Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 24

Management - Essay Example odel, which has since long dominated the people management strategies adopted by managers in workplaces to constantly keep their employees motivated in order to derive better performances. However, during the past couple of years organizational management has undergone significant transformation in the manner in which it seeks to motivate its employees. The traditional methods of offering extrinsic rewards or economic benefits to the employees in order to keep them motivated and garner higher productivity and hence revenues, has become obsolete ever since the introduction of the concept of intrinsic motivation, which is required in today’s workplace. One of the most commonly discussed economic ideologies is the fact that it emphasizes on the aspect of personal economic gain as a key motivating factor within an organizational environment. Various eminent theorists and authors such as Ed Schein, Abe Maslow and the likes have stated that employees have a higher-order personal needs which govern their behavior. There is a wide amount of literature which claims economic rewards as a key motivator however the evidence on higher employee productivity on account of intrinsic rewards has been mounting in the past couple of decades (Thomas, 20022). Extrinsic benefits or rewards commonly include monetary compensation as a primary tool of enhancing employee performance. However, despite its widespread acceptance, especially among the managers who view it as a most effective means of improving worker productivity, this method has attracted severe criticisms recently. A significant proportion of these criticisms are mainly on account of wide spread research, which offers empirical evidence regarding the failure of extrinsic motivation to ensure and sustain, long term organizational performance (Perry et al. 20093; Ingraham 19934; Kellough and Lu 19935; Milkovich and Wigdor 19916). Furthemore, it has also been observed in past researches that debates concerning employee

Compare and critically analyse the UK marketing strategies of Dominos Essay - 2

Compare and critically analyse the UK marketing strategies of Dominos Pizza and Pizza Hut - Essay Example The company has over 650 stores in the UK, as well as 350 restaurants and 300 delivery stores. Pizza Hut is still a giant among the pizza chains but has been quite disappointed with the second-quarter results in the U.S market. According to a report by (Munarriz, 2014), Pizza Hut’s revenue has climbed by 10.5 percent to $446.6 million, fueled by a 7.7 percent spike in the restaurant sales. The essay is a comparison and a critical analysis of the marketing strategies utilized by Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut to achieve competitive advantage in the UK market. The company has an effective strategy towards developing the different sizes of products ranging from small to medium and large. (Dominos, n.d.), agrees that such a strategy is useful in covering the interests of most of the company’s customer base. Also, the idea to develop different types of pizzas is effective in promoting its products and catering for the different tastes of customers. For instance, their range of products includes varieties such as Mexican Green Wave Pizza, Country Special Pizza, Seventh Heaven Pizza, Zesty Chicken pizza, and Grand Supreme Pizza among other popular pizzas. Since not every client visiting the restaurant might be interested in buying pizza, the management has a good move to counter the loophole and now offers extra food items such as Stuffed Garlic Bread Sticks, Calzone pockets, Pasta Italiano, and Taco Indiana. Domino’s pricing strategy in the marketing mix is also effective and targeted towards the lower middle-class as well as the middle-class income group (Dominos, n.d.). In fact, Domino’s delivery price is proven to be slightly below that of Pizza hut in its traditional restaurants. The move by the company to develop a consistent and uniform pricing policy is satisfactory and beneficial towards encouraging repeat customers. The price factor, though lower than that of Pizza Hut, appears to be troublesome and a contributory factor to its

High Profile corporate collapses in the last two decades have been Assignment

High Profile corporate collapses in the last two decades have been attributed to laxities in the regulatory framework of financi - Assignment Example In June 2002, the EU has adopted a regulation to prepare their financial statements in agreement with IFRS or IAS which is required to be followed by all listed European Union companies in the regulated markets. Companies are open to select their national reporting standards and follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for associate and subsidiary companies. The regulation is applicable only on the consolidated accounts. The regulation came into consideration from the year 2005 (PwC, 2005). With an aim to develop common accounting standards in 1973, nine countries including UK formed International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). Over hundred countries have it’s become members. Countries, especially bigger economies, are bringing in their own perspectives and adapting to this accounting standards. In coming up with common acceptable accounting standards IASC had to deal with accounting conflictions (Accounting Standards Board, 1999). IASC has not been succe ssful in resolving all the conflicts with all member countries as it is nearly an impossible task to fully satisfy more than hundred accounting bodies from across the world. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or International Accounting Standards (IAS) is applicable to more than 90 countries. ... Except for some changes in IAS 39 relating to the fair value of financial instruments, IFRS 6 and some of the IFRIC interpretations, European Union has now endorsed IFRS (IFRS, 2012). The EU regulation is only enforceable for listed companies. A member state has an alternative to extend the use of IFRS within their jurisdiction to unlisted companies. Department of Trade and Industry has said that the unlisted companies would still be permitted to adopt IFRS over UK GAAP as there is no mandatory instructions for unlisted companies to move to IFRS (IFRS, 2012). Arguments in favour of financial reporting regulation Mainstream economistic reasoning has also been influential in respect of the issue of how best to regulate financial accounting. Some of the above perspectives have implications for how accounting should be regulated. Perspectives that assume the existence of perfect information clearly would not see the need for further regulation. Under the scenario of perfect and complete markets, a company that accepted all projects with non-negative present values would simply have to announce these present values or cash flows to the market, if we take a slightly less abstract view (although strictly in such reasoning this would automatically happen for markets to be perfect and complete). The value of the company would then equal the present value of these cash flows, which in turn would equal the market price. Under these circumstances one may even question whether annual reports are necessary. Within mainstream economic thinking (that assumes ‘perfect and complete markets’ to maximise well-being and the role of ‘accounting information’ to be confined to serving markets), the answer to this question would be in the negative as it would be to the question ‘is

Corporate Social Responsibality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Corporate Social Responsibality - Essay Example The need for organizations to undertake socially responsible activities has been discussed in literature and has been a topic of academic study for a number of years. The main objective of business is to produce the goods and services that society needs. But at the same time there is a mutual dependence between business and society so as to have a stable environment with an educated workforce. A business or enterprise only contributes fully to a society if it is efficient, profitable and socially responsible. That is the basic idea of CSR is that business and society are interwoven rather than distinct entities (Galbreath, 2006). There are various definitions of CSR. The ethical behaviour of a company towards society, management acting in a responsible manner its relationships with other stakeholders who have a genuine interest in the business and CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while enhancing the quality of life of its employees and their families as well as of the local community and generally towards the society at large' are some of these definitions. The areas touched upon by advocates of CSR includes issues such as employee relations, corporate ethics, plant closures, human rights, community relations and the environment. According to CSR Europe, a membership organisation of large companies across Europe, in their guidelines emphasize on the following areas: community, workplace (employees), environment, marketplace (customers, suppliers), ethics and human rights. Whether or not business should undertake CSR depends upon the financial strength of the company that is adopted. Those who adopt the neo-classical view of the company would believe that the only social responsibilities to be adopted by business are the provision of employment and payment of taxes. A different view of the company following the behavioural theorists might look at corporate social activity from a viewpoint that looks at the political aspects and non-economic influences on managerial behaviour. Some of the key CSR principle areas that have been cited in recent times are: To carry out organizational functions ethically and with honesty. To treat all employees fairly and equally so that they become efficient. To help protect the environment for future generations. To be concerned about the surrounding community. To respect basic human rights. (02). Analysis 2.1. Stakeholder Theories The Stakeholder Theory of a company is used identify those groups to whom the firm should be responsible. The responsibility includes a responsibility for the natural environment. Decisions should be taken in the wider interest and not just the narrow shareholder interest. The company can be defined as a series of connections of stakeholders that the managers of the firm try to manage. That is any group or individual who can have an impact or is affected by the achievement of the company's goals (Clarkson, 1995). Stakeholders are normally categorised into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are the ones whose participation is vital for an organization to sustain as a growing concern. They include the likes of employees, suppliers, investors, customers and shareholders together with what is

Athanasius Biography Essay Example for Free

Athanasius Biography Essay Athanasius is counted as one of the four great doctors of the church in the Roman Catholic church as well as one of the great doctors of the church in Eastern Orthodoxy where he is also labeled the Father of Orthodoxy. He is also celebrated by many Protestant who label him as Father of the Canon, Athanasius is venerated as Christian saint whose feast day is May 2 in western community. May 5 is the Coptic orthodox church and January 18 is the other Eastern orthodox churches. St. Athanasius was born in the city of Alexandria or possibly the nearby Nile delta town of Damanhur, California 296-298. It is speculated that his parents were wealthy enough to afford giving him an esteemed secular learning. He came from a Christian family despite accounts to the contrary as in his writings, he tells more than once of an aunt. who taught him some principles of the Christian faith, and a father who did the same as well as mentioning (once), his mother doing the same. He has a Christian brother and later in his life is one of his exiles, he hid in his father’s tomb in what appears to be describe as a Christian cemetery.He knew Greeks and he admits to not knowing Hebrew. The old testament he quotes frequently came from the Septuagint Greek translation his knowledge of the old testament is limited to the Septuagint. He was able to write a letter in exile with no access to a copy of the scriptures and quote from a memory verse in the old testament. The combination of scriptural study and a Greek learning was characteristic of the famous Alexandrian school of element, origin Dionysius and Theognostus. It was from St. Alexander of Alexandria.Bishop of Alexandria 312-328 himself an Origenist that St. Athanasius received his main instruction. His earliest work against heathens – on the Incarnation, bears traces of origenist, Alexandrian thought but in an orthodox way. The Alexandria of his boyhood was an epitome, intellectually, morally and politically of the ethnically diverse Greco Roman World. St. Athanasius seems to have been brought early in life under the immediate supervision of the ecclesiastical authorities of his native city.He was ordained deacon by the contemporary patriarch Alexandria. In 319-325, he served as a Alexander’s secretary at the first council of Nicaea, already recognized theologian and ascetic. He was the devious choice to replace alexander as the Patriarch of Alexandria on the latter’s dealth in 328. Despite the opposition of the followers of the Arius and Meletius of Lycopolis. Athanasius spent the first five years of his patriarchate visiting the churches of his territory which at that time included all of Egypt and Libya. During this period he established contacts with the hermits and monks of the dessert including Pachomius. Athanasius became occupied with the disputes with Byzantine Empire and Arians which occupy much of his life. Athanasius first problem lay with the meletians who had failed to abide by the terms of the decision made at the first council of Nicaea which had hoped to reunite them with the church. Athanasius himself was accused of mistreating Arians and the followers of Meletius of Lycopolis. On the death of Emperor Constantine I, Athanasius was allowed to return to his see of Alexandria shortly after Constantine son. The new Roman Emperor Constantius II renewed the order for Athanasius banishment in 338. Athanasius went to Rome where he was under the protection of constans, the Emperor of the West. Pope Julius wrote the supporters of Arius strongly urging the rein-statement of Athanasius but the effort proved to be in vain.He called a synod in Rome in the year 341 to address the matter and at that meeting, Athanasius found to be innocent of all the charges raised against him. Julius also called the council of sardica in 343. This council confirmed the decision of the earlier Roman synod and clearly indicated that the participants saw St. Athanasius as the lawful patriarch of Alexandria.Athanasius to return to Alexandria, Athanasius return was welcomed by majority of the people of Egypt who had come to view him as a National Hero. During the time Athanasius assembled several documents relating to his exiles and returns from Exile in the Apology against the Arians, however upon constans dealth a civil was broke which left constantius as sole Emperor, renewing his previous policies favoring the Arians that banished Athanasius from Alexandria again. Athanasius left for upper Egypt, where he stayed in several monasteries and other houses. He computed his work Four Orations against the Arians and depended his recent conduct in the apology to Constantius and Apology for his flight. Athanasius received about the persecution of Non Arians by the New Arians, Bishop George of Laodicea prompted Athanasius to write his more Emotional History of the Arians in which he describe Constantius as precursor of the anti-Christ. Athanasius work include his two part against the Heathen. The Incarnation of the word of God. They contribute the first classic work of developed orthodox Theology. In the first part, Athanasius attacks several pagan practices and beliefs. The second part presents teaching on the redemption, Also in these books put forward the belief that the Son of God, the eternal word through whom God created the world entered that world in human form to lead men back into the harmony from which they had earlier fall men. His other important works include his letters to Serapion which dealth with the divinity of the Holy Spirit and his classic life of Saint Anthony which was translated into several languages and played an important role in the spreading of the ascetic ideal in Eastern and Western Christianity. He also wrote several works of Biblical Exegesis primarily of volumes in the old testament which are preserved in excerpts regarding the Book of Genesis, The Song of Solomon and Psalms. His works as ascetic include the aforementioned life of Saint Anthony as well as a discourse on virginity, a short work on love and self –control and a treatise on sickness and health which is only preserved in fragments. Athanasius letters include one letter concerning the decrees of the council of Nicaea (De Decretis) which is an account of the preceding’s of that council and another letter in year 367 which was the first known listings of the New Testament. Athanaius anticipates future controversies in defense of the humanity of Christ. Athanasius was not a speculative Theologian as he stated in his first letters to Serapion he held unto the tradition teaching and faith proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the Father’s. He held that not only was the Son of God consubstantial with the father but so was the Holy Spirit which had a great deal of influenced in the development of latter doctrines regarding the trinity Veneration. Arian Controversy In about 319 when Athanasius was a deacon a presbyter named Arius came into direct conflict with Alexander of Alexandria. It appears that Arius reproached Alexander for what he felt misguided or heretical teachings being taught by the bishop. Arius Theological views appear to have been firmly rooted in Alexandrian Christianity and his Christological views were certainly not radical at all. He embraced a sub ordinationist Christology that God did not have a beginning but the logos did heavily influenced by Alexandrian thinkers like origen which was a common Christological view in Alexandria at that time. Support for Arius from powerful bishops like Elisebios of Caesaria and Eusebio’s of Nicomedia, further illustrates how Arius sub ordinationist Christology was shared by other Christians in the Empire. Arius was subsequent by excommunicated by alexander and he would begin to visit the support of many bishops who agreed with his position. Athanasius succeeded Alexander as bishop of Alexandria as a result rises and falls of Arianism ‘s influence after the first council of nicae, emperor Constantine banished from alexandrea, but he was restored after the death of Constantine I. Athanasius was restored on at least five separate occasions, perhaps as many as seven, this gave rise to the expression Athanasius contramundun or Athanasius against the world. he spent his final years repairing all the damage done during the earlier years of violence, dissent and exile and returning to his writing and preaching undisturbed on May 373 having consecrated peter II . one of his presbyters as his successor . Athanasius died quietly in his home. Quotes from St. Athanasius He said: â€Å"Jesus that I know as my redeemer cannot be less than God. at the council of nicae Both from the confession of the evil spirits and from the daily witnesses of his works. It is manifest them and let none presume to doubt it that its savior has raised his own body and that he is very Son of God having his being God as from a Father, whose word and wisdom and whose power He is. He it is who in these latter days assumed a body for the salvation of us all. and thought the world concerning the Father, He it is who destroyed death and freely graced us all with incorruption through the promise of the resurrection, having raised His own body as its first fruits and displayed it by the sign of the cross as the monument to his victory over death and its corruption. New Testament canon St. Athanasius is also the first person to identify the same 27 books of the new testament that are in use today , up until then various similar list of works to be read in churches were in use A canon of New testament book is his Easter letter from Alexandria written in 367 usually referred to as his 39th Festal letter, A Synod in hippo in 393 repeated Athanasius and Damascus New testament list( without the Epistles to the Hebrews and a synod in cartage in 397 repeated Athanasius and Damascus complete new testament list.

Fruit Juice Industry Strategies

Fruit Juice Industry Strategies There are a number of drinks, in the beverage industry. They are divided into various branches. Talking about the fruit juice industry, they include natural juices and artificial juices or the man made ones. People have a number of tastes and they vary from person to person. The fruit juice industry has a number of companies. They include Vadilal, Jumpin, Kissan, Real, Onjus, Kool Kokum, Frooti, Appy, Joly Jely, Yo Fruity, Noga, Midland, Goldcoin, Druk, Tropicana etc. as the market is growing and so is the demand from the public, therefore it compels the companies to bring out new and new products from time to time in order to cater to the demands and requirements of the public. Parle Agro, which introduced the concept of mango fruit juice, named it as Frooti. In the beginning it was a huge success, with the company earning profits and at that point of time, the company did not even have much of the competitors. It positioned itself as a drink for kids. But later on, as the market saw the entrance of new and new players and the market got saturated with the number of companies providing fruit juices with a number of variants. This made parle to reposition itself and change the perception of the public. It had to change itself from drinks for kids to a drink for adults. For that it came out with a number of marketing campaigns and other strategies in order to sustain itself in the market and protect frooti from getting into the declining stage of product life cycle. A tremendous number of food items like: beverages, alcohol, bread biscuits, frozen food, saffron, snacks, spices seasonings etc. all are included under the category of Food Beverages. The food and beverage industry consists of high level of market segment, huge variety of products, huge number of companies and many other characteristics. The food and beverage industry represents a diverse set of products and processes: fresh, frozen, chilled, and long shelf-life food and beverage products are manufactured, distributed, imported, and marketed to consumers, retailers, catering services, and other manufacturers. Food and beverage manufacturing facilities use large amounts of energy for cooking, cooling, freezing, and cold storage and transport. The manufacture export of food beverage has been constantly increasing since past few years. Food beverage industry has become a big factor and has been constantly adding to the revenues of the countries. While all beverages hydrate, few of them also provide various important nutrients that our body needs. Few of them relax us, few energize us and few just satisfy our natural taste for sweetness, maybe with or without calories. Some help us to perform our best, on the other hand, some can help us in managing our health. Any beverage can be part of a weight-maintenance diet. For many people who enjoy sweetened coffee drinks, soft drinks and other beverages with calories, this requires using good judgment when it comes to how much (portion size) and how often these beverages are consumed. Fortunately for those who watch their weight, there is also a wide variety of low-calorie thirst-quenching beverages, including waters, teas, coffee, and diet soft drinks. India being the second largest market for fruits and vegetables in the world. The overall and the total production of fruits and vegetables is estimated to be around 148.5 million tones, out of which around 48.5 million tones is accounted by fruits only and the rest for vegetables which is around 100 million tones. However, the fruit juice market has not been fully tapped because of poor infrastructure, poor storage facilities, and highly unorganized market, chiefly constituted by road side vendors. Consumers still prefer to buy juices from road side vendors even if the juices are unhygienic. The major growth drivers in fruit juice market are, increase in health consciousness among consumers, increase in disposable incomes, and more sophisticated cocktail culture.1 Indian fruit juice market It is a newly developing and an unorganized market. Only recently this sector is getting more organized and attracting more players in the market. Though the unorganized corner shop vendors dominate this market, Indian consumers are moving towards branded fruit juice because of their improvement in health consciousness. Indian fruit juice market is having a net-worth of 275 crores as of now and increasing at a rate of 35% to 40% per year. This study was conducted to identify the existing market structure, industry trends, existing players and their status in the market, growth possibilities and consumer behavior of existing fruit juice consumers. The study was conducted to understand the total market intelligence so that it can guide any new entrant in this sector in Indian market would get befitted. The study includes both primary and secondary research. Primary research was conducted across India. Primary research involves collecting information from both consumers and retailers so as to get better understanding about the market. This research report can serve as a guide for any new entrant who wants to enter in this fruit juice market in India. The report can also serve as a basic industry information resource. The branded fruit juice market in India is estimated to be worth Rs 500 crore organised fruit beverage market (nectars, drinks and juices combined) and the segment is growing at about 30 per cent per annum. Big players like Dabur, Pepsi, Godrej and Parle Agro are already in the market and in view of the swift growth in the market, newcomers like Surya Foods and Agro, Mother Dairy, Ladakh Foods, Pioma Industries have come into the market with new products in the recent years. Chief Executive Officer of Dabur Foods told Food Beverage news in an interview that the market share of Daburs Real Fruit juice is now 60 per cent. No doubt Daburs Real Fruit juice is the market leader followed by Pepsis Tropicana. The two major fruit juice makers in India, Tropicana and Dabur are going all out to tease Indian taste buds with ethnic flavours. However, Godrejs Jumpin is slowly achieving its space in the fruit juice market. Godrej Industries Foods Division has introduced fruit juices under the Xs brand, which earlier only consisted of nectars. Parle Agros Frooti and N-Joi too are doing well in the market. Delhi NCR-based Surya Foods and Agro Ltd, manufacturers of Priyagold biscuits, has forayed into the juices segment. Mother Dairy has recently launched the Safal brand of juices. Safal is currently available in orange, mixed fruit, grape and an orange-apple combination. Ladakh Foods, makers of the Leh Berry seabuckthorn berry drink, has now launched an apple-peach com bination juice and a mixed fruit variant. Ahmedabad-based Pioma Industries, makers of the Rasna brand of soft drink concentrates, test marketed a diluted mango juice in Andhra Pradesh recently. There are now racks filled with fruit juices, nectars and drinks. Traditionally, the Indian life style has a predilection for fresh fruits and vegetables or those processed at home. There is a sea change. People, are now increasingly going in for fresh fruit vending from kiosk fountains, which produce instant juices from fresh fruits in the presence of the consumer. It could be due to the non-availability of hygienically produced and well-preserved products with the use of preservatives. That is why some of the real but branded fruit juices launched in the late 1980s and early 1990s did not succeed. There has been a steady rise in the capacity, production and capacity utilisation in the fruit processing units. The processing capacity had gone up from 0.9 mn tonnes in 1990-91 to 2.1 mn tonnes in 1999-00. The capacity utilisation improved from 31% to 47%, with the production in 1999-00 estimated to have increased to 980,000 tonnes. The official reports do not show any substantial increase in total output although branded drinks do show a healthy improvement. There is no general acceptance of the product forms in the fruit drinks market. The consumer is basically concerned that it is a fruit juice and not a synthetically constituted product. Accordingly, the first segmentation is between real fruit drinks and synthetic drinks. The former are based on natural fruit pulp or juice. The others are synthetic products containing fruit flavours. Among the fruit juice beverages are fruit juices (Pepsis Tropicana), nectars (Daburs Real) and fruit drinks (Frooti and Slice). All these are re al, reconstituted from fruit pulps or concentrates. The leading fruit juice brands include Real, Onjus, Tropicana, Frooti, Jumpin. The fruit drinks are mainly based on oranges, mangoes, pineapples, grapes, apples, guava and tomato. They only differ in pulp content: the juices have over 85%, nectars (20% to 85%) and fruit drinks (less than 20%). The branded fruit juices market inclusive of nectars is placed at about Rs 10 bn. The pure fruit juices are the preferred drink among the fruit drinks. This segment is growing at around 10% annually. The market for fruit juices is expected to grow to Rs. 7.50 bn by end 2009-10 from nearly Rs. 4.75 bn presently. Dabur Foods has launched Real Junior, a 125 ml pack of apple and mango drinks for children below 6 years of age. Pioma Industries, the maker of Rasna brand of soft drink concentrate, was negotiating a joint venture with Del Monte Foods of the USA. Del Monte is the largest producer of canned fruits and vegetables in the US. Rasna has set up its first production unit in Himachal Pradesh, with an installed capacity of 350,000 cases a year. The Prakash Chauhan-controlled Parle Agro was to launch two new fruit beverages, besides widening its product portfolio by getting into jams and ketchups. The poduction units were planned in Maharashtra. The company slashed the prices of Frooti and Appy to gain market share. Merisant India, a subsidiary of Merisant USA and makers of Equal, the low calorie sweetener, has introduced a powdered soft drink under the brand, Fix, in the Indian market. The drink is low in calories and will be sold in different flavours peach, orange, mango, pineapple and lemon. Juice is the liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be prepared in the home from fresh fruits and vegetables using variety of hand or electric juicers. Many commercial juices are filtered to remove fiber or pulp, but high-pulp fresh orange juice is a popular beverage. Juice may be marketed in concentrate form, sometimes frozen, requiring the user to add water to reconstitute the liquid back to its original state. However, concentrates generally have a noticeably different taste from that of their fresh-squeezed counterparts. Other juices are reconstituted before packaging for retail sale. Common methods for preservation and processing of fruit juices include canning,pasteurization, freezing, evaporation and spray drying. Theoretical background Positioning In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a product, relative to the identity of competing products, in the collective minds of the target market. What most will agree on is that Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target market. It is the aggregate perception the market has of a particular company, product or service in relation to their perceptions of the competitors in the same category. It will happen whether or not a companys management is proactive, reactive or passive about the on-going process of evolving a position. But a company can positively influence the perceptions through enlightened strategic actions. Positioning is about how you differentiate your product or service in the mind of your prospect. The Essence of Positioning Positioning is a new approach to communication, advertising andmarketing. It is an organized system for finding a window in the mind of your prospect in order to position effectively over there a product a merchandise, a service, a company, or a person against its main competitors. This system is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstances. The mind accepts only that new information which matches its current state. It filters out everything else. In other words, positioning is a process by which a psychological anchor has been placed into the minds of prospects so that they come to choose one specific person or company over another. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect you look for the solution of your problem inside the prospects mind. Anyone can use positioning strategy to get ahead in the game of life. Positioning is a process that focuses on conveying product value to buyers, resulting in a family of documents which drive all outbound communications. Yet in recent years, it seems as if positioning has devolved into a document of vague superlatives that convey nothing as they attempt to trick the customer into buying the product. The best positioning clearly states how the product will solve specific customer problems. Positioning a Brand in the Marketplace Without the ability to de-average a companys consumer base, marketing activities would wander off in the general direction of a theoretical average consumer. Yet too often, segmentation efforts dont lead to business actions that create value Many customer analytic models and segmentation systems provide insight into who should be targeted or what message to deliver; but the models themselves rarely offer an optimum long-term contact strategy. What can you do to attain ongoing and consistent profitability from your customer segments? A brands position is the set of perceptions, impressions, ideas and feelings that consumers have for the product compared with competing products. Marketers plan positions that give their products the greatest advantage in selected target markets, and they design marketing mixes to create these planned positions. In planning their positioning, marketers often prepare perceptual maps that show consumer perceptions of their brand versus competing brands on attributes that are important to the consumer, whether functional or symbolic. Perceptual Maps are useful for these key reasons: * Assessing strengths and weaknesses relative to competing brands along certain criteria important to the customer. o This is revealed by the positions of the marketers brand and competing brands along the axes. http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/brand_positioning/ 5 Factors of Brand Positioning Last week, I wrote about how to break through branding clutter by defining yourbrands unique value proposition then owning it in the the marketplace thereby establishing your brands position. Today, lets take a look at the 5 main factors that go into defining a brand position. 1. Brand Attributes What the brand delivers through features and benefits to consumers. 2. Consumer Expectations What consumers expect to receive from the brand. 3. Competitor attributes What the other brands in the market offer through features and benefits to consumers. 4. Price An easily quantifiable factor Your prices vs. your competitors prices. 5. Consumer perceptions The perceived quality and value of your brand in consumers minds (i.e., does your brand offer the cheap solution, the good value for the money solution, the high-end, high-price tag solution, etc.?). http://www.corporate-eye.com/blog/2008/07/5-factors-of-brand-positioning/ Positioning concepts More generally, there are three types of positioning concepts: Functional positions Solve problems Provide benefits to customers Get favorable perception by investors (stock profile) and lenders Symbolic positions Self-image enhancement Ego identification Belongingness and social meaningfulness Affective fulfillment Experiential positions Provide sensory stimulation Provide cognitive stimulation Product Positioning Process Generally, the product positioning process involves: Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete (who the relevant buyers are) Identifying the attributes (also called dimensions) that define the product space Collecting information from a sample of customers about their perceptions of each product on the relevant attributes Determine each products share of mind Determine each products current location in the product space Determine the target markets preferred combination of attributes (referred to as an ideal vector) Examine the fit between: The position of your product The position of the ideal vector Position. Measuring the positioning Positioning is facilitated by a graphical technique called perceptual mapping, various survey techniques, and statistical techniques like multi dimensional scaling, factor analysis, conjoint analysis, and logit analysis. Repositioning a company In volatile markets, it can be necessary even urgent to reposition an entire company, rather than just a product line or brand. Take, for example, when Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley suddenly shifted from investment to commercial banks. The expectations of investors, employees, clients and regulators all need to shift and each company will need to influence how these perceptions change. Doing so involves repositioning the entire firm. This is especially true of small and medium-sized firms, many of which often lack strong brands for individual product lines. In a prolonged recession, business approaches that were effective during healthy economies often become ineffective and it becomes necessary to change a firms positioning. Upscale restaurants, for example, which previously flourished on expense account dinners and corporate events, may for the first time need to stress value as a sale tool. Repositioning a company involves more than a marketing challenge. It involves making hard decisions about how a market is shifting and how a firms competitors will react. Often these decisions must be made without the benefit of sufficient information, simply because the definition of volatility is that change becomes difficult or impossible to predict. A strong strategic plan with a new and powerful dynamic can help you get there. Strategic Planning with a major emphasis on Strategic Repositioning harnesses your unique strengths to achieve success in the marketplace. Strategic Repositioning is a process by which your company identifies its strategic competencies and discovers ways to exploit those strengths in order to propel your firm into a more prosperous and competitive future. Incorporating this element into the strategic planning process can help turn a struggling business around or guide an already successful enterprise into new and profitable territory. http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=379140tag=content;col1 Brand Repositioning is changing the positioning of a brand. A particular positioning statementmay not work with a brand. For instance, Dettol toilet soap was positioned as a beauty soap initially. This was not in line with its core values. Dettol, the parent brand (anti-septic liquid) was known for its ability to heal cuts and gashes. The extensions beauty positioning was not in tune with the parents germ-kill positioning. The soap, therefore, had to be repositioned as a germ-kill soap (bath for grimy occasions) and it fared extremely well after repositioning. Here, the soap had to be repositioned for image mismatch. There are several other reasons for repositioning. Often falling or stagnant sales is responsible for repositioning exercises. After examining the repositioning of several brands from the Indian market, the following 9 types of repositioning have been identified. These are: Increasing relevance to the consumer Increasing occasions for use Making the brand serious Falling sales Bringing in new customers Making the brand contemporary Differentiate from other brands Changed market conditions. http://drypen.in/branding/brand-repositioning-and-types-of-brand-repositioning.html Frooti : Fresh N Juicy By: Parle Agro foods Background of Parle Agro foods Parle Products Pvt Ltd based in Mumbai, India has been Indias largest manufacturer of biscuits and confectionery, for almost 80 years. Makers of the worlds largest selling biscuit, Parle-G, and a host of other very popular brands. Its reach spans even to the remotest villages of India. Many of the Parle products biscuits or confectioneries, are market leaders in their category and have won acclaim at the Monde Selection, since 1971. With a 40% share of the total biscuit market and a 15% share of the total confectionery market in India, Parle has grown to become a multi-million dollar company. They have recently entered the snacks market. Biscuit Snacks: Parle-G (Largest selling biscuit in the world.) Krackjack Monaco Hide Seek Hide Seek Milano Cheeslings Musst Bites Digestive Marie Parle Marie Milk Shakti Musst Chips Musst Stix Monaco Smart Chips parle twenty-twenty Hippo Confectioneries: Poppins (Sugar based candies in various fruit flavours.) Melody (Chocolate candy) Xhale (Mint) Mango Bite Kaccha Mango Bite Kismi Toffee Mintrox Butter cup Orange Candy Drinks: Mango Frooti (mango juice) LMN (lemonade) Saint Juice (flavoured juices sold in tetra-packs) Appy classic Appy fizz Bailey V3 fitness About Frooti Frooti is Indias legendary and iconic mango drink. It has been around for over two and a half decades now. Pretty much what Nike or McDonalds or Guinness or Ikea is to the world, Frooti is to India. Theres not one person in India who hasnt had a Frooti. By sheer numbers and its depth of distribution in India and availability in more than 20 countries, Frooti is perhaps one of the largest selling mango drinks in the world. During the brand study, here are a few things we realized. When Frooti came into existence over 2 decades ago, it came in as a really contemporary and youthful drink. Frooti brought Tetra Pak into India. It was cool to have a Frooti. Even the imagery in Frooti communication was way ahead of anything else the Indian society was exposed to. Who can forget classic Frooti commercials in early 80s with pretty girls in mini skirts, hula-hoop, use of CG, people diving into a pool of Frooti, etc., All these, India hadnt seen before. We realized being cool wasnt alien to Frooti, it was just about reinstating the cool factor. Relevantly. However, there was a little something we had to tackle going further. Over the years Frooti was blessed with a lot of child and adolescent loyalists. There have seldom been birthday parties without a Frooti. Can we without alienating them create a similar cult following with youth? With about 60% of India being a part of that segment. We were aware that frooti had made attempts in the past. Digen Verma by Everest and Bindass campaign by Grey, were both tried. While they did create an initial buzz, they lacked a long term strategy or longevity perhaps. We concluded. So, the exercise was essentially to arrive at a strategic idea thats much sharper and a thought or a philosophy Frooti can own and reinvent itself for years. Frooti is the first tetrapak fruit juice in India. Launched in 1984, Frooti still holds a dominant position in the Rs300 crore tetrapak fruit juice (TFJ) market. Frooti over these years have carved out a niche for itself in the market. Frooti instantly caught the fancy of Indian consumer with its tetrapak and some smart campaigns. Initially the drink was positioned as a kids drink. The product was perceived as a healthy fruit drink by the mothers . So within a short span of time ,the brand was an alternative to the unhealthy colas. The tetrapak had other benefits also . Fruit juice is a perishable product and tetrapak have extended the shelf life of Frooti because tetrapaks have 2 layers of paper and a plastic coating that ensured tamper proof and enhanced shelf life. Lured by the success of Frooti, there was a lot of new launches in the TFJ market. Players like Godrej with Jumpin, kissan etc tried their luck in this market but failed to dislodge Frooti. Frooti Faltering Frooti was launched by Parle Agro in 1984. It was the first tetrapak drink to be introduced in the Indian market. By 2000, Frooti had a majority market share of the Rs. 300 crore tetrapak fruit drink market. However analysts felt that this 16-year-old brand had been losing its appeal over the years. The brand, which scored a 100 on product likability and quality and a 95 on product recall, had dropped in the top-of-the-mind ranking to 60, from 95 two years ago. The sales of Frooti also had dropped over the years. The situation worsened with the increase in competition. In addition to the threat it faced from soft drinks marketers, Frooti witnessed heightened competition in its own segment tetrapak fruit drinks2 and juices. With pressure mounting from all sides, Parle Agro was forced to rethink its strategy. To revive the sagging appeal of the brand, it decided on a major relaunch strategy, which focussed on changing its positioning. The relaunch of Frooti aimed at positioning Frooti as a fun, trendy and modern drink targeted at the youth segment, a marked change from its initial positioning as a drink for kids. Said, BL Venkateshwar, Parle Agro vice-president: There has been a change in the consumer psychology. Today sub-segments have been created with the 12-15 year olds calling themselves teenagers and 9-12 year olds as pre-teens. These segments are turning into decision-makers of today with an increase in pocket money. The segment of 16-19 years olds is the new impulse category we are targeting. This segment was therefore strategically very important for Parle Agro. Challenges Frooti is basically a nectar based drink so it is not 100% fruit juice, it also has some preservatives added to increase the shelf life. Although Frooti did not face much competition in the category it created, competition came from a slightly different category, 100% fruit juices. Parle saw the emergence of the 100% fruit drink market and launched Njoy brand but it did not click. Parle could have extended Frooti to this market also . The brand Real from Dabur is the main player in this category. Real effectively positioned itself as a premium healthy drink for adults. Frooti was not able to appeal to adults and was considered as a mango drink while Real is not restricted to any flavour. Frooti also changed its positioning statement from Fresh-N-juicy to Juice Up your life which have not clicked with the customers. Although Frooti enjoys a commanding (75%) market share , Frooti is facing stagnation. May be some serious steps should be taken to increase the usage of the product. The launch of PET bottle Frooti is a step in this direction. Recently Frooti also launched a Green mango variant just to create some hype in the market. Frooti may have to reposition itself again to appeal to cola drinkers. Repositioning of the brand Frooti Frooti was positioned as a mango drink that is Fresh-n-juicy For over a 7 years, the company promoted the product using that famous baseline. The product has tried to create excitement in the market through a series of new variants and packing. But in late ninetees the brand was facing stagnated sales. The company tried to excite the market with an orange and pineapple variant but both the variant bombed. The came the experiment with packaging . The YO! Frooti variant came with a slim paper can aimed at the college going youth. Worried by the stagnating sales, Parle tried to reposition the brand to appeal to youth aged between 16-21. The positioning changed to be more fun based. The package also changed. The old green color of the bottle changed to more bright mango color with lot of graphics added to it. Frooti has come out with a new campaign. The brand had gone in for a complete makeover. The packaging and the positioning has changed. Infact Frooti for the past few years has been trying to catch hold of a consistent theme. It had earlier moved away from the FreshNJuicy positioning . From there onwards, the brand was on a sticky wicket and was not quite settling on a positioning. It had the Bindaas positioning and later Frooti- another name for Mango theme. But the brand was not quite stable on those platforms. Reasons of Repositioning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Loosing market appeal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Sales were dropped à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Increase in Competition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Threat from soft drink marketers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Same segment Competition, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Tetra pack fruit drinks juices Various moves as part of repositioning New packaging The new Frooti has a new modern packaging. The choice of colors and the logo has been tweaked to make the brand more contemporary. Now the packaging is lot more neat and cool. What is more stiking is the change in the positioning of Frooti. Last year, the brand tried to pitch itself as an alternative to mango. Now the brand is trying to be more radical and a little mad. The new campaign is based on a simple consumer observation. Most of us which drink Frooti Tetrapack will try to chase the last drop of Frooti. This habit has been continuing for generations. Knowingly or unknowingly we make funny sounds using the straw when indulging with Frooti. And we all had the habit of breaking those packs for that sound. The agency had tried to capture all these in the new communication. New tagline The brand also has adopted a new baseline Why Grow Up. I think this positioning is a powerful idea which can be sustained for many years provided the creatives are able to think fresh. Even in the new avatar, the brand is retaining the old famous tagline Fresh N Juicy which is good since Frooti has a very strong association with that tagline. Emotional icons Another interesting move by the brand is the creation of Mango-emotions. The brand will now be using mangoticons in its communication which is a really smart idea. The brand using emoticons c

The Value Of Marriage English Literature Essay

The Value Of Marriage English Literature Essay Marriage has undergone a gradual transition from a custom to a legal state since 1800s. In 1800s, women were completely subordinated to their husbands. Their gender role was limited in their house, and they had to satisfy husbands needs. Their days were very tiring. Their life was very rough; they basically had no rights at this time in history. Jane Austen was a good novelist in that era. Austen lived in a time when marriage was the only way out for some women, or they would be forced to become a governess and lose their independence. Jane Austen was a major English novelist, whose brilliantly witty, elegantly structured satirical fiction marks the transition in English literature from 18th century neo-classicism to 20th century romanticism. Her novels, which were like complains about womens right, changed the idea and value of marriage forever. In 18th century, the value of marriage was limited to husband desires. Women were the property of men, and marriage was their only way of h aving a recognized position in society, but now, value of marriage is commitment between marriage partners in equal condition, and we have to protect it. In 1800s, women did not have independent life and Jane Austen revealed the bad condition of women and changed the vision of society. During this time in history, married women could not own property in their own right, and were, indeed, themselves the property of their husbands. Many of the womens job included raising children, prepare food, make clothing, and take care of things around the house. Their main duty was to satisfy their husbands needs. At that time, Jane Austen was one of the most famous authors who reflected the horrible condition of womens marriage in her novels. As Hannah Eberle mentioned in her article How Jane Austen Uses Marriage to Get What She Wants that Austen voices her concerns about 18th century gender roles throughout her novels (Eberle) Her novels center on the lives of young women in middle class Regency England. She looked at womens life, and revealed the slavery life of women in her novels. For example, when Barbara W. Swords confirms in her article Wom ans Place in Jane Austens England that In Jane Austens novels, as well, we may find that marriage is the only real choice to insure a womans place, her happiness, and her successful future,(W. Sword) it becomes clear that Jane Austen saw womens slavery life, and understood the hopes and fears of women who had to rely on marriage and family connections to provide them with a home and means to live. Moreover, Jane Austen was particularly interested in the changing attitudes towards marriage among these young people. As a result, she created different characters and different kind of romances and marriages in her novels to introduce the real value of marriage to young people; Austens model of marriage was reflected in her stories and characters; as Barbara W. Swords confirms that The happy marriages with which Jane Austens novels conclude correspond, indeed, to these new models of proper marriage: Catherine and Henry; Marianne and Colonel Brandon, Elinor and Edward; Elizabeth and Darcy ; Fanny and Edmund; Emma and Mr. Knightley; and Anne and Captain Wentworth. In each marriage, love, esteem, compatibility and mutuality, capability and respect and equality are essentials to be discovered during courtship and strengthened throughout life. (W. Sword) In my opinion, the literature and novels of Jane Austen built a foundation from which modern text and modern value of marriage were made. People studied Austens novels, and became familiar with the new values of a successful marriage. This is a very important event because at that time the value of marriage was only mens desire, but Austens novels changed the situation and became the main foundation of a transition toward a better life in 21th century. Now that were in 21th century, the gender role of women and the value of marriage have been changed. Married women can own property in their own right, and are not themselves the property of their husbands. Women may have independent life, and they have the right to choose their own husband. They have equal rights with men. Moreover, they are not limited in their house works and taking care of children at home. They can work outside of the house, and marriage in not their only way of having a recognized position in society any more. As a result, the value of marriage has been changed. If we look at Ted Olsons interview with CNN reporter, we may understand how much the value of marriage has been changed since 18th century, and what the value of marriage means in The United States of America. Ted Olson, Who is the former US solicitor general, confirms that Marriage is a conservative value. Equality is a conservative valueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.equality and independenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and peopl e that love one another that wish to form a stable bon a part of our economy, part of our community. That should be a conservative value. (Olson) As a result, equality and independence are two key factors of the value of marriage today. Women and men have equal rights. There is no obligation and stress at all, and husband and wife have kind relationship. Along with this new idea, there is one more issue. If we take a closer look at the value of marriage today, we may find that because of bad economy, the value of marriage has been changed by financial problems and economy has had profound impact on the value of marriage. As, Frey Bruno S. explains in his book Happinessa revolution in economics that In marriage, people engage in a long-term relationship with a strong commitment to a mutually rewarding exchange. The spouse expects some benefits from the partners expressed love, gratitude and recognition, as well as from security and material rewards. This is summarized in the protecti on perspective of marriage.(Bruno S. 1) In other word, along with equality and independence, the value of marriage is affected by financial and economic success in our life. Good job and good financial situation are essentials of a good marriage. In 21th century, equality, independence and financial success are three major elements which define the value of marriage. After this long effort, we have to protect our achievements. There is a dangerous concept called Arranged marriage which may destroys all our efforts today. Arranged marriages are marriages in which family members take a significant role in bringing a couple together. Relatives, particularly parents, often take the initiative to find, evaluate, and approve potential spouses for their children. In some cases, the couple may marry while still relative strangers under the expectation that they will develop a loving relationship over time. These marriages are in contrast to so-called love marriages, in which a couple is drawn together by mutual attraction and makes the decision to marry on their own. While often associated with cultures in the Middle East, Africa, and India, these arrangements are not unknown in Western countries, particularly among immigrant populations. I studied and found out that religious and cultural believes are two major reasons for an Arranged marriage For examp le, if we take a look at Jocelyn Voos article Arranged marriage gets high-tech twist, he confirms that When it was time for Sabiha Ansari to get married, her parents flew her to India. She met her husband-to-be for less than 20 minutes, with family, then was asked whether she liked him. (Voo) There are many countries like India that do not believe in modern value of marriage accepted in democratic countries, and an Arranged marriage, which is a traditional believe, is more important for them than modern value of marriage. In this report, Sabiha Ansaris father and mother ignored their daughters opinion and followed their own tradition. As we can see that Saviha explains that was really hard for her, and she kind of wanted to have some time alone with him to talk to him, or even on the phone. There is an important point. India is not the only country which does not believe in modern value of marriage. There are many more painful events happened in Islamic countries which ignores the v alue of marriage because of religion believe. For example, Samuel Burke explains in his article 11-year-old Girl Married to 40-year-old Man. that Before their wedding ceremony begins in rural Afghanistan, a 40-year-old man sits to be photographed with his 11-year-old bride. The girl tells the photographer that she is sad to be engaged because she had hoped to become a teacher.(Burke) forcing a 11 years old girls to marry with a 40 years old man when she wanted to become a teacher, is a very painful condition. I was born in Iran, which is an Islamic country, and I can feel her pain because the age of girls marriage in Iran was nigh years old. Jane Austen helped us to understand the womens condition in 18th century, but Arranged marriage is another form of womens slavery which is against the modern value of marriage at all. We have to be careful not to allow these counties and traditions to pain teenage girls to marry with old people and destroy the real value of marriage which has be en made after a long effort. In conclusion, in 18th century, the value of marriage was limited to husband desires. Women were as the property of men, they did not have any right to complain. Marriage was their only way of having a recognized position in society, the man was absolute power, but Jane Austen reflected that womens bad situation in her novels, and changed the rules. After that, people started to study Austens novels, and the value of marriage was changed. Today, men and women have equal rights, and the value of marriage is based on equality and independence of men and women, and we have to protect this achievement from those countries which does not believe in these concepts. In my opinion the value of marriage is commitment between marriage partners in equal condition, and the equal commitment is the only way which will protect our families in future life. .