Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Exchange: people giving up something to receive something they would rather have.

Conditions of exchange:

1. There must be at least two parties.
2. Each party has something that might be of value to the other party.
3. Each party is capable of communication and delivery.
4. Each party is free to accept or reject the exchange offer.
5. Each party believes it is appropriate or desirable to deal with other party.

Management Philosophies:

1. Production Orientation: a philosophy that focuses on the internal capabilities of the firm rather than on the desires and needs of the marketplace.
2. Sales Orientation: the idea that people will buy more goods and services if aggressive sales techniques are used and that high sales result in high profits.
3. Market Orientation: a philosophy that assumes that a sale does not depend on an aggressive sales force but rather on a customer’s decision to purchase product. It is synonymous with the marketing concept.
4. Societal Marketing Orientation: the idea that an organization exists not only to satisfy customer wants and needs and to meet organization objectives but also to preserve and enhance individuals’ and society’s long-term best interests.

Marketing Concept: the idea that the social and economic justification for an organization’s existence is the satisfaction of customer wants and needs while meeting organizational objectives.

Sometimes I don’t realize how basic some concepts are until I actually think about them. It just came to mind today that as long as I desire to be Numero Uno somebody is going to try to keep me from it, and when I become Numero Uno many more will try to take that away from me. I never looked at it this way before, but for sure the days of trying to please everyone are over. To try to please everyone means that I am constantly sacrificing myself for others. How can I ever get to be the best at anything if I’m always helping others be that?

The way I look at things right now is that I need to put my instincts before anything that anybody tries to tell me. And the key to becoming Numero Uno is in this formula I came up with:

[ Power * (Friends - Enemies) ] / Getting What I Want = Numero Uno

What’s the one constant that comes with being Numero Uno? Power. Whether that power is used for good or bad is subjective and I leave it to Jesus and Adolf Hitler to discuss. If you don’t want power or don’t know what to do with that power once you get, don’t even try to be Numero Uno. It won’t work. Even Fidel Castro, while he preaches equality for all in the form of communism, understands this.

Power is determined by our ability to amass something, usually the source is the positive appraisal of others. A businessman with a product that cannot win his customers’ positive appraisal will soon go out of business. Bill Gates has made billions of dollars by gaining the positive appraisal of the products he develops. The Windows Operating System (OS) was created around the concept of making “user friendly” software so that the goal of a Personal Computer (PC) in every home would become a reality. Before the invention of the computer mouse, a PC user had to learn geekelicious (new word Webster…) commands that to the average person where simply a burden. Remember those special rulers you used to put on your keyboard that were full of commands for your word processor? Those born before 1985 know what I’m talking about.

My point is that winning the positive appraisal of people is very important. Hence, we should all try to make friends, not enemies. If you have an attitude that gets you nothing but a whole bunch of enemies, you will never be Numero Uno. It won’t matter how many skills you have or how much you know. Remember how I said at the beginning that there will always be people trying to bring down Numero Uno? The reason why Bill Gates is still Numero Uno is because his products still have more positive appraisals (friends) than negative (enemies). The minute his enemies become more than his friends Windows will no longer be Numero Uno in the OS business.

I’ve met people who have a personality that makes it easy for them to make friends, but don’t use that to their advantage ’cause they don’t know what they want. I’ve also met people that are very smart and know what they want in life, but are real dumb when it comes to dealing with people and making friends (I was one). The person who knows what he/she wants, even with a small group of friends but fewer enemies, can do more than the previous two. Getting what you want is about having goals and using what you have. If you don’t have goals then Getting What I Want = 0. That means that when you apply that number to my formula you get nothing. Your operation is meaningless and you might as well give up ’cause you’re just wasting time. Now, If [ Power * (Friends - Enemies) ] equals a negative number, how the hell are you going to divide it by Getting What I Want and expect a positive result? That doesn’t work either.

I’ve explained all variables and the one constant necessary to become Numero Uno. Here’s the gist of it:

1. Have a goal.
2. Enemies are inevitable, but making more friends than enemies is very doable. So make some friends will ya…

It’s all making sense after thinking about it. Now my path to becoming Numero Uno is that much clearer, and I’m working on it.

P.S.: Numero Uno means Number One. Just in case…

My report: I’ve seen this movie before. I didn’t realize it until I started watching it and remembering little pieces of it. I guess that’s how memorable it was the first time. I was a good movie, but nothing about it worth remembering.

Rating:

About it: Ridley Scott directed this epic-scale historical drama inspired by the events of the Crusades of the 12th century. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is a humble French blacksmith who is searching for a reason to go on after the death of his wife and children. Balian is approached by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a fabled knight who has briefly returned home after serving in the East. Godfrey informs Balian that he is his true father, and urges the blacksmith to join him as he and his forces journey to Jerusalem to help defend the holy city. Balian accepts, and he and Godfrey arrive during the lull between the Second and Third Crusades, in which the city is enjoying a fragile peace. Both Christian and Muslim forces are temporarily in retreat, thanks to the wisdom of the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), his second-in-command Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and Muslim potentate Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). Violent agitators on both sides are foolishly eager to end the peace in a bid for greater power, and Saladin bows to pressures from Muslim factions; Godfrey is one of a handful of brave knights who has thrown his allegiance behind Baldwin IV and his community of diversity, and Balian joins him as they use their skills as warriors in a bid to build a lasting peace. Kingdom of Heaven also stars Eva Green as the princess Sibylla, David Thewlis as Hospitaler the priest, and Brendan Gleeson as Reynald. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Immigration has always been an important factor in the functioning of the American economy. With the advent of highly competitive industries, new technologies and globalization, businesses thrive to find the right candidates to meet their needs. We all know that the number one goal of a business is to make a profit and while many businesses try hard to operate within the moral standards set by societies, others will do whatever it takes to meet that number one goal. Yes, this does include the price of labor and yes I am talking about illegal immigration. One of those hot topics that continues to widen the divisions amongst American politicians.

The editorial board for the USA Today newspaper published an article that rejects current American policies on immigration laws while congresswoman Sue Myrick published an article in the House of Representative editorial in favor of strict immigration laws. The purpose of this article is to rhetorically analyze both arguments in favor of logical, emotional and ethical appeals.

The USA today focused their argument on pathos, the “simple humanity” aspect. Their main argument in pro of illegal immigrants is that while they are here illegally, most do not brake the law and are only looking for a better chance at living. They state that state laws on immigration show no mercy on “immigrants with steady jobs, deep community roots, a history of paying taxes and children who are citizens.”

Most of the logos used by the USA Today editorial board is mainly to fuel the emotional appeal they are trying to build on the reader. For example, they state that 25,000 illegal immigrants have left the state of Oklahoma after the implementation of stronger laws in the state against immigration and end with the statement that families are being “uprooted, and parents are separated from their kids” because of these new laws. They further use logos to communicate that according to a study, Oklahoma’s new laws could end up costing the state’s economy about a billion dollars. The source for such study was not given.

The overall tone is one of compassion. However, little credibility is established. As a national newspaper, the article is targeted to all Americans. The conclusion offers “President Bush’s immigration bill” as an abandoned yet best solution for current immigration problems, this was one last attempt to appeal to the reader’s emotions.

The first positive aspect any reader might find on Sue Myrick’s argument is in ethos, her personal credibility. As a congresswoman, the reader expects her to know what she is about to argue. As a representative of the state of North Carolina, she makes sure to establish full credibility on the subject of immigration through ethos by stating “North Carolina has the 8th largest illegal alien population in the country.”

Mrs. Myrick wastes no time in appealing through logos, the basis of her argument. In making a strong argument, she provides the source of her statistics, a report titled “Dropping Out: Immigrant Entry and Native Exit From the Labor Market, 2000-2005” and written by Steven Camarota, of the Center for Immigration Studies. Her statistics include numbers that support her argument such as the low composition of immigrants in the 473 major occupations in America and the high percentage of illegal immigrants with no more than a high school education.

Mrs. Myrick tone is defensive and unapologetic. Her audience is first and foremost the non-immigrant citizens who reside in the state of North Carolina. This is a clear because she always returns to statistics involving the state and, of course, the title of her article. After stating her argument through the use of statistics, she goes back to pathos by providing solutions that she believes will benefit her audience: “American workers would find jobs, and obtain wages that would help them get off government programs. Businesses would create new technology that would lower costs, and could actually help our economy expand further.”

In the subject of 12 million illegal immigrants living in America and the effects this causes on the rest of the population, judging strictly on a rhetorical analysis, congresswoman Sue Myrick makes a much stronger argument than the editorial board of USA Today. However, as an immigrant I can’t help but add my two cents to the debate. Yes, illegal immigrants must be punished, but before we try to round up and deport the 12 million illegal immigrants that are now part of the force the keeps the American economy moving, let us study the full outcome of those actions and other possible solutions. In my logic, illegal workers would not try to call attention on themselves by taking jobs away from people who rightfully deserve them and might get them deported. They are not drinking from our glass of milk, they are collecting the cookie crumbs that fall from the table. Congresswoman Sue Myrick said it best:”immigrants (legal and illegal) compose the majority of workers in just four out of 473 major occupations in America.” It seems to me we have enough time to come up with a plan that will put an end to the problem of illegal immigration once and for all.

Illegal Aliens Are Hurting North Carolina

Our view on illegal immigrants: New immigration laws expose downside of getting tough

Buddhism is a way of life that attempts to identify the causes of human suffering. In its teachings, the goal is to achieve enlightenment in order to help others attain the same state, as opposed to mere personal liberation. In the film “Little Buddha”, a group of Buddhist monks lead by their Lama (spiritual teacher), Norbu, travel the world in search of their physically deceased teacher, Lama Dorje, whom they believe has reincarnated in the body of a young American boy. Reincarnation is the belief that once a living creature dies, its soul is reborn in a new body. While the belief of reincarnation is widely spread in Asia, it is not a shared belief among many in Western countries.

The film makes a clear contrast between the cultural patterns of Tibetan Buddhists and the American culture. Illustrating the differences in norms, beliefs and social practices. The Buddhists monks lived with a sense of collectivism, encouraging conformity and interdependence. All monks dressed alike, regardless of seniority or country of residence. Their dress code consisted of a robe known as a zen and occasionally a hat.

The way of greeting included no physical contact or verbal communication. Placing both hands together and a gentle bow was the usual greet. This greeting is known as the wai and it is considered to be a sign of respect. There are three different types of wai. These were all shown in the film and depended mainly on ranks and genders.

1. A wai to Buddha is considered the highest level of respect. Males bow low while raising both hands with palms pressed together up to the face and forefingers touching the forehead while females move a foot backward and bend the knees, raising both pressing palms to the same position as men do.

2. The second level of wai happened when a woman approached Lama Norbu, a high ranked monk. She bent her knees and bowed almost to the floor. This was a sign of deep respect towards the Lama. Norbu didn’t return the greet. Usually such act might be thought as offensive, but Buddhists monks are considered the highest class in their society and as such are not required to show equal respect to others. Even kings should wai monks.

3. The third level of wai is between people of equal age and social status. Bending the head a little bit and raising both hands until the forefingers touch the tip of the nose is customary. This was the typical form of greet shown in the film and it was seen between the monks and also the American family once introduced to the cultural patterns of the Buddhist monks.
Throughout the movie, Lama Norbu presented a book, a watch and a bowl as gifts. In all three occasions the gifts were presented using both hands and the gifts were also received with both hands. This is also considered a sign of respect. Similarly the monks took off their shoes when they entered the home of the American boy, even when the homeowners didn’t.

In one of the scenes, Lama Norbu explained to the father of the American boy the purpose of Tibetan sand painting. The art consists in making beautiful images out of millions of grains of sand, laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks. As Lama Norbu explained, the paintings are made with sand to “show the impermanence of all within the universe, and when completed it will be destroyed with one gesture.”

The main difference in interpersonal communication between the Tibetan monks and the Americans was in their sense of group. While the monks always talked in terms of “we”, the Americans didn’t. Religion, of course, and death had a different level of importance between both groups. Cultural patterns affected interpersonal culture because it was hard for the American father to understand the concept of reincarnation.

REFERENCES

Little Buddha (1993). The life of Siddartha is paralleled with the story of Tibetan monks seeking his reincarnation in modern day Seattle. DVD.
The World in a Grain of Sand. www.chinaculture.org
Tibetan Buddhism. Wikipedia. www.wikipedia.com