Category: Relationship

Introduction

There I no doubt peoples moods are influenced by many internal and external factors. No wonder the development of any specific company directly depends on the employees moods, hence the organizational climate. This paper will focus on the work climate, job attitudes, and personal relationships between employees.

Understanding of the Organizational Climate

It is a well-known fact that your job requires a responsible attitude throughout all career: from day to day disregarding circumstances and outside factors. However, every human living on this planet needs careful attention in terms of personal needs, personal world perception, and a mindset. Typically, the climate existing in the offices of contemporary business companies corresponds to human moods. It all depends on the perspectives the employees of specific companies have, if there is some good news about promotions and salaries raising there can arouse excitement and optimism. However, there can be opposite feelings like anger, depression, or even fear. The reasons may be different: the specification of the work carried out, personal life occurrences, etc. It has to be mentioned that hugely the climate depends on the leaders/heads that surely pass on good or bad mood across the company. Also, they are the primary persons to set up a certain climate within their workplace. Although the climate is changing all the time it cant be called a bad trait because this makes a company more alive and human. Otherwise you one would feel like a robot if the climate was constant, which would entail depression because we are humans and it is our nature to have altering moods. Moreover, it needs to be said that restraining our feelings and emotions may lead to evident problems with physiological and mental health. Fortunately, organizational climate is deeply studied nowadays and this gives hope for a better understanding of the inside moods.

Job Attitudes

A happy employee is a productive employee. Besides, the extent of efficiency and productivity of some particular person strongly depends on job satisfaction. As it was defined by Locke the job satisfaction is & a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences (Anderson, p. 26), this is what an average employee should feel when going to work to succeed and be beneficial to his/her company. Also, the job attitude can be simply defined by answering the following questions: what do I want to do for a living? Is it stable within my occupation? Is this job suitable to work and plan for retirement? These are the prior concerns an average employee has when distinguishing the job attitude. The best way to predict job satisfaction is foreseeing an opportunity to overcome job challenges, their variety, and scope.

Personal Relationships at Work

Of course, it is not a surprise that personal relationships at work are discouraged. Neither it is good for the employees nor their chiefs. To be more exact, personal affairs and friendships at work entail feelings of injustice and impropriety by other co-workers who would probably want to have the same but they dont since they are more obedient before corporate rules. Hence, this can also subsequently lead to the bad performance of the organization overall.

Conclusion

Every single aspect of human behavior should be taken into consideration when one aims at improving the work climate, job attitudes and restricting personal relationships at work.

Works Cited

Anderson, Neil., et. Al. Handbook of Industrial, Work and Organizational Psychology Volume 2: Organizational Psychology. London: Sage Publications, 2002. Print.

Introduction

Chinas economic growth in the past twenty years has been of interest to many countries and companies. Nowadays, numerous economic players prefer China as a business partner and place for their factories. Such changes in the global economy attracted the United States attention, which declared a trade war on China. It is necessary to analyze Chinese state-owned and Western private companies cooperation to anticipate the possible consequences of this confrontation. The aim of this essay is to answer several questions regarding different aspects of the economic relationship between General Motors (GM) and Chinas SAIC Motors.

The Long-Term Prospects for the Chinese Market

The closure of three assembly plants by GM results from low demand for passenger cars in the domestic sector. It can also be said that it is another episode of the trade war between the Chinese and the United States governments. These events raise the question of how GMs China-oriented production policy and the tariff war will affect the Chinese market in the long term. According to Li, He, and Lin (2018), & trade war with the US will hurt China, but cannot hurt China deeply, the negative impacts are affordable (p. 1575). Moreover, it is possible that the Chinese Government will provide additional subsidies for local manufacturers with which GM is currently cooperating (Lau, 2019). It is worth mentioning that the Chinese Government is expected to implement cuts in its tax rates& (Lau, 2019, p. 29). The Chinese market will experience some minor losses but will continue to grow at a significant pace.

GM Factories in China and Reasons to Stay

Not only does it make sense for GM to continue making cars in China, but also it is economically beneficial in the longer term. As mentioned above, GMs partnership with SAIC Motor opens up access for GM to public investment and subsidies (Lau, 2019). The collaboration also allows GM to compete effectively with local automakers who are major players in the Chinese market (Ou et al., 2019). It is worth noting that a China-oriented manufacturing policy enables GM to avoid high economic costs that could be caused by Chinese and US tariffs. Car manufacturing in China will also give the opportunity to GM to catch up on local electric vehicle trends such as the current demand for small plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the possible future demand for large-size PEVs (Ou et al., 2019). It is worth mentioning that Chinas economic sector is the largest and fastest-growing automobile market globally.

Potential Prospects and Consequences of Another GM Export Policy

If GM had pursued a trade policy of exporting cars from the domestic area to China, it would have faced several problems. One of them is the forty percent tariff set by the Chinese Government. The high trade costs would cause price cuts for GM vehicles and reduce the manufacturers profits. That is to say, GM would have met the same fate as Tesla. However, there are several positive outcomes for such a theoretical chain of events. The US government would not have canceled public subsidies for GM, and the company would have had to keep three assembly plants. GM would have lost much more than it gained if it decided to export products from the United States to China.

GM and SAIC Motor Cooperation Reasons, Benefits and Downside

One of the key reasons for the cooperation of GM and SAIC Motor may be to understand the demand patterns of local consumers. It may be very beneficial when the manufacturer has almost direct access to the necessary economic and social data that the public partner can provide. Other positive aspects of this partnership are GMs strong position in the Chinese market, as well as a preferential position in relation to the Chinese Government (Lau, 2019). The downside is that GM is obligated to share profits with SAIC Motor. Another potential disadvantage is that GM may have to provide confidential information such as new technologies and vehicle designs to the public partner.

Benefits and Costs of Import Tariffs

Import tariffs as a measure of trade policy can serve many economic and political purposes. One of them is to attract the attention of transnational corporations. Governments can use import tariffs to force companies to relocate production to their country, which will positively affect the countrys economy. Import tariffs can also serve as a protective measure for domestic private and public market players. The negative aspects are consumers social dissatisfaction and disapproval that may come from domestic companies that cooperate with foreign partners.

Conclusion

The paper examines aspects of the trade war, such as import tariffs, production relocation, and the consequences of its closing in the domestic area. The author answered a number of questions regarding the long-term prospects for the Chinese market, as well as GM factories in China, potential consequences of the companys other export policy, and its cooperation with SAIC Motor. It is worth noting that three scholarly sources support this work.

References

Lau, L. J. (2019). The ChinaUS trade war and future economic relations.China and the World, 2(02), 1-32. Web.

Li, C., He, C., & Lin, C. (2018). Economic impacts of the possible ChinaUS trade war. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 54(7), 1557-1577. Web.

Ou, S., Hao, X., Lin, Z., Wang, H., Bouchard, J., He, X.,& & Qi, L. (2019). Light-duty plug-in electric vehicles in China: An overview on the market and its comparisons to the United States.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 112, 747-761. Web.

Introduction

The paper aims to outline and describe the main methods of managing and negotiating relationships with suppliers. The case study requires research and assessment of a potential company supplier, as well as a proper contract finalization procedure. In that way, the paper will aid in demonstrating the basic principles of promoting good relationships with suppliers while maintaining workplace efficacy.

Meeting Preparation

In order to develop a plan for negotiations and conduct them at a good professional level, some preparation is necessary. This preparation includes a wide range of issues, which can be decomposed into three main components for ensuring the negotiation process: information, psychological, and tactical.

The peculiarity of the components is highlighted as they primarily determine our behavior in negotiations and are the basis for choosing a strategy, methodology, and techniques for their implementation. Gathering information is one of the most important stages of preparation for negotiations (Rogers & Fells, 2018). The information can be conditionally divided into three categories: information about the company, the partner and the external environment in which negotiations are taking place. The first concerns the companys own goals, plans, and conditions that determine the solution of tasks. The second category includes the personal characteristics of the opponent, the financial situation of a company, product features, and business connections. Finally, the third category refers to the political situation, the market situation, and the conditions for the functioning of delivery vehicles, laws and regulations, tax, and customs legislation.

To implement this part of the preparation for negotiations, it is necessary to use several available vendor analysis tools: Porters 5 Forces and SWOT analysis. Michael Porters theory for assessing potential risks is to assess possible adverse events that may somehow affect the business in the future. Porters 5 Forces Influencing Business Development: buyers (customers), suppliers, current competitors, new competitors, substitute products.

Porters 5 Forces analysis is still more internal, since it studies the influence of factors on a particular company, considering its strengths and weaknesses. As a result, the business owner receives an effective business development strategy that minimizes risks in the future.

Advantages of Porters 5 Forces analysis:

• Risk assessment. Using the methodology, the company can determine which factors may threaten the development of business with the supplier in the future.
• Assessment of business processes. After analyzing the internal situation of the supplier, there will be opportunities to identify aspects that improve and enhance the companys activities.
• Making competent decisions. Comparison of possible external threats and weaknesses of the supplier will allow the organization to develop a competent strategy for future development.

It is worth mentioning that this assessment method helps to make rational decisions. Thus, after the analysis, the company will receive a clear development strategy for several years ahead for each Porter Force. This will minimize the risks of losses and bankruptcy.

SWOT analysis is a collection of marketing and other investigations of an organizations or a single objects strengths and weaknesses. The method is based on utilizing the optimal external and internal factors to guarantee company success (Rogers & Fells, 2018). It is extremely important for every organization to be aware of the levers that it can control: the internal resources of the company, as well as the forces outside the impact zone. Thus, it will become the basis for studying aspects reflecting the current state of activity and the current position of suppliers.

Information about partners is crucial and can significantly affect the results of negotiations. General psychological preparation is necessary to create a certain climate of negotiations. Tactical training includes the development of such tactics, which allows the company to lead the other side and achieve the goal with minimal losses. The style of negotiations can be aggressive, overwhelming, friendly, or ingratiating. The choice of strategy depends on the subjective assessment of each others opponents. The ability to conduct business negotiations involves clear planning of communications with opponents. The sequence of actions is universal for each type and method of communication. The algorithm includes preparation, monologues and suggestions, discussions, bidding, and decision-making.

Maintaining the Supplier Relationship

Top Management Meetings

The presence of senior management at meetings with suppliers indicates the commitment of the organization to the supplier. Periodic meetings at which the top management of both organizations gathers provide an opportunity to discuss long-term strategies and mutual goals (Rogers & Fells, 2018). Meetings at the highest level contribute to establishing more serious relationships, which can demonstrate the suppliers interest. In addition, it allows you to control the entire process at the level of managers, which helps to avoid possible misunderstandings. This is manifested in the fact that decisions are made structured and clear.

Timely Payment of Invoices

Timely payment is of great importance for the cash flow of companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. It allows them to plan future activities and build more sustainable long-term relationships with their clients. This causes major issues for many businesses, compromising their liquidity and, in some cases, their survival. Another issue that occurs as a result of late payments is the amount of time and money spent by commercial businesses in recovering past-due obligations. Therefore, it is necessary to provide guarantees to the supplier that payments will be received on time. This will allow the company to establish more reliable relationships and strengthen trust.

Equitable Treatment of Suppliers

It is worth noting that an important factor is the timeliness of deliveries. Cooperation with several partners reduces the likelihood of supply disruption. In addition, it allows the company to choose more favorable terms of interaction. However, on the other hand, it is necessary to observe the ethical side of doing business (Rogers & Fells, 2018). The interests of various suppliers should be taken into account, and their manipulation should not be resorted to.

Periodic Supplier Surveys

Any organization should be confident in the quality of the delivered goods, the delivery time, and the optimal price. Surveys are an opportunity to find out the requirements and interests of the supplier regarding various aspects of the partnership. Thus, by maintaining contact with a partner in this way, it will be possible to create several opportunities to develop partner relations.

Supplier Development

The supplier performance management system is a tool for collaboration with suppliers to procure categories of materials and services that are of critical importance for business. It concerns all stages of cooperation  selection, evaluation, feedback, and supplier development (Rogers & Fells, 2018). The purpose of such management is to make relations with suppliers more productive, to facilitate the adaptation of suppliers to business requirements and, as a result, to obtain additional economic benefits from procurement management. Thus, it is necessary to constantly strive to contribute to improving supply chains.

Conclusion

Ultimately, this paper has illustrated the main principles of managing and negotiating supplier relationships. Porters 5 Forces and SWOT analysis were defined as effective methods of initiating and conducting the negotiations. At the same time, the company can maintain the well arranged meetings with suppliers only through the continuous incorporation of time management skills, senior management involvement, and supplier surveys. Such strategies have repeatedly demonstrated improvement of company-supplier relationships and can be further enhanced by implementing modern applications and technologies.

Reference

Rogers, H., & Fells, R. (2018). Successful buyer-supplier relationships.Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation, 3(3), 121136.

Starbucks Coffee Company was established in 1971, in Seattle Pike, and over the past thirty five years in existence, Starbucks has established more than over 11,500 outlets located around the world with a clientele of forty million every week.

It is a well known brand name globally specializing in gourmet coffee beans, caffeine-free beverages and coffee-brewed products (Opie Percival Read 2008).

Starbucks rapid growth and brand name recognition can be greatly attributed to the firms implementation of the seven elements of services marketing mix in its operations.

The seven elements are as follows: First, Product. Starbucks has been introducing new products in the market from time to time and offers wide range of products from 30 types of whole grain coffee to cappuccinos, coffee assortments and equipments, pastries, oatmeal, smoothies.

Starbucks has implemented a multi-faceted model of introducing its products in the market. This has helped to helped to keep competition at bay and meet its customers demands (Michelli 2007).

Second is price. Starbucks goods and services are sold at a higher price as they are seen to be luxury and esteemed products. Starbucks has applied value strategies on its products so as to cater for the low end consumers who cannot afford its products. Third element is place.

Starbucks locates its outlets strategically in locations with high human traffic on the move, and where people enjoy listening to music or reading books. Its stores can be found in large chain stores, malls, and hyper marts. The outlets are localized depending with their locality by giving each store its own identity name and local address (The Age 2003).

Fourth element is promotion. Starbucks does various promotion activities to capture the intended markets. Its promotions include; Starbuck Card which are used to enhance brand loyalty, and as a form of advertising; doorstep delivery of coffee services; corporate social responsibility activities; and offering international tea and coffee brands to cater for its diverse customer base (Beckwith 1997).

Fifth is process. Starbucks handles sales satisfactorily; processes order fast enough and offer after-sale services to customers as an overall marketing strategy.

Sixth element is physical evidence. Starbucks utilized its satisfied customers as a mode of advertisement and a source of goodwill. It ensures that it is well in contact with its customers and also potential customers (Koichi 2009).

Seventh element is people offering services. Starbucks ensures that its customers needs and suggestions are addressed as they offer important information to the contribution of better services.

These objectives have been very significant in Starbuck in meeting its marketing objectives and satisfying the demands of the customers.

At the moment, Starbucks marketing strategy it to position a local store as a third place for people away from home and workplace, to spend hours in and the outlets are built to make it a comfortable environment to stay in. this strategy has really worked for Starbucks over its competitors in the market.

Starbuck services are directed to customer value benefit, that is, to enable a coffee consumption experience that people can associate with every day. When Starbucks got into the coffee business the coffee consumption experience was not in demand and businesses had not implemented it (The Age 2003).

Starbucks has implemented the Service, Quality, Image, and Price (S-Q-I-P) model to achieve its customer-based objective, of making Starbucks the most established and esteem brand name in the globe. It offers customized service to its clients, with top quality tea and coffee products, goods which represent personal image at a price worthy for the kind of product (Crane 1993).

Starbucks has distinguished its operations and services from the other providers in the market by three main ways: first, it has specialized its main coffee experience as its main product; secondly the top quality coffee products and services; and thirdly Starbucks has provided an environment that excites individuals to walk in the stores and mostly come back in the future (Bhaskar 2009).

Reference list

Beckwith, H., 1997, Selling The Invisible: A field Guide To Modern Marketing, Warner Books, MA.

Bhaskar, C., 2009. Starbucks Marketing Mix. Indews Broadcast, Web. Web.

Crane, F., 1993, Professional services marketing: strategy and tactics, Routledge Publishers, CT.

Koichi S., 2009, Advertising Theory and Strategies, 16th edition, Souseisha Book Company, PA.

Michelli, J., 2007, The Starbucks experience: 5 principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary, McGraw-Hill Professional, London.

Opie Percival Read, 2008, The Starbucks, BiblioBazaar Publishers, Montreal.

The Age, 2003. Ground Control. The Age, Web. Available at: https://www.theage.com.au/ .

BMWs CRM: Introduction

The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on BMW, as CRM is one of most effective strategic tools to change the consumer behaviour.

This paper concentrates on the number of issues like conceptual framework of CRM, the adoption of CRM framework, CRM in the automobile industry, methodological framework, customer database, the effectiveness of CRM strategy on this company, the position of BMW, and so on.

Background of the Problem

The Sky News (1) reported that the luxury carmaker BMW has shocked with an 8% of its profit fall due to global financial crisis in 2008, and the company has aimed to overcome the situation by increasing sales, cutting its cost and reducing its staff within 2012.

With such a strategic alignment, it is suspicious whether the CRM practice of BMW would be collapsed or cut its existing standard. Under such a background problem, the aim of this research paper is to provide a clear overview of CRM about BMW to identify the best customers and their choice in order to offer best service to retain the loyalty of customers by maximising current and lifetime value of customers.

BMWs CRM Strategy: Literature Review

This literature review has been organised with following sub-chapters based on prominent authors and outstanding researches by most famous theoreticians of concurrent CRM study-

Conceptual Framework of CRM

Thompson, A. et al. (223) pointed out that the applicable definition of CRM has generated as a procedure of maximising customers values by means of concurrent marketing activities, integrating proper management of customers knowledge and information and maintaining long-term relation with them.

Starting from nineties, the corporate world has been keeping more emphasis on CRM as a fundamental component of Enterprise Resource Planning and the corporate houses taken huge imitative to standardise and categorise the informational resources with large investment with the aim to enable the corporate firms to prop up CRM as well as e-commerce to generate sustainable growth.

The Adoption Framework of CRM

Stoner et al (87) added that, there are four obligatory elements, which are essential for triumphant implementation of CRM and the four tools has driven from the theoretical framework of CRM implementation and these are demonstrated in the figure below-

Figure-1: Framework of CRM

Source: Stoner et al (87)

These four essential elements to successfully putting into practice of CRM at any organisation are concerned with  relationship marketing, apposite organisational structure, control of data warehousing and data consumption for customer management, and the four elements generate the framework of CRM necessary for any organisation that intend to implement.

The basic principal of CRM has put down on the philosophy of relationship marketing while the succeeding feature of CRM adoption has concerned with suitable organisational structure along with data warehousing is the third significant feature to the centre of attention on to effective formation of a triumphant CRM accomplishment and next to lay emphasis on data utilisation.

Limitation of CRM Implementation

Robbins and Coulter (214) addressed that the join up of the above four rudiments of CRM implementation should support the organisations to get better outcomes in their marking drives as well as business operations though there are a number of obstacles to introducing a CRM system for a particular organisation.

Nevertheless, the most awful limitations may include as lack of skills, malfunction to appreciate the benefits, insufficient investment, underprivileged quality of data, and poor evaluation structure where the skills for data shortage by using the new system is the most significant dilemma of CRM implementation

CRM in Automobile Industry

IBM Business Consulting Services (8) explained that the CRM of automobile industry has turned just into a slogan in the rather than appropriate integration and evidenced that the sector has lacking with the understanding of the core values of CRM.

For automobile industry, CRM could be assessed as the organisational function aimed to get better customers focal point along with sensitivity and openness by analytically assembly and utilising customers appropriate data to creating value-add alternatives.

It is also observed that, among the auto manufacturers BMW and Volkswagen have previously put into practice of functions those are more than ever victorious in positive CRM concerns where the existing stepladders being occupied by the automobile CRM incorporated with optimising multi-channel features, supporting financial services, optimising dealers management along with combination of CRM with SCM¹.

The contemporaneous automotive consumers are progressively hold greater information than ever about the market and have an extraordinary altitude of choice while customer loyalty has no more forward-looking approach in the automobile industry and thus the auto manufacturers and traders have to work hard to gain and retain customers in the competitive market position.

To interact with the tremendously high customer expectations in this ear, auto manufacturers, dealers, and traders are eager to provide efforts for CRM to ensure effectual marketing boosted sales and quality customer service.

BMWs Customer Relationship Management: Research Methodology

The purpose of research methodology is to provide a brief description about process of report formation and this paper would follow Robert Yins case study approach to apply qualitative research approach with descriptive analysis.

However, Yins approach would assist to co-ordinate the knowledge with CRM theories because the discussion chapter analyzes the position of BMW Group considering both theoretical and practical perspective.

As the word limit and time is too short, this report will formulate only with secondary data sources due to availability of this sources with low cost and effort. In addition, these sources have already recognized by the publisher, therefore, this report will use several published management books of renowned authors, previous published research works on CRM issues, annual report 2010 of BMW Group, and so on.

BMWs Customer Relationships: Discussion

To develop the product quality, service range and increase profits, BMW has been maintained CRM strategy since 1999.

Building a Customer Database

Building a customer database was the initial activities for this company to establish their relationship with the customers, and BMW has strong network with IT infrastructure, for instance, it uses the application of Siebel Systems to gather information about the customers.

At this point, BMW creates a full database of its customers after gathering the information about them to evaluate the customers demand and other issues. BMW is committed to follow data protecting acts as the company has corporate social responsibility and values to maintain privacy policy strictly.

BMWs CRM Strategy in communicating with its customers

Customer Satisfaction

Most of the customers believed that after sales service of BMW was not that much satisfactory and few customers dissatisfied with BMW because the cars are user friendly and BMW would not like to provide prompt feedback (Finlay 1).

On the other hand, many the satisfied customers argued that they receive quick response from BMW about their problem and the company monitors their problem seriously and offered free service while they find appropriate.

However, one of the major problems of the company regarding efficient management of CRM is customers after buying the car want to share their problems of using the car with the company and BMW is not able to concentrate equally on all of the customers.

• The key reason of data analysis is to identify the different potential customers from different segment and BMW uses the modern concept of Life Time Customer Value (LCV) as the profit generated from each customer;
• However, Caly (1) stated that BMW also considers the sales volume and using the application system to calculate the customers how many times customer enter the site of the company for purchase and for other information.

Response to the Customer

BMW justified the claim that the response rates of BMW to the customers are not very good because dealers make the late though they quickly response in accordance with the customers demand.

Here it is important to mention that the customers buy BMW cars from the dealer point and the after-sale service also provided from the sales point; therefore, the customers contact with dealer to solve their problems and BMW gives the service through the dealer point.

Other Factors

There are many other factors reflecting on the CRM and the performance of the company, such as 

• The quality and design of the product is very significant from CRM point of view and BMW produces high quality premium car to attract the customers;
• BMW concentrates on the communication strategy, such as it sends massage to the existing customers regarding new product or services and all other issues and it has 24-hour call centre and web facilities to help the customers;
• BMW provides the opportunities to the customers to change or sale their old car to buy a new model from the company. However, it is also useful for those who do not have enough money to buy a new car and BMW offers new motor parts to the customer if necessary and it with less charge to the loyal customer of the company.

BMWs position in terms of CRM compared to industry rivals

BMW has both direct and indirect competitors of different brands, such as, General Motor (GM), Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, Volkswagen Group, Honda, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Hyundai-Kia, Suzuki, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo etc. According to the annual report of GM Corporation (2009), all competitors have maintained CRM program in order to retain old customers and develop new customers for the company.

The market share of BMW Group and customer satisfaction rate are lower than that of competitors in the global market, which indicates that CRM performance of this company is inferior to the industry rivals. However, Buttle (28) stated that the relation with the customers reflected the sales volume share; so, profit trends and numbers of car sales indicate the success of CRM of the organization.

Number of car sales

According to the report of Shankar (1), Toyota Corporation was able to generate highest revenue in 2010 by selling the maximum number of car in global market.

In contrast, BMW was not in top ten automobiles though previous years it held sixth position in terms of car sales, which demonstrates the poor condition of CRM of the company as top ten companies produces similar cars and offers high quality products. The relationship of Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota with the customer is stronger than BMW and this company need to fill up this gap immediately to become market leader.

Figure 2: Numbers of car production

Source: Self generated

Figure 3: Market Share

Source: Bekker (1)

Profit level

According to the annual report 2010 of BMW, the company experienced economic problem in 2009 due to global financial crisis but it has generated about 60.5 billion euro as sales revenue and more that 5094 million euro. However, most of the automobiles faced crisis in 2008 and recovered the position gradually but it is not in top ten for losing 12.77% market share in 2009 though BMW was in sixth position in global market.

Response to the Customer

For promotional activities, BMW highlights customer service and commits to provide any regular feedback when the vehicle in BMWs workshop or local service centre though the company failed to ensure this; thus, customers become anxious and think to go paid up workshops rather than the BMWs free service.

On the other hand, this company is less responsive to the market especially in the year 2009 where customer face economic problem and cannot afford high cost luxurious cars, but it did not reset its pricing strategy and showed any interest to produce low cost cars.

CRM & BMW: Conclusion

Recommendations

• BMW should develop a successful CRM program in order to increase sales revenue from new products and to protect the company from making unnecessary costs and decreasing its investment risk;
• As many customers have experienced late response from the BMW, it needs to take prompt initiatives in order to improve or adopt more effective data base system to collect and retrieve data about the customers;
• It is important to open more call centres to enhance customer care services and give the solution of the problem of the BMW customers;
• Development of communication skills is one of the most significant factors to develop global operation and to provide right message;
• It should check the CRM strategies of the rivals because competitors like Volkswagen and Ford took various CRM initiatives to boost revenue by integrating SAP software, ERP and other latest solutions;
• In addition, BMW needs to take technological advantages and integrates Microsoft [Dynamics] CRM;
• The management of BMW should increase budget for CRM program;
• BMW should strictly pursue the provision of Data Protection Act;
• The response of BMW to the customers should make quick to solve the problem of the customers; so, the company should arrange regular training program;
• To minimise customers tension, BMW ought to provide updates to the customers about their car while it is in service.

Conclusion

Successful integration of CRM system is one of the main factors of competitors success in terms of profit margin and market share. As the customers of this company show moderately satisfactory impression about customers service, BMW should improve its position by using latest software, and providing other services.

Works Cited

Bekker, Henk. The profit and market share of automobile market. 2009. Web.

Buttle, Francis. Customer Relationship Management. 2^nd ed. London: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Caly, Ralf. How BMW Channels Information to Everyone Involved in a Car Purchase: An Interview With Ralf Caly, Customer Think Corporation. 2006. Web.

Finlay, Steve. BMW Uses CRM to Aid Service Sales. 2008. Web.

IBM Business Consulting Services. Challenges for the automotive industry in an on demand environment. 2004. Web.

Shankar. Top 10 Highest Motor Manufacturers in the World 2011. 2011. Web.

Stoner, Finch, Freeman Edward. & Gilbert Daniel. Management. Delhi: Prentice-Hall, 2003. Print.

Robbins, Stephen. & Coulter, Mary. Management. New Delhi: Prentice Hall, 2003. Print.

The Sky News. BMW Hit by a Crushing Dent in Profits. 2009. Web.

Thompson, John., et al. Strategic Management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing Company limited, 2007. Print.

Footnotes

¹ Supply Chain Management

References

Codd, E. F. (1970). A relational model of data for large shared data banks. Communications of the ACM, 13(6), 377-387.

Date. C.J. (2014). Codds first relational papers: A critical analysis. Web.

Introduction

Social media advertising programs often use celebrities to endorse certain services and products in order to gain brand exposure, credibility, and marketing advantage. One of the important factors to affect the success or failure of this strategy is the relationships between celebrities and their followers. This type of connection is called a parasocial relationship, which elucidates the connection between the leader of an Internet following and their adepts, exerting persuasive powers over the latter. The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze the connection between parasocial relationships, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions, and the followers intent to purchase.

Literature Review

SNS and Advertising

Social networking sites (SNS) are considered a primary tool in the field of digital marketing (Brettel et al., 2015; Lin & Kim, 2016). Online advertisements are often perceived as more accurate and trustworthy than ads from other types of media (Wood & Burkhalter, 2014; Tsang, Ho, & Liang, 2004). Due to the significant amount of exposure and economic effectiveness, SNS is more available to small and medium-sized businesses (Lee, 2014; Nelson-Field et al., 2013). Therefore, the economic and marketing effectiveness of SNS drove sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to become a vital advertising medium (Dehghani & Tumer, 2015).

Parasocial Relationships and Academic Inquiry

Parasocial relationships have been examined in the academic field for a while, though usually with a focus being placed on journals, radio, and TV as the primary course of study (Rubin & Step, 2000). Some of the existing research examines the role of traditional media in the context of sports (Sun, 2010), blogs (Colliander & Dahlen, 2011), TV shopping behavior among elderly individuals (Lim & Kim, 2011), political media (Thorson & Rodgers, 2006), and social media (Ballantine & Martin, 2005; Kassing & Sanderson, 2009). As it is possible to see, the amount of research on social media in relation to parasocial relationships is insufficient.

Definitions of Parasocial Relationships

Parasocial relationships are identified by several researchers as unilateral relationships between the celebrity and the audience (Giles, 2002; Hartmann et al., 2008; Sanderson, 2009). Although these relationships are perceived as equivalent real-world interpersonal or group relationships (Horton & Wohl,1982; Perse & Rubin, 1989), they do not have the same amount of depth and emotional connection as real ones, resulting in pseudo-intimate or pseudo-friendship emotional attachment (Hartmann et al., 2008; Dibble et al., 2016). Some individuals create these relationships with their favorite bloggers or Youtube content creators, while others choose to do so with mass media figures or TV characters (Livingstone, 1988).

Development of Parasocial Relationships

The process of development of pseudo-friendships with celebrities is initiated through continuous media exposure (Stever & Lawson, 2013). The familiarity generated by the amount of exposure as well as the connection between the opinions of a blogger and the users make the latter group regard the former as a trustworthy source of information (Lee & Watkins, 2016). As a result, fans tend to view the celebritys opinion as credible even on matters where the said person does not have much experience or competence, such as in the case of purchases (Kim et al., 2015).

Parasocial Relationships and User Behavior

Kim (2005) considers the concept of parasocial relationships to be crucial in understanding user behaviors in their connection to digital celebrities. Because of the potential for bilateral communication between bloggers and users, parasocial relationships formed through SNS are considered to be more effective in terms of behavior modulation, when compared to unilateral social relationships (Lee & Watkins, 2016). This is demonstrated in the research conducted by Colliander and Dahlen (2011), who found that the depth of relationships between bloggers and users is much greater when compared to online magazine writers. This is explained through the process of the formation of interest-based communities, something that traditional media does not facilitate (Bane, Cornish, Erspamer, & Kampman, 2010). Thus, the connection between SNS and parasocial relationships is credible and confirmed (Kim, Ko, & Kim, 2015).

Digital celebrities, such as bloggers and Instagram models, are a new emerging celebrity subgroup (Chahal & Mindi, 2016). Their popularity is associated with the cultivation of parasocial relationships between themselves and their followers through SNS (Jin & Phua, 2014). The digital celebrity phenomenon is directly connected to the popularity of certain SNS services, such as Weibo in China, which has over 200 million users since 2015 (Xiao & Zhang, 2016).

Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are useful tools for creating bonds between users and Internet celebrities (Wilcox & Stephen, 2014). Because most of the digital celebrity content requires very little in terms of production cost, SNS have become a cost-efficient advertising model with strong connections to their target audience (Cai, 2009). Because of parasocial relationships, media users associate themselves with digital celebrities, which affects their purchasing habits (Rubin & Step, 2000; Dibble, Hartmann, & Rosaen, 2016). The increased dependency on online relationships and interactions tends to increase the potency of parasocial connections between users on the Internet (Shin, 2016). Lee and Watkins (2016) identify these relationships as means of reducing isolation and anxiety through the formation of pseudo-friendships. Xiao and Zhang (2016) support this notion, claiming that users may form intimate internalized relationships between themselves and individuals of interest. Because of these connections, the perceptions of vloggers and YouTubers is improved, as they are viewed as a reliable source of information, when compared to depersonalized radio and TV personalities (Rubin, Perse, & Powell, 1985).

Parasocial Relationships in a Marketing Context

According to Labrecque (2014), parasocial relations in marketing generate an illusionary experience of interaction between media users and public personas, which are often perceived as engaged and reciprocal relationships. This relationship of trust is extended from the celebrity to their friends as well, who are often endorsed and vouched for, thus creating a network of trustworthy content creators for the users to rely upon in purchasing decisions (Colliander & Dahlen, 2011). This is especially true for channels and media outlets that are geared towards the cultivation of such relationships.

The primary goal of all social media advertising is to affect the purchasing intents of the users. This concept is defined as the intention of a customer to acquire a product or a service based on their research, evaluation, and subjective opinions about the physical and emotional values of the purchase (Blackwell, 2001; Dodds et al., 1991). SNS and parasocial relationships can affect some of the factors influencing purchasing intent, such as consumer satisfaction, quality, and homogeneity (Shin, Oh, Hwang, Seo, & Kim, 2012; Goh et al., 2017).

Purchasing behaviors are affected by the amount of rapport between the celebrities and the users. Djafarova and Rushworth (2017) report that age and gender play an important part for digital celebrities on Instagram and Youtube, as they enable others to identify with them in terms of culture or common social struggles. The most influential role models for female consumers are usually between 18 and 30 years of age.

Parasocial relationships are directly connected to word-of-mouth (WOM), which is a manner of sharing opinions about goods and services between users, foregoing official marketing channels (Park & Kim, 2008). Due to personal affiliation, the experiences and opinions relayed through word of mouth are perceived to be more reliable and relevant than other types of marketing (Park & Kim, 2008). Word-of-mouth is identified as any positive or negative perception of a product conveyed by an individual who has had personal experience with the said product, made available for viewing to a multitude of potential customers via the Internet (Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner, Walsh, & Gremler, 2004). SNS play well into the word-of-mouth framework, as they provide a means of communication to millions of people world-wide. Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is comprised of three critical components (Choi, 2011):

• Opinion leaders. Form or create popular opinions about services or products.
• Opinion followers. Listen and utilize popular opinions in their purchasing behaviors.
• Opinion pass-alongs. Individuals who not only listen to popular opinions but actively spread them to their friends and followers.

According to Jin and Phua (2014), the latter group serves the most in promoting eWOM as well as the positive or negative perceptions of a service or a product among others. Lee and Watkins (2016) associate parasocial interactions with vloggers, with the overall improvements in purchasing intentions, brand value, and brand perceptions, due to the fact that blogs produce high amounts of positive interactions between e-celebrities and users. According to Colliander and Dahlén (2011), blogs produce a greater occurence of parasocial relationships between bloggers and followers, thereby fueling followers purchase intentions.

Parasocial Relationships and Persuasion Knowledge

As providing consumers with explicit information on the commercial nature of activities is required by regulations (Boerman et al., 2017), advertising or sponsorship disclosure is specified in blogs (Campbell, Mohr, & Verlegh, 2013), celebrity SNS postings (Boerman et al., 2017), online advertising (Wojdynski & Evans, 2016), and TV programs (Boerman et al., 2012, Campbell et al., 2013; Van; Reijmersdal, Tutaj, & Boerman, 2013). Wojdynski and Evans (2016) found that the disclosure of advertising or sponsorship in the middle of or under an online posting strengthens consumers recognition of advertising and persuasion knowledge. The disclosure of native advertising in which advertisements are created with forms and functions of non-advertising content on blogs stimulates consumers persuasion knowledge, which reduces persuasive effects (Van Reijmersdal et al., 2016).

Persuasion knowledge can be defined as consumers knowledge and beliefs of various advertising-related issues, such as the goals and tactics marketers use to persuade them, the extent to which consumers find these techniques effective and appropriate, but also personal beliefs about how to cope with these persuasion tactics and goals (Boerman et al., 2017, p. 83). Friestad and Wright (1994) described the persuasion knowledge model in which consumers persuasion knowledge enables them to recognize, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and remember (p. 3) persuasion messages and behaviors and to select and use coping tactics to resist persuasion attempts. As persuasion knowledge promotes consumers resistance to persuasion (Wood & Quinn, 2003), it reduces the effectiveness of persuasion messages (Dekker & Van Reijmersdal, 2013). Shin and Cho (2014, p. 540) found that persuasion knowledge negatively affects purchase and WOM intentions, and Boerman et al. (2017) found that consumers persuasion knowledge activated by advertising disclosure decreases their WOM intentions. Thus, consumers who have high levels of persuasive knowledge perceive persuasion agents intentions and tactics and, thus, buy less (Lee & Faber, 2007).

Although persuasion is less effective when consumers recognize marketers persuasion intentions (Gillespie & Joireman, 2016), consumers still tend to purchase if persuasion agents are viewed as trustworthy and have persuasion skills (Isaac & Grayson, 2017). Advertisements that use creative or non-traditional methods tend to mitigate consumers persuasion knowledge (Dahlén & Edenius, 2007). Social media advertisements become novel advertising methods that reduce consumers persuasion knowledge (Boerman, Willemsen, & Van Der Aa, 2017). Minton, Taillard, and Williamson (2010) presented that social media, such as Facebook, less obviously distributed sponsored content mingled with other regular posts than mass media.

Boerman et al. (2017)argued that, as celebrities commercial content on their SNSs was mixed with posts about their daily lives, consumers cannot easily recognize their commercial content, which blocks the activation of consumers persuasion knowledge. In the case of digital celebrities, who may be more familiar with their followers in terms of assimilation and friendship, consumers cannot easily discern their commercial from non-commercial content. Followers may think digital celebrities are authentic consumers of the advertised products, are genuinely satisfied with the products, and share their evaluations and information on quality products with their followers. However, previous research on consumers persuasion knowledge of digital celebrities advertisements on SNS has been limited.

Persuasion knowledge mitigates persuasion effects, and disclosure of advertising reduces the degree to which persuasion leads consumers positive attitude (Wood & Quinn, 2003). When digital celebrities must disclose the fact that they are sponsored by brands to advertise products in their SNS posts (Boerman et al., 2017), their persuasion might be reduced. In this situation, parasocial relationships between digital celebrities and their followers may fortify followers assumption of digital celebrities authenticity about positive attitudes and evaluations on advertised products. Lueck (2015) found that 60% of respondents think that celebrity advertisements are non-commercial because of the parasocial relationship. Thus, parasocial relationships will mitigate followers persuasion knowledge.

Hypotheses

H4

Followers parasocial relationships with digital celebrities have a positive impact on their purchase intention.

H5

Followers parasocial relationships with digital celebrities have a positive impact on their eWOM intention.

H6

Followers persuasion knowledge will negatively affect their purchase intention.

H7

Followers persuasion knowledge will negatively affect their eWOM intention.

H8

Followers parasocial relationship with digital celebrities will moderate the relationship between their persuasion knowledge and their purchase intension and the relationship between their persuasion knowledge and their eWOM intension.

Reference

Colliander, J., & Dahlén, M. (2011). Following the fashionable friend: The power of social media: Weighing publicity effectiveness of blogs versus online magazines. Journal of advertising research, 51(1), 313-320.

Historical Overview of Theory

The study of the relationship between stress and nicotine required broad investigation to reveal the effects of smoking on mental health. Scholars have been observing and discovering facts that aimed to prove that nicotine intake can increase stress levels and lead to various neurological issues. History overview of literature gives an idea of how researchers investigated an arising issue at that time.

Researchers were concerned regarding the relationship between stress and nicotine as they could indicate the connection which required further explanation. Pomerleau (1987) emphasized the need for integration behavioral, physiological, and biochemical research (para. 1) to understand stress and nicotine intake better. He analyzed recent findings that involved nicotines effect on the hypophysealadrenal axis, which allowed to suggest that behavioral compensation for inhibited sensitivity due to increased nicotine use during stress exposure can occur, initiated by nicotine-stimulated corticosteroid release.

Pomerleau (1987) indicated that corticosteroids could decrease central nervous system sensibility, which could help with an anxiety reduction. However, he also considers that anxiety can be an epiphenomenon in such a case. Therefore, the lack of research at that time made the scholars understand the importance of further investigation of an issue to see the complexity of an arising problem.

The scholars observed patterns in behavior to reveal how stress and nicotine are connected. An article written by Parrott (1999) showed the possible connection between stress and nicotine, suggesting that nicotine can increase the stress level as worsening of the mood between smoking periods has been detected. This gave a basis to consider how stress relates to nicotine and whether it can exacerbate the stress. He also points out that nicotine depletion causes increased irritability and tension, which allows concluding that subject has been observed by scholars back at that time. However, it required far more investigation to reveal the connection and to understand the underlying mechanism.

As the research moved forward, scholars discovered the negative effects of smoking on human health, finding not only the relationship between stress and nicotine but also a relation to depressive episodes and neurological issues. Moreover, researchers investigated how secondhand smoke can influence mental health and conducted a relative study. Hamer, Stamatakis, and Batty (2010) considered smoking and non-smoking adults without a history of mental illness that was drawn from the Scottish Health Survey.

They concluded that high secondhand smoke exposure among people who do not smoke was linked to higher odds of psychological distress. Therefore, future risk of psychiatric issues development became possible to assume. The study that has proven the influence of nicotine on mental health showed a necessity to reduce the percentage of smokers. It also showed unfavorable consequences on the health of secondary smokers, which also emphasized the importance of the further investigation.

Contemporary Review of Theory

It is important to prove the presence of a connection between stress and nicotine to understand how such connection can impair certain functions in the brain. Kennedy et al. (2019) conducted a study to find and an association between stress resilience and the development of addictive health behaviors in the middle-aged group. He concluded that individuals with low-stress resistance in adolescence could result in addiction, such as nicotine or alcohol use, as higher nicotine dependence has been detected.

Even though the connection between stress and nicotine has been established, the influence of smoking may vary depending on the period of nicotine consumption and other factors. The study conducted by Elbejjani, Auer, and Dolui (2019) investigated how smoking relates to cerebral blood flow (CBF) as it has not been discovered thoughtfully. Cerebral blood flow is a blood supply to the brain for a particular period of time. Scholars aimed to find a connection between smoking behavior and arterial spin labeling in regions of the brain linked to dementia.

Researchers considered various characteristics such as status, age of a smoker, time of consumption, time after quitting, and tested the presence of an association between current and former smokers. Elbejjani et al. (2019) discovered that former-smokers had lower CBF in the parietal and occipital lobes, cuneus, precuneus, putamen, and insula (para. 3), where current smokers did not show low CBF. The findings allow concluding that the connection between smoking and CBF exists in regions that are associated with the addictive and cognitive processes, and such influence may vary depending on time and history of smoking exposure.

Understanding how short and long periods of smoking exposure influence the body and evaluating individuals with a short history of nicotine addiction can contribute to minimizing unfavorable effects of chronic nicotine use, which can help to discover neurobiological substances associated with nicotine dependence. For this purpose, Morris, Mielock, and Rao (2016) examined the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to the Trier Social Stress Test among individuals with a short history of nicotine dependence. Scholars investigated salivary biomarkers in response to the test, behavioral measures of nicotine dependence and withdrawal, and indicators of recent smoking such as salivary cotinine and carbon monoxide in the breath. (Morris, Mielock & Rao, 2016).

The study found that people with a lower level of nicotine addiction had elevated cortisol responses to the stressors. Contrastingly, individuals with higher nicotine dependence levels did not show cortisol changes in response to the stressor. Therefore, different levels of nicotine dependence severity may involve various factors. Consequently, the stress response system can be impaired among individuals with a more severe level of dependency, which proves the need to find ways to prevent smoking behavior among individuals with a short period of smoking consumption.

The underlying neural mechanism can explain how nicotine intake relates to stress and other addictions such as alcohol. Ostroumov and Dani (2018) aimed to discover how stress and tobacco smoking can become a risk factor for alcoholism, stating that some of the actions in the brain converge onto the same mechanism for tobacco, stress, and alcohol even though they all have an individual effect on the brain.

Scholars explain that stress modulates alcohol-evoked plasticity via the release of signaling molecules that influence synaptic transmission (Ostroumov & Dani, 2018, para. 1). Nicotine can also activate such signaling molecules and cells, which leads to merging stress and nicotine into one plasticity mechanism that can influence alcohol self-administration. Therefore, a combination of stress and nicotine can lead to unfavorable consequences such as vulnerability to alcohol addiction as they initiate neural change that modifies alcohol-induced synaptic plasticity, which increases the risk of alcohol addiction.

To find the connection between nicotine and stress and to reveal how it can be connected to the development of mental issues, one should understand the primary mechanism of stress and depression development. Researchers found that stress alters neurotransmitters systems, such as monoamine (dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenalin), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamatergic (Biala et al., 2018, para. 5).

Moreover, stress has been found to initiate changes in neural pathways that causes worsening of rewarded-related behaviours. A deficiency of particular neurotransmitters has been linked to depression and anxiety, and one of the most common hypotheses that aimed to explain its relation is monoamine neurotransmitter hypothesis. This hypothesis states that depletion in the levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and/or dopamine may explain the onset of depression.

This hypothesis was presented based on antidepressant studies as agents that increase the level of the listed neurotransmitters in the brain, contribute to the eradication of depressive symptoms. However, the hypothesis does not explain the latency of response to antidepressants. (Boku et al., 2018). Even though antidepressant treatment has proven to be effective in some instances, convenient evidence on the connection between monoamine depletion and depression has not been found.

Stress sensitivity is considered to be a primary factor that contributes to the development of mood disorders. The study conducted by Morel et al. (2018) aims to prove that nicotine exposure increases stress sensitivity as nicotine and stress can induce long-lasting cellular adaptations within the dopamine system. Also, researchers are interested in discovering the physical effects of drug withdrawal, as most individuals report mood irritability, anxiety, and depressed mood. (Morel et al., 2018).

The interest allows concluding that nicotine can be associated with depressive symptoms that can lead to mental issues; however, the relationship between the substance and symptoms is complex. Even though nicotine can increase the possibility of depression development, adverse effects are observed as depression can also lead to the initiation of smoking. Moreover, drug withdrawal episodes are associated with people who had depression already, which can complicate the process of quitting for an individual.

Context for Study

Understanding the relationship between stress and nicotine helps to see a broader image of the global issue that society faces as nicotine creates global economic and health problems. Addiction is a chronic psychiatric disease, and stress is one of the leading factors of the addiction. Understanding the relationship between stress and nicotine is also critical due to the necessity to implement adequate management and prevent unfavorable consequences.

Health problems associated with smoking create not only physical but also mental issues, which impact the quality and duration of a persons life. A report by Action on Smoking and Health explains that smoking is the primary reason why people with mental illness have a life expectancy 10-20 years lower than the general population (Burki, 2016). Due to the relationship between stress, nicotine, and mental issues and the complexity of the subject, the research revealing the relationship between the components is critical. The connection between nicotine intake and mental illness proves the need to investigate an issue among all age groups to prevent unfavorable consequences among smokers.

Comparing historical and contemporary findings, one can conclude that the issue is being investigated. Even though underlying mechanisms remain unknown, many types of research that were conducted over the years revealed new information on how stress and nicotine are related. Such information helps to investigate an issue further to develop a plan for problem management, find new ways of dealing with the consequences of nicotine consumption.

As middle-aged groups experience undesirable effects, scholars focus on developing strategies to prevent use in adolescents and young adults to end the tobacco epidemic in the United States. Zhou et al. (2019) suggest addressing behavioral health challenges and increase access to mental health services. As psychological issues such as depression can lead to an increase in nicotine addiction, access to mental health institutions can be a valid solution.

Also, researchers should focus on the study of various groups to understand the group and population that is the most vulnerable to substances. For instance, Torres and ODell (2016) discovered that women are consuming more tobacco products, which is associated with various factors. Firstly, women are more susceptible to anxiety disorders than men, which initiates smoking behavior as they use nicotine to cope with stress. Secondly, women associate continuous tobacco use with anxiety-reducing effects, which prevents them from quitting. Finally, women experience more stress during withdrawal than men. Listed factors give a basis to conclude that stress contributes not only to the initiation of tobacco use but also to the relapse during abstinence, which means that the process of quitting can be more challenging for women, which requires further investigation.

Aside from biological factors that influence the initiation of smoking, certain social factors can contribute to the development of smoking behavior. Jahnel, Ferguson, Shiffman, and Schüz (2019) discovered how socioeconomic disadvantage induce indirect effects on smoking caused by daily stress. The social disadvantage has been measured by educational achievement, income, and race; cigarettes per day have indicated effects on smoking. Researchers used Ecological Momentary Assessment methods for stress measurement. The experiment showed a significant increase in stress exposure among lower educated African American smokers, which led to a rise in tobacco use.

Similarly, Advances in Life Course Research examined students to discover various reasons for individuals to initiate, continue, or quit smoking and discover how social connections influence such behavior and revealed the importance of social connection to the initiation of smoking. (Thomeer, Hernandez, Umberson, & Thomas, 2019). Therefore, the behavioral mechanism of nicotine addiction is also essential, and one should be able to see factors related not only to the initiation of smoking and stress but also to other related factors.

Nicotine intake and issues associated with it creates an economic burden and significant concern for health institutions. Research that reveals the connection between the components such as stress and nicotine is crucial to get a full image of the issue to develop effective strategies toward its eradication. Healthcare providers and researchers should take a closer look at revealing the connection between nicotine addiction and mental illness as it remains unclear whether addiction causes psychological issues or vice versa. Understanding underlying mechanisms, examining groups of people that are exposed the most, and investigating an issue further can contribute to the development of a healthier and safer environment.

References

Biala, G., Pekala, K., Boguszewska-Czubara, A., Michalak, A., Kruk-Slomka, M., Grot, K., & Budzynska, B. (2018). Behavioral and biochemical impact of chronic unpredictable mild stress on the acquisition of nicotine conditioned place preference in rats. Molecular neurobiology, 55(4), 3270-3289.

Boku, S., Nakagawa, S., Toda, H., & Hishimoto, A. (2018). Neural basis of major depressive disorder: beyond monoamine hypothesis. Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 72(1), 3-12.

Burki, T. K. (2016). Smoking and mental health. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 4(6), 437.

Elbejjani, M., Auer, R., Dolui, S., Jacobs Jr, D. R., Haight, T., Goff Jr, D. C.,& & Launer, L. J. (2019). Cigarette smoking and cerebral blood flow in a cohort of middle-aged adults. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 39(7), 1247-1257.

Hamer, M., Stamatakis, E., & Batty, G. D. (2010). Objectively assessed secondhand smoke exposure and mental health in adults: cross-sectional and prospective evidence from the Scottish Health Survey. Archives of general psychiatry, 67(8), 850-855.

Jahnel, T., Ferguson, S. G., Shiffman, S., & Schüz, B. (2019). Daily stress as link between disadvantage and smoking: an ecological momentary assessment study. BMC public health, 19(1), 1284.

Kennedy, B., Chen, R., Fang, F., Valdimarsdottir, U., Montgomery, S., Larsson, H., & Fall, K. (2019). Low stress resilience in late adolescence and risk of smoking, high alcohol consumption and drug use later in life. J Epidemiol Community Health, 73(6), 496-501.

Morel, C., Fernandez, S. P., Pantouli, F., Meye, F. J., Marti, F., Tolu, S.,& & Moretti, M. (2018). Nicotinic receptors mediate stress-nicotine detrimental interplay via dopamine cells activity. Molecular psychiatry, 23(7), 1597-1605.

Morris, M. C., Mielock, A. S., & Rao, U. (2016). Salivary stress biomarkers of recent nicotine use and dependence. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 42(6), 640-648.

Ostroumov, A., & Dani, J. A. (2018). Convergent neuronal plasticity and metaplasticity mechanisms of stress, nicotine, and alcohol. Annual review of pharmacology and toxicology, 58, 547-566.

Parrott, A. C. (1999). Does cigarette smoking cause stress?. American Psychologist, 54(10), 817.

Pomerleau, C. S., & Pomerleau, O. F. (1987). The effects of a psychological stressor on cigarette smoking and subsequent behavioral and physiological responses. Psychophysiology, 24(3), 278-285.

Thomeer, M. B., Hernandez, E., Umberson, D., & Thomas, P. A. (2019). Influence of social connections on smoking behavior across the life course. Advances in Life Course Research, 42, 100294.

Torres, O. V., & ODell, L. E. (2016). Stress is a principal factor that promotes tobacco use in females. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 65, 260-268.

Zhou, S., Willison, C., & Jarman, H. (2019). Smoking and mental health among college students: Reconceptualizing tobacco control policies. In APHAs 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo (Nov. 2-Nov. 6). American Public Health Association.

Introduction

Users have access to current, reliable data with the help of a correctly constructed database. Consequently, it is reasonable to take the time necessary to grasp the fundamentals of excellent design since doing so will help users achieve their database-related objectives. As a result, the interested individuals are far more likely to create a database that satisfies their requirements and is simple to change and adapt. Database relationships are the fundamentals when learning how the database operates. Thus, a database diagram is a complex system that involves steps and depends on certain relationships to function properly.

A Database Diagram

Relationships within tables are connections that are made utilizing joining queries to gather data. The user may specify and develop connections across parent and child elements in the database program. Content from several variables can be linked together using a join. The current property is the parent, and the new property the user creates is known as the child (IBM, n.d.). Inside a database system, data is kept in relationships that the user sees as tables (IBM, n.d.. Tuples, or records, and attributes, or fields make up every connection (IBM, n.d.). The databases primary organizational units are tables, and every table typically depicts a single, distinct issue. Each table has a minimum of one primary key field, also referred to as a field that identifies a particular entry.

In order to create a database diagram, there are specific steps involved. The primary step that sets the whole diagram is identifying the aim of the database (Microsoft, n.d.). This aids in getting the user ready for the following actions. The next step is to locate and arrange the necessary data (Microsoft, n.d.). At this point, it is vital to assemble all the information that needs to be saved in the database, including dates, names, etc. Another crucial step and element of the database are tables that should be created with the data (Microsoft, n.d.). The user should sort the data into broad categories or themes, like orders or items, with each topic later being a table. Then, the user must create columns from the data pieces and choose the data they wish to include in each table. Every element is converted into a field and shown as a column.

The following steps involve an indication of the primary keys and selection of primary keys for every table. At this point, connections between tables must be established, and the user should analyze every table and make a determination on the relationships between the data in each one (Microsoft, n.d.). If more information is needed to understand the connections, the user should add fields or make new ones. Then, the database diagram will require a layout and whether there are any mistakes in the chosen layout (Microsoft, n.d.). The last steps involve checking whether the tables are able to reach the outcomes required. If necessary, it is possible to make design modifications and later use the normalizing guidelines (Microsoft, n.d.). In order to determine whether the tables are properly formed, in the end, the user employs the data normalization criteria.

Conclusion

Hence, a database diagram is a complex system that consists of a specific number of steps to be constructed and involves relationships. When analyzing relationships in a database, it is vital to see the diagram as a combination of elements, parents, and children, that have particular functions. The database is, in general, a combination of tables with its anatomy that involves elements that are connected by relationships. As for the process that makes up the database diagram, it consists in gathering data and putting it in the tables, along with choosing the proper design and employing the data normalization criteria.

References

IBM. (n.d.). Database relationships. IBM. Web.

Microsoft. (n.d.). Database design basics. Web.

Introduction

Human relationships are never simple, and many theories can be applied to understand how people behave, make decisions, and cooperate. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, many families are challenged to spend much time in isolation and change their regular activities. Some people find it interesting to consider new conditions and restrictions to strengthen their skills and discover new opportunities, and some individuals face some problems and concerns. In this paper, attention will be paid to a blended family where foster relatives with special needs have to support each other during the pandemic. Human systems theories aim at promoting psychological, cultural, sociological, and biological concepts, and their primary domain is communication. Many theoretical frameworks help to study human affairs, and Bowen family systems theory is effective for viewing a family as an emotional unit and describing complex interactions of family members. This paper introduces the results of an observation of a blended family and describes the nature of human relationships through the prism of Bowens theory.

Theory Background and Concepts

During the last several decades, many sociological and psychological researchers demonstrate their interest in supporting and describing multiple family theories. These approaches are necessary to comprehend family structures, human behaviors, and the quality of relationships people can develop within a particular social unit. Family systems theory is a concept to look at families as unique emotional units, and it was introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen as a part of family therapy in the middle of the 20th century. The main idea of Bowens theory is to combine several concepts in terms of which multiple patterns of human behavior are defined through systems thinking. According to Bowen (as cited in Keller & Hall, 2020), a family is an emotional unit that implies a paradigm shift for analysis. In other words, it is wrong to consider an individual as a separate unit, but the whole family is characterized by complex interactions.

In terms of this theory, family members are connected within one system of interdependence. It means that a family should have several members who play their specific roles but follow common rules and regulations. Interaction, cooperation, and response to each other in a certain way are the steps that have to be taken to solve problems, make decisions, and promote development. There are many situations when individuals feel disconnected from other family members, and the task of the family systems theory is to identify positive and negative actions and emotions to change attitudes.

Eight concepts serve as the basis for Bowens theory, and each of them has its purpose and impact on families. The first concept, a triangle, introduces a three-personal relationship as the smallest stable system in a family (The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, n.d.). According to Bowen, two people are not enough to identify tensions and develop relationships, and three individuals provoke emotional attachments, share their thoughts and reactions, and change conditions and functions.

Differentiation of self underlines the uniqueness of every family member in a single unit. Even though there is a need for distributing similar ideas and beliefs, it is important to understand that people differ in their opinion, and a family unit has to create an environment where a person with a differentiated self understands the dependence on others (The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, n.d.). The nuclear family emotional process is another concept that focuses on problem-solving (marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, impairment of a child, and emotional distance) (The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, n.d). The truth is that emotional tensions are hard to avoid, even in the best families.

The family projection process describes how and why parents transmit their emotions to their children. The multigenerational transmission process is used to underline the worth of differences and obtained information through centuries. The concept of emotional cutoff helps family members manage their unsolved emotional tensions and reduce contact to gain better results (The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, n.d.). There is also the concept of sibling position that determines the quality of relationships in a couple and the roles people like to perform. Finally, the societal emotional process proves the role of family relationships outside the house (e.g., at work). Cultural norms, working conditions, and religious beliefs may not define a family but contribute to the development of certain emotions in its members.

Applicable Research

Family relationships play an important role in health and nursing care, so many researchers apply Bowens theory in their studies to improve family functioning and prevent illnesses. Keller and Hall (2020) state that Bowens family systems theory and research methods are frequently interrelated to discover new knowledge about individual and family functions. Erdem and Safi (2018) apply this theory to investigate the role of a multicultural perspective in clinical practice, and Yektatalab et al. (2017) show how nurses should use Bowens ideas to decrease marital conflicts and promote healing. However, the situations when the same theoretical background serves as the solution to health problems vary, proving the necessity to investigate Bowens approach in multiple observations.

Observation

There is a situation when a blended family has to cooperate and deal with new restrictions of the coronavirus crisis. A diabetic mother takes care of two children, one is on a band scholarship in a summer school, and another is at a local college. The father completes his duties to support the family and earn a living the best way he can. Remarriage makes stepfamilies reconsider their values and develop new interpersonal dynamics into the created family system. In this family, the maturity of parents and support of children create positive relationships, with short-term conflicts and disappointment because of the impossibility of spending as much time as possible due to COVID-19.

Application of the Theory to the Observation

Regarding the offered observation, the theory of family systems developed by Bowen could help to analyze the relationships between family members and consider the situation that has a specific impact on their decisions. First, the concept of differentiation of self has to be mentioned because it helps to understand that in this family, each member deserves the right to demonstrate personal interests but without neglecting common family values. The societal emotional process is also crucial because the family has to support the son who spends much time outside their home, achieving his academic goals. Finally, the nuclear family emotional process, as a part of the family systems theory, will result in decreasing family tension because of the impairment of children and the necessity to focus on one child only.

Conclusion

The analysis of family systems theory in terms of a blended family observation shows that even if families believe that they have managed good relationships, there could be external factors that influence their affairs. The COVID-19 crisis is unpredictable, and its outcomes on families vary, depending on how well families could resist its associated changes. In this observation, a diabetic mother has to spend more time with her stepson, while her child cannot go home because of isolation restrictions. Bowens theory helps to realize that successful family relations are not determined by one individual but by the possibility to interact and support, creating a family as one emotional unit.

References

The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. (n.d.). Eight concepts. The Bowen Center. Web.

Erdem, G., & Safi, O. A. (2018). The cultural lens approach to Bowen family systems theory: Contributions of family change theory. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(2), 469-483. doi:10.1111/jftr.12258.

Keller, M. N., & Hall, C. M. (2020). The role of theory in family research. In M. N. Keller & R. J. Noone (Eds.), Handbook of Bowen family systems theory and research methods: A systems model for family research [eBook edition]. Routledge.

Yektatalab, S., Seddigh Oskouee, F., & Sodani, M. (2017). Efficacy of Bowen theory on marital conflict in the family nursing practice: A randomized controlled trial. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 38(3), 253-260.