BOEINGs Strengths Analysis Essay Example for Free

BOEINGs Strengths Analysis Essay Strengths Implications 1. Highly Skilled Managers The operation of the company will run smoothly. The performance of the company will improve and would lead the company to be successful. 2. Provide global customer support It would serve the customers better and it would be very convenient to those customers in other countries to ask for help. This would help the company to gain a better image due to the provided services to help the customers. 3. Outsourcing It can save time for the company to manufacture or assembly its products. 4. Emphasizing the product quality The durability of the company could last long. It gives the company to have a durability image to the customers. Customers would likely be satisfied and the company could gain some customer loyalty. 5. Recognized market leader Customers would likely choose them first as their priority. 6. Strong brand name Customers would easily associate the product. The brand name is instilled in the mind of the customers. Then, customers would think that the product is of good quality and the product would be their major choice when purchasing. The company would be able to generate higher sales for having strong brand name. It also has more advantage than the competitors in many areas. 7. Joint ventures/ Alliances with other aircraft companies It would help the company lessen its burden on producing other parts of aircraft. It aids on making the production of aircraft faster with the service of another companies. It would make the aircraft production for two aircraft companies sharing ideas for the betterment of the aircraft. 8. Many Features This will give higher probability that the customer would buy the product because of the extra features. This is absolutely an advantage for the company. If passengers are satisfied by this aircraft most probably that the airline would buy again from the same company of aircraft gaining customer loyalty. Weaknesses Implications 1. Layoff technical workers It will consume lots of time to hire new workers and will spend lot of money to train them if there is a need to do so. In fact, hiring or choosing the right candidates is a critical operation of the company. This might threaten other workers for being the next candidate to be laid off. And this would lead to lower productivity. Mostly, new workers are to be oriented and supervised so it will take time. 2. Mismanagement of parts or raw materials When the parts are needed, they are mostly not available for the production process. Thus, while in process, a halt might happen. So, it is not efficient at all. 3. Conservative Company The company could not improve well on its system. It could not adapt to the changes in the environment that leads to failures. It believes that its system will work well when in fact there might be other effective ways. It might lose some opportunities that come its way. 4. High Production Cost It might lead to higher cost of product to be able to earn revenue. And it is not consistent to the goal of the customers. It might also lead to lower demand and lesser income. 5. Every 12 years of generating or launching a new aircraft design Competitors might be the first to launch new aircraft that threatens the company. And they might surpass the ability of the company in terms of generating sales. When the time the company launches the new aircraft, most airlines have already purchased the aircraft of its competitors so it would not need to purchase again. Opportunities Implications 1. Transferring technological know how to new products or business The company has lesser difficulties in operating the new acquired business for they are using the same method from their own company. This means that growth occur in the country. 2. Extend reputation to new geographic area The Boeing company not only would want their domestic country know them but also to other geographic areas. As of now, airlines are more familiar with Boeing than its competitors. 3. Acquisition of rival aircraft company It means that there would be fewer competitors. It would also strengthen the system of the company. Because of involvement of more employees. These employees would contribute knowledge and expertise to help the company grow. New way of running the business may supplement in the development of the company. Im one way or another; it serves its purpose of improvement. 4. Expanding the companys product line to meet a broader range of customer needs The company may gain advantage on investing in a different product line. Facing new competitors would be a challenge on the part of the company. There might be opportunities waiting for the company. It is also an additional income for the company if it becomes successful. And to meet the needs of the customers by providing new products would lead to an aggressive and healthy competition. It also helps build the economy of the country if there is new development in companies. And it also leads to high employment because theres a need to hire more employees to implement the new business activities. Threats Implications 1. Competitor The competitor might out beat them and threat is higher for their market share. Lack of planning would have big impact to the company. They should anticipate for the rivalry between them. Timing and being competitive is important. If they are not met, this would incur loss in the  company. 2. Trade Barriers They may encounter difficulties in the regulation regarding aircraft imposed by the country to which they import their products to. They may also need documents before releasing or create an aircraft. 3. Deregulation of Airlines The regulation of the company for its customers would compromise in order to gain favor of the customers. This may affect the standard operation of the company and may also result to disorganized process of company operation. 4. Terrorist Attack The horrible incident of 9/11 may also be a cause of not buying another aircraft. People of that country would not want to travel because they are threat by the terrorist attack. It would results to decrease the people who are traveling and lead the airline customers freeze to buy aircraft, since the people who travel has been reduced. 5. Supply and demand for the aircraft The more people that are not traveling, the more chances that the airline industry wont buy new airplanes. This may results to low demand.

Culture and packaging Essay Example for Free

Culture and packaging Essay Packaging is considered to be an integral part of the product and is the first point of contact with the brand for a consumer product. So, most of the companies that do business internationally redesign their packages for each market. The principle reason is that expectations and utilizations of consumers vary across cultures. The world’s two leading industrial powers, U. S. and Japan have almost opposite approaches to packaging. Packaging is recognized as an expression of culture in Japan and designed to be appreciated, whereas in America cultural aspect is largely ignored and packaging is calculated to be accepted. Foods that only Japanese eat have beautiful, traditionally designed wrappings that resemble handmade paper or leaves and accommodate scan able bar codes. Such products look Japanese and are intended to do so. Products that are foreign, such as coffee, look foreign even to the point of having only Roman lettering on the can. We speak of global villages and international markets, but packages reveal some unexpected cultural boundaries. Few examples of such cultural implication of packaging are- Canadians prefer to drink milk out of flexible plastic pouches that fit into reusable plastic holders while Americans are believed to be so resistant to the idea that they have not been given the opportunity to do so, Japanese consumers prefer packages that contain two tennis balls and view the standard U. S. package of three as cheap and undesirable, Germans insist on highly detailed technical specifications on packages of videotapes, while Americans don’t, Swedes consider blue Colour of packaging as masculine whereas Dutch consider it to be feminine and so on. (Eric, J. A. et al. , 2004, p. 298) Culture Packaging Colour Schmitt and Simpson (1997) states, Colour is one of the many marketing tools that global managers use to create, maintain, and modify brand images in customers’ minds while Schmitt and Pan (1994) discovers, Colour is also an important component of many corporate and brand-building cues, such as logos, packages, and displays. It is a commonality reflecting in the views of both the authors that- Colour is one of the major element which affects consumer perception regarding a brand. The research results show cross-cultural patterns of both similarity and dissimilarity in Colour preferences and Colour meaning associations. Colour used in packaging is equally important in determining a product’s desirability. â€Å"James Mandle, a Colour consultant, changed the Colour of Ty-D-Bol’s toilet bowl cleanser bottle from light and green to stark white letters on a dark background. He believed that the original Colours were â€Å"too wimpy† and that the new, bolder Colours would connote strength and cleanliness. In an 18 month period following the change of Colour, sales of Ty-D-Bol jumped 40% (Lane 1991). † (Thomas, J. M. et al. , 2000, p. 91) Packaging is not about Colour only there are various other factors involved in it. Factors like design shape of the package, text on the package and other factors of the packaging. But it is true that Colour is the most important attribute in terms of attracting the attention of the consumer. Packaging is not only made up of a single Colour but combination of Colours to create a brand image. So preferences in regard to combination of Colours also vary across cultures. Few examples of such combinations are of pairing Colours with green and red. The Colour best paired with green is yellow in Canada, Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan, blue in Columbia, and white in Austria. Only the Chinese and Taiwanese pair green with red as red is a potent Colour in China. In Brazil and the US people pair red with black, whereas in Canada, and China, the preferred combination with red is yellow. ( Mooij and Marieke K. de, 2004) Culture Packaging Information Packaging not only protects and contains a product but also provide the consumer with loads of information about the product such as its composition, correct use etc. For instance, packaging of foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals provides information regarding the name of the product, manufacturer, country of origin, â€Å"best before† date and expiry date, ingredients and additives or composition of drug along with quantity and price. Since packaging is subject to country-specific legislation so ear of legal action has made many companies in the US and the UK includes all sorts of warnings on label instructions on consumer goods. On bar of Dial soap: â€Å"Directions: Use like regular soap. † On a Sears hairdryer: â€Å"Do not use while sleeping. † On packaging for a Rowenta iron: â€Å"Do not iron clothes on body. † On Nytol sleep aid: â€Å"Warning: May cause drowsiness. † On a child’s Superman costume: â€Å"Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. † On Sainsbury’s peanuts: â€Å"Warning: contains nuts. † On Marks Spencer bread pudding: â€Å"Product will be hot after heating. † On Boot’s child’s cough medicine:† Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication. † ( Mooij and Marieke K. de, 2004, p. 265) In the present scenario various countries have included packaging waste into hazardous matter to contribute in pollution. This led the government to adopt some policies to restrict the use of non recyclable products as a packaging material where it is not required. These have also posed challenge among business organizations to try and find out recyclable materials and present themselves as a responsible corporate citizen among the stakeholders. This is also one aspect of culture which leads to this kind of environmental concern approach. Culture Packaging Images/Pictures Imagery is an important element of packaging, as it enhances the accessibility of packaging information. As said by Bolen (1984), visual information in advertisements generally attracted more attention and was noticed before verbal advertising content. While Alesandrini (1982) declared, visual information may serve to attract consumer’s attention and set expectations for the contents of the verbal elements; the visual information thus serving as an â€Å"advance organizer† for the verbal elements of packaging. (Underwood et al. , 2001) Different culture recognizes various symbols differently with different meanings altogether. Picture that is very meaningful for people in one culture as it expresses important values of that culture can be completely meaningless to the people of the other culture. For instance, a box of pineapple cookies sold in Singapore has an image of a lion, as in Singapore lion is considered to be a symbol of royalty. Hence, if the similar box of cookies is launched in UK it won’t be given equivalent importance as in Singapore due to the differences lying in culture. Culture Packaging Communication Customer or prospect judges the products on the basis of its name as well. Language used on the product package including its brand or product name creates impression among consumers. Consumer interprets the information selectively on the basis of his culture and his own personal factors. Different aspects of marketing communications like corporate identity, brand name, package design, and advertising styles impacts consumer in certain ways. Marketing communications styles are interrelated with personal communication styles. Chinese-speaking consumers tend to judge a brand name based on its visual appeal whereas English speakers judge brand name based on whether the name sounds appealing. In Asia, visual symbolism is a key aspect of a firm’s corporate identity. A comparative study of package design across seven countries found that packages differ both in three-dimensional design and in the way they communicate through graphical design and vary in the use of textual information; use of Colour, shape, and symbolism; and degree of structure and detail in the package design. All the above differences are highly influenced by culture. Even the product category is influenced by the packaging design, for example Deodorant is communicated differently from cigarettes, and that is reflected in its design of the packaging. ( Mooij and Marieke K. de, 2004, p. 213) Why it is important to understand culture differences in cultures? It is always very important for a marketer to understand the culture of his target market place. Many good products have failed in the market only due to ignorance of socio- cultural aspects. There are underlying components that influence culture such as religion, family, customs, politics, weather, etc, which must be taken into account when marketing products on an international basis. Consequently, it is important for marketers to be aware of the 25% of cultural differences in the world market to promote their product properly. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand similarities and differences in culture which also affects the consumer purchasing behaviours across the cultures. (Weber, J. M. et al. , 2002, p. 396) Tastes and preferences of consumers vary in different part of world. In the European continent itself consumer preferences and taste varies so much that retailers Marks Spencer had to made different advertising campaigns for each country. Initially Marks Spencer has a single uniform advertising for the whole of Europe in 2001. Later it recognized its weakness and immediately changed the advertising campaign according to the taste and preference of different parts of European continent at the end of 2001. Toyota’s model ‘Camry† was a huge success in US which it tried to launch in UK market in 2000. It was a huge failure due to difference in the lifestyle and cultural set up of these two countries. Toyota re-launched it later with changes in the model according to the European culture and it was a huge success. Companies have to estimate the strength of their products along with the market they are trying to trap irrespective of their own brand name and value. One of the mistakes by the snacks giant Kellogg’s is Indian market was with its breakfast cereals. Within Indian culture people tend to eat heavy breakfast in the morning. In such market breakfast cereals as a healthier alternative to the heavy Indian breakfast was unattractive offer to the Indians. Later on company improved its communication strategies and compared it with traditional chapattis (Indian breads). Even in that case Kellogg’s could sell to a Westernized niche market only. So it is quite clear from the above examples that thorough understanding of the culture as well as its differences across cultures is very important to survive in today’s competitive environment. There are some other companies which have done very well in understanding various markets on socio-cultural dimensions like Disney, Pizza hut, dominos, Mc-Donald’s and others. Success pf these brands was result of their conscious effort to keep the significance of culture in their minds. These companies went local irrespective of their global operations for each and every market for them. One such example is Mc-Donald’s. The reasons behind success of Mc-Donald’s in foreign markets apart from a strong brand image and consistent service a standard around the world is, its advertising which is local and its product offer has a local touch. Examples are the Kiwi burger in New Zealand; the Maharaja Mac in India; the Prosperity burger in Malaysia; the Teriyaki burger in Japan; the McKorket in the Netherlands; McLaks, a grilled salmon burger, in Norway; and the Croque McDo in France that refers to the popular French â€Å"Croque Monseiur†, a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Advertising by McDonald’s in France tied into local habits and symbols. In 2001, for example, advertising for McDonald in France tied into â€Å"Asterix and Obelisk,† the most famous historical cartoon of the nation. Hence, localization makes it increasingly important for marketing and advertising people to understand the influence of culture. ( Mooij and Marieke K. de, 2004, p. 18) Importance of Colours can not be ignored in the case of international markets. Colours are associated with different cultural beliefs, moods and meanings. Understanding of these aspects of Colour, culture and society helps the organization to develop appropriate strategy. As said by (Kirmani 1997: Schmitt and Pan 1994), one marketing cue that global managers can use regardless of location is Colour. The effects of culture on the meaning associated with Colours are very critical for international marketing purposes. â€Å"Wagner, the creator of the Wagner Colour Research Institute, contends that Colours are associated with certain images (Lane 1991). For example, Blue is associated with wealth, trust, and security: Gray is associated with strength, exclusively, and success: and orange denotes cheapness. These associations may explain why banks are more likely to Colour their logos and collateral using Blue or Gray rather than orange ( Seitel 1993). It is cultural background due to which Colour has a strong effect on choice of a customer. It is important to understand which Colours are preferred by people in different cultures. It will help to create, maintain, or modify brand images in consumers’ minds. The associated with Colours and combination of Colours are important to understand for any marketer. â€Å"Colour combinations are considered culturally bound with certain ideologies and traditions (Geboy 1996). For example, black on red signifies happiness to Chinese people and is commonly used for wedding invitations while a combination of red over white represents celebration and signifies the life force to the Japanese ( Tektronix 1998). (Thomas, J. M. et al. , 2000) After Colour it is cultural beliefs which have impact on the consumer minds. It is important to understand the beliefs related to target product category within the target market place. For instance in India people feel that ancient herbal methods are good choices over the cosmetic options available today. This led various cosmetics company in India to launch their promotional programs comparing their product with traditional methods or showing the products equivalent to the traditional benefits. In these leading brands like Lux, Fair Lovely and many others are present. Success of a fair and lovely brand due to the fact that Indians believe fairness is beautiful. Vicco turmeric cream is another example which positioned itself as a cream that would be useful for would-be brides to enhance their complexions, as applying turmeric for skin care is a part of the Indian tradition. These types of behaviour which are associated with a specific culture or belief can also be associated with different product categories such as, for instance, the bindi worn in most parts of India. It is important that the brand name selected for such a product category should have an ethnic-sounding name whereas a Western name is prone to be counter-productive. (S Ramesh Kumar, 2003) Another product category is food where the role of mother and grand mother is considered important. This is the reason all spices, traditional quick meals and cooking oil etc contain some or more of the mother’s recipe kind of concept. Not only that change in the societal socio-cultural structure can also be seen as some of the advertisement in India show modern man helping their women in their work as well like washing clothes or taking care of child. There is a strong need to understand and consider the culture which constitutes of the values, beliefs and habits of consumers which show a discrepancy across the nations. The other aspect of the changing cultural environment and upcoming trends are also important to understand.

Branding Strategies Of Asda Marketing Essay

Branding Strategies Of Asda Marketing Essay Branding is a most important tool for any product or company to gain a long term market share. The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of branding and its implications in the retail market. This will include the concepts and practices of branding that are adopted by different retailers in the UK as well as the new challenges faced by these retailers in UK market. This research will identify the benefits of branding for suppliers, customers and for the retailers. I will identify the strategic approach which retailers in the UK can adopt as a role model to survive in a highly competitive market and this will include the survey of UK food and grocery retail market. I will also investigate how the changes in the market from the early beginning have changed the position of grocery supermarket chains. I will describe the in-depth branding strategies of ASDA, various operations of ASDAs stores and its competition with world-wide and UK retailers. This study will also identify and investigate the competitive position of ASDA amount other key players in UK such as TESCO, Sainsbury and Morrison. INTRODUCTION What is branding? According to the Websters dictionary a brand is defined as a mean of identification and an arbitrarily adapted name that is given by manufacturer to a product to distinguish it and it may be used and protected as trade name.  [1]   A brand is defined as a name, term, design or symbol or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services that identifies and distinguishes a specific sellers product from a competitive product of another seller. It is also defined as a part of a product and services tangible features, the verbal indication that help customers to identify the products they want. It plays a vital role in assessment of a product or service and can add value to them. It is a word which is commonly referred to by advertisers and marketing people. Why it is important? People generally recognize a well-known brand even if they do not know about the company or its products/services. These are usually the name of businesses or the name of a product, although it can be the name of a feature or style of a product too. A good brand delivers the message clearly and motivates the buyers. There are few other terms which have been used to define branding such as brand name, brand mark, trade name or trade mark. Thus branding is very essential for companies and it is beneficial for buyers and customers. INDUSTRY BACKGROUND ASDA was formed in 1965 with a merger of two companies, Associated Dairies and the Asquith Brothers supermarket chain Queen. ASDA Stored Ltd was created a supermarket with its objectives to offer the customers permanently low prices. In 1999 ASDA was acquired by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and ASDA became part of the worlds biggest and best retailer. Since then, ASDA also became Britains second largest supermarket. ASDA has now over 300 stores across the UK and employ 150,000 staff and its friendly service is as inextricably linked to the ASDA brand as their reputation for quality and service.  [2]   According to a recent survey, as of 1st August 2010 ASDA has 376 locations with operating income of  £638 million and ranking as second largest supermarket chain in the UK. ASDA Group Ltd., operates as one of the largest food retailers in the United Kingdom. The companys stores sell a wide variety of merchandise including food and apparel, along with house wares, music, videos and books. The company once known as a diary conglomerate was acquired by Wal-Mart Inc. in 1999. Under its new parents guidance, ASDA has been adding pharmacies, opticians, jewelry and photo departments to its stores.  [3]   ASDAS BRANDING STRATEGY According to a survey in 2004 which shows the key figures of the UK retail market, states that UK retail sales reached approximately  £246 billion in 2004. This shows that retail industry, generally, continues to show positive signs of growth. The retail industry in any country is generally a very active, fast changing sector. Thus it comprises one of the main sectors in the economy of a country, in terms of transactions and turnover; as a result, it is a highly competitive and sophisticated industry. My research proposal is about the importance of branding in retail market particularly in the UK retail, food and grocery market. I will identify the branding strategy of ASDA and its market share in the UK retail sector. Currently ASDA is using one strategy which is: In September 2010 ASDA announced that it is going to re-launch its mid-tier private label range under the new Chosen by You brand name in a bid to improve perceptions of the quality of its food. This new rang is a part of a  £100m investment which includes 200,000 UK consumers taste testing and benchmarking the products.  [4]   And now ASDA has also decided to launch their new opticians business adopting similar logos and using slogans making indirect references to the chain. ASDA ran a campaign featuring the two slogans: Be a real spec saver at ASDA Spec savings at ASDA  [5]   These strategies are helping and will help ASDA to gain consumers satisfaction. Although ASDA is already getting continuous growth with the diversification and extension of its existing stores but the retail market has become more competitive and having less market share can affect the overall ranking and position of ASDA in the international market. Therefore I will analyse and evaluate the strategic position of ASDA in comparison to other UK retailers and in conclusion there will be future strategic options suggested which aimed to strengthen its position in the highly competitive market and to gain customers satisfaction and loyalty. While using the same brand name, ASDA is also offering financial services to its customers which include: Insurance Credit cards and loans Savings Motor breakdown cover Energy supplying According a recent report at BBC (27 May 2010) ASDA has also announced plans to buy Netto for  £778m. Netto has 193 stores in the UK which will continue to trade under the Netto name for the time being but will come under the ASDA brand by mid-2011.  [6]   ASDA is continuously promoting its brand strategy and has announced that its customers will benefit from low prices on a significantly broader range of quality products, complemented by the wide range of services ASDA offer at all their small stores (ASDA Chief Executive Andy Clarke). ASDA brand George was bought by ASDA in 1995, George was started in 1990 by George Davies and it was the first supermarket clothing brand. Thus George grew and become the largest clothing retailer by volume in the UK today. This brand is also traded internationally by Wal-Mart. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The core idea of this research to analyze the different strategies ASDA is using for its branding to compete with all the supermarkets within UK to capture a large portion of market share in retail and other relative industries. This research will also throw light on the factors to identify how these branding strategies affect customers behaviour and why they chose ASDA as compare to all other supermarkets in UK. Without an appropriate set of objectives, you can end up not only with a misguided strategy, but with an unrealistic set of goals. Increasing brand awareness for a product that already has a baseline awareness of 99 percent, for example, can be virtually impossible. If you set the wrong objectives, you set yourself up for failure (Graham 2001).  [7]   This research will emphasize the practices of ASDAs brand objectives how ASDA is using its branding to get customers loyalty and trust within the competitive market where its main rivals TESCO, Sainsbury, Morison, Marks Spenser are operating side by side as strong competitor. ASDAs brand objectives are that it is comprised of ASDAs personality, image, core competencies and characteristics. ASDAs basic framework of its brand is to pursue to put an impression on its customers that describe the company to other people. ASDA is following the strategy of its branding to build a strong credibility and have more influence on the market and to motivate customers to shop at ASDAs stores. ASDAs objectives are to be looked as a leader and not as a follower. I will explore and find out that how ASDA is defining its objectives with specific timelines and how it has been developing plans of action to achieve those objectives. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Why branding is important and what ASDA wants from its brand to do? What does ASDA wants others to know and say about its products? How ASDA can retain its top ranking position in the UK retail market? RESEARCH AIMS Identify different retail brands in UK Identify current branding strategy of ASDA Review market share of ASDA in UK retail market Analysis of competitors of ASDA Study of future practices of ASDA Recommend improved strategy for ASDA to retain its top ranking position in the UK retail market. LITERATURE REVIEW The central concern of brand building literature experienced a dramatic shift in the last decade. Branding and the role of brands, as traditionally understood, were subject to constant review and redefinition. A traditional definition of a brand was: the name, associated with one or more items in the product line, which is used to identify the source of character of the item(s) (Kotler 2000, p. 396). A literature review is very important and critical for the justification of the proposed research in order to find out different factors to identify the research area and to clarify questions of the chosen research topic (Saunders, 2007). Aaker and Joachmisthaler (2000) argued the traditional branding model where a brand management team was liable for creating and coordinating the brands management program. In these circumstances, the brand manager was not high in the companys hierarchy; his focus was the short-term financial results of single brands and single products in single markets. The basic objective was the coordination with the manufacturing and sales departments in order to solve any problem concerning sales and market share. With this strategy the responsibility of the brand was solely the concern of the marketing department (Davis 2002). In general, most companies thought that focusing on the latest and greatest advertising campaign meant focusing on the brand (Davis and Dunn 2002). The model itself was tactical and reactive rather than strategic and visionary (Aaker and Joachimsthaler 2000). The brand was always referred to as a series of tactics and never like strategy (Davis and Dunn 2002). Brand is defined as a name, term, symbol, design or any other feature or a combination of any of them. Branding is used to define, or is proposed to identify the goods or services of one seller and distinct it from those of other sellers. Branding helps to differentiate ones service from those of its competitors. It plays vital role in assessment of product and can add value to a product. It is therefore an intimate aspect of product strategy. Therefore In developing a marketing strategy for individual products, the seller has to tackle the issue of branding. According to Peter Doyle; Brands are at the very heart of marketing. When a company creates a strong brand it attracts customers preference and builds a defensive wall against competition. Marketers and sellers make different strategies for their products and most of these are associated with branding. These decisions include how to create brands, how to choose brand names, brand marks, trademarks and trade names. A brand may identify one item, a family of items or all items of that seller. Brand loyalty is an integral part of building a brand, as consumers usually have a choice of products in the same market segment, and so a successful company will use a way to keep consumers re-buying their product or coming back to their stores rather than going to their competitor. These brand loyalty-building efforts may come in the form of coupons and incentives such as many grocery chains use a technique of grocery discount cards or loss leaders, meant to draw consumers into the store, where they will hopefully buy products at discounted fare with a higher profit ratio (Kumar 2010).  [8]   SOURCES TO BE USED FOR DATA I will be using different scholars books written in different countries on branding, why it is important and work of researcher all over the world in this field. As branding is the most important factor of any business, organisation, product or service so there is a lot of information on the internet, journals and newspapers. Proper references from all the sources will be included in my work. I will also be conducting interviews from different Managers of ASDA, TESCO and Sainsbury including some customers in the stores to get much information regarding my subject and a practical experience which will help me writing a good conclusion to my proposed work. Data collection will consist of surveys, interviews and observation with ASDA Managers, employees and customers as well as journal logs from scholars. As suggested by Prof. Francis Knox I am planning to conduct multiple interviews with each participant in order to provide more in-depth data collection and opportunities for follow-up. I will utilize a qualitative evaluation for this research project leveraging subjective methods such as interviews and observations to collect substantive and relevant data. I hope that such a qualitative approach will be valuable here due to the varying experiences of the Managers and customers visiting ASDA. Recent research on subject matter will also be consulted to validate collected data. DATA ANALYSIS Data analysis is an important part of any topic as it gives an outline and understanding of the subject. In the same way I will analyse the collected data by comparing it with all the other competitors of ASDA to find out how ASDA is benefiting from its branding strategies and objectives. I believe that data analysis shows the different things discussed in topic and which one is most suitable and favourable according to the situation. Data can be collected from various sources and its analysis gives understanding and shape to the topic or field of interest. Collect necessary Data to answer questions Analyse Data Creating strategies to use results Reporting out on recommendations and conclusion RESEARCH METHODOLIGIES My research methodology requires gathering relevant data from the scholars books, online journals, newspapers and internet and to compile the databases in order to analyze the material and to arrive at a more complete understanding of the importance of branding of a company or a product. The following chart can best represent how research methodology work: Source: http://www.clientopinions.com/pages/11/Research-Methodology/ My dissertation would be based upon primary and secondary sets of information available on branding within supermarkets and my research work will be based upon both qualitative and quantitative data, for example exploring the work of researcher on branding importance for supermarkets and conducting interviews with relevant employees working as Managers and customers of ASDA supermarket. In this research I will also include the current trends of branding in different countries of the world and especially in the UK. Questionnaires carried out during my research will help me to get the facts how big chains of supermarkets and other organisations are using their brand image to get a large portion of their respective markets. On the basis of all the relevant information available branding evaluation and conclusion will be carried out. The evaluation and conclusion will also include how and why ASDA branding is better comparing to its competitors and how ASDA can better use their branding strategy all over the world. The research approach is also constructive (Jarvinen 1999, Olkkonen 1993). The positivistic approach would have required a quantitative analysis of the system (Takala Helo 2000) which would be very difficult to accomplish without disclosing some confidential business information.  [9]   This nature of research is a process of finding information; analyzing, interpreting information to deal with questions which must have certain characteristics like be controlled, systematic, rigorous, valid and critical. My research will ideally be focused on primary and secondary research on ASDA brand name and image, which will enable me to get adequate knowledge and with the help of this awareness I will work on my dissertation with no trouble. I will be able to investigate the advantages of branding and will find out what can be the problems using a brand name/images in a most competitive market for a company. During this research proposal I found out that there is plenty of information available in the journals, books and on the internet specifically for ASDA and I will use that information in the dissertation to make it more clear and acceptable. With the help of this provided information I would be able to present this in a theoretical form including data chart, comparison diagrams etc, which will help to understand my subject simply. As mentioned earlier that brand is a most important tool for any company, product or service. There are so many products in the market who do not have proper brand name or image and these products disappear from the shelves after sometime. So in my research work I will explore few of those products and will compare the quality and price to ASDAs similar products, as this experiment will discover the importance of branding. EXPECTED OUTCOMES I consider that after having a detail study on brand name/image and its importance in the retail market and research on branding strategy of ASDA and its implementation, it will be helpful for me to suggest how ASDA can improve itself amongst its competitors in the United Kingdom. As we all know that branding is perhaps the most important fact of any business, beyond product, distribution, pricing and location for any company and this build a tangible trust and loyalty amongst the customers. Brand loyalty is an essential part of building a brand name/image as customers usually have a choice of similar products in the same market segment so a successful company like ASDA will come up with a way to keep customers re-buying their products or coming back to their store again and again rather than going to its competitors. During my dissertation while conducting different interviews and surveys I will find out how ASDA is successfully implementing its branding strategy and how it can more effectively improve this with my field work on this specific topic. So I conclude this proposal with acknowledging that if brand name is used properly, ASDA can keep the large share of the market. ASDA brand name is Saving you money every day, so as far ASDA is fulfilling the requirement of its brand name, there is no doubt that this big chain of supermarket will continue enjoying a large portion of the market share in the United Kingdom. During my research proposal I have found out that ASDA has improved its operations and thus it become the second largest supermarket in the United Kingdom and this is only because it has its long term branding strategies which reviewed on regular basis and the market is compared on weekly basis on the prices and quality of the product being sold at the similar stores in the country. SCHEDULE (DAILY TIME TABLE) Dissertation Working Process Start Date Finish Date 1. Introduction and history 01-01-2011 02-01-2011 2. Finalising aims/objectives and questionnaire 04-01-2011 06-01-2011 3. Draft a complete version of Literature review 08-01-2011 11-01-2011 4. Finalise Literature review 13-01-2010 17-01-2011 5. Revisit the methodology Literature 20-01-2011 24-01-2011 6. Finalising the research approach 26-01-2011 30-01-2011 7. Finalising research strategy and method 01-02-2011 03-02-2011 8. Finalising questionnaire and interviews 05-02-2011 08-02-2011 9. Entering and analysing the data 10-02-2011 12-02-2011 10. Update Literature if necessary 14-02-2011 15-02-2011 11. Completing the remaining work 17-02-2011 18-02-2011 12. Revise the draft make amendments format for submission 20-02-2011 22-02-2011 13. Write Reflective Document / add at the end of dissertation 24-02-2011 26-02-2011 14. Submit Dissertation Possible Submission Date: 31-03-2011

Radio Station Research :: essays research papers fc

Table of Contents Introduction  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 Scope of the Study  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 Methods Used  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 Results  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 Age  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 Time of Day  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 Location  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8 Recommendations  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 Target Format  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 Target Location  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11 Bibliography  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 Appendix  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music is a general love of almost every college student. Many develop their personalities, profiles, and various other tastes based on their listening choices. In general, many college students acquire the same spectrum of listening values. If a radio station, one that wishes to target the college student population, can discover the musical preferences of the general population of students, they will be able to grow within the specific market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the target market is of a personality of the student, generally a crowd that has the same likes and dislikes as his/her peers; the target musical format should be fairly easy to determine. Unlike the 25-33 crowd or 40 and up crowd, where their musical preferences range far and wide, each college student has almost the same understanding of their values. Possible reasons for this may be peer pressure or self-morale gains, yet it still exists among the college crowd. Thus, a common format may be simpler for a station targeting the college format.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The station will be able to gain knowledge for its possible advertisers by analyzing its target population’s needs and wants. Plus, they will be able to acknowledge the possible locations of the students, where they go and what they do. The ultimate goal is to find out where the students are spending their money, so advertising can be solicited into purchasing radio time. Advertisers wish to have some â€Å"concrete† data when analyzing which station they wish to spend their money on through airtime. The purpose of this study is to give the possible clients the facts placed in front of them as well as educate them as to where our target is going and the possibilities of gathering our target audience to their place of business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consumer behavior will come into play in the study, since part of the goal is to gather information on the needs and wants of the consumer, or radio listener. Analysis of behavior is more difficult to determine, because the data collected is based on values and personal judgment. Little data collected will be concrete, since the student will be revealing based on opinions, not facts. However, opinions sometimes hold strong enough to reach a borderline to fact. Scope of the Study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The study was a descriptive design with an emphasis on the listening preferences of college students. Data was acquired as to which brand of music, or radio format, is most appealing to college students, such as alternative, rock, country, R&B, etc.

Astronomers Wife †Just a Simple Complex Tale :: Astronomers Wife Essays

Astronomers Wife – Just a Simple Complex Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kay Boyle's literary piece titled "Astronomers Wife", is a mental exercise. Every word and every line has an important meaning to it. Interpretation is a critical skill in understanding everything Boyle's story has to offer. Although this piece has a lot of sophistication to it, the story line is rather simple. The time period is the early 1900's and the story is regarding a rather young husband and a wife, in there late twenties to mid thirties. The couple lives out on the country side of the United States where houses are far from one another and the land is scenically beautiful. Although their surroundings are beautiful, the couples marriage is not. There is no love expressed between the two. Mrs. Ames goes about her daily routine, day in and day out. Mr. Ames is an astronomy professor who has more love for his profession than for his wife. The professor is a quiet man who uses his wife as somebody to cook his food, clean his clothes, and take care of the house. Mrs. Ames, a young woman in her late twenties, is living the life of sixty year old lady. Her days have no excitement in them what so ever. She isn't able to experience the stimulating life there is to live at her age. The couple does have a young woman servant who is there to help, which shows the two are doing fine financially. One night Mrs. Ames heard the sound of water in the hallway outside the bedroom. The next morning she got up bright and early to deal with the problem of the overflowing toilet by contacting a plumber. The plumber comes to the house and the young servant girl answers the door. She calls up to Mrs. Ames and tells her the man is here. Mrs. Ames gets up, puts on her white and scarlet smock, and in a whispering voice, as not to wake her husband, tells the man to come up the stairs. He does so politely, and right away, gets to his job of soaking up the large puddle in the middle of the upstairs hallway. The plumber is respectful and has manors, something Mrs. Ames notices considerably that is missing from her husband. After staring at the toilet for a few minutes, the plumber tells Mrs. Ames

Mary, Queen of Scots Essay -- History

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary Stewart was born December 7, 1542. Her father was James V, King of Scotland and her mother was Mary of Guise of France. Mary was the third child and only daughter of James V and Mary of Guise, since both of her twin brothers had died before she was born at Linlithgow Palace, Scotland. Seven days after Mary was born, James V, died and his infant daughter succeeded to the Scottish throne. Mary Stewart became Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1547 an English invasion led to the military occupation of the country. By 1548, the Scottish were actively seeking French aid and betrothed their young queen to the French dauphin Francis, the son of Henry II, on the condition that Henry send an army to Scotland to drive the English out. French troops arrived in Scotland and the 5year old queen left to spend the next 13 years in France. Mary soon learned to speak in French, which became the language of her choice for the rest of her life. Her education taught her to sing, play the flute and dance gracefully. She spoke and read in six different languages. Mary also had to change the spelling of her last name to Stuart because at the time the French did not have a w in their alphabet. In April 1558 Mary married Francis at Notre Dame Cathedral. Within months, international events changed Mary Stuart’s life dramatically. On November 17, 1558, the queen of England, Mary I (Tudor), died and was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I. As granddaughter of M... Mary, Queen of Scots Essay -- History Mary, Queen of Scots Mary Stewart was born December 7, 1542. Her father was James V, King of Scotland and her mother was Mary of Guise of France. Mary was the third child and only daughter of James V and Mary of Guise, since both of her twin brothers had died before she was born at Linlithgow Palace, Scotland. Seven days after Mary was born, James V, died and his infant daughter succeeded to the Scottish throne. Mary Stewart became Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1547 an English invasion led to the military occupation of the country. By 1548, the Scottish were actively seeking French aid and betrothed their young queen to the French dauphin Francis, the son of Henry II, on the condition that Henry send an army to Scotland to drive the English out. French troops arrived in Scotland and the 5year old queen left to spend the next 13 years in France. Mary soon learned to speak in French, which became the language of her choice for the rest of her life. Her education taught her to sing, play the flute and dance gracefully. She spoke and read in six different languages. Mary also had to change the spelling of her last name to Stuart because at the time the French did not have a w in their alphabet. In April 1558 Mary married Francis at Notre Dame Cathedral. Within months, international events changed Mary Stuart’s life dramatically. On November 17, 1558, the queen of England, Mary I (Tudor), died and was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I. As granddaughter of M...

Burundi’s Millenium Development Goals Essay

This paper aims to examine the millennium development goals for Burundi, a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa. Burundi has 8 different millennium development goals that it is attempting to achieve and this paper will examine five of those goals. The millennium development goals of Burundi that will be addressed are to: (1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, (2) achieve universal primary education, (3) promote gender equality and empower women, (4) reduce child mortality, and (5) improve maternal health. Burundi, as well as all other less developed countries, is aiming to meet its development goals by the year 2015. And in order for Burundi to achieve each of its millennium development goals on time, the country has created targets that directly affect each of the goals and give insight into whether or not Burundi is on track to accomplish its goals. The first millennium development goal of Burundi is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. In order to accomplish this, the first target that Burundi wants to meet is to cut in half, between 1990 and 2015, the number of people whose income is less than one dollar a day. The second target is to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger between 1990 and 2015. There are many factors that must be examined to determine if progress is being made to accomplish both of these targets and essentially the overall development goal. When looking at the first target, it is important to examine the percentage of population below $1 (PPP) of consumption per day, percentage of total population below national poverty line, and the percent of the poorest quintile’s share in national income or consumption. In doing so, we see that in 1990, 84.2% of Burundi’s population that was under $1 (PPP) of consumption per day and there has been little progress since then, as it reached 86.4% in 2000 and then decreased to 81.3% in 2010. We also see that there was a very significant decrease in the percentage of total population below national poverty, going from 91.3% in 1990 to 52.4% in 2010 – which represents significant progress toward eradicating extreme poverty. It is evident that the percent of the poorest quintile’s share in national income or consumption has made little progress over the years, as it went from 8.3% in 1990, down to 5.0% in 2000 and then back up to 9.0% in 2010. For the second target, we must look at the percentage of children under 5 that are moderately or severely underweight and the percentage of population that is undernourished. When doing so, it is evident that the percentages of children under 5 that are moderately or severely underweight have greatly decreased from 1990 to 2010, as it went from 51.6% to 30.4%. Although this represents some progress, the percentage of Burundi’s population that is undernourished has not improved. In fact, Burundi’s undernourished population rose dramatically over time as it went from 49.0% in 1990 to 73.1% in 2010. The second development goal of Burundi is to achieve universal primary education. In order to achieve this goal, the country is aiming for all children, boys and girls alike, to complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015. In order to determine if Burundi is on track to meet this goal, it is essential to look at the percentage of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds, net enrollment in primary education (both sexes), and the percentage of pupils starting grade 1 and reaching grade 5 (both sexes). When examining these three measures, the numbers show that there was only slight advancement over the years in the percentage of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds and the percentage of pupils who started 1st grade and reached 5th grade. Although that was the case, there was major advancement for net enrolment in primary education. The percent of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds was 65.3% in 1990, had a slight increase to 73.3% in 2000, and then slightly increased again to 77.6% in 2010. This was similar to trends for the children who started 1st grade and made it to 5th grade, which was 44.3% in 1990, rose to 53.8% in 2000 and then hit 56.10% in 2010. On the other hand, net enrollment in primary education has seen major progress as it jumped from 19.8% in 1990 to 44.9% in 2000 to 94.5% in 2010. The third development goal of Burundi is to promote gender equality and empower women. The target to reach this goal was to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015. The percentage of seats held by women in national parliament and the Gender Parity Index for primary and secondary education enrollment levels can both be used to see if Burundi is on track to meet this goal by 2015. When observing the percentage of seats held by women in national parliament over the years, it is evident that major progress has been made. This is evidenced by the fact that it went from 2.2% in 1990 and reached 94.5% in 2010. In addition, the Gender Parity Index in primary level enrollment has made pretty consistent progress over the years, but the major advancement has occurred in secondary level enrollment, as it went from .56 in 1990 to .72 in 2010. The fourth millennium development goal of Burundi is to reduce child mortality where the country set a target to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two thirds from 1990 to 2015. We can study the percentage of 1-year-old children that are immunized against measles and the mortality rate per 1,000 births for children under five years old to determine the progress that has been made to accomplish this goal. When viewing the percentage of 1-year-old children that are immunized against measles, it is apparent that this has been a key focus in Burundi over the years, as it has gone from 74% in 1990 to an astounding 94% in 2010. The mortality rate per 1,000 births for children under five years old has also shown advancement in Burundi. This can be seen by the fact that it fell from 182.6 in 1990, to 164.6 in 2000, and to 141.7 in 2010. A fifth development goal that Burundi hopes to accomplish by 2015 is to improve maternal health. They aim to reach this goal by reducing the maternal mortality rate by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. The percentage of births attended by skilled health personnel and the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births are key indicators to show if Burundi is on the right path to achieve this goal. After examining the percentage of births that were attended by skilled health personnel in Burundi in 2000 compared to that of 2010, it is clear that a great amount of progress had been made. Skilled health personnel participated in only 25.2% of births in 2000 but significantly increased to 60.3% of births in 2010. And lastly, the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births has slowly decreased over the last 20 years, as it went from 1100 to 1000 from 1990 to 2000 and from 1000 down to 800 from 2000 to 2010. After examining the millennium development goals for Burundi, it is evident that there has been a significant amount of progress made in many different areas. This can be seen when examining the percent of total population below national poverty line, percent of children under 5 moderately or severely underweight, percent of population that is undernourished, net enrollment in primary education (both sexes), percent of seats held by women in national parliament, Gender Parity Index in both primary and secondary level enrollment, percent of 1-year-old children that are immunized against measles, and the percent of births attended by skilled health personnel. This progress is essential because it is the only way a less developed country like Burundi has a chance to become a developed country in the future. Despite this progress, it is clear that there are also some targets that have shown minimal or no advancement and this will hinder Burundi from reaching its millennium development goals. These targets include the percent of population below $1 (PPP) consumption per day, percentage of the poorest quintile’s share in national income or consumption, percent of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds, and the percent of pupils (both sexes) starting grade 1 and reaching grade 5. If these specific targets are not achieved, it will be difficult for Burundi to reach all of its millennium development goals by 2015 despite its progress in the other targeted areas.