Online Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Online Marketing - Essay Example One of the major companies that are currently practising online marketing and doing perfectly in the business is the coca cola company for soft and non-alcoholic drinks (Blum, Sandholm, & Zinkevich, 2002). Coca Cola Company is based in Atlanta, Georgia in United States under the management of Muhtar Kent. The company manufactures, retails, and markets non-alcoholic drinks all over the world. The company was launched by Griggs Candler in 1892 and has been in the business since then making tremendous steps and achieving great success (Hartogh, 2007). Coca Cola Company has been very successful in the market due to its quality drinks that differentiate its products from those produced by the competitors. The company’s great success is not only attributed to quality products but also to recent advertisement techniques such as online marketing and other forms of advertisements such as social media. The company’s high market penetration can be attributed to its ability to respond to customers taste and preferences depending on their geographic area. The company serves and distributes its drinks to over 200 countries all over the world currently. It has its headquarters in every country where bottling and distribution strategies take place (Ba, Whinston, & Zhang, 2003). Coca Cola being a giant company in the field of beverages has taken many steps in the business expansion. The best strategic decision taken by the business is online marketing. The company launched internet websites many years ago (Tian, 2006). Website plays a major role in the field of marketing by improving the relationship with the customers and better customer services. The company is currently running its website that can be accessed by using www.coca-cola.com. Apart from this website the company has several other websites depending on the country of interest. A website fulfils many purposes for an organisation. A website design serves as a

What Is Functional Grammar?

What Is Functional Grammar? Functional grammar, as explained by Halliday (1994) is concerned with meanings. Functional grammar looks at language as consisting of units of meanings rather than chunks of forms. These units of meanings are represented in various oral and written texts. In keeping with the idea, functional grammar is interested to analyze language at the text level rather than sentences. Further, Halliday (1994) writes that there are 3 lines of meaning in the clause. (1) the theme functions in the structure of the clause as message (2) the subject functions in the structure of the clause as an exchange (3) the actor functions in the structure of the clause as representation. Giving more explanation about functional grammar, he adds that functional grammar makes extensive use of function labels like actor, process, goal, theme rheme etc. Functional grammar is a new subject in the English Department of State University of Jakarta. It has become a subject in the English Department of State University of Jakarta since 2002. This subject is to be taken by all students to complete their study. Functional grammar consists of functional grammar I and functional grammar 2 with 3 semester credits each. Both functional grammar 1 and functional grammar 2 have similar purpose that is to support the development of ability to speak and write English correctly. (Buku Pedornan Akademik FBS, 2004/2005) 2 As experienced by English Department students in functional grammar classes, the process of learning functional grammar includes the discussion of concepts which is then followed by analyzing text. Texts to be analyzed can be taken from different resources such as newspaper, magazine, advertisement, film or novel. Based on the observation and informal talks with other students done by the researcher,E students often had difficulties when analyzing text. The students felt confused to put the words from text into functional grammar concepts. So far, there was no practice how to apply functional grammar concepts in speaking. Considering the condition, the researcher is interested to conduct a study to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. B. Focus of Study The focus of study is identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. C. Problem Statement Based on background of the study above, questions addressed are: 1. What is English Department students perception towards their knowledge of functional grammar concepts. 2 What is English Department students perception towards their comprehension of functional grammar concepts 3 What is English Department students perception towards their ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text. 4 What is English Department students perception towards tieir ability to apply functional grammar concepts in speaking. D. Purpose of Study Based on problem statement, the purpose of this study is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. E. Benefit of Study This study is to give input related to English Department students knowledge, comprehension of functional grammar concepts and their ability to apply the concepts in analyzing text and speaking. 4 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses seven topics relevant to the needs of providing theoretical bases for a study of identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. The first topic is traditional grammar, the second topic is functional grammar, the third topic is the differences between traditional grammar and functional grammar, the fourth topic is functional grammar as a subject in the English Department, the fifth topic is Perception, the sixth topic is Ability to Apply, and the seventh topic is Speaking. Traditional Grammar In the discussion about Traditional Grammar, Halliday (1994) explains that traditional grammar has always been the grammar of written language; and traditional grammar has always been a product grammar. While, Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) state that grammar is the structure of language. They further explain that traditional grammar aims at describing the grammar of standards English by comparing the grammar of English with the one of Latin. They state that students learn the name of parts of speech (noons, verbs, prepositions adverbs, adjectives) They also explain that traditional grammar focuses on the rules for producing coect sentences. Still related to traditional grammar, based on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2O36) ri 1Lng Isrics trad tona1 grammar is a cover name for the collection of 5 concepts and ideas about the structure of language that Western societies have received from ancient Greek and Roman sources. The source also states that the focus of attention of traditional grammar is on the surface structure, not on meaning. So far, traditional grammar has been associated with the use of class labels like noun. verb, adjective, adverb, etc. Traditional grammar is mainly concerned with syntax and some morphology. Traditional grammar focuses on surface structure. Traditional grammar limits the discussion on the sentence level. Functional Grammar In the discussion about Functional Grammar, Halliday (1994) explains that functional grammar is essentially a natural grammar, in the sense that everything in functional grammar can, be explained, ujtimately, by reference to how language is used. He further states that the aim of functional grammar has been to construct a grammar for purposes of text analysis: one that would make it possible to say sensible and useful things about any text spoken and written in modern English. Going into deeper discussion, Halliday (1994) pronoses three lines of meaning in the clause. There are theme, subject and actor. As a working approximation, he defines different strands of meaning as follows: 1. The Theme functions in the structure of the clause as message. 2. The Subject functions in the structure of the clause as an exchange. 3. The Actor functions in the structure of the clause as representation. 6 t While, Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) note that functional grammar attempts to describe language in actual use and focus on text and contexts. They view that functional grammar was developed based on an assumption that language as a resource for making meaning. They also state that functional grammar is concerned tiot only with the structures but also with how those structures construct meaning. Functional grammar starts with the question, how the meanings of this text are realized. On the same view of Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994), and Halliday (1994), Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) describe that functional grammar is a way of looking at grammar as it is used. Functional grammar focuses on the development of grammatical systems as a means for people to interact with each other. 1. Clause as Message Halliday (1994) states that clause as message is a clause which has meaning as a message, a quantum of information. He also claims in all languages the clause has the character of a message: it has some form of organization giving it the status of a communicative event, but there are different ways in which this may be achieved. In the clause as a message, there are theme and rheme. a. THEME Halliday (1994) explains that theme is the element which serves as the point of departure of the message, the part in which the clause is concerned. Furthermore, he states that the theme is put first. 7 Gerot Peter Wignell (1994), talking about theme, note that theme is what the clause is going to be about. They further describe that the theme can be identified as that or those element(s) which come(s) first in the clause. Theme represents the point of departure of this message from the previous one. Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) shortly state that this is what Im talking about. They also said that in terms of looking at a clause as a message, the theme looks backwards, relating to the current message to what has gone before. On the same view about Theme, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) note that theme is one of two systems that organize the information presented in the clause, the other being that information. Further they also state that theme can be divided into 3 categories. There are ideational / topical theme, interpersonal theme, textual theme. 1. Ideational! Topical theme is language construes human experience. Ideational consists of what there is to argue about. 2. Interpersonal theme is language enacts human relationships. Interpersonal consists of something people can interact with. 3. Textual theme is language creates discourse. Textual consists of word order. Related the clause to its context. b. RHEME Halliday (1994) states that rheme is the remainder of the message, the part in which the theme is developed. He further explains that rheme as a message structure. A clause consists of a Theme accompanied by a Rheme. 8 Still in the discussion about Rheme, Linda Gerot Peter Wigneil (1994) note that rheme is the rest of the clause New information is contained in the rheme They further represent that rheme is This is what Im saying about it. Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) also said that the rheme points both backwards and forwards by picking up on information which is already aailable and adding ti it and by presenting information which was not there before. 2 Clause as Exchange Based on Flalliday (1994), clause as exchange is a clause which has meaning as an exchange, a transaction between speaker and listener. In clause as exchange, there are mood and residu. a. MOOD Mood according to Halliday (1994) refers to the element that realizes the selection of mood in the clause. While, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) describe that the mood element makes clause negotiable and consists of Finite and Subject. (1). Finite This term, according to Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) state that finite element is one of the small numbers of verbal operators expressing tense, modality and polarity. They further explain that finite element has the function of locating an exchange with reference to the speaker and making a proposition something that can be argued about. 9 Still in the same discussion about finite, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) refers to the one that makes a clause a negotiable by coding it as positive or negative and by grounding it, either in terms of time (it is! it isnt: it was/it wasnt: it will/it wont) or in terms of modality (it may! it wiIIJ it must, etc). (2). Subject In the discussion about subject, Halliclay (1994) states that subject is the responsible element, but in proposition this means the one on which the validity of the information is made to rest. Not to be different from Halliday (1994), Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) state that subject is that upon which the speaker rests his case in exchanges of information, and the one responsible for insuring that the prescribed action is or is II not carned out in exchanges of goods and services Still n the discussion about subject, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) stated that subject is the element in terms of which the clause can be negotiated. b. RESIDU Halliday (1994), Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) said that residue consists of functional elements of three kinds: Predicator, Complement and Adjunct. (1). Predicator Halliday (1994) says that predicator occurs in all major clauses, except those that are displayed through ellipsis. Predicator is realized by a verbal group. 10 Still in the same discussion about Predicator, Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) claim that predicator is the verb part of the clause, the bit which tells whats doing, happening or being. (2). complement Halliday (1994) says that a complement is an element within the residue that has the potential of being subject but is not. Complement is realized by a nominal group. Giving more explanation about complement, Linda Gerot Peter Wigneli (1994) state that complement answers the question is/had what, to whom, did to what. (3). Adjunct Adjunct, according to Halliday (1994), and Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) is an element that has not got the potential of being subject. Adjunct is typically realized by an adverbial group or a prepositional phrase. 3. Clause as Representation Halliday (1994) describes that clause as a representation is a clause which has meaning as a representation, the actor is the active participant in that process. He also states that participants related to each process type are as in the table below: a. Processes and Participants Process Participant Material: Actor (doer of the process) processes of Goai (thing affected by the process) 11 doing F Range (thing unaffected by the process) Beneficiary (the one to whom the process is said to take place) Behavioral: Expresses the physiological and psychological behaviors Behave (a conscious being if it is not, the clause is considered to be personification) Behaviour (extends the process) I Mental: processes of sensing Senser (doer of the process that is realised by a human or at least conscious participant) Phenbmenon (what is thought, wanted, perceived or liked / disliked that is realised by a nominal group or embedded clause) Verbal: processes of saying and asking Sayer (doer of the process) Receiver (addressee of the speech) Target (the participant which is the subject of the talk) Verbiage (sums up what is said in one nominal group or embedded clause) Existential: realizes the meaning that something exists Existent .I Carrier (thing described) Attribute (description, it is typically an indefinite nominal group I j Relational: processes of I 12 b. Circumstances The other element that also plays an important part in the experiential meaning is the circumstance. A circumstance is defined as any piece of circumstantial information about the process within its own clause (Halliday 1994). The function is to illuminate the process in some way. Circumstances are realized by adverbial groups, prepositional phrases, and even by nominal groups. Still in the same discussion about Circumstance, Halliday (1994) divides circumstances into 9 categories. There are: (1) Extent (2) Location (3) Manner (4) Cause (5) Contingency (6) Accompaniment (7) Role (8) Matter (9) Angla (1) Extent Extent is expressed in terms of some unit measurements like yards, laps, rounds, and years. The interrogative forms for Extent are: (a) how far? (b) how long? (c) how many? The typical structure is a nominal group with quantifier or indefinite. attributive with an adjective as Head) Relational: processes of being Identifying Identified (that which is to be identified) Identifier (the new identity) 13 (2) Location Location clarifies the location of the expression. The general interrogatives are where? and when?. The typical structure is an adverbial group or prepositional phrase. 3) Manner Manner, another set of categories, is divided into three subcategories. There are: (a) Means (b) Quality (c) Comparison. a. Means Means refers to the means whereby a process takes place, it is typically expressed by a prepositional phrase with the preposition by or with. The interrogative forms are how? and what with? b. Quality Quality is typically expressed by an adverbial group with-ly adverb as Head. It answers the question of how. c. Comparison Comparison is typically expressed by a prepositional phrase started with like or unlike, or an adverbial group of similarity or difference. The interrogative form is what.. .like? (4) Cause The Cause was divided into 3 categories. There are: (a) Reason (b) Purpose (c) Behalf 14 a. Reason Reason represents the reason for which a process takes place what causes it, the interrogative form are why? or how? b. Purpose Purpose represents the purpose for which an action takes place the intention behind it. The interrogative form is what for? c. Behalf Behalf represents ihe entity, typically a person, on whose behalf or for whose sake the action is undertaken who is for. They are expressed by a prepositional phrase with for or with a complex preposition such as for the sake of, in favour on behalf of. The interrogative form is who for? (5) Contingency Contingency comprises 3 subcategories. There are: (a) Condition (b) Concession (c) Expression. a. Condition Condition is expressed by in case of, in the event of. b. Concession Concession is expressed by in spite of or despite. c. Expression Express ion of default has in the absence of, in default of. (6) Accompaniment Accompaniment, another set of circumstantial elements, represents the meanings and, or, not as circumstantial. interrogative forms are and 15 who / what else? It is expressed by prepositional phrase with preposition such as with, without, besides, and instead of. (7) Role Role includes the subcategories of Guise construes the meaning of be the iitterrogative form is what as? and Product with meaning of become, interrogative form is what into?. (8) Matter Matter is expressed by preposition such as about, concerning, with reference to and sometimes simply of. Interrogative form is what about?. (9) Angle Angle is used preposition to, but, like. It is often expressed by a more complex form such as according to, in the view I opinion of, from the standpoint of. From the definitions, it can be concluded that functional grammar makes extensive use of function labels like Actor, Process, Goal, Theme, Rheme and so on. In functional grammar there is no distinction between lexis and gran1mar. Both lexis and grammar are meaning-creating, because functional grammar is concerned with meaning than structure. The Differences between Traditional and Functional Grammar Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) stated that the main difference between traditional grammar and functional grammar is in the unit of analysis. Traditional I 17 in fourth semester. While, functional grammar 2 is to be taken by students in fifth semester. Both functional grammar I and 2 consist of 3 semester credits unit. Both functional grammar 1 and functional grammar 2 are to be taken by students to complete their study. As stated in Buku Pedoman Akademik PBS (2004/2005), Functional grammar I and 2 have purpose that is to support the development of ability to speak and write English correctly. Based on experience and observing in functional grammar classes, analyzing texts is one kind of the process of functional grammar learning. Texts to be analyzed can be taken from authentic material. There are different resources to analyze written texts such as newspaper, magazine, advertisement, etc. While, to analyze spoken texts, the material can be taken from dialogues in the film or novel. Perception Perception has various defmitions from various angles. Bloom (1956) cited by Elliot et all. (2000), says that perception is the process or act of perceiving information and making sense of it. As stated in New Lexicon Webster International Dictionary of English Language Volume 2 (1997) perception is (1) the act of perceiving, apprehension with the mind or the senses; (2) an immediate of intuitive recorition, as of a moral or esthetic quality; (3) the faculty of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving. Meanwhile, in Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2000), 18 perception is defined as an idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how we see and understand something. Still in the discussion about perception, in Winkipedia Encyclopedia, an internet based encyclopedia, perception is a process that involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting stimuli in our environment. Further. HeiTher (2003) explains that perception refers to interpretation of what we take in through our sense. He notes that the way we perceive our environment is what makes us different from other animals and different from each other. From the definitions stated above, the researcher concludes that perception can be thought as each individuals personal theory of reality, through the process of interpreting and attributing meaning to what he/she observed or experienced. Briefly, perception refers to view and feeling. Therefore, two kinds of instruments were used for the data collection. They were questionnaire and interview. Based on the statement of functional grammar purpose, that is to support the development of ability to speak and write English correctly. It means that functional grammar can be applied by English Department students in language skill, speaking in particular. Related to the statement, to measure students perception about their ability to apply functional grammar in analyzing text and speaking can be seen from educational objectives goal of cognitive domain (Bloom Taxonomy) in the third level. The third levels are knowledge. comprehension and application. 19 Ability to Apply In Websters New World Dictionary of American English (1998), ability is a skill, expertness, or talent. Meanwhile in Cambridge International Dictionary (1995) ability is the physical or mental power or skill needed to do something. As stated in Longman Dictionary of English Language and culture (1998) ability is the fact of having the skill, power or other qualities that are needed in order to do something. While, Bloom (1956) cited in Elliot et all. (2000) proposes classification of educational objectives, related to 1: Cognitive Domain. There are 6 major classes: (1) knowledge recalling specific facts, (2) comprehension understanding what is communicated, (3) application generalizing and using abstract information in !concrete situations, (4) analysis breaking problem into subparts and detecting relationships among the parts, (5) synthesis putting together part to form a whole, (6) evaluation using criteria to make judgments. Later these categories were revised, as stated by Arend RI (2004), the last two categories of Blooms Taxonomy that are synthesis and evaluation were revised to become evaluate and create. To be more details, Arend proposes cognitive process categories into the following. (1) remember retrieve relevant knowledge from long-term memory, (2) understand construct from instructional -messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication, (3) apply carry out or use a procedure in a given situation, (4) analyze break material into constituent parts and determine how, parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose, (5,) evaluate make judgment based on criteria and standards, (6) create V 20 put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure. Based on Blooms Taxonomy, ability to apply occurs after ability to know and to comprehend. Related to the study of identifying English Department students ability to apply functional grammar to improve their speaking ability, the inclusion of ability to know or knowledge and ability to comprehend (comprehension) is therefore considered necessary. Speaking In the discussion about speaking, Broomly (1988) explains that Speaking is an expressive language kill which the speaker symbols to communicate. While, Jones (1989) says speaking is a form of communication that has four elements i.e. speaker, receiver (listener), message and channel (communication tools such as, telephone, Internet, letter, face to face interaction, etc). Still in the discussion about speaking, in communicating, people also produce, sounds, choosing the right form, putting words in the correct order and so forth. This is also supported by W.F. Mackey (in Bygate 1995) who says that in oral expression people not only involve the right sounds, the right pattern of rhythm and intonation but also the choice of words and inflection in the right order to convey the right meaning. When we speak to other people, it means that we express our ideas or our feelings orally. This statement is supported in Webster Dictionary(1998) to speak is to express thoughts opinions or feelings orally.

Macbeth?s Responsibility :: essays research papers

The disaster in Macbeth mainly revolves around one person, Macbeth. Although other outside conflicts influenced Macbeth to start his killing spree, most of the killings are committed by Macbeth. The witches and Lady Macbeth were the ones who helped pushed him along his self-destruction path, but ultimately Macbeth decided to carry out the evil deed of murdering Duncan by himself. Macbeth’s meeting with the three witches is what first incites the disaster when they tell him that he is to be the Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. Macbeth is surprised by this news and wants to hear more. Macbeth writing to his wife about his encounter with the witches also proved to be a mistake because she became ambitious about Macbeth becoming king and she becoming queen. Macbeth had outside influences involved in the death of Duncan, but the other deaths in the play are caused only by Macbeth. Macbeth was also responsible for the deaths of Duncan’s guards when he said â€Å"O, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them.† (A2, S3, 100-101) He had no reason for killing them but his rage enabled him to be irrational. When Macbeth became suspicious about Banquo knowing that he had killed Duncan, Macbeth ordered him and his son Fleance to be killed. Banquo was killed and Fleance escaped, which upheld the witch’s prophesy that Banquo’s future would not be happy and that his offspring would be kings. Macbeth showed his true evil when he ordered Banquo and his son to be killed. It showed that he had the ambition to act in a way that would protect his lust for power by retaining the throne of Scotland. When Macduff fled to England, Macbeth ordered that

Alcohol and World Health/Hunger

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and possibly one of the oldest known drugs. In America today, it is considered the number 1 drug problem.Over $90 billion is spent yearly by Americans on alcohol.   At least $100 million cost of health care and productivity loss affects the country's economy each year. According to statistics, there are more than 15 million alcohol-dependent Americans and half a million of this figure belongs to the age bracket of 9-12Ethyl alcohol or ethanol is the major psychoactive component in alcoholic beverages.   It is produced through the fermentation of sugar by yeast. The percentage of alcohol present in alcoholic beverages varies. Beer has 4-6% alcohol, wine has 7-15% alcohol, champagne has 8-14% alcohol, and distilled spirits have 40-95% alcohol (www.chemcases.com).Due to its small size, molecules of alcohol are quickly absorbed by the intestines. It is also soluble in lipids and water solutions and it gets to the bloodstream easily and t ravels throughout the human body affecting almost all of the tissues.Consumption of alcohol at moderate and high amounts impairs the functions of the central nervous system, acting on the spinal cord, reticular formation, on a number of neurotransmitter systems, and on the cerebellum and cerebral complex. The gravity of the impairment is dependent on the level of alcohol in the blood.Alcohol has short-term and long-term effects. These effects are influenced by various factors such as gender, age, amount of food taken, physical condition and other drugs taken.Alcohol radically impairs the judgment and coordination necessary to drive a car, even if it is taken at a small quantity. Moderate amount of alcohol can cause talkativeness and dizziness. Incidence of hostile acts like child abuse and domestic violence are also blamed to alcohol. Intake of larger amount of alcohol causes immediate nausea and vomiting, disturbed sleep, and slurred speech. Hangover – headache, dizziness, t hirst, and fatigue – is also another effect of alcohol taken in large amounts.The following illnesses are associated with long-term excessive alcohol consumption: high blood pressure and stroke, heart damage, cancers of the digestive system, liver damage, increasing risk of breast cancer, sexual impotence and reduced fertility, brain damage with mood personality changes, sleeping difficulties, and concentration and memory problems   (www.dassa.sa.gov.au).Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is another major consequence of heavy and prolonged use of alcohol. This is a chronic disease from which a person craves for alcohol.Despite the negative consequences that alcohol causes them, like marital problems, medical diseases, vehicular accidents, or loss of job, alcoholics cannot control their drinking.These persons are also unable to stop drinking once started and they become physically dependent on it.   Sudden cessation from a long period of excessive alcohol intake results to w ithdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, nausea, tremors, sweating, convulsions and hallucinations. Alcoholics also develop a higher alcohol tolerance, that in order to reach intoxication, they need to drink in progressive amounts.The prevalence of alcohol dependence is global and affects almost every aspects of the society. According to statistics, alcohol-dependent persons belong to homemakers, successful businessmen, laborers, skilled mechanics, and even church goers.There are roughly 76 million people around the world who suffers from alcohol-related diseases. In the United States alone, more or less 15% of the population is suffering from alcohol-related problems. . It is to be noted that America is not yet in the list of the top 10 alcohol consuming countries: 1. Portugal, 2. Luxembourg, 3.) France, 4.) Hungary, 5.) Spain, 6.) Czech Republic, 7.) Denmark, 8.) Germany, 9.) Austria, and 10.) Switzerland (www.potsdam.edu).Alcohol-related health issue is a worldwide concern. One major factor is the availability and legality of alcohol in almost every country. Despite its known health consequences, alcohol is readily available in almost every groceries and restaurants all around the world. Everyone has access to it, even the minors.In Russia, alcohol dependence is significantly prevalent. Almost more than 30% of the country’s deaths are alcohol abuse-related, directly and indirectly. The effort of the government to control alcohol manufacturing seems futile due to the widespread black market for liquor created by the locals.Countries, such as Japan, drinking is considered a requirement in business transactions, it is a mark of company loyalty. Refusing to accept a drink is regarded as an insult, especially if asked by the superior. Alcohol, not being regarded as a drug, is not of a moral issue in this country. In Tokyo alone, there are about 15,000 bars which employees considered their office extensions.The availability of alcohol is at a high rat e with the vending machines dispensing sake and beer all over the country. Currently, there are more than 3 million alcohol dependent Japanese.

Case Study Analysis of an employee Essay

This case study for student analysis will look at an employee of ABC, Inc., Carl Robins, the new recruiter of only six months and his struggle to hold orientation for fifteen new hires. There are various factors that play a part of why Carl struggles to meet the promised deadline that is fast approaching. This analysis will focus on time management, job performance, and company organizational issues that are key problems with how Carl is performing his job, but will also look at how ABC, Inc. management team play is playing a part in Carl’s struggle to meet his deadline. This analysis will show alternative solutions, a proposed solution, and a recommendation that will prevent future struggles for Carl and all other employees at ABC, Incorporated. Carl Robins is the new recruiter for ABC, Inc. Carl has been in his new position for six months now. In the six month timeframe, Carl has successfully hired fifteen new trainees. Now that the trainees are hired, Carl’s next obj ective is to hold an orientation on June 15th at one time for all fifteen new hires. The orientation date is to ensure Carl will have all the new hires ready to start working by July for the Operations Manager, Monica Carrolls. On May 15th Carl is contacted by Monica Carrolls to discuss with Carl everything needed for the new hires to begin orientation; the training schedule, manuals, policy booklets, physicals, drug test, and other things. Two weeks later, Carl decides to go over the trainee files and realizes some trainees’ paperwork are incomplete and missing. All of the new hires still need to take a mandatory drug screen test. During this time, Carl becomes aware that he does not have enough copies of the orientation manuals and on top of that, there is not one complete orientation manual to make copies. Lastly, Carl checks out the training room he book earlier in the month and finds Joe, from technology services, is setting up computer terminals for training seminars for the entire month of June. Carl will need to find a new place to hold orientation. Ca rl is panicking and does not know how to proceed at this point. (University of Phoenix, 2014) There are numerous key problems to focus on with Carl as well as with ABC, Inc. Starting with Carl, some of  the key problems Carl is having includes his apparent lack of time management. Carl is also having organizational and communication issues. Carl insufficient knowledge of how to apply these skills are playing a huge factor in Carl’s struggle to be prepared and ready for orientations on June 15th. Carl also appears to have insufficient knowledge about his position and what his responsibilities requires of him daily to meet his scheduled orientation and promised deadline to have all the new hires working by July. Looking at Carl’s timeline, he hires the new trainees in the beginning of April. Carl knows he has a little over two months before orientation is scheduled will be held for the new hires. On May 15th Carl receives a call from Monica, the Operations Manager, to go over the needs for orientation to be successful. It appears that Carl does nothing for over a month in regards to checking on the status of each new hire. What is Carl doing in this timeframe needs to be investigated. Carl waits until two weeks before the scheduled orientation to finally check on the trainees’ files. It seems there is no communication between Carl and Human Resources at all. Carl should be in contact with Human Recourses about the status of each new hires paperwork and on a consistent basis. It would appear that Carl is not doing his job efficiently. ABC, Inc. has some underlying key problems that have contribute a great deal to Carl’s struggle to meet the scheduled orientation date. ABC, Inc. has failed to support Carl in his new position. There is a lack of supervision to help guide Carl. ABC, Inc. also shows there is an apparent breakdown in communication between its employees. Human Resources must not now about the orientation date for the new hires and therefore seems to be taking their time in getting all the paperwork in for each new hire. Another communication breakdown is the situation about Joe and Carl both being able to book the training room to use on June 15th. There are many alternative solutions for Carl to successfully meet his orientation deadline of June 15th and have the new trainees ready to start work for the Operations Manager by July. Carl should contact Monica Carrolls, the Operations Manager, and find out if there is anyone in the company who would be able to help assist him with getting everything in order for orientation. If there is no one in the company available to help Carl at this time, then Carl needs to find out if he has the authority to hire an outside source, if he does not, then wh o does? Time is of the  essence to have everything competed for orientation. This person will help assist Carl in completing the following tasks; contacting each new hire to schedule a drug test, make sure all necessary documents are completed, turned in, find someone in the company who has a complete orientation manual, make copies, and find a new place to have orientation. Carl is new and this his 1st recruitment orientation, he should be held responsible to check in with the Operations Manager or whoever is Carl’s Manager and give them a daily report of what he has accomplished each day and what is left to still be accomplished to meet the orientation date. All of these solutions are a Band-Aid and will aid in Carl successfully holding orientation. However, they are not solutions for the root of the problems facing ABC, Inc. Even though the struggle focuses on Carl Robins and his inability to do his job correctly, the proposed solution is directed towards ABC, Incorporated Management Team. The Management Team should be held responsible. Carl Robins is new to the company. It is apparent that Carl’s lack of experience and work history is not matched up properly for the position of recruiter. Carl clearly does not understand what it takes for him to hold successfully orientation on June 15th. Carl is going blindly about his job responsibilities without a clear understanding of time restraints for each task he needs to perform. There should be supervision over Carl on a daily basis due to this being his 1st recruitment orientation assignment. ABC, Inc. Management Team should put into place a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for each position in the company. Clearly outlining each position and it responsibilities as well as including a flow chart showing who each position reports to. At this time, it is recommended that ABC, Inc. have each and every employee attend a several work seminars. It would be best for the company to start with a seminar that will focus on learning how to communicate well with each other inside the company, how to speak up about company problems and ask for help, and learn how to work together as a team unit. A time management seminar is highly suggested and would be of great help to the company as well. Each employee should learn time management skills, how to manage their time, their workflow, and how to prioritize their job responsibilities. Another recommendation, department mangers take a seminar about being team leaders. They need to understand what exactly their employees are doing in their daily routines. Department  managers are strongly encouraged to meet with each employee and have a one on one meeting. The meeting should target each manager finding out how the employee feels about their position, what they feel the pros and cons are for their position, and if the employee have any struggles in their position that need attention. These seminars and personal one on one attention with the employees will give tools for each employee to use in becoming successful in their positions and the company as a whole. It will also boost employee morale and would be a great gesture on the company’s behalf to show the employees that the company values them, is willing to investing time in each one of them, and you care about them. In return, the company should see significant improvement in time management and communication. References Case Study for Student Analysis, University of Phoenix, 2014