Strategies to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization.

Strategies to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization. Introduction Culture has been defined by different authors differently, but what is perhaps the most common definition is that culture is the collective programming of individuals’ minds, which distinguishes members of a particular group or category from the rest of the population.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategies to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A model by Edward Hall involved the division of cultures according to the communication patterns of individuals into a high context where much of the information is implicit, and a low context where the information is explicit (Harris, 2004). Talcott Parsons and Edward Shils also came up with their own model that suggested that all human actions are influenced by five pattern variables. These pattern variables include: the need for gratification versus the restraint of impulses; self-orientation collectivity orientation; universalism versus particularism; ascription versus achievement and; specificity versus diffuseness. Florence Kluckhohn and Fred Strodtbeck also came up with another model after conducting a field study on five communities in the US that were geographically close. Their model distinguishes communities by five value orientations which are: the evaluation of human nature; the relationship between an individual and the environment; the orientation in time; the orientation toward activity and; the relationships among people (Chavan, 2005). The cultural dimensions model of Geert Hofstead is based on a study of IBM as a company in regard to their employees in 40 countries. He identified a number of problems that the employees had to cope with and from their coping mechanisms formulated his model of cultural dimension. He identified that the solutions that the employees had to these problems were different from those pr oposed by the old workplace which they had all been presented with (Burnes, 2003). He, therefore, came up with five dimensions of national cultures. These dimensions include: power distance, which is the degree of inequality among different people and which, the population of a particular country may define as normal; uncertainty avoidance, which is the degree to which a particular population prefers structured situations over unstructured ones; individualism versus collectivism; masculinity versus femininity; and long-term versus short-term orientation (Carmichael, White, and Jayawardena, 2008).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strategy for Managing Cultural Diversity It is important to note that different organizations have different organizational cultures and in as much as a new manager would like to increase the competitive advantage of the organization in the market, his or her strategies may not fit into the inherent culture in the organization. For a Swedish manager moving into Hong Kong it is important to note that he or she has to identify the differences in culture between the two countries first, before a decision to adopt a particular competitive strategy is made. The careful evaluation of the cultural differences allows the manager to come up with a management strategy that incorporates a balanced human resource selection and recruiting process (Hughes, and Rog, 2008). This will also allow the manager to reduce the conflict that may exist between two different cultures by identifying that the market has been predisposed to particular cultural aspects, which if changed will lead to customer dissatisfaction and reduce competitive advantage (Wildes, 2008). It is important to note that any competitive strategy has to be formulated with the customers’ preferences in mind for it to be successful. Selection The process of select ion in a culture that has a high power distance and a high level of masculinity has to incorporate a structure that will complement the formulated strategy meant to increase competitive advantage. Among the components to be identified are clear rules and procedures since the organizational culture in Hong Kong has a high preference for bureaucratic structures. This increases employee loyalty which in turn increases productivity and the organization’s competitive edge in the market. The recognition that people are assets is also vital in the boosting of employee morale and this is transferred to the employees who then identify with the customers in the same way (Scott, and Revis, 2008). The result is a highly aware customer who is loyal to the business and this increases the business’ competitive advantage. The selection of managers who can motivate the other employees is crucial especially in a culture that identifies with achievement such as the one in Hong Kong. This requires that the manager to be flexible and a fast learner for him or her to quickly adapt to the new culture.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategies to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The reduction of conflict is also important for managers since cultures such as that of Hong Kong identify conflicts as offences against efficiency. The threat to efficiency has a direct impact on the productivity of employees and the general productivity as well as profitability of the business (Wildes, 2008). Recruiting The process of recruiting employees has to be consistent with the chosen or the existing organizational strategy for it to be successful. This has to incorporate a shift in culture from the original culture of the already selected employees to that of the new country or organization. The culture in Hong Kong requires that businesses instill superior differentiation structures in their recruitment programs, where division of labor and leadership structures that complement the inherent bureaucracy are put in place (Hughes, and Rog, 2008). The structures are supposed to increase efficiency and output which in turn gives the business a competitive edge in the market. This has to take place in an environment where the new employees can recognize with the new culture for it to have a quick and efficient success rate (Carmichael, White, and Jayawardena, 2008). The identification of employees who may already be conversant with the new organizational structure and nurturing them to train the others increases cooperation and team work in the workplace. This ensures a higher success of the recruiting process as new employees who have moved into a totally different culture are able to comfortably adapt to the new culture (Burnes, 2003). The recruiting process should ensure that the managers are ab le to identify the particular aspects of the new culture that they can combine with their own without creating conflicts that may lead to both employee and customer dissatisfaction. The identification of the strong aspects of culture that can be exploited further is important especially in an environment where competition is stiff and business practices are almost similar, either due to standardization or similarity in cultural preferences (Chavan, 2005).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is because it allows managers to introduce new practices that are unique in the market and increase their competitive advantage in the market. Pre-departure For new managers to adapt to a new environment effectively, they have to be briefed on the particular aspects of the new environment before leaving. This gives them the opportunity to prepare themselves adequately for the new workplace (Salama, Holland, and Vinten, 2003). In this case, role orientation would be of great help to any such managers since it gives them a firsthand idea of the capacity they will have to work at and what is expected of them after they join the new workplace (Harris, 2004). It is also important for the new employees to be conversant with cross-cultural communication especially if the diversity is high. This is meant to reduce the effects of culture shock as the new employees identify channels of communication they are conversant with and have had some experience with. It also increases their effic iency as communication is critical in the productivity of the employees (Littlejohn, and Watson, 2004). With increased efficiency and output, the manager can increase the competitive advantage of the business in the new market with ease. Challenges faced by expatriates due to different cultural backgrounds In the case of multinationals, both the local processes at the headquarters of the company and the processes in their national and global subsidiaries are often at work. This is after their managers realized that some of the cultures differentiate individuals as well as groups in their own unique way and can’t, therefore, be shared (Scott, and Revis, 2008). In this case, expatriates have to be ready to change their thinking and quickly adapt to the new culture and organizational practice of the new country they are posted to. They will obviously need some guidance from locals since some of the cultural characteristics may be too distinct and region specific. For managers wh o always insist on the strict adherence to their home management structures in their new workplace, they often fall out with some of the loyal customers and employees who feel that they are too conservative and rigid to the different challenges that are involved with the different culture in a different country (Wildes, 2008). This means that organizations may lose their competitive advantage in the market if they are too rigid or conservative to change their thinking and the way they come up with solutions to common organizational challenges in the new setting. The identification of the advantages or rather strengths of a particular cultural aspect is sometimes a challenge for foreign managers. The strength of a particular culture often translates to different levels of employee turnover and where a foreign manager may not understand the strength of the culture, he may try to change it by bringing in his own foreign culture into the new organization. This leads to employee dissatis faction and increases their turnover as they no longer feel comfortable and some may have a hard time adjusting to the new culture (Hughes, and Rog, 2008). Ways of Motivating and Leading Staff to Gain a Competitive Advantage Expatriate managers could motivate the new staff by first understanding the cultural practices that are inherent in the new country and in the new organization, and try to incorporate those new practices in their relationship with the new staff (Carmichael, White, and Jayawardena, 2008). This is meant to identify the potential of the staff that the manager manages and especially their cultural potential. With the full exploitation of this potential the managers will be able to gain a competitive advantage over the competitors (Burnes, 2003). This also increases harmony in the workplace as employees complement each other’s potential as they are culturally predisposed and this increases their output. They may also have to allow the new staff to take a leadi ng responsibility is dealing with the new challenges that are unique to their particular position especially where the foreign manager may have a problem adjusting or understanding the particular cultural practices and market needs (Salama, Holland, and Vinten, 2003). This will obviously require the expatriate managers to be flexible and recognize that cultures do change. This should, however, not mean that they should drop all the practices that are in place in their own home country, but rather incorporate them into the practices of the new organization by balancing some of the new cultures to fit into it (Hatch, and Schultz, 2003). Since they have to deal with unique market needs and patters that they may not have been used to in their home country, expatriate managers have to identify the particular successful aspects of the new employees’ culture that have a higher success rate in giving the business a competitive advantage (Chavan, 2005). They should then substitute the strong strategies that have led to successes in their home country with the weaker aspects of the new market. Conclusion The ease at which new managers adapt into a new environment is identified as critical in increasing the productivity of the employees that he or she manages and this has a direct effect on the competitive advantage that the business enjoys in the market. This can only be achieved if the new manager is conversant with the new culture in the new environment before moving. An efficient selection and recruitment process ensures that the manager is not only capable to adapt in the new environment, but is also prepared for the different challenges that he may come across due to cross-cultural differences. Reference List Burnes, B. 2003. Managing change and changing managers from ABC to XYZ. Journal of Management Development. 22(7). Pp. 627-642. Carmichael, C, White, A, and Jayawardena, B. 2008. Binational tourism in Niagara: insights, challenges and the future. Interna tional Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 20(3). Pp 347-359. Chavan, M. 2005. Diversity Makes Good Business. Equal Opportunities International. 24(7/8). Pp 38-58. Harris, P., R. 2004. European leadership in cultural synergy. European Business Review. 16(4). Pp 358-380. Hatch, M, and Schultz, M. 2003. Bringing the corporation into corporate branding. European Journal of Marketing. 37(7/8). Pp 1041-1064. Hughes, J., C, and Rog, E. 2008. Talent management A strategy for improving employee recruitment, retention and engagement within hospitality organizations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 20(7). Pp 743- 757. Littlejohn, D, and Watson, S. 2004. Developing graduate managers for hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 16(7). Pp 408-414. Salama, A, Holland, W, and Vinten, G. 2003. Challenges and opportunities in mergers and acquisitions. Journal of European industrial training. 27(6). Pp 313-321. Sc ott, B, and Revis, S. 2008. Talent management in hospitality: graduate career success and strategies. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 20(7). Pp 781-791. Wildes, V., J. 2008. How can organizational leaders really lead and serve at the same time? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 20(1). Pp 67-78.

Sell Yourself to Get Your Dream Job

Sell Yourself to Get Your Dream Job Even the most modest job applicant to learn the delicate art of self promotion. When you’re job hunting, you’re the product, and the market is stuffed with talented people vying for what’s often only one open position. When the only thing a recruiter has to judge hundreds of potential hirees is a stack of resumes, yours has to stand out. Now is not the time to be modest. Here are a few tips on ways to sell yourself in a professional manner:1. Always use active language.Get to the point right away. What did you do at your previous jobs? Start your sentences with a specific verb: increased, improved, founded, maintained. Focus on your actions and how they affected your previous companies.2. Get specificNumbers serve well to describe exactly what impact you’ve had on an organization. Did you decrease spending? Give a percentage. Did you deal with an impressive number of clients per month? How many? Numbers help break up the text in a resume and give value to your accomplishments.3. Use the job posting as a guideTailor your resume so that your skills align with the needs of your potential employer. Take the traits they are looking for, search your work history for traits that align, and put these front and center. If they’re looking for someone who can manage a team, start each previous job explanation with your management skills and the successes you’ve found.Remember, your resume is your foot in the door–use it to its best advantage. Be truthful (don’t over-embellish!) but be proud of your work history and don’t hesitate to let your pride show.

Formal Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Formal Education - Essay Example Studies have found that de-regulation and flexible labour markets lead to the strongest results as well as create social balance within the economic classes buoying commercial and national economics as well as stability. As societies move away from focusing on manufactured products the government seeks to encourage â€Å"knowledge workers† in order to increase competitiveness. Knowledge is not seen as an individual effort, but a collective one based on social interaction that forms an ever growing web linking families, organizations, businesses, and ultimately local, national, and international economies. In order for businesses to insure their workers have access to information-based learning, they have altered the learning delivery systems. No longer confined to expensive schooling at stagnant locations which do not respond to customer needs, education now means various sites and access points for open and distance learning based on information and communication technology. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents one of the strongest, centralized training organizations in the field of lifelong learning. The 2006 Leitch Review reveals this system operates by â€Å"top-down, command and control targets set by the centres with minimal consultation.† III: Government Policies and Attitudes on the Purpose of Lifelong Learning Shifting away from the previous government’s focus on what Bartlett and Burton labeled â€Å"the third way,† the New Labour Party has abolished or replaced the National Training Organisations (NTOs,) the NTOs National Council, Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs), the TEX National Council, and the Further Education Funding Council for England, the LSC and local learning and skills councils, the... This paper approves that although the current Conservative-Liberal Democratic Government is attempting to provide skills development to insure increased productivity and inter-generational social mobility that in turn reduces poverty and social inequality, 22 percent of jobs remain low paid. Programs attempt to operate inclusively to attract even reluctant and â€Å"non-traditional† learners offering them avenues to evolve their sense of self-identity and control over and responsibility for their livelihoods. However, it is important to consider how the recent economic downturn has affected the government’s and the average citizen’s ability to invest funds in these programs. At the same time, education remains one of the most vital long-term solutions to national and individual competitiveness. This essay makes a conclusion that in conclusion, David Blunkett, Secretary of State for Learning and Education, stated â€Å"Learning is the key to prosperity - for each of us as individuals, as well as for the nation as a whole. This is why the Government has put learning at the heart of its ambition.† According to Field for government, learning that is both lifelong and life-wide relates to globalisation, competitiveness and innovation and connects to issues such as â€Å"population ageing, social inclusion, public health, migrant assimilation and active citizenship.† Therefore, formal learning as related to lifelong learning functions as an essential cornerstone of effective government policy serving a fundamental purpose within England to ensure a satisfied citizenry who is able to compete within the Information Age.

Social Networking Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Social Networking Marketing - Essay Example Marketing on social networking or social media platforms has its own advantages because of the uniqueness offered by the internet (Keller and Berry, 2003). It is much easier to judge the effectiveness of a marketing campaign as well as ensure its reach to a very high population. Hence, marketing through the social media and social networks has become very important. However, as this method of marketing is becoming increasingly popular, various scholars and researchers have had concerns around ethical implications. Many marketers also feel very sceptical about the way in which it is difficult to preserve ethics followed in conventional form of marketing, when it comes to social networking marketing (Li, 2008). In this research, the attempt is to find out what are the ethical implications of social networking marketing and how it impacts the ‘4Ps’ – product price, promotion and place of marketing. The study would explore how this new age marketing has ethical implications on the traditional methods of marketing. Marketing and its Changing Dimensions Many scholars have tried to understand and define marketing as well as its changing connotations in the light of technology driven approach. American Marketing Association has defined marketing as a key set of process that is necessary for creating, delivering and communicating value to customers as well as maintaining and growing relationships with the aim of growing the organization, its user base as well as its stockholders. (American Marketing Association, n.d). Here, the tenets of marketing centre on the concept of ‘value’. This definition provides a good overview because it also talks about customer and organizational growth. With social networking marketing, there are high chances that the meaning of ‘value’ may undergo a change because of the high scope of strategies like bulk marketing and privacy violation. According to Kotler, marketing can be defined as a social process through which individuals and groups can get what they want and need by creat ing as well as exchanging the products and value with the others (Kotler, 1997). The important aspect to note here is how marketing is considered to be a ‘social’ process. However, in recent times, marketing has a more business related approach, rather than exchanging. In fact, the activities of a marketer are centred on how to improve brand image as well as profitability with the help of value creation. This definition becomes very narrow in today’s sense because marketing is no longer about exchanging products or services, but in fact it has a higher focus on customers as well as profitability. However, this high focus on brand image and profitability has often resulted in compromises in terms of ethics in social media. According to the definition provided by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, marketing is the management process that is crucial in identifying, anticipating as well as satisfying the requirements of the customers in a manner that is profitable for the organization (The Chartered Institute of Marketing, n.d). In this definition, this focus is given on customers and the agenda of marketing revolves around the needs and the satisfaction of the customers. In addition, while this is a good approach to adopt, presently, focus is much higher on the profitability of the company, which can be illustrated by the increasing violation of ethics in social networking marketing. Hence, it is clear that the definition of marketing, its operations and the way in which it is perceived has undergone a considerable amount of change over the years. The

Speech Contest Essay Example for Free

Speech Contest Essay â€Å"Peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace Martin Luther† Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night by a phone call. Imagine there’s someone on the other end telling you that they have one of your family members kidnapped. Now, what would you do? I’m guessing most of you are thinking that you would call the police. Well, in Mexico that’s something you cannot do. It’s been 5 years since the â€Å"drug war† started, and since then, there hasn’t been any justice or peace. I remember 2 years ago, on Christmas Eve, my family and I were woken up by a phone call. It was 3 in the morning, and none of us were expecting a call. My father picked up the phone, and the next thing I saw, was how pale he got. My grandpa had just called, telling my father, that my cousin had just been kidnapped. He was just 13 years old, and was on the wrong place at the wrong time. When my dad told me this, I knew that there wasn’t much to be done, besides giving the kidnappers, the money they were asking for. On the other hand, my dad thought the best idea was to go and tell the police what had happened. That same day, we went to the police station, it was only me and my dad. An officer sent us down to an office, but while we were walking there, my dad’s cellphone rang. He told me to pick it up, and I did as he told me. I answered, and a man told me to get out of the station if we didn’t want anything bad to happen to my cousin. My dad saw how I started shaking and took the phone out of my hands. He answered, and they told him the same thing as they had told me, only this time, they added that there would be someone making sure we didn’t say anything. You may be asking, how did they know that we were in the police station? That is easy to answer. In Mexico, justice and police are two things that just don’t exist anymore. In my city, Torreon, most of the police stations, are closed because they are insecure to go. Drug dealers, bought some others, making the police to be part of them. Since we don’t have police stations, we don’t have justice, and since we don’t have justice, peace is something we lack. It is so sad, knowing that the people we usually trust, turn their backs on you, just for money. It is also sad, seeing in the news, that every day there is an average of 27 dead people. For me, the saddest part, is knowing that thanks to us not having justice, my city, the city where you could be on the street as long as you wanted, was named last monday the â€Å"most insecure city of the world†.

The Ebola Virus :: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever

The Ebola Virus A virus is an ultramicroscopic infectious organism that, having no independent metabolic activity, can replicate only within a cell of another host organism. A virus consists of a core of nucleic acid, either RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coating of antigenic protein and sometimes a lipid layer surrounds it as well. The virus provides the genetic code for replication, and the host cell provides the necessary energy and raw materials. There are more than 200 viruses that are know to cause disease in humans. The Ebola virus, which dates back to 1976, has four strains each from a different geographic area, but all give their victims the same painful, often lethal symptoms. The Ebola virus is a member of a family of RNA viruses known as ‘Filoviriade' and falling under one genus, ‘Filovirus'. "The Ebola virus and Marburg virus are the two known members of the Filovirus family" (Journal of the American Medical Association 273: 1748). Marburg is a relative of the Ebola virus. The four strains of Ebola are Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Reston, and Ebola Tai. Each is named after the geographical location in which it was discovered. These filoviruses cause hemorrhagic fever, which is actually what kill victims of the Ebola virus. Hemorrhagic fever as defined in Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary as, a group of viral aerosol infections, characterized by fever, chills, headache, malaise, and respiratory or GI symptoms, followed by capillary hemorrhages, and, in severe infection, oliguria, kidney failure, hypotension, and, possibly, death. The incubation period for Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever ranges from 2-21 days (JAMA 273: 1748). The blood fails to clot and patients may bleed from injections sites and into the gastrointestinal tract, skin and internal organs (Ebola Info. from the CDC 2). The Ebola virus has a tropism for liver cells and macrophages, macrophages are cells that engulf bacteria and help the body defend against disease. Massive destruction of the liver is a hallmark feature of Ebola virus infection. This virus does in ten days what it takes AIDS ten years to do. It also requires biosaftey level four containment, the highest and most dangerous level. HIV the virus that causes AIDS requires only a biosaftey level of two. In reported outbreaks, 50%-90% of cases have been fatal (JAMA 273: 1748). Ebola can be spread in a number of ways, and replication of the virus occurs at an alarming rate.

Calyx flower case

Managing Profitable Growth Recommendation : Increase Internet advertising. There are several reasons to support It. 1 . Less Cost, more tailored communication with customers In case of the catalog, the acquisition cost of new customer Is too expensive. This makes new customers unprofitable. (see table 1) Instead of the catalog, the company can send email directly to their target customer with less expense. The company already have a web page, so the firm can use the system without huge investment.Also, if the company makes use of the internet more, the firm can gather customer data more efficiently. So the company can increase the ability to track the behavior of individual customer. This enable the firm not only to tailor communication with the customers, but also to build a long-term relationship with the customers compared to mass-media marketing and catalog. Eventually, it will lower the acquisition cost of the current and new customers and increase retention rate and response ra te, the taxation which makes the customer more profitable In terms of the life time value. . Concentrate on the growth of the potential customer. As the Infrastructure of the Internet Improves, the customer who purchase the product through internet will increase. This change of business environment would be a good opportunity for the company. While the competitors focus on mass-media marketing, the company can concentrate their budget on the target customers who have a high potential growth. With low advertising cost per customer and high customers' satisfaction with tailored communication, the company can differentiate itself from the other competitors. . Make the customers more inelastic to price. The products of Calyx are fresher than that of the competitors. This Is the one of the differentiated factor of the company. And also, using online could be one of the differentiated factor of the company. As mentioned above, with fluent data of the customers and tailored communication, the company can raise the customers' satisfaction. From these, Calyx can create customer loyalty.The loyalty is not from the lower price, but from the differentiation from the other competitors. This makes the customers more inelastic to price. 4. Enlarge the customer base by cross selling of the other business units' products By integrating the web pages with other business units or making bundle packages, the flower business can enlarge the customer base, which consists of professional women mostly. From this, the company can alma at market share expansion.

Newspaper Industry

Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 THE DISTRIBUTION NETWORK DEVELOPEMENT IN PRINT MEDIA Assoc. Lect. Loredana Iordache Ph. D University of Craiova [email  protected] fr Lect. Radu Criveanu Ph. D University of Craiova [email  protected] com Assoc. Prof. Cernaianu Nicolae Ph. D Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest [email  protected] com Abstract: In this article, we identify the characteristics of the distribution networks in print media and the features of marketing in mass media, emphasising the attempts initiated by the press in the context of the financial crisis.The research was conducted through a case study on regional newspaper,, Gazeta de Sud† The main problems analyzed were decreasing newspaper circulation and advertising. The research taken into account trends and developments worldwide print media as well as print media particularities of Romania, with a focus on identifying factors that contribu ted to the closure of a significant number of newspapers, or their transition from printed version online format.The paper is mainly focused on some practical issues related to the way of organizing the print media sales networks, the authors elaborating proposals for the implementation of certain measures to increase the circulation, on the one hand, and on the hand, to increase the sale of ad space in the newspaper. Compared with other products, the newspaper has unique characteristics caused by daily changing content, and therefore the product itself. Having a highly perishable, the content of media products should always seen in relation to time, which requires more rapid distribution and continuous production.Key words: distribution networks, advertising, marketing strategies, print media JEL Code: L11,L22,M37 Introduction: The way in which the economic crisis has influenced the distribution policies differs from one company to another and from one activity domain to another. I n order to understand the application procedure of the distribution policy at the level of the media institutions, it is necessary to clarify the content of the media products and of the specific elements that favors or limit the application of marketing concepts, methods and techniques. One of the main characteristics f the media selling network is the fact that it generates profit, not only by an increase in the number of sold newspapers, but also by an increase in the number of readers, which determines a growth in the newspaper space sold for advertising. Fixing the selling price of ad space depends on several criteria mainly related to audience size and its socio-economic profile. Advertising buyers invest in newspaper ad space in terms of achieving a certain number of users or buyers (Bertand, 2001). Type of distribution networks is different from one country to another depending on a number of features.Thus in France and Italy press is bought mainly from newsstands, in Sweden is generalized newspapers home delivery while in U. S. besides newspapers home delivery are mainly used newspapers vending machines. The study analyzes the current situation of media products market with special emphasis on the print media in Romania and proposes a series of measures for development and improvement of distribution networks. The importance given to this activity consists in the need for information on the paper available to the readers. 1.Current trends in print media The economic crisis caused a serious decline in the print media circulation, contributing to a great extent to the dissolution of many important papers, a part of which can only be found online. The print media industry finds itself in a critical moment. In the last few years, the media institutions have tried to develop online products and to find new income sources to provide for the transition from the printed paper to the digital one. Although the access to the Internet is continuously growing, the value of the revenues generated by the Internet newspapers is still very low.According to the data presented on different specialized websites [11] in 2011, in the USA the revenues from advertising in the print media format were still in decline for the sixth year in a row. Thus, according to the study by Amy Mitchell and Tom Rosentiel of The Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) the losses generated in 2011 by „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 141 Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 the advertising decrease on the print paper were ten times higher than the revenues generated by the online advertising [12].The situation is as critical in Europe as it is in Romania where a number of papers closed or remained only with their the online version. An analysis of the Romanian press situation shows that the advertising revenues for the online newspapers are low, despite having register ed a sudden improvement lately [7]. Thus, the central papers register a higher income than the local papers, which have insignificant revenues that do not compensate for the revenues obtained from the print version of the newspaper, though more and more readers have access to the Internet [6].As far as the online market for the local publications is concerned, we consider that the strategy adopted should be differently approached, because the local companies, as faithful clients for advertising, have not been interested yet in online advertising. In addition to this, the integral online version of the paper has an increased number of readers, but reduces the number of print version buyers and therefore decreases the revenues. It is probable that the general tendency of the media is to be published online.But, we should not forget that the online version is not accessible to important categories of the population, at least not yet to the rural population. From our point of view, the main reasons why the sale of advertising spaces in the online version of the newspaper did not have the estimated results are the following: a) Firstly, the most important national papers, which impose the trend on the market, have a wrong marketing strategy, offering the online content of the paper to the readers free of charge.At the same time, there is no solution found to financially evaluate the new audience gained on the internet. In other words, by consciously moving the readers from the print version to the electronic/online version, the papers have lost important sums of money. b) Secondly, the financial crisis has determined a budget adjustment in advertising, which had subsequently an impact on the entire print media in Romania. The important advertising clients have focused only on TV lately, by allocating their budgets to the TV stations as a media vehicle and completely eliminating the newspapers from the marketing mix. ) Thirdly, another reason for this situation is t he fact that, once moved on the internet, the newspapers became direct competitors for the advertising budgets together will the other websites. Before the technological revolution brought about by the Internet, the papers were in competition with the other media (TV and radio stations etc. ) . Nowadays, the newspapers compete for the online budgets not only with the other media, but with the entire spectrum of websites, from Google to Facebook and Yahoo. ) Another reason, as mentioned above, is the distrust of the faithful clients of the local advertising in the impact of the digital version of the paper. In Romania, the number of publication have dramatically dropped, the audience rates have become half of the 2008 value and the editorial offices have to constantly take measures to reduce costs [5]. The number of employees is continually decreasing, leading to a reduction in the number of quality articles that may be produced.Moreover, the reporters are asked to produce more and t o increase the content for all the platforms: print, digital, mobile, but also to promote this content on the social networks. This fact led to a general dissatisfaction among the reporters. At the same time, the revenues from the paper selling and from the advertising spaces in the print version have decreased, and values from the online revenues could not compensate for the difference. A major part of the paper circulation is determined by the distribution costs.The circulation of a newspaper represents the number of copies distributed for a paper edition and it is formed of the papers sold by piece, with subscription, in promotions or for protocols etc. A new approach in the case of many regional newspapers is to concentrate on the most profitable zones, thus reducing the costs. The marketing strategy is based on the fidelity of the readers and not on approaching new markets. As opposed to other goods, the paper is a perishable product which is quickly replaced by another one.On account of this, the selling price is low in order to assure its accessibility, a quick selling and implicitly the market clearance for new products. However, the costs are high and the profit share is low under these circumstances. For the production of a newspaper, the producer needs a series of resources, such as: raw material and equipment, qualified workforce and something specialised for the mass media institutions, namely information and cultural creation.Economic crisis determined higher costs for the raw material (especially for paper) and for specialised and wellqualified workforce The selling price of the newspaper is set taking into consideration the following items: – the editing cost of the newspaper; – the printing cost of the newspaper; – the distribution cost of the newspaper; – the commissions paid to the media distribution companies, respectively the selling workforce; – the percentage of the assumed returned copies (the number o f printed but not sold copies).Starting from the data presented above and targeting a certain profit, the selling price is set per piece/copy (the cover price). Regarding the subscription price, alongside with the editing, printing and distribution prices of the newspaper, we have to take into account the commissions owed to the post office and to the agents and distributors. Some research studies about the Western European press market show that the investments necessary for launching a publication pay off in 3-4 years.In comparison with other activity domains that assure their profit from the direct sale of the product, the press institutions cannot survive based on the exclusive paper selling activity. „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 142 Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 The revenues of the print media institutions are varied and unequal, depending on the type of paper and its impact on the market. The mass media market is a dual market of the mass-media products as far as the revenues registered in massmedia are concerned.The revenues come from two categories of buyers: the media products buyers and the massmedia advertising buyers (Coman, 2007). The revenues of the press institutions are obtained from the following types of activities: a). the retail or subscription selling; b). the advertising space selling for the clients who want to publish their own messages on the support offered by the press institutions; c). the selling/renting of the access right on the newspapers websites (advertising on the online version of the newspaper); d). the amounts obtained from different sources as sponsorship.Each type of these revenues contribute more or less to the success of the company's activity and are tightly interconnected and reciprocally supporting. 2. Selling strategies in print press One source of revenue is provided by the newspaper selling, but the most important source, as we previously mentioned, is the advertising spaces sold. The advertising is divided in two categories: – the small ad, which included small sized announcements narrowly targeted to different categories (job offers and demands, selling and buying real states, vehicles or other products, service provisions, renting offers and demands, commemorations, deaths and condolences etc. ) whose price is set according to the number of words, the font and the number of daily publications requested. – the display ad (the larger ad), which includes those medium or large sized announcements, and can include even a whole newspaper page and whose price is determined by the page position, by the display size, the number of editions, the number of colours used (black or multicoloured).Many of the large ad announcements are commissioned and mediated by the advertising companies. The advertising advantages in the print media are determined by the fact that this type of media advertising is flexible both in dimension and in price, with opportunities for coloured advertising, smaller or bigger or with different inserts. So that the profits from advertising to be really relevant for the company owners, it is first necessary to understand that, by attracting a bigger volume of advertising, regardless of its type, is correlated with the paper circulation and audience.The individual persons, but especially the big economic agents and advertising agencies are well aware of the fact that the advertising impact in the newspaper is in direct ration with the number of that paper's readers and when they take the decision of publishing an ad, they analyse very carefully, by comparison, both the tariffs, and the circulation or the number of readers of the papers with the profile and the coverage area they need.BRAT (The Romanian Office of Circulation Audit) is the authority able to certify the circulation number for a newspaper or a publication for certain aud ited periods, and SNA (The National Audience Study) is the authority which, on the basis of surveys, measures the audience number of a publication, that is the average number of readers per edition of that publication (in general, a copy of a newspaper is read by 4-5 people) .Taking into consideration the facts mentioned above, it is obvious that a bigger selling volume, even when it does not directly generate profit, brings about higher revenues from advertising, which in their turn, bring considerable profit for the editor. Thus, the selling objectives of the company become extremely important. In this study we used a comprehensive approach to examine different aspects of distribution networks in press. In order to achieve the purpose we used as research method the case study of the biggest regional newspaper in the country. Data ollection was performed using as investigative tools interviews with distribution and advertising managers, direct observation and also analysis of archi val documents and data. The research findings have resulted in measures aimed at developing sales networks in print but also to redress those in free fall due to the economic crisis. According to BRAT studies newspaper Gazeta de Sud from Craiova is the most widely read regional newspaper in Romania, having over 100,000 readers / day and an an average circulation number of over 16. 000 copies [8]. Gazeta de Sud is distributed in Dolj, Olt, Gorj, Mehedinti and Valcea counties.The newspaper covers every possible editorial domains specific to a newspaper: local news, social problems, sport events, health issues, education, culinary recipes, TV programmes and recommendations, investigations, economy, culture, events and celebrities' life. Gazeta de Sud is a member of the Romanian Office of Circulation Audit. Gazeta de Sud consists of the editing board and the selling departments of the newspaper (the distribution department that deals with selling the newspaper by using newspaper sellers and the distribution news stands and the subscription selling department).The selling force of the company is supplemented by the advertising selling department which has the role to sell advertising space in the newspaper and in the online version of the paper. As market competitors for Gazeta de Sud in Oltenia we can mention other regional papers, such as Editie Speciala or Cuvantul Libertatii. The average daily circulation numbers of these newspapers, of 3. 000 – 4. 000 copies „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 143Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 (circulation numbers not audited by BRAT! ), are much inferior to the circulation numbers of Gazeta de Sud, despite having a selling price and a subscription price lower than the prices of Gazeta de Sud. Among its competitors, we should mention other regional weekly publications, such as Saptamana in Oltenia/The Week in Oltenia a nd Expresul de Sud/The Southern Express, but their circulation numbers do not exceed 2. 00 – 3. 000 copies. The content quality of Gazeta de Sud, the printing quality, the supplements offered and, last but not the least, the advantage of a very early distribution system and a very well organised complaints solving system greatly favour this newspaper in winning the competition with its local or regional, daily or weekly newspapers. As any other private company, this too aims at obtaining profit as a result of a superior value creation for consumers, satisfying better the consumers' needs.Based on analysis of data from several local newspapers, it was observed that during this difficult period the press efforts are centred on sales and special offers are created to attract more and more clients for advertising. The circulation of a publication represent the number of sold copies distributed for an edition and is formed of the copies sold as retail, by subscription, promotions and protocols etc. Part of these copies which are not sold return to the company and represent daily financial loss.The distribution system of the Gazeta de Sud newspaper is presented in the figure below( fig. no. 1): Fig. no1. The circulation components As observed in the figure above, the selling circuit of print media includes three main components, namely the retail selling and the subscription selling. a) The retail selling is divided in: – the retail selling by the press distribution companies; – the retail selling by the press distributors; The retail selling by the press distribution companies is done at the news stands.The disadvantages of retail selling by the press distribution companies are especially determined by: – the selling presentation mode of the newspaper – very often illustrating the exclusive preferences of the sellers from the news stand, only certain publications are exposed and made visible to the detriment of other rival publica tion. In order to avoid this situation, the appointed personnel of Gazeta de Sud monitors and permanently assures that the newspaper is exposed at sight, giving the possibility to the clients to easily read the headlines. the delayed cash collection from the press distribution companies for the sold newspapers (minus the commissioned charged by these companies) – the relatively hard collection of return papers (unsold newspapers), which requires material and time resources. As a main advantage of the retail selling by the press distribution companies we mention the fact that, in this way, the editor benefits from an efficient selling manner of its newspaper, due to qualified personnel and strategic locations placed in the area with intense traffic (the news stands).The retail selling by the newspaper sellers is an alternative to selling at the news stands, intended not to replace it, but to complete it. In general, the newspaper sellers are placed at: – traffic lights crossroads, a situation in which the clients are the car drivers that wait for the green light; – supermarkets, markets, train stations, bus stations, traffic ways with many shops and open-air coffee shops where there are many passers-by.The newspaper sellers try to adjust to their potential clients by attracting them into buying the product offered. If in the case of the news stands, the client is the one heading for the newspaper, in the case of the newspaper sellers, we can figuratively speak about the newspaper that come directly to the client, facilitating and providing a very comfortable sale.The advantages of selling the newspaper by the newspaper sellers are the following: – facilitating the newspaper selling process for the client, making it easy, comfortable and quick; – attracting undecided clients and transforming them, in many situations, in faithful clients of that newspaper seller; – covering areas where the press distribution companies do not own news stands, thus providing access to the newspaper for a larger number of potential clients; „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 44 Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 – prompt cash collection for the sold newspapers; – minimum returned newspapers, due to very meticulously and well organised daily orders and to the possibilities to supplement the order of a newspaper seller, that is giving to another seller the order left unsold in one area, according to the selling number of newspapers at a certain hour.As a drawback, we mention the often poor quality of the people willing to accept such jobs, there being situations when the clients were disturbed by the very insisting newspaper sellers (verbal aggression or not receiving the right change). Another form of retail selling, successfully practised in the United States of America and in many European Union countries is selling by newspaper vending machines. In Romania, there have been many attempts to implement such vending machines, especially in the supermarkets, given the advantage of eliminating the human intermediary from this distribution hain, whether it is the the news stand seller or the newspaper seller. However, by eliminating this intermediary and thus the disadvantages specific for these two types of retail selling, other disadvantages became obvious, such as: – the relatively higher price of the newspaper vending machines; – the building technique of these machines, which presupposes the opening of a door the moment one introduces the money, giving the possibility to take more than one paper.This does not represent a drawback for the civilised countries, but in Romania, for easily understood reasons, the editors prefer machines that give only one paper at a time. But, there are technical details to take into account here, such as the variable weight of a paper from o ne edition to the other and from one publication to the other. b) Selling by subscription Most of the editors prefer to offer the client this possibility too, that is to get the newspaper by subscribing to the system.The client's advantages are the following: – the client's safety that he'll get the right publication, avoiding the risk of not finding the newspaper at the news stands; – the subscription price is much smaller than the total price paid by the buyer for each item bought individually in a month; – the paper is received by the subscriber at the address mentioned, without being necessary to go and get it or to waste time doing it; – for the clients in the rural area, where the news stands are generally missing, it is practically impossible to get the wanted newspaper; Nonetheless, there are also disadvantages, such as: – the subscription has to be paid in full in advance, for the entire subscription period; – the paper is usually d elivered at late hours, when many people are already gone to work or to their daily activities, thus loosing one of the basic qualities (offering late, up-to-the-moment news and information); – the newspapers with weekend editions (on Saturday or Sunday) are distributed in the countryside on Monday; – the mail boxes, especially at the blocks of flats, are generally unsafe and easily allow for getting the newspaper by evil-minded people, which subsequently leads to a general discontent of the subscriber who thinks that probably the newsagent was not delivered.From the perspective of the press trust, the subscription price, in the case of Gazeta de Sud, does not always cover all these costs, but it is an accepted loss because the final profit is targeted and that is advertising (a profit which is direct relation to the circulation number of the newspaper and with the subscription number). However, the selling on subscriptions targets the fidelity of the clients, increasi ng the audience and implicitly the selling figures from advertising and much less the profit. Practically, the buyers by subscriptions are encouraged to buy a product at a much lower price per item than that bought daily from the news stands.Generally, the number of subscriptions represents a significant profit from the total circulation number of that publication. Moreover, the subscribers are usually those faithful clients that assure the safety for continuing to publish that publication and on which the editor bases the future planning. The anticipated payment of the subscription allows the editor to collect in advance considerable amounts of money, that would help organise the activities for the next period. The subscriptions do not usually generate significant profit for the editor. There are situations when the subscription price hardly covers the editing and printing costs form that publication.The starting idea is that a great number of subscriptions means a an increased cir culation number and thus a larger audience, this leading to obtaining more advertising clients from the specialised companies. The advertising companies carefully analyse the data given by the certified institutions, such as BRAT in the case of the circulation numbers, and SNA for audience, and their quantitative and value offer for large advertising is in accordance with the data. Given this fact, the editors do not necessarily target profit from subscriptions, but they calculate the indirect profit derived from advertising, due to the large audience of the newspaper. Subscribing at the post office is the most used form of subscribing to a publication. „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 145Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 The national company the Romanian Post covers the whole country and on an agreement basis, concludes contracts with the editors and distributes subscriptions to a series of publications. Another form of subscription, practised especially by several local and regional newspapers, is the subscription through their own subscribing network. Such subscribing networks have been created because the editors wanted to increase the number of subscribers, thus adding up to the subscriptions made through the post office. Taking into account the disadvantages of the post office subscription method, the newspapers subscription network aims at eliminating these disadvantages and thus earning more subscribers, even those who were initially unwilling to subscribe to these publications, given the drawbacks.Despite the higher price, the subscribers adhering to this network generally have the following advantages: – the newspaper is delivered early in the morning, offering the possibility to be read and get in touch with the latest information even before going to work or start the daily activities; – the paper is delivered even on Saturday, inclu ding in the rural areas where the network has collaborators and coverage; – there is also the possibility the payment throughout the first subscription days, especially for the new clients, to give them the possibility to appreciate the way in which the paper is delivered; – the claims and complaints are more promptly analysed and solved by the editor's personnel in charge of this aspect. Creating such subscription networks involves a considerable effort from the editor's side, being necessary to employ new people, both for the contracting part, and for the distribution of subscriptions part for the entire area to be covered. Alongside with these aspects, it is also necessary to have people that would coordinated this activity, that is to distribute newspaper packets in the locations where the subscription distributors come and pick them up and finally deliver them to the clients etc. c) Promotions and protocols A part of the total circulation number is represented by promotions and protocols.The newspaper Gazeta de Sud, but other newspapers, too, financially support this activity and have constantly resorted the so-called promotional subscriptions (subscriptions at reduced prices or even awarded free of charge), whose role is: – to achieve an intensive increase in the number of subscribers in the area where there is a deficit from this point of view; – to regain the lost subscribers; – to reward certain faithful readers; – to slightly raise the audience of the newspaper; There were many situations when a certain number of copies of a newspaper edition were given free of charge, with the purpose to promote the newspaper on the event of special occasions. In the case of protocols, these are represented by the newspapers regularly given, free of charge, to several public institutions or radio or television stations which broadcast shows about related to press reviews.Analysing the data at the end of 2011 the structure of the circulation number is the following: – 45% represent the subscriptions by the Romanian Post; – 25% subscriptions by their own distribution network; – 18% selling the newspaper at the news stands; – 8% selling the newspaper by the newspaper sellers; – 4% protocols and promotions; It can be concluded that 70% of the product buyers are faithful readers of the newspaper and that they regularly buy it by the subscription system, while the retail selling (at the news stands or by the newspaper sellers) provide only 26% of the total circulation number, additionally having the disadvantage to deal with the returned items (newspaper copies left unsold) which represent financial loss for the company. From the data analysed during 2008-2011 ( table no. 1), we note that there is a decrease in the newspaper selling figures with 43%, the most influenced being the subscription selling by its own network, which dropped with 76% and could not be compensated by the growth in the subscription rate by the Romanian post office of 36% as compared to 2008. Table no. 1. The sales evolution during 2008-2011 Year Subscription by Subscription by Retail selling at Retail selling by post network news stands newspaper sellers 2008 97. 436 118. 994 1. 704. 162 200. 000 100. 347 1. 396. 995 175. 800 72. 162 1. 088. 833 94. 681 29. 581 963. 756 83. 04 Source( Internal Report of Organization) Among the factors that contributed to this situation, we mention: – the rise of the subscription price as a consequence of rising the price of the raw material and utilities; „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 2009 2010 2011 79. 634 91. 429 132. 694 146 Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 – the renouncement to certain distribution routes because of their lack of profitability; – the decrease of the population income, which made them unsubscribe the newspaper system. As a result of the data analysis, the greatest part of the population that subscribe to the newspaper are old people (over 55% of the subscribers are retired people) followed by the population of the age group 45-55 years ( approx. 30%).With the purpose of increasing the sale figures and the market quota, the press features may be used accordingly, namely by adopting or allowing for: – measures to keep the current clients faithful to the newspaper, materialised in flawless distribution, attractive price, gifts, prompt complaints solving of clients unsatisfied with the paper distribution by its own distribution system. The company has to take measures to revise the whole distribution system of the subscribed newspaper so that to improve the acquisition efficiency and the number of subscribers, because the recruitment value and number of subscribers are extremely important factors for the survival and profit generation in a business with a subscription sellin g strategy component. The reasons for not subscribing, as mentioned above, may become mostly known by surveys. The activity of attracting new clients is much more costly and given this fact new programmes should be created to keep the current clients. measures to attract new subscribers by setting up a telemarketing service, through which potential clients are contacted by phone and asked if they are willing to subscribe to the newspaper network, offering, together with other companies, promotional materials for the clients who subscribe for a longer period of time; – contacting the lost subscribers in order to establish the causes of their refusal to continue the subscription and to try, where possible, to remedy the complaints; there is also the possibility to offer reduced price subscriptions or even free subscriptions for short time intervals to make the client aware that the complaints were solved; – creating a prize awarding, extremely motivating for the newspape rs sellers and the subscription agencies that obtain very good results in their activity; – giving clients the possibility to subscribe by sending an SMS (the cost for the SMS is the equivalent price for the monthly subscription, and the client is contacted after the SMS in order to obtain all the information necessary for the delivery); ? rganising a retribution system for the post workers with good results in their activity to conclude subscriptions; ? organising a system for the so-called promotional subscriptions destined to certain locations where the paper can be read (open air cafe bars, medical cabinets, notarial offices etc. ) a situation in which the client pays the full subscription price and gets other 2-3 free subscriptions. – entering on a bigger market by a more aggressive advertising campaign; – improving the quality of the newspaper articles and actively involving the readers in the community life, a strategy that would attract a greater number of readers motivated by their involvement in the daily problems of their community.The company position is, also, seriously affected by the presence of a very high number of information sources and news that contribute to the decrease in the content value, but also to the impossibility of protecting the content; – rethinking the offer system for the online readers by paying a monthly subscription in order to have access to the content of the newspaper. The new payment model must be reorganised so that the media companies may sell packages of products that include subscriptions to the print newspaper and to the online version. Thus, the subscribers to the print version may have access also to the online version and to the smart phone /tablet version.This payment structure encourages readers to subscribe to the print edition and subsequently to support the maintenance of the circulation number. Furthermore, the attention of the clients is drawn, from the idea of restriction, to the idea of full access to the information, by any means. The strategies adopted by the press trusts for overcoming the crisis must be correlated with the resource strategies, especially since the costs for the workforce in this activity domain represent an important part of the final product cost. Given this fact, we consider that the analysis of the company's activity has to be drawn up in direct correlation with the human resource strategy for the selling component.We claim that the personnel restructuring and the dissolution of the distribution networks are supposed to be the last resort strategy, used only after all the other strategies have been analysed and eliminated, because, once the distribution network is lost, it can hardly be re-established due to higher costs. Recruitment and selection of the selling workforce in the domain are characteristics determined by the specific activity. When analysing the activity, one have to take into account a series of aspects, namely: a). the number of the current publications in the region; b). the recruitment and selection of the selling workforce, which is difficult since the revenues obtained from selling the newspaper is low; c). the geographical area where the publication is.With the purpose of winning the market, a series of major investments must be applied and, as opposed to other activity domains, we claim that the most important investment must be made in the human resources. It should not be neglected that a newspaper sells information. Some of the arguments in favour of the opinion that the human resource is the most important component are related to the quality of the newspaper articles, to the research methods „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 147 Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 and subject approach and to the manner in which the readers are captivated by the headlines.Another challenge is adjus ting to the new needs and reading behaviour of diverse segments of readers, but many did not understand this aspect, despite the market data reports about the focus groups present in each trust. Overcoming the crisis does not presupposes only restricting the activity. On the contrary, as we mentioned before, it involves the quality improvement of the product. Another strategy that should be adopted by the local publications could be the identification of new distribution channels and the improvement of advertising offers to atract important clients in need of advertising. We should not forget that the important local advertising clients were the real estate investors, the banks and the auto dealers.Once the crisis was installed, most of the private and public companies have reduced their advertising budgets. Many of these companies limited their activity or even disappeared from the market, others oriented towards different mass media channels: television or radio. Another option to increase sales is to withdraw from the advertising companies in which many newspapers sell their available inventory. These companies get big commissions, and sometimes the publisher gets 5-10% of the advertising list price. The dependence to third parties for advertising selling visibly affects the newspapers performance. Those who already have their own selling teams debate on the opportunity to use the same people both for selling print and online.There are opinions supporting these convergent views, but there are also those who consider that a separate team for online selling would be more efficient. They claim that it is very hard for a sales manager to motivate and train a team that is supposed to have different selling techniques and completely different financial expectations. Likewise, in order to be complete and functional, the selling strategy presupposes the elaboration of an entire set of specific forms: the report forms, the market reports regarding the competing news papers, the press monitoring reports, the buffer stock, the monitoring report for the selling agents routes, reports regarding the number of new activity routes or new clients etc.The marketing and selling strategy of the organisation implies finding solutions to attract clients, not only by offering appealing discounts, but also by providing better articles with a more interesting content, or, in the case of the press trusts that have the opportunity of using several media channels, by offering common packages for clients. For example, those publications that do not abandon their online version of the newspaper have to find new ways to attract advertising clients for its both versions, the print and the online, eventually using these common packages. First of all, a coherent marketing approach should be based on a clear definition of the market and the audience.When all the departments of a company work together to meet the needs and the interests of the consumer, the result may be a successful one. It implies that the action should unfold on two levels: firstly, it refers to the functional components of the marketing system – the selling workforce, the advertising, the relationship with the clients, the product management, the marketing research that need to work together. Secondly, marketing should be supported, understood and accepted by all the other departments. To support the team work in a inter-department team, the organisation has to apply internal and external marketing. The external marketing is directed to the audience outside the organisation.The internal one, refers to employing, training and motivating certain capable and talented employees, which will serve the interests and the needs of the clients. The internal marketing precedes the external marketing. For an organisation, there is no point in promising excellent services before being capable to actually offer them. A selling team that is not supported by the strategic marketing cann ot successfully accomplish the selling objectives. It is very difficult to build a selling team in print media and it is more difficult to motivate it. The company existence is dependent on the way in which the selling team interacts with the clients. The strategies for keeping the products on the market should be tailored to meet the new, continuously changing expectations of the consumers.The content quality and the reputation of the publication based on the professionalism of the journalists will be the basis for the future strategies in the media businesses. 3. Conclusions Should the press trusts want to develop future strategies, they have to to be aware of the globalisation effect, of the economic changes and the new technologies and their impact on the entire media industry. It is unnatural to offer common solutions for all consumers, especially under the circumstances brought by the explosion of the Internet. There is the need for separate offers, in accordance with the publ ic segments: traditionalist users, new media users etc.This segmentation is not easy to realise and all the needs that the publication has to meet should be clearly, honestly and precisely defined. Defining and targeting a clear value for the readers and the advertising clients will help the publication have better chances to resist on the market. At the moment, thousands of papers throughout the world are caught in a fight with the Internet. Nobody knows what will happen, which of them will win the fight, or how the survivors will look like after the final round. On one hand, the new technology has led to an audience increase, and on the other hand the selling figures of the print newspapers have significantly dropped.Thus, the most aggressive competitor of the traditional selling networks in the print press is the Internet. Despite the fact that the costs for the online version of the newspaper are lower compared to the print version, the editors still don't know or don't understa nd the online phenomenon and for this new competitor they have to find solutions to reinvent themselves. „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 148 Annals of the „Constantin Brancusi† University of Targu Jiu, Economy Series, Issue 3/2012 In print press, the business model was almost identical regardless of the advertising type: creating and distributing informational content and attaching advertising to that content.The expenses generated by the printing, distribution and salaries were covered from the newspaper selling (30%) and advertising (70%) [13]. There has never been a profound relationship between the advertising and the articles. The advertising clients had no choice in the matter, lacking alternatives for the promotion of their products or services. Their only requirement regarded the number of sold newspapers and the targeted audience. Under the current circumstances, the Internet development furthers more and more the content of t he information and advertising. Practically speaking, we ask ourselves: Which are the reasons for selling a newspaper, given that all the information may be found on the Internet? and What determines the clients to allocate budgets for the print press?As long as there are readers who want to read the newspaper in its print form, no matter what the fluctuations are, there will a market for this product and therefore the press trusts will have to find the best methods to survive. The greater the challenges for the companies management, the more difficult it is to anticipate the future of the press, no matter how many surveys will be carried out. Nowadays, under the given circumstances, the selling teams have the task to find the best solutions to attract advertising clients on one hand, and to find solutions for keeping the distribution channels for the newspaper, on the other hand. 4. Bibliography [1] Bertrand, C,J- O introducere in presa scrisa si vorbita, Ed. Polirom, Iasi, 2001 [2 ] Coman, M, Introducere in sistemul mass media , Ed.Polirom, Iasi 2007 [3] Kotler, Philip, Managementul marketingului (traducere), Editura Teora, Bucuresti, 2000. [4] Stefanescu, Paul, Bazele marketingului, Editura Didactica si Pedagogica, Bucuresti, 1994. [5] *** www. activewatch. ro -Raport Free Ex 2011 pg. 7 [6] *** www. ancom. org. ro [7] *** www. business24. ro-Piata media iese din criza. In 2012 va inregistra primele cresteri dupa 3 ani de foc [8] *** www. brat. ro [9] *** www. hotnews. ro-media publicitate [10] *** www. journalism. org [11] *** www. mediaddict. ro [12] *** http//stateofthemedia. org – The state of the new Media 2012 [13] *** www. studiu-deloitte. ro-tendintele-media-2010 „ACADEMICA BRANCUSI† PUBLISHER, ISSN 1844 – 7007 149

Biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the most influential Americans of the 19th century. His writings played a major role in the development of American literature, and his thought impacted political leaders as well as countless ordinary people. Emerson, born into a family of ministers, became known as an unorthodox and controversiall thinker in the late 1830s. His writing and public persona would cast a long shadow over American letters, as he influenced such major American writers as Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. Early Life of Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson was born May 25, 1803. His father was a prominent Boston minister. And though his father died when Emerson was eight years old, Emersons family managed to send him to Boston Latin School and Harvard College. After graduating from Harvard he taught school with his older brother for a time, and eventually decided to become a Unitarian minister. He became the junior pastor at a noted Boston institution, Second Church. Personal Crisis Emerson’s personal life appeared promising, as he fell in love and married Ellen Tucker in 1829. His happiness was short-lived, however, as his young wife died less than two years later. Emerson was emotionally devastated. As his wife was from a wealthy family, Emerson received an inheritance which helped sustain him for the rest of his life. The death of his wife and his plunge into misery led Emerson to have severe doubts about his religious beliefs. He became increasingly disillusioned with the ministry over the next several years and he resigned from his position at the church. He spent most of 1833 touring Europe. In Britain Emerson met with prominent writers, including Thomas Carlyle, which whom he began a lifelong friendship. Emerson Began to Publish and Speak in Public After returning to America, Emerson began to express his changing ideas in written essays. His essay â€Å"Nature,† published in 1836, was noteworthy. It is often cited as the place where central ideas of Transcendentalism were expressed. In the late 1830s Emerson began to make a living as a public speaker. At that time in America, crowds would pay to hear people discuss current events or philosophical topics, and Emerson was soon a popular orator in New England. Over the course of his life his speaking fees would be a major portion of his income. The Transcendentalist Movement Because Emerson is so closely linked to the Transcendentalists, it is often believed that he was the founder of Transcendentalism. He was not, as other New England thinkers and writers actually came together, calling themselves Transcendentalists, in the years before he published â€Å"Nature.† Yet Emerson’s prominence, and his growing public profile, made him the most famous of the Transcendentalist writers. Emerson Broke with Tradition In 1837, a class at Harvard Divinity School invited Emerson to speak. He delivered an address titled â€Å"The American Scholar† which was well-received. It was hailed as â€Å"our intellectual Declaration of Independence† by Oliver Wendell Holmes, a student who would go on to be a prominent essayist. The following year the graduating class at the Divinity School invited Emerson to give the commencement address. Emerson, speaking to a fairly small group of people on July 15, 1838, ignited a huge controversy. He delivered an address advocating Transcendentalist ideas such as love of nature and self-reliance. The faculty and clergy considered Emerson’s address to be somewhat radical and a calculated insult. He was not invited back to speak at Harvard for decades. Emerson Was Known as The Sage of Concord Emerson married his second wife, Lidian, in 1835, and they settled in Concord, Massachusetts. In Concord Emerson found a peaceful place to live and write, and a literary community sprang up around him. Other writers associated with Concord in the 1840s included Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. Emerson was sometimes referred to in the newspapers as The Sage of Concord. Ralph Waldo Emerson Was a Literary Influence Emerson published his first book of essay in 1841, and published a second volume in 1844. He continued speaking far and wide, and it’s known that in 1842 he gave an address titled â€Å"The Poet† in New York City. One of the audience members was a young newspaper reporter, Walt Whitman. The future poet was greatly inspired by Emerson’s words. In 1855, when Whitman published his classic book Leaves of Grass, he sent a copy to Emerson, who responded with a warm letter praising Whitman’s poetry. This endorsement from Emerson helped launched Whitman’s career as a poet. Emerson also exerted a major influence over Henry David Thoreau, who was a young Harvard graduate and schoolteacher when Emerson met him in Concord. Emerson sometimes employed Thoreau as a handyman and gardener, and encouraged his young friend to write. Thoreau lived for two years in a cabin he built on a plot of land owned by Emerson, and wrote his classic book, Walden, based on the experience. Involvement in Social Causes Emerson was known for his lofty ideas, but he was also known to get involved in specific social causes. The most notable cause Emerson supported was the abolitionist movement. Emerson spoke out against slavery for years, and even helped runaway slaves get to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Emerson also praised John Brown, the fanatical abolitionist who many perceived as a violent madman. Though Emerson had been fairly apolitical, the conflict over slavery led him to the new Republican Party, and in the election of 1860 he voted for Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Emerson hailed it as a great day for the United States. Emerson was deeply affected by Lincolns assassination, and considered him a martyr. Emersons Later Years After the Civil War, Emerson continued to travel and give lectures based on his many essays. In California he befriended naturalist John Muir, whom he met in Yosemite Valley. But by the 1870s his health was beginning to fail. He died in Concord on April 27, 1882. He was nearly 79 years old. His death was front-page news. The New York Times published a lengthy obituary of Emerson on the front page. It is impossible to learn about American literature in the 19th century without encountering Ralph Waldo Emerson. His influence was profound, and his essays, especially classics such as Self-Reliance, are still read and discussed more than 160 years after their publication. Sources: Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. The Death of Mr. Emerson. New York Times, 28 April 1882. A1.

Americas Role in World War II

America's Role in World War II When events began happening in Europe that would eventually lead to World War II, many Americans took an increasingly hard line towards getting involved. The events of World War I had fed into Americas natural desire to isolationism, and this was reflected by the passage of Neutrality Acts along with the general hands-off approach to the events that unfolded on the world stage. Increasing Tensions While America was wallowing in neutrality and isolationism, events were occurring in Europe and Asia that were causing increasing tension across the regions. These events included: Totalitarianism as a form of government in the USSR (Joseph Stalin), Italy (Benito Mussolini), Germany (Adolf Hitler), and Spain (Francisco Franco).A move towards fascism in Japan.The creation of Manchukuo, Japans puppet government in Manchuria, beginning the war in China.The conquest of Ethiopia by Mussolini.Revolution in Spain led by Francisco Franco.Germanys continuing expansion including taking the Rhineland.The worldwide Great Depression.World War I allies with large debts, many of which were not paying them off. America passed the Neutrality Acts in 1935-37. These created an embargo on all war item shipments. Americans were not allowed to travel on belligerent ships, and no belligerents were allowed loans in the United States. The Road to War The actual war in Europe began with a series of events: Germany took Austria (1938) and the Sudtenland (1938)The Munich Pact was created (1938) with England and France agreeing to allow Hitler to keep the Sudetenland as long as no further expansion occurred.Hitler and Mussolini created the Rome-Berlin Axis military alliance to last 10 years (1939)Japan entered an alliance with Germany and Italy (1939)The Moscow-Berlin Pact occurred promising nonaggression between the two powers (1939)Hitler invaded Poland (1939)England and France declared war on Germany (September 30, 1939). The Changing American Attitude At this time despite Franklin Roosevelts desire to help the allies (France and Great Britain), the only concession America made was to allow the sale of arms on a cash and carry basis. Hitler continued to expand taking Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In June 1940, France fell to Germany. Obviously, this quick expansion got America nervous and the US began to build the military up. The final break in isolationism began with the Lend-Lease Act (1941) whereby America was allowed to sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government....any defense article. Great Britain promised not to export any of the lend-lease materials. After this, America built a base on Greenland and then issued the Atlantic Charter (August 14, 1941)- a joint declaration between Great Britain and the US about the purposes of war against fascism. The Battle of the Atlantic began with German U-Boats wreaking havoc. This battle would last throughout the war. The real event that changed America into a nation actively at war was the attack on Pearl Harbor. This was precipitated in July 1939 when Franklin Roosevelt announced that the US would no longer trade items such as gasoline and iron to Japan who needed it for their war with China. In July 1941, the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis was created. The Japanese began occupying French Indo-China and the Philippines. All Japanese assets were frozen in the US. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor killing over 2,000 people and damaging or destroying eight battleships greatly harming the Pacific fleet. America officially entered the war and now had to fight on two fronts: Europe and the Pacific. After America declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy declared war on the US. America actually followed a Germany First strategy, mainly because it posed the greatest threat to the West, it had a larger military, and it seemed the most likely to develop newer and more lethal weapons. One of the worst tragedies of World War II was the  Holocaust  in which between 1933 and 1945 it is estimated that from 9-11 million Jews were killed. Only with the defeat of the Nazis were the  concentration camps  closed down, and the remaining survivors freed. Events Leading up to World War II The events in Europe unfolded as follows: Early German Victories  - The Germans successfully fought off the Russians in 1942. England was being bombed, and U-Boats harassed American shipping.North Africa  - The allies led by  General Dwight D. Eisenhower  fought against the French forces who were working in conjunction with Germany in Morocco and Algeria. The allies did take Tunisia in May 1943.Battle of the Atlantic  - The allies were able to control the Atlantic sea lanes by May 1943 though the battle continued to rage throughout the rest of the war.Italy  - The allies captured Sicily in July 1943 leading to Mussolinis downfall. The Italians then joined the allies. Germany still occupied much of Italy including Rome.Normandy Invasion  - This began on D-Day, June 6, 1944. General Eisenhower led the allies onto the beaches of France. They were able to liberate Paris on August 25, 1944.Battle of the Bulge  - Germany launched a counteroffensive in December 1944.  General Patton  led the 3rd Army to victory by January 1945.The Battle of Germany  - Early in 1945, Russians invaded Germany from the East while the allies moved in from the West defeating Germany. Hitler along with many top officials committed suicide. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 - V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). America followed a defensive policy in Japan until the summer of 1942. Following is a list of the events that occurred during World War IIs War in the Pacific:Early Japanese Victories  - Japan was able to have many victories in the Pacific and began attacking the Philippines. The Americans eventually had to surrender after  General Douglas MacArthur  and his troops failed to hold the  Bataan Peninsula  and the island of Corregidor. This was when MacArthur said his famous line, I will return.Pacific Offensive  - America began an offensive campaign during the summer of 1942. They defeated the Japanese at  the Battle of the Coral Sea  and  the Battle of Midway. In August 1942, America invaded Guadalcanal and by May 1943 had freed the Aleutians.Island Hopping  - The Americans led by  Admiral Chester W. Nimitz  took back many Japanese held islands on their way to the Japanese mainland. In June 1944, Saipan fell and then in July America captured Guam. In March 1945, America took  Iwo Jima  and held Okinawa by June. Philippines  - MacArthur kept his promise and returned to the Philippines after important victories in the  Battle of Leyte Gulf  (led by  Admiral William Halsey). By January 1945, they had landed at Luzon to battle for the Philippines.China  - Chiang Kai-Shek led the Chinese against the Japanese. In January 1945, the Ledo Road was opened, and the allies were able to get supplies to the Chinese who then expelled the Japanese.Atomic Bombs  - Throughout the war, America had been working on the creation of atomic bombs  through the  Manhattan Project. In August 1945, America led by  Harry Truman, who took over the presidency after FDRs death, decided to  drop atomic bombs on two cities in Japan.  Part of the rationale for this decision was that they wanted to avoid the loss of life that would accompany an invasion of the Japanese mainland.  Hiroshima  was the first target on August 6th and then Nagasaki was hit on August 9th. The two bombs killed approximately 100,000 Japanese instantly. By September 2, 1945, the Japanese had unconditionally surrendered. This was V-J Day (Victory over Japan day). American Rationing   Americans at home sacrificed while soldiers fought overseas. By the end of the war, more than 12 million American soldiers had joined or were drafted into the military. Widespread rationing occurred. For example, families were given coupons to purchase sugar based on the size of their families. They could not buy more than their coupons would allow. However, rationing covered more than just food- it also included goods such as shoes and gasoline. Some items were just not available in America. Silk stockings made in Japan were not available- they were replaced by the new synthetic nylon stockings. No automobiles were produced from February 1943 until the end of the war to move the manufacturing to war specific items. Many women entered the workforce  to help make munitions and implements of war. These women were nicknamed Rosie the Riveter and were a central part of Americas success in war. Japanese Relocation Camps Wartime restrictions were imposed on civil liberties. A real black mark on the American home front was the  Executive Order No. 9066 signed by Roosevelt in 1942. This ordered those of Japanese-American descent to be removed to Relocation Camps. This law eventually forced close to 120,000 Japanese-Americans in the western part of the United States to leave their homes and move to one of ten relocation centers or to other facilities across the nation. Most of those relocated were American citizens by birth. They were forced to sell their homes, most for next to nothing, and take only what they could carry. In 1988, President  Ronald Reagan  signed the Civil Liberties Act that provided redress for Japanese-Americans. Each living survivor was paid $20,000 for the forced incarceration. In 1989, President  George H. W. Bush  issued a formal apology. However, nothing can make up for the pain and humiliation that this group of individuals had to face for nothing more than their ethnicity. America and Russia In the end, America came together to successfully defeat fascism abroad. The end of the war would send the US into a  Cold War  due to concessions made to the Russians in exchange for their aid in defeating the Japanese. Communist Russia and the United States would be at odds with each other until the downfall of the USSR in 1989.

Contrast the conception of international organizational life explored Essay

Contrast the conception of international organizational life explored in C.F. Amerasinghe's textbook, Principles of the Institutional Law of International Orga - Essay Example One group believes the UN is controlled by the big four and simply a pawn of the United States, because the other three most powerful member states are economically dependent upon the U.S. economy. There is another smaller group which believes quite the same is true of the small member nations controlling the votes. The other main reason for considering the U.N. ineffectual is that it has no teeth and cannot ever be impartial (unless we find a Martian or two to run it). These people mostly believe that the U.N. has outlived it usefulness and should be disbanded. â€Å"Most of the influential members of international organizations have a common cultural background. The style of the United Nations is Western European, as many observers have remarked. The countless shared values, preferences, behavioral patterns and cultural assumptions of this international - and inter-organizational - elite of international organizations’ western or westernized members strongly orient their eventual innovative efforts. On the one hand, these common traits provide an impetus towards innovations, since western cultures prize novelty, dynamism and change. On the other hand, they limit its scope, since only those innovations compatible with the tenets of western cultures are favoured by this group.† (Harari, and Bouza 50) This has the effect of alienating many members and non-members which do not value western culture and who may even see it as the enemy. The U.N. is seldom seen as really impartial, and is viewed by many as the puppet of western imperialism. Even those who see it as essentially good and necessary have doubts. â€Å"Dissatisfaction with the way the UN system and the development experts operate is steadily increasing. Their whole approach to development issues and the style of functioning are being openly questioned. In the eyes of critics, the results achieved are not commensurate with the effort. Development has not lived up to its

The Japanese Reasoning for the Attack on Pearl Harbor Research Paper

The Japanese Reasoning for the Attack on Pearl Harbor - Research Paper Example However, the losses were very less comparatively but the attack did result in America entering the World War II officially. The Empire of Japan and the United States of America started going separate ways in the 1930s due to differences over China. Japan began this by sending its men to Manchuria which was then a part of China. This land was conquered and taken over by the Japanese in the year 1931. It was in response to this that the United States formed the Stimson Doctrine named after Henry L. Stimson who was the Secretary of State of America in the Hoover Administration. This Doctrine stated that America did not recognize any changes made internationally regarding the addition and/or exclusion of territories that were carried out by force. This was mostly to warn Japan that it was not counting Manchuria as part of the Japanese Empire because they had taken over the land by conquering it. Thus, in their eyes, Manchuria was still a part of the Chinese land. Six years in the future i.e. in 1937, Japan started a long but also a mostly unfruitful campaign to take over the whole of China. By 1940, the government had joined the Axis Alliance and become an ally of the Nazi Germany. By 1941, Japan had managed to conquer Indochina. Watching these steps taken by Japan alarmed the United States as it had its own economic as well as political interests in the East of Asia1. To bring a halt to its plans of conquering China, America raised the total amount of the military and even the financial aid that it was providing to China so that it could protect itself even more properly against the attacks. The States also started a program, including Dutch East Indies and Burma, which was at that time controlled by the British, to strengthen its military power in the Pacific. Together, they hit Japan where it would hurt the most; they â€Å"froze Japanese assets in the United States, thus bringing commercial relations between the nations to an effective end. One week later Roos evelt embargoed the export of such grades of oil as still were in commercial flow to Japan†2. They stopped exporting oil, steel, scrap iron and the other necessary raw materials that Japan required to produce goods for its own people. The country was very short of natural resources and had been buying them from other lands, including the States. Once America placed this embargo, particularly on the export of oil which they most certainly needed for military uses, the Japanese government saw these actions to be threatening towards the nation’s growth3. America, on the other hand, was making quite a dent in the economy of the country so that the Japanese would stop using their few precious resources to invade China, and would move out instead4. However, Japan refused to give in and kneel to America’s indirect demands and did not withdraw from China. To fulfill their needs, the Japanese leaders came up with a plan to take over those lands in the South east of Asia, which were rich in natural resources, so that they could continue with their production of the required goods5. They did, however, realize that this move would lead to them going against the United States and unofficially declaring war. That being said, Japan still thought that it could convince the United States to remove the sanctions so that they could go back to importing the resources that they required. They did need a greater oil supply especially since they were