STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS INDUS TOWERS LIMITED

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS INDUS TOWERS LIMITED Strategic  leadership  basically means using strategy in the  management  of workers. The main strategy usually employed in a strategic style of  leadership  is to motivate workers to take the initiative to improve their productive input into the company. Strategy involves thinking and planning.  Leadership  inspires others to take the appropriate action. Strategic  leadership  is a management  model that trains and encourages employees to best prepare the company for the future.Strategic leaders are always looking ahead and analyzing the present in terms of preparation for what may be ahead for the business. Awareness is a big part of a strategic  leadership  style, but it must be followed up with well thought out action. Strategic leaders are adaptable and growth-oriented. They take responsibility for getting things done by training employees to think and act more effectively to achieve the best result possible for the company. 1.2. The Impact of Management and Leadership Styles on Strategic Decisions Company Background Aircel group is a mobile phone service provider in india. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM Cellular phone coverage throughout India. Aircel is a joint venture between Maxis Communication of Malaysia and Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd of India. UTSB has a 74% stake in Aircel and the remaining 26% is with Apollo Hospitals. It is Indias Seventh largest GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of over 51.83 million, as of January 31, 2011. It has a market share of 6.72% among the GSM operators in the country. As on date, Aircel is present in all 23 telecom circles. Aircel placed an actual dinghy lifeboat to a downtown billboard. A rope with a sign reading, In case of emergency, cut rope, held up the branded raft. July 15, 2009 the monsoon arrived with flooded streets and so did Aircel customer service. The dinghy was cut down and pedestrians were safely transported. What Aircel calls Corporate Social Responsibility A Solution. The company was able to generate positive p ublicity and show consumers that they care. Aircel is famous for innovative Pocket Internet cards for Free GPRS service for 1day/3days/7days/30days. Aircel become first to introduce Online service to subscribe and manage Dialer tunes. It is first in country to introduce SMS bank/Phone Book/Reminder/Talking SMS. In the past several decades, management experts have undergone a revolution in how they define leadership and what their attitudes are toward it. They have gone from a very classical autocratic approach to a very creative, participative approach. Somewhere along the line, it was determined that not everything old was bad and not everything new was good. Rather, different styles were needed for different situations and each leader needed to know when to exhibit a particular approach. 1.3.Leadership Styles Can Be Adopted For Different Situations A leadership style survey is a innovative thinking of starting about leadership. using leadership style in organization is a different way from leadership competencies of explaining leadership. Leadership style is the essential quality in the organization, implementing plans, innovative thinking, initiative, motivating the team members Three of the most basic leadership styles are: Autocratic Laissez-faire Democratic Autocratic: This is something one peson decision, the leader tells the employees what to do and what not to do, the employees dont have any option they have to follow their leader instructions. The employees dont have the liberal freedom by thinking of innovative or they cant take any initiatives in the work or growth for the organization. This style can be followed only if the employees have all the sources in the hand, because its something the leader orders to the employees and they follow them, so if every information is available to the employees they can finish the work with in the time frame of the limit. Actually this type of style should not be used as it is a emergency case. If we need initiatives and commitment from our employees we have to motivate our employees, so we have to follow the participative style. In this autocratic style we have a gap leaders and employees this leads to improper communication and understanding. Laissez Faire: In this style the leader gives the full liberty to the employees to take there own decision. But its not something final what the employee does, the employee has every rights to take the decision, However leader is responsible for whatever the decision is been made, The decision can be made where the employee should know about the in and out of the process and analyse the situation how the decision can be made, we cant make the blind decision, we can set the target to complete the task. This is not a style we can blame the employees if things went wrong, its something we are trusting employees and having confidence of the people who work below us. We should not afraid of using this style, we can use it wisely, by following this style employees will gain confidence and they can grow as an future leader. Democratic: This is the current style used in the organization, this style leader and employee merge together and comes to the final decision. Because certain things can be assessed only by the employees and not by the leader. The work done by the employees cannot be predicted how to handle this issue in the hectic situation. So the leader has no other go to contact the employees for final decision. Its not something the employees can take the final decision, it should be authorized by the leader, then it may get in to final decision. This style shows the good understanding between the employees and the leader. The employee recruited are highly skilled. Using this style will benefit the organization as well as it creates the good relation with the leader and employees. 2.1.The Selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational strategy: Under the autocratic leadership style in the organisation, The leader has the power of centralized decision making in the organisation. This is common to the directive style from organizational situational leadership Autocratic managers do not entertain any idea or initiatives from coworkers. The autocratic management is helpful to the managers because it gives a recognition to the team and organisation as well as it motivates the manager. It helps in quick decision making, as he is the only to decide for the whole team and the manager keeps decision to himself until he feels that is necessary to be shared to the coworkers. The autocrat tells others what not to do and what to do but not necessarily why it might be an appropriate model for the organisation where the team has low experience and skills or It has to be used in the effective way in the organisation with modern work forces. Participative or democratic style The democratic leadership style advantage decision making by the group as shown, such as first leader will set up the meeting with the group and he asks for the suggestions then he will give instructions to the group members. This style is more helpful for the managers so that the group member will be cooperative to the managers, and they may be motivated effectively and positively by the managers. The decision of the democratic leader is not unilateral as with the autocrat, because generally they used to discuss with group members and they will get a final idea with the group, and finally the manager will go for suggestion and ideas so that all the group members will participate by them. Democratic is not something is put to the vote it is the manager involves in to the participation of the group of members and make decision consulting with the group member and he has every right to take the own decision and cascade the final decision to the team members. If some one could not follo w or discuss with the team members then it may be a weak leadership. Free rein style or Laissez-faire A free-rein leader does not lead, leaves the group freely entirely on its own as shown; such as leader allows maximum liberal freedom to the group members, i.e they have given a liberal freedom and suggestions in choosing their own policies and procedure methods. 2.2.Leadership Stretegy Supports organizational direction: Its to remember the alternative situations for alternative leadership styles in the organisation. In the emergency time we have only little time only and where as in designated authority has more experience in the organisation or the rest of the whole team if they follow the autocratic leadership that would be more effective. In the case of highly motivated and designated team with a knowledge level of expertise, a more democratic or laissez faire style may be much more effective. When I complete the strategic leadership style survey I should remember that the leadership style has adopted and that would be the most effective and achieves the objective of the whole while balancing the interest of members of individuals. Also this leadership style survey is provided the answer but its not something we got the right answers, but I have the opportunities to ask the right knowledge questions in a right time about the leadership style at present and in the future cases. 3.1. Appropriate Method to review current leadership requirements: Jun Liu Business School, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China Xiaoyu Liu School of Labor Relations Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China Abstract Leadership research has gone through several phases of development in the past 80 years or so. The paper identifies the major theories in each phase, and investigates the strengths and weaknesses of the research. Among those theories, transformational/charismatic leadership and leader-member exchange (LMX) are heavily discussed. The paper also discusses the future trend of research in leadership areas. Keywords: Review, Transformational Leadership, LMX Leadership can be defined as a process that an individual influences a group of individuals to implement strategies and achieve the collective goals (Yukl, 2002). Research in the area seeks to find out what types of leaders are likely to be successful and what factors determine leadership effectiveness. Generally, leadership research has gone though four paradigms: trait approach, behavioral approach, situational approach, and the contemporary theories of leadership. The paradigms of leadership theories shift with the progress from static to dynamic view of leadership with the trait and behavioral theories reflecting a personal, the situational theories an interpersonal, and the contemporary theories a relational approach to conceptualizing leadership. That is to say leadership has been examined as intrapersonal competencies, interpersonal processes, and relational dynamics. More specifically, I review those approaches, their strengths and weaknesses as followed: The trait approach The trait theories assumed that leaders were born, not made. In the literature, Stogdill (1948, 1974) completed two comprehensive reviews by synthesizing more than 200 studies of the trait approach. His two surveys identified a group 3.2.plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership -poor management performance -low   employee morale -unstable   organization structure -unsustainable business practices -high   employee turnover -unable to   manage diversity -Poor   Measured organizational performance improvement -Decreased quality of management -Poor   Healthy organizational climate- -Lower   morale -Increased   labor   turnover -Lack Organizational and personal growth -Poor teamwork -Lack   of   Retention strategies-talent leaving   the organization. -chronic industrial relations problems   -no means of resolving employee grievances   -increasing   employee turnover   -inter-group conflicts   -dissatisfaction with pay and conditions   -unclear job roles   -no clear performance measures   -poor recruitment standards / practices   -no management development programs   -no induction training for new employees   -critical skill shortages   -inter-departmental conflict   -lack   of   sufficient skills / power bases in the organization. -lack   of   appropriate leadership skills within the organization?   -lack   organization structure flexibilty   in the face of changing demands. staff have no clear roles and responsibilities?   -lack   of   procedures and management practices to facilitate the accomplishment of tasks. -lack   of   Ã‚  staff   potential spotting   Ã‚  and development   Ã‚  for the future. -lack   of   staff encouragement   to perform well through the giving of recognition, feedback, etc. -staff   do no   know what their expected performance standards are.   -organizations systems   do not encourage effective performance among your staff. -systems are   not   consistent across the organization. -there are   no clear rewards for effective performance within the   work group.   4.1. Developing leadership skills for a specific requirements Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.   Alan Keith of Genentech states that, Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. According to Ken SKC Ogbonnia, effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals. The above characteristics of being leaders; they are controlling and directing day to day business, they support the staff, they work as chefs and waiters and they try to achieve the best profit they can. 4.2. Useful methods to plan the developing of leadership skills Basic Skills in: Solving the problem and Making the decision Strategic Planning Delegation of work Internal Communications with the team Meeting Management with the mentor Managing Yourself with in the organisation

From Failure to success Essay

Robert Kennedy’s statement that â€Å"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly† has been painfully evident in my life. Until recently, I had never dared to fail greatly at anything, and as a result, I never achieved greatly at anything either. Luckily, I have learned the importance of attempting something when there’s a looming possibility of failure. At Boys’ State this summer, I spent a week living with 300 other young men while learning about how North Carolina’s government works. To give us a firm grasp of the governmental process, each floor elected town officials, each dorm elected county officials, and the three dorms together elected the state officials. The Boys’ State program also had its own moot court program from which Supreme Court Justices were elected. At Boys’ State, I ran for positions in the town and county government, and for Supreme Court Justice. Of the seven positions I competed for, I only won two elections. I count this as a failure because the only positions I won were positions that had no candidates to oppose me. The loss that affected me the most was Supreme Court Justice. This was the position I had wanted to win even before I arrived at Boys’ State, and I gave up all of my afternoon activity time so that I could participate in the moot court program and remain an eligible candidate for Supreme Court Justice. Unfortunately, the elections for justices were the last of all the voting, and by midnight, everybody wanted to get back to their dorms so the time for our speeches was cut from one minute to ten seconds. Needless to say, I was so unprepared for the sudden change of events, that I barely had time to say my name and one reason I was running before I ran out of time. I lost the election, but the loss taught me that I needed to become more visible so that I would not have to depend on a speech for people to realize that I was a person they should vote for. However, if I had the chance to go back and change anything I had done there, I probably wouldn’t change a thing. The reasons for this are not as difficult to understand as they probably should be. Firstly, if I went back and changed anything I had done then, I would not have learned that lesson, and would now be lacking a very important experience in my life. Secondly, good things also came from my loss of the election for Supreme Court Justice. In my failure, I brought the  attention of the gubernatorial candidate onto me. The next morning, he asked me if I would like to be his Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety which is one of the highest positions at Boys’ State. After a moment of shock, I immediately accepted the position. Thus, as a result of my own great failure, I achieved greatly.

Colgan Air And Continental Connection Flight 3407 Air Crash

Broward Community College Colgan air/Continental Connection Flight 3407 Air Crash Hugo M. Minaya ASC 2320 Aviation Law Professor Mike Nonnemacher 5 August 2013 Hugo M. Minaya ASC 2320 Aviation Law Professor Mike Nonnemacher November 25, 2016 Colgan air/Continental Connection Flight 3407 Air Crash One of the most controversial and important air crash linked to human error of the modern world happened on the night of February 12, 2009. Colgan air flight 3407, operated by Continental Connection, was on final approach to runway 23 at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport as it disappeared from radar. The aircraft was a Bombardier Dash 8, a popular twin engine medium range turboprop Airliner used by many regional carriers. The aircraft entered an uncontrollable stall crashing into to a neighborhood 5 miles northeast of the airport killing all everyone on souls on board. The Captain, Marvin Resnlow and first officer Rebecca Lynne were behind the controls the night of the accident. The NTSB report determined error by both pilots cause the aircraft to crash. Thus, pilot fatigues, improper recovery form a stall were contributing factors. The victim’s family members pushed for congress to overhaul airline regulations. The NTBS investigation delivery multiple findings that eventually led to a modernization of airline operations and pilot training. The NTSB concluded both pilots were suffering from sleep deprivation and fatigue and eventually led to make errors duringShow MoreRelatedPromoting a Skillful, Safe Cockpit Essay1235 Words   |  5 Pageson a regional carrier up to 1500 total flight hours as well as requires those persons to do an extensive Air Transport Pilots examination. Although some parts of this law encourage safety, in the aviation industry it has the potential to cripple it because of the predicted shortage of pilots in the coming years, lost interest of young pilots, potential higher prices for consumers, loss of jobs. All of this for a law, that if it was enacted before the crash would not have the prevented it. The viewRead More A Problem for the Aviation Industry Essay1432 Words   |  6 Pagesenhance airline safety and in part prevent an accident of this nature from occurring again (U.S. House 2010). Section 217 of the bill pushes the minimum hours required to act as a pilot on a regional carrier up to 1,500 total flight hours and requires those persons to do an extensive Air Transport Pilots examination (U.S. House 2010). Although some parts of this law encourage safety, it has the potential to cripple the aviation industry. This is so because of the predicted shortage of pilots in the comingRead MoreReview of the Relevant Literature and Industry Specific Barriers2006 Words   |  9 Pagesscope of aviation. Training institutions who teach 141/142 training programs foster critical thinking and technological skills through ground based instruction as well as learner activities such as simulation. The opportunity for students to practice flight in a safe manner in today’s high-risk , complex training environment is limited to situations involving high-risk maneuvers not ideal for student learning experiences to be simulated. Simulations give students opportunities to perform high-risk maneuversRead MoreHow Unionism Has Impacted the Airline Industry in Us4934 Words   |  20 Pagessummarize main points of how they have impacted and affected this industry overall. 1. Overview of the air transportation sector In spite of many challenges, air travel remains one of the most popular transportation mean in the United States, expanding from 172 million passengers in 1970 to 757 million passengers in 20081 (Bureau labor of statistics, 2000). There were at that time, 19 mainline air carriers that use large passenger jets (more than 90 seats); 67 regional carriers that use smaller piston

Puyi The Last Emperor of China

The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and thus the last emperor of China, Aisin-Gioro Puyi lived through the fall of his empire, the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, the Chinese Civil War, and the founding of the Peoples Republic of China.   Born to a life of unimaginable privilege, he died as a humble assistant gardener under the communist regime. When he passed away of lung kidney cancer in 1967, Puyi was under the protective custody of members of the Cultural Revolution, completing a life story thats truly stranger than fiction. Early Life of the Last Emperor Aisin-Gioro Puyi was born on February 7, 1906, in Beijing, China to Prince Chun (Zaifeng) of the Aisi-Gioro clan of the  Manchu royal family and Youlan of the Guwalgiya clan, a member of one of the most influential royal families in China. On both sides of his family, ties were tight with the de facto ruler of China, the Empress Dowager Cixi.   Little Puyi was only two years old when his uncle, the Guangxu Emperor, died of arsenic poisoning on November 14, 1908, and the Empress Dowager selected the little boy as the new emperor before she died the very next day. On December 2, 1908, Puyi was formally enthroned as the Xuantong Emperor, but the toddler did not like the ceremony and reportedly cried and struggled as he was named the Son of Heaven. He was officially adopted by the Dowager Empress Longyu. The child emperor spent the next four years in the Forbidden City, cut off from his birth family and surrounded by a host of eunuchs who had to obey his every childish whim. When the little boy discovered that he had that power, he would order the eunuchs caned if they displeased him in any way.  The only person who dared discipline the tiny tyrant was his wet-nurse and substitute mother-figure, Wen-Chao Wang. A Brief End to His Rule On February 12, 1912, Dowager Empress Longyu stamped the Imperial Edict of the Abdication of the Emperor, formally ending Puyis rule. She reportedly got 1,700 pounds of silver from General Yuan Shikai for her cooperation — and the promise that she would not be beheaded. Yuan declared himself President of the Republic of China, ruling until December of 1915 when he bestowed the title of Hongxian Emperor on himself in 1916, attempting to start a new dynasty, but died three months later of renal failure before he ever took the throne. Meanwhile, Puyi remained in the Forbidden City, not even aware of the Xinhai Revolution that rocked his former empire. In July of 1917, another warlord named Zhang Xun restored Puyi to the throne for eleven days, but a rival warlord called Duan Qirui nixed the restoration. Finally, in 1924, yet another warlord, Feng Yuxian, expelled the 18-year-old former emperor from the Forbidden City. Puppet of the Japanese Puyi took up residence in the Japanese embassy in Beijing for one and a half years and in 1925 moved to the Japanese concession area of Tianjin, toward the northern end of Chinas coastline. Puyi and the Japanese had a common opponent in the ethnic Han Chinese who had ousted him from power.   The former emperor wrote a letter to the Japanese Minister of War in 1931 requesting help in recovering his throne. As luck would have it, the Japanese had just concocted an excuse to invade and occupy Manchuria, the homeland of Puyis ancestors, and in November of 1931, Japan installed Puyi as their puppet emperor of the new state of Manchukuo. Puyi was not pleased that he ruled only Manchuria, rather than the whole of China, and was further chafed under Japanese control where he was even forced to sign an affidavit that if he had a son, the child would be raised in Japan. Between 1935 and 1945, Puyi was under the observation and orders of a Kwantung Army officer who spied on the Emperor of Manchukuo and relayed orders to him from the Japanese government. His handlers gradually eliminated his original staff, replacing them with Japanese sympathizers. When Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, Puyi boarded a flight for Japan, but he was captured by the Soviet Red Army and forced to testify at the war crimes trials in Tokyo in 1946 then remaining in Soviet custody in Siberia until 1949. When Mao Zedongs Red Army prevailed in the Chinese Civil War, the Soviets turned the now 43-year-old former emperor over to the new communist government of China. Puyis Life Under Maos Regime Chairman Mao ordered Puyi sent to the Fushun War Criminals Management Center, also called Liaodong No. 3 Prison, a so-called re-education camp for prisoners of war from the Kuomintang, Manchukuo, and Japan. Puyi would spend the next ten years interned in the prison, constantly bombarded with communist propaganda. By 1959, Puyi was ready to speak publicly in favor of the Chinese Communist Party, so he was released from the re-education camp and allowed to return to Beijing, where he got a job as an assistant gardener at the Beijing Botanical Gardens and in 1962 married a nurse named Li Shuxian. The former emperor even worked as an editor for the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference from 1964 on, and also authored an autobiography, From Emperor to Citizen, which was supported by top party officials Mao and Zhou Enlai. Targeted Again Until His Death When Mao sparked the Cultural Revolution in 1966, his Red Guards immediately targeted Puyi as the ultimate symbol of old China. As a result, Puyi was placed under protective custody and lost many of the simple luxuries he had been granted in the years since his release from prison. By this time, his health was failing as well. On October 17, 1967, at the age of just 61, Puyi, Chinas last emperor, died of kidney cancer. His strange and turbulent life ended in the city where it had begun, six decades and three political regimes earlier.

Organ Donation Is A Sensitive, Heartbreaking Worldwide...

Organ donation is a sensitive, heartbreaking worldwide predicament. There are currently over 80,000 people waiting on organs. Regrettably, the criteria for donating organs is rigorous, as well as tedious and strict. Furthermore, several ailments â€Å"such as having HIV, actively spreading cancer, or severe infection† would exclude an individual from being able to donate organs (WebMD, 2015). In order for someone to be a donor they must be between the age of seventeen and their early seventies. They also must be a compatible blood type. (University of Maryland Medical Center, 2015) Sadly, recipients are dying by the thousands waiting for matches. The legalization of organ sales have been swept under the rug and overlooked for several decades due to the ethical concerns that accompany it. Unfortunately, the longer the issue is not discussed thousands of children, woman, and men will continue to die. Substantial compensation for organs and tissue is needed. The lack of available organs has led to not only the illegal harvesting of organs but even the murders of innocent individuals as well. Moreover, what could the possible repercussions be if organs were legally sold? A drastic change such as how organs are distributed could positively affect the lives of thousands waiting for a donor. In addition, there is a global dilemma, the scarcity of organs is the source of the surplus surge of the selling and stealing of organs illegally. Some people feel the only way for them to continue

Caitlin LaGrone Research Free Essays

Caitlin LaGroneDr. Ramsey English Composition II 19 April 2018Through a Soldiers Eyes Wilfred Owen utilizes his poems to display problems throughout war that soldiers deal with which is not easy. They face many trials that sometimes leads to death. We will write a custom essay sample on Caitlin LaGrone Research or any similar topic only for you Order Now Death does not care who you are or where you are when it is ready for you it will take you. Sacrifices are made, and it is a personal choice. He allows these poems to foreshadow what can happen or what they must conquer as their time as a soldier. Owen illustrates throughout his poems, â€Å"Anthem For Doomed Youth,† â€Å"S.I.W.,† and â€Å"Dulce es Decorum Est,† how the soldiers have faced multiple physical and mental challenges throughout their times during service. Throughout Owen’s poem â€Å"Anthem For Doomed Youth,† he displays the physical hardships that are faced by soldiers but also the families of the soldier. Owen begins his poem with how the hardships are faced by a soldier and their families as well:What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚  Only the monstrous anger of the guns.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattleCan patter out their hasty orisons (1.1-4). â€Å"The â€Å"passing-bells† is a demonstration of how the deaths are announced to the world. The soldiers do not get a real prayer or rights like the Christians get back home, they received the right to a rifle being shot at them. They received sounds of the â€Å"rapid rattle of gun fire (1.3),† as a choir instead of a choir from a church as they fall to death. Owen suggest that they are not getting the real respect from the organized religion for those dying on the lines when it comes to war. The families are faced with not being able to honor their family member the correct way. The soldiers are putting their life on the line for the country but are not getting the right recognition that they are so deserving of. Their families believe they deserve a true memorial service where they are honored with the respect they are deserved. The soldiers go through a lot, but it also takes a toll on the families as well. The soldiers faced many obstacles but the harshest one was watching one of their own hit the ground injured or experiencing death. Owen utilizes â€Å"what candles may be held to speed them all?  Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes† (9-10), to demonstrate the soldiers’ eyes lit up as they saw one of their family members lying on the ground suffering of and injury or death. Seeing one of their family members as they thought of them laying on the ground suffering was one of the hardest things for them to watch due to them all wanting to make it out alive together. The eyes of the surrounding brothers as a army soldier would call his friends are lit up with broken spirits and defeat. Harold Bloom illustrates that Owen’s poems that war has gone far beyond religion since they all sin and do what is best for the country to obtain their freedom (Bloom par. 3)Also, Owen indicates an infliction with a solider that cannot decide between facing the hardships or going ahead and ending his life to avoid them in â€Å"S.I.W.† Struggling is not an easy thing to accept. At the beginning of the poem Owen exposes the father stating, â€Å"he’d always show the Hun a brave man’s face (2),† but the son is honestly terrified but cannot dishonor his fathers wishes of him going in the army, so he puts on an act that he is brave. The kid only wanted to show his father that he was brave but did not want to let him down either. Merryn Williams suggests that the father believes that if his son commits suicide he will be dishonored because it is not an action that is honored like one that puts himself on the line for the country, committing suicide is too easy compared to being on the front line (Williams par.10), The solider is going through being shot at, depression, sickness, injuries, but also having to pretend to be brave when they are really terrified due to the fact they never know when their life may end or if they will even make it out alive. â€Å"Where once an hour a bullet missed its aim and misses teased the hunger of his brain (12-13),† is displayed throughout Owens poem as a display of how the soldiers brain hungers for a bullet as they are missed by them but also their brain gets jittery because they never know when one will strike. But sadly, the solider cannot take it any longer â€Å"this time, Death had not missed (26),† the self-inflicted wound theory took over his mental state and he followed through with it but made it look like it had been made on purpose due to the others finding a bullet within the body. Death occurred from the wound and could not be changed or stopped. During Owens poem â€Å"Dulce es Decorum Est,† he establishes more difficulties that the soldiers are having to face during the battle times. Daniel Hipp portrays the poem as the soldiers are dealing with shellshock due to their inabilities to walk and hear as their major flaws throughout the war times but also, they are drunk half the time which can affect their mental abilities and play a part in their flaws as well (Hipp par.26), any struggles that were faced were â€Å"Many had lost their boots, but limped on, blood-shod (5-6),† covered in blood and carrying themselves on just their feet was not an easy thing. They were sometimes covered in blood from head to toe due to all the action going on back and forth. Most had injuries but had to overcome the injuries and continued to fight for the achievement of freedom. Along with the injuries and no shoes they also faced â€Å"all went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind (6-8),† these defects affected their mind and did not allow them to have a mental capacity to comprehend what was going on around them or how to overcome not being able to deal with what was going around them. Some had to deal with higher up problems such as â€Å"Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! —An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time (9-10),† some had to have quick reflexes to put a gas mask on without having any trouble and being very quick about it because they do not have much time to protect themselves from the gas being used against them. The characteristic of displaying fast reflexes can save themselves from the actions of destruction from the gas that is deadly. Throughout Wilfred Owens three poems he utilizes them to prove that being a soldier is tough but can be accomplished. A soldier is an honor and it takes a brave person to face the hardships and overcome adversity. Owen portrays these poems to display what a soldier is signing up for when they began thinking about the Army. How to cite Caitlin LaGrone Research, Essays

Converse All Stars, case study free essay sample

Inc.The Converse All Star is sneaker that has been around for over a century. beginning in the USA in 1917 it has seen large ups and downs in the market ever since its introduction. From being one of America’s most celebrated sporting shoe to Rock and Rolls go to sneaker. Converse All Stars (Formerly known as Chuck Taylors), are by far the most recognized and purchased style of converse shoe. but what information can we gather from the external environment and what does it mean for the future of the All Star? Demographic is of utmost importance, who is buying the product? What age range does it extend too? Which regions are being marketed? finally what income bracket are consumers falling into and what is being done to break out of that income bracket and appeal to a wider audience? By understanding all of these demographic factors we can being to expand on the overall popularity of the All Star and increase market share. The demographic of Chuck taylors therefore is of extreme importance to marketers. Converse chuck Taylors are marketed to people from age 5-50. Although this age range is clearly very broad it can be further broken down into brackets. For example, from ages 5-10 are marketing is aimed towards a mother who will buy shoes based first, on price and second, on style. Girls in this age bracket are focused on the style and the colour of the sneaker. For teenage boys All Stars are endorsed through prominent sporting figures. For the age 40 and above, market price and style are still the most important factors, going for a ‘classic’ look while still offering colours and patterns considered less conforming on the same style of shoe creates mass appeal to this market.  in fact other than personal preference, conceptions about the brand and personal choice there is almost no reason the All Star cant appeal to most age groups. As All Stars are the most diverse range of converse sneakers they can be stylish – cheap and have a classic look while remaining at the same price. Geography is also one of the most important demographic factors for Converse All Stars.. Highly populated areas with emphasis on young kids still in school are targeted by Converse. More so highly populated areas with lower income demographics are perfect. The brand is also targeted at middle class  and upper class demographics, (mostly marketing the comfort and style to upper class rather than price). This makes it more appealing to lower income people as it is still very affordable, mostly thanks to Converse’ strategy on keeping the price low and the fact that it is not a product only worn by low income demographics. Seeing well known celebrities endorse products that are affordable, has had mass appeal to lower income people and especially in the European and Australian market. The USA market is of particular importance to the Converse All star, with almost 60% of its market being based there.eeing as America is the home of the Converse shoe and particularly the all star (Chuck Taylor) as the first shoe it is easy to see why this market is seen as so vital. With the buyout from Nike (another American Brand) The USA geographic is essential to the success of the Converse All Star. once again the same tactics take place, large populated low-middle class areas are the primary targets the All Star is marketed towards. Keeping the price low in these areas is particularly important in the marketing strategy as it is important not to make people feel ripped off and angry by high prices. Especially seeing as a heavy investment in Converse shops has been made higher prices would prove more costly for the All Star. The competitive environment of the All Stars is also fundamental towards successful market growth. Competition in any sector and in particular clothing and footwear is always going to be what makes or breaks a product. People compare products, prices, comfort, style and other peoples view of all products. for these reasons competition of other brands and labels is of the utmost concern to Converse and the All Star. The All Star has not changed dramatically since it was introduced to the market in 1917.therefore consumers perception of the All Star and other products is what drives the business. Converse do not want there to a substitute product on the market they want the All Star to be one of a kind and therefore need to keep the colours designs and patterns as up to date as possible. Competition from Puma, Adidas, Reebok and even Nike shoes is primarily th e reason Converse All Stars went from America’s most recognised and successful shoe brand to bankruptcy. This was partly due to poor marketing, lack of innovative and new designs on shoes. Nike and Reebok had both. Losing sponsorship and endorsements was a massive issue causing people to view Converse All Stars differently, perhaps even just viewing other brands and shoes as superior. Had Converse taken a different approach towards their brand then they very well could have seen a different future than they now do. The All Star shoe was the most popular shoe on the market and this led to Converse putting more focus into promoting the same style for decades rather than designing newer and more exciting styles to grab peoples attention. Also in 1921 much less was known and applied to sporting science and the technology behind giving athletes greater support in their apparell, particularly shoes. Looking at the Sporting environment now it would be almost impossible to find someone playing a professional or semi-professional game of basketball in a pair of All Stars. These days before a new sporting shoe is put on the market it is rigorously tested for ankle, heel, toe and calf support. Converse failed to do this by updating the All Star. As All Star is still the most popular and recognized Converse shoe, the marketing strategies behind them and therefore peoples view of them has changed. what was once a Sporting focused shoe is now a ‘sneaker’ portraying rebellion, originality and independence. Rock and Roll themes are being heavily used to change consumers perspective of the product. This has created some new competitors for the All Star. Vans has now become one of the largest competitors of the All star ‘way of life’ and are now considered an evoked set. Vans have similar themes, mostly targeting the surfer, skater and ‘free’ lifestyle. Almost from nowhere people have completely divided between whether they are Converse or Vans people, with the choice of footwear defining them and their beliefs. This means that although converse have redefined their image, increasing market share and appealing to a broader, sometimes even ‘cult’ audience they have also gained another competitor. This can however also mean they are slowly distancing themselves from being compared to brands like reebok, who primarily target sporting sectors. Converse also believe that they have a second tier of competition. This extends out to brands such as New Balance and Timberlands. Competing successfully with these brands will not only help market share but also get the All Star back to being able to handle the heavy weights of the competition. In doing this, certain opportunities need to be taken advantage of. Providing additional clothing to consumers not only gets the brand name out there in more ways than just footwear but means that other products are now being offered. Converse already offer some clothing apparel however it is easy to see a large difference in the originality of the All Star, even after all these years and the originality of some of the clothing on offer. another opportunity is the introduction of the design your own shoe program which has given consumers the chance to have a truly unique sneaker designed by themselves. Heavy consumers of Converse are primarily the people that have taken advantage of this initiative however this has introduced a stronger feel of loyalty with the brand. Converse is also increasing sales while other companies are turning over lower profits.  taking advantage of this by positioning themselves as the dominant shoe label would be a massive opportunity. connecting with their consumer through creative ads, also taking advantage of viral videos. A simple Youtube search shows just how hard it is to find a converse ad. jumping on top of viral videos and portraying the brand through fun and creative videos would be a real advntage to the brand and the All Star. Current expenditure expenses are putting $18 million into NBA clients, $8 million into t. v commercials and only $1 million into internet campaigns. Considering the internet is one of the most cost effective ways of advertising in the modern world, it would stand to reason that more money should be invested into that category. One of the biggest opportunities for the All Star now, is the recent buyout from Nike. Nike, a brand recognised across the globe now own converse, meaning larger financial support is available to the converse brand. Converse now has more resources never before available to them to help market and sell their shoe. Competition, technology and changing social views are all threats that the Converse All Star needs to manage. Competitors gaining better technology resulting in them being able to provide their product at a lower cost possibly even taking some cost away from the consumer would make Converses low price strategy less appealing to consumers who would now have other options at a similar price or even worse, lower. A shift in consumers views, style and social ideals would also devastate the brand. if the market of 18-24 year olds for example stopped feeling the need to express independence and originality, then the entire marketing campaign of the All Star would become redundant almost instantaneously. The standard buying decision process of:- 1. Need recognition problem awareness 2. Information search 3. Evaluation of alternatives 4. Purchase 5. Post-purchase evaluation is used when purchasing a pair of Converse All Stars. However different weight is given to each category depending on the type of consumer. For a first time consumer information search might be the most important factor, the research is needed to check the All Stars style, popularity and price. while doing this they also evaluate the alternatives for the All Star. Many shops now sell shoes similar to the Chuck Taylor for under half the price. although these are not original Converse brand shoes (generally missing a displayable brand all together) they are designed to look like replicates. In this case price is almost always the driving factor. Vans and Adidas sneakers while slightly more expensive can have a different appeal altogether depending on how people define themselves. For people that have purchased All Stars before and currently own one or several pairs the need and recognition will be the greatest factor. Do i need to buy a new pair of sneakers? ’ ‘Should i stay with Converse All Stars, or try something new? ’. Asking these questions really determine if people are going to continue buying Converse or try a new brand. after the second purchase people begin to build loyalty to the brand as the sneakers have clearly satisfied their wants. This means a positive post purchase evaluation and the satisfaction continues even leading to word of mouth promotion about the product. So what triggers the need recognition process to begin with for consumers. A look at the latest marketing strategy for the All Star gives a definitive look into a spark for customers realising they need the product. â€Å"Shoes keep it clean, Sneakers get dirty† This popular quote connects with all demographics. There is a very strong idea that shoes need to be kept clean. There is an entire market dedicated to ensuring shoes don’t scuff, wear out or take damage over time. This advertisement, challenges those beliefs and not only that, triggers a thought, ‘What if my shoes were meant to get dirty’. No more worrying about cleaning or only walking on footpaths. The dirtier the shoes get the more they become a symbol against the system. Essentially this can be attributed to marketing. The clever campaigns challenge hidden conceptions that most people didn’t realise they had, ‘Having shoes means maintaining them so they look new’. This also fits into the rebellious image of the All Star of not caring about personal image, even if we know the contrary. Converse is a widely known brand across the sneaker market. when someone decides that they need more information about the All Star to evaluate its benefits to them they a large array of outlests to gather information from. When a consumer asks a colleague or friend about the Converse All Star chances are they will have some opinion on the product, whether it be that Vans, Puma and Reebok are better choices or whether they own or once owned a pair and loved them. If the colleague has no opinion or has not heard of them then the chance of that person even considering to buy a pair of All Star sneakers has already decreased. The internet is another outlet available to consumers where people can get direct feedback from other consumers via blogs, reviews and opinion pieces. This gives potential consumers in the search for information process a quick, cheap and easy way of gathering more information into the product. Using the internet to search for a product, or asking friends and colleagues for information will rarely result in core information not relating to other products. People and even the internet will benchmark products to draw comparisons. Product A may be comfortable to wear but Product B is more comfortable and gives ankle support. By itself Product A is satisfying all the comfort needs of the consumer, that is until it is compared to Product B. The same goes for the All Star, a large number of websites not run by Converse itself will compare prices with similar products available. Asking people on their opinion will also lead to a comparison, people might come out as bluntly as saying, â€Å"You should buy a pair of Vans instead of those All Stars, Vans have more style†. This is a direct comparison and evaluation of Vans (A typical Evoked set considered when Purchasing Converse) leading not only to someone potentially not buying the All Star but also purchasing from the competition. Ultimately it comes down to how we perceive our own lifestyle and how we want others to perceive us when picking between Converse and Vans. Vans compliment the skater, surfer look while Converse promote the rebellious, carefree lifestyle. After the initial need to purchase the All Star has been recognised, an information search has been done and the evaluation of alternatives is complete consumers are now ready to purchase a pair of All Stars. This will primarily be based on the positive or the negative feedback gained in the evaluation process. The consumers willingness to listen to the feedback they received from the internet or their friends and colleagues will be the driving factor behind making the purchase. as long as all needs in the buying process up to this point have also been satisfied then there should be nothing in the way of making the purchase. The post purchase behaviour is going to really be what determines a consumers loyalty towards the All Star. The consumer has done the research and evaluation, this should mean that the smart consumer received good feedback from the other steps in the process, weighed his options and decided to make the purchase, now with a certain expectation. First of all, well done, the consumer is now a member of an individual sect in society, caring more about rebellion than the mundane tasks their boss has set for them. Thanks to clever marketing converse All Stars can now get dirty and display even more independence than they did originally, meaning the more they are worn the more they begin to mean to consumers.