Improving Communication Skills with Active Listening Essay - 1

Improving Communication Skills with Active Listening - Essay Example Though it might sound very easy at first but that is not the case because there are many factors that are involved which can prove to be hindrances in the process of hearing, some of these factors can be external i.e. noise, for example, may interrupt a conversation or hinder your understanding of what the person is saying, another aspect is internal which is when you might not be interested in the conversation and your mind wanders off the topic. Another problem that is linked with listening is that the mind has the ability to think 4 times faster than any speaker, hence there is a processing gap, the mind tends to wander off rather than concentrating on what the other person is saying and that could cause some sort of misunderstanding. Does this mean that one would have to listen to every word the other person is saying? Not necessarily, but what is imperative is that you listen to the person and build a mental image of what he or she is trying to put across, the message should be concentrated upon and mental images of what is being put across should be developed in the mind. How these problems could be overcome so that one becomes an effective listener and understands what is being put across more often than not? The answers lie in active listening, active listening means that one is not just listening but is carrying out an action or actions that involve him in the whole process as well. The first thing that should be done is that the listener should have empathy for the speaker, what that means is that the listener should place himself in the shoes of the person who is speaking, this helps by understanding the situation in a much better manner. The second point is that there should be acceptance of what is being said, acceptance does not by any way mean that you accept or agree to whatever is being said but it largely means that you accept whatever a person is saying might be true and right, you should not jump to conclusions and you cannot be judgmental, what happens is that the lag time between the speakers ability to speak and the minds ability to process is used up by the mind to think of rebuttals to a what a person is saying and that hinders the listening process because you are being judgmental of what is being said are on the lookout to counter-attack.  

Provide support to manage pain and discomfort Essay Example for Free

Provide support to manage pain and discomfort Essay Agreed ways are a set of rules, regulations, policies and procedures set out by the company which are kept in the office and are always available to be accessed. Care plans, policies and procedures always have to be followed and necessary precautions have to be taken. Before using any kind of methods to manage pain, the resident/service user needs to be assessed has every kind of pain relief can be potentially harmful. Care plans are made individually for a specific person. Care plans are made to bring comfort and support It’s important to be aware of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. It’s important to always communicate slowly and clearly so that the resident can understand you. Always try to empathize with your resident, (empathize to see from their point. I would ask on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, and 1 being the lowest, how the pain feels, by communicating you can find out their pain level then inform the Nurse who will then check to see if medication can be administered. Read more: Essay on Provide Support to Manage Pain and Discomfort If a resident cannot communicate verbally I would monitor their body language, i.e. face expressions, i.e. holding their hand, leg or limbs, this could be their way of expressing pain or by checking their turn charts, they might of been in the same position for a long time, i.e. on the left side for some time so by repositioning the resident your relieving them from discomfort and pain. I may be quiet difficult to express and communicate their pain i.e. said once but unclearly, you ask them to repeat themselves, they become angry and shout. Try to listen closely and clearly, it can be very difficult to concentrate energy to communicate, so any communication should be given 100% of your attention. All residents have different ways of communicating and different ways of understanding. All residents have different pain and discomfort levels. It’s important that we understand they are not being difficult or  awkward, just every resident has different types and ways of comfort and relief. Remember pain medication can cause anger and frustration verbally be aggressive cause confusion lack of concentration not able to make clear choices or decisions pain medication could also have an effect on their behaviour make them sleepy Always consider and respect a resident’s culture and religion. It’s very important to remember person centred care = care is designed around the individual not individual around the care. Remember the purpose is to bring pain free, comfort, dignity and peace to your resident.

Gene Therapy for Alzheimers Disease

Gene Therapy for Alzheimers Disease Imagine that in fifty years, people no longer fear forgetting how to make a sandwich, driving to the store without getting lost, or no longer recognizing loved ones; thats a future people can look forward to when Alzheimers disease has been eradicated by gene therapy. Alzheimers is a type of dementia that affects people worldwide as well as those who love them. Gene therapy, the transplantation of normal genes into cells to replace defective ones, is a promising treatment for correcting the underlying causes of the disease instead of just controlling its horrendous symptoms. Alzheimers is a disease for which there is currently no cure. Symptoms of the disease include problems remembering newly learned information, confusion, memory loss, behavioral changes and much more (Alzheimers). Currently available treatments only help to delay the progression of symptoms and improve the quality of life for those it affects. It is imperative that progress be made in treating the disease considering that Alzheimers is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between sixty to eighty percent of dementia cases, affecting over forty million people worldwide, and being the sixth main cause of death in the United States (Brazier, 2016). However, in order to be effective in combating this degenerative brain disease, researchers must first understand the underlying causes. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine as well as in the United Kingdom have found a protein fragment that they believe is a factor in causing Alzheimers: the beta-amyloid protein, AB. AB by itself is not detrimental to the health of the human brain; however, when the concentration of AB in the brain increases, the protein begins destroying synapses before clumping into plaques that ultimately lead to nerve cell death (Goldman, 2013). Scientists at Stanford found that as long as AP is in its soluble form it can travel freely in the brain without negative consequences. However, in its insoluble, clustered form, called plaques, AB can bind to receptors on nerve cells, starting a process that erodes the synaptic connections between cells (Goldman, 2013). AB is generated by the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein, APP, by the enzyme B-secretase. It was found, in research conducted by S. Herbert, et. al., that the expression of the enzyme B-secretase is Alzheimers patients than in people without Alzheimers. B-secretase is the rate determining step in the production of AB, therefore a reduction in the expression of B-secretase is expected to reduce AB concentration in the brain and maintain a harmless, soluble level, and thus destructive plaques will not be created. Researchers began to develop a new gene therapy that could prevent the accumulation of AB in the brain. The discovery that the PPARy-coactivator-1a, PGC-1a, gene, whose expression is reduced in Alzheimers patients, regulates the transcription of B-secretase (Katsouri, 2016), allowed researchers to start working on a gene therapy to increase PGC-1a expression, thereby reducing B-secretase in the brain. Using mice as models of Alzheimers, researchers experimented with creating a lentiviral vector to express PGC-1a and replace damaged genes with healthy ones in patients brain cells. The mice, called APP23 mice, were bred to develop AB plaques in their brains that increase in size as they age, similar to the way AB plaques in Alzheimers patients behave (Katsouri, 2016). The similarities between the brains of these mice and those of Alzheimers patients allowed the researchers to experiment with the lentiviral vector they developed and observed the effect the ehalthy gene had on the brains of the mice. It was found that, four months after the injection of the PGC-1a carrying lentiviral vector, the mice showed remarkable improvement in spatial and recognition memory as well as significant reduction in AB deposition and B-secretase expression (Katsouri, 2016). The researchers also found that the treatment had neuroprotective effects and helped to preserve neurons and synapses that, without treatment, were being destroyed. Based on the results they observed, L. Katsouri, et. al., were able to conclude that selective induction of PGC-1a in specific areas of the brain is effective in targeting Alzheimers-related neurodegeneration and holds great potential as a therapeutic threatment for this disease. Unlocking the genetic code has been one of the greatest scientific advancements of this age. Treatments such as gene therapy can be used to treat many of the maladies we face and the importance of research in this field cannot be overstated. Utilizing gene therapy, Alzheimers may no longer cause trepidation as we age. Citations/References: Alzheimers Association. (n.d.). Alzheimers Disease Dementia. Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.as Brazier, Y. (2016, October 11). Gene therapy could prevent Alzheimers, study suggests. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313412.php Herbert, S. S., Horre, K., Nicolai, L., Papadopoulou, A. S., Mandemakers, W., Silahtaroglu, A. N., . . . Strooper, B. D. (2008). Loss of microRNA cluster miR-29a/b-1 in sporadic Alzheimers disease correlates with increased BACE1/ -secretase expression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(17), 6415-6420. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0710263105 Goldman, B. (2013, September 19). Scientists reveal how beta-amyloid may cause Alzheimers. Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2013/09/scientists-reveal-how-beta-amyloid-may-cause-alzheimers.html Katsouri, L., Lim, Y. M., Blondrath, K., Eleftheriadou, I., Lombardero, L., Birch, A.M., . . . Sastre, M. (2016). PPARy-coactivator-1a gene transfer reduces neuronal loss and amyloid-B generation by reducing B-secretase in an Alzheimers disease model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(43), 12292-12297. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1606171113

Slavery in The United States Essay -- American History

The term slave is defined as a person held in servitude as the chattel of another, or one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence. The most well known cases of slavery occurred during the settling of the United States of America. From 1619 until July 1st 1928 slavery was allowed within our country. The first slave in America were brought over in the slave trade to help with work on plantations and in return they received housing and food. However these slaves weren’t the first. The first slaves were actually enslaved, because of war, destruction, debt and crime as stated in the Locke and Slavery packet. Slavery was a practice that was very common, but was obviously an immoral idea. After many years of persecution people began to come to their senses and stick up for the ...

Inductive & Deductive Research Approach

INDUCTIVE & DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH APPROACH BY: MOHD TAJUDIN B JAMALUDIN Contents ? Definition ? Methods ? Inductive teaching ? deductive teaching ? Examples of inductive & deductive ? Advantages ? Disadvantages ? Conclusion Definition ? INDUCTIVE: Inductive teaching (also called discovery teaching or inquiry teaching) is based on the claim that knowledge is build primarily from a learner’s experiences and interactions with phenomena. Definition ? DEDUCTIVE Deductive teaching (also called direct instruction) is much less â€Å"constructively† and is based on the idea that a highly structured presentation of content reates optimal learning for students. Research Methods In research, we often refer to the two broad methods of reasoning as the deductive and inductive approaches. Research Types Deductive Approach Inductive Approach Inductive Research Approach THEORY TENTATIVE HYPOTHESIS Hill Climbing PATTERN Observations †¢ Inductive reasoning works the other way, moving f rom specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. †¢ Informally,, we sometimes call this a â€Å"bottom upâ€Å" approach †¢ Conclusion is likely based on premises. †¢ Involves a degree off uncertainty Deductive Research Approach Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific. ? Sometimes this is informally called a â€Å"top-downâ€Å" approach. ? Conclusion follows logically from premises (available facts) THEORY HYPOTHESIS Waterfall OBSERVATIO N CONFIRMATI ON Inductive teaching ? An instructor using an inductive approach begins by exposing students to a concrete instance, or instances, of a concept . ? The teacher’s role is to create the opportunities and the context in which students can successfully make the appropriate generalizations, and to guide students necessary. Deductive Teaching ? .The instructor using a deductive approach typically presents a general concept by first defining it and then providing exampl es or illustrations that demonstrate the idea. ? Students are given opportunities to practice, with instructor guidance and feed back. Example of Inductive Teaching Using the grammar situation, the teacher would present the students with a variety of examples for a given concept without giving any introduction about how the concept is used. As students see how the concept is used, it is hoped that they will notice how the concept is to be used and determine the grammar rule.As a conclusion to the activity, the teacher can ask the students to explain the grammar rule as a final check that they understand the concept. Example of Deductive Teaching A deductive approach to instruction is a more teacher-centered approach. This means that the teacher gives the students a new concept, explains it, and then has the students practice using the concept. For example, when teaching a new grammar concept, the teacher will introduce the concept, explain the rules related to its use, and finally t he students will practice using the concept in a variety of different ways.Advantages ? Inductive ? Students may draw approaches ? Inductive approach can increase the creativity ? Inductive approach showed better long-term retention ability ? Meet the challenges of the new world Advantages ? Deductive ? Some educators have suggested that deductive teaching can be critically important for students with learning disabilities ? Some learn best through a deductive approach. ? Deductive learners like to have the general principles identified Disadvantages ? INDUCTIVE: ? . Students may draw other meaning from the examples ? The inductive approach may also take more time nd be less â€Å"efficient† then a deductive approach ? certain ideas do not lend themselves easily to an inductive-teaching Disadvantages ? DEDUCTIVE ? It doesn’t allow for divergent student thinking. ? It also doesn’t emphasize students reasoning and problem solving. ? Deductive approach can not incr ease the creativities. CONCLUSION ? Both deductive and inductive teaching approaches should be included in all courses. ? Each offers advantages to students with different learning strengths and motivations. ? Varying the approach to teaching content can help to reach diverse learning needs.

Strategic Management

Strategic Management Introduction The business environment has in the recent past been experiencing tremendous growth and development. The growth in technology and globalization has significantly impacted on the business environment through increased global activity. These developments have opened up new opportunities and means of production for the business society thus leading to success.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nevertheless, the increased global activity as well as the technological innovations have not come singly but have rather raised new challenges for business organizations. The issues of competition, environmental management, and sustainability have emerged thus putting unprecedented pressure on the business community. With this in mind, there has been every need for business organization to identify and develop strategies so as to ensure business success and sustaina bility. The automobile industry has not been exempted whereby the levels of competition have multiplied over the years. The issues of sustainability and efficiency in the use of petroleum oil as the sole source of power have also risen thus calling for adoption of new technologies. Other issues emerging in the automobile industry include the ever rising customer demands on innovative, luxuries and distinctive products. These issues have put undue pressure on the various business organizations operating in the industry thus calling for more efficient and sustainable strategies. BMW which is a key player in the automobile industry has been demonstrating success over the last century. In this essay, key strategic issues in BMW will be reviewed and appropriate recommendations made to enhance the success and sustainability of BMW. Background information of BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) is a German Automobile, engine and motorcycle manufacturing company which was founded back in 1917 . The company has its headquarters in Munich, Bavaria, Germany and also owns and produces the mini marquee. The massive production and success of the company has been acknowledged across the globe with a production record of 1,481,253 automobiles and 112,271 motorcycles in 2010. The strong brand name and capital potential of the company is the core elements of the company’s success and popularity across the globe. BMW primarily focuses on the premium segments of the global motorcycle and passage car market (Hill 2008; Martin 2010). The business operations of BMW are diverse with key concern on automobile and motorcycles as well as the provision of information technology services. A point worth of consideration is that BMW markets its products through various channels including company-owned showrooms, subsidiaries, independent dealers and importers. TAdvertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More he production activities of BMW are undertaken across 23 production and assembly plants in 13 countries, whereby it sells its products in over 140 countries worldwide. The massive research and development operations of the company have been of great concern whereby it has been able to adopt the recent technologies in automobile production thus leading to product and service differentiation (Hitt et al. 2009). SWOT Analysis BMW has reported commendable performance and success in the automobile industry for a couple of decades. Being the leading luxury car manufacturer across the globe, the company has been able to position itself among the consumers. The strong luxury car brands owned by BMW, Roll-Royce and Mini have enabled the company to attract and retain a wide population of customers. The competitiveness of the company has been felt across the automobile industry based on the strong brand names and market share commanded by the company. The company has also been under due pressure due to the ever increasing steel prices, competition and need for better technologies (Gerry et al. 2008). Table 1. SWOT Analysis. Strengths Weakness Strong brand image Diversified operations Strong financial performance Efficient and extensive production and distribution network Strong focus on R D Weak performance in Germany Weak turnover ratios Heavy Debt which limits growth prospectus Unfunded pension obligations Opportunities Threats Emerging markets Increasing demand for hybrid vehicles Increasing demand for dual fuel vehicles Growing motorcycles market Strategic alliance with PSA Peugeot Citroen Rising costs of raw materials ELV directive Stringent emission standards Global economic slowdown and particularly in Europe and US Foreign currency risk Increased competition in global automotive market Strengths Strong brand image The company is globally recognized due to its strong brand image. Being the leading luxury car manufacturer, BMW has been able to secure a suitable position among the 10 largest car manufacturers across the globe. The key brands of the company including BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini have been able to adequately position the company above its competitors. These are among the three strongest premium brands in the car industry thus making the company one of the most recognized far above its competitors (Ranchhod and Gurau 2007). Diversified operations BMW is among the leading diversified companies in terms of geographical operations and market ends it serves. The operations of the company are currently in over 140 countries thus enhancing its global presence. The key geographic regions of the company including, America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe have been able to facilitate the success of the company. The diversified business operations in the automobiles, financial services, motorcycles and information technology services have also yielded great success for the company (RanChhod et al 2004). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Strong financial performance In the recent years, BMW has shown up its strong financial performance through its consistently increasing revenues. For instance, by December 2007, BMW was able to record revenues of $76,786.1 million which was an increase of 14.3% over the year 2006. The commendable financial performance of the company can be attributed to the consistence increase in all businesses of the company. Despite the impacts of the global financial down turn of 2007/2008, the company has been able to sail through the challenges thus reinforcing investors’ confidence (Martin 2010). Weaknesses Weak performance in Germany Despite that Germany is a huge market for BMW; the company has been reporting declining sales volumes since 2005 in Germany. There has been an alarming negative sales growth of motorcycles in Germany ov er the last couples of years. This phenomenon calls for alarm concerning the success and sustainability of the BMW’s Germany market (Martin 2010). Weak turnover ratios The turnover ratios of BMW are not appealing thus raising questions on its financial stability. In comparison with its competitors, BMW has weaker turnover ratios. For instance, the asset turnover ratio was at 0.7 in 2007. This is low in comparison with other companies like Honda with 1.0 and Volkswagen at 0.8. This weak turnover ratios demonstrates the inability of the company’s management to deploy assets profitability which can in this case affect the company’s top line growth (Martin 2010). Opportunities Emerging markets Emerging markets across the globe are great opportunities for the success and sustainability of BMW. The massive economic growth and development in China and India is a great avenue to steer the much needed growth in BMW. India and China are potential global markets which will definitely drive global demand. The cheap production costs and high technological know how in China and India will enhance fast growth of BMW through mass production of quality and cheap vehicles (RanChhod et al. 2004). Increasing demand for hybrid vehicles Over the recent past, the global population has demonstrated a sharp turn into the demand for hybrid electric vehicles. Influenced by the need for environmental sustainability as well as the rising petroleum fuel costs, the world population is seeking alternative vehicles. Global estimates show that over 4.5 million units of hybrid electric vehicles will be demanded by the year 2013. This can be attributed to the rising energy costs as well as increased emissions regulations. BMW is hereby keen to capitalize on the increased demand thus enhancing its success. The technological potential of the company as well as the active hybrid drive concept will enable the company to demonstrate leadership in the hybrid electric vehicle marke t (Hill 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Increasing demand for dual fuel vehicles Like the demand for hybrid electric vehicles, the demand for dual fuel vehicles is in a constant increase. BMW is well placed in capitalizing on this new market due to its technological capacity as well capital potential (Hill 2008). Threats Rising raw materials prices The success and sustainability of BMW is at jeopardy due to the numerous threats surrounding its operations. The rising prices of aluminum and steel which are the primary raw materials for vehicle production is threatening the success of the company. The ever increasing raw material prices is in turn raising the production costs which limits profit margins as well as limiting affordability of the vehicles since excessive burden is passed to the customers (Martin 2010). Economic slowdown in Europe and US The global economic slowdown in 2008 has adversely affected the US and European markets. The decline in the GDP of these two giants is posing a great threat not only for BMW but the entire business sector. It is worth noting that the unhealthy economic growth of Europe and US has great impacts on the performance of BMW since demand for vehicles is significantly declining (Copper 2008). Stringent emission standards The stringent emission standards established in the automobile industry has unprecedented repercussions on the automobile industry whereby BMW is not exempted. Based on the new directives on emission standard, BMW and other automobile manufacturers will be held responsible for emission performance of the vehicles. These restrictions will not only attract financial losses but also tarnish the reputations of the company’s thus leading to loss of business (Martin 2010). Strategic options for BMW In light with the discussion and analysis on the current situation of BMW, it has been evident that the company is leading success in the automobile industry. The company is well endowed with modern technology in hybrid electric vehicles and has also abundant financial resources as well as human capital. Nevertheless, the company is facing numerous weaknesses and threats which jeopardize its future prospects. In response to these weaknesses and threats, the following strategic options should be considered (Hejiden 2006). Diversification strategy The diversification strategy is one of the most appropriate move for BMW in attaining its growth and sustainability prospects. Market diversification is very appropriate for businesses in competitive industries in the sense that it helps in spreading risks as well as enhancing growth prospects (Kaynak 2003). In order to gain success and sustainability in the automobile industry, BMW should continue with its diversification operations in new markets. Due to the concentration of the European and US markets, BMW should seek new markets. China and India are in this case potential and unexploited markets which BMW should adopt. Since most markets of Europe and America are established and movi ng to age due to the strong brand loyalty, BMW should move to new markets. In order to ensure smooth change and transition to new markets, BMW should put the market diversification strategy into action (Paley 2006). By adopting this strategy, the company will be in a position to consolidate its customer base thus increasing sales and ultimately boosting its profitability. Cost leadership the pricing strategy Despite that BMW focuses on manufacture of luxurious cars, its prices are extremely high thus making them unaffordable to many people. In order to enhance its market performance, the company should resolve to adopt the cost leadership strategy (Steinmann Schreyogg 2005). This can be attained by streamlining all operational activities by cutting down costs. This can be attained through outsourcing of production activities, use of latest technologies in production as well as retrenchment of excess personnel. By doing this, the company will be able to minimize the operational cos ts thus widening the profit margins (Bradley 2005). This will also have significant effects on pricing whereby the company will be in a position to lower prices. As a result of this approach, more customers will find the products affordable thus enhancing sales and profits. Product differentiation In this era of global competition in the automobile industry, BMW can attain success by adopting product differentiation strategy. Consumers across the globe are looking forward to see high tech products to satisfy their needs (Porter 1985). This scenario can not be exempted from the automobile industry whereby manufacturers can differentiate their products by incorporating latest technologies and innovations in automotive production (Pettigrew, Thomas and Whittington 2002). Consumers each day are looking for new and more innovation and technological features to be built in their cars (Muller Lecher 2005). This scenario puts undue pressure for BMW to come up with innovative features. This will help in differentiating its products above those of competitors thus gaining brand loyalty. Research and development is the most appropriate strategy for BMW to attain product differentiation (Palmer and Hardy 2000). It is worth noting that by considering the product differentiation strategy, BMW will be able to establish superior and appealing products (Mintzberg et al. 2005). Technology leadership Being in a competitive industry, BMW has every obligation to demonstrate efficiency and sustainability in its operations. In regard to this perspective, the company can attain success by investing massively on technology and innovations. For instance, the increasing demand for hybrid electric cars puts the company pressure to embark on new technologies (Barney and Hesterly 2009). In this case, BMW should be vigorous in research and developing new technologies to facilitate smooth transition to the new vehicle models. BMW should consider various approaches for enhancing its products by adopting the concepts of active hybrid program, intelligent energy, and innovative technologies like iDrive. By adopting these strategies, BMW will be in a position to position itself above its competitors. On the other hand, the company should also focus on innovative features on its services (Besanko et al. 2004). For instance, driver-focus services and reinforce mobile service should be researched on and fitted in the vehicles. In regards to hybrid electric vehicles, BMW should be in the forefront in ensuring technology leadership. For instance, the company should put into practice the hybrid dive concept together with other innovative strategies (Clegg et al. 2005). By so doing, BMW will be able to position itself above competitors hence enhancing success. Customer relationship management Customer relationship is an aspect of key concern in the contemporary business platform. BMW should hereby be efficient establishing effective strategies and structures for customer relatio nship management (Thomas 2007). One of the main approaches in customer relationship management is establishment of a customer care department. This will facilitate communication and interaction between the company and the clients. Customer care services will help in collecting customer feedbacks which helps in ensuring customer satisfaction (Ferrell and Hartline 2010). Market research and analysis should also be considered which will in this case help in enhancing product design to match customer taste and preferences (Timmers 2008; Sadler Craig 2003). Conclusion and Recommendations Based on the above discussion and analysis of the current situation of BMW it is evident that the company is potential of sustaining its success. The SWOT analysis of the company has placed BMW far above its competitors due to its strong financial, technological and human resource potential. In order to attain continued success and sustainability in the automobile industry, BMW should adopt the above st ated strategic options. The key strategies including technological leadership, cost leadership, pricing strategy, market diversification, product differentiation, and customer relationship management should be put in pace. By considering the above discussed strategic options, BMW will be able to realize its growth and profit maximization objectives. References Barney, J. B., and Hesterly, W S 2009, Strategic Management and Competive Advantage:  Concepts and Cases, Prentice Hall, New York. Besanko, D. et al 2004, The Economics of Strategy, John Wiley Sons, New York. Bradley, F. 2005, International Marketing Strategy, Pearson Education Ltd, New York. Clegg, S. et al 2005, Managing and Organizations, Sage, London. Copper, I. 2008, â€Å"America in recession†, Wealthy daily. Web. Ferrell, O. and Hartline, M. 2010, Marketing Strategy, South-West College Publishers, New York. Gerry, J. et al 2008, Exploring Corporate Strategy, Pearson Education, New York. Hejiden, K. 2006, Scena rio: The art of Strategic conversation. International studies of  management and Organization, Wiley Sons Press, New York. Hill, T. 2008, â€Å"The new change in automobile industry,† The Washington, vol. 2 no. 3, pp. 30-35. Hitt, M. et al 2009, Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization: cases, Routledge, London. Kaynak, E. 2003, The Global Business: Four Key Marketing Strategies, Routledge, New York. Martin, T. 2010, Strategic Management, Prentice Hall, New York. Mintzberg, et al 2005, Strategic Safari-A Guided Tour through the Wilds of Strategic  Management, Free Press, New York. Muller, S Lecher, T 2005, Strategic Management, Routledge, London. Paley, N. 2006, The Manger’s Guide to Competitive Marketing Strategies, Thorogood, London. Palmer, I. and Hardy, C 2000, Thinking about Management, Sage, London. Pettigrew, T. and Whittington, T. 2002, Handbook of Strategy and Management, Sage, London. Porter, M. 1985, Competitive Advantage: Creating and S ustaining Superior Performance, Free Press, New York. Ranchhod, A. and Gurau, C. 2007, Marketing Strategies: A Contemporary Approach, Prentice Hall, London. RanChhod, A. et al 2004, Marketing Strategies: A Twenty-First Century Approach, Prentice Hall, London. Sadler, P. Craig, J. 2003, Strategic Management, Kogan Page, London. Steinmann, T. Schreyogg, T. 2005, Management, McGraw Hill, London. Thomas, H. 2007, â€Å"An analysis of the environmental and competitive dynamics of management Education,† Journal of Management Development, Vol. 26 no. 1, pp. 9-21. Timmers, P. 2008, â€Å"Creation of value chains,† Electronic Commerce, Vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 182-193.