New Product Launch Marketing Plan Part I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Part I - Essay Example Most critical customer demands that current operators assume are cost efficiency, quality picture, long battery life and durability of the gadgets. It is in this line that Samsung Corporation introduces a new smartphone into the market to address the divergent needs of both local and international markets. Samsung Galaxy s6 is stylish, customer friendly, energy efficient and easy to operate cell phone. Although the market is flooded, most products lack precision evidenced by this product. This provides Samsung with an incredible prospect for market growth. Several of Samsung developed merchandise attract immense admiration worldwide. In this regard, Galaxy s6 will register a fast, momentous market infiltration through a firm business model. In addition, company’s diverse and strong management team, strategic and long-range planning approach shall efficiently help to execute this exciting opportunity (Mohr, Sengupta & Slater, 2010). Other notable strategies that shall improve the cell phones success encompass strong bond with customers and elaborate market research. By the close of the year, Samsung will also have achieved mergers and established strong relationships with different cell phone competitors like Apple and HTC. Samsung phones meet specific market demands. Thus, Samsung Galaxy s6 retail will be a success. The marketing stratagems of Samsung is foundational to its business realization. The marketing strategy of Samsung Galaxy shall be customized fit under the banner of One Samsung (Mohr & Slater 2010). Once Samsung generates innovative electronic appliances and equipment. The strategy encompasses conducting a market analysis to establish the high-tech needs of the customers. Then addressing the needs through effective telecommunication gadgets like the product in line (Samsung Galaxy s6) that is comparatively affordable in the market with sophisticated technological involvement. To have an advanced competitive lead, the

The Article Jihadi John and London's Culture of Gang Violence Assignment

The Article Jihadi John and London's Culture of Gang Violence - Assignment Example As the essay states many young Muslims living in London had joined ISIS. For example, Mohammed Emwazi alias Jihadi John has joined the ISIS where he is now an IS executioner. Mohammed Emwazi grew up in a fractured environment with high population, immense poverty, and high levels of crime like shootings, drug wars, and gang violence. According to the report finidngs Emwazi’s parents were middle class citizens and hence poverty may not have motivated the young British Muslim join radical Islamists groups. Emwazi was a member of the â€Å"London Boys† a criminal gang that operated in north-west London with an ultimate goal of financing radical Islamists groups. In the recent past, radical Islamists groups have been interacting with organized criminal gangs like the London Boys. Just like some other young Muslims in London, Emwazi joined the London Boys to escape from the alienation experienced in London. Even the police mistreated and suspected young Muslims of crime leading to the increasing Muslim prison in London where 27 % of all prisoners are Muslims. Radical preachers and their rallies helped Emwazi to understand his Islamic identity. Radical Islamists groups create a sense of brotherhood and unites Muslims thus attracting many young Muslims like Emwazi. The article notes that radical Islamist group like ISIS helped Emwazi and his peers to overcome tribal differences, escape uncertainty, and value their lives.

The Hong Kong Government Commerce Essay

The Hong Kong Government Commerce Essay The Hong Kong Government had decided to build the new runway in HKIA. It will bring the advantage and the disadvantage to Hong Kong. It will identify the third runways impact by review the literatures. Moreover, it will do the survey with the Hong Kong citizen to identify what factor they are concern with build the third runway and whether support to build the new runway. It also review the case study to identify which factor needs to concern during construct the third runway in Hong Kong. After doing the survey and review the literature and case study, I expect to find out the answer whether to build up the third runway and the reason to support the answer. Aim This project will identify the impact of the new runway in HKIA and find the answer which is whether to build the new runway. I will find out the answer through review the literatures and do the survey. The third runway is an issue which we need to concern. In the past, HKIA had contributed directly to Hong Kongs economy. Hong Kongs aviation industry generated HK$78 billion in value added contribution in 2008. It represents 4.6% of Hong Kongs GDP. In 2010, it supports the four pillar industries of HK. They are tourism, trading and logistics, financial services, producer and professional services which together accounted for 58% of Hong Kongs GDP in 2010 (Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.a). The new runway will bring the advantage and the disadvantage to Hong Kong. We need to analysis it whether it is better or not after build the new runway. Objective 1. Find the reason of the HKIA need to build up the new runway. 2. Finding literatures for the discussion or information about the third runway, such as any positive and negative views, suggestions, analysis the impact which the third runway will bring about the HKIA to build up the third runway. 3. Gathering the view of people support and oppose to build the third runway in Hong Kong International Airport by work out a questionnaire/survey. 4. Gathering the concern factor in Hong Kong International Airport by review the case study. 5. Analyse the data of (3), (4) and compare with literatures to determine problems that is impact of build the third runway which is Hong Kong local concern. 6. Suggestion of recommendations and conclusions will be based on the above data. Background Table -1 tentative layout of the Three Runway System (Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.e)The Hong Kong International Airport is the worlds busiest cargo gateway and one of the worlds 10 busiest passenger airports. In 2011, 53.9 million passengers used HKIA and 3.9 million tonnes of air cargo passed through Hong Kong (Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.b). The AA had considered the long term development of HKIA. To cope with the increasing air traffic demand and competition, Airport Authority has published Master Plan 2030 and makes a three-month consultation to gauge public opinion on HKIAs future development. 73% of respondents supported the proposal to build the third runway to meet the airports long-term growth demand (Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.c). The development of the third runway is involves construction of a third runway, related taxiway systems and navigation aids, and airfield facilities, the third runway aprons and passenger concourses, expansion of the existing Terminal 2 etc. Tentative Layout of the Three-Runway System Critical review of literature The reason of build the third runway The demand of HKIA in the 2030 The International Air Transport Association Consulting had estimated by 2030: the flight movements are estimated to reach 602,000 flights with a CAGR of 3.2 %( Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.d). It reflects the demand of the HKIA is increase in the future. Table -2 the demand of flight movement (Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.e) HKIA Flight Movement Projection (Up to 2030) The base-case demand forecast shows that annual flight movements at HKIA will reach 602,000 by 2030 The capacity of two runway in HKIA For the capacity of the two existing runway in HKIA, it is 54 flights/ per hour in 2007, 55flights/ per hour in 2008, 58 flights/ per hour in 2009, 62 flights/ per hour in 2011, 68 flights / per hour in 2015. It is the ultimate capacity of the two runways in 2015. If no action taken, the ultimate capacity would be saturated around 2020 and it would take more than 10 years to complete a new runway (Dr. C.K. Law 2012). The airport competition The HKIA have competitors in Asia. The nearly all major hubs in the region are having plan or complete to build more runways. The Seoul Incheon Airports third runway taxiway system began in 2002 and was completed in 2008. It currently service with forty four million passengers. For capacity of the flights, it cans capacity of 410,000 flights and nearly 4.5 million tonnes of cargo per year. The Seoul Incheon Airport is continued to expand. The construction is set to continue until 2020. After the construction, it will be able to handle one hundred million passengers, 700 million tonnes of cargo and 530,000 flights per year (Halcrow 2011). The Construction cost is about US$1.22 billion (Aviation Policy and Research Center, Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics 2007:8). In Mainland China, GuangZhou Baiyun Airport also implement the third runway and will be completed in 2015(Dr. C.K. Law 2012). The view of different people in Hong Kong for build the third runway The view of Hong Kong Government In March 2012, the secretary for transport and housing Eva Cheng stated that the HK government would show the support to the Airport Authority. The Airport Authority can proceed an environmental impact assessment which is expected to take two years, must cover marine ecology, noise and air quality, and plan design details and financial arrangements (Alisha Haridasani 2012). The view of the airline Cathay Pacific has been rooted in Hong Kong for more than 66 years and today connects the city to 170 destinations around the world (Cathay Pacific 2012). For the view of Cathay Pacific, it believes that a third runway is the only viable way to ensure the long-term competitiveness of Hong Kong as an important international airport. John Slosar, the Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific, stated that the third runway is importance for Hong Kong citizen. It can bring the welfare for them. Moreover, the third runway is vital the sustainability of the Hong Kong economy. The demand of build the third runway is become increasing. He also mentioned that the existing runways are already heavily used through most of the operating day that finding take-off and landing slots for additional flights is increasingly difficult. The existing runways will saturate between fifteen and twenty years early before the forecast of 2040. Mr Slosar said that as the airport becomes busier and busier, the capacity of the two runways will soon be saturated. If Hong Kong does not decisively to build the new runway, it will lose its advantage for competitive in aviation industry (Cathay Pacific 2011). The view of environmental group in HK The WWF is the one of the environmental group in HK. It supports the sustainable development of Hong Kong, and the associated benefits for its citizens (WWF n.d.a). However, it has a number of serious environmental concerns about the third runway proposal. The Chinese Dolphins, the fisheries and carbon emission are the WWF hopes the Hong Kong government will consider during build the third runway (WWF n.d.b). The view of the citizens in Hong Kong The Hong Kong Airport Authority was held the three- month public consultation on Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030. It was held between 3 June and 2 September 2011. It was done 24,242 of the questionnaire during the public consultation. For the result of the questionnaire, it indicated that the majority of respondents 80% agree or strongly agree that Hong Kong Airport Authority should make a decision urgently on Hong Kong International Airports future expansion plans. There are 73% of respondents prefer the three-runway option, with 11% opting to maintain the two-runway system and 16% remaining neutral(Airport Authority Hong Kong 2011). The impact of the third runway in Hong Kong International Airport Economic impact In fact, the aviation industry is essential role in Hong Kongs development of economic. The professional services, trading and logistics, financial services and tourism are affecting mostly by the aviation industry (James Tong 2011). The new runway can increase the economy. After the Enright, Scott Associates Ltd analysis, it estimate the direct, indirect and induced contribution of HKIA to Hong Kongs GDP in 2030 will be HK$167 billion, equivalent to around 4.6% of the HKSARs GDP forecast for 2030. For the job opportunity, it estimates the direct employment associated with HKIA would reach 141,000 and indirect/induced employment would be about 199,000(Airport Authority Hong Kong n.d.g:189). Keep Hong Kong s position as aviation hub James Tong stated that the upcoming third runway construction is to maintain lead in the aviation industry. The geographic location is the Hong Kongs advantage. The main advantage of the location of Hong Kong is its international connections in destinations and flights. It can be connected to 160 destinations. The third runway can increases capacity. It is enhanced the Hong Kongs aviation position by keep up with the growing trends of aviation industry and handle with the strong demand in aviation industry. The overall of Hong Kong economic also be increased after construct the new runway. If not to build the new runway, Hong Kong may lose the position as aviation hub in Asia .The competitors in Asia is aggressive to enhance its aviation position and exceed the Hong Kongs aviation position (James Tong 2011). Environmental impact The WWF had stated some of the environmental impact during constructing the third runway in Hong Kong International Airport. The construction brings the negative effect for the Chinese dolphins. During the construction of third runway, it is increased activity in the water. The Chinese dolphins will increase the risk. It is because dolphins in the nearby marine park. It is less than 1 km away from the proposed construction site. It will undoubtedly be disturbed by the construction. The construction may changes in water quality and affects their food supply. The WWF stated that the carbon emission is the concern. The third runway will increase the number of aircraft movements per day. It is leading to a massive increase in Hong Kongs carbon emissions. The third runway will only drive them higher (WWF n.d.b). Research Methods In the research, it will be implemented the inductive approach. The purpose of this research will collect different view, opinion and the concern factor about build the new runway in HKIA. Survey For the survey, the research will collect the data through the questionnaire. A non-probability sampling techniques like convenience sampling and snowball sampling would be adopt for the questionnaire. For the types of questionnaire, it will be used Internet-mediated questionnaires and delivery and collection questionnaires. For the Internet-mediated questionnaires, it would post the questionnaires on the internet. It is mainly post on the Hong Kong website. For the delivery and collection questionnaires, it is going to ask 200 interviewers to collect the data. It would analysis the data after data has been collected. Case Study There are similar situation with Hong Kong International Airport in other country. It will review the cases which are about construct the new runway. Identify the factor which needs to concern for the Hong Kong International Airport during the case study. Project Plan C:UsershpDesktopYuenCITYà ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ 2.png

The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies :: essays research papers

The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies In the world people try to hide things from each other but one way or another they find out what they are hiding. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the secrecy and deceit practiced by Jay, Daisy, and Myrtle leads to inevitable tragedy when the truths are revealed. Jay failed to realize that if you tell a lie most of the time they tend to come to a boil and burst. For example, "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations."....pg.2 why did he have to lie when he knew that if they really got to know him they would find out the truth. Jay gave everyone the impression that he was this kind of rich-snobbish guy. Who knows why. It is not always good to lie. In Jay's case when it came down to them finding out the truth they didn't know whether he was telling the truth or lying. So it was hard for them to believe what he was saying. Daisy was another who would lie because she thought it would keep happiness. The way she lied was different from Jay. She lied to keep the person she thought was the love of her life, Tom happy. Daisy's relationship with TOm was quite unusual. Tom was having an affair with Myrtle and Daisy really wanted to be with Tom, but not really because she only did it because she thought she had to. Daisy was really in love with Jay but because she felt like she had to be in love with Tom she would make up lies to keep them together. Tom pretty much felt the same way or he thought Daisy really liked him so he didn't want to break her heart. But for them it didn't really work out well. If they would of told each other their feelings and wouldn't of held them back from each other they could of discussed their personnal situations and they might of had a nice seperation. But since they chose to keep things back from each other and lie to each other everything went terrible. For instance when the story about Jay and Daisy was coming out she still wanted to keep it a secret so she said "Please let's all go home. Why don't we all go home?"...pg.131 it was coming out but she was still trying to keep things back from Tom. What Daisy failed to understand was the lying was not helping at this point at all. The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies :: essays research papers The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies In the world people try to hide things from each other but one way or another they find out what they are hiding. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the secrecy and deceit practiced by Jay, Daisy, and Myrtle leads to inevitable tragedy when the truths are revealed. Jay failed to realize that if you tell a lie most of the time they tend to come to a boil and burst. For example, "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations."....pg.2 why did he have to lie when he knew that if they really got to know him they would find out the truth. Jay gave everyone the impression that he was this kind of rich-snobbish guy. Who knows why. It is not always good to lie. In Jay's case when it came down to them finding out the truth they didn't know whether he was telling the truth or lying. So it was hard for them to believe what he was saying. Daisy was another who would lie because she thought it would keep happiness. The way she lied was different from Jay. She lied to keep the person she thought was the love of her life, Tom happy. Daisy's relationship with TOm was quite unusual. Tom was having an affair with Myrtle and Daisy really wanted to be with Tom, but not really because she only did it because she thought she had to. Daisy was really in love with Jay but because she felt like she had to be in love with Tom she would make up lies to keep them together. Tom pretty much felt the same way or he thought Daisy really liked him so he didn't want to break her heart. But for them it didn't really work out well. If they would of told each other their feelings and wouldn't of held them back from each other they could of discussed their personnal situations and they might of had a nice seperation. But since they chose to keep things back from each other and lie to each other everything went terrible. For instance when the story about Jay and Daisy was coming out she still wanted to keep it a secret so she said "Please let's all go home. Why don't we all go home?"...pg.131 it was coming out but she was still trying to keep things back from Tom. What Daisy failed to understand was the lying was not helping at this point at all.

Microsoft’s monopoly Essay

The global market economy includes several market structures. One of these structures is the monopoly. Monopoly happens when only one firm provides a specific good or service to the consumers and generally dominates the whole industry by controlling the market. In this case, the dominant firm has the ability to set the price while there are no other rivals to force competitiveness. In order to keep their domination, firms are likely to grow a behaviour that prevents other potential companies from breaking in the industry (Krugman, P. R.et al, 2012). How firms will behave, especially in a monopoly market where the demand is inelastic, is a very significant factor for the public interest. For a firm having no rivals, consumers run the risks of high prices for low quality and quantity products as the dominant firm loses the incentive to satisfy them. Furthermore you will be provided with a brief description on how firms tend to behave in this market structure, together with some information of Microsoft’s behaviour against public interest. Monopoly is a very crucial position to be. A firm wants to maintain this position and keep controlling the market by using as barriers the advantages the monopolistic power offers. Due to their long existence, established monopolies afford to grow special skills that makes their production and marketing very efficient. Together with the good control of their finance and costs they come to great results and supernormal profit in the long-run. Part of this profit is usually spent researches, investments and generally for their further development. The huge amount of output they produce, gives them the opportunity to reduce their average costs and form a low, but profitable price. These factors make the entrance of new firms almost impossible. A new company has to invest gigantic amounts in order to break in, something that is very risky. Even if they do, the firm owning the monopoly position can start a price war or enormous advertising campaigns which will again bring the new firm in a very difficult position (Sloman, J. et al, 2013). Figure 1: (Riley, G. , College E. , 2006) â€Å"Differences between monopoly and perfect competition markets†. Through the diagram above, the main differences of a firm operating in a monopolistic market rather than a one with perfect competition are identified. As stated before, the dominant firms are able to regulate the price of its product according to its marginal revenue and costs as the market appears to be of inelastic demand. This gives them the ability to operate in a profit maximising point (MC=MR) of Pmon-Q2 rather than Pcomp-Q1. As a result, firms are pushed away from the demand supply equilibrium that might had been set if there was competition, creating inefficiency and consumer surplus is lost because less output is supplied in higher price. This brings the reduction of welfare which is likely to be purely transferred to the producer through higher profits, but part of the loss is never reassigned to any other economic agent, bringing the known as â€Å"deadweight welfare loss† which is equal to the area ABC (Riley, G. College, E. , 2006). Inappropriate use of this power can sometimes be considered as consumer’s exploitation and market abuse in general. In these cases, governmental policies are likely to intervene. These can be departments or organizations that enforce the consumer protection and competition law in order to adjust justice and equality in the market. A good example were the US Justice Department took action is in Microsoft’s case. Microsoft is the biggest software company in the planet holding the reins of the industry for many years. Microsoft afforded to have its operating system, MS-DOS, installed in more than 90% of the world’s computers. For more than the half of its lifetime, Microsoft was taken to the courts by the US Government for exploiting its monopolistic power and trying to obliterate all its rivals. â€Å"Microsoft attempted to collude with Netscape Communications to divide the Internet Browser market. Netscape Communications refused† (Sloman, J. et al, 2010:170). Then, using a series of illegal actions, Microsoft tried to force other computer manufactures to promote and use its web browser â€Å"Internet Explorer† rather than Netscape’s Internet navigator (CNN Money, 2002). Microsoft was also sued for illegally restricting the multimedia player market by bundling Windows Media Player with its operating system and making it mandatory for all clients using Windows. (European Commission, 2007). To defend itself, Microsoft pointed that these actions were part their effort further innovation and development of their product, actions that had nothing to do with market abuse and consumer’s exploitation. This excuse was never accepted by the law. It was in the early 2004 when this case finally and Microsoft was forced to pay a fine of 497 million dollars for abusing its monopoly position (Sloman, J. et al, 2010; Sloman, J. et al, 2013). The main consideration is how were consumers affected by these series of actions across the years, was it against or in the public interest? On the one hand, considering what Microsoft stated in the court, this can be deemed to be a good kind of monopoly operating positively for the consumer’s interest. The continuously process of product innovation through research and development offered the ability to the consumer to enjoy an improved and updated product at reliable prices and satisfying quantities. In a market where the demand is so high, and the technology is growing so rapid this is of great importance. On the other hand, some of these actions might considered to be against them. The way Microsoft tried to promote its product, not only left consumers with no alternative choice in the operating system’s market but also forced them to make use its substitute programs (e. g. Windows Media Player). As a result, the consumer was indirectly ‘locked in’ a one way road consuming specified products produced by a single firm. To sum up, as all market structures monopoly carries both advantages and disadvantages. Whether this structure is deemed to be for or against the public interest is in basis of how firms owning the monopolistic position will behave. As for the market outlined above, my opinion is that Microsoft’s behaviour had a good overall approach towards consumers and should be considered as a good kind of monopoly. Relatively low prices on products with excellent quality and performance I think is a fair treatment for them. Especially now, after the entrance and gradual growth of some new players in the industry such as iOs and Android, the market has reached a fair level for the public interest giving the opportunity to the consumers to choose through a wide range of products that still offer good qualities.

Medication Errors Essay

Approximately, 1.5 million people are injured in the United States due to medication related errors. Errors involving prescription medications kill up to 7,000 Americans per year, according to the Institute of Medicine, and that the financial costs of drug-related morbidity and mortality may run nearly $77 billion a year. FDA also reviews about 1,400 reports of medication errors per month. Before administering a medication, it is the responsibility of the nurse to ensure that the right patient is receiving the right medication, for the right reason/s, the right dosage and route, at the right time. Whoever administers the medication is ultimately responsible for any error that may occur. Therefore it is the nurse’s duty to report a medication error is accordance with facility protocol. The nurse is supposed to notify the physician and monitor the patient for any adverse reactions related to the error. An incident report is also done and is used by the hospital for reeducation t o avoid future occurrences. Failure to report or take appropriate action when a medication error occurs may lead to loss of employment, action by the state board of nurses, civil or criminal changes. It is the nurse’s responsibility to document appropriately, in a timely manner, and failure to do so is also considered a medication error. Students` Legal Role and Responsibility: Student nurses have the responsibility to acquire theoretical and clinical skills necessary to deliver the best of care to the public. It is a student’s responsibility to communicate with the assigned staff nurse constantly and their clinical instructors as well. Most errors occur with medications that a give during the non standard hours, including early morning. Students and staff nurses should use the same MAR and bring the patient’s MAR to the bedside and document drug administration immediately after the patient has taken the medications. Hence clear communication between student and staff nurse, as well as the instructor is of utmost importance in decreasing the risk of making medication omission errors. Anxiety makes a student prone to medication errors as well. Breathing  exercises have proven effective in relieving anxiety. Medication errors lead may lead to dismissal from a nursing program. Depending on the severity and frequency of medication errors by stud ents, the school may lose its privilege to practice in some facilities. Therefore it is important that student avoid making any medication errors. Medication errors and years of experience Administration errors reflect knowledge deficits, with errors declining in the first few years of clinical experience (C. G. Bailey, et al.). Each year of experience, up to 6 years, reduced the risk of error by 10.9% and serious error by 18.5% (J. Westbrook et al. 2013) These findings suggests that inexperienced nurses constantly require training and supervision with a focus on correct medication administration. Knowledge gained from this study I learnt that the nurse are the doctor’s eyes and ears; and they rely on them to identify errors, changes of condition, abnormal lab values etceteras so that they may prescribe the right medication appropriately. It is important to always have your reference material available such as, drug reference book, patho-physiology reference book etceteras; because medication administration goes beyond just following the doctor’s written order and giving the patient the medication. If a nurse does not know why the medication is being given, they are not be able to identify an error before administering, or know when to hold the medication and notifying a physician. Good clinical practice begins while a nurse is in school; therefore it is crucial to always comply with facility protocol. Hence knowledge deficit compromises the patient’s safety. Reference C. G. Bailey, B.S. Engel, J.N. Luescher, M.L.Taylor: (date unknown) Medication Errors In Relation To Education & Medication Errors In Relation To Years of Nursing J., Treiber L. When the 5 rights go wrong: medication errors from the nursing perspective. Journal of Nursing Care Qual 2010;25:240–7 Experience: retrieved July 31 2013 from http://www.lagrange.edu/resources/pdf/citations/nursing/Medication%20Errors.pdf J. I. Westbrook, A. Woods, Rob MI, et al. (2010) Association of

The Affects of Aging on Skeletal Muscle in Older Humans essays

The Affects of Aging on Skeletal Muscle in Older Humans essays With the onset of 2000, the average North Americans life span has been extended by three years. The predictable consequences are detrimental changes in body composition, including loss of lean body mass, strength, flexibility, and bone density, along with the increase in body weight and body fat. Inactivity with aging is the primary factor in these changes, because physical activity levels are one of the most important factors affecting body composition from childhood through old age. (Adams, K., OShea, P., Shea, K. 1999) Our knowledge of the affects of aging on fatigability, endurance, the ability to maintain force and power output is limited, and the few studies that have been performed are inconclusive. It is therefore important to assess these areas to give a more detailed account of muscle fatigue, endurance, and contractibility of aging humans. The results of the studies could prove beneficial in helping to prepare older humans to overcome and enhance his or her ability to live an independent lifestyle. With advancing age, muscle volume is reduced, and the aging atrophy, referred to as sarcopenia is accompanied by a decrease in muscle strength. The reduction in muscle strength seems to be equal for both sexes, but women are generally weaker than men throughout all ages. (Lindstrom, B., Lexell, J., Gerdle, B., Since gait pattern also changes with age, especially in women, older individuals have an increased risk of falls and hip fractures. However, both arm and leg muscles in aging men and women can adapt successfully to increased use, in particular following periods of heavy resistance training. Physical exercise is therefore, considered beneficial in reducing the risk of muscle atrophy among older humans. (Linstrom, et al., 1997) It has been suggested that once strength declines below certain threshold levels required for activities of daily living, significant f...

Cofer And Staples Essay Example

Cofer And Staples Essay Example Cofer And Staples Essay Cofer And Staples Essay Also their lack Of English they had and the differences between her race and the American race. Both of the writers are informing readers of how deeply Puerco Ricans and blacks are stereotyped. Moreover of how their race is being judged and discriminated against just from what they see and hear. First of all Staples explains how white women and other people view him by the color of his skin and appearance. In the essay he states a white woman is walking a distance from him but she gives off a negative vibe by glancing behind her. She avoids eye contact from him and made her think he is up to no good. However Staples stated he is A softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken. This demonstrated to him that she was judging him by the color of his skin, black a dark color used to depict African Americans. It showed Staples that white women would depict him as dangerous. It also showed him that people stereotyped African Americans as the people who are up to no good. In another subject Coffers essay also had the same conflicts dealing with race, stereotype, and ethnicity. It conveyed how Puerco Rican women were viewed and misunderstood as well as being labeled by people outside her race. In the essay she also talked about wanting to fit in but she could not because of her tradition and culture. The differences between what she had to wear and what American people wore was stereotyped as well. This is because American people dressed up modernly and dull but Puerco Rican girls stood out too much. The way they dressed was too flashy and too vibrant. Coffer also conveyed how Puerco Rican women were portrayed by movies Americans would watch. She explains that Americans would just take what they see from a movie and assume that Puerco Rican people are exactly how they are seen in movies. When they do not know exactly nothing about Puerco Rican people. Another thing she pointed out was how Americans assumed that Puerco Rican people were uneducated and had a lack of English speaking. Although Coffer wanted to imply that even though she had a hard time growing up she still succeeded her goals. However Americans are just used to judging new people and new things as either dumb or too flashy or worse. One idea about racial and ethnic stereotype that is important is that Americans have their ways of judging as well as other types of cultures and race doing the same. Although ACH race and ethnicity is equally the same just they are viewed differently. The Puerco Rican women are viewed as uneducated and do not exactly know how to dress well. However they can do just the same as any other person from any race. They can succeed in what they want to pursue without taking harsh judgments and not caring about others views on themselves. They can fit in if they wanted to by telling people outside of their culture and race what type of person they are. Furthermore Staples is viewed as dangerous because of his skin color. However he implies that people are just judging him and believing what they hear and see. Making that one race or culture look bad even though people do not know anything about them. Another important thing is that both writers are trying to ideally show that people tend to stereotype any race and any ethnicity that is out there. They talk of how they look, their education, and two big ones are the skin color and the way their English is. In Staples essay he evidently shows how white women specifically view him. One where he Was just walking behind the woman and she grew suspicious of him and had the thought of him being up to no good. It demonstrated the way white women judged black men. He also implied how people would just judge a person by the skin color assuming that, is the way the person is without even knowing anything about the person. Staples also stated how his presence on another effected the way people viewed him. Also how the reaction of others affected him also in return. As for Coffer she used evidence that stereotyped her appearance and her education. She implied that all Puerco Rican women were stereotyped by the way the dress and the way they spoke English. It had an effect on her that she could not fit in with the community. All in all both writers had the same conflicts that they held to heart. It affected them in many ways. They were being judged either by their appearance or the color of their skin. As well as the way they spoke English or even their education. They are alike because both felt that they wanted to fit into the community. Coffer and Staples experienced the judgments of others on themselves and it affected them in the same way too. They both were a race where people on the society would judge harshly. Staples was judged based on his looks as well and Coffer had the same thing affecting her. However they both implied that the judgments made on them provoked them to succeed either way. They both conveyed that even though they had it cough they still succeeded and they did not let the views of others affect them so harshly.

Analysis Of Pacific Coffee In Festival Walk

Analysis Of Pacific Coffee In Festival Walk Pacific Coffee is a Hong Kong home-grown coffee brand established in 1992. The mission of Pacific Coffee is to provide the perfect cup anytime, anywhere. Pacific Coffee is active in making contributions to society and communities, while at the same time emphases the importance of protecting environment in their business. Strength ii. Reading-book service (make Pacific Coffee a multi-functional place for spending leisure time); iii. Special seat for people working with their own computers (may not increase revenue in short run but in long run can increase consumer’s loyalty); iv. Inside area has dark decoration with soft light offering a relaxing atmosphere for customers spending times with families, chatting with friends or working on their own business. But for people who prefer bright environment, they can choose outdoor open area which brings a different atmosphere and feeling. Up-to-date technology with long-time partner PCCW: free Wi-Fi service, on-line order service an d several computers in the shop are offered for its consumers. No matter for business or leisure, the availability of these services is essential for a great number of consumers. High-quality employees-crucial human resources: nearly all employees are proficient in both Mandarin and Cantonese while also have at least basic master of English. Employees are smiling and patient when they talk to customers. Pacific Coffee fully realizes the importance of this crucial resources and offer various training to its employees regularly so that they can provide excellent service and ultimate customers’ satisfaction. Local brand and good reputation-vital intangible resources: Pacific Coffee has been recognized as the ‘Best Coffee in Hong Kong’ and has won several honor in Hong Kong Magazine’s ‘Readers Choice’. And since Pacific Coffee has always devoted itself to community affairs, environment issues as well as promoting fair trade, it has a pretty good c ommunity image and good reputation among customers. High quality product–professional coffee beans: collecting top plateau coffee beans from all over the world. Today more and more customers are not satisfied with instant coffee anymore and focus more on the quality of coffee. So the quality of Pacific Coffee is quite crucial for its success.

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik painting - Essay Example Eine Kleine Nachtmusik can be described as one of the best known Dorothea Tanning’s early painting. The painting depicts what appears to be a motel or hotel corridor with numbered doors, the farthest of which is open enough in order to offer a certain glimpse of incandescent light. There seems to be activity inside the open room that does not exist in the three doors. This is one of the signs of life that exists in the painting. The open door is the only unnumbered door and for this reason it can be said to hold a lot of mystery. The other three doors are named meticulously and they seem to be tightly locked. A giant sunflower lies on the top of the staircase and two petals lie further down the stairs. The giant sunflower is colossal as it occupies almost at the top of staircase. The third petal is held up by a doll that is propped up against one of the doorways number 207. There are two dolls that are in the painting and they are remarkably life like and wear clothing that is almost similar. The two dolls can only be described as toys because of their hairline as well as regularly molded contours of the torso. The walls are cracked indicating that either there was an earthquake or the building is very old. The cracks are especially located between doors 207 and door 208. It is in between these two doors where the girl and the doll are located. This might indicate also that there might have been a power struggle that existed between the doll and the girl or even the presence of supernatural forces.

MARY DOUGLAS' NATURAL SYMBOLS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

MARY DOUGLAS' NATURAL SYMBOLS - Research Paper Example According to Douglas, natural symbols are an important determinant of the nature of social and religious rituals practiced by all cultures worldwide. These natural symbols could be derived from â€Å"blood, breath or excrement† and each one of them has a social meaning and implication. Using these bodily symbols, the choices, preferences and perceptions of every culture can be studied. According to Mary Douglas, the way a person treats his/her body explains his/her perception of the society. The hierarchies existing in a society are very much similar to how a human treats his various organs. She explains: According to one, the body will tend to be conceived as an organ of communication. The major preoccupations will be with its functioning effectively; the relation of head to subordinate members will be a model of the central control system, the favorite metaphors of statecraft will harp upon the flow of blood in the arteries, sustenance and the restoration of strength. Accord ing to another, though the body will also be seen as a vehicle of life, it will be vulnerable in different ways. The dangers to it will come†¦ from failure to control the quality of what it absorbs through the orifices; fear of poisoning, protection of boundaries, aversion to bodily waste products and medical theory that enjoins frequent purging. Another again will be very practical about the possible uses of bodily rejects, very cool about recycling waste matter and about the pay-off from such practices. The distinction between the life within the body and the body that carries it will hold no interest. In the control, areas of these society controversies about spirit and matter will scarcely arise. But at the other end of the spectrum †¦ a different attitude will be seen. Here the body is not primarily the vehicle of life, for life will be seen as purely spiritual and the body as irrelevant matter. Here we can locate millennial tendencies from our early history to the pr esent day. For these people society appears as a system that does not work. (Douglas 1996, 16-17) The Body, Religion and Anthropology In her book, Douglas explains how the ritualistic patterns of a culture can be derived through their body symbolism. This book examines religion from an anthropological perspective, explaining the ritualistic and socialistic norms existent in all cultures. Thus, in order to understand a culture truly, a thorough study of the natural symbols occurring in the society is mandatory. Sarah Coakley writes in Religion and the body: Anthropologists have long been interested in ideas about the body. Thus, in the nineteenth-century anthropology, the centrality of the notion of ‘race’ involved detailed studies of the bodies of ‘primitives’. European imperialism made possible, and evolutionary theories of progress encouraged and fed on, the detailed description and classification of types of European and non- European bodies.1 As is evid ent, the body forms an important element of all anthropological studies that aim at a proper analysis of a given culture. According to Coakley, by the end of the nineteenth century, studies focusing on the â€Å"symbolic aspects of the body in primitive cultures† became increasingly prevalent. It was believed that such a study would tell us â€Å"something profound of the human mind†2. Mary Douglas is not the only one to have elaborated on the significance of bodily symbols in anthropology. Many other works, like those of Benthall and Pohemus, Blacking etc. have brought out the importance of the â€Å"Anthropology of the Body†. However, Douglas’ work remains the most popular in terms of both its academic value and interesting notions. Harries (1993) interprets natural symbols as follows, By natural symbols, I

Standardized Tests and Informal Reading Assessments Essay

Standardized Tests and Informal Reading Assessments - Essay Example A standardized test is one that employs a standard method assessment. Such tests include CAT (California Achievement Test), STAR (Standardized Testing And Reporting). These tests are employed to determine if a student is fulfilling certain requirements ordained for his grade, age and intellectual level, and if he does so, he is promoted to the next grade. Some institutions use these tests along with other tools of assessment, while others simply rely on the test scores for assessing a student’s academic performance. Standardized tests are relied upon heavily for assessment purposes; yet there are many benefits as well as upsides associated with them Standardized tests are considered accountability tools for teachers and students (Meador, 2012). The syllabi taught vary from school to school, and also from teacher to teacher. So it is standardized tests that reconcile this gap and ensure that at least a particular guideline is followed regarding teaching and learning (Panday, 20 11). By comparing a child’s score with score from other subjects the tests are influential in highlighting the weaknesses and strong sides of a child; at the same time allowing for comparison of a particular subjects score, over time; allowing to infer improvement or (Popham, 1999). Since, these tests are standardized; they allow the scores of students to be compared from school to school or even at a larger scale like states; also allowing for data from social subgroups to be compared (Meador, 2012). Standardized Tests are helpful in testing and Judging a students’ Cognitive abilities and skills (Brassard & Boehm, 2008). Another important feature of standardized tests is that they are completely objective in nature; since, they are marked by computers; they grade every student on same terms and without biases (Meador, 2012). Standardized tests are also criticized by many academic highlighting many upsides in the tests and the assessment they provide. Over and over sta ndardized tests have been criticized as an inaccurate and limited means of assessing a students’ achievement and learning (Fairtest, 2007). Learning cannot be just established through a single measure, it is not uni-dimensional, and requires measurement of dimensions like creativity and ability to learn step-by-step etc. (Panday, 2011). Although standardized tests are capable of assessing a child’s cognitive abilities, yet they need t be culturally and linguistically just in order to do so, but that is not the case with standardized tests in schools, they are too demanding and are not an accurate measure, hence, requiring the use of other assessing mechanisms along with the tests to ensure proper assessment (Brassard & Boehm, 2008). Scores from these tests are considered representing a student’s educational and intellectual capacities, and thus results in their being allocated to inferior educational practices, taking away the opportunity to learn what their fel lows will be learning (Weaver, 1995). Standardized tests have also been criticized for leading the curriculum to be exam oriented; only topics covered in the exams are taught and limit the broader coverage and implications of education (Fairtest, 2007). Standardized tests also depict a false impression of being ‘objective’, when the only objectivity they have about them is that they are scored by computers, while their preparing and all the other procedures are carried out by people who belong to some group or the other

Violation of Human Rights by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Sri Research Paper

Violation of Human Rights by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Sri Lanka - Research Paper Example The number of internally displaced people is also still high as many people fear the recurring of attacks if they are to go back without the security being given to them. Many have as a result escaped to India. The restrictions of the government on humanitarian aid have hampered the provision of basic needs to the displaced people and many people die in the camps as a result. Many observers have cited that there is still a climate of fear in the country and that there are crucial human rights that are still being violated .There are several feeble rights in the country that are still being violated. The judicial system is manipulated by the government officials. Privacy rights of citizens are being infringed by the government and in many instances it has spurred the denial of human rights- right to fair public trial, right to privacy, right to freedom of speech, right of press which is allegedly the poorest in all democratic countries, right of assembly and association. Journalists that are critical of the government have reportedly been harassed by public authorities (Report by the international crisis group, 2007). In addition, the government has hindered the operations of several non-governmental organisations. Official corruption especially in election law violations has raised concerns where the presidential and parliamentary elections are nothing bu t fair. Politically, the president has made amendments in his favor. The specific human rights abuses with regards to the universal declaration are several. Human rights have been under siege before and after the war. The cease fire exists only in name as the country has still not recovered from its human rights crisis. Everyone should be given equal dignity and rights (article 1), no one should be discriminated by the basis of their sex, race or color (article 2), the right to life liberty and security (article 3) has been undermined. The declaration asserts that people should not be subjected to torture (article 5) neither should they be held unlawfully (article 6). People affected should be compensated by a national tribunal for having his acts violated (article 8), and according to article 10 everyone must have a fair hearing. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka has not taken these rights into account to put them in to practice. Actually almost all rights have been violated and even worse no tangible actions have been done. As a result social progress and th e general standard of life have deteriorated (universal declaration charter). Generally the human rights in the country are weak. There is violence against people on the basis of their sexual orientation where women are discriminated. Trafficking in persons and child abuse/ child labor are another rights that have been violated

Entry 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entry 2 - Essay Example In both qualitative and quantitative research designs, data would be collected from the responses on research questions hence the need for questions motivated by up-to-date literature, suiting the study, focused on the objectives and have a logical layout. The research questions could be answered in researcher’s own words or from selected optional responses, referred to as open or closed responses respectively, and could be combined in a data collection instrument, including a questionnaire and interview. This learning helps appreciate research design as an important tool in answering the research questions appropriately. This has been achieved through the application of the two major research designs including the true experimental design where subjects would be randomly assigned, and in cases where the researcher needs to focus on an intact group from a population, referred to as quasi experimental design. Their strengths lie in pre-test confirmation of equivalence on linguistic form, post-test examination on development of linguistic form being targeted and control group that solves logical

News Paper article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

News Paper - Article Example l honors and awards this year which include: Honor Student, Outstanding Student Council Service, National Junior Honor Society, Million Word Reader for the 2008-2009 School Year, an excellent overall result on her 2009 CRCT test and now, the recipient of the Stephen Foundation Essay Contest. Alicia Hampton is the daughter of Kevin T. and Sonya Hampton and her proud grandparents are Arnett and Mary Ann Williams of Whigham Georgia. Alicia is also an outstanding student, attending Whigham Elementary School and maintaining her name on the Honor Roll List. She has been an outstanding student and has now contributed to her awards with the 2009 Stephen Foundation Essay Contest. The Foundation is proud of the accomplishments of these two outstanding students and applaud their efforts for researching their work well and for closely following the instructions for the essay. The two students will not only be honored with the award, but will each receive a mini-laptop, a $500 check, and a backpack full of school supplies that will last throughout the

Entry 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entry 2 - Essay Example In both qualitative and quantitative research designs, data would be collected from the responses on research questions hence the need for questions motivated by up-to-date literature, suiting the study, focused on the objectives and have a logical layout. The research questions could be answered in researcher’s own words or from selected optional responses, referred to as open or closed responses respectively, and could be combined in a data collection instrument, including a questionnaire and interview. This learning helps appreciate research design as an important tool in answering the research questions appropriately. This has been achieved through the application of the two major research designs including the true experimental design where subjects would be randomly assigned, and in cases where the researcher needs to focus on an intact group from a population, referred to as quasi experimental design. Their strengths lie in pre-test confirmation of equivalence on linguistic form, post-test examination on development of linguistic form being targeted and control group that solves logical

Beer Industry Case Study Essay Example for Free

Beer Industry Case Study Essay Beer industry is one of the oldest industries particular in EU as it is one of the biggest beer consumption markets. This industry has seen fluctuation of the demand and consumption of the beer over the last quarter of 20th century due to many factors. This analysis will look in to those factors by taking into account the case given and will analyze the general reasons, growth and effects of the industry keeping in mind the macro-environment and its main component such as political, legal, environmental, economical, technological, social- cultural, and international aspects. Furthermore industry analysis will be discussed in details by analyzing the critical factors such as the threats of new entrants, suppliers and buyers power on the industry, product substitutions, and alliance and merging of the companies. The details of micro-environment and industry analysis will be available in the appendices. In addition, current strategy, links between the micro-environment and industry analysis, will be discussed along with brief recommendations. The fore European brewing company will be analyzed in terms of strength and weakness. Current strategy The beer industry has been in the existence for as long as the barley have been harvested and used for the making of the beer. The drink is mixed with alcohol in order to give it tantalizing taste with addictive quality. The beer is used as an everyday drink by many around the world and it by creating a taste and demand in the market. It probably will not be controversial, if argued that it is in the top 5 most drinkable beverage in the world. The demand of the beer has increased significantly in the last half of the century and some cultural such as German has included it, as part of their culture and celebrates beer drinking festivals annually. The industry has been facing some threats in the market due to increased number of brewery companies, who over supplies cheap beer in the market, which could possibly kill the industry. Some other new and non-traditional threats such as increased health risks, potential abuse of the beer, new legal challenges, globalization and environmental has put a question mark on the future of the industry. These threats are real and the industry needs to address them effectively and efficiently in order to survive in the future. Some of the threats are addressed by adopting new strategies, such as being environmentally friendly production line, innovation, GM foods, and many more in order to be in the market and create consumer for the future. Summary of macro environment analysis Economic One of the biggest current threats almost on every business is the current financial crisis and the beer industry is not immune to it at all. The global crises have forced many workers out of their jobs, increased unemployment, which means less finance to purchase basics for a everyday life. Many had to cut unnecessary activities such as going to the local pub for a drink after work on regular basis or purchasing beer off the self from super markets. The uncertain financial times have dropped the consumer confidence and most of the people are afraid of spending any money on unnecessary activates. There is very strong evidence that consumers are saving money during these crunch times. Europe has been one of the hardest hit by the financial crisis, and some of the countries such as Island were almost to the brink of the bankruptcy. This uncertainty will have huge impact on the industry in short term and will affect the profitability. The usual willing buyers might cut down to consumption of the beer significantly or even chose to switch to a cheaper brand in the market, in order to fulfill their alcohol appetite. In terms of macro-environment, it simply means the buyers becomes price sensitive. The fuel price and beer have direct relationship, since the early stages of this crisis, the fuel prices had dropped significantly which means less overheads cost for the company in terms of logistics and supplies, however this drop in fuel prices may drop the beer price but it will not be enough to create a demand and increase sales for the beer in the market due to the financial crisis. Financial crisis would mean the availability of credit will be almost none existence for the company to borrow and carry their daily operations across the borders. Not only the credit will be a major issue, but the unavailability of the funds means, less money to compete in the market and high chances of being takeover, merged, and acquisitions with other major companies. Irrespective of the size of the company, the threats will remain hanging around their heads for as long as the markets picks up. The different taxation law around the European countries remains another challenge for the industry as despite being as a collective states and regulating a common taxation law around the Europe. The gradually increasing labor cost remains as a constant threat for the industry, regardless of the any other factor, it will be a long term threat to be dealt with on a regular basis. Political/Legal The expansions of EU will certainly be positive point towards the industry as it will increase the business boundaries and will create an open market. It also mean, increased customers to be targeted for the beer industry and at the same time it will increase competition among the existing breweries and the invader breweries. The competition will bring down the price for the customer and decrease the profitability for the business. The over consumption of alcohol due to many reason has forced the politician and law makers to make much more stricter legislation and rules with the use of alcohol in particular with drink driving. Forcing a very limited pubs and bars opening hours will reduce the consumption of the beer by a large margin. It is defiantly a negative effect on the business and high chance of getting harder in the near future. The well known negative effects of alcohol on the public health means that it would cost more to the government’s health sector annual budgets. The government will try to decrees the consumption of alcohol as much as possible as alcohol related health cost are rising on the government. It is a negative effect on the industry as customers are discouraged to drink alcohol as it carries health risks. Other factors may also include to limitation on the issued licenses for the breweries to make beer, which means less breweries. Over all the political side of the macro-environment remains negative for the industry in short and long terms as anti-alcohol sentiments are echoed in the legal and political section of the EU. Technological The advancement of the technology has affected the way businesses are operated and products are produced. The use of robot in the brewery for the propose of production line, assembly line and in particular packaging of the product has been used significantly and reduced the reliability of the labour and their costs and overheads. The on time tracking of the barley to the brewery and finished product to the stores are made much easy as GPS are used to track the movement of the product and on time deliveries are made possible. On the other hand it may in occur as a one-off purchase cost to the company, but the long term use and benefits outweigh the costs. The advancement in technology will be able to make mini home brewery, so the customers could have their own personal brewery at home. It will be a negative effect on the industry, as customer will make their own beer at home, however the home brewery will not be able to compete with the taste produced by the master brewer for the major brands. Environmental The climate change will affect the industry as unpredicted weather patterns are expected, which will affect the crops produced for the brewery. In this case the imports of barley from other countries cannot be ruled out, but the importation will carry transportation costs with it and it will certainly be passed on the customers at end of the supply chain. The climate change has affected Europe in many ways, as some parts are getting too cold for the barley to be grown and some parts are totally opposite to it. Climate change has affected the supply of water for the farmers, as less water simply means less crop for the industry. The industry does not have any alternative to use for the beer making as barley remains the one and only key ingredients. Water is not only required for the crops to grow but also for the making of the beer in the brewery, a good quality water will be hard to find in the future. The Genetically Modified (GM) crops could possibly be an option, which requires less water to grow and gives a batter taste to the beer. However the GM is still in the experimental stages and there are question in terms of reliability and health benefits with the GM. Social-cultural The social and cultural effects on the beer industry will be mix as demographically arguing that European populations are getting old but at the same time they are replaced by ever binge drinking younger population, however the replacement are not sufficient enough. The female buying power have increased as more and more European female are working and socializing outside and have the money to spend. The new fruity flavored beer are specifically designed for the female and it has been very successful to capture the feminine side of the industry. It is positive sign for the future of the industry. The increased EU population has been effected by a very reasonable number of Islamic community, who does not consumer beer due to religious reasons. It will carry negative effect on the industry unless non-alcoholic beers are produced to target this section of the industry. The excessive consumption of beer has not been approved by the society as a whole due to the valid reasons such as increased obesity, alcohol related violence and health related issues and underage drinking. It will be a negative effect on the industry and will be carried away in the future. International The international side of the beer market seems to be very interesting in regards to the political shifts of power from West to Asian region. In the near future the growing Asian market will play heavily on the industry as more and more beers are brewed and consumed in Asian region. European companies will have to make strategic moves towards the Asian market and possibly will be required to make alliances in order to survive. The shift will not affect the European market and it possible means decrees in the beer cost as beer produced in Asian will come to the European market for the customers. Globalization has promoted the free trade, which has opened new market and dropped the tariffs but it may result as negative to the European breweries as the cheap Asian beer will pour in the market. The cross border business might have some barriers as the taxation and tariff law differs from one state to another. Summary of industry environment Threats of new entrants The threats of a new entrants remains reasonably low as it is subjected to the scale of operation for the new entrants. Business within the local or regional area will require very little set up capital, however on an a broad scale of import and export across to the EU will require much bigger capital, logistics and distribution channels. The new entrants will face the brand loyalty and product differentiation as the existing customers already have mature tastes for their brands available in the market. Certainly the threats remain high for the current players, however the survival in this tight industry might be very hard as existing brands have very strong marketing knowledge and established customers. Bargaining power of supplies In this industry the barley suppliers does not have much of bargaining power as the alternative use of the crops are very limited and the suppliers does not have much of a choice. The number of suppliers out weights the buyers and there are huge number of buyers but the major beer companies purchase barley in huge volumes and has the upper hand. The bargaining power may increase in case of a natural disaster, which could destroy the crop of an entire regain and decreases the quantity demanded for the beer market, but the chances of it happening is very less. The suppliers might have an alternative option of forward integration as to enter in the brewery industry, however the life within the industry may be short lived due to monopolistic nature of the industry by the brewers. The demand for a skilled master brewer remains very high and the skill supplier has the upper hand in this case. Bargaining power of buyers According to the analysis in the appendix 2, the buyer seems to be in a much stronger position then the suppliers. Due to the very nature of the critical product barley, which can not be stored and needs to be sold to the buyers as soon as its harvested. The buyers uses the volume perches power to negotiate with the suppliers and gets a better price. The number of suppliers are increasing within the European market and in some case the raw product could possibly be imported from Asian and South American destination with much cheaper price. Over all the buyers have the power to control the industry and manipulate in many ways. Substitutes The substitutes available in the market are one of the real threat to this industry as the negative effects of the alcohol are coming forward, which are backed by strong scientific evidence. The number of substitutes such as Water, milk, soft drinks, wine, tea, coffee, energy drinks, and traditional cultural drinks are and most of them almost posses no health threats of any kind. In fact the substitutes are well accepted socially, legally, economically and does not have any age restriction of any kind when consumed. Industry rivalry The issue of rivalry depends on the sector of market controlled by the companies. In general Europe has a very high number of companies operating within the EU. Europe has one of the highest consumption of beer then US and Asian market, so competitors has very good reasons to be in EU market. Some of the companies are merging in order to create an oligopoly or even a pure-monopolistic markets to drive out others from the industry. Generally the rivalry remains very high at all times, with the other companies in the industries. Interconnections between two analyses The beer industry is one of the oldest industry and growing over times. It has seen some fluctuations over the last half of the 20th century, but it has not deterred it any way. The macro-environment’s components faces constant changes as factors such as environmental, economical, political, and technological are interrelated to one and other. These factors are beyond the control of the industry and the industry does not have any other choice to adapt the micro-environmental changes in order to survive. The effects of the micro-environment carries on the industry and many ways such as environmental changes will increase or decrease the power of suppliers and buyers. The ever changing weather pattern does not guarantee crops for the next year and breweries remains uncertain at all time. The globalization remains another unavoidable factor affecting the macro-environment and the industry as whole. Recommendations what will it take in 2015 to be an industry leader and who may that be? Recommendation and 2015 directions * The future of the industry remains clear as long as the industry remains flexible to change. * The environmentally friendly approaches needs to be taken on for the production and packaging. * Globalization is a fact and EU beer industry needs to make changes, accept players coming from USA and Asian markets. The same could be expected to USA and Asian markets. * In order to gain maximum market shares, merger with other companies should be encouraged as it will decrease the operational cost, exchange of expertise in particular master brewer. It will make them a strong player in the industry. * More investment are required in area of new flavor. * GM barley needs to experimented as it could possibly provide benefits both ways. * Non-alcoholic beer should be produced to target the growing Islamic community in EU and in the Middle East. * Geographic expansion needs to be considered out of EU. * In order to reduce the harsher law against the use of excessive alcohol, industry needs to educate their customer and advice them of moderate drinking habits. * With the assistance of the transportation department, Community based programs should be designed to educate the new drivers, of the dangers of the drink driving. The strength and weakness of the fore brewing companies As appendix 3 provides detail list of the weakness and strength of the fore brewing industry as 1. Heiniken ( The Netherlands) Strengths One of the biggest brewery in Europe as with the sales of more than 8bn pound in 2006, it’s a global company expending in to Asian markets and US by 5% and 17 percents. Weakness The weakness of the Heiniken would be as it has given more attention to the EU and ignored the ever growing Asian market. It may be enjoying the current EU market but the future holds with the Asian and Sub-continents. The future will be bright if the company considers moves in to other markets and makes alliances with intended region. 2. Grolsch (The Netherland) Strengths It is one of the oldest brewery with experience of all time. It has moved out of its European bases in to the US market and has successfully make alliance. It is one of the most innovative brewery and has a specialized experimental brewery. More then 50% of the products are exported out of Europe. Weaknesses The only weakness of the Grolsh would that it uses only one brewery to produce all it productions. The distance between the only brewery and some of the markets are enormous, which occurs in to huge logistics and transportation cost. The future looks very good as it does not rely on one market and the some of the new experimental beer could become market leading brands. 3. InBev (Belgium/Brazil) Strengths The largest brewery in the world as it is merger of the two companies. It is the largest market power to manipulate the price. It has gained big sector in to the Asian markets and are very innovative and environmentally conscious. Weakness Their does not seems to any weakness except the ignoring of the US market. The future seems to be very bright as it has the capacity and resources to grow and lead the market. 4. Scottish and Newcastle (UK) Strengths It is the 4th largest in Europe and 4 major established brand in the Europe. It looks in to the future and has tried to shares into the other bewaring companies. Weakness The company is not a big one and has tried to stretch it self into other breweries. The over reliance on the 4 brands has stopped them of innovation with new brands of beer. The future in European market seems to be well underway successfully but the entrance in the Asian market might be very risky as some of the major companies are well established in that market. APPENDICES Appendix 1 Macro-environment analysis Factor | Issues | Effects on Industry | Rulings | Economic | * The economic downturn * Increased unemployment * Uncertain financial times * Job insecurity of the customers * Global recession * Expansion of Euro * Tariffs and taxes * The increasing oil price * Labour cost | Controversial, as it may or may not increase the demand for beer. Could mean less money to spend on of going out for drinks at pubs and bars. People tend to save money as times are uncertainIt could possibly bring a very positive effect on the brewery business as the expansion will increased market boundaries with more customers to target. The expansion might be good on one hand, but on the other it will increase the Tariffs on the product as it has to go through many state borders. The taxation law varies from on EU country to the others, it will affect the profitability in short and long terms. The inevitable increasing oil price will need to be passed on the customer eventually. The labour market will demand an increase in their pay in the future, which will have to be included in the beer price. | +/-__++/-+/-__Final rulingsNeutral | Political/Legal| * Expansion of EU * Greater concern from politicians about effects of alcohol * Stronger legislation around drink-driving * Legislation on the pollutions * Marketing campaigns around effects of binge-drinking * Competition policy Licensing controls| It will increase the customer approaches as the boundaries will be diminished, creating open borders will encourage competition among the business within EU. The negative affects of alcohol will make the politician to take drastic action as to limit the use alcohol to reduce certain effects of it. The well known effects of alcohol, will put pressure on the customers to decrease the amount of consumption at pubs. Tighter legislation on the pollutions will put pressure to be environmentally clean industry. Health sector and public outcry will force the government to make stricter law for the use of beer. It may not be as an issue as the EU is very flexible with the licensing. | +____+Final rulingNegative | Technological| * Efficient production systems * GPS for tracking transportation Logistics and supply chain management * Product enhancements Bottling and packaging alternatives * Mini home Brewing | With use of robot in the production and assembly line will become efficient and effective also decreases the overheads Will monitor and make sure the product gets on time with the efficient routs to the customs and suppliers. It may incur some cost to the industry. The packaging and bottling cost will decrees with the use of alternative packaging such as plastics and papers. The compact mini home brewery will have minimal effect on the market as some of the customer will produce their own beer at home. | +++ +Final Ruling Positive | Environmental | * Climate change Variable * Seasonality of weather * Natural disasters * GM products * Pollution * Water scarcity * Energy costs| The increased outcry will affect the industry as the climate change will affect the production of crop by the farmers. The unpredictable weather with variation in rain pattern will put doubts the crops. The changing climate has made the nature unpredictable as Europe is getting colder every year and barley cannot be grown in a cold environment. The GM product will be beneficial to the industry as it will assist to produce the specific kind of crop, resistant to the pesticide and herbicides with maximum yield. As a result of the production, the industry will produce different kinds of wastes or pollutions. Beer brewing requires good quality water and it good quality water will be scares in the future. The energy cost will increase most of the source of energies are extracted from scares natural resources. | ___+_ _ _Final RulingNegative | Socio-Culture| * Ageing population * Feminine buying power * Increased multiculturalism * Peer pressure * Stress-relieving * Binge drinking * concerns about obesity * Alcohol related health issues * Under-age drinking| The EU population is getting old, it will not make much of difference on the industry as the younger binge drinker will replace them. Female are coming in the market with money to spend and adopting the beer tastes. EU’s population has increased significantly by multicultural, Islamic community, who does not drink beer. With the youth, the peer pressure makes them to act alike and promotes binge drinking culture. The current economic down turn has resulted into job losses, which has resulted into high level of stress. excessive beer is used as stress-relieving. Obesity is not accepted socially and considered to be unhealthy. Beer may be blamed to be one of the causes and it would affect the industry in future. The modern research has found strong reasons on the side effects of the alcohol and continued to do so. It will affect the business in long term. One of the unacceptable issues will be the underage drinking; however it may not be an issue when supervised. | ++ _++__+/-Final ruling Positive | International| * Shift in geo-political power to Asia * Increased awareness and global consumption of alcohol * Alternative religious aspects on alcohol * Falling tariffs * Global alliances * Globalization| Increased political power means increased income, which means more demand for the beer in the Asian market. New findings and Research increase the global awareness, most of them awareness appears to be advising to decrease the consumption of the beer. The increasing religious influences globally means less beer consumption as most of the religions discourages the use of alcohols such as Islamic religion with more than followers. The globalization has promoted the free trade among the states, which results in falling tariffs. The global alliances of the companies will help to increase their power in the market and act like a monopolistic. The globalization opens new markets and drops the tariffs, but it may result badly for the EU as the cheap Asian beer might pour in the market. | +__+++Final ruling Positive | Appendix 2 Details of Industry Analysis Factor| Issue Analysis| Rating of the Threat| Threat of New Entrants | Market Type:Monopolistic, with many number of brewer, Entry conditions: Relatively easy, with limited resource required on small level production. Product Differentiation: It is one of the key factors in this industry, the new comer will be required to create different and an acceptable taste for the customers, who already has matured tastes and brand loyalty with available brands in the market. Switching Cost: The switching cost for the buyers is very low as the product price is very low and trying another brand does not cost as much. Brand Loyalty: Most of the customer have a very strong brand loyalty and it will be very had to break that cycle in the market. EU well known brand such as Heineken, Inbev, Baltika, and Coopers. Logistics requirements:The new comer will have to establish a chain of logistics and supply from suppliers and to the brewery to the customers. Capital requirement:a very low capital is needed to enter in the market at a local level, however as on the international level the capital requirements will be medium to high. Globalization:Due to the globalization and open market, non EU players with cheap labor cost could enter in the EU and penetrate the market with cheap brands. Islamic countries:The market will not be allowed to enter in some of the Islamic countries as the consumption of alcohol is prohibited. | LowHigh LowHighLowMedium Medium Medium Low | Bargaining Power of Supplier| Master Brewer: The human capital of master brewer has the power of switching the company and move to another one of even changing jobs. Barley suppliers: The barley suppliers does not have much of choice to sell the crop to the brewery as the alternative use of the barley are very limited. Presents of substitute input:There is no other substitute for barley to be used in the making of the beer, so the supplier could have power in this regards. Due to a very high number of suppliers in the market, this power eliminates itself. Threats of forward integration:The supplier could possibly enter in the market as the entrances are too easy. In this case the suppliers will have huge impact on the industry. Switching cost of supplier: The numbers of suppliers are enormous as the buyers could easily switch suppliers in the market. It gives less power to the suppliers. | High Medium Medium Low Low | Bargaining Power of Buyers| Presents of substitute: A buyer does have power in the market as the product will needs to be purchased within a short time as use of barley in other products are very limited and it cannot be stored for a long time. Impotents of volume to buyers:The high volume of purchase decreases the power of supplier and increases the power of buyers. Buyers concentration: There are less buyers compared to the number of suppliers in the market for the use of barley, which means more power for the buyers to bargain with the suppliers. | High Low Low | Power of Substitutes | Strong substitutes : There are a very large number of substitute available in the market for the end user, such as Water, milk, soft drinks, wine, tea, coffee, energy drinks, and traditional cultural drinks. Most of the entire alternative has less or no side effects at all in the human body, which makes them all time favorite and increased in their demand for the future. | High | Appendix 3 Four Brewing Companies in EU Company| Strength| Weakness| Future outlook| Heiniken( The Netherlands)| * Biggest brewery in EU * 2006 sales 8bn pound * 5 % sales in Asia * 17% in US * Family business * Uses local business to sell their products | * More attention into EU and forget the ever growing Asian market * Very tight controlled due to family business in nature| Positive in EU, but negative in the Asian and US market. Over all in a good health. | Grolsch (The Netherland)| * One of the oldest * Medium size * Has alliances with US * Innovative with products * Licensed to export 50% of their products overseas * Has specialized brewery for experiment | * Centralizes brewery, uses only one brewery for the production| Looks good compared to its size and exports 50%. The innovation and experimental beer might capture market in the future. | InBev (Belgium/Brazil)| * Merger of two companies * The largest brewery in the world * Market power * Second largest in Chinese market * Looks for innovations * Environmentally conscious | | Very good and bright future due to the innovations, size, market power, environmentally awareness. | Scottish and Newcastle (UK)| * 4th largest in EU * 4 major established brands * Has global approach by purchasing shares in other brewing company. | * Over stretched company due to its size. * Lack of innovation with new tastes. | The future seems to be in doubt as company is entering to Asian market where the biggest brewery are well established brands. | REFERNCES Hubbard, G Rice, J Beamish, P 2008, Strategic Management: Thinking, Analysis, Action, 3rd edn. , Pearson Prentice Hall, French Forest, NSW, Austra

Kfc Kentucky Fried Chicken In Nigeria

Kfc Kentucky Fried Chicken In Nigeria KFC Corporation, or KFCÂ ®, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. The peculiar history of KFCÂ ® Kentucky Fried Chicken started between 1952 and 1964 when Colonel Harland Sanders (born on September 9, 1890), a politically appointed Kentucky colonel convinced the owners of 600 restaurants in multiple states to pay him a nickel for every chicken they prepared using his secret recipe seasoning. The seasoning is a blend of 11 herbs and spices and sold with his name on it (kfc 2010). In 1964 The colonel as he was popularly called sold the franchise system to John Y. Brown and his business partner Jack Massey for only $2 million. In 1966 Brown and Massey took their company public and increased efforts towards system development with the help of franchisees and Sanders himself who was a marketing icon by all rights, owing to his entrepreneurial success story and image. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on January 16, 1969. Since KFC Corporation went public and registered tremendous growth over the years, it has been acquired by a couple of other multinational corporations. The latest acquisition of KFCÂ ® was by PepsiCo, Inc. in October of 1986, from RJR Nabisco, Inc. for $840 million (Liddle 2010). In January 1997, PepsiCo, Inc. made KFCÂ ® and a couple of its other small quick service restaurants into an Independent entity known as Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. And subsequently changed the corporations name to Yum! Brands, Inc. in May of 2002. Yum! Brands, Inc. also owns AW All-American food Restaurant, KFCÂ ® , Pizza Hut, Long John and Taco Bell restaurants making it the worlds principal restaurant corporation in terms of system units and spread, having over 32,500 units spread across over 100 countries. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFCÂ ® also offers a line of roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts (kfc 2010) This report will be looking at KFCÂ ® in Nigeria; with the aim of investigating and analyzing their main marketing activities and operations in general. KFCÂ ® looking to develop and extend the volume of their market started operation in Nigeria by opening the first Nigerian KFCÂ ® restaurant in December 2010. According to Keith Warren, Yum!s general manager for Africa, We always knew a 150 million people eating chicken on the bone as their primary protein, had to be a good thing for KFCÂ ®, but we didnt quite know how good a thing it was going to be. They have six stores in Nigeria now and they plan on building 20 more stores in 2011. They also forecast that by 2020 KFCÂ ® will have 300 restaurants doing business in Nigeria (kfc 2010). This report is particularly interesting because KFCÂ ® in Nigeria is a new venture for Yum! Brands, Inc. This means that KFCÂ ® is a well known global brand in a new market environment, therefore, the implementation of its market orientation is still taking shape. In other words, the way that KFCÂ ® has decided to do business in Nigeria is still taking shape. Their market orientation, marketing mix and strategies etc will depend on their perception of the new Nigerian market, so we will be looking at KFCs Marketing strategy. In general terms, especially multinational firms use a different strategy in Nigeria than they do in other markets. We are hoping that KFCÂ ® will follow the same trend. 2. KFCS ORIENTATION A business can be Product Orientated, Marketing Orientated or Sales Orientated; but businesses can develop new products based on either a marketing orientated approach or a product orientated approach (Tutor2u 2010). Organizations orientation refers to its familiarization with and approach to the market. A firm can develop new products either based on what it thinks is the best for the market in order to maximize sales or what the customers think. Sales orientated approach fits the profile of market orientation because it uses such skills as selling, pricing, promotion and distribution except it pays little attention to customer needs, priority being sales maximization (Jobber 2007). Market-orientated approach is popular among most successful businesses as opposed to product orientated approach where firms develop products based on their competencies and capabilities rather than the customers needs (Tutor2u 2010). However, (Tutor2u 2010) cited that some products are argued to create a need or want in the customer/consumer, especially products that have high technology content. E.g. Mobile phones have moved from being a business accessory to being a big consumer brand item, with many additional gadgets, such as pictures, video and Internet access. Innovations create the need rather than the customer being able to second-guess how new technology is going to develop. Most technology driven products that requires high level innovation fall within this range because the products create customer needs and market segmentation takes care of the rest. KFC as an organization is Marketing Orientated because it tends to tailor its products and services to the needs of customers in a particular market. 2.1 KFCS MARKETING ORIENTATION: According to Kaur and Gupta (2010:88) Market orientation is a business culture that ensures a set of behaviours needed for generating, disseminating and responding to both internal and external market information for creating superior customer value through superior organizational skills and competencies which ensures long term profitability by continuously identifying and managing limitation in the system that prevents market-orienting culture in an organization. This is a wholesome definition of what market orientation is all about, in that it takes into consideration the business environment, competences, constraints, activities, strategies, implementation and results/targets of marketing orientation, A market orientation needs to be balanced with creativity and a deep understanding of the firms unique capabilities, competencies and objectives (Houston 1986; Sharp 1991; Hamel and Prahalad 1994). Alternatively, the definition of market orientation acknowledges the understanding and acting upon the dynamics of the markets in which they operate and concentrating on critical relationships (Povey 2000). The market dynamics he is referring to may range from the needs of the customers, to what influences their buying decision. There are positive relationships between market orientation and business performance (Pelman and Wilson 1996; Ruekert (1992). As is the case with KFC, their technique of market specialization (i.e. simply put, giving the customers what they really need and importantly not giving them what they dont need) has made them effective in Nigeria. Market orientation is a popular approach especially for a product/service organization like KFC. The need to gain customer preference over major competitors makes them react to the needs and wants of the customer, in order words, they are customer/consumer focused. KFC in Nigeria takes feedback from customers seriously, and they use feedback from customers/consumers to alter or change their standard products according to the customer specifications. The major characteristics of KFC as a Marketing Orientated business is outlined in Table 1 below according to the compilation of Jobber (2007) Table 1. Business Function Activities Identifying Customer/Consumer needs and wants. Marketing Research Developing Products to meet customer/consumer Research and Development/Production needs and wants Deciding on the value of the product to customers Pricing (Sales and marketing department) Making the products available to customers at the Distribution right time and place Informing customers.consumers of he existence of Promotion the product and persuading them to buy it 2.1.1 CUSTOMER NEEDS: In KFC Nigeria, customer needs are primary. The business decisions that KFC make in Nigeria are mainly based on the needs or otherwise complaints or feedback from the end consumer. The advantage of this approach to KFC is that it gives them an edge (competitive advantage) over their competition in terms of meeting and exceeding customers needs. Because a satisfied customer is a happy customer, a happy customer is a loyal customer and a loyal customer is an additional word of mouth promotion for the company; thereby maintaining and increasing KFCs market share. This approach is also growing in popularity mainly because the average consumer has now become knowledgeable and can have very easy access to information, therefore, rather than just working on making their products and services more appealing to the target consumers, KFC is now paying more attention to the customers wants and needs. This approach enables KFC to not only attract customers, but also to satisfy and more important ly retain them. Groucutt (2005 6-10 and 60) cited that an organization can achieve this by first identifying and selecting their target customers and learn their needs and desires by building relationships that will enable them key in to the customers real needs and develop products or services that can be sold at a profit in conformity with customers desire. He further stated that there must be some form of dialogue between the firm and the customers, where customers state their personal needs and wants, and this may be direct or indirect. Through marketing research a customer may communicate directly with the firm, where the firm seeks feedback on particular market issues. He goes on to say that on the other hand, customers may communicate indirectly with the firm by switching brands, and this is to inform the firm that there is a problem with the product (could be price or quality or both) Groucutt (2005) Groucutt (2005 335) The real needs of customers depends on a hierarchy of motives/motivators ranging from Psychological, Safety, Love and belongingness and self-esteem to self-actualization. KFC uses this approach as well, however, with business profitability as the needed end result. This means that they keep the needs of the customers in focus, while they aim at maximize their profit in general. A good implementation of this approach by KFCÂ ® in Nigeria is evident in the way they tailored their menu for different parts of Nigeria. For instance, their menu in the Northern parts of Nigeria does not contain pork because customers in those parts are predominantly moslems who prohibit the eating of pork, and because the case of belongingness is a huge determinant on what people eat. In the southern parts of Nigeria where you have a high density of educated families who tend to be more safety and health conscious when it comes to what they eat, KFC drafted their menu according to diet specifications, making it appear heathy and diet packed. 2.1.2 MARKETING RESEARCH: Groucutt (2005) defines Marketing research as the process of designing, collecting, analyzing and reporting of information that may be used to solve a specific problem in a firms marketing. The marketing problem he refers to can range from the market for a new product, new market for product (as is the case of KFCÂ ® in Nigeria), to lack of patronage for an existing product. Groucutt (2005) cited that Organizations need to narrow down their targeted segment i.e. who they want to appeal to, before undertaking a proper marketing research. It is only when you know who to appeal to that you devise means to appeal to them. He further said that after understanding their targeted segment, firms must have a clear objective as to what the firm aims to achieve both marketing wise and corporate wise. This is because for KFC to have a competitive advantage, they must be able to successfully tailor customer satisfaction with their objectives and end target. KFC Nigeria use feedback from custome rs as a major marketing research tool. According to Groucutt (2005) When efficiently and effectively used, marketing research can benefit the organization in the short-run and long-run. It can give the organization a complete understanding of the market, which includes understanding their current customers, current competitors, potential customers and the impact of macro environmental forces. Organizations can be proactive or reactive to changing conditions only through understanding these diverse groups, according to Groucutt (2005). Market research is important for KFCÂ ® to understand the behavior of a typical Nigerian customer, by analyzing both current and potential purchasing habits, tastes and influences. Marketing research is both a communication tool and a means of communication for KFC, because they use it to get needed information about current market conditions; on the other hand, customers give them feedback on their products and services. Forsyth (2007) cites market research as the planned problem analysis, model building and fact finding to enable better decision making and control in the marketing of goods and services. This implies that marketing research in addition to being an information tool, also enables the organization to guild their internal activities effectively for better results in the market place. According Forsyth (2007) market research contributes to the management of the marketing mix as well as used to help decide on: the marketing strategy needed to better exploit new opportunities; which market discontinuity to tackle; and the key interest areas for future marketing strategy. In application to KFCs activities in Nigeria, the information they get from market research helps them to better adapt to the Nigerian business environment. For instance, the no camera policy in KFC stores is a way they decided to curtail the excesses of some tough local competitors, because there is no limit to the extent a competitor will go to beat business competition in Nigeria. 2.1.3 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION: Effective and efficient use of marketing research creates more information for the organization to potentially undertake research and development of new products; this entails developing products based on customers wants and needs. Ideally, this is should be a continuos process. According to Groucutt (2005). The development of new products and services is usually the key to the beginning of new firms, or the continuation of an existing one. Organizations undertake constant research and development of new products in order to be innovative and stay competitive. Firms engage in New Product Development for various reasons like: To replace a product, to modify a product, to develop products in support of the firms long-term strategic objectives, the adaptation of an existing product, unexpected occurrence leading to unexpected innovation and product and in response to societal, including demographic factors. Societies change and so does their needs, according to Grouccut (2005). The average Nigerian customer is more aware and has easy access to information about different products; therefore his needs and preferences are no longer the same with the last 10 years. KFCÂ ® capitalized on this by rolling out products and services that appeal to Nigerian customers. The important thing is making the products available to the customer when, how and where they want it. For instance, KFCÂ ® incorporated a special type of local chicken seasoning called Suya into their menu in Nigeria because people tend to prefer their chicken made in this way with a lot local pepper spices, different from the rest of the world. KFC also made their chicken a lot spicier because approximately 85% of Nigerians love spicy food and eat spicy food three times in a day. 2.1.4 PRICING: Price is an inherent part of the product/service and must be used as an element of the marketing process (Forsyth 2007) This means that pricing needs to be set carefully because not only does it reflect quality, it ensures that the financial objectives of KFC are met and also creates good image and feeling of value for money by the consumers (Forsyth 2007). Pricing is particularly a sensitive and delicate issue in Nigeria because to most people the price is the first impression about any product. This means that just the mention of the price of a product determines if the average Nigerian customer actually buys a product or not without further inquiry about the quality of the product. Groucutt (2005) thinks that customers may be particularly sensitive to either the set price or increases, even if the increase are marginal. People usually associate this price sensitivity to economic class i.e. lower income groups, but anybody could be price sensitive depending on different factors lik e economic environment or volatility (high growth or low growth). However, price sensitivity in Nigeria can easily be linked to the higher population or high density of lower income people in the population. People work hard and earn relatively less, so it makes sense to want higher value for as low as possible price. Moreover, for most people in Nigeria eating out is a luxury and if that comes with a high price then it is obviously targeted at the higher income groups. This is also a sensitive part of KFCs marketing orientation and it is interesting what they came up with, bearing in mind that they had the objective to penetrate the market and also meet their financial objectives. According to Groucutt (2005) there are different types of pricing tactics that firms use and depending on the objectives/targets and external factors, firms could use some or all of these pricing tactics during the life of a product or service. KFC Nigeria uses Penetration Pricing (Predatory Pricing). Penetration pricing is all about finding a way to access a market by cutting through the existing pricing structures or strategies (Groucutt 2005). Grocutt (2007) also goes on to say that Penetration Pricing can be used to attain entry into an existing market by introducing and maintaining low prices set against the existing average price for that product or service. KFC Nigeria deliberately maintained low prices for most of their products, while at the same time matching the price of competition for some other products. The use of both penetration pricing and Price matching tactics by KFC in Nigeria is very effective, but the use of Penetration Pricing is particularly very important because it was what people mainly responded to and are still responding to. With these pricing tactics, KFC was not just looking at penetrating the market and making sales, but to also create a long lasting impression and customer loyalty in the l ong-run. KFC achieved relatively easy entry in Nigeria mainly because of their pricing tactics because the average Nigerian consumer is very price sensitive and care about quality a lot more than status. 2.1.4 DISTRIBUTION (Brassington Pettitt 2003) Distribution ensures availability and service The availability they are referring to incorporates timeliness as an important factor. It is good enough that customers chose you and not your competition, but it is very important to provide the needed product or service when it is needed on time. Forsyth (2007) cites that distribution is the process that enables products and services to be delivered to customers/consumers in the market. Distribution process typically involves intermediaries but for a fast food franchise like KFC intermediaries are highly unlikely, but for KFC accessibility is vital. Making sure their stores are located strategically to allow easy access by customers when they need to. Therefore, to ensure that customer get timely access to their products whenever they wanted, KFC strategically located their stores in specific parts of Nigeria, depending on the city or area or state. They located stores primarily in areas where customers/consu mers live (suburban and urban locations), close to schools, companies and markets. KFC opened 6 stores in Nigeria in December 2010 in the most populated cities in the country including Lagos city, which is the highest populated city in Nigeria and the 4th highest populated city in the world. KFC also plan to open 20 more stores located strategically in 2011. This also says a lot about KFCs strategy in Nigeria. Currently, KFC does not provide home delivery service which is more convenient for most customers, but they are not the only one in the market who doesnt provide this service. Some of KFCs top local competitors do not provide home delivery service as well because of lack of infrastructure that enables home delivery like good roads etc. 2.1.5 PROMOTION A firm must Promote itself, in other words, it must communicate, clearly and persuasively to let people know what is available and encourage them to buy (Forsyth 2007). There are various promotion tactics like advertising, direct mail, sales promotion e.t.c. Firms decide whether to use some or all of them depending their target audience, the advantages and disadvantages of the promotion tactics, available budget, and level of effectiveness of the promotion tactic (Forsyth 2007). KFC uses advertising effectively in Nigeria as their main promotion tactics. The most effective form of advertising by KFC in Nigeria are electronic and billboard advert by Movie stars and musicians for KFC. KFC takes advantage of the fact that the average Nigerian emulates these stars and follows what they do to some extent. Another promotional tactics that KFC uses in Nigeria and is probably the best at it is Selling. This involves a one-on-one communication with the customer and sometimes forms a final and important, link in the chain of different methods that link a firm to its market, according to Forsyth (2007). KFC is very good at this because they already have standard staff training specifications for all their staff and employees. This is one of KFCs global brand qualities that it brought to the Nigerian market. KFCs competition in Nigeria cannot match this quality at the moment, because they rarely train their staff and even when they do they are not as meticulous as KFC in training their staff and making sure they perfect customer relations. For instance, It is not strange to walk into a fast food store in Nigeria and see a receptionist arguing with a customer, but just few seconds with KFC staff, you will immediately notice that they are different in the way they interact with the customers. They sort of draw you in and make you feel special and appreciated, and for a typical Nigerian customer that respect and appreciation is almost everything. 3. KFCS FOUR Ps OF MARKETING MIX Jobber (2007) suggests that an effective marketing mix matches customer needs, creates competitive advantage, matches corporate resources, and is well balanced. According to Brassington and Pettitt (2003 1105) Marketing Mix is the blend of the 4Ps that creates an homogenous and stable offering to potential customers to satisfies their needs and wants. This means that there must be consistent synergy or balance between these four basic tools of marketing to meet potential customers need and wants. For instance, a good product with bad communication will not work, and so is a bad product with good advertising. This is simply because the elements of the Marketing mix rely on each other and if they lack consistency with each other in what they are saying about the product, then the customers will reject it all because they not stupid. Brassington and Pettitt (2003 25) The 4Ps is a widely recognized concept in marketing and it provides a central organized structure or foundation for marketing activity,which manager can relate to and easily understand, The 4Ps include Product, Price, Place and Promotion. PUT DIAGRAM HERE 3.1 KFCS PRODUCT The product is at the core of marketing exchange. If the product does not deliver the benefits the consumer wanted or if it does not fulfill the expectations created by the other elements of marketing mix, then the whole exercise will be useless. (Brassington and Pettitt 2003 267). A product is a physical good, service, idea, person or place that can offer tangible and intangible qualities that individuals or firms consider necessary, worthwhile or satisfying and are willing to pay for it or exchange any other valuables for it (Brassington and Pettitt 2003 268). This means that for a customer/consumer, the benefit of a product is everything because they buy these products to meet needs, so when a customer/consumer exchanges money, patronage or any other unit of value for a product what he/she is doing is simply paying to get the benefits of that particular product to meet his/her needs. It also means that a product could be anything or place that offers needed benefits and customers/ consumers regard as beneficial. A product (tangible or intangible) is like a personality, and just like a personality there are some characteristics that makes it essentially appealing to the buyer like branding, packaging and labeling, design, style and quality e.t.c. The product and price are the two main parts of the marketing exchange that interests marketers Brassington and Pettitt (2003 268). Alternatively, Groucutt (2005 158) considers products as a collection of features and benefits that provide customer satisfaction. All these different perspectives have two things in common, which is that a product must be beneficial and must provide customer satisfaction. KFC promotes their wide range and varieties of fried, smoked and roasted Suya chickens in Nigeria as nutritious, convenient and even healthy in some parts according to their adverts. According to Doyle (2002) Product decisions comprises of Product variety,product performance, product features, product design, product presentation, product packaging, si zes and brand name. KFCs specialty is fried chicken served in various forms. KFCs primary product is pressure-fried pieces of chicken made with the original recipe. The other chicken offering, extra crispy, is made using a garlic marinade and double dipping the chicken in flour before deep frying in a standard industrial kitchen type machine (Scribd 2011). KFC in Nigeria offers non-durable products and Service products as well. They offer wide range of fried, smoked and roasted chicken in Nigeria, as well as side dishes with fish, port and beef, desserts and ice creams. These are all tangible but non-durable products because the can only be consumed once. KFCs service products in Nigeria represent intangible products such as activities, benefits or satisfaction that customers/consumers derive from their relationship with KFC. KFC menu in Nigeria contains three different segments namely: Family Meals, Individual Meals and Sandwiches. Family Meals comprises of Family Meal, Party Meal and Economy Meal. Ind ividual Meals comprises of Snack Box, Strips Light Meal and Dinner Box. Sandwiches comprises of Suya rap, Suya Burger, Fish rap, beef rap, Chicken fillet supreme, Pork Supreme. They also give customers the chance to make up their own variety box comprising of some or all available products. All the fried Chicken Meals are prepared in the traditional KFC style of frying in oil with the colonels range of spices. All the Meals also have Suya variety, this means that customers/consumers can either chose between the locally prepared Suya or the traditional KFC fried Chicken. KFC also have the same strategy for the beef, fish and pork meals. For the sake of simplicity, this report shall be discussing Fried Chicken. 3.1.1 MARKET SEGMENTATION KFC in Nigeria segments the market demographically by dividing it into groups based on age, gender, family size, income, occupation, religion and ethnicity. KFC segments the market demographically in this way: Age: Between 6 65 Gender: Males and Females Family Size: 2 4, 4 6, 6+ Income: 500Naira and above Family life style: ALL KFCs typical customers/consumers in Nigeria are adults between 18 to 58 who live fast paced lives, and therefore considers convenience when deciding what to eat or drink. This convenience is the totality of what KFC offer in Nigeria. 3.1.1.1 PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION Entails dividing a market into different groups based on social class, lifestyle, religion or personality characteristics (Scribd 2011). KFC in Nigeria divides the market based on psychographic variables like: Upper and Middle class, Life style (not specific) and Personality (ambitious and authoritarian), role expectation of the sexes, reference groups, customs and traditions KFC is concerned about the potential effects of these variables on the sales of its products. This is precedes target market. Psychographic segmentation enable KFC tailor their products or menu content to the specific needs of the target customers in different parts of Nigeria. 3.1.1.2 TARGET MARKET This is the process of evaluating each market segments attractiveness and selecting two or more market segments (Scribd 2011) The two main factors usually considered when selecting a target market segment are the attractiveness of the segment and the fit between the segment and the firms objectives, resources and capabilities. KFC in Nigeria targets upper, middle and a group known as Upper-lower class in Nigeria. KFCs main target are the upper and middle class, but due to the pricing system they initiated, they widened the net to take in this special group known as the upper-lower class, who can afford to take advantage of the KFCs penetration pricing system. KFCs target in Nigeria depends on -Size and growth rate of the segment -Competition in the segment -Brand loyalty of existing customers in the segment -Attainable market share given promotional budget and competitors expenditures -Required market share to break even -Sales potential for the firm in the segment -Resources and structural attractiveness of market segment -Expected profit margins in the segment The market research and analysis discussed before is instrumental in obtaining the above information. (Scribd 2010) 3.1.1.3 MARKET PRESENCE According to Brassington and Pettitt (2006 862) It is a reasonable objective, especially for a small company or a new entrant into an industry/market, to create awareness, both of the firm and of the products offered. According to Jobber (2007) in the communication effects pyramid, 90% Awareness leads to 70% Knowlegde/compreehension, to 40% Liking to 25% Preference, to 20% Trial and 5% Use. This means that to generate more than 5% actual usage which is tantamount to sales of a product, a firm must be more than 90% effective at creating awareness. Even well know brands could have some blind spot relative to a particular market or a new market environment. KFC created awareness in Nigeria through pre-campaigns and promotions, while already gathering potential customers feedback on what they would like to see in KFC eventually. KFC utilized this and tailored their product to popular costumer specifications and needs and this allowed them a relatively easy entry and penetration into the market. The position of KFC products in the minds of target consumers/customers is also important. KFC uses all these attributes to position its products to occupy a clear, distinctive and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers/customers. KFC in Nigeria takes feedback from customers and then improve their products. KFC pays more