Product Planning Distribution and Management (a Case Study of the Nigeria Bottling Company’s Plc, Enugu.

A Paper PRODUCT PLANNING DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT (A CASE STUDY OF THE NIGERIA BOTTLING COMPANY’S PLC, ENUGU. ABSTRACT Product planning distribution and management are very vital in the production and distribution of very manufacturing organization. Before ever a manufacturing company should come out with a good quality product, it must undergo many processes, from planning for either short range or long, fore casting doing market research and consumer survey, protesting the product and introducing the product to the market through different channels of distribution.The aim of this study is to describe how the Nigeria bottling company plc, Enugu is really involved in the process of product planning, distribution and management. This is done by gathering information from certain problems usually associated with product planning, and proposing remedial measures after revealing areas of problem. The question in the questionnaire were based on the research question s developed for this purpose while analysis were made using the chi-square (x2) test and percentage from here a discussion of the findings, recommendation and conclusion were made by the researcher.It is hoped that this will aid managers in planning, distribution and managing the their products by taking effective and efficient decisions in these important decision areas. For examples the company should recruit highly staff and give them adequate training. PREFACE This work is deemed to high light on problems involved in product distribution and management. These tasks are undertaken by management to ensure product growth and increase market share.My reason for selecting the Nigeria bottling company Plc, Enugu is due to the wide range of produce in the market needed to be evaluated against the back ground of produce planning distribution and management. For the continued existence of companies products must be produced and sold profiatably. New product must have to be introduced and told and un profitable products must have to be deleted. TABLE OF CONTENT Title page Approval page Dedication Acknowledgment Abstract Preface Table of content CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. Background of the study 2.Statement of the problem 3. Objective of the study 4. Research question 5. Scope of the study 6. Limitation and problems 7. Significance of the study 8. Definition of term CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Meaning of product 2. Product classification 3. product planning and product development 4. Decision areas in product planning 5. The function of product planning 6. New product 7. Planning for new product 8. Product attributes 9. Product positioning 10. The expanding duties of the product manager 11. Physical distribution 12. Physical distribution objective 3. Distribution channels 14. Selection channels of distribution CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY 1. Research design or methodology 2. Area of study 3. Population of the study 4. Sample size d etermination 5. Instrument for data collection 6. Validation of the instrument 7. Reliability of the instrument 8. Methods of data collection 9. Method of data analysis CHAPTER FOUR DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 1. Presentation and analysis of data 2. Testing of hypothesis 3. Summary of results CHAPTER FIVEDISCUSSION RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 1. Summary of finding a d discussion 2. Conclusions 3. Recommendations Bibliography Appendix CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY A product has been defined by the American marketing association as any thing that can be officered to a market for attention, acquisition or consumption including physical objects, services, personalities, organization and desires. A product as defined by stanchion in fundamentals of marketing. A product is a set of tangible and intangible attributes that leads to customer satisfaction. roduct planning embraces all the activities that enables a company to determine what product t will market. Ma nagement deals with all those who have supervisory responsibility ranging from the chief executive down to the first line supervisor, in this case, management is regarded to as box, that is those who direct the work of others and their own through their own offers and efforts of others thus, product planning and management, comprises all the activities that enables a company to determine what it will market of product so as to satisfy customers wants and need respectively.This involves the process of effectively planning and regulating the operations of that part of enterprises which is responsible of that part of enterprises which is responsible for the actual transformation of materials into finished products. This includes all the activities required. In storage and distribution of the company’s goods. This addresses the questions of. a. Which type of channels a seller should select for his product. b. Which particular middlemen include in each channel type and. c. How to management distribution n system for effective performance.The company or firm should know the degree of channel control desired, by controlling the channel, the producer attempts to ensure that this product will receive the necessary sales push as well as any other essential elements needed to present the product properly and satisfy and customers. The company of firm should make necessary effort to control the quality of the product. Product quality-the quality level to be built into the product is a conscious decision to be made by the manufacture. A higher quality product normally is more costly to product than a lower quality one and so commands a higher price on the market.The quality level decision therefore should be related to the price range that will be attractive to the mainstreams of potential buyers, quality is multifaceted. It relates to, or depends on. Such factors as the quality of raw materials used the production process Itself, quality controls during production packaging or dressing of the product, price of the product, the environment in which the product is displayed for buys, the durability of the product is used and the buyers, expectation and appreciation in general, product quality tends to be high to the extent that any of the above factors is good or high as the case may be.The quality produced has be in line with demand at a particular point in time so as to fight against out of stock and over stock. The company has to be watchful at any point in time so as to know what type of product to be produced, when to produce. How to produce, whom to produce for the (target market) and cloy such a product is required. According to Charles a Scheve and Reuben M Smith. The basic goal of product management is to ensure that a product matches the wants and needs of consumers in its market.Then many markets make the mistake of thinking that consumers feel and act as they do and share their wants† invalid assumptions on the part of markete rs. Results to marketing failures previously, about one hundred years ago, there were few producers. The sellers oriented type of market was prevailing consumers out weighted the number of producers and little or no regards was paid to consumers welfares. Production concept of marketing philosophy was prevalent. What ever was produced had to be consumed. This goes to mean that the total produce concept is the entire set of benefits the products provides to the consumers.No attention was paid to product packaging, branding product quality and other important physical attributes of a product. As time went on, more and more producers come into the market. This gave rise to conception among the available producers consumption was based on good packaging brand image, product quality convenient. This is known as product concept in marketing philosophy. It is this situation that forced manufactures to spend time in product packaging, labeling, branding etc. Now due to advancement in both t echnology and communication as will as production equipment introduced into the circulation makes the market more complicated.This is the era that brought about marketing concept. Here manufactures and producers first of all is out to find really the needs and wants of consumers, then the most admirable type colour, package design, branding and labeling that all best suit the desire of the potential and actual consumers of the product. Product planners must try to match the firms resources lie what it is capable of producing with the men, money, machines and materials it ahs with the needs of consumers satisfaction and highest company profits can be achieved wit the limited resources available.Because of the sophisticated nature of today’s business, many tactics are being applied by different companies to fight back competitions and to stand firmly in the market. Many new products are constantly being introduced into the market. Innovators are seriously doing their job; old a nd profitable products are modernized while some are deleted out of the market. Companies use specific and admirable packaging design, good branding and beautiful types of labeling to distinguish their products from many in circulation. Similar products in the market. . 2STATEMENT OF PROBLEM In most business operations today the task of planning and managing a product is not an easy one. Emphasis is laid on the problems associated with product planning distribution and management in NBC PLC Enugu. The company is having problems in procuring raw materials. The reason is that. a. The Federal Government banned the importation of the base material-what? b. Local supplier do not always have enough to give the company. c. The local inputs have to be refined to bring them to the standard record by the company. d.Transporting the raw materials is a problem since the company does not have enough f town trucks. e. The raw materials are usually bulky. The company is also having problems in pro duct planning and development. The reason being that the company exists in an economy strangled by hyperinflation and insecurity. Consumers are now being very careful on what to spend for or consumer. Another problems that the company encounters is that of increased competitions from companies like 7 up bottling PLC. The company’s competitors are having a high quality of product often not much different from the NBC.Even where NBC gain in terms of quality and diversification, other gain by more liquid content, as 7 up against sprite and cheaper prices. In the area of distribution and product management, the company has insufficient number of trucks and experiences bottle breakages and pilfrages. 1. 3OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY This study is purely on product planning, distribution and management. It aims at describing how NBC PLC is really involved in these task. To do this the study is armed with information gathered from extensive literature review as a base.The main and primary objectives of this study is to define certain problems usually associated with product planning distribution and management in NBC PLC which require a proposal of remedial measure after reveal areas of the problems. The study will investigate on the areas of the company’s procurement of raw materials use. How the company plans for its products. How this product is developed. How the management and workers take decision, what channel of distribution is used, and how are the products managed from production to consumption.It is also important to mention that this research work is very vital in partial fulfillment of the award of ordinary national diploma (OND) in the polytechnic IMT Enugu state. 1. 4RESEARCH QUESTIONS For the purpose of this study the following research question have been proposed by the researcher. 1. Do you have problems in procuring raw materials used by your company. 2. Do you plan for your product before production. 3. Do you encounter certain problems in planning and managing your products. 4. Do you normally meet up with demand during peak period. 5.How do distribution cope with the distribution system of your company. 6. Do your products meet a real need of consumers or do they complain of poor quality. 1. 5SCOPE OFD THE STUDY This study covers the Nigerian Bottling company PLC Enugu the producer of i. Coca-cola ii. Sprite iii. Fantat (Quinine and Orange) iv. Krest v. Tonic water vi. Chapman vii. Club soda The researcher basing my write up-on coca-cola which is the first product of the company when it state production in 1963. For NBC PLC, Enugu this study is structured to consider product planning distribution and management only. . 6LIMITATION AND PROBLEMS Initially the scope of this study was designed to cover all the plants in the Eastern region including Makurdi) of Nigerian but due to time and finance constraints, only the Enuygu plants was studies, this plant however covers most of the old Eastern region, minus Aba and Por t-Harcourt. Makurdi is considered a part of Enugu. In carrying out this product work, the researcher faced some problems which ranged from financial constraints, time constraints, to the problems of data collection.The researcher faced some financial problems in carrying out this research arising from frequent traveling to all depots for data collection with the unsteady high transportation cost. There is also high cost of writing sheets and high secretarial charges in the typing and binding of the research work. Another major constraint is that of time factor. This is imminent as the researcher was exposed to two strongly opposing alternative choices to chose from. That is choice between attending lectures and that of traveling to depots for data collection in which the opinions have to be met within weeks posses as an.Data collection also posses as an obstacle in the task accomplishment in that the data so sought were not readily available and the researcher had to make repeated v isits on several occasions before obtaining th required data. In the face of all these problems the researcher forged ahead by overcoming these problems and making the researcher work successful. 1. 7SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This write up is likely to be beneficial to three parties particularly. The student (Writer). The subject matter (Nigerian Bottling company PLC Enugu) and the Institute of management and technology (IMT) and probably the country in general.It is beneficial to the write in the sense that it gives him opportunity to review personally almost all that it exposed the writer to a very wide area f business most especially during the cross of research and widened his knowledge. Also with the opportunity provided by the research study, the writer having obtained facts from research carried out will be privileged to express higher opinion based on personal judgment on the subject matter (Nigeria Bottling Company PLC Enugu) when the suggestions and recommendations provide d by this study are implemented this is it fault will reality the weaknesses identified during the course of study.Also the exposure and awareness which this project will create about (Nigerian Bottling Company PLC Enugu) could help in attracting different categories of individuals and groups to come and invest in (Nigeria n Bottling Company PLC Enugu as required by the Authority. Finally, since it is generally believed that examination alone does provides the true test of one’s ability or knowledge the polytechnic could use this project work to measure the performance and seriousness of the student or writer. 1. 8DEFINITION OF TERMBecause of the misconception of product and the mis-positioning of products there is need to explain some production know how which few has been explained above. ORGANIZATION OF BRANDING Organizing of the product branding is a variable product attribute. Branding considered as one aspect of product policy. It seemed also to be a phase of promotiona l policy since it is an and to communication. Brand policy issue center ground the question of whether to brand in the first place and their whether to use individual product brand of a family or blanket brand.The same brand far all the product in the line in there exist a problems of whether to sell price brands. PRODUCT POSITIONING Management ability to position a product appropriately in the market is a major determinant of company profit. According to William Stanton. A product position in the image that product prefects is relations to competitive products by the company in question William Stanton goes on saying that the more to product positioning is an attempt by business. PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTIONThis is the part of marketing that addresses how product are moved and stored. A physical distribution channel include intermediates often not considered to e part marketing channel, such as transportation companies public were house and insurance companies that participates and the mo vement and a towage of products. These agent who do not take thrift to actually own the goods they handle are referred functions is to facilities the movement of goods. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1MEANING OF PRODUCTThe attempt to undertake a study of product planning is beneficial by booking into the books of many intelligent personnel who had done some of work on this topic the following re the views of these learner human beings. A product has been defined by the American Marketing association as anything than can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition or consumption, including physical objects services, personalities, organization and desires† `Product is something that is viewed as being capable of satisfying a need or want.A product is any thing than can be offered to a market for attention acquisition used of consumption that input satisfy a need. It includes physical objects, services, persons, places organization and ideas. It may also be a set of tang ible and intangible manufacturing prestige and manufacturers accept as offering wants satisfaction product as defined by Stanton in fundamentals of marketing â€Å"A product is a set of tangible attributes that leads to customer satisfaction†. Product according to Nonyelu G.Nwokoye markets buyers and it is of central importance in the marketing effects â€Å"A product may be defined as a bundle of physical and psychological satisfactions that a buyer receivers from a purchase. It includes not only the tangible object but also such supportive elements as packaging convenience of purchase, post-sale services and others that buyers value†. According to pride/feared: A product is everything (both favourable and unfavourable) that on receives in an exchange. It is a complex of tangible and intangible attributes including functional, social and psychological utilities or benefits.A product can be idea, a services, a good or any combination of the three. 2. 2PRODUCT CLASSIFIC ATION â€Å"One result of taking this broad view of product is that there are literally millions of products to be marketed. A new products are identified developed, discovered, invented or born every day. While each of this product demand a unique marketing mix† We have two broad types of product: 1. The consumer product and 2. Industrial product. Consumer s products:In this type of products, not all consumers product are the same. Rather they can be subdivided on the basis of how people buy them.Since the purpose of marketing is to satisfy wants and needs. It is only logical to classify products on the basis of consumer behaviour. Thus consumer product can be divided into four subgroups. 1. Convenience products. 2. Slopping products 3. Specially product and 4. Unsought products. Industrial products:This type of product is make up of goods or services used in the production of other products. Industrial goods encompass suppliers, accessories, services and even plant and equi pment. This many raw materials and subassemblies that go into a finished can are all industrial products.They are market to automobile manufacturers, not to ultimate consumers. Buyers of industrial products are different frame the buyers of consumer products. In terms of this write up, I do not have to go into detail of industrial products. My concern is on consumer product. TYPES OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS 1. CONVENIENCE PRODUCTS-Are items that consumers want to buy with the least possible shopping effort. Their selection is characterized by routing buying behaviour. Through these product are bought often, consumers do not seek information about them. Examples are milk, eggs, cigarettes, chewing gum, chariots.There are three types of convenience products. a. Staples b. Impulse items and c. Emergency goods A. STAPLES- Items are convenience products for which consumers usually do some planning. Food items are good examples. For instance though consumers don’t seek such information a bout milk, they do buy it often and they plan to buy it when preparing to go to grocery stock banking is an example of service that is staples with staple items, the brand or trademark can be very important in buyers minds. And buyers want staples items to be located conveniently. B.IMPULSE ITEMS-Are not purchased because of planning, but because of strongly it immediate needs. Thus distribution is an important factor in marketing impulse products. If they are not located conveniently exchange will not take place. That is why items like novelties, and expensive pans are placed near the cash register in many stores. C. EMERGENCY PRODUCTS-Are items that are needed to solve an immediate crisis time and place utilities are the major ingredients of satisfaction, price and quality are less important, although the product obviously has to be of sufficient quality to meet to meet the emergency. . SHOPPING PRODUCTS-In shopping product, consumer visits several stores to compare price and qual ity before buying. Even before going into the store to buy or examine such products, consumer may study magazines like consumer reports or ask friends for their opinions about certain products or study, advertisement. In order words, before buying shopping products consumer seek information that will allow them to compare two or more brands or substitute products. Shopping products can thus be divided into two: a. Homogeneous product and b. Heterogeneous product. 3.SPECIALTY PRODUCTS-Are items for which there are no acceptable substitutes in the consumers mind. Consumers are ready to s each long and hand until they find them. 4. UNSOUGHT PRODUCTS-Are items that consumers do not readily realize they want or need. They are those products which the consumers do not readily realize they want or need. 2. 3PRODUCT PLANNING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT According to Stanton- â€Å"product planning embraces all activities that enable a company to determine what product it will market. Product de velopment encompasses the technical activities of product research, engineering and design.More specifically the combined scope of product planning and product development includes making decisions in the areas named below. 2. 4DESIGN AREAS IN PRODUCT PLANNING 1`. Which product should the firm make? 2. Should the company market more or fewer products? 3. What new uses are there for each product. 4. What brand, package and label should be used for each product? 5. How should the product be styled and designed and in what sizes, colours and materials should it be produced. 6. In what quantities should each item be product. 7.How should the product be priced. According to Grolier in modern business (marketing) â€Å"The evolution of scientific product planning in business, designed to reduce the risk of failure and to avoid the enormous waste that failures cause, has led to the formalizing of the various activities involved in product planning. 2. 5THE FUNCTION OF PRODUCT PLANNING Can be summarized in general in the following ten points. a. Evaluation of the idea-Does the product belong in our line? Is the time right for it now? Does this seem like a good idea for us to make this item? . Evaluation of the potential market:Does the consumer want or need this product. Is the market big enough to w arrant our investing the necessary time, manpower and money to make it what influences consumer buying of this type of product? c. Evaluating the product:Is the new idea sufficiently different and superior to existing products competitive product gives the consumer substantially more for his money? d. Evaluating company resources:Is our company set up to make this new product? What additional equipment of manpower will we need to make and market it?Can we make and sell it economically against the price the consumer is willing to pay? How long will it take our company with its present or potential resources to recoup investment and start making a profit from its operation . Approximately where is the break-even point? (The point at which marginal revenue equals margarita cost, at this point there is not profit or loss). e. Preparing customer specifications-If preliminary evaluation is favorable just what is it that the consumer would like in a product of this kind what could the consumer not like?What assurance do we have that a product meeting those specifications will find a ready market? What should our new product be like? What should it do to meet customer specifications? f. Developing the product-Armed with this information, which marketing research has developed for us, we can turn to the engineering or laboratory department for the, development of a [product which meets those specifications as nearly as possible. g. Pre-testing the product-The sample model product, as designed and enveloped by engineering has to be tested in the market against competition.If there is nothing like it on the market now. It must be tested against consumer apathy or resistance. Generally at this stage some modification are indicated as consumer lasted change, or as our model fails to meet customer specifications. h. Producing the product:Once was have tested the model and have confirmed customer desire to buy. We can return it to engineering for last minute modifications and then turn it over to manufacturing for production for the market. Careful sales, advertising and promotion department to prepare their programmes for proper market coverage and market introduction. . Marketing the product-If all necessary planning and programming have been accomplished, marketing the product should begin as son as production has turned out enough unit to meet the initial plan. It is important that dealers and distribution as well as the company’s own sales force, shall have full knowledge before hand. j. Control and evaluation-After new product has been introduced into the market, it has to be controlled and continuously evaluated. Does it meet a real need? Is there sufficient repeat business to keep it in the line?Does it carry its own weight (Volume of sales, volume of profit addition to company prestige etc) 2. 6NEW PRODUCT What is a â€Å"New† product? Must an inter be totally new in concept before we can class it as a new product? Each marketing category may requires quite different marketing programme to ensure a reasonable probability of market success. Three recognizable categories of new products are as following. 1. Products that are really innovative-Truly unique. Example would be a hair-restorer or a cancer cure-products for which there is a real need but for which no existing substitutes are considered satisfactory.In this category we can also include products but satisfy the same needs. Thus television to a great extent replaced radio and movies. 2. Replacement for existing products that are significantly different from he existing foods. Instant coffee replaced ground coffee and coffee bean in many mar kets, then freeze dried inkstand replaced instant coffee. Annual model changes in autos and new fashions in clothing belongs to this category. 3. Initiative product that are new to a particular company but not new to the market. The company simple wants to capture pant of an existing market with a mention product.Perhaps the key criterion as to whether a given product is new is how the intended market perceive it. If buyers perceive that a given item is significantly different (from competitive goods being replaced) in some characteristic appearance, performance) then it is a new product. 3. 7PLANNING FOR NEW PRODUCTS It is now clear that modern business takes the matter of new product very seriously. The well known management consultant, Peter Druck, refers to it as the management in innovation. Basically, business consider that new product pose three major challenges to management . a.The uncertainty of new-product results the rate of failure, even with better organizations, is gr eat until recently eighty to night present of all new products failed. In some companies now, the rate of failure is down as low as 25 percent. But in industry as a while, a new product has no more than a 50-50 chance of success. b. Shortage of the technically-Trained technically trained personnel, capable of taking change of new product development are scare. As new product multiply, the burden on the technically trained grows. Further more, as technology progresses, the technological proficiency of the individual has to increase.This is often a slow process of conation and experience gained on the job and it cannot be developed over night. c. Difficulty of organizing and controlling the new-product development process. We have seen how companies are all empting to meet the problems of organizing and controlling the new product development process. It is largely a human rather than a technical problem involving such decision as how we use the skill s available, where to place the p roduct manager, to whom he should report. And what functions will be assigned to him.Before ever emphasis, is to be laid on functions of product manager, first of all I have to emphasis on management. Management and administration are interchangeable. Management defined broadly as getting things done through other people. This include lower strata and top management. Management deals with â€Å"All those who have supervisory responsibility ranging from the chief executive down to the first line. Supervisor in this case management is regarded to as a Box and that is those who direct the work of others and their work through their own efforts and effort of others.Management generally has three basic task. 1. To set up a general plan or strategy for the business. 2. To direct the execution of this plan 3. To evaluate , analysis, and control the plan in actual operation. Management is usually defined in term of function performed management is what management does. This means that mana gement is both the executive personnel (boss) and a body of knowledge, a practice a discipline or a process. A widely accepted listing of management functions includes. 1. Planning 2. Organizing 3. Directing 4. Coordinating and 5. Controlling 2. 8THE EXPANDING DUTIES OF THE PRODUCT MANAGERThere is a growing need of a product manager, a single individual in the product division who coordinates the developments of new products. The product manager because, in effect a product specialist who meets the special problems posed by the rapidly growing number of products, the growing importance of new product. The product manager has the responsibility of making sure that each new product has the necessary effort behind it to make it a success. He is more than a mere coordinator. Typically he is charge with the following duties and functions. a. He recommend additions to the line (base on research reports of market needs). . He forecasts sales (based on sales potentials established by resear ch). c. He supervises the preparations of sales promotion to achieve sales goals. d. He determines new product specification based on reports fromn the research department. e. He participates in the preparation sales programmes f. He assists in selling big accounts. g. He councils and advises regional and distribute sales managers. h. He participates in the preparation of advertising plans and programs. i. He prepares product-development budgets (including the budgets for marketing the product). j. He makes pricing recommendations. k.He coordinates the development of new product from idea through commercial marketing. It is important to be aware that the situation with regard to the product manager is in most cases, quite fluid and it is constantly changing. Some companies have used a production manager for years. While many others have adopted the system only recently. The position of product manager, is in neither standard nor settled. In general, there are three main types of pro duct manager set ups emerging in business. One type of product manager places the emphasis on product, another on sals service and the third on decentralization. . 9PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES. â€Å"A firm might elect to product a product based on specific attributes. But these attributes can never be catalogued. The alternatives of product form are infinite. In fact, this great range in alternatives is the reason product development is such a challenging management problem, while we can look at all of the potential features of products, we can look at all of the potential features of products, we can look at certain attributes that historically have command considerable management attention. PRODUCT DIFFERENCIATIONRegardless of the form a new product takes a company most make a decision on the degree of product differentiation to incorporate in the product, A firm seeks the maximum degree of product differentiation, since this large profits. The demand curve for such a product is more ela stic, and the firm more nearly approximates a monopoly position. But every product differentiation is subject to coping by competitors, and a firms competitive advantage is gradually erodes. The goal of product differentiation is universal, there are occasions when it is loss important as objective.In some situations, it can readily be accomplished. Further more, there is always a large segment of industry that tasks a product follower† Position seeking to duplicate the offerings of product leaders. PATENTABILITY For many firms, an essential feature of product development and product competition is the degree of which a candidate product can be protected through patents (or literary work). A tight patent which perpetuates a product is a comparative advantage. And for most firm this potential is deemed essential if they are to invest large sums in product research.But caution should be urged when it comes to relying havily on potent protection. Even the best of patents can be c ircumvented by developing new materials and processed. PRODUCT KNOW-HOW Equally as significant as palatability is production know-how in seeking competitive product advantages companies with high research and development investments, substantial capital vested in production facilities, or a skilled work-force may be able to distinguish their offerings in the market place through lower cost or product improvement. QUALITY The level of product quality requires management action.A decision on a candidate product is frequently made on the basis of the company’s ability to make the product and maintain it reputation for quality, lack of materials, inadequate labour skills or the stage of the products development may be compelling reason for concluding that the product cannot be made commensurate with past quality standards. STYLE We think of style as a distinctive artistic expression in s product. as such it is a permanent thing. This is in contrast to a fashion-a style currently popular. Thousand of styles and created.A fed in contrast to a fashion, is considered to be short-lived and les predictable as to interpolation COLOUR Problems of colour selection for product are allied in those of style selection. For they, too encompass artistic expression. Colour as a variable product feature would seem to warrant special comment, however, for it has become such a significant form of product competition in the consumer goods field. Colour consciousness has compounded production and inventory control problems but correct prediction of consumer colour preferences has again led to competitive advantage.SIZE For some products, a decision is not necessary on product size. But for most of industry size is a product variable. It may tasks the form of varying the size of the product or the amount of the product sold in particular package. Regardless of its form, varying product size calls for a careful analysis of such factors as family size rates of consumption and stor age facilities. PACKAGING Packaging is also a product attributes of considerable importance to some firms. Its advantages are quite memories.Packaging the product facilities protecting it form it from spoilage, evaporation and spilling it protects the product from changes in the weather and from damage from handling by the customer package products are also easier for both consumer and the retail dealer to handle. Consumers find correct packaging an aid to taking products home, in storing them and dispensing the contents dealers’ find that well-packaged product are easier to display, easier to handle at check-out counters and more adaptable to inventory control.A major function of packaging is to aid in product identification, both for dealer and consumer. Well displayed package products represent a principal means of communicating to consumer buyers at a critical stage in the buying process. The point of purchase, in recent years products like been soft drinks etc. has appea red in forms of multiple package. This increases the quality bought by the consumer as a product quality. BRANDING A brand name is a variable product attribute. It is part of the product and part of what consumer buys.Brand name it is seemed also to be a phase of promotional policy since it is an aid to communication. Brand policy issues center around the question of whether to use individual product brands of a family† or â€Å"blanket† brand. The same brand for all the product in the line. There exist a problem of whether to sell private brand. ADVANTAGES OF BRAND IDENTIFICATION â€Å"It enables the sellers o build a consumer following and identify a diven level of quality with a product. It facilities differentiating a product from competitions.It expedites the process of communicating to buyers not at the point of purchase nut through the medium of advertising and occasionally through the publicity. Finally, brand may enable the firm to communicate psychological as well as material values. These psychological values and developed through promotional efforts and they hinge on the connotations that can be associated with the brand name. In some firms there exist a product director often such a product director is called a brand manager.The purpose of a brand manager is to ensure adequate attention and push behind each product. â€Å"A brand manager is responsible for drawing up complete promotional (advertising) programs for him product or a single brand. 2. 10PRODUCT POSITIONING Management ability to position a product appropriately in the market is a major determinant of company profit. In according to William J. Stanton. A product position is the image that product projects is relations to competitive products and to other products marketer by the company in question.William Stanton goes on saying that the more to product positioning is an attempt by business to increase its creditability, build a reputation for reliabilities and generally satisfy a boarder market spectrum over the long run. Again E. Jerome Mc Cathy said product positioning should where proposed and/ on present brands are located in a market it requires some formal market research. 2. 11PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION Physical distribution is the part of marketing that addressed how products are moved and stored.A physical distribution channel includes intermediate often not considered to be part of marketing channel, such as transportation companies, public were houses and insurances companies that participates and the movement and a storage of products, these agents ho do not take title to (actually own) the goods they handle, are referred to as facilitators because their main function is to facilitate the movement of goods. TWO VIEW OF PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION Marketing mangers have different view on what physical distribution really is. Some see physical distribution only as the flow of furnished goods to he consumers, whereas others se it as including activit ies that occur earlier in the process, such as procuring and moving raw materials. A traditional marketing view of physical distributions looks at only the outward consideration and ignores the physical supply and processing or manufacturing activities. The view or typically referred to as simply distributors management. A more comprehensive term for all these physical movement and storage activities is business logistics, which involves the coordination of movements or raw materials, parts, and finished goods to achieve a give service level while minimizing total cost.The concepts contains four element and includes both physical supply and physical distribution that is both inbound and outbound activities, we shall concentrate on three important logistics problems storage, inventory control and transportation. Move recently, several development have viewed physical distribution or logistics as getting goods to buyers, as a supportive subsidiary activity. Managements, interest has n ow been awakened in the logistics problem. One alerting factors is the stand climb in the bill for physical distribution services as freight, warehousing, and inventory.Freight warehousing bills are rising as a result of increased labour, energy and equipment costs. The inventory bill is rising because buyers are tending to place smaller order more frequently, and manufacturers are tending to expand the with and depth of their product lines. According to Nonyelu G. Nwokoye, Physical distribution or logistics is concerned with the efficient movement or raw materials from supplier and finished goods from the end of the production line to the customers. Series of activities must be performed which grouped under four main categories called physical distribution activity center namely. 1. Transport 2.Inventory 3. Warehousing and 4. Communications. In the design of a physical I distribution system starting point by the producer is to set customer service standard. This has a number of dim ension of which the most important is the time it takes to get the merchandise to the customer, that is delivery time. The decision that lead to cost reduction in one activity area such as transportation, may lead to a cost increase in another area like inventory. Therefore, an appropriate strategy in logistics design, is to arrange al the required activities so as to minimize the total cost of providing a desired level of customer service.Now the physical distribution activity areas are to be taken one after the other. 1. TRANSPORT There is availability of wide range of transportation modes to move products to mark rail, highway, water, pipeline, and air, each of this is having different cost and service 9speed) characteristics. Decision must be made on the type of mode of transportation to use for each type of shipment, coordinates movement using more than one mode might be possible. In considering the activity area in transportation order processing is also inclusive. This includ e checking prices and shipping documents. . INVENTORY Inventory is of central importance in physical distribution system design since actual demand (in the form or orders) is rarely exactly the same as forecast demand, inventories or goods must be established and maintained. There are other reasons for carrying inventories. a. To ensure against risks of various kind (strikes in the factory supplier failure). b. Accommodation of production runs before sales and. c. Seasonality of product and/or seasonality of demand, also need are raw material inventories to support production.Inventory carrying cost is high and procedures for proper inventory management must be installed. Over stocking leads excessive inventory carrying cost, while under stocking leads to cost sale and poor customer service. 3. WAREHOUSING Warehousing (for depots) store inventories decision must be made on number of warehouses that are required where they should be located and what products should stocked in what qu antities. Storage may be emphasized in a warehouse for a long time that is the product remaining in one place for a long time.Seasonal products of agriculture in processed from require long-term storage before sale, temporary storage and through out volume may however, be emphasized in which case the warehouse becomes a distribution center. A distribution center receives large loads of homogenous goods, which are mixed and consolidated into out bound shipment to end markets. The emphasis is on moving goods through the facility and not on storage per see material handling is the movement of goods within the plants and warehouses. In this case, suitable equipment must be available to permit economical handling of goods.Unit loads refers to the possible economic to be gained by handling products as a unit load, unit load are form a train load of coal to a master carton containing the individual product units purchased by the final buyer. proper design of unit loads minimizes handling c ost. 4. COMMUNICATION Information is vital for the effective management and control of physical distribution. , this information and related to action and performance within the areas of inventory, warehousing and unit. loading transportation, eg a good communication system should be able to make available on demand the present stock position of each item at each stock.. . 12PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION OBJECTIVE Many companies state their physical distribution objective as getting the right goods to the right places at the right time for the least cost. Unfortunately this provides little actual guidance. No physical distribution system can simultaneously maximize customer services and minimize distribution cost maximum customer service implies such policies as large inventories premium transportation and many warehouses, all of which raise distribution cost. Minimum distribution cost implies such policies as slow and ship transportation, low stock, and few warehouses.LEVEL OF SERVICE (OUT PUT) Basic output of a physical distribution system is the level of customer service. Customer services represents one of the key competitive benefits that a company can offer potential customers in order to attract their business. Philip Kotler view as regard to the level of service from the customers view point, customers service means several things. 1. The speed of filling and delivering normal orders. 2. The supplier’s willingness to meet emergency merchandise needs of the customer. 3. The care with which merchandise is delivered do that it arrives in good condition. 4.The supplier’s readiness to take back detective goods and resupply quickly. 5. The availability of installation and repair service and parts from the supplier. 6. The number of options of shipment load and carries. 7. The supplier willingness to carry inventory for the customer. 8. The service changes, that it whether the services are free or separately prices. 2. 13. DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS Modern pr oducers do not all their goods directly to the final users. There is a clink between them and the final users such as the intermediaries, which are performing variety of functions and bearing a variety of naries.Some intermediaries-such as wholesalers and retailers-buys, take title to and resell the merchandise. They are called merchant middleman. Others such as brokers manufacturers representatives and sales agents search for customers, and may negotiate on behalf of the producer but do not take title to the goods. Skill others such as transportation companies, independents warehouses, banks and advertising agencies-assist in the performance of distribution but neither take title to goods non negotiate purchases of sales. They are called facilitators.Buck lines definition of marketing channel. A channel of distribution shall be considered to comprise a set of institution, which performs all of the activities (functions) utilized to move a product and its title from production to co nsumption. 2. 14SELECTION CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION Distribution of consumer goods five channels are widely used in the marketing off consumer products. In each of the channels the manufacturers also has the alternative of using sales branches or sale office. According to William J. Stanton five channel of distribution are. 1.Producer consumer this channel is the shorter simplest channel of distribution for consumer products is from the producer id from the producer to the consumer, with no middle men involves the producer may sell from house to house or by mail. 2. Producer retailer- consumer. May large retailer buy directly from manufacturers and agricultural producers. 3. Producer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer. If there is a traditional channel for consumer goods this is it. Small retailer. And small manufacturers by the thousands find this channel the only economically feasible choice. 4.Producer-agent-retailer-consumer instead to use a manufacturers agent, a broker or some other agent middlemen to re ach the retail market, especially large scale retailers. For example, a manufacturers or a glass clearer selected a food broker to reach the grocery store market, including the large chains. 5. Producer-agent-wholesaler-retailer-consumer. To reach small retailers the producers mentioned in the proceeding paragraph often used agent middlemen, who in turn call on the wholesaler who sell to small stores. Distribution of industrial goods, four types of channels is widely used in reaching industrial users†.Again a manufacturer may use a sales branch or a sales office to reach to next institution in the channel, or two levels of wholesalers may be used in some cases see 9fig. 2. 1). 1. Producer-industrial user. This direct channel accounts for a greater dollar volume of industrial products than any other distribution, such as locomotion generators, and beating plants usually sell directly to user. Figures 2. 1 Major marketing channels Available to producers. 2. PRODUCER-Industrial distributions-users: producers of operating suppliers and small accessory equipment frequently use industrial distributors to reach their markets.Manufacturers of building materials and air: Conditioning equipment are only two example firms that make heavy use of the industrial distributor. 3. Producer-agent-user: Firms without their own marketing department find this a desirable channel,. Also a company that wants to introduce a new product or enter a new market may prefer to use agents rather than its own sales force. 4. producer-agent-industrial distribution-user:This channel is similar to the preceding one, it is used when, for some reason it is not feasible to sell through agent directly to the industrial user.The unit sale may be too small for direct selling or decentralized inventory may be needed to supply users rapidly, in which case the storage service of an industrial distributor are required. CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The purpose of this cha pter is to identify and state the various method in which data are been collected. 3. 1RESEARCH DESIGN This research work was aimed at finding out the product planning, distribution and management (NBC, PLC, ENUGU DISTRIC). This end focus was on getting information from the entire staff of personnel, accounts sales and distribution from which the sample size was used.Therefore, the researcher adopted survey research design for the work. This mean that questionnaires were administered as a means of collecting primary data. 3. 2METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION In collecting information for this study the researcher used both the primary and secondary source of data. 3. 2. 1PRIMARY DATA This includes all those materials or data which the researcher gathered at present because of the project understudy. 3. 2. 2SECONDARY DATA Secondary data includes all past data, which can be found in the organizations records and in libraries. 1.To obtain enough past data and all the libraries here in Enugu w ere made use of in eliciting information from various textbook, journals, and newspapers etc 3. 3POPULATION FOR THE STUDY The population of the study is the entire staff strength of NBC plc ENUGU DISTRIC which total up to about 500 staff. This population is made up of 130 senior staff and 370 junior staff. 3. 4SAMPLES AND SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION In order to obtain the sample size from the population the YARO YAMENI formula was used as a guide to arrive at the sample size N N = 1 + N (E)2 Where n = sample sizeN = population e = error estimate the researcher used 15% error estimate and the entire population is 500 therefore N = 500 e = 0. 15 N N = 1 + N (E)2 500500 1 + 5000 (0. 15)21 + 500 (0. 0225) 500 12. 25 8. = 41 So the number of questionnaire distributed is 41 3. 5RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS For this research project to be successful the researcher made use of the following instruments: i. Oral interview ii. Personal observation iii. Questionnaire 3. 5. 1ORAL INTERVIEW This is method instrument, which was prepared and used to elicit information for certain contradicting issues.This is imply face to face asking and answering question between the researcher and the staff of NBC PLC ENUGU DISTRICT. 3. 5. 2PERSONAL OBSERVATION This simply means the general perceptive or over view of the aggregate performance of the company and analysis of data so far collected and thereby value judgment and interpretations made. 3. 5. 3QUESTIONNAIRE The researcher used the structured or closed from of questionnaire where questions are asked and below it the expected responses to the answers are stated for the respondent to close any one that suit lim. 3. 6AREA OF STUDYThe area of study of this research work is the product planning, distribution, and management in NBC PLC ENUGU DISTRICT. 3. 7VALIDITY OF INSTRUMENT The instrument used was constructed by the researcher on the directive of the supervisor who retted it and made necessary. Correction before it was finally type out and di stributed as research instrument (the questionnaire)> 3. 8RELIABILITY OF THE INSTRUMENT The various instrument used in this research work are very reliable because the researcher made use of liable and reliable instrument like the questionnaire which is sample in it’s approach and method of application. . 9METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS the data collected using the research instrument were analyzed using simple percentage and descriptive methods. Some response to the question were grouped and recorded so that frequencies and percentage could be computed. REFERENCES Odo P. O. Et Al (1999) Introduction to Project Writing Enugu, Sunny Enterprises Publishers. Melynk M. (1984) Principles of Applied statistics, New York Pergamon Press Inc. CHAPTER FOUR 4. 1 PRESENTATIONS AND ANALYSIS OF DATAThis chapter will deal with analysis and interpretation of primary data which was collected by administering questionnaire to the sample size in accordance with the research methodology stated in chap ter three. To make the analysis and interpretations meaningful some of the questions were grouped together table and descriptive method were used as shown below. TABLE 4. 1 DISTRIBUTIONS OF RESPONDENTS BY DEPARTMENT |Department |Response |Percentages | |Administration |13 |31. | |Marketing |7 |17. 1 | |Account |9 |21. 9 | |Distribution |5 |12. 2 | |Computer |7 |17. | |Total |41 |100. 00 | Source:Survey data 2005 from the above table 13 of the respondents that completed and returned the questionnaire were in administration department with 31. 7% were 7 of them are in marketing department with 17. 1%, 9 of them in accounts dept with 21. 9%, 5 in distribution with 12. 2 and the finally ones in computers dept is 7 with 17. 1%. TABLE 4. 2 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BY CUSTOMERS, DEALERS AND STAFF Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Customers |15 |36. 6 | |Dealer |14 |34. 2 | |Staff/mgt |12 |29. 2 | |Total |41 |100. 0 | Source:Field survey 2005 The table above shows that 15 q uestionnaires were distributed to customer with 36. 6 why 14 were given to dealers with 34. 2%, and 12 to staff with 29. 2%. TABLE 4. 3 QUESTION:DOES NBC PLC ENUGU DISTRICT OPERATES A GOOD DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM |Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Yes |30 |73. 7 | |No |11 |26. 83 | |Total |41 |100. 00 | SOURCE:survey data From the above table 30 respondents representing 73. 17% agreed that Nigerian Bottling company (NBC) PLC operates a good distribution system why 11 disagrees with 26. 83%. TABLE 4. 4RESPONSE ON THE IMPACT OF DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN CREATING CUSTOMERS SATISFACTION. |Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Very effective |15 |36. 6 | |Ineffective |5 |12. 2 | |Indifferences |10 |24. | |Effective |11 |26. 8 | |Total |41 |100. 00 | Source:Survey data 2005 The above table shows that 15 respondents agreed that the impact of distribution/management strategy in creating customer satisfactions is very effective with 36. 6% while 5 disagrees, that if ineffective with 12. 2%, while 10 are indifference with 24. ^ and 11 agreed that it is effective. TABLE 4. 5 DOES ALL THE CUSTOMER AGREES ON THE PRICE OF THE COMPANY’S PRODUCT. |Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Yes |30 |73. 17 | |No |11 |26. 83 | |Total |41 |100. 0 | From the above table, it shows that 30 respondents agrees that all the customers are aware of the price of the company’s products with 73. 17% while 11 disagrees that they are not aware with 26. 83%. TABLE 4. 6 DOES CUSTOMERS AGREES WITH THE QUALIFY OF THE COMPANY’S PRODUCT. | Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Yes |32 |78. 5 | |No |9 |21. 95 | |Total |41 |100. 00 | Source:Survey data 2005 The above table shows that 32 respondents agreed that customers are satisfied with the qualify of the company’s product with 78. 05% while 9 disagrees with 21. 95%. TABLE 4. 7 ARE THERE FACTOR FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCT PLANNIN DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT. Response |No of questi onnaire |Percentages | |Yes

Feminist Language Planning Essay

1 Feminism and language There is no doubt that feminism has been and continues to be one of the main social movements of this century. Its impact is felt in many societies around the world and in many spheres of life. The women’s or feminist movement strives, amongst other things, for the elimination of gender discrimination and for the greater recognition of women’s contributions to society as well as aims to change many cultural and social practices which perpetuate patriarchal value systems. Language was and is seen by many feminists as a powerful instrument of patriarchy: for example, the feminist Dale Spender, spoke of the English language as being ‘manmade’ and as being an important contributor to women’s oppression (Spender 1980). It is therefore not surprising that language and discourse practices were and are subjected to feminist scrutiny, often leading to elaborate and detailed descriptions of sexist practices affecting language use. 2. Feminism and linguistic re form Feminists, at least in western societies, also expressed a desire to change the patriarchal and sexist ‘nature’ of language and therefore engaged in various types of linguistic reform or language planning. Although many feminists shared the belief that changing linguistic and discourse practices is an important element in women’s liberation, this did not result in a uniform approach to linguistic reform (see e.g. Pauwels 1998). The social, cultural, political and philosophical diversity which characterizes members of the feminist movement is also reflected in the approaches to and aims for feminist language reform. For example, not all forms of feminism, interpret women’s liberation as a question of achieving mere equality of the sexes. Similarly, not all linguistic reform proposals have as their main aim the achievement of linguistic equality of the sexes. Some reform initiatives primarily aim at exposing the sexist nature of ‘patriarchal’ lan guage by causing linguistic disruptions. The strategies used to achieve linguistic disruption frequently involve experimentation and creativity with all parts of speech. The word ‘herstory’ to refer to history which is not only about men, is an example of linguistic disruption: a morphological boundary has been reconstituted to + on semantic grounds. Creating a women-centred language capable of expressing reality from a female perspective is another prominent objective of some forms of feminist language planning. Proposed changes range from the creation of new women-centred meanings for words like ‘witch’, ‘hag’ and neologisms such as ‘malestream’, ‘femocrat’, graphemic innovations including ‘womyn’ or ‘wimmin’ and ‘LehrerIn’ (German), to developing women-focussed discourses and even creating an entirely new language. An example of the latter is the LÃ ¡adan language created by the science-fiction writer and linguist, Suzette Haden Elgin ‘for the specific purpose of expressing the perceptions of women’ (Elgin 1988:1). Despite this diversity in reform initiatives and objectives for feminist language planning, it is the ‘linguistic equality of the sexes’ approach which has become synonymous with feminist language planning in the eyes of the wider community. This is in part due to the prominence of liberal feminist approaches in the public arena which focus on achieving sex/gender equality. Linguistic discrimination is seen as a form of sex discrimination which can be addressed in ways similar to other forms of sex discrimination (e.g. in employment). In fact the question of gender bias in occupational nomenclature is directly linked to gender discrimination in the employment arena. The prominence of the linguistic equality approach is also due to the media’s attenti on to non-sexist language guidelines, the main instrument of promoting this type of feminist language reform. Advocates of the linguistic equality approach use the strategies of gender-neutralisation (sometimes gender abstraction) and/or gender-specification (feminisation) to attain their goal of creating a language system which allows for a balanced representation of the sexes. Gender-neutralisation involves minimising or eliminating gender-specific expressions and constructions. It entails ‘that any morphosyntactic and lexical features marking human agent nouns and pronouns (or other parts of speech) as masculine or feminine are ‘neutralised’ for gender, especially in generic contexts’ (Pauwels 1998: 109). Examples for English include the elimination of gender-suffixes of -ess, -ette, -(tr)ix in relation to human agent nouns (e.g. hostess, aviatrix, usherette), the creation of compound nouns involving -person (e.g. chairperson, tradesperson), and the avoidance of generic ‘he’. Gender-specification (also known as feminisation) is a strategy used to achieve linguistic equality by making the ‘invisible sex’ (in most cases, women) visible in language through systematic and symmetrical marking of gender. Although English does not use this strategy much (it is found more often in languages with grammatical gender), the use of ‘he or she’, and of phrases such as ‘police women and men’, ‘actors and actresses’ in generic contexts exemplifies the gender-specification strategy. Underlying the linguistic equality approach to reform is a belief that making changes to linguistic forms will contribute significantly to the promotion of non-sexist meanings. 3 Evaluating feminist linguistic reform In the previous section I indicated that there are several approaches to feminist language reform and that the linguistic equality approach is the most prominent and possibly, the most widespread one. In this paper my focus is on the evaluation of the linguistic equality approach. Evaluating the outcome (a result or an effect of an action) is a crucial aspect of any form of language planning. Language planners together with the interest groups, agencies or institutions which encouraged, demanded or sanctioned (allowed) the reforms are usually keen to assess the impact of planning on the linguistic behaviour of the individuals, groups or communities targeted by the reforms. Whereas advocates and/or opponents of linguistic reform are primarily interested in the extent to which the linguistic reform proposals have been adopted or rejected, for language planners the evaluation exercise also provides valuable information on the process of language planning, the factors which facilitate an d/or obstruct change. A further interest for language planners who are also linguistic scholars is the possibility of comparing the process of the spread of so-called ‘planned’ vs ‘unplanned’ linguistic change thus contributing to a better understanding of linguistic change. Here I wish to explore two major aspects of the evaluation of feminist language planning: (1) Evidence of the (successful) adoption of feminist linguistic proposals; (2) Insights into the ways feminist language changes spread throughout the community. The adoption and spread of feminist linguistic reform are examined in relation to a prominent feature of feminist linguistic reform of the ‘linguistic equality’ type: the use of gender-neutral and/or gender-inclusive occupational nouns and titles. Data for this discussion come mainly from English, although reference is also made to Dutch, French and German studies. The discussion of linguistic spread is very preliminary as most data have not yet been subjected to a thorough analysis: i.e. only trends will be noted. 4 Adopting feminist linguistic reform: success or failure? 4.1 Occupational nomenclature In many western societies feminist concerns about gender bias in occupational nouns, professional titles and terms attracted attention primarily through its link with Sex Discrimination Acts and other legislation aimed at eliminating gender-based discrimination in employment. Feminists and women activists in a range of professional bodies highlighted the fact that occupational and professional nomenclature used in employment-related contexts displayed bias in favour of men leading to women’s invisibility in this area of language use. For example, linguistic practices found in many job classifieds assumed applicants to be male. Male-stereotyped language was used to describe applicants (e.g. aggressive, dynamic, virile). The use of ‘masculine’ generic nouns and pronouns (e.g. the applicant – he; storeman, tradesman, cameraman – he) further reinforced the ‘maleness’ of the desired applicant. Research in the 1970s and 1980s (e.g. Bem & Bem 1973, Hamilton 1988, Kidd 1971, Mackay & Fulkerson 1979, Martyna 1978, Pincus & Pincus 1980, Schneider and Hacker 1973, Wilson & Ng 1988) found evidence that masculine generic nouns and pronouns were seldom interpreted in a generic, gender-neutral sense. Instead they were associated with male-specific images in many language users. Two major strategies emerged to eliminate this gender bias in occupational nomenclature: gender-neutralisation and gender-specification (feminisation). Selecting one strategy over another seems partly linked to linguistic typology. Gender-specification as a main strategy is more likely to occur in the case of grammatical gender languages (e.g. German, French, Italian, Spanish) which still have productive gender suffixes (e.g. German). Gender-neutralisation is more likely to be applied to languages with a natural gender system (e.g. English) or languages in which gender suffixes are less or no longer productive (e.g. Danish, Swedish and Dutch). However, the choice of the main strategy is also influenced by extra-linguistic or social arguments. Gender-neutralisation is clearly aimed at ‘taking gender out of the occupational arena’. In other words, the aim is to have a society in which a person’s sex has no relevance or significance for their occupational status. Proponents of the feminisation strategy, on the other hand, argue that it is socially more effective to achieve linguistic equality by showing that there are an increasing number of women in all areas of the paid work force, i.e. women’s participation in the work force needs to be made more visible through the strategy of gender-specification or feminisation. In order to demonstrate successful adoption of feminist linguistic reform in this area of language use, evidence needs to be found that the feminist alternatives are used increasingly in preference to the gender biased forms and that the actual use of the feminist alternatives is in line with their promoted use. In language planning terms , successful feminist linguistic reform entails evidence that the feminist alternatives move from a status of ‘discouraged’ or even ‘disapproved’ use to that of ‘tolerated’, and eventually ‘preferred’ or ‘promoted’ use (Kloss 1968). Findings from Dutch, English, French (see especially Burr in this volume) and German research into the adoption of non-sexist occupational nomenclature confirm that feminist linguistic alternatives are (increasingly) used, although adoption rates vary substantially from language to language and vary according to linguistic context/genre. For the purposes of this paper I will confine the presentation of evidence to that found in relation to the print media (mainly newspapers). English speech communities seem to lead the way in the adoption of feminist linguistic alternatives for occupational terms. Cooper (1984) studied the impact of feminist language planning on the use of masculine generic pronouns and nouns (including occupational nouns) on a corpus of 500000 words taken from American newspapers, current affairs and women’s magazines covering the period 1971 – 1979. He found a dramatic decline in the use of masculine generics, especially of generic ‘man’ and generic ‘he’: their use fell from 12.3% per 5000 words in 1971 to 4.3% in 1979. In New Zealand Meyerhoff (1984) analyzed changes in the use of masculine generics in a corpus of 150000 words taken from five newspapers with a different audience (i.e. a national and a regional daily, a student newspaper, a TV magazine and a women’s magazine as well as a monthly publication of the New Zealand’s journalists’ union). Her study found evidence of a significant reduction in the use of masculine generic nouns and pronouns with the decrease being most pronounced for the student newspaper and the journalists’ union publication. The only publication to support ‘- person’ compounds was the student newspaper. Holmes’ analysis of the occurrence of ‘-person’ vs ‘-man’ and ‘-woman’ compound forms in the Wellington Corpus of Written New Zealand English covering the period 1986 – 1989 found that most such forms occurred very seldom (1 per 1 million words) with the exception ‘spokesperson’ and ‘chairperson’ (Holmes in press). The use of these two forms, however, was considerably lower than that of their masculine generic alternatives: ‘spokesman’ and ‘chairman’. The corpus revealed 6 instances of ‘chairperson(s)’ vs 109 for ‘chairman/men’ and 2 for ‘chairwo man/women’. ‘Spokesperson(s)’ occurred 4 times in the corpus, ‘spokespeople’ once, ‘spokeswoman/women’ twice and ‘spokesman/men’ 36 times. Holmes (in press) did note that the ‘overwhelming majority of the instances of chairman were identifiable as male, a sad reflection of the social reality that it was men who held this position most often, even in 1986’. She found only 4 instances of ‘chairman’ being used to refer to a woman. My own study which comprised a corpus of 200000 words taken from two national Australian newspapers in 1992 and in 1996 similarly found an overall low incidence of -person, -man and -woman compound forms. The number of occurrences of ‘chairman/chairwoman/ chairperson’ revealed the continued predominant use of ‘chairman’, although a breakdown of the numbers according to referents showed that ‘chairman’ was predominantly used to refer to male referents. The few occurrences of ‘chairperson’ and ‘chair’ (see Table 1) do not allow for an interpretation of emerging trends. In the case of ‘chairman’ I would have to agree with Holmes’ comment that its continuing, frequent use reflects the fact that far more men than women continue to occupy this position. It should also be said that newspaper articles are not an ideal source to establish generic uses of this term, as most references to this position specify the incumbent. In the case of ‘spokesman/spokeswoman/spokesperson’ a more substantial change can be noticed: although 38 instances of ‘spokesman’ were recorded, ‘spokesperson’ appeared 32 times. A breakdown in terms of referents showed that 47% of ‘spokesman’ uses referred to a male and that ‘spokesman’ was never used to refer specifically to a female. Most uses of ‘spokesperson’ had no specific referent. There is also some indication that ‘spokesperson’ is being used in connection with male as well as female referents, hence avoiding the trend that the ‘-person’ compound is used as a mere substitution for the ‘-woman’ compound form.

Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Systems - Essay Example This may mean that there will be some adjustment to prioritizing incoming messages. Nurses will be expected to be more efficient in the way they manage their time, so it is important that this is part of their training too as the technology becomes more universal. 2. IT should be used not just to automate repetitive tasks and ease communications. It should also be used to re-engineer in-efficient administrative and managerial processes with the focus on quality of life for personnel and the well being of patients. The advantage of a WLAN over a LAN is that medical staff do not have to be fixed at a desk to view, modify and evaluate information. It should be accessible as soon as it has been input. If the WLAN is being used for data entry then there will be a time saving. Medical staff could benefit by sharing knowledge, to improve their personal skills and to add to the organization's knowledge.

MGT 672 ROLLS ROYCE VS GE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

MGT 672 ROLLS ROYCE VS GE - Essay Example It helps in achieving the objectives of organizations as a whole. A strategy refers to the coordinated means by which an organization pursues its goals and objectives (book_study, n.d.) In this context, the strategies of the two leading companies in the aircraft engine industry-GE and Rolls Royce assumes significance. GE is the market leader in aircraft engine sales. It is a highly diversified conglomerate with exposure in business of light bulbs, medical devices, commercial jet engines, home mortgages, broadcasting and self storage facilities. The sale of aircraft engines accounts for less than 10% of its revenues. In contrast, Rolls Royce holds the second position in aircraft engine sales. 74% of its revenue comes from this industry. Therefore, business strategy in the aircraft engine industry is the key for Rolls Royce, while corporate strategy assumes much importance for GE (book_study, n.d., p. 10). This paper aims to study these two companies of the aircraft engine industry and comment on the differences in strategies adopted by them. From the findings of the study, the paper draws conclusions regarding the differences of business strategy and corporate strategy. ... Depending on the position of the resources in the continuum, an organization has to decide on the set of businesses it should operate and other design criteria. General nature of resources gives wide scope of business. Co-ordination is achieved through transfer of resources. Size of corporate office is small and financial control system is adopted. Specialized nature of resources narrows the scope of business. Co-ordination is achieved through sharing of resources. Size of corporate office is large and operating control system is adopted. (Collis, Montgomery, Campbell & Goold, 1999, p. 4-6) Vision & Strategy of Rolls Royce: Rolls Royce is a global company that believes in the principle of sustainable development. The Global Code of Business Ethics of Rolls Royce includes continuous improvement of production facilities, being world class in health, safety and environment management and being socially responsible. Social progress depends on economic development which can be brought abo ut by fresh, dependable and inexpensive energy and transport system. Rolls Royce has strong R & D facilities and record of innovation. It uses these strengths to develop efficient energy and transport system. Through the application of consistent business strategy, Rolls Royce has matured during the previous 2 decades. â€Å"Civil aerospace, Defense aerospace, Marine and energy† are the four global markets in which Rolls Royce operates. Of these global markets, civil aerospace accounted for almost 45% of the underlying revenue in the year 2010. (Our consistent strategy, 2011) The core characteristics underlying the strategies of Rolls Royce are as follows: Closeness to customers: Rolls Royce is an organization highly focused on its

Pre 1920's based thesis, consult me with ideas Research Paper

Pre 1920's based thesis, consult me with ideas - Research Paper Example (Pedraza 1996). This mass influx of immigrants was needed and welcomed. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing during this time, society was completing its transformation from farm to city life and urban manpower was in short supply. The immigrants had jobs and could build their new life and America benefited because this endless source of labor streaming into Ellis Island made it the most industrialized and economically successful country in the world. Immigrants from this period and those descended from them have been very influential in the area of creative arts over the past century. They dominated the entertainment industry during the first half of the 1900’s accounting for many of the top actors, writers, producers and directors in the American movie industry. This mutually beneficial relationship, however, came at a cost to both the immigrants and their new country. From 1890 to 1918, the country grew by a larger percentage that at any other 30 year period before o r since. The Eastern European immigrants flocked to the new industrial jobs in the city which filled an economical need in America. On the other hand, their presence also instigated a cultural divide between the current resident small-town Protestant farmers and the new Catholic immigrants with the thick accents who were not ‘men of the land’ but rather had succumbed to the sinful life of the city. (Crossen, 2006). Prior to 1890, the majority of the voting public was considered within the boundaries of the social middle-class. By 1918, the country had become more socially divided. The rapid growth of the immigrant population became a threat to the country’s natural resources when there had been plenty for all. The expansion of people and settlements along with over-hunting led to the creation of federal preservation programs such as the federal parks. During the turn of the 20th century, the fear of immigrants reached a fever pitch. The roots of this new racism w ere from ‘old world’ anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic mind-sets. The ideology that grew from immigrant racism is the belief that the Western and Northern European Anglo-Saxon heritage was a superior ‘race’ to Eastern and Southern Europeans. (Higham, 1988). These widespread beliefs had an effect on immigration policy in the U.S. which, in the early 1900’s, moved to limit the numbers and types of people allowed to immigrate. The anti-foreigner sentiment crossed all segments of society, from the Protestant farmers in the furthest reaches of the rural regions to Ivy League elitists. A Harvard-educated man formed the Immigration Restriction League in 1894 which made recommendations to the government. They advocated testing the literacy of refugees as a prerequisite to entering the country or gaining citizenship. This was intended to slow the number of immigrants from Eastern and Southern European which had been, â€Å"sending an alarming number of illitera tes, paupers, criminals, and madmen who endangered American character and citizenship.† (Hirschman, 2006). Many Americans, known as nativists, concluded that the rate of immigration, especially from Eastern European counntries, should either be greatly reduced or halted altogether. â€Å"The myth of the melting pot has been discredited,† said Representative Albert Johnson, (R) who was one of many congressmen concerned about America’s ‘open-door’ policy. â€Å"The day of unalloyed welcome to all peoples, the day of indiscriminate

Are citizen journalists and bloggers real journalists What does it Essay

Are citizen journalists and bloggers real journalists What does it mean to be a real journalist - Essay Example Due to introduction of technologies that are digital in nature, individuals have unrestricted access to various tools of production and distribution. Citizen journalism is a field that consists of reviews regarding a particular motion picture that are generated by individuals and then submitted all over the internet and it even comprises of news that are based on wikis (Poynter 414). Currently a conflict between traditional journalism and citizen based journalism has been taking place, though this conflict can result in an evolution of journalism through the internet. The profession of journalism has not experienced tremendous amount of alterations, but it has experienced certain kind of expansion. Traditionally, journalism used to be conducted in a linear manner, nowadays; journalism has become more connected and networked (Peters 95). Karp states that journalism in traditional era used to be conducted by a few individuals, today it is conducted by a huge number of people (Coombs, 2013). Under certain situations, there is hardly any difference between both traditional and citizen journalism, an in-depth analysis reveals that there are several aspects that differentiate between traditional and citizen journalism (Siapera 108). One of the underlining difference between two forms of journalism is that, professional journalist are paid for all the work they perform, while the citizen journalist might be doing their form of journalism as a hobby or they may get paid in accordance to the number of visitors or the number of viewers they have attracted (Anderson 124). When academic journalist are conducting research, they use the views and opinions of the common population (citizens) in order to create and prove that their findings are objective in nature and they were not biased towards the subject matter or the issue (Herbst 122). Blogging is even considered as a professional or valid type of journalism as in this

A Critical Assessment of the Requirement of Utmost Good Faith in Essay

A Critical Assessment of the Requirement of Utmost Good Faith in Marine Insurance Contracts - Essay Example However, in a world with modern technological methods of obtaining and sharing information, the duty of utmost good faith, particularly the duty to disclose all material information appears to be a bit harsh.5 More troubling perhaps is the fact that a failure to disclose material facts, regardless of the absence of fraud or specific intent renders the contract voidable ab initio. As such the result can be entirely disproportionate and unduly harsh. However, it is accepted that the insurers not only underwrite risks but assess them based on the facts known to them at the time of underwriting the risk. It therefore follows that information solely in the possession of the insured is crucial for this purpose.6 This research study provides a critical assessment of the duty of utmost good faith in marine insurance contracts with a view to determining the rationale for the duty and whether or not the duty can and should be reformed. The main issue is whether or not reforms can equitably add ress the harsh consequences and to ensure that the duty to disclose corresponds with the realities of the relationship between the insured and the insurer and the current state of modern technology. This paper is therefore divided into three parts. The first part of the paper examines the origins of the duty of utmost good faith in the common law. The second part of the paper examines the developments of the duty of utmost good faith and the final part of the paper analyses possible reforms that can effectively create more balance between the insured and the insurer having regard to the purpose of the doctrine of utmost good faith and modern technological advances. I. Origins of the Duty of Utmost Good... This essay stresses that insurance contracts in general represent a special class of contracts since they are bound by the uberrimae fedei doctrine. As a result all contracting parties have a duty to ensure that they do not misrepresent crucial facts and are likewise under a persistent duty to disclose all facts that might induce insurers to assume the risk. Understandably, the duty of utmost good faith was necessary during the 18th century. However, in a world with modern technological methods of obtaining and sharing information, the duty of utmost good faith, particularly the duty to disclose all material information appears to be a bit harsh. This paper makes a conclusion that the duty of utmost good faith or uberrimae fidei sets an unrealistic high standard on the insured and functions to liberate the insurer to such an extent that insurance claims can be avoided for the slightest misstep on the part of the insured. The duty of utmost good faith, although 200 years old, has evolved about as far as the courts can take it. It is obvious that over the last 10 years of so, the courts have taken as much latitude as the separation of powers will allow to modify the existing doctrine so as to minimize the harsh results. However, the courts are bound by the implementation of the Marine Insurance Act 1906 which is perhaps the most likely reason for the perpetuation of the unjust functioning of the duty of utmost good faith.

Legalization of Marijuana Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Legalization of Marijuana - Research Paper Example â€Å"The discussion concerning the legalisation of drugs, mainly the soft drugs resembling cannabis (or marijuana) is able to be categorized as one which depths the perception of liberty of the individual in opposition to the idea of a paternalistic situation. Supporter of legalisation argues, between other things, that cannabis is least harmful than legal stuffs like alcohol and tobacco† (Debate: Legalisation of Marijuana par. 1). According to this debate I feel the drug should be legalized due to the good reasons of them,but as considering the parenting issues, they need to be kept within certain limits and the usage should be prohibited within the certain age. In simple terms, the fundamental debate on marijuana in the US is, should marijuana be banned to citizens supported on health possessions, medicinal principles, and expenses to the country. The reason for the argument is so significant and vast. As before stated, marijuana is a commonly used prohibited drug in the wo rld, with millions of citizens using it. Approximately 100 million in the country have used it and so any legislation concerning the drug guilty influence its citizens. That the explanation behind the prohibition of this drug is being rethought systematically, collectively, and economically. Marijuana comes from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Its detection in 2700 BC in China. The case is not regarding Marijuana being healthy or highly qualitative for anyone. A few terms presented in the debate should to be understood. Marijuana is shaped when the leaves and female flowers of the plant called hemp is dried out. THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol is the main intoxicant of marijuana, and the THC from Marijuana with brain receptors can cause a kind of drowsiness, increased appetite, dizziness, hallucination, as well as other feelings. Topical Issues in the Dispute over Marijuana Legalization: Whether it has medical value? Is Marijuana injurious enough to stay illegal? How does it contrast with ot her lawful illicit substances What is Marijuana’s consequence on our country and how would legalization alter this? Of the four issues connected to the marijuana legalization, marijuana and its medicinal use may be the most extensively conversed of them all. Opponents of medical marijuana carry up many important debates as to why it must not be overlooked. The American Medical Association in 2001 confirmed that Marijuana must remain a timetable 1 drug, based on basic conclusion that it has â€Å"no conventional medical use† and own a â€Å"high possibility for mistreatment†. The FDA has an explicit process, in which the combined medical and scientific society carry out certain procedures to decide whether drugs can be measured safe and successful as medicine, and marijuana is not accepted by this process. The government also maintains that marijuana users are by all means trying to use â€Å"the medical angle† as a strategy to get the drug legalized. Medi cal Benefits: â€Å"The American Medical Association mainly argued for legalisation of this drug according to them it was least harmful when compared with alcohol and cigarettes; they also say that it can be used as other counter medicines, they also states that the Marijuana, in its original variety, is one of the good therapeutically dynamic stuff known to man. By any evaluation of rational analysis marijuana can be securely used within a managed routine of medical care. For marijuana to be unlawful in the United

Theories of Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theories of Philosophy - Essay Example In this theory, Hume proposes that some of the questions that philosophers asked did not have any absolute answers; meaning that they could not have a logical proof or be proved through reasoning only. Hume mentioned that either, the individual’s empirical experience of existence or their choice of axioms could influence the knowledge of reality. I perceive Hume’s theory help to make a construct of reality by establishing that since we cannot conclusively pinpoint a common stand on reality through reasoning, then there are factors that influences an individual’s perception of reality; that is experience and axioms. The philosophical concept of ethics draws a perspective of what is good or bad in the society in aid to help in drawing an understanding of disputes that encompass moral diversity. Philosophers have advanced various theories in an attempt to describe a morality. I think the Aristotelianism (Virtue ethics) is the best theory that helps describe moral ethics. It observes that a morally right action is one that a virtuous agent would do under the same circumstances. This means that the individual executing an act will do it in a virtuous manner. The Aristotle’s moral theory is the most appropriate because it is focused on promoting virtues irrespective of the prevailing circumstances. This theory is appropriate because it helps an individual point out some of the habits they ought to exhibit based on the need to be virtuous. In addition, in an attempt to be virtuous an individual endeavors to be the best they can be while also ensuring that they do not infringe on the rights of others. In other words, they execute every deed with virtue. Freedom encompasses the free will by people to do whatever they want. It entails the aspect of unpredictable future since there is the leeway to do whatever an individual wants. On the other hand, determinism observes that every event or deed in life can be predicted and it

Ct scan radiation risk and young patients Article

Ct scan radiation risk and young patients - Article Example CT machines have become much faster, and now, it is possible to scan any body part in very less time. The image quality that is on offer is also much better than the older generation of CT machines. At present, the latest multi-slice CT scan machine can accumulate data at around 350 ms. Within less than a second, it is possible for the CT scan machine to use millions of data points and then reconstruct a 512 x 512-matrix image from this. CT scan is among the best and fastest, non-invasive investigative modality for the evaluation of the abdomen, pelvis and chest, and gives a well-defined, cross-sectional view. CT scan is ideal in the diagnosis of cancer of various organs including the liver, pancreas, lung etc, and allows the surgeon to identify a tumor, including its size, location and how much it has spread to adjacent tissue. Among its other uses include the diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases, pulmonary embolism and abdominal aortic aneurysms, skeletal lesions etc. CT is also widely used in children, in the evaluation of various tumors of the body like neuroblastoma, lymphoma etc and in the imaging of the kidneys. However, when compared to conventional radiography, the use of CT involves much higher doses, and there is a risk of radiation. Many studies have been published about this issue, especially the risk in children. Children are more radiosensitive to radiation exposure when compared to adults. It is estimated that children are ten times more sensitive to effect of radiation than middle- aged adults. Children have more time to develop a radiation-induced cancer due to a longer life-expectancy when compared to adults. It has also been shown that there is an increased dose per milliampere-second, and an increased lifetime risk per unit dose. It has been estimated that in a 1-year-old child, the lifetime cancer mortality risks due to CT scan radiation exposure is around 0.07% (for a head scan) and around 0.18% (for an abdominal scan). This amoun t of radiation exposure is much higher than what an adult would be exposed to. Another major concern is the trend to use multiple scans. It is felt that when compared to just one scan, two to three scans could theoretically double or triple the risk of cancer. Sometimes, during a single examination, more than one scan would be done, which increases the radiation dose further. Thus, in the vast majority of cases, a single scan should be enough. Many studies have provided information that there is link between high dose radiation and the development of malignant tumors in children. In February 2001, the American Journal of Roentgenology was among the first journals to publish the risk of radiation in a young patient after a CT scan. It is also quite common nowadays to use CT as a screening technique even for minor complaints like headache, and this has added to the controversy.   One large study has estimated that on an average, a child would be asked to get a CT scan seven times by the age of eighteen. It has been estimated that in the US alone, about 5 million CT scans are being performed in pediatric patients annually. Another concern is the excessive use of CT scans as a screening tool in patients who are asymptomatic. Due to all these concerns, there is a pressing need to avoid excess radiation dose from CT scanning and optimize the CT scan protocols, especially in young patients. The risk to benefit should always be considered and alternatives to CT scan like MRI or ultrasound should be

Student Spending Essay Example for Free

Student Spending Essay Abstract We used a stratified random sample to examine the spending patterns of a traditional student population at one large residential university in a small Midwestern town. Juniors and seniors spent more than underclassmen on recreation, food, general merchandise, and miscellaneous items. Male students spent more on recreation (40 percent more) while females outspent males on books and school supplies. Off-campus residents spent about twice as much on recreation, as well as more on food and for general merchandise. Those paying all their college expenses spent more overall and on general merchandise, food, and utilities. Students paying none of their college expenses spent less overall and less on gasoline and total miscellaneous items. Students who worked spent more overall and more in the following areas: general merchandise, food, utilities, and telecommunications. We also examined budget shares. Overall, books and recreation spending tend to be fixed as total spending increases, thereby reducing budget shares for these items. Women devote larger shares of their budget on  general merchandise, while men favor recreation. Students who pay none of their college expenses spend relatively more on recreation and books. Working students devote larger shares of their budget on rent and telecommunications. Non-working students spend relatively more on recreation and books. These results should be interpreted with caution since they represent a case study and do not apply to all university settings. Introduction Spending by college students has been identified as an important component of total consumer spending in the United States. One marketing firm estimated that â€Å"traditional† college students, i. e. , full-time students enrolled in fouryear institutions, who represent about one-third of all students, spent $23 billion in 1995 on essential items such as rent, food, gas, car insurance, tuition, and books. Another $7 billion was spent on nonessentials (Ring 1997). Spending by college students may be very important to local communities because many residential colleges are large relative to the size of their host community. These colleges are often seen as important players in the local economy through current spending and employment and also as potential catalysts for local economic development (Onear, 2007). Many universities have conducted economic impact studies to measure the overall influence the institution has on the local economy (Bailey et al. , 2007; Beck, 1995; Eliot 1988; Felsenstein, 1996). What is sometimes underplayed is the role of students in determining the overall size and industry mix of the local economy. Local economic impact studies often use figures for student spending derived from secondary sources such as financial aid office estimates of the dollars needed by students for miscellaneous expenditures during the year. More precise information on the magnitude and pattern of student spending would improve the accuracy of studies of universities’ economic impact. In this paper we analyze the spending behavior of traditional college students, who account for a large portion of the revenues of many local businesses in small towns hosting residential colleges. Although total spending by a student is often less than that of a local resident, student spending is concentrated in just a few areas, such as entertainment and food and beverage purchases in stores. In addition, many national retailers view traditional college students as a lucrative market since lifetime buying habits are formed in part during a person’s college years. Spending behaviors established in college may continue through two transition phases: single to young married couple, and young married couple to families with small children at home (Wilkes 1995). Changing personal behaviors and societal trends have contributed to the common perception of college students relying heavily on credit, obtained mostly with credit cards. The average college undergraduate’s credit card debt in 2001 was $2,327 and by 2006 had increased to $2,700 (Young Money, 2007); nearly one-half of all students had four or more credit cards (Hayhoe 2005). These changing attitudes toward the use of credit suggest that today’s college students are likely to spend more than students in the past because spending by today’s students is less constrained by current income and assets. This paper offers data to assess the accuracy of some perceptions about traditional college student spending and its potential impact on local economic conditions. We provide a descriptive analysis of the size and pattern of spending by college students at a single large university in a Midwestern small-town setting. The analysis focuses on a random sample of undergraduate students (stratified by gender and class level) and their spending behavior in the local area while attending classes. Spending behavior across demographic categories (e. g., gender, class standing), housing choice (on-campus or off-campus,) and employment are examined. The results provide insights about the magnitude and pattern of student spending that would be helpful to college officials, community leaders, and local business owners in assessing the impacts of this spending on the local economy and local economic development. Survey Method and Data Many empirical studies of college students’ use of credit cards or attitudes toward money employ so-called â€Å"convenience samples†, e. g. , surveys distributed in classrooms, dormitories or cafeterias (Davies and Lea (1995); Xiao et al.(1995); Eastman et al. (1997); Warwick and Mansfield (2000); Roberts and Jones (2001); Kidwell and Turrisi (2003); and Hayhoe et al. (2005)). These convenience samples are non-random selections from the student population. Students choose classes for specific reasons and, thereby, self-select based on a set of personal and course characteristics. For example, survey answers from students in an introductory-level child development class are likely to be different from students in a senior-level finance course. These samples create problems for interpretation of results and bias inferences about the general student population. The nature and strength of these biases are typically unknown. Other studies survey a wide range of randomly selected students but obtain low response rates that suggest a potential unknown and unmeasured response bias (Medina et al. (1996); Markovich and DeVaney (1997); Hayhoe et al. (1999); Leach (1999); Hayhoe et al. (2000)). The sample data used for this paper was collected through a telephone survey. Staff members of the Center for Applied Research and Rural Studies (CARRS) at Central Michigan University (CMU) helped to write the survey questions. The Registrar’s office used all undergraduate students enrolled on the main campus of CMU in the Spring 2005 semester (a population of roughly 18,000) to provide a randomly selected list of students stratified by gender and class standing. We opted for a telephone survey since it assured us of a stratified random sample. Eliot (1988) concluded that responses by students to questions about their spending behavior are not influenced by whether the survey was conducted by telephone or mail. CARRS conducted the survey during one week in March 2005 using interviewers from two undergraduate social science research methods courses. The use of students to complete the interviews may improve the accuracy of the data as student respondents may be more relaxed and respond more openly to fellow students than older adults. Calls were placed to 2,250 telephone numbers, of which 880 calls were answered and 503 surveys were completed. The overall response rate was 22 percent (503/2250), but 57 percent (503/880) of the students who answered phone calls participated in the survey (see Appendix B for a full survey phone call report). The survey instrument was composed of four parts for four separate research projects. To reduce the length of the survey and avoid respondent fatigue, two parts of the survey were answered by all respondents while the other two parts, including our questions on spending behavior, were answered by onehalf of the respondents (i. e. , 251). Allowing for coding errors, etc. , our sample was reduced to 247 respondents. We believe this is a high-quality data set because of the stratified random sample selection process and the high participation rate. Most of the demographic proportions required of a stratified random sample are met in the student spending sample of 247 observations. Table 1 (below) displays the demographic characteristics of our sample and the proportions for the CMU student population. Gender and ethnicity characteristics of the sample closely correspond to the CMU population. The largest discrepancy occurs in residency, as the sample overrepresents on-campus students and under-represents off-campus students, as residency was not one of the target stratifications that were sought in the sampling process. Class proportions vary across the CMU population and the sample data. A clarification is in order. The Registrar’s office selected students according to the characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and class standing for the Spring 2005 semester, the semester that the survey was conducted. Figures for the CMU population in Table 1 are those reported for the Fall 2005 semester. The only published census of the student population is in the Fall semester; Fall student characteristics vary in a consistent pattern from the Spring semester. There are relatively fewer seniors in the Spring semester as Fall graduation depletes this  class and the proportion of freshman increases in the Spring semester since most freshmen haven’t earned enough credits to move into the sophomore class. The number of freshmen, therefore, remains approximately the same in the Spring semester, while the total student population declines. The survey questions asked for personal information and the student’s typical local spending behavior during the months they spend on campus. Surveyed students were asked about the amount they spent in various categories in Isabella County (where CMU is located) when the university is in session (late August through mid-May). All the surveyed students were asked the amount they spend during a typical week in retail stores, and how much of that was for groceries. The students were also asked about weekly gasoline and recreation expenditures as well as the amount they typically spend each semester for books and other school supplies. Respondents living off campus, but not at-home with parents, were asked about monthly expenditures for rent, communication services (telephone, local cell phone, cable television and internet access), and other utilities (e. g., natural gas and electric). Students were given the opportunity to identify up to two additional types of expenditures that they incurred on a regular basis and up to two out-of-the-ordinary expenses that had incurred during the previous semester. Only a small number of respondents reported any spending in response to these questions. [1] Table 1: Selected Demographic Characteristics of the Student Sample Variable Observations Percent of sample or mean value1 CMU population proportions or mean values2 Gender female 147 60% 57% male. 100 40% 43% Class freshman 57 23% 27% sophomore 45 18% 22% junior 52 21% 20% senior 93 38% 31% Age 247 22 years 21 years Ethnicity white 226 91% 91% Non-white 21 9% 9% Residence on-campus 121 49% 33% off-campus 110 45% 67% W ith parents 15 6% Local in summer 62 26% Have car 205 83% Employed 130 53% Work hours 130 22. 2/week College financing Pay none 42 17% Pay some 77 31% Pay half 30 12% Pay most 38 15% Pay all 59 24% 1: represents the sample characteristics of the Spring 2005 survey 2: represents CMU’s student census in Fall 2005. Table 2 (below) shows the general categories of spending that were reported and the corresponding average amount spent over a nine-month period for those students that reported any spending in these categories. The last category in this table is for spending identified by the respondent but not classified in the other categories. The most commonly reported miscellaneous spending was for automobile repair and services. Questions were asked about the amount and the timing of spending since some spending tends to occur on a weekly basis (e. g. , groceries and gasoline). Table 2: Mean Student Spending by Spending Category, 9-months Spending category Observations 9-month mean Percent of total spending Recreation 239 $1,406 23% Stores (includes food) 222 $1,283 19% Food 211 $842 12% Rent 109 $3,228 24% Telecommunications 103 $776 5% 87 $606 4% Books and supplies 239 $724 12% Gasoline 198 $592 8% Miscellaneous 120 $559 5% 8 $2,415 1% 62 $601 3% 1 $315 0% 19 $1,826 2% Hospitals 2 $208 0% Child care 1 $4,610 0% Other nonprofit 9 $353 0% Religious organiz. 13 $587 1% State local gov’t 9 $725 0% Other miscellaneous 31 $774 2% Total annual spending 247 $5,928 100% Utilities. Computer services Auto repair Recreation clubs Doctors and dentists Notes: Only respondents reporting positive expenditures were included in the calculation of mean values. Total annual spending does not double-count food expenditures. Weekly and monthly expenditures were converted to figures based on a 9month calendar since most students reside in the local area only during the traditional academic year, i. e. the Fall and Spring semesters. Spending by students residing in the local area on a year-round basis was calculated as if they were 9-month residents to provide consistency in the reported figures. [2] A CMU Student Profile Since we take a case study approach, it is appropriate for us to provide a brief description of the CMU student population to aid in the interpretation of the results of our study. CMU is a regional universityone of 15 publicly-assisted universities in the state. In 2005 it attracted students from every county in Michigan as well as 47 other states. Ninety-eight percent of the students are Michigan residents, nine percent are self-identified as African American, Native American, Asian or Hispanic, and 99 percent are U.S. citizens. The greatest proportion of students (29 percent) resided in the Detroit metropolitan area as high school students. The legal-age for drinking alcoholic beverages in Michigan is 21 years. The typical CMU undergraduate fits the description of a â€Å"traditional student† (See Table 1 above. ). Most are full-time students who live either in residence halls on campus (freshman are required to live on-campus) or nearby (i. e. within 5 miles) in off-campus rental housing. Only six percent were identified as living at home with their parents. Most (74 percent) leave town during the summer months to return to their home town or other areas to find work or internships. Their mean age is 22 years. The gender distribution (57 percent female, 43 percent male) reflects CMU’s academic traditions. CMU graduates more teaching majors annually than all but a handful of other universities in the nation and offers newer programs in health professions which attract a large number of female students. According to sample data, most students (83 percent) have use of a car, and about half are employed for an average of 22 hours per week. Thirty nine percent pay most or all, 43 percent pay some or about half, and 17 percent pay none of their college expenses. Patterns of Spending An overall description of the sample characteristics is provided in Table 2 (above). [3] Only students reporting positive expenditures were included in the calculation of mean values. Most students reported spending on recreation, stores, food, books and supplies, and gasoline. Students living on campus were not asked questions about living expenses since rent, utilities and telecommunications expenses are typically aggregated into a one-semester housing charge. Less than one-half of the respondents reported any spending on rent, utilities, telecommunications, or miscellaneous items. The spending categories with the greatest mean values and widespread reporting of are rent, recreation, and general spending in stores (including food items). About one-half of the students indicated that they had spent funds on a variety of miscellaneous items. The most frequently cited items were auto repairs, physician and dentist services, and contributions to religious and non-profit organizations. Some categories of miscellaneous spending (i.e. , child care, computers and computer services, and medical care) had large mean expenditures among those reporting any spending for these things. However, few students reported any spending in these categories. Table 2 (above) shows per student spending for all spending categories. The student sample spends a considerable amount on recreation (about 23 percent of total spending) and most of their spending at stores (about 66 percent) goes for food items. Spending on non-food items, i. e. , general merchandise, is a modest $441 in a none-month period. In fact, students in the survey spent more on text books ($724) and gasoline ($592) than non-food items in stores ($441). Less than half of students pay for rent, utilities and telecommunications equipment and services, but these expenditures are considerable compared with other items of spending. Recall that about half the students lived in on-campus housing and were not asked questions about expenditures on rent, utilities and telecommunications. However, the overall student profile hides substantial variation in the pattern of spending across groups of students. Class standing clearly affects spending patterns shown in Table 3 (below). Perhaps first-year students have lower incomes from summer work and different lifestyles than juniors and seniors. Freshmen are required to stay on-campus, and many sophomores choose to stay in dormitories – only 109 of the 247 respondents (44 percent) reported that they paid rent for off-campus housing and of only five of these were freshmen or sophomores. Freshmen and sophomores spend significantly less than juniors and seniors on a variety of items including recreation, food and non-food items from stores, and miscellaneous purchases. Seniors spend substantially more than underclassmen on recreation (69 percent and 95 percent more than freshmen and sophomores respectively), and they spend more than twice as much on miscellaneous items and general merchandise and food in stores. Some of these spending differences reflect Michigan’s legal drinking age of 21 and off-campus versus on-campus lifestyle choices. Table 3: Mean Student Expenditures by Class Standing, 9-month Figures Spending category Recreation Stores (includes food) Food Rent Telecommunications Utilities Books and supplies Gasoline. Total miscellaneous Total annual spending Freshmen n $1,079 $733 $512 $5,616 $1,350 $0 $686 $595 $462 $2,892 % 53 35% 47 21% 42 13% 1 3% 1 1% 1 0% 57 24% 34 12% 19 5% 57 101% Sophomores $942 $695 $468 $2,948 $495 $795 $700 $493 $217 $3,017 n % 42 30% 39 20% 34 12% 4 9% 4 1% 3 2% 44 23% 31 12% 23 4% 44 101% Juniors $1,358 $1,313 $908 $2,803 $608 $544 $750 $561 $487 $6,267 n % 52 21% 48 19% 49 13% 31 26% 31 6% 21 3% 53 12% 49 8% 29 4% 53 100% Seniors $1,833 $1,822 $1,114 $3,392 $862 $618 $682 $652 $1,014 $8,910 n % 92 20% 88 19% 86 12% 73 30% 67 7% 63 5% 93 8% 85 7% 36 4% 93 100%. Notes: Only respondents reporting positive expenditures were included in the calculation of mean values. n is the number of observations. Percent is each category’s percent of total spending. A t-test for difference in mean values was conducted for each figure in the table. Italicized cells denote that the cell’s mean value is different from the grouped mean value of the other three classes and statistically significant at the 5 percent level. Total annual spending does not doublecount food expenditures. Another approach is to compare budget shares, rather than gross spending across categories. We know from Table 3 (above) that seniors spend, on average, $6,000 more than freshmen. But do seniors apportion their spending across categories in a similar manner as freshman, or do they have different spending priorities? The columns labeled â€Å"percent† represent a category’s share of total spending. Budget shares of categories associated with off-campus living clearly increase as students move through class standings since most underclassmen live on-campus. Two categories of spending, recreation and books, exhibit decreasing shares across the freshman-to-senior years. This suggests that gross spending in these categories increases at a slower rate than total spending across years. This trend may disappear if housing fees for on-campus students were added to their total spending. Previous studies indicate that gender influences college students’ use of credit cards and their spending behavior (Chien and DeVaney (2001); Davies and Lea (1995); Furnham (1996); Hayhoe et al. (1999); Hayhoe et al. (2000); Leach et al. (1999); and Xiao et al. (1995)). We examine gender differences in Table 4 (below). Clearly, male students, on average, spend more than women on recreation. This differential is substantial both in terms of dollars (i. e. , $1,821 vs. $1,289) and in percentages (i. e. men spend 46 percent more). Women spend more on textbooks and school supplies ($738 vs. $647). [4] Other categories of spending exhibit no statistically significant differences in behavior across gender at a 95 percent confidence level. Table 4: Mean student expenditures by gender, 9-month Figures Spending category Recreation Stores (includes food) Food Rent Store: non-food Telecommunications Utilities Books and supplies Gasoline Total miscellaneous Total annual spending. Female $1,289 $1,350 $810 $3,341 $540 $662 $635 $738 $553 183 $5,599 n 147 146 144 58 146 48 58 147 117 60 147 % 23% 24% 14% 24% 10% 4% 4% 13% 8% 1% 101% Male $1,821 $1,234 $858 $3,100 $376 $536 $508 $647 $655 $293 $6,411 n % 100 28% 99 19% 97 13% 51 25% 99 12% 39 3% 47 4% 100 10% 82 8% 43 2% 100 100% t-statistic probability difference value in means 2. 59 0. 53 0. 36 0. 77 1. 29 1. 01 0. 92 2. 16 1. 40 1. 44 1. 39 0. 01 0. 60 0. 72 0. 44 0. 20 0. 31 0. 36 0. 03 0. 16 0. 08 0. 17. Notes: Only respondents reporting positive expenditures were included in the calculation of mean values.n is the number of observations. Percent is the category’s percent of total spending. Total annual spending does not double-count food expenditures. Stereotyping and studies of student attitudes towards money and credit card use suggest that women are more likely to shop for clothing or personal items and use credit cards to purchase them (Hayhoe et al. (1999); Hayhoe et al. (2000); Leach (1999)). Our data does not support that contention. A t-test of the difference in means for the category of non-food store spending yielded insignificant results: a t-statistic of 1. 29 with a p-value of 0. 20. Several factors may explain our conflicting conclusion. One, our stratified random sample could remove response bias inherent in the sampling procedures of the previous studies. Two, if binge shopping is practiced by a very small percentage of students, then it will have little impact on our mean spending figures. Three, since our survey data relies on student responses, binge spenders may under-report spending either to hide their problem behavior or because they do not know how much they are spending. Four, maybe there is some credence to the stereotype of fiscally-conservative Midwesterners. Five, following stereotypes, it may be that women spend more on clothing and men spend more on video games and equipment. Differences in budget shares across gender simply reflect differences in gross spending: women spend a greater dollar amount and share of their budgets in stores (24 versus 19 percent) while men spend a greater dollar amount and share on recreation (28 versus 23 percent). Lifestyle choices may also affect the level and pattern of spending by traditional college students. Table 5 (below) provides a comparison of mean values for on-campus residents, off-campus residents, and those students living at home with their parents. On average, students living off-campus, but not with parents, spend about twice as much as on-campus residents on recreation and stores and nearly three times as much in local stores on food items. Although there are few observations for the category, spending by students living at home with parents does differ from both dormitory and other off-campus residents. This group spends more on recreation, stores, food and miscellaneous items than dormitory residents, but these differences are not statistically significant. Students living at home in the local area spend more than the other two groups on gasoline. On-campus students may spend on gas to intermittently drive home on the weekends while at-home-students are likely to drive to and from campus each day; perhaps multiple times per day. Since this group tends to be underclassmen, the differential between the on-campus and with-parents groups may, in part, measure how much time on-campus students spend away from campus. [5] On-campus students spend a greater share of their budget on recreation (34 versus 19 percent), stores (29 versus 17 percent) and books (24 versus 7 percent) than off-campus students. The book share difference is driven by differences in total spending since gross spending on books in nearly identical. Although off-campus students spend twice as much on recreation and stores than on-campus students, their shares of total spending are lower. Table 5: Mean student Expenditures by Place of Residence, 9-month Figures Spending category Recreation Stores (includes food) Food Rent Telecommunications Utilities Books and supplies Gasoline Total miscellaneous Total annual spending oncampus $1,024 $869 $434 no observ. no observ. no observ. $733 $476 $158. $2,634 n % 121 34% 119 29% 116 14% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 120 24% 81 11% 45 2% 137 100% offcampus $2,004 $1,802 $1,263 $3,689 $871 $578 $718 $651 $290 $10,353 n % 110 19% 110 17% 109 12% 110 36% 107 8% 105 5% 107 7% 104 6% 55 1% 110 100% with parents $1,706 $1,103 $748 no observ. no observ. no observ. $700 $864 $175 $4,123 n % 16 41% 16 27% 16 18% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 12 13% 14 18% 3 1% 16 100% Notes: Only respondents reporting positive expenditures were included in the calculation of mean values. n is the number of observations. Percent is each category’s percent of total spending. A t-test for difference in mean values was conducted for each figure in the table. Italicized cells denote that the cell’s mean value is different from the grouped mean value of the other two groups and statistically significant at the 5 percent level. Total annual spending does not double-count food expenditures. Students have different budget constraints from one another. Although the survey did not specifically ask questions about the student’s or parents’ incomes or assets, it did ask whether the student worked and what proportion of college and other living expenses was paid by the students. Answers to these questions can measure a student’s ability to pay, particularly for those items which represent discretionary expenditures (e. g. recreation spending). Table 6 (below) examines mean values for student spending based on the students’ financial burden for college expenses. Again, recall that those students living on campus were not asked questions about their spending on rent, utilities and telecommunications. Variation in patterns for these three spending categories in this table could be the result of the surveying procedure. Relatively few of the differentials in spending are significant at the 5 percent level in Table 6; with many of these occurring for the â€Å"pay none† and â€Å"pay all† categories. Those students who â€Å"pay all† have higher overall expenditures than the other groups (when combined) in terms of stores, food, and utilities and overall spending. The â€Å"pay all† category is likely composed of students who are financially independent of their parents and are working substantial hours to support themselves. They are also more likely to be non-traditional students having parental responsibilities and different asset levels and lifestyles. All of these characteristics contribute to a higher overall level of spending. Those who â€Å"pay none† spend significantly less on gasoline, total miscellaneous, and overall spending. An examination of sample data suggests that students in the â€Å"pay all† and â€Å"pay none† categories are substantially different in terms of work behavior and age. Students in the â€Å"pay all† category were more likely to work (61 percent of the group) than the â€Å"pay none† students (36 percent), and when they did work, they tended to work a greater number of hours: 22. 4 versus 16. 9 hours. In terms of age, the â€Å"pay all† group was clearly older. The â€Å"pay all† group had some of the oldest students in the sample (i. e. , the oldest students in this group were 48, 40, 35 and 32), while the â€Å"pay none† group had fewer of the oldest students (i. e. , the oldest students in this group were 37, 24, 24 and 23). The mean age of the â€Å"pay all† group was 23. 5 years, while that for the â€Å"pay none† group was 21. 1 years. These characteristics suggest that more of the â€Å"pay all† group would be classified as â€Å"non-traditional† students. Budget shares for most categories of spending exhibit no consistent pattern in Table 6 (below). Two patterns do emerge, however: those students who â€Å"pay none† of their college expenses tend to spend a greater proportion of their budget on recreation (29 percent) and books (15 percent) than students in the other categories, even though they spend comparable gross dollar amounts. Total annual spending generally rises as the proportion paid by students rises, with the exception of the pay-half and pay-most categories being reversed. The general trend may arise because both proportion of college expenses paid and total annual spending rise with student work hours and earnings. Another possibility is that with a higher proportion of college expenses paid by the student, there is less oversight of spending by the parents, with consequent upward pressure on current spending. Table 6: Mean Student Expenditures by Proportion of College Paid by Student, 9-month Figures Spending category pay none n % pay some n % Recreation Stores (includes food) Food Rent Telecommunications Utilities Books and supplies Gasoline Total miscellaneous Total annual spending $1,308 $1,096 $844 $2,866 $569 $572 $642 $462 $261 $4,423 41 29% 37 22% 33 15% 12 19% 11 3% 7 2% 42 15% 33 8% 18 3% 42 100% $1,328 $1,270 $722. $3,210 $814 $556 $747 $541 $492 $5,268 76 25% 71 22% 68 12% 25 20% 23 5% 20 3% 74 8% 59 14% 35 4% 77 100% pay half n % $1,483 $1,212 $780 $3,293 $503 $456 $688 $675 $346 $6,504 28 21% 28 17% 27 11% 18 30% 17 4% 17 4% 30 11% 26 9% 17 3% 30 100% pay most n % $1,192 $1,052 $885 $3,397 $1,170 $342 $674 $660 $565 $5,461 36 21% 30 15% 29 12% 16 26% 15 8% 13 2% 37 12% 31 10% 20 5% 38 100% pay all n $1,699 $1,584 $1,001 $3,254 $781 $847 $754 $665 $933 $7,953 57 21% 56 19% 54 12% 38 26% 37 6% 30 5% 59 9% 50 7% 30 6% 59 100% Notes: Only respondents reporting positive expenditures were included in the calculation of mean values. n is the number of observations is in parentheses. Percent is each category’s percent of total spending. A t-test for difference in mean values was conducted for each figure in the table. Italicized cells denote that the cell’s mean value is different from the grouped mean value of the other four groups and statistically significant at the 5 percent level. Total annual spending does not double-count food expenditures. Table 7 (below) reports differences in spending between employed and unemployed students. Those who work spend more overall and in the specific categories of stores, telecommunications, and total miscellaneous spending. Using a 10 percent level of significance, one additional difference arises: working students spend more on gasoline. To the extent that these students are living off-campus and commute to work via automobile, these spending differences are plausible. % Table 7: Mean Student Expenditures by Employment, 9-month Figures Spending category Recreation Stores (includes food) Food Rent Telecommunications Utilities Books and supplies Gasoline Total miscellaneous Total annual spending employed n $1,465 $1,506 $911 $3,308 $881 $657 $715.