Participate in work environment (childcare) Essay

Participate in work environment (childcare) - Essay Example This exposure has helped me adjust to different personalities to achieve harmony in my relationships. 2. rapport-building skills – in relation to the first skill, I have learned to build rapport with people when I meet them for the first time. With children, I have also learned of strategies to help them feel at ease with me and new situations. - upon learning of the information, I shall disclose it to the trained child worker right away. If the center’s policy is for Aunty Sue to show proper identification, then it has to be validated by the authorized supervisor What would your response be to these three problems? Use the problem-solving steps from the unit to assist you in answering these problems. Refer to Summerville Children’s Centre policies and procedures. (a) We have had three parents collect their children after closing this month. All have been about 20 mins late. Late shift staff are getting tired of the unpaid overtime and the ramifications for their night when they are now late for their after-work roles. First, I need to consider the facts. There have been instances of parents picking up their children late form the centre, causing some staff to extend their time at work just to watch the children. The children are likewise upset for being the only ones left in the centre. Such a situation is undesirable and needs to be addressed and resolved. Much as I understand that there are times parents will be late, it is unacceptable to make it a habit. I will explain the situation to the tardy parents and recommend that in the next likely event that they will be late, they should inform the centre beforehand so the staff in charge will be able to plan an alternative schedule. The staff worker may agree to wait for a certain period. If the parent will not come on time, then that will be a point against him or her and the centre will warn the parent that enrolment privileges of the child may be revoked due to habitual tardiness

Consumer Buying Behavior And Decision Making

Consumer Buying Behavior And Decision Making Recent research discovered that consumers are just likely to make purchase and to be influenced not only by relatives and peers, by endorsers but also by attitudes, situations and emotion (Olsen et al., 2007). The process of consumer decision making can be viewed as three well defined stages namely the Input, the Process and the Output as shown below (Schiffman, 2005). The Input Stage influences the individuals recognition of a product need and consists of two main sources of information which is the firms marketing efforts in term of its price, promotion, location of the retail outlets and the second source is the external sociological influences on the consumer which includes family, friends, neighbors, social class amongst others. The Process stage emphasizes on the way consumers make their decisions. The psychological factors built-in each individual like motivation, perception, learning, personality and attitudes which affect the way external elements from input stage affects the consumers recognition of a need, pre-purchase search for information and evaluation of alternatives. The output stage comprises of two related post-decision activities namely the purchase behaviour and post-purchase evaluation. A low-cost and non-durable product may be influenced by the manufacturers coupon and may actually be a trial purchase. The consumer evaluates the product through direct use. For a relatively durable product such as a laptop, the consumer decision-making model is examined in greater depth (Schiffman, 2005). 2.1 Factors influencing Consumer Buying decision 2.11 Cultural Factors In a sense, culture is a societys personality (Wayne, 2008). According to Hawkins (2009), culture is defined as the sum of total learned belief, values and customers that serve to direct the consumer behavior of members of a particular society. Individual are brought up to follow the beliefs, values and customs of their society and to avoid behavior that is considered as taboo. (Graham, 2009). Overall societies are segmented into subcultures. The sub-cultural divisions are based on nationality, religion, geographic locality, race, age and sex. 2.12 Social Factors A reference groups are groups that serves as frames of reference for individuals in their purchase or consumption decisions. Indirect reference group consist of groups with whom a person does not have direct face to face contact, such as movie stars, TV personalities, sports heroes or even interesting-looking people on the street (Graham, 2009). An individual who has little or no experience with a durable product is more likely to seek out the advice or example of others (Solomon et al., 2009). When consumers are concerned with obtaining accurate information about the performance or quality of a product or service, they are likely to be persuaded by those whom they consider trustworthy and knowledgeable (Hoyer et al., 2007). Appeals by celebrities and other reference group are used very effectively to communicate with their market. For many consumers, their family is their primary reference group for many attitudes and behavior. The members of a family assume specific roles in their everyday functioning, such roles or tasks extend to realm of consumer purchase decisions. 2.13 Psychological Factors Psychological factors arousing within individuals relatively drive general behavior of consumers and thus affect their behavior. The main influences on consumer behavior are personality and self-concept, motivation, learning and perception (Sorensen, 2009). 2.14 Individual Factors Demographic variables are individual characteristics which consist of occupation, sex, income, origin, ethnic, race and age (Kanuk,1999). 2.2 Organizational Buying Behavior The decision making process by which formal organizations confirm the need for products and services to be purchased, consider and select among alternative suppliers and brands (Glavee, 2009). (Hutt, 2009), as an outcome of the vast area of prior research, proceeded the characterization of the industrial buying behavior divided into three major aspects: The Buying Process, The buying Centre and Factors influencing the buying centre. As Kelly (2007), the buygrid model is a conceptual model, which describes the different combinations of buying phases and buying situations. It incorporates three types of buying situations: (1) the new task, (2) the straight re-buy, and (3) the modified re-buy, combined with eight phases in the buying decision process. The model serves as an easy framework for visualizing the otherwise complex business buying process and enables the vendor to identify the critical phases and situation requiring specific types of information. 2.3 The Buying Centre As Hutt (2009) mentioned, companies do not buy, people do. It is of utmost importance to have a concrete knowledge about those involved in the buying decision making process of the goods or services that a vendor aim to sell. It has been indicated that many individuals are pertained in the buying process of industrial goods. 2.4 Roles of the Buying Centre members Buyers are known to assume some common roles in a buying process (Wind, 1967). These roles are classified into six groups which are shown below. Initiator is the one or group of individuals who become aware of a company problem and recognize that the problem can be solved via acquisition of a product or service. The influencers are those who have a say in whether a product or service is bought or not. The more critical a purchase is to companys business, the higher the number of influencers. Gatekeepers usually act as problem or product experts. They have information about a range of vendor offerings. Other buying centre members therefore rely on their information for their assessment of prospective vendors offerings. Thus, by controlling information, and, by having access to decision makers in the firm, the gatekeepers largely determine which vendors get the chance to sell. Deciders are those who make the actual purchase decision. For instance, they say yes or no to what vendors offer. The buyer is one who makes arrangements for the delivery of the goods. He is also often directly involved in negotiating the conditions under which the transactions will be made. Users are those who usually make use of the products in normal working process. 2.5 Factors influencing the buying process and the buying centre Different attributable influences that affect the buying process and the buying centre previously addressed ( Nielson, 2008) : Aspects influencing the buying process Brief description Organizational Technology, goal, task, actors, structure. Interpersonal Formal authority, persuasiveness Personal Status, politics, ethics. Environmental Physical, economic, technological, legal, political and cultural. 2.6 WOM in Consumer Environment Word of mouth is about disseminating information by verbal communication, particularly references including general information in an informal or person-to-person approach. Word of Mouth is usually regarded as a verbal communication, although web dialogue, such as, message boards, emails and blogs (Olson et al., 2010). 2.7 WOM influencing consumer buying behavior WOM is considered to be of utmost importance in shaping consumers attitudes and behaviors. Silverman (2011), studied the diffusion of technology products and concluded that the pattern of ownership may be justified by the presence of an effective network consisting of neighbours exchanging product information. Songe (2006) pointed out that WOM is the most essential source of influence in the purchase of technology and household goods. It is three times effective as radio advertising, newspapers and magazines. 2.8 Characteristics of WOM WOM can be seen as positive as well as negative (Jantsh, 2010). Negative WOM arose when consumers gather information on lack of service, high prices or impolite sales personnel. PWOM is a reference to the passing of positive information. Scharffer (1998) indicated that dissatisfied customers made complain twice than when they are satisfied. Goodman (2009) justified that the services recovery programmes, service guarantees and complaints process affect the direction of WOM. WOM is considered to be an unlimited activity to consumers. The WOM activity can be perceived as a function where the individuals with whom the organization and its employees come into contact like the customers, suppliers, competitors, the general public, or other stakeholders (Misner, 1999). Throughout a decision making process, WOM may be employed at different stages. WOM can be used before or after a purchase. The use of WOM in a pre-purchase stage is referred to as input WOM and Output WOM is issued after the purchase (Assael, 1997). The effectiveness of WOM is far from being unnoticed. Some organizations regard customer WOM as one of the most strong marketing tool (Wilson, 1994). According to Scharffer (1998), marketers attempt to directly influence opinion leaders, incite WOM communication in advertising or depict communications form opinion leaders. 2.9 The Nature of WOM Nail (2002), distinguished three main types of WOM communications in an evaluation on personal influence in buying technology products namely product information, private experience and recommendation. Product information is informing about the product such as benefits of the products. Private experience includes explanations about reasons for purchasing the product. Recommendation refers to point of views about the product. These categorization implies that WOM attends to inform and to influence. Product news, for example, is efficient in bringing awareness about a product and its features. Listening about the experiences of the product from a friend help the consumer in evaluating the absolute merits of one brand or another. Eventually through the perceptions of others, advice is essential in making the purchase decision stage (Solomon et al., 2009). 2.10 Opinion leaders and followers According to Rosen (2002), mass media messages are caught and disseminated by opinion leaders. He also pointed out that mediated communication are circulated to opinion leaders who disseminate it through WOM to their peers. This in turn exert some influences. According to his theory, opinion leaders are present in all groupings of society and may be persuasive on specific topic (Songe, 2006). Lois (2007), could not differentiate between followers and opinion leaders. In his research, he inclined to talk of influencers rather than opinion leaders. He pointed out that influencers are active information searcher, more dependent and more innovative. The follower is active and may ask for information as well as considering opinions of others Those who diffuse information are also likely to receive it which denote that opinion leaders are also followers and vice versa. Wilson (1994) has certified that there is a dominance of personal influence in decision making. In his study, Hutt (2009) added that people who received positive WOM about a new product were more likely to purchase it rather than those who received negative WOM. The powerful effect of WOM is linked to various factors. There are situations where consumers referrals are perceived as being more rational and reliable than commercial sources of information (Rosen, 2002). Dialogues with either friends or relatives tend to be friendly and can help for trying out certain behaviours. Potential consumers of a particular product can acquire some of the product experience by searching for someone who has acquired recent experience with the product (Silverman, 2011). 2.11 Importance of WOM in service sector Good service is essential to promote positive WOM. Consumers depend largely on personal communication with other customers since their experiences are regarded as a trial (Goodman, 2010). Wilson (1994), in turn found that services consumers choose to search for reference from relative and peers rather than promotional sources. Customers are skeptical. They do not believe anymore about what they see or hear. (Kelly, 2007). According to Finch (2003), it is considerable when reference groups are likely to influence especially when the customer is dealing with a decision process and the purchase of the product involve certain risk. Proctor (1995) noted the individuals who have ongoing involvement are more prone to be opinion leaders. Consumers would rather seek information from friends and family if risk is likely to emerge when making a purchase (Scharffer, 1998). 2.12 Motives for engaging in WOM communication Finch (2003), concluded that there are a multitude of reasons for engaging in WOM communication. Sernovitz (2009), supported with evidence that those who disseminate information are certainly those who are experiencing the product. The involvement in the product-related decision is an essential component in personal communications. According to Songe (2006), WOM communication is the basic interest in the product category concerning ongoing involvement. Individuals who have an enduring interest in a product category experience satisfaction in discussing about it (Wilson, 1994). Additionally, Rosem (2002), pointed out that WOM communication is usually introduced to remove any doubt about product choice. According the theory of Wilson (1994), a consumer may try to decrease discomfort by explaining the positive aspects of a recently purchased product to peers and family. Furthermore, purchasing the similar product by a friend or relative proves the original judgment of the consumer (Skubal, 2002). Discussing about the product may likely to drive people to personal satisfaction (Songe, 2006). 2.13 Post-Purchase Decision-Making Negative WOM is known to be a framework of customer complaining behaviour. Harris (2008) suggested that consumers can either express their dissatisfaction or end up the relationship when confronting with unmet expectations. Furthermore, Burg (2005) classified three main reactions to dissatisfaction namely switching to another brands or substitute, making a complaint to the retailer or personnel and finally informing others about the unsatisfactory product or service. Concerning minor dissatisfaction consumers are not likely to complain nor do they spread negative WOM (Finch, 2003). When the level of dissatisfaction is important, consumers are more likely to complain (Kelly, 2007). Goodman (2009), referred that after purchases, consumers are likely to engage in a post-purchase evaluation of the product. If the consumer is not satisfied, psychological discomfort may occur. 2.14 Pre-Purchase DM According to Scharffer (1998), WOM is seen as a process through which consumers convey both informational influence in evaluation of the product and the purchase intention of fellow consumers. This type of information can thus be expressed according to the choice of the referral source or the task of selecting the product (Lees, 2007). 2.15 WOM has a powerful influence on organizational DM WOMC is thus considered as a growing necessity in B2B markets. According to Neilsen (2000) , WOM consists of informal communications directed by consumers at other consumers about ownership or characteristics of particular goods or services and or their sellers. WOM is perceived as an exit outcome to dissatisfaction with the product quality it can be perceived a behavioral manifestation of a latent loyalty towards the supplier or the brand (Canning, 2007). The WOM system is referred to a network where personal, verbal, face to face communication take place. It is also defined as the attribute of the information dealt and how these information would determine the role of the participants (Balter et al., 2009). 2.16 Provision of WOM While in any prevailing WOM circumstances, recommendations, opinions, information are likely to succeed in both ways. Emotions influence how decisions are formulated. In B2B purchase, the buyer does not encounter the overall benefit of the solution and may not be compensated for making a good purchase, but a bad purchase can damage the reputation and job security of the buyer. The study of Prahalad (2004) revealed that organizational buying decisions are normally influence fear. Organizational buyers tend to reduce fear by reducing risk. Personal risk is mostly hidden from the rational process and is considered as an important factor in B2B buying. Like in quality judgments, satisfaction can result to positive WOM through an exit, voice and loyalty logic argument (Nielson, 2002). To such a degree that satisfaction has affective bases, the statement specified earlier about the influence to WOM route has validity as well (Robins, 2008). The involvement with a product certainly provides a person with the motivation and ability to come up with product-related conversations with others. Like Jantsch (2010), observed an individuals frequent engagement with a product or service brings out to overflowing thoughts and emotions that can easily recalled in WOM experiences, frequently willfully so, in order to clear out the tension or the experience. Dissatisfaction with a product presumed to be essential by the individual is particularly filled with WOM potential (Balter et al. 2009). Researchers have been able to separate several product-related factors that reduce the occurrence and extent of WOM activity. Price awareness for product, for one, has been encountered to correspond remarkably with WOM transmission. Preceding a dissatisfactory experience, individuals have demonstrated to participate in more or less WOM conversations depending on the seriousness and controllability and composure of the problem (Bowman, 2009), as well as the perceived likelihood of a favorable redress (Wilson, 2006). Positive outcomes concerning complaint handling and redress, like the diffusive and synergetic justice of the redress orientation and the convenience of recovery, can lead positive consequences for a provider as individuals have the tendency to respond to positive things about the provider (Balter et al., 2009). 2.17 Strategies for managing risks Rosen (2009) introduced three strategies for managing risk namely: Approved supplier list. B2B buyers are prone to select companies they already know. If a member from the buying centre has pre-approved a supplier, the risk is reduced even if it is not the right solution. Word of mouth for example colleagues and friends. User communities are one of the main sources of information for researching B2B purchases. A recommendation from a credible source tend to reduce risk. Word of mouth from existing suppliers. A good representative build good relationship with their suppliers to create a credible source for referrals. 2.18 Buyers seek personal recommendation The most influential channels across decision making process were blogs, word of mouth, websites, trade journals and other form of media. According to Nail (2002), organizational buyers valued WOM communication which provide a personal recommendation. 2.19 The Buying Process Bowman (2009) made the conclusion that B2B buying is a decision process driven by the emotions of the people involved. Business buyers are mostly motivated to reduce personal risk of making mistakes. The decision making process in the B2B environment is not an easy task. Generally doers are those making the purchase of the product or service. The buyer has the entire responsibility for reducing corporate risk. The presence of a broad chain of gatekeepers in organizations means determine the level of complexity in decision-making process in B2B environment. In the B2B environment, decision making process is much more puzzling where there is no specific decision-maker across organizations (Nail, 2002). Graham (2009) implied that in an organization there is a gatekeeper who is allowed to share ideas and information to the members in the buying centre. Both the doers and the buyers need to search for information in the buying process. B2B website should take into consideration the information needs of those who search the Internet. Person to person meetings are crucial to reach the emotional needs of prospects. Building credible relationship through person to person meetings with both doers and buyers is necessary in the complex decision making process. Analytical plan offer recommendations about which options and information to consider or to reject. This help the organization to facilitate decisions to their relevant core. 2.20 The impact of Social Media Robins (2008) declared that online channel, precisely the social media occupied an essential role in how research is proceeded and finally the decision on business purchases in the future. Social media like Website, Blogs or Facebook are also considered to be influential. Inactive channels like the press advertising are equally influential. Robins (2008) pointed out that decision-makers need to search social media channels for information to their actions. Colleagues and peers add value to decision and thus minimizing risks (Siguardarson, 2000). Factors like the ability to learn from experiences of others, the ability to access to information and the ability to communicate with others. According to the study of Robins (2008), B2B buyers refer to trade journals as well as professional online media for B2B decision making. The study also regards word of mouth and personal reference from professional colleagues or peers which is considered as the most influencing source in buying decisions. According to the study of Fader (2010), there is a noticeable change in the influence of supplier websites at the beginning of the purchasing process. He further characterized websites as very influential. Personal recommendation is clearly approved as the most valuable factor in B2B purchasing decisions. Channel like Trade journals, Website, Blogs and Facebook are seen as large influencers concerning the provision of information to help buyers identify potential suppliers. Buyers and deciders are personally involved in the final decision making process. The members in the buying centre regularly used word of mouth and supplier websites as sources of information (Bowman, 2009). Mass media is a mean of reaching directly opinion leader, follower or the gatekeeper (Jantsch, 2010). According to Santeller (2010), the gatekeeper is considered as a source of information to both opinion leaders and followers. The research of Hoyer et al. (2006) showed that diffusion of social of social media is increasing constantly. According to the study of Sorensen (2009), some B2B buyers prefer to use of social media channels while others refer more to traditional information channels. He further observed that B2B buyer opted for issue-based information from supplier websites as a main source of information at the beginning of the buying process. Furthermore the level of influence are reduced towards later stages.

Construction Project Management and Business Management Essay -- Busin

Construction Project Management and Business Management Over the past few years, the construction industry has been changing dramatically. One of the most important stages in the construction management and business management is the planning phase. They share similar two main levels of planning which are the strategic and operational planning. However, business management planning to decide in advance what should be done, and how to do it, when you do and you are done. On the other hand, Construction management strategic planning is to deal with selection on a high level of overall objective of the project, including the scope, procurement methods, schedules and financing options but the planning of operations, including the establishment of the method statement for each activity. Business management planning bridges the gap from where we are where we want to go. It makes it possible for any operation to occur. What is more, is the planning at both strategic and operational levels of the construction project uses various tools and techni ques to help achieve the best blueprint for improvement of the participation decision which do not applied in the business management. Contraction project management might be defined as overall planning, coordination and control of the project from beginning to end, designed to meet customer requirements for the production of a functional and viable financial project, which will be completed on time, within cost and authorized for the required quality standards (Fewings, 2010). However, according to Walker (2007) construction project management defined as â€Å"the planning, co-ordination and control of a project from conception to completion (including commissioning) on behalf of a client requir... ... receipt, where the contractor of the project in construction management works well enough to allow the owner receipt of the project as the owner of the project a preview of the work of the project and issue a list of defects in which the contractor must repair, and called this stage also recognizing the interim. Nevertheless, control is the final business management stage, the administrative function is to monitor the recent performance of the organization and determine whether objectives were achieved or not. References Cole, G. A. (2008), Management Theory and Practice, London, South Western Cengage Learning. Fewings, Peter (2010), Construction project Management, London and New York, Taylor & Francis. Govimdarjan M., Natarajan S. (2008), principal of management, New Delhi, PHI. Walker, Anthony (2009), project Management in Construction, Oxford, Blackwell.

External Communications Anaylsis †Walt Disney Corporation Essay

Public relations have always realized the importance of communication with its target audiences. Without it, an organization runs the risk of inconsistent public opinion from both its internal and external publics. Effective external communication is a vital part of an organizations public relations strategy. An organization may have several objectives in mind when it communicates with its external publics. Some of these include: Providing information to consumers about the organizations products and services Promoting the organization Respond to inquires concerning the organizations products and services Adverting the organization This paper will examine the effectiveness of the Walt Disney Company’s communications process when promoting its 1995 film, Pocahontas. This paper will also discuss impact of these effective communications to its external publics. Walt Disney once said, â€Å"I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.† In 1928, Walt Disney and his brother Roy created what would eventually become the Walt Disney Company, in a small office in Los Angeles. One would be hard pressed to find an organization that knows it audience more accurately than the Walt Disney Company. For over 75 years, Disney has been appealing to children and their parents in not only the United States, but also worldwide (Harris, 167). Disney released its very first full-length feature animated film, Snow White, in 1937, to critical acclaim and worldwide success. The 1940’s and 50’s produced films such as Fantasia, Bambi, and Alice in Wonderland. These films became instant classics and the Walt Disney Company found what every company dreams of – a recipe for success. After the success in the early 1990’s with Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin, and especially the record breaking, The Lion King, Disney needed to find a way to keep its momentum going for its next animated feature film, Pocahontas. In order to attract public interest, Disney began promoting the film five months before the film’s scheduled release, in June 1995. A Disney source says the campaign for Pocahontas â€Å"is every bit as great as it was for The Lion King. In some aspects, it’s even greater† (qtd in Broeske). Disney went on to fuel the media frenzy with a Pocahontas press presentation in New York’s Central Park on January 31, 1995 (Broeske, 8). Not only did Disney begin promoting the film early, they also launched a 24-city mall display that offered mall goers a â€Å"sneak peek† at the process of creating an animated film. The mall attraction also included a 26-foot replica of John Smith’s ship in which kids could climb and explore (Harris, 168). The mall attraction generated hundreds of thousands of visitors and gathered local publicity in every city reached from February through June 1995 (Harris, 168). Disney also teamed up with such brands as Nestlà © TM, Mattel TM, and Payless Shoe Source TM, in order to reach its target audience. By offering animated candy bars, doll figures of the main characters, Pocahontas and John Smith, and offering Native American-style moccasins, Disney was able to cross into the hands of its key target – children. In early June, Disney’s CEO Michael Eisner went on to invite all New Yorkers to participate in a free lottery for tickets to preview Pocahontas, once again in Central Park. Over 500,000 people participated in the lottery and 100,000 lucky winners won the opportunity to see the film on four 120-foot screens (Harris, 168). The impact surrounding the public relations strategies in promoting the Pocahontas film was unprecedented by Disney. In response to the overwhelming success of The Lion King, Disney executives knew they needed to generate a high level of interest in Pocahontas. The story itself, for the first time in Disney history, is based on American History. While there is still a  debate between scholars as to whether Pocahontas’ role in history was accurate, this version focuses on the love story between her and Captain John Smith, a British settler (Broeske, 8). While history dictates that most children do not like movies based on history, Pocahontas proved that opinions could be changed, as it brought over $300 million in box office sales before finally being released on VHS and DVD. The Walt Disney Company name is synonymous with words like wholesome, family values, and moral. Disney’s longstanding popularity with children and adults alike has fueled this media juggernaut into one of the largest corporations in the world. Essential to the success of all of the public relations activities was Disney’s efforts to leave no stone unturned in its attempts to generate unprecedented interest in its new film, Pocahontas (Harris, 169). Works Cited Broeske, Pat H. â€Å"The Pocamotion.† Entertainment Weekly. 260 (1995): 8 Harris, Thomas L. Value Added Public Relations – The Secret Weapon of Integrated Marketing. Chicago: McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Integrated Marketing Communications Essay

Answer1: The Vocalpoint program launched by P&G was a well sought out mean to market the products by using the word of mouth marketing strategy. Inclusion of the mothers from around the country was a cunning decision made by the managers at P&G the reason for this being was that mothers are the ones who usually purchase the products for the household or domestic use so convincing them and then make them work in marketing the new offering so an immaculate move by the management of P&G. Another benefit which P&G gained by devising this Vocalpoint program was that, housewives are hard to target as they do not use technology that often, rather they spend a big part of their leisure time in gossiping with their friends hence the best possible way to market the offerings to them was by this word of mouth publicity. P&G earned pretty much short term and long term benefits by applying this strategy; the most outstanding one was that launching this program helped the firm in increasing the sales by a considerable extent which obviously is the sole aim of launching any marketing campaign. In addition to this external clients of P&G also earned huge profits by using this program and so as a result P&G got its share in the profits, this amount was as higher as 1 million USD. The job of the R&D department got less hectic as it was able to get the desired feedback on the latest products; this was helpful for it in making changes to the existing products and also to the ones which are undergoing the process of development. One of the long term benefits which came to P&G’s way as a result of this program was that it got a solid loyal customer base on which it can capitalize in the forthcoming years. The ‘connect and develop† program of P&G also got immense support as a result of this program and the marketing intelligence of the company overall increased. Better customer relationship management is also one aspect of the Vocalpoint program which was advantageous for the firm because it helped the managers in comprehending the consumer’s mindset and thus forecasting the consumers’ behavior became easily. The customers on the other hand became increasingly brand loyal to the company as they were getting tailor made products for themselves because P&G was able to understand their latent and covert needs in an adept manner like no one else was doing. The overall impact of this project on the position of the firm was immaculate as it was a win-win situation for the company; the managers were getting the ins and outs of the target market in no time whatsoever so the overall time consumed in the processes of product development got reduced. This decrease in the overall product development time acted as a competitive advantage for the managers as they were able to deliver the market with the products it wanted in much lesser time than the competitors. Another addition was that the managers at the firm were getting customer generated feedback on the latest products and that too in negligible time so this enabled them to alter their strategies if needed be; the consumer on the other hand were liking this as they were getting tailor-made products for their usage (Sirgy 1998). Answer2: Analyzing from the business perspective one has to say that the programs such as Vocalpoint and Tremor must go on as they are beneficial for the businesses in the longer run and same is the case with P&G. Having said that one has to admit that these projects and programs are certainly not the ones, which are based on the ethical principles and norms laid by the society. In my opinion there are various ethical issues which are present in such kind of WoM programs. The first and the foremost being is that the person to whom the offering is being marketed is unaware of the reality he is perceiving the interaction as a social one but in general the other person is acting as a sales person for a specific firm. My objection regarding this is that if a person is being marketed something then he must have prior knowledge of this. For me there is a thin line between marketing and deceiving and this difference has to be understood by the firms and the marketing managers; if there are ample ethical ways of marketing then what is the point in using the deceptive means? Another issue in my opinion is that by hiring or deploying WoM marketers the managers are making the society increasingly materialistic even the sacred relationships like friendship etc are being used just as an asset and even that without the other person being aware of this all. Objectifying the society is one thing which to me is intolerable and as this eventually ruins the whole basic structure of the civilization which really is denting in terms of the future perspectives. Considering the Tremor program I can firmly state that this was one project on which I have serious reservations; the reason for this being is that P&G was using minors (children under 18 years ) to market its products; this is one ridiculous way of marketing. The reason for this is that this is the age where the person learns the most, from its society and surroundings and if the society is indulged in inducing the materialistic thoughts in kids then this will be injurious for the entire social setup; this is the stage at which the children must be taught how to honor and value the relationships but such deceptive marketing projects destroys the whole brought up of a child. One legal issue which too arises as a result of the inclusion of minors in the marketing programs is that these kids are underage legally so they cannot be made a part of any marketing project without the prior consent of their guardians (Malachowski 2001); this is one thing which was completely neglected by the managers at P&G and hence they violated the rules and regulations laid by the government. In the Tremor programs the minors were not allowed to tell the reality to the person to which they are interacting this is something which is immoral and to me for this the firm has to be penalized; can we teach our younger generations to indulge into immoral activities just for the sake of money? This is a million dollar question which has to be answered by the managers at P&G. The Tremor program targeted the minors too which is also an unethical way of making business the reason for this is that the underage people are immature hence they cannot make decisions for themselves (Malachowski 2001); influencing a buyer’s decision by using rational marketing ploys is a justifiable act but making the kids addict by using deceptive means and backdoor channels has to be abandoned as this certainly is not favorable for the social composition. In sum commercialization of human relationships is one thing which must be stopped by the marketing managers if someone is indulging in WoM marketing of a firm then he should disclose his affiliation as this is beneficial for the society; involving money in the activities of daily life will hurt the society in the longer run. In the Vocalpoint program the managers at P&G were looking to select the mothers which are more social; the main reason behind this move was that, as mother is the most sacred and trustworthy relationship in this universe so mothers enjoy a unique position in the society; using their social stature for the marketing purposes was an unreasonable attempt. Answer 3:  The value of WoM is immense in the present global marketing scenario, the primary reason for this is that due to the increase in the globalization the nature of the competition has increased exponentially and so to do business and earn profits a firm has to market it’s offering to the target buyers. With the increase in the intensity of competition and technology the media of marketing have too increased and thus in such an overall marketing environment WoM publicity is something which is of great significance (Bothma 2003). Direct marketing and interactive marketing have always been profitable ways of interacting and influencing the consumers the reason behind this is that first of all these means are less expensive than the other marketing tactics (Tuckwell 2004). In addition to this the marketers get to know more about the ins and outs of the buyer’s black box; as known that these are the two methods which are an integral part of the IMC mix hence applying them together makes it easier for the marketers to timely comprehend the latent and covert needs of the buyers and thus they can make the necessary changes to the offerings and strategies. WoM advocacy is beneficial in the present scenario because it enables the marketers to interact with the customers and hence they can obtain the customer generated feedback regarding their products in addition to this, as there is no such middle channel involved in between the marketer and the buyer (as the WoM marketer is a part of the company) so it becomes easier to get the message of the consumer. The firms once get the timely feedback can make suitable adjustments and alterations in the product designs, strategies etc and in this way eventually WoM publicity acts as a source of competitive advantage for the company in this era of fierce competition. After understanding the consumer psyche if need be, then suitable sales promotions can be launched which are an essential component of the overall IMC mix (Blakeman 2009) The holistic marketing concept has to be applied as per the book because consumer centricity is something plays a vital role in the overall growth of the firm. Establishing long term business relations with the buyers is only possible if the market is provided with what is demanded by it. The nature of the relationship between the firm and its related publics should be exceptional, as this affects the performance of the company in the longer run WoM publicity is one thing which helps in building stronger relationships between the publics and the company (Baker 2001).