What kind of nonverbal communication differs across cultures? Give two examples of where one would expect to observe differences.

Case Study II

Beckett Organics

John Beckett enjoys vegetables, so much so that he has given up his full-time job as a lawyer to concentrate on growing and marketing organic vegetables. He started growing vegetables 20 years ago in his back garden and eventually became fully self-sufficient in supplying vegetables for the family. Partly bored with his legal job and tempted by an attractive severance package, John decided he would try to establish his own vegetable supply business. Eighteen months ago he looked around for two fields to lease in which he could grow organic vegetables.

Organic products including vegetables, is a growth market in the UK. Growers must adhere to strict guidelines in order to gain organic certification. Increasing awareness of the problems associated with many pesticides and fertilizers, coupled with an increased interest in healthy eating habits and ‘wholesome’ food, has meant that many consumers are now either purchasing or interested in purchasing organic vegetables. This is true not only of household customers, but in addition, many restaurants are using the lure of organic produce to give them a distinctive edge in the market place.

All this has meant that many of the larger supermarkets in the UK have begun to stock more and more organic produce from what was a relatively specialized market in the 1990s; the market has grown to where overall organic produce accounts for some 12% of the total UK grocery market and in worldwide terms as of January 2010 it accounts for approximately 3% of all food sales. The market for organic vegetables has grown more rapidly than other organic products and it is estimated that by 2014 some 25% of all vegetables marketed in the UK will be organic. This growth has been sustained at a rate of around 20% per year in developed countries. However, organic yields are between 10% and 20% lower than conventional agriculture, with crops like potatoes some 40% lower. Unsurprisingly, this makes organic produce on average around 40% more expensive than non-organic produce.

A.C.Nielsen Co. cite the case of the United States where organic sales eased in the second half of 2009 as middle- and upper-income families have felt the strain of layoffs and declining investment portfolios. Sales in December 2009 were up 5.6 percent, year on year, against a 25.6 percent rise a year earlier.

Organic vegetables offer several advantages over their non-organic counterparts:

• They are generally tastier, and because they are not treated in the same way, are usually fresher than nonorganic products.
• They are good for a healthy lifestyle as they contain no pesticides and chemicals.
• The fact that no pesticides or herbicides are used in their production means that they are much ‘greener’. For example, they help to reduce the problems associated with nitrates in the soil and water supplies.
• On the downside, organic vegetables are generally less uniform, and as far as some consumers are concerned, are less attractive in appearance. This lack of uniformity has also been a problem in the past with supermarket buyers who have traditionally looked for uniformity in fresh products to aid merchandising and marketing in retail outlets.

• Generally, organic vegetables are more expensive than their non-organic counterparts. Currently, on average they are somewhere in the region of 40% more expensive.

In the UK, anyone wishing to claim that their produce is organic, and market it in this way, needs to obtain the approval of the Soil Association, which checks the organic credentials of a supplier. For example in this case, they check the conditions under which the produce is grown and how the seeds used.

Two interesting developments are taking place in the organic produce market. One is the growth of home supplies. This is where the producer supplies direct to the householder. There are a variety of ways of doing this. Some smaller growers use mail-shots and leafleting to build up a client base. They then deliver locally to customers who order from a list. Very often the supplier will simply make up a box of a pre-determined value or weight containing a selection of vegetables which are in season and ready for picking. Other suppliers are using a similar system, but take their orders via the Internet. This is particularly suitable for this type of product as customers can check on a regular basis what is available and order from home. The produce is then delivered at a pre-arranged time.

The second development in the organic produce market is the growth of farmers’ markets. These markets are usually run by local authorities, often on Saturdays or Sundays. Local and other producers attend these markets, paying a small fee for a stall and then sell their produce direct to the consumer. These farmers’ markets partly came about as a result of the frustration felt by many farmers and growers at the way they were being treated by retailers and at the margins they were receiving. In addition, such markets have been successful because consumers feel they are getting fresh produce at lower prices than they might be able to obtain through supermarkets.

Despite the growth in the market for organic vegetables, after 18 months in his business, John is worried. Quite simply, his business has not been as successful as he envisaged it would be, and as a result he is not earning enough to make a living. The real worry is that he is not sure why this is the case. His produce, he believes, is as good as anything in the business. He is a very good grower and the land he has leased is perfect for the range of produce he wishes to grow. Starting with organic potatoes he now produces a range of organic vegetables including beans, sprouts, carrots, lettuce and his latest venture organic tomatoes and corn grown in poly-tunnels. Although customers he currently supplies are very loyal to John, indeed many are friends and acquaintances he has known over the years when he grew vegetables in his back garden, there are simply not enough of them.

As a result, his turnover which increased rapidly over the first year of the business has for the last six months has stagnated. He mainly supplies locally and has tried to increase his customer base by taking leaflets out and posting them through letterboxes in the area. He has done this by dividing up the housing areas in a ten mile radius around his growing area and dropping leaflets throughout the area to as many houses as he can cover on a systematic basis. Only some 2% of customers have responded with an order, usually contacting by telephone. These customers seem to come from the middle class areas. He has considered taking a stall at one of the farmers’ markets, the nearest of which is some 40 miles away and operates one day per month, but he realises this would not be enough to reach the turnover levels he requires. He has in the past supplied one or two local restaurants and hotels, but usually only when they have contacted him because they have had a problem with their existing supplier.

He has never followed these up. His growing area is currently too small to supply a major retailer, although he has been approached on an informal basis by the buyer of a voluntary chain of local grocers representing some 40 retail outlets in the county.

John is wondering where he goes from here. He cannot understand why his superior products are not selling well. A friend has suggested that John needs a more strategic approach to marketing. John is not convinced. He feels his business is too small to warrant any kind of marketing, never mind strategic marketing, and he has always felt that a good product should sell itself. He is, however, anxious to grow the business and become a leading organic vegetable supplier.

Questions 1:

What advice would you give to John about developing his business through more effective strategic marketing?

Scenario: There is a H1N1 outbreak in the area where the hospital where you work is situated. There have already been thirty-nine deaths arising from this outbreak. Do an epidemiological research of this epidemic.

Establish evidence based guidelines that will used to prevent and control the spread of the virus within and without the hospital. Create a success story of making EBP real and practical.

List and describe key biographical characteristics. How are they relevant to OB?

Ramsey Motors manufacturers water (hydrogen) powered automobiles. The company committed to producing 500,000 vehicles last year, but ended up only manufacturing half of that. The issue is with a part that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen in a process known as electrolysis. The part was supposed to be installed using an automated process, but the machines are having trouble doing this, so factory workers have to do it manually on the assembly line, causing delays. Use the balanced scorecard to evaluate this situation. Which perspective is most closely related to these manufacturing issues? Define the perspective and explain how it can be used to measure Ramsey’s performance.

Part 1

How should performance measures be viewed from a supply chain perspective?

Part 2

In what ways is a balanced scorecard similar to the SCOR model? Different from the SCOR model?

Use a resource if possible please!

TextBook: Industrial/Organizational Psychology: An Applied Approach (8th ed)

In chapter 9, you learned about many different theories for why employees are motivated to perform well. Even though none of the theories has been completely supported, each has something to offer. For this weeks assignment address the following:

1. Describe a job (or a class) you have had in which you were very motivated to perform well. Why do you think you were motivated?
2. Now describe a job (or a class) in which you were not motivated to perform well. Why?
3. Now based of the various theories you have read, as well as your experiences, design your own theory of job motivation and satisfaction. Feel free to borrow as much as you want from each of the theories discussed in your text (make sure you cite any of those theories that are not your own).

Your paper should be a minimum of 400 words

In CMH, it discusses the organizational development levers. Which levers do you think would have the most impact on leading successfully through a change initiative? Explain your response. 5 points.

CMH, “No matter how well prepared you thought you were there will be surprises- be ready to find them and respond accordingly! 5 points

1. "Consumers perceive digital firms as offering more value". What do you think of that?

2. What do you think about this kind of interview question:

You have a birthday cake and have exactly 3 slices to cut it into 8 equal pieces. How do you do it?

3. The interview time should be about checking in on the culture of an organization; how do you measure/observe the culture and evaluate if it is a fit for you?

Discuss and describe the synergy (i.e. alignment) between Gartner's business strategy and its use of information technology

Identify a non-tech brand that appears to follow the product-quality leadership pricing objective. Support your selection.

Please answer in paragraph form

PRODUCT QUALITY LEADERSHIP – is where a company aims to provide the best quality product in the market, and therefore charges more than its competitors. These companies are usually market leaders. Pricing objectives for particular products or services can also vary according to the stage in the product life cycle.

Which of Porter's general business strategies does Hertz Corporation follow?

1. It is common for stakeholders to essentially ask, “How can you prove that our program had an effect?” What would be your standard, simple, “sound bite” response to this question?

2. If you had a very limited budget but were committed to collecting and using some type of qualitative data to get at the perceptions of program participants, what might be your best
option? Explain.