History in the Making Essay

History†¦it’s who we are and where we come from. From cave men to cars that run on compost, history happens every day. Everything that has happened in history is absolutely fundamental in our current day existence. From the Revolutionary Era to the Cold War, America has come so far, and through the War on Terror, we continue to march on†¦ making every action history. The Revolutionary Era: After the British spent an extreme amount of money defending the Colonies against the French, they decided to shift some of the expenditures to the colonists. The result led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773 (Lib. Of Congress, p. 1), when the colonists rebelled against the British and their absurd tax on tea in order to re-coop defense expenditures. Reactions such as this led to the necessitation of order, which led to the Declaration of Independence, and the Revolutionary Era. The Constitution: As a result of deciding not to amend the current Articles of Confederation, a new frame of government was born. 55 delegates from age 26 to age 81 debated, redrafted and created what is now known as the Constitution of the United States. These articles clarified many topics such as how much control the government should have in certain areas, how representatives should be elected, and many other issues we still live by today. Since it’s publishing in 1787, there have been 27 amendments to the original version. Jeffersonianism: Derived from the term Jeffersonian, and named for its discoverer, the Jeffersonianism philosophy held that each man had a right to have a say-so in government, believed in the expansion of human freedom, and believed that every person had a right to be educated. It also supported reliance on the farmer and agriculture, instead of relying solely on History in the Making 3 industry to boost the economy. Hamiltonism, which followed Jeffersonianism, was believed to be an evil stigma to Jeffersonianism by Jeffersonians. Civil War: Brother against brother, the revolutionized nation could not decide whether or not the government should have control over the states, industrialization, and most importantly, slavery. The southern states, or the Confederate States of America, decided to take matters into their own hands and individualized themselves to make their own rules. This led to the Civil War, where one nation quarreled with its counterpart. Although the North won, losing over half a million soldiers did not make the impact any easier for anyone to handle. Reconstruction: After the period of the Civil War, a period of Reconstruction began. Attempts were made to solve differences between the Union and the 11 Confederate states that had seceded from the Union. Though opposition from the Radical Republicans was evident, the Reconstruction Act of 1867 was passed, and military districts in the South were re-established. The South had no choice but to accept the 14th and 15th amendments of the Constitution (39th Congress, p. 1). The New South: Although the days of slavery had ended, the Southern states continued to retain control over their civilization. With the abolition of slavery came anger from loss of control, which led to the birth of the Black Codes. The Black Codes allowed whites to control the newly freed slaves by regulating the type of work black people could do, the hours they worked, and prevented blacks from raising their own crops. Freedom was not freedom after all. Foreign Affairs: Lack of support from the European economies post Civil War distressed the cotton crops, as the producers became overstocked. The North added some restriction to the History in the Making 4 Southern ports, and our foreign allies soon found other sources to fulfill their needs, which hurt the South tremendously. Industrialization: As America advanced, so did the way work was performed. Not only did industrialization bring forth machinery, it also was the birth of transportation and communication. Andrew Carnegie’s steel industry revolutionized transportation. The rails made from refined steel created necessary use of the railroad system, as did communication with the use of the telegraphs and telephone systems (Feldmeth, p. 1). Progressive Era: Along with industrialization came those who felt that anything old was inefficient and useless. These reformers brought forth the Efficiency Movement, which argued that the economy, society and government were inefficient. Frederick Winslow Taylor coined the term â€Å"one best way† with the idea that there was one best way to fix everything. He, along with several other engineers improved industrial efficiency. World Wars: Taking place mostly in Europe, the First World War between the Allied Powers (France, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, Italy and the U. S) and the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) was a result of the assassination of the Austrian throne heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This event soon led to a full fledged war. The Treaty of Versailles would end the first war, and stake victory for the Allied Powers, but controversy over its contents would soon lead to World War II. The second war between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan) would be the deadliest war to date, killing over 60 million people. This war resulted in victory for the Allied Powers. History in the Making 5 The Depression: In 1929 our nation suffered the worst market plunge to date. The stock market crash, in conjunction with the outrageous cost of WWII, led to great losses for many people. Soon, supply exceeded demand. Cities based heavy in industry-type operations, including those outside of the U. S. were hit especially hard. Farmers were also a target, as the price for crops fell between 40 and 50 percent. The New Deal, or restructuring of the economy, enforced by President Roosevelt, would help lead the nation to recovery. The Cold War: The Cold War, as dubbed by Bernard Baruch and Walter Lippmann, is a term used to describe the growing tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. It would be the longest war to date, lasting from the mid 1940’s to the early 1990’s. Post WWII, the two nations could not agree on how to reconstruct the post war world. Wars including the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crises, and the Vietnam War were possible threats to lead into a third world war. The Cold War came to an end when Gorbachev launched his reform programs, Perestroika (reconstruction of the Soviet economy) and Glastnost (introduction of publicity and openness) (Wikipedia Staff, p. 1). It is almost impossible to summarize our nation’s history. So many events, far too many to place in a single composition of words, played key roles in the structure of how we live today. Needless to say, history continues to ensue every day. From our nation’s birth to the Cold War to the hanging of Saddam, America will continue to write a story we all should be so eager to read. References 1. Library of Congress (1998). Revolutionary Period. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. americaslibrary. gov/cgi. bin/page. cgiljb/revolt. 2. 39th Congress (1866). 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. nps. gov/archive/malu/documents/amend14. htm. 3. G. Feldmeth (2000). American Industrialization. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. home. earthlink. net/~gfeldmeth/lec. indust. html. 4. Wikipedia Staff (2001). Definitions for Perestroika and Glastnost. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. en. wikipedia. org.

Marketing Plan for Sony Xpreia Essay

The following report is a marketing plan for Sony Ericson Mobile in Australia for the 2012-2013 financial year. The Sony Ericson brand continues to grow in unpopularity after several years of underperformance. This has occurred due to Sony Ericson trying desperately to hold onto its premium brand image that comes with a high cost and not focusing its resources on finding the right target market that suites its technology and innovation. The marketing plan will focus on the mobile market and critically analyse this market in Australia. Also analysing Sony Ericson as a company, as well as its competitors, customers and SWOT analysis. Sony Ericson has missed a critical market that its innovative technology would fit perfectly with. This report will argue that by incorporating the tween market through this marketing plan Sony Ericson will be able to stop the growth in unpopularity that it has created over the last few years. Introduction In this report the Sony xperaplay smart phone will be critically analysed in terms of its market segmentation, current objectives, the market it targets, Sony occupies an irreplaceable position in the gaming world, and its subsidiary, Sony Ericsson, also has strong competitiveness in the mobile phone industry. Sony combined mobile techniques with their own gaming technology, which created the Sony Ericson Xperia Play. Xperia Play is a mobile phone with incredible game function which is targeted at young adults and gamers, and has a good reputation within the customers. The marketing strategy that was implemented has directly targeted a specific market, young adults. As a result of this it has made the product have a fairly subjective target market which Sony can seek to increase potential target market by repositioning the Xpera Play phone towards a younger audience. This campaign will reposition it to focus on tweens. Situational Analysis Sony Ericson currently targets older teenagers through to young adults for its mobile phone. But it seems that the mobile phone is lost within this market as the market share the xperiaplay holds compared to many other smart phones in this market is very small, Even thou Sony Ericson is a well known and well respected brand. The drop is caused due to the fact that Sony have been targeting the wrong market. Company Analysis The marketing decision makers for Sony Ericson are the Senior Brand Marketing Manager. Sony Ericson has not been consistent in promotional activities for its mobile phones. Mostly the brand focuses on trying to hold its premium image with marketing mostly focusing on its premium range of smart phones. This has reflected in its sales, it has made consecutive losses since 2010. The most likely reason for its lack of successful campaigns is the lack of resources dedicated to designing and implementing campaigns to attract the right target audience, which is why the company continues to make losses and lose market share. PESTL Analysis Political Proposed legislation such as the carbon tax which will raise prices of shipping. Many businesses have had to raise the cost of their products to make a profit. Also this tax affects outlet stores in terms of electricity charges, which will again raise the prices of mobile phones as business tend to pass on the cost to consumers rather than bearing it themselves. Economic While the global financial crisis has affected a plethora of industries, The Australian economy has remained relatively strong with per capita households spending an average of $40000 (CIA 2010). Despite this consumers have cut back on spending, specifically on items such as food, entertainment, clothing, cars and mobile phones. Ergo the economy is slowing down because consumers are not spending enough money; This affects the sales of mobile phones majority because consumers are not spending enough money on replacing or updating their mobile phones or on entertainment. Also another economic factor is the high Aussie dollar causes imports to be cheaper because countries such as china which manufacture the product have a low rate currency. This means that the companies are able to import more products for a lower price. Socio-cultural Recent consumer trends within the gaming product market are driving a new theme of product innovation. Today’s society tends to be busy and on-the-move and want to increase their leisure time at their own discretion. To meet the needs of consumers, companies are innovating gaming products making it more mobile. In addition the functionality of the multiplayer platform has created a whole new range of social aspects where consumers are able to interact with each other. Technology Technology can be utilized as an advantage within the industry as it provides the ability to design and create new products and expand or promote to specific target markets via interacting with consumers on an online basis. Technology has allowed the ability of online shopping as consumers are leaning towards this option as the most popular option of shopping. The internet has opened up a whole new market with the use of social media networks and websites companies can easily target a global target market. As the rate of technology is increasing consumers are able to communicate with each other on a social multiplayer platform where content may be purchased online and downloaded straight to their device. Legal Sony company has always been one of the main victims of the piracy in game industry. The characteristics of this phone are powerful game function, but it also made it easy to create pirating games. Compared with Sony’s genuine products, pirated products have a huge price advantage, the fact that they are mostly free, and this does attract a lot of people try to obtain these game products illegally, and that is the reason Sony has to use the Copyright law to protect their game products, so their game products can make a maximum profit Rating System for games is required, Users are able to download a lot of games to this phone through the network, according to the Rating System, which these games have to limit the players from downloading content not suited to their age. This is needed to protect kids from Violence and pornography. SWOT Analysis Strengths Remains as a one of the kind device that could become a big hit Not many phones competing in the same category Tactile buttons provide more immersive gaming experience Delivering console quality games Designed portable gaming in mind Include a game pad with input controls and interface recognizable to hardcore gamers. Multi touch gadget powered by Android Gingerbread is one of best versions of Android OS†¦ Weakness’s Release of two more phones from the Xperia line during the same time Not many people buy just for gaming purposes Touch screen gaming controls are not as responsive and precise Suffer key hardware limitations Lacks 4G LTE, HDMI port Touch sensitive circle are not as responsive and don’t replace the precision of actual joysticks Touch sensitive circles are just not as responsive as we would like, and do not replace actual joysticks. Android games don’t support the controller buttons No backups for downloaded games/ purchased games CPU AND GUP not the best Display has poor viewing angles No smart dialing and shutter key†¦ Opportunities A new open market Parent company Sony owns EA and many other gaming companies games can be adapted to be able to be played on the xperia Can earn a lot of revenue from game purchases and applications Better quality Games compared to other phones Exceptional online experience to grow a customer base Strong customer demand High percentage of young adult market High disposable income in rising market Threats Chain stores not wanting to stock a new niche mobile phone independent stores not wanting to store Sony Ericsson phones Retail stores wanting bigger discounts to sell phone because of popularity of competitors models Competitor products such as iphone, htc, Motorola Aussie dollar going back down Retail stores having preferred suppliers or contracted with particular suppliers and having a non compete Competitors copying the innovation of PSP phone and supplying at a cheaper price Fully fledged gaming devices such as DS Objectives Mission Statement Sony Ericson mission statement: â€Å"To provide quality end to end communications services to both retail and small to medium corporate customers† and â€Å"To give them the most help we ever can in the most professional way†. Market Objectives Maintain and increase sales in specific target market. Advance and open up new market for kids and teenagers. Increase the brand awareness among the target market; to measure this objective, the organization will conduct interviewer-led surveys in shopping centers or on the street every three months. Increase the brand share by 1% within two years, which will be confirmed by periodically checking the brand share chart for growth indication. Establish multi-channel retail practice, especially focusing on internet retail, to expand sales. Adapt and respond to the wide consumer needs of products. Sales objectives Increase sales by 15% in first year. Increase sales by 30% over three years. Increase market share to 20% of the total target market segment within three years. Communication objectives Set up feedback section for Xplay on website Increasing Feedback questionnaire response rates Competition There are 100’s of companies which make thousands of mobiles phones. Which break down further into smart phones and non smart phones. This makes the mobile phone market very competitive. The average price of mobile phones in Australia range between $300 and $800. Sony Ericson phones tend to price in the premium range with their mobile phones ranging from 700 – 900 AUD, Which limits the retail segment for Sony Ericson even further. The main competitor for Sony Ericson is the Iphone, as it has the largest share market of any phone. A selection of the primary target market competitors is found in table 1. A secondary group of target can be found in figure 1.They are secondary only because of they are not as used as the primary competitors and others do not compete in the mobile phone market but in the game market. These are still considered competitors due to the type of phones Sony Ericson make which has a heavy focus on gaming. Primary Secondary Iphone Alcatel Samsung Blackberry Nokia Amoi HTC Sonim LG Playstation Portable Motorola Nintendo DS Competitive Advantage Sony Ericson currently is the only brand that is making a mobile phone combined with a portable gaming device. Sony Ericson mobile phones are made by Sony which is a multinational company owning many companies in many areas. Including gaming, Sony owns EA, one of the leading gaming brands in the world. Sony Ericson is one of the most well known mobile phone brands in the world. Sony Ericson has innovative designs and materials, which is appealing to the target market. Customer Analysis Even though the product is a smart phone, price is a major factor for the Australian consumer. The primary consumer is primarily young in age, and they demand value for money at a competitive price. The product must also fulfil their everyday needs. The other factors that are important to the consumer are quality, comfort, function, style, design, speed, image, status, power, and functionality, variety of apps and games and durability. Target market Segmentation and Positioning Profile market segments Geographic segmentation People can purchase the Xperia play anywhere in the world. Entire Australia will be the target market for this product, but mainly focuses on the three biggest cities, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Demographic segmentation Xperica Play targets this product for Tweens age between 12 to 15. Generally young people do not have a high income they may have to persuade parents to purchase this product. Psychographic segmentation These days’ young people are experiencing a rapid lifestyle which leads them to save time including spending time to play games. The sales potential for this specific product is high as little kids enjoy playing video games and interact with their school friends. Targeting Tweens (12 – 15) The sales potential for this specific market is high as little kids enjoy playing video games and with this product they are able to interact with their school friends. Tweens will be able use the ability of pester power to allow their parents to purchase the Xperia Play for them. There for the price of the product may be moderate as they consumers parents have the income to pay for the expenses. There is also a large market share as tweens receive their first phone and they will be influenced by the video game functions. Young Adults (16 – 25) The sales potential is for this specific market is high as the age group has a moderate income and will be likely paying for their own expenses therefore they will be able to make their own decisions on what product to purchase. The cost structure can be moderate as they will have sufficient funds to pay for the Xperia Play. The Market share for this market is high as the consumers are able to purchase their own applications at their discretion. Other 26+ The sales potential for this specific market is fairly low as the age group has inadequate time to pursue the leisure activity of gaming. Although this market may have greater income the phone may not have the functionality that this market is looking for. The competitive situation is not that good as this market may be looking for a product that provides better communication functions opposed to video game functions. Select Target Segments Tweens of the ages of 12 – 15 tend to have a large amount of leisure time; the large majority enjoys new technology. The specific Target market locations will be in Australian located in the major cities. The use of Pester Power amongst tweens may persuade parents to purchase this product increasing total sales. Tweens tend to be more social, opposed to older generations because they have more free time available, Tweens have the opportunity to react with each other, and this can be an opportunity to allow the consumers to utilize the multiplayer functions leading to multiple purchases by peers increasing the total revenue. Xperia play will attract the target market with the phones functionalities, lower price range as the target may have lower income, social benefits and essentially the video games. After careful analysis and evaluation, the target market segment chosen will offer the greatest potential for the product and consumers. It provides maximum sales potential increasing the sales revenue and total market share, and will have a competitive advantage within the young audience. Positioning The Sony Xperia play will undertake a market positioning strategy where the target market will perceive a valuable offering in relation to competitors. The experience that the Xperia can provide is of a fun nature opposed to a professional business nature as a fundamental aspect is the slide out gaming functionality. The phone has a very innovative design and functions; the price of the phone will be of a moderate price as the target market chosen tend to go for the cheaper options. Although the price of the mobile phone may not be expensive, a high quality must be met as customer generated media can play a vital role in the decision making process of consumers. The service that will be provided is comprehensive; it has a specific market where owners of an Xperia Play are able to purchase and download various games and applications which will be of high convenience in regards to the user’s discretion. Following these set of attributes will help position the Xperia play to the assigned target market and provide a competitive advantage in relation to other products. The target market segments will perceive this product as the dominant offering. Product Xperia Play is a gaming mobile phone with incredible function which is targeted at young adults (age 12 to 15) and gamers. The phone has a very innovative design and functions; the price of the phone will be of a moderate price as the target market chosen tend to go for the cheaper options. Brand name highly impact on the target market due to the variety of good quality related with technology. Sony’s slogan is meant to make people smile, so it tried to design mobiles like Xperia Play to deliver the Sony’s purpose. Sony encourages their customers to buy this mobile phone by giving guarantee for their high quality products. Place Mobile phones will be sold through online retail stores, big Australian retail stores such as JB HIFI, etc, as well as smaller retail stores, Telco’s such as Telstra, Optus etc online store as well as retail stores, Stores specializing in mobile phones such as crazy johns, all phones etc, Sony Ericson’s own retail stores and its online website, department stores and Technology stores. The opportunity exists to expand the distribution network in all areas listed. However the main outlets to target are Telco’s as this is the first stop where consumers go to buy mobile phones, the second would be bigger retail stores such as JB HIFI as they have a larger customer base and the ability to attract more customers, the third main outlet to target would be specialized mobile phone stores such as crazy johns and all phones as they constantly are advertising and attracting new customers as their main focus is mobile devices, these outlets must be targeted throughout Australia. A selection distribution policy will be undertaken for the Sony Ericson mobile phone range, the main focus will be on customers mainly tweens who have not owned a smart phone before and are upgrading to one, but the priority will remain with tweens who enjoy gaming. Price The Sony Xperia play phone ensures that a high standard of quality is present whilst having an appropriate selling price that is both beneficial for the company and contains a positive perceived value towards the customers. The mobile phone will be introduced through mobile phone service companies and their plans with additional costs, such as Telstra, Vodafone, Optus etc, and will provide a range of packages and discounts to create a satisfying option for the consumers. As consumers are aware of various other phones and deals that are arising within the market a mid-to-low price range that is competitive in relation to other phones will be evident, as it also relates to the target market of tweens. In addition various pricing policies will be needed according to different functionality of the device such as memory which can relate to a variety of customer’s needs. The price that is chosen will allow the company to maximize their benefits as well as customer satisfaction, the price may be reduced to allow for a competitive advantage and the revenue will be received through the use of the phones applications and video games designed specifically for the phone that may be purchased on the online market. Promotion The phone appears on Sony Ericsson’s official website as well as some mobile phone retailers’ Web sites, so re-set up a special introduction is necessary, set up some special entertainment features on the official website of the Xperia play, such as virtual phone system experience, the online game demos, in order to improve user interaction. Television Xperia play will spend $100,000 on television advertisements during peak times where tweens would be watching TV, this is justified as tweens spend on average about 35% of their time watching television, The time that is most suitable is before and after school, on such television channels featuring cartoons and such television shows such as The Shak, Total Girl, Toasted TV etc. The advertisement will be relative to the target market as they are presented during the specific time. Printed Media Xperia play will be promoted through magazines considering that tweens are the second largest market for magazines having a market share of 50%. Magazines such as K-zone, total girl, KIDS, M.A.D. will be sold with vouchers for the Play station network. When purchasing these particular style of magazines usually they customer will receive promotional items, therefore there will be available game demos within the magazine. Public Transport Various imagery of posters will be placed on public transport on specific bus routes located around the streets of primary schools. This will allow maximum awareness throughout the target market of tweens as they will be exposed to the media on buses trains and bus stops. Official website and Forums Gaming forums are popular amongst tweens due to the fact that they can provide information regarding the video games such as hints, cheats and walkthrough guides. The Xperia Play will be implemented throughout these particular websites containing imagery and videos related to the xperia play and contain various reviews. Consumers will be able to gain information about the xperia play and its applications, registered accounts will also receive weekly emails offering a range of discounts and download vouchers Evaluation and Control – Campaign evaluation is a critical component of the plan as is the justification for the overall effectiveness of the campaign in the core areas. There are a range of factors that can determine the effectiveness of a marketing plan as shown in figure 3, such as: ï‚ · Brand awareness – this will be achieved through surveys of the awareness of mobile phone brands on consumers ï‚ · Consumer attitudes – this can be achieved through surveys done on the general public in regards to Sony Ericson and if they’re brand is a good or bad brand. ï‚ · Test promotion activities – this can be achieved through evaluating if sales are on an upward trend as well as brand awareness since the launch of the plan ï‚ · Review marketing mix – this can be achieved through evaluating sales and profit to see if they have gone up, it means the marketing mix is effective ï‚ · Sales review – this can be achieved through evaluating sales to see if they have gone up, it means the marketing mix is effective ï‚ · Profit review – this can be achieved through evaluating profit to see if they have gone up, it means the marketing mix is effective ï‚ · Review company objectives reviews – this can be achieved through evaluating the entire marketing plan to see if it has been effective in achieving the original objective if not it has to be altered. ï‚ · Market share – this will be achieved through surveys on websites such as Facebook etc. of what brand of mobile phone individuals own. Figure 3 The marketing team will approach various kids’ magazines and the Sunday mail. Websites The Management team will contact various gaming websites in order to promote the product throughout their sites The website development team will edit the website to allow consumers to gain relative information. Public Transport The Marketing team will contact Translink in order to allow the approval of promotional items suitable posters will be placed at public transport areas Television advertisement The Marketing team will gather various information on the most appropriate times to view advertisements for the specific product, it will allow maximum brand awareness to the target market Bundle Pack The Management team will contact various mobile phone service companies and give acknowledgement of specific offers In store Testing The Management team will ship out testing devices to mobile phone service companies so that consumers are able to experience the device Evaluate campaign The main managers and CEO will go through intense analysis of the situation to evaluation every aspect of the marketing plan in order to provide additional help where needed to ensure that the objectives are met by the deadline. Conclusion/ Recommendation This report set outs the marketing plan for the Sony Xperia play mobile phone in Australia. As outlined in the report, the target market consists of the target market of tweens that are aged from 12 to 15. The sales objective was to increase sales by 15% within the first year and 30% within three years and increases the market share by 20% over three years. The main marketing objectives are to main and increase sales within the specific target market of tweens and increase the total brand awareness. Essentially the Xperia play will be reposition to adapt and respond to a wide consumer need of products. Promotion activities will include magazine, newspaper, websites, Public Transport areas, Television advertisements and mobile phone bundle packs References ^ The Definition of Marketing. American Marketing Association.http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Pages/DefinitionofMarketing.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-04. Approved by the AMA Board of Directors in October 2007, the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) endorses this definition as part of its ongoing Common Language: Marketing Activities and Metrics Project. Principles of marketing (5th ed.). Kotler, Philip; Gary Armstrong, Veronica Wong, John Saunders (2010). â€Å"Marketing defined†. .). p. 7. Retrieved 2009-10-23. â€Å"Definition of marketing†. Chartered Institute of Marketing. Retrieved 2009-10-30. International Marketing: Modern and Classic Papers (1st ed.). Paliwoda, Stanley J.; John K. Ryans. â€Å"Back to first principles†. p. 25. Retrieved 2009-10-15. A Framework for Marketing Management (4th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall. 2009.ISBN 0-13-602660-5. View as multi-pages

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The Expansion of DHL in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Expansion of DHL in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example This helps to secure their place in the international market if the economy in some countries significantly decreases. In addition, the increase in role within individual countries helps to ensure the global awareness of the brand. This report considers the strategy initiated by the DHL Express division of Deutsche Post DHL (henceforth DHL) to increase its investment in the Saudi Arabia network, increasing the access to DHL services for its customers, as well as customer service and delivery fleets. As part of this strategy, DHL planned to invest in the opening of 15 new service points. The Global Economy and International Business DHL is a worldwide logistics company that works with individuals, small businesses and large businesses in order to provide effective logistics solutions for whatever their clients require. The company has a number of different divisions which focus on different sections of their business. These divisions include DHL Express (Deutsche Post DHL, 2011a), which is involved in the worldwide shipping of mail and packages within a limited time frame, DHL Forwarding and Freight, which is involved in the global transportation of merchandise and goods to their destinations, this division focuses on the shipping of large items or large amounts of items, particularly for businesses (Deutsche Post DHL, 2011c). . The other divisions that the company commands are DHL Supply Chain, which provides warehouse storage facilities as well as managed transport and finally DHL Mail, which is responsible for a wide range of services including global mail, the retail outlets for the company, press services a nd marketing . Multinational organisations are confronted with the decision to either focus on regional or on global expansion. Generally speaking, if a company expands at a regional level it loses some of its ground at the global level, and vice versa. Globalization has been shown to be a strong strategy for companies, allowing them to increase their competitiveness . DHL has players in both fields, with a strong international presence as well as strong roles in a number of different regions. The expansion within Saudi Arabia is being developed as part of a wider strategy for expansion into the Middle East, with the idea that Saudi Arabia could serve as a foothold and a strategic location. Data Country Trends DHL has operated within Saudi Arabia since 1976. In 2008, DHL Express initiated a strategy to significantly increase their network within the Saudi Arabian region. In order to do this a total of $26.6 million USD was invested into the network. This strategy served two purposes ; the first was for the expansion within Saudi Arabia, to provide better service and products. The second purpose was to take advantage of the influential role that Saudi Arabia has on the economic development in the Middle East and create strong customer relations and brand recognition for future development . Population Trends Stakeholders in International Business Stakeholders in DHL include customers, employees, investors as well as a number of partner organizations. Other stakeholders include those who are involved in making policy, various environmental and social groups, as well as the general public. In the expansion into Saudi Arabia, the company must balance the needs of the different stakeholders. In order to do this, DHL works actively with different stakeholder groups to ensure that there are no problems. For example, they engage environmental groups to discuss the impact in which the company will have in their expansion and the way in which environmental impact can be reduced .

Three Year Marketing Plan of G Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Three Year Marketing Plan of G Company - Essay Example This essay focuses on describing of the G Company's marketing plan. The researcher firstly presents mission statement of Company G that depicts its long-run intention to â€Å"enable consumers to improve the quality and convenience of their lives by providing high-quality, innovative electronic solutions†. The proposed product in this marketing plan is a small appliance electronic Ice-cream maker with quality assurance and at a cheaper price. In relation to its mission statement, Company G attempts to provide its customers with a high-quality product, i.e. the ice-cream maker, as per the targeted customers’ conveniences, facilitating innovative electronic equipments in the present competitive market scenario. It is described that the company will be targeting the middle-level economic groups, especially the households or families with children. The product, i.e. Company G’s ice-cream maker, will target the small appliances market of the US primarily. Thus, the co mpetitive environment of the small appliances industry in the US has been summarized henceforth with the application of the Porter’s Five Forces Model. The researcher also discusses three of Company G’s strengths and weaknesses that are related to the marketing of the new product and then selects four marketing objectives for Company G consisting of one objective for each of the four marketing mix elements. In conclusion, the researcher describes the specific actions that will be taken to measure the effectiveness of the plan.

Perceptions on Death as the Inevitable Cessation of Life in a Living O Essay

Perceptions on Death as the Inevitable Cessation of Life in a Living Organism - Essay Example From nine through adolescence, children begin to comprehend fully that death is irreversible, that all living things die, and that they too will die someday. (www.hospicenet.org). The death of close relatives or other significant persons in an adolescent’s life can be a quite distressing event for teenagers. Most teens conceptualize death as irreversible and universal. They also understand that death is an inevitable part of life. They, however, do not fully realize that death could be a reality for themselves or their peers. There is, therefore, an acute sense of adventure in them during this period and they don’t mind taking risks. They may also act as if they want to challenge death and defy death. As they grow and mature as adults, their concept of death gets modified by the personal experiences they undergo. Some adolescents’ perception of death is not realistic and hence their response to grief also becomes unreasonable or illogical. On the other hand, teens are usually aware that when a person has a fatal illness death is a logical event in the case. If a parent, sibling or other close relative has a terminal illness, some counseling may help the adolescent to cope with the situation better. However, there is no absolutely correct way to educate a teen about the concept of death. The efforts that a family has to make in helping a teen to cope with a relative’s death can reduce the distress and anxiety of a teen. It will be better to allow them to attend the funeral if they wish to do so if the family’s values value and culture permit that. This would give them a reassurance that they are at least doing something for the departed. â€Å"Grief is a very painful process for both adults and children, but grieving should be encouraged. How a child grieves or reacts to the loss will depend  on age, previous experience with death and his/her preparedness for the event.† (http://www.cfc)

Developmental Psych Core Questions Essay Example for Free

Developmental Psych Core Questions Essay Core Chapter Learning Objectives for PSY 104 Developmental Psychology 1. Explain the role of theories in understanding human development, and describe three basic issues on which major theories take a stand. (pp. 5–7) 2. Describe recent theoretical perspectives on human development, noting the contributions of major theorists. (pp. 21–26) 3. Identify the stand that each contemporary theory takes on the three basic issues presented earlier in this chapter. (pp. 26, 27) 4. Describe the research methods commonly used to study human development, citing the strengths and limitations of each. (pp. 26–31) 5. Describe three research designs for studying development, and cite the strengths and limitations of each. (pp. 34–38) 6. Discuss ethical issues related to lifespan research. (pp. 39–40) Chapter 2 1. Explain the role and function of genes and how they are transmitted from one generation to the next. (p. 46) 2. Describe the genetic events that determine the sex of the new organism. (pp. 46–47) 3. Identify two types of twins, and explain how each is created. (pp. 47–48) 4. Describe various patterns of genetic inheritance. (pp. 48–52) 5. Describe major chromosomal abnormalities, and explain how they occur. (pp. 52–53) 6. Explain how reproductive procedures can assist prospective parents in having healthy children. (pp. 53–57) 7. Describe the social systems perspective on family functioning, along with aspects of the environment that support family well-being and development. (pp. 59–60) 8. Discuss the impact of socioeconomic status and poverty on family functioning. (pp. 60–63) 9. Summarize the roles of neighborhoods, towns, and cities in the lives of children and adults. (pp. 63–65) 10. Explain how cultural values and pract ices, public policies, and political and economic conditions affect human development. (pp. 65–70) 11. Explain the various ways heredity and environment can influence complex traits. (p. 70) 12. Describe concepts that indicate â€Å"how† heredity and environment work together to influence complex human characteristics. (pp. 72–74) Chapter 3 1. List the three phases of prenatal development, and describe the major milestones of each. (pp. 80–85) 2. Define the term teratogen, and summarize the factors that affect the impact of teratogens on prenatal development. (pp. 85–86) 3. List agents known or suspected of being teratogens, and discuss evidence supporting the harmful impact of each.(pp. 86–93) 4. Discuss other maternal factors that can affect the developing embryo or fetus. (pp. 93–95) 5. Describe the three stages of childbirth. (pp. 96–97) 6. Discuss the baby’s adaptation to labor and delivery, and describe the appearance of the newborn baby. (pp. 97–98) 7. Describe natural childbirth and home delivery, noting the benefits and concerns associated with each. (pp. 99–100) 8. List common medical interventions during childbirth, circumstances that justify their use, and any dangers associated with each. (pp. 100–101) 9. Describe the risks associated with prete rm and small-for-date births, along with factors that help infants who survive a traumatic birth recover. (pp. 101–106) 10. Describe the newborn baby’s reflexes and states of arousal, including sleep characteristics and ways to soothe a crying baby. (pp. 106–111) 11. Describe the newborn baby’s sensory capacities. (pp. 111–113) 12. Explain the usefulness of neonatal behavioral assessment. (pp. 113–114) Chapter 4 1. Describe major changes in body growth over the first 2 years. (pp. 120–121) 2. Summarize changes in brain development during infancy and toddlerhood. (pp. 121–129) 3. Describe the development of the cerebral cortex, and explain the concepts of brain lateralization and brain plasticity (pp. 124–125, 126) 4. Describe how both heredity and early experience contribute to brain organization. (pp. 125, 127–128) 5. Discuss changes in the organization of sleep and wakefulness over the first 2 years. (pp. 128–129) 6. Discuss the nutritional needs of infants and toddlers, the advantages of breastfeeding, and the extent to which chubby babies are at risk for later overweight and obesity. (pp. 130–131) 7. Summarize the impact of severe malnutrition on the development of infants and toddlers, and cite two dietary diseases associated with this condition. (p. 132) 8. Describe the growth disorder known as nonorganic failure to thrive, noting symptoms and family circumstances associated with the disorder. (pp. 132–133) 9. Describe four infant learning capacities, the conditions under which they occur, and the unique value of each. (pp. 133–136) 10. Describe the general course of motor development during the first 2 years, along with factors that influence it. (pp. 137–138) 11. Explain dynamic systems theory of motor development (pp. 138–140) 12. Discuss changes in hearing, depth and pattern perception, and intermodal perception that occur during infancy. (pp. 140–147) 13. Explain differentiation theory of perceptual development. (pp. 147–148) Chapter 5 1. Describe how schemes change over the course of development. (p. 152) 2. Identify Piaget’s six sensorimotor substages, and describe the major cognitive achievements of the sensorimotor stage. (pp. 153–155) 3. Discuss recent research on sensorimotor development, noting its implications for the accuracy of Piaget’s sensorimotor stage. (pp. 155–160) 4. Describe the information-processing view of cognitive development and the general structure of the information-processing system. (pp. 160–162) 5. Cite changes in attention, memory, and categorization during the first 2 years. (pp. 162–165) 6. Describe contributions and limitations of the information-processing approach, and explain how it contributes to our understanding of early cognitive development. (p. 165) 7. Explain how Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development expands our understanding of early cognitive development. (pp. 165–166, 167) 8. Describe the mental te sting approach and the extent to which infant tests predict later performance. (pp. 166, 168–169) 9. Discuss environmental influences on early mental development, including home, child care, and early intervention for at-risk infants and toddlers. (pp. 169–172) 10. Describe theories of language development, and indicate how much emphasis each places on innate abilities and environmental influences. (pp. 172–174) 11. Describe major milestones of language development in the first 2 years, noting individual differences, and discuss ways in which adults can support infants’ and toddlers’ emerging capacities. (pp. 174–179) Chapter 6 1. Discuss personality changes in the first two stages of Erikson’s psychosocial theory—basic trust versus mistrust and autonomy versus shame and doubt. (pp. 184–185) 2. Describe changes in the expression of happiness, anger and sadness, and fear over the first year, noting the adaptive function of each. (pp. 185–188) 3. Summarize changes during the first two years in understanding others’ emotions and expression of self-conscious emotions. (pp. 188–189) 4. Trace the development of emotional self-regulation during the first 2 years. (pp. 189–190) 5. Describe temperament, and identify the three temperamental styles elaborated by Thomas and Chess. (pp. 190–191) 6. Compare Thomas and Chess’s model of temperament with that of Rothbart. (p. 191) 7. Explain how temperament is assessed, and distinguish inhibited, or shy, children from uninhibited, or sociable, children. (pp. 191–193) 8. Discuss the stability of temperament and the role of heredity and environment in the development of temperamen t. (pp. 193–194) 9. Summarize the goodness-of-fit model. (pp. 194–195) 10. Describe Bowlby’s ethological theory of attachment, and trace the development of attachment during the first two years. (pp. 196–198) 11. Describe the Strange Situation and Attachment Q-Sort procedures for measuring attachment, along with the four patterns of attachment that have been identified using the Strange Situation. (pp. 198–199) 12. Discuss the factors that affect attachment security, including opportunity for attachment, quality of caregiving, infant characteristics, family circumstances, and parents’ internal working models. (pp. 200–202, 203) 13. Discuss fathers’ attachment relationships with their infants, and explain the role of early attachment quality in later development. (pp. 202, 204–205) 14. Describe and interpret the relationship between secure attachment in infancy and later development. (pp. 205–206) 15. Trace the emergence of self-awareness, and explain how it influences early emotional and social dev elopment, categorization of the self, and development of self-control. (pp. 206–209) Chapter 7 1. Describe major trends in body growth during early childhood. (pp. 216–217) 2. Discuss brain development in early childhood, including handedness and changes in the cerebellum, reticular formation, and the corpus callosum. (pp. 217–219) 3. Explain how heredity influences physical growth by controlling the production of hormones. (p. 219) 4. Describe the effects of emotional well-being, nutrition, and infectious disease on physical development. (pp. 219–222) 5. Summarize factors that increase the risk of unintentional injuries, and cite ways childhood injuries can be prevented. (pp. 222–223) 6. Cite major milestones of gross- and fine-motor development in early childhood, including individual and sex differences. (pp. 224–227) 7. Describe advances in mental representation during the preschool years. (pp. 227–229) 8. Describe limitations of preoperational thought, and summarize the implications of recent research for the accuracy of the preoperational stage. (pp. 229–233) 9. Describe educational principles derived from Piaget’s theory. (pp. 233–234) 10. Describe Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s views on the development and sign ificance of children’s private speech, along with related evidence. (pp. 234–235) 11. Discuss applications of Vygotsky’s theory to education, and summarize challenges to his ideas. (pp. 235–237) 12. Describe changes in attention and memory during early childhood. (pp. 237–239) 13. Describe the young child’s theory of mind. (pp. 239–241) 14. Summarize children’s literacy and mathematical knowledge during early childhood. (pp. 241–243) 15. Describe early childhood intelligence tests and the impact of home, educational programs, child care, and media on mental development in early childhood. (pp. 243–248) 16. Trace the development of vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills in early childhood. (pp. 248–251) Chapter 8 1. Describe Erikson’s stage of initiative versus guilt, noting major personality changes of early childhood. (p. 256) 2. Discuss preschoolers’ self-understanding, including characteristics of self-concepts and the emergence of self-esteem. (pp. 256–258) 3. Cite changes in the understanding and expression of emotion during early childhood, along with factors that influence those changes. (pp. 258–259) 4. Explain how language and temperament contribute to the development of emotional self-regulation during the preschool years. (p. 259) 5. Discuss the development of self-conscious emotions, empathy, sympathy, and prosocial behavior during early childhood, noting the influence of parenting. (pp. 259–261) 6. Describe advances in peer sociability and in friendship in early childhood, along with cultural and parental influences on early peer relations. (pp. 261–264) 7. Compare psychoanalytic, social learning, and cognitive-developmental approaches to moral development, and cite child-rearing practices that support or undermine moral understanding. (pp. 264–269) 8. Describe the development of aggression in early childhood, noting the influences of family and television, and cite strategies for controlling aggressive behavior. (pp. 269–272) 9. Discuss genetic and environmental influences on preschoolers’ gender-stereotyped beliefs and behavior. (pp. 273–276) 10. Describe and evaluate the accuracy of major theories of gender identity, including ways to reduce gender stereotyping in young children. (pp. 276–278) 11. Describe the impact of child-rearing styles on child development, explain why authoritative parenting is effective, and note cultural variations in child-rearing beliefs and practices. (pp. 278–281) 12. Discuss the multiple origins of child maltreatment, its consequences for development, and effective prevention. (pp. 281–283) Chapter 9 1. Describe major trends in body growth during middle childhood. (p. 290) 2. Identify common vision and hearing problems in middle childhood. (p. 291) 3. Describe the causes and consequences of serious nutritional problems in middle childhood, giving special attention to obesity. (pp. 291–293) 4. Identify factors that contribute to illness during the school years, and describe ways to reduce these health problems. (pp. 293–294) 5. Describe changes in unintentional injuries in middle childhood. (p. 294) 6. Cite major changes in motor development and play during middle childhood, including sex differences and the importance of physical education. (pp. 294–299) 7. Describe major characteristics of concrete operational thought. (pp. 299–301) 8. Discuss follow-up research on concrete operational thought, noting the importance of culture and schooling.(pp. 301–302) 9. Cite basic changes in information processing and describe the development of attention and memory in middle childhood. (pp. 303–305) 10. Describe the school-age child’s theory of mind, noting the importance of mental inferences and understanding of false belief and capacity to engage in self-regulation. (pp. 306–307) 11. Discuss applications of information processing to academic learning, including current controversies in teaching reading and mathematics to elementary school children. (pp. 307–309) 12. Describe major approaches to defining and measuring intelligence. (pp. 309–310) 13. Summarize Sternberg’s triarchic theory and Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, noting how these theories explain the limitations of current intelligence tests in assessing the diversity of human intelligence. (pp. 310–312) 14. Describe evidence indicating that both heredity and environment contribute to intelligence. (pp. 312–317) 15. Summarize findings on emotional intelligence, including implications for the classroom. (p. 313) 16. Describe change s in school-age children’s vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics, and cite advantages of bilingualism. (pp. 316–319) 17. Explain the impact of class size and educational philosophies on children’s motivation and academic achievement. (pp. 319–321) 18. Discuss the role of teacher-student interaction and grouping practices in academic achievement. (pp. 321–322) 19. Explain the conditions that contribute to successful placement of children with mild mental retardation and learning disabilities in regular classrooms. (p. 322) 20. Describe the characteristics of gifted children, including creativity and talent, and current efforts to meet their educational needs. (pp. 323–324) 21. Compare the academic achievement of North American children with children in other industrialized nations. (pp. 324–325) Chapter 10 1. Describe Erikson’s stage of industry versus inferiority, noting major personality changes in middle childhood. (p. 330) 2. Describe school-age children’s self-concept and self-esteem, and discuss factors that affect their achievement-related attributions. (pp. 330–334) 3. Cite changes in understanding and expression of emotion in middle childhood, including the importance of problem-centered coping and emotion-centered coping for managing emotion. (pp. 335–336) 4. Trace the development of perspective taking in middle childhood, and discuss the relationship between perspective taking and social skills. (pp. 336–337) 5. Describe changes in moral understanding during middle childhood, and note the extent to which children hold racial and ethnic biases. (pp. 337–339) 6. Summarize changes in peer sociability during middle childhood, including characteristics of peer groups and friendships. (pp. 339–341) 7. Describe four categories of peer acceptance, noting how each is related to social behavior, and discuss ways to help rejected children. (pp. 341–342, 343) 8. Describe changes in gender-stereotyped beliefs and gender identity during middle childhood, including sex differences and cultural influences. (pp. 342–345) 9. Discuss changes in parent–child communication and sibling relationships in middle childhood, and describe the adjustment of only children. (pp. 345–346) 10. Discuss factors that influence children’s adjustment to di vorce and blended families, highlighting the importance of parent and child characteristics, as well as social supports within the family and surrounding community. (pp. 347–350) 11. Explain how maternal employment and life in dual-earner families affect school-age children, noting the influence of social supports within the family and surrounding community, including child care for school-age children. (pp. 350–351) 12. Cite common fears and anxieties in middle childhood, with particular attention to school phobia. (pp. 352, 353) 13. Discuss factors related to child sexual abuse and its consequences for children’s development. (pp. 352–354, 355) 14. Cite factors that foster resilience in middle childhood. (p. 354) Chapter 11 1. Discuss changing conceptions of adolescence over the past century. (pp. 362–363) 2. Describe pubertal changes in body size, proportions, sleep patterns, motor performance, and sexual maturity. (pp. 363–366) 3. Cite factors that influence the timing of puberty. (pp. 366–367) 4. Describe brain development in adolescence. (pp. 367–368) 5. Discuss adolescents’ reactions to the physical changes of puberty, including sex differences, and describe the influence of family and culture. (pp. 368–370) 6. Discuss the impact of pubertal timing on adolescent adjustment, noting sex differences. (pp. 370–371) 7. Describe the nutritional needs of adolescents, and cite factors that contribute to serious eating disorders. (pp. 371–373) 8. Discuss social and cultural influences on adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior. (pp. 373–376) 9. Describe factors involved in the development of gay, lesbian, and bisexual orientations, and discuss the unique adjustment problems of these youths. (pp. 376, 377) 10. Discuss factors related to sexually transmitted diseases and to teenage pregnancy and parenthood, including interventions for adolescent parents. (pp. 376, 378–380) 11. Cite personal and social factors that contribute to adolescent substance use and abuse, and describe prevention and treatment programs. (pp. 380–382) 12. Describe the major characteristics of formal operational thought. (pp. 382–384) 13. Discuss recent research on formal operational thought and its implications for the accuracy of Piaget’s formal operat ional stage. (pp. 384–385) 14. Explain how information-processing researchers account for cognitive change in adolescence, emphasizing the development of scientific reasoning. (pp. 385–386) 15. Summarize cognitive and behavioral consequences of adolescents’ newfound capacity for advanced thinking. (pp. 386–388) 16. Note sex differences in mental abilities at adolescence, along with biological and environmental factors that influence them. (pp. 389–390, 391) 17. Discuss the impact of school transitions on adolescent adjustment, and cite ways to ease the strain of these changes. (pp. 390, 392–393) 18. Discuss family, peer, school, and employment influences on academic achievement during adolescence. (pp. 393–395) 19. Describe personal, family, and school factors related to dropping out, and cite ways to prevent early school leaving. (pp. 396–397) Chapter 12 1. Discuss Erikson’s theory of identity development. (p. 402) 2. Describe changes in self-concept and self-esteem during adolescence. (pp. 402–403) 3. Describe the four identity statuses, the adjustment outcomes of each status, and factors that promote identity development. (pp. 403–406) 4. Discuss Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, and evaluate its accuracy. (pp. 407–409) 5. Summarize research on Gilligan’s claim that Kohlberg’s theory underestimated the moral maturity of females. (pp. 409–410) 6. Describe influences on moral reasoning and its relationship to moral behavior. (pp. 410–414) 7. Explain why early adolescence is a period of gender intensification, and cite factors that promote the development of an androgynous gender identity. (pp. 414–415) 8. Discuss changes in parent–child and sibling relationships during adolescence. (pp. 415–417) 9. Describe adolescent friendships, peer groups, and dating relationships and their consequences for development. (pp. 417–421) 10. Discuss conformity to peer pressure in adolescence, noting the importance of authoritative child rearing. (p. 421) 11. Discuss factors related to adolescent depression and suicide, along with approaches for prevention and treatment. (pp. 421–423) 12. Summarize factors related to delinquency, and describe strategies for prevention and treatment. (pp. 423–426) Chapter 13 1. Describe current theories of biological aging, including those at the level of DNA and body cells, and those at the level of organs and tissues. (pp. 432–434) 2. Describe the physical changes of aging, paying special attention to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, motor performance, the immune system, and reproductive capacity. (pp. 434–438) 3. Describe the impact of SES, nutrition, obesity, and exercise on health in adulthood. (pp. 438–444) 4. Describe trends in substance abuse in early adulthood, and discuss the health risks of each. (pp. 444–445) 5. Summarize sexual attitudes and behaviors in young adults, including sexual orientation, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual coercion, and premenstrual syndrome. (pp. 445–449) 6. Explain how psychological stress affects health. (pp. 449–451) 7. Summarize prominent theories on the restructuring of thought in adulthood, including those of Perry and Labouvie-Vief. (pp. 451–453) 8. Discuss the development of expertise and creativity in adulthood. (pp. 453–454) 9. Describe the impact of a college education on young people’s lives, and discuss the problem of dropping out.(pp. 454–455) 10. Trace the development of vocational choice, and note factors that influence it. (pp. 455–458) 11. Discuss vocational preparation of non-college-bound young adults, including the challenges these individuals face.(pp. 458–459) Chapter 14 1. Define emerging adulthood, and explain how cultural change has contributed to the emergence of this period. (pp. 464–466) 2. Describe Erikson’s stage of intimacy versus isolation, noting personality changes that take place during early adulthood. (pp. 468–469) 3. Summarize Levinson’s and Vaillant’s psychosocial theories of adult personality development, including how they apply to both men’s and women’s lives and their limitations. (pp. 469–471) 4. Describe the social clock and how it relates to adjustment in adulthood. (p. 471) 5. Discuss factors that affect mate selection, and explain the role of romantic love in young adults’ quest for intimacy. (pp. 472, 474) 6. Explain how culture influences the experience of love. (p. 475) 7. Cite characteristics of adult friendships and sibling relationships, including differences between same-sex, other-sex, and sibling friendships. (pp. 475–476) 8. Cite factors that inf luence loneliness, and explain the role of loneliness in adult development. (pp. 476–477) 9. Trace phases of the family life cycle that are prominent in early adulthood, noting factors that influence these phases. (pp. 478–485) 10. Discuss the diversity of adult lifestyles, focusing on singlehood, cohabitation, and childlessness. (pp. 486–488) 11. Discuss trends in divorce and remarriage, along with factors that contribute to them. (pp. 488–489) 12. Summarize challenges associated with variant styles of parenthood, including stepparents, never-married single parents, and gay and lesbian parents. (pp. 489–491) 13. Describe patterns of career development, and cite difficulties faced by women, ethnic minorities, and couples seeking to combine work and family. (pp. 491–495) Chapter 15 1. Describe the physical changes of middle adulthood, paying special attention to vision, hearing, the skin, muscle–fat makeup, and the skeleton. (pp. 502–504, 505) 2. Summarize reproductive changes experienced by middle-aged men and women, and discuss the symptoms of menopause, the benefits and risks of hormone therapy, and women’s psychological reactions to menopause. (pp. 504, 506–509) 3. Discuss sexuality in middle adulthood. (p. 509) 4. Discuss cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis, noting sex differences, risk factors, and interventions. (pp. 509–513) 5. Explain how hostility and anger affect health. (pp. 513–514) 6. Discuss the benefits of stress management, exercise, and an optimistic outlook in adapting to the physical challenges of midlife. (pp. 514–517) 7. Explain the double standard of aging. (p. 517) 8. Describe changes in crystallized and fluid intelligence during middle adulthood, and discuss individual and group differences in intellectual development. (pp. 518–520) 9. Describe changes in information processing in midlife, paying special attention to speed of processing, attention, and memory. (pp. 520–523) 10. Discuss the development of practical problem solving, expertise, and creativity in middle adulthood. (pp. 523–525) 11. Describe the relationship between vocational life and cognitive development. (pp. 525–526) 12. Discuss the challenges of adult learners, ways to support returning students, and benefits of earning a degree in midlife. (pp. 526–527) Chapter 16 1. Describe Erikson’s stage of generativity versus stagnation, noting major personality changes of middle adulthood and related research findings. (pp. 532–535) 2. Discuss Levinson’s and Vaillant’s views of psychosocial development in middle adulthood, noting gender similarities and differences. (pp. 535–536) 3. Summarize research examining the question of whether most middle-aged adults experience a midlife crisis.(pp. 536–537) 4. Describe stability and change in self-concept and personality in middle adulthood. (pp. 538–539) 5. Describe changes in gender identity in midlife. (pp. 540–542) 6. Discuss stability and change in the â€Å"big five† personality traits in adulthood. (pp. 542–543) 7. Describe the middle adulthood phase of the family life cycle, and discuss midlife marital relationships and relationships with adult children, grandchildren, and aging parents. (pp. 543–551) 8. Describe midlife sibling relationships and friendships. (pp. 551–553) 9. Discuss job satisfaction and career development in middle adulthood, paying special attention to gender differences and experiences of ethnic minorities. (pp. 553–555) 10. Describe career change and unemployment in middle adulthood. (p. 556) 11. Discuss the importance of planning for retirement, noting various issues that middle-aged adults should address. (pp. 556–557) Chapter 17 1. Distinguish between chronological age and functional age, and discuss changes in life expectancy over the past century. (pp. 564–566, 568–569) 2. Explain age-related changes in the nervous system during late adulthood. (pp. 566–567) 3. Summarize changes in sensory functioning during late adulthood, including vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. (pp. 567–570) 4. Describe cardiovascular, respiratory, and immune system changes in late adulthood. (pp. 570–571) 5. Discuss sleep difficulties in late adulthood. (pp. 571–572) 6. Summarize changes in physical health and mobility in late adulthood, including elders’ adaptation to the physical changes, and reactions to stereotypes of aging. (pp. 572–575, 576) 7. Discuss health and fitness in late life, paying special attention to nutrition, exercise, and sexuality. (pp. 575–579) 8. Discuss common physical disabilities in late adulthood, with special attention to arthritis, a dult-onset diabetes, and unintentional injuries. (pp. 580–582) 9. Describe mental disabilities common in late adulthood, including Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular dementia, and misdiagnosed and reversible dementia. (pp. 582–588) 10. Discuss health-care issues that affect senior citizens. (pp. 589–590) 11. Describe changes in crystallized and fluid abilities in late adulthood, and explain how older adults can make the most of their cognitive resources. (pp. 590–591) 12. Summarize memory changes in late life, including implicit, associative, remote, and prospective memories. (pp. 591–594) 13. Discuss changes in language processing in late adulthood. (pp. 594–595) 14. Explain how problem solving changes in late life. (p. 595) 15. Discuss the capacities that contribute to wisdom, noting how it is affected by age and life experience. (pp. 595–596) 16. Discuss factors related to cognitive change in late adulthood. (pp. 596â€⠀œ597) Chapter 18 1. Describe Erikson’s stage of ego integrity versus despair. (p. 604) 2. Discuss Peck’s tasks of ego integrity, Joan Erikson’s gerotranscendence, and Labouvie-Vief’s emotional expertise.(pp. 604–605) 3. Describe the functions of reminiscence and life review in older adults’ lives. (pp. 606, 607) 4. Summarize stability and change in self-concept and personality in late adulthood. (pp. 606–608) 5. Discuss spirituality and religiosity in late adulthood. (pp. 608–609) 6. Discuss contextual influences on psychological well-being as older adults respond to increased dependency, declining health, and negative life changes. (pp. 609–611, 612) 7. Summarize the role of social support and social interaction in promoting physical health and psychological well-being in late adulthood. (p. 611) 8. Describe social theories of aging, including disengagement theory, activity theory, continuity theory, and socioemotional selectivity theory . (pp. 612–615, 616) 9. Describe changes in social relationships in late adulthood, including marriage, gay and lesbian partnerships, divorce, remarriage, cohabitation, and widowhood, and discuss never-married, childless older adults. (pp. 619–623) 10. Explain how sibling relationships and friendships change in late life. (pp. 624–625) 11. Describe older adults’ relationships with adult children, adult grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. (pp. 625–626) 12. Summarize elder maltreatment, including risk factors and strategies for prevention. (pp. 627–628) 13. Discuss the decision to retire, adjustment to retirement, and involvement in leisure and volunteer activities. (pp. 628–632) 14. Discuss the meaning of optimal aging. (pp. 632–633) Chapter 19 1. Describe the physical changes of dying, along with their implications for defining death and the meaning of death with dignity. (pp. 640–642) 2. Discuss age-related changes in conception of and attitudes toward death, including ways to enhance child and adolescent understanding. (pp. 642–644) 3. Cite factors that influence death anxiety, including personal and cultural variables that contribute to the fear of death. (p. 643) 4. Describe and evaluate Kà ¼bler-Ross’s theory of typical responses to dying, citing factors that influence dying patients’ responses. (pp. 647–648) 5. Evaluate the extent to which homes, hospitals, and the hospice approach meet the needs of dying people and their families. (pp. 650–653) 6. Discuss controversies surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide. (pp. 654–659) 7. Describe bereavement and the phases of grieving, indicating factors that underlie individual variations in grief responses. (pp. 659–660) 8. Explain the concept of bereavement overload, and describe bereavement interventions. (pp. 663, 665) 9. Explain how death education can help people cope with death more effectively. (p. 665)

The Critical Review Of Screening Trauma Film Studies Essay

The Critical Review Of Screening Trauma Film Studies Essay Cinema and its relationship with psychology, history and memory is a wide area which can be shaped by visual media and identification of culture. Susannah Radstone( 2000) analyses the movie of Forrest Gump( Robert Zemeckis, US, 1994) with examinations and expressions that have been accompanied with screening trauma in her study. Also the theoretical and methodological tension over memory and inclusive cultural framework shapes these film analyses with further details, especially in cinepsychoanalysis and memory/ history. This review will highlight the main points as a summary with some critiques of Radstone s perception of critical thinkers and this academic work s relationship with the comprehension of visual culture and memory.As an aim, this study will try to show cinema s effects on shaping the human perception of history also memory s relationship with history in the context of psychology, especially with the movie of Forrest Gump( Robert Zemeckis, US, 1994) . SUMMARY : In the study of Screening Trauma: Forrest Gump, Film and Memory (Radstone, 2000) Radstone starts by emphasising that Forrest Gump ( Robert Zemeckis, US, 1994) , which contains the last three decades of US history as from 1964 nearly, with the associations between memory and history from the protagonist s unconscious perception in the context of manipulations of technology which is fed by contemporary Western culture. After that memory s connection with cinema adresses cinepsychoanalysis paradoxically due to the fact that memory s visual usage recalls traumatic events childhood seduction or abuse ( Freud and Breuer [ 1893- 5] 1974, cited in Radstone 2000: 82) Freud later and famously abandoned this seduction theory for an understanding of hysteria that connected its symptoms, rather, to unacknowledgeable fantasies of a sexual nature ( Freud [ 1905] 1977, cited in Radstone 2000: 82) . Radstone tries to emphasise the interweaving of trauma, fantasy and memory in the psychoanalytic u nderstanding of the letter in order to answer this question: What is the relation between memories of traumatic events and physical predispositions which entails dominant fantasy scenarios in the context of the movie of Forrest Gump ? Other disciplines offer different accessions to memory research within cultural studies and history which are not untouched by psychoanalytic ideas ( Kuhn 1995; King 1997; Vidali 1997, cited in Radstone 2000: 85) . For example; in the work of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies( 1982, cited in Radstone 2000: 84) , analyses of autobiographical memories revealed both how public history shaped identity and, conversely, how marginal memories could overturn established histories. At this point of the Radstones study, these disciplines like history and cultural studies are combined with the psychoanalytic understanding of memory because Radstone says that if psychoanalytic points of view contribute memory s understanding, its insights will be more understandable or assimilable within history and cultural studies. In this manner, Radstone points out that the concept of Afterwardsness ( Laplanche, 1992, cited in Radstone 2000: 85) refers to a process of deferred revision, where experiences, impressions and memory- traces may be revised at a later date to fit in with fresh experiences or with the attainment of a new stage of development ( Laplanche and Pontalis 1988: 111, cited in Radstone 2000: 85). Radstone tries to search for the truth of an occurrence and the experiences of its results in the context of Afterwardness which suggests that determinations of memory s tropes can not reach the truth of the past but it can be only a revision of the past as reporte d by Radstone. Under these influences, she tries to argue the history s trustworthiness in the context of changeable memory, which can be shaped by past especially repressed effects of experiences, in Forrest Gump( Robert Zemeckis, US, 1994) . Moreover, after these reviews of Forrest Gump, Radstone emphasizes that Burgoyne s Prosthetic Memory/ Prosthetic Nation forms part of a collection addressing the construction of nation in selected US contemporary history films. In the context of Forrest Gump, Burgoyne emphasizes throughout both the dissociation between Gump s memories and that history of violence which is in effect noted but bracketed in the film ( ibid: 112, cited in Radstone 2000: 96) , and Forrest s incapacity to understand that same history which he is, unbeknownst to himself, shaping: Only Gump s ignorance protects him from the scarifications of history and the resulting distortions of character that plague most of the other figures who populate the film ( ibid: 109, cited in Radstone 2000: 96) . Radstone argues that the film s effect was linked only to Forrest s ignorance, and that the film was therefore trading in a historical common sense, or Gump that might be likened to false memory . She tries to inte rrogate the movie of Forrest Gump not also with the complex inner world of human being but also with the complexities of historical agency and responsibility. CRITIQUE : If Radstone s essay is analysed in a general way before the analysis of Forrest Gump; my critique will start with this question: How might the relationship between memory, history and cinema can be understood in a simple way with the association of the other areas like psychoanalysis and humanities? Because Radstone s explanations are so impetuous and compound. This situation creates the concept of transdisciplinarity which carries risk in order to analyse the movie. Transdisciplinarity produces travelling concept ( Bal , 2002,cited in Radstone 2008: 35) concepts that may be attached very quickly to various occurrences including reviews, forms and cultures. Concepts such as trauma and memory start to be a bridge between the various disciplines in a complex way. In addition, she elaborates the thinkers points of view exceedingly. Does she try to analyse the movie of Forrest Gump in the context of these disciplines or does she want to explain these disciplines deep points to reader ? After the general critique of the study of Radstone, in order to understand the role of Forrest Gump in US history my review will compare the thoughts of Vivian Sobchack and Robert Burgoyne in the context of Susannah Radstone s study. Radstone uses the study of Prosthetic Memory / National Memory: Forrest Gump ( Burgoyne , 1997) in order to analyse the usage of memory in movies and the effects of this usage on real history, especially with the protagonist s ignorance as Gump. The emergence of mass cultural technologies of memory, moreover, provides vivid experiences of the past that can shape and inform subjectivity. ( Burgoyne, 1997: 105) Burgoyne argues that what might be the media s effects on representing history through the cinema. He believes that cinema might shape the history and it might affect people memory like forming false memory ,especially with Gumps ignorance. In this manner Radstone tries to make comparisons between the study of History Happens which was written by Vivian Sobchack ( 1996) and the study of Prosthetic Memory / National Memory : Forrest Gump ( Burgoyne, 1997) . Sobchack believes that one of the media s parts which is cinema might create the consciousness about the history through the movies like Forrest Gump with new technologies. Sobchack figures out a sense in which we believe we can go right out and be in history ( Sobchack, 1996 : 5) . After these points of view, Radstone analyses history s usage in cinema might be likened to false memory or it might remind history to society. So that there is a paradox which comes from different interpretations. I suppose that the history s us age in cinema can be understood as media s atrocious effect or , at the same time, its a freeway to be in history even if it is represented from innocent protagonist s perception as Sobchack supports. In order to analyse the movie of Forrest Gump ( Robert Zemeckis, US, 1994) in the context of Afterwardsness, phantasy- memory psychologically; firstly Radstone starts by emphasising Afterwardness, which is stated as the cause of memorys representations of the past by Radstone , is the summary interpretation which reduces the psychoanalytic view of the subject s history to a linear determinism envisaging nothing bot the action of the past upon the present ( Laplanche and Pontalis 1988: 111- 12, cited in Radstone 2000: 86 ) . In this manner, i support Laplanche and Pontalis ideas that Afterwardsness s relationship with temporality, which contains repressed experiences of the event, creates the issue of losing real history. Secondly, Radstone indicates For Freud, at least, the physical reality revealed in memories was understood to be more closely associated with primal fantasies than with historical reality. ( Radstone, 2000). So that with the theory of primal fantasies, which suggests that inner reality is shaped by fantasies generally, Laplanche and Pontalis points out it is only as a memory that the first scene becomes pathogenic by deferred action ( Laplanche and Pontalis 1988: 467- 8, cited in Radstone 2000: 87) . Under the influences of the comments of Laplanche and Pontalis about Freud; i support Radstone s analyse which, shows lived experience and subjectivity differentiate from historys earlier relationship with objectivity, tries to analyse Forrest Gump in the context of temporality,memory and history. CONCLUSION : Visual culture and memory is a comprehensive area which memory s situation can be researched into visual media in the context of cinepsychoanalysis. This study tries to focus how media, which is the part of visual culture, can affect societies perceptions of history objectively and memory subjectively on psychology framework. Societies are able to understand the US history and they can constitute their memory positively or negatively from the movie. In this manner, visual culture and memory are associated that cinema can shape societies perceptions about history which can be understood by the help of this study.

Strategy and practice

Strategy and practice Strategy and practice Human resource management and industrial relations The role of line managers in human resource management Abstract Recent research indicates that there is an increasing trend that human resource specialists and line managers share more effective responsibility for their organizations human resource practice. However, HR specialists and line managers often have different opinions and implementation on human resource management. Line managers didnt work well as expected. Therefore, much literature argues that line managers are the weak link in converting HR strategy into practice. Introduction In the first part, this paper analyzed HR specialists and line managers perspectives on line managers involvement in HR activities. Many literatures and a case study are used to find out the reasons. Line managers who are regarded as the weak part in HR practice implementation can be analyzed from four aspects: the competence of line managers, disdain for HR work, working priorities for line managers, tension and conflict with HR specialist. Secondly, this paper comprised the suggestions which could enhance line managers contribution to organizational performance. Defining line management It is important to define the concept of line management at the first stage. An early literature described that â€Å"the distinction between line function and staff function within organization, despite some speculation, maybe limiting.†( Logan, H. 1966,p.46) It is valuable to distinguish boundaries of responsibilities between line function and staff function. Stewarts defined line mangers as â€Å"those that have direct responsibility for achieving the objectives of organization, and are often identified in production terms (production/ operation/ manufacturing), while staff functions exit to provide advice and service to line functions†. (Stewart 1963 p. 24) Storey proposed a typology of senior/ middle line managers which is clear to show the role of line managers in organization. (Storey, J., 1992) Firstly, he identified two dimensions of line managers role. It was shown in a matrix. (Figure 1) The first dimension concluded commercial oriented and technical oriented. The second dimension is the extent to which line managers response to organization: proactive and reactive. Storey defined four types of line managers: business mangers, manufacturing managers, sales managers and production managers. Storey suggested that HR specialists and line mangers share different proportion of HRM responsibility in each type. Production mangers was regarded as the most traditional interpretation of the role, hence, HR specialist takes mostly responsibilities for the HRM. The manufacturing managers share HRM responsibilities with HR specialists. Business managers should have a general insight in the whole organizational business and environment. They a re expected to be more focused on strategy version. Here, HRM responsibilities are shared by line managers and HR specialists as well. The last types of line managers- sales managers, Storey have not got clear findings yet. The role of line mangers in HRM Much literature noted that the involvement of line managers in human resource management (HRM) has been a heated issue in the past few years (Guest, 1987, Storey, 1992), and HR work are partly devolved to line mangers in practice. The reasons of line managers involvement in HRM have been concluded by Brewster and Larsens research (2000) in five aspects: â€Å"to reduce cost; to provide a comprehensive approach to HRM; to place responsibility for HRM with managers most responsible for it, to speed up decision making; and as an alternative to outsourcing HR function. (Brewster and Larsen, 2000, p 196-198) The relationship between line managers and HR specialists is probably clarified as â€Å"partnership† in much literature. And a popular view is that line managers should be engaged in particular HR practice, cooperating with HR practitioners. Results from CIPDs research indicated that HR specialist is more likely to cooperate with HR specialist in resourcing, training and development but undertake alone in employee relations and reward management. (CIPD 2006) Furthermore, whats the particular work line managers should be responsible for? From Marchington and Wilkinson‘s point of view, the major responsibilities of line managers are: â€Å"leading team briefings, problem-solving groups and informal communications; performance review; team/staff development; managing employee absence.† And the shared responsibilities are â€Å"selection decisions; induction and ongoing training; disciplinary cases; flexible working patterns.† Lastly, the little responsibiliti es are: â€Å"performance-related pay; recruitment advertising, applications and initial search; promotions welfare; organization development.† However, although line managers have always been engaging in some specific HR work, they have been criticized by many researcher and HR managers for less effective performance than they expected. Thus, in the next section, an examples and case were illustrated to analyze these drawbacks from training, appraisal performance, EIPï ¼Å'recruitment and selection, theoretically and practically. Methodology In the next section, the weakness of line managers in implementing best HR practice and strategy will be discussed from many literatures and the results of interviews with line managers on their own experience in undertaking HR work, which is conducted by Douglas Renwick (2002). The research was done in three organizations in UK-Utility Co, Local Authority, Manufacturing Co. All three organizations distribute part of HR work to line managers, â€Å"appraisal performance, recruitment, communication with employees, sickness absence, and employee development.† A qualitative method was used to analysis interview resources. Some useful findings from the in case study are: â€Å"the line have many duties, and lack time to do HR work well; doing HR work diluted the lines generalist managerial focuses; significant line inadequacies in handling HR work; tensions between HR and line over transfer and completion of HR duties; the line are reliant on HR to do HR work properly.†(Dou glas Renwick 2002 p 271-272) Combined with these findings, if we look at more literatures, some explanations for criticisms of line managers in the delivery of HR practice can be summarized. (Below) Lack of competences Many researchers indicated that line managers dont have adequate competence and professional knowledge to implement HR activities if they dont receive supports and advice from HR specialists. Douglas Renwicks researchï ¼Ë†2002ï ¼â€° typically pointed out that: â€Å"significant line inadequacies in handling HR work† Thus, the line sometimes lacked the skills and abilities to do HR work but they still want to speed up decision making. The ineffectiveness of delivery is likely to emerge. Therefore, it is accepted by most line managers that they need proactive support from HR specialists. In Hiltons case study (Maxwell and Watsonï ¼Å'2006)ï ¼Å'Maxwell and Watson indicated that HR specialists in Hilton provided large support to line managers on training, coaching, recruitment and retention; staff budgeting; performance appraisals. Competing priorities Many line managers fell that they dont have enough time and effort to undertake HR activities when they are responsible for their own business jobs. Compared with their HRM responsibility, they are more likely to consider their own duties first. Using Hiltons study again, 86% line managers feel that they are enduring â€Å"heavy workload† while 78% think they have â€Å"short term job pressures.† (Maxwell and Watsonï ¼Å'2006). And Douglas Renwicks interview has similar findings. (2002) â€Å"line managers inadequacy in HRM was sometime to lead to problems when they are doing HR work.† As a line managers said in the interview (Douglas Renwick, 2002 p 269): â€Å"Quite often the manager doesnt have the time to deal with the problem and hes maybe unaware of it. And some managers are strong characters and give staff a hard time.† If we look at certain HR practice, Redmans findings (2001) showed that line managers dont like some HR activities, for example, in performance management; they think it is time consuming. Tension and conflict with HR specialist When HR specialists hold different views with line managers about the responsibility of specific HR practice, tension and conflicts would be emerged. For example, in terms of recruitment, many line managers think that recruiting an excellent employee is HR departments business, while HR practitioners think Line manager should take more responsibility because they understand clearly what kind of employees are truly needed. Thus, unclear boundaries of responsibility in particular HR practice may lead to conflict and reduce the effectiveness. Furthermore, different reorganization about the importance of particular HR work between the two groups also may result in tension and conflict. Finally, as performers of HR policy, most of line managers feel that some HR policies are unrealistic and hard to apply it into practice. According to Douglas Renwicks study, â€Å"line managers thought problems in HR policy lead to poor outcomes in HRM†. As some managers from UK-Utility Co, Local Authority, and Manufacturing Co said: â€Å"This is a HR initiative from corporate HR, but something is wrong. You should be developed now.† â€Å"If you really fall out- you try to give them a doing and it depends how well you defend themselves† (Douglas Renwick,2002, p.272) Disdain for HR practice Bevan and Hayday(1994) found that some lime managers are not clear about their responsibility and role in HRM. Many line managers think that a specialist qualification in HRM is not necessary because they believe that these skills and competence are gained from practical work and experience, not from training and development. Some line managers are even dont believe that HRM can make contribution to organization performance. Hayman and Cunningham (1995) confirmed that there was a lack of training and development among line managers even they realize the weakness. In a small organization in which lack of HR specialist, HR work are usually implemented by line managers who may dont posses any relevant knowledge. But in many cases, the organization still runs well because line managers only focus on routine and easy HR practice, such as regular pay, sickness absence, data collection, payroll management and simple appraisal management. Line managers can do this kind of work easily and well. But situations are totally opposite in a big organization. Operational system and people management are much more systematic. HR presence is essential as they can afford professional advice for line mangers. Whats more important, line managers as performers of HR practice need to handle much more complicated HR affairs than that of small organization. For example, in terms of recruitment, many big organizations adopt professional staff evaluation method, such as assessment centre, which need relevant knowledge and training to make full use of these appraisal me thods. Hence, line managers disdain for HR training and development inevitable is regarded as an evidence of line managers inadequacy in HR implementation. What line managers should do? Though line managers are recognized as a weak link in converting HR policy and strategy into practice, we could not deny their contribution and influence to HRM if the delivery of devolution of HR practice is effective. What should line managers do to enhance their contribution to HRM? First, from the view of line managers, a new perspective of HRM should be established. They need to realize their responsibility and role in HR work deeply. Also, they have to admit that HR work is kind of professional job and requires relevant knowledge and skills. A useful way to test to what extent line managers emphasis on HR work is establishing an effective appraisal management system. Secondly, I think HR training and development system are very crucial for line managers. High quality of skills to handle interview, staff management and a series of HR work can be developed through training and development. In fact, more and more companies are aware of the importance of HR training for line mangers. For example, in order to support line managers to undertake HR issues, MarksSpencer created an e-learning system, called Line Manager Performance Centre, which is a flexible and creative training system for line managers. The result of feedback from line managers showed that 88% line mangers feel this training improved their knowledge and skills in HRM. And 72% think the training improved employee commitment. Another case in point is Searle, a pharmaceutical company in America, in order to change precious unsuccessful training, they carried out an systematic training program, which include needs analysis; line managers fully engagement in training; financial support; pro fessional training in specific field, appraisal, etc. The result is satisfactory; employees course satisfaction was increased from 82.5% to 87%. Except practical work like conducting an interview, absence management, appraisal, etc, focus on employee involvement and engagement does have positive effects. The LMX theory also proposed that a good relationship between employees and their line managers can increase employee outcome and performance. Line managers should held informal meetings with employees to listen to their suggestions and take care of their work-life balance. These small changes can improve their commitment to the organization. Finally, learning to use information technology has been promoted by many HR specialists. Line managers are required to be trained to use information technology in conducting absence management, personnel records which can greatly increase work efficiency. Conclusion Line managers are playing a very important role in human resource management. Their responsibility and performance in HR work have large impact on organization effectiveness. The relationship between line managers and HR specialists is defined as â€Å"partnership†. But much literature argued that line managers are the weak link in the implementation of HR activities. The reasons are analyzed from four aspects: Lack of competences, competing priorities, tension and conflict with HR specialist, disdain for HR practice. To strengthen line managers contribution to HRM, we proposed three suggestions: establishing a correct perception of HR work, emphasis on training and development, adopting the use of information technology. Reference 1. Logan, H., on line and staff: an obsolete concept of personnel. 1966 2. Stewart, R., The reality of managementï ¼Å'Pan, London,1963 3. Storey, J., developments in the management of human resource, Blackwell, Oxford, 1992 4. Hope-Hailey V, Farndale E and Truss C (2005), ‘The HR departments role in organisational performance, Human Resource Management Journal, 15(3), pp49-66 5. Purcell, J. and Hutchinson, S. (2007), ‘Front-line managers as agents in the HRM-performance causal chain: theory, analysis and evidence, Human Resource Management Journal, 17(1), pp 3-20 6. Noreen Heraty and Michael Morley, ‘ Line managers and human resource manage net, Journal of European industrial training,19(10), pp 31-36 7. McGovern et al., ‘Human resource management on line? Human Resource Management Journal, 7(4), pp 12-29 8. Whittaker S. and Marchington M. (2003), ‘Devolving HR responsibility to the line: threat, opportunity or partnership, Employee Relations, 25, 3, pp245-61 9. Currie G. and Procter S. (2001), ‘Exploring the relationship between HR and middle managers, Human Resource Management Journal, 11, 3, pp53-69 10. Perry, E. and Kulik, C. (2008), ‘The devolution of HR to the line: implications for perceptions of people management effectiveness, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19, 2, pp262-73 11. Douglas Renwick, ‘ Line manager involvement in HRM: an inside view, Employee relations, 25(3), 2002, pp 262-280 12. G. Maxwell* and S. Watson, ‘Perspectives on Line Managers in Human Resource Management: Hilton Internationals UK Hotels, 13. Marchington M. and Wilkinson A. (2008) op cit, pp 200-210 14. Susan w. and Marchington M, ‘Devolving HR responsibility to the line: threat, opportunity or partnership, Employee relations, 2002, pp 245-261 15. Adrian Thornhill and Mark N.K. Saunders. ‘What if line managers dont realize theyre responsible for HR, Personnel Review, 1998, pp 460-476 16. http://www.kineo.com/case-studies/line-managers.html 17. Nicola Mindell, Case studies: Developing training and development to line mangers. Management Development Review, 1995