Monday, September 30, 2019

Culturally Poetic

Culturally Poetic Cultural identity is the collective personality of a people usually associated with a certain group or culture, or that of an individual in relation to certain behavior, thoughts, and influences. (Central Michigan University) These beliefs and shared characteristics allow a group to establish a common ground and in turn make them unique to others. A cultural identity may be national, ethnic, or even generational. Our identity is based upon our differences when compared to other groups. Cultural identity is essentially defined by differences rather than likenesses to others. The identifiable aspects of culture are historical, linguistic, and mental. These three factors may also be found in poetry and are related to the views that an author wishes to express. In my essay, I will seek to identify elements of culture in the following poems: â€Å"Bully†, â€Å"What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl†, â€Å"Self-Pity’s Closet†, â€Å"Rite of Passage†, and â€Å"The Panther†, In Martin Espada’s poem, â€Å"Bully† cultural identity is evident throughout the length of the poem. The poem is introduced by way of location, the time period, and the year, â€Å"In the school auditorium / the Theodore Roosevelt statue / is nostalgic for the Spanish American War† (713). The poet themes seemingly focus on change within American society. This theme is noticeably identifiable in the following stanza: But now the Roosevelt school is pronounced Hernandez. Puerto Rico has invaded Roosevelt with its army of Spanish-singing children in the hallways, brown children devouring the stockpiles of the cafeteria, children painting Taino ancestors that leap naked across murals. 714) Espada effectively provides contrast between Roosevelt’s belief of ethnocentrism and the invasion of the Spanish colonies by comparing the immigration of Puerto Rican families in a 1987 Boston, Massachusetts. At the poem’s ending we are able to envision a revenge of sorts with the children now invading Roosevelt himself. The following stanza is irony at its best and brings the ele ment of culture and change to the forefront, Roosevelt is surrounded by all the faces he ever shoved in eugenic spite and cursed as mongrels, skin of one race, hair and cheekbones of another. (714) This bit of irony is representative of the fact that change once experienced on the island of Puerto Rico now too is prevalent within America. Roosevelt is declared the â€Å"bully† by his conquest and those that were once without power are now empowered through change and assimilation. This poem uses historical factors to establish a cultural identity. Patricia Smith’s, â€Å"What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl† (for Those of You Who Aren’t) approaches the idea of a black girl becoming a woman at a time when race matters were still prevalent. The author begins with a direct but conversation like tone to denote the importance of what is being imparted: First of all, it’s being 9 years old and/ feeling like you’re not finished, like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong†¦(672) The theme here is puberty based changes that takes place according to a â€Å"black girl. † The girl feels incomplete because her body is experiencing changes. Smith goes on to describe the girl’s desire to fit into society by wanting to have the physical traits of a white woman. The young girl is displeased with being black and seeks to change her appearance: †¦it’s dropping food coloring In your eyes to make them blue and suffering Their burn in silence. It’s popping a bleached White mophead over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of the mirrors that deny your reflection†¦(672) She goes on to describe the Black Power Movement and the Motown era by mentioning â€Å"it’s flame and fists and life according to Motown. † As a blossoming young girl approaching womanhood she finds it not only difficult to become a woman, but a black woman. Finally, the girl looks forward to every woman’s dream of becoming a bride. This is evidenced in the final three lines: â€Å"it’s finally having a man reach out for you/then caving in/around his fingers. The girl anticipates a completed transition when she will become married. This poem uses mental aspects to form cultural identity during a time or racial tension. Michelle Boisseau’s, â€Å"Self-Pity’s Closet† focuses on the way that society views beauty, self-image, and self-confidence. Boisseau uses figurative speech, imagery, and perceived sounds throughout the poem to bring light to a poor self image. The theme of this poem is equated to as the poem states self-pity. What seemingly appears as others judging us blinds us to the fact that we judge ourselves far worse than others would. The closet so to speak is within the individual feelings of: â€Å"Depression, loneliness, anger, shame, envy† (999) are the basis of self-pity. Feelings of self-loathing and self-hurt are evident in the following lines: after your vast and painful declarations subtle humiliations creeping up like the smell of wet upholstery, dial tone in the brain, the conviction that your friends never really loved you†¦(1000) The author seeks to express an inner fight a person struggles with when worried about the way others perceive them. The narrator uses the words, â€Å"dial tone in the brain† to describe a continuous mode of embarrassment within herself. She is unable to part with a feeling of inadequacy and is therefore trapped by her very own self pity. This poem uses mental aspects by associating self-pity with not being able to identify with the status quo of our cultural identity. In Sharon Olds’s, â€Å"Rite of Passage† a mother examines the behavior of her son and his friend during his birthday party. The title of the poem allows the reader to relate the â€Å"rite of passage† being the journey that her son will take toward manhood. Male maturity is the theme of the poem. What makes the poem ironic is her ability to view them as men though they are but six and seven years old. The following lines are quite imaginable to any mother noticing the machismo nature of young boys: As the guests arrive at my son’s party they gather in the living room— short men, men in first grade with smooth jaws and chins. Hands in pockets, they stand around jostling, jockeying for place, small fights breaking out and calming. One says to another How old are you? Six. I’m seven. So? (811) In the last line we experience a typical conversation between two boys that are likely â€Å"sizing† each other up; the six year old responds to the seven year old â€Å"So? The mother then goes onto visualizing the boys as men with careers by stating, â€Å"They clear their/throats a lot, a room of small bankers/they fold their arms and frown†¦Ã¢â‚¬  One cannot help but to envision the boys as men at a table matching wits at an older age. The birthday boy as if chairman of the bank settles the dispute between his friends in the following lines: â€Å"speaks up as a host/for the sake of the group. /We could easily kill a two-year old,/he says in his clear voice. † The group agrees and the children return to playing or as the mother describes, â€Å"†¦they relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life. Just as Smith’s â€Å"What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl† focused on a girl approaching maturity so did Olds’ â€Å"Rite of Passage. † Olds uses mature language and terms to equate the behavior expressed by the boys as being their way of coming into manhood. The boys feel a need to intimidate each other with physical threats which showcases their immaturity on their way to adulthood. This poem identifies with the culturally defined behavior of a male having to prove he is a â€Å"man. † In Rainier Rilke’s poem â€Å"The Panther† the poet uses the panther a wild animal to express personification and similes to express confinement. An obvious reason for the panther being the subject is because its color represents a seemingly dark nature and contributes to the poem’s tone. A panther is also known to be a solitary creature that stakes out its prey. The use of the panther represents a theme of entrapment that most readers are able to identify with. The panther’s discontentment and longing to be free from his troubles is expressed as the cage’s bars. He has become so accustomed to seeing the bars that he no longer sees anything but what appears directly in front of him it is as if he has lost himself. The panther’s desperation in a sense mirrors human personality. Rilke’s offers her interpretation of this poetically by saying, His vision, from the constantly passing bars, has grown so weary that it cannot hold anything else. It seems to him there are a thousand bars and behind the bars, no world. (674) Rilke’s makes us aware that although the panther is confined we are still able to see its power and its beauty. Though caged he is still himself though he feels â€Å"paralyzed† by the cage; this feeling is interpreted in the following lines, â€Å"As he paces in cramped circles, over and over/the movement of his powerful soft strides/is like a ritual dance around a center/in which a mighty will stands paralyzed. The idea of confinement is relatable to a prisoner or anyone trapped in a situation with seemingly no way out. The panther yearns for more and this is evidenced by his pacing and boredom with his life. In the end the panther has lost his soul and his excitement is reduced to the opening of his eyes ever so slightly . It seems that the panther takes his final glance that touches him inwardly to the point his body becomes tense and his heart is excited for a split second until he realizes his situation and no longer bothers to react. This idea is well expressed in the final stanza. Only at times, the curtain of the pupils lifts, quietly—. An image enters in, rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles, plunges into the heart and is gone. Rilke in â€Å"The Panther† and Boisseau in her â€Å"Self-Pity’s Closet† both convey the message of an inner struggle within their subjects. The poems are able to speak to the reader on a personal level and make the connection of human emotion with their dark but personal nature. â€Å"The Panther† embodied a feeling of weariness and surrender that human often time encounter in not one but within all societies and cultures. Often times we find ourselves staying within the box or the status quo instead of stepping outside of the box-in this case the cage. In comparison, the five poems that I have chosen to review are full of impact and take on a deeper meaning. They touch on outward appearances as well as inner feelings. They were all able to bring out identifiable aspects that we are all able to connect with through either personal or secondary experiences. In contrast, â€Å"Bully† came from a historical standpoint, while â€Å"What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl† and â€Å"Rite of Passage† focused on what is accepted by society. Lastly, â€Å"Self-Pity’s Closet† and â€Å"The Panther† dealt with inner struggles and the way that we tend to view ourselves when we take an inner look. Works Cited Central Michigan University. Cultural Identity as an Instrument. 8 May 2006. 3 November 2009 . Boisseau, Michelle. â€Å"Self Pity's Closet. † Mayer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 999-1000. Espada, Martin. â€Å"Bully. Mayer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 713-714. Olds, Sharon. â€Å"Rite of Passage. † Mayer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 811-812. Rilke, Rainier Maria. â€Å"The Panther. † Mayer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 674. Smith, Patricia. â€Å"What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl. † Mayer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literat ure. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 672-73

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Infrastructure

Is infrastructure a key factor to the growth and stability of the economy? or is it a non-factor and needs not to be maintained and improved to better serve and help improve the economy. Infrastructure in general is the system of transport and communication in a state, region or country. A famous Canadian geographer was once quoted saying, â€Å"†¦ any region which has a well-developed transportation and communication network also enjoys a high degree of economic prosperity†¦ This statement has sparked much controversy between geographers, Politicians, as well as conomists. Question is, is there a link between a well-developed infrastructure and economy prosperity (economy growth)? Without a doubt, there is a direct link. Infrastructure facilitates the basic functions of a society that are necessary to transport resources and people, produce and trade goods, provide essential services and ultimately reduce poverty.The direct link can be understood better by looking at the effects of infrastructure. The drawbacks of poor infrastructure lead to high transport cost especially in landlocked areas, thus the economy gets affected. Employment is low where there is poor infrastructure. Lack of adequate infrastructure perpetuates poverty, because it denies possibilities. Affordability, it is relatively expensive to maintain and build.Due to this factors and the analyses from the department of treasury know is an ideal time to increase our investment because, infrastructure investments have long-term economic benefits and create Jobs in the short run, there is currently a high level of underutilized resources that can be used to improve and expand our infrastructure. The cost of transportation is lowered for American households, there is a strong demand by the public and businesses for dditional transport infrastructure capacity.Long-term economic benefits from infrastructure create Jobs in the short run and this is a crucial and important aspect of growth and economic stability in a country. As much as the infrastructure is important and maintaining it being so expensive, if the economy is not good it is hard to have a developed and well maintained infrastructure system. Research has shown that well-designed infrastructure investments can raise economic growth, productivity, and land values, while also providing significant spillovers to areas such as energy efficiency, public health and manufacturing.Thus to say both infrastructure and economy go hand in hand. They affect each other both negatively and positively. On June 29, 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 â€Å"The national system of interstate and defense highways† according to Eisenhower the purpose of this was to eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic Jams and all of the other things that got in the way of â€Å"speedy, safe transcontinental travel. † for all these reasons the 1956 law declared that the constru ction of an elaborate expressway system was essential to the national interest and growth of the economy.Todays Interstate System is what our suburban lifestyle and caused the vast proliferation of businesses from HoJos to Holiday Inns. And if you order something online, most likely it's a truck barreling along an interstate that gets the product to your door. there are a lot of undiscovered materials that we could use not only that we have all the man power and technology we need to build whatever we need to improve our infrastructure Among those who gain employment as a result of additional infrastructure investment, the average unemployment rate has averaged approximately 13 percent over the past 12 months.This is more than one and one- half times the current national unemployment rate. Within the construction sector, which accounts for the majority of direct employment resulting from infrastructure investment, the unemployment rate has averaged 15. 6 percent over the past 12 mon ths. Construction costs and other costs associated with building projects are especially low in the current environment. As a result, the President has taken decisive action to accelerate project permitting and environmental review.In the President's August 31, 2011, memorandum, he directed the heads of all executive epartments and agencies to: (1) identify and work to expedite permitting and environmental reviews for high-priority infrastructure projects with significant potential for Job creation; and (2) implement new measures designed to improve accountability, transparency, and efficiency through the use of modern information technology.Relevant agencies should monitor the progress of priority projects; coordinate and resolve issues arising during permitting and environmental review; and develop best practices for expediting these decisions that may be instituted on a ider scale, consistent with applicable law. In addition, in this year's State of the Union address, the Preside nt announced his intention to â€Å"sign an executive order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. † Investing in transportation infrastructure creates middleclass Jobs.Analysis suggests that 61 percent of the Jobs directly created by investing in infrastructure would be in the construction sector, 12 percent would be in the manufacturing sector, and 7 percent would be in the retail and wholesale trade sectors, for a total of 80 percent in hese three sectors. Nearly 90 percent of the Jobs in these three sectors most affected by infrastructure spending are middleclass Jobs, defined as those paying between the 25th and 75th percentile of the national distribution of wages.The President's proposal emphasizes transportation choices, including mass transit and high-speed rail, to deliver the greatest long-term benefits to those who need it most: middle-class families. The average American family spends more than $7,600 a year on transportation, which is more than they spend on food and twice what they spend n out-of-pocket health care costs. For 90 percent of Americans, transportation costs absorb one out of every seven dollars of income. This burden is due in large and this calls for better infrastructure and investing more in it to make progress.Multi-modal transportation investments are critical to making sure that American families can travel without wasting time and money stuck in traffic. A more efficient transportation money. Traffic congestion on our roads results in 1. 9 billion gallons of gas wasted per year, and costs drivers over $100 billion in wasted fuel and lost time. More efficient ir traffic control systems would save 3 billion gallons of Jet fuel a year, translating into lower costs for consumers.Finally, new research indicates that Americans who were able to live in housing were able to save $200 per month in lower costs over the past decade. Americans want more transportation investment. After years of underinvestment in our transportation system, Americans' satisfaction with our public transit system s middling when compared to public satisfaction with highways and public transit systems around the world. the Global competitiveness report for 2012-13, published arlier this month by the world economic forum showed that U.S infrastructure was ranked 7th in 2008, but has dropped to 14 in the world this year. The U. S. score dropped from 6. 10 in 2008 to 5. 7 this year (7 is the top score, and 1 is the worst score). One of the main reasons for the deterioration of U. S. infrastructure in the last five years, a deterioration which is reflected in the drop in ranking, is the economic downturn which began in 2008. Funding for roads, bridges, highways, and other critical infrastructure is largely dependent on state revenues, and as states ook less money in, they were forced to spend less on infrastructure maintenance and improvements.Passing the MAP-21 bill was an accomplishment for a d o-little Congress, but serious issues about how to pay for transportation in the future have yet to be resolved. The recent highway bill, MAP-21 replaces SAFETEA-LU, the last long-term federal transportation bill, which expired in 2009 for example, it did not increase spending on transportation, even though lawmakers were aware of the need to do so. The 2009 stimulus package did help shore up some infrastructure, but was not nearly sufficient to meet the countrys needs.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

For or against the concept of fate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For or against the concept of fate - Essay Example Fate is considered to be an event or a course of events which are bound to happen no matter what choice of action an individual makes (Strandberg). For example if a person is born in a poor family, it is his/her fate. There was absolutely no control of man over this event. On the other hand there is choice, which means that events that take place due to an individual’s choice of actions. There are several schools of thought which explain the influence of choice and fate in one’s life. The first school of thought suggests that there is no such thing as fate which has an influence of human life. All events that take place in one’s life and in the universe are governed by the actions of individuals themselves. If an individual takes correct decisions, he/she will have complete control over the results. If bad decisions are made, one cannot blame fate or coincidence for his/her failures. Psychologists have identified that people always tend to escape from their failures believing that they had no control over the events in their lives. Fate is seen as a physiological defense system which enables man to neutralize the pain of failure. (Is there something called destiny?) The second school of thought explains that not all the events in life are in control of human beings. There are various such instances where the situation might not be in the hands of an individual. The logic behind this theory is that as soon as an individual has taken a decision, he/she becomes bound to the laws of the nature (Is there something called destiny?). For example, if a couple wants to have a family or not, it is their choice, but if they do, then the baby will be a boy or a girl will be determined by the nature rather than the couple itself. Therefore, there are several alternate decisions that individuals might have, but once they have taken the decision, their

Friday, September 27, 2019

Outline for Artist Research and Comparison Essay

Outline for Artist Research and Comparison - Essay Example 36-45). Besides Tomma, Daniel Buren is another painter whose works were successful in inspiring me for this paper. In particular, Daniel is a conceptual artist who represents the art movement of Abstract Minimalism, so he somehow relates with Tomma in some ways. Moreover, regarding his artistic style, he is more into sculptures and integration of art into historical buildings that is a noteworthy characteristic of this artist (Temkin, pp. 216-236). Brice Marden is the third artist that found his place in this paper. He is another painter that represents the Abstract Art movement, and specifically, the Abstract Minimalism (Marden & Keller, pp. 23-49). Despite being an abstract painter, his works relate especially with the landscape and nature that is a unique and unusual attribute about an abstract painter. Lastly, Blinky Palermo was an abstract painter from Germany who dies in the year 1977. One of the major reasons of choosing this painter was his integration of abstract art into fa bric paintings and colorings that put him aside other artists from the Abstract Art movement. Although he was an abstract painter, but experts have related his works with Constructivism, as well as Modernist Art movement (Temkin, pp. 216-236). After analyzing different studies and works of the four painters, the final paper will be including investigation and scrutiny of two painters, Tomma Abts and Brice Marden. It is an observation that both painters enjoy few similarities in their relationship, as well as some differences that distinguish them from each other. For instance, both represent the movement of Abstract Art that brings them under a single umbrella, and it will be easier to analyze their works from a single lens. Detailed study of Tomma Abts (Hoptman & Hainley, pp. 22-27) has indicated that her works seem abstract in an ideal manner; as none of her works seem to represent or deliver any kind of theme

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Effects of Brand Image on Brand Loyalty in the Airline Industry Dissertation

Effects of Brand Image on Brand Loyalty in the Airline Industry - Dissertation Example People may understand branding in various ways. However, it is not enough to understand branding through having people in the target market choose your products as opposed to the competitors. But, branding, is usually meant for the prospects to get to find a product or service offered by a particular organization as the only one that can solve their problems, in the market. It is also important to encourage branding as it creates a stronger relationship between the organization and the customers. Branding acts as an assurance to the customers that the solution that an organization is providing to their problems is a kind of solution that will be there every time they need it. As a result, the customers need not worry so much about their problem. This simply shows that branding provides a consolation to the customers. Through a brand image, customers find a particular reason to feel part of the organization. Â  In the strategic positioning of organizations in the market environments, branding has become a very important factor to consider. This is because branding has come out as the main thing that an organization needs to work on to inform the public about their products and services so that they can enhance their reputation. In other words, branding can be considered to be advertising on its own. This is so because, through branding, it is like putting the name of the business in a vehicle that will take it to its destination. It can also be regarded as using an impressive letterhead to send an invoice. Branding also means using an attractive logo to send the image of a company in an attractive way. We can describe branding in various ways, just as we can say, it is like passing your business card to a client. Good branding usually attract referrals.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Working Agreement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Working Agreement - Case Study Example This also gives rise to psychological stress. The issues need to be addressed to ensure that the person comes out of her social and psychological stress which could also eventually break her down. Significant developmental History: The client has been addicted to crack cocaine for the past four years. It is possible for her to get out of it but it is yet to be done and the Child Protective Services have taken custody of the children and given them to their grandmother. The client needs to go through a parental program in order to get back in to the routine even if she were to come out of this issue. In the current situation, the person is subjected to psychological stresses that could make her behave emotionally. That possibly explains the reason for her to walk into the counseling room for getting the children back. Goals: The goal for the assessment will be to get the children back to the client. In order to achieve this goal, she would be interested in executing the rest of the work that might be required to cure her as well as bring in normalcy in her life. A secondary goal therefore, will be to get back into normal life with a job and with the family. If the therapy is successful, the client would have got back the children under her custody. There could be more complete life with the family than living by her in the care centers. All this would have changed if the counseling were to be successful. In order to achieve this goal, a series of session wise goals need to be fixed and executed. These are the desired outcomes of the sessions that are held and would ideally like to achieve the same. Prioritized Goals: The goals need to be properly prioritized in order to ensure that all the needed gains are obtained from the sessions. In order to realize her goal of getting the children back to her, it is needed first to get her sober before even asking for the custody of the kids. If the first priority is to get sober, then the second one will be to get her some work training so that she can earn for herself and for the family. Apart from this, she also has to have a parenting course done. All this could be the influence of the society on her behavior. Therefore, the third priority in her list will be to attend a six week parenting training course before she embarks on any other mission. Roles of other stake holders: The other stake holders in the process would be the clinician apart from the mother and the children of the client. While clinician has a guiding role, the role of the mother of the client and the children of the client is varied. The mother would support the children of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Enterprise Resource Planning (EPR) application assignment

Enterprise Resource Planning (EPR) application - Assignment Example The fascinating feature of an ERP system is that it will support a variety of hardware and network configurations by employing a database for effectively accessing information. This paper will analyze what an ERP system does and how such a system can help an organization to become more profitable. Since an ERP system can have a great influence on automating every business process, it can be effectively applied to accomplish a variety of business tasks. According to Adolphs and Schubert (2008), ERP system works on the basis of ‘input-process-output’ rules and, hence, it can also be used as management information system. Since information has become an ingredient part of management operations, ERP systems specifically focus on the information needs of different organizational sectors. The ERP software system provides timely, accurate, and most relevant information to different departments of the organization, using a single software system. This system keeps information updated so as to assist managements to effectively deal with decision making. Rothlin (2010) says that the filtering facility of an ERP system timely provides the organization with answers for various queries (p.204). Modern ERP systems are capable of providing improved facilities for the company to manage its export, import, and tax activities and to fulfill other legal requirements. ERP software supports computer aided designs; therefore, it is assistable for the company to demonstrate products designs on real time according to customer requirements. This system also facilitates all financial services and it complies with international accounting standards. Moreover, an ERP system has the ability to effectively meet the needs of government, healthcare, retail, and other service sectors. Sales forecasting is another attractive feature of ERP software applications since this process assists firms to optimize their inventory levels. According

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Strength of a Marketing Communication of a Japanese or Korean Auto Research Paper

The Strength of a Marketing Communication of a Japanese or Korean Auto Manufacturer - Research Paper Example Evidently, it has initiated novel processes such as electric vehicles, which it has sold on the global platform. It is worth indicating that Toyota is categorized as one of the outstanding entities both within the country and within the US. It is the foremost entity to come up with produce hybrid vehicles and pushing them into the US market. These hybrid vehicles include the â€Å"Camry hybrid and the Highlander Hybrid† (Toyota 2011). The company is speeding up at developing vehicles that only run on electricity (Mytelka & Boyle, 2008). The company is known in making formula 3 engines and their auto parts. Toyota also develops multitask robots destined for leisure and for caring the elderly. As it seeks to continue being dominant in the automobile industry in producing luxurious vehicles, Toyota makes the new Kluger appealing to the luxurious generation through divergent communication methodologies. Reinkingh & Stobart (2005) indicates that the new Kluger is portrayed as a familial car that caters for families needs. A fancy car that appears elegant and most importantly safe for the family. This car is ideal for the family as it is a â€Å"seven roomy seater vehicle† (Toyota 2011). It offers litheness of changing the seats arrangement to the one that is deserving to an individual. This car facilitates family trips as it has a DVD player at the rear seat backed by three wireless headphones to keep both children and adults content on their way to their destination. Toyota (2011) indicates that this car is designed to alter entertainment from the living room to the vehicle. Since the children are fond of listening music and watching movies, this car is portrayed as facilitating their enjoyment by offering them a form of entertainment during the journey. At times, the journey may be tedious and boring and to eliminate this, a medium of entertainment is therefore necessary to prevent the drive from being extremely

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Summary of the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of the article - Essay Example for existing depreciation methods as impairment would occur if they violate the requirement of depreciation charges while reflecting the use of the asset in revenue-generating process. The article then proposes an axiomatic system that is compatible with the recent accounting standards. This system shall also test the compatibility of the any depreciation method with the changed requirements for accounting. The axiomatic system proposed has three requirements. Firstly, the periodic depreciation charge has to be non-negative. Secondly, the depreciation charge is not greater than the cash flow for that period. And lastly, the periodic depreciation charge maintains the essential aspect of matching principle between depreciation and cash flow. The article then highlights how current depreciation methods violate the above axiomatic system. The focus of the article then shifts to proportional depreciation method which directly depends on the cash flow of the asset. Two requirements of consistency are then proposed, namely, Partition Consistency and Dynamic Consistency. The first requirement assures that there is consistency between depreciation charges throughout any sub-period division throughout an asset’s life. The second requirement demands that if there is no change in the economic fundamentals during the asset’s useful life, then the original computation of the depreciation charges will sustain. A detailed description of the axiomatic system is given along with its implications. The three axioms are formulated, their definitions are provided while their respective proofs are provided in the appendix. The proportional depreciation system is described and proof is provided about it sustaining the three axioms. The article then enters into the phase of defining partition consistency and dynamic consistency. They are linked to the axioms and a very solid relationship is established between these two consistencies and proportional depreciation method. The

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Impact of Motivation on workers productivity in the construction industry Essay Example for Free

Impact of Motivation on workers productivity in the construction industry Essay This is a research on the relationship between motivation and performance of workers in the Nigerian construction industry. It identifies a number of motivational schemes that enhance the performance of workers. Findings from the research on productivity of construction workers are reported. Two sets of questionnaires were employed in the study. One set was administered on management staff and the other on operatives. The study reveals that salaries paid to operatives in the study were below the stipulations of the Nigerian National Joint Industry Council. It further shows that operatives are rarely promoted, and operatives prefer financial incentives to nonfinancial incentives. The study recommends that increases in salary via promotion, overtime allowances and holidays with pay should be used as motivators (financial incentives) for increase in performance of construction workers (operatives). Keywords: construction, incentives, motivation, operatives, productivity. INTRODUCTION The output of the construction industry constitutes one-half of the gross capital, and three to eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in most countries (Arditi and Morkhtar 2000). Mee-Edoiye and Andawei (2000) declared that the employees in the civil and building construction industry of a country are the largest. The population of the workers compared to the whole workforce of a nation is significant. Anything done to the employees could either make or mar the quality of their work, the speed of progress,  the economy of the country and the social well-being of the workers. It follows from the foregoing therefore that workers should be well motivated for high performance and for the production of good quality products. However, despite this significant role the industry plays in the Nigerian national economy, the performance has not been impressive. Eldin and Egger (1990) noted that construction productivity has been declining steadily in spite of the rising cost and large labour intensive nature of construction projects around the world. The decline in the workers’ performance causes the failure of the building industry to deliver projects timely with the obvious consequences of cost overrun. Labour productivity according to Akindele (2003) is defined as labour output per day (man-day). This is often reduced by delayed, unclear or inadequate instructions, provision of poor tools and equipment, unbalanced work gangs, use of working method, lack of incentives, and failure to delegate authority from senior to lower level supervisors (Heap 1987). Aiyetan and Olotuah The productivity of individuals, which in turn affects the productivity of a company, is a very important parameter to watch as it measures a company’s competitive power. It is an indicator of a firm’s profit margin, a measure of the firm’s survival in business, a yardstick for remuneration of employees, and a means of recognition of hard work. LITERATURE REVIEW Productivity Productivity measures how efficiently resources are employed, It is defined as the ratio of a specific measure of output to a specific measure of input  per unit of labour and is measured as total output divided by the members of units of labour employed to produce that output Williams (1997) defines human capital (labour) as the accumulated knowledge, skill and experience of the labour force. As individual workers acquire more human capital, their productivity and hence their income grows. Labour comprises the broad category of human effort, both physical and mental directed towards productivity. Motivation Motivation is an art targeted to getting people work willingly, and an art of inducing one to behave in a particular manner to achieve a task. Mee-Edoiye and Andawei (2002) viewed motivation as a human engineering approach being triggered by the individual needs. Flippo (1982) defined motivation as a psychological process initiated by the emergence of needs involving a goal directed action and behaviour aimed at satisfying a particular desire. It is the inducement given to workers for higher output. Motivated behaviour has three basic characteristics: 1. It is sustained – it is maintained for a long time until satisfied. 2. It is goal-directed – it seeks to achieve an objective. 3. It results from a felt need – an urge directed towards a need. Several authors including Robert and GeneNeuport (1995), Williams (1997) and Cole (1999) have propounded theories to help to understand the human being and how to handle him to get goals achieved. The theories propounded include: 1. The Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs: Abraham Maslow developed a needs–based theory of motivation. People are extraordinary complex creatures with many motives for behaviours on and off the job. Maslow (1954) identified and analyzed five basic needs, which he believed underlay all human behaviours, these needs relate to physiology (the needs for food water, air and sex), security (safety, the absence of illness), society or affiliation (friendship, interaction, love), esteem (respect and recognition), and self actualization (the ability to reach one’s potentials). These are perceptions for high performance and productivity of individuals. Before Maslow, most managers assumed that money primarily motivated people. With Maslow’s work, managers can evaluate their own actions, their companies conduct and their individual philosophies about people. Maslow’s needs theory presented a workable motivation framework for managers. 2. McGregor’s Hygiene Theories X and Y Motivation on workers productivity An unmet need can frustrate an employee and make him unproductive. Douglas McGregor published the human side of enterprise in 1960. In it, he explained that managers operate from one or two basic assumptions about human behaviour: Theory X and Theory Y. The first theory, the view traditionally held about labour, portrayed workers in industry as being lazy and needing to be coerced, controlled and directed. The second described people as McGregor thought them to be; responsible, willing to learn and given the proper incentives inherently motivated to exercise ingenuity and creativity. McGregor holds the view that the traditional way of treating people – regarding them as unthinking, uncaring robots – must change. Indeed, McGregor stressed that only by changing these assumptions could managers tap workers’ or labourers’ vast talents. He emphasized that what matters was how people were treated and valued in their work settings. He went further by advising man agers to give employees a chance to contribute, take control and responsibility. Table 1 shows the assumptions of Theories X and Y. With these theories, managers could discover what employees want from workplace, how to enlist their cooperation and commitment and how to unleash their talents, energy and creativity for their ultimate goal, which in most cases is high level of productivity. Familiarity with theories of motivation allows a manager an educated viewpoint from which to consider how to develop workers, capture commitment and develop a positive work environment. Table 1: Assumption about workers according to theory X and theory Y Theory X People basically dislike work and avoid it whenever possible Because most people dislike work, they have to be closely supervised and threatened with punishment to reach objectives. Most people have little creativity. They are not capable of solving problems. Rather, they must be directed. Most people have limited intellectual potential. Contribution above basic job performance should not be expected. Theory Y Most people find work as natural as play or rest and develop an attitude towards work based on their experience with it. People do not need to be threatened with punishment; they will work voluntarily toward organizational objectives to which they are committed. Most people possess a high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity with which to solve organizational problems. Although people have intellectual potential, modern industrial life utilizes only part of it. Source: Plunkett and Attener (1994) The core of theories X and Y is that a management philosophy influences the type of work climate the manager endeavours to create and ultimately, how the manager treats people. Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory developed in (1975) also called hygienemotivator. One set of the theory defines factors that lead to job satisfaction; these factors are called hygiene factors. Salary: To prevent job dissatisfaction, a manger should provide adequate wages, salaries, and fringe benefits. Job security: Company grievance procedures and seniority privileges contribute to high-quality hygiene. Aiyetan and Olotuah Working conditions: Managers ensure adequate heat, light, ventilation, and hours of work to prevent dissatisfaction. Status: Managers who are mindful of the importance of hygiene factors provide privileges, job titles, and other symbols of rank and position. Company policies: To prevent job dissatisfaction, managers should provide policies as guidelines for behaviour and administer the policies fairly. Quality of technical supervision: When employees are not able to receive answers to job-related questions, they become frustrated. Providing highquality technical supervision for employees prevents frustration. Quality of interpersonal relations among peers, supervisors, and subordinates: In an organization with high-quality hygiene factors, the workplace provides social opportunities as well as the chance to enjoy comfortable work-related relationships. The other set of factor the theory defines is that which produces job satisfaction and motivation called motivators. Achievement: The opportunity to accomplish something or contribute something of value can serve as a source of job satisfaction. Recognition: Wise managers let employees know that their efforts have been worthwhile and that management notes and appreciates them. Responsibility: The potential for acquiring new duties and responsibilities, through either job expansion or delegation, can be a powerful motivator for some workers. Advancement: The opportunity to improve one’s position because of job performance gives employees a clear reason for high performance. The work itself: When a task offers the opportunity for self-expression, personal satisfaction, and meaningful challenge, employees are likely to  undertake the task with enthusiasm. Possibility of growth: The opportunity to increase knowledge and personal development is likely to lead to job satisfaction. TYPES OF MOTIVATION Motivation can be classified into two categories. These are non-financial and financial incentives schemes. Non-financial motivation is intangible; it includes advancement, the work itself, responsibility, recognition, relations with co-workers, company policy and working institutions. Financial Incentive Scheme There are two areas into which financial incentives scheme fall; those of operatives and those of managers. According to Cole (1997), incentive scheme for managers include, extra payments or increase in salaries, fringe benefits covering such items as, car, sickness benefits, free education for managers’ children, and free holidays. Others are free lunches, free travel abroad with wife and family, access to newspapers and journals, free interest loan and free medical scheme (Pigors 1981). Financial Incentives Schemes to Operatives Cole (1997) gave a list of financial incentives to operatives, which include good holiday pay, extra pay for shift work and uncomfortable, dirty and unhealthy conditions, profit sharing, long service allowances, overtime availability when operatives require it, pension fund contribution by the company, death benefits and dependants, employee’s liability insurance and medical facility to operative’s family. METHODOLOGY The study was carried out in Nigeria, and random sampling technique was used for selecting firms for study. Some towns where construction activities are high were selected; one from each of the three parts of the country (the north, east and west). Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Lagos were chosen. Since construction processes are the same throughout the country, these towns were used as representative samples of the study area since all towns cannot be reached for the study due to the huge sum of money that would be required as well as the time needed for such an endeavour. The target population for the study was the management staff (architects, builders, quantity surveyors and engineers) and contractors. In order to obtain the sample size of the study, the Corporate Affairs Commission was visited to obtain the number of registered companies with them and particularly those that have their head offices in the selected towns. A total of 96 companies were listed (registered), the formula be low given by Siegel and Castellan (1988) was used to obtain the sample size. It gave a sample size of 16 companies. Data was collected from 74 questionnaires. The operatives were asked the kind of motivation the management gives to them and they prefer to indicate their productivity as high. The management staff was also asked the kind of motivation they give and that which operatives prefer for high productivity. The mean score of the sum of central tendency (statistical tool) was used for the analysis of data since parameters analyzed is small. Presentation and Analysis of Data from questionnaire type 1 (for management) Majority of the respondents, 33.33% showed that the salary paid is slightly below the Nigerian National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement. For 27.27% construction firms pay exactly NJIC agreement, and 21.21% assert that salaries paid  construction workers are far below NJIC agreement, while 18.18% indicated that salaries paid construction workers is a little above NJIC. From the analysis, it could be seen that most of the organizations pay salary, which is below NJIC agreement, and this may affect the performance of workers negatively (Table 2) Table 2: Salary structure used compared with current NJIC agreement S/N Salary Structure Far above NJIC agreement A little above NJIC agreement Exactly NJIC agreement Slightly below NJIC agreement Far below NJIC agreement No. of Respondents 0 6 9 11 7 33 Percentage of Respondents 0% 18.18% 27.27% 33.33% 21.21% 100% Source: Fieldwork, 2005 Twenty nine percent (29%) of the organizations carry out promotion on company’s policy because of performance of workers. The study found out that promotion is not done on a regular basis, for example after every 3 years but based on the performance of workers (Table 3). Of all the motivating factors available in the construction industry, the most used for higher performance is overtime with 9.4% followed by health care services with 9.0% and thirdly by provision of transportation facility to and from work with 8.9%. The least used motivating factor is profit sharing with 3.3% followed by telephone services. The reason for overtime being used mostly as motivation for higher performance is that to the operatives, they receive money in return and while to the organization work done is increased. While health care services, which are free put confidence into workers to work hard, and when sick they will be taken adequate care of without spending money of their own (Table 4). As far as the operatives are concerned, the motivation they preferred most is holiday abroad with pay. The mean ranking is 7.79%. The likely reason that could be adduced for this is that, workers will be exposed to more experience in their field of work, to the latest available tools and equipment, better construction techniques/methods, which makes them become experts in their field and hence production will be faster and with higher quality. This will have a resultant effect on their cadre, as they will receive promotion. Increase in salary is the second most preferred motivating factor, which comes naturally. They will be able to send their children to good schools, feed well and have a sense of belonging in the society. The least preferred motivating factor is telephone services, followed by responsibility. This is because it is not a financial gain (Table 5). Presentation and Analysis of Data from Questionnaire Type 11 (For Operatives) Most (51.22%) operatives indicated that salaries paid them is a little below NJIC agreement. This makes workers not to work well as they feel cheated and thereby it affects productivity negatively (Table 6). The two groups agree that salaries paid workers are slightly below NJIC agreement. Most of the operatives (26.4%) have a view that promotion is given to those who have people to influence it for them. While 26.2% hold the opinion that promotion is based on performance, and another 26.2% opine that promotion is rarely done (Table 7). An increase in salary of workers makes them committed to hard work for high productivity. It is the first among all the factors ranked. Following this is promotion, which if regular keeps the workers focused on their job, due to the evaluation report that shall be made at the end of year and later compiled for use as promotion guide. Next to this is overtime, which increases the take home pay of the workers at the end of the month, and makes them to work harder. The least factors that could induce the workers to working hard are telephone services, responsibility and the work itself. The reason could be that they do not have financial reward to the operatives directly (Table 8). A comparison of the questionnaires shows that both groups agree that the salary paid to labourers is slightly lower than the NJIC recommendation. This is likely to affect the labourers’ productivity and may be one of the reasons that delay in delivery of projects is experienced on majority of projects. There is a difference of opinion on the policy of organizations on the promotion of operatives. While the management claims that it is done very regularly and fair, the operatives believe it is rarely done and if done at all it is for those who have godfathers. The most motivating factors according to the management are overtime pay, health care services and provision of transportation in this order, whereas the operatives opine that these are increase in salary, promotion and overtime pay. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are hereby made based on the analysis of data from the field and conclusion reached. 1.  Companies are requested to adjust their salary structure to reflect the NJIC recommendation; this will enhance the performance of workers. 2.  Management should be concerned with the welfare of the workers and their families. This will give the workers a sense of belonging and being appreciated will make them to be focused and completely committed to their work. 3.  Increase in salary; promotion, overtime and holiday with pay should be used as motivators for increase in performance of construction workers. 4.  Promotion should be done regularly and should be based on performance of workers. CONCLUSION The paper discusses the impact of motivation on the productivity of workers in the Nigerian construction industry. Since motivation is an inducement for higher output it should be accorded a right of place by employers of labour for the construction industry to achieve higher productivity, which will lead to greater contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Output. REFERENCES Akindele, O A (2003) Craftsmen and Labour Productivity in the Swaziland Construction Industry. CIDB 1st Postgraduate Conference, University of Withwatersrand, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Arditi, D and Mokhtar, K (2000) Trends in Productivity Improvement in the US Construction Industry. Construction Management and Economics, 18(2), 15-27 Cole G A (1997) Personal management, 1st Edition Ashford Colour Press. Eldin, N N and Egger, S (1990) Productivity improvement tools, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 116(1), 100-110. Flippo, E B (1982) Personnel Management, 5th Edition, McGraw hill Inc. London Heap, A (1987) Improving Site Productivity in the Construction Industry. International Labour Office, Geneva Plunkett, W.R and Attner, R.F (1999) Introduction to Management 5th Edition, International Thomson Publishing, California. pp. 43-47, 394-407. Pigors P J W (1981) Personnel Administration: A point of view and method. 9th Edition, McGraw-Hill International Auckland Maslow, A H (1954): Motivation and Personality, Harper and Row, New York Mee-Edoiye, M and Andawei M.M (2002): Motivation, An Alternative to improve workers performance in Today Construction Industry. The Quantity Surveyor. 40(3), 2-6. Cole, G. A. (1999) Management: theory and practice. 5ed. Asford Colour Press, Gosport: Great Britain, 33–76 Robert, L. Trewatha and M. Gene Neuport (1995) Management. 3ed. Business Publication Inc. 359–367. Williams A. McEachern (1997) Economics. A Contemporary Introduction. 4ed. Southwestern College Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio. pp. 111. Siegel, S. and Castellan, N. J. (1988). Non-parmetric statistics for the behavioural science. McGraw-hill Book Co., Singapore.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan China Marketing Essay

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan China Marketing Essay This paper aims at outlining the strategic marketing approach of Costa Coffee for entering a new market . Costa Coffee is the British part or retail sales of Whitbread Family. Whitbread is a British Multinational Company and it has franchises worldwide. Whitbread includes Hotels, Restaurants [Household names like TGI Friday], Health and Fitness plus Other Businesses. The contents of this paper include the marketing strategy of Costa Coffee and its expansion plans in China. Introduction The Story The history of Costa Coffee began in a mountain town outside the region of Parma, where there was the house of Costa family. In the late 60s, the Italian brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa, hungry for success, traveled to England, seeking an opportunity for professional advancement. By arriving there, they found how simple the English coffee market was. Motivated by their Italian background and Sergios skills in the roasting of coffee beans, they decided to return to Milan to enrich their knowledge and technique in Italian coffee shops. In 1971, upon their return to London, they bought a three-story building in Lambeth, where they set up their own coffee shop. In the beginning, the Costa brothers worked as producers and wholesalers and were supplying high-class restaurants and specialty stores. Soon, they built their reputation for their dedication to excellent quality of their product. However, in 1978 they had to find some employment for their wives in order not to interfere in their business. Therefore, they decided to create their first coffee boutique in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, and assigned its management to their wives. This idea experienced tremendous success, and led the brothers to the expansion of Costa coffee boutiques and award their management to relatives and friends. Since the opening day of the first store to date, the same traditional method of slow roasting (18-22 minutes) of coffee beans is used, offering the delicious and fragrant blend Mocha Italia, from 6 Arabica beans and 1 Robusta. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Today, Costa Coffee owns 500 shops worldwide. Costa Coffee believes in its employees skills therefore, it provides intensive employee training at the Cost Coffee Academy. VISION: Costa Coffee vision is to provide the best hospitality to its customers since its range of hospitality products range includes restaurants, hotels and leisure clubs. MISSION: To serve the best coffee in the true Italian style. BUSINESS PORTFOLIO: Costa Coffee has built an unrivaled reputation for coffee excellence, and this is achieved by fully controlling the process, from harvest and selection of coffee beans, from the roasting of the Italian maestros, the choice of engines and compliance with the procedures of manufacture of beverages, ensuring this way that customers can enjoy the same excellent quality coffee at any of Costa Coffee in the world. The drinks are served in 3 different sizes Primo, Medio and Massimo, and the customer can choose between the unique blend of Mocha Italia, or decaf, whole or skim milk and add an extra dose of espresso, flavored syrup, cream, candy or chocolate. There are 15 factors that are combined and help to create the perfect Costa coffee. In addition, in every store worldwide regular controls take place, which ensure consistency and maintenance of quality. Every Costa Coffee has a Barista Maestro (coffee expert) responsible for maintaining the excellence of the drinks served. COSTA COFFEE AND STARBUCKS: Starbucks is the largest competitor of Costa Coffee. Starbucks is the leader in the coffee shop market. Its international presence is in 50 countries. On the other hand, Costa Coffee, is the third biggest coffee specialist in the market with shops in 25 countries. Both companies have an excellent financial performance up to 2005 but in 2008 there was a decrease in revenue and operating profit as a result of the global economic recession. However, in 2009. Starbucks has an improving in cost structure and therefore its liquidity is better than Costa Coffee since it has managed to pay its short term debts. A key factor for both companies is globalization since most leading players in the foodservice market expand their operations in other countries. So the future success of Costa Coffee will be based on its operations outside the UK. The same applies for Starbucks. . THE CHOICE OF CHINA: China is one of the biggest economic forces in the world. Its domestic market is larger so there is a lot of potential for multinational businesses. Its average GDP growth rate is more than 10% despite the global economic crisis (10.9% last quarter 2009) (BBC China economy 2009). International financial analysts believe that the growth of the Chinese economy will continue. Regarding the coffee industry in China, it should be noticed that competition is quite intense but sales in cafes has grown by 8% to RMB36billion (over  £3,487million). It should also be noticed that in 2009 coffee shops chains had a growth of 22% (Euromonitor International August 2009,Cafà ©s/bars China). However, the Chinese market for many international companies is considered a tough market since it is difficult to understand local culture and customeCNY. Therefore, many companies pursue joint ventures and strategic alliances in order to do business in China. In 1998, Starbucks entered China and it has 180 coffee shops. In 2006, Costa Coffee entered China in a different way i.e. through a joint venture with Yueda Group which is based in Jiangsu Province. This was done because a local partner knows the market better so market penetration for the new entrant is easier. However, this also means that Costa Coffee is heavily dependent on Yueda. Costa Coffee has a strong Italian aura that aims at attracting the Chinese market. Affluent Chinese customers want to taste a coffee that is represented by a global brand name. So far, Starbucks has been quite successful in this area. The risk is that by being a partner with Yueda, the brand will be customized too much therefore, Costa will lose its competitive advantage which is the Italian aura. Starbucks has very aggressive expansion plan in China. The crucial point is if Costa Coffee will maintain its brand essence and will not be customized. In this case, Costa Coffee will be a strong competitor to Starbucks. Future trends Strategy The main issue for chained coffee shops is to create a unique experience that cannot be easily copied. The consumers want to enjoy their coffee in a nice environment. The coffee shop space should be comfortable with an ambiente that will be inviting so the consumers will return to the shop again. People will want to live the espresso experience at home so the sales of equipment and coffee will increase as well as the demand for better and higher quality of coffee and beverages in coffee shops. Corporate social responsibility is another issue that chained coffee shops should take care on. They have to prove that they implement ethical practices. Regarding marketing, researchers predict that chained coffee shops will use mobile apps and have social networking tools in the very near future. COSTA COFFEE Financial Data Turnover:  £263.8m (2008:  £216.3m) Operating profit before exceptional items:  £22.7m (2008:  £20.8m) Number of outlets: 881 in the UK, 407 overseas Total Revenue  £ (m) Strategy Our target for Premier Inn during 2009/10 is to deliver around 2,000 new rooms in the UK and overseas. We have a strong pipeline of secured sites and will continue to develop a land bank. Internationally, our first hotel opened in Dubai during 2008 and we will build on this position, intending to open a further two hotels in the Emirates plus one in India. We plan to open around 100 new Costa outlets in the UK in 2009/10. We will capitalise on our strong Costa brand by focusing on new locations, as well as areas where we can replace existing operators, such as in supermarkets, hospitals and leisure facilities. Costa will also continue to strengthen its position across international markets, adding 100 net new stores in the year ahead. MARKETING OBJECTIVES: Enter Greek market and develop a significant market share; Increase product portfolio by new high caliber products; Bring more value to shareholders; Be a leader in its field for customer service; Develop alliances with commercial partners and the communities in which Costa Coffee shops operate. TARGET MARKET Costa Coffee offers a wide range of products suitable for all consumeCNY. So far, coffee in China is consumed in big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou). Coffee producers have targeted young professionals since they are the most westernized, affluent and open-minded. However, they see it as something that is in fashion rather than a regular habit. Another target group for coffee consumption are returnees i.e. Chinese that studied in Western countries and come back to China. They are also affluent and they are accustomed to visiting coffee shops. Ex- pats are another target group. Chinas economic growth has attracted a lot of investments from foreign companies. Ex-pats are used to drink coffee and their number increases every year. It has been estimated that businessmen from Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Westerners amount to 30% of customers at multinational chained coffee shops as Starbucks. The above customer base has been quite saturated so there is a need to increase customer base. However, coffee is considered a luxury good and the average Chinese cannot pay for a cup of coffee. The average Chinese annual income is RMB 8000 yuan whereas a small cup of Starbucks coffee costs RMS 12 yuan ($1.5 which is the same price as in USA). In the big cities the average annual income is higher however it is still difficult for someone to consume a cup of coffee. If coffee still goes on being considered as a luxury good, it will happen the same thing as in Japan i.e. it will take China more than 90 years to make coffee popular. Market Segmentation: Based on the above the following market segments were defined: Young / Mature professionals Returnees Ex-pats Students Middle Class Upper Middle Class Single Married Bus section and train/airplane passengers Marketing Strategy: Costa Coffee will follow Market Development strategy and the reason for choosing this strategy will be explained below: CURRENT NEW PRODUCTS PRODUCTS 1. Market Penetration Strategy 3. Product Development Strategy 2. Market Development Strategy 4. Diversification Strategy CURRENT MARKETS NEW MARKETS   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Coffee is considered a luxury good. This misperception hinders businesses in identifying customer groups and implement marketing strategies. This misperception also hinders the majority of the population to get acquainted with coffee. The same happened in Japan, where coffee was also considered as a luxury beverage with unreasonably high prices. It has taken almost 90 years for Japan to get acquainted with coffee and still per capita coffee consumption is quite low. This makes things worse since Japan sets the trend for Taiwan and South Korea.   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬In China coffee shops open every day in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. However, the average Chinese cannot afford a cup of coffee everyday. Multinational coffee companies have faced difficulties in developing the Chinese coffee market. Although they know how to penetrate mature markets but they see that they have difficulty in immature coffee markets. These companies need to understand better China and its people. Without understanding them all marketing campaigns will be in vain. A characteristic example is the marketing campaign of Nestle which was targeting at the young middle class Chinese although in reality this class does not exist or even if it existed they would not be heavy coffee drinkeCNY. Starbucks has increased awareness but it needs a different strategy for the Chinese market. Only KFC has been quiet successful. Starbucks success cannot be considered as sustainable since it was based on management, financial power and brand name whereas the Chinese market needs entrepreneurship to advance it and this is what Costa Coffee is planning to do. Coffee has been promoted by the Chinese government through festivals and fashion awards however these strengthened the misperception of coffee being a luxury good. Local coffee shops add too many side things such as food, spirits etc. Therefore, they dilute the idea of coffee. Coffee is a product that does not hurt health, stimulates the brain and it is addictive. Based on researches someone who has drunk coffee three times a week for two months in the row is addicted to coffee. Brain stimulation is important for personal wealth and intelligence. Coffee became popular because coffee shops were focused at making the customer accustomed with coffee. When people get accustomed then the market develops at an extremely fact pace. The coffee shop is important for this development and a coffee shop can be a seated place or coffee stands and carts. It is important to make people drink coffee and then offer them ground coffee. Many companies have found as an excuse the fact that tea is dominant in China and there is no place for coffee in a tea dominant country. However, there are no major tea companies that can compete international coffee giants nor is there a specific promotion to protect tea. On the contrary local society support the development of coffee houses and it is not negative to coffee. Costa Coffee will focus on making people drink more coffee. Its new coffee shops will be around areas where people gather such as Universities, stations and office buildings etc. This can be the best promotion since if one group of people becomes loyal to coffee then it will influence other consumer groups. Costa Coffee will focus specifically on these people and its promotions will be measurable and specific. Coffee has an unbeatable image in China and it is known to everyone. Costa Coffee will be based on the quick service restaurant (QSR) concept. QSR is based on the idea of offering cheap, clean and good food and its purpose is to sell to a wider range of population. Costa Coffee plans to adopt this concept. Coffee has a high profit margin but food is what attracts people to the coffee shop. Costa Coffee already offers more products than coffee; however it should plan to add more snacks that are better suited to local customers and a cheaper but good quality filter coffee for taking away. Many local Chinese coffee shops offer food however, they have not formulated a strategy so they cannot be considered as potential competitoCNY. So far in these shops the restaurant is separated form the coffee house something that it is not the case of Costa Coffee. In the next two years the aim is to introduce new product lines that will be offered at affordable prices for the average Chinese consume r. It should be noticed that this does not mean price cutting since this will hurt Costa Coffees brand name. The location of the new coffee shops is also an important part of Costa Coffee strategy. Up today, the coffee shops were opened at locations where population is dense and the income is high. As a result, the rental prices are quite high. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning to open new shops at bus stations and other busy intersections where rents are lower and the traffic is big. The marketing strategy that will be followed to China is important since it influences neighboring states such as South Korea which is also a new coffee consuming country. If the model of highly expensive coffee will be followed then the consequences will be similar to Taiwan and Hong Kong where there is a negative trend in coffee growth. à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths Weaknesses Established brand name worldwide Expensive prices for the average Chinese consumer Wide range of products Starbucks dominant position in the market Third ranked coffee shop chain in the world Coffee is considered a luxury good Know how of Yuda (local partner) Tea is the daily beverage of the average Chinese Opportunities Threats Big market potential a lot of Chinese Consumers that do not drink coffee Stagnant coffee growth due to high prices Unbeatable image of coffee Possible marketing enforcement of tea companies No competitors are located at bus intersections PESTEL ANALYSIS: Political China has a stable political environment that welcomes foreign direct investments. Economic The Chinese economic growth is impressive (10% per annum). Social Although the income of the average Chinese consumer is low, there is a growing middle class -190 million urban households, or 29%. According to McKinsey, middle class is expected to expand to 75% (372 million), by 2025 (DAltorio 2011). Technological New coffee machines are produced so making coffee at home is easier. Environmental There is a trend in producing organic coffee. Legal There are no legal issues involved. MARKET POSITIONING: The positioning strategy of Costa Coffee will be in line with its international strategy i.e. THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS. The competitive advantage of Costa Coffee is the quality of their coffee. The image of the company is that is has a UNIQUE coffee. Another positioning of Costa Coffee is that this excellent coffee quality can be offered with affordable prices (launch of the new take away filter coffee). THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS This is the tag line that will communicate the Italian aura of Costa Coffee to the mass audience. Since Chinese consumers perceive well the Italian atmosphere it is expected that it will attract more people to Costa Coffee. MARKETING MIX: Product: Brand Name: Costa Coffee is a well established brand that signifies luxury, perfection and excellence. Chinese consumers prefer established brand names. Image/Theme: Luxury Costa Coffee is related to luxury. The coffee shops ambiance is trendy and comfortable. Customers will have a nice time in a flashy environment. However, this luxury image should be cleverly related with the new, affordable, take away filter coffee. The message that will be transmitted is luxury can be affordable and can be taken with you. Color Scheme Costa Coffees shops are in warm tones having brown as the main color. Other colors that are used are green, black and white. The purpose of this color selection is the creation of a comfortable and trendy atmosphere. Service: Apart from coffee, Costa has a reputation of excellent service. Hiring and retaining talented employees and train them accordingly is a strategic goal of the company. Product variety: ESPRESSO A short, strong and black coffee, with no milk. ESPRESSO DOPPIO A double espresso shot. For those who like it strong. RISTRETTO An extra short coffee, even shorter than an espresso, with an even stronger flavour. MACCHIATO Espresso topped with just a dash of milk. Yum. AMERICANO Coffee, mixing shots of espresso with hot water. Add milk if you like. FLAT WHITE A rich, full-flavoured coffee with a velvety, smooth texture. Each Flat White is hand-finished with a distinctive pattern. CAPPUCCINO Coffee combining espresso with steamed, frothy milk. Chocolate on top if you have a sweet tooth. CAFFE LATTE Coffee made with steamed milk. Not as strong as a cappuccino, but just as good. MOCHA Espresso with hot chocolate, topped with steamed, frothed milk. (Source: Costa Coffee 2010) Costa Coffee products variety includes iced tea and coffees as well as cakes, pastries, Panini and sandwiches. Prices: Costa Coffee prices are generally higher than other coffee shops. High prices are related to the outstanding quality and taste of Costa Coffee. Therefore, the traditional customer groups of Costa Coffee are high and middle classes. Costa Coffee believes that a reduction in its prices will harm its brand name. However, it wants to increase its Chinese customer base so it will offer a filter coffee for takeaway at affordable prices. Chinese middle class growth rate is significant, it will reach 372 million by 2025, it is a social class that cannot be neglected. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning in the next three years to offer its products at affordable prices for the Chinese middle class without harming its brand name. Locale / Setting: The next Costa Coffee shops will be at busy intersections e.g. bus, train stations and at areas where office buildings and Universities are located. It will focus again on the big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. The aim for the next three year is to have 30 new coffee shops at both cities. Promotion: Costa Coffee will not do a lot of advertising since its brand name is recognized. However, there will be special sales promotions at its new shops for the new filter coffee that can be taken away. Costa Coffee is based on word of mouth advertising since reputation is very important. MARKET DEMAND It is important to measure the market before launching new products and shops. It is also important to measure the market after the launch of the new products / shops so as to see their effects and gain a larger market share. Growth Share Matrix There are two factors that are important for the expansion to new markets and these are : market attractiveness and the Business Strength. Market Attractiveness Business Strength Factors Rate Factors Rate Overall Market Size 70% increase (2004-2012) Market Share 5.0 Annual Market Growth Rate 7.8 Product Quality 5 Competitive Intensity 4 Brand Reputation 4.5 Technological Requirements 2.5 Distribution Channel 3.5 Inflationary Vulnerability 4.9 Promotional Effectiveness 4.5 Productive Efficiency 4 Managerial Personnel 3.5 Market Attractiveness As it is seen above, the attractiveness of the Chinese market is very high. The annual growth rate of the coffee market is high. There are no significant technological requirements since Costa Coffee already possesses advanced technology. Inflation is quite high and it seems that it will increase in the near future, however the targeted market groups remain unaffected (growing Chinese middle class). Partnership with Yuda will protect Costa Coffee from any possible dangers. Therefore, the Chinese market is very attractive and suitable for coffee shops expansion. Business Strength Costa Coffee is part of the well-known Whitbread Family. The quality of Costa Coffee is unquestionable. Costa Coffee owns more than 500 stores worldwide. Its outlets are in Europe, UK, Middle East, India, Pakistan and China. In order to maintain its excellent reputation, Costa Coffee will continue its policy of recruiting, training and retaining the best available employees in China. Business Strength High Medium Low High Medium Low Costa Coffees Business Strength is high and the overall position is ideal for further expansion into the Chinese market. Projected Sales in CHINA Costa Coffee projected sales are expected to rise to almost 97% in 2012 and this is due to the launch of the new takeaway filter coffee and the new shops at the busy intersections. This rate is expected to slow down (87%) in 2013 and this is because the one time visitors are expected to cease to visit the coffee shops and the existing customer base is expected to remain. An extensive marketing promotion through emails, customer clubs, social media etc. is expected to increase market share. The above numbers are very impressive and expansion seems ideals. Sales forecasts per customer groups are also very promising.: Market 2012 2013 2014 Total Students Youngsters CNY. 20,000,000 CNY. 23,00,000 CNY.6,300,000 CNY 49,300,000 Ex pats and returnees CNY 7,555,000 CNY 7,000,000 CNY. 12,800,000 CNY. 27,355,000 Families CNY. 9,700,000 CNY. 9,850,000 CNY. 17,200,000 CNY. 36,750,000 Professionals CNY. 17,750,000 CNY. 32,750,000 CNY. 92,000,000 CNY. 142,500,000 Totals CNY. 55,005,000 CNY. 72,600,000 CNY. 128,300,000 CNY. 255,905,000 According to the above table it can be seen that professionals is a group that has a lot of potential. This is because the Chinese middle class is rising and the coffee culture is mounting too. Another reason for the increase in sales in professionals is due to the location of the new coffee shops. There will be located in busy intersections where there are many office buildings. Newspapers and other electronic media have approached Costa Coffee and various interviews and programs have been made which boost Costa Coffees reputation even more. BUDGET FORECASTS: The forecasted budget for the upcoming three years is as follows; TYPE 2012 2013 2014 Total Accommodation CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 5,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 Training CNY. 1,500,000 CNY. 500,000 CNY. 4,000,000 CNY. 6,000,000 Transportation CNY. 250,000 CNY. 350,000 CNY. 1,000,000 CNY. 1,600,000 Fixtures CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 CNY. 9,000,000 Total CNY. 5,750,000 CNY. 850,000 CNY. 17,000,000 CNY. 23,600,000 Future promotion and expansion plans: Costa Coffee will be launching more coffee shops in the major cities of China (Beijing and Shangkai) but the plans are to expand all over China after having created a considerable market share in the above cities. The expansion has been planned for the next year that is 2012. In the next two years the next cities where new coffee shops will be located will include Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Costa Coffee is not in favor of extravagant launching campaigns. It supports the use of electronic and social media as well as corporate social responsibility programmes and actions. It also believes in the right location of its shops. So, the marketing activity will be low except the posters that will be in the shops, as sales promotion, advertising the new takeaway filter coffee. ANALYSIS: Costa Coffee has a lot of potential for further intensifying its expansion efforts in China. It already possesses a significant market share in the Chinese market. The reason behind it is the unbeatable image of Costa Coffee and the advertisement (word of mouth) done by people who have visited its outlets. Sales are expected to rise in the following years and they are expected to rise even more in the forthcoming years since Costa Coffee is focusing on the rising Chinese middle class. Students and youngsters in general set the new trends so their influence in increasing coffee consumption and visiting coffee shops is of outmost importance. By further using social media, Costa Coffee is expected to increase its market share in this group. Professionals always seek quiet place to do their official or unofficial meetings. Costa Coffee is an ideal place to do these meetings. Apart from that, Costa Coffees activation in social media will certainly increase its future revenue. In conclusion, it can be said that Costa Coffee has so far implemented an excellent marketing strategy and the new campaign that it will launch for the takeaway filter coffee as well as the location of its new shops will help it increase its sales and gain sustainable competitive advantage. RECOMMENDATIONS: Sales numbers are very promising however the local partner should follow all the below the line activities mentioned. Costa Coffee should continue with low promotional strategies. Apart from posters inside the outlets, Costa Coffee should consider the use of bill boards at the busy intersections.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Problems With My Neighbors :: essays research papers

How are your neighbors with you? You are lucky if they treat you as a member of their family, but what about if it is the contrary? What about if they treat you as a thing not as a human? If this is your situation, I know how you are feeling. I know it because I am living this kind of life. In other words, I do not get along with my neighbors. From the day I moved into my house, I have had to deal with their unfriendly, dirty, and noisy way of living. First of all, my neighbors are very unfriendly people, and that is why they are hated. For example, during the day when I see them, they do not say hello to me. Sometimes, I try to have a conversation with them, but they always ignore me or give me a cold look. Since the day they ignore me, I began to hate them for being the way they are. In addition, my neighbors are not only mean with me, but with my children, too. Sometimes, when they are playing in front of their house, my neighbors come out and tell them to leave using a filthy language that scare my children. Second, the awful thing is not only that my neighbors are unfriendly, but they are dirty, too. For example, during the week, they often throw their trash in front of my house. Although, whenever I see it, I always clean it, but later they throw more. They are irresponsible people who do not care about others around them. Moreover, their yard looks like a jungle with empty cans and bottles and other trash among the big grass that is growing. Why do not they care about it? How lazy they are! Perhaps, they do not know the meaning of the word ?gclean.?h Finally, the other thing that makes my neighbors mean, besides being unfriendly and dirty, is that they are very noisy. They have three children and the smallest, the baby, is the one that makes all the noise during the day. He is always crying because he is hungry or because he wants something. Why do not his parents try to lull him? Besides the baby, they also have one big dog that barks all the time. For example, the other day I was going to study, but then it began to bark, and thanks to its harmful noise, I could not concentrate on what I was doing. Problems With My Neighbors :: essays research papers How are your neighbors with you? You are lucky if they treat you as a member of their family, but what about if it is the contrary? What about if they treat you as a thing not as a human? If this is your situation, I know how you are feeling. I know it because I am living this kind of life. In other words, I do not get along with my neighbors. From the day I moved into my house, I have had to deal with their unfriendly, dirty, and noisy way of living. First of all, my neighbors are very unfriendly people, and that is why they are hated. For example, during the day when I see them, they do not say hello to me. Sometimes, I try to have a conversation with them, but they always ignore me or give me a cold look. Since the day they ignore me, I began to hate them for being the way they are. In addition, my neighbors are not only mean with me, but with my children, too. Sometimes, when they are playing in front of their house, my neighbors come out and tell them to leave using a filthy language that scare my children. Second, the awful thing is not only that my neighbors are unfriendly, but they are dirty, too. For example, during the week, they often throw their trash in front of my house. Although, whenever I see it, I always clean it, but later they throw more. They are irresponsible people who do not care about others around them. Moreover, their yard looks like a jungle with empty cans and bottles and other trash among the big grass that is growing. Why do not they care about it? How lazy they are! Perhaps, they do not know the meaning of the word ?gclean.?h Finally, the other thing that makes my neighbors mean, besides being unfriendly and dirty, is that they are very noisy. They have three children and the smallest, the baby, is the one that makes all the noise during the day. He is always crying because he is hungry or because he wants something. Why do not his parents try to lull him? Besides the baby, they also have one big dog that barks all the time. For example, the other day I was going to study, but then it began to bark, and thanks to its harmful noise, I could not concentrate on what I was doing.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Essay on Irony, Values and Realism in Pride and Prejudice

Irony, Values and Realism in Pride and Prejudice The focus of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the prejudice of Elizabeth Bennet against the apparent arrogance of her future suitor, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the blow to his pride in falling in love with her. The key elements of the story are the irony, values and realism of the characters as they develop. Jane Austen ¹s irony is devastating in its exposure of foolishness and hypocrisy. Self-delusion or the attempt to fool other people are usually the object of her wit. There are various forms of exquisite irony in Pride and Prejudice, sometimes the characters are unconsciously ironic, as when Mrs. Bennet seriously asserts that she would never accept any entailed property, though Mr. Collins is willing to. Often Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth serve to directly express the author ¹s ironic opinion. When Mary Bennet is the only daughter at home and does not have to be compared with her prettier sisters, the author notes that: " it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance."   (Austen 189) Mr. Bennet turns his wit on himself during the crisis with Whickham and Lydia: " let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away soon enough." (Austen 230) Elizabeth ¹s irony is lighthearted when Jane asks when she began to love Mr. Darcy: " It has been coming on so gradually that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberly"   (Austen 163). She can be bitterly cutting however in her remark on Darcy ¹s role in separating Bingley and Jane: " Mr. Darcy is uncommonly kind to Mr. Bingley, and takes a prodigio... ...kling: Irony and Fiction in 'Pride and Prejudice,'" in The Fields of Light: An Experiment in Critical Reading. New York: Oxford University Press, 1951: 164-81. Brownstein, Rachel, M. "Getting Married: Jane Austen." Becoming a Heroine: Reading About Women in Novels. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1984. 81-134. Fein, Ellen and Schneider, Sherrie. The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right. New York: Warner Books, 1995. Menand, Louis. "What Jane Austen Doesn't Tell Us." New York Review of Books 43.2 1 Feb. 1996: 13-15. Moler, Kenneth. Pride and Prejudice: A Study in Artistic Economy. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 1989. Newman, Karen. "Can This Marriage be Saved: Jane Austen Makes Sense of an Ending." ELH 50.4 (1983): 693-710. Ryle, Gilbert. "Jane Austen and the Moralists," Oxford Review, No. 1, Feb., 1966, pp. 5-18.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Innocence of Daisy Miller Essay -- Henry James, Daisy Miller

In 1878, Henry James wrote, Daisy Miller, a novella about a young American girl and her travels in Europe. Daisy Miller is a complex short story with many underlying themes such as appearance versus reality, knowledge versus innocence, outward action versus inward meditation, and Nature versus urbanity. In this short story, one is left to judge whether Daisy Miller, the main character of the story, is â€Å"a pretty American flirt† or a misunderstood, modern young woman. By probing into the complexities and contradictions of Daisy’s character, it is obvious that Ms. Miller is merely a misunderstood young woman. Through his novel, Henry James shows his readers that the gap between what people believe to be true and the actual truth can be large, hence the theme of appearance versus reality. To the Europeanized Americans in the novella, Daisy’s independence causes her to appear immoral. She is innocent and uncultured and incautious but the circle sees only the surface of her character and the actions that character takes. She rebels not by having a great knowledge of the rules which bind the society and consciously deciding to throw them out the window, but by being limited in her scope of experience and by refusing to change her natural ways in order to please a culture to which she does not belong. The great theme of the disparity between reality and appearance is at its greatest strength in the relationship between Winterbourne and Daisy because of the conflict which roars inside of Winterbourne regarding the appearance he cannot overcome and the reality he cannot accept. Daisy's lack of knowledge and experience deceives Winterbourne who is incapable of seeing life through the lens of inexperience after leaving America. He thus fails to understand her inexperience as innocence. Winterbourne attempts to apply the conventional rules he has accepted since leaving America to Daisy without realizing that she is not dissecting the world with the same meditating process that he undertakes. In Europe, Daisy behaves just as she had back in America. She even goes as far as to say â€Å"I’m a fearful, frightful flirt! Did you ever hear of a nice girl that was not?† (44). It is through this quote that one can see that Daisy does not realize in Europe, nice girls are most definitely not â€Å"flirts†. It is such behavior that scandalized the conservative Americans that she... ...y. At one point, Winterbourne tells Daisy that it did not matter whether he thought she was engaged or not. This so upsets Daisy that she cries, "I don't care...whether I have Roman fever or not!" (56). Winterbourne's ultimate rejection of Daisy, his decision to side with the American circle in Daisy's condemnation, hits Daisy so cruelly that she no longer cares to live. He refuses to believe in Daisy's innocence and she quickly fades away. Her resiliency and natural spontaneity have died. Winterbourne does not realize his mistake until Mrs. Miller relays Daisy's message to him and Giovanelli speaks to him at the funeral. Giovanelli looks to Winterbourne and states, â€Å"She was the most beautiful young lady I ever saw, and the most amiable...and she was the most innocent† (58). It was through this conversation that Daisy's innocence triumphs. The lasting message of this novella is Daisy's innocence and the cruelty of the society, which condemned her to death. Works Cited James, Henry.   Daisy Miller:   A Study.   The Heath Anthology of American Literature.   3rd ed. Vol. 2 Eds. Paul Lauter and Richard Yarborough.    Boston:   Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.  Ã‚   452-92. 2 vols.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Nestle Crunch Marketing Plan Essay

Executive Summary This marketing plan was created for Nestle Crunch to position itself in the next year to deliver at least $13 million in profit without increasing the budget by over $2 million. An analysis of the chocolate confectionery market will be analyzed to develop marketing strategies to implement to satisfy these objectives. situation analyses Market Size Crunch is produced by the largest food and beverage company, which is Nestle. Retail sales of chocolate confectionery comprised of $33.8 billion in retail sales, which $16.9 billion were in chocolate sales. Market Trends The growth rate of chocolate confectionery lagged behind the cereal, gum, and sugar confectionery and showing very little projected growth through 2014. Unit Volume 35% of the market share in sales were the Regular sized Chocolates, 30% were for the miniatures, 25% were of promotional items (promotes seasonal sales), and then there were the king sizes which made up of only 10% of the market sales. Price Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s strategy was to list the lowest price on their bars at $0.79 each for Butterfinger and Crunch, while its close competitor, Hershey’s priced its Bars and Reese’s cups at $0.89. The other competitor, Mars, priced theirs even higher at $0.99 each. Price increase would result in lost in sales. Product Services Offered Nestle Crunch offered consumers a chocolate confectionery that served as an indulgent treat in contrast to satisfying hunger. SWOT Analysis In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. In business, the strengths identified are what a business works to maintain, build, and leverage. Weaknesses that are identified should be removed, resolved, or remedied. Opportunities and threats are external factors. External factors are, in most part, out of our external locus of control. We can only either optimize it or deal with it. Opportunities should be prioritized and optimized. Identified threats must be acknowledged by a business and/or develop counter measures for it, if any (SWOT Analysis, 2009). INTERNAL Strengths Offer the lowest prices among competitors Crunch is regarded as an indulgence, a reward, or treat Participates in all channels of distribution Produced by the worlds’ largest food and beverage company – Nestle Weaknesses Marketing budget cannot increase more than $2M from the previous year (2009) Its positioned to target males and young adults who were not the largest chocolate consumers EXTERNAL Opportunities Large market in the Midwest Females and children consumed most of the chocolate confectionery Psychographic segments that are potential target markets: Practical value seekers Confection loving moderators TV has the greatest reach Threats Chocolate sales lag behind sugar confectionery, cereal bar and gum Competitors –Hershey and Mars in the U.S. market share marketing strategy Positioning We want to position Crunch as: â€Å"Nestle Crunch is for women and children who want to reward themselves to an indulgent chocolate treat, because Nestle Crunch is the only chocolate bar that tells you best that you deserve it.† strategy development Objective The mission is to deliver at least $13 million in profit without increasing the budget by more than $2 million. Targeted Consumer Demographics Target Market Crunch satisfies a consumer’s need to satisfy an indulgent desire, and promotion is used to trigger these impulses. Therefore, promotion is vital to increasing sales. Specifically, to children and females (teenage females, adult females, and mothers) who mostly attribute chocolate as an indulgent desire according to the Figure below In addition, according to the research, women are 51% of the population and consume 6% more chocolate than men. Children and young adults under the age of 25 comprise 60% of the population. In terms of geography, the Midwest is 22% of the population and the region that sells the most chocolate confectionery. strategy development Financial Projections Strategy and Execution Minus 1 event of free standing insert (FSI) coupon good on one regular size Crunch bar Add I event of A regular bar bonus size (+25%) is offered during 2-week promotional period; it was not offered in 2009 Minus 1 event of a 2-week store display featuring regular size Crunch Distribution increases by 2.0 percentage points A Crunch price increase of +12.5% on all products would match Hershey’s retail prices but would still be less than Mars’ prices; no pricing action was taken in 2009 The following table shows the impact on sales and profit when making changes  in the marketing mix. According to the table, with the marketing mix selected we are able to achieve our objective of ensuring production contribution of at least $13 million, our profitability percentage change is at least over 15%, and budget does not increase by more than $2 million. Advertising and Promotion Media Marketing The media vehicles for advertising that will be utilized are TV, print, and online. Since TV has the greatest reach, 70% is allocated in the budget for TV advertising and promotion; 20% for online and 10% of the budget for print marketing. The total budget for these media marketing is a little below $12.9 million We have an estimated reach of 90% for the TV advertising and marketing and 10% and 20% for print and online respectively. The pie graph below illustrates the media mix selection: Pricing strategy The pricing strategy will be to increase the price of Crunch by 12.5%, which will match the Hershey’s retail price, but will still be below the price of Mars. An increase in price does result in a decrease in sales, but after thorough examination of the P&L, it will show an increase in profitability to justify the drop in sales. Distribution strategy Increasing the distribution showed to increase sales. Since a large percentage of sales were sold through other distribution channels besides mass merchandisers, supermarkets, and convenient stores, an increase in distribution to the other channels that include drug stores, warehouse club, and vending machines, justify a slight budget increase as shown in the Figure below. The following figure summarizes the marketing plan Promotions, advertising, and special events are concentrated on the special holidays that historically show increase sales in the chocolate confectionery market. Many of the events are also focused mostly in the Midwest, because this region is shown to have the highest sales and consumption in the nation. The budget is kept below a $2 million increase while still accomplishing the goal of increasing profitability. Other Metrics The following table shows 2008 and 2009 chocolate confectionery market size and market shares of Nestlà © Crunch and its competitors as additional references. References Alan Chapman. SWOT Analysis. (2009, October 13). Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm U.S. CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONERY: DYNAMIC MARKETING PLANNING. Retrieved on June 02, 2014 from : https://brenau.instructure.com/courses/1209789/pages/course-documents?module_item_id=10683688