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Marketing strategy and society
Marketing strategy and society
What is marketing?
Marketing is the provision of goods and services to potential customers. Marketing involves selling and buying of goods and services which are needed by customers. A market consists of suppliers and consumers. Suppliers make goods available to the population making them principle components of a market. A market also consists of consumers who are in charge of determining the rate of demand in the market. The demand and supply shifts on several occasions and affects the activities of the market as a whole. When there is a shift in either demand or supply, the market forces will have to regulate so that equilibrium can be achieved. Marketing is thus an activity that occurs on a day to day basis. Without marketing, the economy cannot be unsustainable and therefore cannot grow (Silk, 2006).
2.
Market penetration
Market penetration involves venturing into a market that has not been fully exploited. The company should sell vacations to more people who have access to internet by exposing them to the type of services that you are offering. This can be done by making the company’s website accessible to potential customers. A list of potential customers can be retrieved from a database that has regular customers. Look for a quality that the vacation has which has not been exploited by the company’s competitors. This can be providing transport right from their door step to their return.
Product development
The company can sell insurance covers that cater for the whole vacation from the transport to medical bills in the event of an emergency. This can be complimented with a doctor on call which secures the customers well being when away from home. The company can establish different packages for their clientele by to suit their needs. They can provide safari packages or five star hotel services
Market development
Broaden the company’s internet marketing service by improving the number of people that have access to the website. Marketing through the internet is different from the regular marketing. The company can register with websites that sell this service improving their access to new market. This will further advertise the business thus reaching the market that has not yet been tapped.
Diversification
Apart from selling the vacations online, use the company’s position in the market to focus on other services such as the provision of internet service to customers who do not know how to manage their websites. This business will concentrate on the creation of websites for people who want to market their goods using the internet. The new company will thus be an internet solutions company that solves all issues concerning the net (Wright, 2006).
3. A product which I think cannot be substituted
Majority of the goods and services have substitutes which can act as replacements in case one or the other exits from the market. This has caused a substantial amount of competition so that producers can make their products to the preferred choice. The service that I think cannot be substituted is hospitality. Hospitality in marketing is the provision of customer care and concern when dealing with customers. If hospitality is removed from the market, no alternative service can be substituted in place of hospitality (Brenkert, 2008).
4. Marketing is an Art as much as a science. What does this mean for a marketer?
This simply means that marketing had to be studied so that it can be perfected by anyone who chooses to take it on as a career or a course. Marketing is all about branding and forming a perception. These are qualities that are artistic in nature in that when a complete product or service is put together, it groomed to perfection. For one to be a substantial marketer, they need to master this quality so that they can be successful. In the case of relating marketing to a science, marketing has a set of rules and principles that if not followed will not apply in the trade. One should thus be aware of the components of marketing if they are to try their hand at marketing (Kerin, Hartley & Rudelius, 2011).
5. What parts do you agree with? Are there any parts you would find difficult to agree to?
I agree that all marketers are expected to follow an ethical code so as to protect the needs of the customers. Despite this, it is evident that it is difficult for marketers to maintain these principles due to its nature. One of the areas that I strongly oppose is transparency and honesty of most of the marketers. Marketing involves the selling of goods to the general public. The public is exposed to a number of products that increases the rate of competition in the market. For a business to compete with their colleagues, they need to market their products and services. This has led to marketers overrating their goods and services ignoring most of the ethical marketing principles. This as a result, has led to the elimination of marketing ethics due to the advertising scams that are realized after consumers purchase a product or service (Brenkert, 2008).
6. What are your feelings about companies that engage in this kind of social and community action? Is it out of genuine care for the community or just another way to increase sales?
My feelings about such companies are negative. For a company to sell their product or service, they need to form a perception about the goods and services they are marketing. All companies that are members of this group have the same qualities in that they up sale their products so that they can increase their sales. It is thus difficult to take this association seriously due to the fact that marketers are one and the same. Engaging in social and community action is one of the ways that companies use to improve on their image. The fact that the companies are registered in this association means that they have increased their sales due to association. This on its own is a marketing tool which the companies are using to better their place in the market. (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2009).
References
Armstrong, G., & Armstrong, G. (2009). Marketing: An introduction. Harlow, England: Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Brenkert, G. G. (2008). Marketing ethics. Malden, MA [u.a.: Blackwell.
Kerin, R. A., Hartley, S. W., & Rudelius, W. (2011). Marketing: The core. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Silk, A. J. (2006). What is marketing?. Boston. Mass: Harvard School Pr.
Wright, J. (2006). Blog marketing: The revolutionary new way to increase sales, build your brand, and get exceptional results. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Limitations of GDP as Welfare Indicator
Limitations of GDP as Welfare Indicator
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TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349524” Introduction PAGEREF _Toc413349524 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349525” Definition of GDP PAGEREF _Toc413349525 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349526” Limitations of GDP and Economic Indicator PAGEREF _Toc413349526 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349527” Treatment of “defensive expenditures PAGEREF _Toc413349527 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349528” As a measure of household work PAGEREF _Toc413349528 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349529” Shadow” or informal economy PAGEREF _Toc413349529 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349530” Measures of changes in natural Capital PAGEREF _Toc413349530 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349531” GDP and its derivatives are measures of the total output of the economy PAGEREF _Toc413349531 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349532” Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc413349532 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc413349533” References PAGEREF _Toc413349533 h 5
Introduction
GDP (and its derivatives) is a measure of economic activity, actually. Narrowly understood economic activity, one should add. However, this does not prevent economists and policy makers from making welfare comparisons across countries and across time on its basis. The argument goes as follows: GDP is a good proxy of the consumption possibilities people have, and consumption is a good proxy of well-being/welfare. Therefore, we allegedly can use GDP per capita for comparing welfare between countries and GDP growth as an indicator of social progress within a society. This may sound compelling to many and, indeed, we are used to this rhetoric from authorities and the media. But it is wrong to assume that GDP or any of its common derivatives provides a measure of social welfare, for a number of reasons.
Definition of GDP
GDP (gross domestic product) is computed as the sum of all end-use goods and services produced in an economy during a period of time, weighted by their market prices. There are at least two derivatives of GDP that are in usage, too: GNP and NNP. GNP (gross national product) is GDP plus income earned by islanders abroad minus income earned by foreigners in the inland. For most economies, the difference between these two is small, but it can be significant in some cases (e.g. in Ireland before the crisis, where much of the GDP was owned by foreign corporations). NNP (net national product) is GNP minus depreciation of capital, sometimes including estimates of natural capital depreciation (“green NNP”) (Fleurbaey & Blanchet, 2013).
From the definitions it is clear that these accounting quantities measure primarily the economic activity and, in the case of the NNP, the sustainability thereof (although in a very limited sense only). They could potentially be used as welfare indicators under some ideal conditions. But these conditions are nonexistent.
To use GDP and its derivatives as a welfare indicator means to ignore its limitations, and there are many of them: Each paragraph indicates a limitation
Limitations of GDP and Economic Indicator
First of all, GDP (I will stick to this base measure, but I mean its derivatives as well, if not else indicated) is computed at market prices – which means that it ignores externalities, particularly (but not only) environmental ones. To a limited extent, this limitation can be overcome by computing the measure using “accounting prices”, which try to correct for market externalities. However, this is a difficult procedure, since many accounting prices are more or less best guesses with limited reliability. In most cases, market prices are used (Jacobs & Šlaus, 2010).
As pointed out by HYPERLINK “http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/04/16/business/Easterlin1974.pdf” o “Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence” t “_blank” Richard Easterlin, who conducted extensive research from the 1970’s through 2000’s, people do not become happier when they grow richer if they crossed some rather low threshold in terms of income (the so-called HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easterlin_paradox” t “_blank” Easterlin Paradox). There are many possible explanations of why this is so – e.g. the fact that there is some threshold beyond which we have no more time to enjoy the fruits of our affluence (a Jones & Klenow, 2010) or the correlation between increasing affluence and increasing competition for “positional goods” that can be attained by anyone, but not by everyone (this theory was suggested by HYPERLINK “https://zielonygrzyb.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/social-limits-to-growth/” o “Social Limits to Growth” t “_blank” Fred Hirsch). Both effects make the pursuit of ever-increasing affluence (in terms of GDP) sisyphean and interpretations of the gross domestic product as a welfare indicator flawed.
Treatment of “defensive expendituresAnother argument against using GDP as a welfare indicator is its treatment of “defensive expenditures”: a category that includes items from expenditures on the military, through money spent on building dams to protect human settlements from flooding, to clean-up costs after, say, an HYPERLINK “http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/31/deepwater-horizon-bp-847m-dollars” o “BP adds $847 to Deepwater Horizon costs” t “_blank” oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These expenditures contribute positively to the GDP, but they clearly do not contribute to well-being. Therefore GDP overestimates what it is thought to approximate, i.e. social welfare.
As a measure of household workAlso, GDP does not include a meaningful part of the economy – household work -, as was pointed out by William Nordhaus and James Tobin in their famous paper HYPERLINK “http://www.nber.org/chapters/c7620.pdf” t “_blank” Is Growth Obsolete?. Beside of its importance for the proper functioning of the economy and society, unaccounted for household work makes welfare comparisons based on GDP both across time and across countries difficult. E.g., the US is known for its culture of “outsourcing” of household work (which may at least partly explain why US-Americans work more hours and why the US unemployment rates are systematically lower than in Europe) – many things that Europeans do on their own, outside of the market (and therefore unnoticed by GDP statistics), e.g. cooking, washing etc., an average US-Americans lets do others against payment. This makes the US-American GDP higher by trend – but it is very difficult to interpret the welfare consequences of these differences, especially because they root deeply in cultural specifics. Also, the tendency toward household work changes within societies over time – how should the resulting change in GDP be interpreted in welfare terms? (Jones & Klenow, 2010)
Shadow” or informal economyA similar point to the one made above can be made about the “shadow” or informal economy, which is especially important in developing countries (but also in many developed ones, particularly in Southern Europe) – being informal, its activities are not included in GDP statistics, even though they may have a tremendous influence on the welfare specifically of the poorer parts of the society.
Measures of changes in natural Capital
A subject that this blog is often concerned about is that GDP does not include any measures of changes in natural capital. Nor does the “normal” NNP. Since natural capital and ecosystem services (including renewable and nonrenewable natural resources, water purification, climate regulation, pollination, flood protection and many, many more) more often than not has no market prices, it is not included in GDP-like statistics that deal with marketed goods and services only. Also, the already mentioned environmental external effects remain unaccounted for (and, furthermore, there is evidence suggesting that rapid GDP growth is correlated with environmental destruction). However, ecosystem services are tremendously important for the well-being of people in developing and developed countries alike (although in the short term the former depend relatively more on them). Or could you get by without clean water, a stable climate or pollinated fruits? These things have to be included in any meaningful measure of social welfare, even though their HYPERLINK “https://zielonygrzyb.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/the-value-of-nature/” o “The Value of Nature” t “_blank” valuation may be problematic.
GDP and its derivatives are measures of the total output of the economy
They do not in any way account for distributional or equity effects of it. However, as suggested among others by Fred Hirsch and Richard Easterlin (van den Bergh, 2010), people evaluate their lives not in absolute terms, but rather in comparison with those whom they live among. So, the distribution of wealth is very important, in many cases (particularly when basic needs of the population are satisfied, as is the case in most developed countries) it may be more important than the general (average) level of wealth. GDP does not capture this crucial aspect of human well-being at all. Unless one believes in some kind of HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickle-down_economics” t “_blank” “trickle-down”, this is a serious limitation of GDP as a welfare indicator (van den Bergh, 2010).
Conclusion
Given all the limitations of GDP and related measures as welfare indicators (as listed above), it is clear that the practice of (implicitly or explicitly) using GDP statistics as a welfare proxy is deeply flawed and should be abandoned. There is no ready-made alternative that would give us a glimpse at social well-being and require just one single number. Most likely, it is impossible to create such a simple indicator. Instead, welfare has to be assessed on the basis of many different indicators, as HYPERLINK “https://zielonygrzyb.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/stop-debating-growth-and-focus-on-what-is-important/” o “Stop Debating Growth and Focus on What Is Important” t “_blank” I suggested recently. GDP may have the attracting characteristic of being relatively simple, but it is also flawed in the role as a welfare indicator. We should, using a quote attributed to Albert Einstein, “make things as simple as possible, but not simpler”.
ReferencesFleurbaey, M., & Blanchet, D. (2013). Beyond GDP: Measuring Welfare and Assessing Sustainability. Oxford University Press.
Jacobs, G., & Šlaus, I. (2010). Indicators of economic progress: the power of measurement and human welfare. Cadmus J, 1, 53-113.
Jones, C. I., & Klenow, P. J. (2010). Beyond GDP? Welfare across countries and time (No. w16352). National Bureau of Economic Research.
van den Bergh, J. C. (2010). Relax about GDP growth: implications for climate and crisis policies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18(6), 540-543.
A historical perspective on how alcohol and family violence have been impacted by legislative changes
Alcohol and domestic violence
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A historical perspective on how alcohol and family violence have been impacted by legislative changes
There is a connection between alcohol abuse and domestic violence. In many cases, domestic violence is accompanied by excessive alcohol consumption for long periods of time. Drinking is not the cause of domestic violence, but it can lead to the situation becoming volatile and hence make the abusive episodes more frequent and severe. This is due to the fact that alcohol abuse increases stress on the entire family and hence leads to a reduction in common sense when it comes to behaviors that are socially acceptable. When one is under the influence of alcohol, they have increased violent feelings and hence end up acting violently.
There have been numerous legislative changes that have been going on throughout history. Legislatures have been passing statutes that authorize criminal justice officials to handle domestic violence offenders in a more aggressive way. The domestic violence laws are meant to reduce subsequent violence after it has occurred or prevent a new case of violence from occurring. For instance, changes in legislation have led to domestic violence cases to be changed from being misdemeanors to felonies (Bryfonski, 2013). There have also been numerous legislation changes on alcohol abuse such as increasing taxes on alcohol beverages. This is intended to limit people from purchasing alcohol due to the increased prices. There is also change in legislation when it comes to decreasing the legal blood alcohol content level when driving. This prevents people from excessive consumption of alcohol and hence they do not get to a level where they become violent.
There are recent new punch laws that have been put in place. These laws are against domestic violence that is fueled by alcohol consumption that applies both in the streets and in homes. The new law stipulates that anyone who is under the influence of alcohol and found guilty on inflicting one-punch and someone looses their life, they will have to face a minimum sentence of eight years or a maximum of 25 years. On the other hand, those people who are found guilty of alcohol fueled assault or sexual assault will face a minimum mandatory sentence of two to five years.
The changes in legislation have made alcohol and domestic violence serious offenses that attract heavy punishments. These changes have led to a significant change in alcohol and domestic violence cases throughout history.
Impact of alcohol abuse on the addicted individual and those around them
Alcohol abuse can impact different aspects of the addicted individual’s life. If an individual consumes alcohol for a long period of time, they can end up developing serious health related complications. The effects of alcohol abuse on the health of an individual can be manifested in as chronic diseases, injuries and accidents. Intoxication is associated with injuries, accidents, domestic violence and deaths. Long term alcohol consumption can also cause brain damage to the addicted individual. The individual might experience memory loss, blackouts and anxiety. An individual can also end up developing permanent brain damage and mental health problems. There are diseases such as alcohol dependence or alcoholism that can be mainly linked with alcohol abuse. An addicted individual is also at risk of developing cancer of the mouth and throat. A disease such as liver cirrhosis is mainly caused by alcohol abuse (Bryfonski, 2013).
Alcohol abuse also has some social effects on an individual in terms of how they interact with other people. Alcohol affects the part of an individual’s brain that controls their judgement, coordination, concentration, emotions and behavior. This makes addicted individuals at risk of being victims of crime such as mugging, domestic violence and rape. They are also at risk of being involved in criminal or antisocial behavior such as domestic violence, fights and theft. An individual under the influence of alcohol is also at risk of having an accident such as accidental fires, road accident, accidents at work or falling down. An addicted individual can also be at risk of losing their job due to poor performance or being repeatedly absent. Alcohol abuse impacts the financial stability of an individual since they end up spending so much money to sustain their drinking behavior.
Alcohol abuse does not affect the addicted individual only it also affects those who are around them. Alcohol abuse leads to damaging of relationships between family members and friends. This is because the addicted individual ends up changing their behavior which affects their family and friends. The individual might end up being violent and hence those who are around them will be affected by their violent behavior. Alcohol abuse puts so much stress on people who are around the addicted person. Family members and friends are obliged to cover for the individual’s drinking problem. They are forced to take the burden of lying on your behalf and working so as to be able to provide for the addict and themselves. They often pretend that nothing is wrong and hide whatever fears they have. However, their resentment and fears can end up taking a toll on them. The addicted person’s children are quite vulnerable and sensitive to this issue. They end up facing emotional trauma which potentially lasts for a long time (Galanter, 2002).
The impact of family violence on both the perpetrator of family violence and those exposed to family violence
Domestic violence affects the perpetrator in various ways. First, the perpetrator might end up answering charges in court for their violence. If they are found guilty, they might face sentences in prison hence loose a lot of time of their life behind bars. Domestic violence can also lead to broken homes since the victims want to stay away from the perpetrator. The perpetrator ends up being lonely since his or her family no longer wants to be associated with them. The perpetrator of domestic violence can also be feared by his or her children. This is not good for the perpetrator as the children no longer want to be associated with him or her (Cleaver, & Unell, 2009). It aggravates the feeling of loneliness on the perpetrator.
There are also various effects of domestic violence to those who are exposed to it. Families or individuals who are exposed to domestic violence go through physical and emotional trauma. They often go through physical, spiritual or mental shifts that might end up becoming worse unless they are addressed. The emotional and psychological abuse that inflicted by the perpetrators of domestic violence is quite costly as compared to the physical injury that is sustained in the short-run. Most of the physical injuries that are sustained in domestic violence end up causing medical difficulties as the victims grow older. Some of the diseases that are affected by domestic violence include hypertension, arthritis and heart diseases. People exposed to domestic violence might end up loosing their jobs as a result of being absent because of being ill as a result of domestic violence. They can also be absent due to court appearances and hence jeopardize their means of livelihood. Those exposed to domestic violence might also be forced to move in order to avoid continued violence. This is quite costly and can also affect the continuity of employment. People exposed to domestic violence can also end up loosing their friends since the perpetrator ends up isolating the victim from their family and friends. The victims of domestic violence often become embarrassed due to the abuse they go through and withdraw from the support of family and friends so as to avoid the embarrassment.
Women who go through domestic violence might be abandoned by the church when they decide to separate themselves from the perpetrators. This is because some religions are against divorce or separation regardless of the extent of abuse. Victims of domestic violence end up forgoing their financial security through divorce so as to avoid further abuse. Victims of domestic violence are at a high risk of alcohol and other drug abuse as a way of dealing with what they are going through (Galanter, 2002).
It is unfortunate that whenever a child witnesses their mother being abused they end up being affected. Children are very close to their parents and whatever hurts them hurts the children too. When a child sees their mother being abused, they feel guilty because they feel like they could not protect them or they might be the reason for the strife. Children might also end up being neglected or abused in the process as the mother tries to deal with the trauma they are going through. A child gets hurt when they witness their parent being yelled at, pushed or being beaten. They feel stressed, confused, and ashamed. In many cases, they blame themselves for being the cause of the problem (Gerdes, 2012). They end up growing with the knowledge that it is okay to hurt people or to be hurt by others. Children who witness domestic violence develop emotional problems, become withdrawn or always cry excessively. They end up having a difficulty in making friends or develop a fear for adults. These children might end up being depressed and excessively absent from school. They solve problems violently either in school or at home. They are also at a risk of being suicidal, running away from home and committing criminal acts (Cleaver, & Unell, 2009).
Intervention methods, which could be applied to this family in crises
There are various intervention strategies that can be applied in domestic violence situations. This includes availability of a 24 hour response team available to respond to any case of domestic violence (Gerdes, 2012).The response centers normally respond to domestic violence immediately upon request by providing law enforcement and medical practitioners. It also advocates for provision of crisis intervention, an immediate assessment of the situation and safety planning for the victims. The other intervention strategy is emergency shelters. The victim sand their children gave access to shelters where they can run to as they flee from domestic violence. This offers emergency assistance, housing, advocacy and counselling for the victims. Another intervention strategy is support groups. Victims of domestic violence have access to confidential support groups where they freely share their experiences. This helps the victims in their path to recovery.
How the family rituals may affect the family member in crises
Family rituals are an important tool in preserving the family paradigm and also convey its identity. Family rituals can affect family members in crisis in various ways such as facilitating the transmission of beliefs and values. They might be of great importance in transmitting the beliefs and values of a particular family. This helps in bringing the family back together during the crisis and dealing with the situation at hand through fostering the family values. Family rituals also provide support and containment where there are strong emotions particularly in domestic violence situations. They help in bringing the family together after domestic violence incidence hence help in creation of safety and security in the family.
References
Bryfonski, D. (2013). Family violence. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.
Cleaver, H., & Unell, I. (2009). Children’s needs : Parenting capacity: The impact of parental mental illness, problem alcohol and drug use, and domestic violence on children’s development. London: The Stationery Office.
Galanter, M. (2002). Alcohol and violence epidemiology, neurobiology, psychology, family issues. New York: Kluwer Academic Pub.
Gerdes, L. (2012). Domestic violence. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.