Healthcare Industry: IT Systems

Healthcare Industry: IT Systems Healthcare services have seen several changes throughout the years to respond to changing demands of the population. The present key drivers and issues that stakeholders (patients, healthcare providers, vendors and government) in the healthcare sector face are ageing population, increased burden of chronic conditions, rising public demand/expectation for quality healthcare, fragmented and uncoordinated healthcare services and rapid advances in information technology. At present, information technology is considered a strategic necessity by world class organizations instead of just a supporting tool. To obtain a competitive advantage in an environment with intense competition, it is vital for organisations to use more sophisticated information technology tools to address the challenges of building and deploying system in the short term and the identification, research and design of future system. Information technology (IT) is rapidly becoming integrated with healthcare to improve processes and communications, support decision making, reduce inaccuracies, and improve patient safety. The advancement of medical science through the years has made possible the use of more expensive equipment and the latest technology. This will allow healthcare providers and patients to gain access to health information easily and thus has the potential to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care. As the healthcare industry is information intensive and knowledge intensive, there is also a need to publish health care information and knowledge. Healthcare systems vary from country to country but they all have a common aim that is to meet the healthcare needs of target populations. In this report, I will be focusing on healthcare IT in Singapore context. Healthcare System in Singapore Singapore has a dual health care system where individuals can choose between public and private providers. The government through Ministry of Health (MOH) manages the public healthcare system. MOH plays a major role in formulating national health policies, coordinating the improvement and planning of the public and private healthcare sectors and regulating health standards. MOHs mission is to promote good health and reduce illness, to ensure Singaporeans have access to good and affordable healthcare and to pursue medical excellence (Ministry of Health, 2007). MOHs vision is to develop the worlds most cost-effective healthcare system to keep Singaporeans good health. Delivery Structure Healthcare services in Singapore are provided by different types of providers from primary care to tertiary care and to step-down care. Primary Care Primary care includes primary medical treatment, preventive healthcare and health education (Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, 2009). In Singapore, primary health care is provided through outpatient polyclinics and private medical practitioners clinics. 80% of the services are provided by private practitioners while the remaining 20% by government polyclinics. Conveniently located in town centres all over the island, polyclinics are one stop health centres which offered services such as outpatient medical care, maternal and child care health. Secondary and Tertiary Care For the secondary and tertiary care, 80% of the hospital care being provided by the public sector and the remaining 20% by the private sector. This public sector is organised into two vertically integrated delivery networks, National Healthcare Group (NHG) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) that operate as not-for-profit private companies. Having these two groups enable more integrated and better quality healthcare services through greater cooperation and collaboration among public sector health care providers. Each cluster consists of both general hospitals that provide multi-disciplinary healthcare services and specialised hospitals in various disciplines e.g. obstetrics and gynaecology and ophthalmology. The private sector provides similar specialist disciplines and comparable facilities to the public clusters. The two main providers are Raffles Medical Group and Parkway Group Healthcare (Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, 2009). Step-Down Care Voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) provide most of the step-down care services. They run nursing homes, inpatient hospices, community hospitals and chronic sick hospitals. Four of the public acute hospitals also provide geriatric units (Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore, 2009). Public Healthcare Delivery Structure One of the objectives of forming the two clusters is to facilitate integration of healthcare services at the various levels. The clusters have begun introducing measures to integrate primary healthcare at the polyclinics and secondary care at the hospitals. A Vision for 21st Century Healthcare Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) is a 10-year masterplan to help Singapore realise the potential of infocomm. The vision of iN2015 is An Intelligent Nation, a Global City, powered by Infocomm. The goal for the Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences sectors is To accelerate sectoral transformation through an infocomm-enabled personalised healthcare delivery system to achieve high quality clinical care, service excellence, cost-effectiveness and strong clinical research. (IDA, 2006) Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix to see how it will look like. Key drivers of change in Singapores healthcare sector were identified and a number of likely shifts and changes to the system were predicted (IDA, 2006). Key Drivers Shifts/Changes Ageing population of chronic conditions Focus on prevention, health promotion and wellness care Rising public expectations of healthcare services Integrated and patient-centred system of delivery Fragmented and relatively uncoordinated healthcare services Consistent widespread application of evidence-based medicine Very rapid advances in infocomm, medical science and technologies and biomedical research Greater role of members of the public in managing their own health Greater facilitation of data flows between healthcare sector and biomedical sciences Strategies and Programmes (IDA, 2006) The targeted outcome is a well-integrated quality healthcare, cost effective healthcare services and greater ability of public to manage their health. To bring about successful business change using IT, healthcare providers should ensure that IT works in performance with meaningful changes in organisational functions and processes (Rothenberg, 1995). How IT can be used? In the healthcare industry, one suite solution is not common because certain user departments will need to have more in-depth functionalities than others. A more common approach in the industry is best of breed where it attempts to give full equal weight in terms of functionalities and features to individual user departments. Some considerations for best of breed approach are: It deals with more than one vendor A need to connect or interface the different applications to provide a fully integrated solution Future upgrades issues. Therefore, there is a need to strike a balance between having too many application platforms and departmental requirements or functionalities (Online Consultant Software). IT Infrastructure for the Healthcare Industry Functional interoperability is needed in order for computers to be able to share clinical data with one another. Computers must have functions to be able to physically communicate, send and receive documents and data files, share data and information. Therefore, there is a need for integration, standards and interface engines to build the healthcare industry infrastructure. MediNet MediNet forms the backbone of medical system in Singapore (IDA, 2006). It is Singapores nationwide computer network for medical and health care community that focuses on five components (Lim, 1990): Central Claim Processing System(CCPS) processing of claims in hospital bills National Patient Master Index (NPMI) consists of patients risk factors, drug allergies and demographic data Procurement Electronic procurement of medical and surgical supplies Notification Transmission of notifications to government agencies Information Services Access to local and foreign databases MediNet links up computer systems of all participants (MOH, Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB), Government Bodies, restructured hospitals, private hospitals, general practice clinics) in the healthcare delivery system so that they will be able to communicate, exchange data and access common applications on the network (ANNEX C: FACTSHEET: Infocomm Milestones, 2006). Health Level 7 A group of healthcare computer systems users who founded the Health Level 7 organization in 1987 started developing the HL7 protocol to create that common language that allows healthcare applications to share clinical data with each another. Over time the HL7 interoperability protocol became a nationally, internationally and globally accredited standard (HL7 Singapore). Health Level Sevens domain is clinical and administrative data. Interface Engine Interface engine is a software program intended to simplify the creation and management of interfaces between separate applications and systems, either within the organization or with other affiliated organisation (McLeod CG, Inc., 2006). It carries out messaging between systems and usually handles any mapping, translation and data modification required to ensure the effective exchange of data. Examples of common interface engines used in the healthcare industry are Cloverleaf, Datagate and Openlink (MDI Solutions, 2009). Imagine in a hospital where there are different departments needing different functionalities and features, different applications might be running. It would be very complex and technically difficult to maintain separate interfaces between them. Healthcare Applications Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) The public healthcare sector uses SAP industry solution for hospital (IS-H) (SAP, 2008). It supports patient management, medical and nursing documentation, and patient accounting, and integrates these with financial accounting, controlling and materials management. The information system contains evaluations of patient and hospital data that can be used both internally and externally. It also contains a communication component that enables data transfer both within the hospital and to external parties. The picture below shows the SAP footprint in Singapore Healthcare Industry. Only Parkway Health (Private Sector) and Republic Polytechnic (for educational purpose) are not under the public healthcare sector. Source: (SAP, 2008) Case Study: Hospital Information System at St Andrews Community Hospital (InfoComm Singapore Portal, 2008) St Andrews Community Hospital was relocated in April 2005 to a larger premise in Simei. The change in hospital and care processes was the drive to upgrade the Hospital Information System (HIS) at St Andrews Community Hospital from its manual administrative system and record stock which require tedious work to a more efficient way to process information by technology. The project team were focused on being user-centric rather than IT-centric in the choice of an HIS. User departments were pro-active and committed during the pre-selection brainstorming and consultancy and during the implementation stages of the new system. The VESALIUS, a complete HIS provided NovaHealth which covers front-end modules such as Appointments, Registrations, ADT and billing and ancillary support modules such as Pharmacy, Medical Records, back-end Inventory and integration to the Financial System. The benefits of the system are: Assisting management to track costs down to the minute details Increasing efficiency as manual and administrative work are being minimised Enabling links to the MOHs Elderly and Continuing Care system for online submission of information to receive government subsidies; and the CCPS for automated submission for Medisave claims Serving as a check and balance for inventory audit and reducing waste. As a result, there is no need for Pharmacy staff to spend time physically checking stock levels when transferring items from the various stores in St Andrews Community Hospital. Having a lean and efficient team complemented by the HIS, paperwork is also minimised. An Integrated Electronic Medical Database Electronic medical record (EMR) stores patients medical information through IT to enable sharing across healthcare institutions (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004). It can be made more secure through appropriate IT access and security safeguards. The MOH holds the vision of One Singaporean, One Family Physician, One Medical Record to improve long term care. EMR provides medical staff involved in patient treatment with quick and accurate access to patients essential medical information (Yong, 2007). The integrated patient database system was thus vital in Singapore as there is a need to get the right information to the right people especially in an industry where a second could mean a difference between a life and death situation. EMR Adoption Model The EMR Adoption Model is devised by HIMSS Analytics to track the progress of hospitals towards creating a paperless patient record system. It is based on an eight-stage scale which starts at zero (HIMSS Analytics). The EMR Adoption Model Structure ensures all application capabilities must be operational before that stage can be achieved as it sets a foundation for subsequent stages. Refer to Figure 2 in Appendix for the EMR Adoption Model. Electronic Medical Record Exchange (EMRX) EMRX is an initiative by MOH and the two public healthcare clusters (SingHealth NHG) to share electronic medical record across all public hospitals and polyclinics in Singapore. The EMRX will have the following information (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004): Discharge summary which summarises recent hospitalization records including the treatment received and clinical course; Operation reports and laboratory results, including radiology images and scanned medical records Medicines prescribed with drug allergy history It was launched in April 2004 to focus on the improvement of patient care outcomes. It is a pragmatic and incremental implementation where SingHealth and NHG first developed the key systems within selected institutions and then replicate in other institution within the cluster and eventually across clusters and where practical with the private sector. The benefits of EMRX are (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004): Better coordinated care for patients moving across different providers and improved levels of healthcare delivery. Better clinical decisions, with access to complete and legible clinical histories, and updated test results at the providers fingertips. Reduce the risks of transcription errors and missing records. Save cost through the avoidance of unnecessary repeat tests and investigations Better distribution of care Facilitation and follow up of other IT based applications such electronic prescriptions and clinical decision support systems Potential for 24 hour access to real-time data for up to date results reporting Provision for data security and audit features to be built into the system. Current EMRX Implementation The aim of the clusters is to implement the EMR in all institutions within each cluster incrementally. SingHealth and NHG manage their clusters EMR independently. SingHealth started using an EMR system in SGH in year 2000. The main application SingHealth has used to develop its EMR system is iSOFTs iClinical Manager Solution (E-HEALTH-MEDIA LTD, 2004). Similarly, the National Healthcare group has also started using EMR systems in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National University Hospital. EMRX was developed to enable secure cross-cluster exchange of patient information. This is to ensure that a patients record can be retrieved regardless where he or she seeks treatment. EMRX was later extended to healthcare partners, providing a central capability for effortless movement or records across the public healthcare clusters, community hospitals and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), facilitating care delivery. SAF Electronic Medical Records The SAF healthcare system is centred on the SAF EMR system which is known as Patient Care Enhancement System 2 (PACES 2). It has clinical data repository, administrative function for manpower and logistics and also has the feature for research or analysis (Wong, 2009). The system connects all SAF medical centres across Singapore to allow for online and real time medical info retrieval and simultaneous viewing. Figure 3 in Appendix shows how it is connected. NHG Polyclinic Bukit Batok Polyclinic was the first to adopt the electronic medical records system. With paperless medical records, patients medical records can now be retrieved while diagnoses are entered into the system (Hoe, 2009). This move is part of MOH vision of integrating services between the healthcare providers. Benefits to Patients: Enhanced safety as there is a reduced patient risk through improved legibility of orders. Reduced waiting times due to the improved process Better care coordination and disease management through sharing of medical records Benefits to the polyclinic: Quality: Continuous improvement of quality care and patient service through error monitoring and elimination of unnecessary procedures Productivity: Saving time and effort that would otherwise be spent on correcting lost and illegible orders. Furthermore, there is no longer need to go to the records office, retrieve the physical paper records and bring it up to either the doctors or nurses room which can take up to 20 minutes or half an hour. Access: More readily available information and data of patients for healthcare professionals to make faster critical decisions Future Outlook National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) The next phase of electronic health record is moving towards creating a health record that is in fact personalised and accessible everywhere to be implemented by April 2011 (ChannelNewsAsia, 2010). With NEHR, all key information such as a patients demographics, allergies, clinical diagnoses, medication history, X-rays, laboratory investigations and discharge summaries will be fully exchangeable between various healthcare providers. Due to the costly implementation, only a number of primary and step-down care providers, including GPs, polyclinics and a community hospital will be linked up first (ChannelNewsAsia, 2010). The full implementation of NEHR will take many years as it has to cover the entire healthcare ecosystem and not just the public sector. The decision on whether to implement each phase will have to be justified on cost-benefit analysis. Refer to Appendix for an attached article on What could healthcare in Singapore look like in 2020? (Ministry of Health, 2008). Medical Information Services IT is also widely used as an information tool by both medical professional and the public. Several government and privately initiated websites provide information for health care services and databases for medical related issues. Web portals provide the following services: Searching for medical professionals within Singapore The MOH has a list of online resources to search for healthcare professionals in Singapore (MOH, 2007) Online pharmacies For example, Changi General Hospital myPharmacy is the first online hospital pharmacy in Singapore (Changi General Hospital, 2004). Medical publications One example of medical publications is PubMed (PubMed). Health related publications Some examples of health related publications from SingHealth (SingHealth Academy ). Health service reports Queue watch provide patients with timely information to arrange their visit. The number of patients waiting for registration and consultation, live webcam images showing the waiting areas for registration, consultation and pharmacy/payment and peak non-peak periods are displayed online (Government of Singapore, 2007). Medical schemes such as Medifund, Medisave MediShield Information regarding these schemes can be found in CPF Board website (Central Provident Fund Board, 2009). Competitive Advantages The growth and survival in the healthcare industry depends on how well Singapore is able to compete in this highly and competitive market. With the integration of the healthcare infrastructure, the advanced medical technology and the highly skilled professionals, Singapore has managed to establish a reputation of being a world class healthcare hub, the ability to deliver innovative healthcare solutions, a complete range of services and quality healthcare providers (EDB, 2009). There will be a strong demand from the population for quality healthcare and value added services with rising economic affluence and longer lifespan. Thus, there is a need to ensure that healthcare research and development continues to be supported so that Singapore healthcare services sector can excel and be a source of competitive advantage. To sustain the competitive advantages, Singapore should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and also of their competitors. The approach for the future must be one that focuses on possible improvements, supporting innovations and facilitating changes. The focus will have increasingly to be on openness to new influences, a willingness to recognize different schools of thought and methods of training and a search for the best available expertise from around the world (Desker, 1991). Innovation is needed to overcome the future challenges ahead to maximise Singapores competitive advantage. Healthcare providers should enhance their medical and service offerings, develop new healthcare products, and promote a pioneering spirit that will help in dealing with evolving patients needs, and in creating holistic and flawless experiences for patients (Tan, 2009). Thomson Medical Centre The Business Times reported that Thomson Medical is leading the healthcare sector (Ramchandani, 2010). Focusing on three core areas patient expectations, perceived quality and perceived value to improve patient satisfaction, Thomson Medical Centre has been continuously innovating to provide greater value-added services to its patients. Their redesigned patient-centric workflow had helped them gain a competitive advantage over their rivals: Use of technology and raise in service and product standards has improved patient care and satisfaction Improve in-patient , out-patient and administrative processes by using touch screen billing in place of a key-in method, which has halved the time spent on billing and has resulted in cost savings of $2000 a month. Reduce waiting time for admission and discharges with express check outs, direct admissions and courtesy and in-room discharges. Act on service recovery. When there is an unhappy patient with service, they move fast to resolve the problem. Train front line staff to raise service standards which resulted in an increase in the number of compliments as compared to complaints (4.9:1 to 9.2:1). Create a positive patient experience by having a resort style ambience, offering concierge service, a welcome drink and, in the case of premier rooms, luxurious dà ©cor and relaxing spa music. Introduce value added services such as the interactive website ThomsonBaby.com to help new mothers prepare for the parenthood journey and save them time and money. The hospitals efforts in cultivating lasting relationships have also led to an increase in patient loyalty. 32.2% of its patients were repeat patients in 2009, compared to 26.8% in 2008. Besides that, there was an increase in the number of babies born. Thomson Medical Centres dedication in understanding patient needs and receiving feedback on their stay and their expectations at key hospital touch points has thus improved patient satisfaction level. Challenges The vision for an integrated and continued patient- centric healthcare system requires interoperable IT systems, active engagement of patients and suitably aligned financial framework. In the development of the Singapore healthcare system, there are some issues that hinder the implementation of healthcare integration due to unique specificities. In general, the problems faced by the players involved can be classified into five categories: Clinical and medical practices: Often built around specialization but could be better oriented towards integrated care Financing framework: GPs, Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) and patients does not see the incentive for integration of care Establishment of a new idea mindset towards integration of care for players involved Organizational processes: Enhanced by bridging communication and IT gaps, coordinating across sectors and defining workflows for the smooth move of patients between caregivers IT systems: Better connected across sectors and allow for the transferability of patient records. As shown in Figure 4 in the Appendix, these challenges have over the years led to ingrained mindsets and behavioural practices of parties at multiple levels of the system, further hindering the integration of care (Ministry of Health, 2008). The various challenges and loophole that currently exist are the result of institution-centric and tertiary-centric system of healthcare. As EMRX becomes widely accessible, there are concerns over patient confidentiality and privacy. For instance, legal implications of providing EMRs beyond cluster boundaries were considerable and attaining consent from individual patients would have been burdensome and stalled widespread accessibility of EMRs (MOH; SingHealth; NHG, 2004). This shows that there are vital ethical concerns over the privacy of personal medical records. Furthermore, the infrastructure for data standardisation needed to achieve this integrated healthcare system is getting more intricate and costly due to the vast amount of data involved from different independent systems. Despite SingHealth and NHG adoption of the HL7 v2.3, data exchange could not be easily achieved in spite of HL7 v2.3. This is because the standard was open to variations that hampered direct interoperability. Moreover, modification of systems to enable data interoperability would have been costly, without direct benefits to the clusters (Lee, Lim, Tan). Conclusion Previously, healthcare sector has lagged behind other sectors in the adoption of IT for its key process. Healthcare providers need to review the way businesses are conducted. IT can be a powerful enabler for an information intensive industry like healthcare through automation, knowledge management, business process reengineering, and even artificial intelligence. A pragmatic approach should be adopted to consider the current status and to focus on implementing immediate goals that would bring about meaningful changes in organisational functions and processes within a reasonable time frame. The use of IT to create value in a patient-centric approach to care is likely to contribute significantly to the overall level of care that patients can benefit from. Innovation can help healthcare providers to gain a competitive advantage. The success of some healthcare provider as mention above has shown that IT can help in the healthcare sector to improve healthcare quality, reduce costs and to meet some of todays trends in demographics and disease burden. This quote which is published in NHG annual review 2007-2008 shows the importance of IT, Technology is our enabler. We use technology to record and disseminate information with higher precision, accuracy and safety. More importantly, it allows healthcare to be delivered safer, faster and better. (National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, 2008) In the enthusiasm to adopt and invest in IT, it is important to note that there are some barriers in the move toward an integrated healthcare system as stated in the abovementioned section. Addressing and overcoming these challenges will involve the collaboration and cooperation of players at all levels of the system, across both the public and private sectors. Learning points / Opinions Strategy Technology should be used as a supporting tool not to steer health care reform. To transform Singapores health care system into a modern and responsive 21st-century health care system, a practical IT strategy which is consumer-focused is needed. In particular, it needs to be competitive in terms of price and quality because that is what consumers look for. A tripartite model of health care regulation, involving the active participation of empowered consumers, is Singapores best hope for containing costs and ensuring quality of care. What is done well? A committee to plan for the future development in healthcare iN2015 Healthcare and Sub-Committee came out with strategies and programmes to help address todays challenge and support the developmental opportunities. It aims to achieve high quality clinical care, service excellence, cost-effectiveness and strong clinical research. Improve business process with IT IT has played an important role in the delivery and development of healthcare services in this information age with applications ranging from finance and personnel administration to medical equipment operations. Healthcare service administrations have become more efficient and responsive, reducing patient waiting time and paper work. Medical equipments have become more accurate, laboratory results can be processed more quickly and effective communication among medical staff in Singapore and those overseas has become easier. What more can be done User Involvement IT investment decisions must serve the best interests of the key players involved. It is important to understand the users and their work flow and requirements as a one size or solution may not fit all. Flexibility is needed as each department requires different functionalities. Express clearly the benefits and value for the change Users involved need to understand the strategic goals of the organization and understand how IT, from technical and managerial perspectives, can help to achieve them. The success of IT investments is to ensure users see the benefit and value of IT so that they will be motivated to make the change. Limitations of IT Healthcare providers should be mindful of the limitations of technology and have a deep understanding of the information search behaviours of their target audience. Health care is still a hi Are Consumers Central to Marketing Activities? Are Consumers Central to Marketing Activities? In view of the dynamic nature of the marketing environment, to what extent do you consider consumers to be, in practice, central to marketing activities? Words count: 1621 words Marketing is the analyzing, organizing, planning, and controlling of the firms customer-impinging resources, policies, and activities with a view to satisfying the needs and wants of chosen customer groups at a profit. (Kotler and Keller, 1967) [1] The main purpose of any business is to make profit. To do so, their customers are necessary. The role of marketing is to anticipate and identify consumers needs and wants, in order to satisfy them efficiently and profitably.2 In view of the dynamic nature of the marketing environment, to what extent are consumers, in practice, central to marketing activities? First of all, it is necessary to define what characterizes the marketing environment, and in what way this environment is dynamic. Secondly, we will see how the consumer is central to marketing activities. Finally, we will discuss about the relative importance of the consumers in these activities and the other factors that can also influence them. The marketing environment consists of external factors that affect the companies and their ability to satisfy customers.[2] There are two aspects to this marketing environment: the macro-environment, and the micro-environment. The PESTEL factors are the factors found in the macro-environment: political, environmental, social/cultural, technological, economical and legal.[3] They are societal factors, thus not controllable; and the companies need to adapt to these factors. In the macro-environment is included the demographical factor. The study of the demographic environment can help predict the size of the market of a certain product. For example if the number of elderly people is going to rise, the potential market for retirement homes will grow. The same goes for a change in the number of children, which could impact the number of schools and teachers needed.[4] Companies need to adapt to changes in the micro-environment as well. The factors in the micro-environment are the ones close to the company, making them easier to control: customers, competitors, distributors, suppliers, and other departments within the company.For example, if a company has competitors satisfying the same needs with a similar product but at a lower price, it wont be able to sell its product and make profit out of it. Companies make use of marketing research and marketing intelligence to collect information about the marketing environment in order to adapt their marketing strategies. Marketing takes place in a dynamic environment: these external factors change constantly, and companies need to be aware of these changes taking place in the marketing environment in order to adapt themselves efficiently and effectively, and be able to keep on answering consumers needs and wants.[5] To satisfy their target consumers, marketers need to understand them. They need to study the existing and potential markets. Resources need to be efficiently managed in order to meet the identified needs in these markets.2 Marketing orientation is important because different customers have different needs. In order to meet the specific needs of each customer, firms have to adapt. Answering everyones needs is not a realistic thing, which is why segmentation is used. Segmentation is the method used to separate the population into specific segments, which contains customers with similar needs. Understanding the needs of these segments of population will allow the determination of the marketing strategy that will be used in a specific business plan.[6] The marketing strategy determines the actions that will be taken over time to achieve the objectives of the company. Marketing decisions are based on the 4Ps, also called marketing mix: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. The four components of this marketing mix are determined by the target consumers.[7] As said before, the purpose of any business is to make profit, and it needs to satisfy the consumers for that to happen. The product needs to fulfil the customers need of course, but not only. The product also has to be at an acceptable price in the eyes of the consumers for them to buy it. The price is what makes money for the company, it is determined by the production costs and the competition, as well as by how much the customers are willing to pay for the product. On the one hand, if the price is too high, consumers wont buy, which means the company wont achieve its sales target. On the other hand, if it is too low, the target will be achieved but there will be no profit made out of it. 4 Price has to be chosen accordingly as well as place. Different types of consumers will need the product to be available at specific places. A very expensive product, such as a luxury item, will not necessarily be available at the local supermarket for example, but most certainly in a specific shop or place. Consumers also prefer to buy products when they are located close to their homes and workplaces.[8] In order to answer consumers needs profitably, marketers have to use segmentation to target their market, and match their marketing strategy to their target consumers needs.4 Thus making the consumers central to the companys marketing activities. Lets take Microsoft as an evolutionary example of changes in the marketing environment with the technological factor (macro-environment) and the companys competition (micro-environment).9 Recently, Microsoft has struggled to find its place in a fast changing digital and technological environment. Microsoft was and still is in consumers mind the leader in Personal Computers. They are now lagging behind competitors like Apple or Samsung, and are trying to develop other devices like tablets, smartphones, consoles, etc. They even acquired Nokias smartphone business in order to do so. They developed a new version of their operating system that works on every platform, including their console Xbox; which provides a cloud based connectivity that consumers are looking for. Their change in strategy to provide consumers what they need in this era of technological improvements has paid off: Microsofts sales are trending upward since the past few years.[9] In order to keep his place in the market, Microsoft had to change its strategy to improve its solutions to satisfy todays consumers after being left behind by competitors and technological advances. To this point, we can affirm that consumers are indeed essential and central to marketing activities. Marketing is all about satisfying consumers profitably, and marketing research and marketing strategies are calculated around them. Despite their importance, consumers are only one of the forces in the marketing environment. Changes in the marketing landscape are so fast that it is now more and more difficult for companies to adapt. One of the most influential factors of marketing activities is technology: 40% of the worlds population now has access to the Internet, compared to 1% in 1995.[10] The vast majority owns a smartphone that also has access to the Internet. The Internet and social media are thus also used for marketing purposes as well[11]: websites, adverts, e-mails, videos, etc. Influencers on the Internet are also important for marketing research; they can be people who have blogs and websites for example, and are useful to marketers for them to better understand current trends and interests.[12] Companies can also sponsor people such as bloggers and video makers (YouTube in particular) by making them review products and/or services online.[13] Globalization is another factor that influences marketing activities. Lots of companies now face global competition. Also, when a company decides to sell its products abroad, it has to take into account the tastes and habits of the selected country. For example, for the French market, Nutella is manufactured to be more spreadable, due to the fact that French people mostly eat it on baguettes, making it more difficult to spread.[14] Nowadays, companies also need to take into account the environmental aspect for their marketing activities. They have to be environmentally responsible, to be more sustainable in their practices than in the past. These are a few other examples of factors, apart from the consumers, that can have an influence on the marketing activities of businesses. To conclude, consumers are indeed central to marketing activities, but are only one of the many factors that have an influence on them: notably changes in the marketing environments factors; the technological factor in particular, which is probably the fastest changing factor as of now. References Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business Horizons, 55(3). Ça mintà ©resse La curiosità © en continu. (2017). Pourquoi le Nutella nest pas le mà ªme en France quen Allemagne ? Ça mintà ©resse. [online] Available at: http://www.caminteresse.fr/economie-societe/pourquoi-ne-mange-t-on-pas-le-meme-nutella-en-france-quen-allemagne-1129354/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Corcoran, C. (2017). Marketings New Rage: Brands Sponsoring Influential Bloggers. [online] WWD. Available at: http://wwd.com/business-news/marketing-promotion/marketings-new-rage-brands-sponsor-influential-bloggers-3230386/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Goi, C. (2009). A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1). Internetlivestats.com. (2017). Number of Internet Users (2016) Internet Live Stats. [online] Available at: http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2016). Principles of marketing. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson. Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (1967). Marketing management. 1st ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Li, Y., Lai, C. and Chen, C. (2011). Discovering influencers for marketing in the blogosphere. Information Sciences, 181(23). Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. 1st ed. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co.. Richardson, M. and Evans, C. (2007). Assessing the Environment. British Journal of Administrative Management. Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2017). What Are the Four Types of Utility Marketing?. [online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-types-utility-marketing-24420.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [1] Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (1967). Marketing management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, p.12. [2] Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co., pp.1-6. [3] Richardson, M. and Evans, C. (2007). Assessing the Environment. British Journal of Administrative Management. [4] Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co., p.167. [5] Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2016). Principles of marketing. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson, pp.94-95. [6] Palmer, A. and Worthington, I. (1992). The business and marketing environment. New York [etc.]: McGraw-Hill Book Co., pp.10-17. [7] Goi, C. (2009). A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1). [8] Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2017). What Are the Four Types of Utility Marketing?. [online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-types-utility-marketing-24420.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [9] Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2016). Principles of marketing. 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson, pp.92-94. [10] Internetlivestats.com. (2017). Number of Internet Users (2016) Internet Live Stats. [online] Available at: http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [11] Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business Horizons, 55(3), pp.261-271. [12] Li, Y., Lai, C. and Chen, C. (2011). Discovering influencers for marketing in the blogosphere. Information Sciences, 181(23), pp.5143-5157. [13] Corcoran, C. (2017). Marketings New Rage: Brands Sponsoring Influential Bloggers. [online] WWD. Available at: http://wwd.com/business-news/marketing-promotion/marketings-new-rage-brands-sponsor-influential-bloggers-3230386/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. [14] Ça mintà ©resse La curiosità © en continu. (2017). Pourquoi le Nutella nest pas le mà ªme en France quen Allemagne ? Ça mintà ©resse. [online] Available at: http://www.caminteresse.fr/economie-societe/pourquoi-ne-mange-t-on-pas-le-meme-nutella-en-france-quen-allemagne-1129354/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017].

Death Penalty: Pros and Cons Essay

Capital punishment has been the center of much controversy dating back to its origins. Although the roots of capital punishment can be traced as far back as 1697 BC, arguments over its effectiveness and morality continue in the midst of its existence today. There are many people who have come up with arguments for both sides. Most people who believe that the death penalty is a fair punishment use the argument, â€Å"lex talionis†, meaning, â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a life for a life.† (Hooker). While most people who are in opposition use the argument that capital punishment is a cruel and unusual punishment which violates the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution. Today, in the United States, there are approximately 3,624 people on death row. (Pro-death Penalty.com) Throughout history there have been many methods of executing criminals. Some of these methods are crucifixion, stoning, drowning, burning at the stake, impaling and beheading. But more modern methods of capital punishment are typically accomplished by lethal gas or injection, electrocution, hanging or shooting. The argument over the brutality of capital punishment is at the head of topics concerning it as a whole. These arguments are also not only centered in The United States but all over the world as well. About 90 nations have denounced capital punishment by abolishing it, but almost an equal amount of nations retain it (MSN Encarta). Capital punishment remains legal in all but twelve states. Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin all do not use the death penalty. (Pro-death Penalty.com) Many people feel that the death penalty is cruel as well as an ineffective crime deterrent. But the most successful argument that is used against the death penalty is that it infringes the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution. Another argument against capital punishment is that people who are innocent may be killed. Life without parole is one. A lengthy sentence with treatment, with release conditional upon proof of rehabilitation, is another† (Williams). The people who are opposed to taking the life of a convicted murderer do not believe that premeditated, state-sanctioned killing is justifiable under any circumstances. They also refute the idea that the death penalty deters crime. Some states say that a person will stop  themselves from killing or committing a crime if, in the back of their minds, they know that the punishment for their actions could be the death penalty. Statistics have shown that the states that use the death penalty have a higher crime rate than those with out it. The chance that a person who has been convicted of the death penalty is innocent is also a factor. This causes much controversy because innocent lives are taken and it could have been prevented. Lastly, opponents of the death penalty say that when the states execute killers in an attempt to proclaim that murder is wrong, they undermine their own, moral authority. On the other side of the argument, people claim that capital punishment is a deterrent for future criminals, a proportionate punishment for those who have killed, and it is also said to be less harsh than life imprisonment because it is quick and instantaneous. Ernest Van den Haag contended that human beings are morally responsible for their actions and should therefore be punished accordingly for their crimes (Williams). The definition for justice is â€Å"fair treatment† (Stewart). In the case of premeditated murder, capital punishment is the only just punishment. Nothing less of the death penalty would be proportionate to murder. Immanuel Kant argues that â€Å"even guilty-ridden killers should die in order to gain release from their anguish.† (Williams) The fact that a convicted murderer has the chance to live while their victim is dead is unfair. Why is that they are able to take an innocent life and then live to tell about it? Execution is even more humane than sentencing someone to life in prison. Making the prisoner suffer by rotting in jail for the rest of their life is more torturous and inhumane than execution. The people who favor execution also claim that it is the most effective means of crime deterrence. Most people think about the consequences to their actions before they actually follow through with what they are thinking. Capital punishment not only punishes those who commit the crimes, but also prevents future crimes by scaring the would-be murderer with the consequence he would pay for his action. In the end, the main support for capital punishment comes from one Greek phrase, â€Å"lex talionis,† meaning, â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a life for a life.† When it comes to capital punishment, most people find themselves wondering if it is a fair and effective punishment. Arguments for both sides are very strong. Those who oppose the death penalty fight against it because they think it is unfair and unjust. They also believe that no one should have their lives taken away as a punishment. They also believe that the argument that capital punishment is an effective deterrent to crime is invalid. Because only fractions of people on death row are actually executed, most criminals would take the chance. They also believe that life imprisonment is as much of a deterrent as the death penalty. People on the other end of the argument believe in criminals receiving equal punishment for the crime that they commit. The only punishment in proportion to murder is execution. The United States government has many regulations regarding the death penalty. All of those rules oppose using the death penalty in an unfair manner, but do not prohibit the death penalty completely so we should try to use the death penalty for those who deserve it. Works Cited MSN Encarta Encyclopedia. (2003). Capital punishment. March 3, 2003: http://www.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761570630 Stewart, G. (1998). The death penalty. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc. Williams, M. (2000). Capital punishment. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc. Williams, M. (2002). The death penalty. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc. www.pro-death Penalty.com (2003).

A Case Study on Branding Bangladesh

[pic] DEPARTMENT of MARKETING COURSE NAME: Product and Brand Management. An assignment on- Country Branding: A Case Study on Branding Bangladesh. Submitted To: Shaikh Rafiqul Islam Associate Professor, Department of Marketing. Submitted By: Revolution 8th Semester, Session: 2008-09. Date of Submission: 10/12/2012. [pic] REVOLUTION 3rd Batch Session: 2008-09 |Serial: |Name of Students : |Roll No: | |01. |Farjana Nur Purabi |091648 | |02. Anik Kumar Devnath |091654 | |03. |Sheikh Sazzadur Rahman |091664 | |04. |Md. Ashiqur Rahman Rana Biswas |091695 | |05. |Rumana Jahan |091743 | |06. |Md. Masudur Rahman |091750 | |07. |Md. Rabiul Islam |091758 | |08. Md. Mushfiqur Rahman |091759 | |09. |Mohammad Ullah |07882876 | December 10, 2012. Shaikh Rafiqul Islam. Associate Professor. Department of Marketing . Jagannath University. Dhaka-1100. Dear Sir, Here is the assignment you allocated us to prepare on â€Å"Branding Bangladesh†. After researching and studying the current situation of the country based on collected data we have been able to prepare the assignment.All of the major points and insights information associated with the given issue are included here. Besides, we have attempted to include some of our personal assumption, practical experience and idea to make the assignment more fruitful. Thanking you for giving the break accomplishing such an interesting educative task. Hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Group :- Revolution. 8th Semester. 3rd Batch. Session :- 2008-2009 Title Page Country Branding: A Case Study on Branding Bangladesh Tourism Export Brands Culture and Heritage pic][pic] People Investment Foreign and domestic policies [pic] [pic] [pic] Country branding is different in branding from a product. In developing the strategy, it would involve many intricacies and can be a long drawn out process. Branding Bangladesh is all about positioning Bangladesh in the minds of people. Branding Bangladesh is an important concept because it will help t he country to understand how publics perceive her across the nations.Those people are consumers, potential tourists, and, most importantly potential investors. In the growth process of Bangladesh they all are participating actively. An effective nation branding campaign accelerates the economic growth of Bangladesh and the citizens feel dignified. It must be remembered that there are around 195 nations in the world; all are aggressively competing for the attention of investors, tourists, and citizens. Therefore, a well-planned nation branding campaign is crucial for the branding of Bangladesh. Table of Contents TOPIC |PAGE | |PART: A (Introductory Part) | | |Preamble |7 | |Objectives |7 | |Methodology |8 | |Limitations |8 | |PART: B (Theoretical Framework/Literature Review) | | |Literature Review |9 | |PART: C | | |Brand Dimensions of Bangladesh |10 | |Strategies for Branding Bangladesh |12 | |Country and Corporate Brands Co-positioning |16 | |Findings at a glance |16 | |PART: D | | |Recommendations |17 | |Conclusion |17 | |References |18 | Creating a branding program for Bangladesh demands an integration policy that most countries do not possess. To boost our commercial success it is very important to take action regarding branding Bangladesh.Branding Bangladesh the government should always observe their global image in countries they aim to target and the stakeholder should collaborate together and agree on a national stratagem. If the stakeholders could unite as one, pin down the purpose and objectives, and fulfill the process, it would reflect the will of one nation. Maintaining continuously the reputation in every sector (Tourism, exports, culture, people, brands and policy) is important to accelerate the task of branding. This assignment aims at clarifying the concepts of branding Bangladesh and argues that for a developing country like Bangladesh, branding is a prerequisite for national development. The specific objectives of this paper are: Review the conceptual and theoretical foundation of nation branding by leading authors in the marketing field; ? Examining and defining Branding Bangladesh and discussing its challenges. ? Attaining insights into branding Bangladesh ? Being familiar on the subject matter for later investigation for branding Bangladesh. DATA COLLECTION: Considering the objectives of the assignment, time, types of respondents, we collected both Primary and Secondary data to find out the necessary information regarding the strategies of branding Bangladesh. The sources are mentioned here- PRIMARY DATA: ? Taking personal interview of concerning people of tourism board; ? Discussing with the concerning people of Brand Forum of Bangladesh.SECONDARY DATA: ? Studying different articles and advertisements published in daily newspapers; ? Visiting different websites and journals. While preparing the assignment we faced some problems that were unavoidable and these limitations are mentioned below: ? This assignment was t otally an unfamiliar type of assignment to us; ? People of the authority were unwilling to provide full information about our given topic; ? The permitted survey time we have got was very limited; ? We did not get enough concern person to collect necessary information; ? Our communication was confined only to the Dhaka city. Bangladesh has always held great promise.It enjoyed widespread international public support during the war of liberation, not only because its struggle was identifiable, but also due to the fact that it aimed to establish a socio-economic equilibrium and an equitable society where each citizen would have the opportunity to flourish. Another interesting problem the nation faces is that when it is compared to other countries it is invariably compared to nations with drug, mafia, and terrorist problems. While it is true that Bangladesh a huge population, with high unemployment rates, and increasing price inflation, often comparing it to failed or a semi-failed stat es does not do it justice. The weak status continued till the nineties. Then even Transparency International started ranking us as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. However, the nation's image started improving post-2000 as did its performance indicators.The major indicators for socio-economic growth include: improvement in health status, increasing literacy, progress in gender balance, enhancement of employment opportunities, building transport and communications facilities, huge increases in media reach amongst rural and urban people, booming ITC businesses, a rise in remittance and agricultural, industrial, and ready-made garments (RMG) booms. In 2006, our global image increased exponentially with Prof. Yunus and Grameen Bank winning the Nobel Peace Prize. That put Bangladesh in a strong position, globally and we cannot let that slip. Therefore, it has become imperative to develop a nation branding campaign to keep us in the global limelight for the right reasons.Wh ile branding Bangladesh, the brand strategists must consider two key basic objectives: Firstly, it is crucial to instill pride in Bangladeshis and to persuade our people to be positive and feel dignified about themselves and for their country. The success of the nation branding program strongly depends on their active participation, ownership, and support. They should be proud of their country, culture, and heritage. Secondly, the government should come up with an aggressive but distinct nation branding campaign immediately, it is essential for our progress. Countries like India, Thailand, China, Malaysia, etc started similar branding journeys more than a decade ago and should not lag too far behind.We need a forceful branding campaign for our country so that we can emerge as an Asian Tiger by 2021; which will also mark the 50th year of our independence. Dr. Khalid Hasan  is Managing Director, Nielsen Bangladesh and Treasurer AmCham Bangladesh. Acknowledgement: AmCham Bangladesh. Brand Dimensions of Bangladesh Anholt is recognized for Anholt-GfK Nation Brand Index (NBI), and it is based on the same six categories to measure the global perception of a country. The brand of a country is judged based of the six dimensions. In case of branding Bangladesh we might focus on these dimensions and create brand image for Bangladesh. Fig: The Six Dimensions of a national branding Dimension 1: TourismTourism is one of the most visible aspects of a country brand because it receives considerable financial support from governments, and is therefore the main marketing tool at the national level. It is a major economic driver through employment, international visitor expenditures, investments, and regional development. Bangladesh Tourism Board has adopted different policies and strategies to promote and champion Bangladesh. It includes brand taglines like â€Å"Beautiful Bangladesh. † Dimension 2: Export brands There is a constant struggle to increase share of exports within the global market. In order to attain this purpose, the quality of exported products or services has to be superior to that of competitors. Export brands represent an important mark for Bangladesh.An increase in exports can raise the self-esteem of a country, which in turn boosts self-confidence and further success. Ten years ago, as a country Bangladesh was little known across the Globe. Today, most of the countries label as the country of high quality garments product and this is mainly due to the performance of our garments industry. Dimension 3: Investments All countries, be they developing or developed, are now striving for an investment-friendly image. Country brand, and everything that it stands for, has a lot to say when it comes to attracting foreign direct investments. In case of Bangladesh it is very good for us that a large number of investors are coming in different sectors.Dimension 4: Foreign and domestic policies. Nations are also judged in accordance with th e foreign and domestic policies that their leaders initiate. Foreign and domestic policies must be coordinated so that they would invigorate the national brand. As a country we have to increase the ability to meet the residents’ needs for health, education, human rights, political participation more effectively. Dimension 5: People It is worth mentioning that the branding of a country must start from inside because a country’s brand is most frequently promoted by its people. In 2006, our global image increased exponentially with Prof. Yunus and Grameen Bank winning the Nobel Peace Prize.That put Bangladesh in a strong position, globally and we cannot let that slip. Beside, Sakib-al-hasan, a Bangladeshi cricketer also increases the brand image of our country holding number one position in ICC Cricket ranking. Joining the mission of UN, Bangladesh Army has created a new dimension for Bangladesh and it is obviously a good sign for our country Dimension 6: Culture and Heri tage Last but not least, one should not overlook the cultural dimension of a country brand. Culture penetrates all areas of life, including all scientific endeavors. For this reason, culture has turned into the ultimate reference point, a conventionally accepted solution to all problematic questions.Strategies for branding Bangladesh We should take on a more conscious effort in branding country because country images draw out identifications, affect evaluations and purchase decisions. Additionally, countries compete for tourists, foreign investments and talented people. Let us look at this figure- Setting objectives: Branding Bangladesh we have to set clear and distinctive objectives that will help us to accomplish the different task most effectively. Different objectives might be: ? To be a Middle Income Country (MIC) ? 30th largest economy ? Per capita us dollar 6000 ? Economic goal †¢ Agro and labor intensive industry †¢ GDP growth to 10% †¢ Environmental protectio n Transportation and ship building hub. Performing SWOT analysis: Performing a SWOT analysis for nations is an idea that has been promoted by many others. In his book The Marketing of Nations, Philip Kotler (1997) confirmed the idea that each nation must assess its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) periodically in its five areas of capability: †¢ Government leadership; †¢ Factor endowments; †¢ Industrial organization; †¢ Social cohesion; †¢ Culture, attitudes and values. Based on the guidelines we might perform an effective SWOT analysis that will help to figure out our own most effectively and define the country’s objectives. S- Strength |W- Weakness | | | | |Potential Growth economics, |Lack of Coordination among different groups, | |Successfully meeting the millennium development goal. |Lack of coordination between corporate and country co branding, | | |Insufficient budget. | | | | | | |O- Opportunity |T- Threat | | | | |Posi tive sovereign credit achieved, |Corruption, | |Making agreement with different countries. |Political instability. | | | | Choosing a Specific direction for distinctive branding For distinctive branding we might choose a specific direction from industries, personalities, natural landmarks or historical events.This process will help create brand image more effectively. Expanding upon an Umbrella concept: Expanding upon an umbrella concept will help to cover separate branding activities with consistency. Different branding activities will be coordinated through an umbrella concept. Consulting with opinion leaders to look at national strengths and weaknesses and compare those with the research we might do create this concept. Allocating adequate funds to finance each branding activities: To create a successful brand image and create a greater impact regarding brand adequate fund is necessary and concerning people should handle the matter with kin interest Creating Export Control:Creati ng export controls to ensure exported products are trustworthy and meeting the affirmed performance is necessary for branding Bangladesh. We have good will in foreign market in case of exporting garments products but sometimes it has been seen that due to some reasons our country is branded negatively and to avoid this we need to control export market. Maintaining balance between promise and performance: We will have to be very careful to maintain balance between the promise and performance. Sometimes it has been seen that we can’t afford quality service for the promising things e. g sometimes foreigners come to our country to enjoy heritage sides but due to transportation facility and accommodation facility they don’t get expected performance.This point is the main thing to create a positive brand image for Bangladesh. Performing Activities on a regular basis: Creating positive brand image different campaigns are needed. But we have to keep in mind that these campaign s should be taken consistently and thinking the vision and long run interest of the country. Creating strategy and Working out program to make the strategy tangible through improvement programs, campaigns are important to reinforce the past campaign. Making all the members interactive: Ensuring the cooperation and involvement of representatives of government, business, the arts, education and importantly the media we can make a fruitful effect for Bangladesh.In recent years the growth of Media sectors has constantly drawn our attention and the media might play a crucial role to brand Bangladesh. It is necessary to mobilize all those available forces of politicians, business people, artists, sportsmen and scientists to create a strategy for enhancing the image and reputation of Bangladesh on the international markets, i. e. for creating the national branding strategy. Country and Corporate Brands Co-positioning The concept of countries as brands has been increasingly recognized in th e post-modern global world. A strong country brand can provide corporate brands with a unique set of values, which supports their positioning on the international market.Simultaneously, once corporate brands achieve worldwide success, they contribute actively to developing new features of the country brand. A nation’s image can provide competitive advantage to its company/product/service brands. Until and unless Bangladesh has some international brands it will be very difficult to create good brand image for Bangladesh. Consider Finland, a country which was outside the global arena ten years ago, and therefore little known. Today, we label it as the country of high-tech mobile phone technology, and this is mainly due to Nokia’s performance. In Bangladeshi context there are some brands (Square, Walton etc) so the overnment should coordinate to development of the company and in the mean time these companies should take initiatives for the country branding Besides that we might consider the task of Prothom Alo and Airtel Company, who jointly arrange the design of the largest â€Å"Alpona† at Manik Mia Avenue and thus made a new dimension for themselves as well as create a good image for Bangladesh in the world. Findings at a glance: ? It is now more critical than ever to create a unique identity for destination because it is now more competitive for survival in the global market. ? Limited budget and little management control create obstacles on the way of creating good brand image for Bangladesh. Political pressures, External environment factors such as economic downturn, natural disasters and pandemics can affect the process of branding Bangladesh. ? A major challenge for Bangladesh is that when the tourists’ visit the destination and found the reality does not match the projected image from the pre-trip information gathered prior to trip, the gap will lead to disappointment and they will become brand terrorists. This would lead to l ow repeat visitation and damage the brand image indirectly. ? Local governors and mayors have different objectives to promote their own region and cities rather than the nation. ? Failure of government to control the flow of information through the Internet that shapes the national image. We need to conduct research among the people of Bangladesh, covering different segments, to understand their views and expectations. This will help in understanding the pulse of the nation and giving ownership to everyone, thus, satisfying different target audiences, different needs, and different institutions. The research should be conducted both internally (to understand the country's socio-economic situation) and externally (global research among the investors and tourists). The findings will help develop a strategic plan on the nation-branding campaign; ? Concerned groups should make regular promotional activities to brand this country; The tourism sector of should be taken under focus to incr ease international brand value of Bangladesh by capturing large number of tourists; ? Both the government firms and Multinational Firms need to make attention to increase the international brand value of Bangladesh; ? The key focus should be on the six dimensions which are mentioned earlier in the assignment to make our country value stronger. Country branding is not about constructing slogans. Country branding involves planned communication management and purposeful social engineering. Branding is no longer a choice but a necessity, and the branding is not a function to be performed solely by the state or individual corporations, but an integrative and concerted effort by all concerned stakeholders.If a country is effectively branded â€Å"soft power† can be engendered giving that country vast competitive advantage. However, only few developing countries have articulated and implemented a country branding strategy. The notion of an umbrella country brand inspiring, guiding a nd feeding commercial brands is a compelling one. Branding of developing countries could unleash a sustainable wealth creation behavior which will greatly help these poor countries break out of their poverty cycle. There is now an opportunity for developing countries to close this gap by turning their attention to employ professionalism in country branding. Books:- ? Kevin Lane Keller (2012-2013), Strategic Brand Management,3rd edition. Philip Kotler, Nation Branding 1997. Publications:- ? Mathias Akotia, CEO – Brand Ghana Office Accra, Ghana,† Country Branding: Promoting Investment, Tourism and Exports through Country Communication Management and Social Engineering†. ? Dr. Khalid Hasan, Managing Director, Nielsen Bangladesh and Treasurer AmCham Bangladesh. Acknowledgement: AmCham Bangladesh, â€Å"Nation Branding†. Websites:- ? http://www. bangladeshbrandforum. com ? http://www. thedailystar. net ? http://www. tourismboard. gov. bd ? http://www. interbrand . com ———THE END——— ———————– Letter of Transmittal :- Executive Summary PART: A Preamble ObjectivesMethodology Limitations PART: B Literature Review PART: C Findings Export Brands Tourism Country Brand Investment People Foreign and Domestic polices Culture and Heritage Setting Objectives Step-1 Performing SWOT Analysis Step-2 Expanding upon an Umbrella concept Step-4 Choosing a Specific direction for distinctive branding Step-3 Strategies of Branding Bangladesh Creating Export Control Step-5 Making all the members interactive Step-9 Allocating adequate funds to finance each branding activities Step-6 Maintaining balance between promise and performance Step-7 Performing Activities on a regular basis Step-8 PART: D Recommendation Conclusion References Read also: Padma Bridge

Social Disorganization And The Impact On Crime Essay

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Although various theories can be used in order to explain the link between poverty and crime, the one thatRead MorePossible Changes in a Review on Personal Criminological Theory651 Words   |  3 Pagesof a definition for social disorganization theory, based on its importance within the body of the paper. The last sentence has a grammatical error in that the list is separated with semicolons and not commas. It should be as follows: In this paper you will read about the explanation of crime occurrence and why people commit crimes, variables to be considered, the assumptions social disorganization theory is based on, and the methodologies used to evaluate social disorganization theory Introduction Read MoreJuvenile Delinquency And Urban Areas1557 Words   |  7 Pagesaimed to explain crime in urban communities using social disorganization theory. Elliot and Merrill (1934) define social disorganization as â€Å"a breakdown in the equilibrium of forces, a decay in the social structure, so that old habits and forms of social control no longer function effectively† (p.20). Using this definition and the ecological approach, Shaw and McKay argue that low economic status, ethnic heterogeneity, and residential mobility led to the disruption of community social organization (ShawRead MoreRap Music And Its Effects On America1649 Words   |  7 Pagesfrom social disorganization to differential association pose an explanation on why rap negatively affects black teens. The presences of criminological theory can also be found within lyrics of many rap songs demonstrating its negative effect on its listeners. A theory that has been presented to rationalize why people ac t the way they do when listening to rap and how to come up with ways to prevent the influence from occurring in the first place is social disorganization. Social disorganization is aRead MoreCorrelation Between The Locations Of Known Gang Members And Drug Violations1557 Words   |  7 Pageslocations of known gang members and drug violations? Analysis It is expected, based on social disorganization theory, that census tracts with high concentrations of gang members will also be high in disorganization. As seen in figure 1 this will be established by creating a contour line hot spot of gang member locations and drug violations overlaid on a map showing social disorganization. Social disorganization will be based on low education levels and high unemployment rates, which are generallyRead MoreSocial And Social Learning Theory1553 Words   |  7 PagesThe Social Learning Theory is best defined as crime is learned through associations with others who commit crimes. Juveniles are very impressionable or gullible, wherein they want to be popular or part of the in-crowd or clique. In comparison to the 1970’s versus today, juveniles are emulating criminals depicted on television not just through associations. Consider the current state of technology, specifically the internet and websites such as â€Å"You Tube.† With respe ct to crime and juvenile delinquents