From Julius Caesar to Hamlet Essay

The comparison between Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Hamlet in terms of how implied, or latent elements and themes in one were transmitted and developed in the other can lead to unveiling the transformations Shakespeare was envisaging with the writing of Hamlet. In the Introduction to the 1987 Oxford University Press edition of Hamlet, G. R. Hibbard stated that â€Å"Hamlet was written after, but not long after, Julius Caesar, which can be dated with unusual accuracy as having been compose in the late summer of 1599† (4). From the arguments that Hibbard gives to support his argument (that there are two allusions in the text of Hamlet to Julius Caesar) we can see the strong connections between the two plays. In a way, both Julius Caesar and Hamlet represent thresholds in the development of Shakespeare’s dramatic art.   However, Hamlet moves in a different direction.   If Julius Caesar is set in a distant past and can only hint to the humanist themes in Shakespeare’s world, Hamlet shifts the tone of Shakespeare’s plays to a more private and Elizabethan center of interest. This paper argues that the themes and motifs that were merely suggested or hinted to or implied in Julius Caesar and which were elaborately developed in Hamlet   are significant in determining the specificity of Shakespeare’s later historical tragedies. The analysis of devices, motifs and themes in the two plays will illustrate this argument. The device of foregrounding is employed in Julius Caesar in the first act as a warning sign to Caesar from the Soothsayer. It is a clear and unmistakable omen of Julius Caesar’s death, especially given the drama’s historical grounding. This device is used in this play only to trigger the conflict – the death of Caesar will generate the actual drama. Because of its lack of ambiguity and its limited dramatic span, the foreshadowing in Julius Caesar does not have the same impact as it does in Hamlet. In Hamlet, the device of foreshadowing becomes a trigger for the play’s resolution and also represents the dramatic subtext which drives the whole chain of events towards the tragic end.   In Act 1 Scene 1, we witness the apparition of the ghost of Hamlet’s father. This episode is marked by the use of special imagery and allusions. Horatio gives the decisive argument in identifying the ghost with tthe murdered king. The ghost figure is clearly employed in this first act as a means of   foreshadow ing not only the conflict of the story but also its resolution: â€Å"This bodes some strange eruption to our state† (The Tragedy of Hamlet 148). The image of Fortinbras is another ominous motif by which Shakespear alludes to the later developments in the play. Moreover, the reader is given a preliminary explanation of the Medieval code of honor, by which the king’s son has to avenge his father’s death. The story of Fortinbras and his father parallels and motivates the complex relationship between Hamlet and his own father. Duty is presented as a crucial motivation, which determines the hero’s actions and even consciousness. Another element which is only suggested in Julius Caesar is the characters’ ambivalence – no character is essentially â€Å"evil† or â€Å"bad†. Brutus, before deciding to join the conspirators, condemns this act: They are the faction. O conspiracy Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night, When evils are most free? O, then by day Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough/ To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy;† (Julius Caesar, Act 2 Scene 1). Brutus is therefore shown to have a moral conscience, a conscience dramatically and fatally opposing his actions. The paradox of a noble man’s evil actions might find its explanation through an analysis of Hamlet’s soliloquy at the end of the first act. Hamlet’s soliloquy and corruption in the forth scene points to a specific image idea Shakespeare had about the human mind and behavior: it appears that the seeds of evil can be ingrained in the most noble of spirits or, conversely, that goodness can be the host of evil. This feature is presented in fatalistic and deterministic terms and becomes another motivation for the tragic resolution: So, oft it chances in particular men That for some vicious mole of nature in them As, in their birth – wherein they are not guilty [†¦] Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason Or by some habit that too much o’er-leavens [†¦] Shall in the general censure take corruption From that particular fault (The Tragedy of Hamlet, 181) The chain of events leading to the fatal ending is thus linked to the dictum of â€Å"blind fate†. By foregrounding the ambivalence of human nature, Shakespeare gives a more complex perspective on his characters’ motivational resorts and transcends the limitations of a completely â€Å"good† or a completely â€Å"evil† model. In another scene, the King admits to his having murdered Hamlet’s father. He is presented as having pangs of guilt – â€Å"May one be pardoned and retain th’offence?† (The Tragedy of Hamlet, 273): O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven. It has the primal eldest curse upon’t – A brother’s murder. Pray can I not. (The Tragedy of Hamlet, 272). Cluadius’ questions show the character in a new, humanizing light, which eliminates the image of the stereotyped villain. Many of the elements that are only latent, or implied, in Julius Caesar, are to be fully found in Hamlet’s soliloquies. The motif of Brutus’ suicide, for instance, which is not fully developed in the play, becomes one of the themes of reflection in Hamlet’s soliloquies. Hamlet’s considerations on suicide, on the other hand, elaborate much on this theme. There are several acceptions which are discussed in the protagonist’s soliloquies and they are testimony to Shakespeare’s insight of the human mind: For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, [†¦] To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveler returns, puzzles the will. (The Tragedy of Hamlet, 240-241) Moreover, in another passage, Hamlet gives another interpretation of his own reluctance to commit suicide, which is presented in light of the protagonist’s fear of God and social status: The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes,† (The Tragedy of Hamlet, 240). Closely linked to this theme, there is the notion of the vanity of existence which is only implied in Julius Caesar through the foregrounding of the emperors’ rise and fall and in the parallels drawn in this respect among Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Brutus. However, this theme is not fully problematized in the play – probably because it does not come in agreement with the historical and philosophical repertoire of Ancient Rome. In Hamlet, however, this theme becomes predominant and one of the character’s privileged objects of reflection. The â€Å"What is a man† soliloquy hints to the vanitas vanitatum of Renaissance and humanist philosophy of the finitude of man and of the ultimate insignificance of all earthly possessions. Moreover, Hamlet’s soliloquy incorporates another one of the humanist concerns, which was that of the perfectibility of man’s spirit and destiny through God-given language and thought: What is a man If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more (The Tragedy of Hamlet, 298).   To conclude, this paper has illustrated the ways in which themes and motifs which were latent in Julius Caesar are given prominence in Hamlet, especially through the protagonist’s soliloquies. In a way, it is the very shift from the predominance of the oratorical speech and its dialogic character in Julius Caesar to the primacy of the soliloquy and its monological quality in Hamlet that provides the key for understanding the reasons behind the amplification of devices and themes from one play to the other. With Hamlet, Shakespeare’s historical tragedies become more intimate and, at the same time, more openly philosophical and universal.

Courage Under Fire

The film â€Å"Courage Under Fire† tackles ethical issues and moral dilemmas. Here an officer during the course of his investigation, searches for the truth in the different accounts regarding a Desert Storm mission while struggling with his own demons. Wildland Fire Leadership Values and Principles espouses three main merits in a leader; Duty, Respect and Integrity. In the film, the characters display such characteristics under different circumstances.Perhaps one of the main principles that can be observed in the film is the choice of the two key characters to choose the difficult right over the easy wrong. Rather than leave their crash site in the middle of night, where darkness will provide them good cover and a good chance to escape safely, Captain Karen Walden did otherwise for the sake of her injured co-pilot. She took into consideration the safety of all the members of her team and tried to save what could be saved. When Monfriez tried to stage a mutiny to push the team to escape, Cpt.Walden asserted herself; demonstrating her prowess as a capable leader, who earlier in the day effectively put to use all their available resources to assemble a make-shift fort to keep them safe and make good use of their ammunition until rescue arrives. As for Colonel Nat Serling, he accepted full responsibility of his actions and their consequences during the attack which took the life of his closest friend. Though there was visible stress after he realized his action, it was brief and he rallied his men to finish the mission.His decisions and his alertness during the event prevented major loss in their part. In the Monfriez’s false account, his description of Capt. Walden was of characters contradictory to those of the values and principles mentioned above. This characterization devoid of notions of integrity, respect and duty produces a person unfit for such a job that required leadership and proficiency. Along with demonstrating the leadership principles and values, the characters also perform actions that they consider fitting in their given situations.To arrive at these actions, they relied on their own capacities rather than waiting for the orders of outside forces; like what Colonel Serling did when he ordered the tanks to turn on their lights to distinguish their own forces from that of the enemies’. Though command was asking him to relay the conditions, he preferred not to focus on the question and proceeded to give orders based on his analysis of the situation. Amidst pressure Capt. Walden stood by her decision, having confidence in her capabilities.Her ability to translate her bravery into actions and also her leadership skills to the men, resorting only to drastic measures when circumstances call for it, display her influence over the people around her. This influence should not be interpreted as something overbearing; the abilities of Walden and Serling to communicate their desires and convince others to do it, suc h as General Hershberg agreeing to extensions and allowing Serling time to explain and Capt. Walden’s command over her troops, are qualities of good and effective leaders.Only when it is abused or used incorrectly does it become overbearing and unbecoming of a good leader. However, the feedback they get as people with position are not the same. A hint of gender bias appears in the film; Walden was the first woman to be awarded a medal already handed to numerous men, such a ruckus was made in the decision to do so stemming from existing ideals that as Eagly et al. states; â€Å"in explicit leadership roles, women tend to be viewed less positively than men (qtd. in Unger 253), and Monfriez weakens Walden’s character by emphasizing on her emotional attributes.While Serling kept on with the mission even though Boylar had died, Walden chose to remain in the site for her injured co-pilot. This might be attributed to differences in leadership due to dispositions but other co ntrasting elements should also be taken into account. While the tank has been confirmed hit, thus its crew dead, Walden’s co-pilot was still alive and as a leader bound by moral duties, Walden chose to stay. Steven Covey in his foreword to Greenleaf, Spears and Covey’s (4) book, wrote that â€Å"†¦the essential quality that sets servant-leaders apart from others is that they live by their conscience- the inward moral sense of what is right and what is wrongâ€Å". Though not directly, the conscience that exists in member-oriented leaders is a factor of moral courage which according to Hildreth (96) â€Å"consists in enduring, through the force of the moral sentiment, those numerous pains which spring from the malevolence of others to whom our conduct gives offence; particularly those pains which we are subject through the sentiment of self-comparison, pains of obloquy, mortification, and disgrace†.Aside from conscience, moral courage is similar to other f acets of ethical leadership such as â€Å"judicious use of incentives, astute ordering of priorities and allocating resources where they count the most† (Greenleaf, Spears and Covey’s 73). Both these values can be observed in the key characters. Courage Under Fire not only showed the bravery of its characters in the field of battle but in the midst of people and their peers as well.It is in this film several embodiments of leadership virtues can be seen and perhaps learned by those who choose to watch this. Courage Under Fire. Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon. 1996. DVD. 20th Century Fox, 2000. Greenleaf, Robert K. , Spears, Larry C. , & Stephen R. Covey. Servant leadership: a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. 25th ed. New Jersey: Paulist Press.2002. Hildreth, Richard. Theory of Morals: An Inquiry Concerning the Law of Moral Distinctions and the Variations and Contradictions of Ethical Codes . Boston: Published by C. C. Little & J. Brown. 1844. Unger, Rhoda. Handbook of the Psychology of Women and Gender. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. 2004. â€Å"Values and Principles. † fireleadership. gov. 3 June 2009. < http://www. fireleadership. gov/ values_principles. html>

The great depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The great depression - Essay Example strophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange (â€Å"Black Thursday") in October 1929 remains the most severe economic depression experienced in America (Modern American Poetry1). Various factors caused the great depression. Apparently, the boom psychology and speculative euphoria resulted in underlying weaknesses and imbalances within the U.S. economy that caused the great depression (Modern American Poetry1). The federal government and financial institutions lacked capacity to address the underlying weaknesses and economic imbalances. Indeed, the American government could not sustain the rising personal debt, increased production of goods, and imbalance between the rich and the poor leading to the stock market crash of 1929. Economists assumed this was simply a correction of the market and hence did nothing to contain the situation. President Herbert Hoover underestimated the severity of the crisis and assured U.S citizens that the economic slump would not last for more than 60 days (WGBH Educational Foundation 1). Herbert did not consider government’s intervention on the matter. Consequently, stock prices continued to fall in America. By the end of 1932, stock prices had dropped to 20 % of their 1929 value. Apparently, the great depression started in America and spread to other industrialized nations across the globe between late 1929 and early 1940s. The U.S had forged fundamental relationships with other European economies after the First World War that allowed the great depression to turn into a global economic crash (Modern American Poetry1). The First World War, war debts, and the need to pay reparations (Modern American Poetry1) weakened European economies forcing them to rely on America, which was the chief creditor after the war (Quah and Crowley 8). As such, the economic slump in America and the depreciation of the American investment credits to Europe fostered economic challenges in Europe. Ideally, countries that were deeply

Excutive summary-Global Strategic Management Essay

Excutive summary-Global Strategic Management - Essay Example The article highlights the major proponents of change and gives critical insight into the innovative approach that enables the businesses to compete against their rivals. The article succinctly argues that in the contemporary environment of globalization and recessive economy, the businesses need to evolve strategies that cater to the masses and meet the changing need of the people. The article also emphasizes that cost innovative strategies have become essential for businesses to maintain competitive advantage. The various means the businesses can effectively survive and maintain market position is moving away from premium products and make efforts for mass production of goods and services that are customised to the changing demands of current cash strapped customers. People want more value from the competitively priced goods. Another cost effective way the businesses are adopting is shifting their manufacturing and R&D facilities to the emerging new economies where the production and research cost is considerably low. The article also proposes that the emerging markets are crucial in the era of globalization and can be defined as the new area with high income and where the demand for the product can be created with relative success. Thus, the businesses must expand their operations in developing economies like India and China and exploit the market conditions. Last but not the least important are the innovative marketing techniques that need to be adopted to reach the masses. Hence the authors have suggested communication through alternative channels like posters, carry bags, luggage carts etc where the companies can put their name. These are low cost advertising channels and eminently suitable for the current recessive trend. I agree with the authors concern for adopting creative approach to sustain business in difficult time. While many big corporations and multinationals have found it hard to survive in the

Consumer Behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Consumer Behavior - Assignment Example See it works as the CEO of the company says if one is in the store for 2 hours then we got him or her. The bookseller gives value to cognition because a purchase decision is a consequence of thinking and therefore, once the customer initiates to think about getting then the store might make a sale. Barnes and Noble offers a place where people can meet up others and have a social activity but at the same time, no one is going to stop the objective customers from buying what they need or want to leave. After all, the store is selling books and CDs and all that fuss of offering opportunities to socialize, coffee, comfy couches and free music is actually means of selling literature (Peter & Olson, 2010) and in the light of above argument, both Rob and Lisa will have themselves entertained at the featured bookstore’s facility. Lisa on the other hand, will most probably prefer Barnes and Noble because she has the luxury of actually reading or listening to a book or a piece of music before she can make a final purchase decision over there. According to Social Exchange Theory, humans interact and love to share their knowledge and information with each other (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). However, Barnes and Noble is offering free online services on the web and free live performances in their physical locations because all it wants to do is to facilitate the consumers to find out what they like by looking around and talking to the people in the store and purchase it. All of these free activities are there to motivate customers towards buying something intrinsically. The salesperson does not have to push customers towards buying books but they are needed to be seated in comfy couches and then frontline employees have to wait for them to actually buy something. I found the marketing strategy of Barnes and Noble as most intriguing and innovative because it focuses on meeting traditional goals of marketing with a newer approach. I got most of

Core and Periphery or GMOs, Traditional Foods and Indigenous Essay

Core and Periphery or GMOs, Traditional Foods and Indigenous Sovereignty or Migration and Climate Change - Essay Example ed trivial instances of malnutrition and poverty due to the self-sufficient production of its staple foods, wheat and rice (Newman, â€Å"Will Climate Change Spark Conflict in Bangladesh?†). To that end, overpopulation is not a matter of concern to the Bangladeshis. Changes in climate involving chaotic storms, droughts and ever-increasing sea levels have turned the nation into the most vulnerable country to climate changes. These factors are stealing away the land of the larger population that lives in the coastal regions, such as Dakope. In addition, the largest delta in the, Ganges Delta, that empties much of the Himalayas water has shown the signs erosion. Here, palm trees grow out of the rivers, fields full of salt particles and many brick foundations laced into halves (â€Å"Will Climate Change Spark Conflict in Bangladesh?†). Practically, the land occupied by water was once dry and people lived on it. The rise in the sea levels prompts people to migrate to other p laces in the country and even abroad with an intention of finding better settlement. Greenhouse gases emissions and rising temperatures are the major cause of climate changes. Reports asserts that Bangladesh only contributes 0.3 percent of the emissions and yet it is the most hit as regarding to climate changes. Other environmental degradations spring from the tragedy encountered in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshis depend merely on the ground water since most of the rivers in the nation are polluted, a move that is per se right. The result of excessive pumping of water from the ground is that the land settles sinks. Floods are a common feature in this nation since as sea levels rise, the land level is also sinking. Besides, the sea walls are constructed poorly, a factor that increases the risk of flooding. The frequent cyclones experienced in the neighboring Bay of Bengal are detrimental to the environment conditions of Bangladesh (Harris, â€Å"Borrowed Time on Disappearing Land†). As a mechanism of

An Ethical Dilema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Ethical Dilema - Essay Example The person spent hours using the company phone lines in setting up of doctor’s appointment or making phone calls to their friends who are from different side of business on company time. Even when the person was in state of using internet in office computer, he had an interest in surfing to different social networking sites on company’s valuable time. His friend was obsessed with his behavior because it resulted in low performance. The same colleague used to have longer conversations with other colleagues which were irrelevant and had nothing to do with business. The situation did not offered his friend to report this unethical behavior to his supervisor because the person was his dearest friend and he did not wanted the company to take actions against his colleague. Due to his positive nature, the colleague started to continue the behavior excessively and always made his friend involved in his conversations. This also had a negative impact on his performance as he was unable to meet deadlines with the work. Answer 2: If I put myself in the role of an employee that had to deal with his colleague’s unethical behavior, I would have reviewed code of conduct and the company’s philosophy regarding the attitude of that employee. I would consult with my other colleagues the particular situation without revealing the name of any person in the scenario. This would help me understand rules of the company regarding an unethical behavior to conduct personal business on company’s time. Then simply I would pay visit to my colleague and let him know of his unethical behavior which is ruining the culture and philosophy of the organization. I would make him understand that his particular behavior is inflicting my performance curve with greater margins. I would make him realize that the company pays its employees for the work they have performed instead of doing personal business (Rhodes, 1986). If still the matter persisted with consistency, I would approach an ombudsperson that is charged with the duty of handling informal complaints from the working staff. This would allow me to make complaints against any employee regarding their behavior without revealing my name. These complaints are made confidential and the company assures employees’ anonymity in the case. This is also considered as the whistle blowing concept in which an employee has a right to share the wrongdoing practices happening within the firm to his manager and supervisor. This act would only be possible if actions made by a colleague are recognized as an unethical behavior. I would not be taking actions if the behavior would not have resulted in decrease in my performance (Garber, 2008). Answer 3: Ethical dilemmas often do not have clear responses unless the person has broken the law or regulations that are governed by the organization. The concept of integrity is to make correct choice between right and wrong. Individuals can make good decisions in this case if they have been prepared for the particular situation or their ethical base is strong. A person who commits to integrity will find himself in a right situation before it requires action against an ethical dilemma. In the above case of ethical dilemma, an employee had to make corrections with the colleague’s behavior. He had to make up his mind that the behavior he was pursuing was unethical and is resulting in low

Eminent Domain- Melvin M. Brandt Holding and Trust vs. United States Essay

Eminent Domain- Melvin M. Brandt Holding and Trust vs. United States - Essay Example The power of eminent domain therefore gives the state powers to take over land in and property and use it for public utility. This power does not consider the private owners hence goes ahead to take over the private property and use it for public interest whenever there is need. However, the state takes care of the welfare of the affected parties, after the process has been filed in the court then just compensation can be determined in the trial. Eminent domain is wide and does not only entail land and property but also patents, trade secrets and copyrights (V). However the amendment that states that the taking of land of property should only be for public and not any other purposes and that the affected parties should be justly compensated is to be adhered at all times However the us supreme court has consistently differed to the right of states to make their own determinations of public use (Wolf, USA Today News). Therefore always involves itself with offering fair judgments to cases involved with eminent domain. The court further insists that the preferred measure of just compensation should be a fair market value while putting into consideration the properties highest and best use. However this measure of compensation has been highly criticized because it omits from consideration a variety of incidental economic losses that a taking of land inflicts on its owners when they are evicted from their land and their businesses (Wolf, USA Today). Brandt concerns a quiet little action filed by the federal government involving a ten acre strip of land in Wyoming over which decades of failed railways operated in 1908, the government per tented thus granting land to Marvin and Lulu Brandt a plot of land including a portion of what was subjected to be the right of way.Several years later, the rail road abandoned the right of way. By the year 2004,the rail road had completed removing the track road and thus the

Hughs character Essay Example for Free

Hughs character Essay The final story, which Hugh tells, incorporates the many criticisms of Hughs character. He covers up his own failings and inadequacies as a defence mechanism and reiterates this by saying to Owen, to remember everything is a form of madness. This story is almost a turning point of Hughs character and for the audiences interruption of his character. Hugh is no longer a two dimensional caricature but a real character with human attributes, hence why we can be critical and admirable towards him. After all, Hugh is a self-educated man with a vast depth of knowledge of the Classics, speaking four languages, that we know of, Greek, Latin, Gaelic and English; nearly all of which he would have to have taught himself. He seems to be driven to share his knowledge. By teaching the Classics in his environment of rural poverty, himself a picture of poor ragged countryman, we must appreciate his drive and ability. Hugh also formed the Hedge School well as far as we know. He is attempting to educate the locals and one almost feels that he has taken the school from the hedge lines into the barn and still as an old man in his early sixties he has the ambition to move onward and upward to a new position at the new national school. He is clearly a figure in the local community who is looked up and respected by his peers and students alike. In addition, Yolland has a great deal of respect for him, calling him an astute man. Yolland almost has more respect for Hugh than Owen does because Owen continues to be critical of him and Yolland repeats, But so astute, almost placing Hugh on a pedestal. In addition, as an audience you have to respect his ability to cope with his situation, his wife has died and his sons are without a mother. It is easy to be critical of Hugh but you have to admire his ability to cope with the hard reality of the times he is living in even if that means trying to erase the past. After all he did live in an age of hand to mouth existence and he almost blocks out the reality of these hardships. His survival mechanism is a natural and human instinct. We cannot really blame him for wanting to live in an unrealistic world of Greek myth and Latin past. Neither can you chastise his drinking. His lifestyle and the stress of his situation is what drives him to drink and you cannot really fault him for that. All of these small but simple gestures that Friel incorporates into Hughs character are what make us as an audience have admiration for him. Friel does not create a stereotypical character, but a fully-rounded individual with human qualities, it is these qualities, which allow us as an audience to both admire and criticise his character.

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union: A Comparison and Contrast

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union: A Comparison and Contrast In comparing and contrasting the governments of Nazi German and the Soviet Union one has to research the political ideology of both Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin and the types of governments they both headed. Adolph Hitler leaned towards Mussolinis Fascism whereas Joseph Stalin leaned toward Totalitarianism Totalitarianism Totalitarianism are hierarchies that are dominated by a single political party and usually one political leader and is a form of government in which the state monopolizes all the resources in an effort to control all areas of both private and public life. This is done through the use of misinformation, fear, and technology. Totalitarianism rejects the existing government as being corrupt, immoral, and beyond fixing and as a result the paint a picture in which these wrongs are to be corrected and then provide plans and programs to implement a new government. These ideologies which are carried out by propaganda campaigns then demand total obedience from the people. Fascism The Fascism movement began in 1919 in Italy and Europe and was an authoritarian political movement that happened after World War One due to the social and political changes of the time as well as due to the spread of socialism and Communism. Fascism derived its name from the fasces which was ancient symbol of Roman authority which was pictured as a bundle of rods and an ax. The early Fascist movement was a combination of right and left wing ideas that put an emphasizes on production, elitism, the need for a strong leader, anti-socialism, and nationalism. Similarities The role of the leaders was the most striking similarity in the political structure of both systems with Hitler in Germany and Stalin in Russia. Both leaders influence was so great that historians find it complicated to separate the system from the man in referring to Stalins Russia and Hitlers Germany. Both systems were not only headed by a single person, they were also dominated by a single party, with the Nazis in Germany and the Communist in the Soviet Union. Both were also driven by an ideology, fascism in Germany and communism in the Soviet Union. Differences In Germany the status of the Hitler sect of Nazism was much more consequential. In a sense the Hitler sect was Nazism. It is hard to imagine the Nazi Party without Hitler this being because of Hitlers personality. It has been observed that Hitlers leadership style lead to Nazisms inability to reproduce itself in a methodical way and to its irrationality. Hitler was completely avoided established patterns and procedures for work, when asked how a party member should progress up the ladder to become, say, a regional chief, and his answer was that the individual should show his suitability by simply seizing the post, i.e. by proving himself in action. In this way he expected a shapeless Nazi movement to evolve by a process of natural selection by choosing those he thought most worthy of loyalty to him. The Hitler administration lacked a rational order which the ultimate result would be its downfall due radicalization in conditions of administrative chaos. In Ian Kershaws words, Hitlers leadership was utterly incompatible with a rational decision-making process, or with a coherent, unified administration and the attainment of limited goals . . . its self-destructive capacity unmistakable, its eventual demise certain. (Working Towards the FÃ ¼hrer. Reflections on the Nature of the Hitler Dictatorship . ) The greater threat to all of humanity was Nazi Germany, ironically it was the Soviet Union that liberated Eastern Europe and was the main force that defeated Nazi Germany, and as a result saved Europe and the world from the Nazism. . even though it was unintentionally, the Soviets saved the Baltic nations, the Poles, the Ukrainians, the Czechs, and others, from an intended Nazi genocide. This was not an attempt to be a total physical annihilation, as with the Jews, but just disappearance of these groups. Stalin was not interested in supporting Jews in thier fight against Germany. Stalin, Molotov and others almost always rejected the mention of Jews as specific groups of victims when talking about crimes of the Wehrmacht or the Germans in general. Even with his anti-semitic views, this should not diminish the role played by Stalin and the Soviet Union as the major force that brought about the defeat and surrender of Nazi Germany whose goals was the goal of annihilating the Jewish peop le. With Germanys defeatm lives of untold millions of Jews was saved. Conclusion Even though both regimes wanted a Superior Race Nazi Germanny wanted a total annilatization of undesirables where the Soviet Union wanted the undesirables out of the land. Nazi Germany was willing to commite genocide to obtain their goals of a racially pure nation. Both were gulity of millions of innocent people. References: Grobman, G. M. (1990). Nazi Fascism and the Modern Totalitarian State. In Remember.org [A Cybrary of the Holocaust]. Retrieved December 2, 2009, from http://remember.org/guide/Facts.root.nazi.htmlJames, H. (2003). The Twentieth Century in an Iron Cage: Modernization and Rationalization. In Europe Reborn: A History, 1914 2000Great Britain: Pearson/Longman. Bauer, Y. (n.d. ). On Comparisons between Nazi Germany and the Soviet regime. In Memorial Service [A politically independent organization that apart sets with the causes and consequences of Nazism and its crimes. ]. Retrieved December 2, 2009, from http://www.gedenkdienst.or.at/fileadmin/user_upload/yehuda_bauer_-_23_august.pdf Thomas A Idinopulos. (2000). How Yehuda Bauers critique of Holocaust thinking has changed my mind. Journal of Ecumenical Studies,37(3/4),444-454. Retrieved December 2, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID:103770793). Kershaw, I. (1993, July). Working Towards the FÃ ¼hrer. Reflections on the Nature of the Hitler Dictatorship . Contemporary European History, 2(2), 103-118.

Ageism at work

Ageism at work INTRODUCTION Ageism can be defined as any attitude, action, or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age (Traxler, 1980, p. 4). As an ism, ageism reflects a prejudice in society against older adults. Ageism, however, is different from other isms (sexism, racism etc.), for primarily two reasons. First, age classification is not static. An individuals age classification changes as one progresses through the life cycle. Thus, age classification is characterized by continual change, while the other classification systems traditionally used by society such as race and gender remain constant. Second, no one is exempt from at some point achieving the status of old, and therefore, unless they die at an early age, experiencing ageism. The later is an important distinction as ageism can thus affect the individual on two levels. First, the individual may be ageist with respect to others. That is s/he may stereotype other people on the basis of age. Second, the individual may be ageist with respect to self. Thus, ageist attitudes may affect the self concept. Much research has been conducted concerning ageism. However, the empirical evidence is inconclusive. Some research demonstrates the existence of ageist attitudes (Golde Kogan, 1959; Kastenbaum Durkee, 1964a, 1964b; Tuckman Lorge, 1953) and other research does not (Brubaker Powers, 1976; Schonfield, 1985). This discrepancy is most likely the result of methodological differences and, in particular, methodological errors. A brief discussion of the major methodological errors or problems found in ageism research may be helpful in clarifying this point. The first major problem is that the majority of ageism research suffers from a mono-method bias. In other words, each study used only one method to operationally define the ageism construct. Methods commonly used have included sentence completion (Golde Kogan, 1959), semantic differential (Kogan Wallach, 1961; Rosencranz McNevin, 1969), Likert scales (Kilty Feld, 1976), and adjective checklists (Aaronson, 1966). The problem inherent in the use of a mono-method is that any effect found may be an artifact of the method employed rather than the construct under study. Thus, a researcher should employ more than one method to look for consistency in the results. Another problem, according to Kogan (1979) is the use of within-subjects designs in ageism research. In other words, a subject will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding both younger and older adults. Kogan asserts that by using this methodology, age is pushed to the foreground of a subjects mind. The subject thus becomes aware that the researcher is looking for age differences. Therefore, age differences are found. The use of primarily younger populations to study ageism represents another problem with ageism research. The majority of ageism research uses children, adolescents, or young adults as subjects and examines their perception of older adults. Only a few studies have examined the perceptions of the population whom the construct affects most older adults. Those studies which have used an older subject population have unfortunately used primarily institutionalized individuals as subjects (Kastenbaum Durkee, 1964a; Tuckman Lavell, 1957). Therefore, they do not represent the vast majority of older adults. Another problem with much of ageism research is that it only examines the negative stereotypes of old age. More recent studies have suggested that while attitudes toward the aged are increasingly positive, they are still stereotypic (Austin, 1985). Therefore, ageism has been expanded to include positive stereotypic images. However, these are rarely studied (Brubaker Powers, 1976). Two additional problems are primarily theoretical in nature. First, ageism research rarely examines or attempts to understand the causes of ageism. Thus, while much theoretical work has been conducted concerning the factors contributing to ageism, little empirical research has been conducted in this area. Second, ageism research rarely examines the interaction between ageism and other isms. As many individuals are in a position to experience more than one prejudice, the interaction between these prejudices needs to be examined. The Theoretical Basis of Ageism Ageism consists of a negative bias or stereotypic attitude toward aging and the aged. It is maintained in the form of primarily negative stereotypes and myths concerning the older adult. Traxler (1980) outlines four factors that have contributed to this negative image of aging. Each will be discussed below. The first factor that is postulated to contribute to ageism is the fear of death in Western society. Western civilization conceptualizes death as outside of the human life cycle (Butler Lewis, 1977). As such, death is experienced and viewed as an affront to the self. Death is not seen as natural and inevitable part of the life course. This can be contrasted with Eastern philosophy where life and death are all part of a continuous cycle. Death and life are inextricably woven together and the self continues throughout. To be a person, in Western society, however, means that one must be alive and in control of the events of one1s life. Therefore, death is feared. As death is feared, old age is feared; death and old age are viewed as synonymous in American society (Kastenbaum, 1979). Kastenbaum (1973) hypothesizes that ageism attitudes and stereotypes serve to insulate the young and middle-aged from the ambivalence they feel towards the elderly. This ambivalence results from the fact that the older adult is viewed as representing aging and death. Butler (1969) states: Ageism reflects a deep seated uneasiness on the part of the young and middle-aged a personal revulsion to and distaste for growing old, disease, disability; and a fear of powerlessness, uselessness, and death ((p. 243). This represents the most commonly argued basis for ageism. The second factor postulated by Traxler (1980) to contribute to ageism is the emphasis on the youth culture in American society. For example, the media, ranging from television to novels, place an emphasis on youth, physical beauty, and sexuality. Older adults are primarily ignored or portrayed negatively (Martel, 1968; Northcott, 1975). The emphasis on youth not only affects how older individuals are perceived but also how older individuals perceive themselves. Persons who are dependent on physical appearance and youth for their identity are likely to experience loss of self-esteem with age (Block, Davidson, Grumbs, 1981). The emphasis in American culture on productivity represents the third factor contributing to ageism in American culture (Traxler, 1980). It should be noted that productivity is narrowly defined in terms of economic potential. Both ends of the life cycle are viewed as unproductive, children and the aged. The middle-aged are perceived as carrying the burdens imposed by both groups (Butler, 1969). Children, however, are viewed as having future economic potential. In a way, they are seen as an economic investment. Economically, older adults are perceived as a financial liability. This is not to say that older adults are unproductive. However, upon retirement, the older adult is no longer viewed as economically productive in American society and thus devalued. The fourth factor contributing to ageism in American society and the so-called helping professions is the manner in which aging was originally researched. Poorly controlled gerontological studies have reinforced the negative image of the older adult. When aging was originally studied, researchers went to long-term care institutions where the aged were easy to find. However, only 5 percent of the older population is institutionalized. Thus, the early research on the aged and aging was based upon non-well, institutionalized older individuals. There is still a need for more research to be undertaken using a healthy, community-dwelling older population. The factors cited above represent four contributing factors to ageism. It has been proposed that individual ageist attitudes can be decreased through continual exposure to and work with older adults (Rosencranz McNevin, 1969). However, there appears to be a large societal influence on ageist attitudes. Therefore, until these societal influences are addressed, ageism can not be obliterated. For example, if the fear of death and therefore aging is not somehow addressed societally, then younger individuals will continue to attempt to make the older population somehow different from themselves. This differentiation of themselves from older adults, thus serves to protect them from the reality of death. DISCRIMINATION AT WORK PLACE The number of people claiming to have faceddiscrimination at workbecause of their age has more than tripled in a year, according to official statistics. Figures released by the Tribunal Service show that claims rose from 962 in 2006 to 2,940 in 2007. The figures come just days after Selina Scott reached a settlement with Channel Five, thought to be worth  £250,000, after claiming she had been the victim of ageism. The 57-year-old presenter sued the broadcaster after claiming she had been lined up to provide maternity cover for Natasha Kaplinsky on Five News but was subsequently overlooked. The figures will reinforce the belief among solicitors that the number of age-related cases will soar over the next few years. Legislation outlawing age discrimination was introduced three years ago, and Melanie Thomas, a solicitor at discrimination law specialists Palmer Wade, said: It takes a while for people to understand that they have new rights. Other figures show that there were 1,032 age discrimination claims in tribunals between April and June, compared with 700 claims in the same period last year. In 2007, the average payout for successful age discrimination cases was  £8,695, compared with  £10,044 for sex discrimination and  £17,308 for race claims. Meanwhile, some people have tried to exploit the laws to their own advantage. Margaret Keane, 50, applied for a series of jobs for recently qualified chartered accountants and, after failing to get any, tabled compensation claims on the grounds of age discrimination. Gillian Shaw, a solicitor at employment law specialists Ledingham Chalmers LLP, said: There is a financial incentive for claimants to look for an alternative to a straightforward claim of, say, unfair dismissal because age discrimination, like sex and race discrimination, does not have an upper limit on the amount of compensation that can be claimed. Scott argued that Channel Five had backed out of a  £200,000 presenting deal because they felt she was too old, choosing Isla Traquair, 28, instead. A string of former BBC faces including Kate Adie and Anna Ford joined forces to accuse television of discriminating against mature women. Dame Joan Bakewell claimed the medium was dominated by the hideously young. In an interview in todays Observer, Ford claims women suffer the most. Ageism against women, she adds, is a peculiar British tradition. In America, there are women with white hair who are heads of banks, heads of corporations, she said. Where are those women here? The latest government figures, released earlier this year, showed that the pay gap between men and women had widened for the first time in years. The new Equality Bill is due to be presented to Parliament this spring, and not a moment too soon, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commissions fifth annual Sex Power report, which recorded a drop for the first time in women attaining top jobs. In 12 out of 25 job categories, it found fewer women in top posts than in 2007. Ageism at work in later life There is a commonly assumed view that ageism affects only a small minority of older people in the UK. The popular television character Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave perfectly captures the stereotype of a grumbling man in later life, stuck in his ways, resistant to change, baffled by technology and distanced from the views and activities of young people. Yet, when examining the issue of ageism, it becomes clear that as with all stereotypes this image is flawed. Ageism affects a wide age group, of both genders and all backgrounds. According to a MORI Social Research Institute poll, ageism tops the list of UK discrimination in the workplace. Over one in five people (22%) interviewed by MORI felt they had been unfairly discriminated against in the work environment. 38 per cent of those who were discriminated against cited age as the most prevalent form of discrimination. Of those who believed they had personally encountered ageism in the workplace, just over half said they were discriminated against because they were too old, however the remaining half claimed to have received unfair treatment for being too young. Estimated cost to the economy of this form of discrimination ranges from  £16 billion to  £31 billion.These figures are shocking but statistics alone cannot account for the social or personal impact that ageism has on individuals and society at large. The government Age Positive Campaign is insistent that attitudes must change. By 2010 nearly 40 per cent of the working population will be over 45. Supporting this cultural shift, legislation preventing ageism in the workplace will be in place in the UK by 2006. But what the government really wants is change here and now. More and more employers in the public and private sector are convinced by the business case of employing a mixed age workforce. They know that Age Positive can result in operational, market and revenue gains. Mixed age workforces are proven to provide employers with a wider available skills base, improved productivity, better morale, increased customer loyalty, greater market share and increased shareholder wealth. METHODOLOGY Todays report by the Employers Forum on Age (EFA), which surveyed 1,000 workers over the age of 16, claims discrimination against older and younger employees remains rife in the workplace. It found that 61 per cent of respondents had witnessed ageist behaviour at work, and half did not know about legislation which would make this illegal. The survey also shows that young and old people could lose out on pay rises and promotions as a result of their age 31 per cent said they had seen older people paid more for doing exactly the same job as a younger employee. Almost a quarter 23 per cent recalled an older worker being promoted even if the younger candidate had more experience. EFA director Sam Mercer commented: As our research has confirmed, ageism is endemic in our society and rife in our workplaces. These attitudes need to be challenged and outlawed so that they become as unacceptable as sexism or racism. Although Mr Mercer said the new laws, which will come into force on Sunday, will help provide protection for people who feel that they have been discriminated against on grounds of their age, he added the change in legislation was just the beginning of a long jour ney towards tackling social prejudices. A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions told politics.co.uk the government was committed to ensuring equality at work. He noted that in the past year 208,000 more people aged over 50 are working, claiming the evidence suggests there are many businesses which are keen to harness the skills and experience older workers can bring. He added: We know the practice of ageism is bad for business and the new legislation will ensure that older workers are protected and ageism is stamped out. The governments Age Positive campaign, which sees businesses supplied with an age toolkit, involves working with a wide range of UK businesses to help them recognise the benefits of older workers such as reduced recruitment costs, higher retention rates, greater flexibility, higher productivity, and a broader range of skills and experience, he said. The government will consider whether to keep the compulsory retirement age, currently at 65 for men, or to abolish it at a formal review in 2011. The EFA report comes in the wake of a separate survey for the charity Help the Aged, which finds only 42 per cent of the 1,000 people questioned were aware of the new laws on age discrimination. It also showed that older people still feared ageism at work, and called on the government to ensure older employees knew their rights Age discrimination is still rife, and urgent legislation is needed to stamp it out, a survey has said. EXAMPLES Ageism also happen in sports like there is an example of Pakistani team coach Intikhab Ageism doesnt bother Pakistan coach KARACHI: Pakistan cricket team coach Intikhab Alam on Tuesday brushed aside negative criticism from those demanding his removal because of hisage, saying the campaign was motivated by jealousy. The 67-year-old guided Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in England in June but Tests and One-day defeats on the Sri Lankatourlast month prompted former players to brand his old age a hindrance in proper coaching. But Alam brushed aside the flak. If there is healthy criticism I take it in a positive way, but targeting my age is negative thinking and I smell jealousy from this, said Alam on the sidelines of Pakistan teams training camp. The five-day camp is the final phase of Pakistans preparations for the elite eight-nationChampions Trophyto be played in South Africa from September 22-October 5. Alam said the same people who were pointing finger at his age were praising him a few months ago. I feel sorry for such people who have a personal vendetta against me, said Alam, who was also credited for Pakistans success in the 50-over World Cup in Australia in 1992. They cannot digest our T20 success. Former captain Aamir Sohail last week criticised Alam for being too old to handle coaching at international level. Former PakistanCricketBoard chief Tauqir Zia also joined Sohail in targeting Alams age, saying Pakistan needs a young coach to guide them to more successes. Alam, however, insists he is fit. I even take part in coaching drills and my age has never been a hindrance in my work. Coaching is all about experience and football coaches worldwide are over 70 years of age but no one speaks against them, said Alam. CONCLUSION According to an ICM poll for Age Concern, nearly one third of people know someone who has been a victim of age discrimination at work. Age discrimination is so widespread that 70% of people believe that ageism still occurs, the same as when a similar survey was conducted in 1998. Another one-in-10 people said that they have experienced discrimination by the NHS, health insurance companies, and been turned down for financial products because of their age. Too old Age Concern criticised employers and companies for failing to tackle ageism and the governments voluntary Code of Practice on age diversity in employment, which was published in 1999. Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, said: The governments voluntary code clearly isnt working. Comprehensive legislation is needed now, not just to cover the workplace but many other sectors of life. In November 2000, the government adopted a European Union directive, which outlaws age discrimination at work. It must now introduce legislation which supports the directives principles by 2006. Political voice Age Concern has also announced plans to offer older people membership of the charity, to strengthen its campaigning work. Mr Lishman, said: It will give older people the opportunity to directly influence policy makers and force the age issue higher up the political agenda. There are between 700,000 and 1m people in the UK who are aged between 50 and 64 and are unemployed or economically inactive. BIBLOGRAPHY BBC INDIATIMES http://www.india-seminar.com/2000/488/488%20srivastava.htm

Essay --

The Cape Wind Project is a new, controversial offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound. The project is presented by Jim Gordon of Energy Management Inc. As of right now, the project is approved, upon completion it could be the only offshore wind energy project in the United States. The project will force construction of 130, 400 foot wind turbines in Horseshoe Shoal, Nantucket Sound. The total cost of the project is estimated at around $2.6 billion with Cape Wind already arranging to borrow two million from The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. Cape Wind has already lined up having the turbines supplied by Siemens. Based off of successful wind farms in Europe, Cape Wind is expected to be a huge asset to the Cape and Islands, even with the controversy surrounding the turbine’s presence. Light construction of the project already began in 2013. The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound is one of the project’s largest groups against the construction of the turbines. In 2010, the nation’s first commercial lease was given to Cape Wind to construct the offshore wind energy facility. â€Å"The lease area is comprised of approximately 46 square miles in Nantucket Sound offshore Massachusetts, which accounts for both the project area and a buffer zone. The 33-year lease will cost Cape Wind $88,278 in annual rental payments prior to energy production, and a 2 to 7 percent operating fee once production has commenced. The fee is based on an estimate of what the project’s output would sell for in regional markets,† (BOEM). In April 2011 the construction and operations plan was approved and currently it is in the projection of the finances phase, construction is expected to begin soon after. According to Cape Wind’s website, the project will result in, â€Å"cl... ... the potential negatives. The construction has the potential to cause huge disruptions in the delicate marine and wildlife that is present in Nantucket Sound and also to affect the islands due to their large size, location and also lights needed to alert travelers. Since the turbines are not complete yet, the effects are only stipulation but evidence from wind turbines in Europe show that they pose minimal risk. The move towards a green, renewable form of energy is modern and important to the current day in age. Many worry about the atheistic disruption the turbines will cause but it is important to view this as the least of the potential issues. Cape Wind is a forward thinking project that is based off of successful offshore wind farms in Europe, it will help the Cape and Islands begin to step forward towards a cleaner means of energy that is becoming a necessity.

Socratic Citizenship as Salve to the Antinomy of Rules and Values :: Plato Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Socratic Citizenship as Salve to the Antinomy of Rules and Values It is not inconceivable that Plato would view the enforcement of rigid laws as a â€Å"noble lie† (Rep112)—noble as a guarantor of order in a just city, but misleading in its pretense of infallibility. The Crito, the Apology, and the Republic capture the tension in Plato’s work between a commitment to substantive justice and to formalist legal justice. In a system of substantive justice, rules are flexible and act as â€Å"maxims of efficiency† (Unger 90), proxies of justice and virtue. The system of formalist legal justice secures order and stability with rigid rules while risking miscarriages of particularity. This paper, then, is about Plato’s noble lie. Roberto Unger’s Knowledge and Politics provides an invaluable lens for examining Plato’s discussion of law and justice in the Republic, the Apology and the Crito. In the Republic, Plato sketches the outlines of a just, ordered city-state. The Apology presents Socrates’ defense against an unjust accusation before the court of law. The Crito sees Socrates accept his unjust sentencing to death and defend the rule of law. Unger’s work helps distill from these Platonic works a coherent platform of substantive justice and a critique of a formalist theory of adjudication. Moreover, while Unger’s arguments arrive in the context of a critique of liberal political theory, Plato nevertheless offers a response to Unger’s main critique of substantive justice, the â€Å"antinomy of rules and values† (91). The idea of Socratic citizenship, gleaned from the Apology and the Crito, seeks to resolve this antinomy. Roberto Unger examines substantive justice in Knowledge and Politics in the context of legislation and adjudication. Unger defines substantive justice as a mode of ordering human relations which determines goals and, independently of rules, decides â€Å"particular cases by a judgment of what decision is most likely to contribute to the predetermined goals, a judgment of instrumental rationality† (89). In the Republic, Socrates evokes the principles of substantive justice in his verbal creation of the ideal Greek city-state. In book IV, Socrates locates the ends of the ideal city-state in the four virtues: courage, temperance, wisdom and justice. Books I and II of the Republic deliver a scathing indictment against a formalist theory of adjudication. Formalist legal justice assumes that it is â€Å"possible to deduce correct judgments from the laws by an automatic process† (92) without reference to the purpose or end of the law.

Ama, Learning Essay

In this essay, the learning cure theory will be discussed, and also applying to L+H fashion limited (L+H) which will benefit by using the learning curve. In the last section, the limitation of learning curve will also be discussed. Part A (i) Introduction for learning curve theory Learning curve is a concept that measuring the experience of a skill gained by an organization, and how fast it can be master. As the experience gained, the workers performance will be improve, time taken will be decrease, and therefore the productivity will grow up. Also, according to Steven (2010), learning curve is a significant technique for management to predict the time needed for the future task (p. 1). It can also be useful for the several areas, for instance, making a pricing or budgeting decision, estimate the wages cost and planning schedule of work. In addition, learning curve is based on the task doing by human and must be in repetition. And Steven (2010) point out that the learning curve doesn’t help to reduce cost, it only occurs when the management take action. Introduction for the organization. In the following section, the learning curve theory will be apply to L+H Fashion Limited (L+H), they are manufacturing of knitwear which is 100% hand made and also made in Hong Kong, from design, product development, knitting, linking, stitching, labeling to packaging. (ii) Introduction First of all, the learning curve can be applied in L+H since there are many procedures is doing by human and those procedures will unchanged because of L+H is only produce the knitwear, also those procedure are in repetition. Such as stitching, the workers have to stitch up those parts of the knitwear by hand. In this situation, the learning curve can be apply, because if the worker stitching the first knitwear, it will spend more time to find out the way. Move to the second one, the worker will more confidence and faster to stitch it, in repetition the task, the worker can be more efficiency. Furthermore, since they would like to be a high fashion brand in Hong Kong, and providing high quality knitwear to the other high fashion brand, so they are now considering should they accept the new contract, build up their own brand or both. The learning curve can be use to helping them to consider the budgeting, pricing, detecting the design bugs, future operation decisions and determine the human resourse. Budgeting In this case, if the learning affects taken into L+H, it is easily for them to evaluate the rate of learning and the time reduction. It can provide a reliable standard to measuring the actual performance of the product line. Therefore, the management can obtain the most near information, giving them a forecast of revenues and expenditures. Thus, they can evaluate their performance, and control the waste from error, setting the budgeted goal. Beside the goals set by the learning effect is more motivation for the workers. Such as production budgeting, they can estimate the production unit to meet the budgeted goal. Since they would like to provide the knitwear to the new contract, they can forecast the cost, human resources and material need for the new contract. They should use learning curve, because the simple analysis will ignored the learning effect, so that the performance may underestimate. It can also help to set a standard for guiding the workers, use to  make sure the quality of knitwear, control the cost and to establish the bonus plan. So that the management can confirm the knitwear having a high quality to fulfill their goal that being a high fashion brand. They can also estimate the product cost, since the cost is foremost element for pricing decision To conclude, it can help L + H for budgeting, since it can give them a accuracy forecasting, to let them set up a budgeted goal to motivate the workers, to measure their performance more exact, and the management can use to set out a guide to standard the task. Pricing It can help in pricing strategic. Since the learning curve can be determine the cost, manpower for the task and predict time of the whole project. For instance, the procedures of knitwear are made by the workers, so that the labor costs become significant factor. They can foresee how much for the labor cost before they accept the contract. Also the material cost. In addition, when the production increase and the cost will be drop down, they can sell the knitwear at a lower price, and attracting the new customers choosing L+H and to gain the market share at the high fashion cycle. So that they can produce more knitwear and the cost will be further decrease. To summaries of the pricing, it is helpful for them to making price decision, use to having a lower price which is attracting the new customers. Decision making – future operational Thirdly, it can help management to making decision for future operation by using the data provide by learning effect. L+H can consider should they provide the knitwear to the other brand or build up their own brand. Because the resources are limited, they can find out the most profitable future operation decision. In additional, they can also consider should they provide training course to the worker, to make the procedure become more efficient. Furthermore, they can plan to make advertising or giving discount to the customer, because they become more efficient and the cost will be deduced, so that they can have more budgets. And this action can make them become more famous and attract the new customers. In concluding of this part, it is useful for them to find out the business orientation which is most benefit for them, and the future action should be making. Detected the designed bugs  Moreover, they can find out the designed bugs and correct it immediate. Since the L + H will do the task repetition, so that there are more product produce with the same equipment. The designer can seek out the insufficient of the design of knitwear. It is help to devolve their product and make it more perfect. Moreover, it can help to reduce the waste of error and also to reduce the labor hours since they can find out which part is wasting resources and to redesign the knitwear. Thus, they can know how to use the lower cost to make the better knitwear. To sum up, since the designed bugs can be detected, they can prevent the waste of material, time and the labor hours. Also it can used to improve their product. Determining human resourses For determining the human resourses, as L+H become more efficient, the management can reassign the manpower, eliminate the unnecessary task or recruit additional worker. So that they can ensure the contract can be finish on time and the quality won’t be affect even they have to produce more knitwear. At the same time, the human resourses can be use in the best way. It can also help to plan the schedule of work to hit the production target, and forecast of the date of delivery. A round up of this part, the human resourse can be reallocate, and it is useful for cost saving. Part B Limitations Firstly, there is an assumption of learning curve that the production must be continues less of significant impediment. In case of the impediment occur the learning curve will be change. For example, when the entity employed a new worker to participate the activity, because of the learning curve performed by the experienced staff, the new worker will not be subject to learning curve. Secondly, any change of the learning environment such as design, the supply level and quality of materials, employee’s morale and people attribution, will affect the learning curve. For instance, the upgrade of facilities may affect the knowledge of the worker, their productivity may drop down, so the learning curve may obsolete. Also, since learning curve is based on the time of producing, nevertheless it is hardly to ensure the real data obtain for the calculation, so that the management expectation may be wrong. The company culture may also influence the learning curve, such as the bonus for workers, working hours per day. For example, the worker zeal of the task will decrease when the job nearly end, it will make the curve drop down. In additional, difference people having difference absorptive capacity, so that the time of finishing task will be difference. Lack of consistence is fail to meeting target which is decision by learning curve theory. Last but not least, the learning curve need the task is in repetition, if the task is not repetitive the learning curve cannot be applied. To conclude of the whole essay, the learning curve is a tool for management making decision and to become more efficiency to reach the goal. Also, the learning curve can be use in many ways. In part A (ii), discussed in the application of learning curve in L+H, they can use it for budgeting – helping them to set out the company goal and guidance, pricing – to having a lower price to increase their price competitiveness, decision making – to decide the most profitable general direction, detect the design error – to make the design become more perfect and determine the human resourse – to use the manpower most efficient. So that they can seek out the best way to continues their business. In the next part, the limitations of learning curve are discussed. There are six limitations have been probe, the learning curve is lack of continuity, there shouldn’t have any change of learning environment, the difficulty of obtaining the information, the company culture, human learning ability and the repetition of task. Reference List 1. Steven, Grahame, (1999) ‘The learning curve: from aircraft to spacecraft? ’ Management Accounting, May 1999 2. http://secure. gslb. cimaglobal. com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/ma_may_99_p64-65. pdf [assessed 01. 11. 2012] 3. Steven, Grahame, (2010) ‘The learning curve: The key to future management? ’ Research executive summary series, 6(12) 4. Steven, Grahame, (2004b) ‘Steep in history’ CIMA Insider, Jul/Aug. , pp. 23-24 5. Steven, Grahame, (2004a) ‘A minor departure’ CIMA Insider, Sep. , pp. 24 6. L+H Fashion Limited http://www. lplush. com/LplusH. html [assessed 01. 11. 2012].

Jesus as a teacher Essay

Many business leaders of today should understand that one way to improve the output of their employees and human capital is to further increase their training. Although of course this would imply additional calls to the companies if they are the ones who would be shouldering the expenses, a cost-benefit analysis would show that education and investing in human capital is well worth the while and would result in higher profits. This lesson is learned from Jesus when he sent the disciples out to do the ministries, for he understood that it would be enough in just to lecture them on the teachings of God, but also to provide them with firsthand training experience as a foundation for he knew that the time would come that he would be gone (Thousand Oaks, 1993). In the Journal of financial business management, specifically the area of quantitative finance, Cruz underlines the popular method of management dynamics which is the deployment of skilled laborers that have undergone enough training to other franchises and branches of certain business or organization. This falls under matrix management, and a factor that the author claims must be gained and learned by many of the managers and leaders of large corporations with fast-moving goods. This allows for better training experience not only for the employees of the parent company for the constant reshuffling of skilled labor entices others to learn specialized skills, it is also allows for the other sister companies to provide their own trained labor the shuffled back into the system. A result of such management method would be better employees and skilled labor all throughout the system of the company. This is easily recognizable by the sending out of the 12 disciples for it reflects how the distribution of learned and skilled individuals entices others to do the same, letting the learning process grow exponentially over a large geographical location without necessarily having to sacrifice complete learning. One merely needs to look at how much Christianity has developed over the centuries, and if you look at our historical accounts, we realize that it was Jesus idea in the first place that started the missionary work that had allowed for other such institutions under the church to follow suit. (Cruz, 2000) A fast-moving product company, it is essential for leaders and managers to understand the basic needs of consumers in order to increase revenues and decrease costs of production – and eventually increase their profits. It is one thing for leaders and managers to understand the concepts behind the distribution methods of such a company, it is as yet again another thing for them to see firsthand how consumers act to certain variables in certain conditions. jesus as a teacher This, perhaps, is the single most important factor of leadership which we can learn from the teachings and actions of Jesus. We do not need any more to enumerate one by one the Gospels, chapters, and versus where Jesus has reflected such a value because we are already quite knowledgeable of the fact that all throughout the Gospel and all throughout the life of Jesus, he had been the embodiment of teaching. And although the Ministry in teaching was only in the time span of in and around three and half years, during that time he showed that he was the world’s master teacher. His teachings were not merely segregated to lectures for he had also performed the greatest actions and miracles of any story ever said or told (Singer-Towns, 2005). Also, unlike many people who preach about certain teachings and do not do the actions themselves, Jesus asked a teacher exemplified how one should practice what one preaches. He performed great miracles and plot a new way of life and its teachings was not only a modification of various teachings that were set before new ideas that came into existence only when he arrived. Another important factor to point out in discussing Jesus as a teacher is he did not teach very complicated concepts and ideas. Unlike modern teachers of various institutions and universities where one required at least an IQ of 130 in order to even barely understand what they are teaching, the teachings of Jesus were simple to use, words and interest, people. His teachings were so simple that almost anyone who had listened to him – according to the Gospels written – could easily understood him. And when the time came that people could not easily relate to the teachings, he had used one of the most popular tools that are readily available to teachers that only a few took advantage of. As a matter of fact, this method has been so associated with Jesus that dimension or the hearing of the word itself would bring to mind the person. What we are talking about are parables (Woolfe, 2000). Also, his teachings and illustrations and examples of the lessons that he wanted to deliver to those who were listening to him were so near and familiar to the listeners that they could easily understand him. Complicated principles are broken down into simple stories in order for people to truly understand what he was saying. This was also a ingenious way of escaping persecution by the Pharisees and scribes of the time, for who can say that it is illegal to say the truth life story with a special meaning. However again we again go back to the point that the things that she is up for still more important than his methods. What he had addressed his disciples and these listeners and eventually the Gospel were not merely modifications of fast philosophies, but rather a completely new way of life which he summed up in one sentence. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Just among the many of these teachings are his endless discussions with business cycles and followers about the kingdom of God. He made clear that he was the good news, and reminded everyone that the world is not out of control (Thomas Nelson, 2003). God is still in charge, but he has given us free will and not like merely machines that are wound up by the great creator. We have free will, and yet ruled by King, and that is God. Still another parable that had so much effect on his disciples and listeners as the parable of the sower. It was about a farmer who went out to sow his seeds which landed on many types of land, much like how we are. Also, a memorable parable that would perhaps stick with us as Roman Catholics were ever is a parable of the prodigal son. There are also many other parables that are located all throughout the Gospels which would be perhaps too long to enumerate here in our patent. That is just a flea stressing the fact that as a teacher, the device used by Jesus is very effective in delivering his thoughts. In our modern business setting, leaders of organizations should also be teachers. Teachers are not the only exclusive schools and universities. Indeed, many of the key personalities throughout our lives are also our teachers. However, as we progress towards time and we discover our professional selves, many of us have stopped becoming teachers and started to think that we are all merely cogs in a great machine, not anymore responsible for any other people and do not anymore want to share the knowledge that we have gained. It is a common malpractice and misconceptions many of the presidents and managers of business organizations today that they do not need anymore to teach their subordinates. They expect that subordinates can learn for themselves and that employees need practical training experience in order to survive. As we have discussed earlier in this paper, this is true, however, it is also essential or leaders and business managers to share their knowledge and experience to other employees in the elements of their human capital not only in order to increase their profits but also as a basic responsibility of being an employer. Leaders, first and foremost, must be lifelong learners. This is not the first time we hear of this when in face with the leadership. However, some may find its leaders may also be teachers could be a new idea. Some teachers see themselves as experts in their fields and it is their role to impart knowledge to students or empty vessels. However, some see themselves as guides to share what they know, but understand that some students may also already have the proper knowledge that they need. Any of the two are positive traits, as one can readily observe, but in order for us to truly integrate the teachings of Jesus as lead, we must not only teach because of our selfish desires and to increase our utilities or satisfaction levels. We must teach because of love, and it is because of love that Jesus imparts his knowledge – the desire to save humankind. Some say the great teachers have within them not only purpose but the smallest passion. And if that is the case, what better way to express this point than by dining in the cross. What better way for him to let us understand that he was truly passionate about what he taught and that what he said was actually true then by sacrificing his own life for us, but spilling the blood and saving us. Also, we wanted we could learn from Jesus as a teacher which also should be applied by modern leaders of businesses is that we should hear it very important points. Although it is not readily obvious in the Gospel and the life story of Jesus, if we observe his teachings one by one, we would eventually notice that there are only basically a handful of concepts that he wanted people to understand and realize, and that each and every time he presented it in a rather different form. This has allowed them to repeat the important points of what he wanted to say and allowed his listeners to remember is more clearly.

Marketing and Car Rental Companies

THE INFLUENCE OF INTERNAL MARKETING ELEMENTS ON BRAND IMAGE OF SELECTED CAR RENTAL COMPANIES IN SOUTH AFRICA STUDENT NAME XXXXXX (student number) Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree PhD in Marketing Management in the Faculty of Management at the University of Johannesburg JOHANNESBURG September 2009 Supervisor: Prof xxxxx Co-supervisor: Dr yyyy Table of contents ____________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH 1. 1 Overview of services and services marketing 1. Internal marketing 1. 3 Brand identity and brand image 1. 4 Car rental in South Africa 2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 3. 1 Primary objective 3. 2 Secondary objectives 4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 5. HYPOTHESES 6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH 7. LITERATURE REVIEW 7. 1 Theoretical paradigm 7. 2 Research Constructs 7. 3 Relationship between variables 8. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 8. 1 Research design 8 . 2 Research format 8. 3 Population and sample 8. 4 Data collection instruments, sources and procedures 8. 5 Data analysis 9. DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY 10. CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY 11.CLARIFICATION OF TERMS AND DEFINITIONS 12. DIVISION OF THE STUDY 13. TIME FRAME AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS 14. LIST OF REFERENCES 3 3 4 6 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 19 19 20 22 23 23 24 24 25 26 27 27 28 28 29 30 31 2 Research proposal 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Organisations across all industries recognise that services are becoming an important factor in all their business dealings to obtain a competitive advantage (Strydom, 2005:114). According to Palmer (2005:2), every industry is a service industry and the only aspect that separates industries is the size of their service component.Innovative organisations offering unique services to customers are now succeeding in markets where established organisations have failed (Lovelock and Wirtz, 2004:4). Services marketing management is about servicing and caring about people (Kasper, van Helsdingen and Gabbott, 2006:9). People encompass individuals, households, employees and organisations. In general, services deal with intangibles, in other words, things that cannot be hold, touched nor be seen before they are utilised (Gronroos, 2000:7). Services refer to deeds, processes and experiences (Kasper et al, 2006:9; Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler, 2006:4). . 1 Overview of services and services marketing Many skills, activities, knowledge, performances, efforts, deeds, systems and processes are required when implementing processes which focus on people. Developing and implementing assets and capabilities, including motivating employees to serve the client well through the delivery of excellent service quality is a challenge to any services organisation. The interaction between customers and service employees is vital for the actual success of service delivery (Kasper, van Helsdingen and de Vries, 1999:513).Organisations have realised that m arketing and managing services presented issues and challenges not faced in manufacturing and packaged goods companies. Employees previously employed by manufacturing companies found that their skills and experiences were not directly transferable. Services organisations realised there are a need for new concepts and approaches for marketing and managing services organisations (Zeithaml et al, 2006:10). Customer expectations and experiences play a vital role in the success of a services organisation.Since customers mainly rely on the contact they have had with employees of the services organisation, personal contact between employees and customers will to a large extent determine the success of the services organisation (Lovelock, 1996:50). The 3 Research proposal success of the Disney brand results from the organisation placing emphasis on the importance of their employees. They have realised that satisfied employees deliver better service quality, resulting in satisfied customers (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006:39).To ensure consistency service brands have developed internal marketing programmes in order to recruit, train and manage employees to deliver on the brand? s promises (McDonald, De Chernatony and Harris, 2001:337). 1. 2 Internal marketing Internal marketing views the employee as an internal customer, jobs as internal products and holds the view that all employees in an organisation serve both a customer and a supplier even in the event where one or both of these are internal colleagues (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003:319).The goal of internal marketing is to establish, implement and manage a customer-focused service culture, strategy and relationships, which should result in higher levels of service quality (Varey and Lewis, 2000:200). In order to achieve the goal of internal marketing service organisations need to recognise that marketing strategies should not only be aimed at external customers, but should also be implemented internally and achieve bet ter internal communication.Therefore the internal marketing mix have to be of central importance in services organisations as each element represents cues that customers rely on in judging quality and overall image (Mudie and Pirrie, 2006:6). Marketing activities are traditionally structured around the four Ps related to products, that is product, price, promotion and place (distribution). In the services marketing mix an additional three Ps were added referring to people, process and physical evidence. However, marketing theorists are forever debating the relevant number of Ps and subsequently a variety of marketing mixes are being used in the various industries.Although most literature focuses on the seven Ps of services, additional four Ps including positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance were recently introduced to the market, resulting in a number of eleven elements of the marketing mix (Balmer, 1998:31; Simister, 2009:3). These eleven elements should be 4 Research proposal included in the internal marketing programmes service organisations are offering to employees to ensure improved interaction with customers as suggested by the literature. Irrespectively of the nature of the service, employees working in the front-line interact directly with customers.In many service organisations, they are the only contact customers have with the organisation. They need to understand the customer? s needs and match the company? s service offering with the specific customer need. Moreover, they collect intelligence on competition, they help the company clarify what the needs of customers exactly are and assess the company? s ability to satisfy them. These employees promote the company? s overall image and the brand image of the company? s services (Gounaris, 2008:402). However, the font-line employees are not the only employees who should be exposed to internal marketing.In a services organisation it is imperative that all employees should be tra ined, developed and informed of the vision and goals of the organisation enabling them to deliver excellent services. Internal marketing requires the involvement of a number of departments working in unison to improve performance (Ahmed and Rafiq, 2002:57). A study conducted by Harris and Ogbonna (2000) unfortunately displayed that service employees were reluctant and resisted the concept of market orientation. Employees also lacked service consciousness.Harris and De Chernatony (2001:441) argue that ignorance and lack of training may explain the resistance, while employees may also feel that they may lose political power and status in the organisation by becoming more customer focused (Harris, 2002:62). Furthermore, front-line and contact centre employees are often under paid which results in a lack of enthusiasm and customer orientation. This eventually becomes an important barrier of the effort to meet customers? expectations, thus jeopardising the entire image of a service brand (Gounaris, 2008:402).Therefore, internal marketing programmes should not only include the internal marketing mix, but should also include the organisational fit, identification with the company, employee participation in decision making, commitment, accuracy and openness of communication (Naude, Desai and Murphy, 2003:1215). Liu, Petruzzi and Sudharshan (2007:25) argue that training with an emphasis on the specific tasks that employees have to accomplish, employee empowerment, sharing information pertaining to customer needs and rewarding 5 Research proposal mployees based on the quality of customer service they deliver. Employees that complete tasks effectively become motivated to provide a high quality service which results in higher levels of customer satisfaction. As a result, customers are satisfied, since expectations are met or exceeded and the brand image of the company will be positive (Donaldson and O? Toole, 2002:155; Varey and Lewis, 2000:200,201). Internal marketing, a lso known as internal branding or employee branding is viewed as equally important to external brand building or the brand management of customers (O?Callaghan, 2009:4; Witt and Rode, 2005:278). Another factor playing a role in business success is the establishment of a favourable brand image (Park, Cho and Kandampully, 2009:134). Brands are often seen as a major relationship builder between a service organisation and its customers. Kasper et al (2006:163) argue that brands are not only the product or service an organisation sells or delivers, but represent everything an organisation does and specifically what an organisation represents to its employees and its markets. 1. 3 Brand identity and brand imageBrands are increasingly seen as valuable market assets and an essential source of differentiation in industries which are becoming saturated with similar service offerings. Additionally, brands have certain functions such as improving loyalty, identifying the provider of the service , reducing search costs, reducing perceived risk and signalling quality (Kasper et al, 2006:163; Aurand, Gorchels and Bishop, 2005:164). Service organisations have begun to realise that the importance of nurturing relationships between employees and customers adds to the development of employees? nd customers? respect for certain functional and emotional values of the brand (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006:38). Subsequently, an integrated branding strategy is required to align the organisation? s strategy, processes and resources to ensure consistency in the quality of the service delivery and a positive perception of the brand (LePla, Davis and Parker, 2003:3-5). 6 Research proposal One of the critical steps in building a strong brand is to create a brand identity. The brand identity is aspirational, since it refers to how the brand would like to be perceived.Creating a brand identity is more than determining what customers say they need, it should also reflect the soul and vision of the brand and what it hopes to achieve. Aaker (1996:68) stated that the brand identity which provides the direction and strategic vision of the brand consists of twelve dimensions organised around four perspectives: Brand-as-product (product scope, product attributes, quality/value, uses, users, country of origin) Brand-as-organisation (organisational attributes, local versus global) Brand-as-person (brand personality, brand-customer relationships) Brand-as-symbol (visual imagery/metaphors and brand heritage)The brand identity should be strategic, reflecting a business strategy that will lead to a sustainable advantage, while the brand image tends to be more tactical (Aaker, 1996:70). The brand image of a service organisation is even more important than a product company due to the intangibility that characterises services. Brand image consists of two categories, namely brand associations and brand awareness. One generally accepted view of brand image is that perceptions about a br and are reflected by a cluster of associations that customers connect to the brand name in memory.Brand associations are the informational nodes linked to the brand node in memory and contain meaning of the brand for customers (Aaker, 1991:110; Keller, 1998:45). Keller (1998:45) classifies brand associations into three major categories, i. e. attributes, benefits and attitudes. Attributes refer to the descriptive features that characterise the brand. Product related attributes are essentially defined as the components of the core product function sought by customers. In terms of services, the service related attributes refer to the process of the core service (O?Cass and Grace, 2003:453). Benefits are the personal value customers attach to the brand attributes and brand attitudes are customers? overall evaluation of the brand (Del Rio Vazquez and Iglesias, 2001:411). Low and Lamb, (2000:352) conceptualise brand image, that is functional and symbolic perceptions; brand attitude as th e overall evaluation of the brand; and 7 Research proposal perceived quality as the judgements of overall superiority as possible dimensions of brand associations.The literature regards brand attributes, perceived quality and brand attitude as separate dimensions of brand associations under less familiar brands and as one dimension under well known brands. Well known brands also tend to exhibit multi-dimensional brand associations, which is consistent with the idea that customers have more developed memory structures for more familiar brands (Low and Lamb, 2000:353). Brand associations are important to decision makers in services organisations to improve brand identity amongst employees, which should result in positive brand associations amongst customers.Brand awareness refers to the strength of a brand? s presence in the customer? s mind. Awareness is measured according to the different ways in which customers remember a brand, ranging from recognition (exposure to the brand) to r ecall (what can be recalled about the brand) to first in the mind (the brand appearing first in the mind) and finally to dominant (the only brand recalled) (Aaker, 1996:10). Brand awareness is created by increasing the familiarity of the brand through repeated exposure and strong associations with the relevant cues enabling the customer to recall the brand effectively (Keller, 2003:70). . 4 Car rental in South Africa The homogeneity and heightened competition in the car rental industry are forcing car rental companies to consider the connection between internal marketing and brand image to achieve competitive differentiation. Due to increased globalisation most car rental companies in South Africa have to compete on a local and international level. Currently in South Africa there are a number of car rental companies, of which seven are most recognised due to their location at airports in South Africa. These companies include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National, Tempest Sixt and Thrifty.Car rental companies are in a complex industry with a number of role players involved such as government, car manufacturers and a variety of target markets. Besides providing a service to the various target markets, the products they offer are beyond their control, as the end product the customer receives are from different manufacturers. These end products 8 Research proposal include a large range of different car models from various manufacturers, for example, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Mazda, Volkswagen, and Opel to name but a few.Since the car rental companies in South Africa focus on the same customers and provide the same car models, both factors not fully controlled by them, it is imperative that they have to provide excellent services to customers to grow their businesses and to retain existing customers. The employees of car rental companies are their most important asset and therefore special attention is required to ensure loyalty and commitment from employees to deli ver service excellence. Irrespective of the fact that the service organisation may have developed a well conceived positioning for its brand, he brand? s successful positioning depends on the role the employees play in producing and delivering the service (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006:39). Providing a service is a people business. It is therefore important for car rental companies to determine if internal marketing has an influence on employees? associations with the brand image of the organisation. Car rental companies should realise that there is a need to instil a customer-focused service culture, which is a prerequisite for delivering consistently high quality services and for building successful service brands.Therefore they need to embark on a process of strengthening their brands as a source of sustainable competitive advantage by implementing an internal marketing programme to compete with first world countries (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006:39). Although most South African car rental companies? brands are well known, formal research is required as it is not evident that internal marketing implementation does have an influence on the brand image of car rental companies in South Africa. 2.STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The internal marketing mix elements that will be used in this study include product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, physical evidence, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance. In order to enhance the brand image of a service organisation the 9 Research proposal organisation has to adapt its marketing activities to mix and match the internal marketing mix elements that will reinforce the brand image (Kotler and Keller, 2009:288).Despite a strong interest in the subject amongst marketing researchers, little research has been conducted related to brand images in service brands (Del Rio et al, 2001:410; O? Cass and Grace, 2003:453). Although car rental companies have internal programmes, such as loyalty and othe r incentive programmes to motivate employees, the success of these programmes have not been researched nor linked to the internal marketing elements applicable to this study (Avis, 2009).Furthermore, the researcher could not find any direct studies related to the influence of internal marketing elements on brand image in the car rental industry in South Africa. This is relevant because if all elements do not contribute positively to the overall brand image of car rental companies in South Africa, it could receive reduced attention, which could damage the image of the brand of the car rental company. Additionally if certain activities prove ineffectively they could be altered and improved, thereby creating more competitiveness for car rental companies.The problem in this study is that the importance of brand image in a services industry, specifically the car rental industry, should be emphasised, therefore this study aims to determine the influence of product, price, promotion, place , people, processes, physical evidence, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance on brand associations and brand awareness as dimensions of brand image of car rental companies in South Africa, as perceived by employees and customers. 3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVESThe following objectives will clearly define the objectives the study aims to determine: 3. 1 Primary objective The primary research objective of this study is to determine the perceived influence of the different elements of internal marketing on the brand image of selected car rental companies in South Africa. 10 Research proposal 3. 2 Secondary objectives The secondary objectives of the study aim to determine whether the various elements of the internal marketing mix have an internal influence on each of the brand image categories.The elements of the internal marketing mix that will be separately observed according to the classification of the Ps are firstly the traditional 4 Ps, product, price, promotion, place; secondly the additional 3 Ps for services marketing mix, people, processes, physical evidence and lastly the recently added 4 Ps, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance.Each element of the internal marketing mix will be observed to determine its influence on brand image, namely brand associations, specifically brand attributes, perceived quality and brand attitude, as well as brand awareness, such as recognition of the brand and brand recall of selected car rental companies. The influence of the internal marketing elements on the brand associations and brand awareness will enable car rental companies to focus future internal marketing programmes on the relevant internal marketing mix elements to ensure an improved brand image.Furthermore the influence of the internal marketing elements is relevant to determine the overall influence on brand image as set out in the following hypotheses formulated in this study (see next section). The secondary research objectives are: To determine the influence of the internal product on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. To determine the influence of the internal price on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients.To determine the influence of internal promotion on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. To determine the influence of the internal place on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. 11 Research proposal To determine the influence of internal people on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. To determine the influence of internal processes on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients.To determine the influence of internal physical evidence on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. To determine the influence of internal positioning on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. To determine the influence of internal personal relationships on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. To determine the influence of internal packaging on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients.To determine the influence of internal performance on the brand image of car rental companies amongst selected car rental companies and their clients. 4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS As suggested by the title, the purpose of the study is to investigate the influence of the eleven internal marketing mix elements on brand image of car rental companies in South Africa. The research question can be phrased as: Do the eleven internal marketing mix elements ha ve an influence on the brand image of South African car rental companies? Sub-components of the primary research question include:What is the influence of the internal product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, physical evidence, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance on brand associations of car rental companies? 12 Research proposal What is the influence of the internal product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, physical evidence, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance on brand awareness of car rental companies? 5. HYPOTHESES In figure 1 the hypotheses derived from the research objectives are indicated.Figure 1 displays the organisation which imposes its values through internal marketing on employees with the external customer in mind to achieve its objectives (Mudie and Pirrie, 2006:14). The internal marketing mix elements are independent variables, since they are not dependent on one another to exist in the orga nisation. The brand image categories, that is brand associations and brand awareness are the dependent variables of the study as the research aims to prove the influence of the independent variables on the brand image.In order to establish the connection between the internal marketing mix and the brand image of the organisation an intervening variable is required. The intervening variable is brand identity, as it provides direction, purpose and meaning for the brand (Aaker, 1996:68). Through establishing that brand identity is dependent on the elements of the internal marketing mix and that brand image is dependent on brand identity, will allow the connection between the internal marketing mix and brand image to be established. The brand association dimensions that will be tested are brand attributes, perceived quality and brand attitude.The brand awareness dimensions are brand recognition and brand recall. In developing research hypotheses researchers normally frame relationships i n either the null or alternative format. In this study alternative hypotheses are formulated, indicating that there is a relationship between two variables that is significant. These hypotheses are depicted in figure 1 on the following page. 13 Brand identity Brand identity Employees Product v1 Traditional Ps Price v2 Place v3 Promotion v4 H2d, H2e H1a, H1b, H1c H3a, H3b, H3c H4a, H4b, H4c H1d, H1e CustomersAttributes v12 a b c H2a, H2b, H2c Perceived quality v13 Brand Attitude v14 Brand associations Recognition v15 H3d, H3e H4d, H4e d Brand image Brand awareness Recall v16 e People v5 Internal marketing Services Ps Processes v6 Physical evidence v7 H5a, H5b, H5c H6a, H6b, H6c H7a, H7b, H7c Attributes v17 a b Perceived quality v18 Brand Attitude v19 H5d, H5e c Brand associations H6d, H6e Recognition v20 H7d, H7e d Brand image Recall v21 e Brand awareness Positioning v8 Recent Ps H8a, H8b, H8c H9a, H9b, H9c H10a, H10b, H10c H11a, H11b, H11c H8d, H8e H9d, H9e H10d, H10eH11d, H11e Attr ibutes v22 a b Personal relationships v9 Packaging v10 Performance v11 Perceived quality v23 Brand Attitude v24 c Brand associations Brand image Recognition v25 Recall v26 e d Brand awareness Research proposal Based on the primary and secondary objectives and as indicated in figure 1, it is hypothesised that: H1a: Internal product does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H1b: Internal product does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H1c: Internal product does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H1d: Internal product does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H1e: Internal product does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H2a: Internal price does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H2b: Internal price does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H2c: Internal price does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H2d: Internal price does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H2e: Internal price does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H3a: Internal place does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H3b: Internal place does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H3c: Internal place does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. 15 Research proposal H3d: Internal place does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H3e: Internal place does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H4a: Internal promotion does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H4b: Internal promotion does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H4c: Internal promotion does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H4d: Internal promotion does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H4e: Internal promotion does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H5a: Internal people do have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H5b: Internal people do have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H5c: Internal people do have an influence on bran d attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H5d: Internal people do have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H5e: Internal people do have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H6a: Internal processes do have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H6b: Internal processes do have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. 16 Research proposal H6c:Internal processes do have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H6d: Internal processes do have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H6e: Internal processes do have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H7a: Internal physical evidence does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H7b: Internal physical evidence does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H7c: Internal physical evidence does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H7d: Internal physical evidence does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H7e: Internal physical evidence does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H8a: Internal positioning does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H8b: Internal positioning does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H8c: Internal positioning does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H8d: Internal positioning does have an influence on recogniti on of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H8e: Internal positioning does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H9a: Internal personal relationships do have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H9b: Internal personal relationships do have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. 17 Research proposal H9c: Internal personal relationships do have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H9d: Internal personal relationships do have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H9e: Internal personal relationships do have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H10a: Internal packaging does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H10b : Internal packaging does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H10c: Internal packaging does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H10d: Internal packaging does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H10e: Internal packaging does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity.H11a: Internal performance does have an influence on brand attributes of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H11b: Internal performance does have an influence on perceived quality of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H11c: Internal performance does have an influence on brand attitude of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H11d: Internal performance does have an influence on recognition of the brand of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. H11e: In ternal performance does have an influence on brand recall of car rental companies by increasing brand identity. 8 Research proposal 6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH Employees who are treated well and who believe in the company they are representing tend to deliver service excellence. Internal marketing provides the means to retrain employees and to motivate them to exceed customer expectations, resulting in a positive association with the brand, which customers are likely to share with others (Donaldson and O? Toole, 2002:155). In today? s crowded marketplace building a powerful brand is central in giving companies a competitive edge.The association clients make with a brand in the services industries will focus strongly on the service quality they receive from the company (Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2007:8). In South Africa no formal research study could be found on how the eleven internal marketing elements, that is product, price, promotion, distribution, processes, physical evidenc e, people, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance influence the brand image, being brand attributes, perceived quality and brand attitude of car rental companies.Formal research is required to determine the influence of internal marketing on brand image, as the internal marketing efforts will have an effect on service delivery by employees, which subsequently should improve the image clients have of the brand. Although some car rental companies claim they care about employees and provide special motivational programmes for employees, no formal research has been conducted to determine if these programmes as part of internal marketing have a positive influence on the service delivered by employees (Avis, 2009). . LITERATURE REVIEW The literature study is based on the most recent literature available in the fields of study. It includes inter alia books, journals, academic dissertations and literature available in an electronic format obtained from reputable acad emic and various research institutions via the Internet. The ensuing sections contain information obtained to gain an in-depth understanding of the research issues as defined within the problem statement. 19 Research proposal 7. 1 Theoretical paradigmFew topics of the commercial theory have inspired as well as divided the marketing academia as the four Ps Marketing Mix framework (Constantinides, 2006:407). Since Jerome McCarthy (1964) reduced Neil Borden? s (1964) twelve identified controllable marketing elements to four, product, price, place and promotion, practitioners and academics promptly embraced the mix paradigm that soon became the prevalent and indispensable element of marketing theory and operational marketing management (Gronroos, 1994:13).The wide acceptance of the mix among marketers is due to their profound exposure to this concept, since most introductory marketing manuals identify the four Ps as the controllable parameters likely to influence the consumer buying pro cess and decisions (Kotler, 2003). However, despite the background and status of the marketing mix as a major theoretical and practical parameter of contemporary marketing, several academics have at times expressed doubts and objections as to the value and the future of the mix, proposing alternatives that range from minor modifications to total rejection.It is often evident in both the academic literature and marketing textbooks that the mix is deemed by many researchers and writers as inadequate to address specific marketing situations like the marketing of services, the management of relationships or the marketing of industrial products (Constantinides, 2006:409). Early references identifying differences between tangibles and intangibles underlying the distinctive character of services marketing are found in the works of Branton (1969), Wilson (1972).The special character of services were emphasised by Blois (1974), Bessom and Jackson (1975) and Shostack (1977). Several alternati ve methodologies and marketing conceptual frameworks for services marketing have been proposed ever since. A key factor distinguishing the services marketing from marketing physical products is the human element. Booms and Bitner (1981) included people, physical evidence as an important environmental factor influencing the quality packaging and process of service delivery as additional marketing mix elements in services marketing. 20 Research proposalSubsequently various researchers have added a variety of proposed elements and some changed existing elements. Currently there are additions of up to eleven elements in the marketing mix. Based on the recent contributions of researchers such as Fryar (1991) who introduced positioning, English (2000) who added personal relationship, Grove, Fisk and John (2000) who claim that performance should be included and Beckwith (2001) who indicated that packaging is lacking, these four elements are included in the internal marketing mix elements a s theoretical foundation for this study.The creation of a brand implies communicating a certain brand image in such a way that all the target groups of an organisation link its brand with a set of associations (Del Rio et al, 2001:410; Low and Lamb, 2000:350). Brand associations are important to organisations and customers. An organisation uses brand associations to differentiate, position and extend brands, to create positive attitudes towards a brand and to suggest attributes or benefits of purchasing or using a specific brand. Customers use brand associations to help process, organise and retrieve information in memory, nd to assist them in making purchasing decisions (Aaker, 1991:110). Brand associations play a central role in brand strategy development. In particular, Aaker (1992:25) suggests that brand associations should be organised into groups that have meaning. This meaning should define the brand? s positioning – its point of reference with respect to the competiti on. Thus, a well positioned brand will represent an attractive set of strong associations (De Chernatony and McDonald, 2003:254; Hankinson, 2005:25). The second category of brand image is brand awareness.Brand awareness consists of brand recognition and brand recall performance. Brand recognition relates to customers? ability to confirm prior exposure to the brand when given the brand as a cue. In other words, customers are able to distinguish the brand as having been previously seen or heard. Brand recall relates to customers? ability to retrieve the brand from memory when given the product category, the needs fulfilled by the category or a purchase or usage situation as a cue. In other words, customers are able to correctly generate the brand from memory when receiving a relevant cue (Keller, 2003a:67).Brand awareness is critical for services organisations, as customers have to actively seek the brand and be able to recall it from memory when appropriate. 21 Research proposal Toge ther with the eleven internal marketing mix elements, brand image, broken down into brand associations and brand awareness form the theoretical paradigm on which this study is based. 7. 2 Research constructs Research constructs are described as unobservable abstract concepts that are measured indirectly by a group of related variables.Variables are described as observable measurable elements of an object and are measured directly (Hair, Bush and Ortinau, 2009:233). In practice, the term variable is used as a synonym for constructs or the property being studied and in this context, a variable is a symbol to which numerals or values are assigned (Cooper and Schindler, 2001:44). Therefore, the variables that will be measured in this study are the eleven internal marketing elements, product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, physical evidence, positioning, personal relationships, packaging and performance.These elements are the independent variables or constructs, since they p redict or explain the outcome variable of interest (Hair et al, 2009:234). Brand image consists of the two classifications, namely brand associations and brand awareness. Brand associations as described by the literature can be measured in terms of brand attributes, perceived quality and brand attitude, while brand awareness can be measured as recognition of the brand and recall of the brand (Aaker, 1996:10; Keller, 1998:45).The brand attributes, perceived quality, brand attitude, brand recognition and brand recall are the dependent variables or constructs as they are the variables the researcher is seeking to explain (Hair et al, 2009:234). Brand identity is the intervening variable as it is the factor which theoretically affects the observed phenomenon but cannot be seen, measured, or manipulated; its effect must be inferred from the effects of the independent and dependent variables on the observed phenomenon (Cooper and Schindler, 2001:47). 22 Research proposal 7. 3 Relationship between variablesAs indicated in the formulated hypotheses, this study aims to indicate that there is a relationship between the variables that are being tested. The relationship can either be positive or negative. A positive relationship between two variables indicates that the two variables increase or decrease together, comparing to a negative relationship that suggests that as one variable increases, the other one decreases, or vice versa (Hair et al , 2009:234). Should there be no relationship between the eleven internal marketing elements and the brand image of selected car rental companies in South Africa, the null hypothesis will be relevant.If the null hypothesis is accepted, it concludes that the variables are not related in a meaningful way (Hair et al, 2009:235). If, on the other hand, the null hypothesis is rejected, the alternative hypothesis indicates that the two variables are related in some way that may prove useful for the car rental companies. 8. RESEARCH METHOD OLOGY A well-designed research plan forms the basis of the entire research process (Cooper and Schindler, 2001:6). Research can be described as a practical activity that intends to find out things in a systematic way.It is a process of designing, gathering, analysing and reporting information to uncover opportunities and reduce the risks of decision-making (Coldwell and Herbst, 2004:10). Previously gathered information which was not gathered for this study, but that was gathered for another purpose is called secondary data (Churchill and Brown, 2007:146). Secondary data, including books, academic accredited research journals, websites, dissertations, theses, internal company information and other written and verbal communications will be used to develop the theoretical background of the study.Primary data, which is data initiated by the researcher for the purpose of the proposed study, is extracted in the form of perceptions of the sample population that will be investigated (Church ill and Brown, 2007:146). 23 Research proposal Cooper and Schindler (2001:14) state that the term „empirical? points to the requirement for the researcher to test subjective beliefs against objective reality and have findings open to further scrutiny and testing. In this study, empirical research is used to test the objectives stated previously in this chapter. . 1 Research design The objectives of the study form an integral part of the research design, since objectives ensure that information will be collected from appropriate sources by using the correct data gathering techniques. They also influence the sampling methodology, the schedule and cost of the research project (Zikmund, 2003:58). According to Mouton (2001:37), the research method that is partly derived from the methodological paradigm (qualitative or quantitative) fits the research objectives.In quantitative research, the methods are well planned, structured and formal because the findings play an important role i n decision-making (Boyce, 2002:37). Quantitative research makes use of structured close-ended questions that have predetermined response possibilities in questionnaires or surveys and are distributed to a vast number of respondents (Hair et al, 2006:171). In this study a quantitative process will be used to seek data that can be expressed in numbers and statistically analysed. 8. 2 Research format The research format of the study is described as descriptive research.According to Cooper and Schindler (2001:136) descriptive research attempts to answer questions such as who, what, where, when or how much. Data collected through descriptive research can provide valuable information about the study units along relevant characteristics and also about associations among those characteristics (Aaker, Kumar and Day, 2001:73; Parasuraman, Grewal and Krishnan, 2004:72). As recommended by Solomon, Marshall and Stuart (2006:113), this study will include a descriptive survey design to gather the necessary data from a large sample size. 24 Research proposalThe descriptive format is broken down in two types, longitudinal and cross-sectional. Longitudinal designs rely on panel data in which the same variables are measured over time. Cross-sectional designs rely on a sample of elements from the population of interest that are measured at a single point in time (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2002:122). As the objectives of this study are to describe a current situation, a cross-sectional format is appropriate. 8. 3 Population and sample The population for this study will include employees and customers of selected car rental companies in South Africa.There are 7 car rental companies, being Avis, Tempest, Budget Car Rental, First Car Rental, Europcar, Hertz and Argus Car Rental. Avis, Budget and Europcar will be the sample drawn from the population, as these three are the largest and world leading car rental companies in South Africa. All three companies have more than 75 branches and fleets in excess of 8500, compared to the other car rental companies with less than 50 branches and fleets smaller than 6000. Since Avis, Budget and Europcar have a market share of more than 80% it is believed that they will be a fair representation of the car rental industry in South Africa.Probability sampling will be used for selecting the sample frame. Probability samples are distinguished by the fact that each sampling unit has a known, non-zero chance of being included in the sample (Hair et al, 2006:330). The two independent sample frames that will be used in the study include: Sample frame 1: The sampling units in this frame include all employees of the Avis, Budget and Europcar groups stationed at major airports in South Africa. These airports include OR Tambo, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, East London, George, Nelspruit and Lanseria.There will be 800 employees targeted within this sample selected by the management of the three car rental groups. 25 Rese arch proposal Sample frame 2: The sampling units in this frame include customers who rented cars during a period of three months from October to December 2009 of the Avis, Budget and Europcar groups stationed at OR Tambo, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, East London, George, Nelspruit and Lanseria airports. There will be 4000 clients targeted within this sample, selected by the management of the three car rental groups.It is important to consider both two independent sample frames, as the employees in sample frame one will measure the internal marketing aspects of the study. The customers of sample frame two will aid in measuring the brand image of the selected car rental groups. 8. 4 Data collection instruments, sources and procedures The data collection of this study will be conducted by means of a survey. According to Rubin, Rubin and Piele (2000:193) surveys allow the researcher to observe and gather evidence. Questionnaires will be designed for each of the sampl e frames.Questionnaires will include a demographic section to classify respondents, being customers or employees. In the second section of both questionnaires the eleven internal marketing mix elements will be tested based on information from the literature. The third section of both questionnaires will focus on brand associations, specifically brand attributes, perceived quality and brand attitude, as well as brand awareness, namely recognition of the brand and brand recall as described in the theory of the relevant chapter.A five point Likert scale, ranging from „strongly disagree? to „strongly agree? , will be used for all questions within both questionnaires. The Likert scale is a highly used rating scale that requires respondents to indicate a degree of agreement or disagreement with each of a series of statements about the objects (Cooper and Schindler, 2001:234). The survey, comprising of an online questionnaire will be administered through email and upon completi on will be sent directly to the Statistical Consultation Service of the University of Johannesburg.An online survey format will allow for a wide reach that will be relatively inexpensive and will be faster than offline methods. Furthermore, there will be no interaction between the researcher and the respondents, therefore interviewer error and bias will be 26 Research proposal diminished (Hair et al, 2006:230). Confidentiality and anonymously of respondents will also be guaranteed. A pre-test will be conducted to detect possible weaknesses in the questionnaire.An important purpose of the pre-test is to discover the respondents? reactions to questions and it also helps to discover repetitiveness or redundancy (Cooper and Schindler, 2001:236). 8. 5 Data analysis Statistical procedures to test the research hypotheses include descriptive statistics, factor analyses, analyses of variance and measures of association. Internal marketing and brand image involve numerous factors. Factor anal ysis will be used to compare and find correlations between these factors.The statistical method for testing the null hypothesis that the means of several populations are equal is analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Cooper and Schindler, 2001:509). ANOVA will be used to determine if internal marketing and brand image are related. The pre-test of the questionnaire will be conducted amongst five experts in the industry to ensure reliable data. Cronbach-Alpha will be used to measure the reliability of the pilot. All calculations will be done by means of SPSS. Analyses will be conducted by the Statistical Consultation Service of the University of Johannesburg. 9. DELIMITATION OF THE STUDYThis study will focus on the three largest car rental companies in South Africa and although it is believed that they will be representative of the car rental industry, it might not be the case, as smaller car rental companies might have different or no internal marketing focuses and therefore the results and recommendations may not be generalised to a wider context. The dimensions of brand associations and brand awareness will only be investigated amongst car rental companies in South Africa, which is a service industry. If the approach is extended to other services industries or even products the result might differ. 7 Research proposal Furthermore, no previous research has been conducted on the eleven internal marketing mix elements and brand image of the car rental industry in South Africa. Therefore, this study may lack in-depth information related to the car rental industry. 10. CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY The eleven internal marketing mix elements are still a new concept to many South Africans. No previous studies could be found that have been conducted on the influence of the eleven internal marketing mix elements on brand image of car rental companies in South Africa.This study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge in three ways. Firstly, it describes the complexity of the c ar rental industry in South Africa. This is followed by a description of the current understanding and debate amongst researchers of the relevance of the eleven marketing mix elements, specifically their influence on brand image of an organisation. Thirdly, the study aims to provide guidelines to car rental companies in South Africa on how to improve internal marketing programmes which will enable them to improve their brand image.Brand image is important to any organisation, as a good and well recognised brand will lead to higher profitability of the organisation. 11. CLARIFICATION OF TERMS AND DEFINITIONS In the previous sections, certain terms and definitions were used. However, for the sake of uniformity, these terms and definitions have to be clarified (Mouton, 2001:36). The services marketing literature contain many definitions of services, but there are some common features in all of these definitions. The first commonality is that services deal with something that is intangi ble.Services refer to efforts, deeds or processes consisting of activities or a series of activities performed by the service provider, quite often in close cooperation and interaction with the customer, aimed at creating customer satisfaction (Kasper et al, 2006:57). Papasolomou and Vrontis (2006:37) postulate that service can be 28 Research proposal described as essentially intangible, not resulting in the ownership of anything and is a form of product that consists of activities, benefits, or satisfactions offered for sale.Internal marketing is defined as â€Å"a planned effort using a marketing-like approach directed at motivating employees, for implementing and integrating organisational strategies towards customer orientation† (Ahmed and Rafiq, 2002:11). Branding is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of these that identifies the seller of a product or service and seeks to differentiate them from those of competitors (Kotler and Keller, 2006:274; Pap asolomou and Vrontis, 2006:37). Brand identity is defined as â€Å"a unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain.These associations represent what the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers from the organisation members† (Aaker, 1996:68). Brand image as identified by Keller (2003:70) is perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in a customer? s memory. Keller (1998:71) defined brand associations as â€Å"informational nodes linked to the brand node in memory that contains the meaning of the brand for consumers†. Brand awareness refers to the strength of a brand? s presence in the customer? s mind (Aaker, 1996:10). 12. DIVISION OF THE STUDYThe current chapter provides an introduction to the study, including the problem statement, objectives and research methodology. The rest of this study is divided into the following chapters: 29 Research proposal Chapter 2 describes the complexities an d current state of the car rental industry in South Africa. An overview of the three companies, Avis, Budget and Europcar, which are participating in this study, is provided. Chapter 3 focuses on internal marketing. The history of the elements of the internal marketing mix is discussed, as well as the development of the traditional four Ps up to the eleven currently in existence is described.The culture of organisations and the influence of internal marketing are furthermore explained. Chapter 3 discusses brand identity, brand image and the dimensions thereof. The importance of building a successful brand is also described. Chapter 4 outlines the research methodology with detailed reference to the research design, population, sample, measuring instrument, and the proposed statistical analysis. Chapter 5 records the analysis of the empirical research. Chapter 6 summarises the study. Recommendations concerning the outcome of the study are discussed and suggestions for further research are presented. 3. TIME FRAME AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS The researcher? s aim for completion of the study is October 2010. However, due to the change of direction taken in the research, the aim might have to be postponed to April 2011. The possibility of obtaining a bursary for the empirical part of the study was explored, but since the researcher is a part-time student, she does not qualify for most bursaries. If no bursary can be obtained, the researcher will complete most of the empirical work herself and where required, make use of her own available funds. 30 References 14. LIST OF REFERENCESAaker, D. A. (1991). Managing Brand Equity: Capatilising on the Value of a Brand Name. New York: The Free Press. Aaker, D. A. (1992). The Management of Brand Equity. New York: The Free Press. Aaker, D. A. (1996). Building Strong Brands. New York: The Free Press. Aaker, D. A. , Kumar, V. & Day, G. S. (2001). Marketing Research. 7th edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Ahmed, P. K. , & Raf iq, M. (2002). Internal Marketing: Tools and Concepts for Customerfocused Management. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. Aurand, T. W. , Gorchels, L. & Bishop, T. R. (2005). Human resource management? role in internal branding: an opportunity for cross-functional brand message synergy. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 14(3):165. Available from Emerald http://www. emeraldlibrary. com/Insight/viewContentItem. do. (Accessed 29 July 2009). Avis (2009). Interview with Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Duvenhage, held on 17 September 2009. Balmer, J. M. T. (1998). Corporate branding and connoisseurhship. Journal of General Management, 21(1): 24-46. Available from Emerald http://www. emerald- library. com/Insight/viewContentItem. do. (Accessed 26 September 2009). Beckwith, H. (2001). The Invisible Touch – the Four Keys of Modern Marketing.New York: Texure Publishing. Bessom, R. M. & Jackson, D. W. (1975). Service Retailing: A Strategic Marketing Approach. Journal of Retailing, Summ er:84. 31 References Blois, K. J. (1974). The Marketing of Services: an Approach. European Journal of Marketing, 8(2):137-145. Booms, B. H. & Bitner, M. J. (1981). Marketing Strategies and Organisation Structures for Service Firms. Marketing of Services. Donnelly, J. H. & George, W. R. Chicago: American Marketing Association:47-51. Borden, N. H. (1964). The concept of the Marketing Mix. Journal of Advertising Research, June:2-7. Boyce, J. (2002). Market research in practice.Australia: McGraw-Hill. Branton, N. (1969). The Marketing of Services. Marketing World, 1(2). Churchill, Jr. , G. A. & Iacobucci, D. (2002). Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations. 8th edition. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers. Churchill, Jr. , G. A. & Brown, T. J. (2007). Basic Marketing Research. 6th edition. Ohio: South-Western. Coldwell, D. & Herbst, F. (2004). Business research. South Africa: Juta. Constantinides, E. (2006). The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing. Jour nal of Marketing Management, 22:407-438. Available from Emerald http://www. emerald-library. om/Insight/viewContentItem. do. (Accessed 29 July 2009). Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2001). Business Research Methods. 7th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. De Chernatony, L. & McDonald, M. (2003). Creating Powerful Brands in Consumer, Service and Industrial Markets. 3rd edition. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. Del Rio, A. B. , Vazquez, R. & Iglesias, V. (2001). The influences of brand associations on consumer response. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(5):410-425. Available from Emerald http://www. emerald-library. com/Insight/viewContentItem. do. (Accessed 29 July 2009). 32 References Donaldson, B. & O? Toole, T. (2002).Strategic Market Relationships: From Strategy to Implementation. West Sussex, England: John Wiley. English, J. (2000). The four Ps of marketing are dead. Marketing Health Services, 20(2):2023. Fryar, C. R. (1991): What? s Different About Services Marketing? The Journ al of Marketing Services, 5(4):53-58. Gounaris, S. (2008). Antecedents of internal marketing practice: some preliminary empirical evidence. Industrial Journal of Service Industry Management, 19(3):400-434. Available from Emerald http://www. emerald-library. com/Insight/viewContentItem. do. (Accessed 29 July 2009). Gronroos, C. (1994). From marketing mix to relationship marketing.Management Decisions, 32(2):1-21. Available from Emerald: http://www. emerald- library. com/Insight/viewContentItem. do. (Accessed 22 August 2006). Gronroos, C. (2000). Service Management and Marketing: A Customer Relationship Management Approach. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Grove, S. J. , Fisk, R. P. & John, J. (2000). Service as Theater, Guidelines and Implications. Handbook Services Marketing and Management. Sage Publications. Hair, J. F, Bush, R. P. & Ortinau, D. J. (2006). Marketing Research: Within a Changing Environment. 3rd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Hair, J. F, Bush, R. P. & Ortinau, D. J. (2009).Marketing Research: In a Digital Information Environment. 4th edition. New York: McGraw-