Saturday, August 31, 2019

Cuyahoga River

Daniel Groves Environmental Geology Case Study November 22, 2011 Cuyahoga River Fires â€Å"In the United States, a concerted effort is underway to reduce water pollution and thereby improve water quality. † (Keller) A case history of river pollution is the Cuyahoga River located in Northeastern Ohio. The river is 100 miles long flowing south to Cuyahoga Falls where it then turns north until it empties into Lake Erie. Cleveland and Akron are two major cities located along the river. The Cuyahoga is known as an infant glacial river, this is because it is one of the youngest river created from the melting of the glaciers.It is estimated that the river is about 13,000 year old. The story of the Cuyahoga is one with many lows and highs. The fires being the lows; new legislation and organizations formed to clean up and then prevent this from happening to other rivers being the highs. The name â€Å"Cuyahoga† comes from Native American word meaning crooked river. The river wa s very useful to early Native Americans; it allowed for easy transportation and plenty of food. The river supported all types of wildlife that the natives would kill for their furs.Just as the Cuyahoga was useful for Native Americans, the European settlers used it in many of the same ways. Early European fur traders may have played a large part in the demise of the Cuyahoga. Many hunters would set up trading post along the river. During the War of 1812 the Native American had been displace by the new settlers. The Cuyahoga River Basin was a desirable area for most settlers. The Founding Fathers knew that the area that is now Ohio would be of great importance. They knew that the Cuyahoga was the prime spot because the river empties into Lake Erie.Soon large steel and rubber industries would build factories that produced tremendous amounts of untreated wastes. These industries are characterized by heavy manufacturing activity and an outflow of production. The pollution that was produc ed by these industries caused the river to be unsafe. The Cuyahoga River has had many fires over the years. The first fire in 1936 was rumored to be started by a blow torch spark. In 1952 a fire caused a million dollars’ worth of damage to river boats and riverfront businesses.On June 22, 1969 another river fire engulfed the river, this time the media coverage captured the attention of the nation. Time Magazine described the Cuyahoga as the river that â€Å"oozes rather that flows† and in which a person â€Å"doesn’t drown but decays†. Many of the residents of Cleveland accepted the pollution as a necessary evil because they had jobs at these factories. This article helped the people of Cleveland pass a 100 million dollar bond to clean up the Cuyahoga River. Much of the industry that both made Cleveland rich and caused its river to burn may never be coming back.The costs of these fires were tremendous, but it did help lead to laws being passed to prevent this from happening in other rivers. One such law was the Clean Water Act of 1972. The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in which the US governs water pollution. The Act states the objectives of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water. The CWA made it unlawful to dump toxic materials into navigable, waters unless given a permit. The permit is given through the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.The purpose of The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System is to regulate point sources that flow into bodies of water. The Clean Water Act has been changed over the years because of the development of technology. Another was the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a document constructed to keep the physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes and the surrounding regions. It also includes many objectives and processes to maintain the integrity that was outlined in t he document.According to the 13th biennial reports on Great Lakes Water Quality December 2006, â€Å"We further believe that such progress depends, to a very substantial extent, on whether the Parties and other levels of government, working together, create the means by which they can be held accountable for progress toward achieving the objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. † (Commission) Another Organization that was formed as a result of the Cuyahoga River fires is the â€Å"Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan† or RAP. RAP was created in 1988 by Ohio EPA as a community based program aimed at restoring the Cuyahoga River.Their goals are to inform the community of the effects of pollution and to work with industries to stop the pollution of the river. â€Å"The RAP is a proven resource for bringing together technical knowledge, stakeholders and local officials in a supportive setting to develop and implement effective solutions for restoring our loca l streams. † (Erie Brand Streams and Rivers) It is amazing how a river catching fire opens the eyes of so many people. It took Time Magazine to scare a nation into do something about individuals and companies dumping untreated waste into rivers and lakes.When more people realized what these industries were doing to their hometown, they took action. Even though things for the Cuyahoga and the Great Lakes are improving there is still much to be done. Works Cited Commission, International Joint. 13th Biennial Report On Great Lakes Water Quality. 2006. Erie Brand Streams and Rivers, . â€Å"Operations and Maintenance. † Epa. gov. CRCPO, Nov 2003. Web. 21 Nov 2011. . Keller, Edward A. Introduction To Environmental Geology. 4th. Prentice Hall, 2008. Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in northeastern Ohio running through the major cities of Cleveland and Akron. The river is 100 miles long and empties into Lake Erie. It was said to be formed by the advancement and retreat of ice sheets during the ice age. The final retreat caused the river to flow north ward which had flowed southward before. (Michael) In more recent times, the Cuyahoga River was known as â€Å"the river that caught fire. † This is because the river was polluted from industrial companies spilling their waste into the river during the late 1880’s all the way up to the mid 1900’s.The river had a top layer of oil coating it which got thicker as years went by. People who worked on the river had a goal of not falling overboard into the river. One Cleveland mayor, Rensselaer R. Herrick, of the 1880’s even stated, â€Å"It is a sewer that runs through the heart of the city. † (Michael & The) The river was so polluted that it was like a cauldron to most. Even rats had been seen flowing down the river. Residents near Cleveland said they could feel the pollution. (Michael) Richard Ellers was a resident in Cleveland. He states, â€Å"Back in the '60s †¦I went on a news excursion on the river downtown to show how bad the pollution was. I remember we could see a layer of crud on the water but didn't appreciate its thickness of the pollution on Cuyahoga River until I dipped my hand into it. † (Cuyahoga) The river was devastating to live by, but much worse to be around. It was so contaminated that it caught on fire multiple times. The fires had started ever since 1868. River fires became the most occurring incidents on the river. These occurrences quickly gave Cleveland a tarnished name and a realization for all about how unclean the river really was. Michael & The) As the dirty river got worse over time, so did the fires. The Cuyahoga River fire of 1969 happened in June of that year beside Campb ell Road in southeastern Cleveland near the Republic Steel Mill. (Michael) There were large amounts of debris soaked of oil that were just waiting to all burn up in flames one day. It was said to be either sparked by a passing train or molten steel. (Ohio & The) The fire grew enough for flames to be leaping up from the water. (Michael) It could’ve burned down Cleveland if not tamed.It was swiftly doused by local firefighting tugboat crews. It was safe to know that it did not cause maximum damage or any fatality. Fortunately, it was also the last river fire to happen. (Ohio & The) This incident became known all over the country. The U. S. was becoming more eco aware of the environment. Cleveland started taking strides in protecting the river and cleaning it up. Residents passed a bond that granted 100 million dollars to clean it up. Cleveland was still the symbol of environmental degradation even though it was taking steps towards pollution control though. Ohio) â€Å"The thi ck pollution on the water and the fire became a convenient example of what ‘bad' really is,† said Frank Samsel, whose company aided in early 1970s cleanup efforts. â€Å"And the more you talked down about how terrible it was, the more the press and news jumped on it. But it also made people aware of the fact that things could be different. † Cleveland was wide awake about how bad they let things get. (Cuyahoga) Time magazine wrote an article about the incident which put pressure on Cleveland about hygienic regulation.They already had enough pressure due to their bad reputation about the unhygienic river. (Ohio) Mayor, Carl Stokes, started to become very active in the situation. He could see how it affected the city and used that to make positive changes. (Cuyahoga) Carl Stoke’s brother got involved as well. US representative, Louis Stokes, urged federal involvement. The legislature passed the National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) which was signed into law Jan 1st, 1970. It was an act that formed the agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which led to the put forth of the Clean Water Act of 1972.It mandates that all rivers in the United States to be hygienic enough to allow mass amounts of swimmers and fish in the water by 1983. (Cuyahoga & The) The progress became very noticeable to not only the residents near the Cuyahoga River, but to the country as well. (The) The legislature had invested 3. 5 billion into the purification of the river and new sewer systems. (Ohio) The Cuyahoga River became safer and residents felt at ease again. Most importantly, the country was educated and thought more about the environment in which they lived in. Michael) The Cuyahoga River of 1969 brought positive change after all. The U. S hasn’t seen a river fire since 1969. The water quality improved greatly. (The) Today, it is a playground to fish and swim in like most rivers. The river is now home to 60 different species of fish as well. The river fire reshaped Cleveland and the realities of life. (Ohio) Bibliography Michael Rotman, â€Å"Cuyahoga River Fire,† Cleveland Historical, accessed February 25, 2013, http://clevelandhistorical. org/items/show/63 Ohio History Central – An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History – Ohio Historical Society. Ohio History Central – An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History – Ohio Historical Society. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. . Cuyahoga River fire 40 years ago ignited an ongoing cleanup campaign | cleveland. com. † Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather – cleveland. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. . The return of the Cuyahoga. Dir. Lawrence R. Hott. Perf. Cleveland. Ideastream ;, 2008. DVD.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Marketing Plan for Lords Ice Cream Parlour

TABLE OF CONTENTS *1. 0 EXECUTIVE* SUMMARY ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’, one of the prime ice cream products situated in St. Johns Wood with a good market share is one of the best in that area providing ice cream with fresh taste and modern packaging. It was established in 1998, ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’, at present uses straight-line technology for manufacturing more than twenty three types of premium ice cream in its factory in Swiss Cottage, producing nearly 530 liters of ice cream each day . Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ has a two year marketing plan for current customers as well as its new consumers to attract and satisfy those target groups of consumer. The company wants to increase its market share by 7% and compete with the current and new entrants. For the next two years the company wants to increase its promotional activity. The management has a plan to utilise its one- fourth of its profit for promotional activity. The manag er is also planning to increase its branches in two to three different locations. *3. *0* COMPANY* PROFILE 4. 1 MISSION Mission is the organisation’s reason for existence. The mission describes the organisation’s shared values, beliefs and reason for being. ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ without playing an exception, being committed to achieving the highest quality products and positioning itself as a good brand by gaining the consumer’s trust aligns effectively to its guided mission that echoes-â€Å"The world of great taste†. This includes a dedication to review the existing operations, the evaluations and the creation of the new products by not only manufacturing the highest quality products but also delivering the product by maintaining this high quality. To satisfy the ever-changing needs of the customers, ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ is launching regularly new ice creams and introducing new flavours. Thus in a few words it can be said –‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is based the relationship with customer. 4. 2 VISION The message from the managing director of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ propagates as: â€Å"I dreamt of a business venture that would have distinct appeal to society for its unique qualities and eventually will become a role model for other business enterprises. This simple but extraordinary quality is â€Å"Be True to The Society. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ as being a very prospective SBU’s which is guided by this similar vision. As a result this key philosophy has earmarked ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ as the most trusted and one of the better companies in the country. † 9. OBJECTIVES Corporate Objectives: To give an insight to the ice cr eam industry, the company and the product line. To make an assessment of the interaction between ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ and its immediate environment and analyse the impact of various trends upon its survival and long-term success. To conduct an investigation of the wide range of strategies pursued by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ with a view to achieving its objectives. Marketing Objectives: To analyse the marketing strategies for ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ and assess its target consumers and competitors. To regain the 15% of the inactive member by December 2010. To provide an introduction of the strategic aspects of marketing with particular reference to the analysis of marketing mix. To increase the revenue by 12% by December 2010. To increase the market share by 7% by December 2010. To analyse the techniques of segmentation, targeting and positioning of products. To analyse the distribution channels and the role of intermediaries in the distribution network. To develop an appreciation of the need to evolve a promotional mix appropriate to the product. To explain and analyse the role of Marketing Research. To have a clear analysis of the various growth strategies for the market opportunity identification. Research was undertaken by gathering descriptive information from the managers, customers and employees in the form of personal interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis has been emphasised. Both primary and secondary data were obtained through informal interviews with the company and questionnaires to customers. Moreover in cases where managers and customers were unwilling or unable to provide information, observational research played a vital role. It must be added that the report though, tried to give an overall view of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, it focused on London City as their area of study. Primarydata was first collected by taking in depth interviews of the Marketing Executive and Sales person to have a better insight to the marketing aspects of ice cream. Mostly personal interviews were undertaken since flexibility, quality of data that can be collected, speed of data collection and response rate is extremely high and information seems to be more reliable and effective. Only unbiased, relevant and valuable data of related issues were recorded to ensure a critical evaluation of the marketing techniques and strategies used by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’. Problems were faced during the interview, as the managers were reluctant to disclose some of the confidential aspects of the organisation. All the data obtained were not always reliable and hence subject to error. Due to the time constraints I could not complete a comprehensive investigation and there were some areas that were left unexplored. In many occasions managers were hesitant to cooperate in providing honest answers. 8. 1 The Marketing Environment No business is large or powerful enough to create major change in the external environment. These factors are generally uncontrollable, thus market managers are basically adapters rather than agents of change. So it is vital for ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ to take these factors into consideration in every step of their decision -making process and day-to-day activities. THE MARKETING ENVIRONMENt {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} The Task Environment ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’s task environment consists of those micro groups in the environment such as suppliers, distributors, customers and competitors. These are interrelated groups that influence managers on a daily basis. SUPPLIERS: From 2010 January the management decided to open two new branches. And two other retail stores are interested to take the product from ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’. The main function of the distribution unit of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is to create a sequence of effective network so that an important strategic edge over competing channels are created and ensure a continuous flow of its products to the ultimate consumers – target market. The activation of the distribution channels proceeds from their factory and ends at the retail outlets of refrigerated vans. CUSTOMERS: Being the major source of survival and profit, customers form the most important component for an organisation like ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ considers customers as being their life-blood of survival and is taking the maximum innovative efforts that can be utilized for utmost customers’ satisfaction. Customers here can be segmented to family, kids, teenagers of high end, mid end and low end of the market. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ operating in such ever-changing world of tastes and preference pays heed to customers’ choices and their attitudes. They, very keenly take on customers’ advice, try and amend as well as add new dimension to their business in order to ensure survival in this highly competitive industry. COMPETITORS: One of the most important forces that always keep an organisation on guard is its competitors. Competitors are organisations that produce similar goods. In the context of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, Movenpick, Baskin Robbins, Thorntons and Marine Ices are their competitors. But surprisingly, the marketing management of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ views these local brands as mere participants in the same industry rather than as competitors. The General Environment Economic, technological, socio-cultural, demographic, political and legal, and global forces form the macroeconomic environment that ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ operates in are as follows: ECONOMIC: Economic forces are of concern to businesses involves producing goods and services that people want and pay for, as because the economy is an indicator of the general health and well being of a nation. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ takes into account various economic factors, preferably the rates of inflation, the exchange rate and level of income. The prime reason for such is to have a control over its allocated budget for domestic and imported raw materials. But most importantly alertness of economic variables is necessary to determine ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’s pricing strategy so that all segments of the population can afford to buy their products. One of the most pervasive factors in the environment, the impact of technology is seen as the combination of skills and equipment’s that marketers use in their day-to-day operations. In ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, use of technology can be seen in terms of the automated cone baking machines, chocolate making machines, injected deep freezers, milk processing machines and others. These innovate machines are able to produce ice creams at a faster rate while not undergoing any sacrifice in the level of quality, and thus their warehouse has capacities in five hundred liters. The socio-cultural environment is made of institutions and other forces that affect social values, perceptions, preferences and behaviour. In the context of a diverse people, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has customized its services according to the country's culture. While the producing ice cream, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ puts strong emphasis in it. DEMOGRAPHIC: The demographic forces are of interest to marketing managers because it involves people and people make up the markets. Demography shows the populations inclinations towards certain social structure and the increase or decrease in certain age groups . For ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ demographic factors are of advantage if it shows an increase in the number children and teenage population (the most lucrative segment for the ice cream industry). POLITICAL AND LEGAL: The formation, maintenance and survival of any organization are dependent on the stability of a country’s political and legal system. A comprehensive analysis of the political and legal factors by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ helps in ensuring stability in terms of its operations. The legal consideration lies in the awareness of various laws regarding import of raw materials and the like. 8. 2. * Current* Situation Analysis Core Competencies: Among its normal premium and novelty cup, stick and family pack items, chocobar is the most popular among consumers contributing 29% to the total sales, while vanilla, mega, cornelli and macho, each with sales of about 5%, and have also made their distinct places in the minds of the consumers. The company is giving its effort and concentration for some new and modified flavour of ice-cream. The company wants to increase its market share by 7% for which it is introducing some new marketing strategy and it will be implemented from the next year. Market information: ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is in their 10th year of business. Being an ice-cream parlour in the St. Johns Wood High Street area, its main activity is to attract customer by its variety of ice-cream flavour. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ possesses good information about the market and having a good idea about the consumer trends and the likeability of the consumers. And this information helps them to understand how well they can communicate with their consumers and how better they can be served. Geographic The geographic target for the ice-cream parlour is St. Johns Wood area. Five square kilometre people are targeted. Total targeted population is approximately 13,500 64. 9% are economically active and 35. 1% are economically inactive. A fulltime employee’s individual average income is ? 29,305. 48. 8% are educated and 52. 2% has got no qualification. Behaviour factors Recognize the need to have a good dessert like ice-cream. People likes ice-cream more than any other dessert. Ice cream is the symbol of lifestyle. Market needs: ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is providing their customers delicious ice-cream and a place for enjoyment. It seeks to offer the following benefits that are important for their customers: Customer’s preference is to get healthy ingredients in their specific flavour. Customers also prefer a better service and attention from the staff. Market Trends: ?Last two years’ consumers has less money in their pocket, so that they are spending less money on dessert and ice-cream. Fitness is very important for the people, that is why people are avoiding ice-cream A big percentage of people are going to pubs and bars rather than coming to the ice-cream parlour. *09. * BCG MATRIX Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix is a framework for highlighting and analyzing product development policy and associated cash flows implications in a firm. The BCG approach is based on the philosophy that a product’s market growth rate and its relative market share are important considerations in determining its marketing strategies. The marketing strategies of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ is based on the BCG matrix which includes an integration of the firms products into a single overall matrix and an evaluation to determine appropriate strategies for all the different strategic business units (SBUs) of the company itself and the overall portfolio strategies. ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ identifies the BCG matrix as a powerful tool To analyze the current situation of the company which is based on the present and projected market growth rate and proposed market share growth. To determine and classify each product expected future cash contributions and future cash requirements. To examine the competitive position of a product or a product line and the opportunities for improving products contribution to profitability In figure below, which is based on work by the Boston Consulting Group, consist of four quadrants in the grid, which represents distinct categories of SBUs or major products of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’. The categories differ with respect not only to market growth share and industry growth rate but also on cash generation and needs for appropriate strategies. draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Cash Cow: Cash cow has high market share but low growth rate. Since its inception as a business in 1998, the Construction Company has had a remarkable track record and has grown to be a better co nstruction houses in the country. Long run survival through effective strategies of defending its market share by reinforcing customer loyalty has insured the generation of more cash than can be reinvested profitably in its own operations. As a result cash from the construction company flows out to support other SBUs that needs more resources. Star: Star has high market growth rate and high market share. The Marketing Manager of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ identified Construction and Ice-cream as their star businesses. A number of prospective factors can be reckoned to as being responsible for both SBUs performance. Both Construction business and Ice-cream occupy a dominant position in the market. Star businesses usually grow very fast and have high prospects for growth. For example, Ice-cream grew by 3. 1% in the last year (2008), compared to their 5%in (2007). Question Mark: Question Mark has high growth rate, low market share. The identification of the marketing division of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ as its problem child, has characterized this business to have high prospects for growth but which has not yet achieved strong foothold in an expanding but highly competitive market. This inability to generate cash has resulted in poor profit margins and hence its need to be augmented by heavy investment from outside sources. Dog: According to ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’, no SBU (currently operating) falls under the grid of low market share and low growth rate, that is, the dog. On a concluding note, the long run health of any company depends on having some products that generates cash (and provide acceptable reported profits) and others that use cash to support growth, with no exception to ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’. Among the indicators of the overall health are the size and vulnerability of the cash cows, the prospects for the stars, the number of problem child, and dogs if many. 10. SWOT Analysis SWOT is the planning exercise used by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, which provides a framework for identifying internal strengths and weakness and the external opportunities and threats it faces. WEAKNESS: The major weaknesses of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ comprises of: Incurrence of high-level expenses in the Research and Development (R) sector. High operating and maintenance expenses resulting from the large size of the business. Excessive reliance on foreign suppliers. Entering new related businesses – This is also visible through its new items as Ammo milkshake. Widening the product range. Seeking faster market growth. Exploiting new market segments. Changes in demographic factors. Change in consumer taste: This might result if there is an increased awareness among the health conscious people, which may cause a decline in the purchase of ice cream. Increase in foreign competition. Rise in new or substitute products. Changes in Political factors. 10. THE *Target *AUDIENCE (*Marketing*) The kind of market ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ operates in is characterized by the volatility of its general environment, the dynamism of its competitors and most of all the varying and the inconsistency of needs and buying preferences of the consumers market, which are important consideration guiding their day to day operations. Keeping this in mind, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has developed sound marketing programs, which starts with identifying the differences that exists within a market, deciding which segments will be selected and developing specific marketing mixes so as to influence intended customers, and overall perception of the brand, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ . Market Segmentation ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has designed various marketing mixes according to the different products needs and preferences with regard to the consumer market and has clustered people with similar needs into selected segments. Domestic Market Segmentation For a consumer-oriented company like ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, whose main operations rallies around the domestic market, a lion’s share of its resources is devoted towards serving the domestic consumer segments. After thorough analysis, behaviour and demographic segments have been identified as their prime areas of focus. Demographic Segmentation From the viewpoint of an ice cream manufacturing company, demographic segmentation holds importance in terms of its close relation to customer product needs and purchasing behaviour and the ready measurability of variables such as consumers’ age and life cycle and their income. Age: This is the most important component of demographic segmentation. Over the years, ice creams were considered to as being more of a recreational product, but standing on this new century, the effect of globalization has placed ice cream as more of a regularity in our lives. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has divided its markets in segments according to different age groups such as kids, teenagers, and the family range. Different ages of people are influenced by different flavours of ice cream, different presentations of packaging and different product attributes. Kids incline more towards ice creams, which contains animated and colourful packaging, taste of sweet strawberry, fresh mango, pure vanilla, ripples, hazzle nut coating and crispy flakes. Teenagers prefer low calorie ice cream, more daring and wider range of tastes. Families are influenced more by ice creams that fulfil the general appeal and taste of all the members of the family. Income: Income is the key determinant of consumers buying behaviour. It is the most popular demographic variable for market segmentation. For a larger part of the population to buy the product, it is very important to segment the market in different income groups. This is given utmost importance in London where there is wide variation in the average levels of income. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has divided the market into three income groups – low-income group, mid-income group and high-income groups. Market Targeting After market segmentation, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ goes for designing, implementing and maintaining marketing mixes intended to meet the needs of the target groups, resulting in mutually satisfying exchanges. Domestic Market Targeting The two general strategies ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ uses for selecting target markets are differentiated and undifferentiated marketing. DIFFERENTIATED: UNDIFFERENTIATED: Undifferentiated target strategies approach the segment as one big market with no individual segments and thus require a single marketing mix. Chocobar and the newly introduced Kulfi are the prime examples related to successful targeting of the mass market. Chocobar priced at ? 3. 4/-, mini chocobar priced at ? 2. and Kulfi priced at ? 1. 6 with sober colour packages enables ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ to go for mass marketing. Market Positioning Positioning refers to developing a specific marketing mix to influence potential customers overall perception of a brand, product line or organization. The marketing manager of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ assumes a realistic view of how customers think about their offerings in the market. At the same time, the ma nger also knows how he wants target customers to think about its marketing mix. According to him positioning issues are especially important when a competitor in a market appearsto be very similar, with the ice cream industry being a prime example. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ follows several positioning strategies. Products Attributes Macho – Exquisite Chocobar – Energetic Shell & Core – Metange Lolly – Eager Clown – Animating Mega – Energetic Coffee – Refreshing Ripple – Praiseworthy Pralin – Puissance Cornelli – Dual Usage Occasion: Usually consumers perceive ice cream as an integral part of summer. Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ aims at positioning ice creams to as being a winter item along with its regular summer item image. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is trying to position its ice cream as a item for all seasons in other parts of the country like that is perceived in London, through different promotional activities. *11. THE* Marketing Mix There are many possible wa ys to satisfy the needs of target customers. A product can have many different features and quality levels. Service levels can be adjusted. The package can be of various sizes, colors or materials. The brand name and warranty can be changed. Various advertising media – television, newspapers, magazines, radio, and billboard can be used to attract the potential customers. A company’s own sales force or other sales specialist can be used. Different prices can be charged. Price discounts may be given and so on. With so many possible variables, is there any way to help organize all these decisions and simplify the selection marketing mix? The answer is – The customer is surrounded by the four P’s. There are additional three P’s newly invented by the marketer. An important point to note is the customer should be the target of all marketing efforts but it is not the part of the marketing mix. Hence, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ follows this concept and places its customers in the centre. Product: for ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ the Product decisions revolve around developing the right product for the target market and this includes not only the physical unit but also features, brand name, company image, value and many other factors. Apart from maintaining a superior quality through its imported ingredients and bringing regular production consultants from Belgium, Denmark and Holland, the units’ separate R department regularly can analyzes new products through its market research to answer questions as: At what price consumers would like to buy the product. Flavours and essence to be used. Consumers’ feedback. Analyze other markets. ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s Product line includes distinctive ingredients, as some are vanilla flavour with chocolate hazelnut or milk coating, some may have crispy flakes, others include cashew nut. On the other hand, to provide a taste of refreshment there are flavours including coffee, strawberry, mango, with almonds and ripples. Each of these delicacies has positioned itself as a unique brand in consumer’s mind. These eclectic tastes have been able to exceed consumer’s expectations resulting to delightful consumers and thus to the creation of a powerful company image. Apart from that ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ also can operates through some trolleys for extending its reach to various consumers at different locations as schools, alleys, streets, parks e. . c. Consumers – Availability of scratch cards through purchase of certain flavoured ice creams enables consumers to obtain different types of gifts such as iPod, mp3 player can be achieved by them. Also last year (2008) every purchase of Macho had a Kit Kat free. *PEOPLE*: The management of the ice-cream parlour is very particular about the selection of the people. They are hiring only the mot ivated, energetic and passionate people. The parlour has on job training and skill development continuous activity by which employee can be skilled. But from next year every after three months they are going to arrange a training and motivation program for the improvement of their business. *12. MARKETING* Growth Strategies ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’, like any other company, in order to maintain a stable growth rate, focuses on reviewing the existing operations, the evaluations and the creation of the new products by not only manufacturing the highest quality products but also delivering the product by maintaining this high quality. In seeking growth, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ considers both its market and its products. It then decides whether to continue what it is doing – only do it better – or establish new venture. The product/market growth matrix depicts this option for ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’. The matrix is divided into four possible combinations of old and new products with old and new markets. {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:frame} MARKET PENENTRATION: Here, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ tries to sell more of its present products to its present markets by the help of supporting tactics, which might include spending on price, promotion and packaging. For example, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ regularly alters its ice cream packaging, and provides occasion oriented price cut. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s market development strategy is evident by its entry to an entirely new area – Marble Arch. In future, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ plans to expand in other parts of London and are undergoing business consultancy of possible expansions in Netherlands. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Nothing is more important to a company’s long-term survival and growth then the successful introduction of new products. By flipping through ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’sbook of achievements, it is evident that one of prime reasons for success has been due to constant introduction of new products. The exquisite Macho, energetic Mega, which hit the markets around two years back, were and are a real feast for ice cream lovers. The very recently introduced Kulfi has once again placed ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ to as being a people’s brand providing a world of great taste, and which deciphers ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s drive to maintain satisfaction of all segments of the market. Lords ice-cream parlour’ has, for the time being confined itself only to the ice cream business. Any diversification related businesses would be future-wise. The Marketing Budget {draw:frame} Recommendations In spite of ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s remarkable success certain loopholes in the marketing aspects has been detected. After my research I came up with some possib le steps and solutions that we would like to state below. Competitors are an important component of the task environment. ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ should pay heed to its potential competitors rather than treating them as mere counterparts. Lords ice-cream parlour’ should involve in backward vertical integration to lower the costs of value creation and lessen its reliance on foreign suppliers. For instance, incidence such as credit crunch may hinder the flow of supplies in the production process when there is excessive dependence on foreign inputs. To enhance the maturity level, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ should undertake the task of sponsoring more social events such as concerts, cricket, football and other such tournaments to retain its popularity in the younger market segments. Emphasize should be given on TV commercials, to capture a greater share of the market. A proper customer help line should be developed to mitigate the further needs of the customer. Conclusion From an extensive marketing analysis of the ideas and marketing concepts at work in the operation of ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’, it is possible to obtain an insight to the essential marketing practices adopted by the company. Adherence to proper marketing strategies in terms of company objectives, paying heed to target consumers and potential and existing competitors, close relationship and liaison with distributors and suppliers ensure substantial market capitalization as indicated by ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s market share of 63% in the ice cream industry. Evidently by virtue of its unique product attributes, high quality, exquisite and mouth- watering varieties of ice creams, attractive and distinct packaging, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ has been able to ensure marketing excellence and enhance its competitiveness. Today’s fiercely competitive environment compels ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ to pursue the right set of pricing strategies, policies for effective segmentation and targeting, market oriented structures of distribution and retailing, which lies at the heart of the company’s success. Its new sales and distribution flow enables the company to achieve its desired goals. In its quest to create satisfying customer relationship and optimizing the performance of the entire system, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ has resorted to a system of timely distribution. With the combination of effective promotional campaign and advertisement in various media, it is able to retain valuable customers and inform them about multiple brands they are offering at present. Appendix This questionnaire is conducted only for educational purposes (For Customers Only) Name: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Profession†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. What is your age group? How long you are coming to this ice-cream parlous? Why have you chosen this place? Do you think ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’done a better job for their customers? What do you think about the product image of ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’? If you are satisfied then which factor- Do you think that ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’is one of the top ice-cream parlous? Manufacturing and Warehousing Capacity: Manufacturing Capacity: 530 liters per day. Warehousing Capacity: Warehouse No: 3 Nos Warehouse: Store Capacity Factory: 1,000 liters Technology and its usage of modern equipment: Machine Supplier: Mark – Italy Tetra pack (Hoyal), Denmark Sabore, Denmark Hass, Austria Machine Model: Free mark 1100, Italy FM 3000, FM 6000, Italy SL 600, Denmark Cone Baking: Hass, Austria Chocolate Making: Macentyre, UK.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Brutus as a Tragic Hero

Julius Caesar is regarded as one of William Shakespeare’s greatest works of literature. It is mainly based on is mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. Brutus, a servant and close friend to Julius Caesar. was ironically the ringleader for Caesar’s assassination. Brutus thinks that if he assassinates Julius Caesar he will be doing what was best for Rome. In this play, Brutus is often referred to as the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be noble, demonstrate hubris, demonstrates hamartia, and experiences an epiphany.Brutus fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero since he has all of the characteristics. A tragic hero requires be noble. Shakespeare made Brutus noble in this play by making him always wanting to do what is best for Rome. He incorporates that by making Rome Brutus’s top priority. When Brutus was discussing the assassination with the other assassins, he states, â€Å"No, not on oath. If not the face of men, the sufferance of our souls, the time’s abuse– if these be motives weak, break off betimes, and every man hence to his idle bed.So let high-sighted tyranny rage on till each man drop by lottery†¦ † (2. 1. 124-9). Brutus explains how the current state of Rome is strong enough to hold themselves together rather than swearing to each others’ loyalty. He proves his nobility by saying how the sadness and suffering of the Romans including themselves should not only be their motivation to assassinate Caesar, but should also be creating a brotherhood amongst them. In other words, Brutus believes that a Roman’s word should be their loyalty rather than swearing on it.Shakespeare also shows Brutus’s nobility indirectly when Caesar was being assassinated. Before Caesar died, he looked to over to Brutus and he said, â€Å"Et tu , Brute? – Then fall Caesar! † (3. 1. 85). â€Å"Et tu, Brute† means â€Å"Even you, Brutus† in Latin, and this shows that Caesar knows that there must be a noble purpose if Brutus was involved. In that manner, this quote also shows Caesar’s respect for Brutus as a person. If the dictator of Rome respects his servant, than the servant must be noble to his empire, thus, Brutus is a noble person.Not only do tragic heros need to be noble, but they also have to demonstrate hubris. Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence. Brutus shows his excessive pride and confidence is when he acted on his decisions rather than others. For example, when Brutus assassinated Caesar, Mark Antony wanted to create a speech at his funeral. Cassius tries to tell Brutus what could go wrong, but Brutus stubbornly says, â€Å"I will myself into the pulpit first and show the reason of our Caesar’s death†¦ It shall advantage more than do us wrong† (2. . 257-63). Brutus doesn’t even consider what Cassius has told him. It is as if he already decided not to listen to Cass ius’s since he thinks his thought is superior. Another example of Brutus’s self-confidence was before the battle of Brutus and Cassius against Mark Antony and Octavian. Brutus asks Cassius on the opinion of if they should attack the enemies or wait for them. Cassius thinks it would be better to wait for the enemies, but Brutus says, â€Å"Good reasons must of force give place to better†¦The enemy, marching along by them, by them shall make a fuller number up, come on refreshed, new added, and encouraged; from which advantage we cut him off if at Philippi we do face him there, those people at our back† (4. 3. 233-42). Brutus explains that good reasons give away for better ones. He also explained how the enemies will gain more soldiers for their army on the way to them, but they could nullify that advantage by going towards them. Although Brutus provides a reason to why his claim is better than Cassius’s claim, he still gives the impression that he is superior to Cassius.Brutus’s hubris can also give the impression that he thinks better about than himself than he does others. Either way, this causes Brutus problems. Tragic heroes normally suffer hamartia as a result of their hubris. Hamartia is another word for tragic flaw. Brutus demonstrates hamartia in his naivety. One way this was demonstrated was when Brutus was discussing the assassination and they wanted Cicero to get involved. Cassius, Casca, Cinna and Metellus all believed that Cicero should be involved to. Once Brutus made his decision, he stated, â€Å"O name him [Cicero] not!Let us not break with him, for he will never follow anything that other men begin† (2. 1. 161-3). Brutus did not even speak persuasively; he just exclaimed his opinion and everyone agreed with him all of a sudden. This shows that the Cassius, Casca, Cinna and Metellus might be just trying to use Brutus to get rid of Caesar. Another way Brutus demonstrates hamartia is him being manipu lated too easily. Cassius flattered Brutus and Brutus let the compliments get to him. One example is when Cassius compared Brutus’s and Caesar’s names.Cassius tries to flatter Brutus by saying, â€Å"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. ‘Brutus,’ and ‘Caesar. ’ What should be in that ‘Caesar? ’ Why should that name be sounded more than yours? † (1. 2. 149-53) Cassius explains to Brutus that they were the ones to determine their own fate and not the stars. In other words, he is trying to tell Brutus they are inferiors at their own will. This gives an impression that Cassius is trying to make Brutus feel guilty about himself.Then Cassius attempts to fire up Brutus by saying that his name is equally capable of ruling Rome. The devious Cassius easily manipulates Brutus, and Brutus’s self confidence helped him believe all of Cassius’s compliments were true. Brutus w ouldn’t know about his tragic flaw until he lost everything. An epiphany is where someone has a sudden realization of something. Aristotle define epiphany in a tragedy where the tragic hero realizes his/her mistake or mistakes made. In Julius Caesar, Brutus had an epiphany when he was getting ready to fight Octavian and Mark Antony’s army.In the tent discussing his plans with Cassius, he confesses that his wife, Portia, died. Brutus sadly explains: â€Å"She [Portia] is dead†¦ Impatient of my absence, and grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony have made themselves so strong– for with her death that tidings came– with this she fell distract, and (her attendants absent) swallowed fire†¦ Speak no more of her†¦ † (4. 3. 171-83). Brutus is upset that his wife is dead and realizes that he dragged her into this mess. He accuses himself for losing the love of his life, and this creates a sensation of pity.This is the turning point in the play where Brutus starts to believe that killing Caesar was not right. Brutus also experiences an epiphany at the end of the story, after his defeat against Mark Antony and Octavian. Having lost everything, Brutus decides to murder himself. Brutus’s final words were, â€Å"†¦ Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will† (5. 5. 56-7). With these meaningful last words, Brutus creates a sense of pity for himself. Brutus was never sure of whether he should have killed Caesar or not, and he proves it with these words.To kill himself â€Å"with half so good a will† he gives the impression to where he is curious about what the condition would Rome be like with Caesar still in power. Aristotle's definition of a tragedy seems to fit all the tragedies today. He states that the tragic hero must have the following traits: must be of noble birth, must show excessive pride, must show a tragic flaw, and must learn from his/her mistakes. This universa l map of tragedy fits William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in a perfect manner. Although one could argue that Brutus is not the tragic hero, he best fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero in Julius Caesar.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Position of OPEC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Position of OPEC - Essay Example OPEC has found its geopolitical strength and has realized its power suddenly and has become an important force playing an important part in regions like Asia and Africa. It has brought the huge multinational oil companies under control who could have done so many wrong acts otherwise, but now they all are on their knees, OPEC has made them merely impotent in the decision-making process, which is a good sign as there aim of profitability can disturb many other economies. It has forced the Western nations to have its favor on numerous occasions. There is a growing recognition in the Western world that the industrialized countries cannot solve the problems of chronic inflation and economic stagnation permanently unless they force OPEC to abandon its stand of raising oil prices ever higher and disrupt supplies to the oil consuming nations, but imagine what they could have done if OPEC was not there. The dependence on OPEC increased considerably in the United States during the last decade and a half. According to a study by the Federal Energy Administration (FEA), U.S. oil imports raised 150 percent between 1968 and 1973, from about 2.5 million barrels a day in 1968 to 6.3 mb/d in 1973. Imports from the Arab oil producing countries were raised to 31.9 percent in 1976 from a negligible 2 percent of total U.S. oil imports in 1970. On the whole, the reliance of the United States on foreign oil had increased disturbingly. In 1970, the United States depended on foreign oil for 23 percent of its total oil consumption, which was quite clearly showing what could have happened in no oil situation. In 1974, the figure was raised to 37 percent, and in 1976, oil imports were about 44 percent of total U.S. consumption. In 1977, the oil imports reached the pinnacle at an average of 8.7 mb/d. That represented approximately 48 percent of the total domestic supply, which averaged 18.4 mb/d in th at year. The FEA's figures also showed that the consumption of oil in United States was raised by 3.7 percent in 1976 as compared to 1975, with gasoline use advancing at 6.7 percent and distillate by 7.9 percent. At the same time, the domestic production during 1975 and 1976 had decreased from 8.24 mb/d of crude oil to 7.93 mb/d. The nation's refineries ran at 86 percent of capacity in that period compared to 87.1 percent in 1975, which is a considerable difference in the short run. It has also been identified that the Arab nations and Nigeria were increasing their share of the U.S. market while the nation's traditional suppliers such as, Venezuela and Canada were contributing a smaller share, fundamentally because of the high price of Canadian oil and the restricted output of Venezuela. It was for the first time in 1976 that Saudi Arabia had overtaken Venezuela as the United State's chief overseas supplier of crude oil. On the other hand countries like Algeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have all increased their shipments, while Canada is pointing out its shipments to the United States. The conditions took a big change during 1979-1981. Suddenly, the oil crisis gave a rise to the oil surplus, it was perhaps due to the remarkable changes in the balance between demand and supply which is the base of economics and also famous for changing any country's fate.

The arguments that Socrates provides of the immortality of the soul in Essay

The arguments that Socrates provides of the immortality of the soul in the book Phaedo by Plato - Essay Example Introduction: An expository claim of immortality of the soul upon death 3. Arguments in support of the claim; A. The opposite argument B. The â€Å"theoretic argument of recollection† C. The â€Å"affinity argument† D. The argument is that relating to â€Å"form of life.† 4. Conclusion. Abstract The purpose of this paper is to provide readers with a critical thinking about Socrates’ presupposition of the â€Å"morality of the soul.† The paper is premised on the claim that human soul is separated from the body by death and this separation is affected by a philosopher’s practice of death. In discussing the relevancy of this paper four arguments shall be considered as stated by Plato’s phaedo. These include the opposite argument that the soul is divinely eternal as opposed to death, the â€Å"theoretical argument of recollection†, the affinity belief and the argument relating to â€Å"form of life. This paper reveals Plato’ s absurd revelation of the end of a Socrates life but then the Socrates was encouraged with the assurance of life after death. This therefore forms the thesis claim of this paper wherein the author underscores the morality of the soul by looking at the effect of death on the mortal being and the assurance of life by the immortality person. ... A person’s body is made up of three segments; that is, the body, soul and spirit. This composition is the mortal being. The body is physical composition which perishes by the catastrophic appearance of death. The spirit can never die and the assurance is that the soul that lives within the spirit shall continue to dwell in the spirit after death hence the immortality. Therefore, the Socrates were outraged by the death that takes away philosophers thus engineering them to explore more about the immortal being and its benefits. When a child is born, he thinks as a child and as that child progresses in life, he or she learns to be an adult. This does not matter whether the child would be a thinker or not but every person has a thought thinking attitude on his or her mind. It differs depending on your intellect and genetics (Weiss63). One school of thought argues that good thinking people should never perish but an opposing school of thought believe that there is no good person an d therefore, whatever happens is absurdity. If this was the yardstick in measuring that lives and who doesn’t, then some class of people would not be considered useful. However, before God, every human creature is useful and important. It is your character and evasion which will determine your ultimate home; that is, hell or heaven. Whom man would consider useless, God considers him important (Weiss60). . This is a clear revelation why death does not distinguish. Good, bad, murderers, hypocrites and people of various sins face death. Death is a unifying factor to all by the justifiable end of life. This is what worried the Socrates until the revelation of the claim about life after death. The author takes a philosophical journey in analyzing this claim upon which the following arguments

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Week 4 research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Week 4 research paper - Essay Example Studies also found out that learning support system in companies is weakened and experts suggest that it should be enhanced to cater the new skills required by the emerging jobs offered. Also jobs are impossible to be gone as resignation and employees get redundant in firms. Probably the job mismatch is the problem that makes other people unemployed while the firms continue to look for replacements to fill-in the vacancies for months. As a solution, other companies tap the Internet and computer to outsource their works despite of geographical limitations as it offers cost-effective ways on doing the tasks for both the employers and workers. Employment has always been the common way for people to earn income to sustain the needs of their own and their families. They work in exchange for money and other forms of remuneration wherein the rate of salary is on a per-hour basis. It started in the Industrial Age where the factories were very popular and the prevailing trend was equal pay for equal work. In the economy of today, the same trend seems to be declining and problems arise. As globalization started and continue to progress from the late twentieth towards the twenty-first century, various changes occurred in the way people work and conduct businesses. Various perspectives have been used to study, identify and analyze the situations to come into terms on how to deal with the arising problems. It is about management, but it seems to be many things must be managed and it is not only about control. Perhaps the past principles in management and leadership may still be applied for the present conditions, but new theories, perspectives and improvements must be done to further understand and cope up with the fast pacing of the world today. People are caught in the confusion as knowledge and skills advance so quickly that the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Computres Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computres - Essay Example Weaving looms for executing mechanical calculations. First generation computers (1940-1956) were extremely large, unreliable and costly. They used vacuum tubes; the size of light bulbs, which generated a lot of heat. This made heat regulation and climate control difficult. The second generation computers (1956-1963) used transistors that were smaller than vacuum tubes. They were more reliable and consumed less heat (Cosper, 2013; Morley& Parker, 2009,) Third generation computers (1964-1971) referred to as the IBM 370 series, which came in different sizes. They were mostly used for scientific and business purposes. The third generation computers used integrated circuit technology and microchips were used as memory. Fourth generation computers (1971-present) saw the rise of personal computers (PC). Apple introduced apple I (1976) and II (1977) marshalling the wide use of computers at home. Software industry started growing, with apple and Microsoft being the main companies. 1990s saw a rise in multimedia culture with the discovery of World Wide Web that created interest in computers. Professions embraced software to improve products and services. In the early 2000s, computers began to become integrated with TV. Literature review Why is computer innovation good for society? The innovation of the digital edge has reshaped the way society operates on a daily basis. It is worth noting that computers have technology has unfolded a change of time. Implications of computer use on society are so diverse. Computers have helped in the creation of information. Computer innovation has made it easy and quick to create information. In order for society to grow, information is an essential factor in the advancement of political, social, economic, environmental and health asseveration. Computers have made it possible for society to generate information that is useful in economic decisions. For instance, business software development makes it easy for professionals to carry out t heir duties precisely and in a sustainable manner. On a higher note, computer innovation has also helped in transmission of information. Timely and up to date information is possible through computing. Initially, information was transmitted through signals like fire, using word of mouth and letters. In some instances, information never reached the intended recipients. However, computer innovations along with other internet technological advancements have made it effortless for people to communicate in a fraction of a second. People are able to communicate with friends and relatives who are worlds apart through emails and video chatting. Other social media platform communication like Facebook and Twitter has improved the way populace network (Wright, 2012). Computers have also played a chief role in entertainment provision through computer games and animations. Other features like e-learning provide an opportunity for learners to access education at the comfort of their homes. This s aves on cost as a person does not essentially have to be physically in attendance to the learning institution. Bank holders can access information on their financial status at any time through internet banking. Computer innovation has resulted in job creation for millions of people around the globe. New careers have resulted from computer innovations such as information technology experts and software developers. Every

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Kevin Carter pulitzer prize winning image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Kevin Carter pulitzer prize winning image - Essay Example ide area of the land which has the lighter colors, is the Black child on his four limbs with his head to the ground, seemingly being supported by his right hand. Just a few inches behind him is a vulture on its feet, positioned in a way that makes it appear that it is imitating the child’s raised shoulders. The sizes of the two images are not greatly different and this makes the balance in the photo. The child, being near the photographer, appears to be bigger than the bird but one might just assume the difference in their sizes. Nevertheless, their size and color make the two as the dominant figures. The two focal images have dark hues which contrast their environment. Coincidentally, the child has a white necklace and bracelet that is comparable to the color of the vulture’s feet and beak. The feathers of the bird and the skin of the child are smooth, in contrast to the rough texture of the ground with the dry soil, pebbles and stones scattered around and the dried gr asses. Such elements of photography, aside from the sensitive social issue, make the photograph a real

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Proposal for development of home automation industry Research

For development of home automation industry - Research Proposal Example The customers will react positively by purchasing given products. The system designed by the firm should ensure security within given parameters is enhanced and at the same time reduced cost incurred while providing security to given homestead. The management should focus in providing products that will enhance security and simplify then manner in which individuals interact with their environments. This should keep in mind the firm’s ultimate goal of maximizing profits while ensuring customer satisfaction. There are social considerations while offering a given service and the firm should consider integrating social concepts to their profit maximizing goals. The project should be rolled immediately to avoid new entries into the market that would jeopardize the viability of the product. The market changes thus the firm should utilize the available opportunities within the market to attain their objectives. The long term goals would realized once the firm overcomes the first stages of the project. The acceleration of home automation would depend on the nature in which firms present their product to the market. The proposal would indicate the means the firm would use to ensure satisfaction. Affordability and simplicity of home-automated devices has made it possible for many homes to adapt the system in their day-to-day application. There is the connection between device usage and its immediate environment. Designers have managed to integrate various applications to portable devices such as the Smartphone and tables. There is need to integrate various technological appliances in order to simplify life. Concern of potential users will be whether the systems could affect negatively on their way of life. Most devices concentrate on the simplicity and compatibility of a given device but ignore the actual purpose of any automated device. The major concern of automated devices is the cost that is associated with its usage and installation. Users

Friday, August 23, 2019

Patient Classification System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Patient Classification System - Essay Example This perception distinguishes important patient characteristics and helps in staffing procedures for fairness in patient staffing and enhancing excellence of care and performance. Information acquired with the use of the PCS can be used by nurse leaders to efficiently and impartially lobby for proper patient care resources (Harper, et al. 2007). To get the required care that is adequate to their uneven patterns of acuity, patients repeatedly shifted a number of times throughout their small of stay in hospital. Because of these shifting, patients some times miss or get their treatment delayed which in turn cause medication errors, patients falling, and personal contact with several caregivers or related health experts. This cause an enlarged workload index, responsibilities and physical movement, which is innate in existing nursing care models and it attach no worth to patients’ care outcomes. The majority of tools for gauging acuity do not reflect on the effects of repeated shifting of patients on healthcare centers or nursing units. However, the estimate of slanted procedures for patients’ acuity, transformed to a workload index, is the process the majority nursing division resources and plans the number of nursing hours per patient day. Present day’s customary nursing unit might move or discharge an astounding 40% to 70% of its patients each day. A rational workload index is a vital evaluator of withholding of nurses; therefore, it is a main area of prospect as it is linked to the flow of patients and the progress of innovative nursing care models. Throughout the last decade, the difference between critical care and medical-surgical care units was uncertain with a rising acuity of patients, ensuing in the development of progressive care units. Patients are admitted to progressive care units as the patients need immediate mechanical aeration, infusions of vasopressors, or physiological

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Website Design for McBride Financial Essay Example for Free

Website Design for McBride Financial Essay Business Goals The main reason behind the development and implementation of a new system should be the value that it adds to the organization. No system, no matter how advanced or how many bells and whistles, is worth the cost in time and resources if it does not add value to the organization beyond the costs. For this reason, one business goal associated with this project is to increase the amount of website return traffic between 15-30% over the previous website. Adherence to the concepts of Coherence, Complexity, Legibility, and Mystery in the design of the website will be essential to accomplishing this goal (Rosen Purinton, 2004). The second business goal associated with this project will be to increase revenue between 20-25%. Information Technology Goals One goal with this project is to have a strong security backbone. Information Technology is advancing and growing by the minute. Without encryption, credentials sent can be easily intercepted and read by hackers, causing irreparable damage to the user and the website owners reputation (Eugene Teo, senior manager of security response at security software firm Symantec Singapore, 2014). Security will include monitoring internet  behavior, login and log on password rules, software update, and privacy of information. The other goal is to manage the website content. Managing the amount content on the website will create a visual and financial foundation which will be beneficial for the customer and owner. Elements of design and graphic which includes color, number of words per line, tastefully images, animation and/audio, images, and etc. Also music, color and lighting can influence the shopper to spend time and money (e.g., Herrington and Louis, 1994). These elements will attract customers to purchase items from the website. Attracted customers will be profitable for the company. Scope (Scope of the proposed information system to include functions that will be included in the project.) Potential Operational Problem One potential operational concern associated with this project would be the accuracy of information regarding the measurements. Customer surveys are certainly not suited to the type of real-time analysis that would be required to measure impressions and traffic generated through the website. This potential problem is however easily mitigated by the integration and utilization of analytic software in association with the redesigned website. Google Analytics can easily be integrated with the website and will provide complex reporting on the precise metrics we need to measure in regards to the business goals associated with this project. Site traffic is analyzed and aggregated to produce reports useful for comparing current traffic and past traffic. These reports can also track user impressions for various pages within the website and track the conversion rate for revenue generation (The Plymouth Evening Herald, 2014, para. 5-6). Potential Technical Problem Volume of information and data could become an issue during implementation. Developers are afraid to take out elements after piling elements over elements (Hamilton, 1999). Information overload should not result in the implementation. The design should be appealing to the customer and have an eye-catching affect. If the website is appealing, this could create a slower load of information for the customer. If there is a slow  load, the chances of luring customer on the site will be very low. Frustration is a major turnoff with customer. Conclusion. References Rosen, D.E., Purinton, E. (2004, July). Website design: Viewing the web as a cognitive landscape. Journal of Business Research, 57(7), 787-794. doi:10.1016/S0148-2963(02)00353-3 The importance of good website performance. (2014, Feb 05). The Plymouth Evening Herald Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1494524391?accountid=458 Herrington D, Louis M. Capella practical applications of music in service settings. J Serv Mark . 1994;8(3):50– 66 Hamilton, J. (1999,September 27), Clearing up web-site clutter. BusinessWeek e.biz 1999:e.biz EB88– EB90.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Strategic Management Essay Example for Free

Strategic Management Essay Toyota Motor Corporation is a famous Japanese multinational corporation, and is considered the world’s second largest automaker of automobiles, trucks, buses, robots, and providing financial services. When Toyota and other Japanese carmakers entered the American market, they were not considered as a threat to the American auto industry because it was believed their cars had no appeal to American consumers However, in the 1970s, due to several problems like environmental regulations, and quality control issues with American cars, a good number of American car owners began searching for alternatives to poorly made American cars. In response to these changes, Toyota and other Japanese carmakers aggressively marketed their cars to Americans as being fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly, and having better build quality than American cars. In addition, Toyota marketed their cars with commercials involving young Toyota drivers jumping in the air. As a result, the Japanese’s marketing campaign along with continuing problems from the Big Three auto manufacturers, allowed import cars to make up about 20 percent of the US car market by 1980. Stage1. General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler focused in the late 1990s on mergers and acquisitions for improving their business positions to meet future challenges. Toyota, meanwhile, centered its business strategy on technological innovation and persistent environmental product development. The price of oil was not especially high during the 1990s when Toyota started its hybrid car program. Oil prices were below US $20 barrel in 1994 and were to fall to a 50-year low around 1997 when the Toyota Prius was first sold in Japan. Clearly something else was driving Toyota and other Japanese companies to invest so heavily in hybrid car development. There are three probable reasons: 1 . High petrol taxes in Japan, due to the Japanese government wanting to reduce the dependence of Japan on imported oil. While this would have certainly driven the Japanese development of hybrid cars, petrol was cheap in the key US market at this time. 2) The potential to gain a market advantage by developing the key technologies required to successfully commercialize hybrid cars, and then owning these developments via patents. 3) The expectation that ownership of these key fuel savings technologies would become very valuable when world oil prices rise from the lows of the mid-1990s, which was a fair long-term assumption to make during this period. Stage2: Decision Making Process: In 1994, the executive team acknowledged the potential threat of depleting oil reserves and climate change and change their strategy or products to meet the needs of future customers. Course of Action: Toyota set up a group tasked with meeting the challenge of creating a vehicle for the 21st century, which would work within the parameters of natural resource constraints and environmental issues. Commitment to course of action: Toyota pioneered the concept of Hybrid (petrol/electric) technology to mass produce the world’s first eco-efficient vehicle, the Toyota Prius. Evaluation of decision/re-engineering: The first prototype of the car had even faced starting problem. It took almost six months to roll the car. Finally, when the car started, it moved for a few yards only. It was hard to imagine that Toyota, which was known for its efficient production systems, was facing such trouble. Initially it felt that ‘Prius’ was a case of technological problems, impossible demands and multiple miscalculations. It proved how a great company could overcome obstacles and turn a dream into reality. Though ‘Prius’ represented only a small fraction of the nine million cars and trucks that the Japanese company planned to produce in 2006, it would be the first vehicle to provide a serious alternative to internal combustion engines, designed for a world of scarce oil and was branded as ‘The car for the future’. Stage3: Toyota carefully studied the US market and sees there is a growing oil crisis and foresees a need for change in the structure for cars, converting their needs to oil saving cars. While American car manufactures lacked producing such cars, then Toyota caught that opportunity and tried to occupy this niche market. By 2002, it was being sold in North America, Japan, Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore. Analysts opined that the demand for hybrid cars would rise because of the unstable oil prices and the growing need for environment friendly products. Post Evaluation By examining the external environment and acknowledging the potential threats of depleting resources and increased concern over environmental issues, Toyota have turned a threat into a business opportunity, boosting their reputation both as an environmentally conscious and as technological innovators and established themselves as leaders in this growing market. The car industry faces many complex issues, but the introduction of the Prius provided Toyota with a competitive advantage. RoadMap to the development Process of Toyota Prius. Stage1| Stage2| Stage3| Executive level| 1 Expressed concern about the future of the automobile2. Embarked a new project called G21 to the team3. Communicated the vision and priorities to the team| 1. The executive team acknowledged the potential threat of depleting oil2. Challenged the team for the innovation of new model using new technology| 1. Toyota unveiled the Prius in Japan in October 1997, two months ahead of schedule. 2. Made strategy plans for introducing cars to US and other prospective continents| Management and Team level| 1. Engaged in improving the existing internal combustion engine technology2. Started making refinements to the existing technology | 1. Team committed to the course of action using hybrid technology. 2. Came up with around 80 alternatives. 3. Identified numerous problems heat, reliability, noise, and cost. 4. Narrowed the list to four models. 5. After endless fussing and tweaking, the team finally reached 66 miles per gallon the 100% mileage improvement. | 1. Team has started putting efforts towards with second and third generation Prius. 2. Redesigned the model for making it more appealing to the consumers. | Marketing /Sales Team| 1. Identification of the growing oil prices. 2. Identification of Growing middle class around the world. | 1. Raised the concern that Premium price for the hybrid would make it impossible to sell. 2. Challenged with building consumer technology awareness. | 1. Devised new marketing ways to cut down dealership costs in US. 2. Devised new ways to boost the sales through internet, relied on grass-roots marketing, and public relations events|.

Cultural Barriers in International Marketing

Cultural Barriers in International Marketing The research area of this proposal is focused on the broad area of international marketing. More specifically, the focal point of the research will be the sociocultural environment and how this has an impact on a multinational company whose ambition is to enter a new market (Hollensen, 2007). As indicated by Doole and Lowe (2008), the sociocultural factor affects the consumer and buyer behaviour, making the development of international marketing strategies inevitable. In addition, this researchs centre of attention will be the elements of culture which is a popular method of discovering cultures (Albaum Duerr, 2008). Furthermore, the layers of culture will be presented from two different perspectives as well as the relation of culture with consumer behaviour. Finally, an attempt to examine the Japanese culture will be made by reviewing the high- and low-context concept (Hall, 1960 cited in Nguyen et al., 2007: 207), and some additional models introduced by key authors. 3.3 Background Primarily, understanding ones culture before entering his market has a dual aspect. On one hand, the effectiveness of the established marketing strategies and its implementation by locals could be verified (Czinkota Ronkainen, 2007), and on the other hand you familiarise with your own culture (Yamada, 1997: xvi). Furthermore, Japan is one of the most culturally homogenous countries in the world (Engel Murakami, 2001: 21), citizens of which consider their heritage valuable and indispensable (Keillor Hult, 1999). Consequently, this creates trade barriers for the multinational companies (Albaum Duerr, 2008) whose intention is to enter the Japanese market. These barriers can be eliminated by understanding the Japanese values and expectations (Engel Murakami, 2001: 20). Moreover, the ability of overcoming these barriers and cultivate relations with the target market is the fundamental stepping stone for an effective marketing strategy (Ford, 1984 cited in Lohtia et al., 2009). In order to achieve that, companies should be culturally sensitive, in other words they should acknowledge the dissimilarities between domestic and international markets and handle them effectively (Holzmuller Stottinger, 2001; LaBahn Harich, 1997; Rice ODonohue, 2002 cited in Lohtia et al., 2009: 241). However, it is difficult to achieve cultural sensitivity to Japan (Hall, 1987 cited in Lohtia et al., 2009:242), and companies that will achieve it will gain the appreciation of the Japanese consumers (Lohtia et al., 2009). 3.4 Conclusion Initially, Craig and Douglas (2006: 338) confirm that due to globalisation and the rapid change of cultures, a deeper understanding of culture is necessary. Moreover, Steenkamp (2001: 41) verifies that culture is a complex phenomenon and that many dimensions are required to be developed, so that marketers can distinguish effectively one culture from another, and thus establish the appropriate marketing strategy. In the dissertation, the researcher will try to uncover as many dimensions that capture culture as possible, focusing on the Japanese culture, hence identifying the cultural barriers. Japan was chosen as it is a high context country (Hall, 1987 cited in Lohtia et al., 2009), and subsequently the higher the context of a culture, the more effort will be needed from a company to adjust its strategy to that culture (Hollensen, 2007: 221). Literature Review 4.1 Introduction The aim of this literature review is to present definitions of international marketing that are related with Japans sociocultural environment. Additionally, a synthesis of the existing literature was conducted in order to provide a thorough description of the elements and the layers of culture, the available models that examine cultures and their implications for consumer behaviour. Moreover, the data collection was achieved by using the universitys library and ebrary database. The keywords international marketing resulted in 543 and 18.719 hits of secondary data respectively, and lastly 9 books were used. Finally, the e-library was used to obtain academic journals in order to inject scientific ideas in the research. The search engine showed 66798 results of which only 240 were available. Eventually, 10 articles were selected to be used, mainly coming from Emeralds and ScienceDirects databases. 4.2 Definitions and concepts To start with, before attempting to define culture, international marketing should be introduced. There seems to be a consensus regarding the definition of international marketing. More specifically, Doole and Lowe (2008: 6) as well as Ghauri and Cateora (2005: 8) defined it as the procedure that a companys goods and services are targeted in customers of more than one country, which seeks the maximisation of its profit. Additionally, Ghauri and Cateora (2005: 8) raised the difference between international and domestic marketing, where the latter focuses only in one nation. Furthermore, Doole and Lowe (2008: 7), and Hooley et al. (2008: 61) used the SLEPT model to identify the environmental impacts on international marketing. These are: Social/Cultural, Legal, Economic, Political and finally Technological. This proposal will focus only on the Sociocultural influences. Moreover, 160 definitions for culture have been recorded (Czinkota Ronkainen, 2007), proving the significance of the role that culture plays in marketers strategy (Ghauri Cateora, 2005). Firstly, the etic approach of culture, which focuses on the contrast between two cultures (Luna Gupta, 2001: 46) was identified by Hofstede (1997) as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another (Hollensen, 2007: 216; Luna Gupta, 2001: 46). In contrast, the emic approach of culture was proposed by McCracken (1988: 73) cited in Luna and Gupta (2001: 46). He defined culture as the lens through which all phenomena are seen. It determines how these phenomena are apprehended and assimilated. Second, culture is the blueprint of human activity. It determines the coordinates of social action and productive activity, specifying the behaviours and objects that issue from both. The objective of the emic approach is to achieve a thorough comprehension of the study of culture (Luna Gupta, 2001). 4.3 The elements of culture Primarily, culture was divided into different elements to direct marketers to a deeper examination of the cultural differences between international markets (Ghauri Cateora 2005: 82). More detailed, Ghauri and Cateora (2005: 83) identified six elements of culture: Material culture, Social institutions, Aesthetics, Belief system, Education and Language. Furthermore, Albaum and Duerr (2008: 122), and Doole and Lowe (2008: 74) added Technology with Material culture, as well as Law and Politics, with the former omitting Aesthetics. Hollensen (2007: 225) included Technology to Material culture, added Manners and customs, and omitted Law and Politics. Finally, Czinkota and Ronkainen (2007:57) added Manners and Customs, and omitted Law and Politics. It is worth mentioning that all the elements will be examined thoroughly in the dissertation from the perspective of Japan. 4.4 The layers of culture The layers of culture can be a great opportunity for multinational companies to familiarise themselves with the behaviour (Hollensen, 2007), attitudes and values (Doole and Lowe, 2008) of people with different cultural backgrounds they hire (Hollensen, 2007). On one hand, Hollensen (2007: 219) indicates four layers of culture: national culture, business/ industry culture, company culture and finally individual behaviour, with each layer affecting the next one. On the other hand, a different approach was presented by Doole and Lowe (2008: 73). They portrayed the layers of culture in a national, a regional/ ethnic/ religious/ linguistic, a gender, a generation and finally a social class level. In a nutshell, companies should familiarise themselves with the characteristics of the Japanese employees, as they hardly ever quit their jobs and they are astoundingly bonded with them so as to receive a flourishing career (Engel Murakami, 2001: 29). 4.5 Culture and consumer behaviour Consumer behaviour regarding a product or a message is affected by different components of culture (Doole Lowe, 2008). Jeannet and Hennessey (2004) cited in Doole and Lowe (2008: 80) presented the procedure that consumer behaviour is affected by culture. In contrast, Hofstede (1997) cited in Luna and Gupta (2001, 47) argues that consumer behaviour is influenced by four manifestations which are: values, heroes, symbols, and rituals. Moreover, Craig and Douglas (2006) stated that customs and rituals play a significant role for Japan, in maintaining well-balanced relations among its citizens. However, Usunier (1996) cited in Holden (2004: 567), partly agrees with Hofstedes view, since he believes that consumer behaviour, which consists of consumers values, attitudes and decision making, is affected by cultural dissimilarities. Lastly, Doole and Lowe (2008: 80) identified four ideas that marketers should reflect on when using Western ideas to comprehend the foreign consumer behaviour. 4.6 Cultural analysis 4.6.1 High- and low-context cultures The model of high- and low-context cultures was defined by Edward T. Hall (1960a) as a way of understanding different cultural orientation (Hollensen, 2007: 220). As indicated by Hall (1976) cited in Nguyen et al. (2007: 207), in low-context cultures the message itself is of great importance. On the other hand, in high-context cultures, people tend to elaborate on the message to gain a deeper understanding of it (Hollensen, 2007: 220; Doole Lowe, 2008: 86). As argued by Hollensen (2007), the Japanese have the highest context culture, while the Swiss have the lowest. 4.6.2 Hofstedes model To begin with, Hofstedes dimensions should be taken into consideration when marketers construct their marketing strategy (Hollensen, 2007: 228). Ghauri and Cateora (2005), as well as Hollensen (2007) mention four dimensions of culture; distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and masculinity, while Hofstede adds long-term orientation (Hofstede, 2009). The importance of these results is due to cultural dimensions illustrating the traits of a country (Rivera-Vazquez et al., 2009). Consequently, the results for Japan are intended to be used for the dissertation. Lastly, strengths and weaknesses of this model were introduced by Hollensen (2007: 229). 4.6.3 Schwartzs model An alternative framework was created by Schwartz (1994) cited in Steenkamp (2001). He mentions three dimensions through which he will provide answers to his societal topics: conservatism versus autonomy, hierarchy versus egalitarianism and labelled mastery or labelled harmony (Steenkamp, 2001: 32). 4.6.4 Alternative models Primarily, Keegan (2004: 14) supports that the focus on marketing changes and that concepts need updating regularly. Based on this idea, Holden (2004: 570) disapproves the reliance on Hofstedes model, while suggesting an approach to culture from a different perspective. Finally, an alternative model for approaching Asian cultures was introduced by Fang (1999), cited in Fletcher and Flang (2006: 438). 4.7 Conclusion Primarily, although there is a large amount of literature concerning international marketing and culture, there seems to be some disagreements between authors, as well as some omissions by others. For instance, Hollensen (2007) supports that it is inevitable to examine cultures without referring to Hofstedes cultural dimensions. On the other hand, Holden (2004) criticises the validity of Hofstedes model. As a result, the researcher will try to compare and contrast the models that have been developed for gaining knowledge of the differences amongst cultures. Methodology 5.1 Introduction The approach that was developed in order to accomplish the objectives was based on desk research. More specifically, the researcher utilised existing written material such as books, e-books, and some scientific journals (Gummesson, 2000: 35). Finally, the World Wide Web (Internet) will be used to obtain the empirical results regarding the cultural dimensions of Japan suggested by the key author Hofstede. The qualitative research method is going to be used. Primarily, the researcher uses secondary analysis which is a qualitative method (Bryman Bell, 2007: 326). Secondly the thesis of other writers will be introduced, instead of the researchers own opinion (Bryman Bell, 2007: 425). Additionally, of great importance should be the fact that the use of mixed methods -both qualitative and quantitative- was avoided because these methods are two different paradigms (Bryman Bell, 2007: 642). Finally, concerning the relationship between theory and research (Bryman Bell, 2007: 11), the inductive theory (Bryman Bell, 2007) was used. Although Fisher (2007: 322) argues that a combination of inductive and deductive method can be employed, only the inductive method was used for this proposal. This can be justified by the fact that the researcher moves from observations, which is the aim of the proposal, to the general which is the theory (Bryman Bell, 2007: 14). 5.2 Desk Research To start with, the only method that was used in order to obtain data for this proposal was desk research. Although Gummesson (2000: 34) argues that knowledge coming from secondary sources is limited, Bryman and Bell (2007: 328) believe that secondary analysis provides the researcher with high quality data. Additionally, it is more cost-effective in a way that secondary data are easier to interpret than primary (Bryman Bell, 2007: 333). Moreover, part of the secondary data collected came from scientific journals. The researcher focused on journals that were related to culture and cultural barriers. The journals that were used came from: The International Marketing Review The Journal of Product Brand Management The European Journal of Marketing The International Business Review The Journal of Knowledge Management Finally, text books were used in an attempt to achieve a deeper understanding of the theory related to international marketing and culture. Some of those used are: International Marketing Strategy by Isobel Doole and Robin Lowe International Marketing by Ghauri and Cateora Global Marketing by Svend Hollensen Passport to Japan by Engel and Murakami 5.3 Alternative Methods Ideally, the researcher could have used alternative methods to complement the validity of material found (Gummesson, 2000: 35). These methods could be: case studies, questionnaires and qualitative interviews (Gummesson, 2000: 35). Primarily, the researcher could have used existing case studies in this proposal to support the data found from existing theory (Bryman Bell, 2007). Unfortunately, word limit prevented him from including material found, as more theoretical findings were included to help readers gain basic knowledge on international marketing and culture. However, it is unquestionably that in the dissertation the researcher will use existing case studies. Finally, the researcher could conduct a case study by approaching a multinational company which maintains its operations in Japan. More specifically, the use of questionnaires or qualitative interviews would have helped the researcher gain an insider perspective (Bryman Bell, 2007: 443) of the marketing strategy that a company deploys in Japan. Unfortunately, the difficulty of approaching a company and accessing its confidential data prevented the researcher from implementing it. However, it is worth mentioning that the researcher has not had the chance to meet his supervisor. Consequently, the research methods could possibly change with the intention of writing a high-quality masters dissertation. Ethical issues There are no ethical issues concerning this proposal since only desk research was conducted. To be more specific, there was no distortion of data and every secondary source has been acknowledged by in-text references and a reference list, adhering to the rules of Aston Business School on plagiarism. Last but not least, copyrights of published books, articles and journals were respected. Task List Tasks Problems Solutions Search and obtain existing literature on theory and concepts of culture in books and e-books Limited searching skills, due to restricted previous experience Received advice from professors as well as from library staff on effective research techniques Search and obtain existing literature from scientific journals Not all journal articles are available in full text in the Aston e-library and many of those available were not completely relevant to the topic of the proposal Methodical and detailed research for alternative articles Select the most relevant articles Time consuming Skim and scan the articles found Obtain text books from the Aston library that are related to differences across different cultures Not all books are available in the Aston library Obtained e-books from ebrary of Aston University Obtain results from empirical studies regarding the culture of Japan Not all data is available in text books Access World Wide Web (Internet) to obtain the information needed Write the assignment Limited previous experience Guidance on the structure of the assignment via lecture notes and slides Conduct an effective literature review Limited previous experience Guidance provided through lecture notes and slides Combine information provided from different books, producing a uniform text Large amount of information from secondary data sources available Skim and scan all secondary data sources to combine all information provided and highlight any omissions observed in the literature Use case studies of different multinational companies that examine similar problems Word limit Not covered by the proposal but will be covered in the dissertation Proof-read and edit the assignment before submission Possible mistakes or omissions Thorough reading and correction of mistakes