Marketing Communication Proposal

Marketing Communication Proposal

 

Introduction

            Different people face a variety of challenges due to the fast-changing environment we have today. The utilization of new technologies and the emergence of different inventions and innovations to answer problems has been the focus of many Research and Development divisions of organizations. A variety of ideas is being generated in different aspects, such as in medicine, politics, economics, religion, society, and culture. The use of computers and the integration of technology in almost all major aspects in our society, different crises can be resolved quickly and efficiently. Despite the changes and development that each country undergo in their participation in globalization, some countries or nations still remain to be lagging behind. These nations, such as the poor and desolated countries in Africa, remain to be underdeveloped and lack the capacity to provide their citizens efficient medical remedies, economic growth and social development. Among these nations is the country of Somalia, which is now the poorest country in Africa. One of the problems faced by this country is its battle against the increasing cases of parasitism, especially intestinal parasitism of children and adults. With its meager situation, its government cannot totally provide its citizens the remedies to fight the disease, so new products and services must be introduced to help the citizens.

            One of the recent products developed by scientists today in Israel is the wireless camera-capsule, used to replace the painful process of endoscopy. The introduction of this product to the market of Somalia to detect the severity of gastrointestinal problems, such as intestinal parasitism, can be a great advancement to the country to device medical and environmental solutions, aside from the solutions they have at the moment. This could somehow lessen the problems of severe illnesses and increased death rate.  

            This paper proposes the introduction of the newly invented wireless camera-capsule to the market of Somalia to answer medical diseases such as intestinal parasitism. It also evaluates the communication approach that the inventors have to use to make the product more marketable. It also discusses the communication constraints involved in the process.

 

Condition of Somalia and Parasitism

            It has been reported that Somalia has long been one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, and has relatively few natural resources ( 2006). Agriculture is the most important sector, concentrating on livestock, where nomads and semi nomads depend on for their livelihood, and exporting principal products, such as sugar, bananas, sorghum, maize and fish ( 2006). In addition, Somalia has uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt and natural gas, likely oil reserves ( 2006). Signs of growth in Somalia are minimal, and most infrastructures, telecommunications, and means of transportation are privately owned. Moreover, the supply of water is being given by the private sector, which results in having only 21% of the total population having access to safe drinking water ( 2006). These factors contribute to the poverty being experienced by Somalia, and was further aggravated by the hostilities of the civil war, which started in 1991 ( 2006). In addition, Somalia continues to have one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with 10% of children dying at birth and 25% of those surviving birth dying before the age five ( 2006). This phenomenon is maybe due to the high level of violence due to the lack of government ( 2006), and the acquired diseases brought about by the unsanitary environment and lack of resources, such as water, food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. This leads to the conclusion that due to poverty, more families are not equipped to provide their children the necessities and resources needed for a healthy growth. Due also to the lack of education, most citizens are misinformed of proper hygiene and the several diseases they could acquire from unsanitary environments. The situation of Somalia described above justifies the increased rate of parasitism in the country, and the dire need for able citizens belonging to the First World countries to help and assist the poor inhabitants of Somalia.

            Among the diseases acquired by many residents in Somalia, parasitism causes the most number of deaths. Parasites are silent killers, causing slow death to its victims, extracting all the nutrients from the host’s body to use for its own metabolism. It has been reported human intestinal parasites infect the air, food, and water and cause constipation, stomach bloating, anemia, asthma, diarrhea, digestive disorders, low immune system, skin rashes, and some other disease health problems (2006). In addition, people with intestinal parasite infections are usually under-nourished and weak, infected with viruses, fungi, or bacteria, and have serious types of chemical and metal poisoning (2006). This perfectly describes the situation of the citizens of Somalia and makes them susceptible to intestinal parasitism.

Different varieties of parasites are present and can be classified into four major categories, namely, Protozoa, Trematoda, Cestoda, and Nematoda. Nematodes or roundworms include the Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms, whipworms, pinworms, heartworms, Strongyloides, Ancylostoma, and Trichiuris worms. These worms can grow up to 15 inches long, and in large numbers can cause blockages in the intestinal tract, hemorrhage when penetrating the intestinal wall, appendicitis, peritonitis, abscesses in the liver, hemorraghic pancreatitis, loss of appetite, and insufficient absorption of digested food (2006). Cestodes or tapeworms include bladder worms, pork and beef tapeworms, broad fish tapeworms, dog tapeworms, and rat tapeworms. They can grow up to 35 feet long and live ten years inside its host (2006). Trematodes or flukes include the flatworms, the bladder, blood, liver, lung, kidney and intestinal flukes that cause severe disease of the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, liver and blood cells (2006).

Moreover, it has been reported that Ascariasis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis, and ancylostomiasis are very common, whereas strongyloidiasis and tapeworm infections are less (1994). In addition, given the current concentration of refugees and relief efforts in southern Somalia, it has been reported that hookworm prevalence approaches 100 percent among agricultural workers along the Juba river valley and a prevalence of 38 to 55 percent in other surveys in southern Somalia (1994). These intestinal parasites can be visible in the naked eye, and can multiply in great numbers, so detection of its severity is easy if seen using high tech electronic gadgets.        

Introduction of the Camera-Capsule

            It has been reported that testing for parasites are only available for about five percent of the known varieties of parasites, with twenty percent accuracy (2006), and given the deprived situation of Somalia, its citizens would have a hard time warding off parasitism. The remedies and preventions being used to eliminate parasites may not be as effective, so the introduction of new technology may be helpful for the detection of its severity and to its cure. One effective means of seeing and detecting the severity of intestinal parasitism and infection is by using the newly devised camera-capsule or the new wireless endoscopy system, which can be swallowed and excreted.  (2000) reports that, an Israeli-based company named Given Imaging Limited has developed a new wireless endoscopy system, and produces high quality images of the small intestines without pain or discomfort to the patient. The system consists of a small ingestible capsule containing a battery, a camera on a chip, a light source, and a transmitter (2000). The camera-capsule has a one-centimeter section and a length of three centimeters, and can cross the patient’s alimentary tract in 24 hours (2000). This technology replaces the conventional type of endoscopy, where the doctor places a length of tube in the throat of the patient to see his or her gastrointestinal tract, thus, is painstaking for the patient and the medical practitioners as well.

             (2000) reports that the wireless endoscopy system utilized by  features three components:

1. M2ATM Swallowable Imaging Capsule is a patented, video color-imaging disposable capsule, which is swallowed, glides smoothly through the digestive tract and is naturally excreted. Through the use of miniature electronics and complementary metal oxide silicone technology, the M2ATM capsule can transmit high-quality video images using lower power consumption than charged coupled devices.

2. Wireless recorder worn on a belt around the waist, which receives signals transmitted by the capsule through an array of antennae placed on the patient’s body. The ambulatory belt permits users to continue about their daily activities during the “GI examination”.

3. Computer workstation, equipped with Given’s proprietary RAPID or Reporting and Processing of Images and Data software, which processes the data and produces a short video clip of the small intestine and additional relevant information from the digestive tract. The Given workstation will permit physicians to view, edit and archive the video, and save individual images and short video clips.

            In addition,  (2000) describes that the key to the success of the system constitutes miniature electronics and complementary metal oxide silicone (CMOS) technology, allowing the capsule to transmit high-quality video images with much lower power consumption than with charged coupled devices. Silver oxide batteries power the camera, while light emitting diodes (LED) and the transmitter within the capsule (2000). Furthermore, patients who have tried the system report that the capsule was easily swallowed and caused no discomfort, being propelled by peristalsis, the natural contraction and relaxation of the intestines was able to successfully transmit video images throughout the entire small intestines ( 2000). This system maybe perfect in detecting the intestinal parasites inside the hosts, and prevent or cure the patients to save them from further suffering and from dying.

Communication Approach

            Identifying the problem in Somalia and the proposed solution, the next step in materializing the idea is by deciding on what specific communication approach to use. Communication approach can either be centralized or decentralized, and its usage depends on the responsibility being held by the organization. It has been reported that the centralized approach is also called the “shared services approach” ( 2002). Its main characteristics include control, efficiency and economy, which is effective in gaining or regaining control over an organization’s information system (2006).  This type of approach provides centralized control using established technology and suppliers (2006), involve less technical risk, reduce duplication efforts, resources and expertise, which save costs and time (2006), resulting in increased productivity (2002). However, centralized systems entail a high initial cost disadvantage (2006), and works slower due only to one central system carrying out all the requested tasks (2006).

            In contrast, the traits of the decentralized communication approach include flexibility, empowerment of individual business units and service orientation, but just as efficient as the centralized ones in meeting individual needs (2006) by having business units with their own autonomous system for local tasks (2006). The start up costs for decentralized systems are relatively low (2006), thus local processing is enabled due to increase in autonomy (2006). Organizational flexibility and responsiveness is a major advantage brought by autonomy ( 2006), which gives greater scope for motivating and involving the users (2006). Decentralization also offers benefits of increased accountability, motivation and management responsiveness (2006). However, this approach lacks a centralized control (2006), which is disadvantageous as conflicting ideas arise and clashes in policy leading to delays and inefficiency, and a high degree of duplication of resources, effort and expertise, which wastes time and causes cost increases ( 2006).

            Perhaps, in adopting a more effective communication approach in relation to the proposed solution in Somalia, a centralized system is more proper. Given its trait of focusing on control, efficiency and economy, a centralized communication approach will be effective in implementing the wireless endoscopy system business in Somalia. Its success in the market lies in the increase in the production of the company to provide for a number of inflicted patients in the area. Because it involves less technical risks, the authenticity of the product will be maintained, therefore, yielding accurate results and findings. With accurate results, cure for the disease will be administered accordingly, decreasing death rates.

            Although a centralized approach is more appropriate, the fact that organizations or business firms cannot function properly without combining the two approaches, leads us to conclude that the application of the decentralized communication approach is still needed. Being an autonomous system, a decentralized approach can answer the needs of the patients in Somalia, for each consumer has different preferences. Individual systems within the whole organization can adjust its services and product features depending on the need of the patients who will use the product and the doctor who will administer the process. Due to a greater motivation and involvement of the users, the product will be more effective in terms of helping to provide cure for intestinal parasitism. Similar with the centralized approach, due to the accountability, motivation, and management responsiveness specified by the decentralized approach, it contributes to the authenticity of the product and produce accurate results. Its drawback of conflicting and clashing of ideas among individual systems can create a grave threat of abusing the patients with overpricing of the products and the services offered. This could be alleviated by close supervision of the management itself and with continuous evaluation of the employees and the product.

 

Communication Constraints

            (2005) emphasizes that communication is the backbone of any operational transformation (p. 1), such as with the purpose of the product introduction in Somalia.  Once a change is approved for implementation, a communication strategy and plan must be developed (2005). Communication has several elements, which are essential for the success of the organization, namely, content, context and timing, which are interwoven and need to be developed in tandem (2005). In discussion the content element, which answers the question ‘what’, is made up of the vision, value proposition, concrete plans for change, the action required from the audience, and status updates (2005). With the proposed change in Somalia, the vision and value proposition is to help the poor patients with their desolate situation of dying due to intestinal parasitism. This vision would help the country to give more importance to the health of the citizens and improve their way of life, which is the plan for change. Its communication constraint would be the attitude of the citizens towards the proposed changes in their lifestyle, in line with administering the cure. This entails a lot of explaining of the company’s intention to the citizens, to ensure their participation. This is a difficult task, for patients in need of the product and service, belong to poor and uneducated families, so the concept of the wireless endoscope might overwhelm them.

Another element is context, which answers the questions ‘who and how’ and covers the stages of change, the various stakeholders, the impact of change on each, and the various communication vehicles (2005). As its communication constraint, the effort of finding the right individuals to work in Somalia, exposed to its harsh conditions would be a challenging task. This also involves the language barrier presented by the situation, for the uneducated patients will not be able to communicate effectively, decreasing the effectiveness in rendering the desired service. These problems leads to a decrease in the cost of production of the product and service offered by the company, for most stakeholders will not be in favor with the situation, and pursuance of the project would mean the withdrawal of their support. This becomes a restriction, as conflicts must be resolved immediately to foster unity within the organization, and because funds are very important for a project to continue. Culture also becomes a restriction, for most of the citizens in Somalia have different cultural practices, which are oftentimes conflicting with science. Given the differences each party have, the company or organization must devise a way in communicating effectively with the patients, without interfering with their cultural practices.

The third element is timing, which answers the question ‘when’, and reflects the changing communication needs before, during, and after implementation ( 2005). Good timing is important to make sure that both the organization and the patients of Somalia will benefit from the project. Without the perfect timing, it serves as a restriction for not yielding the desired results of the patients’ participation, which wastes the materials in making the product and the effort of the company to push through with the project.

 

Conclusion

            Somalia faces a difficult condition, being the poorest country in Africa. The harsh conditions experienced in Somalia threaten its citizens of living in their desired state, and subjects them to unwanted situations such as poverty, wars and diseases like intestinal parasitism. The occurrence of intestinal parasitism in Somalia increases the country’s death rates, aside from the deaths caused by wars. Because of the increase in the rate of intestinal parasitism, the concept of wireless endoscopy must be implemented. This proposed solution will be helpful to help detect and examine the severity of parasitism, and cure many patients suffering from the disease and save lives. For this to happen, a careful and effective evaluation of an appropriate communication approach must be made by the organization. This is to ensure their success in the market, and to foster unity and harmony within the organization. Another important action is to identify communication constraints or restrictions along with the situation. Proper identification would enable the organization to evaluate problems immediately and device solutions right away. It can be concluded that the advancement of science and technology in our world today must be used for the benefit of the poor and the weak, and not for the destruction of humankind. Intelligence must be used to create a better world, not only for those who are capable, but mostly for the poor.

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