Teaching Civic Education in the Post-Trump Era

Educators teaching civics during the presidency of Donald Trump can turn to social media to provide teachable  moments and have conversations  with students  about Americas democratic process. Beginning in the election campaign and continuing through the presidency, there have been many teachable moments in the form of 140 characters that come from the personal Twitter account of President Donald Trump. These messages are clear examples  of social medias growing influence on American foreign and domestic policy. Within a few days, President Trump may tweet about a range of topics including immigration issues, natural disasters,  nuclear threats, as well as the pregame behavior of NFL players.    President Trump’s tweets are not bound to the Twitter software platform. His tweets are then read aloud and analyzed on news media outlets. His tweets are re-published by both paper and digital newspaper outlets. In general, the more incendiary the tweet from Trump’s personal Twitter account, the more likely the tweet will become a major talking point in the 24-hour news cycle. Another example of a teachable moment from social media comes from the admission by Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg that campaign ads could have been purchased by foreign agencies during the 2016 presidential election in order to shape public opinion. In coming to this conclusion, Zuckerberg stated on his own Facebook page  (9/21/2017): â€Å"I care deeply about the democratic process and protecting its integrity. Facebooks mission is all about giving people a voice and bringing people closer together. Those are deeply democratic values and were proud of them. I dont want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. Zuckerburg’s statement indicates a growing awareness that the influence of social media may need more oversight. His message echoes a caution offered by the designers of the C3 (College, Career, and Civic) Frameworks for Social Studies. In describing the important role of civic education for all students, the designers also offered the cautionary note, â€Å"Not all [civic] participation is beneficial.† This statement alerts educators to anticipate the growing and sometimes controversial role of social media and other technologies in the future lives of students.    Beneficial Civic Education Using Social Media Many educators themselves use social media as a part of their own civic life experiences. According to the Pew Research Center (8/2017) two-thirds (67%) of Americans report getting their news from social media platforms. These educators may be included in the 59% of people who state that their interactions on social media with people of opposing political views are stressful and frustrating or they may be part of the 35% who find such interactions interesting and informative. Educator experiences can help inform the civic lessons that they design for their students. Incorporating social media is an established way to engage students. Students already spend much of their time online, and social media is accessible and familiar.   Social Media as Resource and Tool Today, educators can readily access primary source  documents  from politicians, business leaders, or institutions. A  primary source  is an original object,  such as audio or video recordings and social media is rich with these resources. For example, the  White House  YouTube  account hosts the video recording of the  Inauguration  of the 45th president. Primary sources can also be digital documents (firsthand information) that were written or created during the historical time under study. One example of a digital document would be from the Twitter account of  Vice-President Pence  in reference to Venezuela in which he states,No free people has ever chosen to walk the path from prosperity to poverty (8/23/2017). Another example comes from  the Instagram account of President Donald Trump: If America comes together – if the people speak with one voice – we will bring back our jobs, we will bring back our wealth, and for every citizen across our great land... (9/6/17) These digital documents are resources that educators in civic education to call attention to specific content or to the role that social media has played as a tool for promotion, organization, and management in recent election cycles.   Educators who recognize this high level of engagement understand the great potential for social media as an instructional tool. There are a number of  interactive websites  that are aimed at promoting civic engagement, activism, or community involvement in intermediate or middle schools. Such online civic engagement tools can be the initial preparation for engaging young people in their communities to get involved in civic activities. In addition, educators can use examples of social media to demonstrate its unifying power to bring people together and also to demonstrate its divisive power to separate people into groups.   Six practices for incorporating social media Social studies teachers may be familiar with the Six Proven Practices for Civic Education hosted on the National Council of Social Studies website. The same six practices can be modified by using social media as a resource of primary sources and also as a tool for supporting civic engagement.   Classroom Instruction: Social media offers many primary document resources that can be used to spark debate, support research, or take informed action. Educators must be ready to provide instruction on how to evaluate the source(s) of texts that come from social media platforms.Discussion of Current Events and Controversial Issues: Schools can access current events on social media for classroom discussion and debate. Students can use social media  texts as the basis for polls and surveys to predict or to determine public response to controversial issues.Service-Learning: Educators can design and implement programs that provide students with hands-on opportunities. These opportunities can use social media as communication or management tool for more formal curriculum and classroom instruction. Educators themselves can use social media platforms to connect with other educators as a form of professional development. Links posted on social media can be used for inquiry and research.Ext racurricular Activities: Educators can use social media as a means to recruit and continue to engage young people to get involved in their schools or communities outside of the classroom. Students can create portfolios on social media of their extra-curricular activities as evidence for college and career.School Governance: Educators can use social media to encourage student participation in school government (ex: student councils, class councils) and their input in school governance (ex: school policy, student handbooks).  Simulations of Democratic Processes: Educators can encourage students to participate in simulations (mock trials, elections, legislative sessions) of democratic processes and procedures. These simulations would use social media for ads for candidates or policies. Influencers in Civic Life Civic education at every grade level has always been designed to prepare students to be responsible participants in our constitutional democracy. The evidence suggests that what be added to the design is how educators explore the role of social media in civic education. The Pew Research Center lists recent high school graduates (ages 18-29) as choosing Facebook (88%) as their preferred social media platform compared to students in high school who rank Instagram (32%) as their favored platform. This information indicates educators must become familiar with multiple social media platforms to meet student preferences. They must be ready to address the sometimes outsized role social media plays in Americas constitutional democracy. They must bring perspective to the different points of view expressed on social media and teach students how to evaluate the sources of information. Most importantly, educators must provide students practice with social media through discussion and debate in the classroom, especially when the Trump Presidency offers the kinds of teachable moments that make civic education authentic and engaging. Social media is not limited to our nations digital borders. Roughly one-quarter of the worlds population (2.1 billion users) is on Facebook; one billion users are active on  WhatsApp  daily. Multiple social media platforms connect our students to networked global communities. In order to provide students with critical skills important for 21st century citizenship, educators should prepare students to understand the influence of social media and to be able to communicate using social media on issues both national and global.

Failure to Launch - 652 Words

Topic: Failure to Launch Question/Prompt: Discuss at least 2 reasons research is suggesting for young adults still living at home. This new phenomenon—young adults still living in their parents home well into their late 20s to early 30s—is proposed to be a result of many different reasons. Spend some time reading what experts suggest about this trend and address at least 2 reasons suggested. Contrary to popular belief â€Å"boomerang kids â€Å"or kids who fail to leave home, as they are called did not start during the â€Å"great recession† as numbers show. Research shows that this phenomenon has been increasing in number between the years of 1980 to 2008 (Adams, 2012). There can be several reasons that can be attributes to this. The go to†¦show more content†¦Grown children can benefit significantly from parental help. Young adults who received financial, every day and emotional support from their parents have reported clearer life goals and more satisfaction than young adults who received less parental support (Fingerman amp; Furstenburg , 2012). This closeness to parents, signals an overall change in the cultural climate of what relationships take place in people’s lives today versus in generations past. This change is made true by, delays in marriage, more Americans choosing to remain single, and high divorce rates, a tie to a parent may b e the most important bond in a young adult’s life (Fingerman amp; Furstenburg , 2012). However the negative side to this can also lead to adult children feeling stifled and there even older parents sometimes feeling as though the children will never grow up. Research shows that parents and grown children alike reported awkwardness, viewing intense parental support in adulthood as a sign of harmful over-involvement. Parents reported less gratification about their own lives if they believed their children were too dependent (Fingerman amp; Furstenburg , 2012). So although help is great, it is the idea that this help can in turn cause more good than harm that is the issue. With the economy not yet having fully come back full swing and an ever changing definition of marriage coupled withShow MoreRelatedFailure to Launch663 Words   |  3 Pagesmoving back home with their parents. This has been the case in the past and now it’s no different. There are several reasons for why young adults have returned home after leaving. In a presentation by Dr. Brooks she clearly states that children failure to launch because the lack of social and emotional development which causes them to dependent on their parents to help meet their needs (2014). According to Dunn (2012), as the economy struggles, it becomes more difficult for young people to gain theirRead MoreFailure to Launch Essay925 Words   |  4 PagesFailure to launch - According to Hala Al-Nasser reporter at USA TODAY, the biggest impact that make people stay home longer is because of lower income and less education. In the movie failure to launch, Tripp has a great job yet he stays at his parents house and doesn’t think about moving out. According to Riegels Interpretation of Development and The Family Life Cycle, there are reasons why Tripp refused to leave the nest. 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Merck has available resources to complete the dr ug testing, to manufacture and to market the drug; so it has higher bargaining power than LAB and can bid at a lower price than $14 million. According to Davanrik failure probability analysis, the overall failure is 85.45%Read MoreChallenger Case Study1338 Words   |  6 Pagescharacterize the broader context surrounding the January  1986 teleconference? What impact might  that have on the group’s decision making  process? The Challenger Launch decision on January 28th 1986, proved to be one of the crucial decisions ever made as it lead to one of space sciences most talked about disasters. The Challenger launch project was faced by a major financial constraint owing to the ongoing Vietnam War. Thiokol won the contract to build the SRBs since they asked for a lower emolumentRead MoreBackground Of Mission And Lead Up For Failure1630 Words   |  7 PagesBackground of Mission and Lead up to Failure NASA along with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) partnered up and rolled out to launch a sequence of space mission to probe neighboring planets such as Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The Mariner was considered as a robotic interplanetary probe to NASA and all space officials involved with this project. The Mariner was developed around the time of President John F. Kennedy’s administration, which was in the 1960’s. The United States was in a big race withRead MoreSpace Shuttle Challenger Case Study Solution1371 Words   |  6 Pagescountry. Based on investigation conducted by the Roger’s Commission, the O-ring seals in Challenger’s solid rocket booster (SRB) became brittle due to extreme cold temperature that caused the failure to fully seal the joint of the right SRB. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the decision made to launch space shuttle Challenger despite the issues about the O-rings raised by the engineers at Morton Thiokol, the manufacturer of the solid rocket boosters. This analysis covers the people who madeRead MoreThe Space Shuttle Challenger1683 Words   |  7 Pages The significant engineering failure that will be analyze is the Space Shuttle Challenger. In 1986, the Challenger faced many launch delays. The first delay of the Challenger was due to the expected weather front and presence of the Vice President (ENGINEERING.com). Since rain and cold temperatures were expected to move into the area, they didn’t want the Vice President to make unnecessary trips. However, the launch window became perfect weather conditions since the weather front stalled. The secondRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act And Its Corresponding Implementation Of The United States Of America Government s Healthcare Marketplace1611 Words   |  7 Pag esthe United States of America government’s healthcare marketplace (Healthcare.gov) has been highly publicized and deliberated since before its launch in October 2013. Several researchers have sought to provide possible responses and reasoning as to why the implementation of the project did not finish as expected. Factors contributing to the unsuccessful launch of the software has been attributed to problems with project management, staffing, implementation and technology which can be further brokenRead MoreUnited Cereal1477 Words   |  6 Pagesrequest to launch of Healthy Berry Crunch in France? Be sure to analyze both sides: Launch and Delay Launch (summarize in a table format and then discuss). Question 2. Does United Cereal represent an example of centralized or decentralized international management? Question 3. What do you think of Brill’s Eurobrand proposals? Should she authorize the launch of Healthy Berry Crunch as the Eurobrand? What concerns do you have? How do you resolve them? Be sure to analyze both sides: Launch and Delay

Medium enterprises in the society Free Essays

string(135) " the communications the planning and the decision becomes more easier in both ways for the organization and as well as the management\." Globalization has turned the status of the small and medium enterprises in the society. They have raised their standards to achieve the target market, promoting the business operations, perfecting their values, brands and images in the market. Research indicates that the correlation appears to be evident between the business entities and efforts help to boast the opportunities and the image of these small enterprises in the economy. We will write a custom essay sample on Medium enterprises in the society or any similar topic only for you Order Now The progress has further been indicated to shift upward from the ability to assimilate high technological demands that are at par with the global standards at all times of the modern consumers. Walnut club is one of these enterprises, in which the brand image is tremendously given the prestige in UK and EU hotels and motels. The restaurant has started the business just recently but has managed to open several outlets in the area. The main branch of the club is in Hathersage, while services of catering music and other traditional arrangements of functions and meals are provided by the club. (Walnut Club, 2008). The club provides services to all the categories and class of people and so many people are attracted towards the club. The club deserves the resonance of the people and provides satisfaction to all its members. The club has many international clients and it has observed the movement of these clients for the sake of fame and image. b) Aims and objectives of the study To effectively determine how small and medium enterprises are able to promote the value and brand image for higher productivity and profitability amidst the highly dynamic global competition, this study seeks to attain the several aims and objectives. To begin with, using Walnut Club as one of the most successful business in the group of small and medium enterprises, this paper will seek to establish the best management practices for achieving such high levels. In this respect clear evaluation of Walnut management will be undertaken in all of its management units in UK. To add to that, the study will seek to establish the actual methods that Walnut Club and indeed other small and medium enterprises use to promote their value and brand image. The decision of the consumer is influenced by the role of the brand image of the Walnut club compared to the other clubs in the area. Finally, the study aims at finding out possible missing links in promotion of value and brand image in Walnut and conclude possible ways of enhancing and promoting the same demands in small and medium enterprises. Chapter Two Literature review a) Introduction The overview of the chapter related to the literacy materials is given in this chapter and the brand image promotion related to the small and medium enterprises. It therefore seeks to support the main theoretical principles of consideration in line with the objectives of the study. b) Small and medium size businesses operations Small and medium enterprise is a term mainly used to categorize the size of business units depending on different criteria. These businesses are categorized to have the amount of having 50-250 people in the firm in the countries of Europe. In Europe and particularly in EU has standardized the reference of SME while many of other countries globally use different ratings. It is worth noting that globally, SMEs form over 90% of the total number of business units in existence. In EU, about 65 million people are employed by SMEs operating in different sectors. As a comparison with larger business enterprises, SMEs have much higher flexibility both in their internal and external operations when compared to other enterprises. Indeed, this flexibility has been linked with their increased capacity to offer highly personalized services making them to easily win the consumers affection (Tsoukas and Robert, 2002, 74-76; Wren and Storey, 2002, 335-338; Ryan and Hiduke. 2003, 78-81). c) Customer value in small and medium enterprises SMEs managed over the following years to create its place in the market and compare it with the other personal operations and the management interlinks. Customer value is perhaps the most important aspect of management as it defines a business unit’s ability to apply different aspects of management to suit each of the consumers demands at all times. Accel (2004); Bushe (2001, 104-105) indicate that due to the fast rising ability to apply technology at all levels of management, their role in managing consumer demands has greatly increased. The ability to respond to the consumer demands with minimal bureaucracy increases their grip on the customers’ loyalty. The core of the SMEs application is the due to the reduced costs and the large amount of credit owing to attract more customers to define the trend and the growth. This has particularly been important in the hospitality industry where consumers are highly sensitive not just to the size of the business unit; the quantity is deferred by the size and quality. The brand is considered as one of the key pillars in determining the road map to success for the different SMEs. Creation of the effective brand helps in creating positive perception and image to the consumers and therefore generate the required competitive capability for the SMEs (Robbins, 2005; Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004, 103; Kennerley et al, 2003, 65-69). Though this aspect application is hard as Fox (2005, 45-48); Donegan (2002, 56-57) indicate, it is mainly based on the overall ability of the management to relate the different aspects of the business operations and the dynamic market demands. At this point, the management should be able to leverage the enterprises’ strengths and derive the core values for the staff and the consumers (DuBrin, 2006, 99-102; Goh, 1998, 15-22; Kuratko, 1997, 24-33; Roper and Hewitt-Dundas, 2001, 99-117). This ensures that interlinks between different products and services offered by the business unit are established. The establishment of the brand image for the SMEs is much more easier and due to the simple strategic decision making and the communications the planning and the decision becomes more easier in both ways for the organization and as well as the management. You read "Medium enterprises in the society" in category "Papers" d) Culture management and change demands for SMEs The organization culture is very essential in the modern business operations. Business image and value is indeed considered to be part of the overall culture where interplay of management and employees’ views, beliefs and trends in their operations dictate the ability to effectively attract customers and maintain high quality of the services offered and customer service. Through operating as a small or medium business unit, it is possible to operate in fewer teams and therefore create a highly cohesive unit to address all the demands for growth It is indeed much easier to cite areas with need for change and view change as part of the overall continuous demand to grow and move rapidly by assuming the names of small and medium. Business operations have recently seen a major turn in demand for diverse application of the concepts of management techniques to enhance higher levels of compatibility with the fast growing divergence needs of the consumers. The ability to enhance great levels of diversity that fits the different consumers in particularistic niches creates a competitive advantage over other similar businesses. The notion is indeed very complex with the consumer demands fast evolving with time. However, SMEs have been cited to have an upper hand in their ability to assess and re-invent their products and services to fit their different consumer needs. Though in the past researchers have generated divergent views and failed to establish a standard method for promoting diversity among the SMEs, it is clear that all lines affiliated to consumer products and services design should operate hand in hand to respond to the different consumer needs. e) SMEs and Diversity In bid to effect greater levels of diversity to attract and retain the consumers in Walnut, the management established ‘super’ ingredients that gave all the foods prepared it a highly organic outlook that has made a must stop center. The general manager of Walnut Sean OToole points out that the diversity of the meals as it has come to be understood about Walnut, always have a new setting that reflects its different dishes that are served at any meal (Walnut Club, 2008). In addition, the management indicates that though consumers may not have the actual taste of the dishes served by the Walnut especially for the first visitors, the display and the setting of the restaurant have left them wishing to get back for similar diverse services. However, the management indicates that careful resources application should be articulated to ensure that funds are employed only to promote profitability (Engwall et al,2005, 228-431; Fan and Phan, 2007, 1121-1125). f) Leadership in SMEs Leadership for small and medium business enterprises is one of the most important aspects that not only dictates the proposition of value and brand image, but determines their application at different instances. As indicated earlier, the direct notion of an enterprise as a small or medium business derives the necessary impetus to grow and move to the higher levels possible. Clifford (2008, 41-42) and Dettmer, (2003, 51-53) point out that leadership creates the necessity to improve the value of consumers and staff as a major facet that dictates the overall intrinsic image that later manifests itself to the outside community. Taking into consideration the need to stay atop of others and mainly constrained by the resources’ availability, leadership of SMEs seeks to enhance better highly integrated system where emergent leaders assimilate different offices with minimal residual effects. It is in this view that SMEs leadership encourages instantaneous skills promotion that seeks relegation, innovation and creativity, and also networking that derives the necessary niche for establishing the best image for the consumers. g) SMEs and Technology demands Technological advancements have been cited as one of the most important tools for the 21st century businesses progression. However, it has been cited to be even more important to the SMEs in that it dictates their ability to widen their general scope within the colonization areas of target. Presently, most of the consumers in the different countries like Britain focus their status on the basis of the image of a given business enterprise (Krake, 2005, 229-331; Merrliee, 2007, 405-409). Under this consideration therefore, use of technology becomes a facilitating instrument and also an element for assessment. Technology as a facilitating agent is used in advertisements that reflect effectively on the types of services and products being offered by the business units and therefore easy value and image assessment by the consumers. On the other hand, the nature of different advertisements directly curves the necessary brand image and value of the consumers. To effectively raise the overall image of the company, the managements of SMES have sought to integrate both high technology and personalized systems to invoke holistic customer satisfaction as part of the overall value in the business unit. Chapter Three Methodology a) Introduction This chapter forms one of the most important sections of a dissertation. It is the actual basis upon which the major objectives of the study and the research question will be evaluated. Johnson (2000, 54-57) points out that the methodology section acts as a major assessment tool for determining the authenticity of the research. In this case, the Walnut club management, employees, and the consumers will form the main consideration which will be used to ascertain the viability of the hypothesis statements. To add to that, this section will offer an inclusive critique of the techniques that will be applied in the study. The major aspects of this section will include. b) Purpose of the study Promotion of value and brand image application in the small and medium size enterprises enables them to realize their missions and effectively trace their strategies for profitability and subsequent growth and development (Wong Ho, 2005, 155-162; Mikulecky, 2007, 45-47; National Defense University (N. D. ). 2008; Senge, 1998, 11-12). This application is reflected as a matter of different direct and indirect functions explicit in management through staff operations, perceptions, culture, and customer views. The methodology section will therefore seek to collect the major views and perception from all the stakeholders on the relationship between promotion of value and brand image of Walnut club with its enviable progress. c) Research scope and time frame As indicated earlier in the objectives of this study, the researcher will seek to establish how value and brand image can be promoted in small and medium size enterprises to raise their productivity and profitability in their major operations. Therefore, the study will delimit itself to affect the demands of this study to Walnut club in and its main branches in UK. With businesses’ overall value and brand image being indeed very complex, the study will further concentrate its considerations to the staff of Walnut club, and its main consumers to seek their views in relation to the objectives of the study. To effectively cover all the objectives of the study, the researcher will take a period of six months from the day of commencement for the study. Though the time appears to be long, it may turn out to be just enough or indeed much less depending with the cooperation of the respondents. d) Data and data collection Effective research according to Mikulecky (2007), is the one that has the highest capacity to apply the necessary theoretical framework and major demands of modern development with the actual field aspects to assimilate the necessary position for effecting growth and development. Data collection methods that are applied by the researcher indeed are the main determinant of the efficiency that will be assimilated by the study. To ensure that this research aligns with the guideline of the research questions and further steered by the objectives, the data collection methods will be designed in a manner that appreciate the nature of the research itself to assimilate the highest possible acceptable outcome. ? Primary data The data will be collected from the staff and then from the customers of the Walnut club, its members and others. The main point of the research is that on the basis of this data and the survey of the primary data conducted the data shall be the main source of information and the only link of the customers and the management. The consumers’ role shall also be defined by the survey conducted. Questionnaires shall be constructed and will be used for the different levels of management and the stake holders which shall be assessed in such a manner that that basic information is reserved. It is worth noting that though observation will not be used as part of the data to be analyzed by the study, it will be a key element in supporting the major views and orientation of the study in the discussion section. Â ¦ Secondary data The secondary information is required to complete the initiative step of the research and to draw the result effectively of the first phase of the analysis of the survey. Though the main data counted will not be analyzed of the Walnut club, it will still serve as the major outline in the terms of promotion and the brand image in these small and medium enterprises by giving the overall view and picture of the other regions and areas globally. As a result, secondary information will be presented as a form of literature review in chapter two and three of the main dissertation. Particularly, this literature will be assimilated from major libraries, institutions, and other related small and medium sized enterprises websites. The literature view acts upon as the major source of the view and this helps in analyzing the data carefully. e) Samples and Sample Selection Due to the size of the Walnut club in nature and categorization, the sample will be small in size and focused to Walnut and its customers only. Therefore, the samples will include the top management, the middle level managers, and the lower level Walnut employees. To ensure better and higher viability of the results, the researcher will employ strategic sampling methods to reduce the levels of bias in the main results. However, it will leave room for random sampling method to adjust or cater for different non responses. f) Measurement and analysis of the results As indicated earlier, this study is qualitative in nature as it will seek to establish how value and image brand can be effectively promoted among the small and medium sized enterprises for growth and development of the business unit. It is from this notion that the measurements will be developed in a format that is harmonic with the research objectives while taking into consideration of the model that will be employed during its analysis g) Limitation of the study To effectively complete the study, the researcher expects to get the following limitations. To begin with, there is a possibility of non response and late responses from different respondents. This may delay the whole study out of the expected time frame of six months. To address such problems, the researcher will schedule the questionnaires issue and interviews to start early enough during the study. Follow up will also be applied to non response and late responses. The time frame of six months that the research is expected to take is considered to be limiting in that understanding of value and brand image promotion may require more time to intrinsically comprehend its dynamics at all levels. Indeed more time for this research could assist in inclusion and use of a larger sample and review of more literature to give more accurate results. The researcher will ensure that all the available time is utilized maximally to ensure that all aspects of the study are covered. Finally, taking into consideration that Walnut club is an extremely busy business, the researcher expects to get a hard time fixing into their programs to ensure that the study do not interfere with the normal running while maintaining the necessary research standard. How to cite Medium enterprises in the society, Papers

Situational Analysis of Grandmas Little Bakery

Question: Discuss about the Situational Analysis of Grandmas Little Bakery. Answer: Introduction Grandmas Little Bakery is small company in Australia whose expertise is in offering coffee and bakery products to the customers. The shop cum restaurant offers food products for both take way and dine in. Since its establishment seven years ago, the company has been expanding around different regions of the country including Canberra, Alexandria, Rosemary, and McEvoy. The mission of the company is to provide the best tasting food and coffee possible for its customers worldwide (grandmas.com.au, 2016). The project aims at producing a situational analysis report on the strategic marketing plan of Grandmas Little Bakery. The analysis report considers the competition and the financial details of the company including the short and long-term goals. The situational analysis would be helping in identifying and analysing the target market including the details of the products, place, price, people, promotion, physical evidence, and processes as well. The analysis report incorporates the analysis of the internal environment, external environment, customer analysis, and detailed competitor analysis of the Grandmas Little Bakery (Solomon, 2014). The main objective of the report is to provide a deep understanding of the ideas of an effective marketing pan for the company such that to develop an effective marketing strategy. Internal Environment Analysis Marketing Mix The discussion below highlights marketing mix of Grandmas Little Bakery which is an essential part of the entire business proposition. Product: The quality of the product is critical in the bakery industry. Grandmas Little Bakery, for that reason, would have to utilize various methods for ensuring the quality of its product. All the products and items namely, homemade cookies, traditional bread, pastries, cakes, and sweets would be made from the scratch with fresh ingredients. The bread and cupcakes would also be baked in the proper amount of time, and any expired items need to be disposed of at the earliest (Mitra, 2016). Grandmas Little Bakery should focus on hygiene and cleanliness. Since the entity aims to recreate home-style cooking and baking using unique flavors and recipes inspired by Grandmas and Grandpas all over the world, innovation assumes huge important in the entire production process (Frey, 2015). Innovation is the goal of the firm. On one hand, innovations would be attained by the creation of new flavors and exotic items of traditional bread, pastries, cakes and sweets, while on the other, the compa ny plans to introduce one unique cupcake every month and that too for a limited period. This ploy would help the business to test new items and products which would determine which products are preferred by customers. The management of Grandmas Little Bakery would be responsible for trying out new recipes for the above stated products. In the line of introducing new cupcakes each month, the firm would also offer seasonal items which would be available for a limited time. The chef at the helm and his team would develop possible flavors in the light of consumer tastes and preferences. For instance, a flavored custard pastry may be offered only during summer months . Likewise, a cake may be only available in the autumn months made of lemon flavor. The entity intends to introduce various flavors of items thereby offering consistency and giving the clients something to look forward to. Place: The business has been operating for seven years and is slowly expanding around the region. Today, the firm operates from Canberra. In present times, Grandmas Little Bakery is willing to expand and make inroads into different territories. The firm would commence as a small unit with a single bakery. Nevertheless, in due course of time, the business would attempt to expand. The expansion phase would begin at Alexandria, Rosemary, and McEvoy respectively. The consumers would be able to place their orders at a nearby outlet of Grandmas Little Bakery. And for clients who are based not nearby the unit, items and products may be shipped. Each cake, pastries, and other exotic items would be freshly baked. Price: Needless to say, the price is a determining factor for the success of the entire organization (Rummler Brache, 2012). Before commencement of business operations, the firm needs to make manifold investments in building, equipment, a vehicle for catering service and supplies and utilities required for the firm to operate. The bakery would have recurring costs of supplies, compensation of employees, repairs, and others. The prices at the firm are very low to attract the attention of consumers and uphold the loyalty. A small coffee would cost at USD 2.50 and large USD 3.00, while a traditional shakshuka dish would cost at USD 15 (Just Wansink, 2014). In the aim of gaining well the return of investment and earn profits, the firm would consider these aspects before settling over the price. The management of the firm would compute the cost of manufacturing cakes, pastries by supplies used. Having done that, the firm would research the prices of comparable items and products of a si milar business in the same area. The management needs to think about employee compensation and derive on the limit of income needed to ensure the healthy return of investment. The bottom line is as long as the prices are efficient enough to cover the costs calculated for this unit; Grandmas Little Bakery would select prices that are competitive in the domain. Promotion: Like any business, customer awareness is the primary step in promoting a new business. Grandmas Little Bakery aims to offer specials of the day and also good deals which come with coffee and cookie (grandmas.com.au, 2016). The management at the helm of branding would undertake into flyers and yellow pages activity which will help to people to know the brand. The logo of the firm would be used everywhere from uniforms to meals. The unit strives to make its presence felt through social media like Facebook, Instagram and would create a website of its own. Rosemary, where the firm is willing to set up its outlet is mainly an industrial area, where families can come and enjoy the services of the product. The business is willing to build up a reputation as a state-of-the-art bakery unit in the region (grandmas.com.au, 2016). Generation of consumer interest is important for business success. The customers would be able to taste an assortment of delicacies ranging from cakes, cook ies, pastries and burgers. This would allow them to explore the items on offer. The firm also plans to make the most of the public relations for business promotions. Doing so would not only help the firm to generate more business from the locality but also increase chances of word-of-mouth in the region. The business needs to participate in community events which would be an excellent form of advertisement to the consumers, by and large. Donating baked items for philanthropic initiatives and fundraisers would go a long way to increasing consumer awareness of the firm in question. This would reveal that the company is willing to engage in meaningful social initiatives and help the community in achieving the desired goals and objectives. It is important for the firm to make sure that they do not delve into profit making activities only but also contribute effectively to the cause of the community and society in general. People: The firm would recruit its resources from the local area. The various areas of operation range from the administration, sales and marketing, production and promotion and branding (Gyrd-Jones Kornum, 2013). The staff count may be twelve at the onset, and it would take a minimum two to three years for the business to consolidate. The management needs to impart valuable training to the employees to prepare for state-of-the-art services. Also, they need to be made aware of their brand which would attract and retain consumers. Process: Grandmas believe in the philosophy of day in day out services. The food items are made on a daily basis at the shop. Whereas items like sweets and pastries are brought from the main unit in McEvoy. The firm intends to distribute the assorted items from McEvoy to the Rosemary outlet and finally to the customer. At present, the unit is not big enough to accommodate selling options to various supermarkets and shops. The firm uses raw materials procured from local suppliers for producing a wide range of items. The firm makes everything from the scratch (grandmas.com.au, 2016). The management plans to invest extra money in procuring the essential item that is butter. It may cost more but at the end of it, the results speak for it when the firm would produce lip-smacking delicacies. Furthermore, the entire production process is undertaken in conformity with the health and safety standards of the regulator authorities of the state. External Environment Analysis A PEST analysis or investigation would put forth a diverse external environment that the firm is subjected to while doing business in the region. PEST analysis At the outset, it is important to note that the global economic downturn had dented the firms profitability and hurt the customers purchasing power (Gupta, 2013). However, the silver lining is that the downturn has not affected much the consumption of bakery products by the consumers. Impacts of Political factors: The main hindrance that the firm may encounter with is sourcing raw materials for the products and items. In Australia, a lot of attention is rendered in the case of safety, health and raw materials (Badland et al., 2014). The company is willing to adhere to various social norms and gives importance to fair trade practices. The firm must monitor the political stability within the nation and also other states where it sources raw materials from. Tax policy and employment laws are something that the firm needs to consider while functioning in the business sector. Economic factors: The slump in global economic condition is a significant factor for Grandmas Little Bakery. This is believed to be a threat for the firm as far as profitability is concerned. It goes without saying that the bakery industry has performed dismally over the last few years. The industry revenue is anticipated to grow at an annual rate of 1.8 percent over the timeline of 2015-16 (Lawrence et al., 2013). The revenue forecast for the entire sector is expected to rise by 1.7 percent in the same period to reach a figure of approximately USD 750 million. Thus Grandmas Little Bakery may take heart from these staggering stats and operate accordingly. Socio-cultural factors: For organizations selling food products and items it is immensely important to know about the tastes of the consumers and effectively use those for the target demographic. Grandmas Little Bakery may offer cheaper items, but it may have to consider the quality in this regard. This is one of the important challenges that the firm may is likely to encounter with. The firm has to tap the baby boomer generation and Millennials as consumers (grandmas.com.au, 2016). Also, the firm should be abreast with changing family patterns in the region along with the shift in consumer preference. Changing values among the diverse population change in lifestyle and work pattern amongst the population deserve special mention in this case. Technological environment: The advancement of technology has propelled Grandmas Little Bakery to enjoy certain advantages like offering discount coupons to tech-savvy consumers with its partnership with technological giant like Apple. Already, talks are going on to introduce Wi-Fi measures in its outlets. Today, almost the entire generation is living in an internet age (Wegerif, 2013). They are offered with the facility to gorge into muffin while surfing the web. The other technological aspects that the firm needs to contemplate are innovative technology, advancement in the biotechnological arena and latest developments in agriculture. The impact of Environmental factors: Grandmas Little Bakery strives to operate in holding the trust of the consumers and take into consideration facets like environmental rules of the country it operates in. The firm should maintain environmental sustainability and environment management system to control its activities and provide guidance on food management practices. Grandmas Little Bakery would work with suppliers in an environment conscience manner for upholding of best environment practices. The management should review the policy periodically and evaluate the firms performance in implementation of environmental policies as per the agreeable metrics. Furthermore, prevention of pollution, reduction of wastage, energy efficiency and waste recycling are some of the measures that the firm should be considerate to. Detailed customer analysis Demographics From the analysis of the demographics of the customers of Grandmas little bakery, it can be evident that the shop has three main types of customers (grandmas.com.au, 2016). The first type is the regular customers who are working in other companies and are living around in the area along with their respective families. These customers are residing and are working in the building around the shop and hence, the shop needs to open its door early in the morning at 6.30 am every day. As the shop needs to open early in the morning, it has to fulfill the daily requirements of the regular habits of the customers including the coffee and quick bites. Moreover, theses customers are also the first to arrive during the lunch break and thus, the staff of the shop is required to be patient and cooperative with them. The second type of customers is the people who work around in companies at some distance from the shop. These customers tend to come at 9.00 am for coffee and take away products. These customers tend to enjoy more time in the shop for small meetings or just to socialize. Thus, the staff needs to maintain a healthier relationship with these customers. The third type of customers are the people who come around the shop on weekends with their families in order to enjoy a space to socialize and hang out for a picnic being attracted by the ambience and friendly mature of the staff. Customer types Demographics Implications for staff and the shop 1st type working in the building around the shop be patient and cooperative 2nd type work around in companies at some distance from the shop maintain a healthier relationship 3rd type Come around the shop on weekends with their families Maintain hygiene of the premises and quality of food as well Table 1: Demographics of customers of Grandmas little bakery Source: Created by author Detailed competitor analysis The main competitors of the Grandmas Little Bakery include The Grounds, Meats and Cheese, and Sub Station caf. These three competitors have been conducting their food businesses in the same area near the Grandmas Little Bakery. The companies have been competitive with the shop by proving similar bakery products at the similar price as offered by the Grandmas Little Bakery. The Grounds Salt, Meat and Cheese Sub Station cafe Grandmas Little Bakery Features Food products includes salads, sandwiches, and other bakery products Meat and cheeses products Food products includes salads, sandwiches, and other bakery products Specializes in fresh bakery products including coffee Benefits Provide variety of food products to its customers popular among the customers Provide variety of food products to its customers Cheap price attracting customers Table 2: Competitor analysis of Grandmas little bakery Source: Created by author SWOT analysis Strengths: The prices at the firm are very low to attract the attention of consumers and uphold the loyalty. The food items are made on a daily basis at the shop (grandmas.com.au, 2016). The firm uses raw materials procured from local suppliers for producing a wide range of items. Besides, the entire production process is undertaken in conformity with the health and safety standards of the regulator authorities of the state. The entity also recreates home-style cooking and baking using unique flavors and recipes inspired by Grandmas and Grandpas all over the world. This provision of healthy and fresh baked food at an affordable price is the main source of attraction of the customers worldwide. Weaknesses: The bakery shop is very small as compared to the other competitors like Starbucks (grandmas.com.au, 2016). Thus, it lacks adequate capital to invest on the innovations that could help the company in the creation of new flavors and exotic items of traditional bread, pastries, cakes, and sweets for its customers. This would make the customers of the shop to get bored of the same food lacking creativity in dishes. Moreover, the promotion of the shop would also be requiring money, which the shop is currently lacking. Opportunities: Owing to the quality of food products and cheap prices, the shop has been able to attract huge number of customers worldwide. Thus, the company needs to implement appropriate policies for retaining its loyal customers by providing them with discounts and offers. Moreover, the expansion strategy of the firm would enable it to enter into new market, which would ensure its growth of business profitability in the future. Threats: The threats from the competitors of the shop around the area could be hampering with the profitability of the company (Hsu et al, 2013). Moreover, the limited menu of their shop as compared top the list of food times as provided by its competitors could, make the customers to opt for other bakery shops. Strengths prices at the firm are very low raw materials procured from local suppliers conformity with the health and safety standards of the regulator authorities of the state home-style cooking and baking Weaknesses shop is very small as compared to the other competitors lacks adequate capital to invest on the innovations and brand awareness Opportunities shop has been able to attract huge number of customers worldwide expansion strategy of the firm would enable it to enter into new market Threats competitors of the shop around the area limited food menu Table 3: SWOT analysis of the Grandmas Little Bakery Source: Created by author Conclusion The project deals in constructing a situational analysis report on the strategic marketing plan of Grandmas little bakery. The report also deals in considering the competition and the financial details of the company including the short and long-term goals. The situational analysis report would be helping in identifying and analysing the target market including the details of the products, place, price, people, promotion, physical evidence, and processes as well. The analysis report incorporates the analysis of the internal environment, external environment, customer analysis, and detailed competitor analyses of the Grandmas Little Bakery. The report is would be helping the company in providing a deep understating of the ides of an effective marketing pan such that to develop an effective marketing strategy. References Badland, H., Whitzman, C., Lowe, M., Davern, M., Aye, L., Butterworth, I., ... Giles-Corti, B. (2014). Urban liveability: emerging lessons from Australia for exploring the potential for indicators to measure the social determinants of health. Social Science Medicine, 111, 64-73. Frey, V. J. (2015). Preserving Family Recipes: How to Save and Celebrate Your Food Traditions. University of Georgia Press. grandmas.com.au,. 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