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Current Product Offering within a Fashion Retailer

Fashion Retailer
Fashion Retailer

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A Report of Research and Analysis a Current Product Offering within a Fashion Retailer that has a UK Store Presence

Introduction

 With changing global fashion trends, the clothing and textile industry has undoubtedly become one of the most dynamic and competitive as well as rapidly changing sectors. This has prompted many fashion retailers across the world to embark on regular product offering as well as global sourcing in order achieve competitive advantage in the international market for them to remain relevant (Akhil, 2015).  The aims and objectives of this report is to research and analyse a current product offering for a fashion retailer that has a UK store presence and make recommendations on how the product could be progressed for the following season (Spring/summer ‘17) for an international market.  

This is done with an emphasis on produce Illustrator designs for the following season (Spring/summer ‘17) within the allocated budget of £600K, which are appropriate for an international market. In addition, an assortment or range plan is produced in an Excel spreadsheet to indicate budget spend. Through this approach it is possible to present the buy per garment that includes a number of aspects with regards to the designed garment including volume (ranking), spend, distribution, attributes as well as sourcing country. Finally, the report will provide analysis of sourcing criteria with recommendations including a valid critical path.

Overview of current offer

The fashion retail to be considered in this report is the H&M, which has grown from a single women’s wear shop in Västerås, Sweden, and has nowadays extensively expanded its operations across the world to have presence across international market through its six different brands and 4,000 fashion retail stores all around the world. Six independent brands are the main outlets through which H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB comprises six runs its day to day operations in marketing and sale of fashion products, and these brands are: H&M, COS, Cheap Monday, Monki, Weekday, and & Other Stories (H&M, 2016).

The team which has been mandated with the function of innovating and developing H&M’s fashion designs has been playing an imperative role in creating sustainable fashion for all, while striving to ensure that they are always offered for sale at the best price and quality. The collections of fashion designs that are developed by H&M designers include everything from quintessential functional and basics sportswear for children, teenagers, women, and men, to dazzling party collections for every occasion or season (H&M, 2016).

In addition, to shoes, bags, clothes, jewellery, underwear and make up as well as fashionable interiors for children and adults. The variety and width of the H&M collections is an indication that customers are always able to find something to suit their wardrobe as well as their style. The fashion has since inception tremendously expanded its operations globally and nowadays it has presence across many parts of the world through the H&M stores in 61 markets worldwide. In addition, the fashion retailer has an extensive online presence through which it makes a significant proportion of merchandise mainly because of its online shopping in 32 countries (H&M, 2016).

The current garments on offering which are under consideration are the special ladies’ dresses fashion collections for the Conscious Exclusive 2016 in the month of May

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Analysis on current garments

The current garments on offering which are under consideration are the special ladies’ dresses fashion collections for the Conscious Exclusive 2016 in the month of May.

The description of the current garment under consideration is as follows:

Title: Conscious Exclusive 2016

Price: £499

Description: A sleeveless round neck wedding or ready to wear dress made from two layers, whereby the outside layer is made from organic silk while the inner layer made from Tencel. The dress has been subjected to further decoration through embellishment with Art Deco inspired embroidery of glass beads that have been made from recycled glass. The dress was offered for sale in April 7, 2016 and the offer is still ongoing (H&M, 2016).

An illustration of the picture is shown the picture below:               

Product Development

This part of the report will cover the Illustrator proposals for the fashion designs envisaged to be developed for next season (Spring/summer ‘17) for an international market. As a result, this part will be covered in two sections, the first one discussing the Illustrator proposals as well as the fashion design specifications for the considered garment, and the second part covering the assortment or range plan.   

Illustrator proposals

Through the illustrator proposals, designs are produced within the allocated budget of £600K for SS’17 season for an international market. This will include CAD drawings for each design showing two views (front & back) including colour ways or prints. Furthermore, specifications for each selected design will be provided starting with thumbnail sketches and using the mood boards as inspiration (Mayer, 2014).        

      

Assortment plan

The assortment range plan in this report was included for the purpose of compiling a collection of garments that was commercially acceptable within the design and financial parameters, before the mass production can commence. However, there are some procedures that is needed to be included and stringently followed in the assortment or range plan for the purpose of making sure that the buyer can have a glimpse or insight into the anticipated or planned collection offering.

For instance, the assortment plan has to include a number of factors of the production including the number of garments to be included in the collection range. In addition, there must also be inclusion of different types of garments or collection (fashion to classic, tops to bottom styles) as well as specific styles which are to be included e.g. color and fabrics used to make the garment. Furthermore, the assortment plan should also include the price at which each garment is to be sold, the cost price of producing each garment, sizes included, among others (Miller, 2008; Mayer, 2014).

Recommendations on how the product could be progressed for the following season for an International market (Spring/Summer ‘17)

In order to ensure that the most appropriate recommendations on how the product could be progressed for the following season for an International market (Spring/Summer ‘17), there is need to undertake an assortment fashion forecasting based on the prevailing fashion trends. This is attributable to the fact that fashion forecasting plays an important role in determining the fashion trends in future by focusing on upcoming fashion and lifestyle trends (Mayer, 2014).

For instance, the H&M must be able to specifically focus on fashion trends and predict the styles, fabrics, colours that have a high likelihood of presentation on the runaway as well as in the stores for the fashion events that are to take place in the near future. This concept of fashion forecasting applies across the entire fashion industry including mass market, ready-to-wear, haute couture as well as street wear (Miller, 2008).

Therefore, the product can be progressed for the following season for an International market through an appropriate and perfect merchandise mix by ensuring that the colours of leather and that of the fabric used are perfectly matched with a consideration of trending colours for the international market (Mayer, 2014). In addition, the product can also be progressed by accessorizing it in order to make it more appealing. However, the accessories to be used must be carefully selected bearing in mind the prevailing fashion, style, and social trends.

For example, the product can be progressed by decorating it through embellishment with Art Deco inspired embroidery of glass beads that have been made from recycled glass. Furthermore, variations of the bound cuff seams, necklines as well as hems can also be differentially used to give the dress distinctive appearances depending on the fashion trends. Moreover, inclusion of a side and/or arm mesh as well as invisible zip is the other way through which this product can be progressed (NPR, 2011).

Sourcing summary

Global Sourcing and International Trade

Global sourcing has become an important aspect of fashion industry in the international trade, and it involves the selection of a supplier of either a product or the raw materialcomponents and services used in the make up and delivery of the products. As a result, true global sourcing is when a business manufactures and sells a consistent product globally, sourcing some or the entire product from third parties chosen to enable cost-effective and efficient sourcing and coordinated globally.  

Global sourcing in contemporary international business is not solely concerned about reduction of production costs but also it focuses on improved on the supply and demand chains of finished products as well as raw materials. However, as observed in illustrations provided in the diagrams shown below it is important to note that, previously global sourcing was all about cost. As a result, the objective was to source product or components from a country with low labour costs with an ultimate goal of gaining cost advantage.

There has been changing trends in global sourcing whereby according to Kurt Salmon (2012) book acting as a global sourcing reference; the largest manufacturers of clothing and textiles are shown in the table shown below. The ranking is done based on the value of apparel exportation in terms of millions of U.S. Dollars expressed as percentages.

Source: Kurt Salmon Global Sourcing Reference, 11th Edition

In contrast, despite the fact that top apparel exporters are located in Asia most retailers are either found in the Europe or U.S. For instance, according to Salmon (2012), 88 per cent of clothing retailers are located within Europe and China is ranked as their number one sourcing destination. However, there has been an increasing trend of production costs over the recent past, where production costs have increased 160 per cent since 2005.

A comparison of production costs across the world reveals sharp variations which an important determinant of the choices of sourcing countries for fashion retailers in Europe and the U.S. For example, Bangladesh and Vietnam have lowest PCI’s of all sourcing countries. However, Southern China greater costs than Central USA meaning that specific locations or regions within a country also be considered but not generally considering the country as a whole.

The emerging markets are also playing a significant role where Ethiopia could be one to watch since many fashion retailers have expressed interest (i.e. H&M, Tesco & Primark are all running pilots) in the country whose attraction to fashion retailers is attributed to its lower social living costs and well established transportation infrastructure. The table below ranks countries based on their PCI

Source: Kurt Salmon Global Sourcing Reference, 11th Edition

Moreover, with regards to cost there have been significant changes in the global sourcing trends. For instance, according to fashion price tracker figures by RetailWeek Analytics shows that there has been significantly changing production on markdown expressed in percentage among the leading fashion retailers with online presence.

Source: Retail Week Analytics

Global sourcing also involve the issues of quality, ethics and social responsibility as well as supply chain management as discussed in the sections that follows.

Quality

  • No longer disposable fashion attitude
  • Ensures competitor advantage

As our business has become more fashion centric, we have been able to source products from Asia that are not just low cost, but also fit the needs of the customer. But perceived quality continues to be a factor – certainly globally sourced goods are seen by consumers to be inferior when tagged with “Made in China” when in fact the quality is higher than comparable goods sourced in the UK.

Ethical & Social Responsibility

  • Not just human rights and community development issues.
  • Concerns for security, carbon footprint, bribery, corruption and money laundering.
  • Media has placed this trend at the top of both retailer’s and consumers concerns.

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Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a network of connected and inter-dependent organisations mutually and co-operatively working together in order to control, manage and improve the flow of materials and information from suppliers to end users. Key Supply Chain Management (SCM) ensures that the supply chain process starts and finishes with the consumer by making sure that each interface in the supply chain represents: 1) movement of goods; 2) information flow; and 3) purchase and sale. As a result, strategic SCM consists of developing smarter ways to choose who to buy from and sell to your business partners.

Importance of the Supply Chain Management

It is aimed to achieve the following benefits for the company:

  • Competitive Advantage

Supply chain management is now well established as a key source of competitive advantage, and the competitiveness achieved in International market is without any doubt the most imperative gain attributable to global sourcing. However, this is usually based upon consumers’ perceptions of the added value aspects of the retailer’s overall offering (Mayer, 2014).

For major success, businesses need to achieve a clear performance differential over competition   on factors that are important to target customers. The most successful methods are built upon some combination of 3 advantages: 1) being better in providing superior quality or service; 2) being faster in responding to customers needs; as well as 3) being closer to establishing closer relationships with customers (Miller, 2008).

  • Improving Financial Performance (Sales & Profits)

This determines the overall performance of a company and it can subsequently be measured through a number of methods including: 1) Financial Review; 2) Quality performance and practice; 3) Delivery and physical flow of stock; and 4) Information sharing, extended relationships.

  • Consumer & Supplier Loyalty

The “value” may either take the form of selling undifferentiated products at below competitors’ prices or unique benefits that justify premium pricing. The value chain may be used to identify and understand the sources of competitive advantage and how they relate to creating added value for customers

As a result, Porter’s 5 Forces Model should be used by fashion retailers prior to choosing companies or partners to collaborate with in their global sourcing strategy in order to determine the extent of factors that directly influence business including:

  • Threat new entrants
  • Threat of substitutes
  • Bargaining power of buyers
  • Bargaining power of suppliers
  • Degree of rivalry

Proposed sourcing strategy

This part focuses on a discussion providing an analysis of sourcing criteria as well as recommendations on how the product could be progressed for the following season for an International market (Spring/Summer ‘17) including a valid critical path. The proposed sourcing strategy will mainly emphasize on the supply base analysis and the appropriate and valid critical path as discussed in sections below:

Supply Base Analysis

  • Current sourcing
    • Brief overview for current product

The current product is usually made of a mixture of fabrics whereby the shell of the garment is made from 60 % leather (which has been ethically sourced from Nepal) and 34% of Bamboo Viscose (Mesh) as well as 4 % of Elastane. In addition, the lining of the current product consists of 100% Bamboo Viscose. The current product is a leather panelled dress, and the assortment consists of sleeveless, short-sleeved as well as one-sleeved leather panelled dresses.

  • Proposed sourcing
    • Sourcing analysis for each garment, consider components

The proposed sourcing including H&M and Nepal will involve ethical sourcing of leather in Nepal through a partner based in the country. In addition, the processing of the bamboo viscose will also continue in Nepal and Bangladesh. However, the subsequent tanning or processing of the leather and the bamboo viscose will be shifted to Bangladesh which has the lowest Production Cost Index (PCI) of all sourcing countries across the world. Furthermore, the production of the garments upon approval of the designs will also continue in Bangladesh, and the finished products subsequently shipped to Europe.

  • PEST analysis for sourcing countries

The political situation in both Nepal and Bangladesh pose a risk to the sourcing activities undertaken considering that both countries are not significantly politically meaning that political upheavals may arise at any time and hinder production. There is also technology risk since both countries have not significantly adopted technology in the production processes meaning that the rate of production can not reach the level of the countries where technology has been significantly embraced.

  • Rationale for sourcing choice

A comparison of production costs across the world reveals sharp variations which an important determinant of the choices of sourcing countries for fashion retailers in Europe and the U.S. For example, many Asian countries have low Production Cost Index (PCI) with Bangladesh having the lowest Production Cost Index (PCI) of all sourcing countries across the world. Thus, these emerging markets are playing a significant role for many fashion retailers by acting sourcing countries, which is attributed to its lower social living costs and well established transportation infrastructure. As a result, there will b reduced production costs.

Critical Path   

The validated and appropriate critical path will be provided in the template shown below:

Conclusion                                                 

In conclusion, it can be observed that it is possible for a fashion product on offering by fashion retailers to be adequately analyzed and Illustrator proposals as well as assortment plans designed leading to the development of new garments which are more improved that those offered. However, in order for this to take place successfully the fashion retailer must establish an appropriate fashion forecasting trend mechanisms as well as an effective global sourcing and supply chain management systems.      

References

Akhil J. K. (2015). Fashion Forecasting. Retrieved from  http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/daap/resources/researchguides/design/forecasting.html  

Birnbaum, D. (2000). Global Guide to Winning the Great Garment War.

Handfield, R. & Nichols, E. (1999). Introduction to Supply Chain Management.

H&M (2016). Conscious Exclusive 2016. Retrieved from http://about.hm.com/en/ImageGallery/fashion.html

Keiser, S. J. & Garner, M. B. (2008). Beyond Design: the Synergy of Apparel Product Development. New York, NY: Fairchild Publications.

Kerkhoff, G. et al. (2006).  Global Sourcing: Opportunities for the Future. Weinheim Düsseldorf: Wiley-VCH.

Kim, E., Fiore, A. M., & Kim, H. (2013). Fashion Trends: Analysis and Forecasting. Berg. ISBN 9780857853158.

Mayer, L. (2014) “Q&A with the Founder of SHIPSHOW”. Retrieved April 21, 2014.

Miller, C. C. (2008). Designers of High Fashion Enter the Age of High Tech: New York Times . 8 Sept. 2008. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/technology/08trend.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0>.

Monczka, T. & Handfield, T. (2005). Purchasing and Supply Management, 3rd edition. New York, NY: Thomson South-Western.

NPR (2011) Forecasting Fashion Trends: NPR. NPR: National Public Radio: News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts: NPR. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1432978>.

Roth, T. & Pullman, G. (2008). Unraveling the Food Supply Chain: Strategic Insights from China and the 2007 Pet Food Recalls. Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 44 Issue 1, pp. 22-39.

Websites

www.clothesource.net

www.labourbehindthelabel.org

www.businessoffashion.com

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Marketing Strategy Report: The Adidas Company

Marketing Strategy
Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy Report

Executive summary

This report will analyse the Adidas Company. This report provides an analysis and evaluation of effective marketing planning process, techniques for controlling marketing activities, contemporary marketing techniques, and their use in global and international markets. Furthermore, the report examines the skills of marketing managers and their role in the effective management of the marketing team, value of a brand from a number of different stakeholder perspectives, and the organisation’s marketing campaigns in different international markets.

Methods of analysis will include SWOT analysis, marketing controls, and international marketing trends. Results of analysis depict that Adidas has abundant opportunities and strengths, but suffers from a number of weaknesses and threats. The report finds that Adidas has taken advantage of its strengths and opportunities to develop effective marketing plans that have assisted them to achieve their marketing objectives.

The Adidas Company has adopted marketing controls, such as annual control, profitability control, and strategic control that have helped in spotting deviations in its marketing activities and provided timely remedies to the variations. Adidas has implemented contemporary marketing techniques, such as email marketing, PR marketing, mobile marketing and the use of social media that have assisted in growing awareness of its new products in different international markets.

Marketing manager skills, such as excellent communication skills, problem solving skills, and project management skills are noted to be vital in offering effective management to marketing teams. Stakeholders, such as employees, suppliers, and customers play a significant role in influencing the value of the Adidas brand. The various stakeholders participate in building the brand equity.

The Adidas has tailored its marketing campaigns to suit the different international markets. The company uses local athletes from various countries and influencers of markets to promote its new products, X 15 and ace 15 in different international markets. The report recommends that Adidas should design products that are affordable to several customers and implement marketing techniques that promote and differentiate its products from its competitors.

Introduction

            The purpose of this report is to analyse the effective marketing planning processes and evaluate techniques for controlling marketing activities of the Adidas Company. This report also studies the contemporary marketing techniques and their use in global markets, examines skills of a marketing managers, and evaluates their role in providing management to the marketing team. Furthermore, this report assesses the impact and value of the Adidas Company brands from diverse stakeholders perspectives. In addition, this report looks into the marketing campaigns the Adidas Company has employed in different international markets.

            The competitive global market calls for companies to plan their marketing activities, establish their strategies and accomplish their objectives more effectively. The contemporary marketing techniques aim to create a link between the customer and the organisation. Companies attract customers through social media content significant to their needs or writing newsletters that have valuable information.

Businesses that employ contemporary marketing techniques are seen to be successful in achieving their objectives than those companies that rely on conventional marketing techniques. The report will utilise references from the company website and other research articles. Besides examining the Adidas Company marketing strategy, this report will look at modern strategies that the company can utilise to expand its international markets.

Effective marketing planning process

            Companies in all industries require marketing plans to succeed. Effective marketing planning process offers companies guidelines on how to market and trade their new products in the market within a specific period. The marketing plans guides the company in choosing an appropriate target market and then fulfill the customer needs in that segment. Moreover, the marketing planning process establishes the promotional strategies that can boost the sales volume of the company products.

The Adidas Company is an international corporation that designs and fabricates sports shoes, outfits, and accessories. The company is a leading sportswear in Europe and the global market. The Adidas Company has adopted a three divisional structure for its Adidas brand. The divisions include sport performance, sport heritage, and sport style. The adidas sport performance division centers on novelty, functionality, and design.

Furthermore, the division designs products for sports performance market, but have design appeal that pushes the consumers to wear the products off the playing field. The adidas sport heritage division includes adidas original products that aim to expand the exclusive and valid heritage of adidas to the lifestyle market. The sport style division is a fashionable assortment that consists of men’s and women’s shoes, clothing, and accessories.

The division targets young consumers who are looking for fashion-oriented sportswear products. The three divisional structures assist the Adidas Company to design and market innovative products, which satisfies the needs of varied customers. The Adidas has introduced new products like X 15 and Ace 15. X 15 is designed for players who control and bringing order to a chaotic game, while Ace 15 is designed for players who cannot be controlled.

Therefore, the Adidas Company requires an effective marketing planning process that would establish a target market for its new products and formulate plans of marketing its products and fulfilling the needs of that market. The marketing planning process is achieved through five fundamental steps. The five steps include objective and goal setting, assessing organisational resources, evaluating risks and opportunities, developing marketing strategy, and implementing and monitoring marketing plans (Adidas 2016).

Objective and goal setting

            This initial stage of marketing planning process includes setting of goals and objectives the company wants to achieve. The company should link the marketing plan with its mission statement and determine the primary target audience. Moreover, the company should establish the profit margin it wants to achieve after implementation of the marketing plans (Social care institutes for excellence 2013).

            The Adidas Company has developed a global brand in sporting products industry by designing quality new products that seeks to fulfill the expectations of customers. The Adidas Company has developed objectives that will assist the company to expand the global market of its new products. The company objectives include market penetration, which would aid in attaining market share in the global markets that the company competes.

The market development objective will enable the company to capture new business markets and respond to the needs of customer segments. In addition, the product awareness objective would offer visibility and realization of the company new products. The company objectives conform to its mission statement that states that the Adidas Company endeavor to be the global leader in sporting products industry with brands built on passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle (Chartered Management Institute 2015).

Assessing organisational resources

            Marketing plans are influenced by internal factors, such as organisational resources. The organisational resources include capacity in manufacturing, advertising, finance, and technology. Assessment of these resources will enable organisations to locate their strengths and limitations. Strengths aid organisations to develop objectives, establish plans for accomplishing objectives, and gain from marketing opportunities. On the other hand, resource limitation might hold back an organization from benefitting on marketing opportunities (MLF4 2012).

            The Adidas Company has several strengths that assist it to achieve its objectives. The company has strong financial position that is attributed to its several stores around the globe that make the company to achieve a profit of billions of dollars annually. The company trades its products from company owned stores, online stores, and supermarket stores. The effective distribution system enables the company new products to be available through diverse channels. The Adidas Company has increased consciousness of its new products through supporting major sports organisations, such as UEFA, NBA, world cup, and Olympics. The Adidas Company has uitilised YouTube to create videos that promote consciousness of its new products. Moreover, Adidas created videos that used David Beckham to promote its new products X 15 and Ace 15   (Nadeau et al. 2015).

            However, the company has some limitations that prevent it from taking advantage of marketing opportunities. The company faces a risk of over dependency on outsourcing. The Adidas Company has subcontracted a bigger percentage of its production to third party manufacturers, such as Asia to benefit from easy accessibility of raw materials and fair labour cost. The premium prices of X 15 and Ace 15 sporting shoes due to inventive technology and manufacturing techniques have made the products exorbitant to deprived customers, particularly in developing countries (Adidas 2015).

Evaluating risks and opportunities

            Nevertheless, the company has myriad of opportunities that will aid in fulfilling its marketing plans. The shifting lifestyle, taste, and preferences of rising economies have increased demand of premium brands. Furthermore, the company can extend its product line that will unlock new opportunities and attain an edge over its rivals through differentiation. In addition, the Adidas Company can integrate backwards that will aid in protecting their patent rights and combine their research and development division with the operational division in order to enhance brands innovation and development (Teach a man to fish 2014).

            Nonetheless, the Adidas Company faces threats that might influence its marketing plans. Despite Adidas being a global brand, it still faces strong competition from other premium brands, such as Nike. Moreover, local companies and substitutes provide standard competition to Adidas brands. The over dependency on outsourcing its production has made supplier to have more bargaining power than the company (Institute of Risk management 2013).

Developing marketing strategy

            Marketing strategy assist organisations to win market shares and converse to target market the advantages and aspects of a new product. Furthermore, the marketing strategy communicate the general value to their customers (Planning effective marketing strategies 2013).

            The Adidas Company utilizes online marketing and other promotion campaigns to communicate their legacy of innovation and technology to customers. The company uses celebrities in its online marketing. Adidas use players like Mesut Ozil to promote its Ace 15 sporting shoes. Adidas argues that Ace 15 is built to control and suited to players like Mesut who bring order to a chaotic game. On the other hand, Adidas use players like Gareth Bale to promote its X 15 sporting shoes. The X 15 is built to give thorough traction to energetic and agile players in the world. The Adidas has adopted sports marketing through sponsoring sporting events that offer many opportunities to the company, such as new products promotion and brand consciousness. In addition, the Adidas utilises search engine optimization (SEO) tools to optimize its website by considering the key words used by people in search engines. The strategy has generated high consumer traffic for Adidas. Furthermore, Adidas place banner advertisements on other webpage that has promoted awareness of its new products (Khankaew et al. 2015).

Implementing and monitoring marketing plans

            After developing the marketing plans, organisation follow the steps outlined in the plan towards achieving the stated objectives. The organisation provides continuous assessment to evaluate whether adopted strategies are achieving the objectives and goals. The Adidas Company stresses flexibility when implementing their marketing plans. The environmental opportunities and threats might not match with the company expectations. Shift in consumer demand, extension of distribution channels, and changes of supply costs might influence the outcomes, thus should be included into the monitoring of the plan (MLF4 2012).

Needs and techniques for controlling marketing activities

            For Adidas Company to effectively control its marketing activities should adopt control systems that provide standards for assessing performance in each division of marketing. The outcomes of marketing departments, such as interactive advertising and marketing research department cannot be evaluated by similar standard because they are not similar. Hence, Adidas should implement control system that has matching standard for each department.

Furthermore, effective control system should be able to discover variation and report them to the management. The control system should also recommend possible remedies that can correct the deviations. In addition, the control system should be easily understandable by employees and cost-effective to the organisation. A control system that is customized to Adidas specifications provides comprehensive information that is significant to the company line of business (Adidas 2015).

Annual plan control

            Annual plan control assists Adidas to evaluate its current marketing activities and outcomes to ensure that the yearly sales and profit objectives are attained. The annual plan control detects any variations on the performance of its X 15 and Ace 15 products and suggests possible corrective actions. The annual plan control utilizes tools, such as sales analysis, market share analysis, market expense analysis, and financial analysis to evaluate marketing activities and detect any deviations (Adidas 2015).

Profitability control

            Profitability control helps Adidas Company to establish the definite profitability of its X 15 and Ace 15 products, market segments, and distribution channels. The information generated from profitability control will influence the company decision on extension, reduction, or deferment of its marketing activities.

The profitability control will identify the functional expenditure, allocate the functional expenditure to the marketing entities, and prepare income statement for every marketing entity. Therefore, the profitability rely on the of sales and marketing cost analysis in determining the profitability and expenditure of the marketing entities (Adidas 2015).

Efficiency control

            The efficiency control aids the Adidas Company to enhance the effectiveness of its marketing activities, such as video marketing, network marketing, and blogging. The efficiency control assesses and reduces the marketing expenses of the marketing activities. Efficiency and profitability control are closely connected. Higher profits signify efficient management of the marketing activities (Adidas 2015).

Strategic control

            The strategic control ensures that Adidas marketing objectives and strategies are suited to the present and predicted marketing environment. Furthermore, the strategic control will evaluate if the company is pursuing the opportunities presented by the distribution channels, products, and markets. T

he company management should continuously utilize the strategic control because the continuously shift in marketing environment might render the company objectives, strategies, and policies obsolete. Moreover, the strategic control examine the company marketing efficiency by employing tools, such as marketing audit and marketing effectiveness ranking appraisal (Adidas 2015).

Contemporary marketing techniques and their use in Global and International markets

            Companies seek to expand their market share by venturing into global markets that are unsaturated and that offer the companies with several growth opportunities. Companies use contemporary marketing techniques to promote their new products in international markets. Most companies recognize they have limited markets when they concentrate in their local markets.

Hence, companies respond by looking international opportunities to raise their market share and customer base. The emergence of technology that crosses both cultural and national boarders presents the companies with the opportunity of utilizing technology to promote their products in global markets.

Moreover, the technology has resulted to development of contemporary marketing techniques, such as email marketing, social media, blogs, and public relation marketing that aid companies to market in global and international markets. Adidas Company has responded to customer migration to online world by embracing email marketing to promote its new products. Adidas utilizes email marketing to connect with current and prospective customers (Direct Marketing Association 2014).

            Public relation marketing increases the awareness of the new products offered by Adidas and advances the company reputation in the media. The public relation marketing also publicizes new products introduced to the market by the company. The PR is responsible of writing press releases, newsletters, and speaking about the organisation in public meetings, which help in promoting the image of the company (Introduction to Public Relation 2012).

            Social media sites, such as face book, and twitter offer Adidas exclusive opportunity to interact with customers and promote its new products. Adidas has utilized social media networks to increase consciousness of its new products, X 15 and Ace 15.In addition, studies suggest that companies who participate in social media platforms and mobile marketing enjoy higher loyalty from their customers.

Moreover, Adidas has embraced mobile marketing by acquiring an Australian fitness app maker, Runtastic. The app maker have over 130 million downloads and 75 million registered members globally, and is offered in 17 languages, thus giving Adidas a platform to market and promote its new products (Mobile Marketing Association 2014).

            Adidas has shifted its bulk of its marketing budget into online marketing through focusing on instantaneous content and online video. The company has developed Adidas’ digital newsroom that aid in promotion of its new products. The brand newsroom aid the company to create quality contents that is unique and form emotions. Furthermore, the digital newsrooms create content that is tailored to its audience and it is delivered promptly and to the accurate standards (Adidas 2015).      

Marketing manager skills and their role in the effective management of the marketing team

            Technology advancement has altered the role of marketing to a point that the duties of present marketing managers vary significantly from those of some years ago. Nowadays marketing managers should understand how trends, technology, and social media work in the marketing mix. However, there are essential skills that marketing manager must possess to enhance their management and performance of marketing roles.

The Adidas Company success greatly depends on the effective management of its marketing managers to devise strategies that enhance new products promotion and increase sales. The marketing manager should possess excellent communication skills and create open and operating channels of communication. Strategic thinking is a vital skill that assists marketing managers to reflect and solve challenges with exceptional perspectives.

Furthermore, the marketing manager is able to make decisions based on long-term viewpoint and recognize how to handle the exclusive needs of each member participating in the project. The marketing managers are faced with the need to handle challenges from clients, team members, and the management. Excellent problem solving skills enable the marketing manager to handle swiftly the challenges from the three stakeholders.

In addition, the marketing managers are required to hone their project management skills to guide their teams in realizing their objectives and taking advantage of social media opportunities (National careers Service 2012).

            Marketing managers play a vital role in providing effective management to their marketing teams. The marketing managers develop departmental targets and individualize them for each departmental staff. Moreover, they demonstrate how the individual targets would assist the department and the organisation as whole.

The marketing managers also identify the distinctive behavior of the team members and encourage them to achieve their targets by utilizing their unique traits. In addition, the marketing managers conduct performance appraisal of their marketing teams and congratulate them in departmental meetings when their transitional targets are achieved. This strengthens the significance on their individual capacities (National careers Service 2012).

Impact and value of a brand from a number of different stakeholder perspectives

            Brand equity can enable companies to set premium prices to their products because customers believe that products with famous names are better than products with unrenowned names. Customer-based brand equity results when customers recognize the brand and hold exceptional brand association in their mind. Adidas has positioned itself as a premium brand and customers are willing to pay more for its products. The positive customer-based brand equity has offered Adidas long-term revenues and capability of charging premium prices for its new products (Angulo-ruiz 2014).

            Employees play vital role in developing brand equity. Adidas recognizes its employees as major stakeholders in building the value of its brand. Adidas involves their employees in decision-making process and boost their satisfaction in order to attract the best talent that would help in designing new products. In addition, suppliers aid companies to have excellent reputation in the market. The brand equity of the Adidas Company assists in attracting reliable suppliers who might not be willing to render their services to unbranded firms (Cornell University ILR School 2013).

 Organisations marketing campaigns in different international markets

            The competitive environment prompts companies to develop marketing campaigns that will increase the brand consciousness and sales. However, due to diversity organisations should tailor their marketing campaigns to suit the international audience when expanding to international markets. The Adidas Company has used different marketing campaigns to promote its X 15 and Ace 15 products in different international markets.

The Adidas has promoted its new products in the US market by utilising online marketing that feature top players of National Hockey League (NHL) and National Football League (NFL). Moreover, the company has initiated major basketball marketing campaigns that resulted to a significant increase in its sales. The online purchasing has made it easy for consumers to purchase products directly from manufactures.

Adidas has adopted online purchasing by placing links on other websites like Google homepage that create high consumer traffic to the company website. The links help to promote product awareness to potential consumers. Furthermore, use of SEO tools to optimize the company website has made it visible to new consumers (Tesseras 2014).

            The Adidas has used the Chelsea FC’s players and collaborated with the British Paralympics Association to promote its new products in the UK market. This year Adidas launched a marketing campaign dubbed I am here to create that comprised a sequence of films that featured several sporting celebrities. The marketing campaign aired in fifty countries during broadcast of UEFA champion league and the Grammys awards.

In China market, the campaign featured the local players that have the power of influencing the market. The marketing campaign helped to promote the X 15 and Ace 15 sporting shoes that Adidas launched to the market. Adidas has embraced Web public relations (WPR) by placing news of product or service launches on company’s website and review sites for consumers to read. Furthermore, Adidas uses direct e-mail for its online promotion. Both WPR and direct e-mail have helped adidas in promoting its new products to consumers (Department for culture, media, and sport 2012).

Conclusion

            A company success is greatly attributed to the effective role played by is marketing function. Adidas effective marketing planning has guided the company to develop business activities that helps in achieving its organisation objectives. Marketing control systems have aided Adidas to assess its marketing activities and offer swift remedies to detected deviations. The Adidas Company has embraced contemporary marketing techniques, such as social media that have significantly enhanced its new products awareness. Furthermore, the Adidas marketing techniques that are tailored to different international markets have been successful in promoting its new products.

Recommendation

            Customers are noted to be satisfied with the design and durability of the Adidas products, however in aspects of price; Adidas should design products that are affordable to deprived customers, especially in developing countries. Moreover, the company can provide special offer of price in a certain period to boost its sales and attract more customers. In addition, Adidas should develop more marketing campaigns and techniques that promote and differentiate its brands from competitors.

StakeholderNegative brand impact Negative brand valuePositive brand impact Positive brand value
Employees of the Adidas GroupUniversities boycott High wages Worker strikesSkilled employees, Creative employees 
Authorisers: government, trade associations, shareholders, Executive BoardTax laws, Tariffs, Unsound decisionsTax incentives, Intellectual property law,Strategic decisions  
Business partners: unions, suppliers, service providersLow quality materials, Labor laws,Exorbitant pricesProviding quality material and services, Timely deliveries, Affordable prices  
Workers in our suppliers’ factoriesWorker strikes, Demand for higher wagesSkilled workers, Low wages
Opinion-formers: journalists, community members, special interest groupsNegative publicity, Use of kangaroo leather, Environmental impacts  Public relation, Product promotion 
Customers: professional athletes, distributors, retailers, consumersConsumer switching, Bargaining power, Consumer preferencesBrand loyalty, Product promotion, Product awareness
Peers: other multinationals, consumer goods companies and brandsCompetition  Partnerships  

Marketing mix for adidas

ProductPricePlacePromotion
Foot wear,Apparel AccessoriesCompetitive prices,Skimming priceExclusive stores,Multi brand showrooms,Online storesOnline marketing,Top player brand ambassadors,Sponsoring teams

References

Angulo-ruiz, F., Donthu, N., Prior, D. & Rialp, J. (2014) ‘The financial contribution of customer- oriented marketing capability’, Academy of Marketing Science [online] 42 (4), 380-399. Available from [17 October 2016]

Adidas (2015) Strategy overview [online] available from<http://www.adidas-group.com/en/group/strategy-overview/> [17 October 2016]

Adidas (2011) ‘adidas Launches Biggest Marketing Campaign in Brand’s History’Marketing Weekly News, pp. 1282 available [17 October 2016]

Cornell University ILR School (2013)Is There a Correlation for Companies With a Strong Employment Brand Between Employee Engagement Levels and Bottom Line Results [online] available from             <http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=studen  t> [17 October 2016]

Chartered Management Institute (2015)Setting smart objectives checklist [online] available from                <https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/Campus%20CMI/Checklists%20PDP/Setti  ng%20SMART%20objectives.ashx>[17 October 2016]

Direct Marketing Association (2014)Email marketing guide [online] available from <https://dma.org.uk/uploads/NEW_email_18%20July_53c8d94d437ea.pdf> [17 October 2016]

Department for culture, media, and sport (2012)Great campaign [online] available from <http://old.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/tourism/8442.aspx> [17 October 2016]Introduction to Public Relation (2012)PR vs Advertising [online] available from <http://www.ipr.org.uk/pr-vs-advertising.html> [17 October 2016]

Institute of Risk management (2013)A risk management standard [online] available from <https://www.theirm.org/media/886059/ARMS_2002_IRM.pdf> [17 October 2016]Khankaew, C., Ussahawanitichakit, P. & Raksong, S. (2015)A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF ALTERNATIVE MARKETING STRATEGY AND MARKETING OUTCOMES‘Allied Academies International Conference’ Academy of Marketing Studies [online] 20(2), pp. 1-16

MLF4 (2012)Develop and implement marketing plans for your area of responsibility [online] available from    <http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/MLF4DevelopandImplementMarketingPlansforyourAreaofResponsibility.pdf> [17October 2016]

Mobile Marketing Association (2014) ‘MMA and adidas publish The Mobile Marketing Playbook to Drive Global Marketing Efforts’Marketing WeeklyNews [online], pp. 179

National careers Service (2012)Marketing manager [online]available from            <https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/Marketingmanager.asp> [17 October 2016]

Nadeau, J., O’Reilly, N. & Heslop, L.A. (2015) ‘Cityscape promotions and the use of place images at the Olympic Games’Marketing Intelligence & Planning[online] 33(2), pp.147

Planning effective marketing strategies for a target audience– Adidas (2013) Business Case Studies LLP, London [online] available [17 October 2016]

Social care institutes for excellence(2013)The importance of goal setting [online] available             from<http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide49/measuringoutcomes.asp>[17 October 2016]

Tesseras, L. (2014)‘The Marketing Year’the top campaigns of 2014Centaur Communications Ltd, London [online] available [17 October 2016]

Teach a man to fish (2014)How to evaluate your organisation [online] available from            <http://teachamantofish.org.uk/resources/schoolinabox/Manual2-HowtoEvaluateYourOrganization.pdf> [17 October 2016]

Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics

Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics

Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics

  1. Introduction

This report is an analysis of the data generated using SPSS and presented using charts and tables. The report firstly presents the results of selected descriptive statistical analyses. Subsequently, the report summarises the numerical results with descriptive statistics analysis tables or graphs, including the interpretation of these tables and graphs. The fourth section or the report is a presentation of the data regarding numerical results of the inferential statistics. This is followed by a discussion of the same, before a summative conclusion is presented in the last section.

  • Selected descriptive statistics

Descriptive statistics refers to the kinds of data that analysts and researchers use in presenting the characteristics of the sample used in a study. According to Kothari (2004), they are used in checking whether the variables that the researcher has chosen to use violate any assumptions that the researcher might have made, which might be consequential to the findings. Another important function of descriptive statistics used in this section is that they help to answer the core research questions.

In the present study, the descriptive statistics selected are for public use micro data area code (PUMA), house weight (WHTP), state code, (ST), numbering of persons (NP), rooms (RMS), bedrooms, (BDS), and household income (HINCP). The data retrieved was as presented in table 1 below

Table 1: PUMA, ST, BDS, RMS, mean, median, and standard deviation

 RMSBDSSTPUMA
NValid4911491149114911
Missing0000
Mean4.872.6115.00248.05
Median5.003.0015.00302.00
Std. Deviation1.9331.197.00081.573
Minimum1015100
Maximum9515307

Table 2: RMS, BDS, ST, and PUMA, frequency table

 PUMAFrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative Percent
Valid10095119.419.419.4
 20078215.915.935.3
 3014078.38.343.6
 3024128.48.452.0
 3034258.78.760.6
 30453610.910.971.5
 3053657.47.479.0
 3064569.39.388.3
 30757711.711.7100.0
 Total4911100.0100.0 
NPFrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative Percent
Valid04529.29.29.2
 197019.819.829.0
 2149130.430.459.3
 371114.514.573.8
 461912.612.686.4
 53186.56.592.9
 61613.33.396.2
 7941.91.998.1
 830.6.698.7
 920.4.499.1
 1018.4.499.5
 117.1.199.6
 127.1.199.7
 135.1.199.8
 151.0.099.9
 162.0.099.9
 171.0.099.9
 192.0.0100.0
 202.0.0100.0
 Total4911100.0100.0 
RMSFrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative Percent
Valid11853.83.83.8
 23457.07.010.8
 367713.813.824.6
 489618.218.242.8
 5111022.622.665.4
 676815.615.681.1
 74388.98.990.0
 82344.84.894.7
 92585.35.3100.0
 Total4911100.0100.0 
BDSFrequencyPercentValid PercentCumulative Percent
Valid02114.34.34.3
 168313.913.918.2
 2120824.624.642.8
 3181036.936.979.7
 468814.014.093.7
 53116.36.3100.0
 Total4911100.0100.0 

From the data in table 1 above, a number of observations are blatant and clear. The first is that the means of RMS, BDS, ST and PUMA are 4.87, 2.61, 15, and 248.05 respectively. For rooms, the number of rooms, the median score was 5, where the scores varied from 1 to 9. This means that the majority of respondents have about 5 rooms.

When it comes to the number of bedrooms, the median score was 3, whereas the mean was 2.61, this shows that the majority of respondents have 3 rooms. The state code was 15 for all respondents whereas the mean for public use of micro data area code was 248.05. The mean was 302, whereas the minimum and maximum scores were 100 and 307 respectively.

From table 2, a number of assertions can also be made, and the first is about PUMA. From the table, the evidence shows that for public use of micro data area code, 19.4% of the respondents scored category 100, which made it the highest selected category, whereas 15.9% of the respondents checked 200, making it the second most selected category. Comparatively, 301 was the least selected category at 8.7%.

Additionally, for number of bedrooms, a majority of the respondents said that they had three bedrooms in their houses, and this represented 3.9% of all responses, closely followed by those with two bedrooms at 24.6%. At the same time, the number of people living in houses with no bedrooms or five bedrooms was the least with a score of 4.3% and 6.3% respectively.

This data is in line with the data about rooms, which shows that 22% of respondents stay in a five-roomed apartment, followed by 18% and 15%, who stay in four and five roomed houses respectively. Because of the number of rooms and bedrooms in their houses, it is plausible to conclude that a majority of the respondents stay with other people or expect other people to visit often, which are why they have extra rooms in the house, as well as extra bedrooms in the house.

Additionally, from the data, it is obvious that a majority of the people are in the middle between the rich and the poor, as those who stay in studio apartments are as marginal as those who stay in luxury apartments that can contain at least five bedrooms. . 

  • Selected inferential statistical analyses

Inferential statistics refer to the data analysis methods where the researcher or analyst uses a given set of data to determine whether there is a link between given variables being studied. By using inferential statistics, the researcher can tell whether the relationship that seems to exist between variables is a fact, or whether it is not a fact. According to Kothari (2004), a number of measures and techniques can be used to accomplish inferential statistics. The two types of inferential statistics used in this report are correlation and regression analyses.  

Correlation was conducted using the Pearson correlation analysis. Pearson correlation analysis is employed to measure the linear relationship between two or more variables. The value of Pearson correlation ranges between -1 and +1, with -1 indicating negative correlation, 0 indicating no correlation and +1 indicating positive correlation between the variables.  Besides, the closer the value is to +1, the stronger the relationship between the variables (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2007). For this study, the data is as shown below.

According to table 4-20, Sig. (2-tailed) =0.000, and all the four variables have a significant correlation at the 0.01 significant level. Pearson correlation between PUMA and NP is .110, whereas the relation between PUMA and BDS and RMS is .042 and .067 respectively. This shows that there is a weak but positive relationship between PUMA and all the independent variables, although the weakest relationship is that between PUMA and BDS.

Table 3: Correlations

 PUMANPBDSRMS
PUMAPearson Correlation1.110(**).042(**).067(**)
Sig. (2-tailed) .000.003.000
N4911491149114911
NPPearson Correlation.110(**)1.447(**).396(**)
Sig. (2-tailed).000 .000.000
N4911491149114911
BDSPearson Correlation.042(**).447(**)1.878(**)
Sig. (2-tailed).003.000 .000
N4911491149114911
RMSPearson Correlation.067(**).396(**).878(**)1
Sig. (2-tailed).000.000.000 
N4911491149114911

**  Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Regression analysis helps estimate and investigate the association between variables. R Square is used to show the degree of relationship between the dependent and independent variables. R Square value ranges between 0 and 1, and the closer the value is to 1, the stronger the relationship between the variables further indicating the greater degree to which variation in independent variable explains the variation in dependent variable (Seber and Lee, 2012).

Based on the model summary table 4-21, R stand for the correlation coefficient and it depicts the association between dependent variable and independent variables. It is evident that a positive relationship exists between the dependent variable and independent variables as shown by R value (0.126).

However, the relationship is a very weak one. Besides, it can be seen that the variation in the three independent variables (RMS, BDS and NP) explain 1.6% variation of PUMA as represented by the value of R Square. Therefore, it means that other factors that are not studied on in this study contribute 98.4% of the PUMA programs. This means that the other factors are very important and thus need to be put into account in any effort to enhance PUMA. Additionally, this research therefore identifies the three independent variable studied on in this research as the non-critical determinants of PUMA boundaries.

Table 4: regression analysis results

                                 Model Summary

ModelRR SquareAdjusted R SquareStd. Error of the Estimate
1.126(a).016.01580.945

a  Predictors: (Constant), RMS, NP, BDS

Further, this research established through the analysis f variance that the significant value is 0.00, which is less than 0.01, therefore the model is statistically significant in foretelling how NP, RMS, and BDS can influence PUMA groupings. The F critical value at the 0.01 level of significant was 26.501. Given that F calculated  is greater than the F critical value of 26.501, then it means that the overall model was significant (Seber and Lee, 2012).

                                                         ANOVA(b)

Model Sum of SquaresdfMean SquareFSig.
1Regression520911.1203173637.04026.501.000(a)
 Residual32151092.84549076552.087  
 Total32672003.9654910   

a  Predictors: (Constant), RMS, NP, BDS

b  Dependent Variable: PUMA

At the same time, the beta coefficients also gives significant inferential information. According to the regression coefficients presented in table 4-23, this research found that when all independent variables (the number of persons (NP), number of rooms (RMS), and the number of bedrooms (BDS)) are kept constant at zero, the level of public use micro data area code (PUMA)  will be at 231.13. A 1% change in number of persons will lead to an 11.4% increase in PUMA, whereas a one percent change in BDS will lead to a 12.1% changes in PUMA.

Comparatively, a one percent change in  RMS will lead to a 12.8 percent change in PUMA. This leads to the conclusion that of the three variavles, RMS leads to the largest impact in PUMA when the three independent variables are pitted together. Further the statistical significance of each independent variable was tested at the 0.01 level of significance of the p-values.

                                                      Coefficients(a)

Model Unstandardized CoefficientsStandardized CoefficientstSig.
BStd. ErrorBeta
1
(Constant)231.1303.161 73.128.000
NP4.700.654.1147.181.000
BDS-8.2222.068-.121-3.977.000
RMS5.3841.248.1284.315.000

a  Dependent Variable: PUMA

In general form, it can be said that the equation used to determine the link between  Public use microdata area code, numbering of persons, rooms and bedrooms is of the form:

Y = β0+ β1X1+ β2X2+ β3X3+ ε

From the equation, β0 is a constant, whereas β1 to β3 are coefficients of the independent variables. X1 X2 and X3 are the independent variables numbering of persons, rooms and bedrooms respectively, whereas epsilon ε is an error term. Additionally, the dependent variable Y in the equation represents public use microdata area code. Pegging the present discussion in the formula above, the model would be as follows.

Y = 231.130 + .114X1 – .121X2 +.128X3

This means that the public use micordata area code = 231.130 + (0.114 x numbering of persons) – (0.121 x rooms) +(0.128 x bedrooms).

References

Kothari, C. (2004). Research methodology, methods & techniques (2nd ed.).New Delhi: Wishwa Prakashan.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2007). Research Methods for Business Students. 4th edition. England: Prentice Hall.

Seber, A. F. G. and Lee, J. A. (2012) Linear Regression Analysis. 2nd Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons

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Miracles Witness Report

Miracles
Miracles

Miracles

Witness Report

            The person I chose to share the gospel with is my friend Allyson Sy and we met at Starbucks Coffee on Feb. 7, 2017 at 4:00 pm because she was feeling down. This is why I shared the gospel to her that has a message about miracles. When I read the gospel to her which is John 2:1-11, she was skeptical of the part when Jesus turned water into wine because, according to her, there is no such thing as a miracle. Hence, she said that it never happened, but after some time, she began to open her mind to the possibility.

I did not allow her doubt to discourage me because I gave examples of little miracles that happen in daily life. For instance, how a person feels relieved after praying if she has been feeling unloved and lost. That miracles do not always happen in big crowds like the wedding in Cana at Galilee. That event had to happen because there were a lot of people and it was a banquet that symbolized the messianic era. There was also the faith of a mother in her son because all she had to do was tell Jesus there is not enough wine and he did the miracle.

            If someone who does not self-identify as a Christian hears about this story, he or she might even laugh at me. Since Allyson is my friend, despite her skepticism, she continued to listen to my explanation. Meanwhile, I was also very careful not to make her feel that I am imposing anything to her. I have had experiences where people have become defensive of their beliefs because someone provoked them to. By making Allyson feel that I do not condemn her for not being a self-identified Christian, her reaction was lighter. And out of curiosity, she started to ask questions.

            She wanted to know why his disciples did not believe Jesus’ ability to perform miracles. What happened at the wedding proved them wrong and they started to believe in him because that was clearly not a coincidence. They had no wine at first and Jesus filled 6 jars that held 30 gallons each. The disciples did not believe Jesus at first because they have never met anyone like that before and blasphemy was very common during that time. In the same way, Allyson thought I was being foolish, but she eventually opened her heart.  

            This is an encounter that I will not forget because it gave me a chance to open someone’s doors to the reality of miracles. Especially because that person is one of my good friends. I also related Jesus’ experience to how people doubt a leader at first until he or she proves them wrong. Jesus and his disciples can be compared to a group of friends who have been through a lot, got lost, and needed a credible leader to clear their path. This is something that can happen to a person, a company, or a peer group. There is always someone who has to take the lead so that everyone is safe.

            After I talked to her about it, she gained more insights about life and why people tend to admire someone they can look up to. Since we still had time, I invited her to pray with me and told her that I will lead the prayer. She agreed because, since the does not self-identify as a Christian, she is not good with spontaneous prayers. I recited a prayer of thanksgiving and related it to the experiences we had. It was a 3-minute prayer that was enough to let her feel the power of prayer. She thanked me for the experience because it is not every day that she will encounter someone like me, and we happily ended our meeting.

Source:

Gospel reading – John 2: 1-11

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Consumer Insight Report

consumer insight
Consumer Insight Report

Consumer Insight Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The consumer insight research conducted focused on exploring more on the impact of the social media posts about lifestyle and dining on the outcomes of marketing communications and the responses given by the clients. The study focused on identifying the effects of the creative marketing communication strategies for the lifestyle or restaurant services.

The male vs. female Instagrammer and the male vs. female consumer were used in the collection of the essential information. The visual stimuli experiment method was used following a randomized fashion.200 participants aged between 18-59 years were used in the study (Pitt et al, 2017).

A summary on the participant’s passion about foods, brand attitude, and foodie consumer was conducted on part one followed by an experimental study. The major finding is that envy influences the brand attitude of the Instagrammers. In this case, it should be considered as an essential marketing aspect of various products and services.

EVALUATION OF FINDINGS

Based on the results acquired it was found that the Instagram post factors do not impact the response of the consumers. Envy was also not influenced by the consumer segment or the sex of the Instagrammer. Envy is not seen to be influenced by most of the factors of interest. The brand attitude is influenced by various factors of interest that were used to test the relationship.

Envy was seen to have a little influence on the brand attitude while Instagram post attitude influenced the brand attitude in a significant manner (Pitt et al, 2017). Despite envy having a marginally small significant influence on brand attitude, the influence is said to be positive in nature which implies that it can be used as a predictor of the post or brand attitude while also considering other factors simultaneously.

The consumer segment also has an effect on the influence of envy on the post attitude and brand attitude as found through Instagram. Based on the result after carrying out a multiples regression model, the foodie consumer segment was said to have more envy on the Instagrammers as compared to the non-foodie consumers. Since envy has a positive influence on the brand attitude, consequently brand attitude also increase among the segment of the foodie consumers.

Envy has a major role when it comes to predicting the attitude of the particular consumers towards a particular brand (Pitt et al, 2017). In this case, social media marketing should consider it as a crucial aspect when it comes to assessing the attitude of consumers towards various products or services which form the brand. Because the influence of envy on brand attitude increase based on the segments, it would be advisable to consider different marketing strategies for particular target consumers.

Communication and advertising strategies can be useful in evoking envy through the promotion strategies which would try to sell the positive benefits of brand attracting more consumers to test irrespective of their segment (Yeung, 2014). Marketing communications research is essential on campaign developments. Through marketing communication, the focus on the particular segment of consumers is made possible while it offers the perfect chance to transmit the benefits of a particular brand accurately.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is important to adopt the best marketing strategies to ensure the brand’s name is well promoted to all the potential consumers. Based on the results and findings acquired from the research study, better insight about the marketing communication has been efficiently gained. Factors such as envy and source liking are found to have some great influence on the brand attitude. I would recommend that the right and specific marketing strategies such as the right communication channels are adopted during campaigns for different brands (Shen et al, 2016).

The specific marketing strategies based on the particular target consumers of interests is necessitated by the fact that the brand attitude and envy vary based on the segment of consumers. Other factors such as post attitude and the consumer preference should be considered during the social media marketing. The consideration of the factors and different aspects that influence brand attitude is essential in designing the right marketing communication strategies.

REFERENCES

Khan, M. Y., Iqbal, M. F., & Ghouri, A. M. (2016). Consumer Insight on Dietary evidence in Restaurant set of Choices: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Studies, 3(2), 22-33.

Pitt, J., Singh, C., and Ang, L. (2017). MKTG204 Investigating the effects of social media posts with branded information on consumer responses: Assessment Task 2B, Session 1, 2017 Consumer insights survey results. North Ryde: Macquarie University.

Shen, G. C. C., Chiou, J. S., Hsiao, C. H., Wang, C. H., & Li, H. N. (2016). Effective marketing communication via social networking site: The moderating role of the social tie. Journal of Business Research, 69(6), 2265-2270.

Yeung, H. F. (2014). Consumer Food Safety Insight: Pre-and Post-Survey Analysis of Consumers Receiving In-Person versus Web Based Food Safety Training (Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Davis).

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History and physical examination: Case Study

History and physical examination
History and physical examination
History and physical examination

Identification

Name: Mrs. Tiffany Jones

Age: 32

Sex: Female

Referring physician: Self-referred, seems reliable

Chief Complaint: “I have been having severe headaches for the last two days.”

History of Present Illness (HPI)

 For the previous five days, Mrs. Jones has been experiencing frontal headaches.  She describes the pain as bifrontal, throbbing and moderately severe. The pain began after a minor accident when she slid from a ladder and fell and hit her head.  The accident was minor states that she did not see the need for review.  She has been taking Tylenol as painkillers, but it is no longer effective. The headaches are not associated with nausea and vomiting. The pain is aggravated by activity and is relieved by rest and put a damp towel on her forehead. The patient denies associated paresthesias, motor-sensory deficits or visual changes.

Medications: Tylenol 400 mg 1 tablet after 4-6 hours

Allergies: Aspirin causes gastrointestinal discomfort

Tobacco: About five cigarettes per day (Since the age of 18)

Alcohol: Takes wine on rare occasions

Past Medical History (PHM)

Childhood illness: Chickenpox, Mumps, Measles

Adult Illness: None

Surgeries: Tonsillectomy at age 6

Ob/GYN: G200P2, normal vaginal deliveries, two living children. Menarche at the age of 13years and LMP a month ago. Not sexually active, No psychiatric disorders.

Health maintenance:  Not up to date

Family History

Father died at age 46 in an accident. Mother is 67 alive and diagnosed with dementia.  She has one brother 30 years old, alive and healthy. Her two daughters age 6 and four years are alive and healthy. No family history of TB, diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease.

Physical examination: Psychosocial History

She is born and raised in Deltroit, finished college and married her high school boyfriend. She works as a librarian in a nearby college. She lives with her family in their mortgaged house. She gets little exercise but is watchful of her diets. She feeds on homemade foods only. She uses seat belt regularly and sunscreen lotions.

Review of System

 General: Denies fever, night sweats or chills

Skin: Pale and dry. Patient denies bruising rashes or skin discolorations

Eyes: Patient use corrective lenses

 Ears: No ear pain, discharge or any hearing changes

Nose/Mouth/Throat: No sinus complication, no nose bleeds, no dysphagia, or throat pains

Breast: Deferred

 Heme/lymph/ Endo:  No anemia or bleeding issue. No swollen glands. She does not feel excessive thirst or present cold intolerances

Cardiovascular: She denies orthopnea, peripheral edema or chest pains

Respiratory: She denies SOBs, wheezing, dyspnea or hemoptysis. She has no history of TB or pneumonia

Gastrointestinal: Denies NVD, has no abdominal pains, constipation or hemorrhoids. Denies eating disorders

Genitourinary/Gynecological: no hematuria, no night-time urination or changes in urine quantity

Musculoskeletal: Denies muscle pains, has mild back aches, no history of fractures of osteoporosis

Neurological: No seizures or syncope of transient paralysis

Psychiatric: No distress, no depression, psychosocial disorders or suicidal thoughts.

Objective data

Vital signs: Height 5’2”, Wt 143lb, BMI 39.0, Bp 130/70 right arm seated, HR 88, RR 18, t 98.6F

General Appearance: Patient is alert and oriented. Denies acute distress, she is well groomed and generally healthy

Skin: Skin is intact, pale and dry. No bruising, rashes or lesions

HEENT:

Head: Normocephalic and atraumatic

Eyes: Intact EOMs and PERRLA, no sclera infection or lesions

Ear: Positive reflex, no discharge, infection or foreign bodies, visible umbo and short process

Nose: bilateral canals, no rhinitis in both nares, oral pharyngeal mucosa is pink, moist and not erythmatous. No dental prosthesis, nodules or thyromegally.

Cardiovascular: S1 and S2 is heard with normal and regular rate, no peripheral edema, no murmurs or edema

Respiratory: No chest pain, wheezing, or un-labored respirations

Gastrointestinal: abdomen soft and non-tender, No palpable masses, no abdominal pain, normal bowel sounds, no change in elimination frequency or change of color.

Breast/Chest: no lymphadenopthy, nipples with no discharge, chest unremarkable

Genitourinary: Bladder is non-distended, no hematuria or dysuria, no changes in urine color or elimination frequency

Musculoskeletal: Normal gait, good stability, no complaints of foot pain or edema

Neurological: Clear speech, good tone and posture normal and erect. Intact cranial nerves II to XII

Psychiatric: Well groomed, alert and oriented, maintained eye contact and answers questions appropriately.

References

Ball, J.W., Dains, J.E., Flynn, J.A., Solomon, B.S., & Stewart, R.W. (2015). Seidel’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby (ISBN: 978-0-323-11240-6).

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Comprehensive patient assessment

Comprehensive patient assessment
Comprehensive patient assessment
General Patient Information

Name: Mrs. Joy Smith

Age: 38 y/o

Gender: Female

Ethnic group: African American

Chief complaint

“I feel increasing pain around the left thigh and buttock. I feel fatigued and have noticed some swelling in the affected part.”

History of Present Illness

 Joy reports that the pain and swelling in her left hip and buttocks that begun a week ago. The 38 y/o African American has been experiencing pain and swelling in multiple joints for the past three months. She has experienced active bilateral synovitis in her wrists and ankles. She has also observed small nodules on her left elbows. The hip joint swelling began five days ago.

She has been treating the pain using acetaminophen. Since then, she has been experiencing increasingly severe pain and edema in the affected region. The pain is relieved by rest but aggravated by mobility and physical activity. She reports the pain at scale 8 in 0-10 pain scale. She denied any history of trauma. She occasionally experiences morning stiffness that lasts for 30 minutes and low back pain that usually worsen at night. She has not experienced had any flares.

She is asthmatic and suffers from seasonal allergies. She is also allergic to aspirin as it causes gastrointestinal discomfort. The medication she has used recently is acetaminophen 500mg for pain management and Proventil HFA to manage an asthma attack. She has no chronic illness and has not undergone any surgeries. The only time she has been hospitalized is during delivery of her two daughters.

She does not smoke but occasionally takes a glass or two of wine. She has no appetite changes. She has been experiencing urinary tract infections occasionally but has no history of sexually transmitted illness. She denies no psychological disorders.

She began her menarche at age 13 years. Her LMP was last month, which she describes as a regular flow that lasted for three days. She is Gravida 2POO2. She carried all her pregnancy with no complication and breastfed all her children. She has sex 2 to 3 times a week but with no protection. She has been using IUD method of contraception which she removed six months ago.

She does not engage in any health maintenance screenings such as mammogram or Pap test.  Her father is 72 years old and hypertensive. Her mother is 68 years old and is diagnosed with diabetes.  She is happily married and lives with her husband and two daughters. She lives with her husband and her two daughters (age 12 and eight years old).  She is a housewife whereas her husband works as sales manager at a local supermarket.

She has a good rapport with her neighbors and is actively involved in local community programs especially those that promote healthy living. Her family is financially and socially stable. She is physically active and tries to eat homemade food as much as possible.

Review of systems

 The patient is alert and oriented. She denies fever or chills. She has no skin rashes, lesions or any discolorations. She uses corrective lenses and denies any changes in her vision and has the normal hearing ability. She denies dental complications, throat pains, dysphagia or nose bleeds. She denies skin discolorations, breast lumps, and breast masses. She denies SOB, chest pains, palpitations, or edema. This indicates that her respiratory system is in great shape. She denies wheezing, dysponea or hemoptysis. She has no history of pneumonia or TB.

She feeds on homemade foods. She denies any changes in appetite. She denies NVD. She has not seen any changes in bowel movement and elimination frequency.  She denies heartburn, constipation or presence of hemorrhoids.  She denies changes in urine quality and quantity. She denies hematuria. She complains of frequent muscle pain and complaints of a backache.

She has no history of fracture or trauma.  She reports that she is unable to lift her arms without extreme pain in the shoulder. In the last five days, it has been difficult to stand for long periods of time due to ankle and foot pain. Although acetaminophen 500 mg three times a day has helped her manage the pain and stiffness, it is no longer effective. 

She denies syncope of transient paralysis and seizures. She denies bleeding and has never been diagnosed with anemia. She denies presence swollen glands or excessive thirst. She looks slightly distressed but denies the history of psychosocial disorders or depression.

Objective data

 The patient is in acute distress. However, she is well groomed, alert and oriented. Her vital signs are as follows;   Weight 220 lb, Height 5’3”, BMI 39, BP 130/70 (taken on the right arm when seated), HR 80, RR 18 unlabored, T 97.5, SATs 99% at room temperature. The patient skin is moist and warm. No discoloration observed. The skin color is normal, intact and with no rashes, lesions or bruises. 

The head is normocephalic and atraumatic. EOMs and PERRLA are intact with no lesions. The ears have positive reflex, bilateral TMS with no discharge or infection. Umbo and short process are visible with no foreign body. Nose canals are bilateral with no rhinitis in both of the nares. The nasals turbinate’s are not swollen.

The oral-pharyngeal mucosa is moist and non-erythmatous pharynx. No nodules or dental prosthesis observed. S1 and S2 are regular with normal rate. No murmurs or peripheral edema noted.  The respirations are normal and unlabored. Wheezing sounds are absent in all of the four quadrants. She has normal bowel in all four quadrants.  The abdomen is soft and non- tender. No palpable masses noted. 

The chest and breast region is unremarkable with no lymphadenopathy.  The bladder is non-distended. No changes in urine quality or quantity. No hematuria. The gait is not normal. She is limping as she walks across the exam room which indicates discomfort or pain in the affected limb. The left hip is swollen and painful. The pelvic exams indicated no inguinal adenopathy, lesions or erythma on the genitalia. Vaginal discharge is normal.

The cervix is normal without palpable masses. The lower quadrants are tender. The adnexal and uterine are tender. No pain is indicated with cervical motion. The anterior and midline of the uterus is smooth and not enlarged. She has clear speech, good tone and intact cranial nerves II.  She appropriately maintains eye contact.

Differential diagnosis

 Based on the signs and symptoms, the patient is likely to be suffering from infections arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout or osteoarthritis. This is because these diseases are collectively grouped as arthritis as they commonly affect the small joints, hips, hands, lumber and cervical spine. Differentiating these diseases is challenging as they all present with joint stiffness and pain that worsen with activity (Buttaro, et al., 2013).

Psoriatic arthritis is suspected because of clinical manifestations such as generalized fatigue, swollen and painful joints, and limited range of motion. The disease will be confirmed by laboratory tests. Similar to Psoriatic arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and infection arthritis is suspected because of the presence of signs and symptoms such as joint stiffness, pain, fatigue, tenderness and limited range of motions.

Gout is suspected because of patient’s complaints about intense throbbing joint pains, discomfort and inflammation. However, gouts normally affect the large joints of the big toe. The disease will be confirmed by the laboratory findings. Similar to out, the patient may experience joint pain that hurt during and after movement. Joint stiffness is noticeable especially in the morning or after long periods of physical inactivity (Buttaro et al., 2013).

To reach a definitive diagnosis, it is important to undertake differentiating diagnostic investigations. For instance, diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis is supported by skin biopsy of the affected lesions. Infectious arthritis is self-resolving within six weeks whereas gout is confirmed by serum uric acid that is above 416 micromols/L. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is confirmed by whereas osteoarthritis is distinguished from others by the rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation whereas osteoarthritis by radiographs that indicate loss of joints space, osteophytes and subchondral sclerosis (Kordasiabi et al., 2016).

Lab tests

Diagnosis should be conducted as early as possible to optimize patient’s outcomes. The patient presents with painful and swollen hip joint. In this case, appropriate laboratory tests include; CBC,  Renal function, erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR),  C- reactive protein (CRP), Level of RhF and citrullinated peptide antibody (CCP). Imaging tests such as radiography and X-rays will also be ordered to make the definitive diagnosis. Also, these tests are used to evaluate the particular erosive changes to assess the disease progression (Buttaro et al., 2013).

According to my preceptor, some lab tests such as complete blood count and renal function are necessary as they influence treatment options. For instance, if the patient is diagnosed with renal insufficient or thrombocytopenia, the healthcare provider must avoid prescribing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Some medications are also contraindicated with some hepatic disease.

Definitive diagnosis: Rheumatoid arthritis

The onset of the disease peaks between the ages of 30 and 50 years. It is the most common cause of disability in the USA. It is reported that 35% of people diagnosed with RA reports disability within ten years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). RA typically presents with pain and stiffness in multiple joints in the body. As the disease progress, other small joints including the interphalangeal joints and metacarpophalangeal become affected.

In most patients, they may experience morning stiffness that may last more than 30 minutes. In some cases, Boggy swelling may become visible caused by synovitis and subtle synovial thickening. Systemic symptoms include low-grade fever, fatigue and weight loss (Buttaro et al., 2013).

 According to the American College of Rheumatology and European League against Rheumatism 2010, RA diagnostic criteria are as indicated below (Aletaha et al., 2010):

Image result for rheumatoid arthritis diagnostic criteria

(Source: Aletaha et al., 2010)

The laboratory findings were as follows; CRP 5.7 mg/ dL(normal 0.1-0.9 mg/ dL); ERS 26 mm/h (normal 0-15mm/h) RhF 33.4 (normal 0-29 IU/mL) and CCP 40 (normal0-20).  Radiography results were still pending. The other parameters were within the normal limits. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type of arthritis. Based on this guideline, the patient complaint is 1-3 small joints with the involvement of a large joint (score 2); the serology tests indicates low positive RhF and High positive ACPA (score 3) and abnormal CRP and ESR levels (score 1).

The total score is 6 out of 10 which is the score needed for classification of the patient as having RA.  RA is a progressive disease, and it is difficult to know when the disease first developed. Most patients experience periods of alternating bothersome symptoms. Onset, severity and disease symptoms vary greatly from one person to another. Therefore, treatment should b tailored to meet individual medical needs (Buttaro et al., 2013).

Treatment and management of the disease

Once diagnosed, the initial treatment and evaluation should begin immediately. Due to different disease presentations, a patient specific and effective care plan was developed. The goal of this treatment was to minimize joint pain and swelling, slow disease progression, prevention of deformity and maintenance of quality of life. With the help of my preceptor, the pharmacological treatment was initiated using oral Methotrexate (MTX) 7.5mg per week (divided in 2.5 mg orally after 12 hours in 3 doses) plus 5 mg Prednisone per day. She was also given Diclofenac 50mg three times a day. She was advised to continue using acetaminophen when required.

 Secondly, I noted that the patient was obese (BMI 39). Therefore, the patient was advised to feed on healthy diets and to perform regular exercises. The diets recommended for this patient include eating plenty of fruits, whole grain cereals, and vegetables. The patient was also advised to feed on foods rich in omega -3 such as fish oils, and to feed a low-fat diet. She was also advised to limit alcohol intake and to consume moderate sugars and foods that have added sugars (Dains, Baumann, & Scheibel, 2012).

Whereas there is limited evidence-based practice on the impact of diet on RA, my preceptor advised that patient education on dietary modifications is acceptable. Therefore, it is always important to encourage parents to adopt and maintain healthy diet and weight. This intervention is particularly important for this patient because she has high body mass index (BMI).

Moreover, weight reduction helps reduce the weight bearing of joints and prevention of other disease comorbidities such as high blood pressure. It has also been indicated that people with unhealthy weight have poorer functional status; further emphasizing the need for healthy weight control in general disease management (Kordasiabi et al., 2016).

 Another important factor in weight control is physical activeness. The patient was referred to a physiotherapist for services relating to exercises s it has been statistically shown significant improvements in patients diagnosed with RA body functions and social component.  This is because exercises are well accepted to have a big role in combating the adverse effects associated with RA on muscle endurance, strength and aerobic capacity (Rudan et al., 2015).

However, fatigue is also common in patients diagnosed with RA.  The patient was advised to rest their inflamed joints. The patient was also advised on other strategies such as the application of heat and cold therapy to relieve pain. The patient was also advised on passive and active exercises to maintain range of motion in the affected joints (Dains, Baumann, & Scheibel, 2012).

Complementary therapies have been associated with some favorable outcomes. These include the use of acupuncture, use of gamma-linolenic acid from black currant seed oil, evening primrose and thunder god vine. However, the patient was informed about the potential adverse effects associated with the herbal therapy (Kordasiabi et al., 2016). 

The patient was also given folate or folic acid (400 mg). This is important because some RA medications such as methotrexate interfere with absorption of folic acid. Research also indicates that patients under corticosteroids make it difficult to absorb calcium; therefore, the patient was given calcium supplements (Buttaro et al., 2013).

Patient education

The main goal of health promotion is to empower patients with practices that empower them and makes them improve their well-being holistically ranging from mental and spiritual mental wellbeing. The patient was educated on the importance of participating in preventive care such as Pap test and mammogram screening. She was advised to perform Pap test and mammogram screening at least twice a year to facilitate early detection of the disease and effective management of the disease (CDC, 2013).

 The patient stated that she had removed IUD six months ago as it was making her bleed uncontrollably and developed frequent urinary tract infections. When asked if she is ready to have another child, she was hesitant saying that they had planned to have only two children. I advised her on the alternative contraceptive methods such as hormonal birth control methods that have been found to be effective.

These contraception methods cause the cervical mucus to thicken making it difficult for the sperm and pathogens to reach the uterus. The patient was also taught about hygiene practices such as wiping herself front to back after visiting the toilet to avoid introducing colon pathogens into her vagina (Buttaro et al., 2013).

Follow up care

Remission occurs in 10 to 50% of RA patients. It is more likely in males, people below 40 years, nonsmokers and the late onset of the disease. If the disease is well controlled, the medication dosages will be cautiously reduced to the minimum amount necessary (Healthy People 2020, 2013). Long-term monitoring of the disease is important because although RA is considered a disease of joints, it is also the disease that involves multiple organ systems.

For instance, patients diagnosed with RA are likely to have increased risk of lymphoma which is believed to be caused by underling inflammation and not a consequence of the disease. Patients diagnosed with RA have increased risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Also, caution is needed with the continued use of DMARDs as it is associated with malignancy. Lastly, the disease is associated with depression which affects more than 40% of people diagnosed with RA; which is associated with long-term use of corticosteroids (Kordasiabi et al., 2016).

 Therefore, ongoing monitoring of the patient will be done after every two weeks. This is important in assessing the patient progress and the overall management goals such as treatment efficacy, disease activity, other comorbidities and patient’s quality of life in general. It is also important to run the laboratory tests to monitor toxicity and adverse effects of the modification. The referral was made to a rheumatologist for further evaluation.

References

Aletaha, D., Neogi, T., Silman, A. J., Funovits, J., Felson, D. T., Bingham, C. O., … & Combe, B. (2010). 2010 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria: an American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 62(9), 2569-2581.    

Buttaro, T. M., Trybulski, J., Polgar-Bailey, P., & Sandberg-Cook, J. (2013). Primary Care: A collaborative practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Dains, J, E., Baumann, L.C., & Scheibel, P. (2012). Advanced health assessment and clinical diagnosis in primary care (4ed.) St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier Mosby.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. (2013). State prevalence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html

Healthy People.gov. (2013). Arthritis, osteoporosis and chronic back conditions. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/Arthritis-Osteoporosis-and-Chronic-Back-Conditions/objectives

Kordasiabi, M. C., Akhlaghi, M., Baghianimoghadam, M. H., Morowatisharifabad, M. A., Askarishahi, M., Enjezab, B., & Pajouhi, Z. (2016). Self-Management Behaviors in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Associated Factors in Tehran 2013. Global Journal of Health Science, 8(3), 156–167. http://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v8n3p156

Rudan, I., Sidhu, S., Papana, A., Meng, S., Xin–Wei, Y., Wang, W., … Global Health Epidemiology Reference Group (GHERG). (2015). Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in low– and middle–income countries: A systematic review and analysis. Journal of Global Health, 5(1), 010409. http://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.05.010409

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The IOM Future of Nursing Report

Future of Nursing
Future of Nursing

Implementation of the IOM Future of Nursing Report

Summary of the key messages of the IOM report

Following a comprehensive assessment of the major challenges facing the nursing profession, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) came up with some recommendations that would help to make the nursing profession relevant and efficient in future. Furthermore, it identified four key messages that acted as the cornerstone for recommendations.

The key messages that were designed by the RWJF and that the recommendations were to focus on include; nurses should fully apply the knowledge and skills acquired through training and education as well as nurses should work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to bring meaningful changes to the health care system of the United States.

Other recommendations were that nurses should seek to obtain higher levels of education that enhance academic progress by attending new academic institutions; and those nursing institutions can formulate the right policies and plan their workforce effectively through the use of improved technology to collect data (Altman, Butler and Shern, 2015).

Discussion of the work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), in collaboration with the Institute of Medicine, held a meeting in 2008 to examine and take appropriate actions to address some of the pertinent issues facing the nursing profession. This meeting led to the documentation of the IOM report on “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” that acts a foundation for today’s nursing practice.

According to the Committee, nurses in the United States are faced with several challenges that prevent them from meeting the health care needs of the nation, and which make them face difficulties as they attempt to fulfill the goals of health care reforms in the country (Altman, Butler and Shern, 2015).

The particular role of the RWJF committee initiative was to produce a report that details key recommendations for improving the nursing profession to make it fit the future needs of the United States citizens. The committee was also charged with the responsibility of highlighting policy changes that should be made by public and private institutions to foster an improvement in the nursing profession.

As a sign of its commitment towards improving the nursing profession in the United States, the RWJF Committee provides recommendations related to eight different areas namely and removal of practice barrier.  Other indicators were; expansion of opportunities for nurses, implementation of residency programs for nurses, increasing the percentage of nurses with baccalaureate degrees, doubling the percentage of nurses with doctorate degrees, promoting lifelong learning for nurses, preparing nurses to become change leaders, and in improving nurses’ abilities to collect relevant health care related data (The Institute of Medicine, 2010).

The importance of the IOM “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.”

            The IOM report entitled, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” is extremely crucial to the field of nursing because it contains information that is relevant to improving nursing practice, nursing education, as well as in the development of the nursing workforce. Firstly, the report is important to nursing practice in the sense that, it defines transformed roles of nurses in the whole workforce in a manner that effectively addresses shortage of nurses, the need to integrate cultural and societal issues into practice, as well as the need to provide care using tools that match the ongoing technological trends. 

Additionally, the report examines the innovative solutions that can help to improve care delivery in future (Altman, Butler and Shern, 2015).

Second, the IOM report is critical to nursing education in the sense that, it acts as a guide to the nursing industry by providing information on how the industry can expand nursing faculty in order increase the number of institutions of higher learning. The institute of medicine believes that qualified academic institutions will produce graduate nurses with nursing knowledge and skills that can enable them to meet the health care needs and demands of today’s population (The Institute of Medicine, 2002).

Third, the IOM report is essential to workforce development in the sense that, it details how nursing organizations should attract, train, and retain competent nurses who can provide various levels of care to meet public demand (The Institute of Medicine, 2010).

The intent of the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action

            The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action was devised with an intention to help influence States to make health care reforms that are aimed at improving the nursing profession in the United States (AARP, 2011). For instance, the Campaign for Action is intended to push the Congress to push for expansion of programs that will enable nurses to practice to their full potentials as per the education and training that they possess.

Also, the intent of the Campaign for Action is influence both private and public funders to facilitate accomplishment of projects that will increase both training and learning opportunities for nurses (Campaign for Action, 2013).

            Moreover, the Nursing Campaign for Action intends to put pressure on the federal government, accrediting bodies as well as state boards of nursing to support the implementation of curricula that allow nurses to complete transition-to-practice or residency programs (AARP, 2011).

Again, the campaign intended to encourage health care organizations, academic nurse leaders, as well as accrediting bodies to develop additional institutions of higher learning for nurses to increase the number of nurses who enroll for baccalaureate degrees. In this manner, the institute of medicine believes that the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees will increase to 80 percent in the next three years (AnneMarie, 2016; & The Institute of Medicine, 2010).

            Additional intentions of the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action include; influencing stakeholders in the nursing education sector to create additional academic institutions that provide doctorate degrees for nurses as this will help to double the number of nurses who graduate with doctoral degrees in the next three years.

Other intentions include; implement nursing education programs that will promote lifelong learning for the nurse, and to take responsibility of training nurses to become change leaders who can successfully implement reforms in the ever-changing health care environment (The Institute of Medicine, 2002).

Most importantly, by creating the campaign for action, the institute of medicine believes that the campaign would influence the National Health Care Workforce Commission to build infrastructure and provide necessary technology that future nurses can use to collect and analyze health care data (Campaign for Action, 2013; & The Institute of Medicine, 2010).

The rationale of state-based action coalitions

            The main role of the state-based action coalitions is to ensure that various states in the United States enact laws that will facilitate the realization of the recommendations documented in the IOM report entitled, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health”(AARP, 2011). Additionally, these state-based coalitions work hard to ensure that the IOM recommendations are being implemented at regional and local level.

First, these coalitions work hard to make sure that possible barriers to nursing practice are removed in both educational and healthcare organizations (AARP, 2011). Second, action coalitions based in various states of the United States ensure that relevant programs that expand learning and training opportunities for nurses are implemented. Third, state-based action coalitions ensure that various states have programs in place to support nurse residency (Goode and Williams, 2004).

The fourth role of state-based action coalitions is to make sure that their respective states have enough academic institutions that offer baccalaureate and doctorate degrees for nurses. Additional functions of the state-based action coalitions are to ensure that states of the United States implement; programs that promote lifelong learning for nurses, programs that prepare nurses to become change leaders, and infrastructure that allow nurses to collect and analyze health care related data that can be used to improve nursing practice in future (Campaign for Action, 2013; & The Institute of Medicine, 2010).

Action Coalition Initiatives

An example of a state-based action coalition is the Alaska Action Coalition. This coalition comprises of individuals and organizations with a common goal of transforming the health care system of Alaska State. In Alaska, quite some nurse champion organizations work together in the Alaska Action Coalition to place the state forward as one of those regions that are committed to implementing the Future of Nursing recommendations (Alaska Action Coalition).

One of the initiatives spearheaded by Alaska Action Coalition is supporting the full realignment of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse courses with recommendation documented by the Institute of Medicine. This initiative significantly contributed to the advancement of the nursing profession in the sense that it promotes the production of nurse graduates who are competent enough to deliver care that meets the need of the current population.

The other initiative that is being spearheaded by Alaska Action Coalition is the implementation of programs that educate nurses to lead change in their organizations. This initiative greatly contributes to the advancement of the nursing profession in the sense that it contributed to the preparation of nurses who can effectively lead change (Campaign for Action, 2013).

 The main barrier to advancement that is commonly faced by action coalitions in Alaska is limited finances to facilitate all the procedures required to ensure full compliance with existing regulations. Nursing advocates in Alaska can overcome this barrier by asking the state to review and try to reduce the financial expenses incurred by coalitions that are committed to implementing the Future of Nursing recommendations (Alaska Action Coalition).

References

AARP. (2011). Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. Washington, DC: AARP Public Policy Institute

Alaska Action Coalition. Retrieved from https;//campaignforction.org/state/Alaska/

Altman, S., Butler, A. & Shern, L. (2015). Assessing progress on the Institute of Medicine report “The future of nursing.” Washington, DC: The National Academies for Sciences.

AnneMarie, P. (2016). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health…how are we doing? Nursing Critical Care, 11(3):4.

Campaign for Action. (2013). The future of nursing IOM report. Retrieved from https://www,campaignforaction.org

Goode, C. J. & Williams, C. A. (2004). Post-baccalaureate nurse residency program. Journal of Nursing Administration, 34(2): 71-77.

The Institute of Medicine. (2002). The future of the public’s health in the 21st century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press

The Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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