DBQ: Growth Of Political Parties Essay

In current times, the American political system is most commonly associated with the ongoing conflicts between political parties. The two major parties that strive for control of the American vote are the Democrats and the Republicans. However, when our government was formed, the political parties were quite different. At first, politicians tried to stay away from political parties, but by creating a democratic government, a political party system could not be avoided. The two recognized parties were the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, and the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton. Political parties separated the country. Washington had tried to prevent them from rising up, but due to extreme differences in views, his attempt was futile. Hamilton’s strong central government idea contrasted with Jefferson’s strong state side government. Sides were taken, and differences were debated. Without a compromise, each party would continue to try and impose their beliefs on the American people. The Democratic-Republicans appealed more to the common man, whereas the Federalists favored wealthy aristocrats. Financially, the Federalists were much more powerful than the Democratic-Republicans. The wealthy merchants were voted into office originally because of their social and economic status. Prior to Jefferson’s administration, many politicians were not publicly known like today. This led to Washington and Adam’s government being controlled by the Federalists. Jefferson would win the people and presidency. Jefferson and his supporters would control the government, ensuring that America would remain a democracy. Alexander Hamilton was Washington’s Secretary of Treasury. Over the course of Washington’s presidency, Hamilton proposed and passed some federalist bills. These bills led to a public distrust of the Federalist Party. Therefore causing a large portion of the country to side with the Democratic-Republicans. Hamilton’s party feared the Democratic-Republicans, saying â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦. the views of these gentlemen [Democratic-Republicans] are â€Å" ¦ unsound and dangerous.† Hamilton’s lack of faith in the other party caused him to impose more Federalist bills and limit the power of the common man. In retaliation to these new laws, many men began to express their distrust in the government through the newspapers. The Alien and Sedition Acts was  the most controversial bill passed by the federalists. As stated by John Allen, a Federalist Congressman, in 1798 â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦. Papers printed in this city and elsewhere [which print] the most shameless falsehoods against the representatives of the people†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Federalists feared the common man’s power to persuade others into becoming Democratic-Republicans. Washington’s Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, was the leader of the Democratic-Republican Party. As Jefferson wrote in a memo to himself in 1790, â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦Hamilton was not only a monarchist, but [in support] of a monarchy†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jefferson had not only publicly discredited Hamilton and the Federalist Party, but in private he also felt the same distrust. Jefferson also talked about the bills that Hamilton passed in his speeches, â€Å"The excise tax is an infernal one â€Å" ¦ and has now associated to it a detestation of the government.† After Hamilton’s biggest mistake, allowing the Alien and Sedition Acts to be passed, Jefferson easily won support from the common man. Even members of the government began to support Jefferson and his beliefs. As George Hay, a member of the Virginia State Legislature, said in 1799, â€Å"The freedom of the press â€Å" ¦ means the total exemption of the press from any kind of legislative control, and consequently the Sedition Bill â€Å" ¦ is an abridgement of its liberty†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  There were many differences in political views between Hamilton and Jefferson; this led to the formation of the political parties, and Hamilton’s poor choice of governing led to the popularity and the distinction of the two parties. Even though Washington attempted to forewarn us about the dangers of political parties, compromises could not be met, and therefore differences in beliefs will become actions; as demonstrated in the history of America’s government.

Assignment for Distribution Channel

Assignment for the next class. ( P. S. You are required to split yourselves in group of 6to 8 members each, the details of which shall be collected in class. Students would be called out randomly from each group to present their analysis. In case of a dismal performance of any group member, the marks of the whole group will be at stake! ) 1. The marketing channel for Mary Kay Cosmetics is called a â€Å"direct selling† channel. The company uses a sales force of over 1,000,000 Independent Beauty Consultants around the world.These Consultants are not employees of Mary Kay Corporation; they buy cosmetics from the company at a wholesale price and sell at a retail price to end-users. They maintain personal relationships with their end-user consumers, and deliver product to them after it is ordered; it is a high-service purchasing relationship from the consumer’s point of view. Consultants thus act as both distributors and retailers. a. To what extent does an Independent Beau ty Consultant participate in the eight universal marketing flows? . How might these flows be shifted, either among the members now in the channel or to different agencies or institutions not presently included? What do you think would be the implications of such shifts? (think about how cosmetics are sold through department stores or through drugstore chains, for example) c. Within each of these distribution systems, specify what the consumer's role is from a flow-absorption perspective.Contrast this with the consumer’s role when buying cosmetics from a department store, or a drugstore chain. 2. For each of the three scenarios below, categorize the demand for bulk- breaking, spatial convenience, waiting/delivery time, and assortment/variety as â€Å"High,† â€Å"Medium,† or â€Å"Low. † In each case, explain your answers. a. A woman in an emerging-market country of Southeast Asia wishes to buy some cosmetics for herself.She has never done so before, and i s not entirely sure of on what occasions she will wear the cosmetics. She does not live near a big city. She is too poor to own a car, but has a bit of extra money for a small luxury. b. A manufacturer uses a particular industrial chemical in one of its large-scale production processes and needs to buy more of this chemical. The rest of the raw materials for its plant operations are delivered in a â€Å"just in time† fashion. c.Before you visit certain parts of the world, you are required to get a yellow fever vaccine. Many travelers let this slip until the last minute, forgetting that it is advisable (or avoiding an unpleasant shot as long as possible). But, they definitely realize they need the shot, and don't want to have to cancel their trip at the last minute because they didn't get it. They often find themselves making a long trip to a regional medical center because they didn't plan ahead.

Brand Repositioning

WHAT IS RE-POSITIONING? A company or product is new and people already formed judgments about it. In other word, the company or product already has an image either good or bad or in between. Many companies are not aware of their exact image but it is important if that image can be identified. If a company does not know where it is now, then that product or company unlikely to get to where it wants to go. RE-POSITIONING BRANDS As markets and customer needs evolve; brands can lose customers to new competitors.In addition, brands can become diluted as product or service offerings become commodities. When a brand loses meaning and relevance to target customer, a new brand promise should be defined so the brand can be repositioned. TYPES OF BRAND RE-POSITIONING Brand Re-positioning Brand re-positioning is changing the positioning of a brand. A particular positioning statement may not work with a brand. Brand re-positioning is undertaken in order to increase a brand competitive position an d therefore increase sales volume by seizing market share from rival products.When re-positioning companies can change aspects of the product, change the brand’s target market or both. There are four types of re-positioning options for develop a new product in market. I. Image Re-positioning This option takes when both the product and the target market remain unchanged. The aim is to change the image of the product in its current target market. For example product Adidas were seen as reliable but dull in early 1990s. The company created an image of ‘street credibility’ in an attempt to reposition the brand to appeal to the customer in the sports shoe market.During the 1990s, Tango the Britvic soft drink has been transformed from a minor UK brand into a brand showing dynamic growth. This has been achieved by creating an anarchic image for the products through a major promotional re launch that was aimed to appeal to consumers in the critical 16-24 age of group. II . Market Re-positioning The product remains unchanged but the product repositioned to appeal to a new market segment. For example, Lucozade is a brand of carbonated glucose drink was originally targeted as a product for individuals suffering from illness, particularly children.Now it has been repositioned as an isotonic drink aimed at young adults undertaking sporting activities. III. Product Re-positioning Product re-positioning is materially changed but is still aimed to appeal to the existing target market. Product positioning is closely related to market segment focus. Product positioning involves creating a unique, consistent, and recognized customer perception about a firm’s offering and image. A product or service may be positioned on the basis of an attitude or benefit, use or application, user, class, price, or level of quality.It targets a product for specific market segments and product needs at specific prices. The same product can be positioned in many different ways. IV. Total Re-positioning This option involves both a change of target market and accompanying product modifications. For example, Skoda has managed under Volkswagen’s ownership to reposition itself totally. The product quality and design has changed significantly and the brand now has credibility with new, more affluent consumers. This has also allowed the brand to expand its sales outside its Eastern European heartland.REASONS TO CONSIDER BRAND RE-POSITIONING 1. The brand has a negative image This can easily happen and often is not the company’s fault. Damage can be done by maverick individuals as in the notorious cases of poisoning of the products such as Tylenol and Perrier. It can also be an effect of government policy. For example, if a company builds a highway and forecasts year ahead the toll charges for the government, the public may know nothing about any intended road price increases until the government announces them at a much later date.This announce ment may be handled badly by the government, perhaps being made during recessionary times when disposable income is reduced. Although it is not within the control of the company collecting the toll, it still reflects badly on the company. Public relation is usually the fire-fighting answer, but forward looking companies use advertising and public relation strategically to think ahead about potential problems. This is sometimes scenario planning or issues management. The company looks ahead for a certain length of time.It can be months with fast moving consumer goods or a couple of decades with conglomerates. An example of how a company thought about its brand image in this way is seen in Telekom Malaysia’s sponsorship of the 1998 Malaysian Everest climb. Many things could have happened including the injury and death of the climbers. But a comprehensive set of guidelines was prepared for staff covering responses to possible questions the company would be asked in both positive and negative scenarios. On the other hand Coca-Cola did not seem to react quickly enough when the European scare surfaced in mid-1999.They suggesting that it might not have planned what to say in such unlikely circumstances and now it has a major re-positioning job to do. 2. The brand has a blurred or fuzzy image When this happen, people do not feel strongly about image one way or the other way or have mixed perceptions about it. This is quite likely to happen when a brand has not been positioned properly. Perceptual mapping would probably reveal that the brand is very close to other brands in terms of customer preferences and has little to differentiate it.A re-positioning exercise would need to be carried out to get the brand into a space away from the other brands. This may involve changes to product or packaging. 3. Competition has moved close or taken over brand position This is constant threat facing any successful brand because everyone wants to emulate success. It sometimes takes companies by surprise as Japan brand Lexus did to BMW in the U. Ss this is a constant hazard in the consumer goods category. Companies have to be prepared to constantly innovate with existing products and bring out new products to surround the category space.FedEx, one of the world’s leading courier companies upon finding out that all other Asian courier companies had positioned themselves around the benefit of speed as it had done moved away with a very large advertising campaign and suggesting that whatever the adverse circumstances, FedEx would deliver. It has not lost the speed benefit because this product related. It has instead added a dimension of corporate personality to strengthen overall company image hence differentiating it from the rest of the crowd. 4. The company embarks on new strategic directionWhen a company embarks on a new strategic direction move into a new industry or introduces a brand that is remote from the core business, brands with an already powerful image faces less of a problem this might bring. However, weak brands will find it essential to reposition it to convince the target audience of its credibility. For example, Coca-Cola feels confident enough to bring out its own brand of clothing. There are limits to brand extensions. If the brand name is not too elastic, a totally new brand name may be necessary. 5. The company introduces new brand personalityWhen a company introduces new brand values or personality characteristics it needs to undertake re-positioning. Privatization and deregulation have forced many government institutions to change their practices, values and their cultures. This is a significant challenge as consumer perceptions are deeply entrenched and re-positioning requires considerable persistence repetition backed up by a totally different brand culture and customer experience. Similarly, re-packaging a brand requires re-positioning. 6. The company addresses a new target audienceMoving to a new mar ket segment in addition to the existing ones is always tempting for the brand development. The danger lies in alienating the brand’s existing customer base. Example presented by Toyota, which said it is considering joining the Formula One racing by 2003. It is trying to revitalize its image to appeal more to the youth, a segment that tends to buy more innovative products such as those produced by Honda. By joining Formula One it hopes to send a message to young people about the fun of driving and position Toyota as technically up to date. 7. The sales are declining.This is the basic reason why Marlboro considered re-positioning in the 1950’s. If the absolute sales start to drop, you need to take a step back and figure out the cause. If you think that you are offering your service or goods at its best, but it still does not continue to attract customers, it could be that your brand needs to be refreshed, if not represented differently. 8. New competitors have a better v alue proposition. In that case, rest assured that your initial position will be destabilized. If customers see that other brands offer better than yours, they tend to shift.Hence, company option is to either step up or get left behind. 9. Customers think that your brand is outdated and not established. Being an older brand does not necessarily put you at a higher position. Customers may see your brand as outdated or irrelevant. What you need to work on is how you can really ‘establish’ your brand. You know your brand is established when customers trust and go back to it again and again. In other words, established brand produces loyal customers. 10. Your products and services have evolved drastically. Over time, companies change and expand.You may have added new products, refined old ones, or expanded the line. This would help you stay relevant and fresh. However, if you have changed your products or offerings over a long stretch of time, chances are, the branding strat egy that you started with does not reflect the brand anymore. It might be out of sync already. You may need to change it to mirror what the brand stand for now. HOW TO REPOSITION BRAND FOR HIGHER MEANING? To be successful at re-positioning your brand, you have to create higher meaning and aim higher. Aiming higher requires outward thinking and learning from the marketplace.Some companies have been engaged with a variety of consumer products brands whose managers are seeking new opportunities to grow their brand’s value. In all these engagements, I have noticed a common thread among all of them which was consumers no longer care about them because they have lost their compelling meaning in the consumer’s mind. Once a consumer’s mind is made up about a brand, it’s next to impossible to change it. The decisions facing brand managers and marketing executives regarding how they deal with our ever-evolving market landscape usually comes down to three options: i . ontinue to invest in the existing brand meaning ii. create a sub-brand iii. invent a completely new brand All of these options have advantages and disadvantages, more so if the brand is also facing dramatic challenges in distribution. The driver underpinning all these options is change. Brands are dynamic. They have their cycles and they run their course. What is hard for managers to grasp is when to move on. This is particularly true if the brand was once a leader. Market success always creates size, power and a false sense of security.Over time, this creates an unrealistic view of the external reality, and a lack of urgency to correct course in maintaining relevancy among consumers. Brand managers naturally become inwardly focused and they tend to miss seeing new opportunities or competitive threats. Complacency becomes the norm and the brand’s compelling meaning in the minds of consumers gets blurred and sales drop. If the companies are faced with reinventing brand, the problem that they faced most likely is obvious. Somehow many people believe a good idea has to be clever, mysterious or layered in complexity. The best ideas for re-positioning brands are simple.If the core idea behind the brand’s meaning is not simple and obvious, it would not stand a chance in the over-crowded slush pile of a marketplace in which the brand must reside. Simple ideas are self-evident, which is why they work so well. Positioning is the art of sacrifice. A brand can only stand for one compelling, radical differentiating selling idea. The trouble with simple ideas is they have no appeal to the imagination and are easily over-looked. We are naturally drawn to the more clever and ingenious ideas. Resist this temptation. The company needs to aim higher thinking toward the simple, obvious differentiating idea hat elevates the brand to a new meaning people really care about. RE-POSITIONING STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE It is high time we re-examine the way re-positioning of brand is done in this ever changing market place. Uncertainty and trends have placed companies in a race against time. Gone are the days when work for every segment of consumers like a charm. The life and soul of the market place today is focusing and engaging specific target market. Major paradigm of strategic re-positioning is now introduction of small scale change with budget.Value based system is the money spinner that competitors have been using to bring companies down. Strategic re-positioning and exploitation of brand advantage is the only cash cow that can be used to counter them. The re-positioning strategy below will keep the company aware from the failure. 1. Reposition brand internally. Internal brand building is an emerging trend in marketing that is used to solidify the position of a brand in an organization. Brand based internal communication will communicate new strategic position of a brand to employees of an organization.Major home improvement companies like Home Depot, and Lowes are example of companies with strong internal communication. Engagement will foster strategic intent of re-positioning in to the training experience and job activities of employee. Organization alliance with brand re-positioning activities will enable company to achieve increased customer referral expanded sale portfolio, and customer service efficiency. 2. Carry out consumer analysis The essence of carrying out consumer analysis is to identify prospects, customers and target group in order to position brand correctly.Success will go an extra mile if new product development can focus consumer’s need and wants. New brand profile should correlate with consumer behavior and value. New product development manager have to make sure that they meet and exceed consumer expectation in order to make them loyal to brand. And lastly company should engage brand in the mind of consumers consistently in order to create a lasting emotional affinity. 3. C ompetitive analysis Competitive analysis is the assessment of the strength and weakness of your rival. Company does not underestimate the power of their competitors.Emergence of technologies has made it easy for them to gain insight in to the future before anyone does. New product development should create an uncontested market space by making sure their marketing mix is innovative in nature. They can differentiate the position of their brand by instilling a distinct feature in price, promotion, distribution and the product itself. 4. Fine tune to advertising strategy Companies like Verizon, gap, apple, Microsoft and MacDonald have fine-tuned their advertising strategy to â€Å"consumer needs† tactics. Appealing message will create brand awareness and increased sales to them.By using a medium that will clearly communicate new brand position and features to existing customers and prospects. They have to employ message that has specific objective in order to add value, success, quality, excitement, substance, and equity to the positioning of their brand. Besides that, advertising objectives should be derived assessment of market situation, price position, competition, and channel of distribution. 5. Create good relationship with trade partner and channel members Trade partner and channel members are people that ensures product or brand gets to the hands of final consumers.Intermediaries have very strong ties to brands. Good strategic partnership and relationship with channel members are very important in ensuring that new brand position is communicated to consumers. They can also supply sales force and marketing communications necessary persuade consumers to go beyond buying a product. Companies like Dell Computer, FedEx, and Charles Schwab have a very great system that have enabled them achieve a very powerful competitive advantage. 6. Reassess It is always good to carry out assessment of brand position continuously to ensure relevance in the market.This strategy will eliminate risk and problem from piling up. It is done by carrying out internal and external analysis of brand rating within employees, customers and prospect. The result of the analysis will enable them to know the strength and weakness of brand position. Furthermore, data collected will enable you map out informed strategy to reposition their brand all over again. PROFITABLE WAYS TO REPOSITION A BRAND The reason is because brand re-positioning strategy is applicable to wide range of real business problems and marketing issues.Brand re-positioning is the only effective strategy that can generate feasible solution to problems based on current needs of the market. Therefore, it is imperative organizations understand specific ways to reposition a brand. Below are illustrations of ways to reposition a product or services. i. To make brand relevant One way to reposition a product or service in the mind of target market is to make it relevance. Brand relevance can be define d as the alignment of brand’s identity, attribute and personality with the needs of target group.The reason behind making brand relevant constantly is because of changing needs of the society and profusion of alternatives. Brand relevance entails keeping brand current and significant in the mind of target group. It also encompass ensuring that brand resonate and connect to consumers emotionally. ii. To enhance brand identity Another way to reposition a brand is to enhance its identity in the market place. Brand identity is the visible element of a brand such as colors, logo, design, symbol and name that distinguishes a product or services in the mind of consumer.Identity enhancement is done especially if there is no consistency between brand interfaces and consumers. Redefinition of identity is also done when two or more company is merging together. Brand identity is strategic or substance oriented in nature. Brand identity begins with analysis of marketing environment and en ds with using research data to create relevant brand portfolio. iii. To enhance brand personality Organizations reposition brand personality especially when they need to solidify customer loyalty and engagement.According to David Aaker, author of the book â€Å"Building strong brand† â€Å"brand personality can also be defined as the set of human characteristics associated with a given brand†. It is also the personification of intangible and tangible traits of a brand. Brand personality projects beliefs and core value of product or services. It is a framework that creates passion and affinity for consumers. Types of brand personalities include trustworthiness, sincerity, strong, reliable, consistency, sophistication, and emotional. iv. To enhance brand experienceAnother way to reposition a brand is to enhance consumers experience in order to gain long term competitive advantage. Brand experience encompasses aligning product or services to end-user mood, needs, desires, and behavior. It also involves using stimuli to invoke feelings, sensation and responses. A memorable and unforgettable experience is created by being insightful, remarkable, valuable, dynamic, relevance and accessible enough to unravel gaps and deliver satisfaction incessantly. Customer’s physical & emotional expectations are enhanced by creating great experience at all faucet of interaction. . To enhance brand essence Periodically, organizations enhance the essence of their brand by associating brand with meaningful and relevant substance. Brand essence is a pathway for adding value and equity to a product or services continuously. The concept of brand essences is also defined as a phrase or statement that contains emotional connection or impression about product or services experience. It is the DNA or core characteristic that distinguishes a brand from other alternatives. Illustrations of traits associated with brand essence include unique, relevance, scalable, and susta inable. i. To enhance brand image/reputation Another Way to reposition the image of a brand is through its appeal, fame, and value. Business dictionary defines brand image as the â€Å"impression in the consumer’s mind of a brand total personality†. Brand image can be also defined as what a brand stand for or set of specific belief about brand in the mind of consumers. It deals with readjusting the perception of consumers on brand. It is tactical or appearance oriented in nature. Various ways to enhance brand image is through advertising, promotion, word of mouth, customer service and other touch points. ii. To adjust brand association Re-positioning of brand association is done by organizations to increase product or service appeal to core target group. Business dictionary defined brand association as the â€Å"extent to which a particular brand calls to mind the attribute of a general product category†. It can also be defined as the meaning, attributes, image associated with a brand in the mind of consumers. Associating brand with enchanting features can solidify loyalty and turn consumers to evangelist or advocates.Various brand association include customers contact, advertisements, character, word of mouth, celebrity, category, geography, end-users, slogan, intangibles, products, extensions, and displays. viii. To emphasize on brand attribute Sporadically, factors like unstable market, short product life cycle, technological advancement, and alternative can make the attribute of a product or services irrelevant. Re-positioning of brand attribute is done by emphasizing on attribute that matter most to consumers or target group. Brand Attributes is defined as the properties or characteristics of a product or services.It can also be defined as the emotional as well as functional association consumers confer to a brand. Types of attribute include cost, friendly, authentic, innovative, prestige, and reliability. ix. Brand differentiation Or ganization indulges in differentiation strategy when they need to establish a strong identity in the mind of consumers. Business dictionary defined brand differentiation as the â€Å"result of effort to make a product or service stand out as a provider of unique value to customers in comparisons with its competitors†.Chosen point of differentiation need to be significant to target market, not used by competitors and supported by organizational resources. Types of differentiation include components, performance, experience, market leader, convenient, innovation, pioneer, essential, expertise, and responsiveness. WHY BRAND RE-POSITIONING COULD BE THE BEST SOLUTION THROUGH WEBSITE? When you have been working on a brand for a long time, it can be depressing to find out that it is not having the positive effect that you hoped.Examining the brand equity for the website can sometimes reveal that there is virtually no difference between marketing your company with the brand, and prom oting it without. This usually means that your current brand is missing the mark, and you are just not connecting with your customers. In order to create a better equity, and retain more customers while bringing in new traffic, you should seriously consider brand re-positioning for your website. Re-positioning a brand means changing the angle or design of your current brand marketing campaign, or even simply discarding your brand and starting again.On a website, which needs to be constantly changing in order to keep up with modern trends, it can actually be a good idea to reposition your brand every so often. This keeps the website fresh for your clients, and can also attract and retain customers who would not be otherwise connected, while also allowing you to fine-tweak the Brand Promise or other elements which affect the levels of brand equity. There are a number of reasons why you should consider brand re-positioning for your website. If you are just not attracting the sales that you had at the beginning, then changing the brand can bring back former customers.You would also need to focus upon promoting different elements of your products or services to keep the interest, but this can be a positive side effect of brand re-positioning. Another reason may be that brand you have chosen does not really match your website, and you are therefore losing customers. For example if you are promoting a brand of shoes with puppies and kittens on, then you would not want a brand image that more resembles a heavy metal poster. Your customers base their opinions of your values upon your branding, so the item and the brand need to be a close, if not completely perfect, match.A brand which clashes with your website or the item or service offered for sale simply has to go, and changing the logo, colors and appearance of your brand can be the incentive that some websites need to completely overhaul the way that they operate which was by leading to new initiatives that generat e more income for the owners. Brand re-positioning can also be a step designed to help the owner of the website with brand management, keeping the brand to a set design, and making it clearly different from other types of brand which are very similar to your own.If a rival company has put out a product with a virtually identical brand to your own, then you can cut down their stealing of your clients by changing the appearance of your brand. This type of brand re-positioning can also ensure that you keep up-to-date with your opposition, and don’t become the traditional website, as this can put off some buyers. There are also several different types of effects which can result from brand re-positioning. For example, you may find that changing the look and feel of your brand can make your company more relevant to the customer.If you offer a service, then you may find that your regular customers increase their levels of use, because re-positioning the brand has opened up potentia l uses that the customer had not previously thought of. It may also serve to make the customer take your product more seriously. Sometimes when a website has been used for a long while, clients can feel a bit bored about your site, and re-positioning can make them think again about your products. Re-positioning can also ensure that your brand keeps up with changing market conditions that would otherwise have resulted in a drop in sales.By constantly re-positioning the brand in the market, websites can keep themselves one step ahead of the competition, and keep up with current trends. Making sure that you don’t fall behind ensures that you retain customers and keep bringing in new ones. In the more modern era of the social network site, companies also rebrand in response to changing customer demands. Some websites may need re-positioning in order to keep the interest of ‘followers’, because it gives them something to notify their fans about, and so keep the compan y in the user’s memory.Others may hear direct complaints about their current brand, and this can lead them to reposition their brand in the market, hoping to ease customer dissatisfaction with a particular part of the brand’s products. Although you may not have experienced any opposition as yet, re-positioning is a good idea even for a very small company with social networking contacts, and in order to ensure that effective branding is installed, working with a company such as www. expertsbranding. com can ensure that you keep your brand contemporary and consistent even after it has been repositioned.SUCCESSFUL BRAND RE-POSITIONING There are three key factors in successfully planning for and delivering on brand positioning. There are of course many examples of this not going to plan and in fact companies having to back-track on their new promise to a more pragmatic place. The three components to success or consideration on this topic to be: i. Planning new positioning so that it fits within the existing reference points of the target market. Some company much like the creation of social media personas and communities and not trying to create a new identity or personality or place for the brand.That is too far away from the existing perception of that brand in its category and market position. ii. Ensuring that the audience will grant you permission to re-position. This stage essentially encourages the brand to again consider current customer sentiment. The question is they looking for the brand to evolve and change, or are they comfortable with where it is or not even aware of the current positioning. Essentially efforts are wasted if the audience are not likely or be receptive. iii.Finally, and I think critically, the last component is ensuring the organization delivers on the new brand promise. This seems logical, but the best examples of brand re-positioning are where brands start transforming internally and fundamentally – brand of cou rse needs to behave like it wants to be seen. No one likes a big talker with no follow through. EXAMPLES OF RE-POSITIONING BRAND SUNKIST In this digital age where music and the virtual world dominate most of the younger generation's daily lives, marketers have to change and adapt their strategies to reach their target market.Recently, the American soda brand Sunkist has initiated a brand re-positioning. They are now aimed at trend savvy teens and young adults. Sunkist's brand manager said that they just can't rely on traditional marketing. The brand's mother company, the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, is now utilizing YouTube, MySpace and Facebook platforms to promote their products. The company has also partnered with MySpace to promote its project. Sunkist has also created four new videos featuring young break dancers out at night.Many brands and companies are now using digital communication mediums and social media tools for a more relevant communication strategy that is in line with t heir target markets’ interests and ways of life such as LG, Unilever, and Nutella. In an era when people are switching from television to computers and mobile phones, companies cannot only use traditional advertisement channels and must find new ways to reach their customers. Today, the proliferation of online platforms seems to be a great opportunity for marketers to enter this new age of communication.There is no doubt that Sunkist’s new strategy will help the brand increase its global awareness and successfully reach their consumers. Today, the young generation is more health conscious and probably less willing to buy drinks containing huge amounts of sugar. Sunkist did their market research before launching the new campaign to ensure their brand re-positioning is a success. JOHNSON AND JOHNSON Liquid petroleum is low-value, mass-produced and has a wide variety of uses; there is huge potential for mass marketing.The market name for this substance has been long known as Mineral Oil, used primarily for health and medical uses. But US pharmaceutical and fast-moving-consumer-goods manufacturer Johnson and Johnson bridged the gap between the initial R&D and the market-ready innovation by defining a baby-care niche: Johnson’s Baby Oil was born. This extended their ‘baby’ product range, which later also included ‘No more tears shampoo’. These products demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks of a ‘Focus’ strategy as the consequential brand re-positioning shows, operating in a niche has its limitations.The branding of their baby oil and shampoo has highly effective in defining their niche: happy babies in above-the-line advertising, pink packaging and a trusted producer sends out all the right connotations; mothers know that these products will never harm their babies. As a result of this, Johnson and Johnson can differentiate themselves from the competition by which is the essence of what a brand should aim to do that seduces a female-orientated target market to ignore generic competitors. This may have been key to uccess as Micheal Porter’s Five Forces demonstrates, Johnson and Johnson has less power than their customers, the supermarkets, who are also trying to sell their own-brand alternatives. Hence, branding to create a niche is a competition-driven objective. However, while it was a competitive strategy, nowadays the products are marketed to a wider, mass market and the ‘baby’ niche, which limited sales, has been ditched to pursue a new sales growth aim. This is essentially re-positioning a brand.The baby oil and shampoo, it is argued, if soft and gentle enough even for babies, then surely new consumers can be attracted to use the product, which mirrors a form of market development. Predictably, more customers equates to more sales and therefore greater revenue; also, by increasing demand Johnson and Johnson can benefit from internal economies of scale to red uce average unit costs, which boosts profit margins. But this is easier said than done: very good marketing was needed to successful reposition their products.Ironically, therefore, the secret behind successful brand re-positioning is not to change the branding to match the new consumer, but change the consumer’s perceived ‘needs’ to match the brand. REFFERENCES Brandsource. (2009, June 8). Retrieved 4 3, 2012, from Sunkist Brand Re-positioning: http://www. labbrand. com/brand-source/sunkist-brand-re-positioning Johnson and Johnson – Brand Re-positioning. (2010, August 4). Retrieved April 3, 2012, from Johnson and Johnson – Brand Re-positioning: http://manifestedmarketing. com/tag/johnson-and-johnson/ Derrick, E. (2011, September 9). The Blake Project.Retrieved April 3, 2012, from Branding Strategy: http://www. brandingstrategyinsider. com/2011/09/how-to-reposition-your-brand-for-higher-meaning. html Levey, C. (n. d. ). Re-positioning:Marketing Stra tegies. I. T . Partners. Lyle, S. (2011, June 13). The Academy of Business Strategy. Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://theacademyofbusinessstrategy-brandre-positioning. com/ McKinsey & Company. (2001). Successful Brand Re-positioning. Marketing Practice. Norlander, T. , & Unander-Scharin, M. (2007). Re-positioning- A Brand Personality. Bachelor Thesis, 139. Ryken, C. (2011,

Discussion a solution to the problem of protecting endangered species Essay

Discussion a solution to the problem of protecting endangered species - Essay Example Humans must realize that we are not the only creatures which use the world. Many species of animals are all around us, and sometimes our activities destroy the specialized habitats that these animals need in order to live, produce young, and have enough to eat. In the case of the right whales, conservationists recognized a need to preserve this rare and beautiful animal which was hunted nearly to extinction before being protected. Once protected, human activities were still killing the whales. The shippers did not have to entirely eliminate using the Bay as a port, but changing the routes to avoid the places where the whales spent their time meant that continued human activity would not continue to destroy the endangered species. This example shows that it is possible for conservationists, activists, industry and government to work together toward a common goal. Sometimes activists would like to completely prevent industry from exploiting natural resources, and sometimes industry does not make wise choices and completely destroys the habitats of endangered animals. The result of the small change in the Bay of Fundy was a record number of right whale births in 2009, which is a big step toward rebuilding the population of this endangered species. Small changes lead to big changes when humans pay attention to their

Alzheimer Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alzheimer - Article Example Currently there is no cure to the condition implying that its prevention is the only surest way of eliminating any danger associated with AD. The disease remained unidentified for so long despite its existence in early societies. It required comprehensive human psychology and consistent psychological evaluation to determine the behavior pattern of individuals. Even after its discovery in 11906, inadequate research on the topic has impaired the studies that would help determine effective cure. As a form of dementia, one would expect some of the dementia treatment procedures to help mitigate its spread (Mace and Peter 21). However, the condition that by 2006 had more than twenty six million infections exhibits different traits and effects on its victims thus complicating its diagnosis. The diagnosis of AD is an investigation of the patient’s genetic history a complicated process that entails the assessment of the patient’s relatives. The process investigates the presence of the presence of distinguishing neurological and neuropsychological features and the absence of alternate conditions. The process is theref ore hectic and complicated involving unconventional medical imaging using computed tomography (Soukup 11). The absence of such expensive equipment thus contributes to the spread of the condition that continues unmonitored in most regions throughout the world especially in the underdeveloped economies. Additionally, the condition requires extensive studies and research on the patients involving a detailed investigation of patient histories a feature that often weaken the effectiveness of the diagnosis, as some relations may not avail themselves for the investigations (Callone 11). Presently, AD has no treatment a feature that compels the use of certain methods of treating such similar conditions as stress and depression mitigating the effects of the condition. Just as explained earlier, prevention thus becomes the

Financial Ratio Analysis of Mondi PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Financial Ratio Analysis of Mondi PLC - Essay Example More importantly, with the global economy favoring emerging market growth and the European economy arguably poised for recovery, Mondi’s heavier investment in production capacity and forest assets indicates that the company is well-positioned to take early advantage of any market expansion that may take place in the near future. Â  Mondi plc is a premium listed company on the London Stock Exchange, and together with Mondi Limited comprises the Mondi Group which is an international paper and packaging manufacturer. The Group has production facilities located in 28 countries, with key operations in central Europe, Russia, and South Africa, and employing 23,400 people. Mondi’s goal is to become the ‘best-performing paper and packaging group in the world’ (Mondi Annual Report 2012) and approaches this with an integrated strategy that aims at attaining standards of workplace safety, ethical business conduct, social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and economic prudence in the course of pursuing its business practices and decision-making. Â  Mondi plc operates globally but is primarily treated here as a UK listed company, therefore analysis of the economic environment shall be focused on the UK to arrive at a concise finding. Later, the industry prospects of the paper and packaging industry shall be described with an expanded world outlook. Â  Data supporting the economic forecasts for the UK, as contained in the OECD Economic Outlook (OECD, 2012), are attached as Appendix A in this report. The OECD forecast highlighted four principal directions it sees in the UK economy. They are: Â  OECD forecasts for the nominal wage shows the likelihood of an upward trend commencing 2013.

Reattach paper bout (( The different spelling for different Essay - 1

Reattach paper bout (( The different spelling for different pronunciation between British and American english.)) - Essay Example This explains the different pronunciations of the word military. In American English, the word is pronounced as /mÉ ªlÉ™tÉ›ri/, whereas in British English the word is pronounced as /mÉ ªlÉ ªtri/ (Goldstein & Best, 2006). 6 In French loan words, for example, in the RP the first syllable is stressed while in GAE the second syllable is stressed. Words such as buffet, pr ´ecis are examples. In American English word stress there is less application of stress on syllables that end in letters such as /o/u/r/. On the other hand, British English applies a lot of stress on words ending in the same letters (/o/u/r/). This difference contributes to the difference in spellings in both American and British English. A good example of such words includes, color and behavior. In American English, the words are spelt as ‘color’ and ‘behavior’. In British English, the same words are spelt as ‘Colour and behaviour’. This is as a result of the different word stress applied on syllables that end in /o/u/r/ (Trudgill, 1972,). 6 The English language is spoken in a vast area with over 300 million people using it as their first language. English is different in various ways from one region to another and one such a variation is the American English that carries its own identity (Schachtebeck , 2011). The differences in the language are identified in many ways and particularly in the pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. The common recognized differences are the accent used in the two languages: the British and the American. Accent refers to the pronunciation features of different people from different geographical regions, social class, age sex or even the level of education. There are many accents and differences in the spoken English among people from different regions but most common are the differences in the American and British English (Werckmeister, 2012).

HR Strategy Achieving Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Strategy Achieving Quality - Essay Example However, in order to make it more official, they will request the employers to consent to it in case of employee violation, or the labor unions could sue the employer. (Deming, 1986) In the event that the 14 principles are against the requirements of a given union, the unions can instigate the push for legal action in an area that concerns the interested parties. In the case of an employer, the trade union will not support that which is against the rights of the workers. Similarly, union can also hinder the principles if through them the employer will be violating the rights of the employee’s participation in a trade union. (Deming, 1986) To begin with, is if the union supports the principles intended to benefit both parties (employers and employees); second, are the principles opposed by the union positive or negative; third, are unions willing to deliberate on a matter to come to an agreement; fourth, does the union address the needs of the members; finally, does union negatively or positively affect the employers or employees. (Deming,

TV media and violence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TV media and violence - Term Paper Example However, it is not enough to leave the subject vague and as such, there is need to weigh media positivity against its negativity. Focusing on media’s negative effects such as violence is particularly important in order to eliminate undesired moral values in a bid to build a better society. Televised media can arguably be considered the most influential form of media due to its ability to air in both audio and video forms simultaneously. Therefore, it is important noting that televised media does not only involve television programs and movies but also any other telecommunication medium that involves movements of images and sound such as video games among others. A large number of televised media platforms that people interact with in the modern have a form of violence. Violence refers to any form of aggression or activity that results to physical injury. In a bid to relate media to violence it is necessary to focus more on violence from the scientific perspective that seeks to lie more on determining causes of violence rather than the violent actions (Escobar-Chaves and Anderson, 2008, para. 2). This implies that media can arguably be considered as a source of violence in the society. Cases of violence especially among the young people have been on the rise since the introduction of televised media. Taking a keen interest in the development of people, televised media, which is part of the immediate surroundings of a developing person, can arguably be considered one of the factors that shape a person’s identity. This is to say that a person’s behavior is dependent on the ongoing activities relating to that particular environment. When people are born they do not poses personal identities. However, in the course of growth and as interactions increase, personal traits are developed based on an individual’s surroundings. A combination of self-discovery and the imminent environment leads to formation of self-identity (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2010, p.118).

Project Management Resources Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Management Resources Paper - Essay Example nd team would have the functional expertise in mapping out the requirements as well as translating the same into usable specifications for the first team. Further the expertise of this team is to be utilized for testing as well as they understand the scope and the functional aspects of the same. The schedule of the project would be for a period of two months. The first couple of weeks would be for the requirements from the various stakeholders and the next month would be spent in actual design and coding. The last couple of weeks would be spent in testing and implementing the tool. In case the schedule is crashed, the requirements phase can be merged with the design phase with parallel activities. This would involve moving beyond the normal â€Å"waterfall† model of SDLC and instead having an agile methodology. Resource risk: divided into two components in terms of knowledge acquisition and attrition risk. The first component is mitigated by training and knowledge sharing and the second component is mitigated by documenting the processes and knowledge management Variance: Any variance in the budget due to time, cost or quality constraints (the â€Å"triple constraint†) should be dealt by all the stakeholders. This is to be done by regular status reporting and identification of potential issues to be resolved by the various stakeholders This paper has attempted to portray some aspects of the project management processes taking an example of an automation tool for a maintenance project in a software company. While this is by no means comprehensive, it does address some of the questions listed in the

How Effective Is Police Stop and Search Essay Example for Free

How Effective Is Police Stop and Search Essay This assessment will focus on Section 1 of The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Stop and Search powers). I will look at the use of stop and search before the Macpherson report and after the Macpherson report and compare how it has changed. The use of stop and search powers allow the police to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and to prevent more serious crimes occurring generally in public places like a Football match. A police officer can ask what you are doing, why you’re in an area and/or where you’re going. They also have the power to stop and search you if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect you’re carrying; illegal drugs, a weapon, stolen property or something which could be used to commit a crime, such as a dangerous weapon. You can only be stopped and searched without reasonable grounds if it has been approved by a senior police officer. This can happen if it is suspected that; serious violence could take place, you are carrying a weapon or have used one or you are in a specific location or area. However, you don’t have to answer any questions the police officer asks you. The Police officer will note down seven details these include; Ethnicity, Objective of search, Grounds for search, Identity of the officer carrying out the stop and search, Date, Time and Place. However being searched does not mean you have been arrested, unless any of these factors apply. Sir William McPherson carried out an inquiry in 1999 following an investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The 18-year-old A-Level student was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked attack as he waited for a bus in Eltham, south London, in April 1993. Nobody, at the time was convicted of his murder. However in 2006 the Metropolitan Polices Acting Deputy Commissioner, ordered a cold case review that led to the convictions of Gary Dobson and David Norris in 2011 they were found guilty by an Old Bailey jury after a trial based on forensic evidence. Scientists found a tiny bloodstain on Dobsons jacket that could only have come from Mr Lawrence. They also found a single hair belonging to the teenager on Norriss jeans. Both men have had previous run-ins with the law; Dobson was jailed for five years in 2010 for drugs trafficking. He is among a small number of men to have been tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy) after the Court of Appeal quashed his 1996 acquittal for the murder. Norris was convicted in 2002 of a separate allegation of racially threatening behaviour. Allegations of incompetence and racism against Metropolitan police officers that were in charge of the case sparked the original inquiry as did two internal police inquiries which acquitted the Metropolitan itself. In relation to the stop and search there is no actual change in the stop and search powers for the police. However records of all stop and search operation have to be published, and a copy of the record can also be given to the person involved if requested therefore there can be no discriminative reason to stop someone as the police have to provide written reason to the suspect and the police force. The 1981 Brixton riots and the subsequent Scarman report were key factors in the passage of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). It provides the core framework of police powers and safeguards around stop and search, arrest, detention, investigation, identification and interviewing detainees. The aim of PACE has always been to establish a balance between the powers of the police in England and Wales and the rights of members of the public. Literature Review The immediate effect of Macpherson saw a decline in the use of stop and search. In London, stop and searches fell from 180,000 in 1999/00 to 169,000 the following year. Nationally, the number of stop and searches fell by 21% and then a further 16% from 1998 to 2000. By December 2000, representatives of rank and file officers were saying that Macpherson had damaged morale. Officers, they said, were unprepared to use stop and search out of fear of being labelled racist. So William Hague called for there to be a rise in the use of Stop and Search. This was evident in 2001 when Mr Hague linked a rise in violent street crime in some areas to a drop in stop and searches of black people because police officers feared being called racist. However, this can be argued as many black and Asian people including Stephen Lawrences father, Neville, who filed a complaint after being stopped last year said they were still being unfairly targeted. And in January figures from the Home Office showed that the fall in searches was greatest for white suspects with black people still ive times more likely to be stopped in London than white people. The Equality Act 2010 makes it prohibited for police officers to discriminate against, harass or victimise any person in relation to age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, marriage, civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity when using their powers on the ground of protected characteristics (Home Office 2011). This shows they have tried to control the situation of racism in the force and tried to put a stop to it. However racism within the force goes back decades as before 1984 police were allowed to stop and search whoever they wanted therefore it became easier and more of a habit to target people who fit ‘criminal persona’. This laid back approach to stop and search caused problems because police became discriminative to the public which can be shown in the Home office statistics (Police and Criminal Evidence Act, The 1984). Research shows this is still happening today even though the Equality Act 2010 was put forward this is evident in (justice 2010). Black people are 8 per cent more likely than whites to face stop and search. In relation to the McPherson report the Committee said that since the introduction of the report the police have made tremendous strides in the service they provide to ethnic minority communities and in countering racism amongst its own workforce. This is evident in the fact that sixty-seven of Macpherson’s 70 recommendations have been implemented fully or in part in the ten years since his report was published. However the statistics show that there is still racism in the force therefore were McPhersons recommendations needed or could he have focused more on the problem in hand? Many people see that that racist persona of the forces comes from the idea that police officers are hard, tough, and will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour. This is called cop culture which is hard to define as it has moved from discussing about one culture to discussing different cultures such as ‘subculture’, ‘street culture’, ‘patrol culture’, ‘canteen culture’ (It can be defined as where the police share the same sense of identity which evolves around work, hard play and hard drinking), ‘headquarters culture’ and the ‘cardigan squad’ (the soft and fluffy culture). Cop culture can be seen as many different things depending on how you view the police themselves. In Britain the Scarman report in 1981 riots in Brixton was influential and raised the importance of stop and search on young black men who felt they had been unfairly targeted due to their colour. Rowe argues that while not all findings were the ‘militaristic style of policing, with poor public engagement t established recommendations relating to policing for example on training, the role of community policing, lay visitors at police stations, discipline and stop and search’. Rowe also mentions that the recommendations mentioned in the Scarman report were reiterated in the McPherson report almost 20 years later suggests that the recommendations were not effectively implemented in the Scarman report (Rowe 2007:155). However McPherson was more forthright using the term ‘institutional racism’ that Scarman shied away from, making the problem more visible to the public. This is evident when the metropolitan police mishandled the Stephen Lawrence case due to a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers’ (McPherson 1999). In terms of police culture, institutional racism was said to incorporate racist stereotyping of black people as potential criminals or troublemakers (McPherson 1999). Taking this into account a racist officer can be seen as an incompetent officer as it is finding a lack of understanding of cultural diversity illustrated in the existence of cultural crisis in the metropolitan police therefore they should be retrained or dismissed. Many people of been very critical of the McPherson report one main criticism is that although McPherson made 70 much needed recommendations for the force he did little to bring justice for the family of Stephen Lawrence which was the reason he originally conducted the inquiry. However 11 years after the inquiry was completed justice was in fact served for the Lawrence family but not due to McPherson’s recommendations. This shows the failings of which the Macpherson Report draws attention too, is in relation to the police investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence which is important, but the explanation as to how and why the problems occurred is somewhat limited which needed to be noted as well. This means that he noted the problem of racism but didn’t recommend to put the case back on retrial. The problems identified by McPherson are not only unique to this case or other racial murders; but rather they are related to the social, legal and organisational environments in which this sort of police work should be undertaken at all times. The stop and search has been proven to be a success for the police, the power to stop and search people who they suspect of being involved in crime is an important tactic. It provides a means to confirm or allay suspicions about individuals without exercising their power of arrest. Where the stop and search is employed appropriately and proportionately, it could increase community confidence in the police force and make a positive contribution to reducing the fear of crime. Stop and search has been very successful in relation to knife crime. For example October 2009, more than 380,000 stops and searches have been conducted; 14,700 people have been arrested; and more than 7,500 knives have been recovered. However the stop and search has seen negative attitudes in relation to law-abiding people who feel they have been unjustifiably targeted. These people are less likely to trust the police and co-operate with them when they have a problem, therefore conducting effective policing, becomes much more difficult. There are still concerns in relation to stop and search and through this the equality and human right commissioners are continuing to monitor how the police are using their stop and search powers. They want to see: a reduction in the national figures for race disproportionality in the use of stop and search powers. A reduction in the number of excess stops and searches carried out on black and Asian people. Also forces with high excesses, in particular the Metropolitan Police, taking action to ensure that the powers are being used in a non-discriminatory and lawful manner. They are also monitoring and concentrating on forces that currently have particularly high rates of disproportionality, in particular some southern rural forces, taking action to reduce their race disproportionality ratios. And finally the forces with race disproportionality collaborating and sharing good practice with their neighbours. The lack of ethnic contact outside law enforcement and in the law enforcement needs a clear transformation. The criminal justice system can in no way be prejudice, discriminative, racist or sexist. They are there to keep the public safe and the public has to trust them otherwise the system would fail, the public have to be extremely open-minded. One way to do this is to focus on race awareness training for all police officers in and joining the force. However this strategy has been used before and after the Scarman report and unfortunately made little impact over the decades since. Macpherson is aware of this but fails to adopt a more radical policy agenda directed at the structure and organisation of policing and the relationship between police and ethnic minorities in the law-enforcement situation itself therefore the race problem is still occurring. To conclude many will argue that not much is different before the McPherson report during and after. The statistics show that being of ethnic origin walking the streets you are more likely to be stopped then if you are white, this stereotype needs to be changed and then the force will be less inclined to stop people of this description with little or lack of reason. However there has been a decline in the amount of black and Asian people stopped but also a decline in the amount of officers that use stop and search on regular basis in fear that they will be labelled a racist. The police need to find a balance between being labelled and doing their job to maximise the trust from the public and minimise fear of crime. Therefore the public and force can come together to make the community the safest place possible.

Benefits of Outsourcing Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Outsourcing Essay There are a number of outsourcing benefits that have been recognized by the researchers and they are as many as thirty two advantages of outsourcing. The following will describe the various benefits that will be provided to the university if it plans to outsource the activities in the future. The first kind of advantage that is received by outsourcing is that the overall costs of those functions are reduced and there are no more overhead costs for the university. This means that the company would try to reduce its overhead costs by simply passing on the costs to the outsourced company so that it would be at an advantage. The second advantage is that of off-loading non core functions. As has been mentioned before in the paper, when a university would outsource, it would make sure that it out sources the non core functions so that it can concentrate more on the core activities that it is supposed to perform. This in turn would allow the university to become more competent in its field and allow the university to concentrate more on the work that it is good at. This is the main purpose of outsourcing to a company. Another advantage from outsourcing is that the personnel would now be shifted to the core activities. This means that the company would now take upon the non core activities and leave the university with the benefit of shifting its employees to the core activities of teaching and research where the employees can work with one another to explore new areas that have not yet been researched by people and many other ways. The employees would now be able to concentrate more on the core activities and give their full attention in stead of being worried about the daily chores that were to be completed on time in order to move ahead with their work later on. This was a hassle and a barrier for the employees to move ahead in life and bring new changes in the university. Once the employees are able to achieve the sense of not having to complete the daily chores because they are being handled by someone else, they can concentrate on their skills and how they will be used more accurately and in the right way in order to help the employees an the university to move ahead and face the competition that they have from various other universities as well as the online services that are provided by them. There are a few more advantages that are listed below such as: 1. â€Å"Get access to specialized skills 2. Reduce need for internal commitment of specialists 3. Save on manpower and training costs 4. Control operating costs 5. Improve efficiencies through economies of scale 6. Improve speed and service 7. Level out cyclical or seasonal fluctuations 8. Eliminate peak staffing problems† (Tips and Trivia, 2005 ) Conclusion In conclusion, it can be said that the university can think of outsourcing its operations to other companies that can handle the work so that there is no disruption for the university to do its work on time. The university will now be able to face the fierce competition that is there in the filed of education.

A Business Plan of Medical Services Marketing Essay

A Business Plan of Medical Services Marketing Essay The medical tourism industry is in a rapid state of growth, both in Singapore and globally. Growth in consumer demand for health services delivered by foreign medical professionals continues to grow for a variety of reasons, including insufficient regional health care systems and the growing expense of performing domestic procedures in their countries of origin. Sometimes, booking a medical tourism package is simply an excuse to visit a foreign land whilst also to consolidate their travel interests and save costs. This growth in medical tourism provides enormous opportunities for launching Singapore MedTours and ensuring it can grow and be sustained. Medical Services Tourism is not without many business risks, including high levels of competition from intermediary companies designed to help consumers plan itineraries for medical services. There are also risks to the client that must be considered, including ensuring that they fully understand their own health risks so as to secure liability factors for the business itself. In terms of strategic objectives, a comprehensive risk management system must be developed. However, outside of these risks, profit potential is quite considerable due to the large customer demand that exists in many different foreign countries. Singapore was chosen as the country to launch the new Medical Services Tourism Company because of its award-winning infrastructure, the ability to raise new capital through a variety of means and even for the education system that can provide quality employment for the business by skilled professionals. Singapore is ideal for Medical Services Tourism and this business plan provides a comprehensive plan for the launch of the company. 2.0 Business description Medical tourism involves availing medical procedure in a foreign country. Westerners form a large segment of medical tourists who are attracted to quality healthcare and large savings as compared to the medical costs in their own countries. The patients then can take a vacation in the host country after receiving their medical treatments. Often patients can cover their surgery expense, flight and hotel accommodation charges for quarter of the operation cost they would have paid in their country (Puah, 2008). The Company would be named Singapore MedTours and it will be a Private Limited Company (See Appendix 1). The firm will act as an agent that facilitates tourism of international citizens looking for quality and affordable health care that they might not be able to achieve in their home country. It will be a start-up company with an onsite facility for receipt of travellers and to satisfy their inquiries on medical tourism. The agency will make profit by charging commission on these transfers and any additional profitability received from supplementary, non-medical tourism that might be booked through the agents or its online website. Mission Our mission  is to provide Safe, Affordable and Quality health care options to our customers through world class health care system of Singapore. Source: Author 2.2 Industry background The medical tourism market has nearly doubled in recent years, and is currently valued at over $20 billion every year (Gaddum, 2010). This makes medical tourism ideal as a profit-generating business with huge growth potential. Medical tourism fills a valuable niche that is desperately needed in countries with bureaucratically flawed or unaffordable healthcare (discovermedicaltourism.com, 2008, p.2). One of the reasons that make foreign travel so appealing to a variety of international tourists is in areas of cost. For example, in the United States, it might cost approximately $30,000 for a knee replacement surgery, where in Singapore these costs will be much less at only $18,000 (placidway.com, 2010). It is largely this cost difference, for the same medical expertise, that is making medical tourism such a booming business not just in Singapore. Some of the major countries that are offering Medical Tourism in the world are: Countries Medical Inbound Tourists 2002 2004 2005 2006 Thailand 390,000 520,000 Malaysia 210,000 320,000 374,000 410,000 Singapore 117,000 179,000 India 100,000 150,000 Source: http://www.ihf-fih.org/pdf/25-28.pdf Singapore is among the most attractive destinations for health care travelling. The country has been awarded as the Best Medical/Wellness Tourism Destinationin 2007 and will be the Leading Destination for Health Care Service in Southeast Asia (MedTourismReview, n.d). 2.3 Goals and Potential of the Business According to Singapores minister of trade and industry; Singapore is a good place to raise funds, both equity and loans, including venture capital. (Satapathy, 2003, p.1745). Singapore was chosen as the start up location because of the ease of access for funds related to the launch as well as securing future loans or capital for improvement and expansion of the business. Because of the quality availability to investment funds and other loan-generating entities in Singapore, the business has several goals for short term gain: Source: Author A long term goal of Singapore MedTours is to create an internationally-recognised name in medical tourism that outperforms competition. There is massive potential for creating a strong marketing presence internationally based not only on growing consumer demand, but because of the systems already in place in Singapore to assist in developing a sound advertising programme with higher global exposure. 2.4 Uniqueness of service Singapore MedTours will have several unique features designed to make it outperform competitive entities in this industry. Singapore MedTours would offer a low-risk guarantee to enable the customers in moving forward with their medical tour with strong faith. In any case if after arriving at the destination, the conditions of treatment seem unacceptable to the client, we will give the liberty to cancel the surgery. The only charge the client will be responsible of is the air fare and accommodation. To our knowledge, were the only medical tourism company  that  offers this type of protection in Singapore. Also MedTours would be unique in supplementary services related to medical tourism that will improve profitability and improve the word of mouth reputation for the business. Offers the founder of Scotland-based Company Globe Health Tours; This is a huge word of mouth business (Crawford, 2006, p.1). Therefore, Singapore MedTours will be equipped with high quality service dimensions that please the travelling tourist and also improve customer relationships using advanced CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management software). 3.0 Marketing Marketing will be crucial to the success of this new business launch because of the importance of word of mouth to the company. With high levels of competition in this industry, an improved and superior marketing presence must be available and the funds needed to make this a reality will be allocated to this effort. 3.1 Target market identified There is no one, singular market available to this business because of the ability to capture the attention of many different consumers hailing from many international locations. No two patients are the same, either in their needs or the type of journey they either want or require (newsweekshowcase.com, 2010, p.1). This means that it would be quite difficult for the business to isolate a single target market strategy that would fit the needs of the majority of travellers who look toward our services. However, despite these unique consumer needs, medical tourism industry is dominated by patients from United States. In 2008 alone estimates put that more than 1.3 Americans travelled abroad for the exclusive purpose of seeking medical care (Health-Tourism.com, 2008). The marketing strategy should take into consideration the high volume of customers that will come from this region and use communications strategies that fit the needs of this high profit-generating customer client. Other international customers will be measured using software and database tools to determine which international location brings the highest volume of customers, and ongoing, future research methods will be used to determine their needs as they arise. Market Survey Research Objectives To analyze the growth potential for the business. To analyze the consumer needs according to their relative priority. To analyze the level of favourable consumer expenditure. Customer Profiling and Characteristics Customer profiling is important as it aids in identifying and catering to customers in every possible way (Anderson, 1997, pg 71). Based on the market survey conducted, most of the respondents show favourable response for medical tourism. A majority of respondents with negative response towards medical tourism shifted to need more information aspect when medical tourism benefits were mentioned. However the two main factors motivating respondents to be favourable to medical tourism are cost savings and high quality healthcare from internationally accredited hospitals. The most preferred service attribute is high standards of service with considerable savings indicating that not all consumers bargain hunters. It also indicates that respondents are not willing to compromise on quality for cost reduction. Determining the critical factors for success majority of respondents preferred English speaking population and highly accredited hospitals. The most influential means of promotion is word of mouth followed by hospital referrals and company website. In addition, with the various competitors positioning and competitive comparisons, most consumers decisions are influenced by Brand equity and awareness play an important role. Target market Based on the Market Survey conducted, Singapore MedTours will focus on target markets which are of high growth potential. The market is divided into the following segments which in turn will provide the company with clear focus to direct its marketing strategies Geographic segmentation: North American Citizens. Demographic segmentation: Age: 45-65 Income: U.S $24000- $70000 Psychographic segmentation: Customers keen on quality of service and interested in good savings while not in favour to comprise on safety. US Medical Tourism Market According to the Market indicators United States medical tourism has got good prospects in coming decade and beyond. In the United States, medical surgeries are very expensive, and every year millions of Americans default to pay for the health care expenses they require they are either uninsured, uninsurable or underinsured. According to a study in 2007 50% of personal bankruptcies are related to medical crises (Star Health Vacations, 2010). 3.2 Market size and trends In 2006, Singapore drew 410,000 international customers that received medical services primarily in form of Liver Transplants, Cardiac Surgery, and Joint Replacement (Hadi, 2009). And this number of inbound patients will exceed 1 million by 2012, with forecasted value of 3 Billion USD (The Internet Journal of healthcare Administration, 2010). Scotland-based Globe Health Tours experienced a 600 percent increase in business only after six months of operations (Crawford, 2006). In all, Singapore Medical Tourism is aiming to become a leading health care destination in all Asia and it witnessed a steady growth of 11.9% per year from 2004 to 2008 (prlog.org, 2009). 3.3 Competition Intensive competition exists in medical tourism, both internationally and in Singapore itself. Therefore, the company must create strong marketing presence and advertising know-how to make the business outperform competition step by step or service by service. Within the country, there are currently 29 hospitals that already provide health services to foreign travellers, with services being performed by over 7,000 physicians and 15,000 registered nurses (health-tourism.com, 2010). Because these hospitals already have contracts and/or relationships with other health tourism agents, there is a great deal of marketing work that needs to be performed by the business to make it stand out and be the preferred agency for these profitable customer groups. This well-developed network of physicians and agencies can be quite risky to the business model and require competitive focus to ensure improved customer preferences for the company. U.S agencies operating in Singapore: There are several U.S based medical tourism agencies, like Health Base Medical Tourism Agency, Planet Hospital, which are providing health tourism services in Singapore to patients of America. The companies are similar to each other only differing in the fact that they are tied up with different hospitals in different locations. U.S Agencies operating in other medical tourism countries: These agencies are tied up with budding medical tourism countries such as India, Thailand, etc. Key players include World Med Assist, Indus health, Quest Tourism, Med Journeys, Med Retreat SWOT Analysis of Singapore MedTours Strength Well trained staff with heavy focus on building customer relationship before and after their stay in Singapore. Creating an easy to use Website and employing advance Customer Relationship Software to attract and retain clients interested in Medical Tourism. Singapore is ranked 6th in world for the quality of health care provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Medical tourists should not be able to witness chaotic events during their stay in comparison to the other Asian countries as Singapore is urbanized and clean country. JCI-certified hospitals and healthcare facilities are found in abundance throughout Singapore. English is one of Singapores official dialects. Though the cost of healthcare in Singapore is not as low as India or Thailand but they are still lower in comparison to Western Europe and the USA. Weakness The cost expenses in medical processes and treatments in Singapore are relatively high when compared to other Asian medical tourism countries like Thailand, Malaysia and India. The geographical location of Singapore is such that the climate is rather hot and humid which maybe a hindrance to the westerners especially during the post procedure and recovery stages. Accommodation, transportation and the cost of goods in Singapore is more expensive as compared to other Asian countries The travel times to Singapore are considerably very lengthy for the US medical patients. Opportunities World-class tourism service industry present in Singapore can help in recruiting best talent for the Medical Tourism. High market Growth Healthcare services from countries with aging population increasingly seek medical tourism. U.S. workforce is seen to be increasing more in context to globalization Low-cost global air travel had made Singapore all the more accessible for inbound patients. Employers and health plans targeting commercial populations have become accepting of the various benefit of medical tourism. Threats There is seen to be fierce competition posed by other Asian medical tourism countries like Malaysia, India and Thailand. Popularity of Medical Tourism may encourage more competition to open business in Singapore. New technological breakthroughs can make previously very expensive healthcare affordable in the clients home country. Global endemic outbreaks like H1N1, SARS, and Bird-flu etc in western countries can inhibit travel of foreign travellers to Singapore as government may impose restrictions. Source: Author 3.4 Estimated Market Share In order to estimate the market share few of the assumptions has been taken into account: That the rate of people seeking foreign medical services continues to grow at the same pace, with 1 million people entering Singapore in 2012 for this purpose. Very High volume of competition present in the country. Based on the above two considerations the firm is taking the minimum target of just 0.1% Market share, i.e., 1000 customers for the 1st year which it plans to grow to 1,500 in 2nd year and by 2013 the target is to reach 2,000 customers. The firm believes that this extremely low market share can be easily achievable by utilizing good marketing and promotion strategy and following best practices in the business. 3.5 Market strategy Positioning MedTours intends to work on a clear positioning statement of Quality, You can be Assured off which encourages customers to have complete faith in the company. The company will position itself as a reliable and friendly agency with utmost importance given to customer safety. The point of difference which separates the company from its competitors is the Quality Guarantee what the company provides and the idea of personalization of medical tours. This will help the company stay competitive while being positioned as a differentiated medical tourism agency. To be able to live up to the positioning the company will tie up with best in class hospitals and service providers with highest priority given to details of service dimensions. The company will purchase advanced CRM systems to improve overall delivery of customer services. The business will use, as one, marketing strategy, advanced training for its employees related to customer service to make the short encounter with the company one that is remembered and would help in creating good word-of-mouth publicity. Product Singapore MedTours will offer best of the medical services present in the Singapore by getting tie-ups with world-class hospitals of Singapore. Specific focus will be made on JCI-Accredited (Joint Commission International) hospitals like Alexandra Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Raffles Hospital, Parkway Group etc; so that inbound patients from US and other countries are assured that they are getting best quality service in a very safe environment. Services Offered By Singapore MedTours The following are the exact nature of services being offered by Singapore MedTours. Personal  preferences of patients would be given priority to select best hospitals and doctors. Source: Author Place Singapore MedTours will have a dedicated well-furnished office from where its entire staff can operate. Also in this office the customers would be received first and will be given initial briefing about the Medical Services they would be going through as well as general information about Singapore, its culture, famous tourist attraction etc. The main purpose of the office would be to make sure customers have one single easily identifiable and approachable location from where they could satisfy all their queries and solve their problems during their stay in Singapore. Promotion Approximately 78 percent of all medical travellers use the World Wide Web as their first choice for booking medical tourism (medicaltourism.com, 2010). Because of this high volume, market strategy will include a strong Internet presence that will require the expertise of information technology specialists to give the business a colourful, interactive and engaging online booking experience. The majority of the business will likely come from Internet exploration, therefore the budget must be allocated to a web design that outperforms competition and has the necessary information to make Singapore MedTours their first choice in booking their travel needs. The first publication of choice to improve visibility and awareness in customer groups will be the Medical Tourism Magazine, a bi-monthly publication that is distributed in a variety of international countries. Costs for these ads are $4000 for a full page ad and $2000 for a half page ad (medicaltourismassociation.com, 2010). This is a respected and well established advertising publication that will give Singapore MedTours better marketing presence. The company will purchase half page ads several times yearly to update its literature based on consumer research and success with other marketing formats. Additionally, web-based advertising will be part of the ad strategy that includes links to visit our business website on partnership or contract agreements with different hospitals, travel agencies, and physician websites. The goal of this rather inexpensive advertising method is to simply give the company more ad presence and ensure budget needs are met. Since most customers will not visit the business location prior to making their travel needs, web presence is vital to building higher profit and consumer demand. 3.6 Pricing Cost of Medical Treatment in Singapore If the procedure would cost $6000 in the U.S. financial savings might not be realized by the patients even if the same surgery costs $1500 in other country. By the time the airfare, accommodation and stay charges are covered patients may only realize a break-even scenario (Med Retreat, 2010). Hence with careful consideration the following procedures would be offered by Singapore MedTours. Comparison of cost between Medical procedures in USA and Singapore Source: http://www.health-tourism.com/singapore-medical-tourism/ Although the industry standard is 15% (See Appendix X) for each referral to the hospital by an agency but the firm would initially keep the commission fee at minimum 12% in order to gain competitive edge while start-up. This also aligns with our market survey where cost saving has been attributed as most important consideration for the customers. People Since this is highly service-oriented industry and the mission of Singapore MedTours is to have best customer experience as possible, so Singapore MedTours will make sure that it will hire competitive employees. Furthermore sufficient training would be given so as and when needed in order to cope up with market demands and competition. Lastly special packages and policies will be design to reward and retain the best employees of the firm. Process Process is extremely important part of any Service-oriented industry. Hence Singapore MedTours will make sure that its process is as efficient and as customer-friendly possible. Quality Control would be done regularly to identify and improve any bottlenecks and promote the best practices. Reviewing and Approving Online Membership Forms: Once an application is filled, detailed information based on the customer requirement will be provided allowing customers to make an informed decision. Assignment of an U.S Consultant to the patient: The consultant would cater to patients medical needs by designing a health tour plan. Informing the Medical Doctor: By sending digital copies of clients medical transcripts to the affiliated doctors for their approval to receive patient. Arranging for a Facilitating interaction between the Client and Surgeon: The process will be coordinated via email, teleconference etc. in this stage. Collection of Expectations Form and Desired `Travel Dates: To plan for exact tour plan. Checking Hotel Reservation at desired dates: The information will be obtained in this stage in order to be able to provide price quotations to the clients. Submitting the final price quotation for the health tour to the client: This is to avoid any further confusion and also to provide relevant information to the client. Deposit of necessary funds for health tour by client into Singapore MedTours bank account. These next few processes occur simultaneously: Finalize Clients medical consultation and surgery dates with the preferred doctor and hospital. Assisting clients in acquisition Passport/Visa Book clients Air Travel Itinerary which best suits their preferences. Reservation of accommodation for client Sending the booked travel and hospital information back to client: Now the client will make the trip from his or her own country to host country (Singapore). Assigning Destination Program Manager (DPM) to the client: Upon arrival of client in Singapore a DPM will be assigned permanently to client and the person will be their Personal assistant throughout the visit. This person will accompany the client to all their doctors appointments and medical treatments. Arranging for Pre-Surgery consultation with the surgeon: This process would be completed within 24 hours of clients arrival. The surgeon would review medical transcripts and tests to ensure that procedure can be performed on the specified dates. Assistance to client during surgical procedure and post surgery recuperation: After the client would be discharged from the hospital they would be accommodated in resort or hotel to begin recuperation process. Arranging for Post treatment vacation: After obtaining an authorization letter from surgeon, an enjoying vacation would be arranged for in Singapore. Assisting for Safe Return home of the clients: At the end of the tour the client will be send back to home country and the assigned US consultant would assist in any post-medical needs. 4.0 Operations Operational aspects of how the business is managed and structured will be key to its success. 4.1 Identify location The main requirements of indentifying the location for our business are: Low cost per square feet, large pedestrian volume and easy access to transportation (Abrams Kleiner 2003, pp67-68). Thus, after searching on the internet and checking the reality of the information with the agent, following address can be an alternative to the location of our business. Source:http://www.singaporeexpats.com/housing-in-singapore/singapore-property/code4349017-commercial-industrial-buy-FRONTIER.htm This location, compared with other places, satisfies the above requirements. The charge for buying this office is expected at around 570,000 SGD, and by using the yellow line MRT routine, the dense population of UBI become bigger and bigger. Also two MRT stations (Tai Seng and Macpherson) are very near to the location (gothere.com). The business prefers to buy the office instead of renting because in 3-4 years time the amount of rent paid would be equal to the total value of the office and since Singapore MedTours is looking for long term viability of the business hence it is buying the office. Source: http://www.gothere.sg/maps#q:52%20ubi%20avenue%203 4.3 Zoning Various Districts of Singapore: Source: http://www.propertyhub.com.sg/images/M_images/singapore_district_map.jpg The Zoning of the office was carefully selected while keeping the following considerations: The office should have as low as possible per square feet cost. It should be present in or near the heart of the city. Also the office should be near the Changi International Airport. The current identified location of the office is in district 14 which is quite near the Central Districts 6 12 of the Singapore. Simultaneously the location is near the District 17 in which the Changi Airport is located. It is very important for the office to be near airport as majority of its firms clients would be international medical tourists who would be arriving via air-travel. 4.4 Taxes The low tax rates and positive and encouraging business policies give Singapore a reputation of attracting FDI. The taxes in Singapore are much lower than most others developed countries and regions (Asia Biz). Whats more, the tax rates have continued to decline significantly over the years (Appendix 2). Therefore, from the tax perspective, Singapore is an attractive nation to do the business. Overall, to our service business, the following kinds of taxes are needed to be considered before starting the business: Income Tax: The amount of Income Tax is based on the income of our companies, and according to Appendix 1, the income tax rate is 17% and as a new start business, some partial tax exemption will be applicable to us. Goods Services Tax GST, also known as VAT, is a broad-based consumption tax levied on the  import of goods, as well as nearly all supplies of goods and services in Singapore. And the rate of GST is 7% (IRAS 2008). Only the sales and leases of properties and financial services need not to pay GST. Therefore, our company needs to pay 7% GST. Stamp Duties Stamp duty is a tax on executed documents relating to properties or interest in properties and shares or interest in shares. Documents such as a lease, sale and purchase, or mortgage of property need to pay stamp duties (Appendix 3). Thus, our company needs to pay this kind of tax. 4.5 Proximity to supplies There will be little concern over supply chain issues because of the quality distribution system that exists in Singapore. But also, the business will only need access to marketing literature and internal office/software support systems that can be easily procured with its renowned infrastructure for these tools. If the need arises for additional supplies, there are 3,000 logistics and supply chain companies operating in Singapore to assist with these needs at no risk to the business (worldcustomsjournal.org, 2007). All supplies needs can be easily satisfied. 4.6 Access of transportation Singapore has a well developed transportation network consisting of Metro Rail Transport (MRT) systems, Bus systems and Taxi Services that are all air conditioned. As it can be found in the location map, the location of our company near to two MRT stations, which provides convenience to our customers to reach our company. The mass rapid transit system in place is comprehensive and connects to almost all parts of the country (Lim, 2008). It is also considered among the best in the world (app.www.sg, 2009). Also with one of the world best airports, Changi International, the access of transportation to other nations is unobstructed (Changi). Transport is no risk to the business and can sustain all traveller needs. 5.0 Management 5.1 Management Team and Key Personnel Singapore MedTours being a private business therefore Management team would initially be comprises of the primary investors of the organization. The following will be the structure of the Management Team: Source: Author Deep Kamal Agarwal (CEO / Financial Director): Deep Kamal Agarwal is successful Information Engineer from an Internationally Accredited College in India. His both parents are respected doctor with over 25 years of experience and hence he has natural affinity and knowledge about the Medical Service Industry. He posses 2 years industry experience as an operational manager in Sunrise Naturopathy Health Resort in India. His forte lies in encountering any business problem and working out prompt solution for it. He believes in holistic business approach and is critical person for the firm to provide vision