Why is the auto accident rate higher for teenagers than for all Essay

Why is the auto accident rate higher for teenagers than for all drivers - Essay Example Slow decision-making and slower reflexes on the other hand affect old people and account for most accidents involving the elderly. In the United States of America, the number of fatalities because of adolescent accidents in the year 2008 was 6,428 people (Teenage Driver Crash Statistics). Most these people were in other vehicles or passengers of the accident causing adolescents. The states of Florida and California recorded the highest numbers of accidents involving adolescents in the year 2008 at 516 and 593 respectively. Of these people, 2793 people were the young drivers, the rest either their passengers or outside parties involved in the accident (Teenage Driver Crash Statistics). Clearly, there is need for action to bring these numbers down. However, to improve the statistics, it is important to understand young drivers and the factors that lead to their involvement in road accidents. Owing to their inexperience in the roads, young people have low abilities to detect hazards, such as slippery roads (Teenage Driver Crash Statistics). This makes them vulnerable and in some cases results in accidents. For example, the case of slippery roads, due to rain or any other factor reduces friction between the tires and the roads and between the brakes and the wheels. This results in brake failure that in turn leads to accidents and loss of life. Loss of friction between the road and the tires also results to loss of control of the car, change of direction at relatively normal speeds may result in skidding and consequently an accident. Failure of perception of this risk by adolescents therefore results in road accidents. Adolescent egocentrism also leads to poor hazard detection. Adolescents have naà ¯ve idealism, which leads to perception of things, as they would be in an ideal world. For example, an adolescent is likely to ignore the driving of

Chronic Expanding Hematoma in the Chest

Chronic Expanding Hematoma in the Chest A case of chronic expanding hematoma presenting as a huge mass in the chest Abstract: A 42-year-old man presented with a huge mass in the chest. The disease was recognized as a complain of chest pain and was successfully resected by surgery. He had a history of blunt chest injury 25 years ago. Magnetic resonance T2-weighted imaging demonstrated a mosaic pattern of various signal intensities. In cases of an intrathoracic mass with this imaging feature, with combined a past history of blunt chest injury, we should consider the existence of a chronic expanding hematoma. Keywords:Hematoma; thoracic tumor; chest injury; diagnosis Introduction Chronic expanding hematoma in the chest is a rare condition that often develops after thoracic surgery, thoracic injury or tuberculous pleuritis (1-4). In general, hematomas are naturally reabsorbed and rarely cause serious problems. Thoracic hematomas that develop slowly without symptoms until the mass compresses other organs are often difficult to early detection. Surgical removal is the first treatment for thoracic hematomas, but it is not easy to achieve a complete resection because of the presence of a dense fibrous adhesion to adjacent tissues (3-5). Herein, we describe a patient, with a history of blunt chest injury 25 years ago, who exhibited a huge chronic expanding hematoma in the chest treated by surgical resection successfully. Case report A 42-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of chest dull pain. He did not have any other symptoms and had no history of thoracic operation or pulmonary disorders including tuberculosis. Twenty-five years earlier, at the age of 17, the patient had a blunt chest injury after a fight for which he did not seek medical help. He was a heavy smoker for 26 years. Physical and lab examination revealed no positive findings. Chest X-ray revealed a huge mass shadow in the anterior mediastinum, with few pleural effusion in the left pleural cavity. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a huge intrathoracic mass (10.2cmÃâ€"13.3cmÃâ€"17.9cm) with a tissue density adhered to the left pericardium (Figure 1). Calcification was not detected in the mass. Left pleural cavity had a moderate pleural effusion. The tissue content in the mass was not obvious enhanced following contrast administration. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the mass containing various signal intensi ties, just like a mosaic pattern (Figure 2). Diagnostic thoracocentesis of the left pleural effusion was performed, but cytological examination showed only erythrocytes with a few inflammatory cells. Although we could not reach a conclusive diagnosis, our preoperative diagnoses were benign or low malignant tumors including teratoma, chronic empyema and aneurysmal bone cyst. In addition, the probability of complete resection of the lesion is higher than incomplete resection based on the preoperative imaging evaluation. So a surgical resection of the lesion was decided. A left posterolateral thoracotomy along the 5th intercostal space with combined a cut off of the 5th and 6th posterior rib was performed for the purpose of obtaining a wide operative field. The mass which located in the left anterior mediastinu had a thickened and hard capsule, and was completely adhered to thymus, pericardium and part of upper lobe of left lung. Diaphragm just had a mild adhesion to the mass. Completely resection of the huge mass was achieved, including most thymus, most left parietal pericardium and partial upper lobe of left lung. The total operation time was 140 minutes and the total blood loss was 250 ml. Macroscopic observations showed that the resected mass contained a dense fibrous capsule with hemorrhagic materials and necrotic tissues (Figure 3). Pathological examination showed that the mass was an old hematoma surrounded by dense fibrous tissues and the center was consisted of fresh and old hemorrhages (Figure 4). There was no evidence of malignancy or infection in the mass, thymus, pericardium and lung. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient's chest dull pain disappeared. The patient was discharged without complications. There was no sign of recurrence for two months after the operation. Discussion Chronic expanding hematoma first advocated by Reid et al (6). is a rare clinicopathologic entity that can occur in various locations, such as scrotum, kidney, thigh, retroperitoneum, cerebrum and chest (6-9). The most frequently reports of chronic expanding hematoma was occured in the cerebrum, followed by occurred in the chest. The majority of reports of chronic expanding hematoma in the chest were come from Japan (1,3,5,10). To the best of our knowledge, this present case was the first case reported in China. Chronic expanding hematoma in the chest often develops after thoracic surgery, thoracic injury or tuberculous pleuritis (1-4). It can also develop in the absence of thoracic surgical treatment, injury or inflammatory disorders (5,10). A hematoma persists and increases in size more than one month after the initial hemorrhage is a chronic expanding hematoma. It is still unclear why hematomas grow continuously. Labadie and Glover (11) proposed a theory that microscopic hematomas forming after theinitial hemorrhage do not resolve naturally, and slowly grow due to repeated organization and hemorrhage from new fragile microvessels beneath the fibrous capsule. Various blood factors and its breakdown products that have inflammatory properties, are possibly associated with repeated exudation or hemorrhage from fragile microvessels resulting in inflammation. As was seen in our case, we presumed that the initial hemorrhage was caused by the blunt chest injury 25 years ago, and then the hematoma grow slowly due to repeated organization and hemorrhage from the fragile microvessels in the granulation tissue. Respiratory movements, heart beating or constant coughing under a negative pleural pressure favor the growth of thoracic hematomas to become a larger one than other locations (5). The diagnosis of chronic expanding hematoma in the chest is difficult due to its rarity, especially for those that develop slowly in patients with no history of surgery, trauma or tuberculosis. Chronic expanding hematoma in the chest should be differentiate from teratoma, chronic empyema or aneurysmal bone cyst (5). MRI has an important significance in diagnosis of chronic expanding hematoma. The mosaic pattern of various signal intensities on T2-weighted MRI was reported as specific feature of chronic expanding hematoma (10,12). These various signal intensities indicated fresh and old blood caused by repeated hemorrhage over time. MRI results showed a good correlation with pathology of the disease. Conclusions We conclude that the following characteristics may be helpful in diagnosing chronic expanding hematoma in the chest: (1) have a long course of disease with few symptoms; (2) once received chest surgery, had a history of chest injury or tuberculous pleuritis occurred; (3) T2-weighted MRI presents a mosaic pattern of various signal intensities; (4) preoperative biopsy of the lesion without positive found. Chronic expanding hematoma in the chest remains a very rare disease. However, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a patient has a mass in the chest with the above characteristics. Figure 1 Chest CT scan revealed a huge intrathoracic mass with a tissue density adhered to the left pericardium and a moderate pleural effusion in the left pleural cavity. Figure 2 T2-weighted MRI demonstrated a large well-defined mass in the chest, with a mosaic pattern of various signal intensities. Figure 3 Macroscopic observations showed that the resected mass contained a dense fibrous capsule with hemorrhagic materials and necrotic tissues. Figure 4 Pathological examination showed an old hematoma surrounded by fibrous tissues and revealed some dilated microvessels and blood stasis.

Negative Aspects of Animal Testing Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical

An Evil Science: ANIMALS IN RESEARCH Dating back to ancient times, animals have been used in research to advance biomedical sciences. However, the ways the human race can exploit these living creatures are absolutely evil. The main concern animal rights advocates have are not concerned with the idea of using animals in research but the way people can torture these animals. The twentieth century has witnessed some of the cruelest acts of violence in the laboratory but it has also seen the rise of the animal rights movement. Cruelty will always exist in this world, in some form or another, but hopefully it can be abolished from the laboratories. One could hear the agonizing screams of the horse from a great distance. Inside the lab the horse was being wrestled to the ground as its limbs were bound with ropes. The researchers sat on the horse to keep it still as they were carrying out their cruel deed. Sometimes this experiment could take up to four hours and always the horse was fully conscious as its throat was slit to expose the jugular vein. After the scientists extracted the blood they needed to make a cheap medicine, they left the horse to bleed to death and then they threw the mutilated carcass onto the streets. This is only one example of the cruelty associated with animals in research. In this case, a horse was tortured and slaughtered to obtain a blood serum that is now rarely used due to the risk it poses to humans. A simple and humane alternative to this process is to merely use a needle to draw blood from the animal. (http://stopanimaltests.com/f-turkishHorses.asp, 7/30/06) Advocates for animal testing claim that, since the beginning of history, many advances in biomedical sciences have been a product of using anima... ...d though it still cannot be seen, the end of animal testing is approaching ever so slowly. In some laboratories evil continues to prevail, but in many others, good is dominating. Works Cited Stephens, Martin L., Ph.D. Alternatives to Current Uses of Animals in Research, Safety Testing, and Education. Washington, DC: Humane Society of the United States, 1986. "The Hidden Lives of Rats and Mice." Stop Animal Tests. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 30 July 2006 hiddenrats/ >. "Animal Testing." Wikipedia. 27 July 2006. 30 July 2006 . Pratt, Dallas, M.D. Alternatives to Pain. N.p.: Argus Archives, 1980. Ryder, Richard. "Institutional Speciesism: Cruelty is Wrong." Animal Experimentation: Good or Bad? By Richard Ryder, et al. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2002. 57-74.

Understanding The Difference of Living Standards & Standard of Living

The American life style has been very much shaped by their economy. Nearly all aspects of American, and for that matter the rest of the world†s, life have been changed by their economy†s in some way, shape or form. Everything from the beds we sleep on, to the food we eat, to the jobs we aquire to make ends meet is continuously shaped by the different economies each respective country has. So what is quality of life anyway? There are probably a thousand different answers to that question, but they all point in the same direction. Quality of life means how happy you are with the lifestyle you have. Are you unhappy because you don†t have the belongings you want, or are you perfectly happy being without them, and believe in just enjoying life for what it is. Quality of life is a measure of your social, economic and mental well being. Standard of living is something totally different from quality of life. Although they sound the same and the meanings of the separate words are similar, each phrase has it†s own meaning. The standard of your living may affect your standard of life though. Standard of living means the material possessions you have. It is the degree you are able to satisfy your material wants and needs. First, to understand how the fact that the United States is a market economy affects the quality of life there, it helps for you to know some history on the subject. When the United States first started there was practically no secondary industry, this was because there hadn†t been a need for it before then. All the States did was â€Å"harvest† the raw goods from the land and sell them back to the mother country. There wasn†t any need to have any secondary industry. This all changed when they became a separate country. Later on when the British industrial revolution was about at it†s midriff the American revolution kicked in. this changed the secondary industry from a cottage based industry to a factory based industry with the introduction of machines that could do the work of several men. The farmers started to move out of the country and in to the big cities, where all the work was. Eli Whitney can be credited with the mass production of interchangeable pa rts. Unfortunately, this system created a feeling of alienation. The workers in the the factorys were in a totally different social class than the managers. This gap along with the fact that they didn†t feel like they were part of the coroporation, a corporation acts as a single fictcios person, the workers didn†t feel like they were part of this person. The quality of life of the workers at these factories went down. They felt alienated at work, then they went home to poor housing conditions, malnutrition and virtually no social mobility. Although they weren†t nearly as bad as in Britain. The producers were happy though; they were making lots of money and more and better products than ever before. This leads to the next issue of the relations between the labor force and management. This affects how people get the products, and how some people work, thus affecting the quality of life of many American citizens. Labor and management often have disagreements because the two groups have different views on how things should work. Management wants to keep production costs at a minimum, and therefore giving workers a low wage, while labor workers want high wages and lots of benefits for themselves. When the two groups have a disagreement and go into talks they try to find the answer to one simple question, â€Å"what should be the terms and conditions of employment?† and depending on their respective answers, they agree or disagree. These decisions determine the relationship of these two groups. There are many risks in business, especially if you are the proprietor behind a proprietorship. This kind of business means you stand to lose or gain the most. If this fact is causing too much stress, your quality of life may â€Å"go through the floor.† But if you are the kind of person who values money very highly, your quality of life may go up when you have the knowledge that you may be able to make that much money. There are always ways to get around the risks of business; there are exemptions to every rule. There is always to lose too though. Since the great depression, government has had much more to do with the economy than it used to. The government has much more to do with the American citizen†s life since the great depression. This bothers some people, but others like the security of being under the government†s protective wing. The government has decided to exert more controll because they want to limit the fluctuations of the business cycle. The government now makes laws and regulations to restrain the country. There are also many more social programs now, which some people couldn†t live without. These were developed because people were losing money and jobs over things which they didn†t have control over, like market fluctuations. The consumer has a very important role in the economy, and so in there own standard of living, and even in there own quality of life. Some people are only happy when they have the material possessions, while others have no need of material things to make them happy. The people who need the possessions put a high regard to what the role of an American consumer is. Things like complaining when something is unsatisfactory, and becoming informed about which products to buy. Every country has an economic system, and economic systems affect lifestyles, quality of lives, and standards of living. An economy can affect life much the way a climate can. In fact, an economy is actually a kind of climate. An economy can change, fluctuate and cause harm much the same way a weather climate can. The united states has used all levels of government and private enterprise to ensure an adequate quality of life for all of it†s citizens. The market economy is allowed to function by the government as long as it supports the common good, or quality of life.

Church and Dwight Essay

A. Executive Summary 1. Summary statement of the problem: Church & Dwight, more commonly known by its brand name â€Å"Arm & Hammer,† has held a commanding lead in the sodium bicarbonate product market for over 160 years with virtually 99 percent of all consumer products in households within the United States. However, in order to promote growth and diversity while maintaining a steady profitability rate of three – five percent per year, the company has expanded uses of sodium bicarbonate products so that it is no longer the only focus. The acquisition of a diverse group of consumer products in international markets has been viewed as a viable option to sustain the profitability margins well into the 21st century (Wheelen & Hunger). 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Since Church and Dwight is a relatively small company, when compared to competitors in household and personal care product markets they must recognize the challenges of growing sales through acquisitions to promote growth and competitiveness within those markets. Church & Dwight must incorporate additional acquisitions of solid brands and products in order to grow market share through an expansion of product lines into a variety of â€Å"personal care, deodorizing and cleaning, and laundry products† as well as â€Å"specialty chemicals, animal nutrition, and specialty cleaners† (Wheelen & Hunger). In addition, to maintain its position in the world market place, Church & Dwight must expand into international markets and gain footholds in product markets through acquisition of manufacturing assets. Simply shipping domestic product lines overseas is cost prohibitive. Foreign manufacturing assets will allow product recogniti on by local consumers in foreign countries and markets. B. The Situation After 160 years, Church & Dwight is a giant in the household domestic product market with brand name recognition more commonly associated with â€Å"Arm & Hammer† products. However, this achievement in the market only nets $2.5 billion in annual sales worldwide. The company’s brand portfolio includes over 80 popular brands and competes for market share with other giants including Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, and Proctor & Gamble, which have combined sales of over $100 billion. The company has also expanded over the past decade into other household product lines through acquisitions of consumer brands including Mentadent, Pepsodent, Aim, and Close-up, as well as Trojan. Church & Dwight has a core of specialty products primarily based on its successful sodium bicarbonate line of products. It currently holds 75% of the sodium bicarbonate market share. Expansion in the domestic markets has proven successful because of the â€Å"company’s pristine balance sheet†. Growth into the foreign markets has proven more challenging than domestic markets. Foreign market net sales in 2009 were only $393 million compared to domestic net sales of $1.8 billion (Cook). II. ANALYSIS A. Analysis of the Situation 1.Management – The Church & Dwight Company has continued a tradition of slow and steady leadership with a solid focus on long-term goals. The steadiness of the company’s leadership can be primarily attributed to the fact that 25 percent of outstanding common stock is owned by descendants of the company’s original cofounders, a tradition that continues today. In addition, the management of the company over the past 160 years has been handed down from generation-to-generation until recently when Dwight C. Minton passed on the position of Chief Executive Officer in 1995 to an outsider, Mr. Robert A. Davies, III (Wheelen & Hunger). This focused leadership style has enabled Church & Dwight to overcome potential leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers with a series of calculated actions and savvy business decisions. These actions allowed the board of directors and management to amend the company’s charter and allowed shareholders four votes per share. The board of directors was also re-structured into classes, in which each class serves staggered three-year terms (Wheelen & Hunger). In addition to staggering the tenure of the directors, the company initiated employee severance agreements with key officials, providing a severance package agreement to provide a â€Å"safety net† should any of the board member positions be terminated by a hostile takeover or leveraged buy-out by an unwanted suitor. By providing these lucrative packages for senior management, many were able to stay with Church & Dwight. This allowed for continuity of leadership styles, vision and mission focus. Because of this steadfast devotion to principles, steady growth over the years has occurred, identifying Church & Dwight as a Cash Cow, using the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Growth-Share Matrix. However, as the company focuses more on international markets and enters other potential avenues of growing product lines, it will surely find itself labeled a s a Star. 2.Operations – Church & Dwight have peacefully existed over the past 60 years with sustained growth and profitability because it virtually held the market in the palm of its hands as other companies searched for ways to enter the household and personal care product lines. As a result of the constant forces in emerging markets, Church & Dwight has come to the realization that they have major challenges to overcome if they are to compete with other giants in the industry and continue to thrive. As the company gains a stronger market share in the international consumer products, the growth and profitability standard will continue well into the future. However, Church & Dwight also recognize they must remain vigilant to quickly and adequately deal with Porter’s Five Forces: Bargaining power of suppliers; Threat of new entrants; Threat of substitute products or services; Bargaining power of buyers (customers); and Rivalry among existing firms (competitors) (Wheelen & Hunger). When considering Bargaining Power of Suppliers, the force rating could be considered Medium as management must be constantly aware of any potential market shocks or trends. If an affiliate retailer is affected by unforeseen supply chain issues, like increased fuel prices, then those costs throughout the company may be affected to remain competitive. In addition, Church & Dwight are well aware of the economic situations that may affect their trade customers who may reduce distribution of products in which sales may decline, or adversely affect the financial performance of the company (Craigie). There was never historically a threat of new entrants into the sodium bicarbonate market prior to 1970. However, since the company has developed new product offerings and other established consumer brands, they now face the same competition threats of mature and domestic and international markets for consumer products. This threat of new entrants has emerged over the past decades and may now be rated high. The threat of substitute products or services is always considered high, as well, because consumers might choose a substitute item, if it is cheaper. This is a problem for any company. Bargaining power of buyers (customers) is generally a medium concern as consumer satisfaction is evaluated in a variety of ways. Otherwise, dissatisfactio n can drive prices up or down based on demand, or the lack of. Quality is a hallmark of Church & Dwight and the perception by consumers of any potential lowering of standards to decrease prices will typically drive loyal customers away. Finally, rivalry among existing firms (competitors) is high as competitors try to achieve greater market shares to grow potential profit shares. â€Å"Church & Dwight has in an enviable position to profit from its dominant niche in the sodium bicarbonate products market since it controlled the primary raw material used in its production† (Wheelen & Hunger). 3.Marketing – The Church & Dwight marketing strategy has been fairly simplistic since its focus has been on the sodium bicarbonate product lines for over a century. However, with additional acquisitions over the past 20 years, and the expansion into other household products, the brand recognition has become even more important. As a result, â€Å"marketing expenses for 2009 were $353.6 million, an increase of $59.5 million or 20% as compared to 2008† (Craigie). In addition, Church & Dwight caters to people of all ages and backgrounds. This wide range of customers allows them to develop more and more organic products and services with large scale agreements to satisfy those demographics. As the company expands globally, markets for one region could also be satisfied by other regions as production opportunities allowed greater cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, â€Å"attempts to enter international markets have met with limited success, probably for two reasons: (1) lack of name recognition and (2) transportation costs† (Wheelen & Hunger). Finally, the company began a ground-breaking marketing campaign by airing commercials for condoms on prime-time television. This â€Å"shock† strategy increased its marketing strength and enabled the partnership with Quidel Corporation, â€Å"a provider of point-of-care diagnostic test, to meet women’s health and wellness needs† (Wheelen & Hunger). There are potential problems if various brand names fall into â€Å"the precarious line-extension snare† (Wheelen & Hunger). As the company expands and acquires more product lines bearing the â€Å"Arm & Hammer† trademark, the potential for substandard quality or customer satisfaction could cause a back-lash resulting in reduced sales around the world. Therefore, product marketing is essential to reinforce brand name recognition so consumers never forget the value and quality of a company’s name and its product lines. 4.Finance – Initially, the company’s domestic markets have proven successful. However, in keeping pace with competition in expanding product line markets, acquisition of assets has taken place, which could negatively impact the overall financial picture if profitability is not maintained. In 2009, Church & Dwight’s performance worldwide achieved an increase in sales of 4 percent; organic sales increased 5 percent, gross profit margin increased 44 percent while global marketing expenses only increased 20 percent; and the Net Cash Flow grew to a record level of $401 million (Craigie). Perhaps even more significant to investors is the report that earnings per share grew 23% and dividends on investments increased by 35 percent (Craigie). In contrast to the growing profits and expenses, the comp any also jettisoned noncore assets for the first time, including â€Å"five domestic and international consumer product brands acquired during the 2008 Del Laboratories transaction† (Wheelen & Hunger). This posturing of assets will enable a financially sound balance sheet in the future. Therefore, the financial status of Church & Dwight continues to grow as it has achieved modest gains from year to year, with hopes of even greater revenue and sales. Finally, the CEO remains focused on â€Å"building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantages† and the â€Å"long-term objective is to maintain the company’s track record of delivering outstanding TSR (Total Shareholder Return) relative to that of the S&P 500† (Wheelen & Hunger). 5.Administration – Church & Dwight enjoys a sound management strategy. It incorporates affiliates through agreements to sell its products. In addition, the former CEO, Mr. James R. Cragie, stated â€Å"†¦We have added $1 billion in sales in the past five years, a 72% increase, while reducing our total headcount by 5%, resulting in higher revenue per employee than all of our major competitors† (Wheelen & Hunger). While it may appear unsympathetic to the employee perspective, techno logical advancements allow for increased productivity in various aspects of manufacturing and labor allowing for greater productivity without the added expense of additional manpower. Church & Dwight also continue to operate with an ethical employment code in keeping with today’s expectations of utmost respect for both consumer and employee. The following is the company’s published Ethical Standards: â€Å"The reputation and integrity of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. are valuable corporate assets, vital to the Company’s success. Each Company employee, including each of the Company’s officers and general managers and each Company director, is responsible for conducting the Company’s business in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of integrity. Specifically, we encourage among Company personnel a culture of honesty, accountability and mutual respect. Additionally, we provide guidance to help Company personnel recognize and deal with ethical issues. Finally, we have provided mechanisms for Company personnel to report unethical conduct. Dishonest or unethical conduct or conduct that is illegal will constitut e a violation of these Standards and are grounds for disciplinary action† (Church & Dwight). 6.SWOT a.Strengths – The Church & Dwight Company has many strengths, with brand recognition being their greatest. In fact, Arm & Hammer continues to be their greatest asset and strongest product on the market today; the little yellow box is in over 95 percent of all households across the country. The sodium bicarbonate product line has proven itself for over 160 years with uses in baking, cleaning, and deodorizing, and as an added ingredient for things like drain openers and neutralizing agents. While there may be other similar products, Church & Dwight have virtually cornered the market by holding 85 percent of it. b.Weaknesses – A potential weakness within the company is the overextension of branding into many other product lines. â€Å"Until 1970, it produced and sold only two consumer products: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and a laundry product marketed under the name Super Washing Soda† (Wheelen & Hunger). The company enjoyed success domestically, but â€Å"in the int ernational arena where growth was more product-driven and less marking sensitive, the company was less experienced† (Wheelen & Hunger). Therefore, they relied on acquisitions and management changes to improve its international footprint and reach. With ever-expanding product lines, suppliers, and retailers, the potential for an inferior product or service can cause a negative reputation, impacting the overall brand. Therefore, brand recognition should continue to be the focus when researching future products or investment avenues to ensure the quality of the product/service in the name of the company. Entire corporations have gone away because of a negative connotation to its brand name in the eyes of consumers. c.Opportunities – The possibilities are endless as Church & Dwight continue to pursue additional product lines in household, personal care, specialty, and international products. Future expansion in acquisitions and assets may prove more advantageous as potential consumer products become even more attractive to increase the profitability as the manufacturing base is expanded around the globe. Perhaps i n 20 years, we may have cars manufactured by Church & Dwight, as well. d.Threats – The primary threat to Church & Dwight is competition. Competitors have an even greater market share and larger marketing campaigns to remain leaders in their respective niche. There are always going to be threats to its business operations, products, services, and reputation. Therefore, ongoing evaluation of partnerships, agreements, consumer satisfaction, quality of production, quality of service, etc. is always continuing. Without a continuous evaluation process, companies may find themselves outsmarted, out-marketed, out-produced, and out of a job. Church & Dwight have done a great deal in maintaining a very loyal customer base through evaluations of consumer trends and ensuring affiliates maintain the highest standards to retain the reputation as the leading household product manufacturer 7.Products or Services – Church & Dwight continue to produce some of the most widely known household care products. These products are based on differences in the nature of their uses and organized into three reportable segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products (SPD) (Craigie). The company currently produces 80 different product lines, in which eight major brands make up a total of 80 percent of its business (Craigie). The most famous of the company’s products is Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. As a company focused on quality and innovation, Church & Dwight has â€Å"a discreet marketing team focused solely on new product development† (Church & Dwight). In addition, the company is focused on goals to develop differentiated products with new and distinctive features, increased convenience and value, and engaging outside contractors for research and development activities (Church & Dwight). B. Problem Definition 1.The Church & Dwight case study identified a corporate problem needing to continue expansion in products and services, while presenting a consistent operating profit and increasing market shares of the household product industry. Expenses were continually evaluated and streamlined to reduce inefficiencies; including product research and development to identify â€Å"new uses/markets for an existing product† (Wheelen & Hunger). Unfortunately, constant pressure from global competitors seeking to enter domestic and international markets, as well as an overall poor economy, is creating an atmosphere where continued growth must be developed through new opportunities for expansion into new geographical markets, new products/uses, all while striving to control increasing transportation costs. 2.In order for Church & Dwight to retain its position as the leading household product manufacturer, it must continue to provide outstanding customer service, excellence in product quality, invest in cutting edge technology to remain a viable resource for consumers, as well as developing new uses for its primary product line to ensure customers remain satisfied with the product, as promised. In addition, expanding its share of other household product opportunities and innovations will be key to any future growth. Yet another opportunity for Church & Dwight to grow is in the business-to-business exchange market for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. By providing this service to its affiliates and partners, they would be able to achieve greater operational efficiencies in their supply chains. 3.As Church & Dwight enjoy a considerably large loyal customer base, competing with Proctor & Gamble and other industry giants to get customers to switch competitors is no easy task. However, with any challenge comes greater innovation and new ideas. Relationships with suppliers, manufacturers and other retailers allow for greater efficiencies in costs by consolidating orders, developing greater discounts on shipping costs, or even creating greater financial incentives for affiliates to increase sales and customer satisfaction rates by increasing consumer awareness of the quality and reliability of services and products available to them. III. SYNTHESIS A. Alternative Solutions Brand recognition for ARM & HAMMER brand products has already been established within the domestic markets of the United States. International markets continue to challenge emerging companies due to cultural differences in market populations, cultural differences in marketing strategies, and language barriers requiring new brand names more suitable for local languages/cultures. With low population growth rates and households in international markets, increasing transportation costs, and intense competition and higher commodities costs, manufacturers are turning to new and innovative processes to increase their share of the household product markets. For example, rising gas prices are a concern since it directly contributes to increased production costs. In response, household and personal care product companies are making efforts to stimulate sales in varying ways, such as entering new markets, creating new product segments, strengthening strong brand image, acquiring businesses, targeting market audiences, and increasing advertising budgets. Another alternative could be to develop joint-business ventures with suppliers, manufacturers, distributers, and retailers. The benefit to this option would be to streamline production and sales and allow the ease of marketing products and services to its affiliates and partners. This option would also allow greater operational efficiencies and translate into lower costs for Church & Dwight and lower prices for consumers. B. Recommendations and Conclusions As Church & Dwight look to satisfy competitive pressures while still reeling from the recent economic crisis, the following recommendation and solution is presented in hopes of reducing expenditures and continuing company growth through new product development and market expansion. Expanding into new markets with â€Å"major competitors jockeying for shelf space and retailers seeking to rationalize their breadth of product offerings, more changes may be considered† (Wheelen & Hunger). Therefore, the best recommendation for Church & Dwight at this point in time would be to implement the first alternative, delving into new product lines both in domestic markets and even greater exploration of international markets. This option would be advantageous because of the limited financial investment required to grow already established footholds in foreign countries to manufacture and transport new product lines. In addition, by improving upon past successes and avoiding past mistakes, a sound marketing campaign could attract additional consumer traffic to its existing retailers and product outlets. Arm & Hammer also has premier brand recognition within the United States, which would look to use its large customer base to compete against Proctor & Gamble or Colgate-Palmolive, and Clorox. Finally, to satisfy any shortcomings in this solution, it is further recommended that Church & Dwight initiate an aggressive marketing strategy incorporating foreign experts in business and marketing development to identify focus groups to better understand cultural differences and expectations in product innovations. Understanding why a specific culture or race chooses one brand over another is key to identifying potential aspects of a new product line that would be warmly received in another country rather than simply pushing an American-made product brand on a culture that has no experience with the product or whose name may have a derogatory meaning in their language. This option could also allow Church & Dwight to market potentially less expensive alternatives to Proctor & Gamble or other foreign corporations specializing in household products in another country or region. This recommendation provides a potential solution to increase sales while growing market share and staying ahead of the competition. References Church & Dwight, Co. Inc. (web). Churchdwight.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2012 from http://www.churchdwight.com/index.aspx Craigie, J. R. (February 24, 2010). Church & Dwight co., inc. 2009 annual report: Churchdwight.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2012 from http://www.churchdwight.com/PDF/AnnualReports/2009-CDH-Annual-Report.pdf Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2012). Strategic management and business policy toward global sustainability. (13th ed., pp. 19-20). New York, NY: Pearson Hall.