman but still pre-Christian. Ford Madox Hueffer, the painter's grandson, suggests that the crudity of the sketches was, in fact, deliberate--Brown's attempt to portray in bold, almost flat designs the barbarity of Lear and the era in which he lived (53). Brown reveals in these simple depictions an understanding of King Lear that far surpasses anything the critics had to say about a play that was not at all popular in the nineteenth century. Charles Lamb observed early in the century that "Lear is essentially impossible to be represented on a stage," and at the end of the century--as in, for example, a review of Sir Henry Irving's King Lear at the Lyceum Theatre--the critics were still quoting Lamb and asserting that King Lear "would not be tolerated for an hour if produced without the name of Shakspere" (Illustrated London News 101:637). Small wonder that Sir Henry Irving was reportedly nervous and anxious when he produced this unpopular play at the Lyceum in 1892.

A Report of Acer

Acer India (Pvt) Ltd. [pic] An Internship Project Report on â€Å"Study of Brand awareness of Acer in Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore† JANANI SESHADRI In partial fulfillment of the Master’s Program in Business Administration, Ohio University, Athens, USA OHIO University Christ College Academy for Management Education Christ College Campus Hosur Road, Bangalore-29 May14th, 2007 DECLARATION I Janani Seshadri here by declare that the project entitled â€Å"Study on the awareness of the brand Acer† at Acer India Pvt. Ltd. , is an original and genuine work carried out under the guidance of Mr. Darryl Gray from march 12th to April 25th 2007 in partial fulfillment for the Ohio University Christ college academy for management education. I declare that the report submitted by me is a bonafide work of my own effort and it has not been submitted to other university or published any time before. Place: Bangalore Date: 03-07-2007 Janani Seshadri ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thanks to God for showering his blessings and for granting me the chance and ability to successfully complete the summer internship program I had taken up. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to ACER INDIA Pvt. Ltd. , head office Bangalore for giving me this valuable opportunity in doing my internship amongst them in their esteemed organization. I would like to extend my special thanks and gratitude to Mr. Rajendran general manager marketing for giving me this opportunity. Also I would like to sincerely thank Mr. S. Raghu marketing projects and Mr. Darryl Gray marketing programmes for their genuine support, valuable advice and sincere comments which helped me a lot to accomplish this project. This internship would not be complete without the support and guidance of our Director Mr. Shivprakash. I also want to express my gratitude to the official referees and the project coordinators Dr. Amalendu Jyotishi and Mr. Girish (Ohio University Christ College) whose valuable comments and valid criticism helped me in refining my project from the draft stage to this final report. I also want to express my thanks to Prof. Venkatesh Bhagwat (Ohio University Christ College) for assisting me in the data compilation and analysis which helped me a lot in fine tuning my report. I cannot forget the assistance and encouragement that made this work possible towards the end. My special thanks to my co-student and dear friend Mr. B. Venkata Ramana who supported me throughout my Internship project with his valuable suggestions and ideas which helped me to approach my project wisely and accomplish it successfully without which I could have not completed my work efficiently and effectively. His consistent help kept me motivated throughout the internship period. Last but not the least, my endless thanks and gratitude goes to my parents Mr. S. N. Seshadri and Mrs. Sasikala Seshadri who has stood by my side, encouraged and given me moral support at all points of time. I would also like to thank my brother Mr. Koushik Ram for all his support and advice. Thank You! EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marketing is an activity present in all companies where marketing strategies determine the outcome of the products and the company itself. To test to see if marketing is successful, it is necessary to measure where the company was and where it is now. This can be carried out with tracking studies monitoring the market position and changes to the brand image over time or, for particular campaigns, measuring pre- and post- event to see what has changed. This is project report is a market survey study to check the Brand awareness of Acer and thereby figure out the measures that can be implemented to lift the current level of awareness. This study is based on the data collected from the (customers) people regarding their awareness of the PC vendors in the market today then zeroing it into the brand Acer. The means of collecting data were through personal interviews, distributing the questionnaire, and online survey questionnaire. Also observation during the interviews helped a lot in the analysis. To facilitate the analysis of the study I concentrated in two different segments which were based on the demographic segmentation (occupation-Students, working profile and SME) and geographic segmentation (places-Coimbatore, Chennai and Bangalore). Acer stands number four behind Dell. The visibility and awareness for the brand Acer among people is average. About 20% of the people have not heard about Acer. Moreover on an average about 55% of the segmented people perceive Acer to be a national brand in collaboration with Wipro India (Wipro Acer). The perceptions on few product parameters were also measured which resulted in a good quality, fair or average service, and good affordable price, fair performance and good features. Though Acer has the highest network of retail outlets less number of people has actually visited them. Comparatively HP has more number of visits. Lenovo though being a new entrant in the market has already made its place. There is a tuff competition being faced by Acer with Lenovo. All these things finally zero into average awareness of the brand and the awareness which is already there is also through word of mouth, so this may lead to negative or positive propagation of the brand. The data (300 samples) was compiled in SPSS and analyzed with respect to the two categories of segments. Acer is number one in Europe and other countries globally. Considering the primary data available Acer India is one of the youngest players in India. It has performed very well in the recent years (2001 to 2006). In the past five years it faced a tremendous steady growth rate of about 49% in India. Therefore though the awareness amongst people was not all that good Acer still lies in the area where if prompt and good advertising strategies were formulated and implemented the awareness will lift to a great extent. TABLE OF CONTENTS ? PREFACE7 ? ABOUT THE COMPANY 1. Back ground – Acer India8 2. Growing with time – milestones9 3. Product portfolio and key features11 ? PROJECT ? RESEARCH DESIGN METHADOLOGY17 1. Research task17 2. Research tool17 3. Research nature17 4. Research scope17 5. Analysis19 6. Findings53 ? CONCLUSION63 ? SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS64 ? APPENDIX65 PREFACE THE BRAND increasingly is becoming the key source of differentiation that guides customer purchase choice. It is the focal point around which an organization defines how it will uniquely deliver the value to the customer for a profit-effectively embodying the â€Å"heart and soul† of that organization. The brands promise is delivered through its products and services, and consumer communication- the total consumer relationship and experience. The act of creating public awareness of a specific brand in order to maximize its recognition, successful brand awareness strategies should define a company's uniqueness and set it apart from competitors. Quite simply, if potential customers do not know about a company, they will not purchase from it. Therefore, one of the preeminent goals of any business should be to build brand awareness, although in as cost-effective manner as possible. Consumers tend to make purchasing decisions based on peer recommendations and direct experience, as well as traditional advertising methods. This is why it is necessary to build brand awareness strategies out by instilling trust among consumers. This trust must be achieved through credibility, rather than just a catchy advertising campaign. Promotional marketing involving a one-to-one component is proving increasingly effective at building trust and acquiring new customers. Brand building begins with awareness. Consumers first must be aware that there are different brands for the product they want to buy even before making a purchase decision, for which visibility is very important to create awareness. BACKGROUND – ACER INDIA Acer India was incorporated in September 9, 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Inc. , the world’s No. 4 PC brand. Acer’s mission in India is to translate the group’s goal in making computer technology easier to use and more affordable-to everyone in this country. In shot span, Acer has managed to bridge the gap between product launches worldwide and in India and also offer fresh technology without any inventory backlog. Headquartered in Bangalore, today Acer India has offices in twelve cities including Ahemedabed, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur,New Delhi, Pune, Secunderabed and has its uniload facility in Pondicherry. I has now a customer base of over 180,000 in India. There are over 125 human resource team in India comes with over 700 man-year of IT experience, geared to listen and provide to the IT user in India the very best in sales & marketing support, after-sales support backed up with infrastructure to bring fresh technology to India. GROWING WITH TIME The history of ACER starts from a long way back making its steps of success in every step it takes. 1976-1983 Commercializing microprocessor technology Acer is founded under the name Multitech Designs Taiwan’s first mass-produced compute for export. Becomes the first company to promote 16-bit PC products in Taiwan 1984-1994: Build brand awareness and globalize Acer Peripherals, now known as BenQ corp. , and Multiventure Investments Inc. established Acer beat IBM with 32 bit PCs Acer Inc. launches IPO Acer creates the world’s first 3865x 33 chipset Acer introduces the world’s first dual Intel Pentium PC Acre introduces Chip Up technology, the world’s first 386-to-486 single chip CPU upgrade solution 1994-2004: Transform from manufacturing to services Acer introduces the world’s first dual Intel Pentium PC Aspire Park, acer’s multifunctional high-tech intelligence park inaugurated Acer launches Aspire, the multimedia PC, creating a new bench marks for home computers Acer re-engineers its OEM unit to create Wiston Crop. , an independent design and IT manufacturing company Acer reveals a new generation of e-business: MegaMicro e-Enabling Services Acer notebook ranked first in Western Europe. 2004: Acer wins awards in all product categories AC 713 rated the best performance Monitors Altos G 520 Server gets Digit Best Buy Gold Award Veriton 7600 rated the Editors Choice TravelMate 292 LCi rated Best Performance Notebook KEY SUCCESES IN 2005/2006 2005 †¢ World’s no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rates among the top five. †¢ No. 3 for total PCs in EMEA. †¢ No. 1 notebook in EMEA. †¢ No. 1 notebook across 13 European countries: France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. †¢ No. 3 notebook in Asia Pacific, with highest growth rate among top ten. †¢ No. 1 notebook in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. †¢ No. 1 for total PCs in Taiwan. †¢ Enjoyed highest growth rates among the top-10 vendors for total PCs and notebooks in the U. S †¢ No. LCD monitors worldwide. †¢ No. 3 notebook worldwide 2006 †¢ World’s no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rate. †¢ No. 3 for total desktops WW †¢ No. 1 notebook in Europe and ASEAN block PRODUCT SUITE Powered To Perform Few IT companies offer the breadth and depth of products tha t the Acer Group does. Acer is the only PC vendor in India that has a product for each market segment-be it a large corporates, the SME, SOHO or even the corner office enterprises. The product line includes a broad array of personal computing products segmented under the desktop, laptop and server categories. Acer India Pvt. Ltd. has a vast product portfolio. The four main product categories are as follows 1) Desktops 2) Notebooks There are many more sub- divided products under each different product variety. Those are as follows: DESKTOPS In the desktop segment, Acer’s product range spans the SOHO segment, corner office, manageable desktops, SMEs, STPI etc. this makes Acer the only PC Company that offers such a wide range. Most other companies have products that are not distinct, and overlap each of these segments. Acer Aspire Series Desktops built to cater to a growing demand in the home segment. Acer’s continuing commitment to bring technology closer to our customers has resulted in a core technology that is now integrated into our entire product range. Acer’s Empowering Technology presents users with friendly and intuitive interface by presenting a single key and following a simple â€Å"123† process, gives fast and easy access to cutting-edge hardware and software solutions. Veriton Series Ideal for enterprises large or small, Veriton PCs are built for peak performance, with security features, proven system reliability, and convenience offering that amplify productivity and perfect business sense. The current desktops range are as below with a wide variety of product line. ASPIRE V820 The fastest dual core DT from Acer, the Aspire V820 is powered by a latest Intel Pentium D 820 (2. 8 GHz); is configured with 256 MB RAM for powerful performance; features a DVD/CD-R/W combo drive; comes fitted with a 80 GB SATA HDD for ample storage space; connects to a set of functional speakers for the multimedia experience; offers a 56 Kbps fax/modem port and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port for flexible connectivity; and, displays vide a 17†³ CRT monitor for comfortable viewing. COMMERCIAL MODELS: Acer Power (945GZ) The Acer Power 945GZ offers users’ high end features like Gigabit LAN and PCI Express X16 technology at value for money prices. Acer Power M8 Acer becomes the first in India to commercially launch the new Socket AM2 based AMD products offering the power of DDR-II SDRAM on AMD platform. Acer Power 335 Acer Power 335 is the Entry level product for customers looking for Value machine with complete specifications Notebooks Acer was among the first to build notebooks with Intel Centrino mobile technology, liberating users to work witj wireless environments, offering wireless mobility for the new age road warrior. Acer’s laptops have revolutionary features that offer an astounding battery life, thermal management- more than nay other laptop offering. Acer TravelMate Series A range of the world’s most award wining notebooks, Acer TravelMate is designed to empower enterprises SMB and SOHO users with the ultimate in mobile computing performance. Available at every possible price point, and offering unmatched value through innovations like Disc Anti-Shock Protection System, Smart Card Security, and high-speed wireless capability to name a few. Acer Ferrari Series This is the result of the victorious partnership with Scuderia Ferrari; the Ferrari series of notebooks sport the patented Ferrari-Black& Red color, and offers sheer performance that’s truly worthy of Ferraris passion and Acer’s technology. The various types of products in the notebook series are showcased below. TravelMate 2420 Series Rich entertainment with long lasting mobility Driven by an Centrino @ 1. 7GHz Processor, 14. 1†³ Wide Screen XGA TFT Screen, 6-cell battery and wireless 802. 1b/g connectivity for long lasting mobility, the TravelMate 2428NWXCi is extremely rich in features. This trendy notebook is packed with Centrino Mobile technology, dual-channel memory, 60 GB huge storage- giving users everything they need for work and play – for unrivalled value! KEYFEATURES †¢ Pure portability- Weighing just 1. 40 kgs and measuring the size of an A4 notepad, the TravelMate 3000 is easy to take from one meeting to another †¢ Centrino with 915 Chipset- The TravelMate 3000 adopts the new generation of Intel ® Centrinoâ„ ¢ mobile technology- Sonoma Platform (915 hipset) †¢ Phenomenal battery power- Another first in the industry, Acer has bundled two batteries with the TravelMate 3000, delivering full-day performance for on-the-go users. †¢ Acer GridVista, an innovative software utility, boosts convenience and efficiency. Especially useful for making the most of 12. 1†³ WXGA wide-aspect LCDs, Acer GridVista automatically resizes open application windows to fit the screen, simultaneously SERVERS In the server category, Acer dominates the entry and mid level space, which actually constitutes 90% of the total server market. Acer offers everything from basic data storage to full fledged enterprise solutions. Acer Altos Series Commercial users and enterprises derive unmatched value from Altos Servers and storage solutions. These ranges of servers accentuate reliability and manageability features, along with unrivalled flexibility in terms of implementation. For business applications that demand high performance, high availability and more flexibility, Acer Altos rack-mounted servers provide the ultimate solution. Under this type of product there are a large number of differentiated products. Some of which are as given below KEY FEATURES Scalability and Performance: Provide excellent performance and scalability beyond 40TB in a highly cost-effective SATA-based package for small companies. †¢ Consolidation: Reduce the number of storage systems, maximize storage utilization, improve storage administrators’ productivity, and lower management costs. †¢ Application QoS: Dedicate cache to specif ic applications and volumes to enhance performance. †¢ Configuration Flexibility: Dedicate to specific mission-critical applications, deploy as part of a first SAN in small enterprises, or integrate into a tiered storage infrastructure for rchive, backup, or tape replacement in larger companies. Peripherals Acer Handheld PDAs These support a variety of mobile platforms and operating systems, giving customers easy access to their critical data. Streamlined and fashionable, Acer handhelds are available in both standard and wireless models for both work-related and personal tasks – any time, any place. Acer Displays Acer offers a rainbow-spectrum of devices that suit all kinds of working environments and user needs, including TFT and LCD monitors, optical drives, projectors and multi-function drives. Acer Projectors Acer's projectors bring you an incredible investment to satisfy all home entertainment and business needs. There are three different peripherals the Acer India Pvt. Ltd. is focusing on. They are the LCD monitors, the CRT monitors and the projectors. Some of them are explained below: LCD monitors: Acer AL900 Series – LCD Monitor Benefits: †¢ 500:1 contrast ratio – For strikingly vivid images †¢ Wide viewing angle – Allows more enjoyment for more people †¢ Quick response time – Offers dynamic graphics and advanced animated games †¢ VESA wall mounting – Allows easy mounting Kensington lock – Secures your monitor from theft †¢ Built-in speakers – For freedom from bulky boxes †¢ Auto-scale – Gives full-screen display †¢ Auto-adjustment – Provides self-adjusting screen settings †¢ True color support – Renders picture-pure viewing PROJECTORS: There is a wide product range in project ors section which comprises of 1) Acer PD115 2) Acer XD 1150 3) Acer XD 1170D 4) Acer XD 1270D 5) Acer PD113 6) Acer PD725 7) Acer PD523 8) Acer PD523 All these have a common display system working with called the DLP system, and also all these products have the capacity of displaying 16. 7 million colors. They mainly vary in their computer compatibility, video compatibility, projection lens, projection screen size (diagonal), projection distance, lamp life etc. RESEARCH DESIGN METHODOLOGY Research task: Study the brand awareness of Acer India in the cities Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore focusing on the segments students, SMEs and working profile. Research nature: This project is a complete market research. Market research is the only function that relates or links the organization to its market and in turn to its customers by first studying the consumer behavior which then helps in proper planning accordingly. This is the valid information which allows the organization to identify and define the market related opportunities and problems. This information allows for the generation, refinement and evaluation of marketing activities. Regular market research and thorough study of the consumer behavior towards a company’s products permits the organization to be on par with the changing consumer attitude towards their products. It thus facilitates monitoring the marketing performance and improved understanding of marketing as a business process. Research scope: The scope of this market research can be divided into two major divisions which include Demographic segmentation: In demographic segmentation, the market is divided into groups on the basis of variables such as age, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality and social class. Here the survey was taken by dividing the groups on the basis of age and occupation. The three main segment groups were college students, working profile (first and second job people) and the Small and Medium Enterprises (taking 40, 40 and 20 respectively). The age factor was also set to be between18 to 40 and throughout the survey care was taken about the age limit. The data was collected from college students belonging to professional, agricultural, textile and arts background. To name a few the different colleges include PSG tech, Kumara guru college of technology, Alliance business academy, Indian Institute of Planning Management, Ohio University Christ college, Loyola college, Crescent Engineering college, Agricultural university( Coimbatore). This variety was chosen so as to find out if any new market segment or untapped market can be spotted. The working profiled people also includes professionals from companies like Accenture, Oracle, Travel Guru, Roots, Pricol, Numeric power systems and so on Geographic segmentation: Geographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities or neighborhoods. The survey was carried on in three different cities namely Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore. This was done in the intension of collecting information from two first tier cities where a large population already uses laptops and desktops. This was done to study the variation in the behavior and attitudes of these people and their inclination towards branded PC vendors. The choice of the two tier city Coimbatore was to study the perception of the laptops and desktops and their usage in the people’s mind. Also the perception of the different brands was noted with the main concentration on Acer products. This was done with the intention to explore the potential market there and their requirements. Research tool: The research instrument used was a structured questionnaire covering the areas that lead to the solution of the objective. This includes measures like Acer’s market penetration, its visibility in comparison with other brands, awareness to their advertisements and promotions, the customer media habits, their perception towards Acer etc. Data compilation and analysis methodology: The sample size of three hundred was integrated and compiled in software called Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). This is comprehensive statistical software that includes the capabilities for data analysis, data management and programming which enables the analysts in generating decision making information quickly using powerful statistics. ANALYSIS BASIC ATTITUDES AWARENESS CHECK: 1) Channel through which Acer was first heard Geographically The means through which people came to know about Acer for the first time was noted. This helps in reengineering the channel that can be adopted to penetrate market. [pic] (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 1 Parameters/ |Friends/relatives/ |TV |Newspaper |Magazine |Internet | |Segments |Associates | | | | | |Coimbatore |33% |11% |9% |9 % |10% | |Chennai |27. 3% |11. 1% |18. 2% |7. 1% |9. 1% | |Bangalore |27. % |13. 1% |17. 2% |19. 2% |8. 1% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 2 |Parameters/ |Friends/relatives/ |TV |Newspaper |Magazine |Internet | |Segments |Associates | | | | | |Students |33. 1% |16. 1% |12. 1% |12. 1% |8. % | |SME |21. 4% |7. 1% |19. 6% |14. 3% |10. 7% | |Working profile |30. 0% |9. 2% |15% |10% |9. 2% | BRAND VISIBILITY CHECK: Geographically Awareness of a brand can be created only when it is made visible to the people and especially to the potential customers. The three segments considered here shows varied visibility of the brand Acer. [pic] (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 3 |NO Visibility |Low visibility |Average visibility |Good visibility |Very good visibility | |Coimbatore |36% (36) |19% (19) |20% (20) |18% 18) |7% (7) | |Chennai |34. 7% (34) |17. 3% (17) |23. 5% |17. 3%(17) |7. 1% (7) | | | | |(23) | | | |Bangalore |12. % (12) |30. 1% (28) |21. 5% (20) |30. 1% (28) |5. 4% (5) | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 4 |Parameters/ |No |Low |Average |Good visibility |Very good visibility | |Places |visibility |Visibility |Visibility | | | |STUDENTS |32. 8% |15. 6% |23. % |20. 5% |7. 4% | |SME |27. 5% |23. 5% |19. 6% |23. 5% |5. 9% | |WORKING PROFILE PEOPLE |24. 2% |27. 5% |20% | 22. 5% |5. 8% | ADVERTISING AWARENESS–Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Awareness towards Acer’s promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 5 Parameters/ Places |Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer | | |Promotions | |Coimbatore |51% 9% | |Chennai |53. 5% 16. 2% | |Bangalore |62. 6% 33. % | The advertisements and promotional activities which come under the bottom line projects were checked if it contributed to the awareness. The Acer advertisements were noticed by most of the people in all the three cities. But still on an average almost 50% of the crowd has not seen Acer advertisements which create a lot of gap for the brand in reaching people completely. The promotions which Acer conducts were also not noticed much by the people. On an average more than 70 to 80% of the people do not have any idea of the promotional activities done by ACER. Demographically Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Awareness of promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 6 |Parameters/ occupation |Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer Promotions | |Students |63. 7% 22. 6% | |SME |44. 6% 12. 5% | |Working profile |53. % 20. 0% | THE MEDIA HABITS Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Demographically TAB 7 |Parameters/ occupation |MEDIA—TV MEDIA– | | |NEWSPAPER | |Students |65. 3% 50. 8% | |SME |46. 3% 42. % | |Working profile |61. 7% 65% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habits—newspaper Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habits—Magazine Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 8 |Parameters/ occupation |MEDIA—Magazine MEDIA– | | |Internet | |Students |37. 9% 15. 3% | |SME |21. 4% 16. 1% | |Working profile |45. 8% 33. 3% | Media habits—internet Geographically [pic] Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) 4) Visibility check through the number of visits to the retail outlets: Geographically This check is mainly done to measure the visibility by the frequency of visit to Acer retail outlets. The brand HP has the highest hit for the customer visit to retail outlets. Very less number of people has visited the Acer malls (the retail outlets) in all the three places. On an average much less than 10% of the sample have visited the Acer malls, which is very less to the 40% visit rate to the HP retail outlets. pic] (Sample size 100 each) [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision – evaluating the product: Geographically Since the awareness rate differs between different cities the purchasing decision and the evaluation of the products may also vary. Before the purchase decision occurs there is a stage called the evaluation stage where people compare and examine the products of the brand they are aware off which finally leads to the procurement of the product. [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 9 |Parameters/ |Word of |Comparing |Media Checking |Seeing demo | |Places |Mouth |Specifications | |Offer | | |Coimbatore |32% |71% |28% |22% |32% | |Chennai |25% |62% |27% |22% |32% | |Bangalore |38% |52% |26% |22% |28% | Means That Facilitate the Purchasing Decision – Demographic Segmentation Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision can be influenced by a lot of factors which can totally change the buying pattern itself. When analyzed here on the basis of the demographic segments the inferences and major findings were as follows STUDENTS – †¢ 35. 5% through comparing specifications †¢ 12. 1% word of mouth & checking specification. †¢ 5. 6% checking offer & checking specification. 5. 6% checking & media. SME – †¢ 10. 7% Checking specification& comparing specifications †¢ 10. 7% comparing specif ication †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth & checking specification †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth and checking offer WORKING PROFILE – †¢ 20% comparing specification †¢ 12. 5% checking offer & checking specifications. †¢ 11. 7% checking specification & media †¢ 9. 2% word mouth & checking specifications BRAND PERCEPTION Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 10 Parameters/ Places |Acer perceived as an MNC brand | |Coimbatore |62% | |Chennai |67% | |Bangalore |71% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 11 |Parameters/ |Acer perceived as an | |Segments |MNC brand | |Students |42. % | |SME |17% | |Working people |40. 7% | Rating the parameters concerned with the products of Acer Geographically Some parameters linked with the product of Acer were also asked to rank like quality, price, service, features and performance. Rating quality pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 12 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |3. 1% |19. 4% |35. 7% |15. 3% |10. 2% | |Chennai |1% |11. 2% |43. 9% |18. 4% |12. % | |Bangalore |4. 3% |23. 7% |47. 3% |14% |4. 3% | Demographically Rating quality TAB 13 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |4. 1% |22% |42. 3% |13% |8. % | |SME |2. 0% |18% |38. 0% |22% |8. 0% | |Working profile |2. 5% |13. 6% |44. 1% |16. 1% |9. 3% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average all the three segments feel that the qualities o f Acer products are good. This comes around 41. 5% of the population. Rating service [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 14 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good Very good |Excellent | |Places | | | | | | | Coimbatore |7. 1% |25. 5% |36. 7% |13. 3% |1% | |Chennai |3. 1% |26. 5% |39. 8% |16. 3% |1% | |Bangalore |2. 2% |32. 2% |33. 3% |25. 6% |O% | Rating Acer’s service Demographically TAB 15 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |5. 0% |33. 1% |35. 5% |16. 5% |0% | |SME |4. 0% |46% |30% |20% |0% | |Working profile |4. % |33. 4% |27. 3% |18. 8% |1. 7% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Rating price Geographically TAB 16 |Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2% |17. 3% |35. 7% |26. 5% |2. 0% | |Chennai |2. % |12. 4% |32. 0% |33. 0% |8. 2% | |Bangalore |4. 3% |9. 7% |28% |36. 6% |15. 1% | [pic] (Sample size 100) Rating price Demographically Tab 17 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |1. % |14. 6% |39. 8% |28. 5% |5. 7% | |SME |4. 1% |16. 3% |22. 4% |34. 7% |12. 2% | |Working profile |3. 4% |10. 2% |28% |33. 9% |10. 2% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING PERFORMANCE Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 18 Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2. 0% |10. 2% |33. 7% |29. 6% |8. 2% | |Chennai |2. 0% |7. 1% |37. 8% |34. 7% |5. 1% | |Bangalore |3. 3% |30. 4% |22. 8% |34. 8% |2. % | Rating performance Demographically TAB 19 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |3. 3% |16. 3% |39% |28. 5% |3. 3% | |SME |4. 0% |12. 0% |26. 0% |38. 0% |8% | |Working profile |0. % |17. 1% |26. 5% |35. 0% |6. 0% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING FEATURES Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 20 |Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2. 0% |10. 2% |38. 8% |21. 4% |11. 2% | |Chennai |1. % |3. 1% |41. 8% |29. 6% |11. 2% | |Bangalore |5. 4% |20. 7% |30. 4% |28. 3% |8. 7% | RATING THE FEATURES Demographically TAB 21 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |3. 3% |13. % |45. 5% |22. 8% |4. 9% | |SME |2. 0% |10% |22. 0% |36% |18% | |Working profile |2. 6% |10. 3% |34. 2% |25. 6% |12. 8% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) DEGREE TO WHICH ACER PRODUCTS ARE RECOMMENDED Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 22 |Parameters/ |Def. not |Not sure |Probably not |Would probably |Would def. |Places | | | | | | |Coimbatore |1% |38% |10% |42% |9% | |Chennai |2% |38. 4% |8. 1% |42. 4% |9. 1% | |Bangalore |6. 1% |19. 2% |7. 1% |51. 5% |16. 3% | Demographically TAB 23 Parameters/ |Would def. not |Not sure |Probably not |Probably would |Def. would | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |4% |36. 3% |10. 5% |45. 2% |4. 0% | |SME |1. 8% |23. 3% |3. 6% |53. 6% |17. 9% | |Working profile |2. 5% |32. % |8. 3% |40. 8% |15. 8% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average 46. 5% of the people would probably recommend Acer products to his/ her friends/ associates or relatives. About 30. 7% of the people on average are not sure if they would recommend and around 12. 55% of the people would definitely recommend. Demographically—consideration set for Acer desktops Frequency of peopl e having Acer in their consideration set †¢ STUDENTS – 31. 5% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer products. SME – Around 50% of the people would consider Acer while making purchase decisions †¢ Working profile – About 41. 7% of the people would consider Acer during purchase decisions. [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Acer notebooks in the consideration set Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 24 |Parameters/ Places |Acer desktops |Acer notebooks | |Coimbatore |35% |56% | |Chennai |36. % |55. 6% | |Bangalore |46. 5% |52. 5% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) †¢ STUDENTS – 47. 6% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer notebooks. †¢ SME – Around 58. 9% of the people would consider Acer notebooks while making purchase decisions †¢ Working profile – About 59. 2% of the people would consider Acer notebooks during purchase decisions. P reference set—Acer desktops Geographically Acer’s share in the preference set of the people TAB 25 |Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Coimbatore |10% |30% |60% | |Chennai |9. 4% |28. 1% |62. 5% | |Bangalore |17. % |41. 2% |41. 2% | [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 26 Demographically |Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Students |60. 6% |33. 3% |6. 1% | |SME |46. 2% |38. 55 |15. 4% | |Working profile |48. 8% |34. 1% |17. 1% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Preference for notebooks: Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 27 |Parameters/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Coimbatore |10. % |57. 9% |31. 6% | |Chennai |12% |36. 0% |52% | |Bangalore |27. 3% |29. 5% |43. 2% | Demographically—Acer notebooks in preference set [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 28 Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |students |52. 8% |30. 6% |16. 7% | |SME |45. 5% |36. 4% |18. 2% | |Working profile |39. 4% |44. % |20. 9% | FINDINGS The general attitudes and awareness of the brand Acer is analyzed Channel through which Acer was first heard of: Geographically †¢ People came to know about Acer products and brand to a greater extent from friends/ relatives / associates which contributes to about 30% in each city on an average. †¢ Newspaper awareness contributed to around 14. 8% and magazine contribution was around 12%. Demographically †¢ Students came to know about Acer through friends /relatives / associates which contributed about 33. 1%. About 12. % each through newspaper and magazine. Nearly 17. 8 % of the people have not heard of Acer. †¢ SME came to know about Acer through friends / relatives and associates to about 21. 4%. Newspaper contributed to about 19. 6% and magazine to about 14. 3% to the awareness of Acer for the first time. 25% of the people have not heard about Acer. †¢ Working profile about 30% contribution was due to friends / relatives / associates. 15% contribution by newspaper. About 23. 7% of the people have not heard of Acer. Brand visibility Index: Geographically †¢ The visibility index from the analysis is Coimbatore – 2. 41 Chennai – 2. Bangalore – 2. 65 This indicated that Acer as a brand lies between low and average visibility zone. Demographically †¢ The visibility index is Students – 2. 54 SME – 3. 45 Working profile – 2. 58 This indicates that Acer has low visibility for the student and working profile segment. It has average visibility in the SME segment Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities: Geographically: †¢ On an average 55. 6% of the people have seen Acer advertisements taking all the three cities in to consideration. †¢ Acer promotional activities were not noticed in a very negligible pattern. Coimbatore – only 9% of the people have noticed an Acer promotion. †¢ Chennai – around 16. 2% have seen Acer promotions †¢ Bangalore – about 34. 3% of the people have noticed Acer promotional activities. Demographically Acer advertisements †¢ Students – 63. 7% has noticed Acer advertisements †¢ SME – 44. 6% has noticed Acer advertisements †¢ Working profile – 53. 3% has noticed Acer advertisements Acer promotions †¢ Students – 22. 6% has noticed Acer promotions †¢ SME – 12. 5% has noticed Acer’s promotional activities †¢ Working profile – 20. 0% has noticed Acer’s promotional activities Number of visits to Acer retail outlets (in the past six months): Geographically Coimbatore †¢ On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% †¢ Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% Chennai †¢ Again HP being the highest with about 33. 3% of visit †¢ About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Bangalore †¢ HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. †¢ About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Demographically Students †¢ On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% †¢ Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% SME †¢ Again HP being the highest with about 33. % of visit †¢ About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Working profile †¢ HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. †¢ About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Measures that people undertake before their purchase decision—evaluating the product Geographically Coimbatore †¢ 71% purchases occur by comparing specifications †¢ 50% purchases also happen by comparing specification and checking offers †¢ 32% word of mouth Chennai †¢ 62% purchases occur by comparing specification. †¢ 45% purchases through comparing specification and checking offers. †¢ 27% through media †¢ 32% seeing demo Bangalore †¢ 52% comparing specification †¢ 38% word of mouth †¢ 30% comparing specification and checking offers †¢ 26% through media Demographically †¢ Students – 35. 5% of the purchases through comparing specifications 12. 1% through word of mouth 5. 6% each through checking offer and comparing specifications †¢ SME – 10. 7% of purchase through comparing specification and checking Offer 10. 7% only comparing specification 9% each through word of mouth & checking offer, word of mouth & Checking specification and checking specification and seeing demo. Working profile – 20% of the purchase through comparing specification 12. 5% through checking offer & comparing specification 11. 7% checking specification & media BRAND PERCEPTION CHECK: Perception linked with the brand name: Acer is still perceived to be in collaboration with Wipro. So it is giving a perception of a national brand amongst most people. Geographically †¢ Coimbator e only 62% of the people are aware that Acer is an MNC †¢ Chennai 67% had the awareness †¢ Bangalore 71% of the people knew that Acer is an MNC. Demographically †¢ Students – only 42. 5% perceive Acer as an MNC SME – only 17% of the SME perceive Acer as an MNC †¢ Working profile – 40. 7% perceive Acer as an MNC. Perception on the product parameters An index is got from the analysis which gives the quality index in the three different cities. This is done on a scale of 1 to 5 indicating where the parameter actually lies. †¢ Quality Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 56 Chennai – 2. 84 Bangalore – 2. 65 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone but far towards good. Demographically Students – 1. 9 SME – 2. 8 Working profile 2. 72 Students perceive Acer’s quality to be fair. Both SME and working profile perceive Acer’s quality to be good. †¢ Service Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 22 Chennai – 2. 41 Bangalore – 2. 42 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the lower fair zone. Demographically Students – 2. 43 SME – 2. 38 Working profile – 2. 05 The weighted average shows that the service of Acer perceived by the three different segments is invariably fair. †¢ Price. Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 55 Chennai – 2. 87 Bangalore – 3. 06 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone in Coimbatore and far towards good in Chennai. In Bangalore price vice perception for Acer is good Demographically Students – 2. 9 SME – 2. 69 Working profile – 2. 9 The data above shows that the price of Acer products is perceived to be good invariably in all three segments. †¢ Performance Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 77 Chennai – 2. 88 Bangalore – 2. 60 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. Demographically Students – 2. 82 SME – 2. 98 Working profile – 2. 86 The data shows that the performance of Acer products is perceived to be in between fair and good but more inclined towards good. Features Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 75 Chennai – 3. 01 Bangalore – 2. 71 From the above data it is clear that in Coimbatore and Bangalore Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. In Chennai it lies in the good zone. Demographically Students – 2. 829 SME – 3. 22 Working profile – 2. 92 The data shows indicates that students and working profile perceive the features of Acer products to be in between fair and good. The SMEs’ perceive the features of Acer products to be good. Degree to which Acer products are recommended Geographically Taking the weighted average mean into consideration and rating the different parameters on the scale of 1 to 5 people feel that †¢ Coimbatore – 3. 2 †¢ Chennai – 3. 15 †¢ Bangalore – 3. 49 The respondents feel that they would probably not recommend Acer products to their friends / relatives / associates. Demographically †¢ Students – 3. 05 †¢ SME – 3. 625 †¢ Working profile – 3. 35 Students and working profile people feel that they would probably not recommend Acer to their known ones. SMEs response lies in between probably not to probably would and more inclined towards probably would. Checking if Acer desktops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set Geographically †¢ Coimbatore – 35% people considers Acer desktops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 30 respondents’ preferred Acer desktops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 5. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Chennai – 36. 4% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy desktops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 68 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Bangalore – 46. 5% of the people consider Acer desktops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 0. 629. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference. Demograph ically †¢ Students – 31. 5% of the people feel that they would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of which when it comes to the preference set only 33 responses were there. In the scale of 1 to 3 it lays around 1. 5 which indicates their preference lies between third and second preference. †¢ SME – Around 50% of the respondents would consider Acer desktops while they decide a purchase. In the preference set only 13 responses where there and their preference lies between third and second preference more inclined towards second preference. †¢ Working profile – About 41. 7% would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of the consideration set only 41 responses preferred Acer desktops. Their preference lies between third and second preference (1. 68) in the scale of 1 to 3. Checking if Acer laptops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set †¢ Coimbatore – 56% people considers Acer laptops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 19 respondents’ preferred Acer laptops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 789. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Chennai – 55. 6% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy laptops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 6 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Bangalore – 52. 5% of the people consider Acer laptops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 8. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference The preference fro an Acer laptop, on the whole is between third and second preference and more towards third preference. That for Acer laptop is also between third and second preference but inclined more towards second preference. Demographically †¢ Students – 47. % of the people have Acer notebooks in their consideration set out of which only 36 people have it in their preference set and their ranking for preference in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 638. this indicates that their preference lies between third and second preference inclined towards second preference. †¢ SME – 58. 9% of the respondents say that they would consider Acer pr oducts but their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 7, heading towards second preference. †¢ Working Profile – 59. 2% have Acer in their consideration set and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 it lies at 2. 1 indicating that working profile people have Acer notebooks as their second preference. CONCLUSION The awareness of the brand Acer is average which is due to the low visibility of the brand to the customers. There is not enough advertisement and promotional activities that is undertaken to boost the brand. There must be a lot of investment made make the brand more visible. This will help the brand to build itself strong. The channel through Acer became aware to many people is through word of mouth. But to some extent even through internet and newspaper. There must be another research conducted to check if the word of mouth propagation is ctually causing a positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. There are about 20% of the people who ha ve not heard of Acer. The amount of advertisements and promotions that we undertake is also comparatively low and it is not being noticed much. This is in turn affecting the visibility of the brand compared to the other brands that really pump a great amount of advertisements even being a new entrant in the market. This also is leading to the relatively low number of visits to the Acer retail outlets though having the highest network. Acer is also being perceived still as a national brand which is in collaboration with Wipro. People are not sure if Acer is an Indian or a foreign brand, which actually creates a wrong vibration in the purchase decision chain of the customers. SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS First thing that we need to do is change that perception and project ourselves as an MNC with the Indian emotions filled in it. We need to target our customer segment properly and advertise our product and brand We must focus on the other means of throwing light on the band like TV commercials, internet banners and magazine printed ads because the amount of people with media habits as TV, newspaper, internet is really huge. Acer has to be made awareness first regionally and then nationally. †¢ Tying up with educational institutions will increase the awareness and also the leads. †¢ Acer needs to redefine its target segment as to which is potential. The segment suggested is SMEs and college students. †¢ Acer needs to set its target properly and focus Advertisements to hit them especially the TV commercials. †¢ Designing gift offers and vouchers with the product also will help a lot to draw the attention of the customers. †¢ Online banner Advertisements can be designed and can be displayed on the widely used sites especially in messengers like Yahoo and Google talk. Popup inviting users to participate in online survey can be designed and implemented so that the perception of the people can be known periodically. †¢ Huge hoardings with the endorsed celebrity can be designed and put o places where are forced to see such as in the signals, near direction boards, outside famous malls, on road dividers etc. †¢ Service and support is one factor which has to be worked out properly. †¢ Providing good incentives and schemes to the dealers as Acer in India will help a lot as it is still a push product. †¢ Sponsoring for big events like the filmy events which happen and also sport. APPENDIX Dear Respondent: I am a student of Ohio University, Christ College carrying out a research project titled brand awareness and consumer perception of the branded PC vendors. I request you to kindly fill in this questionnaire. All the information provided by you will be strictly confidential and will be used only for academic purposes. Please put a tick mark or circle the bullets where ever necessary. 1. Do you own a Personal Computer / Notebook? Desktop Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No Notebook Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No 2. Which brand would you prefer to buy while buying a desktop or notebook? (HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell Inc. Toshiba) 2. (a) Desktop ( rate your preference) |Rank | 1 |2 |3 | |Brand | | | | |Reason | | | | | | | | | 2. (b) Notebook ( rate your preference) Rank |1 |2 |3 | |Brand | | | | |Reason | | |