Ralph Lauren Rugby 's fail reasons and re-launch marketing strategy Essay

Ralph Lauren Rugby 's fail reasons and re-launch marketing strategy - Essay Example ng up with a new market strategy for the company is to give the company a chance to re-launch and come in the market again growing at a good pace and capturing the maximum market across the globe. This will help the company to revamp and also grow in the Competitive market environment. Polo Ralph Lauren been the parent company launched Rugby Ralph Lauren in 2004 in America as a clothing brand. The brand was launched getting inspired from the Rugby lifestyle for both male and females of age group in between 16 to 25. Rugby brand was available at 12 stores in whole of US and one in London. The brand also started its online marketing from 2008 and started its own website Rugby.com. This brand was a concept which was developed by designer Ralph Lauren. The first store location of the brand was in Boston which was opened in 2004. The biggest advantage that the brand had was its low price and attractive designs which attracted the young generation a lot from their parent brand products which were much more luxury and costlier than the brand Rugby. The company did launch the dress materials and bags in the designs with logos and photos of rugby players and also in the colours of the uniforms of the rugby teams. This brand had a line of products under its name like the po lo’s, jackets, outerwear, dresses, shirts and also many other accessories for the young generation mainly. The brand also gave the option of making personalized shirts for the customers based on the patches of various designs that the company had under its list of designs. In this report the reasons for the failure of this brand in the market is been studied based on which the marketing strategy that can be utilised for the re-launching of the brand and make it successful is been understood and analysed using various marketing theories and concepts. The parent brand Ralph Lauren has many sub brands under its umbrella like the Polo brand, Club Monaco, Chaps, RRL and RLX brands, Black Label, Pink Pony,

English Literature Essay Example for Free

English Literature Essay Hannam University Department: English Language and Literature. Degree: Masters of English Language Literature. Title: The Kite Runner: The novel presents the story of a country and people in turmoil. An abridgment of a THESIS Presented to Professor Kim Ilgu, the Faculty of the Department of English Language Literature of the Hannam University in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of English Language Literature. By Uttam Mallick Student ID: 20114012 An brief overview of Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner—Stories Views on education: Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-born American novelist and physician. He is a citizen of the United States where he has lived since he was fifteen years old. Khaled Hosseini is the first Afghan-American writer to publish a work of fiction in English in the United States. The Kite Runner is Hosseini’s first novel, and his book has achieved a significant amount of success since its publication in 2003-now in its seventeenth printing with over 1. 4 million copies sold-and has repeatedly appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List over the last three years. Even though bookstores and libraries have been inundated with literature about Afghanistan and Iraq, none appear to have achieved the same amount of recognition or success as The Kite Runner. Since the nineteenth century, critics have called into question the literary merits of sentimental fiction for its seemingly unskilled rhetoric and inauthentic sentiment. Although the aesthetic purpose of sentimental literature has been repeatedly trivialized by literary critics, sentimental imagery, language and themes have been effectively utilized by various authors in the past to critique controversial social, historical and political practices of the times, such as slavery in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), and continue to be effectively utilized by contemporary authors, such as perceptions of Afghanistan and its people in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. To complete my final thesis, I will use books and reviews or published by scholarly journals as well as major and minor newspapers to analyze the popularity of the novel, including its literary strengths and weaknesses. I will try to use my own knowledge and criticism about the country and people in turmoil. Some scholarly articles on Afghanistan published shortly after 9/11 will be used to provide a social and historical context for Hosseini’s novel. Lastly, I will use both scholarly articles and books to explain the concept of â€Å"sentimentality† and â€Å"emotional narratives,† and their cultural importance, which will help me further articulate my critical approach to Hosseini’s text. Source of Data: For the research must be my own idea with some paper secondary data will be used.

Drama Queens Present :: Television Entertainment Media Papers

Drama Queens Present In the past fifty years, the television-viewing world has experienced drama, romance, and attraction through the eyes of soap opera writers, creators, producers, and actors. Soap operas, also known as daytime dramas have been around and the talk of the town for more than half a decade. It all started in radio in the earlier part of the 1900s, then the excitement moved to television. The first television soap opera was â€Å"Guiding Light† and it began airing on radio stations in the 1930s. In 1956, it crossed over to television. The CBS radio station knew it had a hit on hits hands and decided to take a chance on television success (Jameson 35). Listeners accepted the trends, and soon more and more soap operas made their debut on television. Soap operas were better known from the beginning to be for stay at home moms, who cooked and cleaned all day. Their name, â€Å"soap opera† came from the origins of the sponsors that created the shows. In the beginning, the shows were extended advertisements for the soaps that the housewives would use. Once the dramas moved to television, they began to take on a larger audience. Today everything from birth control pills, laundry detergents, and children’s toys are advertised during the soap opera viewing hours (Pagewise, Inc.). Millions of viewers; college students, mothers, fathers, stay at home moms and dads, retirees, teenagers and the elderly are hooked on daytime drama between the hours of twelve and four waiting for their shows to come on. There has been such a change in audience and growth in the viewing since the dawn of soap operas on television: soap operas constitute a very large part of network daytime viewers. From the evil stepmother to the pretty blonde girl, soaps do not change much over the years. Even the latest drama, â€Å"Passions† has some of the same plot elements as the original â€Å"Guiding Light.† Soap operas still use good, evil, sex, scandal, and relationships as basic plot elements. Some good things never change. Daytime dramas will be around for years to come. Mothers pass soap opera stories on to their daughters, and the obsession continues to grow. Today, soap operas have become multimedia events. Many people prerecord their favorite soap operas for later viewing.

Deception Point Page 4

Although the job was difficult and required long hours, the position was a badge of honor for her, a way to assert her independence from her father. Senator Sexton had offered many times to support Rachel if she would quit the post, but Rachel had no intention of becoming financially beholden to a man like Sedgewick Sexton. Her mother was testimony to what could happen when a man like that held too many cards. The sound of Rachel's pager echoed in the marble hall. Again? She didn't even bother to check the message. Wondering what the hell was going on, she boarded the elevator, skipped her own floor, and went straight to the top. 4 To call the NRO director a plain man was in itself an overstatement. NRO Director William Pickering was diminutive, with pale skin, a forgettable face, a bald head, and hazel eyes, which despite having gazed upon the country's deepest secrets, appeared as two shallow pools. Nonetheless, to those who worked under him, Pickering towered. His subdued personality and unadorned philosophies were legendary at the NRO. The man's quiet diligence, combined with his wardrobe of plain black suits, had earned him the nickname the â€Å"Quaker.† A brilliant strategist and the model of efficiency, the Quaker ran his world with an unrivaled clarity. His mantra: â€Å"Find the truth. Act on it.† When Rachel arrived in the director's office, he was on the phone. Rachel was always surprised by the sight of him: William Pickering looked nothing like a man who wielded enough power to wake the President at any hour. Pickering hung up and waved her in. â€Å"Agent Sexton, have a seat.† His voice had a lucid rawness to it. â€Å"Thank you, sir.† Rachel sat. Despite most people's discomfort around William Pickering's blunt demeanor, Rachel had always liked the man. He was the exact antithesis of her father†¦ physically unimposing, anything but charismatic, and he did his duty with a selfless patriotism, shunning the spotlight her father loved so much. Pickering removed his glasses and gazed at her. â€Å"Agent Sexton, the President called me about a half hour ago. In direct reference to you.† Rachel shifted in her seat. Pickering was known for getting to the point. One hell of an opening, she thought. â€Å"Not a problem with one of my gists, I hope.† â€Å"On the contrary. He says the White House is impressed with your work.† Rachel exhaled silently. â€Å"So what did he want?† â€Å"A meeting with you. In person. Immediately.† Rachel's unease sharpened. â€Å"A personal meeting? About what?† â€Å"Damn good question. He wouldn't tell me.† Now Rachel was lost. Keeping information from the director of the NRO was like keeping Vatican secrets from the Pope. The standing joke in the intelligence community was that if William Pickering didn't know about it, it hadn't happened. Pickering stood, pacing now in front of his window. â€Å"He asked that I contact you immediately and send you to meet with him.† â€Å"Right now?† â€Å"He sent transportation. It's waiting outside.† Rachel frowned. The President's request was unnerving on its own account, but it was the look of concern on Pickering's face that really worried her. â€Å"You obviously have reservations.† â€Å"I sure as hell do!† Pickering showed a rare flash of emotion. â€Å"The President's timing seems almost callow in its transparency. You are the daughter of the man who is currently challenging him in the polls, and he demands a private meeting with you? I find this highly inappropriate. Your father no doubt would agree.† Rachel knew Pickering was right – not that she gave a damn what her father thought. â€Å"Do you not trust the President's motives?† â€Å"My oath is to provide intel support to the current White House administration, not pass judgment on their politics.† Typical Pickering response, Rachel realized. William Pickering made no bones about his view of politicians as transitory figureheads who passed fleetingly across a chessboard whose real players were men like Pickering himself – seasoned â€Å"lifers† who had been around long enough to understand the game with some perspective. Two full terms in the White House, Pickering often said, was not nearly enough to comprehend the true complexities of the global political landscape. â€Å"Maybe it's an innocent request,† Rachel offered, hoping the President was above trying some sort of cheap campaign stunt. â€Å"Maybe he needs a reduction of some sensitive data.† â€Å"Not to sound belittling, Agent Sexton, but the White House has access to plenty of qualified gisting personnel if they need it. If it's an internal White House job, the President should know better than to contact you. And if not, then he sure as hell should know better than to request an NRO asset and then refuse to tell me what he wants it for.† Pickering always referred to his employees as assets, a manner of speech many found disconcertingly cold. â€Å"Your father is gaining political momentum,† Pickering said. â€Å"A lot of it. The White House has got to be getting nervous.† He sighed. â€Å"Politics is a desperate business. When the President calls a secret meeting with his challenger's daughter, I'd guess there's more on his mind than intelligence gists.† Rachel felt a distant chill. Pickering's hunches had an uncanny tendency to be dead on. â€Å"And you're afraid the White House feels desperate enough to introduce me into the political mix?† Pickering paused a moment. â€Å"You are not exactly silent about your feelings for your father, and I have little doubt the President's campaign staff is aware of the rift. It occurs to me that they may want to use you against him somehow.† â€Å"Where do I sign up?† Rachel said, only half-joking. Pickering looked unimpressed. He gave her a stern stare. â€Å"A word of warning, Agent Sexton. If you feel that your personal issues with your father are going to cloud your judgment in dealing with the President, I strongly advise that you decline the President's request for a meeting.† â€Å"Decline?† Rachel gave a nervous chuckle. â€Å"I obviously can't refuse the President.† â€Å"No,† the director said, â€Å"but I can.† His words rumbled a bit, reminding Rachel of the other reason Pickering was called the â€Å"Quaker.† Despite being a small man, William Pickering could cause political earthquakes if he were crossed. â€Å"My concerns here are simple,† Pickering said. â€Å"I have a responsibility to protect the people who work for me, and I don't appreciate even the vague implication that one of them might be used as a pawn in a political game.† â€Å"What do you recommend I do?† Pickering sighed. â€Å"My suggestion is that you meet with him. Commit to nothing. Once the President tells you what the hell is on his mind, call me. If I think he's playing political hardball with you, trust me, I'll pull you out so fast the man won't know what hit him.† â€Å"Thank you, sir.† Rachel sensed a protective aura from the director that she often longed for in her own father. â€Å"And you said the President already sent a car?† â€Å"Not exactly.† Pickering frowned and pointed out the window. Uncertain, Rachel went over and gazed out in the direction of Pickering's outstretched finger. A snub-nosed MH-60G PaveHawk helicopter sat idling on the lawn. One of the fastest choppers ever made, this PaveHawk was emblazoned with the White House insignia. The pilot stood nearby, checking his watch. Rachel turned to Pickering in disbelief. â€Å"The White House sent a PaveHawk to take me fifteen miles into D.C.?† â€Å"Apparently the President hopes you are either impressed or intimidated.† Pickering eyed her. â€Å"I suggest you are neither.†

Personal Fictional Writing Essay

Imagine you are Ralph on the island; write a series of at least three diary entries, which record important episodes during your stay there. Include in the entries your changing thoughts and feelings about what occurs and about yourself and the other boys with you. Diary Entry 1: Chapter 5: Beast from water I just do not understand. It is not meant to be like this. I mean, everything requires improvisation. I call a meeting and all of them, Jack’s group of boys, think that they are there to make jokes. There is no time for fun, but business. I tell them about the huts and how they are unstable, but they remain pessimistic as if they have something better to do. What can that something be? Hunting. Well, Jack seems to think so. He said that he would hunt down the beast. Really, we do not even know if the beastie truly exists. Jack is so aggressive, marching on an army of anarchy among the boys to hunt down an imaginary beast. Mass hysteria erupted when one of the diffident littluns, Percival was his name, said that the beast came from the sea, like a giant squid. I really do not know what has gone into their poor, innocent souls, torturing them like that. The fear of the boys is mounting, day after day. Well, perhaps there could be a beastie. I know that even I am not immune to fear. Nevertheless, Piggy says there is no beast, so there isn’t. Piggy knows. I mean, he is intelligent unlike me. He can think and make decisions without being unsuccessful with his natural, intellectual ability. He would be so much better at being chief than I am. It is just inequitable that Jack bullies him. But what can I do? Do I really want Jack on my back too? It’s enough I cannot stand having him within a one-metre radius of me. Moreover, Jack’s focus on hunting will prevent all of us on this island from leaving it and seal our fate as no more than animals. I just cannot help realising this. However, Jack and his hunters do not. It is simple to them: fear ferments and spreads in the group, so they result to violence and hunting as a solution to the obstacle. They do not care about where they use the lavatory, about keeping the fire going, or most importantly, getting rescued. Even the rules they do not care about. I am very frustrated. I just cannot stand this any more. Without my rules, there will be disastrous consequences to everything Jack and his hunters do. My rules keep the boys tethered to some semblance of society, but they seem oblivious to it and are willing to drop the rules like a hot pan. Life on this island just seems to get harder by every passing day. With Simon wandering off at night, no wonder the littluns are frightened. However, I should not let that bother me. On this island, there are by far more important things to do, like being rescued. How much boys on this island do believe in ghosts? What are the children on this island? Humans, animals, or savages? Piggy was head-on right by yelling at them. Surely, there are not any ghosts or beastie’s on this island, because Piggy told me so. He tells me everything, and everything he says is true. It has to be true. I feel as if I should step down as chief, for once and for all, but Piggy’s already warned me that if I do, Jack will become leader and the only thing he will lead us to do is hunt. But being rescued is better than hunting and I, for that matter, want to be rescued and back to my old life: with my mother and father. It is dreadful here. I try to shut my eyes of the surroundings that envelope me, and force the image of my life before this tragedy. Nothing. There is nothing to see. This life is like a virus, invading and sweeping the happy memories of my life before until there is nothing. I thought life here would be different, better somehow, but it seems that I got the contrary. Now, everything on this island makes me feel depressed. Even my own physical appearance, especially my hair; it has grown shabby and uncomfortably long. I have all grown shabby with neglect. With all the oppressive responsibility weighing down on my shoulders, I wish that the ground now would open up and swallow me down into its depth, to close me off the problems on this island, which I face. Diary Entry 2: Chapter 7: Shadows and Tall Trees This is it. A change from this place will do us all a whole lot of good. I have become so dirty and unclean over the past few months, that the conditions that I take myself for now is normal. The rest of the boys seem to take these conditions as normal too. The longing that I have for a deep, hot bath to purify my body and wrap me up in its enclosing warmth is unbearable. Every thing seemed to have been going well, but every step I take on this island to please Jack, just defines the how hard it will be, when you try to break the boys away from Jack’s spell-binding habit: Hunting. Not that I am complaining. I followed the hunters today and the view that is to be seen on the opposite side of the island is utterly different to the view that is observed from the side of which we have settled in. However, although there are spectacular sceneries that can be viewed from this island, there is no place like home. The ocean is like a thick wall, an impermeable barrier, preventing my and the other boys escape. Simon seems to think that we will leave the island eventually. But I doubt that will ever happen. Simon is so batty. Now, with Jack thinking himself chief, everything is impossible. But I have to say, I did enjoy myself at the hunt. It was breathtaking. Originally, we were meant to be hunting down the beast, but Jack suggested that we could also hunt a pig in addition to continuing our search for the beast. It was smashing! I was excited so much that I was caught up in the adventure; I threw my spear at the boar, and hit it. But I suppose it was not much of a hit; it only nicked his snout. That was the first time I took aim and I cannot believe my luck. It has to be good marksmanship. I felt so exhilarated during the hunt, as the primal appeal of killing pigs dawned upon me. At least I have something to be proud of, other than some cut by a boar’s tusks. Jack thought that it was necessary to point the wound on his left arm out to the crowd of boys. I cannot understand Jack. He has such an eccentric personality; predictable though, he would not actually change much from his self-centred self. I hit the boar but he still pays the same attention as if I were thin air. The boys are impervious too, when they are around Jack that is. It is like he has the glamour that allows the other boys to be absorbed in him. No matter how much attention you persist or demand to acquire, the power that is bound inside Jack will not give in. I tried to show the boys that I was a good aimer, even though it was my first time hunting, but it was useless, like I said. Jack and the boys were truculent when they closed on towards Robert. They started chanting, â€Å"Kill the Pig† and I guess they were caught up in their momentum of chanting, that they actually started jabbing Robert with their spears, at first in jest, then with a more dangerous intent. He was yelping so much that I though my ears would give out. Instantly, all the excitement that I had in me from the hunt vanished. I was so glad that Robert escaped their grasp. I did join them with this too. I didn’t know what was happening to me. The urge to kill was too overpowering. For all I know, we would have killed him. Jack was so self-absorbed, taking himself seriously, that he said that they could use a littlun next time to dress up as a pig, so that they can actually kill it. That was such a sick idea. They are taking a life away. The matter of life is not a game. However, the boys enamoured by Jack’s statement began to laugh. This was not funny. They had to be reminded that this is only a game. I am starting to get concerned about the increasingly violent and impulsive behaviour of the hunters. Killing the littluns is trivial compared to what these hunters are capable of. We started climbing the mountain, as evening fell, and I realized that we would not be able to get back to the beach until morning. I did not want to leave Piggy with the littluns all night. I thought it was too much responsibility for one to handle, but I suppose Piggy would not mind; he will work things out easily. But Jack did not address this concern for Piggy kindly; he mocked me about it. What good chief would he make if he does not treat the boys with respect? But luckily Simon offered to go and inform Piggy of our whereabouts. Jack was still on his frenzy of hunting a pig, in the dark. Surely he could see that it was not a suitable time to hunt, but he is so impulsive that even he will not be blinded by the darkness that encloses the island. I thought that if we hunt in the morning it would be more apposite. He does not even think twice when I speak to him. I am chief, he should listen to me as any other boy on the island does. Giving the new understanding that Piggy provided me with, and sensing the hostility from Jack, I knew that he loathed me. I asked him why but he had no answer. What would he answer if he had one anyway? I never showed him any hatred but if he wants me to play his game, I will play. He was so pressing to climb up the mountain, even though most of the hunters were ‘tired’ and, of course, afraid. It was unveiled in their eyes. At that moment I thought of going back myself too, but what Jack said obliged me to remain. He said that I was afraid. I am not afraid more than he is and he knows that, but he just doesn’t want to admit it. I was surprised that my voice actually balanced itself proportionally, so that none of my reluctance or weakness showed. I was almost motivated by it. Just moments before this, Jack was accusing me of being afraid and now he was. He claimed that he saw something bulge on the mountain. Of course, due to my newfound bravery, I agreed to search for it immediately. But while I had a mask of bravery composed on my outside, inside I was not sure of what to do. Not sure about whether I should take a step forward or backward. What to do if the beast attacks me. It was so frustrating that it felt like the anxiety was scratching my brain away bit by bit. It seemed at the top of the mountain that I was paralysed. But I realised, eventually, what I was doing this for. To show Jack that I am not scared like he claims. So I fused my hatred for him, with my will and took two steps forward. That is when I saw it. My legs gave out under me, like an involuntary reflex reaction, but a button inside triggered me to get upon my feet as quick as I can and escape. It seemed like hours had passed in those few seconds for me to get over the shock of what I had just observed. It was like a huge rock thing and it bowed, and when the wind blew, it lifted its head to reveal a ruined face. It was unapproachable. Terrifying. I realised that the horror witnessed by the littluns in words, is inconsequential, in comparison to when you view the beast yourself. I am glad it is over for now, but I have a deep feeling that this thing, beastie, will not take long to return its visit. We must get prepared. Diary Entry 3: Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness No one believes me. Even piggy. He was sceptical of the whole idea of me witnessing a beast on the top of the mountain. What angered me more is Jack’s assurance to the group of boys that the hunters can defeat the beast. But are his hunters any good when faced with a beast that even the bravery of me, Roger and Jack could not defeat? His hunters are merely boys with sticks. I was right to point this out to him; he cannot be so ignorant of the beastie. Piggy said that I should not have called his boys that, but honestly, what choice did I have! And he never left it there either. Oh no. He called me a coward and accused me of calling the rest of his hunters cowards too. What right does he have to call me that? He even said that I am not a proper chief. As if he would be better than me as chief. All he cares about is hunting, hunting, hunting, and nothing else. If this is how he wants to live his life, then I doubt he will ever have a life, since he will be spending the rest of it on this doomed island. Adding more to this, the punch from the whole of this meeting came when he put my position of being chief in a vote, between him, and me to the boys. It is so hurtful when I think about it; I cannot believe that he holds such a grudge against me, that much to challenge my position of being chief. I have not did anything wrong to him. But, I guess I should not be so surprised. It’s so Jack. Whenever he comes across something that he cannot stand, he feels compelled to sweep it out of his way. In this case, it is me. Oddly, I do feel sad and uneasy due to him leaving. I, certainly, was not expecting him to leave so quickly. Especially crying. The thought of him crying has never crossed my mind at all, even though I have been living with him for several months. It is not like him. He was always that kind of person like a rock, with his weaker feelings and emotions imperceptible, no one would have thought that he would be exposed so easily like that. Relieved that he left, Piggy and Simon seemed untouched, as if a burden has been lifted away from their shoulders. I guess they are calm now, since all Jack would do is pick on them, as they are the weaker vessels of the boys. Piggy tried to make me realise that there are potential benefits from Jack leaving, but I have this strong feeling inside me, telling me that something ominous is about to happen, resulting from this predicament. I just cannot put my finger on what is going to happen. He said that now we can start focusing on the fire more. Now that the fire has been built on the beach it may be difficult to see from far away, but at least somebody will keep it going. At least there is a trace of hope of being rescued. However, I really doubt that most of us will actually be rescued, as just after the building of the fire was done on the beach, I noticed several of the biguns missing. I did not know what to do. I felt as though Jack had taken part of me as an equipment to equip himself for evil and savagery on this island. The more I come to think about it, the clearer it becomes to me that Jack is the disruptive element and the root of destruction on this island. My authority is slipping away faster than I could imagine. Just a few months ago, I had it all, but now there is nothing left. I cannot understand the appeal of hunting if you do not attempt to be rescued at the same time. There is a battlefield of emotions warring in me. I tried to show the boys’ that I am a good chief, that I will get them rescued, but they were all oblivious to me and so left for Jack. It hurt so much that even speaking was like climbing a cliff for me. I suppose now everything is too late; everything is set in motion, I cannot do anything to change it. Maybe it would be better. We could be happier. Piggy says so. Piggy is so confident that everything will turn out to be okay, it almost scares me. We still have Samneric to help us keep the fire going, some littluns and I suppose Simon. Although Piggy and I never knew where he was, we thought that he might be climbing up the mountain. He would still stay unfazed by anything. He has cracked. With Simon, he is that kind of person that his feelings are buried deep inside him and you would have to dig a lot before reaching them. I am surprised that I never thought of Simon, in a way like this, before. You just have to listen to him to get to know him, but of course, Jack never listens to anybody or anything, so what would he know? At this point, I really don’t care who I have got in my group as long as they are with me; I need all the support I can get. I was startled by the sudden uproar in the forest. Jack, wearing just dazzle paint and a belt, was even more startling. He told us that he and his group were living across the beach, by a flat rock, where they have fun. It was kind of him to invite us to join his tribe, but I know that if I were to join his tribe, there would be no going back and certainly no hope of rescue. I thought he was about to take the conch at first, when I saw him. I mean the conch to me is still a symbol of ritual and order, and without order on this island, there would be nothing. I still do not know why that thought passed through my head at that moment. But I saw that some of his hunters did take some branches of fire. Perhaps they took it to keep warm, or even cook their latest hunting victim on. But even by how much I would like to go to eat the meat and have fun, keeping the fire going was and is still the most important task at hand. It is going to be hard to keep the fire going, and the amount of wood that we need is even harder to get. I suppose Samneric could take two shifts. But Bill appeared sceptical to the whole idea that we will be capable of keeping the fire going. He suggested that we go to Jack and his hunters feast and tell them that the fire is hard among us. Moreover, the fact that there was meat there, hot and satisfying, was enough to make us sprint to cross our enemy’s border. Even Piggy could not resist. He was ravenous. I saw it in his eyes. Every face that my gaze landed upon was burning with the overwhelming hunger for meat. No one would ever let a chance like this pass by and we weren’t going to either. The thought of food and meat was too appealing, so we gave in to our desire.

Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Porter and PESTEL) of Goldman Sachs The WritePass Journal

Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Porter and PESTEL) of Goldman Sachs Introduction Strategic Analysis (SWOT, Porter and PESTEL) of Goldman Sachs IntroductionBackgroundPolitical Factors.Economic Factors.Sociocultural Factors.Technological Factors.ReferenceRelated Introduction Background Goldman Sachs is a global investment banking, securities and investments managements   firm that provide financial services to a substantial and diversified client base, includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net worth individuals. Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman who was a German immigrant to the United State of America (USA). Mr Goldman started his business as a Major issue of short-term loan (Commercial paper) to entrepreneurs in the USA. Goldman Sachs joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 and then in 1986 the firm joined London and Tokyo stock exchanges. Goldman Sachs headquarters are located in New York and has offices in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other major financial centres around the world. Goldman Sachs has around 35,700 employees, and the firm generated a total annual revenue of   $39.161 billion in 2010.The firm is   heavily   involved in recruiting top graduates from leading business schools around the world and most of its ex-employers are holding top management jobs in governments around the World. Goldman Sachs Group in a nutshell   INDUSTRY BankingFinancial Services    REVENUE(2010) $39.161 billion FOUNDED 1869 OPERATING INCOME(2010) $12.892 billion FOUNDER Marcus Goldman NET INCOME(2010) $8.354 billion HEADQUARTERS New York City TOTAL ASSETS(2010) $911.000 billion EMPLOYEES(2010) 35,700 TOTAL EQUITY(2010) $74.257 billion Transition of the orientations 1.)   Pre-2007 Sales Orientation Goldman Sachs is a service company which was more focused on Investment Banking activities, the firm had a huge reputation of being a risk taking company and not a customer focused company. The firms senior partner Guy Levy was once credited with a companys philosophy   of being long- term greedy Endlich, L. (1999)which simply meaning that the Goldman Sachs was more interested and focused in making money   over the long term and any trading losses in the short term were never to be worried about. At Goldman Sachs customer were never been put into the centre of the companys strategy, the firm was more focused on sales and profits. Jobber explained that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A sales-orientated company has little focus on customer needs and wants, and does not try hard to create products or services that are suitable for their customers needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jobber, D. (2007) This sales strategy had put Goldman Sachs into the highlight of the media during 2007, and the firm has been heavily criticised with many financial issues, the major issue being the America’s sub-prime mortgage crisis. Despite the mortgage crisis Goldman Sachs was able to profit from the collapse in subprime mortgage bonds by short-selling subprime mortgage -backed securities. The firm initially avoided large subprime write downs and achieved a net profit due to significant losses on non-prime securitised loans being offset by gains on short mortgage positions.(The telegraph) Its sizeable profits made during the initial subprime mortgage crisis led the New York Time to proclaim that Goldman Sachs is without peer in the world of finance. As the crisis was begun to unravel the firms image and   reputation was badly damaged to the extent that an article in The Telegraph Newspaper quoting   Rolling Stone magazine   compares  Ã‚   Goldman Sachs with nothing else but   a   Vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money(The telegra 2.) Current Marketing Orientation Goldman Sachs realized that its sales approach didnt do any good for the company and there is a crucial need to focus into a marketing orientation strategy. As one of the firms partners was quoted in the Telegraph saying that: ‘Only looking back could we see the real risk, the risk of arrogance. We didn’t see it then, but it was there and it was growing. The firm was at the top. We had always been the best   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – always the top students and the best athletes and the class leaders. And now we were the best firm – in our self-appraisal. But that was the first step towards arrogance.’ (Wilson, H.(2010) The bank that thought it rules the world. The Daily Telegraph London. 19 April, pp 19) According to Jobber, D, (2007) Marketing orientated companies are best described as those which focus on customer needs and do recognize when change is needed. Goldman Sachs is currently trying hard to clean up its image and is more focused into marketing, society and ethical issues. The firm is more involved into helping and giving back to the society that it has once been involved on damaging. The firm has understood the importance of consumer right issues and it has been stressed by Jobber that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consumer has the right to expect the product to be safe, for its performance to be as   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   expected and for communication of the product to be truthful and not misleading.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jobber, D. (2007) Jobbers words above can be linked into the quote from Goldman Sachs website saying that:   Goldman Sachs as a global financial institution has understood the need to protect,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   preserve and promote human right around the world and has accepted that it is    their responsibility to bring positive impact on economic, social and environmental   Ã‚  Ã‚   challenges that are facing society today.( Goldman Sachs web site). Goldman Sachs has 14 clear operating business principles that outlined on the companys website with a slogan saying Progress is everyones business .But it has given more emphasise to its very first business principle as being the value to their client, ’our client interest always comes first, our experience shows that if we serve our clients   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   well, our own success will follow’   {After the diagram the above looked odd, so we can replace the above highlighted part with the one below, } Goldman Sachs has 14 operating business principles listed on their website. We have handpicked few of them which we think will play a very important role in their current marketing orientation. {Feel free to add/edit any principle which you think is more relevant}    Other 13th Goldman Sachs Business principles   are as follow; Our assets are our people, capital and reputation Our goal is to provide superior returns to our shareholders We take great pride in the professional quality of our work We stress creativity and imagination in everything we do we make an unusual effort to identify and recruit the very best person for the job we offer our people th opportunity to move ahead more rapidly than is possible at most other places we stress teamwork in everything we do. The dedication of our people We consider our size an asset that we try hard to preserve We constantly strive to anticipate the rapidly changing needs of our clients and to develop new service to meet those needs We regularly receive confidential information as part of our normal client relationships Our business is highly competitive, and we   aggressively seek to expand our client relationships integrity and honesty are at the heart of our business. {References for these and a better way of presenting them} NEWSPAPER   (Wilson, H.(2010) The bank that thought it rules the world. The Daily Telegraph London. 19 April, pp 19). Arlidge, J.(2009) Im doing Gods work meet Mr Goldman Sachs. The Sunday Times on line. 8 November, Visited on 12 March 2011. BOOKS Jobber D.(2007) Principles and Practice of Marketing. Mc Graw Hill. 5th edition. Endlich, L (1999) Goldman Sachs- The culture of success. Little brown Company. Section 2 – Audit of the Organization Defining Marketing Audit   In words of David Jobber- ‘ The marketing audit is a systematic examination of a business’s marketing environment , objectives, strategies   and activities with a view to identifying key strategic issues, problem areas and opportunities.’ The Aim of Marketing Audit It will provide us with an in depth view of existing marketing practices used by Goldman Sachs. It can be used as a baseline for performance measurements to maximize positive external perception. As the customers’ preferences and requirement keep on changing and so are the marketing trends, it will provide us an interim report card on the company’s performance level. It will highlight the key problem areas like Weaknesses and Threats for Goldman Sachs and can help invent strategies to overcome them by using their strengths and possible opportunities. It will help to assess the importance of macroeconomic factors by analyzing the extent of their impact on Goldman Sachs’s operating scenario. Understanding Marketing Environment for Goldman Sachs at Micro and Macro Levels It is very important that an organization considers its environment before beginning the marketing process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. The organization’s marketing environment is made up of: Microenvironment ‘It is the immediate environment that affects its capability to operate efficiently in its chosen markets’. Jobbers   Following are the main components of Goldman Sachs Microenvironment The Companies Internal Environment Goldman Sachs is extremely selective when it comes to the resources. It is a well known fact they employ the Best Brains in the Industry and their resources are claimed to be one of the main assets that the Company has, the other 2 being capital and reputation. Suppliers/Vendors Goldman Sachs believes that by broadening its supplier base it will gain access to new ideas, increase competition and receive better value for money. To qualify as a vendor to Goldman Sachs, prospective suppliers are evaluated on several criteria, including: quality products and services excellent customer service   competitive pricing   ability to assist us in meeting our business goals environmental and social impact. realising-potential.org/stakeholder-factbox/suppliers/ Customers Goldman Sachs customers include high-net-worth individuals, Corporations, Financial Institutions, Institutional Investment Consultants, Insurance Companies Multi-Employer/Union Benefit Plans, Not-for-Profit Institutions, Public Pension Funds. Competitors The major direct market competitors for Goldman Sachs include JPMorgan Chase Co, Merrill Lynch Co. and Morgan Stanley whereas; Bank of America Securities LLC, Deutsche Bank AG etc also compete with Goldman Sachs in terms of Investment Banking. The macro-environment Macro-environment It comprises of a number of broader forces that affect not only Goldman Sachs but other microeconomic factors corresponding to the firm. The components are Demographic forces/ Social/Cultural Forces Consideration of demographic changes is a commendable exhibition of business farsightedness by Goldman Sachs. A lot of vigilance and effort has been incorporated to enumerate the consequences of possible changes regarding to the population like the purchasing drifts, spending patterns, inclination towards certain specific classes of financial services. Also, Goldman Sachs strives to leverage what it calls the most underutilized asset for any country –women. â€Å"Womenomics† demonstrates how a country can unleash its economic potential – and increase its long-term growth and prosperity – by employing more women and narrowing the employment gap between men and women. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/demographic-change/demographic-dynamics-doc.pdf http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/demographic-change/womenomics-2011/index.html Economic Forces These factors would include changes in interest rates, unemployment, inflation overall economic growth and exchange rates. All these factors have a significant impact on the performance of Goldman Sachs. oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199296378/01student/additional/page_12.htm Political Forces Goldman Sachs’s close connection with the US government has been an issue of economists’ concern since the Wall Street Subprime Incidence of 2007. A Lot of employees of Goldman Sachs were appointed by the US Government at powerful posts of Treasury and Federal Reserve Players. Macro-environment (cont.) Technological Forces The technology infrastructure for Goldman Sachs is indeed sound having in view its impact on the cost and the quality of the services offered to the clients. ‘Our technology footprint is primarily driven by business growth and regulatory obligations’. Goldman Sachs is bound to use the latest technology like computers with fast microprocessors to meet the computational requirements and to provide internet based services to their clients. However, compliance of maintaining standard technology footprints is one of the major responsibilities that cannot be over ruled. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/environment/env-progress-2009.pdf Natural Forces Global Warming, Climate Changes, renewable energy issues, carbon footprint and attention to clean energy are some of the natural forces that require attention from the environmental point of view. Goldman Sachs’ Environmental Policy Framework embodies their commitment to finding effective, market-based solutions to address climate change, ecosystem degradation and other critical environmental issues, and to creating new business opportunities that benefit the environment. The above diagram shows the carbon emissions from Goldman Sachs hub offices, central offices and data centers. The firm has tried to maintain its carbon emissions in the central and hub offices. The data centers show an increased carbon emission every year, the same is accounted for elevated computational requirements and internet services for the clients. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/environment/env-progress-2009.pdf SWOT ANALYSIS GOLDMAN SACHS   ‘A critical set of steps in a planning exercise is to perform internal assessments (including an analysis of performance against previous plan) and external assessments (including an analysis of the operating environment) that result in the identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities.’ www.unisa.edu.au/pas/qap/planning/glossary.asp SWOT MATRIX FOR GOLDMAN SACHS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environmental Factors Own/Internal Factors External Opportunities   International Expansion- Emerging Markets- Cross Selling Opportunities Industry Consolidation Reduced Competition- rivals bankruptcy    External Threats Credit Market Crisis- High attrition Rates- Mortgage Issues Increase in Interest Rates Government Intervention Own Strengths -Global Market Leader, Brand Establishment-International Reach-Best Brains resource infrastructure -Innovative Work Culture -Government Support SO Strategies-International Expansion in emerging markets.-Using Government Support for Industry Consolidation SE Strategies Risk/Crisis Management Measures using the resource intellect-Security Planning against Subprime Mortgage. Own Weaknesses Concentrated in Few Key Products-High Attrition Rates-Blotted Public Image (Subprime Mortgage Fraud) Low perception of Social Responsibility OW Strategies  -Diversification of the products-Education, social investments, community involvement TW Strategies  -Increased job security for resources-Using Government support to survive the Subprime Mortgage Crisis. Strengths Global Market Leader Brand Name Being in a leading position and the brand value that it has earned in the market have brought many benefits to Goldman Sachs. Higher margins, because it charges premium prices for goods since customers perceive a higher standard of quality from companies with strong brands. -Ability to raise debt at lower cost. -Because of its established Brand Image, Goldman Sachs has a more stable business than its competitors and is more likely to acquire other businesses as opportunities. International Reach The international reach of Goldman Sachs has a big advantage over rivals especially when its clients conduct a lot of business in different countries. For instance, majority of business travellers need to access their money in another country. They prefer a bank/investment firm that has branches in that country, rather than working with a third party, which will increase they fees and lower their productivity.   Global access of Goldman Sachs means that a consumer from one country can feel comfortable banking at any of its branch across the world. Non global companies cant match these advantages; therefore, Goldman Sachs has strong advantages over rivals. Best Brains and strong resource infrastructure According to Warren Buffett, ‘Goldman has the best brains in the business.’ This statement implies that they have a better risk management, quicker and more effective action on the opportunities received and a strong market position. The recent most evidence is that even ‘Subprime Mortgage Meltdown’ case with the SEC and the new financial regulation reform has failed to dent these assets. In addition to having the best people, Goldman Sachs has a clear, well distributed corporate structure. Divisions Finance Global Compliance Global Investment Research Human Capital Management Internal Audit Investment Banking Investment Management Legal Merchant Banking/Private Equity Operations Securities Services Technology Advisory Services Insurance Strategy Global Portfolio Solutions Customized Beta Strategies Innovative Culture Goldman Sachs strives to maintain an innovative culture which effects production of new and inventive products. An innovative culture has helped in boosting Goldman Sachs’ brand value, because consumers start associating its brand name with the latest products. These products, besides providing the brand boost, have helped Goldman Sachs to stay competitive in the ever expanding markets. Possessing the best quality product in one segment directly helps Goldman Sachs to gain a better market share in that segment. Weaknesses Concentrated in Few Key Products/key clients The fact that Goldman Sachs lacks diversification is considerably risky, because if one or more of its main products collapses, then the business could face serious issues or maybe even bankruptcy. Also, loss of one client who is using multiple services of Goldman Sachs would eventually lead to loss of a considerable amount of business to it. Low perception of Social Responsibility/ Blotted Public Image As per the ranking released by Fortune, Goldman Sachs stands 7th in the Social Responsibility which depicts the fact that it undermines social cause to a large extent when compared to other aspects of business like People Management and Financial Soundness where it ranks 1st and second respectively. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2011/snapshots/10777.html The Subprime Mortgage Incidence/ SEC lawsuit against Goldman Sachs April 16, 2010, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs for selling an asset to banks whose returns depended on a group of home mortgages being repaid by home loan borrowers. The alleged fraud foundation laid in the fact that Goldman Sachs did not inform the banks that those specific subprime mortgages were recommended by another Goldman Sachs customer. And that same customer planned to bet against the same mortgages ever being paid by the home loan borrowers. The public stance for this fraud was -Hosting a poker game for your friends knowing the dealer was bringing stacked cards and not at least informing your friends of the dealer’s intention. Opportunities International Expansion Strong international presence and expansion should increase growth and profits. Expansion over abroad brings synergies to a company, because they would have a larger customer base. Expansion leads to more financial stability, because while one country may suffer economically, other countries may not have the same issues. Additionally, expansion could help a company discover synergies in marketing expenses and new ideas through experimentation that may work well in one market. Emerging Markets Demand from emerging markets is helping growth and margins. Emerging markets create new opportunities to expand products from the developed world. Paper products, computer services and other industries will all benefit as emerging countries increase demand for industrial and agricultural products. Cross Selling Opportunities Goldman Sachs has many related business lines; they have the opportunity to cross sell to consumers who arrive for one specific need, but leave with many different products and services. Cross selling is particularly lucrative, because it will allow Goldman Sachs to earn extra money from consumers without having to specifically target them with advertising or other promotional material. Explanation Consolidating Industry Goldman Sachs provides advice on a diverse range of strategic transactions, including mergers, sell-side and buy-side advisories, leveraged buy-outs, joint ventures, strategic alliances, anti-raid and raid defenses, fairness opinions and spin-offs, split-offs, divestitures and other restructurings. Goldman Sachs has been offering its merger advisory services since 1997. Some of its major instances are listed below -: Altria,  on its spin-off of  Philip Morris International  ($113bn), 2008 Pfizer, on its acquisition of Wyeth  ($64bn), 2009 Schering-Plough, on its sale to  Merck Co.  ($46bn), 2009 http://www2.goldmansachs.com/services/advising/mergers-and-acquisitions/products-and-expertise.html Reduced Competition after Wall Street Collapse Reduced competition from an economic slowdown and competitor bankruptcies should increase the profit margins of all firm who avoid bankruptcy. Less competition means higher prices and more money for remaining competitors. Include any journal reference for this incidence Threats Credit Market Crisis ‘Goldman Sachs had slumped into the red and its effort to defy the credit crunch had been futile. It revealed a fourth-quarter loss of $2.12bn ( £1.38bn) today. It still achieved a $2.32bn profit for the full year to November, but this was sharply lower than last years $11.6bn.’ guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/16/goldman-sachs-loss The credit market crisis increases the cost of borrowing for financial firms. This increasing cost lowers margins and decreases the free cash flow to shareholders. As free cash flow rises, so does the value of the firm. If costs are high, then loan growth slows down and further weakens cash flow for the business. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/global-economic-outlook/perspectives-on-market-conditions.pdf Risk of High Attrition Rates High attrition rates can be a problem, especially if Goldman Sachs’ best talent is leaving for other opportunities. Employee attrition means a company must go through the expense of hiring new employees, training those employees, and finding the right niche for them in an organization. When these employees move to other firms, they take their knowledge and expertise with them. Mortgage Issues Though Goldman Sachs managed to escape the Subprime Mortgage Crisis,   still the potential threat of losses on outstanding mortgage obligations could force bankruptcy and a government takeover. This means that the existing equity investments in the Goldman Sachs will stand worthless. Mortgage loans are not worth what was paid for them, but their value remains uncertain in the market. Apart from increasing uncertainty risk for the company, they also increase the discount rate applied to future cash flow. Thus the net value of the stock is reduced. Sharp Rise in Interest Rates A sharp rise in interest rates (most likely to stop inflation) seriously damages the profit margins of businesses like Goldman Sachs that rely on raising money to finance their expenses. A rise in rates would most likely hurt the financial sector, which profits from borrowing money at low rates and lending it out at higher rates. PEST ANALYSIS PEST analysis stands for ‘Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis’ and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing market research, and gives an overview of the different macro environmental factors that a company has to take into consideration Political Factors. The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. US Government and Goldman Sachs – 1-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There can be no doubt that Goldman owes its uncanny success as much to its political connections as to its financial acumen. As long as that remains the case, Goldman will doubtless remain on top, to the perplexity of those who fail to grasp the significance of the Goldman Sachs-D.C. pipeline. Only by restoring the wall of separation between Wall Street and Washington, forcing investment firms like Goldman Sachs to stand or fall on their own merits, can America’s financial sector shake off the taint of political cronyism that men like Sidney Weinberg were happy to encourage. thenewamerican.com/index.php/economy/sectors-mainmenu-46/4025-the-government-and-goldman-sachs 2-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the New York Times explained last October, the presence of Goldman Sachs alumni in virtually all of the top government financial posts is so great that their team is dubbed Government Sachs. The New York Times pointed out that Goldman alums include: Former treasury secretary Hank Paulson Paulsons bailout chief Neel Kashkari Interim Treasury investment officer Reuben Jeffrey Key Treasury players Dan Jester, Steve Shafran, Edward C. Forst, and Robert K. Steel Key New York Federal Reserve players Stephen Friedman (head of the New York Fed board of governors, who sat on Goldmans board and owned a substantial stake in Goldman while he was making official decisions) Head of the New York Feds unit that buys and sells government securities William C. Dudley and E. Gerald Corrigan (charged with convening a group to analyze risk on Wall Street) http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2009/04/does-goldman-sachs-rule-world.html Economic Factors. For a firm like Goldman Sachs which focuses on international marketing, the marketers need to consider the state of a trading economy both in the short and long-terms. 1.) Implications of Inflation in US and UK -The investors belief in US is that unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus can lead to US Dollar depreciation and higher inflation. In the United Kingdom, the investors fear that the bank of England’s reluctance to raise the interest rates might act as a catalyst for inflation. Inflation is the greatest concern when we talk about investments like pension funds and related endowments. Current Goldman Sachs strategy for these countries- Inflation Linked bonds Inflation linked bonds, also termed as ‘linkers’ are high quality securities issues mostly by governments that provide income and total return which adjusts itself to keep up with the inflation rates. Inflation-linked bonds, such as US Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) and UK inflation-linked Gilts, can help hedge this risk because their principal is adjusted to reflect changes in inflation. Following is an illustration of how inflation linked bonds will provide the return, taking principal amount of 100 million Dollars. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/gsam/docs/instgeneral/general_materials/primer/reference_guide_to_inflation-linked_bonds.pdf Implications for unemployment   The impact of unemployment on the performance of Goldman Sachs can be understood with a simple example that if any firm is running at its full capacity, there is more pricing power for business. If there are no unemployed workers, Goldman Sachs will have to pay more to hire a worker away from someone else, often called ‘Poaching’. So far, Goldman Sachs has been quite accurate in its predictions regarding the unemployment scenario. Below are the illustrations. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/gsam/docs/fundsgeneral/general_education/economic_and_market_perspectives/wp_economic_outlook.pdf 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Long-term prospects for the economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita    The Goldman Sachs Commerce Department timely reviews the current economic environment, tailwinds that could support the recovery and potential risks for the economy. Then it provides a summary of our projections for the economy in the coming year. Sociocultural Factors. The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country. It is very important that such factors are considered. Factors include: Investing in a clean energy future Each of our businesses has an important role to play in furthering market-based solutions to meet the environmental and societal challenges we face. To encourage the responsible flow of capital, have a positive impact on the communities where our clients and we do business, and drive attractive returns for our shareholders, we look for opportunities to invest in and finance transactions that have social and environmental benefits. We take the same disciplined approach to these investments and market opportunities as we do with our traditional investments and markets: all must meet the interests of our clients and generate long-term value for our shareholders. The guidance provided by our Framework helps us to evaluate market opportunities across our business activities and areas. Since the inception of the Framework in November 2005, we have invested nearly $3 billion in clean energy, providing critical funding that these emerging industries need to ramp up and achieve the economies of scale that will help them become cost-competitive. In 2009, we: Significantly expanded our investments in solar energy with the acquisition of Sunray Energy, Inc., through our subsidiary Cogentrix Energy. Sunray owns and operates Solar Energy Generation Systems I and II (SEGS I II), the first two utility scale solar trough plants in the world, which have a capacity of approximately 43 megawatts and deliver electricity to Southern California Edison. We are in the process of implementing a capital investment program to retrofit and upgrade the delivery capability that will enhance the efficiency and reliability of Sunray’s solar installations. Signed a power purchase agreement to construct and operate a wind project in Puerto Rico. The power plant will have a capacity of 50 megawatts. Continued to develop run-of-river hydroelectric projects. As a result of the ongoing developments, we recently completed our first run-of-river hydroelectric generating plant that has 23 megawatt capacity. Three additional run-of-river hydroelectricity projects are under development totaling 165 megawatts. Continued to actively pursue solar development projects in the southwest U.S., which have enabled us to put into an advanced stage of development 120 megawatts of solar energy as of mid‑2010. Increased our investments in solar photovoltaic cell manufacturers Suniva and SpectraWatt, building on our initial investments in 2008. Became a founding member of the Green Exchangeâ„ ¢ venture, which trades environmental futures, options and swap contracts for markets focused on solutions to climate, renewable energy and other environmental challenges. This new exchange offers effective and innovative financial tools to consumers, industrials, project developers, investors and others who wish to participate in these developing markets. This builds on earlier investments that aim to build market infrastructure for environmental commodities, such as APX and Markit. Technological Factors. Technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Managing technology footprint Goldman Sachs takes a multifaceted approach to sustainability with our technology, a significant component of their operations. Our technology footprint is primarily driven by business growth (the need for more computation) and regulatory obligations. In response, we have adopted three principles that help us make commercially sound decisions while minimizing our environmental impact. 1. Influence vendors to provide products and approaches that reduce or maintain levels of energy consumption and/or increase utilization, including: Lower energy-demand computer chips. V irtualization software for increased utilization. We also encourage companies to invest in virtualization to foster market competition and increased functionality. Denser, high-performance disks. More efficient network switches and increased use of PoE (Power over Ethernet) technology. 2. Influence engineered solutions that maximize resource efficiency: Encourage hardware manufacturers to reduce system-wide energy use. Encourage more energy-efficient hardware designs, such as variable speed fans and power systems that distribute resilience at appropriate levels. Work with established and start-up vendors to develop functionality to support the management of technology capacity across compute farms, extending the capability of our global server footprint. Increase the use of employee-owned remote-access technology (handheld, home office or laptop) for corporate purposes through investment in Software as a Service, desktop virtualization and enterprise security. Make significant investments in our virtual desktop infrastructure to:  » Reduce power and cooling needs.  » Reduce the need for dedicated remote access servers, workstations and laptops for Business Continuity Planning.  » Increase trading floor seating density to reduce the overall number of floors and associated power costs. 3. Drive internal behavior to incorporate sustainability firm wide by: Defining a system architecture that significantly increases utilization. Designing a Holistic Data Center that minimizes energy requirements at any given level of business function. Reducing server purchases and related energy consumption by using the contingency of our server farms to offset ad hoc demand, managing their capacity to maximize utilization and applying an upgrade-in-place philosophy. Including space and energy consumption in the managed costs of our servers. Implementing a structured server reuse program, instead of automatically discarding old servers and upgrading to new ones COGENTRIX-   generating power more efficiently Cogentrix is a Goldman Sachs subsidiary and a US-based independent power producer. As of 2009 year-end, Cogentrix had minority interests in 13 power plants and full ownership in four plants. The portfolio consists of a balanced mix of power facilities, including highly efficient gas-fired combined-cycle, rapid-start peaking, solar thermal and more efficient coal-fired power plants. Together these plants have a total generation capacity of approximately 3,350 megawatts. http://www2.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/environment/env-progress-2009.pdf Analysis of the Marketing Mix Marketing’s purpose is ‘the achievement of corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs and expectations better than the competition’ (Jobber, 2007).   Goldman Sachs is classified as a company whose services are directed at intangible assets (Lovelock, 1983). The service industry augments the marketing mix, the tool used in achieving customer satisfaction and competitive advantage, above the traditional 4p’s of Product, Price, Place and Promotion with People, Physical Experience and Process.   An effective marketing mix should be well blended; matching customer needs with corporate resources and create a competitive advantage.   We will identify, describe and evaluate Goldman Sachs’ effectiveness in key areas as they relate to our own internal and external audit. Spotts and Weinberger (2008) identified that corporations with high brand evaluations are more susceptible to publicity, both positive and negative.   This publicity has a direct effect on the Corporate Brand Opinion and the Corporate Reputation.   Fortune (2011) magazine lists Goldman Sachs in the top 50 most admired companies.   Therefore, the negative publicity Goldman Sachs received in the wake of the global financial crisis should cause some concern for the effect on its corporate reputation.   Being referred to as a ‘vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity’ is not a sign of positive brand opinion. Analysis of the Marketing Mix (cont.) Goldman Sachs long standing company and brand history allow it weather the effects of the crisis well.   However, they have not ignored the potential problems of continued bad publicity and have launched a new set of marketing efforts in response.   On Fortune’s list, Goldman Sachs was top two in their industry in all categories (innovation, people, global strategy, etc.) except for social responsibility, where they ranked seventh out of ten.   Their new marketing efforts specifically target this deficiency and encompass key pieces of the marketing mix, while meeting corporate goals. Product Goldman Sachs has changed its product offering to include more socially responsible initiatives.   They have expanded their core competency of business advising to include environmental markets and their core competency of asset management to include emerging markets.   In addition, Goldman Sachs has opened a range of services in the United States under the heading ‘Citizenship’.   These services include investment and development for women and small business owners, respectively titled the ’10,000 Women’ and ’10,000 Small Businesses’ initiatives.   The company also no longer offers securitised derivatives in the United States. Environmental Market Services Traditionally, marketing using the environment has been primarily in the manufacturing industries.   Recently, there has been a gradual shift in emphasis of green advertising from business to consumer buyers (Leonidou and Leonidou, 2009 ) placing a higher importance on service firms like Goldman Sachs to respond to the pressures from government and other stakeholders. Goldman Sachs Environmental Markets Group deals with all facets of environment and business.   They invest in clean energy companies, trade in environmental commodities, offer environmental advisement, and insure their own company meets environmental standards. Goldman Sachs also has a set of guidelines they use for every deal or transaction they undertake.   These guidelines are referred to as the ‘Environmental Framework’.   The first line on that section of the website states that ‘a healthy global environment supports the growth of economies and communities’.  Ã‚   We note that economic growth is listed before communal growth. Effective marketing must meet company objectives.   The new products in Environmental Markets align with the corporate slogan ‘Progress is Everyone’s Business’ and meet the corporate objective of wealth building through effective investment.   Our concern is that while these services are designed to increase Goldman Sachs corporate reputation, they do not directly address the true reason for the low scores in social responsibility.   Goldman Sachs complicity in securitising predatory mortgages and subsequent complacency after realising the financial dangers is why the public rates them as an irresponsible company.   We recommend that in addition to the offer of environmental advising services, that Goldman Sachs install new metrics to rate the effectiveness in public opinion of the firm. Asset Management Emerging Markets Goldman Sachs has begun expanding their asset management business into emerging markets such as India and China.   In the United States, giving economic assistance to these nations is a common way of appearing socially responsible.   However, while assisting newly developing countries with investment advising is seen as culturally helpful, Goldman Sachs new services are targeted only at the wealthiest individuals in the country. Product (cont.) Asset management is most easily described as full service investment advice.   Goldman Sachs efforts are primarily focused on reaching out to current advisors in the emerging markets, and training them on Goldman Sachs products and services.   This type of expansion is much different than investing in the regions. In our analysis, we identified wealth management and global presence as strengths for Goldman Sachs already.   Therefore, while these new services are useful for Goldman Sachs to increase profit, they do little to address the weaknesses or threats that the corporation faces.   We recommend that they continue to offer asset management in emerging markets, but do not consider them an effective part of their new marketing strategy.   One of the key definitions of a service firm is that the product is variable.   This variability needs to be carefully controlled when dealing with foreign markets.   We caution Goldman Sachs to be cognisant that investment regulations may be looser in emerging markets and to maintain their focus on being cautious and responsible with customer’s investments. 10,000 Women Goldman Sachs has taken a recent interest in changing their male dominated employee and customer image.   They have increased the number of female Managing Directors by 12% from 2001 to 2009 (Fortune, 2011) and have begun an investment and education initiative in woman owned businesses in the United States and around the globe, referred to as the ’10,000 Women’ programme. 10,000 women is a five year initiative that combines business investing with education.   Goldman Sachs has partnered with 70 academic and non-profit organisations to provide education and funding to women in business.   It reflects an overall corporate commitment to diversity and support of economic growth in underappreciated markets. The 10,000 Women initiative directly addresses the weaknesses we identified of not having a diverse product set.   Though they are reaching a different demographic than usual, they remain in line with the company objectives of investment and progress.   We recommend that Goldman Sachs continue the 10,000 Women programme. 10,000 Small Businesses Growth in the small business sector has a direct positive effect on the overall economy.   Over 60% of all new jobs in the United States are in small businesses (U.S. Economic Census, 2007).   In a similar initiative to the 10,000 Women (both under the ‘Citizenship’ banner), Goldman Sachs is also investing heavily in United States Small businesses. Product (cont.) The 10,000 Small Businesses program includes several dimensions.   It includes investment in local academic institutions for practical business education to the selected owners.   It also includes Goldman Sachs directly providing capital to the approved small businesses to help them grow and develop.   Goldman Sachs will also offer advising to any small businesses that are a part of the initiative in order to help them maximise profitability. 10,000 Small Businesses diversifies Goldman Sachs product offerings as recommended in the SWOT Analysis.   Also, small businesses account for 64% of the layoffs in the current recession (U.S. Economic Census, 2007) so these services directly affect a demographic that was negatively impacted by the credit crisis.   In addition, it also follows the Goldman Sachs corporate objectives.   We recommend they continue with the 10,000 Small Businesses. Goldman Sachs lists the 10,000 Small Businesses and 10,000 Women under the category of ‘Citizenship’.   This category is primarily made up of philanthropic initiatives.   However, neither of these measures is purely philanthropic as there is an expected return on the investment that Goldman Sachs is making.   It is confusing to consumers when a service product is listed with the charitable causes.   We strongly recommend that Goldman Sachs move these two programmes under the title of ‘Services’ moving forward so they are not falsely misinterpreted as charities. Securitised Derivatives One of the largest culprits in the recent financial crisis was securitised derivatives that were financed with sub-prime mortgages (New York Times, 2007).   Goldman Sachs was an active trader in securitised derivatives and as we looked at before, their participation is the main reason for their low image of corporate responsibility.   By no longer offering securitised derivatives in the United States (they are still available in some EU countries, though presumably not financed with sub-prime mortgages) Goldman Sachs is directly changing their service offering to be more socially responsible.   Bloomberg (2010) is concerned that Goldman Sachs is only changing this publicly as a way to clean its image.   We recommend that Goldman Sachs continue to be responsible in their investments and not offer high risk investments in the United States. Summary Goldman Sachs has effectively developed several products that address the weaknesses we identified.   If these services are carried out in a responsible way and conform to our recommendations, they will have a net positive effect on Goldman Sachs overall corporate image.   However, if this new product set is treated merely as a quick image fix, their effectiveness will be lost and the impact could potentially end up more negative than before. Promotion In conjunction with their new service products, Goldman Sachs has also changed the way they approach promotion.   We know that a traditional promotion mix includes advertising, internet/interactive marketing, publicity or public relations, sales promotion, word of mouth promotion, and personal selling.   A successful Integrated Marketing Approach aligns all these communication efforts with corporate goals (Schulz, 2004). New Campaign Prior to 2010, Goldman Sachs relied almost exclusively on word of mouth and personal selling because of the nature of their products.   In September of 2010, they launched a new campaign utilising more traditional mass media.   They launched their first television, magazine, newspaper and online advertisements. According to David Wells, spokesman for Goldman Sachs, the new campaign is ‘expanding our communication to a broader audience in an effort to promote a better understanding of who we are and what we do’. From this, we can infer that their advertising objectives are to create awareness and correct misconceptions. Print, Television, Online The newspaper, magazine and online advertisements are all focused on the new service product in the Environmental Markets.   They feature a field of wind turbines juxtaposed with a man in a hard hat.   The headline is the aforementioned slogan ‘Progress is Everyone’s Business’ and a description of how investments in clean energy lead to job creation.   The message appeals to the feelings and emotions as well as the logical, rational minds of consumers. The television advertisement however, is completely different in tone.   It appeals primarily to the feelings and emotions.   It features artistic, black and white shots of men and women in various outdoor scenes punctuated by a clear ball with a glowing interior.   The voice over mentions concepts like, ‘security’, ‘heart’ and ‘focus’.   The ad concludes with a call to visit the Goldman Sachs website. The Goldman Sachs website functions as part of the promotional mix and is designed to feature further detail on all of their products and services.   When first logging on to the website, the first page says ‘Progress is Everyone’s Business’ and features links to what Goldman calls ‘Stories of Progress’.   These stories are about investments that revitalised urban areas, or helped launch small businesses. Also on the website, a customer can view extended video advertisements describing the ’10,000 small businesses’ initiative, or read a vivid brochure about ’10,000 women’ on their micro sites.   The Environmental Markets micro site gives a full description of all their services as well as links to Case Studies and Environmental Reports on the company for each year. Promotion (cont.) Summary and Recommendations Goldman Sachs developed these new campaigns as part of a revamped promotional mix in an effort to create a better understanding of who they are as a company.   The campaigns are focused around the new products and are designed to increase public and ultimately brand opinion.   We feel that independently, each campaign has strengths.   The print campaign effectively promotes their new product diversity and appeals to consumers in multiple ways.   The television advertisement is striking and designed to stand out amongst the noise.   It also rightfully drives people to the website.   The Goldman Sachs website is informative and entertaining, creates a strong brand image and promotes the new products in an easy to navigate layout. However, successful integrated marketing aligns all three of these.   The print and television advertisements are disparate and unrelated.   The print ad does not support website traffic.   The primary weaknesses that we identified in our SWOT analysis are a lack of product diversity and poor public image.   Goldman Sachs has created the diverse and socially responsible products, and we recommend that their promotional campaign highlight those particular products in an integrated way.   The television, print and website should all highlight the Environmental Markets, ’10,000 women’ and ’10,000 small businesses’.   If they are all aligned and designed in support of each other, it will help inform consumers about these products and create the awareness, correct the misconceptions and ultimately raise the Corporate Brand Opinion of Goldman Sachs. People Because the customer and the service provider must interact for the service to happen, the customer satisfaction is mostly dependent on the service provider (Fisk, 2008).   Ã‚  Therefore an essential ingredient to any service provision is the use of appropriate staff and people. Recruiting the right staff and training them appropriately in the delivery of their service is essential if the Goldman Sachs wants to obtain a competitive advantage.   Tierney et al (2003) stated that ‘the best service companies understand that their people are their only products’. Consumers make judgments and deliver perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with. Employees We identified Goldman Sachs employees as one of their top strengths in our audit.   According to Fortune (2011), Goldman Sachs has an unusually thorough hiring process that may include up to ten interviews.   The recruiting stresses creativity and teamwork.   We also previously noted that Warren Buffet referred to them as the ‘Best Brains’ in the business.   In addition, most of Goldman Sachs’ 14 business principles are focused on the handling and diversity of its people. Goldman Sachs places an emphasis on employing people who will reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which it operate. According to Vault/InRoads Guide to Corporate Diversity (2010), they engage in minority outreach programs, providing scholarships for university and business school students, and diversity leadership training for its current employees. At this point, it seems that Goldman Sachs continues to effectively recruit, train and hire.   It’s important that they maintain the ability to employ the best people, but we see no current threat to them losing their hold on the top personnel in the United States financial services industry. As part of the inseparability of service provider and customer, Fisk goes on to say that customers are often a co-producer of the service rendered.   Therefore it is paramount that Goldman Sachs engages the diverse people that their new service products are designed for as those customers are critical to the success. Customers We believe that Goldman Sachs has effectively segmented the consumers most in need of their services and developed investment and education products to suit their needs.   For example, the company initiated a group of women dealing with small businesses with the aim of raising a shared economic growth.   From the ’10,000 women’ micro site: ‘Investing in women is one of the most effective ways to reduce inequality and facilitate inclusive economic growth. Investing in education for women has a significant multiplier effect, leading to more productive workers, healthier and better-educated families, and ultimately to more prosperous communities’.   Ã‚  As long as they continue to reach the right people, they will successfully increase the perception of corporate social responsibility. Place, Process and Physical Evidence The service setting and service process are less important in Goldman Sachs business than product, promotion and people.   Yet it is important to note that the place, process and physical evidence have changed in accordance with the new products. Order Takers Goldman Sachs place used to be unknown to most of their customers.   The service process took place over the phone or email.   At the rare times that a customer needed to meet face to face, they would physically go to a Goldman Sachs branch. As they have launched a new product and promotion effort, Goldman Sachs has also changed the place, process and physical location that they do business.   There is a much larger element of pro-active selling than there was before. Client Engagement As a part of the new initiatives, Goldman Sachs service providers are spending more time engaging clients face to face.   The Environmental Markets campaign requires representatives from Goldman Sachs to visit every business they are considering investing in or advising.   The 10,000 Women has Goldman Sachs employees giving seminars and participating in outreach programs to encourage attendance in the academic pieces of the initiative.   10,000 Small Businesses is similar in the fact that it now requires Goldman Sachs employees to actively seek out small business investments.   In addition, the company’s overall service process has transitioned more to meeting customers as opposed to phone sales. The transition from order taker, to outside sales firm is one that we completely support.   If Goldman Sachs truly wants to engage the consumer and increase its Corporate Brand Image, meeting customers face to face is an important step.   We have already established the advertising goals are to create awareness and correct misconception.   We have also established that in a financial services company, the only product is the people.   Therefore, we strongly recommend that Goldman Sachs continue to meet customers face to face whether through client visits or mass seminars.   Having their people communicate the advertising message is an example of putting the most powerful resource behind their biggest need. Reference Leonidou, C. and Leonidou, L. (2009) Research into environmental marketing/management: a bibliographic analysis. EuropeanJournal of Marketing, 45 (1), pp. 69-103. Spotts, H. and Weinberger, M. (2010) Marketplace footprints: connecting marketing communications and corporate brands.   European Journal of Marketing, 44 (5), pp. 591-609.

Dangers of Communication Technology Essays

Dangers of Communication Technology Essays Dangers of Communication Technology Essay Dangers of Communication Technology Essay Dangers of Communication Technology What can a parent do when they have a teenage son or daughter who texts while driving at 87mph? Or they were talking to an online predator? What could a parent do to prevent something from happening? Many people have cell phones and internet and there are positives but there are also dangers and because of that there are prevention strategies to protect people. There are many positives to having communication technology but at times the disadvantages are too severe to cope with. Before being capable of coming to a decision people must first learn the background of were something is coming from. According to Steinhauer and Holson text messaging first took off in Japan because it was much cheaper than making a phone call and since then the usage of cell phones to text message has increased. Text messaging may have first taken off in Japan for money reasons but in the United States it’s just more convenient. In 1999, about one in three people had cell phone subscriptions compared to 91% of people in 2008 (Wilson and Stimpsonn). In a span of about nine years the use of cell phones has increased to about 9 in 10 people having cell phones which can only mean that their needed for whatever reason or its popular to have one . In â€Å"Internet World Stats†, the population of the United States was 310,232,863 in 2010 and 77. 3% of the people had internet meaning 239,893,600 people. Although the world may not revolve around internet it is still a part of a lot of peoples’ lives. Although this paper is about the dangers of communication technology people cannot deny that there are positives. In â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet† the top two advantages of the internet is communication and information. The ability to being abled to communicate with anyone who has internet has made the earth a â€Å"global village† and it is also a â€Å"treasure trove of information† (Pakhare). More advantages to the internet are entertainment, services such as online banking, and E-commerce to handle business deals (Pakhare). People having internet can watch movies, play video games, or watch videos as well as being abled to take care of important matters such as business, pay bills, and go shopping where you can do it in the comfort of your own home which just makes peoples’ lives easier. According to â€Å"Cell Phones and their Positive Effects on Youth† by Lisa C. Baker the positives to cell phones is communication, safety, engagement and education. Cell phones give people the ability to communicate with people over a distance like if a student needs help with homework he/she can ask a friend or say there’s an emergency, the person can just call whoever they need which just leads to helping people communicate better, education, and being safe under whatever circumstance. Now that positives are done the next thing up is the dangers of communication technology or more specifically in this paragraph, the dangers of texting. According to â€Å"As Text Messages Fly, Danger Lurks† by Jennifer Steinhauer and Laura M. Holson in June of 2008 in the U. S. 75 billion texts were sent compared to 7. 2 billion texts in 2005. This just goes to show that people texting has increased drastically over a two year period and can lead to numerous problems like people multitasking to text while driving or while walking across the street. The problem with texting while driving is that it is a visual distraction, a manual distraction, and a cognitive distraction according to Sandy Spavone the executive director of the National Organization for Youth Safety (Elmasry). The thing is that when driving while texting the person glances down even if they’re not going to respond, takes their hands off the wheel to text, and their taking their mind off what they are doing which could easily lead to an accident. Texting while driving has led to deaths increasing from 10. 9% to15. 8% from 1999 to 2008 but injuries have decreased from 26% to 22% and people texting while driving are twenty-three times more likely to crash( Wilson and Stimpson). An injury decrease involving accidents caused by cell phones can only mean that the accidents have become more fatal which resulted in the increase of deaths. Texting has led to numerous deaths and why? Because it’s dangerous to text. Aside from the dangers of texting there are also dangers involving the internet, primarily child predators. Kids don’t think of the internet as something everyone sees and they write things they would never tell their parents and that’s aside from being completely trusting too (Cohen). Since online predators hunt in places like Facebook and MySpace the most vulnerable kids are easily found with their problems out there for everyone to see and they’re just too trusting in believing people are who they say they are. First predators compliment you, they get your trust, but it’s not sexual at first but over time they push a little bit, and then fall back, then they push until it’s completely sexual and after that comes the final push: a suggestion to meet (Cohen). Predators are clever in choosing the most vulnerable kids and using what they posted to become their friend and what more could an insecure kid want, although they should know better from parents drumming it into kids’ heads about never talking to strangers, than a person who’s nice and wants to be their friend online? To hide their identity the most common thing is lying about their age, claiming to be younger than they actually are and to hide their locations they use other peoples’ Wi-Fi connections or use proxy servers (Hoover). To hinder predators from hiding their locations people need to make sure that they have a password for their Wi-Fi connection and there’s just no way to verify someone’s the age they claim to be short of meeting the person so people need to be wary of who they meet online. Child predators are dangerous people and their choice of weapon is the internet. Child predators are not the only people who use the internet as a weapon and they are called cyber bullies. On the internet victims of cyber bullying has no idea who the bully is and because of that they look at everyone as if they’re the enemy (Hahn). Bullies use the internet to stay anonymous and to play mind games with their victim which will ultimately lead the victims to become sick. The physical effects of cyber bullying is developing eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia, having a tendency to harm themselves, attempted suicide, and a mental state of hating who they are (Tanith). Most people have insecurities and the bullies pick, pick, picked at their victims’ knowing full well that they were hurting their feelings. The mental effects of cyber bullying is a low self esteem, give up seeking higher appraisal, think of themselves lowly, treat others the way the bullies treat them, depression, and their anti-social (Tanith). Not only have the bullies made the victims hurt themselves physically but they also hurt the victims’ mental state which will take longer to heal than any physical wound would. Since the internet and cell phones aren’t that safe people have come up with prevention strategies. According to Fernando Wilson and Jim Stimpson the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has called for a ban on handheld cell phones while driving. Obviously the problem of texting while driving has attracted the notice of company owners and they’re trying to help by discouraging people from texting while driving and building cars with Bluetooth wireless technology. To prevent a distraction while driving people need to start using hands-free devices, always focus on driving, and expect the unexpected (â€Å"Driver†). All people have to do is pay attention to what you are doing like it’s your favorite subject in the world and to just not get distracted because the consequence is an accident. According to â€Å"How to Stop Internet Predators† to protect children from child predators people need to know how internet predators work, install parental control software in all computers, teach children how to avoid them, and to create awareness. If these things go undone children are unsafe in their own homes while being on the internet because their parents don’t know a thing about how to protect them. Samantha Hahn states in her Congressional testimony that bullying experiences used to be swept under the rug but now there’s state laws on bullying that require all the schools to have an anti-bullying policy and consequences for bullies. Now that schools have consequences for bullies hopefully that will discourage other people from becoming bullies and mentally scarring their victims. What a parent can do when they have a teenage son or daughter who texts while driving is talk to them, tell them what could happen, and buy him/her a Bluetooth device. If their kid is talking to an online predator alert the police and hopefully they’ll be abled to catch him/her. What a parent can do to prevent something from happening is learn about what you’re dealing with and create awareness while their kids but it’s not always going to be enough. Communication technology has its ups and downs but it would seem that the disadvantages have too many consequences that hit a little too close to home. The best possible way to help is to create awareness and report things that may be suspicious and who knows maybe soon after child predators will give up because no one falls for their tricks, bullies have no victims because people ignore them, and everyone has a Bluetooth device to avoid accidents.