Contiki Tours : Marketing Strategy Analysis Essay

Contiki Tours is an organisation that offers packaged holidays to a variety of local and international destinations. Their targeted market is limited by age. Clients must be between 18 and 35 years old. The analysis will focus on Contiki *s Australian market for international holidays. Contiki have adopted a concentrated marketing strategy in identifying market segments. This means that they have elected to focus their marketing efforts on gaining a high share of one particular segment of the market (i.e. 18-35 year olds). The advantage of such a strategy is that it allows specialisation which may produce economies in production, distribution and promotion. However, it does entail some risks in that market needs can change or competitors may enter the segment. The risks and benefits of this strategy will be examined more closely in the analysis of the marketing mix. Product In order to assess the effectiveness of Contiki’s marketing strategy it is important to understand the n ature of the product offered by the organisation in terms of the benefits that it provides. Broadly, it is a service product (eg. flight, bus trip, food preparation) although elements of the product are physical (eg. food, t-shirts). It is a specialty product given that it meets a specialised need and consumers are willing to spend quite some time searching for and evaluating. It is also purchased infrequently. It would also be considered a high involvement product due to the relatively high risks of purchase. The notion of purchase risk will be explored in more detail in an analysis of consumer behaviour. Price The nature of the product, characteristics of the target market, and consumer behaviour each have important implications for pricing. It should be noted that the price paid for the product by the consumer involves more than the nominal price (i.e. the ‘price tag’). As well as the money paid for the product, consumers endure time costs and must expend behavioural and cognitive effort. Cognitive effort may involve the customer dealing with some of the risks of purchase (Ross, 1984). There are a number of implications of this analysis for Contiki. Firstly, the organisation can manage the price t hat consumers pay by minimising the time, behavioural and cognitive effort that is used purchasing the product. By decreasing the costs to the consumer, Contiki is able to increase the perceived value of their product to consumers. Over-the-phone or internet information and booking services would decrease the time taken in actually purchasing the product, and therefore the cost of the product to the consumer. Also, convenient agent locations would minimise the behavioural effort for consumers. Contiki attempt to coordinate with a wide range of travel agencies who are educated by Contiki sales staff on product attributes (the distribution channel and its implications for pricing with be covered more thoroughly in a later section of this analysis). It should be recognised, however, that many consumers derive utility from extensive cognitive involvement in the purchase process. For example, some customers may enjoy discussing at length with consultants, their itinerary and travel options. To the extent that this occurs, friendly and knowledgeable travel consultants should be an integral part of Contiki’s product offering. In order to achieve this, promotion (i.e. personal selling) to the distribution channel should be emphasised. From this discussion it is evident that the interaction between consultant and customer is a key aspect of the value delivery sequence. Increasing perceived value involves managing the people or participants in the consumption process (Berry, 1980; Booms & Bitner, 1981).

Healthcare Informatics Discuss Essay

The information revolution has changed the health care system to an unbelievable level. Combination of informatics in nursing is going beyond data processing function I view nursing informatics as a specialty title to health care informatics. Health informatics. the application of computer and information science in al basic and applied biomedical sciences to facilitate and acquisition , processing, interpretation, optimal use, and communication of health-related date. Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2012. P.6). I consider healthcare informatics is dealing with information, computerized information and telecommunications. Especially for nursing informatics deals with these also but how they impact patient care. Nurses in today’s world are almost all familiar with some sort of healthcare informatics such as a computerized medication system or charting systems as well as discharge instructions or patient education. Every nurse at my facility uses the computer, internet, and intranet dail y to conduct patient care. I work in the OR and we get our room assignment off a computer generated sheet. There are definitely different levels the variety of nurses are able to use the computer systems for these purposes. We collect data and information before patient come to the operating room. We will collect date about patient’s age, weight, allergy, blood work †¦..Etc. We use this knowledge to manage and plan the patient care. For example: my patient is overweight I will need to solve the moving patient from cart to bed problem before and after surgery. I will put a special air mattress on the OR bed. And by checking the patient labs from the computer, I will know if this patient has been cross matched for the surgery in case so unpredictable blood lost from the surgery. I think the computer system is essential for patient care. It benefits both the patients stay and the work flow of the nurse. From the patients perspective they can expect fewer errors, shorter stays, better communication, and even more high tech rooms with vital sign equipment that enters its data into a computer automatically. Patients can also expect better education and information about a certain disease, even the rarest of them all. The benefits to nurses are tremendous. short7sweet (Se ptember 2008) Reference Hebda, T. , & Czar, P. (2012). Handbook of Informatics for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals (5th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Short7sweet (2008, 09). Health Informatics. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 09, 2008, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Health-Informatics-164985.html

4.2 Workfile Review

4. 2 Warning: Alcohol is a Dangerous Chemical Work File Review Section One: Look at each of the statements below. Based on what you have heard and what you believe, which ones are facts and which ones are myths? Place an â€Å"x† next to the answer that represents your choice. *ATOD Orange County Schools Check your answers by selecting the â€Å"Alcohol Pretest Key† on the 4. 2 Activity page. 1. Drinking is part of being an adult. Eventually, everybody drinks alcohol. Fact ____ Fiction __Y__ 2. Drinking makes you more appealing to others. Fact ____ Fiction Y 3. A mixed drink contains more alcohol than beer.Fact _Y___ Fiction ____ 4. A person's size can determine how quickly alcohol can have a negative effect. Fact ____ Fiction _Y___ 5. Coffee is a good way to sober up. Fact __Y__ Fiction ____ 6. Only a few deaths from car accidents are related to alcohol usage. Fact ____ Fiction _Y___ 7. Alcohol is a dangerous drug. Fact ___Y_ Fiction ____ 8. Drinking makes bad feelings go away. Fact ____ Fiction __Y__ 9. Drinking makes your problems disappear. Fact ____ Fiction __Y__ 10. Mixing alcohol with another drug can cause overdose and death. Fact ___Y_ Fiction ____ 11.As soon as alcohol reaches your stomach, it affects your abilities. Fact ___Y_ Fiction ____ 12. Alcohol has no effect on family violence. Fact ____ Fiction Y 13. Alcohol is a poison. Fact YFiction____ 14. Women who drink during pregnancy may have retarded or deformed children. Fact Y Fiction ____ 15. Children of alcoholic parents are more likely to become alcoholics. Fact ___Y_ Fiction ____ Note taking is important for this lesson. Read the questions on the left side of the page very carefully and then record meaningful facts and ideas in the main larger, right-hand column.Be sure to read each stated web site very carefully. Your test will come directly from the notes. This method for taking notes is called â€Å"Cornell Note Taking. † Questions/Main Ideas:Notes_______________________ ______________________ Select: Blood Alcohol Educator 1. List three facts that you have learned from this site. Men has better drinking skill than women 2. Compare the various effects that alcohol has on the mind and body at two different blood alcohol concentrations. 3. Evaluate the decision by all fifty states to enact a BAC limit of . 8 as the legal limit for drunk driving on drivers over the age of 21. Why was this law so important for everyone's health and safety? Select: Myths about alcohol[->0] 1. List at least three organs that can be affected by alcohol use. 2. If you were involved with alcohol as a teen, predict what four people (other than your parents) would be most affected by your use of alcohol. Select: What is a drink? [->1] 1. What is the definition of a standard drink for beer, wine and distilled spirits? 2. How does the amount of alcohol in a malt liquor compare to other brewed beverages? . Why can’t you group all 12 ounce beers as having the same alcohol c ontent just as you would with one 12 ounce wine cooler? Select: Drinking and Driving[->2] 1. Analyze the promising but inadequately evaluated measures that can be used to reduce drinking and driving. Please predict the 3 that you think would be the most beneficial. 2. Identify 2 ways that you can help in the task of reducing drinking and driving. 3. Explain BAC and explain its importance in determining DUI or DWI. Heart, liver, stomach GF, friend, teacher, sister Select: Effects on the Body[->3] . List five (5) effects alcohol has on the body’s central nervous system. 2. Contrast a healthy liver with that of a liver affected by alcohol consumption. Include a minimum of 4 facts in your note-taking column. 3. Imagine you are a physician. A 40- year-old patient comes to you complaining about her health. During your consultation, you find out she has consumed a 12-pack of beer every night for the past 17 years. Speculate the condition of her body, making sure to include the effec ts of alcohol on her brain, intestines, liver and bones.Select: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome[->4] 1. What problems may a baby have if the mother drinks while she is pregnant? 2. What is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)? 3. A pregnant woman is at a family birthday party. Her brother brings her a drink called a white Russian (it has three different shots of liquor and milk in it). Her brother says it will be good for you –â€Å"it has milk in it†-what should she do? 4. You are at your friend’s house for dinner and your friend’s mother who is pregnant is drinking wine with dinner.You have been taking the life management class online and learned about fetal alcohol syndrome; your friend is concerned about her mother drinking while being pregnant. What could you do to help? [->0] – http://web. archive. org/web/20070414002507/http:/madd. org/stats/0,1056,1156,00. html [->1] – http://pubs. niaaa. nih. gov/publications/Practitioner/pocketguide/pocket_guide2. htm [->2] – http://www2. potsdam. edu/hansondj/DrinkingAndDriving. html [->3] – http://www. collegedrinkingprevention. gov/CollegeStudents/interactiveBody. aspx [->4] – http://www. nofas. org/

Job as a Child Protective Investigator (CPI)

I will be talking about my current job as a Child Protective Investigator (CPI) also known as Child Protective Services (or CPS). This is the governmental agency that is tasked with investigating child abuse or neglect. The primary concern of a CPI is the safety of the child; they do this by assessing the risk involved. By weighing that risk the CPI has to make the decision rather to remove the children or child from the home or place services within the home that will allow them to function as a family in a more productive manner.Once the CPI has made the decision to remove the child or children, the next step in the process is find and create a plan that will eventually return the child to a more proficient and safer family environment. The CPI will assign the family to a caseworker who is tasked with developing a plan to administer to the parents that will educate them on better ways to care for the children and meet all their needs, and create and environment free from abuse or n eglect.CPI’s deal with a variety of families, with different backgrounds, values, religions, cultures and beliefs, which have a bearing on the way they parent; this means that CPS has be flexible and understanding when it comes to dealing with the problems they face within these family structures. The fact is that the American population is continually changing for many reasons such as; ethnically, culturally, racially, and linguistically based on the diverse populations that are a part of the US fabric.CPS organizations must create and implement a better and improving systemic change in order to understand and meet the needs of this diverse population of families. In this ever changing environment CPS must be even better prepared and become an even more effective communicator when it comes to helping and working with our families and providers. I have been working as a CPI for over 2  ½ years and will share with you what I think this organization operates like and what mak es it tick.I will evaluate the Organizational Behavior of Child Protective Services and explain the weakness or strengths I have faced since being a part of this organization. First what is Organizational Behavior? It is defined as the study and employment of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. Organizational behavior is not the evaluation of how the organization will behave, but rather the evaluation of the people or individuals behavior within the organizational setting. They study the behavior of the individuals as well as group settings.The study and purpose of organizational behavior is for the leaders to gain a better understanding of those things that may change, interrupt or influence individual and sectional dynamics within a company setting so that the organization can become a more effective and proficient business. A large part of organizational behavior is researching and evaluating as to provide leaders with the needed resources, i nformation and tools they will have to have in order to successfully train, select and retain personal in a manner that would benefit both the personal and the organization.Organizational culture is driven by â€Å"competition and a strong desire to deliver results and accomplish goals†. (Kinicki. and Kreitner 2009, pg. 43). I believe that based on the child Protective services (CPS) organizational culture the concept used is the ‘salad bowl’ because of the diversity within the organization. I say this because many of the CPI’s and workers are of different races, cultures, ages, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity and physical ability. I believe that this diverse culture is very good for this organization it provides a very positive environment which translates into positive productivity.CPI’s use multiple types of strategies and steps to ensure good production and good service. Such as reading the families background if they had a prior case as m any of them do and checking law enforcement reports to see what are the families issues, culture and background prior to going out on the case which will give the CPI a better insight on the type of family and the concerns they are facing. I believe the culture of CPS as an organization is evident by the values, norms, organizational beliefs, goals and many other primary factors. This also relates to all internal interactions and any informal and formal implementation.In CPS there is a strong mutual respect for each other and the CPI’s are supported, encouraged allowed to do what they think is needed to meet the family and organizational goals and to continue to develop and hone their skills in the field. Because CPI’s work primarily alone in the field, they are entrusted with decision-making and execution in the absence of their leaders. Many times the CPI will have to attack a problem and make a decision on the spot and may not be able to get into contact with the su pervisor therefore leaders must have the type of people they can trust and rely on to make the best decision without guidance.In CPS you can see that the organizations culture is evident in their goals, mission statement, integrity, standards, values, and ethics. The mission statement of CPS is to provide proficient, caring and productive services to the protection of children and their families; to seek the improvement and protection of abused children and to seek reunification for the families and provide family the education tools required for the child to remain in the home; and to meet and exceed the needs of the families using innovative and unique products, resources and services.To create and provide an equal, balanced and great place for the CPIs to work and excel. Because of the different cultures and people CPI’s face in this business there are multiple types of communication used and embraced by CPS. CPS uses a variety of both verbal and written communication as f orms of disseminating information throughout CPS. The type of communication that is used is dependent upon the importance of information and how quickly it needs to be provided. Some of these communication devices are: emails, brochures, company websites, meetings, notice boards, letters, telephone, and texting.What the CPS tries to do is to ensure that the communication is always open and that it represents and displays the culture of CPS. Communication devices play a major role in CPS, because many of the families we come into contact with have disabilities which may require a different type of communication, such as sign language interpreters, virtual websites may have to be used because the interpreter may be in another state, like interpreters for people that speak different languages and so on.It is vital to be able to communicate the message you are trying to convey to these families in a manner they can relate to, because bad communication can be destructive to the fabric of this family and there well-being. CPS believes that the key to the success of this organization is to ensure effective leadership and that the leaders have strong leadership, communication, management, and people skills, as well as be compassionate and caring when it comes to child protection.In CPS, the leadership hierarchical of authority flows from the upper management down to the CPI’s and their supervisors. But this process of leadership is of a democratic type leadership because CPI’s and workers have the chance to voice their concerns and participate in decisions making that will affect the organization. But if conflict arises the final decision is made by the supervisors and higher.The higher hierarchical do make the decision on policies and procedures but will usually have meeting and conferences asking the opinions and concerns about upcoming changes, if it is something that is coming down the pipeline that is more of a directive they will try to give the or ganization the time and information needed to prepare for this change in policy or procedures. Leadership tries to work with CPI’s and try and understand what their concerns are as they are the ones dealing with the everyday changes within the community and families on a day to day basis.It is not just important for the leaders to be in touch with their CPI’s, but to be able to relate to the issues and concerns they have about what they are seeing in the field. If a leader shows the compassion, understanding and empathy to what their CPI’s is going through, they will without a doubt gain their loyalty and trust. If CPI’s feel they cannot trust their supervisors they have an open door policy for CPI’s to come in and voice their concerns without reprisal. CPS has a code of conduct which applies to all members of the organization and is enforced if abused.These Codes of Conduct embodies all the ethical policies and procedures to be followed. This code of conduct makes CPIs and other workers of CPS feel they have a voice and make them feel empowered and not afraid to attack a situation or problem. CPS also has a Whistle blowers protection policies implemented within this organization. I think this policy creates trust within the organization and its leadership, and CPI’s feel that they are an asset to the company and are valued.When it comes to motivation how to motivate people varies from person to person; but it is vital to the success of a company that the leaders have the ability to motivate their CPIs and workers in order to be successful and more productive. The best way for leaders to do this is to know their people and what makes them tick. Because I may be motivated by time off and another person may be motivated by money. In CPS motivation is needed and imperative for CPI’s to go out day in and day out and be productive when facing such grim situations.For instance I remember a week where I was being overw helmed with cases, working late hours every day, and I ran into a case where a 6 year old girl was being molested by the step-father and the uncle and the mother was aware of it. This case really drained me and it took everything I had as a man and a person to get up the next day and go back out to do this job. I remember my supervisor called me into the office and said â€Å"I can see this week has been hard on you; take the day off and go home and be with your family, I got your cases for the day†.This meant a lot to me and it was the motivation I needed to get through another day when I returned, it was the time off I needed and my supervisor showed me he understood and cared for what I was going through. From that day on there was nothing he could ask me I would not do, he earned my respect and loyalty. This is part of the culture that is CPS, CPI’s are given their assignments and goals and what are expected of them and if needed, to work as groups. CPI’s ar e given continuous training to improve their knowledge and skills.CPS tries and implements incentives and rewards, promotions are available if you are productive and efficient in your job performance. CPI’s are given Pay raises, time off and other incentives as a form to motivate them. CPI privacy is safeguarded through the CPS compliance officer; this is an important factor to CPI’s as they deal with sensitive situations. CPI’s has the responsibility of making critical decisions when it comes to child protection. What this means is CPI’s has to have strong decision making skills, this is accomplished by them knowing and understanding their emotional quotient.CPS encourages the CPI’s to seek this both personally and professionally by using classes provided on the website, through seminars, sessions and provided guest speakers. When CPI’s and workers are aware and in control of their feelings and emotions it resonates throughout the organizat ion and they are much more productive and confident. It is important that CPI’s have the ability to excess their interpersonal and intrapersonal emotions to help them to become a more well-rounded CPI within their jobs.They can do this by being more self-aware, self-regulated, self- motivated, having stronger social skills and being empathetic towards the cases and families that encounter. CPS provides CPI’s with emotional training workshops and training coaches to help them become more proficient and productive. For instance I remember when I first got this job, when I received the report on the family and looked at what some of the prior reports were I found myself forming opinions about the family before I ever met them or conducted the investigation into the allegations.My supervisor taught me that it is important to keep your personal feeling out of the process and find the truth and only deal with the truth. Because people change over time and allegations are jus t that allegations until they are proven otherwise. This is the best advice I got when it came to this job and the knowledge I needed to be a more productive investigator. CPS is not a virtual organization but does use virtual organizational elements to enhance the technical experience needed to keep up in this fast pace and growing organization.We are a very large organization and are spreaded out through several regions, not only are we as child protective investigators spread thin; we are in contact and have to use many other resources and organizations that help us provide services to our clients and families. These other entities and organizations include , medical personal, Psychologist and other mental personal and agencies, law enforcement, counselors, schools, lawyers and non-profit agencies to name a few. So when we have what we call a staffing which involves many of these different people and organizations, they are spread out all over the city and state.So this can be ve ry difficult to get them all in one place based on each individual busy schedule. This is where the virtual elements came in as a manner in which to provide a tool that allows us to all be in different places and still be able to come together and address an issue. We are able to do this through virtual elements like; virtual meetings, classes, teleconferences, virtual speaker conferences, etc†¦ to be able to reach and communicate with other CPS personal and offices around the country and state.By using virtual elements it saves time, resources and money and we can effectively reach our goals and get out our message to a large audience with little complication. In conclusion, I think it is imperative that an organization should continuously evaluate their organizational behavior as a manner of determining how effective their process and business policies and procedures are doing. You must try and understand what are the strengths and weaknesses of your organizations performance and what is needed to fix it so your organization can move forward in a positive and successful manner.CPS is an organization that cannot afford to fall behind or lack in any form of technical, environmental or any other change as it relates to the services they provide to families. CPS has a very important job and it requires us to be proficient, up to date and fully trained so we can ensure that nothing but the best service is being provided to children who are being abused and families that require assistance. I believe this is the kind of job that requires people that care, are empathetic, and have a burning need to help others because we cannot afford to drop the ball when it comes to children safety.

Short answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short answer questions - Essay Example Every day the public is exposed to hours of reports on human suffering in its various forms, both through news/discussion, and in the themes of regular programming. This skewed view of reality presents a major barrier to pro-social changes. Significant improvements in this area can only be brought by system-wide alterations that are supported by a common understanding of the issue. The FCC tends to focus on nudity, coarse language, and violence, as elements they want to protect the public from. But evidence about these factors and if they have a significant negative influence on social behaviors is conflicting. It is possible that the opposite is happening; violence in the media may allow people the opportunity to express their more aggressive tendencies . This situation would agree with reports that aggression is higher in children after they play violent games (Anderson & Carnagey, 2009). The fear of desensitization to violence is another potential influence of media that is poorly understood. Those against such programming would argue that lessened responses to violence means less empathy, while supporters would point out that desensitization is a completely normal response throughout most areas of

How students should have an year off before college ( research paper ) Essay

How students should have an year off before college ( research paper ) - Essay Example The reasons for which will be discussed in this paper. However, prior to discussing these privileges, I will first present the possible drawbacks of a college gap year that was not properly planned and thought out by the parents and student. Yes, even for all the perceived benefits of the gap year, there are also negative effects or reasons for doing so. Let's put it this way, Hollywood has produced one too many movies about teenage high school graduates who go backpacking through Europe for all the wrong reasons. Taking a gap year does not mean that a high school graduate should party up a storm and insist in spending it in Europe when the parental units may not be able to afford it. This is not a movie like Eurotrip. Spending a year in Europe just to party is not an economical thing to do. The plane ticket is expensive enough without parents having to shoulder the cost of the child â€Å"exploring† the wrong side of Europe through parties that make the kid stay up late and s leep all day. Nothing remotely related to learning can be gained from that. Some kids also opt to take a year off from school when he is not accepted into his chosen university. The excuse becomes that the gap year is necessary in order to help him prepare to try and gain acceptance into the same university or college next year. A college application rejection is not the end of the world that one should wallow in for a whole year. There is no discounting the fact that getting rejected by any school one submitted an application to is quite upsetting. But the point of getting into college is just that. One learns to deal with rejection and go on with life. By opting to take a year out of the educational system, the student only makes matter worse for himself. Taking a year off will not guarantee that there will be an admission in his future. However, opting to attend a â€Å"safety school† will at least guarantee that the student can try to get a transfer application accepted t he next semester or the next year, depending upon how the grades look for that student. Finally, the biggest mistake a student can make is considering a gap year simply because it will look good on his resume. Just because your college resume might look a little thin on the experience and volunteer side does not mean that there is nothing in it for a decent school board to consider. Those are not the defining moments of your high school career. Instead, what college boards really look for are the good grades and passing marks relevant to the application you put in. The most important question is if a student, without a gap year experience to include in his resume, still has the credentials to make the grade for the college department of his choice (Katz, Gillian â€Å"3 Great Reasons to Take a Gap Year and 3 Bad Reasons to take a Gap Year†). Now, taking into consideration all of the wrong reasons for a student and parents to give in to the lure of a gap year. There must be so me truly good benefits from taking all 365 days off from school. Otherwise it would not be a very big deal for the others who have already successfully taken and used their gap year to advantageous results. Remember that the high school senior year is the most grueling of all high school years. The senior year is the academic year that concentrates on the general college subjects that are per-requisites to

How Will Advances in Big Data, IT, Cloud Computing and Analytics Essay

How Will Advances in Big Data, IT, Cloud Computing and Analytics Impact Healthcare - Essay Example Cloud computing is the use of computer software and hardware over a network normally as a service. This means that in order for someone to use the software and hardware they do not need to have them physically, all they need is access to the network where the respective cloud network is located (Agha, 2012). A good example of cloud computing is where hospitals compile all their information centrally and staff with verified passwords can access the information irrespective of the geographical location. Analytics can be considered the communication and discovery of patterns in data sets. Analytics are normally used in areas where that have a lot of recorded information. Analytic greatly depends and relies on computer programming operations and statics. Analytics can be used in the healthcare system where patient information may be used to predict future trends in diseases and general health of the population. Healthcare has been curbed by a lot of problems. It is filled with a lot of setbacks and short comings. One of major inefficiencies of the healthcare system is the old filling system. This is where all records including patient records and disease records are stored in the manual hardcopy files. There are no softcopy backups thus making the hard copy files the only files on record. This has proved cumbersome since there are hospital records that date back to almost the 1900s. Finding such a record using the manual filing system is very difficult. As it is known, almost all disease and outbreaks repeat themselves in time. This means that doctors might be unable to identify some old diseases just because a record of the disease in the past cannot be located. Another major inefficiency in healthcare is administration. Administration in the healthcare system is very poor yet a lot of money is used in the administration of all health care system. This is double inefficiency. Administrating healthcare especially in underdeveloped countries is done in a