Generational Differences in the Workplace Essay - 2022 Words

Generational Differences in the Workplace Composition II—Eng 102 Generational Differences in the Workplace The workplace of today involves interactions among people from four different generations often causing much conflict for leaders and organizations. Each generation represented has its own set of different values and beliefs. These differences can easily lead to conflicting barriers within the workplace. This can pose a significant problem for those in leadership. In order to combat this issue, leaders and organizations can effectively deal with these issues by offering different programs such as executive mentoring, town hall meetings, and leadership seminars for those in leadership. The†¦show more content†¦Kyles (2005) defines them as competitive, political, hardworking, and nonconformists. â€Å"Known for their workaholic ethic, Boomers will do whatever it takes to get the job done and get ahead, and they expect to be rewarded. They outnumber all generations and hold a majority of management-level positions. They are also approa ching retirement and are heavily concerned with financial and job security† (Kyles, 2005, p. 54). This group is very hard working and also offers a lot of wisdom that can be beneficial to those of the younger generations. The third generation represented is often referred to as â€Å"Generation X.† Members of this group are born between 1965 and 1979. Kyles (2005) defines them as individualistic, disloyal, techno literate, and one of the most challenging groups to manage. This can be attributed to the fact that this group grew up in the rebellious years of the sixties and seventies. Marshall (2004) states, â€Å"The employer has to provide an opportunity to work and grow, or they are going to leave† (p. 18). This says a lot about the influence of culture on this generation. The last and final generation represented is referred to as â€Å"Generation Y.† This group is typically born between 1980 and 1999. Kyles (2005) states, â€Å"Generation Y is coming of age during a time of technological sophistication, extreme economic swings, individual prosperity, terrorism, andShow MoreRelatedManaging Generational Differences Of The Workplace Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesManaging Generational Differences Introduction Workforces are diverse, not only with respect to gender, racio-ethnicity, culture and work styles, but also with respect to age. Workplaces have always had numerous generations working together. There s the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed younger generation of newcomers, the established middle generation that holds most of the management roles and the older generation of senior executives who are 30 or 40 years of valuable experience. Each of these distinctRead MoreGenerational Differences Of The Workplace Today1034 Words   |  5 PagesGenerational Differences in the Workplace Today Todays workplace consists of Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millenials. An individual’s generations is determined by the era the individual was born. Each generation possess certain values and characteristics. At times these differences can cause issues in the work place. I will discuss the concept of Generational Differences in the workplace today. Managing Multiple Generations Managing multiple generations can pose a challenge for employers. ManagersRead MoreAre Generational Differences a Reason to Judge Similarities in the Workplace?1082 Words   |  5 PagesEdward S. Lyba, Ed.D. proclaimed, Diversity in the workplace means creating an environment where people from dissimilar backgrounds can utilize their talents and work productively together,† (NEPA Diversity Guide, 2007). Organizations have been striving to understand and create an abundant amount of diversity amongst their employees. It has been instilled in the minds of today’s employees that everyone is different and unique and companies want originality. Since companies have been puttingRead MoreGenerational Diversity in the Workplace1445 Words   |  6 PagesGenerational Diversity in the Workplace Managerial Communications 10/14/2011 Today, the workplace environment is comprised of people, both males and females from all different cultures and generations. For the first time in U.S. history there are four different generations out in the workforce. A generation can be defined as a group of individuals born within a term years having similar ideas, goals, attitudes and experiences. It can also be defined as the average period between the birthRead MoreEmployee Engagement : A Leading And Primary Source And Tool Of Competitive Advantage And Business Success Essay1166 Words   |  5 Pagesand primary source and tool of competitive advantage and business success. Based on research conducted, engaged employees are recognised as being more productive than disengaged employees; thus leading to improved employee performance, increased workplace productivity and profitability, and ultimately, organisational success. The term employee engagement is primarily associated with the employee’s commitment to the objective s, goals and ultimate success of an organisation, exercised together withRead MoreLeading Intergenerational Teams Essay1711 Words   |  7 Pagesretirement into their seventies. (Randstad USA) As you will learn, an inter-generational workforce provides many opportunities and challenges. While generational differences can and do lead to frustration, conflicts and poor morale, they do not have to. This section of the handbook will help you to better understand effective methods for leading and working with intergenerational teams. You will see that the differences brought to the mix by different generations can lead to increased productivityRead MoreThe Generation Of The Boomer Generation1422 Words   |  6 Pageshopes of an exodus by those Boomers, who might seem old and in the way rather than mentors of knowledge. And young Generation Yers are left scrambling for whatever entry-level jobs remain in an ever-shrinking and increasingly competitive American workplace. The entire work environment has been sent spinning as three generations of workers compete for fewer positions, all complicated by rapid advances in office and communications technologies that are eagerly embraced by younger workers while seeminglyRead MoreA Business Organization Good Management Skills982 Words   |  4 Pageseffectively to assist with an organization and gain a competitive advantage with other competitor in the business world. I believe the most important management skill when making an executive decision is to have the drive to nurture and make a positive difference to motivate your employees. Diversity Dealing with staff and customers having ethics standard would help ensure that managers are behaving ethically by not engaging in actions that could hurt the company’s reputation. Diversity is important forRead MoreLeadership and Communication: How Each Generation Communicates906 Words   |  4 Pagescommunicate. When different generations come together they bring with them their own worldviews and expectations. An effective leader is able to step out of their generational preferences and customize the way they communicate to the other generations. By effectively addressing and taking advantage of those unique generational differences they can bridge the generations together to create a collaborative, innovative and exciting work environment resulting in a highly productive and performing workforceRead MoreManaging Generational Divide887 Words   |  4 PagesEffectively Managing the Generational Divide The most critical issue facing management now, and in the future, is the generational differences that they must acknowledge, understand and embrace. Understanding generational differences can exist is more critical than others for several reasons: the issue will be ongoing as people rotate in and out of the workforce, embracing the differences can bring a diverse way of thinking and handling projects, and to traverse the divide requires continual management

Drugs And Drug Abuse - 2010 Words

What aspects of society could possibly cause such extensive drug use? Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in? In our society some negative consequences of drug abuse is experimental where some people experiment and don’t get hook which does not lead to anything and on the other hand some people can’t handle it, and it only takes one time to developing an addiction, It effects not only that person but also their families and friends. People use drugs for a different reason, another cause is peer pressure which is nothing but influence even when you do not realize it, when you are spending so much time with people in your age group, it is natural that you pick up some of the things that they do†¦show more content†¦Some teens find their escape through a permanent addiction. Now the question is (Was it worth it?) . But if they would keep their head on straight and choose their friends more careful then there is a less chanc e of peer pressure. There are several different reasons that society causes such extensive drug use. How can Christians respond to /interact with these aspects of society? We have so many different types of addiction among our children each year they get younger and younger, I have talked to several teens that say that they have already tried marijuana, and alcohol, but we can also be an influence , a good influence. By giving our teen and free teens something else to focus on other than the music, movies and other things that are being introduced to our children. Because our children are already surrounded by this same thing at school every day. We can also help by putting maybe a drug preventing program in our school, and in our churches, continue to talk to our children about drugs in our society. I focus on our young people because they still have a chance on life to turn around, We have to continue to warn our children about just how dangerous drugs are. If we continue to t each our children how to change themselves and choosing their friends wisely and putting God in their life, and the effects that drug addiction will have on their life, it is a possible chance thatShow MoreRelatedDrug Of Drug And Drug Abuse1538 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Resistance Drug use has become an increasing problem among high schoolers and teenagers around the same age. Ever since the drug war of the 1900s, drugs have been a major problem in today’s society. â€Å"Use of drugs such as opium, morphine, and other byproducts were common in twentieth century America† (Dobkin, 1998). While most students in standard high school drug education know about the use of coca leaves in Coca-Cola and the opium trade in China, drug addiction during the century is muchRead MoreDrug Abuse1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of and abuse of illegal and prescription drugs are a health, social, and law enforcement problem that is affecting Americans across the country. Drug abuse is destroying the lives of many teens and adults and is also destroying families in the United States. The use of drugs is a major problem in the United States among all Americans, but drug addiction is the main cause for America s troubled teens today. Exactly what is a drug? A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeuticRead MoreDrug Abuse8640 Words   |  35 Pagesreport on ‘drug abuse’ has been made by our group to give an idea of the calamitous cause of using drugs in improper way. The report is intended to serve the purpose of providing the knowledge about drug abuse and to suggest ways to help limit drug abuse. An effort has been made on our part to include certain symptoms which indicate drug abuse. Also throughout the report, repetitive use of the drug abuse’ has been made to instate into the minds of the reader the cause of using drug abuse in an illicitRead MoreDrug Abuse And Addiction : Drugs977 Words   |  4 PagesDrug abuse/addiction Jeremy Graham May 11, 2015 Period, 5 Drug abuse and addiction Drug abuse/addiction is a major problem in Indiana that affects many individual. Several solutions such as rehab and drug classes have been tried. Yet, the best solution is taking drug classes. Many people do not understand why people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a socialRead MoreDrug Abuse2895 Words   |  12 PagesDay against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular, to the menace of drugs. The picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account. With a turnover of around $500 billions, it is the third largest business in the world, next to petroleum and arms trade. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other. Drug addiction causesRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse And Prescription Drugs1487 Words   |  6 PagesPrescription Drug Abuse Prescription Drug Abuse has increased in an alarming rate over recent years! Prescription drug related deaths now outnumber those from heroin and cocaine combined. The abuse in prescription drugs in America goes back more than a hundred years ago. Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited. Although prescription medications are intended to help individuals, they canRead MorePaper Drug Abuse Drug Addiction1403 Words   |  6 PagesKeisha Ellis Drug Abuse Drug Addiction SOC 203 Social Problems Instructor Ely May 11, 2015 Numerous individuals do not comprehend why individuals get to be dependent on drugs or how drugs can change the mind to cultivate enthusiastic drug abuse. They erroneously view drug misuse and dependence as entirely a social issue and may describe the individuals who take drugs as ethically powerless (Alving, Matyas, Torres, Jalah, Beck, 2014). One extremely regular belief is that drugs abusersRead MoreDrug Abuse And Its Effects1391 Words   |  6 Pages1. Introduction: Drug abuse is a serious issue in today’s society. Drug abuse is a pattern of using a substance (drug) that leads to a serious problems or distress. 7% of people experience drug abuse one point of their lives. Drug use doesn’t automatically lead to drug abuse, it depends on how much you use. There is no specific level to were drug using moves from casual to becoming a serious problem. 2. Types of drugs/what are they: There are three main types of drugs that people use and theyRead MoreThe Problem Of Drug Abuse1331 Words   |  6 PagesBaltimore’s residents are addicted to the drug† (Yang, 2014). Graph one’s statistics represent the number of deaths caused by heroin in Baltimore, Maryland from January through June 2007-2014: (Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene [Graph 1], 2014). As the graph above illustrates, drug abuse is a disease that is often overlooked and if untreated it could turn into a recreational activity for the people using them and eventually increase the number of drug enthusiasts throughout Baltimore. ManyRead MoreDrug Abuse and Prevention1510 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of prevention is to limit the availability of drugs (Hart Ksir, 2011, p. 400), but this is not essentially the best way. Addiction affects everyone. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), substance abuse cost our nation â€Å"more than $484 billion dollars (T he National Institute on Drug Abuse ).† So although you might not be directly impacted by drug abuse, as a whole your tax dollars are spent on fighting the war on drugs. Currently there are several different types of substance

SWAT- The Movie - 1735 Words

S.W.A.T is 2003 American film that was directed by Clark Johnson. It is worth understanding that the movie was based on a series that was aired on television in 1975. Gamble and T.J. McCabe are the most significant characters in this film with robust characteristics that contribute to the overall plot. Both of these characters could be said to represent Iago and Roderigo from the literature story Othello respectively. Notably, Othello is a tragedy story written by William Shakespeare and both Iago and Roderigo come out as outstanding characters in the story. Gamble represents Iago in the sense that he is also cruel, vengeful, and can easily convince other people to act in his direction. On the other hand, McCabe represents Roderigo in the sense that he is easily manipulated to act in a particular course, he dies out of his trust in other people, and also gets involved in wounding somebody in the film. A close similarity in the behavior of these characters ensures that they are a perf ect representation of each other in their different contexts. Gamble and Iago are main characters in both of their roles, and they contribute to the overall development of the story to the end. Both of them show some level of intellect as they try to attract the followership of other characters. McCabe and Roderigo also live similar lives that bring out clear similarities in their roles in the film and literature respectively. Therefore, all of these characters can be related easily through aShow MoreRelatedThe Taliban Of The Swat Valley1092 Words   |  5 Pageslakes, except if a terrorist group ruled the area. The Swat Valley, located in Pakistan, was reclaimed for its beauty, as it was situated near mountains. Tourism was one of the Swat Valley’s largest industries, until the area was seized by the Taliban. The Taliban used guns and bombs to terrorize the citizens of the Swat Valley, so citizens would succumb to their way of life. This affected people’s jobs, educa tion and their health. The Swat Valley was just one of the many places that were occupiedRead MoreDo Movies Shape The Way We See Things?1477 Words   |  6 Pageshas gone on to influence many movies, books, and other forms of media. However, for such a prolific work of literature, there only seem to be two movie adaptations of Vonnegut’s short story. The first movie adaptation was Harrison Bergeron, made in 1995, and directed by Bruce Pittman (this will be referred to as Harrison Bergeron 1995). The other movie adaptation was 2081 directed by Chandler Tuttle. Both movies mold the world of â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† into their own while incorporating some of theRead MoreJohn Q Kohlberg735 Words   |  3 PagesThe film opens to a young woman recklessly driving a BMW down a mountain highway. 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The problem with this is that it can become traumatic especially in our children as they see it more and moreRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1284 Words   |  6 Pagesdoes, I woke up, ate breakfast, and walked to school. When I arrived everything was different, I looked around and saw police cars messly parked and swat trucks with the swat team marching out. There were people being thrown into the was back of a truck that had â€Å"all hail boxing day† spray painted on the side of the vehicle. I saw some members of the swat team marching towards me, I ran, ran as fast as a cheetah chasing its next meal. I didn t get far because I wasn t in very good shape so I couldnRead MoreThe Movie Apocalypse Now Is Directed By Francis Ford Coppola728 Words   |  3 Pages The movie Apocalypse Now is directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1985. The genre is drama along with a theme of good vs. evil, and man vs. self. The movie is based on a burned out soldier during the Vietnam war, who has been ordered to kill another U.S Soldier who has become a renegade and insane. While, without the sound effects in the first five minutes, the shot can set the tone of the movie. However, two types of sound effects used in the first five minutes make the tone of this movie. TheRead MoreThe Cast And Their Performance Can Change Viewers Experience And Judgement Of A Film949 Words   |  4 Pagesshe says, They re probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I m not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they ll see. They ll see and they ll know, and they ll say, Why, she wouldn t even harm a fly (film) is the highlight of the film and this scene is different from the novel where it reads She didn t swat it and she hoped they were watching, because that proved what sort of a person she really was. 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Lego Essay Example For Students

Lego Essay Executive summary Established in 1933, Bee Cheng Hiang (BCH) has since grown from a mobile stall selling barbecued pork to becoming today’s market leader with 28 retail outlets in Singapore. Barbecued pork is known to many as bakkwa, a festive nibble during the Lunar New Year celebrations. The following report has been divided into stage 1 and 2, each providing a more detailed understanding on the integrated marketing communication (IMC) program to market and position the brand by â€Å"building it into individual’s lifestyle†. In Stage 1, the topics covered are the current situational analysis of BCH and the marketing communication objectives and budget for the implemented IMC plan designed. In the current situational analysis, the issue of repositioning the brand in consumers by advertising and promotion is highlighted and elaborated, followed by the competitive frame of the local bakkwa market, BCH’s market operations and the consumer analysis. The key communication objective for the designed IMC program is A to change the public perception on the brand and its product offering thus helping BCH gain an increase in overall sales by 20%. The total budget for the IMC plan is divided into five portions with allocated percentages for the different costs. In Stage 2, a more comprehensive elaboration on the budgeting, the media types used and the timing for the IMC program are provided. The pulsing scheduling method for the campaign during the intended duration of six months is used for effective communication to the targeted audience. A story board with the portrayal of four different scenes is included with the tagline â€Å" †, meaning love in BCH to illustrate that there is love in BCH’s products. The media plan will focus on the aspects of television commercials, print advertisements, publicity, public relations, Internet marketing and sales promotion. Strategic, efficiency, profitability and annual plan controls are the various evaluation and control methods used for the IMC program. For example, to evaluate on the efficiency of the ommunication, a focus group session will be done comprising of family members of different families with different generations. 1. Problems Bee Cheng Hiang’s Advertising and Promotional Plans To Solve Currently, Bee Cheng Hiang’s (BCH) has established itself as the market leader of the bakkwa trade in Singapore, hence the team has concluded that BCH’s advertising and promotional plans does not intend to solve any problems but rather, continue to market and position the brand and its products by â€Å"building it into individual’s lifestyle†. Based on their television commercials and print ads, observations can be made on how BCH incorporates eating bakkwa into individual’s everyday lifestyle; eating it with family, sharing it with a loved one. These are the numerous ways that the brand intends to develop an understanding amongst consumers of being able to enjoy bakkwa everyday. 2. Bee Cheng Hiang’s Competitive Frame BCH faces tough competition against key players such as Fragrance Foodstuff, Lim Chee Guan and Kim Hock Guan in the market. As mentioned, BCH and its direct competitors operate within the same product category of food, for instance, their famous barbecued pork, floss and Chinese sausages. BCH versus Fragrance | |Bee Cheng Hiang |Fragrance | |Product |Sells mainly barbecued pork, floss, Chinese sausages, |Sells mainly barbecued pork, floss, Chinese sausages, | | |snacks (cuttlefish, prawn roll) and abalone. |mooncakes, snacks and a variety of cuttlefish. |Price |$45/kg (non-peak) |$43/kg (non-peak) | | |$50/kg (during CNY) |$50/kg (during CNY) | |Place |Very accessible, with 28 outlets, including franchises, |Not as accessible to tourists as compared to BCH, but 21 | | |situated all over Singapore, including heartland areas, |outlets across Singapore including franchises in the | | |airport and ferry terminals. heartlands. | |Promotion |Uses celebrity endorsement (Zoe Tay) |Uses celebrity endorsement (Sharon Au) | The obvious similarities in both BCH and Fragrance’s logos have created a baffling e ffect on their customers as these logos are being represented by the word â€Å"? †, a Chinese word that symbolises the fragrance of the barbecued pork (refer to appendix pg 29). Rivalry between BCH and Fragrance has been very intense throughout the years. From the above table, it illustrated that Fragrance and BCH’s marketing plans are comparatively parallel in terms of the marketing mix. BCH has a higher degree of competitive advantage with the number of stores and its location of the outlets in the airport and ferry terminals, being able to reach out to tourists as well as the locals. Additionally, BCH has also sponsored a family movie by Jack Neo named â€Å"The Best Bet† in order to attract attention, stimulate interest, create desire, and bring about action (AIDA) in families in Singapore. BCH and Fragrance also tend to be traditional (which explains why they kept the original sliced pork bakkwa), and innovative (gourmet fusion, which mix minced and sliced pork together) at the same time with the intention of retaining their loyal customers and at the same time, attract new ones. BCH versus Lim Chee Guan (LCG) and Kim Hock Guan(KHG) Both LCG and KHG have been renowned for their long queues during the CNY seasons although they only have a handful of stores. LCG and KHG build their brand mainly with their products that primarily consist of their well-known arbecued pork, floss and Chinese sausages. With regards to accessibility, with only a small number of stores, they are not able to reach out to as many customers in the market as how BCH and Fragrance do. LCG and KHG tend to be very attached to being traditional in their food products and do not offer as much variety. BCH and Fragrance probably made the most of the spill over effect during seasonal periods as customers who do not have the patience to queue for LCG and KHG’s barbecued pork saw BCH and Fragrance’s products as a reasonable alternative. Positioning of BCH As quoted by Overseas Singaporean (2006), â€Å"In the quest for leadership position, Bee Cheng Hiang is fully committed to its value proposition of quality. Only the best quality ingredients are being used, with continuous research and developments done, to ensure that our products exceed customers’ expectations. Bee Cheng Hiang is also the first to incorporate a traditional business with modern retail methods. † BCH (2009) has positioned its own brand as being the only choice of snacks and believes that it can help its customers in enhancing their quality of life. Additionally, it places itself as being the leading brand in the industry and believes in providing quality and value to its customers with a modernised approach while retaining its traditional taste. 3. Bee Cheng Hiang’s Market Operations 3. 1Organisation Structure The chart under appendix pg 28 shows the possible organization structure for BCH. This is a matrix structure according to geographic areas. This structure is suitable as it focuses employees on serving customers and creating products, and at the same time allows each department to be specialized on their knowledge and use resources efficiently. This knowledge and resources will be spread among the operations of BCH in different countries. In this way, consistency of the brand will be ensured in BCH. 3. 2Communication Process Communication is generally being summarized as the transmission of a message from a communicator to a receiver in a coherent manner, either verbally or non-verbally. BCH (the sender) uses an endorser, the Caldecott Queen, Zoe Tay to reach out to its audience, in forms of print advertisement and television advertisement. As Zoe Tay is seen as an individual, as well as a celebrity with a high level of affective source credibility, it helps BCH to transmit the message easily across to the audience. Then, BCH encodes the idea through graphics. For example, pictures of Zoe Tay eating the barbequed pork could be observed. Followed on, in order for BCH to transmit the encoded message, the firm has chosen several channels such as billboards, magazines and television. Television advertisement for BCH is considered to be a rich medium as the message can be conveyed using more than one type of clue, namely visuals and vocal. Subsequently, the intended message is being decoded and delivered to the receiver – the target audience. The target audience is mainly the general Chinese public who buys bakkwa for personal consumption, or as gifts of goodwill. This is the important stage as it determines whether the intended message has been delivered across correctly to the audience. Finally, feedback is the last link in the chain of the communication process. After the message is being delivered, the audience will respond in a certain way. BCH is able to calculate the response rate through their sales amount. It is important for BCH to take into consideration the noise when developing effective marketing communication strategy. Noise can occur from the competitors’ advertisements and the receiver’s frame of mind which causes the message to differ from the intended message of the communications (Armstrong, Kolter Silva 2005). Currently, BCH employs the flighting method of scheduling for it advertising; heavily during the festive periods especially the Lunar New Year. However, noise within the communication process will increase due to the competitive efforts from its other bakkwa competitors. 3. Hierarchy of Marcom Effects Of all the marketing communication tools, BCH has managed to use advertising as one of the major platforms for the firm to gain awareness amongst the general public. They use favourable advertising strategies such as Zoe Tay as an endorsement and sponsorship in Jack Neo’s movie â€Å"I Not Stupid† from MediaCorp to reach out to their audience, because these celebrities are usually of a high source of credibility. As BCH is positioned as being the only choice of snacks and believes that it can help individuals in improving the quality of life, it creates an expectation amongst the audience. Therefore, several programs were carried out to meet the expectations. BCH holds several sales promotions throughout the year, mainly during festive seasons. For example, during Mother’s Day, BCH came up with sales promotions of selling barbecued pork at a lower price. Additionally, heart-shaped bakkwa will be available during Valentines’ Day. Over the counter, free samples of bite-sized bakkwa will be placed on the glass to stimulate and entice trial. After customers tried the products, beliefs and attitudes would then be formed. For BCH, it is the taste of the bakkwa. For instance, if the taste of the product varies from one point to another, consumers will have a higher tendency to lose confidence, as their expectations and satisfactions are not met. Hence, if BCH constantly lives up to their expectations, a strong attitude will be formed. Directly, it will increase brand loyalty amongst the consumers. 3. 4Outline and Rationale for Bee Cheng Hiang’s basic Marketing Strategy Michael Porter’s Generic Strategies model is used to analyze Bee Cheng Hiang’s Marketing Strategy. Bee Cheng Hiang is currently targeting at a broad industry target group with unique products offerings. This shows that they are using differentiation-marketing strategy. BCH has established many stores in Singapore, and they are also operating globally; broadening their access to different markets. Stores of BCH can easily be found in countries like China, Indonesia and Malaysia. In total, BCH owns about 108 stores locally and globally (Chinatownology 2009). Moreover, BCH has been continuously doing research and development in order to develop new products to keep up with the changing market trends and attracting different target segments to increase demand. For example, they introduced the new healthy bakkwa that contains less calories and fat (Buy Singapore 2009). They also have EZ pack bakkwa that can store up to six months for customers like tourists to purchase the products back to their own countries. As BCH had always strived to provide products with the best quality, they had gained a well-developed brand name in the hearts of their customers. Furthermore, since its establishment in 1933, they have been recognized as the most premium brand of bakkwa, especially in Singapore (Bee Cheng Hiang 2009). For this, BCH is able to charge a higher price in their products and customers will still continue to purchase. Although substitutes of BCH’s bakkwa can easily be found, they still cannot be easily replaced, as there are emotional benefits that cannot be substituted. In the future, BCH can still adopt the differentiation strategy. However, BCH should have more promotions in the future, in order to create more awareness for their current products or new products and promotions. More efforts should also be made to build the relationship with their customers. If done successfully, loyal customers can even become their customers’ advocate, who goes around telling their friends or families the benefits of BCH. Thus, BCH can gain free word-of-mouth advertising from their customers. However, if BCH did not put in efforts to build a good relationship with their customers, soon BCH will lose them to their competitors. 3. 5Behaviour Sequence Model |Data Input |Decision stage | | Need arousal |Information search evaluation |Purchase |Usage | |Who (roles) |Initiator to propose |Influencer and decider on the brands and |Family and post |User | | |category need |alternatives |purchase | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Where (location) |(NIL) |Public sources of information: mass media |Telephone order / |Personal consumption at home / | | | | |at outlet |offices as corporate gifts | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |When (time |Brand attitude |(NIL) |Mostly before/ |(NIL) | |timing) |strategy | |during festive | | | | | |season | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |How is it likely |Purchase intention |Personal, commercial and experiential sources of|Sales promotion at |User’s needs recognised and | |to occur |strategy information |outlet |satisfied, repeats | | | | | |purchase/spread positive word of| | | | | |mouth | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3. 6Target Audience BCH’s current primary target market is people of age 30 years old and above. They are mostly married and have a stable family with average or above average income annually. Thus, they have moderate spending power. This group of people view traditional culture importantly, especially during traditional festive season like Lunar Chinese New Year. They feel that brand name is an important aspect when it comes to giving presents or serving their guest. If they feel that a brand is good, they will be loyal towards that brand and will thus, become a habit for them to buy this brand. Therefore, they are relatively not price sensitive customers as long as the brand is able to give them expected benefits. BCH’s current secondary target market is the tourists, especially the Caucasians, living in the Western side of the world. They can be of any age, gender or occupation. They have relatively high educational level and average income, thus have reasonable spending power. They are people who like or treasure the Chinese culture, therefore likes to buy traditional Chinese products. Price sensitivity will not be an issue to them as long as they find a value in the Chinese products. Similar to BCH’s primary target market, as long as the brand can satisfy them with psychological benefits, they will become repeated customers. 4. Communication Objectives A key issue in BCH’s IMC strategy is to change the public perception on the brand and its product offering. The aim of our communications objective is to help BCH gain an increase in overall sales by 20%. Although BCH is already considered as a well-known market leader for its bakkwa and other wide range of food products, we hope to increase its customer base by another 15%, by persuading existing users from competitors’ brands to switch to BCH, as well as improving its brand image and maintain its brand awareness through our IMC program. It is important to take into consideration the worth of marketing costs that would incur when planning the IMC program as returns are expected from our investments of our advertising efforts and make sure our communication objectives are met. Hence, a communications effect sequence has been planned to aid us in tracking our intended returns on the campaign. Using multiple popular communication vehicles allow BCH to reach out to their intended audience wider and successfully within 90% of the geographically dispersed audience of varied media consumption patterns, increasing the market outreach, for example popular TV media and printed publications. The advertisement will appear on a pulsing basis to maintain brand awareness since BCH is the market leader in its industry. Aside from reaching out to 90% of the target audience, our next aim is to get 70% of the selected audience to comprehend the intended message within the advertisement. Slice of life† message execution using the advertising appeals of meaningfulness and believability is utilized. This will allow shaping of BCH’s brand attitude and customer’s perception that its products are not simply a festive nibble but also can be part of their daily life. To capture the interest of the 40% intended audience, a successful message execution style is crucial. Inherent drama will be the approach used for the major selling idea. Using a family-focused theme will enhance the advertising appeal because it is easy for customers to relate to it. It is also inline with BCH’s brand vision â€Å"To be the best at helping others, to experience and share enjoyable moments in everyday life†. How Are Children Of Single Parent Families Affecte EssayWhilst during the peak periods of end September to October, and January to February, the TV commercial would be broadcasted on Channel 8, during the evening prime time slots for a total of 3 times from Mondays to Fridays, i. e. at the start and during and end of the 9’o clock programme. As most Singaporean watch Channel 8’s 9’o clock programme, we feel that we would be able to reach out to most viewers during this time and especially when everyone is home from work and school. Hence the whole family would be able to watch the commercials together. 11. 2Print Advertisements Our main choice of medium for advertising Bee Cheng Hiang’s print advertisements would be in Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Chinese newspapers – My Paper and Shin Min Daily News. These two newspapers are selected because My Paper is one of Singapore’s free Chinese and English newspaper, hence readership rate on this publication would be high and at the same time, we will also be able to reach out to other potential customers that are English-speaking; and Shin Min Daily News is a another publication that most youths and elderly would read as this newspaper covers popular sections like sports and entertainment. It is also shown that Shin Min Daily News (2009) has an average circulation of 139,600 and My Paper(2009) with an average circulation of 280,000 as of August 2008. Hence we believe that through these two mediums of printed publications would be appropriate to advertise our new campaign and achieving our objective of reaching 90% of our selected audience in Singapore. These insertions would come in two sizes for Shin Min Daily News and My Paper; a half page, full colour advertisement on the third page of the publication for Shin Min daily News and a full page, full colour advertisement on the centrefold of My Paper. As placing the insertions on the inside of the newspapers, the costs to do so would be much cheaper than placing the insertions on the front and back pages of the newspaper. For the insertions of print advertisements, we have decided to follow the pulsing method for TV commercials, applying more weight during peak periods like October, January and February, advertising 4 times a week – Mondays, Thursdays for My Paper, Saturdays and Sundays for Shin Min Daily News. While on non-peak periods like September, November and December, the insertions would be made twice a week – Saturdays and Sundays on Shin Min Daily News as My Paper is only printed from Mondays to Fridays only. The insertions would be scenes from our storyboard, hence serving as a gentle reminder to our target audiences of the brand, its products and our intended message in the advertisements after they have seen the commercials and to maintain their attention towards our advertising. 11. 2Publicity Photo Taking Contest In order for us to attract publicity, we have decided to organize a photo taking contest, whereby everyone is eligible to participate and the only conditions for this contest are to use any BCH products in the photos taken. Since our main message of our advertising efforts is to make BCH’s product an everyday snack or lifestyle product, the theme of the contest would be to how us how people are able to infuse these products into their everyday lifestyle with their loved ones. For example, the picture could be a family enjoying bakkwa together while everyone is happy and having fun watching television. Other examples of these photographic moments can also follow our pr int advertisements and commercials. Creativity is welcomed as long as the specific products are engaged in the photos. The contest would be held at during mid November after the first wave of heavy advertising is completed, and it would also be logical to have the contest away from festive seasons as we are trying to push the message of BCH can be an everyday product in the consumers’ lifestyle. The contest will last till end December and the results would be announced during the second week of January. The contestant with the best photograph will win $4,000 in cash and $200 worth of BCH products or gift vouchers. The second prize would consist of a cash prize of $1000 and $150 worth of BCH’s products or gift vouchers; while the third prize is $500 cash prize with $100 worth of BCH’s products or gift vouchers. With these incentives in place, the contest would be able to attract much participation and interest from the public and it would also be inline with the rest of our commercials and insertions as these comprises of sharing BCH’s products with loved ones in an everyday scenario. To make our contest known to the public, we will post insertions of the contest during the months of November and December twice a week (Saturdays and Sundays) during the slots that we have selected for our print media in the Shin Min Daily News, and also on the BCH website. Pamphlets of the contest will be given out when products are purchased at any outlets to every customer and posters of the contest will be put up by the entrance of every outlet to draw attention to the contest. Hopefully by engaging the public’s participation in this contest, they themselves are also able to learn how to infuse these products into their everyday routine and adapt it as part of their lifestyle. 11. 3Public Relations A Children’s Earthquake Fund will be set up to provide direct assistance to the thousands of children who are suffering in the aftermath of destructive earthquakes in Sichuan Province and Chong Qing China. For every $1 that the consumer spends at any BCH outlets, 10 cents will be contributed to the fund. Hence, it would generate emotions that they are doing their part for charity. Posters and signage will be placed near the counter to spur the consumers on, as well as generating awareness amongst them about the ongoing charity project. Through this program, we aim to instil the thoughts of ‘family’s warmth’ in BCH’s prospects. In addition, the team seeks to effectively build the BCH brand in association with ‘goodwill’ 11. 4Internet Marketing BCH currently has an official website, www. bch. com. g that provides consumers with the company’s information; for example, company’s background, store locator, recipes, products rang e and online shopping for their products. In order for effective Internet marketing, BCH should promote their website frequently in order to create awareness for customers on their website. In this way, resources are utilized, and at the same time it will give customers a feeling that BCH is up to date. Furthermore, customers can get immediate information from BCH directly on the Internet. To advertise their website, we suggest including their website link below their company logo on their paper bags or on any of their advertisements. Advertising on popular websites, for example Yahoo! Singapore, or Google, will also help to gain awareness for BCH. In the meanwhile, word-of-mouth marketing is being publicized by including a â€Å"Tell your friend† function on their products or promotion page on their website. When customers visit their website and find something interesting that they want to tell their friends about, customers can conveniently type their friends’ email addresses onto the function and send them the information right away. In this way, their friends would also be aware of BCH’s updates. 11. 5Sales Promotions Product bundled pricing and promotional pricing are being used to increase consumer demand and excite market demand through the lull period of sales BCH. During festive seasons, bundling of bakkwa with the related festive goodies such as cookies during Lunar New Year or mooncake during the Mid-Autumn festival will be introduced. With every kg of bakkwa purchased, consumers can get 100g of pork floss for free, thus making purchase more valuable to customer. To stimulate market demand, a 15% cash discount on purchase of 2kg bakkwa will also be initiated. 12. Evaluation Control There are 4 types of evaluation and control methods that we can apply to keep sight of and meet our objectives at the end of the day – annual-plan control, profitability control, efficiency control and strategic control. All these control methods make up the control process by reminding us what we want to achieve from our goals, find out what is happening by measuring our performance, understand why is it happening by analysing our performance and lastly to think of corrective solutions if anything goes wrong. As this report revolves mainly around our IMC program, we will focus more on control methods that are relevant to the proposed campaign. 12. 1Strategic Control This control is done by top management and the marketing auditor of BCH to examine whether the company is pursing its best opportunities with respect to markets, products and channels through approaches like marketing-effectiveness rating instruments, marketing audits, marketing excellence review, company ethical and social responsibility review, etc. Hence we have come up with two ways of strategic control to assess the effects of the campaign on BCH. However if the campaign becomes a failure, the correct actions to be taken would be being more â€Å"holistic† and less departmental, constantly developing fresh and new ideas to prosper, gain customer insights and attend to their preferences, build the brand through the performance of promotions first to gain a larger influence on customers. An example of a marketing excellence review would be the annual â€Å"Viewers’ Choice Awards† programme. 12. 1. 1Viewers’ Choice One way of evaluating the effectiveness of our commercials would be through the â€Å"Viewers’ Choice Awards† which is an annual award program whereby viewers get to nominate their favourite or best television commercials. If BCH’s commercials are nominated for this program it would prove that the commercials are effective in leaving a lasting impression and impact on the viewers. This is one way of getting a qualitative evaluation or feedback of our commercials from our audiences. 12. Efficiency Control This control is the prime responsibility of the line and staff management and also the marketing controller of the BCH to evaluate and improve the spending efficiency and impact of the marketing expenditures through the company’s sales force, advertising efforts, sales promotions, distribution, etc. In order to improve our advertising efficiency should any problems or failures arise, we need to adopt a better brand positioning strategy, redefine our objectives, conduct pre-test messages and do post-testing, use computer technology to guide our choice of media selection and look for better media buys. 12. 2. 1Conducting Surveys By engaging a professional consulting agency to help conduct surveys to evaluate if the commercials and insertions have manage to change the intended audiences’ perception of the brand and its products would be useful as our main objectives of the marketing communications program would be to change peoples’ perception and to promote the consumption of BCH’s food products into the daily lives of individuals, instead of being only a festive food products. These surveys can also be conducted before the launch of the campaign as a pre-test measure to test our advertising efforts on a small fraction of the selected audience and get their opinions and feedback before releasing it to the public. This helps to prevent any failures and mistakes from being caused by the campaign. Through the surveys, we would also be able to understand if there were any problems with or if there are any improvements that could be done and getting the consumers’ or audiences’ thoughts and feedback after having seen our commercials and insertions. This would prove to be a very qualitative evaluation method for the company. 12. 2. 2Focus Group Session This evaluation test will be done with a focus group consisting of 3 different families with 3 generations – grandparents, parents and kids. This way we will be able to have a fair amount of feedback from people of the different age groups – youths, adults and the elderly. Likewise to surveys, this focus group can also be done before the start of our integrated marketing campaign as a pre-test measure to prevent problems from arising, allows us to make any improvements before launching the campaign to the public and also to test the effectiveness of the campaign on the audience. During this focus group, the facilitator will be asking the respondents questions like how they feel about the commercials and advertisements; what comes to their mind after seeing the selected advertisements; how they feel about BCH’s products, comparing BCH’s brand and products to its competitors and what other improvements can be made to further improve our current and most probably future marketing communications program, after being exposed to the campaign. After obtaining and analysing the results from the focus group, we will then evaluate the results of our marketing campaign and conclude if it was successful or not. This evaluation method is also considered as another qualitative feedback. 12. 3Profitability Control This control is under the charge of the BCH’s marketing controller to examine where the BCH is making and losing money in areas like the products, territories, customers, market segments, trade channels, order sizes, etc. Listed below is one example of profitability control measure that we can apply after the launch of our campaign. 12. 3. 1Counter Statistics BCH’s website could integrate a counter statistics system to track the number of visitors to the site before the marketing communications activities are executed. Once the commercials and insertions have started, BCH is able to note if there are any changes in the number of hits before and after its marketing communications program has started. Another way of using counter statistics could be applied in the physical shop itself. If BCH placed a counter statistics system at the entrance of every store, the company would also be able to study the number of people that patronize its stores. Same as for the website, this system should be implemented before the marketing communications program starts to study the before and after results of the program. Using counter statistics would be considered as a quantitative evaluation of our marketing efforts, and based on the counter statistics of the frequency of visits to BCH’s stores, we would be able to roughly estimate if our customer base has gone up by 15% as intended by our objectives. 12. 4Annual-plan Control This control is mainly concerned by top and middle managements as they examines whether the planned results are being achieved through conducting sales analysis, market share analysis, sales-to-expenses ratios, financial analysis, market-based scorecard analysis, etc. BCH’s accounts would help to evaluate the results of our campaign by doing BCH’s income statement, profit and loss statement, hence measuring if the campaign has managed to reach our objectives of increasing BCH’s sales 20%. Reference List Asian Perspective, Pearson Prentice Hall, Singapore Appendix BEE CHENG HIANG’S LOGO FRAGRANCE FOODSTUFF’S LOGO Photo Taking Contest October January February Peak Period Peak Period September November December Heavy Advertising Low Advertising May Meeting up with agency to plan for the IMC program of BCH June Start production for commercial and print media July Make any improvement for commercial and print media August Finalize commercial, print media and their planned schedule Production R D Marketing Sales Taiwan Indonesia Malaysia Hong Kong Singapore CEO