Business analysis of Procter and Gamble

Business analysis of Procter and Gamble William Procter and James Gamble form Procter and Gamble, a partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio, to manufacture and sell candles and soap. He established Procter and Gamble in 1837 in united States of America. The leading maker of household products in the United States, PG operate in nearly 80 countries around the world and markets its nearly 300 brands in more than 160 countries, more than the half of the companys revenue are derived overseas. Among its products, which fall into the main categories like: Fabric care Beauty care Family care Health care Baby care Home care and beverages Are 16 that generate the more than $1 billion in annual revenues, actonel (osteoporosis treatment), Always (feminine protection), Ariel, and also Tide (laundry care), bath room tissues and also crest products, shampoos like Head Shoulder, pampers, Pringles etc. PG provide the branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the worlds consumers. As a result consumer will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation allowing our people, our shareholders, and the communities which will make the beginning of the marketing of branded products. PG buying Raw materials and converted into the finished goods to sell in the market. PG is a multinational company which was formed in 1837. PG 1837 Launch: Maker of Candles and Soap. Both men had emigrated from the United Kingdom. William Procter had emerged from England in 1832 after his woollens shop in London was destroyed by fire and burglary. The suggestion for the partnership apparently came from their mutual father- in- law. Alexander Norris, who pointed out that Gambles trade, soap making, and Procters trade, candle making, both required use of lye which was made from animal fat and wood ashes. PG is one of the worlds leading suppliers of fast moving customer goods. PG is a well reputed company all around the world which is satisfying its customers by proving fast moving consumer goods. PG is public limited company and also listed on the NYSE. PG has operation nearly about 80 countries around the world and its market is nearly 300 brands in more than 160 countries all over the world. They deal in all kinds of products from animal foodstuff to foods and detergents plus other personal and consumer products, to which it spreads its vast knowledge and resource. PG Corporate Strategies: Growth Strategy: After 1857 the company go into new market and decide to expand and update its facilities. In 1869 the transcontinental railroad linked the two coasts and opened still more markets to PG. In 1875 the company hired its first full-time chemist to work with James Gamble on new products, including a soap that was equal in quality to expensive castile soaps, but which could be produce less expensively. In 1878 PG white soap hit the market and catapulted PG to the forefront of its industry and sales were twice in detergents, personal products and packaged foods. The success of Ivory and the ability of PG to spread its message further through the use of national advertising caused the company to grow rapidly in the 1880s. In 1886 PG opened its new Ivorydale and improve the quality and consistency of PG products. PG soon introduce another successful brand: Lenox soap. Marketed as a heavier-duty product, the yellow soap helped PG reach sales of more than $3 million by 1889. Restructuring Strategy: In 1990 PG restructured its brand management system into a matrix system. PG that year launched a major restructuring effort aimed at making the companys brand name products more price competitive with private label and generic brands, brining products to market faster and improving overall profitability. The program involved severe cost-cutting, including the closure of 30 plants around the world and elimination of 13,000 jobs, or 12 percent of PG total workforce. Category managers became responsible for several brands, making them sensitive to the profit of other PG products in their areas. PG continued to compete against one another, but far less activity. The restructuring also eliminated certain layers of management, quickening the decision making process. PG core businesses were foods, soap, and detergents, toilets etc. Harley Procter develops a new soaps potential. Harley Procter was inspired to rename the soap by Psalm 45, all thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassi a, out of the Ivory places where they have made thee glad. Procter, committed to the excellence of the companys products, had them analyze and improve even before they went to market. This was the origin of PGs superior product development Divestment and Retrenchment: PG invest a lot of money on the advertisement for his product but the return is not enough from the product and they dont capture the large part of the market. So the management of the PG decides that they only focus on their core brands and it ended the 20th century with a strategic plan, later called the Path to Growth that included a focus on the top brands within core sectors and an emphasis on growth within developing countries. PG redirect the money it saved from trade promotion for direct marketing efforts that helped bring coupon and sample programs to targeted groups for brands with narrow customer bases such as Pampers, Clearasil, and Oil of Olay. Branding Strategy: PG launched a shampoo (Pantene Pro V) in 1992 in the United States, this product capture the huge market in the US. In 1994 PG entered the European tissue and towel market through the purchase Vereingte Papierwerke Schickedanz AGs European tissue unit. That year also saw PG reenter the South African market following the lifting of US sanctions. Among new products introduce in 1999 was swiffer also an electrostatic dusting mop that was part of new category of household product (quick cleaning). The Swiffer line went on to become one of PGs fastest-growing brands of the early 2000s. Innovation Strategy: PG introduce first detergent (Tide) product 1946 in the United State. Within two year tide backed by a $21 million advertising budget, was the number one laundry detergent. Tide remained the number one laundry detergent into 21st century. In 1950 cheer was introduced as bluing detergent and over the years other laundry products were also marketed: Dash in 1954, Downy in 1960, Bold in 1965, Ariel in 1967 was the number one detergent. 1950 is highly profitable for the company. After five year another innovation of the PG establish itself in the toilets business with crest toothpaste. In 1960 American Dental Association endorsed crest, and the product was on its way to becoming the countrys number one toothpaste nudging past Colgate in 1962. Merger Acquisition Strategy: In 1980 PG acquire the grocery business through a number of acquisitions, including Ben Hill Griffin citrus products. The company also entered the over-the-counter drug market with the 1982 purchase of Norwich-Eaton Pharmaceuticals; the company completed its biggest purchase in 1985 with the acquisition of the Richardson-Vicks company maker of Vicks respiratory care products, cold remedies and oil of Olay skin care products, this purchase make the PG a leader in over the counter drug sales. In 1988 PG made its first move into the cosmetics and planned to further develop its international operation. 1955 there was a rapid economic growth in the Western World. During that time PG strategy was to takeover or acquires new companies in new geographical areas. PG strategy was to acquire those companies who were in the food and chemical manufacturing. In March 2001 PG reached an agreement with the Coca-Cola Company to create a $4 billion joint venture designed to join Cokes Minute Maid bran d and distribution network with PG Pringles chips and Sunny delight drink brands. PG also acquired in 2001 was Dr. Johns SpinBrush, maker of a battery-powered toothbrush featuring spinning bristles that at $5 was much cheaper than existing electric toothbrushes. Soon thereafter, the newly named crest SpinBrush was successfully launched. In 2001 PG also were crest Whitestrips, a tooth whitening product. These two new products helped increase global sales of the Crest brand by 50 percent, propelling it past the $1 billion mark during fiscal 2002. Business Strategy Growth Strategy: In 1902 PG to expand its business in the cleaning industry in the market, for this purpose PG opened a new plant in 1904 in Island, New York. After this PG also introduce a beauty soap Camay in 1920, company started to expand its product lines and also the market capacities. In 1946 it had made a synthetic detergent. The PG business strategy also include the acquiring the small firms within the geographical areas, and in the mid 1950 PG also acquired a Kentucky food company. The 1950 is highly profitable for the company because in this year company make a lot of acquiring small companies and also establish new business like detergent through which company earn a huge profit and also entered in the cosmetics business. They opened different market throughout the European market. Cost Leadership: In 1980 company mainly focus on its production setup. To open new market throughout Europe, these things for the PG can go anywhere it thought that production cost will be minimum. PG started their business in those areas where the production cost, labor cost, raw material cost is minimum, because these areas were best economically for the company point of view. Diversification: PG diversified in many businesses like in 1946 in detergent and also diversified in the cosmetic business, to open the market throughout the Europe. In 2001 PG also make a joint venture with the Coca-Cola Company to create a $4 billion joint venture designed to join Cokes Minute Maid brand and distribution network with PGs Pringles chips and Sunny Delight drink brands. Operational Strategy: Research Development: PG doing a lot of research to improve the quality of its product, domestically and also internationally, PG flexible management structure and diverse product range play an important role in the rapidly changing international market. PG broad product range directed to overall profit increases in the company. In 1886 PG opened its new Ivorydale plant on the edge of Cincinnati to keep up with demand. In 1890 James N. Gamble hired a chemist, Harly James Morrison, to set up laboratory at Ivorydale and improve the quality and consistency of PGs products. PG soon introduce another successful brand: Lenox soap. Marketed as a heavier-duty product, yellow soap helped PG reach sales of more than $3 million by 1889. 2. Current Strategic Situation of PG SWOT Analysis of PG (S)trengths: PG has a strong brand name and it is a multinational company because it is a fast moving international consumer goods company which is operating more than 160 countries all over the world. PG is a well known reputable global organization and is well known all over the world and have big brand impact on the market all over the world. It has created goodwill in the mind of the customer and PG have more 300 brands all over the world with and 138,000 employees across the world. Research and development is the key department for the PG for the innovation of the products and also the advertising and marketing is the key thing for the PG. Strong research and development network helps it to develop new products and entre into new markets. PG invest greatly in its research and development to about $2 billion are invested every year by PG for improving and introducing new products PG is a global leader in different product like fabric, home, and beauty care in different countries. Strongest brand in the world is the biggest strength of the PG. PG is tightly integrated with some of the largest retailers in the US as well as world around and also around the world the world have distribution channels. ÂÂ   (W)eaknesses: PG acquired Clairol business in year 2001; it was unable to grow this business. The Clairol herbal essence brand failed to enter new markets as the market had access to better and innovation products. So many top brands of the PG are losing their share market rapidly PG has a lack on focus on advertisement of its brand because people do not have clear idea about the products of PG. People mostly not aware about the brand of the product like Pantene Pro V and other cosmetics and detergent products. (O)pportunities: Opportunity for the PG is health and beauty products for men, with the acquisition of Gillette; the company now has several growth opportunities in this market segment. PG has doubled its environment goals for the year 2012 and thus promises more value for the environment concerned customer today. Almost in all over the world growth rate is increasing which in turn increases the demand of products and necessities and especially in Asia the market is growing at a faster rate as compare to other continents so they have a to attract new entrants. (T)hreats: There is big threat for the PG is in the fast moving consumers goods market today. Companies like Unilever and Kimberly Clark, Johnson Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive etc pose a serious threat for the PG in different countries. Political condition is the biggest threat for any company because each country has their own rule and regulation of taxes and other things. This is the biggest threat for the PG PESTLE Analysis: (P)olitical Factor: Political factors some time make a very big impact on the companies; every country has different condition and rule of the taxes within the business sector. In some countries there are heavy taxes and there are some countries like in Europe where taxes are not so much. (E)conomical Factors: PG also affected by the economical factor because every country has different economical condition, for example like in Asia people have only average scale jobs and earn average money in a month, so they do not afford costly products and also affected by the inflation rate. But PG has the biggest brand all over the world they set the price according to the area point of view and target the customer according to geographical location. So it can get easily to finance and earn money in the every part of the world and also PG has the biggest strong brand image in the world (S)ocio cultural factors: Today world is very fast and technological world; people are very well educated and have different life style according to their value and beliefs. They have well known knowledge about the products that they use and they know each and every thing of the world. (T)echnological Factors: PG spending a lot of money on their research and development department and always looking for the new innovation in the world. Porters Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of customer: Bargaining power of the customer is high because there is a lot of same product of the different companies available in the market at the almost same prices. PG is produce the consumer product and its customer are individual or large number of individual in the different geographical areas, thats why bargaining power of the customer is high. Due to the fast and the technological world people is very much awareness about the product and its brand. Mostly today people are very price conscious and health conscious. This thing affect PG and increase the buyer power of purchasing. Threat of new entrants: There is a lot of existing competitors in the market and they have low cost while if new competitors want to enter in the market, the cost will be high for them, and the cost like property, land, equipment, transportation cost, fixed cost. These all costs recover, if you have high sales in the market and the production of the products. But the PG multinational company and has the big brand name in the market to meet the customer needs. So it does not face any difficulty to produce the product in the market, it is difficult for the new player which enter into the market first time. But in some countries the government asks the investor to come and invest money in the tax free industrial zone. In that area it is possible for the new entrant to enter into the market. Bargaining power of suppliers: Bargaining power of supplier of the PG is that, if PG rely on the few suppliers with a large volume it can create a problem for them. In order to reduce their supplier power, they have a good supply system, due to which their switching cost is low. PG As Unilever is getting fresh milk on a much lower rate as compared to its processed milk rate, and also fresh milk is a commodity, so it does not cost much to Unilever. Here power remains with the UnileverUnilever do not have any threat from their suppliers of forward integration as it is a high capital requirement industry and their suppliers are small and do not have ability to forward integrate. Threat of substitute: As people are well educated and they know the other substitute in the market like local seller, through internet buying. But Unilever has created a brand image because it is supplying quality products. So the switching cost is low.The prices of substitutes are lower when we compare them with other substitutes. But the quality which Unilever is providing is not the same. And convenience because Unilever products can be purchased from anywhere. So buyers can easily switch to substitutes whenever they want to switch. So, the threat for substitute is low. Degree of Rivalry: The major competitors are Procter and Gamble, Kraft and Nestle.As it is a fast moving consumer goods industry. So the growth in this industry is so high. So there is a big gap mean competition is low.These businesses need high fixed costs, including their costs for distribution and advertisement.The switching cost is high because there is high fixed cost. Exit barriers also very high because the are performing their duties all over the world.So it is not easy to exit from the industry. Organization: Unilever is a multinational company which is doing its business in different parts of the world.Unilever recruit the local people of that region for their management and employees and then it train those people so that they can perform their jobs efictivelyfinall. Structure: Internal and external resources: Intangible Resources: Employees of Unilever are its intangible resources.It has brand awareness. It is a multinational company so its goodwill count. Outlook of their plants and their products. Research and development and good relationships with their customers. Tangible recources: Unilever has 500 plants in different countries.It has trained and skilled labour.It has a better transportation network. The products that they are providing. Capabilities: Unilever is doing its business in more than 170 countries.It has production 500 production plants in different.There are 400 core products of Unilever from which it is getting 100% return.It has 13 such products from which it is getting 75% of total sales.Unilever has grown 2.3% and its sales has been increased by 3.5% in 2009. Shareholder Powers: Unilever has shareholders from both Unilever PLC and Unilever NV. Shareholders of both companies has made the decisions which are implemented Unilever Global. Future Strategies: Corporate Strategy: Our future corporate strategy is to become No1 Globally in Fast Moving Consumer Goods by delivering innovative products and by fulfilling and satisfying consumer preferences. Business Strategies: Our business strategy is Market Penetration. We will emphasize on those products which are already in the local markets like lux, Knorr, Sunsilk, Omo, and Dove. We will go for Market Development by doing this we will introduce existing products in the new Geographical areas. Our strategy is cost Leadership strategy. In cost leadership strategy we will make plants in those geographical areas where the land cost, labour and cost as minimum and where are tax free zones. We will go for Asians and European countries where the people are more prices conscious. On the basis of my analysis as I have done earlier the bargaining power of buyer is low, Threat of substitute is low, Threat of new entrant is low, Bargaining power of supplier is low and competitiverivalryishigh.I recommend that Unilever will go for Marketing Ddevelopment.Unilever will increase its market share by expanding its products and by going in those areas in which it had not gone by doing this it can become better than its competitors. It is multinational company and financially it is so much strong Because its competitors are also very strong like Procter and Gamble and Kraft. As unilever is a multinational company so it has brand awareness in the customers mind. It will further develop its business in Asia countries Nepal and Bahrain. It will develop its plants in these countries. By going in these countries it can grow its business .As the per capita income of Bahrain is $27068 in 2009 and the GDP is $28.124 billion. Those areas where the people are not aware so much abo ut its brands it will go in those markets with new things. I recommend Unilever that it will go for market penetration in those areas where it is doing its business but its products are not so much accepted by the people. It means that people do not believe much on Unilever products because they think that its competitors Kraft, Proctor and Gamble, Nestle are providing better quality products. It will give a message to its customers by promotions that its products are unique as compare to its competitors. It will increase brand awareness. It will built trust in the customer mind about Unilever products. It will also attract customers to switch from its competitor products to its products. It will advertise more and more to gain the attention of its customers. Because by doing this it will retain its potential customers. It will also attract those customers which have been used its products but not retain with its. It will give use sales promotions for achieving the confidence of those customers. For example it will give options like by one g et one free. It will give the price discounts. It will give the points on purchasing more. It will also attract those customers who have not used its products before because they think they their competitors are giving more quality as compared to its products. It will also do personal selling means that it will build a strong relationship with its customers by giving free trials of its products and it will collect much and much information about its customers it will know the exact needs that what its customer wants.Unilever will increase its penetration by training of their distribution teams. It will invest more in its distribution network so that its products easily approach to its customers. I recommend that it will use Low cost strategy. For a new company that is going to enter in this industry the economies of scale is not easy and possible. A successful entry requires the company to have significant experience to stay in economies of scale. On the other side as fixed costs are high, so in order to recover its fixed costs a company has to produce in bulk thats required a huge market share. So in the end we can say that it is not easy for new entrants to enter the industry if they are not backed by huge financial investments and with a competent management, and product differentiation. In the end, we can conclude that threat of new entrants is minimum. Unilever has gain Economies of Scale and it is using New Technology. It will take a look on the prices of those products whose prices are too high because there are many countries where the economic conditions is not good like Pakistan where people cannot easily buy Unilever products because these products are costly than its competitors. So people give more preference to those products which are cheaper and which products are costly people shift to the competitors brands. Unilever should offer low price to their customers and by doing this it will win the confidence of those poor peoples who cannot afford Unilever brands. in those areas where the operating costs is too low. I recommend that Unilever will perform its functions as a single business unit. As It a part of two different companies one is Unilever PLC Listed on London stock exchange and the other is Unilever NV which is listed in the Netherland Stock exchange. Both companies are form a single financial report. Due to leadership structure it is not looking like a multinational. Because two different companies are holding one. It reduces the performance of the company. The conflicts between the Leadership and management are creating difficulties for the performance of the overall business. Because the decisions are made by the two different leadership authorities. Its structure should be simple. It will work like one Unilever and there will be cross functional management structure. Each department will emphasize on their responsibility. By doing this their performance will be increased. It will show the clarity of the leadership. Each department will be responsible for their assigned tasks and d uties. It will help Unilever to focus on the demand of the their customers. It will provide the balance of operations. I recommend that Unilever will do research and will do advertising for its core brands to click the mind that it is providing best quality product. It will show through the advertisement that it cares of its customers. It will emphasize on those products which are healthy for the customers. By introducing innovative products and knowing the needs of the customers it will increase its sales. I recommend that Unilever should emphasize and concrete more on its core brands like Knorr, Lipton, lux, omo, blue band, dove, sunsilk. And it will provide Good quality products those will be healthy and convenient for its customers. It will change the customers preferences by giving innovative products and by maintaining the quality of its products. I recommend that it will make its own selling stores where people can easily get its products. Like it will make franchises where the people easily get Unilever products.Unilever will also clear people perception about the Unilever products

The Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King

The Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King Before taking a closer look on the identity of the protagonist and murderer, and having in mind that Oedipus the King is a very spacious and difficult to analyze play, including opportunities for discussion on quite a few topics, I have chosen to briefly focus on the dramatic irony used by Sophocles to disclose the characters’ identity throughout the play. In general, irony is a very common technique used in every drama work and it is usually used by the author at times when something dramatic is about to happen the existence of which is cleverly suggested through ironic behavior of the main characters and often includes symbols, comparisons and contrasts pointing to the main idea of the author. In this sense, Sophocles is really famous for his well-known techniques of using irony and skillfully combining it with intricate relations and symbols such as light, dark, morning and night in order to convey his idea. In addition, a dramatic irony could be present when the audience is aware of critical information that the characters are unaware of. In this play, the readers already know the real relations between Oedipus, Jocasta and Laius. A general symbol of the irony used in the play is the exultation of both Oedipus and Jocasta over the failures of the oracles prophecies, however in both cases these prophecies come true – Oedipus leaves Corinth only to find out after that he has actually found his real parents and Jocasta kills her son in order to find him later married to her and more alive than ever. In other words, each time a character tries to neglect and push away the predictions of the oracles, the audience already knows what? that their attempts are futile and in vain. This creates a clear sense of the irony used by Sophocles. An interest thing to note is the very manner in which Jocasta expresses her disbelief in oracles, which is quite ironic by itself. She describes the oracles as powerless in an attempt to comfort Oedipus, but immediately after that she prays to the very same gods whose powers she has just mocked. However, if Oedipus doesn’t trust the power of oracles, he definitely values the power of truth and equality. He firmly believes in his own ability to seek out the truth as a riddle-solver. This is direct contrast between Oedipus’s trust in prophecy and trust in intelligence. Having in mind that those two are complete distinct terms like science and religion, it is quite ironic that they both lead to the same conclusions and outcome. The truth revealed by Oedipus actually fulfills the oracles’ prophecy. Ironically it is Oedipus’s rejection of the oracles that discloses their power. The best example of dramatic irony however, is the frequent use of references to eyes, sight, light, and perception throughout the play. The dialogue between Oedipus and Tiresias reveals it: â€Å"have you eyes, / And do not see your own damnation? Eyes, / And cannot see what company you keep? † Those words by Tiresias prove the blind man’s prophetic powers, for he already knows that Oedipus will blind himself. Moreover, he continues: â€Å"those now clear-seeing eyes / Shall then be darkened†. Where do you think the irony here is? Sophocles actually suggests two different things. Firstly, Oedipus is blessed with the gift of perception for he was the only one able to answer the Sphinx’s riddle. Yet he cannot see what is right before his own eyes. He is blind to the truth, and the truth is all he seeks. Secondly, Tiresias’s presence as a blind man amplifies the irony in Oedipus’s mocking his blindness. He is a man who does not need eye sight to see the truth and Oedipus is just the opposite – he who can see with his eyes is blind to the truth standing before him. Interestingly enough, however, is that Oedipus switches his role with Tiresias, thus becoming a man who sees the truth and loses his sense of sight. This outlines the drama in the play. In addition, the sight theme is further carried on to another level when the Chorus is disgusted and refuses to even see Oedipus. He has polluted his own sight and body but at the same time he has done the same with others’ sights by his very existence. That is why when he enters blinded the Chorus shouts: â€Å"I dare no to see, I am hiding / My eyes, I cannot bear / What must I long to see†¦Unspeakable to mortal ear, / Too terrible for eyes to see†. Ironically, Oedipus has become the same disease that he wishes to remove from Thebes and has turned himself into a sight that is more horrible than the wasted farmlands and the childless Theban women. It is dramatic that when he becomes such a monster, he is already blinded. To finish with, I have thought about the influence that this irony has on the reader and the way it touches the reader’s own perception of Oedipus and his actions. How do you correlate the dramatic irony to the character of Oedipus? Does it change your initial emotion toward him or it further bolsters it? It is important what you generally think of Oedipus: Oedipus as incapable of doing anything to change his destiny and as a mere puppet of fate or Oedipus as a flawed character who is guilty of his own actions and as an instigator of all tragic events. I personally think that in this story you cannot escape fate no matter what you do. In an attempt to do so, both Jocasta and Oedipus change the whole structure of their families and threatening to ruin them. They have set the course of the story into action. His tragic end is not his fault for he is powerless against fate. Works cited Cameron Alister, â€Å"The Identity of Oedipus the King: Five Essays on the Oedipus Tyrannus,† New York University Press, 1968 Great Books of the Western World, â€Å"Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes†, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc, 1952 http://www. ripon. edu/academics/Theatre/THE231/PlachinskiR/oedipus/dramaticirony. html

Effects of Social Networking Sites Essay

As the world moves into the second decade of the 21 st century, one of the major markers of this era is the rise and use of online communities. In particular, a paradigm called Web 2.0 describes recent technologies that focus on networking mass numbers of individuals into distinct communities over the Internet (O’Reilly, 2007). Social networking sites (SNS) are online communities designed to connect individuals to wider networks of relationships, and are one major example of Web 2.0 applications. Sites such as Facebook have exploded in membership. In a short period of 2007 – 2010, Facebook estimates that its membership has grown from 50 million to over 400 million users (Facebook, n.d.). Online social networks are now an integrated part of daily life and compel questions of how these media platforms affect human development, relationships, and interaction. Teenagers are among the most avid users of technology in general and social network sites in particular (Lenhart, Madden, Macgill, & Smith, 2007b). Recent reports find that youth spend nearly 10 hours per day using some form of technology, with socially networked media playing a large role in their daily lives (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). New technologies are deeply intertwined with adult perceptions about teenage life. Mimi Ito and colleagues observe that, â€Å"Although today’s questions about ‘kids these days’ have a familiar ring to them, the contemporary version is somewhat unusual in how strongly it equates generational identity with technology identity† The clear finding is that today’s youth are increasingly connected to the world through socially networked media. While teenagers are engaged with technology, they are ever more disengaged from another major component of their lives – school. Read more:  The Effects of Social Media on College Students National analyses find that nearly 30% of high school students do not obtain their diploma on time (Cataldi, Laird, KewalRamani, 2009). High school completion rates are difficult to measure, but various independent studies also suggest that nearly one-third of students ultimately drop out of school (Barton, 2005). When one compares these competing aspects of teenage life – technology versus education – a simple strategy clearly emerges. Perhaps if educators begin to integrate social technologies into learning, they will increase student engagement and achievement in school. Heeding the call of scholars (i.e. Jenkins, 2006; Ito et al. n.d.) recent policy and research efforts are now racing to develop new social media platforms and technologies for learning. For example, the  Federal Department of Education and organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation have invested millions of dollars to build social media platforms, video games, and other digital tools for learni ng (Whitehouse, n.d.). Despite the optimism that social media tools might improve student engagement and learning, the stark reality is that these new technologies often conflict with the practices of K-12 schools. Surveys find that the vast majority of school district leaders believe social technology can improve student learning. However, these same district administrators typically block student access to online resources like social network sites (Lemke & Coughlin, 2009). The decision to ban students from accessing social network sites underscores a major conundrum for educators. Online social networks widen a students’ access to resources and social support and may have beneficial effects on their development. Conversely, as student access to the world widens they are inevitably exposed to potentially negative material and interactions. The simplest strategy to limit liability and safeguard school districts is to ban access to these new digital tools. However, such policies neglect the potentially large benefits of using social media in the classroom. To alleviate this dilemma, educators and policymakers need a deeper understanding of social media and youth. Several questions are critical in the area of youth learning with social technologies, including: †¢ Which youth are using particular social technologies? †¢ How do they use these technologies to communicate, develop relationships, socialize, and learn? †¢ What are the effects of these technologies on youth development? †¢ What are the effects of these technologies when applied in educational contexts such as the classroom? In this dissertation, I explore these questions by examining a particular technology: the social network site. Communities such as Facebook and MySpace mediate teenage life, affecting how youth communicate and learn from one another. In addition, social networks are intertwined into just about every major online community today (Livingstone, 2008). These factors make SNS a particularly salient focus for evaluation. Throughout the following chapters I examine different questions surrounding the phenomena of social network sites and teenage youth. In Chapter 2, I review the extant research literature that examines SNS. I consider several controversies around SNS and youth: (a) What kinds of youth are using social networking sites? (b)  Does student participation in these online communities affect their privacy and social relationships? (c) Do student activities in SNS influence their personal development in terms of self-esteem and psychological well-being? (d) Does SNS use affect student grades and learning? The review highlights how research in this field is only just emerging. The few stud ies that examine social network sites are mainly exploratory. However, media researchers have a rich history of scholarship from which to draw new insights. I integrate previous thought on Digital Divides, Psychological Well-being, Social Capital Theory, and Cognitive and Social Learning theories to guide SNS researchers in future studies. In Chapter 3, I present an empirical analysis using a national dataset of teenagers from the Pew Internet & American Life Project (Lenhart et al., 2007b; Pew Internet & American Life Project, n.d.). In this study, I ask whether demographic variables such as education, socioeconomic status, and access to the Internet are significantly related to whether teenagers participate in social network sites. This line of analysis is typical of digital divide studies that examine whether particular populations have less access to new technologies. If new technologies do have positive benefits for individuals, but under- represented populations do not have access to such tools, there are tremendous issues of equity and access yet to be addressed (Jenkins, 2006). Most studies of digital divide and SNS examine adult and college-age populations. I present an analysis of teenage populations to examine their usage patterns. The results of this paper highlight how the association between demographic indicators and social media use are weaker in 2007 than seen in earlier studies. Teenage youth of all backgrounds increasingly find ways to connect with others using social network sites. In Chapter 4, I consider a question of particular importance to teachers and education leaders. Through a large-scale experiment, I examine whether using social network sites in urban classrooms has any causal effect on students’ social capital, engagement with school, or academic achievement. I build an experimental social network site that approximates the functionality seen in sites such as Facebook and MySpace. The key difference in this experimental condition is that the site is private to two urban, school districts and explicitly for use to exchange educational information. Working with 50 classrooms and nearly 1,400 students, I utilize a cluster-randomized trial,  where class periods are randomly assigned to use the experimental site. Employing this randomized trial design, I find that an academic social network site does not necessarily improve student engagement with their peers, their classes, or increase student achievement. However, I find exploratory evidence that existing social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace improve students’ feelings of connection with their school community. The study offers evidence for one compelling idea: Perhaps schools should attempt to leverage students existing social networks, rather than block access to them or impose their own. In Chapter 5, I outline what is needed in future research about social network sites, and new technologies in general, to better inform the policies and practices of schools, educators, parents, and those interested in youth development. In particular, previous scholarly thought has focused on either a technologically deterministic or social agency perspective. Technological determinism suggests that a media tool itself affects social outcomes such as learning, but a long history of research underscores the fallacy of this philosophy. Scholars who focus instead on social agency, explore how individuals use new technologies in cultural and social contexts. However, this stream of research neglects rigorous evaluation of how new media affect youth. Both perspectives in isolation offer incomplete analyses o f how new media, such as SNS, impact youth. I argue that future researchers must develop and test finer hypotheses that simultaneously consider the technological affordances of social network sites, the social and cultural institutions within which SNS are used, and the actual interactions between individuals that occur in these online communities. The chapters in this dissertation examine the phenomena of social network sites and youth through different but complementary lenses: theoretical, descriptive, and experimental. The summative contribution of these analyses is a deeper picture of how teenage youth use SNS and its effects on their academic and social development. The studies show that youth of all backgrounds are increasingly connected via online social networks. The empirical analyses also show that social network sites are no silver bullet for improving learning in high school classrooms. The technology itself does not improve learning, but social media might help students become more connected and engaged with their school communities. The implications for educators and  schools are numerous. Problems such as student disengagement with education are profoundly significant issues, and additional research is needed to better understand how online networks influence youth development and learning. The current tools of teenage communication go by a peculiar set of names. Wall Posts, Status Updates, Activity Feeds, Thumbs Ups, Facebook Quizzes, and Profiles are some of the ways that youth today communicate with one another. These tools are features of social network sites (SNS), such as Facebook and Myspace. SNS are part of a suite of recent web applications, also called social media, which utilize Web 2.0 principles. The term Web 2.0 defines websites that are designed to: (a) rely on the participation of mass groups of users rather than centrally controlled content providers, (b) aggregate and remix content from multiple sources, and (c) more intensely network users and content together (O’Reilly, 2007). People use these web applications to interact in hyper-aware ways and the scale of this mass communication phenomena is significant. As of May 2009, Facebook ranked as the 4 th most trafficked website in the world and Myspace ranked 11 th highest (Alexa, n.d.). That high school youth are connected to these global online communities is both a frightening prospect for parents and educators and an intriguing area for social science research. Educators and parents in the United States face difficult quandaries concerning students and SNS. No one denies that youth use these technologies to communicate with the world, and they do so with high frequency and intensity (Lenhart et al., 2007b). Many scholars suggest that students learn in new ways using social media and that educators should embrace these new platforms (Ito et al., n.d.; Jenkins, 2006). In a recent national survey, the vast majority of school district leaders report that they view social media as a positive development for education (Lemke & Coughlin, 2009). Nevertheless, 70% of districts also report that they banned all access to SNS in their schools. Despite the clear understanding that social media can be vital to student learning and digital literacy, educators currently struggle with how to comply with regulations like the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), as well as overcome general fears about student interactions in social network sites. To inform both the policy concerns of district leaders and  the local practices of teachers and parents, research is needed to understand how youth use SNS and what effects it has on their social and academic development. In this chapter, I consider several key controversies around youth usage of SNS, and review relevant research that begins to inform these debates. I first define the media effects framework and outline how this research tradition attempts to understand the effects of new technologies on social outcomes. Second, I define social network sites and describe studies that capture how youth use these technologies to develop relationships, hang out with friends, and learn new skills. Third, the chapter reviews relevant research that informs several controversies concerning SNS and adolescents. I also connect these contemporary debates with previous scholarly thought about students’ out-of-school time (OST) and traditional concerns about the effect of technology on learning. The specific controversies reviewed are: †¢ What kinds of youth are using social networking sites? †¢ Does student participation in these online communities affect their privacy and social relationships? †¢ Do student activities in SNS influence their personal development in terms of self-esteem and psychological well-being? †¢ Does SNS use affect student grades and learning? Finally, I outline the overall condition of research on SNS and youth. The current state of the literature is suggestive of the effects on adolescent social and academic development, and primarily consists of ethnographic and cross-sectional data. I outline the future questions that will be critical for the field and suggest relevant methodological directions to move this emergent research stream forward. What Can We Learn from a Media Effects Framework? Many of the controversial questions concerning social network sites ask what kinds of effects these technologies have on youth development. Given this focus, I work primarily from a media effects tradition of research. Media effects scholars examine the outcomes that arise when people use new technologies. Talking about effects engenders important theoretical discussions that must be laid clear when examining studies. Most significantly, the term implies a focus on causality. Studies in this framework imply that a media form, or the features of the technology, causally influences some outcome (Eveland, 2003). The structure of questions from this perspective is usually in the form of: Does media affect learning? Does television influence student achievement? Or do social  net work sites affect the psychological well-being of adolescents? Media effects scholars in a variety of fields have quickly come to realize that the answers to these questions are more complex. Very rarely, if ever, is there a direct causal relationship between a technology and a social outcome such as learning (Clark, 1983; Clark, 1991; Schmidt & Vandewater, 2008). Early media questions often used a technological framework or object-centered approach (Fulk & DeSanctis, 1999; Nass & Mason, 1990). Such a perspective assumes and tests whether a technology itself causally affects a social outcome. For example, in Education a major question of technology research is whether media affects learning. Education researchers now firmly conclude that media does not affect student learning (Clark, Yates, Early, & Moulton, In Press). Numerous studies show that the media tool neither improves nor negatively impacts learning when compared to the same teaching strategy in the classroom (Bernard, Abrami, Lou, Borokhovski, Wade, Wozney et al., 2004; Clark, 1983; Clark, 1991). What matters is not the computer, but the learning behaviors that occur within the software or educational program. T he findings of non-significant media effects on student learning do not mean that technology has no influence. For example, Richard Mayer (2001) shows through a series of experiments that the design of a multimedia presentation affects student learning of a topic. Putting words and pictures closer together on the screen, when they are relevant to each other, helps students retain more knowledge than when the elements are placed further apart on the screen. These results do not validate a technological orientation, where one expects that the computers themselves improve learning. Rather, the pedagogical strategy of placing relevant words and images together in a presentation affects cognition. Media researchers understand that the features of a technology afford certain possibilities for activity. A multimedia video on the computer allows one to design words and images on the screen, while a computer simulation might guide a learner using models of real-world cases. A media tool allows for different possible learning behaviors (Kozma, 1991). This subtle difference in theoretical orientation is what scholars call an emergent perspective (Fulk & DeSanctis, 1999) or a variable-based approach (Nass & Mason, 1990). Scholars using an emergent or variable-based approach view technology as a structuring factor. Features of  a technology, not the technology itself, enable and constrain how one uses that tool. Conversely, social forces such as cultural norms and behavioral practices influence how one ultimately uses a technology. William Eveland (2003) offers five characteristics of media effects research that help define how studies take into account both technological and social variables. Media effects studies have: (1) A focus on an audience, (2) Some expectation of influence, (3) A belief that the influence is due to the form or content of the media or technology, (4) An understanding of the variables that may explain the causality, and (5) The creation of empirically testable hypotheses. A focus on audience compels researchers to understand the characteristics of the youth who use SNS. Knowing who uses, or does not use, social network sites is an important sociological question for scholars of digital divide. In addition, Hornik (1981) notes the possible differential effects for disparate populations, â€Å"If communication researchers have learned anything during the previous three decades, it is that communication effects vary with members of the audience† (p. 197). Current media studies also focus on the form or content of a technology, and move away from making black-box comparisons between technologies. Questions that ask whether Facebook is related to lower grades, or if MySpace is unsafe for children, are broad and uninformative directions for future media effects studies. Instead, the pivotal questions explore how the features of SNS enable or constrain behavior. Future media studies about SNS and youth should not frame questions using a technologicall y deterministic perspective where one expects the technology to cause an outcome. Instead, media scholars identify how youth interaction, communication, and information sharing are the critical variables in understanding SNS effects on social and academic outcomes. This understanding of media effects research helps define finer-grained hypotheses of why a tool like SNS might affect student development, under what uses, for whom, and when. What are Social Network Sites and How Do Youth Use Them? When a teenager joins a site like Facebook they first create a personal profile. These profiles display information such as your name, relationship status, occupation, photos, videos, religion, ethnicity, and personal interests. What differentiates SNS from previous media like a personal homepage is the display of one’s friends (boyd & Ellison, 2007). In addition to exhibiting your network of  friends, other users can then click on their profiles and traverse ever widening social networks. These three features – profiles, friends, traversing friend lists – represent the core, defining characteristics of social networking sites. One will notice that SNS also include other media tools such as video and photo uploading and many websites now employ social networking features. For example, YouTube is primarily a video sharing service, but users can add others as their friends or subscribe to a member’s collection of videos. Using boyd & Ellison’s (2007) definition, YouTube can be included as a type of social network site. As resear chers examine the effects of SNS on social behaviors, they will undoubtedly come across these blurring of technologies. Sonia Livingstone (2008) notes that SNS invite â€Å"convergence among the hitherto separate activities of email, messaging, website creation, diaries, photo albums and music or video uploading and downloading† (p. 394). This convergence of technologies may complicate what one means by the term social network site. Amidst the sea of what websites can be termed SNS, the technical definition of social network sites still provides a shared conceptual foundation. Comparing across common features – i.e. profiles and friend networks – researchers can begin to understand how various communities co-opt these characteristics to create entirely new cultural and social uses of the technology. Patricia Lange’s (2007) ethnographic study of YouTube shows that users deal with issues concerning public and private sharing of video. Some YouTube users post videos intended for wide audiences, but share very little about their own identities. Their motivations might be to achieve Internet fame and gather viewers. Other members upload videos intended for a small network of friends and may restrict the privacy settings to only allow access to those individuals. The concepts of friend and social networ k for these users are entirely distinct. Dodgeball, an early and now defunct mobile-SNS, is another social network site that has been studied. In Dodgeball, a user broadcasts their location via cell-phone to their network of friends:

It is Time for New Entrepreneur to Develop the Upper...

Jeff was an excellent entrepreneur, but now that the development of the product had started, and Palm would soon be launching the product, the first job that Jeff would need to do was to create an upper management. It was getting essential, as Jeff would otherwise be forced to do everything by himself, which would be disastrous. He was clearly good at designing and development of the product. His various market contacts, and his reputation in the market would mean that he would also be very effective at getting funding. With these two key activities addressed, he must now find one or more managers who would be willing to handle the other key areas namely sales and marketing, financing and a good liaison to communicate with other partnering†¦show more content†¦This would have several benefits, first is that the reps would be pretty adept at reading the market and would effectively come up with bright and novel ideas, as well as discover the subtle market changes. The other b enefit is that the reps would be thorough of the product specifications and features- their individual growth curves would be much better by the time they are in the initiation phase of the sales growth curve. This will result in a much better understanding of the market and the product leading to short lagging times in the cash inflow. Do note that the skills required for a renaissance rep, namely, communication within the organization, tolerance to ambiguity, deep interest in the product technology and extracting valuable information from the customers is exactly what would be needed for the job of surveying the marketplace, and even systematically finding new segments of the market. This early recruitment would ensure that they are the first to find the cellular market. Once the product is passed the beta phase, he would already be in the latter stages of the initiation phase, but still he should avoid using his resources in sales yet. He should let the renaissance reps continue with their role, and since he had partnered up with Tandy, he should use their distribution channels to broaden the list of potential customers. He shouldn’t rush to start selling to the stores, and this would put a little financial pressure.Show MoreRelatedSmall Business Strategy And Offer A Model Approach1352 Words   |  6 Pagesbusiness is to gain and sustain a competitive advantage. This activity can be difficult and time-consuming, especially for a small business where there are many businesses already established in the same industry. Unfortunately, some new business owners do not understand how to gain a competitive advantage or they fail to recognize how important doing this can be for the success of their company. Some new ventures do not secure a market position where there is a reasonable chance of success. OtherRead MoreChallenges of Strategy Implementation1316 Words   |  6 Pagesstudy by Michael Beer and Russell A. 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