Analyse an aspect of organisation using realist and relativists Essay

Analyse an aspect of organisation using realist and relativists perspectives - Essay Example The realist and relativist viewpoints can both lead to different perspectives and approaches which are a part of various types of business perspectives and organizational behaviors (Dwyer, 39: 2001). One of the aspects that are created from these perspectives is an understanding of how communication works within the internal structure of a business. This is essential for the success of the business as well as the way in which the corporation can continue to grow. From a realist viewpoint, there are specific ways of approaching communication, specifically by leaders and managers of a corporation. However, this is one which comes from the individual personality and understanding of diversity (Ng et al, 474-2006). The incorporation of this viewpoint first comes from a relativist viewpoint which allows individuals to begin practicing specific theories while trying to build an understanding of how to community. When examining this topic, there will be an analysis of how communication work s in the corporation through both viewpoints. This will be followed by a discussion of the literature and an organizational analysis that shows how specific corporations can use this element for their success or failure. Through these different analysis and reviews, there will be an understanding of how both viewpoints are required for communication to work in favor of the corporation. The concept of communication in the workplace is one which is first defined by the concept of the relativistic perspective. This states that everything is relative, or theoretical in nature. The relativism which is created in the workplace is one which is essential to notice, specifically because it is known to cause the main conflicts and disputes within a workplace. The lack of communication is one which is based on the perspective associated with a given organization. The perspective

Implementation of a leadership development program Essay

Implementation of a leadership development program - Essay Example In this case, Baltimore Insurance is vast; hence, it constitutes a robust combination of workforce. This vast population will have an impact on the technique chosen, its success, and costs of implementation. Therefore, it may also be considerable to incorporate a combination of techniques to adapt to the changes in the chain of supervision. The vast composition of the Baltimore Insurance organization is an elemental aspect, which, constitute the issue in the course of establishing the technique to employ and implementation of the program. Further, it is notable that the Baltimore Insurance constitutes a workforce with mixed experience and skills. The changes in the organization are also elemental as incorporation of technical considerations and elements available to support the working of the supervisors influence the overall performance of the employees (Noe, 2013). Thus, the technique chosen ought to employ the consideration to the goals of the training such as the achieving of new skills and furthering of the old techniques to solve this arising issue. Workplace behavior and fair treatment devoid of discrimination and harassment are other considerations in the course of establishing the training technique to employ for Baltimore Insurance workforce (Wilson, 2006). Therefore, it may also prove useful to incorporate a combination of traditional training techniques to further the course of the organization and aid address the issue. Even with the present advances in technology, traditional training approaches remain key and remarkably effective in approaching implementation of new programs. Among the options to employ in presenting the program is the use of lectures. The lecture method entails an instructor-led session in which the trainees will congregate in a class setting and take lectures on the proposed program (Noe, 2013). Notably, the option entails using projector or whiteboard, PowerPoint presentations, and video options. The procedural

Violence in Mexico Essay Example for Free

Violence in Mexico Essay Nothing is surprising today that many today’s newspapers articles, publicized about how elderly people around the world had been discriminated, especially in Mexico. These older people gave us life, they are harmless, defenseless, some society members see them as an obstacle, also a heavy load that need to be carry on their backs. They are jeopardizing their life because of the way society treats them and because of the actual violence in Mexico. There are 600 million elderly people in the world; seven of them living in Mexico, according to the INEGI (Mexico’s census) showed statistics that elderly population is living longer and their population is increasing. Doctors and medicines can reach now the rural areas where before was impossible to get medical aid, also better medicines had being discovered and doctors are getting better preparation than before. The welfare of the elderly population has numerous dimensions, poverty, health care, and the receipt of pension income. In Mexico, many benefits such as having access to health care and receiving a pension at old age are associated with a form of employment. Since women historically have participated less in the labor market than men have, it is natural to expect that women would experience lower living conditions than men would in old age; also the wellbeing of the elderly group is dramatically inferior comparing to other age groups. Fewer older parents wish to assume the uncertainties of following their children across international borders, especially if they or their children have no legal documents. Instead, older people tend not to move, and sending areas often become old as the young migrate and leave their parents and grandparents behind. Mexico’s large population has a high level of poverty and hunger compared to rest of the world. Migration is a fluid process, however one that not only influences social behavior in U.S. destinations, but also lives and lifestyles across the border in Mexico. Although we might hear more about immigrants living and working in United States cities, the vast majority of Mexican immigrants and/or their families do not move to the United States permanently. In fact, Mexico-United States migration most commonly involves individuals leaving their households to engage in temporary or recurrent United States migration strategies that are identify by short-term stays and repeat trips. Two emerging from this social process are transnational communities, involving spatial, economic, and social ties that link residents between the two countries. Some elderly parents will look to their children for support, but some will find a limited set of alternatives given the prevalence of migration. Thus, migration may cause a rise in the number of elderly living alone or seeking alternative types of living arrangements to meet their needs. The discussion below first describes traditional patterns of living arrangements and intergenerational support in Mexico; then examines migration patterns and begins to assess their consequences for elderly living arrangements; and finally presents findings from data collected in fifty-two Mexican villages. No one, especially not one of Mexicos top law enforcement officials, denies that killings by drug cartels have reached record levels. Mexico all of a sudden stopped being a drug-transit country and became a drug-consuming country this means gangs that once shipped drugs into the United States, are now fighting each other to sell the drugs at home. Their fights center on territory whose gets to sell what and where. The only way to settle their differences is through violence, Rubido said. Theyre fighting block by block in a very violent way. The result is a brutal onslaught that resulted in about fifty-four thousand deaths last year, more than double the tallied in 2007. Many analysts say Mexico is on track to set a record again this year. A United Nations report released this week notes that the government of Mexico faces violent opposition by drug cartels to its attempts to fight organized crime and drug trafficking, adding that drug cartels have responded with unprecedented violenc e. That intimidation can often take brutal forms. Last weekend, a police official from the state of Tabasco, arrested a dangerous and one of the country most wanted drug trafficker, a week later he was killed so were his mother, his wife, his children, nieces and nephews. Twelve people total were dead in three homes. Six of them were children. While drugs are being smuggled north, a lot of guns are going south, said Brian Jenkins, a terrorism expert at Rand Corp. â€Å"Authority does not have control over all of its national territory and they had lost most of it to traffickers.† President Felipe Calderon criticized the media for mounting a campaign of â€Å"lies† against Mexico. His comments come two days after important French politicians visited this country, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, said Mexico is not in charge of parts of the country. It pains me the way elderly people is suffering, their only goal is to achieve peace and love, they already gave these to us, now is time to pay them back, we as their descendants should look for the opportunity to share happy moments with them, and place them in places where they are going to be safe and happy.

Soundtracks In The Movie Industry Film Studies Essay

Soundtracks In The Movie Industry Film Studies Essay What are the major conventions and functions of the classical soundtrack, and how have these been challenged by filmmakers and composers working outside of this tradition? Soundtrack in the movie industry terminology is a contraction of the term sound track. This is an audio recording which is created or used in the film production industry or in post production. The dialogue, the music and the sound effects in a film have their own separate tracks i.e. the soundtrack, dialogue track and the music track. This mixed together are called the composite track. It is what is heard in the film. When a film is dubbed into another language, a dubbing track is created. This is also known as an ME (music and effects) track. It contains all the sound elements without dialogue. It is later supplied by a foreign distributor in the native language of the territory. This contraction soundtrack came into the public consciousness with the coming of the soundtrack albums in the early 1950s. The movie companies first saw it as a promotional gimmick for new films. The film is a visual medium and yet also like many of the other contemporary media it happens to be audio visual. It employs sound as an integral element of the sensual experience. The image predominance stems partly from the history of films. This was so until the mid 1920s, three decades after the motion pictures were invented that the technology became developed so as to produce films with recorded soundtracks. Film with recorded sound became standard so quickly after the first largely successful film was featured with soundtrack in 1927. We will analyze the traditional use of sound. What is the purpose and the effect of sound that is added to the image pictures? We will also analyze other alternative practices that exist and how they are used in conjunction with the common approaches to sound. It is not surprising that sound has been used to reinforce the classical cinema mode. This has shaped the techniques that are dominant in cinematography and editing. Sound will often increase the sense of presence and the immediate need. To be able to achieve this sound and the image must be closely related. They work together to achieve a meaning or an effect. Images and soundtracks in the film are two components that are distinct and are usually produced in part separately from one another. Due to the fact that there has been technological growth in sound capabilities audio recording and playback have really expanded. There has therefore been a tendency of rely more on postproduction of sound work as there has been increased technological advancements in audio recording and playback. There has been therefore great necessity to create an impression that the sounds that are heard are natural and are produced by the actions and the environments that are shown by the film. To achieve t his sound effect, it will serve to increasingly enhance the intensity of the sensual effects and also promote that sense of verisimilitude. Below are some of the ways through which the sound serves these two main functions. The main sounds that make a soundtrack are three. There is the human voice, sound effects and music. Music and the sound effects are the two most applied in the production of the heightened sensory experience. In the mainstream cinema, the sound effects are designed so as to reinforce the narrative realism. They may appear to be natural but in the real sense, along with the other sound elements, they are crafted with care so as to focus attention on some particular aspects of the image or the action and also to influence the response of the viewers to them. We can therefore conclude that sound effects do support a sense of realism. The dense and accentuated sound emphasis are associated with the key actions or the settings and do not necessarily provide the natural production of the sound one would hear in such a situation. In accordance to the prevailing sound film conventions, music does not follow the prescriptions of realism in similar ways. There are conventions which have background music that do not in any ways relate to the theme of the story. We in fact always expect musical score that goes hand in hand with film as a non digetic element. The academy awards do include categories for best score. If we do employ a number of the conventions and the conventions the moviegoers have planned to respond to this in a certain way. Claudia Gorbman is cited in his seminal work (Gorbman, seminal work- unheard melodies) explaining how the background music, or rather the score serves as the signifier of emotion in the cinema. A good example of this is the melodrama. A 19th century genre is an original, as suggested by the name à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"melo-dramaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  is a play that includes music as the essential element. The orchestra would be in place to accompany the play; the drama action would be interlaced with melodies that would function almost in the same way as the emotional punctuation. Any time the dramatic action would lead to a moment of sadness, the orchestra would be brought in the break in the dialogue and underscore the effects of emotion with a melody that is appropriate. When for example the drama gets to a climatic highpoint, a melody that is dramatic would come so as to help ratchet the suspense in the place. The melodramatic importance of accompanying music is now a standard technique both in the melodramatic films and for all the genres in the classical cinema. While the crucial function may as well be to guide and also enhance the emotional responses, the scores of music will as well contribute to that sense of continuity. This is central to classical cinema. This score will indeed help to smoothen over the necessary breaks and the gaps that are in the films continuity such as including the cuts from one scene unto the next, or even a jump in story over a given period of time. Music may be used to fill in the gaps that exist; it may repeat the musical intents to inculcate into the viewer the significance and/or the connection existing between the various events. In any of the instances, when music actually serves its purpose it does not intend to draw attention back to itself. As Much as classical style of editing of this continuity system tries to make the breaks and the gaps not to be seen, the score of music of the classical narratives of the cinema attempts to remain inaudible. In the instances when music functions according to these guidelines, it is following the tradition of continuity. CW serves to distinguish between the two traditions of film sound. This tradition of continuity will adhere to the principle of classical cinema, as we have realized in the topics highlighted previously, they are dominant in every area of film: an example, as the image presence is the dominating tradition in cinematography, or the temporal and the spatial continuity as primary objectives of the editing responsibility. Sound montage on the other hand will serve to free up sound from the subservient responsibility as company to the image narrative and allows it to stand in for right of itself. Instead of merging the soundtrack to narrative flow of images, the montage approach will divide the sound and let it to speak in separation, this provides distance to the story on the film, this will offer among many other things, the opportunity for a thought that is reflective or a critical analysis on the film events. We will go through the formal details of the sound, it is important to indicate how the montage techniques will work in concert with the common culture of continuity to yield a meaning or provide emphasis without altering the basic principle of the classical cinema. The topic of sound grants an opportunity to work with some concepts that are basic of the film form. Looking at some of these cases, the concepts can actually apply to the other film elements not related to sound. These terms which are discussed here are vital for utilization in the individual sequence analyses for week two films. This term synchronous sound refers to the parts of the soundtrack that do correspond in direct proportion and spontaneously to that which is happening on the screen. One of the most common examples of this is the normal dialogue. We do see the speaker moving their lips and the thing that is being said is usually heard at the same instance at the other end of the soundtrack. This will apply also to other sources of sound as well. The door will slam and we will hear the sound, the cannon will be fired and we eventually hear the blast. Speaking strictly, voices will perhaps be synchronous sounds although we may not see the lips moving. Giving an example, soldiers in a movie of war may be shouting and also screaming at the same time as they attack the position of the enemy. We actually do see the scene from a distant position; we do understand how to connect voices to the charging of the soldiers although we do not actually see the movement of their lips. For an example, a movie concerni ng journalists, we will hear the sound of the finger movement typing on the keyboard and the film will at the same time show a scene of the reporter and topic of coverage. These are good examples of asynchronous sounds. A point out is that some analysts will prefer the differentiation of the onscreen appearance and effects and at the same time the off-screen effects. Both sides of the set is fine, however the latter suggests the way synchronous is to be used in a specific sense when we are referring to the film sound. An example, in a conversation situation, the camera may be maintained on the face of first speaker although they may have already finished their speech and the present speaker is responding in an off-screen position. The man on the camera may choose to maintain the camera on the first speaker so as to show the reaction (could be the emotional reaction) to the response that is given. Though the words of the other speaker will be heard as they are uttered in narration or speech, they will come from off the screen and will technically be in consideration asynchronous of sound. Rather than to rehash the explanation, we will refer to the instance of sound, Apocalypse Now and then let you distinguish as to whether these sounds are synchronous or asynchronous and also an example of the parallelism. Opening sequence we see Willard lying in bed and from his subjective point of view see a shot of the ceiling fan above him, while we hear the chop-chop-chop sound of helicopter blades on the soundtrack. Is this synchronous or asynchronous sound and is it an instance of parallelism or counterpoint? [You will find the answer in the larger discussion of this sequence in the essay on Apocalypse Now. One of the other important distinctions which have wide use in the film analysis is that between diegetic and the non diegetic. Diegesis usually refers to the world of the films story. For example, when Annie sings a song at a nightclub, as she does twice in Annie Hall, the songs are diegetic sound. In Do the Right Thing there are several examples of diegetic music, coming directly from the radio station or from one of the various radios or boom boxes found in the film. At times, it is even hard to distinguish when the music is diegetic and when not. But a good example of when it is nondeigetic is the opening credits sequence, where Rosie Perez dances in changing settings, costumes, and lighting to Public Enemys Fight the Power. The song is actually heard many (one)times throughout this movie, most often diegetically, however in the opening scene, it is strictly non diegetic. Looking the other hand, I think we can assume that the Doors song The End in the opening sequence of Apocalyp se Now is diegetic.

puritanism Essay -- essays research papers

The Puritans dream was to create a model society for the rest of the Christians.. Their goal was to make a society in every way connected to god. Every aspect of their lives, from political views and employment to recreation and dress, was taken into account in order to live a more pious life. But to really understand what the aspirations of the puritans were, we must first understand their beliefs. The Puritans believed that a man’s only purpose in life was â€Å"to glorify God on earth and, if he were especially fortunate, to continue the good work in Heaven.† For the puritans, to glorify god meant keeping him in mind at all times, working to the best of their ability at whatever job god had had set fate for them to do, and following a strict moral code based on the bible. Every act and thought in a Puritans life was either a working for god or the opposite. Thus, leading a pious life in the form of working hard, praying, and churchgoing, was considered paying homage to God. Through all of these things, the most important was to be mindful of God at all times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This does not mean, however, that the Puritans did not allow themselves to be comfortable and happy. First of all, the Puritans took happiness in the knowledge that they were living a pure life the way God had intended it to be. Second they believed in working hard, and if one acquired wealth by working hard, saving, and staying sober, than that was evidence of God favoring that person. Eating well, drinking well, sexual indulgence within the bounds of marriage, and enjoying the comforts of life were not assets that were set by the Puritans. In actuality, the Puritans were against certain human actions that they regarded as evils: greediness, materialism, and concern with the externals of religion rather than with the things of the spirit. The puritan was in constant internal conflict, whether it was restraining his human desires, or if he failed in that, than scolding to try harder in efforts. The Puritans believed that they were God’s select few that coul d carry out his original orders the way he had intended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They came to the New World to bring upon a â€Å"City Upon a Hill† that would serve as a model for the rest of the Christian world. The city of God was destined to be built in New England and the Puritans intended to be the founders. An enti... ...nificant challenge to Massachusetts was Anne Hutchinson. She believed that living a pious life was not enough to become a true Puritan and that to become a true Puritan one must undergo a conversion experience. Hutchinson berated the leaders of the colony for having ministers that she believed were not part of the election and she was a serious threat to the established colonists. Her followers grew to a large amount. She became influential enough to prevent Winthrop’s reelection as governor in 1636. The next year he returned to office and had her tried for heresy. Even though she displayed remarkable knowledge of theology, she still defied clergy, and was eventually banished for sedition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Puritans dreamed of creating the perfect god fearing society as a model for the entire Christian world. They did everything in their power to keep this dream alive. They created strict laws, and enforced them vigorously all in the name of God. But it was destined to fail because of the growing political liberty in England and the numerous advancements during the age of enlightenment, which eventually came into direct conflict with established Puritan beliefs.

A Separate Peace Essays -- essays papers

A Separate Peace3 A Separate Peace is a coming-of-age novel about two boys at boarding school and their friendship during World War II. There are three significant scenes of violence that occur in the novel; however, the core of the plot is based upon one. The first and most poignant is the incident where Gene, the narrator, jiggles the tree branch while he and Phineas, his best friend, are preparing to jump, causing Phineas to fall and break his leg. The next scene of violence is when Quackenbush calls Gene a lame and Gene pushes him into the water. Lastly, Gene pushes Leper out of his chair while visiting him after he is accused of causing Phineas’ injury. All of these occurrences contribute to the overall meaning of the work. One of the climaxes of A Separate Peace happens at the first scene of violence. Until this scene, the reader is unaware of Gene’s â€Å"evil side†. He is so overtaken by his jealousy and rage toward Phineas that he succumbs to his emotions and causes Finny to fall off of the tree branch. This shows the immature, childish side of the characters. Not only are they climbing trees, which is a behavior commonly practiced among children, but children also do not know how to handle feelings and emotions, and commonly react with violence. Gene then proceeds to dive off of the branch like nothing happened, apparently satisfied with his â€Å"achievement†; showing the reader that, like a child, there is little or no remorse for one’s actions. The...

Marketing and Citibank Essay

ACKNOWLEDGMENT Alhamdulillah, first of all i would like to thank God as finally I was able to finish my assignment that have been given by Marketing lecturer to me. Besides that, not forget also a to my friends Muhammad Kharusani because without his guide me assignment cannot be done properly like this. He always gives supports and guide to me how to do the assignment in purpose to produce a good outcome from research that been studied. Credits also are given to friends class HND1B which help each other to complete this task. Topic that been given by me are regarding concept and process of marketing citibank company. Finally, thank to our beloved friend that always stick together and also work hard to produce a good assignment with all afford and responsibility. Hope that all the effort will give a lot of benefits to me . Not forget also for those who help me complete this assignment direct or indirectly. ABOUT CITIBANK Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York. As of March 2010, Citigroup is the third largest bank holding company in the United States by total assets, after Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. Citibank has retail banking operations in more than 160 countries and territories around the world. More than half of its 1,400 offices are in the United States, mostly in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Miami. More recently, Citibank has expanded its operations in the Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, and Dallas metropolitan areas. In addition to the standard banking transactions, Citibank offers insurance, credit cards and investment products. Their online services division is among the most successful in the field, citation needed claiming about 15 million users. As a result of the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 and huge losses in the value of its subprime mortgage assets, Citibank was rescued by the U.S. government under plans agreed for Citigroup. On November 23, 2008, in addition to initial aid of $25 billion, a further $25 billion was invested in the corporation together with guarantees for risky assets amounting to $306 billion. Since this time, Citibank has repaid its government loans in full. Q1. Present two definitions of marketing and compare both definitions. Provide relevant examples which relate to Citibank case study. Based on Philip kotler definition, Marketing is a social and managerial process whereby individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. In other words, customer will exchange what their value (e.g money), only if their want is met. Based on my opinion, Philip kotler saying that people change what they want is to gain profit and use their valuable item to change it. In daily life also, we need to satisfy our demand by used exchanging process otherwise we cannot improve in a way of how we live. In wanting to possess such a product, we have to pay a price (cost). Hence, in making a decision to purchase an item, the customer will consider both the value and the price. After we have decided on the product, it can then be procured via the process of exchange or transactions. Based on Citigroup, they are using this strategy to satisfy their customer needs and wants. Based on Rochelle Rucker, Citibank faced a few problems to initiate manual fund problems. When they want to send money from their accounts, they call their banker and then fax, phone or mail in requests to have the transaction processed. Because the process was so complicated, customers complained. Most of the complaints lodged with the department dealt with the time it took to complete the process. So, in order to overcome this problem, Citibank use six sigma program methods to solve it. Six Sigma is a business management strategy seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. Six sigma used a simple method which is Pareto chart. This chart gives data which has the highest problem occur most often. A team composed of bankers and operations people identified the entire funds transfer process, tabulating defects and analyzing them using a Pareto chart. One of the methods is using internal call-back procedure, which required staff to call the person requesting the funds transfer to make sure that the instructions were correct and hadn’t been altered. So in this way, Citibank can ensure that their customer has no problem and problem solved. By using this six sigma method Citibank strives for perfect processes to satisfy customer. In Citibank Malaysia, they have proved their commitment for their customer and community live. A large aspect of Citibank’s corporate citizenship in Malaysia focuses on helping people of all ages better understand and practise financial management. In 2010, Citibank Foundation allocated grants totalling USD208,000 for their community-based projects. They have worked with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and invited a new collaboration with ERA Consumer Malaysia to launch the second season of the â€Å"Stretching Your Ringgit† program on TV1, TV2 and Radio RTM. The initiative followed encouraging survey findings that showed more than 70% of Malaysians polled realised the importance of financial management, especially those in the low-middle income bracket. According to American Marketing Association Board of Directors Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customer s, clients, partners, and society at large. In this case, AMA said that marketing occur when both of the company involve when there is activity among them. Citibank use the same concept which they provide services to their customer to save the money and make it easier. Citibank also provide bank loan, Credit card, Deposits, Investment, Citigold which gives benefit to customer. Citibank also use communicating to contact with their customer to provide services or solving problem. Citibank provide services to customer which can give both benefit. for example Citibank provide bank loan and this can reduce burden for people which has low income. As for the Citibank also, they make interest for those who borrow bank loan and this will give benefit to the firm. Both of definition gives the same meaning in different way. Philip kotler emphasize of the customer needs and wants. We can say Citibank really care about their customer so they will try the best to overcome any problem that customer faced. In india Citibank care their customer, this can be shown by their customer â€Å"I can safely say that Citi provides the best card services for India, which is why most of my spend is on Citi and I recommend it to my friends. A lot of the success is the result of having passionate, committed, service oriented people like Manish. My kudos to him†. (J sajeev, 2011).American Marketing Association which more to creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society. The difference between this concept is AMA is more to set of activity which no related to customer needs and wants. Citibank satisfy their customer and this is the key of how Citibank more success than the others banker in Malaysia. Compare to Maybank Malaysia, Citibank is much older than the others banker in Malaysia. We can say that Citibank is more experience in handling money. Q2. Identify at least three main characteristics of a marketing-oriented organization of Citibank case study and provide an examples for each characteristic. What is marketing orientation? Marketing orientation is a philosophy focused on discovering and meeting the needs and desires of its customers through its product mix. Unlike past marketing strategies that concentrated on establishing selling points for existing products, market orientation works in reverse, attempting to tailor products to meet the demands of customers. In essence, market orientation can be thought of as a coordinated marketing campaign between a company and its customers. Nowadays, business firm use this concept to make their customer stick with their product. We can say that the idea that companies can create a product and sell its features to an eager buying public is no longer concrete. With an increasingly global economy and more and more choices for consumers, companies must be willing to adapt their mark et orientation to stay competitive. Based on my opinion, nowadays in Malaysia, we can see a lot of bank is available. So the competition becomes higher than before. In order to attract more people to use their services, Citibank has to adapt with current situation. Citibank use marketing oriented business to identifying customer, consumer needs and wants. In Malaysia, Citibank provide Islamic banking way to satisfy their customer. By using PEST analysis, we can say that Malaysian people are majority muslim and the idea of Citibank to provide Islamic banking which satisfy customer are brilliant. So people can enjoy with low interest rates given. Citibank in Malaysia facing a problem regarding high interest rate offered, so they make a research and develop a new system which enable customer use their Islamic banking. Another services that they provide is Citibank Guard Savings is The first savings account in Malaysia that’s enhanced with free Takaful coverage against critical illness. Citibank Home i Partner provide Capped Rate, Flexible Payment and Daily Calculation, Citibank Checking Account I is a system provided by checking account that honours the Islamic banking principle of guaranteed safe custody approved by the Shariah body. Based on the services provided by Citibank, we can conclude that Citibank care about their customer needs and develop a new system according to community lived. Just like the others bank, Citibank online will make all the transactions become much easier as customer can save valuable time and money. No more hassles with long queues, parking and travelling. As we can see, Citibank developing products to meet customer needs and wants. So they come out with product and services which give benefit to their customer Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Home Loans, Loans, Deposits, Investments, Insurance, Islamic Banking. So this is basic need in any of bank in Malaysia. What is the differences between Citibank and the other bank? So let’s take an example of Citibank ready card. Citibank Ready Credit is an Unsecured Personal Overdraft with Checking Facility that allows you to access cash easily in any amount in excess of your credit balance up to the approved overdraft limit. With ready card, we can access our balance in credit card even if the amount has exceeds the limits. As a fact, Maybank did not have their owned ready card. Citibank ready card is benefit to their customer as it is convenient to pay, pay for amount that we use. Another characteristic of a marketing oriented business is making the product is available to customer at a righ t time and place. We already know about product and services of Citibank as Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Home Loans, Loans, Deposits, Investments, Insurance, Islamic Banking. Let’s take an example of Credit cards, before this Citibank only produced normal credit for their customer only. But now, Citibank produced a new credit card Citibank at work. Citibank at Work takes Citibank’s world-class consumer banking products and services right to the doorstep of employees at their workplace. Apart from enjoying customized privileges across a wide range of products including banking accounts, credit cards, loans, deposits and insurance on-site, employees of these companies also have access to financial seminars and lifestyle events, tailored to their specific profiles and needs. By using Citibank at work, business company can do their job efficiently as they have their own business credit card. Q3. Explain four elements of the marketing concept and relate your answer with Citibank case study. FOUR ELEMENTS OF MARKETING ORIENTED ORGANIZATION Production Concept is a concept where goods are produced without taking into consideration the choices or tastes of your customers. It is one of the earliest marketing concepts where goods were just produced on the belief that they will be sold because consumers need them. It holds that customers will prefer products that are widely available and inexpensive. Manager focusing on this concept concentrate on achieving high production efficiency, low cost, and mass distribution. From my opinion, production concept emphasize on distribution of product. This type of concept are easier to use. Based on the case study, Citibank provided more credit card for their customer. Each customer could have more than one credit card. Product Concept holds that consumers will favor those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. Managers focusing on this concept concentrate on making superior products and improving them over time. They assume that buyers admire well-made products and can appraise quality and performance. However, these managers are sometimes caught up in a love affair with their product and do not realize what the market needs. Related to the case study, Citibank improved their product to satisfy customer need. Before this, customer got problem to use their credit card where credit card can be used for loan only. But after an improvement, Citibank come out with Citibank Premier Miles card, Platinum, Citi business, Air-Asia Citibank gold. Next elements use is selling concept. It holds that consumers and businesses if left alone, will ordinarily not buy enough of the selling company’s product. Selling concept also is an idea in marketing that if customers are left to themselves, they will not make the effort to buy a company’s products. Therefore, it dictates, companies must be aggressive in pushing their sales. Based on my opinion, if company want to sell their product by using selling concept, they have to be aggressive in promoting their product. Not like the older ways where they promote their product by using agents. As for the Citibank case study, nowadays they advertise their product through internet and media more efficiently. Marketing concept is a business philosophy that combines above three business orientation. It holds that the key to achieving it’s organizational goals consists of company being more effective than competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating customer value to it’s selected target customers. These three philosophies are the product, selling, and marketing philosophies. Even though each philosophy has a particular time when it was dominant, a philosophy did not die with the end of its era of dominance. In fact, all three philosophies are being used today. The best way to meet the organization’s goals is also by meeting customer needs and wants. The marketing concept’s emphasis is to understand the customers before designing and producing a product for them. With the customer’s wants and needs incorporated into the design and manufacture of the product, sales and profit goals are far more likely to be met. What are Citibank do to satisfy their customer needs based on marketing concept is they make swot analysis to know what can be done to attract more customer in Citibank. Citibank (2009) has mention that their customers can have their banking activities in the Islamic principles. This not only able attracts more customer but Citibank are show that they understand their customer need in the daily banking activities. This principle have apply in Citibank branch in Malaysia. â€Å"What are the reasons behind the recent growth in Islamic finance? One is the strong demand from a large number of immigrant and non immigrant Muslims for Sharia-compliant financial services and transactions.† (Low chee hua, 2010) In order to compete in the rising of the demand of Islamic Banking, Citibank has introduced the Islamic Banking to their customers. So basically, marketing concept is satisfy customer problem and solved it by looking of what customer need. The societal marketing concept was an offshoot of the marketing concept wherein an organization believes in giving back to the society by producing better products targeted towards society welfare. Some have questioned whether the marketing concept is an appropriate philosophy in an age of environmental deterioration, resource shortages, explosive population growth, world hunger and poverty, and neglected social services. The marketing concept possibily sidesteps the potential conflicts among consumer wants. Citibank also take part in their societal marketing. Citibank became a major sponsor of the Sydney Swans in 2005, who is play in the AFL. The marketing concept is about matching a company’s capabilities with customer wants. This matching process takes place in what is called the marketing environment. Businesses do not undertake marketing activities alone. They face threats from competitors, and changes in the political, economic, social and technological environment. All these factors have to be taken into account as a business tries to match its capabilities with the needs and wants of its target customers. An organisation that adopts the marketing concept accepts the needs of potential customers as the basis for its operations. Success is dependent on satisfying customer needs. So basically, Citibank use marketing concept to attract more customer to use their services. One of the techniques used is credit card promotion such as Instant Rewards at Shell, Domino’s pizza, Samsung S3, Asia web direct. Before this, if customer wants to pay bill or loan they have to go to Citibank. But nowadays, they upgrade their system to online banking so that customer can pay instantly and reduce waste time. Q4. Provide an indication of the likely costs and benefits to Citibank case study in adapting a marketing approach. In Citibank, there are many advantages and disadvantages of a marketing approach. Customer Satisfaction In customer satisfaction, it refers to which a product’s perceived performance matches a buyer’s expectation. It is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. We can see based on their services of Citibank do for their customer. In Malaysia, Even the Citibank atm machine is less than the other bank, but their services to customer is good. Citibank will try their best to solve problem of customer credit card so that they will not lose their customer. Customer Care Customer care is a phrase that is used to describe the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner. The term is used in place of complaint handling due to its positive focus, and is a reminder that customer satisfaction is a priority. Related to Citibank case study, they care about their customer. we can see that Citibank provide customer services so they will know any problem of customer faced. There is a few customer having problem regarding Citibank delay card. As banks are losing their customer fast, they are coming up with different strategies to retain their customers. ‘When/where was the last time you made the transaction with the card?’; I told him I don’t remember anymore since I have a few cards and I have not been using Citibank Card for a while. He insisted me to answer that question before he can proceed, and I insisted I that I don’t remember and suggested him to ask another verification question†. (Kclau, 2010) Quality of services and products. In company, they must have their own quality of services and products. It is designed to constantly improve the quality of their products, services and marketing concept. In Citibank, their main objective at Citibank is to provide reliable and quality services to our customers. Our customer service policy has the overall aim of ensuring that our customers are provided with services which are reliable and best suited to their needs. They have to manage and ensure that quality control standards for services are met. Citibank also have online credit card services so they can login anytime, anywhere to view their account details and activities. DISADVANTAGES OF CITIBANK There is one reason and one reason only that it’s so easy to get a store credit card: they are confident that they will make money off of customer purchase. The interest charged on store cards, as compared to bank credit cards, is at least several percentage points higher and often as much as 10-15% higher. As well, annual fees or sign-up fees may run twice as much as those of standard credit cards. Means that, Citibank charged is higher than the other banks in Malaysia, so that’s why only businessman use Citibank. It involved high cost in retaining the customers. And also, the target market for Citibank is higher because they only target their customer on businessman. CONCLUSION As overall conclusion, Citibank is one of the multinational companies that successful in online based financial institution that operate in Malaysia. Citibank able to understand the culture of local citizen (promo Islamic Banking Services), able to gain their market share by solved the geographical problem (online banking services), able to cost cutting by promo the online banking culture to their customer, and able to compete with the local financial institution. We know that Citibank is really cares about their customer and try their best to satisfy customer needs and wants. Based on this concept of marketing, Citibank now are well known in all around the world. Although it is a foreign company but Citibank is a good model to local financial institution to learn their strategies to increase their competitive capability to compete in the global market.