Thursday, December 26, 2019
The Safety Of Motor Sports - 1821 Words
Safety in Motor Sports Motor sporting is particularly a spectacular as well as an exciting game that provides intense enjoyment for both the competitors and the spectators. The game can take various forms ranging from large circuit events attracting thousands of viewers, to grass track competitions in a local farmerââ¬â¢s fields usually attended by competitors along with their families. Organizers for motor sports games also range from Fortune 500 companies to small motor clubs and other governing bodies. Majority of the organizing members are involved simply for the fun of it. The sport also has a few governing bodies. Majority of sport events are conducted under the strict guideline provided by the governing bodies comprised of members rich in experience and endowed with expertise in motor sport safety. They usually provide comprehensive practical counsel and assistance the appliance of these guidelines in individual cases. The primary focus of this paper is on the safety in the motor sport. Motorsport is merely over a century old, only a few years in play and younger that the actual automobile. Besides the precautions taken to safeguard spectators, only little efforts had been put to protect motorsport participants from fatalities or serious injuries caused by accidents until in the dawn of 1960s. Although drivers raced primarily for the gameââ¬â¢s glory than for monetary rewards, and automobile manufacturers contributed as part of their RD efforts than for marketing, injuriesShow MoreRelatedSWOT Analysis in KIA Motors Company Essay1103 Words à |à 5 Pagesï » ¿ SWOT Analysis in KIA Motors Company Owais Osama Al-Ahmar 200921023 AlYamamah University Constantine Pithithutis 13-06-2012 Contents 1- Contents â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 2 2- Introduction â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ 3 3- Strengths â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 3 4- Weaknesses â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 4 5- Opportunities â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. 5 6- Threats â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 5 7- Evaluation of SWOT analysis â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 6 8- Conclusion â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦... 6 9- References â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ 7 Read MoreMarketing Strategies Of General Motors Essay1289 Words à |à 6 Pages Marketing Strategies of General Motors Aditya Sanaboyina Professor Meaghan Cordero Fairleigh Dickinson University Fall 2015 Creation, acceleration and emotion are the key components for any automobile industry to deliver its goods to the expected standards. General Motors, popularly known as GM has been a pioneer in the global autoindustry for more than 100 years. Developing from horseless carriages to the latest sports cars, innovations have always excelled at puttingRead MoreThe Progression Of Sports And The Mechanics Of These Sports719 Words à |à 3 PagesThe world as we knew it is no more. Many changes that have taken place, such as forms of communication, were profoundly crucial for our society today; while others were not. One of these subordinate changes was the progression of sports and the mechanics of these sports. They are now more calculated and more confined. During the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the Dutch decided to try something different; something very fitting of the time. They adopted a new style of play: Total Football. The idea was thatRead MoreAssignment 2 PST312M1626 Words à |à 7 Pages4565-391-7 Subject: PST312M ââ¬â Physical education and sports coaching Semester 1: Assignment 2 Unique number: 527854 Questions 1. Briefly explain the relationship between physical education and sport. (5) 2. Which test is used to evaluate a childââ¬â¢s posture? Explain. (5) 3. Why is knowledge regarding the structure and functioning of the body so important to the physical education teacher and coach? (5) 4. What is integration as it relates to sport? Explain. (5) 5. Describe the teaching progressionRead MorePursuit Case Study852 Words à |à 4 Pageslineup now features Q50 2.0T PURE, Q50 2.0T LUXE, Q50 3.0T LUXE, Q50 3.0T SPORT, Q50 3.0T RED SPORT, Q50 HYBRID LUXE. Each trim is available in Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) and All Wheel Drive (AWD). If you are looking for an outstanding performance four-door sedan near Bothell, WA, the Q50 features a powerful 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine with up to 400 horsepower. The hybrid model is available with a 3.5-liter V6, electric motor, and lithium-ion battery, outputting 360 HP overall. How will your Q50 comeRead MoreWhy the Suv Is Bad1715 Words à |à 7 PagesIn todayââ¬â¢s society there are many ââ¬Å"personal choicesâ⬠we make that we feel only affect us. But in reality we are hurting our society by the actions we do. One of the ways is driving an SUV. (Sport Utility Vehicle) It might be big, can haul a lot of stuff and make you feel safer on the road, but in reality, itââ¬â¢s bad for the environment, bad on the economy, and can cause accidents which put others at risk. The American people are so dependent on oil that the supply and demand increases the costRead MoreExecutive summery of Tesla Motors. Inc Essay1221 Words à |à 5 Pagesï » ¿ Executive summary of ââ¬Å"Tesla motors. Incâ⬠Company information Tesla Motors is a public trading company in the automotive industry that was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers from the Silicon Valley in California. Core founders of Tesla Motors are Elon Musk, Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, JB Straubel and Ian Wright. Its headquarters are in Palo Alto, California. The CEO of the company is Elon Musk. It has over 3000+ employees. Tesla motors have their cars in thirty seven countriesRead More1.0. What is ontology? Basically, the term of ontology is derives from Greek and ââ¬Å"ontoâ⬠meaning and1300 Words à |à 6 Pagesaround him, to go further, speedily more than before. Every years, human was produces many model of motorcycles that improve technology of engineering. Motorcycle history is begins around second half of 19th century. Motorcycles basically are from the ââ¬Å"safety bicycleâ⬠. A bicycle with front and rear wheels with the same size and pedal crank mechanism. After years of the year, human were improved their technology of motorcycles that have engine and a part of motorcycles such as meter, horns, gear and etcRead MoreAthletes Essay1557 Words à |à 7 Pages Athletes play sports for the competition and fun of it knowing they will get hurt or develop a disease overtime, but still choose to participate because of the rush certain sports give. A disease associated with athletes is Amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, it is a disorder in the nervous system that causes death of nerve cells and destroys Motor neurons. Another disease associated with many athletes is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which isRead MoreBoxing Should Not be Banned Essay923 Words à |à 4 Pagesboxing being banned argue that it is no more dangerous than other sports. In this essay, I will critically examine each of these arguments and demonstrate to the reader that the sport of boxing should not be banned. I will provide evidence that can fully justify my comments. Firstly, I do not think anybody can argue against my strongest point, which is that every single boxer in Britain takes part in the sport on their own accord, and are not being forced to fight by anybody
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
A Brief Note On The Arab Israeli War - 1203 Words
Modern Essay Arab and Israeli Conflict The Middle Eastern area has experienced and suffered more conflict and blood shed than probably any part of the world. The Arab-Israeli war in 1948 was the first step of a century of bloody and hostile conflicts. The Arab- Israeli war was caused by a number of factors both intraregional and international, which created a catalyst of war through a complex situation. This was triggered by Israelââ¬â¢s independence declaration in 14 May 1948; in the Arab-Israeli war the victor was Israel. During this essay the following will be discussed: Zionism, Arab nationalism, and British foreign policy these I believe are the three key causes of the 1948 war. The reason for choosing not just one of these factors toâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Furthermore the idea that anti-Semitism could only be overcome by physical separation from Europe and by self-determinationââ¬â¢ (Schulze 1999, p. 1) is what is believed to have made Zionism so popular in the first place. The religious and cultural ba ckground to the Land of Israel made Palestine the most logical territorial claim and was perceived as the only viable and permanent solution to the problem of the Jews. This idea of Zionism advertised the belief that Jews were given Palestine by God himself that is was their right and this fuelled their fight in pursuing their God given right. Meanwhile, with news of Hitler and the holocaust in Europe beginning to spread, this event only generated an intense determination to create a Jewish state. But with the Palestinian leadership actively supporting the Nazis during WWII it had created more conflict between the Arabs and Jews. Without the Jews flocking from Europe because of the Holocaust and the idea of Zionism, Arab-Israeli conflicts may never have occurred to such an extremist level. As the Jews perhaps would have not had enough organisation and support to fight back against the Arabs and the desperate desire to create a Jewish state with nothing to lose. Modern Arab nationalism began at the end of the eighteenth century, majority as opposition to the European colonialism (British), which the Arabs believed was ââ¬Ësuperfluous in its attainmentââ¬â¢ (Schulze 1999, pp. 2-3). Arab
Monday, December 9, 2019
Case Study Of The Australian And New Zealand Banking Group Limited
Question: Discuss about the Case Study Of The Australian And New Zealand Banking Group Limited. Answer: Introduction Change is something that no organization can escape. If an organization fails to change, there are chances that the approach it uses to play in the market will become old and outdated, thus losing the competitive advantage. This is because for any organization to succeed or gain profit there must be some changes made, for example, leadership changes in case the current leader is not performing well or resigns. There are also changes where the employees are promoted or demoted, or resignation (Luca, 2015, pp. 36-42). Various sectors also change because of new ideas in the market. Change helps businesses to be flexible and cope up with the new trends in business. Change leads to disruption of daily activities during its implementation. This necessitates the aspect of managing change. There is need to plan for change implementation andmanagement for the successful transition. Many factors necessitate change, usually referred to us change drivers such IT-enabled change among others. Successful change implementation demands for full support from all the company's stakeholders. Therefore, people in organizations should be ready to embrace change so that they work for positive results (Madden, . and Duchon, Madden, and Plowman, 2012, pp. 689-708). The paper is going to present a case study which will bring out how different theories ofchange management can be applied in various scenarios. Kurt Lewins Three Phase Model Kurt Lewin is one of the oldest changemanagement theories or models. Lewin who was a psychologist at the time pioneered social psychology and the importance of change management at the time when he came up with the model (Martins, 2011). The model is still used up to date because of its simplicity. Kurt Lewins model consists of three steps namely unfreeze, change and refreeze phases. Unfreeze phase In this phase, an organization is forced to dig deep into its problems and find out why the change should be carried out. This is mostly due to a decrease in productivity, low sales members and an increase in customer complaints. The organization remains with no option but to find a way of bringing the business to normal (Bartunek and Balogun, 2011, pp. 152). Therefore this involves bringing in change to bring back the normality of an organization. In the case of the Australian and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ), they had to put in a new CEO in the late 1990's because of bad debts, poor organization, low employee morale and customer dissatisfaction. The bank had to bring a new CEO following several years of poor performance which could have possibly led to the bank collapsing. Change In this phase themanagement has already set the goals and therefore implements the changes needed and then give time to employees to accept the change (Bartunek and Balogun, 2011, pp. 152). During this time, the management can still come up with a more efficient way of dealing with the problem. In ANZ, they brought in a new CEO by the name John McFarlane. The bank chose Mr. McFarlane because he portrayed himself as someone well-rounded and can work well to save the company as he had worked well with other companies (Gehman, Trevino, and Garud, 2013, pp. 84112). The bank was not trusted by the community, customers, and employees, due to closing some of its branches and fee increase, so the CEO brought in his changes to try and save the bank. The CEO had to freeze the bank closure to start gaining trust. The bank lacked women in the senior positions, and the CEO realized that women should also be in those positions. He came up with new ways of transforming the bank to human face so that it can be customer friendly and also to the workers. Refreeze phase In this stage, one has to finalize changes and make them policies. When people stay for too long in the change phase, they may start coming up with alternatives so the best way is to put the changes to policies so that in the case of a problem the organization can easily re-evaluate (Avenier, 2010). The organization had to transform its image into a bank with a human face. The CEO and his team came up with policies that can assist it to perform, grow and break out (Vogel, 2012). This was to give a different experience to the stakeholders and employees and also to change the perception people had on the bank's culture (Thomas, Sargent and Hardy, 2011, pp. 2241). The organization's employees were not performing their best so McFarlane, came up with performance management that consisted performance planning, performance coaching, and performance assessment of helping the bank to achieve outperformance. After McFarlane's retirement, another CEO Michael Smith was brought in as his successor and also implemented his policies which were customer focus, marketing and sales, technology, and performance to help him deal with the challenges. Kotters Model Kotter's Model came over to challenge Lewins model by John P. Kotter, a Harvard professor and a change management theorist. Kotter came up with eight steps as strategies to change management (Coghlan, 2011, pp. 5387). His model dwells on the resistance that employees can portray due to change and how organization can deal with those issues. It is the easiest model to understand because even small organizations can adapt them with ease (Lichtenstein, 2014). In Kotter's eight-step model, one has to establish a sense of urgency, come up with a team that wants change, come up with visions and strategies for change, communicate the need for change to other people, empower employees to act themselves, come up with short-term goals, be persistent, and make the changes permanent by using Lewin's phase of refreezing (Madden, Duchon, Madden and Plowman, 2012, pp. 689-708). The management is supposed to have the right people during this transition. The employees should see the need to embrace change faster, and also short-term goals help THE employees to have a sense of accomplishment (Sonenshein, 2010, pp. 477512). The ANZ bank was collapsing, and therefore, there was an urgency of finding a solution to the problem. The bank had lots of debts; employees had lost morale and customers were not being satisfied. At this time there was also ill-will and distrust towards Australian's major banks.When the new CEO was brought in Mr. McFarlane, he came up with a team and goals that were supposed to be accomplished. One of his goals was to put women in senior ranks and also lower the bank's risk profile by ensuring customers, and employee satisfaction and trust are back. McFarlane had a leadership team that instigated a strategy called perform meaning (deliver financial performance and shareholder value), grow meaning (strengthen revenue, leadership, and brand) and breakout meaning (built foundations for sustainable and long-term success). They also came up with performance management plan that was also implemented to regularly assess the performance of the bank. Michael Smith, McFarlane's successor also came at a time when the banks two senior staffs resigned and the bank was under investigation. Smith took a senior management team came up with strategies to increase capital, strengthen the balance sheet and also improve liquidity. He also came up with core capabilities to ensure a bank becomes a super-regional bank in five years. McKinseys 7-S Model This model describes seven stages that an organization should progress with when implementing a set of changes. It is called a 7-S model because every facet begins with an S. the model is ambiguous and sometimes confusing but it is a sound basis for something that is more structured (Albert, 2013). The model is open-ended, and therefore most organizations do not like it (Langley, Smallman, and Tsoukas, 2013, pp. 113). Structure is how the organizations structure can affect change implementation, systems is what is existing in the body that need to be updated or done away with, skills are the strengths an organization has that can be used to make the changes more efficient for example an employee or section, style this is the culture of an organization and how stakeholders perceive it, staff the workers in an organization have different skills that can help in implementing change, strategy is what you come up with so that the organization may benefit from the change even in future and finally shared values mean that goals of an organization should be clear to every employee and they should try to achieve them (Bingham and Kahl, 2013, pp 14-34). When Mr. McFarlane joined ANZ, the bank was at risk of losing all its customers because of poor performance. He found that the customers had ill-will towards the bank because of branch closures and fee increases. He also noticed that leadership at the bank was not balanced, and performance of employees was not assessed therefore this way he updated the existing systems. The bank's culture revealed that the bank had positive values such as goal and resulted in orientation and on the other hand employees felt too much bureaucracy and hierarchy. McFarlane ensured that every two years top 100 people are assessed externally on talent, and the bank uses this to come up with new plans and actions to provide new opportunities for the top talent. Line managers and HR managers are trained to lead the assessment process, this way the bank had shared values of learning and development at all levels. These strategies and that of performance result in employees and customer satisfaction. Michael Smith, on the other hand, got in collaboration with the senior managers with other employees had shared goals of ensuring the ANZ has increased capital and improving liquidity. They also had a specific goal of improving customer focus, creating clear accountability and stronger management. This came up due to eroded confidence in the banks, and money borrowed by banks to lend to customers being expensive. ADKAR Model This model is not like other models that emphasize on immediate and systematic change instead it goes for small, incremental changes as time goes by. This model stands for orderly and moderate changes that give employees a chance for adjustment before facing another change (Grant and Marshak, 2011). ADKAR stands means, Awareness of the need for change, Desire to carry out change, Knowledge of the vision that is why you want to change, Ability to bring in new skills and behaviors and implement them, and Reinforcement that can make the change last for a longer period (Stachowiak, 2010). The model is simple and practical and therefore the change will be normal to employees as there is no drastic change (Rodell and Colquitt, 2009, pp. 989-1002). The ANZ Bank had awareness for the need of change for a new CEO. For any organization that has downfallen, it needs new management or change of other people to bring in new ideas. There had to be a change in the management for the bank to get back on the right track. McFarlane identified the need of the bank to move to a new state and enforced the changes by using the leadership team and other managers to help him. This was a good move in the process of change transition. To get employers to work for the bank without complaints, the CEO and the leadership team came up with ways of appreciating the staff. This was investing in the leadership of talented staff members. They used this to find potential leaders in the junior management and they were appreciated. The whole staff is involved in the program in which 20% of the staff are at the top, 70% are in the middle are 10% at the bottom. To also motivate employees, performance assessment review was provided every year and rewards given according to the performance outcome. Michael Smith facing challenges of customers having less confidence in the bank, money being lent to customers being expensive and hard to source, he had to look out for ways he could bring change and resolve this problem. He implemented new ideas that include; improving customers focus, creating clear accountability and stronger management of the bank. This could help in strengthening the balance sheet and even increase in capital. Therefore, Michael Smith took the right move in the process of implementing change in the organization. Recommendations The retired CEO should have trained his successor so that it would have been easy for them to continue at the point he had left. The CEO had picked up the bank at the point where the bank was a big mess, and therefore he could have left the skills to someone so that in the case of a crisis like the one they had of poor performance, it can be solved without a problem. Michael Smith should adopt Kotter's model in which one of the stages involves implementing short-term goals. The employees should at least have a feeling of accomplishment before moving on to another thing. Mr. McFarlane did not practice this because he used to come up with different ideas and try to implement the at the same time wand these does not make employees that feeling of accomplishment. If someone feels like they have accomplished one thing, it gives them morale to even do another thing more effectively. If anyone wishes to use ADKAR model, they should combine it with another model because it does not have a long-term strategic view. Changes cannot always be small and incremental because there is those times that an organization needs to make a drastic change for it to attain what it wishes. According to ADKAR model, when McFarlane came to the bank, he should have gone slowly with his implementations so that employees can adjust slowly and this could not have worked well with the bank. Also, it is important to consider the stakeholders in the process of implementing change. Support of the change by all parties in the organization increases the chances of success. If the change process encounters resistance from the stakeholders, there is the likelihood of failure in the change process. Regular communication with the all the stakeholders is important in helping the organization manage change successfully. Communication helps people to feel that they are part of the change. Therefore, considering people is inevitable for the successful change transition. Conclusion In conclusion, before coming up with a change in an organization, one should look up for different change management theories so that they can know the best way of implementing change according to their organization. It is always perceived that the best time to bring change is when there is the success but sometimes the best time is when it is in crisis and bring in a good change can save people. When there is the success, people can tend to be resistant because there is nothing to worry about. Hence, when bringing in change, the purpose should be clear to everyone in an organization. Also, it is clear that many different change drivers trigger change. In whichever case, the organization needs a clear change plan. The program helps to ensure that the change brings about all that is required in the organization and also help control all the possible sources of drawbacks. Therefore, the plan is critical for the success of change implementation process. References Albert, S. (2013). When: The Art of Perfect Timing. San Francisco, John Wiley Sons Avenier, M. (2010). Shaping a constructivist view of the organizational design science. Bartunek, J and Balogun, D. (2011). Considering planned change anew: stretching large group interventions strategically, emotionally, and meaningfully, pp. 152 Bingham, C. and Kahl, S. (2013). The process of schema emergence: assimilation, deconstruction, the unitization and the plurality of analogies, pp 14-34 Coghlan, D. (2011). Action research: exploring the perspectives of a philosophy of practical knowledge, pp. 5387 Gehman, J., Trevino, L. and Garud, R. (2013). Values work: a process study of the emergence and performance of organizational values practices, pp. 84112 Grant, D. and Marshak, R. (2011). Toward a discourse-centered understanding of organizational change. Langley, A, Smallman, C and Tsoukas, H. (2013). Process studies of change in organization and management: unveiling temporality, activity, and flow, pp. 113 Lichtenstein, B. (2014). Generative Emergence: A New Discipline of the Organizational, Entrepreneurial, and Social Innovation. New York: Oxford Univ. Press Luca, B. (2015). A Review of Innovation and the Change Management: Stage Model and Power Influences. Universal Journal of Management, pp. 36-42. Madden, L., Duchon, D., Madden, T. and Plowman, D. (2012). Emergent organizational capacity for compassion, pp. 689708 Martins, L. (2011). Organizational change and development. In APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 3, ed. S Zedeck, pp. 691728. Washington, DC: Am. Psychol. Assoc. Oreg, S. and Michel, A. (2013). The Psychology of the Organizational Change: Viewing Change from the Employee's Perspective. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press Rodell, J. and Colquitt, J. (2009). Looking ahead in times of the uncertainty: the role of the anticipatory justice in an organizational change context, pp. 9891002 Sonenshein, S. (2010). We're changingOr are we? Untangling the role of progressive, regressive, and the stability narratives during strategic change implementation, pp. 477512 Stachowiak, S. (2010). Pathways for Change: 6 Theories about How Policy Change Happens. Organisational Research Services, Seattle. Thomas, R., Sargent, L. and Hardy, C. (2011). Managing organizational change: negotiating meaning and the power-resistance relations. Organ. Sci. pp. 2241 Van, N. and Sminia, H. (2010). Organization development: Whats actually happening? Change Management, pp. 4 Vogel, I. (2012). Review of the Use of the Theory of Change' in International Development. UK Department of International Development. DFID, London. Woodman, R. (2008). Discourse, metaphor and the organizational change: the wine is new but the bottle is old, pp. 3337 Zietsma, C. and Lawrence, T. (2010). Institutional work in the transformation of the organizational field: the interplay of boundary work and practice work. Adm. Sci. pp. 189221
Monday, December 2, 2019
Marketing To Tweens Essays - Childhood, Adolescence,
Marketing To Tweens Our research into the tween market led to many discoveries about this group of current and future purchasers. We looked at statistics, marketing approaches, and responsibilities of those involved with this demographic group. Who are the tweens, what do they like, and how do they spend their time and money were areas where we probably gained the most insight from the research. Other areas looked at included how marketers target tweens, ethical responsibilities involved, what are the responsibilities of the parents of tweens, and the future of marketing to tweens. Children between the ages of seven and fourteen make up the consumer market known as the tweens. About 75% of them have dual-income parents and about 50% of them have divorced parents. The tweens are very brand oriented, requesting brand-name clothing like Nike, Levi, and Calvin Kline. This group of young people have a significant amount of money to spend and influence an even larger amount. A survey of 2.5 million Canadian tweens show that they spend $1.4 billion a year on themselves and influence the buying decisions of their parents to an astronomical ten times that amount. This age group is an emerging market for financial services. Many of them already have their own bank accounts and ATM cards. The top three things the tweens spend money on are food, entertainment, and clothing. They are influencing family decisions on everything from what to watch on television to what type of car to purchase. The title of one of the articles says it all, "Today's Tweens Are in the Money --$1.5 Billion ?and Have Major "Kidfluence" on Household Purchases, Says YTV Survey." This generation is media-wise, sophisticated, technically-savvy, and influential trendsetters who are growing up much quicker than previous generations. Tweens spend 50% of their waking hours in school and are very involved in after-school activities. The majority of tweens plan to attend college and research shows that some are actually saving to help finance their college education. Today's kids are putting away the traditional toys like Barbie and action figures by the age of eight and moving on to what most of us would consider more adult type entertainment. Fun, friends, and fulfillment are very important to these children who are interested in music, fashion, video games, computers, and on-line chat. They frequently socialize with friends via e-mail instead of face-to-face and some Internet forums offer chats among tweens only. They are attending concerts and having a direct impact on the popularity of groups like the Spice Girls. These children are maturing earlier which leads to earlier sexual activity and struggling with appearance and self-confidence. The tweens are taking on adult-like responsibilities while still dealing with normal teen issues. Marketers are spending a lot of time and money targeting the tweens. As James McNeal, Professor of Marketing at Texas A&M puts it, "Tweens have more market potential than any other demographic group simply because they have all their purchases ahead of them." Marketers are hoping that by selling these kids on ideas now they will become loyal consumers who continue to respond to their products. There are many of the typical media such as television, magazines, in-store advertising, and private label catalogs used to attract the tweens. However, some marketers are producing products aimed specifically at tweens. Some of these include cruise lines which offer them their own program of activities, hair care products targeted at tweens, and the new Burger King Big Kids Meal which offers more food along with the toy which research shows is still important to this age group. Marketers realize how financially powerful this demographic group is and that they need to continue to focus on reaching them. As marketers target the tweens, they have to keep in mind the ethical responsibilities that come along with marketing to them. They must not only get the attention of the children but must also get the buy-in of the parents. If the marketing aimed at their children is unfair or unduly enticing, it may result in alienating the parents. Marketers need to avoid seductive advertising and be careful to protect children's privacy, especially when advertising on-line. Another ethical responsibility of marketers is to help educate young shoppers about financial responsibility. New technologies and products permit teens to make purchases without credit cards. Online checks, debit cards, and different types of accounts are a few of the ways children are gaining the freedom to purchase products. Merchants are taking a risk of a lot of returned items if these purchases are made without parental consent. The important
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