Argot Definition and Examples

Argot Definition and Examples Argot is a specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular social class or group, especially one that functions outside the law. Also called cant and cryptolect. French novelist Victor Hugo observed that argot is subject to perpetual transformation- a secret and rapid work which ever goes on. It makes more progress in ten years than the regular language in ten centuries (Les Misà ©rables, 1862). ESL specialist Sara Fuchs notes that argot is both cryptic and playful in nature and it is . . . particularly rich in vocabulary referring to drugs, crime, sexuality, money, the police, and other authority figures (Verlan, lenvers, 2015). Etymology From the French, origin unknown Examples and Observations The Argot of the RacetrackThe argot of the racetrack is responsible for piker small town gambler, ringer illegally substituted horse, shoo-in fixed race, easy win, and others.(Connie C. Eble, Slang Sociability. UNC Press, 1996)The Argot of PrisonersPrison argot, originally defined as the jargon of thieves, is a particular form of slang (Einat 2005)- in some circumstances, a complete language- capable of describing the world from the perspective of the prison. It has been argued that prisoners live, think, and function within the framework defined by the argot (Encinas 2001), whose vocabulary may supply alternative names for objects, psychological states of minds, personnel roles, situations and the activities of prison life. Experienced inmates use argot fluently and can switch between regular names and their argot counterparts, and the degree of familiarity with argot is an important symbol of group membership among prison inmates (Einat 2005).(Ben Crewe and Tomer Einat, Argot (Pri son).Dictionary of Prisons and Punishment, ed. by Yvonne Jewkes and Jamie Bennett. Willan, 2008) The Argot of Pool PlayersThe poolroom hustler makes his living by betting against his opponents in different types of pool or billiard games, and as part of the playing and betting process he engages in various deceitful practices. The terms hustler for such a practice and hustling for his occupation have been in poolroom argot for decades, antedating their application to prostitutes.Like all other American deviant argots I know of, [hustlers argot] also reveals numerous facets that testify against a secrecy interpretation. Some examples: (1) Hustlers always use their argot among themselves when no outsiders are present, where it could not possibly have a secretive purpose. (2) The argot itself is not protected but is an open secret, i.e., its meanings are quite easily learned by any outsider who wishes to learn them and is an alert listener or questioner. (3) The argot is elaborated far beyond any conceivable need to develop a set of terms for deviant phenomena, and even far beyond any need to develop a full-scale technical vocabulary . . ..(Ned Polsky, Hustlers, Beats, and Others. Aldine, 2006) The Argot of Card PlayersA cardsharp who is out to cheat you may be dealing from the bottom of the deck and giving you a fast shuffle, in which case you may get lost in the shuffle. You might call such a low-down skunk a four-flusher. Flush, a hand of five cards all of one suit, flows from the Latin fluxus because all the cards flow together. Four-flusher characterizes a poker player who pretends to such good fortune but in fact holds a worthless hand of four same-suit cards and one that doesnt match.All of these terms originated with poker and other betting card games and have undergone a process that linguists call broadening. A good example of movement from one specific argot to another is wild card berth or wild card player as used in football and tennis. In these sports, a team hopes for back-to-back victories- from a fortuitous ace-down-ace-up as the first two cards in a game of five-card stud.(Richard Lederer, A Man of My Words. Macmillan, 2003)The Lighter Side of ArgotA strea k of humour runs through the traditional argot. Prisons were often described as schools, as in the contemporary College of Correction, and the hulks used to accommodate prisoners were the floating academies. Brothels were convents or nunneries, the prostitutes who worked in them were nuns, and the madam was an abbess.(Barry J. Blake, Secret Language. Oxford University Press, 2010) Pronunciation: ARE-go or ARE-get

10 Fascinating Facts About Stink Bugs

10 Fascinating Facts About Stink Bugs Stink bugs arent particularly beloved bugs, but that doesnt mean they arent interesting insects. Take a few minutes to learn more about their natural history and unusual behaviors, and see if you agree. Here are 10 fascinating facts about stink bugs. 1.Stink bugs do, indeed, stink. Yes, its true, stink bugs stink. When a stink bug feels threatened, it releases a pungent substance from special glands on its last thoracic segment, repelling nearly any predator that has a sense of smell (or functioning chemoreceptors). If you want a demonstration of this insects infamous skill, give a stink bug a gentle squeeze between your fingers, holding it along its sides. Before you condemn stink bugs for their pungent habit, you should know that all kinds of insects put up a stink when disturbed, including those well-loved ladybugs. 2.Some stink bugs help control pests. Though most stink bugs are plant feeders and many are significant agricultural pests, not all stink bugs are bad. Stink bugs in the subfamily Asopinae are predators of other insects, and play an important role in keeping plant pests under control. The spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris) is easy to identify thanks to the prominent points or spines extending from its shoulders. Welcome this beneficial predator into your garden, where it will feed on leaf beetle larvae, caterpillars, and other problem pests. 3.Stink bugs are really bugs. Taxonomically speaking, that is. The word bug is often used as a nickname for insects in general, and even for non-insect arthropods like spiders, centipedes, and millipedes. But any entomologist will tell you that the term bug actually refers to members of a specific order or group of insects – the Order Hemiptera. These insects are properly known as true bugs, and the group includes all manner of bugs, from bed bugs to plant bugs to stink bugs. 4.Some stink bug mothers (and a few fathers) guard their young. Some species of stink bugs exhibit parental care of their offspring. The stink bug mother will stand guard over her cluster of eggs, aggressively defending them from predators and acting as a shield to dissuade parasitic wasps from attempting to lay eggs in them. Shell usually stick around after her nymphs hatch, too, at least for the first instar. A recent study noted two stink bug species in which the fathers guarded the eggs, a decidedly unusual behavior for male insects. 5.Stink bugs belong to the family Pentatomidae, meaning five parts. William Elford Leach chose the name Pentatomidae for the stink bug family in 1815. The word derives from the Greek pente, meaning five, and tomos, meaning sections or cuttings. Theres some disagreement today about whether Leach was referring to the stink bugs 5-segmented antennae, or to the 5 sides of its shield-shaped body. But whether or not we know Leachs original intent, you now know two of the traits that will help you identify a stink bug. 6.A stink bugs worst enemy is a tiny, parasitic wasp. Though stink bugs are fairly good at repelling predators with the sheer force of their stink, this defensive strategy doesnt do much good when it comes to deterring parasitic wasps. There are all kinds of teeny wasps that love to lay their eggs in stink bug eggs. The wasp young parasitize the stink bug eggs, which never hatch. A single adult wasp can parasitize several hundred stink bug eggs. Studies show that egg mortality can reach well over 80% when egg parasitoids are present. The good news (for farmers, not for stink bugs) is that parasitic wasps can be used as effective biocontrols for pest stink bug species. 7.Stink bug sex isnt particularly romantic. Stink bug males arent the most romantic blokes. A courting stink bug male will touch the female with his antennae, working his way to her nether end. Sometimes, hell head butt her a little to get her attention. If shes willing, shell lift her hind end a bit to show her interest. If she isnt receptive to his overture, the male may use his head to push her bum up, but he risks being kicked in the head if she really doesnt like him. Stink bug mating occurs in an end-to-end position, and can last for hours. During this time, the female often drags the male around behind her as she continues to feed. 8.Some stink bugs are brilliantly colored. While many stink bugs are masters of disguise camouflaged in shades of green or brown, many some bugs are quite flamboyant and showy. If you love to photograph colorful insects, look for the harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) in its vibrant orange, black, and white costume. Another beauty is the two-spotted stink bug (Perillus bioculatus), wearing the familiar red and black warning colors with unusual flair. For a subtler but equally stunning specimen, try a red-shouldered stink bug (Thyanta spp.), with its faint rosy stripe along the top of the scutellum. 9.Young stink bugs suck on their eggshells after hatching. When they first hatch from their barrel-shaped eggs, stink bug nymphs remain huddled together around the broken eggshells. Scientists believe these first instar nymphs suck on secretions on the eggshells to acquire needed gut symbionts. A study of this behavior in the Japanese common plataspid stinkbug (Megacopta punctatissima) revealed that these symbionts affect nymph behavior. Young stink bugs that didnt get adequate symbionts after hatching tended to wander away from the group. 10.Stink bug nymphs are gregarious (at first). Stink bug nymphs usually remain gregarious for a short period of time after hatching, as they begin to feed and molt. You can still find third instar nymphs hanging out together on their favorite host plant, but by the fourth instar, they usually disperse. Sources Stink Bugs, by Blake Newton, University of Kentucky Entomology Department. Accessed online February 6, 2015.Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, by Eric R. Eaton and Kenn Kaufman.Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera.First cases of exclusive paternal care in stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), by Gustavo S. Requena, Tais M. Nazareth, Cristiano F. Schwertner, and Glauco Machado, Zoologi, December 2010. Accessed online February 6, 2015.Stink Bug Egg Parasitoids, by Blake Layton and Scott Stewart, University of Tennessee   Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Accessed online February 10, 2015.Symbiont acquisition alters behaviour of stinkbug nymphs, by Takahiro Hosokawa , Yoshitomo Kikuchi , Masakazu Shimada , Takema Fukatsu, Biology Letters, February 23, 2008. Accessed online February 10, 2015.Stink Bugs of Economic Importance in America North of Mexico, by J. E. McPherson and Robert McPherson.

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Research - Essay Example In 2000, for the first time a food product was recalled because of its genetically modified ingredients by Taco Bell brand. The recall occurred not because of some imminent danger to human life, but because it has not been approved by government bureaucrats at the USDA. The media attention surrounding the recall castigated Taco Bell for endangering lives, and seized the opportunity to condemn all genetically modified foods. They did this despite the fact that many genetically modified foods are already approved by government agencies entrusted with â€Å"protecting† the American people from food producing corporations (Fulmer). Nevertheless, there is little to be â€Å"protected† from in this case: genetically modified foods offer a wealth of benefits, in spite of their damaged reputation. Arguments that we frequently hear against the use and consumption of genetically modified foods are based on commitments to overly sentimental appeals to nature and related fallacies. The term â€Å"genetically modified food† or â€Å"genetically modified organism† often vaguely refers to a bioengineered crop plant grown and harvested for consumption by humans or animals. Products that might be classified as GMOs are developed in laboratories to augment desired traits as they are expressed in the plant’s phenotypes (Whitman). Traits that farmers and scientists will likely select for include a higher nutritional content, a stronger resistance to herbicides, a stronger resistance to harsh environmental conditions, and a longer shelf life. These traits allow (1) the farmer to produce a better yield and therefore bring more of his product to the marketplace, and (2) provide a better quality product that (a) tastes better and (b) is healthier. Genetic engineering allows the scientist to select a desired trait very rapidly, and transplant an advantageous gene from one plant to another. This conception of the genetically

The qualitative characteristics of financial report preparation Essay

The qualitative characteristics of financial report preparation - Essay Example This essay discusses that qualitative characteristics influence the financial information’s effect. The users of the financial information rely on the qualitative characteristics of the financial statements for their decision making activities. The creditors use the financial statements as one of the tools for deciding whether to grant loans or credit terms to the credit applicant. Financial statement indicating the company generated a profit trend for the past two years will persuade the creditors to grant the loans or credit applications. The net profit portion of the financial statements indicates the company will be able to pay its maturing loan and credit obligations on time. On the other hand, the creditors will be discouraged to approve the credit or loan application of a company having a net loss financial picture. The net loss financial picture indicates a strong probability that the company may close shop in the next few years. The credit or loan applicant may not be able to comply with its duty to pay its loans or credits when the maturity dates crop up. In addition, the customers use the financial statements as one of the major tools for deciding whether to grant loans or credit terms to the credit applicant. The customers use the financial statements to determine if the company will stay long enough to supply their wants, needs, and caprices. A financial statement indicating a loss will persuade the client to start looking for other competitor suppliers. A net loss figure creates an impression on the minds of the customers that the company may not qualify as a going concern entity. A net profit ensures the customers that the company will provide the clients’ needs. Furthermore, the managers use the financial statements as one of the major tools for benchmarking their performance. The managers will have a passing performance grade if the financial statements indicate the company generated net profits during the past year or years of su pplying the needs of its clients. On the other hand, the manager will receive a failing performance grade if the financial statements indicate the company generated a net loss for the past year or years of service. The managers need financial statements that obey with the qualitative characteristics standard. Also, the current and prospective investors use the financial statements as one of the major tools for deciding whether to grant loans or credit terms to the credit applicant. The current and prospective investors will be encouraged to invest their hard earned cash in the company, if the financial statements indicate the company generated profits for the past year or years of service. On the other hand, the current and prospective investors will be discouraged to invest in a company that generated a trend of net loss for the past year or years of operation. The current and prospective investors need financial statements that comply with the qualitative characteristics standard. Based on the above discussion, the entities must resolve the threshold quality of materialityiv. Materiality is not easy to define and can be misunderstood. The financial information is material if the omission or misstatement could influence the economic decisions of the financial sta

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Essay Example for Free

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Essay On April 20, 2010 a catastrophic explosion on the Deepwater Horizon off shore drilling platform caused the largest single release to the environment due to oil drilling. This explosion killed 11 workers and injured 17. This oil spill is very controversial because it can be questioned if this spill could have been prevented and what exactly went wrong. There is much debate on who is to blame, what could have been done to prevent it and who is going to pay for all the damage. Many are not happy with the settlement BP is signing that will keep them from further criminal prosecution if they agree to pay the settlement amount. Paying retribution is fine, but what about the future damaging effects that we have no way of even knowing about now. Who will take care of that? These are some of the basic questions people are asking about this case and my responses. What can this accident teach us? This accident should teach us all that there is a great responsibility taken on when you go into the earth and try to harvest chemical products that have potential for negative effects on human welfare and health. The government needs to be in charge of regulating these activities to preserve the future of our environment. Had you been in charge of granting permit for this, what measures would you have prescribed to prevent or mitigate the impacts of such an accident? Policies need to be in place that ensures that properly trained personnel are on site at all times to ensure the safety of the drilling process. Only experienced personnel could properly react to an emergency and possibly be able to mitigate further damage. Knowledge and experience are required to recognize potential hazards in time and prevent even bigger negative effects. BP engineers were supposedly aware of variations in the pressure prior to the explosion. These engineers probably did not have the authority to request work be stopped so further inspections could be made. Politics involved with the money at stake sometimes lead to dangerous decisions. If someone with the knowledge and authority to make an executive decision was there, this tragedy could possibly have been avoided. If you were in a policy making forum, what national or international policy measures would you recommend for reducing long term risk from off-shore drilling. I think the policies on long term risk from off-shore drilling accidents could be addressed by building some kind of boundary wall to contain the drill site, even if there was not a spill. Just the act of drilling is releasing some form of contamination and if that contamination could be contained before it gets incorporated into the entire different city/ country’s water supply it would be a great benefit to prevent long term effects of oil contamination. International policies need to be in effect that maintain the same standards across the board. If one country has low standards and takes in the contaminated water†¦ they will then be releasing it into the environment and the contamination will still affect neighboring countries/cities that may have stricter standards. If I was involved in any type of policymaking forum, I would try to get policy passed that had strict policies regarding quality control practices regarding the technology being used to drill for the oil and the equipment maintenance. Increased testing of drilling equipment during and between drilling process, not just at the start stage. Sometimes equipment fails during use and quality measures need to be in place to make frequent inspections. What changes would you require in terms of ethical conduct by regulators? Regulators need to not be financially involved with projects the are legislating. This is a huge ethical problem because kickbacks and donations often lead to favorable legislations in favor of the party standing to gain and not for the best interest of the public. To what degree may politics have clouded judgment and influenced decisions that where made? Relaxed government regulation was probably made because the government in efforts to promote business, made acquisitions that were dangerous and costly to the environment in the long run.

The Life And Great Works Of John Updike :: essays research papers

The Life and Great works of John Updike   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An American novelist, short story writer and a poet, John Updike was a country boy with a great talent that needed to be unleashed. He wrote many novels and won many awards; his best works did involve the novels that told the story of a man’s life. The best-known and most widely analyzed work, John Updike wrote a great series of novels depicting a reoccurring theme of the life of a man, and his dream to have his high school wonders once again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Updike was born on March 18, 1932 in Pennsylvania, outside of the big city and into the countryside. His parents were Wesley Russell Updike, his father, and Linda Grace (Hoyer) Updike, his mother. They raised John with great care and with great ambition to succeed in the harsh world. During his young life many things were taking place that would bring the American Society to a great fall; it was hard for a young American writer in the 1940’s and 50’s. Updike’s schooling was like any typical family, not any kind of high-class private school, just a normal kid. He attended public schools in Shillington in 1936, and he graduates all his schooling, of the public school system, in 1950. Updike was class president, and graduated as co-valedictorian. After grade school he attended one of the greatest colleges in the United States, Harvard University. His   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plemons 2 writing was weak during grade school, but his great pieces came his senior year at Harvard. He became editor for the Harvard Lampoon, which is the school’s newspaper. With this under his belt for experience, Updike graduates from Harvard as the â€Å"Summa Cum Laude,† that which is a great honor for him. Now entering the working world, Updike starts a new job in New York; he is employed at The New Yorker, as an article writer/reporter in 1955. During his time at the news-printing place, he writes many short stories and some novels. Soon after, two years later to be exact, he starts to become a full-time writer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Updike and his wife, Mary E. Pennington daughter of Rev. Leslie T. Pennington and Elizabeth Daniels Pennington, decide to have a family. Their first child came in the year of 1955, it was a girl and Mary named her after her late mother, Elizabeth. Updike, being a man wanted a boy to carry the father’s name so, two years later, January 19, 1957, they have a baby boy; they named him, David.

Human Resource Management and Nestle

Project Report of SHRM On Nestle Topic: Study of SHRM at Nestle Table of Contents 1 S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Description Introduction to Company Mission, Vision & Goals of Company SWOT Analysis of the Company SHRM at Nestle Impact of Recession on Nestle Changing role of HR at Nestle VRIO Analysis and 5P’s approach HR Strategies that company should follow Page No. 3-5 6-7 8-10 11-21 22-23 24-25 26-29 30 1. Introduction of the company 2 Nestle is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company. The company employs more than 280,000 people and has 456 factories in 84 countries. Nestle products are sold in almost every country in the world. Founded in 1866 in Vevey, Switzerland, where it is still based, Nestle has often been called â€Å"the multinational among multinationals†. Only about 1. 5 percent of its sales are generated in its home country, and all but 12 of its factories are situated abroad. The CEO is Paul Bulcke, and the General Management includes a Belgian, two Canadians, one Dutch, a Frenchman, a German, a South African/British, three Spaniards, one Swiss, one American and a SwissAmerican. Nestle is a truly public company with over 250,000 shareholders of which around one third are Swiss. No single shareholder owns more than 3% of the stock. US investors, who, together, hold over 30% of the capital, can purchase ADRs through a sponsored program. As the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company, Nestle is the worldwide leader in product categories such as soluble coffee, infant nutrition, bottled water, condensed and evaporated milk, ice cream, as well as chocolate and malt drinks, and culinary. The Group is also a co-leader in pet care. The Company is committed to delivering shareholder value through sustainable, capital efficient and profitable long-term growth. Over the past years it has concentrated on furthering organic growth and performance improvement HISTORY OF NESTLE Nestle was the result of a series of mergers of many small companies. In the mid-1860s, Henri Nestle, merchant, chemist and innovator, experimented with various combinations of cow’s milk, wheat flour and sugar. The resulting product was meant to be a source of nutrition for infants, who could not be breast-fed by their mothers. In 1867, his formula saved the life of a prematurely born infant. Later that year, production of the formula, named Farine Lactee Nestle, began in Vevey and the Nestle Company was formed. Henri Nestle wanted to develop his own brands and decided to avoid the easier route of becoming a private label. Henri also wanted to make his company global. Within a few months of the launch, Henri began to sell his products in many European countries. In the company’s initial years, Henri took various steps to facilitate research, improve product quality and develop new products. Meanwhile in 1866, two Americans, Charles and George Page had founded the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. The company launched a milk based infant food, which competed with Nestle’s products. In 1875, Daniel Peter, a friend and neighbor of Henri developed milk chocolate. Peter became the world’s leading chocolate maker, and later merged his company 3 with Nestle. The rivalry between Nestle and the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company intensified but ended in 1905, when the two companies merged under the Nestle banner. World War I created a new demand for dairy products. Nestle grew mainly by executing government contracts. The end of the war created a crisis for the company as people started using fresh milk again, instead of condensed and powdered milk. In 1921, Nestle recorded its first loss, which was partly due to the worldwide postwar economic slowdown. Louis Dapples, a Swiss banking expert restructured the company, streamling its operations and reducing the debt burden. In 1930, the Brazilian Coffee Institute approached Dapples, seeking new products. After eight years of research Nestle developed a soluble powder that revolutionized coffee drinking around the world. The product was launched under the brand name Nescafe and became an instant success. The onset of World War II speeded up the introduction of Nescafe. The beverage also became a popular drink among American servicemen in Europe and Asia. The end of World War II triggered off a new phase of growth for Nestle. Many new products were added as the company grew through acquisitions. After 1974, Nestle’s financial position deteriorated. Oil prices rose and growth in industrialized nations slowed down. The Swiss franc appreciated and the price of coffee beans and cocoa shot up. This situation was partially offset by Nestle’s rapid growth in emerging markets. In 1981, Helmut Maucher took over as CEO. His policies had a significant impact on Nestle’s style of functioning. Maucher pursued a two-pronged strategy to improve the company’s financial situation: First he embarked on internal restructuring and divestments; second he decided to continue with strategic acquisitions. Between 1980 and 1984, he divested a number of non-strategic or unprofitable businesses, amounting to nearly SFr8 bn. The divestments included certain food products that were not consistent with Nestle’s emphasis on high value added segments. To improve the company’s financial situation, he embarked on a cost-cutting exercise. While the employee strength was reduced significantly, the inventory and outstanding debt were brought down. In 1990, Nestle formed a joint venture with General Mills called Cereal Partners Worldwide to promote Nestle breakfast cereals. It covered 70 countries accounting for about 75 per cent of the breakfast cereal consumption outside the US and Canada. Nestle also formed a joint venture with Coca-Cola, called the Coca-Cola Nestle Refreshment Company, to market tea and coffee-based ready-to-drink beverages under the Nestea and Nescafe brands. In 1996, Nestle decided to end its 50-50 Clinic Nutrition joint venture with Baxter Healthcare and established Nestle Clinical Nutrition to provide orally consumed nutrition products to hospitals and nursing homes. Nestle opened the 20th century by merging with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company to broaden its product range and widen its geographical scope. In the new millennium, Nestle is the undisputed leader in the food industry, with more than 470 factories around the world. Nestle 4 launched a Group-wide initiative called GLOBE (Global Business Excellence), aimed at harmonizing and simplifying business process architecture; enabling Nestle to realize the advantages of a global leader while minimizing the drawbacks of size. The Company’s strategy will continue to be guided by several fundamental principles. Nestle’s existing products will grow through innovation and renovation while maintaining a balance in geographic activities and product lines. Long-term potential will never be sacrificed for shortterm performance. The Company’s priority will be to bring the best and most relevant products to people, wherever they are, whatever their needs, throughout their lives. 2. Mission, Vision and Goals of Nestle VISION OF NESTLE â€Å"Nestle’s aim is to meet the various needs of the consumer everyday by marketing and selling foods of a consistently high quality. † MISSION OF NESTLE 5 We strive to bring consumers foods that are safe, of high quality and provide optimal nutrient to meet physiological needs. Nestle helps provide selections for all individual taste and lifestyle preferences. † BUSINESS OBJECTIVES OF NESTLE†¢ Nestle’s business objective is to manufacture and market the Company’s products in such a way as to create value that can be sustained over the long term for shareholders, employees, consumers, and business partners. †¢ Nestle does not favor short-term profit at the expense of successful long-term business development. Nestle recognizes that its consumers have a sincere and legitimate interest in the behavior, beliefs and actions of the Company behind brands in which they place their trust and that without its consumers the Company would not exist. †¢ Nestle believes that, as a general rule, legislation is the most effective safeguard of responsible conduct, although in certain areas, additional guidance to staff in the form of voluntary business principles is beneficial in order to ensure that the highest standards are met throughout the organization. Nestle is conscious of the fact that the success of a orporation is a reflection of the professionalism, conduct and the responsible attitude of its management and employees. Therefore recruitment of the right people and ongoing training and de velopment are crucial. †¢ CORE VALUES †¢ A prerequisite for dealing with people is respect and trust. †¢ Transparency and honesty in dealing with people are a sine qua non for efficient communication. This is complemented by open dialogue with the purpose of sharing competencies and boosting creativity. †¢ †¢ To communicate is not only to inform; it is also to listen and to engage in dialogue. The willingness to cooperate, to help others and to learn is a required basis for advancement and promotion within our company. 3. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS †¢ Parent support – Nestle India has a strong support from its parent company, which is the world’s largest processed food and beverage company, with a presence in almost every 6 country. The company has access to the parent’s hugely successful global folio of products and brands. †¢ Brand strength – In India, Nestle has some very strong brands like Nescafe, Maggi and Cerelac. These brands are almost generic to their product categories. Product innovation – The Company has been continuously introducing new products for its Indian patrons on a frequent basis, thus expanding its product offerings. Operated factories in 77 countries (all six continents), a truly global company. Considered the innovation leader in the global food and nutrition sector(3500 scientist in company R&D network) Low cost operators (beat the competition by producing low cost products, edging ahead with low operating costs) Offering thousands of local products. Have a great CEO, Peter Brabeck, and a very strong workforce. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ WEAKNESSES †¢ Exports – The company’s exports stood at Rs 2,571 m at the end of 2003 (11% of revenues) and continue to grow at a decent pace. But a major portion of this comprises of Coffee (around 67% of the exports were that of Nescafe instant to Russia). This constitutes a big chunk of the total exports to a single location. Historically, Russia has been a very volatile market for Nestle, and its overall performance takes a hit often due to this factor. Supply chain – The Company has a complex supply chain management and the main issue for Nestle India is traceability. The food industry requires high standards of hygiene, quality of edible inputs and personnel. The fragmented nature of the Indian market place complicates things more. Some of their product were positioned as too scientific, and consumers didn’t quite understand (i. e. LC-1 was a food and not a drug) †¢ †¢ OPPORTUNITIES 7 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Expansion – The Company has the potential to expand to smaller towns and other geographies. Existing markets are not fully tapped and the company can increase presence by penetrating further. With India's demographic profile changing in favor of the consuming class, the per capita consumption of most FMCG products is likely to grow. Nestle will have the inherent advantage of this trend. Product offerings – The Company has the option to expand its product folio by introducing more brands which its parents are famed for like breakfast cereals, Smarties Chocolates, Carnation, etc. Global hub – Since manufacturing of some products is cheaper in India than in other South East Asian countries, Nestle India could become an export hub for the parent in certain product categories. Health-based products are becoming more popular in the world, including in the United States Unaffected by current economic conditions (its share of the UK confectionery market rise to 15. 6 per cent with a 0. 5 per cent growth this year) THREATS †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Competition – The Company faces immense competition from the organized as well as the unorganized sectors. Off late, to liberalize its trade and investment policies to enable the country to better function in the globalised economy, the Indian Government has reduced the import duty of food segments thus intensifying the battle. Changing consumer trends – Trend of increased consumer spends on consumer durables resulting in lower spending on FMCG products. In the past 2-3 years, the performance of the FMCG sector has been lackluster, despite the economy growing at a decent pace. Although, off late the situation has been improving, the dependence on monsoon is very high. Sectoral woes – Rising prices of raw materials and fuels, and inturn, increasing packaging and manufacturing costs. But the companies’ may not be able to pass on the full burden of these onto the customers. Some markets they are entering are already mature Global competitors. There are intense competitions in the United States, especially yogurt market (General Mills) 4. SHRM at Nestle NESTLE – A HUMAN COMPANY 8 Nestle is a human Company providing a response to individual human needs throughout the world with specific concern for the well-being of both its consumers and its employees. This is reflected in its attitude and its sense of responsibility towards people. Nestle aims to increase sales and profits but, at the same time, to raise the standard of living everywhere it is active and the quality of life for everyone. Nestle is also convinced that it is the people who form the strength of the Company and that nothing can be achieved without their commitment and their energy, which makes people its most important asset. Involvement of people at all levels starts with appropriate information on the Company’s activities and on the specific aspects of their work. Through open communication and active co-operation, everyone is invited to contribute to improvements enhancing Company results and personal development. Therefore, we can conclude that the models that Nestle follows are: – High Performance, – High Involvement & – High Commitment. NESTLE’S SPIRIT â€Å"Making Big Investments in People† At Nestle India we make big investment in people, they are our top priority. For us, our people are the key drivers for our success. Nestle India provides its employees a dynamic professional environment bound by one spirit,’ The Nestle Spirit' and that makes Nestle India a great place to work. Nestle India is a vibrant company enhancing the quality of life of its consumers by offering them world class food products driven by Nutrition, Health and Wellness. At Nestle India your integrity, professional skills and performance is what matters. We trust our people and believe in giving early responsibilities and encourage them to actively contribute to the log term sustainable growth of the business. At Nestle India we believe in building leaders who can take on challenges, innovate and write success stories. Nurturing starts from day one on the job. Business dynamics and need directed training programs offer employees with opportunities to acquire and develop desired functional, people management and decision making skills enabling success at work. 9 As we achieve milestone after milestones we invite you to be part of this exciting journey and assure you that the exposure and experience would be unparalleled. NESTLE’S CORPORATE LEVEL STRATEGIES †¢ Product’s growth through innovation and renovation (while maintaining a balance in geographic activities and product lines). Long-term potential Build business based on sound human values and principles. Long-term commitment to the health and well being of people in every country in the scope of their operations. Business should be conducted by adhering to the values and management principles of the organization. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGIES †¢ Low cost – less price transparency is followed. Differentiation – to reduce the risk of complexity of supply chain and lower attractiveness for discounters. †¢ COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Research and development (R&D), Its product range Global reach and 280,000-strong workforce FOUR GROWTH PLATFORMS †¢ †¢ †¢ Nutrition Emerging consumers Premium goods and 10 †¢ â€Å"Out-of-home† goods. ALIGNMENT OF BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND HR PRACTICES Nestle is a company whose HR strategies or practices are developed by keeping in mind the Business objectives of the company and the strategies devised to run the business. The HR strategies are always in alignment with the business goals. Nestle is unique in the sense that it has been able to successfully inculcate its business objective as well as its core values, consistently in its employees day-to-day activities starting from recruitment till continuous performance appraisals. Product’s Growth through innovation and renovation To increase the product growth i. . productivity human resource strategies are adopted such as flexible, dynamic employees are attracted, selected and then trained and motivated to be more productive than the competition. One case in point is the Kit Kat manufacturing plant in York England, under the managership of Ian Jobson and, ultimately, Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck. In 1998, Time magazine reports, it took 38 man-hours to produce a ton of chocolate. This year, using a combination of robotics, automated packaging, and production-line improvements, the forecast production time is 23 hours. This decrease in production time was feasible because of process innovation. Adherence to the values and management principles of the organization †¢ Respect for other cultures and traditions Nestle embraces cultural and social diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of origin, nationality, religion, race, gender or age. Furthermore, Nestle believes that its activities can only be of long-term benefit to the Company if they are at the same time beneficial to the local community. In short, global thinking and strategies can best be expressed through local action and commitment. Diversity From creating hundreds of the world’s leading brands to offering an amazing variety of career options to our employees, it’s clear that Nestle’s businesses are exceptionally diverse. So it should come as no surprise that Nestle values diversity in the people working them just as much as they have diversity in their products. 11 It’s Nestle’s policy to p rovide an environment where respect is shown to all individual employees and where employees are valued, recognised and rewarded on the basis of their talent and their contribution rather than any consideration of age, gender, race, sexuality, religion or disability. As an organisation, Nestle is opposed to any form of unfair discrimination and believe that an inclusive approach will be of maximum benefit to all our employees as well as our wider business goals and the society in which we live. This ethos can be summed up in the following statement: We believe that to succeed we must recruit and retain talented individuals and value and respect the differences each of those individuals brings with them. In addition, we have a strong ongoing commitment to developing policies, procedures and practices that will actively promote equality of opportunity and optimise the abilities of our workforce. Decisions relating to the recruitment, employment, training, progression, assessment and retention of our people will always be supported by these principles of equality of opportunity. †¢ Nestle’s Culture Nestle is committed to a number of cultural values. These values come partly from its Swiss roots and have been developed during its history. They are also evolving so as to support the permanent reshaping of the Company. They can be described as follows: o Commitment to a strong work ethic, integrity, honesty and quality. o Personal relations based on trust and mutual respect. This implies a sociable attitude towards others, combined with an ability to communicate openly and frankly. o A personalized and direct way of dealing with each other. This implies a high level of tolerance for other ideas and opinions, as well as a relentless commitment to co-operate proactively with others. Openness and curiosity for dynamic and future trends in technology, changes in consumer habits, new business ideas and opportunities, while maintaining respect for basic human values, attitudes and behavior. o Like, open and flexible culture is ensured by way of providing training programs to employees at all the levels. 2 TRAINING From the factory floor to the top management, training at Nestle is continuous. And because it is mainly given by Nestle people, it is always relevant to the professional life. Throughout the world, each country runs its own training programmes (e-Learning, classroom courses, and external courses). Nestle provides the followingo Literacy training-to upgrades essential literacy skills, especially for workers who operate new equipment. o Nestle Apprenticeship Programmes. o Local Training Programmes-on issues ranging from technical, leadership, and communication and business economics. This kind of culture is also supported by decentralized structure of Nestle: Nestle is as decentralized as possible, within the framework imposed by fundamental policy and strategy decisions requiring increasing flexibility. Operational efficiencies, as well as the group-wide need for alignment and people development, may also set limits to decentralization. Decentralization: Nestle recognizes that its consumers have a sincere and legitimate interest in the behaviour, beliefs and actions of the Company behind brands in which they place their trust and that without its consumers the Company would not exist. Nestle believes that, as a general rule, legislation is the most effective safeguard of responsible conduct, although in certain areas, additional guidance to staff in the form of voluntary business principles is beneficial in order to ensure that the highest standards are met throughout the organization. o Nestle is conscious of the fact that the success of a corporation is a refl ection of the professionalism, conduct and the responsible attitude of its management and employees. Therefore recruitment of the right people and ongoing training and development are crucial. Nestle continues to maintain its commitment to follow and respect all applicable local laws in each of its Transparent performance appraisal systems and the freedom given to them to question their seniors benefit not only the employees but even the organization as a whole. 13 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT o Formal assessment by Line Managers and HR once in a year with feedback. o Subordinate can question an unfair evaluation. o Specific Key Performance Indicators have been enlisted by the HR department. o One of the important key performance indicators is achievement following the Nestle management and leadership principles. Remuneration structure and promotion criteria take into account individual performance. Emphasis on individual achievement Nestle’s emphasis on individual achievement is e vident from the kind of pay structure HR has designed for its employees and the company also incorporates practices like Job Enrichment and Job Enlargement, to motivate employees and to break the monotony of their job tasks. The correspondent herself works in both sales and brand management departments, which is an example of job enlargement. PAY STRUCTURE o Nestle strives to offer fair remuneration. Remuneration level is above the average in industry. The variable component of the salary is comparatively big to reward individual performance. In case of higher management level, the variable part is linked to individual & team target achievements. o o Nestle expertises in Recruitment Services, Talent Management and International HR, Learning and Development, Information and Administration, and Reward and Employee Relations. Nestle is recognized as recognized one of the most advanced HR functions within Nestle globally. Before implementing the HR practices/policies, Nestle get to the crux of the business issue and then find an HR solution. While practicing the HR policies, Nestle is focused more on people and organization strategies. RECRUITMENT SERVICES The Recruitment Services team in Nestle UK is recognized within Nestle globally as the benchmark in leading recruitment practices. That’s because at Nestle they don’t just fill jobs. 14 Instead, they work with the business to proactively identify and fill their talent gaps. Nestle Recruitment teams constantly stand back and work out new ways to attract the very best talent and keep ahead of the competition, but it isn’t always easy. The recruitment process at Nestle is clearly defined and is always in synchronization with the changing business needs. o People with qualities like dynamism, realism, pragmatism, hard work, honesty and trustworthiness are looked for. o Match between candidate’s values & company’s culture are recruited. o Recruitment for management levels take place in the head office by top management and all others at the branch level. The existing employees are promoted to higher posts as per the requirements. There are no lateral recruitments. Another source of recruitment is campus placements and human resource consultancies to look for the enthusiastic, motivated and fresh pool of talent. Decision to hire a candidate is finally taken by HR professionals only and no preference is given to external consultant. This is done to finally have the discretion power in the hands of Company. o People management policies, basic values & principles as elaborated in- Nestle management & leadership principles- The Nestle Management and Leadership Principles describe the management style and the corporate values of the Nestle Group, specifically in the area of interpersonal relations. Nestle human resources policy- This policy encompasses those guidelines which constitute a sound basis for efficient and effective HR Management in the Nestle Group around the world. – Nestle people development review-this policy throws light on Nestle’s culture and core values, different training programs and life of employees after work. R EWARDS AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS TEAM It consists of two expert sub-teams, each with specific responsibility for business-wide strategic and operational remits. Employee Relations sub-team provide business-wide advice and guidance to line managers and the HR community on individual employee relations matters and to HR Business 15 Partners on broader employee relations and change management issues, as well as developing and implementing Nestle’s policies and procedures in this area and undertaking relevant project work. EMPLOYEE RELATIONS Nestle provides a very healthy working environment which is one of the reasons why Nestle’s employees state their commitment level to be very high. o Employee turnover is less than 5%. , which is considered to be very low for a multinational corporation. Nestle has an open culture & upward communication especially in case of grievance redressal is encouraged. o Work/Life balance is given importance, as illustrated in the Nestle Human Resource Policy document. o ‘Nestle Family’ annual events are organized by their HR department whereby employees along with their families are invited . o Emphasis is laid on safety of employees (Nestle Policy on Health and Safety at Work). CHANGE MANAGEMENT o Nestle has adjusted to the ever-changing external environment for the last 140 years since its inception 1866 without losing its fundamental beliefs and core values. It manages Change and drives sustainable profitable growth by following the policy of making gradual changes instead of making drastic and risky changes. o ERP implementation- In June 2000, Nestle SA signed a much publicized $200 million contract with SAP and additional $80 to install an ERP system for its global enterprise to help centralize a conglomerate that owns 200 operating companies and subsidiaries in 80 countries. While the ERP system was likely to have long-term benefits, the project touched the corporate structure and culture. The structure was decentralized, and it tried to centralize it. This was initially opposed by employees but with subsequent measures taken by the HR like training etc. , this has been successfully implemented. Reward sub-team; on the other hand focus on maximizing return on investment to deliver Reward that will motivate the employees to perform at the highest level as well as managing the overall Reward principles and processes including base salary, incentives and Flexible Reward. 16 REWARDS & INCENTIVES o ‘Passion to Win’ awards- These quarterly awards have been institutionalized to reward those who over-achieve their targets. Long-service Awards- To recognize employees who have been with the company for more than 30 years. o ‘Nestle Idea Award’- It was found from the correspondent that the company institutes Nestle Idea Award every quarter to recognize and award employees who come up with relevant and innovative ideas which have the potential of being implemented at Nestle. For all aspects of Reward Nestle apply the fundamental principles outlined below. Reward Principles †¢ Performance Driven – The level of your Reward is linked to your performance, hence the highest performers will see the greatest Reward. There is also a direct link between the performance of the business and the Reward we're able to offer Competitive – We benchmark all aspects of Reward to ensure we offer all our employees a competitive Reward package Inclusive – Our Reward programme is designed to reflect the valuable contribution which every employee makes, not just senior managers Flexible – We've made it our top priority to allow you to tailor the Reward you receive to your circumstances, whenever possible or practical †¢ †¢ †¢ BENEFITS The following benefits are provided to all employees, with no discrimination- Leave-Personal & Medical (fixed no. er year) – Children Education Assistance Scheme – Provident fund – Retirement Gratuity Scheme – Group Insurance & Accidental Insurance Scheme – Conveyance Reimbursements 17 – Residential Accommodation – Monthly health check-ups & free consultation for self & family etc. Talent Manageme nt and International HR Talent Management and International HR Team, on the other hand, focuses on developing the potential and careers of all the employees at Nestle, particularly those with high levels of performance and potential who are likely to be Nestle leaders of the future. The main task of this talent management program is to develop the framework and processes which will enable the company to identify and develop the potential of employees at Nestle. This program supports individuals with a clear career development plan to go on international assignments out of the respective locations such as Nestle’s international headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, or to other Nestle markets around the globe. Learning and development Learning and Development Team is involved in development of cutting-edge interventions and supporting change through far-reaching development programmes such as our ‘Lead2Win’ programme. This team also helps the company to create and implement functional development programmes across the business, covering everything from manufacturing to supply chain. At Nestle Learning and Development means Continuous Improvement and Creativity and Innovation. Learning and Development is carried out by Continuous Improvement that leads directly on to Creativity and Innovation. This process generally involves two stages: i. A team of passionate and professional development experts is formed to create Core Skill Development Strategies that will enable continuous personal and professional growth across the business. After that, the strategies are tailored for each business area with the help of HR Business Partners and Business Directors. The next stage is to go online, where the trainees are able to take advantage of our vast learning and development intranet. This resource has been specifically designed to help trainees manage their own learning in an easy to use virtual environment. Once you're up and running there, you'll be able to focus on picking up new skills particular to your job and career ambitions with the help of our leadership development programmes, designed to create the leaders of tomorrow. i. Differentiation 18 Nestle follows differentiation strategy and to make it a success it has HR strategies aligned accordingly. To support the differentiation strategy, Nestle practices following HR strategies to support differentiation: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ They favour long term performance measures. Nestle does not favor short-term profit at the expense of successful lo ng-term business development. They believe in extensive trainings of their employees to keep the pace with changing environment and keep them updated with latest innovations At Nestle, equal and fair pay practices are followed. Nestle’s pay structure, rewards & incentives systems are also designed in such a way so as to promote creativity. Recruitment process is also totally based on hiring and recruitment of people who bring in new ideas. Broad career paths are provided to employees by a continuous process of career development and high employee participation prevails in the organization. 19 5. Impact of Recession on Nestle During this phase of recession, Nestle has faced a little bit of tribulations in terms of: †¢ †¢ Shipment growth: It has slowed down as shoppers switch from branded foods to retailers' private labels. The volume of goods sold: The volume of goods sold rose 2. 8 per cent in 2008, but, down from 4. 4 per cent in 2007, after Nestle relied on price increases to pass on higher raw-material costs. The whole onus of these two problems could not be bullied upon recession. Since the actual reason behind the second problem was increasing inflation. Even though it has been hurt by the weak dollar and tough competition in the United States. But, if we talk in general, then, Nestle has been labeled as a Recession proof company. Nestle, announced that they had a 69. 4percent profit in the year 2008. The year 2008 and the beginning of the year 2009 so far are considered as the worst recession the world is facing today. Each company around the world, no matter what they produce or what services they provide was having the greatest downfall on the sales and services. But even during the phase of recession, Nestle has a different story to tell. Nestle announced record breaking profit during the year 2008. The sales of Nestle products jumped up in huge numbers. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The net profit of Nestle in year 2008 was 15billion US Dollars. Net income rose to 18 billion Swiss francs in 2008 from 10. 5 billion francs. The profit was 69. 4 percent jump from the last year Sales rose 2. 2 per cent last year to 109. 9 billion francs, and organic revenue increased 8. 3 per cent in 2008, the fourth year that Nestle beat its forecast. Further, Nestle expects to carry on seeing growth in earnings over 2009 despite the global recession, using its strong 2008 results as a springboard for growth. 20 †¢ †¢ Nestle has granted an investment of 300 crore in the Indian market in 2008 and is about to double its investment in 2009. The goal of Nestle further is o achieve organic growth of close to 5 per cent, and to improve the EBIT margin in constant currencies further. Nestle would be able to achieve this goal through company’s internal strength. Nestle, which makes Nescafe coffee, Maggi soup and KitKat chocolate bars, also raised its global outlook for the year and its forecast for 2008 organic growth – which is to say from existing businesses – to â€Å"about 8 percent† from a previous target of at least 7. 4 percent. Nestle shares rallied from a near two-year low, jumping 5. 4 per cent. Nestle will spend four billion francs buying back stock this year after purchasing 8. billion (Dh27. 16 billion) francs worth in 2008. Nestle also said it will increase its dividend for the year by 15 per cent to 1. 40 francs a shar e. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Reasons behind the strong survival of Nestle even during the Recession Nestle amazingly survived the greatest and disastrous recession period of the world which gives the hope and message to many other companies. Some of the reasons have been pointed out that seems to have worked for Nestle to fight the recession: †¢ Innovation and â€Å"renovation of its brands and products† It seems to be a big driver in keeping Nestle afloat. In 2008 Nestle’s investment in research and development for food and beverages was up 15 per cent. Nestle survived recession because it was able to capitalise on â€Å"a wide variety of market conditions†, and that this gives it a competitive advantage. India is not in a downturn but probably a slowdown. The liquidity squeeze hasn’t affected the demand of consumer goods in the price range that Nestle sells. Therefore, Nestle was able to survive in India. The company survived recession and is now positioned for profitable growth both now and in the long term, because of its â€Å"defensive qualities as well as its strong growth credentials. If recession grips the world and despite the war in the Middle East, everyone will continue to need food. This means millions of people will continue to buy Nestle products, which include Nestle infant formula, Taster's Choice coffee and Stouffer frozen foods. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 21 †¢ †¢ â€Å"The key t o Nestle’s short-term performance is the degree to which the markets want to be in a safe haven situation. â€Å"Beyond that, over the longer term, there is a pretty positive earnings story in Nestle. Nestle is able to ride out the recession easily than its rivals due to its comprehensive range of products and wide geographical reach. 6. Changing role or HR The importance of the human resource function has become evident especially with the onset of global competition. Not only do human resource managers have to think more strategically and in step with corporate planning managers, they have had to address real and hard issues about the impact of intense competition on employment stability. It is one thing to think with executives on how the human resource section can support corporate activities. It is another to actually implement cost-savings policies with regards employment. To guard against the downside of global competition, the human resource managers must be more proactive in recruiting and maintaining a responsive and efficient work force. Planning should start at the early stages so that organizations do not bloat needlessly. Human resource managers must be able to map out human resource strategies such that flexible, dynamic employees are attracted, selected and then trained and motivated to be more productive than the competition. Human resource managers are no longer administrators or simply implementers. They should be recognized as strategic partners. Only then can they function well to help top management especially in a climate of economic uncertainty. Although, Nestle being a Human Company itself possess many of the above mentioned qualities that are supposed to be present in the managers of today’s time. But, according to the changes in the business patterns, globalization, and diverse business of Nestle and rapidly changing ups and downs in the economy. There are certain factors on which the role of the HR at Nestle is changing. The HR managers at Nestle along with professional skills, practical experience and result focus must possess the following qualities: †¢ †¢ They should be capable to motivate and to develop people, addressing all those issues that allow others to progress in their work and to develop their capabilities. They should be able to inhibit curiosity and open-mindedness as well as a high level of interest in other cultures and life-styles. This also includes a commitment to continuous learning and improving, as well as to sharing knowledge and ideas freely with others. 22 †¢ It is responsibility of the HR professionals to create a climate of innovation and to think outside the box. This implies the right to make a mistake but also the readiness to correct it and to learn from it. HR professionals should now be able to inculcate the willingness to accept change and the ability to manage it. They should provide international experience and understanding of other cultures. This will prepare the employees to face the challenges in global markets. †¢ †¢ 7. VRIO and 5P’s Analysis VRIO ANALYSIS This VRIO framework is the foundation for internal analysis. In order to lead to a sustainable competitive advantage a resource or capability should be Valuable, Rare, Inimitable (including non-substitutable), and Organized. Valuable A resource is valuable if it helps the organization meet an external threat or exploit an opportunity. If a resource helps bring about any one of these four things then it is aluable: Efficiency, Innovation, Quality and Customer responsiveness. Valuable resources of Nestle are: †¢ †¢ Human Resources Brand Name †¢ Research & development processes Rare A resource is rare simply if it is not widely possessed by other competitors. Rare Resource of Nestle is their uniqueness in Infant food products. The processes they use and the ingredients they use are rare. Inimitable A resource is inimitable and non substi tutable if it is difficult for another firm to acquire it or a substitute something else in its place. This is probably the toughest criteria to examine because given enough time and money almost ANY resource can be imitated. Even patents only last 17 years and can be invented around in even less time. Therefore, one way to think about this is to compare how long you think it will take for competitors to imitate or 23 substitute something else for that resource and compare it to the useful life of the product. Inimitable resources of Nestle are: †¢ Corporate Culture †¢ Values followed at Nestle †¢ Reputation Organized A resource is organized if the firm is able to actually use it. Generally, organization is frequently neglected by strategy because it often deals with the inner workings of firm management. But generally, it rarely happens that firms are not organized to exploit their valuable resources. However, if you analysis does turn up a valuable, rare, and inimitable resource that the firm is not taking advantage of, then the resources of the firm are not said to be organized. 5P’s at Nestle Philosophy Nestle’s Philosophy on Code of Governance Nestle India Ltd. is a subsidiary of Nestle S. A. f Switzerland and over the years it has followed best practice of Corporate Governance and adhered to practices laid down by the Nestle Group. Nestle India’s business objective and that if its management and employees is to manufacture and market the Company’s products in such a way as to create value that can be sustained over the long term for consumers, shareholders, employees, business partners and the national economy. Nestle India is conscious of the fact that the success of a corporation is a reflection of the professionalism, conduct and ethical alues of its management and employees. In addition to compliance with regulatory requirements, Nestle India endeavors to ensure that highest standards of ethical and responsible conduct are met throughout the organization. The two most significant documents from the Nestle Group, which define the standard of behavior of Nestle India, are â€Å"Nestle Corporate Business Principles† and â€Å"Nestle Management and Leadership Principles†. Policy The Nestle policy is to hire staff with personal attitudes and professional skills enabling them to develop a long-term relationship with the Company. Therefore the potential for professional development is an essential standard for recruitment. 24 Each new member joining Nestle is to become a participant in developing a sustainable quality culture which implies a commitment to the organization and a sense for continuous improvement leaving no room for complacency. Therefore, and in view of the importance of these Nestle values, special attention will be paid to the matching between a candidate's values and the Company culture. Processes †¢ Administrative †¢ Training †¢ Recruiting †¢ Development †¢ Labor Relations †¢ Org Development †¢ Compensation and Internal Communication Programs Campus Recruitment Programs Internship Programs For graduate students, Nestle offer a summer internship in brand management for MBA students. Marketing Interns are challenged with leading integral aspects of our brands' marketing plans. This highly competitive program could also give you the opportunity to transition into a full-time position. Professional Development Programs Adequate training programs are developed at the level of each operating company capitalizing on the availability of local, regional or global resources of the Group. It is the responsibility of HR staff to assist the management in the elaboration of training programs. Following type of programs are conducted at Nestle: o Training programs enhancing the language skills of the employees. o Training programs aimed at developing and sharing best practices of the various management disciplines practiced in the Group. They also strive to strengthen corporate cohesion as well as to promote networking throughout the Group. o E-learning programs as a complement to or a substitute for formal training programs. Practices 25 The following HR practices take place at Nestle: †¢ Recruitment and Training Performance Management Rewards and Incentives Benefits Employee Relations Change Management Safety and Health The Nestle Operational Safety, Health and Risk-Management Strategy document illustrates that: – Nestle is dedicated to safe & healthy work environment. Regular safety assessments & audits take place by internal & external bodies. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 8. Hr strategies that nestle should follow Nestle should practice following HR practices: i. Communication Strategy: Nestle should adopt an effective communication strategy because in today’s changing scenario and in a dynamic organization like Nestle employees should be educated and trained about the change s taking place in the organization. This can be done through open house meetings and bulletins etc. Effective Training and Development: Training and development forms an important part of the practices followed at Nestle. It is an integral part of the corporate strategies. Most of the training programs conducted at Nestle are conducted by In-house trainers, whereas for some specialized training programs external trainers should be called. And employees should also be given the opportunity to attend the training programs abroad so as to give them a feel of global markets. Entrepreneurship strategy: Every employee needs to be an independent entrepreneur, who can generate ideas and bring them to reality by using the existing resources and support of the organization to create innovative and creative products and services. ii. iii. 26 iv. Recruit purposefully – The anticipated global shortage of workers has not gone away: it has just been postponed. The reason? Baby boomers are choosing to work a little longer because their retirement savings have been deflated. Once the market comes back fully, you should expect a mass exodus as the boomers leave the workforce. Companies who make severe staffing cuts and don't keep their HR people connected to potential hires will be caught severely short staffed. Savvy companies have a great opportunity right now to hire talented people who have been down-sized by other organizations. Cut High HR operation costs Leverage real time information for HR decisions: This would enhance the decision making process. v. vi. 27

Human Growth And Development Essay

Week One: Themes in Development: Physical: During this stage the child is learning to crawl and walk. Social/Cultural: The child recognizes his/her parents as safe people. Environmental: Improving socials skills, developing friendships, improving self-confidence, and aiding the care giver. Developmental: A central task of adolescence is to develop a sense of oneself as an autonomous individual.  The drive for such autonomy derives from the internal, biological processes marking the transition to a more adult role (puberty and increasing cognitive maturity) and from the shifts in social roles and expectations that accompany these underlying physiological and cognitive changes. Spiritual: It is difficult to identify the infant’s spiritual needs because of their limited ability to communicate on a linguistic level. However, positive experiences of love and affection, and a stimulating environment may foster aspects of spirituality such as hope and security in an infant. Young children encompass the first three stages of Spiritual Development. Intellectual: This stage is essential for determine the learning pattern of the child. This stage the child also learns problem solving skills. Emotional: Growing in a safe and happy environment is also crucial for your child’s long-term development. The more exposure to these activities, the better developed your child’s brain and neural systems will be in coping with what life has to offer. Overall Reflection: A stage is a period of time, perhaps several years, during which a person’s activities (at least in one broad domain) have certain characteristics in common† (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). This model really says that people develop at different level and stages. Being a teacher I can agree with this theory. I can tell a change with 7th graders that I teach and see some maturity from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. In the incremental model development is seen as a change that is made gradually over time. This is a contrast to the stage model which views change as abrupt. (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010) Both the incremental and the multidimensional model believe that change takes place more gradually and continuously. (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010) I think that the life wheel can help explain how as human throughout our lives we evolve over time throughout our lives. It also can show at different parts of our lives we focus on one or more aspects of the life wheel. Reference: Broderick, P.C., & Blewitt, P. (2010). The life span: Human development for helping professions (3rd ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Week Two: The Early Years: Physical: When a child is born they begin developing strength from large muscles to small muscles. When children are young they need to do many activities to strengthen their large and small muscles. Something I realized is that muscle skill development and maintaining healthy body are essential in life later for reading, writing and math. Social/Cultural: In this stage the child develop a sense of self and a sense of belonging to a family. They begin interacting with other children and they also play in stages (playing alone, playing near others but not really playing with them, not wanting to share, playing and sharing, and playing with a purpose). This stage is also were the child also learn to respect the rights and feelings of others. Environmental: A child’s environment plays a big role in their development. Exposure to different forms of activities that exercise the analytical and creative sides of the brain are important. Developmental: (Week 1-3 only: Reflection may i nclude characteristics of this stage) Spiritual: The pre-stage is infancy before & language and conceptual thought. Sometime between two and seven a child enters intuitive/projective faith marked by the rise of imagination, but lacks logic for questioning perceptions or fantasies. Next, children progress into mythic/literal faith. Here the child develops a way of dealing with the world and making meaning that now criticizes and evaluates the previous stage of imagination and fantasy. Intellectual: When a child is the brain is ready to learn and receive information. In essence the brain is like a computer, it has great potential for development. Having a great childhood greatly influences the way the child develops. Emotional: Doing this period the child will realize that the world does not revolve around them. They learn to trust and mistrust others. As toddlers, they become proud of things they accomplish and begin stating their opinions and desires. They also begin to learn to be away from their parents and they will often times participate in the classroom. They also begin to solve issues that may arise with others using words. They often control their angry and they learn that it is okay to make mistakes. Overall Reflection: After reading about development through the early years, I think that emotional and environmental developments are the most vital during this period. When we are first conceived the environment is the number factor influencing us. Piaget believed that the mind creates  its own knowledge. â€Å"This constructivist stance takes the child to be an active participant in the learning process, constantly seeking out and trying to make sense of new information.† (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010) If you look at it from this point of view this is where teachers play an important part in making things catch the attention of students and making it reach them. New research is becoming available often over infant memory and recognition (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). This is true in the way that the environment plays a major role in the development process; children are a product of their environment. The belief and behaviors of children are passed down from generation to generation. There are several things that I find myself doing that both my mother and father do. I have read research that says expectant mothers that read to their infants while in the womb have smarter children. Erik Erickson believed that the early years of a child’s life were important to their emotional well-being (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). He had stated that the child should be nurtured, loved, and handled well to grow into an optimistic well rounded person (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010) This is a very true being a teacher I see that the students that have parents that are active and show that they care and support their child they care have the most well rounded students that I teach. While the students that have the parents that are focused on other things those students are not as much well rounded and willing to think outside of the box. Reference: Broderick, P.C., & Blewitt, P. (2010). The life span: Human development for helping professionals. (3rd ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Week Three: Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence: Physical: During the middle years, the child’s growth rate is somewhat slower than in previous years, and certainly less rapid than the growth anticipated during adolescence. These changes contribute to the child’s growing sense of competence in relation to his physical abilities and enhance his potential for participating in sports, dance, gymnastics, and other physical pursuits. Social/Cultural: A central task of adolescence is to develop a sense of  oneself as an autonomous individual. The drive for such autonomy derives from the internal, biological processes marking the transition to a more adult role (puberty and increasing cognitive maturity) and from the shifts in social roles and expectations that accompany these underlying physiological and cognitive changes. Compared to children under age 10, teenagers are given new opportunities to experience independence outside of the home. They spend much more unsupervised time with peers which (compared to adult-child relationships) are relatively equal in terms of interpersonal power and authority. At the same time, however, they continue to rely on the support and guidance offered by adults in the family, in school, and in community-based programs or activities. Environmental: The environmental changes that students experience as they move into middle-grade schools are particularly harmful in that they emphasize competition, social comparison, and self-assessment at a time when the adolescent’s focus on himself or herself is at its height. The junior high school’s emphasis on discipline and teacher control, and its limited opportunities for student decision making, come at a time in development when adolescents are beginning to think of themselves as young adults who are becoming more responsible and deserve greater adult respect. A poor â€Å"fit† between the early adolescent and the classroom environment increases the risk of disengagement and school problems, especially for those early adolescents who were having difficulty succeeding in school academically prior to this school transition. Developmental: A central task of adolescence is to develop a sense of oneself as an autonomous individual. The drive for such auto nomy derives from the internal, biological processes marking the transition to a more adult role (puberty and increasing cognitive maturity) and from the shifts in social roles and expectations that accompany these underlying physiological and cognitive changes. Compared to children under age 10, teenagers are given new opportunities to experience independence outside of the home. They spend much more unsupervised time with peers which (compared to adult-child relationships) are relatively equal in terms of interpersonal power and authority. At the same time, however, they continue to rely on the support and guidance offered by adults in the family, in school, and in community-based programs or activities. Spiritual: Part of the child’s development as an individual includes an emerging understanding of the life  cycle—of birth, growth, aging, and death. There is an increasing awareness that life fits into a larger scheme of relationships among individuals, groups of people, other living creatures, and the earth itself. School-age children become keenly interested in these topics, especially when confronted with personal experiences such as the birth of a sibling or the death of a grandparent. As children experience these even ts and learn to view their personal encounters as part of a larger whole, families and communities provide important structure. They define value systems that provide children with basic principles and encourage them to examine their personal actions in light of their impact on those around them. Intellectual: The most important cognitive changes during early adolescence relate to the increasing ability of children to think abstractly, consider the hypothetical as well as the real, consider multiple dimensions of a problem at the same time, and reflect on themselves and on complicated problems. There is also a steady increase in the sophistication of children’s information-processing and learning skills, their knowledge of different subjects, their ability to apply their knowledge to new learning situations, and their awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses as learners. These higher-order cognitive abilities help adolescents regulate their learning and behavior better to accomplish more complicated and elaborate tasks. Emotional: Children in this period need both the freedom of personal expression and the structure of expectations and guidelines that they can understand and accept. Opportunities to interact with other children during this period without excessi ve adult interference is important, although some neighborhoods or living arrangements restrict these chances. At the same time, children need to have positive interactions with adults, reinforcing their sense of self-esteem, self-worth, and belief in their capability of personal success Overall Reflection: Adolescence and middle childhood, although a time for exploration and the excitement of freedom and gaining maturity, is also a time of struggle when teens work endlessly to identify themselves and come to terms with forthcoming adulthood and separation from family (Berger, 2008). Changes in the intensity of peer relationships help the adolescents in self-discovery and surmount the difficulties of their heightened sense of self. Peer pressure supports the adolescent, although the choice of friends can be either a help  or a hindrance depending on the interests of the peers. Adolescence is a time of self-centeredness and self-consciousness when peer pressure can be immense. As teens face social pressures that include experimentation with drugs and other substances, sexuality, and a changing perspective on relationships, their strong social network and the guidance of familial alliances are powerful relationships that mitigate stress during this time. These stages of development include significant changes physically, mentally, and emotionally. The choices made by individuals during these stages have both positive and negative consequences for the individual, his or her peers, and his or her families. Adolescence begins when a flood of hormones triggers pubert y, usually between the age of 10 and 14. The release of sex-specific hormones of androgens and estrogens by the gonads produce physical and psychological changes. Maturation and increased efficiency of organs and muscles follow a major growth spurt (Berger, 2008). Reference: Berger, K. S. (2008). The developing person through the life span (7th ed.). New York: Worth Week Four: Young to Middle Adulthood: Physical: In this stage young adults complete the process of physical maturation, usually attaining full adult height. Secondary sexual characteristics, such as size of penis and breasts, are completed. Your organs and systems are all operating at peak efficiency in young adulthood, roughly ages 21 to 39. Your body has grown, and your physical potential is set. You can take advantage of that by eating correctly and by working out to get stronger. This is the time in life when you can reach your peak physically. The growth spurt that came during puberty set the ground work for what you are capable of becoming as a young adult. Your body will respond to activities such as running, cardio training, weight training and diet more predictably during young adulthood than it could when you were in puberty. Social/Cultural: Some of the social changes include divorce, changes in  employment (either reaching the peak of career or being unemployable for being â€Å"overqualified†), caring for elderly relatives, and difference in parental responsibilities (either taking them on for later life parents or starting over for some empty nest parents). Environmental: The first major group includes young adults who move early into forming their own families and invest little in post-secondary education. Doing this period the young adult moves out of their parents home and begin to start their own home. Leaving the parental home to establish one’s own residence, establishing financial independence, completing school, moving into full-time employment, getting married, and becoming a parent are considered key markers of adulthood (Booth, Crouter, and Shanahan, 1999). Occupational (Week 4 and 5): During this stage young adults move into adult roles and responsibilities and may learn a trade, work, and/or pursue higher education. They identify career goals and prepare to achieve them. Spiritual: Intellectual: In this stage of life adults fully understand abstract concepts and are aware of consequences and personal limitations. Often times they secure their autonomy and build and test their decision making skills. Often they develop new skills, hobbies, and adult interests. Emotional: Doing this stage of life children become adults, they move into adult relationships with their parents. They begin to see their friends as a less important and begin to think for themselves. They are more empathetic and have greater intimacy skills. Carry some feelings of invincibility. Establish lasting self image and begin to feel self-worth. Overall Reflection: Middle adulthood is a complex time period that requires a multidimensional outlook to understand all of the processes and changes that are taking place. The many changes during middle adulthood include physical, cognitive and social differences. During middle adulthood biological and physical changes become apparent. During this time visual perception, hearing and the reproductive system decline. Adults who have never worn glasses or contact lenses may start needing visual correction. During this time adults may also need more light to see than their younger friends. However, the actual time when one is considered an adult varies  from theorists to theorists and can range anywhere from 18 to 25 years of age (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). There are also cognitive changes during middle adulthood. There is a mixed pattern of positive and negative changes in cognitive abilities. Processing speed starts to decrease during this time period however crystallized thought d oes not decline until older age Working memory begins to decline however semantic memory continues to increase as we learning throughout our older years. Theorists such as Schaie, Erikson, Vaillant, Levinson, Jung, Gould, and soon have all described stages or phases in life- task change (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). Theorist have shown that all adults seem to go through the same stages of changes in middle adulthood (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). Reference: Broderick, P.C., & Blewitt, P. (2010). The life span: Human development for helping professionals. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:Pearson Education, Inc. Week Five: Late Adulthood: Physical: Often times the person become less active and the health begin declining. Sometimes at this age you will find older people that are very active and in better shape than some of the younger adults. Social/Cultural: The person has friends that they spend most of their time with and are very comfortable with the person that they are. Environmental: Often times at this age you will find older parents living at home with their students or either in a personal care home. Occupational (Week 4 and 5): Doing this stage in life the person has either retired from the career or job. Sometimes you will find older adults retired but working part time to remain active in not settle with the end of life. Spiritual: Most older adults often face many losses as they age, so doing the lifetime they often turn to religion and to spirituality as ways to handle their losses. A lot of older adults can often quote spirituals from the bible. Intellectual: Doing this stage the mind gets weaker. They become unable to react quickly, or solve puzzles quickly than they could when they were younger. They don’t think less, just become slower Emotional: Sometimes in this age the older  adult is faced with depression since they often have faced many losses be that from children, spouses, and/or friends. Overall Reflection: Erikson felt that much of life is preparing for the middle adulthood stage and the last stage is recovering from it. Perhaps that is because as older adults we can often look back on our lives with happiness and are content, feeling fulfilled with a deep sense that life has meaning and we’ve made a contribution to life, a feeling Erikson calls integrity. Our strength comes from a wisdom that the world is very large and we now have a detached concern for the whole of life, accepting death as the completion of life. Aging starts during the middle adult stage then it will continue to intensify until the person reaches the end. As aging progress, the body also progress, we slowly die as our neurons in the brain die, and our skins sag. Aging is inevitable it happens to everybody, we suggest that we should be happy up to the last day we live and not live in the stage of Erikson, which is the despair. Maintaining good health becomes more challenging with age, as the immune system becomes progressively less effective†¦and as the cardiovascular, respiratory, and organ systems function less adequately† (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). On the other hand, some adults may reach this stage and despair at their experiences and perceived failures. They may fear death as they struggle to find a purpose to their lives, wondering â€Å"Was the trip worth it?† Alternatively, they may feel they have all the answers (not unlike going back to adolescence) and end with a strong dogmatism that only their view has been correct. Reference: Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2010). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. FINAL COURSE REFLECTION: This course overall was a good course. This course gave me insight to life changes that we all go through over the course of their lives. The course also reflects over the age group I am currently teaching and as to why they are acting the way they do. I like the flow of the course and the things that it emphasized on.

The Brain Computer Interface Psychology Essay Essay Example

The Brain Computer Interface Psychology Essay Essay Example The Brain Computer Interface Psychology Essay Essay The Brain Computer Interface Psychology Essay Essay A Brain-computer interface ( BCI ) is a communicating channel linking the encephalon to a computing machine or another electronic device.BCI represents a direct interface between the encephalon and a computing machine or any other system. BCI is a wide construct and comprehends any communicating between the encephalon and a machine in both waies: efficaciously opening a wholly new communicating channel without the usage of any peripheral nervous system or musculuss. In rule this communicating is thought to be two manner. But present twenty-four hours BCI is chiefly concentrating on communicating from the encephalon to the computing machine. To pass on in the other way, inputting information in to the encephalon, more thorough cognition is required refering the operation of the encephalon. From here on the focal point is on communicating straight from the encephalon to the computing machine. Typically, the intellectual cerebral mantle is the country of involvement in the encephalon computing machine interface. The intellectual cerebral mantle is the country of the encephalon responsible for playing a cardinal function in memory, attending, perceptual consciousness, thought, linguistic communication, consciousness and motor map. The manner these BCI s work is proficient but can by and large works as follows. The electrode is placed in the country of the encephalon responsible for the coveted motor map. These electrode recognize encephalon moving ridges, that step the minute differences in electromotive forces across active nerve cells, and construe this as a signal. But in this construct we traveling to utilize the encephalon moving ridges through radio EEG. These signals are stored and so synthesized utilizing assorted complex transforms and run through a plan, typically something like Matlab or C++ . It is good known that the encephalon is an electrochemical organ ; research workers have peculated that a to the full working encephalon can bring forth every bit much as 10 Watts of electrical power. Other more conservative research workers calculate that if all 10 billion interconnected nervus cells discharged at one clip that a individual electrode placed on the human scalp would enter something like five millionths to 50 millionths of a V. Whenever artefacts are detected the affected part of the signal can be rejected. This can be a valid pre-processing measure and does non hold to be a job. However the job with canceling a specific piece of informations is that it can ensue in unusual anomalousnesss where the two pieces are connected. Second, EEG information in general is comparatively scarce. For that ground a better attack is to take the artefact from the EEG information. This goes one measure further than artifact rejection. For practical intents in an online system, it is unwanted to throw off every signal that is affected with an artefact. Recovering the signal with 100 % rightness is impossible ; it is merely unknown what the information would hold looked like without for case the oculus wink. For offline systems this is less critical, since it does non count if some bids are lost. In the online instance nevertheless, the user demands that every bid that is issued to the system is recognized and executed. The user does nt desire to maintain seeking infinitely for a good test. At first utilizing ICA algorithm extract Independent constituents ( ICs ) of each test so GA select the best and related ICs among the hole ICs. The proposed attack to the usage of GAs for Artifact remotion involves encoding a set of vitamin D, ICs as a binary twine of 500 elements, in which a 0 in the twine indicates that the corresponding IC is to be omitted, and a 1 that it is to be included. This coding strategy represents the presence or absence of a peculiar Intelligence community from the IC infinite. The length of chromosome equal to IC infinite dimensions. Then the selected ICs used as input informations for classifiers. This paper used the fittingness map shown below to unite the two footings: Like other communicating and control systems, BCI s have inputs, end products, and interlingual rendition algorithms that convert the former to the latter. BCI operation depends on the interaction of two adaptative accountants, the user s encephalon, which produces the input ( i.e. , the electrophysiological activity measured by the BCI system ) and the system itself, which translates that activity into end product ( i.e. , specific bids that act on the external universe ) . Successful BCI operation requires that the user get and keep a new accomplishment, a accomplishment that consists non of musculus control but instead of control of EEG or single-unit activity.

The Best Way to Set Up and Troubleshoot Your Sales Funnel

The Best Way to Set Up and Troubleshoot Your Sales Funnel If you’re a marketer, you’re likely privy to the infamous sales funnel. You know how it works in theory†¦ But maybe you’re having some problems implementing it in practice. There might be areas were your funnel is leaking†¦ OR Maybe you’re not quite sure how to measure your funnel’s performance. This post covers: The best way to set up your sales funnel. How to troubleshoot problems in your funnel. Great tools to help improve your funnel’s performance. AND some awesome examples to inspire you. Download our Free Sales Funnel Templates Before learning how to troubleshoot your sales funnel, check out these free templates. They’ll help you get organized AND help your team get more done in less time. This download includes: A content audit guide to help identify your content deficits. A content mapping template to map your content to each funnel stage. A 2019 content calendar to get your year all planned out. A user persona worksheet to help you target the right people.Plan All Your Funnel Content with One thing is clear†¦ There is a lot  of content that goes into a full-funnel marketing strategy. Try using to get it all organized. With things like custom tags and filtered views, you know exactly what content is being created and where it falls in your funnel strategy. To create a custom tag, first, choose the category of content you will create. Name your content item and add a few tags like funnel stage. To visualize all the content you are creating according to funnel state, hover over the left-hand hamburger menu and click â€Å"Create new saved view†. Click â€Å"Add filter category† and choose the â€Å"tag† option. Find the funnel stage you want to create a saved view for. Now you can easily see a bird’s eye view of every content item that is being created for each funnel stage. Now that you know creating a full funnel content strategy doesn’t have to be a hot mess, here’s how to actually do it. The Sales Funnel: A Brief Introduction The sales funnel is meant to visualize the stages a buyer goes through before purchase, and how a marketer can tailor activities to help move someone towards that purchase. A lot of folks assume that a marketer’s job is to throw out some ads to raise awareness about a business. While this is certainly one element a marketer will engage in, there’s a lot more that goes into a full funnel strategy. A full funnel strategy means there are content and marketing activities that raise awareness and generate demand; nurtures leads and educates; helps close the final deal; and turns customers into loyal advocates. Generally, here’s what the sales funnel looks like: Let’s start by breaking down each section of the funnel. Top of Funnel a.k.a TOFU The top of the funnel is where you’ll focus on generating interest and awareness for your business. You want to focus on bringing the right  people in according to your user personas. Who enters at the Top of Funnel? A TOFU individual is someone who is in your target market and could be doing general online research related to your industry. They likely aren’t quite ready to make a purchase at this point but are looking to learn more about a particular topic. When searching, they typically use phrases like, â€Å"how to†, â€Å"what is† or â€Å"why do†. That said, you’ll want to focus on educating them; enticing them to leave an email address or visit your site; or engage with your content in an additional way like downloading an ebook or signing up for a webinar. TOFU Content Examples Here are a couple great examples of content you can produce to capture leads at the top of your sales funnel. Top of Funnel Content: Blog posts A good TOFU blog post is one that focuses on solving one of your user personas’ problems. Keep in mind that this individual isn’t ready for a hard sell. They are looking for help or info on a particular topic. You want to establish trust by helping them work through an issue or giving them the knowledge they need to succeed on their own. Recommended Listening: TOFU, MOFU, BOFU: How To Talk To Prospects At Every Stage Of The Marketing Funnel TOFU Blog Post Example - Nested Bean Nested Bean is a company that makes slightly weighted baby swaddles, pajamas, and sleep sacks. The products are meant to help babies and young children sleep longer at night. They have a ton of great examples of TOFU blog content on their site – all focused on educating readers on various sleep-related topics. Here’s an extensive post they wrote about baby colic. It educates about the topic and teaches readers how to help soothe a colicky baby. Recommended Reading: How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like Crazy Top of Funnel Content: How-to Series Since TOFU content should focus on education, it makes sense that a how-to series would be the perfect fit for attracting people into the sales funnel. The Home Depot capitalizes on this by providing visitors an awesome how-to series for all your DIY needs. The series builds trust by focusing on teaching visitors how to use basics tools to accomplish their at-home DIY projects. Top of Funnel Content: White Papers White papers take a deep dive into a specific topic – usually, one that is research driven or covers topics that tend to be more B2B in nature than what you would find in a how-to series or blog post. Marketo has a wide variety of white papers on its site. This one on engagement checks a few boxes of what a good white paper should look like. It offers a comprehensive look at a topic, covers original research conducted by the company and highlights the company’s industry expertise. Since white papers take significantly more time to produce, you should consider gating the content. I.e. requiring the visitor to leave their email address before downloading. Recommended Reading: How to Write White Papers People Actually Want to Read (Free Template) Top of Funnel Content: Webinars Webinars have the ability to deliver your audience tremendous value. One of the best ways to get the most out of a webinar is to include an industry expert to talk about a specific topic. This not only increases the reach of your webinar but also adds additional educational value to attendees. Gartner is a world leader in providing research and consulting services to business. And they are no stranger to webinars. The company offers both live and on-demand webinars on a range of topics – all of which are tailored to high-level individuals such as CEOs and CTOs. Top of Funnel: What to Measure The goal of your TOFU content should be to attract as many of your targeted personas as possible. To know if the first stage of your funnel is performing, try tracking the following metrics: Page Views  - A healthy funnel should have a good amount of people viewing content. You’ll want to track this over time to make sure potential customers are finding your content. Bounce Rate  - Tracking your bounce rate will tell you how many sessions ended without the visitor taking any further action. This is a helpful way of knowing if visitors are finding your  content engaging and relevant. Email Subscribers - You want visitors to move on to the next stage in the funnel and become closer to making a purchase. Every time a visitor subscribes to your email list indicates that they are interested in your content and want to know more. It also gives you the opportunity to nurture those lead and encourage downward movement in the funnel. New vs Returning Visitors - Top performing TOFU content should always aim to bring new visitors to your site. Tracking new vs returning visitors will not only tell you if you’re consistently bringing new people to your site, but it will also tell you if your content is good enough to come back for more. Prospects  - By drilling down a little deeper into your data, you’ll be able to see how many new email subscribers are your target personas. Keep in mind, you’ll have to have a short form on your site to collect additional information. TOFU Tools to Track Your Funnel Health Google Analytics With Google Analytics, you’ll be able to track page views, bounce rate, and new vs. returning visitors. To find this info, first, navigate to Google Analytics. Then choose Audience and Overview. Just below the line graph, you’ll see page views, bounce rate, and visitor data. KissMetrics KissMetrics is a  powerful analytics and reporting tool that can track loads of things. With a little help from your website developers, you can easily set up a KissMetrics dashboard to see how many email subscribers your content is converting. Here’s a peek at what your dashboard will look like: You can see things like total email subscribers, daily averages and date range comparisons. Ahrefs Ahrefs is a content marketers dream. When composing your content strategy, you’ll want to make sure that the keywords you target are both something your audience is interested in and something that you can rank on search engines. The magic keywords should have a low difficulty score and high search volume. To find this data, navigate to the menu item called Keyword explorer. Type in your keyword in the text box and click the magnifying glass. Ahrefs will tell you a ton of valuable data like approximately how many backlinks your content will need to rank in the top 10, the search volume for the specific keyword, as well as similar keywords to target. Common TOFU problems and How to Troubleshoot Alright, you’ve got the top of your sales funnel all set up and are tracking the things you need to†¦ But maybe you’re encountering some problems bringing in people and converting them. Here are a few common problems that occur at the top of the sales funnel and how you can troubleshoot them. 5 common top of funnel #marketing problems and how to troubleshoot them. #TOFUYour Content Isn’t Converting One of the most common problems for any TOFU content is that it isn’t converting. Content that doesn’t convert at the top spells trouble for the rest of your funnel. The fewer people that move on to the next phase of the funnel, the less people will be closer to making a purchase. Here are a couple ways to make sure that your content is converting. Focus on Your Content Core Your content core is where the topics your customers care about merges with what you have to offer them as a business. Finding your content core allows you to go beyond traffic, eyeballs, and audience building and actually create content that gains customers. The first step here is to make sure you focus on what your customers  care about and not what your audience  cares about. If your content is really good at generating traffic, but not very good at generating leads and converting, you likely have a traffic trap problem. You’ll know you have a traffic trap problem if your website traffic is increasing, but revenue isn’t increasing proportionally. You can fix this by making sure your content is both helpful to potential customers AND presents the unique value proposition your business provides. The Sandwich Approach Another issue that could be causing low conversion rates on your content is lack of CTAs. Let’s say your company is religiously pumping out blog content that solves your customer’s problems. BUT, your revenue growth is stagnant and your content isn’t moving the needle to increase purchases. Try the sandwich approach. The sandwich approach is a simple way of mixing in your business’ unique value proposition into all content items. Essentially you sandwich in your products into the middle of your content to highlight how your product helps solve the customer’s problem. Nested Bean, which was our blog example above, does this perfectly. They start by helping you solve the problem on your own, introduce their product and how it can help, followed by more tips about how to solve the problem yourself. Your Page Views are Dropping Maybe your content was performing well for quite a while, but you’ve slowly losing pageviews. This could indicate that your most popular content is losing its position on search engines. Search engines like Google typically favor new and fresh content over things that are more dated. Try regularly updating your content with fresh advice, extra list items, etc. This helps ensure that your most popular posts will continue to be found via search. You’re not Ranking on Keywords Ranking on keywords is no easy feat. It can be particularly challenging if you are choosing keywords that are highly competitive. How do you know if this is you? Look up your keywords with Ahrefs or a similar tool. If the ones you are targeting have a high difficulty score, it’s unlikely that your content will be found via search. You’ll want to try to find keywords that have a high search volume and a low difficulty score. Middle of Funnel a.k.a MOFU The middle of the funnel is the where you’ll begin nurturing the leads brought in by your top of funnel content. In this stage, your goal is to move website visitors further down the funnel toward making a purchase. Once you’ve captured a piece of information (such as an email address), you can begin placing them into an email drip campaign, begin building a relationship with the contact, and targeting them with content tailored to their needs. Who Enters the Middle of Funnel? As a buyer moves down the funnel, they will likely start comparing products uncovered during their initial research. Keep in mind that the length of these funnel stages can vary greatly depending on conversion value. Big-ticket purchases will encounter a longer buying process and therefore spend more time evaluating options and comparing what’s available. MOFU Content Examples MOFU content is designed to provide prospects with the information that will put your company and its products or services ahead of all others being considered. Here are a few characteristics of MOFU content: Middle of Funnel Content: Case Studies Case studies are designed to provide potential customers with proof points highlighting how your product solves problems in real life. LinkedIn provides visitors a swath of case studies outlining how various businesses used it’s ad platform to reach their target audiences and improve advertising results. In its case studies, LinkedIn does a great job of outlining the company’s challenge, how they provided the right solution, and what the final results were. Recommended Reading: How to Write a Powerful Case Study That Converts Leads Into Customers With 50 Examples and 7 Templates Middle of Funnel Content: Reviews How many times have you read a review online before making a purchase? If you’re like me, this is almost a must-do before making any purchase. In fact – 88% of consumers  have been influenced by a review they saw online. Encouraging existing customers to leave reviews for your business provides prospects the social proof they need to move closer to making a purchase decision. Mattress company Casper, reaches out to each customer via email to encourage them to leave a review. Feeling wary about the possibility of negative reviews? Try not to be. An occasional negative review is inevitable. Two positives come from a negative review†¦ It gives you the opportunity to rectify the situation or improve your product. Negative reviews show authenticity. 30% of consumers  believe that reviews are fake if there aren’t any negative comments. Middle of Funnel Content: Data Sheets Datasheets provide prospects the quick and dirty details of your product. Outline things like cost, features, benefits, and specifications. Keep in mind that these often aren’t the sexist documents, but offer prospects an easy way to do side-by-side comparisons. Here’s an example data sheet from Netgear  showing the features of its Nighthawk router. Middle of the Funnel: What to Measure The goal of your MOFU content should be to convert website visitors captured at the top of your funnel into leads. To know if the middle of your funnel is performing, try tracking the following metrics: MQLs  - A Marketing Qualified Lead is typically a prospect that has provided some additional piece of info aside from just an email address. This data help you segment your website visitors and allow you to identify them as a good fit for your product or service. Email open and CTRs -   How your emails are performing is of the best ways to gauge the health of your middle funnel. Open Rates and CTRs are especially good indicators of how relevant the content you are sharing is to your subscribers. Middle of the Funnel: Tools Autopilot Autopilot  is a marketing automation software that helps you convert leads into paying customers. Any  marketing automation software is a vital part of your MOFU activities. What sets Autopilot apart its visual interface. Autopilot allows you to create custom email journeys for every stage of the funnel – from abandoned carts, to trade show lead follow-up and everything in between. Here’s a look at what a customer journey with Autopilot looks like. Zoom Webinars can be a content item for both TOFU and MOFU sales funnel stages, depending on the topic. Zoom  is an easy-to-use tool for hosting webinars. The software integrates with many different CRMs so you can easily follow-up with webinar guests and target them with additional content. Participants can engage in real-time with QA, discussions, polls and chat functions. You can also see engagement data to track if your audience is paying attention. Common MOFU problems and How to Troubleshoot Your Click Through Rates are Low If people are subscribing to your list, but aren’t clicking to read your content, it could be a sign that you need to optimize your email sequences. Strategize about what content a target persona needs and when they need it. Trial different email flows and the content they receive to find the right mix to improve CTRs. People Aren’t Downloading Your Content If people aren’t downloading your content, they can’t move on to further funnel stages. Naturally, one of the easiest ways to fix this is to experiment with new types of content. If your white papers aren’t converting, try a quiz, a free online tool, or something out of the box. It could also mean that your download form is too long. No one wants to submit 20 pieces of information just to get a free online resource. Take a hard look at what info is absolutely necessary and cut everything else. Bottom of Funnel a.k.a BOFU Here we are†¦ the bottom of the sales funnel. A potential customer has made it through your funnel and is on the cusp of making a purchase. Depending on the nature of your  business, this stage may not consist of any content at all. So the marketing team hands the baton off to the sales department and steps away†¦ OR The marketing team might be responsible for creating sales enablement content to help the sales department close the deal. Recommended Reading: The Best Sales Enablement Strategy for Marketers (+ 4 Free Templates) BOFU Content Examples Like mentioned above, not all businesses will need BOFU content. This funnel stage might consist of other tactics like discount codes to encourage purchases, a free trial, or one-on-one consultation. If your product is slightly more complicated, your sales team might need customized supporting content to aid in bringing the customer to the finish line. Competitor Comparisons By the time a lead reaches the bottom of the funnel, they are likely comparing a couple solutions and making a final decision. Customized competitor comparisons offer you the opportunity to outline the customer’s final options before they make a decision. This shows how your brand differentiates itself and to helps them understand why your company is the best. This example from Intercom  isn’t customized for the specific customer, but give you an idea of what your competitor comparison could look like. Presentations Marketing teams can and should be involved in the production of sales slide decks. Marketing can make sure the slide deck is on brand and looks professional, while the content can be tailored by the sales team to ensure it is relevant for the customer. Here is a sales presentation example from Zuora. Sales Scripts You don’t want your sales team to sound robotic or like they are regurgitating a canned response†¦ But you do want them to be well versed in the persona’s problems and pain points. Knowing what keeps them up at night and the challenges that brought them to your company can help close the deal. The marketing team can outline a few talking points to hit the right topics on the call without sounding like a droid. Bottom of the Funnel: What to Measure The goal of your BOFU content is to close the deal and turn leads into customers. BOFU metrics should look at indicators which signal upcoming purchases or conversions. Try   tracking metrics such as: Trial Signups - If your business has the ability to offer free trials, this is a good indication of how many people are inching closer to purchasing. Total Demo Requests  - The number of people registering for a demo signifies a healthy bottom of the funnel. More demos, means more opportunities for your sales team to engage one-on-one with prospects and a better chance of closing the deal. Demos Completed  - How many actually  show up for their demo call? People might be scheduling them, but what good is that if they don’t actually show up? Sales Conversion Rate  - This metric measures how effective your sales reps are at converting prospects into customers. You can calculate sales conversion rate like so: Bottom of the Funnel: Tools Calendly Calendly  makes scheduling demos super easy. It syncs with your preferred calendar and automatically checks availability. Potential customers can see what your real-time schedule looks like and choose a time slot for a demo or other meeting type. No more back and forth emailing. CRM A CRM is an important element of all your funnel activities – especially for the bottom of your funnel. A CRM like Salesforce can track things like demo calls scheduled,no-shows, trial sign-ups and more. It’s a super powerful tool with unlimited amounts of data you can dig into. Common BOFU problems and How to Troubleshoot Number of Trial Signups is Low If you’re struggling to increase trial signups, consider eliminating the need to enter credit card details. Studies  show that simply eliminating the need to enter credit card details to access a free trial can increase trials by 8%. Doing so decreased the trial-to-paid conversions, but in the end still resulted in a better end-to-end conversion rate. You can also make sure that the trail signup CTA is easily accessible on your website and on all relevant content items. No One is Signing Up for a Demo Call This could indicate a problem with your scheduling process. Look at the process and try to simplify it or remove steps that are causing friction. If possible, you could also try implementing live demo capabilities to catch individuals closer to the moment of purchase intent. People Aren’t Showing Up for Their Demos So people are signing up for demos, but they don’t show up. This is a common problem for many companies. One way to solve this is to create a custom reminder email flow specifically for those who have signed up for a demo. Pro tip: Have these emails come directly from the sales rep who will be holding the call. People are generally respectful of others and their time - by tying this to an actual human will help decrease the likelihood of no-shows.