Case Study Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Study Analysis Paper - Essay Example Doug will be required to conduct a diagnosis of the newly initiated orientation program and the prevailing work environment so that he can identify the problems contributing to the poor employee participation. A diagnosis will help Doug determine whether or not his program or the work environment or both are causing problems relative to participation in new employee orientation program (Jackson et al, 2011). It is only after Doug has conducted a diagnosis of the program and the employee work environment can he effectively construct an action plan (Jackson et al, 2011). Doug must be careful however, to check the results and look for additional information which can identify other â€Å"aspects of the problem† (Kubr & Prokopenko, 1989, p. 67). Doug will have to take into account a large spectrum of variables. As von Hippel (1994) informs, in order to solve a problem, information is needed and problem solving â€Å"capabilities† must be utilized (p.429). In this regard Dou g will be required to process the results of his diagnosis and reevaluate six specific facts of a workable strategy: stated goals; diagnosis of the environment; strategizing; evaluation of the strategy; implementing his strategy; and control of the strategy (Schendel & Hofer, 1979). In strategizing, it will be entirely necessary for Doug to take account of the people that he seeks to set goals and strategies for: new employees. In anticipating and setting strategies for new employees and the work environment, it will be necessary for Doug to take into account pre-employment expectations, experiences following employment and any gaps that might influence new employees’ morale (Sutton & Griffin, 2004). For instance, high expectations prior to entering the workplace may not have been fulfilled and thus employee motivation and morale might be low. Doug’s strategy may have to be reorganized around reaching out to employees as a means of motivating employees rather than mere ly orientation strategies. In other words, a diagnosis of the program and the employee’s environmental conditions might inform Doug that his program does not correspond with the experiences of the new employees. Thus an action plan will have to take these factors into consideration. Doug must take all reasonable steps to ensure that he is responsive to the lack of participation by new employees. If the problem turns out to be a mere scheduling problem he might want to reschedule his program so that it accommodates the schedules of a majority, if not all of his new employees. Scheduling may only be one of the problems that require Doug’s attention. It might also be a problem with the gap between pre-employment expectations and post-employment experiences. A review of the literature informs that there are a number of solutions that Doug may consider and these solutions relate to long-term solutions that are built into the working environment. First and foremost, the idea is to create a culture that transfers motivation and learning throughout the organization by virtue of a socialization and invocation process. This can be accomplished by virtue of building competency within the organization â€Å"among employees and local supervisors† (Forman & Jorgensen, 2001, p. 71). It is also necessary to encourage employee involvement in the planning and execution process relative to tasks and

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Essay - 5

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business - Essay Example The unfair dismissal, which has been defined as the termination of employment deemed to be ‘unjust, harsh or unreasonable (Pizam, 2010), in another organization was appeared. In which, the employees were sacked; subsequently, the aggrieved party filed a petition against the unfair dismissal. And, the court gave its verdict in the favor of the victims. And, they re-joined the same organization on the court orders. In addition to that, after going through the different reports over the ethical issues, I came across with the news pertaining to the ethical violations in one of the renowned organizations; however, it would also be unethical to mention the name of that organization. But, the ethical violation in that organization was that the organization had frozen the overtime and other benefits of its own employees just because of the employees had carried out a Trade Union activity. A number of impacts can be observable from the practices of ethical violations. First, the discrimination of any form would not help in entertaining the corporate objectives of the organization. This would create the environment of grouping or empire building within the organization. In which, one group would be working at the cost of other groups. And, the organizational objectives would not be compromised but also be neglected. In addition to that, discrimination would engender the environment of hostility within the organization. And, the hostility would only convince the staff to work to improve group’s benefits. Also, if the corporate objectives of the organization would be compromised, the organization would not earn profit or sufficient revenue; and, in the long-run, the organization would need to fight for its own survival. The unfair dismissal and the freezing of overtime and other benefits would hardly find any reasonable or legitimate justification as both actions on the side of the organization were carried out with the insincere

The Way to Fight Global Poverty Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Way to Fight Global Poverty - Assignment Example Better governance through political integrity is another solution to the global poverty and entails administration of donor aid in controlling poverty (Banerjee and Duflo). Â  Responsibility among the poor to eradicate global poverty offers hope for a solution. The authors’ randomized controlled tests identify passivity among the poor because they fear involved risks in active ventures and because of misplaced priorities that consume their resources instead of investments for higher incomes. Resource limitation is the main challenge to the solution strategy and calls for empowerment from rich people and countries. Banerjee and Duflo’s proposal for an active role of the rich in poverty eradication also promises viability by resolving the poor’s limitation into activeness. Creating awareness of possible initiatives by the poor is likely to undermine fears of failure and encourage the poor. Offering economic support is also likely to improve personal initiatives among the poor because of resolved resource limitation problem. Goodwill and political support, however, challenge empowerment initiatives but the author’s third altern ative offers the remedy. Better politics towards corruption free governance is likely to focus on poverty eradication, instead of self-centered interests, and source for resources for the initiative and manage available resources with integrity. Integrating the three ideas is likely to succeed in eradicating global poverty (Banerjee and Duflo). Â  The authors’ ideas identify hope in solving the global poverty problem and identify the need for professional attention to the problem.

Alfalfa hay yield prediction using yield monitor data and satellite Research Paper

Alfalfa hay yield prediction using yield monitor data and satellite imagery - Research Paper Example These variables can be used as yield indicators upon which crop growth models are based (Clevers et al, 1994). Accurate yield estimation relies on the availability and quality of actual crop status data. Satellite images provide a spatial resolution in spectral bands and offer coverage cycles. A number of studies have used such satellite images for monitoring of crop development (Watz et al, 1996) a characterization of natural vegetation (Saiz et al,1996). Information about the crops can be obtained from Vegetation indices (Tucker, 1979). These are functions that measure crop reflectance in terms of spectral analysis. Studies support the fact the use of Vis from the sensors were effective in determining the spatial variation and phonological changes in vegetation, though there are several Vis defined the most commonly used VI is the NDVI(normalized difference vegetation index) (Schowengerdt,1997). Techniques to improve the use of NDVIs are being developed, for example to normalize mu lti-temporal NDVs derived from NOAA AVHRR data for atmospheric effects. (Potdar et al, 1999). The reason for the variations was the low correlation coefficients. (Groten, 1993, Sharma 1993, Rosema, 1998) The main goal of agricultural crop management is to guarantee food resource for its population. Crop yield prediction ahead of harvest time and involving large regions is important for all countries. Crop yield prediction entails the application of crop growth models and crop yield models. Despite advances in crop yield prediction models, the applicability of such a model is limited to particular crops, cultivation practices, and growing conditions (Gommes, 1998). In addition, there is recognition that an integral part of predicting yield lies in accurate identification of growing sites and measurement of crop sown area, prior to using VI based methods for predicting crop growth and yield (Gommes , 2001). Thus, the goal of our study was to validate the prediction model as per NDVI w ith actual yield. In fact, early research has revealed the need to obtain better spectral signatures for predicting growth and yield of crops (Sonia ,1999, Sonia et al ,2002). This is because no single model of prediction has proven satisfactory in all conditions. For example, models like CERES (Larrabee et al, 1985), WOFOST (Diepen et al,1989) and EPIC (Williams et al, 1984), is limited due to the fact they were targeted towards specific research methods. The leading crop simulation models have been deemed to complex for wide acceptable forecasting purposes (Gommes, 1998). Remote Sensing has been used to furnish input data for models. Spectral vegetation indices correct the atmospheric and soil spectral effects on remotely sensed data.(Broge et al,2002)(McDonald et al ,1983)(Tucker,1979)(Tucker et al, 1985)(Tucker et al, 1991)(Unganai et al, 1988)(Williams, et al, 1991). This Vegetation Index (VI) is a measure of total green biomass at any given time has been related to crop yield (Potdar et al, 1993). The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) can be computed from red and near infrared reflectance data available from LANDSAT-TM, SPOT, ARTEMIS, NOAA-AVHRR satellite images (Heilkema et al, 1990). The NDVI derived

Communication Paper Essay Example for Free

Communication Paper Essay I would like to take this time in welcoming you to this presentation on communication marketing in health care. We will first be identifying different and most common communication used by consumers and health care providers, such as e-mail, a web-based forum, and/or electronic medical records just to name a few. We will also be discussing the benefits to the patients, an aspect relating to the values and importance of maintaining patient confidentiality when using these types of communication, some reasons that these types of communications are an effective way of communicating between consumers and their providers, how these types of communications may differ from others, and lastly, how might media and social networking change communication in health care today and years to come. Now, join with me as we discuss the different types and most common communication used by consumers and their health care providers. Many communication channels are used in healthcare, each with different properties. These channels may be synchronous or asynchronous, mobile or fixed, secure or no secure. Because of this, participants must decide which channel best suits the issue about which they need to communicate. Synchronous channels such as telephones and face-†to-†face meetings allow both parties to communicate at the same time, enabling information to flow freely in real time. Synchronous channels are ideal when discussing time-†sensitive issues and exchanging dense information. It is not always convenient, however, for a patient and physician to schedule time to communicate using synchronous channels because they can lead to delayed care, telephone tag, and frustration—when these channels fail to connect, some healthcare issues remain unaddressed. Yet, generally only pagers and synchronous communications are available for patient-†physician  communication. Asynchronous channels such as email, fax, and blogs enable each party to communicate when it is convenient. These channels may be used safely for issues that are no urgent or time-†sensitive. Because time is not a factor when using asynchronous channels, both patient and clinician can be more reflective in their messaging. Asynchronous channels, however, should not be used for medical emergencies or time-†sensitive issues. Another characteristic of communication channels is whether they are fixed (connected to a wire) or mobile. Thanks to advances in technology, many communication channels that were once fixed are now wireless, such as telephones and text messaging. Presenting new technologies is challenging when dealing with an industry entrenched in using the same telephone, fax, and pager systems for decades. Many problems in healthcare stem from the industry clinging to these outdated methods of communication, without understanding the benefits brought about by newer solutions. For example, electronic pagers, which have been abandoned by most industries, are still the core device for hospital communications. While physicians extensively use a mobile core phone outside the hospital, these phones are often banned from being used inside, despite evidence that in most areas of the hospital this technology is safe. Email is often discouraged for clinical communication for security reasons, and more advanced technologies such as instant messaging, videoconferencing, group teleconferencing, or web-†based collaboration are almost unheard of in clinical care—despite evidence that proves the effectiveness and safety of these technologies in healthcare. While physicians have found newer tools such as email useful, they are typically used only in limited situations and not commonly employed to communicate with patients. The reasons for physicians’ reluctance to use e-†communication with patients include concerns about malpractice litigation, fears of being barraged with emails, and the absence of a model that reimburses them for consulting with patients electronically. Communication in healthcare fails for many reasons: necessary personnel cannot be identified or located; they may not be available or may not respond in a timely manner; or the communication channel of choice may not be well suited to the task at hand— for example, e-†communication such as  email should not be used for time-†sensitive issues such as a patient having a heart attack, or in situations that require a dense exchange of information. Pagers, for instance, are more appropriate for time-†sensitive issues, while telephones, in-†person or videoconferencing meetings, or web-†based collaboration tools are more efficient options for exchanging dense information, such as detailed c ase reports. Because case reports require much discussion among physicians, using email only slows down the discussion process. With the ability to reduce costs, telemedicine has been shown to be such an effective medical practice in several instances that its growth and application in the health care industry have raised greatly. One of the reasons for patient satisfaction with telemedicine is a reduction in waiting time, travel time, and the time involved in arranging appointments. The absence of all these issues can facilitate health communication by eliminating many of the burdens involving in standard health care. There also some challenges to the patient privacy with web-based communication just as in a facility. Because multiple individuals in telemedicine communication, exposure of confidential records to all parties concerned becomes a threat to the privacy of the patient. Additionally, even through medical doctors accept the obligation of maintaining their patients’ privacy rights, the other assisting parties involved in the telemedicine communication may not be held to the same standards (Turner, 2003). As a result of this risk to patients’ privacy rights, telemedicine has struggled to gain acceptance for the legal and medical communities (Sanders Bashshur, 1995). However, again, as time progresses and this issue tackled by the medical and legal communities alike, solutions should be found to eliminate privacy risks to patients. Furthermore, these solutions should generate increased acceptance of telemedicine practices by all parties concerned and, likewise, should alleviate the fear and frequency of breached to patient privacy laws. In conclusion to the communication marketing in health care, we were able to identify the different types of communication such as e-mails, web-based and  medical records. We were able to point out some benefits and different aspects for the patients values and the importance in maintaining the patients confidentiality and the risks of safety in these types of communications. We were also able to understand the reasons as to how these types of communications are effective between the consumers and their providers and how they differ from other forms of communications as well. Thank you for your time and efforts in taking the time to better understand the communication through telemedicine present and future. References: http://www.uapd.com/wp-content/uploads/Telemedicine-Its-Effects-on-Health-Communication.pdf http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/wp/Communication_Healthcare_WP_0724FINAL.pdf

Ageism Essay Example for Free

Ageism Essay Journal Assignment: A Review of a Study Measuring Ageism in East Tennessee, USA The renowned gerontologist Dr. Robert Butler defines ageism as â€Å"stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old† (McGuire, Klein, Chen, p. 11, 2008). McGuire, Klein, and Chen (2008) were interested in determining the amount of ageism present amongst older adults in East Tennessee, USA. These researchers also wanted to examine the types of ageism reported by such individuals. McGuire et al. 2008) hoped that their results from this study would be a precursor for creating strategies to fight ageism in the region. Method McGuire et al. (2008) used convenience sampling methods to recruit community-dwelling older adults. The researchers were interested in surveying individuals 60 years of age or older (McGuire et al. , 2008). They obtained 247 participants who qualified for the study (mean age = 74; 75% females). The survey was administered at eight locations in four counties in the East Tennessee area (McGuire et al. , 2008). Of the eight survey sites, five of them were considered urban/suburban while three of them were considered rural. There were 151 participants from the urban/suburban sites and 96 participants from the rural sites (McGuire et al. , 2008). McGuire et al. (2008) utilized a cross-sectional survey design involving the Ageism Survey. The Ageism Survey is designed to measure the frequency of ageism in different societies, determine which subgroups of the elderly report the most ageism, and determine which types of ageism are most common (McGuire et al. , 2008). The survey includes 20 items that examine the frequency of occurrence of ageism along with examples of negative attitudes, stereotypes and institutional and personal discrimination towards the elderly (McGuire et al. , 2008). Results The participants revealed that ageism is prevalent and widespread. Roughly 84% of the participants stated experiencing ageism at least once and 71% of the participants reported experiencing ageism more than once (McGuire et al. , 2008). 69% of the participants indicated that they were told a joke that made fun of the elderly, while 51% reported that they were given a birthday card that made of the elderly. Furthermore, 40% of the participants stated that they were disregarded or not taken seriously due to their age, while 37. 5% indicated that they were patronized due to their age (McGuire et al. , 2008). Finally, 22. 8% of the participants stated that they were treated with less respect and less consideration as result of their elderly status (McGuire et al. , 2008). In addition, McGuire et al. (2008) found that a statistically significant difference existed between the urban/suburban and the rural locations in terms of the frequency of ageism. The participants from the urban/suburban areas indicated a higher rate of ageism than their rural counterparts on the following survey items: received an offensive birthday card, was told a joke that made fun of the elderly, was ignored due to their age, and a doctor assumed their ailments were age-related (McGuire et al. , 2008). The rural participants reported a higher occurrence only for the following event: someone thought I couldn’t understand due to my age (McGuire et al. , 2008). Discussion and Conclusions Based on their results, McGuire et al. 2008) concluded that ageism is thriving in the USA. Their results support findings from previous research and confirm the existence of ageism. McGuire et al. (2008) also mentioned that their study reveals the utility of the Ageism Survey and the importance of measuring ageism in society. They state that the results obtained by the Ageism Survey are useful for focusing the direction for interventions to fight ageism (McGuire et al. , 2008). Overall, McGuire et al. (2008) stress the importance of shifting societal norms towards a more accepting view of aging. Perceived Limitations  McGuire et al. (2008) state that the primary issue of their study involves their use of urban/suburban and rural dwelling participants. This is because even through the participants lived in urban/suburban or rural neighbourhoods, they may have experienced the ageism that they reported in a different setting. That is, the urban/suburban participants may have been in a rural area when they witnessed ageism, or vice versa. Furthermore, McGuire et al. (2008) mention that they are unable to say for sure whether their results are really cases of ageism and not simply hypersensitivity. In addition, participants may have been embarrassed resulting in their inaccurate responding in the survey. Thus, McGuire et al. ’s (2008) results are only as accurate as the participants’ reporting. Finally, the researchers indicate that their results may be influenced by response bias as the survey only used positively worded events; therefore, it is possible that the results are actually more positive than reality (McGuire et al. , 2008). Other limitations of this study involve the use of a convenience sample. That is, while the results may pertain to elderly participants in the East Tennessee area, they cannot be generalized beyond that. One cannot conclude that the findings from this study necessarily reveal information regarding populations in other parts of the USA or in other countries. Furthermore, the study doesn’t address whether gender differences in experiences towards ageism exist. It is generally believed that women experience a higher degree of discrimination in regards to the aging process, thus perhaps the results in this study are skewed due to the fact that 75% of the sample were female. Therefore, the results may be more negative than what would have arose if more men were surveyed. In addition, this study doesn’t address the context in which the participants experienced ageism. The elderly person may have misunderstood the situation and deemed the experience as ageist when in reality no such intentions existed. This taps into the limitation highlighted by the researchers themselves that states that the participants may have been overly sensitive. However the reverse is true as well. It is possible that the participants experience ageism a lot more than they even notice. That is, perhaps some instances of ageism are so subtle that the elderly person involved is naive to what they are experiencing. Further limitations of this study involve the technique of data collection: a survey questionnaire. While this method is generally inexpensive and allows researchers to use large samples, safeguard anonymity, and reduce the possibility of researcher bias, questionnaires have a tendency for inaccuracy. As previously mentioned, the results are only as good as the responding. It is possible that the participants lost interest while completing the study and mindlessly responded. There were no incentives given to the participants (i. e. no rewards), therefore intentional distortion may have occurred. Furthermore, self-presentation bias or impression management is a possible confound in this study. The participants may have been trying to preserve their dignity and therefore underreported their experiences of ageism. In addition, the questionnaires were presented to the participants only once; therefore it’s difficult to predict whether or not the results would be stable over time. To check this, the researchers should have used reliability tests, such as test-retest and/or alternate form. Finally, there is always the possibility that the researchers misinterpreted their results. Directions for Future Research  McGuire et al. (2008) suggest that additional research should be conducted to provide larger numbers, further support, and more culture-based population information regarding the measurement of ageism. These researchers suggest that welfare and health professionals and policy advocates can play a significant role in decreasing ageism; but, they must first be able to demonstrate the scope and epidemiology of ageism (McGuire et al. , 2008). As a result, they suggest further research in any and all areas pertaining to the prevalence ageism is vital if it is to ever be eradicated (McGuire et al. 2008). McGuire et al. ’s (2008) study appears to be a starting point and precursor for future research in the field of gerontology. While this study has demonstrated the extent of ageism in East Tennessee, it does not necessarily demonstrate how society should combat it. As a result, future research should be conducted to reveal the most effective means of eliminating ageism. Furthermore, additional research should be performed on other populations and more representative samples, such as from different age groups, ethnicities, and socio-economic statuses. Data from other countries or cultures (i. e. where the elderly are embraced) may be useful in demonstrating to Western societies the benefits and importance of elderly citizens. Furthermore, information from a variety of populations will provide a more all-encompassing view of the topic of ageism and will perhaps pinpoint a better approach to fighting it. Additional studies should make use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. It would be interesting to compare the results from an open-ended interview or case study with those from a laboratory study. By utilizing mixed-methods, the field of gerontology is exposed to a more comprehensive view of ageism. Future research should also examine which types of individuals are most vulnerable to experiencing ageism, so that efforts can be targeted to reduce ageism. Researchers should also focus on methods of spreading awareness. That is, they should study the most effective means of educating society about the effects and prevalence of ageism. Another potential line of research may involve asking younger individuals whether they have participated in acts of ageism. The results from this possible study may provide useful information on how younger generations view ageism and how society can go about educating them and preventing future acts of ageism. It would also be interesting to uncover data pertaining to implicit ageism and self-stereotyped ageism. Finally, it may be beneficial to reveal whether ageism exists amongst and between the elderly. That is, whether or not older adults engage in ageism themselves. Overall, future research should be focused on developing an epidemiology of ageism so that society can start working on decreasing it in our world.

Marketing Essays Satisfy Consumer Needs

Marketing Essays Satisfy Consumer Needs Satisfy Consumer Needs Introduction When marketing managers are asked if a particular tactic will produce the desired results, their answer has normally been closer to the lines of: it all depends on the product or service, the target demographic, the message and, particularly, how the target customers want to be approached (Beinhocker and Kaplan 2002). All these elements form a part of the marketing mix. Traditionally, marketers use the marketing mix, the 4Ps of product, price, place and promotion, to position the brand and to create brand values around a coherent set of policies for each of these P’s. Marketing mix has been used as a framework which acts as a guideline for marketers to implement a marketing concept. It consists of a set of major decision areas that a company needs to manage in order to at least satisfy consumer needs. This study will relate the concept of marketing mix with the fast changing mobile technology product market. The mobile phone market are no more company driven, rather it is cons umer driven. The business environment in which it operates is highly competitive with intense rivalry not only from direct competitors but also from the regulators and the environment. Analyzing the elements of the Marketing mix   ‘Price’ in the ‘marketing mix’ is the amount of money charged for a product or service, or the sum of the values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service (Beckwith, 2001). This is the only element on the marketing mix that produces revenue while the other three creates costs. By, ‘product’, marketers refer to anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need (Sudhir, et al., 2005). This includes physical objects, services, persons, places, organizations and ideas. ‘Promotion’ refers to activities that communicate the product or service and its merits to target customers and persuade them to buy (Kotler Keller, 2006). It is concerned about delivering the sales message and traditionally has consisted of Advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, public relation, publicity and personal selling. ‘Place’, a s the name suggests, refers to the geographic locations which has become increasingly significant in the wake of globalization. Every industry has to consider the culture and business practices of the place it is trying to do business with and the entry mode it wants to adapt before entering a different place/country/region. The ‘people’ (recently added to the marketing mix) aspect of marketing mix signifies the level of customer service, advice, sales support and aftermarket back-up required, involving recruitment policies, training, retention and motivation of key personnel. Marketing is professional practice it involves people. Traditional marketing mix was about dictating the market through price, product, place, and promotion manipulation. Marketing managers have traditionally used it to make better use of the tools and resources available to them in supplying products and services to customers and prospects. Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers Analysis and Discussion A consumer’s utility for a model of mobile phone is a function of the attributes and the price of that model, with the consumer choosing the brand-model that maximizes utility (Sriram, 2005; pg 440). Product plays a big role for global mobile phone companies like Nokia which not only have to keep continuously innovating with their products but also need to change its product according to the ethical and cultural aspects of the local market. It might be argued that even though ‘product’ is an important part of the digital industry, it’s the ‘innovation’ aspect associated with the products that give firms distinctive advantage over its rivals. Eg Sony Ericsson (the Japanese / Swedish firm) has integrated its successful ‘cybershot’ camera within its mobile phones to add value to its offering. Sony has also added its much known Walkman (Sony was the inventor of Walkman) feature to its mobile phone to give customers the best of three wo rlds (mobile, camera and walkman) in one device. Some might argue that this sort of strategy falls under the ‘product’ category of the marketing mix but, its less associated with the product design and specifications and more with the value and innovativeness. The price element of the marketing mix has traditionally relied on selecting the price objective by determining demand. Companies have estimated their price by comparing them to their competitors and basing it on a particular pricing method (Petrin, 2005). While the mobile phone industry still considers all these factors in setting its price, competitive pricing has given way to ‘value for money’ pricing. This means that low price as compared to competitors no longer means success in the mobile world. Pricing strategy in the mobile phone industry is more aligned to the company’s value proposition. Eg. Apple charges premium for its handset (iPhone) which is one of the costliest handset in the market, till its handset has achieved higher than expected sales. This is because its price is based not on competitor price but on its value proposition of innovativeness in terms of design and features. Similarly, Nokia N95 (market retail price c £500) is one of the most s uccessful Nokia offerings because it was the first phone to integrate a 5 mega pixel camera with a mobile. Customers are not ‘price sensitive’ any more; they are ‘value sensitive’. They see the value they are getting in terms of price that they pay for the offering.    While pricing strategy still needs to fit in with the overall mission of organisation, and reflect its financial objectives, it has to be more ‘value based’. Mobile products justify the fact that even though the four Ps are relevant in the current business environment, they probably need to be upgraded to include elements such as ‘innovation’ to reflect the present technology market realities. The promotion element of the marketing mix has undergone a huge change within the last few years. According to the Mobile Marketing Association, by 2008, 89 percent of brands will use text and multimedia messaging to reach their audiences, with nearly one-third planning to spend more than 10 percent of their marketing budgets on advertising in the medium (Graham, 2008). The newer element of marketing mix, ‘people’ is used to define modern mobile consumers and classifies consumers into a single entity. Researchers argue that ‘people’ cannot be classified as a single entity as requirement for product and services may vary. Also, increasing consumer power and sophistication due to wide availability of information has given rise to personalized marketing which requires interaction and sincere, direct dialog with the customer (Beinhocker, 2002). There is an increasingly need for marketers in the mobile market to identify the constantly changing and evolving customer needs, respond quickly to competitive movements and predict market trends early and accurately. Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work Eg. Motorola pioneered the mobile revolution and was the first mobile phone brand to enter the market. But, it has moved from pioneer to a low third (in terms of market share) and currently under threat to lose market share to Sony Ericsson because of its innovative handsets. Eg. Major Motorola competitors like Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson have come out with 5 Mega pixel camera mobiles but Motorola is still to catch up with them in terms of product design and value addition. Some may argue that this falls under ‘product’ part of the marketing mix but it is actually innovation that drives competition. Mobile was an innovative device and the market has always relied on innovation, which can be in terms of product or service. With organizations already providing internet access over mobile phones, the new trend is to add the capability to view television programs on the mobile. Rather than the 4P’s, performance in the mobile industry is driven more by changes tied t o intrinsic preferences which can be because of the changing portfolio of models in the product line and/or modifications in the attributes and prices of the models in the product line. While the 4P’s theory is still relevant in terms of marketing theory and practice, it oversimplifies the reality of marketing management in terms of mobile phone market (Brassington Pettitt, 2003). It is more organization-centric and says about the interactions between the mix variables. Also, recent development in technology has led to the concept of Customer Relation Management which encourage relationship building with the customer. The 4P’s of marketing rely on more transactional variables. The mobile phone product is one such product where staying close to the customers is extremely important. Companies not only need to know who their customers are but also what they value, in terms of add-on services. Comaines need to understand the need for product extensions by maintaing a direct contact with their customers, the highly visible nature of the service process, and the simultaneity of the production and consumption (Coviello Brodie, 2001). The extension allows a more thorough analysis of the marketing ingredients necessary for successful marketing (Akcura et al., 2004). Also, depending on the product line, different elements of marketing mix may have varying importance attached to them. Eg. Previous financial researchers done by (Driussi, 2007; pg 57) have revealed that in some cases a 1 % change in price can deliver a 10% plus improvement in profit. This might mean that businesses deal with pricing with much more rigor that their product design, channel management or promotions planning.   Despite the background and status of the Marketing mix as a major theoretical and practical parameter of contemporary marketing, several academics have at times expressed doubts and objections as to the value and the future of the Mix, proposing alternatives that range from minor modifications to total rejection (Brassington Pettitt, 2003). The common issues where researchers feel they marketing mix has its limitations are, its inadequacy to address specific marketing situations like the marketing of services, the management of relationships or the marketing of industrial products. Due to these factors, researchers believe that the marketing mix theory has to be broadened to suit the current market conditions. Consumer behavior in the mobile phone industry has also evolved with a rise in the over the mass consumer markets towards increasingly global, segmented, customized or even personalized markets of today (Kotler Keller 2006) where innovation, customization, relationships build ing and networking have become issues of vital significance. The new marketing principles imply that marketing activities should be based on identification of customer needs and wants, typical external and therefore uncontrollable factors (Naik et al., 2005). Researchers believe that by expanding the theoretical scope of the marketing theory, it will be easier to reflect on urge to better understand the managerial consequences of transformations taking place and identify sources of superior firm performance in constantly evolving competitive environments (Constantinides, 2001). Draganska (2006) believes that the growing pressure on marketers to better identify and satisfy constantly changing customer and industry needs, the increasing importance of services and the need to build-up long-lasting relationships with the client, have further contributed to the exposure of several limitations of the 4P framework as a marketing management tool.   Conclusions   The changing marketplace dynamics of mobile phone industry has meant that marketing mix as a differentiation strategy needs massive upgrading. The rise of competition, globalization, increasing use of technology in marketing practices has changed the traditional way to marketing to people. There are no certainties and no guarantees of success within the mobile phone industry even if companies get their 4P’s right. This is because, what works with one group of customers may not work with another, and some things which traditionally used to work may not work at all. In the continuously changing marketing environment, the marketing mix is still relevant but strategies based on them may not necessarily work. There are more variables and elements to the mix than the 4P’s, which depends of the industry type, market structure, competition and other related factors. Graham (2008; pg 40) while referring to the 4P’s states that rather than bouncing the four (price, promoti on, people and place) balls at one time, marketers need to juggle up to a dozen or more at the same time. It is worth mentioning that in the wake of changing consumer preferences, marketing managers still need to evaluate the effects of product attributes and marketing activities to improve performance in the marketplace. References Akcura, T. M., F. Gonul, E. Petrova. (2004) Consumer learning and brand valuation: An application on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Marketing Science. 23(4) 156–169. Ailawadi, K.L., Lehmann, D.R. and Neslin, S.A. 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