Kpis to Measure Sales Force Essay Example for Free

Kpis to Measure Sales Force Essay Sales Force of a company is often called the face of the company because they are the ones who actually face customers on the behalf of their business. And in terms of an insurance company, the sales force would be considered an important aspect of the business. Therefore, the need of effectively managing the insurance sales force also rises in importance. Effectively evaluating the performance of the sales force is necessary to figure out the loopholes in the performance and to devise ways to improve their efficiency. The nature of business is what makes an insurance company differ from other businesses around. Specially trained and motivated sales force is what required is in this form of business scenario where the customers are smart enough to bargain terms and where the competition in the insurance industry is immense. KPIs can be used to provide a holistic view of the business and with regard to Insurance Sales force Management. These can be categorised in four perspectives- financial perspective, operational perspective, customer service perspective and education and training perspective. Financial perspective comprises of KPIs like annual salary, incentive as percentage of salary, etc. This is to take care of the financial standing of the organization. Operational perspective represents KPIs such as percentage of renewed policies to the number of policies sold, percentage of policy lapses or missed payments, etc. This helps in conducting operations in a streamlined manner. Customer service perspective includes KPIs like number of referrals generated from customers, number of customer focused products developed, percentage decrease in customer complaints, etc. This angle works in making the organization build reputation and minimize losing customer base. The last perspective, Education and Training perspective talks ab out KPIs number of training sessions, number of motivational sessions, etc to ensure that the sales force is not leaving any stone unturned in achieving the targets. One of the most prominent challenges this industry has to encounter is the high attrition rate hinting at the very high professional pressure one has to go through. This in turn calls for implementation of as effective performance management system as possible. Balanced Scorecard is the measure that is dependable enough to combat such situations. This helps in creating a win-win scenario. The next hurdle to be faced is the concept of the task itself. There are a whole lot of verifications to be done before any funds are released when any claim is made. This requires clear strategy formulation from the organizational point of view. This is to further assist in laying down the goals, measurements and targets.

The Rivalry Between India And Pakistan History Essay

The Rivalry Between India And Pakistan History Essay If there were only two men in the world, how would they get on. They would help one another, harm one another, flatter one another, slander one another, fight one another, make it up; they could neither live together nor do without one another. Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary, 1764. INTRODUCTION 1. The South Asian region, which includes states of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has long been significant in world affairs. It is a region of great racial diversity with innumerable cultures, languages, and religions. No other region in the world possesses such unique distinctions and characteristics. India has common boundary with all other six states of this region, but no other country has a common boundary with each other. So India is assumed as the core of the South Asian system. This geo-strategic reason has made India a regional power. 2. Throughout history, South Asia has faced many wars. In the 8th and 12th century, Arab and Turkish Muslims took over the control of this region from Hindus fighting many wars. Religion and expansion of territory were the main causes of those wars. Then came the Mugals in the 15th century and fought innumerable wars for establishing control and expanding their territory. In the 17th century the British came and gradually took over the region through numerous wars in establishing their colonies. Though Nepal was the only the nation that the British Empire failed to colonise. Then the people of this sub-continent started their movements for independence against British Imperialism inspired by nationalism. Ultimately the British had to leave the region in 1947. 4. After India becoming independent, this region also faced different conventional and unconventional wars. There were four conventional wars fought in this region: between India and Pakistan in 1948, 1965 and in 1971 and between India and China in 1962. There were many unconventional wars in this region: Sikh, Naga, and Mizo problems in India, Baluch and Sindh problems in Pakistan, Chakma insurgency in Bangladesh, Tamil insurgency in Sri Lanka, and Maoist insurgency in Nepal; etc. Interestingly, India is assumed as one party of this conflict within this region directly or indirectly. 5. South Asia, the most poorest region of the old utilising their budget mostly in other sector like defense and solving conflicts instead of in the development sector. In the case of Nepal, she is also using a good amount of budget in the peace process and conflict management. CAUSES OF WARS IN SOUTH ASIA 6. Study of the conflicts in South Asia shows that the numbers of conventional wars are less in number and in severity than the unconventional wars. There were multifarious causes of wars in South Asia. No single cause was directly responsible for any war or conflict in this region. The causes of wars in South Asia in general are discussed in the following paragraphs. Consequence of the Cold War 7. Since independence of the countries of this region, it has been an arena of clashing interests and economic, political and diplomatic competitions of the major powers. But those powers did not engage themselves in direct large-scale military confrontation. For all the countries of South Asia, large and small, relations with the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China are extensive and of great significance. 8. In 1947 India established good relation with USSR. In 1949 Pakistan also established good relation with Soviet Union as a result of Indias relation with USA. A Cold war was introduced in this region when Pakistan joined South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) in September 1954 and the Baghdad Pact in September 1955. India and Pakistan both took the chance of strained relations between the two super powers due to the cold war. In this context the USA supported Pakistan and the USSR supported India. India and Pakistan both received Military aid worth of billions of dollars from these two super powers. Pakistan also established good relation with China to counter India and was supported substantially. 9. It can easily be deduced that in addition to heavy economic assistance, vast quantities of military supplies flowed into the sub-continent, which led to the endless arms race between India and Pakistan since independence. Nuclear tests by both the countries in 1998 were a clear example of the severity of the arms race between these two countries. Also both of them were competing as a nuclear country that they made nuclear tests one after another. The arms race between India and Pakistan and the role played by the major powers due to the cold war situation were responsible in leading to the Indo-Pakistani wars (in 1965 and 1971). These were also responsible for the border war between India and China in 1962. India Factor 10. Geo-strategically India has a greater advantage than other states of this region. This region is Indo centric, which is unique in the world system. Geographically, economically and population wise India is largest country in this region. India occupies 72% of the area of this region and bears 77% of its population. She also generates 78% of the gross national product of this region. So India is known as the regional super power for South Asia. Its assumed that India was the one of the participants of all conventional and unconventional wars fought in this region directly or indirectly. 11. India is in advantageous position to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries of this region. Study of insurgencies and communal violence in this region also proves that it is India, who directly or indirectly helped the militants. Involvement of India can be clearly understood in the Tamil crisis in Sri Lanka, the Chakma crisis in Bangladesh, the Nepalese exiles; etc. 12. India as a regional power always wanted to dominate the region. She also wants to limit the influence of outside power, upon her neighbours, as she takes into account her neighbours as an integral part of her security. India was always sensitive about the presence of extra-regional power in South Asian politics. Rise of Sub-State Nationalism 13. The South Asian region is one of the most populous areas in the world. There are numerous communities in this area who are from different religions, tribes, and speak in different languages. Since the primitive days there were conflicts between the communities. In a multi-racial and multi-cultural society when a particular group of people establishes domination over power and hampers equal distribution of resources and other amenities, trouble starts within a country. Indians fought their British rulers as one entity, but once near the freedom they were split and become two countries as Pakistan (Muslim majority) and India (Hindu majority). Lately in 1971 West Pakistan also separated as Bangladesh (Bengali majority). Most countries within this region were/are facing internal conflict; e.g. Maoist problem of India in some states, Tamil problem of Sri Lanka, Maoist and Terai problem in Nepal. 14. In present context the Janajati leaders of Nepal are uniting for a caste system state. Madhesi parties are uniting for Terai demanding one Madhesi state. Far western people say that they need a undividable far eastern state and some demand Tharuhat, Limbuwan, Tansaling, Tamuwan, Newa State; etc. This shows the rise of sub-state nationalism. Not only Nepal, but most of the South Asian countries are facing this sort of problem; e.g. Gorkhaland state fighters at Paschim Bengal India. Neo-Colonialism 15. Nowadays the concept of domination by capturing the land physically is almost over. Today powerful states try to exert their influence on less powerful states by neo-colonizing them; i.e. by controlling them economically as well as politically. Market domination is one of the major measures for neo-colonizing other states in this age. India always wanted South Asia as her secured market for industrial as well primary products. She is almost successful in achieving her purpose, only Pakistan is in a challenging position. Rivalry between India and Pakistan 15. South Asian conflicts revolved basically around the traditional and endless conflicts and rivalry between India and Pakistan and their respective relationship with other states of the region. The roots of the conflict are complex and can be traced back to the demand for a separate homeland for the Indian Muslims. The organizing principles of the two states are different; one based on religion and the other on secularism. This has affected their internal politics. They also have disputes over territories, have mutual suspicions and distrust. At present a situation of low intensity conflict is prevailing between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. But it is not expected to achieve anything bilaterally due to the nature and state of relations between the two; also the stalemate over Kashmir is likely to continue for an indefinite period. 16. The nuclear tests by both the countries in 1998 have further complicated the situation. The conflict between India and Pakistan is too emotional. They are also lacking sophisticated command and control system for nuclear weapons. All these might spark an accidental nuclear war between these two countries, which may have spill over effect on all other countries of the region. Poverty of South Asia 17. This region is the most poorest in the world. Every Nation bearing this problem because of bad governance, internal conflicts, corruption; etc. Per capita income of all nations is low and GDP is also low. Because of poverty, living standards of the majority of the people within this region is horrible. Some of the internal conflicts of the region are just because of poverty; e.g. insurgency in Nepal, Maoist problem in some states of India; etc. Conclusion 18. Causes of wars varied with the changes of world systems in different ages. In the primitive days people used to fight wars for very simple causes. But with the technological and social advancement these causes have become complex and multi-dimensional. Today the contemporary schools of war divide the causes into two groups. Sometimes the State itself becomes the cause of war. Nationalism also considered as a major cause of war. Role of special interest groups in a state cannot be ruled out both in developed and under-developed countries. 19. The South Asia region has long been significant in the world affairs. Throughout the history this region was the focal point of the western interest, which caused many wars. These ranged from minor irritants and non-violent disputes to full-scale wars since the World War II. So far four conventional wars were fought in this region of which three were between India and Pakistan. 20. Poverty within South Asia is one of the most challenging problems in the region. Boarder disputes, rivalry between India and Pakistan, sub-state nationalism are also the problems for this region which may cause wars. Solving this problem requires good leadership in each nation, regional cohesiveness and far sight vision of regional leaders is necessary.

The Production Of Goodfellas Film Studies Essay

The Production Of Goodfellas Film Studies Essay Goodfellas is based on a book called Wiseguy written by Nicholas Pileggi. Martin Scorsese is the director to goodfellas and at the time never intended to create another gangster mafia film until he read a review of the book which in fact was the inspiration behind reading it in the first place. Scorsese was always fascinated by the mafia lifestyle and the book Wiseguy was in his opinion the most non-fictional representation of a mafia crew he had read. He knew what kind of approach he wanted to take after reading Pileggis book. He wanted to begin with an explosion of violence and have the movie get faster and more violent from then on. From his point of view, it was the only way possible to really sense the exhilaration of the fast passed lifestyle and also to portray the attraction allot of people find in that sort of lifestyle. Scorsese was drawn to the idea of the book Wiseguy being written as a documentary. It gives you a sense of the day to day activities the mafia crew used to get up to. The way they operate, how they take over businesses and for what reasons. It took twelve drafts to reach the ideal script which Scorsese and Pileggi both collaborated on. The script itself was put together like building blocks made up of sections of the book they both liked. The traditional narrative structure was not followed because Scorsese wanted to rather start in the middle of the film and move backwards and forwards. Another movie called Pulp fiction directed by Quentin Tarintino also uses this same sort of narrative structure. Scorsese wanted to deal with the gangster movie episode by episode. This is how the movie has been shot throughout. After watching the movie for about an hour, the viewer will realise why the director has done this. It is so the viewer can put the movie together in their heads. In the movie there is also a voice over to give a sense of documentary. To give a sense of one s own opinion and in this case it is Henri hill that is telling you what exactly happened. Scorsese was able to secure the money to create the movie once actor Robert De Niro agreed to play Jimmy Conway in the movie. Robert De Niro was a very well know high ranking actor in Hollywood and this was a sense of security for the financiators. Scorsese casted actor Ray Liotta to play Henri Hill in the movie but only after he saw him in Something Wild directed by Jonathan Demme and thought he had allot of explosive energy in that movie. Liotta had read Wiseguy and was really intrigued by the realism of the book. A couple of years later it was brought to his attention that Scorsese was going to turn it into a film. Iiotta auditioned for the part of Henry Hill in 1988 and campaigned aggressively for the role in the film. It is rumoured that the studio wanted a well known actor instead. To prepare for the Jimmy Conway role, De Niro researched material that had been discarded when the book was initially written. This was only done after De Niro consulted Pileggi first. De Niro also consulted the real Henri hill about the real Jimmy Burke. He wanted to know how Burke walked, talked, held his cigarette and so on. This type of research put in by De Niro let him give an exceptionally realistic portrayal of the real gangster Burke. Ray Liotta would listen to old FBI audio cassette tapes of Hill when practicing his character for the movie. He took note of the way the real Hill would speak and would listen and mimic the way he would speak to slowly condition his speech the same way Hills was. Lorraine Bracco who played Karren in the movie wanted and tried to get as close as possible to a real life mafia wife to get an idea of what that sort of character would be like. She was unfortunately unable to analyse any offer her real life subjects because they exist only in a very high tight-knit community. In her opinion it was better if the creation came from her. Paul Sorvino didn t have much of a problem when portraying his character Pauli in the movie. However it is said that he found it challenging to really show how cold hearted and ruthless the real life character could be. In his opinion this was only achievable when his own family were threatened. The real Henry Hill was paid about five hundred thousand a couple of weeks before the actual filming for the movie took place. The film was shot in New York, queens, New Jersey and Long Island over a period of three months in the summer. Scorsese had a budget of twenty five million dollars to create the masterpiece but in those days it was still a mid level budget movie. The film was broken down into many different sequences and Scorsese storyboarded everything because of the complicated style throughout. It is considered that he wanted a lot of movement and wanted the gangster action to be throughout the whole picture. In the movie the style seems to break down at the end and gets out of control when approaching Henry Hill s last days as a wiseguy. It is also considered that the style of the film comes from the first two or three minutes of 1962 French film Jules and Jim directed by Francois Truffaut. The quick edits, freeze frames, extensive narration and local multiple shots are a ll tools used in the making of goodfellas. It was this reckless attitude towards the conventional sort of filming that encapsulated how hectic and frantic the characters lives within the movie were. When watching the movie from start to finish it is evident that Scorsese vision was to overwhelm the audience with as much information as possible. Gangster life is very rich so he put a lot of detail into each and every scene. Many times in the movie it would freeze and Liotta would voice over the freeze frame. He used these to highlight a point in Henrys life. The scene where Joe Pesci kills spider for talking back to him was a hard scene to do in Pesci s opinion because he had a difficult time relating to the real person the character was based on. He had trouble justifying the action and the only way he could get around that was by not judging his character and putting himself in Tommy s shoes and making himself feel the same way his character felt. The scene where Lorraine Braco was about to shoot Henry Hill in the face on the bed was an emotional one. Many times in the movie her character is portrayed as an abused wife surrounded by crime and violence. Her portrayal of a gangster s wife was again a description of how seducing it can be by getting involved with a gangster like Henry Hill. It is said that if she did not make her work important then it would probably end up on the cutting room floor taking into account it was a male dominated cast. During some of the rehearsals Scorsese let the actors do and say whatever they wanted to for that particular scene. He made transcripts of various sessions and then whenever an actor came up with a good line he would use it in his revised script that the whole cast worked on. An example of this is the what so funny scene where Tommy tells a story about getting beaten up by the cops and Henry responds by calling him funny. This scene was based on an actual event that Joe Pesci was involved in. The actors worked on it during the rehearsals and Scorsese took around four to five takes, one a little bit different to the other. He then rewrote both of theirs dialogue and inserted it into the script. All of this gives a very convincing portrayal of what gangsters were really like because at the point of shooting the scene, the actors are themselves the character they are acting. The lighting used in the scene is a little dark and mysterious. A lot of red lighting is used which almost gives a sense of danger which relates to the fact that the room is full of dangerous gangsters. There was one long tracking shot that followed Liotta and Lorraine from outside the Copacabana nightclub and followed them right through the whole nightclub until their characters sat down. The shot was over three minutes long and captured many different aspects of Henry s life as a gangster. It shows how Henry has his whole life ahead of him and how much of an important figure he had already become. The scene does a great job at portraying Henry Hill as a celebrity and to highlight the respect people have for him. The scene is a metaphor on how seducing the high profile gangster life can be. Scorsese shot this scene about eight times because he wanted it to be exactly perfect. Near the end of the movie Scorsese wanted to properly show Henry Hills state of anxiety, paranoia and all the racing thoughts going through his head due to the amount of drugs in him like cocaine and amphetamines. It was a hard shoot to do because in real life Ray Liotta had never been under any of these influ ences. The scenes were shot perfectly and really encapsulate the hysteria behind his characters out of control life at the time. As if to show the characters life was spinning out of control and getting faster every step of the way until one day he hits a brick wall at full speed. The movie was ended with Henry regretting that he no longer was a gangster. Scorsese wanted the movie to end like this because he was trying to engage with the audience. He wanted the audience to get angry at the character and also at the system that allows this sort of thing. The movie showed a cold, unfeeling and horrible view of the mafia life style where all the bad guys are good. That is why the name itself is called Goodfellas, another variation of wiseguys, mobsters and gangsters but at the end of the day their all the same meaning. The violence in the movie was depicted realistically as possible with the added detail of freeze frames and voice-overs. It was a documentary type of movie based on true events which is also highlighted right at the beginning of the movie. Scorsese s directors cut had so much blood in the uncut version of the movie that he had to remove around ten very short gruesome scenes just to ensure an R rating. Goodfellas was Scorsese s most expensive film to date which cost him twenty five million to make. It was shown a couple of times in California where some of the viewers got a little agitated by the portrayal of Hills last day as a gangster in the mafia because of the way it was shot. Thelma Schoonmaker was the editor for th e movie and together she and Scorsese made the sequence faster and faster with a lot more jump cuts to convoy Henry s drug fuelled point of view. When Scorsese did a test screening, about forty people walked out in the very first ten minutes however the favourite scene for test audiences happened to be the what s so funny scene which later ended up being the most remember able scene of the movie. The soundtrack was chosen by Scorsese and he really wanted to use the right kind of music that commented the scene or the character in an oblique way. He did have a rule for this and it was basically to use music that was around at that time. For example, if a scene is in nineteen seventy three then he could use any song or type of music that was current at the time or older. A lot of the non dialogue scenes were shot with just music or a particular song and he even had a song called Layla by Derek and the Dominos playing in the background of the actual shot when shooting the scene where all the dead bodies are discovered. The premiere of Goodfellas was held at Venice Film Festival in 1990 where Scorsese deservingly was awarded the Silver Lion award for best director. It was then released all over the world starting in America and eventually grossing forty seven million which was almost double the amount of money he had put in. There was much critical acclaim to the movie where it scored top scores on review sites alike. Rotten Tomatoes is a movie review website and they gave this movie 97% also commenting on it calling it great cinema. When watching this movie you can t help but notice the outlaw energy vibrating off every second of the flick. When analysing this movie, it is considered to be one of the most picturesque portrayals of the mafia gangster life styles however in my opinion it comes second to the realism portrayal of the Godfather trilogy with the first one released in 1972.

Attention Deficit Disorder Essay -- Health, Diseases

After a long day of hard work, I was exhausted and really hungry; I hear my stomach making weird noises. I grabbed the keys from the kitchen's table and put my sweater on. I decided to eat something fast but healthy. While I was driving to Wendy's, I was thinking about my order: a large salad, with a large orange juice and bowl of fruit. I was waiting for my turn when I saw Suzy, one of my old friends from high school, she was on the first table with the cutest, adorable, talkative and charming girl I ever seen. As I was approaching her to said hi, I hear this little girl screaming six times on top of her lungs â€Å"HOT DOG!† then she pulled the mat off the table, spilled the water in the table and threw the silverware to the waitress. I was in shock, I couldn't believe that this little girl was capable of doing this scene in front of many people. Everyone keeps looking at her and I hear them murmuring â€Å" What's the matter with them?† â€Å"What kind of mom is she ?† or â€Å"Why they can control that little girl?†. I saw her face of embarrassment, she quickly asked for the bill and left. I felt bad for her but I was wondering why this little girl acted like that. Is it really bad parenting? Or a more serious problem? After I while I discover about this disorder called ADD ( Attention Deficit Disorder), but what causes this disease, what are the symptoms, or what is the treatment? Attention Deficit Disorder or also know as ADD has been called in different forms and terms but synonymously ADD is called ADHD ( Attention Hyperactivity Disorder) but speaking in medical terms they differentiate in many ways. â€Å" According to the DSM-III both types involve difficulty with attention† (Phelan 13). In one hand ADHD can be described as a disorder with att... ...mad at you and to feel like you haven't been let in on the secret. Get in a support group. It is helpful for you and your children to understand that you are not the only one living like this. Never, never give up!! There are some valuable lifelong lessons to learn.† (Hallowell 12) And the most important Attention deficit children need help because they can succeed in social areas if extra help is provided for them. â€Å" Whatever the case, the ADD child needs to be attended to. He or she should not be written as lazy, stupid, or badly behaved. With the proper intervention, the ADD child can be helped.† (Woliver 48) There are parent support groups as well as family therapy. ADD can be considered as a family matter because the relationships are strained or breaking down. This therapies help them to avoid blame and check what problems have caused this.

AIDS, Prison, and Preventative Medicine: :: HIV Jail Violence Rape Papers

AIDS, Prison, and Preventative Medicine The word "prison" conjures up thoughts of a dark and deviant subculture, living in a chaotic and destructive environment out of the sight and mind of mainstream America. Hollywood has skewed our views of prisoners, painting them as a seemingly irreparable subclass of humans that are only further downgraded and downtrodden by prison lives filled with violence and rape. Certainly the life of a prisoner is tough, and violence is inevitably present in prison systems where gangs frequently play a prominent role in social organization (Conover 2000). However, misconceptions regarding prisons are numerous, and such misconceptions play an important role in how the AIDS problem in prisons is viewed. For example, one of the most vivid, if not widespread misconceptions surrounding prisons are the stories of forced sexual activity and gang rapes—a view likely to lead an outsider to suspect that little can be done to prevent transmission of HIV among prisoners. In reality, this aspect of prison has been overdramatized and overemphasized, perhaps as a deliberate effort to amplify the purported deterring effect that the threat of a prison sentence has on crime. In fact, Ted Conover reports in his first-hand account of the infamous Sing-Sing, one of New York's most troubled maximum security prisons, that while "prison rape still occurs in New York and elsewhere," by far the most common type of prison sex, "after the autoerotic, is certainly consensual." He goes on to say, "I would even guess that, at least at Sing, sex between officers and inmates is presently more common than forcible sex between inmates" (Conover 2000). Such an example is a prime reason why prison officials, p oliticians and the general public alike need to focus not on the stereotypes of prison behavior, official codes of conduct, and expected or even legal behaviors, but rather what is actually occurring behind prison walls—illegal or legal, for better or for worse. If rape isn't as widespread in prisons as the average moviegoer might be willing to believe—at the very least, it certainly isn't an everyday occurrence—and prisoners are not allowed to have sex or use drugs, then can one expect to see lower incidences of AIDS in prisons? NO! As Conover's statement indicates, much of what goes on in prison isn't "supposed" to take place. Prisoners have sex with each other—most often consensually, but in some instances forcibly—and even with guards; they take drugs, both injecting and non-injecting; they get tattoos; they participate in fights that often involve the shedding of blood.

Invention of the Internet Essay

Technology has also been a part of our daily lives. The implementation of technology influences the values of a society by changing expectations and realities. New inventions of technology are usually created to simplify life somehow. One of the greatest inventions in the last hundred years is the internet. The ever expanding internet has revolutionized the way Americans live their lives. The internet has a major impact on society and our culture. The internet has completely broken down the borders that our ancestors had. With the internet, everything that we could possibly want is at the click of a button. People can instantly instant message and video chat will people half way across the world. People now work from home, shop from home, do everything they possible want from home. But if people do not have access to the internet they cannot compete is this new global market place of unending ideas. In the beginning, when the internet first came into play America’s were startled and amazed by the possibilities of communication that the World Wide Web brought. He web is mainly a way that brings people together to communicate. The web is a layer of system upon system (Bowell). The Web is a continual ongoing process. It has never stopped replicating itself or processing since the first day it began. However, even though there many different systems on the web, no website is subject to special rules. The internet has become a sensation all over the world and more people use the internet than in other time in history. The internet has been a huge economic boom to our country. We now live in a global market. With the help of the internet, businesses can reach customers worldwide. Many businesses now have websites where customers do not even have to visit the store to buy their products and these companies want your business. The internet has a huge selection of items to purchase online. More people use the web to shop than ever before in history (bowell). Online shopping is the process whereby consumers directly buy goods or services from a seller in real-time over the internet. (wiki re) A majority of consumers choose online shopping for a faster and more efficient shopping experience. For customers, shopping online can mean less time traveling and lower cost. Many stores offer special sales and discounts to customers who order online. Also, traveling to the store means that customers can only go during business hours whereby ordering online is more convenient for their schedules. Conveniently, many stores online are available 24 hours a day. Online retailers have seen tremendous jumps in their online earning potential (bowell). Of course there is also disadvantages to online buying. One big disadvantage is the customers concern of how unease it would be to return the item. The customer is not absolutely positive that the item they are buying will satisfy and meet their expectations. Sometimes, returning an item can become a hassle and have to wait long periods of time to actually get the item in hand. Since the customer cannot see the merchandise they wish to purchase customers are at higher risk of fraud buy ordering online. Of course, a major concern of consumers is identity fraud. There have been many cases where hackers break into a web site and can steal a customers personal information. One unexpected disadvantage that comes with online shopping is the amount of trash that consumers produce. The more items that people purchase online, the more boxes and packaging they have to throw away. This past Christmas, New York show a 20 percent increase in paper recyclables with a parallel increase of 25 percent of online sales. The biggest buzz about the internet is social networking. One of the main uses of the internet is for relationships. The internet has revolutionized the way that people communicate with our friends and the world. People used to write letters and sent them off then waited even weeks to get a reply. Now a days, people communicating instantly through instant messaging, video chat, face book and e-mails. We can communicate instantly with people all the way across the world. Social networking sites have people set up their own personalizes profile that is just about them. (These sites help fill in the gap) These sites help everyone stay more in touch with their friends and family. Social networking seems to make the world smaller by bringing everyone together. It helps us realized the way other people live and the cultures that they have (elliot). The social networking that is in place now more closely mimics face-to-face conversation than e-mail. We are no longer restricted to rely on people in our neighborhood, church, or workplace to provide the interaction we desire (Hoover all). Social networking services expand the pool of people we have the opportunity to meet to near limitless possibilities (Hoover all). A very new popular fad that has become normal to Americans is online dating. More and more people these days are finding their partners online through dating websites.

Starwood Case Study

Since India has a growing hospitality market they don’t have as many resources available which poses many problems for entrants into the market. Starwood plans to introduce the aloft brand into the untapped Indian hospitality market which creates a huge question mark as to whether or not there is a market in India for the economy brands. The skilled labour market is very slim in India, making it difficult to hire the right type of service oriented employees. The cultural differences will also prove to be a challenge for Aloft. Aloft is a brand that isn’t well known throughout the international market let alone the domestic markets in the United States and Canada. Many people traveling to India who are traveling internationally will be looking for brands that are familiar which may pose a threat to the success of the Aloft brand in India. Situational Analysis Strengths India offers huge demand for any hotel company looking to build rooms. The domestic market is growing exponentially and the government is replying by fixing roads to make travel easier (Simona Terron). Weaknesses Finding skilled labour has shown to be difficult in India and the adjustment to more westernized businesses will prove to be a challenge for locals. The infrastructure in India is still pretty bad even though the government is trying to fix the roads. Domestic travelers are used to the roads but foreign travelers will find it very difficult to navigate through the cities. India’s social unrest will be a hurdle that must be overcome in order to stabilize the economy as a whole. If the government isn’t strong, foreign travelers will steer clear of India. Opportunities The open sky policy created in 2008 opened up travel from India to the UK. The sky travel industry has grown 25 %, creating a huge opportunity for the service industry in India (The Financial Express). Threats While India is growing, there are many other companies that want to ride the wave. According to the case Accor has plans to add more than 5,000 rooms to their portfolio in India. There are also many Indian hotel brands that plan to expand. Alternatives (See Appendix) Alternative 1: Creating training seminars that locals can attend will help Starwood create a labour pool that is more attractive Alternative 2: Implementing policies that embrace cultural differences will help ensure the success of the Aloft brand in India Alternative 3: Introduce the Four Points by Sheraton brand instead of Aloft as this is a brand that is already recognized internationally. Alternative 4: Instead of introducing the Aloft brand, Starwood should implement a management business model in India. Analysis of Alternatives (See Appendix) Alternative 1: No risk involved, 100% return on investment. Starwood will gain a competitive advantage as they will have a better pool of applicants to choose from. Alternative 2: No risk involved, 100% return on investment. The Aloft hotels much implement ways to overcome the cultural barriers they face in India. Alternative 3: Moderate risk involved, 100% return on investment as the risk is met with a huge demand for economy hotels in India. Alternative 4: Moderate risk involved, 100% return on investment as this business model has worked in similar markets. Recommendations Starwood has a huge opportunity to penetrate the Indian hotel market and they are not doing so in the right way. Introducing the Aloft brand into India may be successful for a while just on the basis that there is a huge demand for rooms but this advantage is not sustainable. Once more hotels penetrate the market; Aloft will be pushed to the side as it just doesn’t fit in the Indian market. Starwood should introduce the Four Points by Sheraton brand as it is a more internationally recognized brand. Since the management business model has worked for Intercontinental Hotels in the Asian market, Starwood should do the same in the Indian market. Whether or not Aloft is the brand that Starwood chooses to introduce in the Indian market they will need to train potential employees. Starwood needs to offer training seminars for locals to attend in order to train them for service expectations. Starwood will also need to find ways to overcome cultural barriers in India. I mplementation Implementing the training seminars and the cultural embracing policies in the hotels will require human resources. These alternatives will only take a few weeks to implement and a small amount of funding for incentives. Introducing Four Points by Sheraton and looking at the management business model will need a large amount of capital that, according to the case is already available. The implementation of these two alternative can be done in the same way Starwood was going to introduce the Aloft brand into the Indian market.