Thursday, October 31, 2019

Seeing Beyond the Bright Side of Outsourcing Essay

Seeing Beyond the Bright Side of Outsourcing - Essay Example At present, outsourcing has become a very popular source of competitive advantage. By paying other companies to run IT and other support divisions, many U.S. companies are cutting staffs, costs, and increasing efficiency. The immediate benefits can be great, allowing smaller companies to gain cheaper access to expensive technologies and allowing large firms to expand there IT usage without risk of obsolescence. As with any potentially rewarding activity, there are risks involved. Companies need to weigh the risks, rewards, and costs involved before making a decision to outsource. The more vital the task, the more care should be taken with this decision (Kakumanu and Portanova, September 2006). But, first what is outsourcing According to Webster's New World Finance and Investment Dictionary (2003), outsourcing is an increasingly popular process where a company contracts with another company to manage services that it needs but that it doesn't want to provide itself. Typically, outsourced services are non-core activities such as janitorial services, information technology, and food catering for the employee cafeteria. Sometimes companies outsource manufacturing and focus on sales and marketing. As such, outsourcing became popular because it allowed companies to reduce short-term costs. On the other hand, Laabs (1993) and Spee (1994), defined outsourcing as something that involves a long-term contractual relationship for business services from an external provider. These relationships are increasingly popular in a wide variety of business activities. Firms widely outsource in areas once strictly considered internal domains, such as human resources. Although most people think that outsourcing is a new innovation, outsourcing is already an older practice than some people realize. In colonial days, American businesses outsourced the production of covered-wagon covers and clipper ships' sails to workers in Scotland. The raw material for these products was imported from India. A couple of hundred years later, in the 1970s, computer companies began to outsource their payroll applications to outside service providers. However, most of these jobs were outsourced to companies in other states rather than overseas. It was in the late 1980s that the practice of outsourcing began to boom. During this time the field of information technology (IT) was growing rapidly, and the demand for IT workers who could develop hardware and software exploded. As the Internet and telecommunications fields developed, companies created thousands of high-paying jobs to attract talented IT employees to work for them. As the U.S. economy faltered, however, comp anies had to cut their IT budgets and began to seek a less expensive labor force outside of the United States (Dunbar, 2006). Moreover, according to Dunbar (2006), India, with its large population of English speakers and trained workers, transformed to become one of the first countries to benefit from the outsourcing trend. Americans companies began outsourcing some of their low-end IT jobs to India in the early 1990s and have gradually outsourced a wide variety of work, including call center servicing, medical transcription, tax return preparation, research and development, and medical data analysis. Cities like Bangalore have become well known for their skylines dotted with call center buildings that seem to have cropped up overnight. Providing customer

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Finding a New Advertising Agency Essay Example for Free

Finding a New Advertising Agency Essay It started with a pair of certified letters to MINI USA’s Woodcliff Lake headquarters in northern New Jersey in the summer of 2005. One of the letters was addressed to Jim McDowell, vice president and managing director of MINI USA, the U.S. division of BMW’s MINI automobile brand. The other letter was to Trudy Hardy, marketing manager for MINI USA and a direct report to McDowell. Both letters were from Scheid, Roberts, and Reicher (SRR),1 MINI’s advertising agency since 2001, and both arrived at their respective destinations at almost exactly the same time. From her desk, which was not in the immediate proximity of McDowell’s office, Hardy sat back in her chair and opened the letter without the knowledge that McDowell had just received a similar letter. Her thoughts and feelings as she broke the seal of the envelope and read the one-page letter partly confirmed previous suspicions but, nevertheless, included a sense of great disappointment and some hurt feelings. A rare event in the client-advertising agency relationship, SRR’s letter informed Hardy that they would resign the MINI account in order to pursue a larger account with a competing German automobile manufacturer. For Hardy, it was during the next few moments that the gravity of the event began to sink in. SRR had been the ad agency for MINI ever since the months leading up to the U.S. launch of the new MINI Cooper, which was the first new car launched by the MINI brand since its acquisition by BMW several years earlier. In a time when the duration of a client-advertising agency relationship typically lasted for just about two years, the collaboration with SRR had been in her mind a productive one for almost five years. And in the same way that she believed the relationship had been extremely valuable  to MINI, it was also hard for Hardy to believe that the same did not hold true for SRR as well. In 2001, the MINI account stood as one of the first major SRR client wins when it was a start-up agency with fewer than 50 employees. SRR had now grown to more than 300 employees, and the launch of the MINI Cooper was an unquestioned success. In some ways, MINI and SRR had grown up together. 1 Although this case is based on actual events, Scheid, Roberts, and Reicher (SRR) is a fictional name for MINI USA’s advertising agency from 2001 to 2005. For simplicity, hereinafter, MINI is used as opposed to MINI USA. 2 The BMW Group maintained a general rule that each BMW brand have its own advertising agency. For example, SRR could not work for BMW and MINI at the same time. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Professor David Godes prepared this case with the assistance of Research Associate Peter Wickersham. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2007, 2008 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-5457685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. Hardy began to think of the task before her. In one sense, if she were the marketing manager for almost any other product, the selection of a new advertising agency might not have been such a critical task. But the MINI brand, in almost every respect, was unique—from the design of the car itself to the passionate owners of the car who, for example, often named their MINI Cooper as they would a pet or family member. MINI’s advertising since the launch of the Cooper had been highly unconventional, and although she had no immediate ideas of how to proceed in finding a new agency, Hardy knew that  the selection process would need to be just as unique. The BMW Group and MINI Mini History We went round the works, and I drove him at a hell of a speed—I’m sure he was terrified—but then he was so impressed by its road holding. We stopped outside his office. He got out of the car and he said, â€Å"Go ahead and make it.† — Alec Issigonis, head of design for the Morris Mini Minor (a.k.a, the Mini), conversation with Leonard Lord, chairman of British Motor Corporation (BMC), 19583 The twentieth century witnessed the creation of scores of automobiles, but it can be argued that only a handful of these cars transcended the others to become cultural icons. For some car enthusiasts, the short list of such cars might have included the likes of the Ford Model T or Volkswagen Beetle. For those living in the United Kingdom and Europe in the 40 years between 1959 and the end of the century, the Mini Minor and its descendants, including the original Mini Cooper, would almost certainly have been counted among them. The genesis for what was to become the Mini was attributed to Leonard Lord in response to the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt in September 1956. Since it was thought this action might disrupt or restrict the shipment of oil from the Middle East, Lord commissioned Alec Issigonis to design a small car intended for those seeking frugal transport. The design requirements were few and simple: the ability to seat four people, use of a BMC engine, and an overall size smaller than that of current BMC cars. Issigonis formed a team of eight designers and engineers. In one of their first meetings together, Issigonis placed four wooden chairs on the workshop floor in two rows of two and asked four of his team members to sit in them. They then shuffled the chairs around on the floor until each could sit comfortably in a minimum of space. The rough dimensions were captured in chalk on the workshop floor; the passenger space required was to be at least 8 feet 9 inches long, Purchased for use on the MSc International Marketing, at Kings College London, Department of Management. Taught by Douglas West, from 12-Jan-2015 to 27-Mar-2015. Order ref F240566. Usage permitted only within these parameters otherwise contact [emailprotected] â€Å"Well, I guess they’re off to greener pastures,† he said in a matter-of-fact tone. After talking some more about the resignation, they soon turned their attention to finding a new partner. â€Å"Listen, I have total confidence in you to find our next agency,† McDowell assured Hardy. â€Å"It won’t be easy, but you know our brand better than anyone. The only catch is that we should probably have this nailed down before the end of the year, which means early December. Let’s talk more once you have an idea of where you’d like to take the search.† With those words, McDowell left Hardy’s office. In addition to its small size (and in some cases because of it), the design of the Mini contained several other notable innovations. It was one of the first front-wheel-drive cars, and its engine was mounted transversely so as not to contribute more than two feet to the overall length of the car. The wide spacing of the wheels allowed for more efficient passenger space, and thus more than 80% of the overall dimensions of the Mini were devoted to luggage and occupants. The design of the Mini also had some other unique consequences. First, the Mini’s simple layout made it easy for owners to modify the interior and exterior of the car; as a result, customization of the car became common. Second, its wide wheel spacing and low center of gravity made the Mini suitable for development of a racing variant of the car. An acquaintance of Issigonis, John Cooper, created the Mini Cooper in 1961 to be driven in rally races. The Mini Cooper was quite successful,  winning the prestigious Monte Carlo rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967. In all, around 150,000 Mini Coopers were produced. The mass-produced version of the Mini was a success in terms of unit sales. It also attracted a cult-like following. Each of the four Beatles owned a Mini as did Peter Sellers and many other famous British celebrities of the day. In 1995, the Mini was voted â€Å"Car of the Century† by readers of Autocar, a U.K. car magazine. BMW Acquires Mini Although the Mini was universally considered a success, the same could not be said for the succession of parent companies that owned the brand. In 1968, British Leyland was formed when BMC merged with the Leyland truck company. In 1975, British Leyland went bankrupt, and the company—with classic brands such as Jaguar, Rover, MG, Triumph, and Mini—was bought out by the British government. In 1988, the collection of surviving brands, now referred to as the Rover Group, was sold to British Aerospace, another nationalized company. Along the way, there were notable investments made in the Rover Group by other car manufacturers, including Honda of Japan, which owned approximately 25% of the company at one time. Yet, the greatest investment and perhaps the biggest surprise occurred in 1994 when BMW, the German luxury automaker with 1993 sales of $18 billion, acquired Rover and its brands, including Mini, for $1.2 billion. In the eyes of senior management at the BMW Auto Group (AG), the vision for the purchase of the Rover Group was to take the company into a new international era. Bernd Pischetsrieder, who was named chief executive officer of BMW AG in 1994, explained it this way: â€Å"The key to success is continuously changing your focus over the long term . . . in the ‘80s, we focused on enhancing the engineering process. The  key emphasis for the ‘90s is globalization of the entire business, including financing, product engineering, styling, designing, manufacturing, and sourcing.†4 Similarly, some industry analysts believed that BMW could not afford to compete solely at the luxury end of a maturing world car market. The acquisition of the Mini brand and the decision to develop the new MINI was seen as a solid strategy to offer less expensive cars without jeopardizing the integrity of the BMW brand.5 According to an analyst with Commerzbank, â€Å"By slightly modifying an existing brand, effectively ‘inserting’ a new vehicle into it, it avoids having to pay all the upfront costs associated 4 J. P. Donlon, â€Å"Honk if you are global (interview with BMW CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder),† Chief Executive, October 1, 1994. 5 BMW differentiated the new version of the Mini from the original by capitalizing all four letters when referring to the new model (i.e., MINI). 3 Purchased for use on the MSc International Marketing, at Kings College London, Department of Management. Taught by Douglas West, from 12-Jan-2015 to 27-Mar-2015. Order ref F240566. Usage permitted only within these parameters otherwise contact [emailprotected]  feet 2 inches wide, and 4 feet 4 inches high. Ultimately, once the engine and luggage space were added, the Mini was designed to be just 10 feet in length (Exhibit 1). MINI USA: Finding a New Advertising Agency (A)  with developing a new brand. The costs of brand building cannot be underestimated, as anyone at Daewoo would be quick to point out.†6 Not included in the deal to divest the Rover division, notably, was the MINI  brand as well as the manufacturing facility near Oxford, England. â€Å"We knew we had a winner there. Much to the chagrin of the British, we held onto it,† McDowell would say later. Educational material supplied by The Case Centre Copyright encoded A76HM-JUJ9K-PJMN9I Order reference F240566 Designing a New MINI The design and development of the new MINI in the mid-1990s was to some at BMW the embodiment of the larger struggle to integrate the cultures of Rover and BMW. Between 1994 and 1999, there existed two separate MINI design teams—one British and one German. The British-based Rover designers and engineers for much of that time envisioned a revolutionary design of the new MINI. One such MINI concept was unlike, the previous Mini in almost every way but was seen as a contemporary interpretation of Issigonis’ vision of building a small car with maximum passenger space (Exhibit 3). BMW’s designers took a more evolutionary approach in terms of design combined with BMW’s reputation for delivering high-performance, driver-oriented cars. On one night in 1998 at his home in Munich, Frank Stephenson, a BMW designer originally from the U.S., cast himself into the role of Issigonis, who was known for doodling designs of cars on the back of napkins. On a kitchen towel, Stephenson sketched a series of updated versions of the original Mini to reflect modern trends in design and new technology; see Exhibit 3 for a sample sketch.7 In the end, it was Stephenson’s design that would form the basis of the new MINI. The official launch of the MINI was held at the Paris auto show in 2000. During the show, senior BMW AG executives and Stephenson unveiled the new MINI to a rousing ovation. In explaining its design, Stephenson said, â€Å"The MINI Cooper is not a retro design car, but an evolution of the original. It has the genes and many of the characteristics of its predecessor, but is larger, more powerful, more muscular and more exciting than its predecessor.†8 Two production models were to be launched in the U.K. (its historical home) in July 2001: a base model called the MINI One and a more upscale MINI Cooper. A sportier MINI Cooper S was to be launched soon thereafter in the U.K., and both the MINI Cooper and MINI  Cooper S were scheduled for launch in the U.S. as well as other parts of the world in early 2002. Even though the first MINI Coopers were not scheduled to arrive until early 2002, work was well underway in 2000 to establish an organization to support  the launch of the MINI in the United States. MINI USA was established as a division of BMW of North America LLC and would share the same headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, as its parent organization. Jack Pitney was named general manager of MINI USA, a unique distinction for someone with a marketing background as opposed to automotive engineering, manufacturing, finance, or sales. Kerri Martin was appointed MINI’s marketing communications manager. Trudy Hardy was also recruited in 2001 as brand communications manager of MINI, reporting to Martin. The MINI USA headquarters organization was designed to be small (fewer than 25 employees), nimble, and highly creative. From the start, the credo of the organization appeared to be, â€Å"If another car company might take the same approach, MINI ought not.† Martin, for instance, was commonly called by the title â€Å"keeper of brand soul† instead of marketing manager. Work proceeded quickly. By the end of 2000, www.miniusa.com was live and already receiving hits. As with the MINI USA headquarters organization, the existing BMW infrastructure was utilized to create a network of U.S. MINI dealerships. Nevertheless, in a similar fashion, great lengths were taken to establish MINI as its own brand. Approximately 70 dealerships in 31 cities were renovated to add an exclusive MINI showroom under a separate marquee. In total, across all U.S. dealerships, first-year MINI sales objectives were expected to be 20,000 units, an amount Pitney viewed as aggressive but within reach. Base retail sticker prices for the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S models were set at about $18,000 and $21,000, respectively, including dealer shipment fees. Additionally, leveraging the history of customizations to the original Mini, each model carried an extensive list of optional equipment and exterior color schemes. For instance, the car roof alone could be painted at the factory with one of more than 10 color schemes, including a black-and-white checkerboard pattern as well as an image of either the Union Jack or American flag. Early expectations were that the MINI Cooper S would capture approximately 80% of sales due to its larger engine and better acceleration. Depending on the amount of optional equipment selected, the total price of a MINI Cooper S could exceed $25,000. Given its design and price range, plans were to position the MINI Cooper as a premium small car—something that MINI saw as a new market niche. This was especially true because the MINI Cooper was smaller and more expensive than some of the better-established compact cars made by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. Initial MINI marketing materials and media reports from auto shows portrayed the MINI Cooper as a â€Å"fashionable accessory to an affluent, urban-hipster lifestyle.†9 However, early market research also indicated that the target market for the MINI was not limited to a specific demographic group or socioeconomic class but rather was more of a lifestyle choice or mind-set. For example, in surveys conducted before launch, potential MINI buyers in the U.S. described themselves as â€Å"young at heart† or â€Å"free spirited,† a finding that was consistent among both young as well as older age groups. Moreover, the potential MINI buyer appeared to be less concerned by the opinions of others and was independent minded. MINI and BMW AG drew a number of conclusions from this initial research. First, it was decided that further research should closely examine the psychographic factors associated with the purchase of a MINI, since the most fervent of potential MINI buyers seemed to have a common mind-set about the car, which was something that Pitney and others hoped to explore in greater detail. Second, the research confirmed to them that, unlike the original Mini, the new MINI should not be marketed as a car for the masses but instead to a particular segment of car buyers. Third, although it created 9 Suzanne Vranica, â€Å"Cool Mini Cooper Prepares for Relaunch,† The Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2001. Pitney and Martin thus recognized the importance of selecting an advertising agency with experience in nontraditional advertising such as promotional events, online advertising, and direct marketing. None of the large advertising agencies known for television advertising were invited to pitch the account, a decision that many industry observers viewed as bold and against the grain. DaimlerChrysler’s Chrysler Group unit, for example, had recently consolidated its $1.5 billion ad account at Omnicom Group. MINI also decided to base part of the compensation of the ad agency on the collective opinions of its dealers, something that was unique in advertising. Following a fourmonth review, SRR was selected as MINI’s agency of record. A separate firm, Circle.com, was selected to handle their online technology strategy and customer relationship management (CRM) duties. Although MINI would not disclose it publicly, the MINI account was valued at about $25 million per year in term s of total marketing spend, a relatively modest size for an automotive client. Let’s Motor: The U.S. Launch of the MINI The U.S. Launch Campaign (2001–2002) By July 2001, in the eyes of Pitney, Martin, Hardy, and the rest of the MINI team, both the marketing strategy and the creative focus of MINI’s U.S. launch (scheduled for March 2002) were taking shape. Moreover, they felt that the desire to do things differently at MINI had been taken to a whole new level. Most significantly, the marketing team had decided not to use any television or radio advertising as part of MINI’s launch, an industry first for what was essentially an entirely new automobile brand in the U.S. market (it had been almost 40 years since the original Mini was sold in the U.S.). Instead, a phased approach using print and nontraditional marketing techniques was developed. During August and September 2001, MINI’s focus was  to build brand awareness primarily through print advertising in magazines. The tagline for the ads was â€Å"Let’s Motor,† a theme developed by SRR and that would be carried throughout the launch campaign in 2002. The use of the word â€Å"Let’s† at the beginning of each ad was intended to create a feeling of inclusiveness, and the tone of the ads was intended to be friendly and funny. For example, one ad read: â€Å"Let’s not use the size of our vehicle to compensate for other shortcomings. Let’s Motor.† Another began, â€Å"Let’s put away the middle finger.† In addition to initial print advertising in magazines such as Autoweek, SRR developed The Book of Motoring, a 5-inch by 5-inch glossy booklet designed to convey exactly what it meant to be a motorer. â€Å"How is motoring different from driving?† it posed to the reader. â€Å"Physically, they’re the same process . . . the difference is in the mind of the operator . . . when you drive, you go from A to B . . . when you motor you go from A to Z . . . it’s all about living . . . nobody can tell you when you’re motoring . . . you just know.† The book also suggested that motorers pay the toll for the car behind them or feed parking meters if they see a meter maid coming. â€Å"Motorers look out for one another,† the book said. The Book of Motoring could be obtained through BMW dealers or the MINI USA website. In October 2001, in addition to continued print advertising, the SRR and the MINI marketing team designed a series of promotional events and publicity stunts to create additional buzz for the brand. Purchased for use on the MSc International Marketing, at Kings College London, Department of Management. Taught by Douglas West, from 12-Jan-2015 to 27-Mar-2015. Order ref F240566. Usage permitted only within these parameters otherwise contact [emailprotected]  challenges for the manufacturing team in Oxford, England, it was clear that the target market would likely seek to make their MINI unique by adding optional features and color schemes. Finally, it also became apparent that limiting their advertising to traditional media such as television and radio would not be cost effective, since the MINI itself was not a mass-market car  and since its potential buyers seemed less interested in being part of the mainstream. In one example, for a Formula 1 car race in Indianapolis, MINIs were secured to the top of three fullsize sport-utility vehicles and were driven to the city from other parts of the U.S. carrying signs that read, â€Å"What are you doing for fun this weekend?† The same MINI-toting SUVs then toured some 24 U.S. cities (Exhibit 4). When curious onlookers asked about the car, representatives were instructed to give them a card that said â€Å"Coming to America† and directed them to the MINI USA website. Sporting events were also used as venues to promote the car. For instance, a MINI was placed in the stands of an Oakland A’s baseball game and in the Superdome for a Monday Night Football game (Exhibit 5). As part of this promotion, during the game, the announcer did a series of â€Å"callouts† that drew the attention of the fans in attendance to the MINI. As one example, he announced: â€Å"To the gentleman in Section 101, you’ve left your lights on.â €  When the in-stadium camera focused on the MINI in Section 101, its lights flashed and then shut off. This particular promotion also played a role in the firm’s attempts to anthropomorphize the MINI. When the official launch of the MINI Cooper began in March 2002, MINI and SRR continued their grass-roots marketing efforts and print advertising in combination with outdoor advertising using, most notably, billboards, which they felt were underutilized by other car brands. In all 45 markets where the new MINI was to be sold, teaser billboards were posted on the day that showrooms were opened. Instead of displaying the car or its logo, the billboards only included the company’s website, miniusa.com, and a single line of text. One billboard read, â€Å"XXL XL L M S Mini.† Another read, â€Å"The SUV backlash officially starts now.† Then, in April, a new series of  billboards were rolled out that included a photo of a MINI, the MINI logo, and the â€Å"Let’s Motor† tagline. Slogans included, â€Å"Let’s Sip Not Guzzle,† referring to its above-average fuel economy. The outdoor advertising was taken to the extreme in cities like New York, where a skyscraper was wrapped to represent the car’s two-tone paint job and a 29-foot-by-125-foot billboard was erected in Times Square. Though typically considered a traditional medium, print advertising was used by MINI as nontraditionally as possible. In late 2001, for instance, executives from 35 magazines were invited to MINI’s headquarters to brainstorm unique ways to market the new MINI in print. One noteworthy outcome of this session was a proposal to use the margins around news stories to hold advertisements. At launch, the â€Å"cornering ads,† as they were called, were run in six magazines, including Rolling Stone and Motor Trend. The ads said, â€Å"Nothing corners like a MINI† and contained a photo of the Mini Cooper S cornering the one-inch margin of the magazine page. Other aspects of the launch campaign included the following (Exhibit 6): †¢ More than 6 million magazine inserts of an abridged version of The Book of Motoring †¢ A series of MINI-inspired cartoons featured in The New Yorker magazine †¢ Other magazine inserts including an unscented MINI-shaped air freshener and a pullout car game. Another insert allowed readers to customize the car using peel-off stickers; accessories such as wheel covers, blowers, and racks could be placed on a photo of a MINI in the ad. In total, more than 30 million magazine inserts were published in magazines ranging from Car and Driver to Vanity Fair. The MINI organization was very  happy with the creative output of SRR. â€Å"Conceptually, just about every one of their ideas was spot on,† Hardy said. â€Å"Besides the fact that they really ‘got’ the brand, they also made sure that the ideas they showed us were fleshed out and developed. This extra effort on their part really made it easier for us to react to the ideas and to give them meaningful feedback so we could work together to make them come to life.† MINI and SRR planned to explore other advertising media as 2002 wore on, just not television. Rather than use TV advertising, for example, MINI opted to sign a deal with National Cinema Network, a movie theater network, to show 30- and 45-second advertisements on roughly 2,000 screens in five cities. 7 Purchased for use on the MSc International Marketing, at Kings College London, Department of Management. Taught by Douglas West, from 12-Jan-2015 to 27-Mar-2015. Order ref F240566. Usage permitted only within these parameters otherwise contact [emailprotected] By the close of 2002, there were several reasons for MINI and SRR to celebrate. Most obvious were the year-end MINI sales figures, which indicated that 24,590 units had been sold in a little over nine months. At that pace, first-year sales were projected to total over 30,000 units. In addition to the strong sales figures, a consumer survey indicated that brand awareness for the MINI among the carbuying public was 25%. A survey indicated that 75% of MINI buyers had read or heard about the MINI through  public relations and Internet exposure before the official launch advertising actually began in March 2002. The launch campaign also earned both MINI and SRR a significant number of awards, including Adweek magazine’s 2002 Guerilla Marketer of the Year and 2003 Media Plan of the Year honors, the 2002 Kelly Awards Grand Prize for Outstanding Magazine Advertising, and two 2002 Cannes Media Lion prizes. SRR also won the Best of Show Award and an award for innovation in marketing at the annual One Show awards, a prestigious event sponsored by the One Club for Art and Copy in New York. At the same awards ceremony, MINI USA received the Advertiser of the Year Award. Pitney was named one of two Automotive News Marketers of the Year (the other was awarded to Jim McDowell, vice president of marketing for BMW of North America). In January 2003, the MINI was selected as the North American Car of the Year by the same publication. The MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S were selected as finalists for the Motor Trend Car of the Year as well. The Creative Work Continues (2003–2005) By all accounts, the relationship between MINI and SRR was felt by both sides in 2003 to have been a highly productive collaboration to that point. â€Å"Each day we came to the office thinking that we had one of the best jobs in the world. In a sense, SRR was just part of the family. We’d interact and debate ideas on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis,† Hardy described. â€Å"It was a close working relationship.† Over the next two years, MINI’s strategy of using primarily nontraditional advertising in combination with print and outdoor advertising continued, as did SRR’s ability to develop unique creative material in support of this strategy. One magazine campaign featured punch-out, assembleable versions of the MINI Cooper built on a 1:56 scale. About 4.4 million inserts were created, featuring two cars with different combinations of accessories, and came complete with assembly instructions; both cars became collectors’ items. In another campaign, consumers could pull out MINI cartoon-character decals from magazines. The stickers came eight per sheet and were designed to drive buyers into dealerships for a ninth sticker. Approaches like this one were well received by dealers, including Wayne Youngblood, general  manager of Motor City Mini near Detroit. â€Å"I’m thrilled with it; MINI marketing is quirky, fun, and it delivers customers that match the vehicle perfectly,† he said. â€Å"In my 30 years in the business, there has been no other product that commands as much excitement or attention as MINI.†10 Sales of the MINI Cooper continued to climb (Exhibit 7). In 2004, a MINI Cooper convertible was added to the model lineup. Changes would soon be underway, however. In March 2005, Martin announced that she was leaving MINI to become director of market development for Volkswagen of America, a company known for spending about $500 million annually in North American advertising. Around the same time, Pitney and McDowell made the unique decision to switch jobs as general manager of MINI USA and vice president of marketing for BMW of North America. But the ultimate surprise was SRR’s resignation of the MINI account in order to become the agency of record Purchased for use on the MSc International Marketing, at Kings College London, Department of Management. Taught by Douglas West, from 12-Jan-2015 to 27-Mar-2015. Order ref F240566. Usage permitted only within these parameters otherwise contact [emailprotected] for Volkswagen. By then, Hardy had assumed Martin’s duties as head of marketing, and one of her first challenges was starting over and finding a new advertising agency, which would not be easy given the unique relationship that MINI enjoyed with SRR. Advertising Agencies With each passing year of technological advancements, it was apparent to MINI and others that the foundations of any advertising firm—creativity and the ability to deliver creative content in a variety of media—were becoming less and less the exclusive domain of bigger advertising firms with extensive production staffs. Consequently, it was possible for a one- or two-person shop to perform the same creative services as a large, multinational advertising conglomerate with billions in revenues such as Omnicom, WPP, Interpublic Group (IPG), and Publicis. Advertising firms in 2005 could be categorized into either of these two groups, but a third group also existed. The â€Å"independents,† as they were called, were privately owned firms with anywhere from about 10 to 300 employees. As was the case with SRR, oftentimes these firms were started by young, entrepreneurial advertising professionals looking for creative freedom or autonomy following stints at one or more o f the publicly held multinational firms. Seen by some to be a competitive response to the growth of the independents, consolidation was a significant theme in the advertising industry during much of the 1990s and early twenty-first century. Over this period, the major holding companies appeared intent on expanding market share in order to gain economies of scale, diversifying their revenue streams, and serving clients as a one-stop shop while growing into large, multinational players. In 1993, for example, the top three agency holding companies captured a 36% share of the market. By 2003, this figure had increased to 50%.11 The increase in market share was largely achieved through acquisitions of independents and smaller holding companies, with the bulk of these acquisitions occurring from 1996–2001. One holding company, IPG, acquired 240 companies during that period. Another significant industry theme was the shift in agency compensation over the past decade from commissions to fee-based compensation. Traditionally, advertising organizations had been paid at a set percentage of an advertising budget for the creative work on an account; this percentage was  typically in the 12%–15% range but could be as high as 20%. A major criticism of this compensation system was that it did not align the agency’s pay with the success of a particular campaign or with the amount of work required to create the campaign. The fee-based system (or FTE model) charged production fees and employee hours along with a standard profit margin (e.g., 20%) for the advertising firm. In 2005, it was estimated that 80% of all advertising clients had moved away from commission-based compensation structures to enter fixed fees or a combination of fee and incentive compensation.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Supply chain management at zara fast fachion

Supply chain management at zara fast fachion Zara, a clothing manufacturer in Spain was launched in 1975 as a local store. Today, it is the third largest manufacturing company in the world (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). The company, Inditex, has over twenty manufacturing plants in Spain and more than 1,000 stores in over 30 countries in the world. The highly applauded manufacturing strategy was envisaged by owner Amancio Ortega Gaona. He demonstrated that lean inventories and flexibility may be even more crucial than cheap labor, a notion that just revolutionizes the exodus of manufacturing jobs from the west. His insight was successful because the company is now a case study at business teaching institutions from Wharton to Harvard and the IESE in Spain. This paper is going to discuss how Zara uses technology to improve operational responsiveness to customer expectations, and at the same time to cut down costs in certain areas and also the factors Zara bases on determining the price of her products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Use of technology Identification of fashion trend at Zara is part of the culture. A point-of sale (POS) system is used in the stores and the information gathered is sent to Inditex. Also, the POS technology has allowed to tight up the links between vendors and led to improvements in the ordering process, in deliveries and in the distribution system as a whole, thus contributing to increase the level of responsiveness of ZARA. Moreover, managers consult personal digital assistant on daily basis to check the availability of new designs and to place their orders to what they think will be much appreciated by their customers. By so doing, the store managers assist shape designs (Innovels, 2008). Information and communication protocols at Zara are radically different from its competitors. The company spends less than 0.5 percent of total revenue on information technology and employees in the IT department account for only 0.5 percent of the companys total workforce (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). This differs from their competitors who spend about 2 percent of their total revenue on information technology and have 2.5 percent of their total workforce dedicated to IT (Ferdows, 2004). Zara makes use of human intelligence and information technology such as their PDA devices to come up with a hybrid model for flow of information from stores to the headquarters. For instance, the companys managers utilizes handheld devices to send formalized information concerning feedback from customers and ordering needs straight to in-house designers. Apart from keeping Zaras designers informed on fast-changing demand and trends, this technique also provides the company with imminent on less-desirable products. Unlike Zaras hybrid model (which combines IT application and human intelligence), competitors rely mostly on information technology. The hybrid model results into well managed inventories, reduced costs from obsolete products, linkages between supply and demand, nevertheless, there is still room for upgrading in their IT processes to realize more reliable management of inventory levels. Therefore, this unique approach of human astuteness assisted IT solution provides cost advantages to the companys operations and assists Zara to abide by her primary principle to be in a position to quickly respond to changes in consumer demand (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). The SKU system allows the gathering of data to help identifying and producing garments sought by customers, and in the right quantities, thus improving the ordering system at the distribution center. ZARA, then, successfully maintain control of its inventory while keeping inventory costs at a lower level. Zara also made considerable investments to improve its logistics system and to develop its IT infrastructures. ZARA chose to implement a Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing system as well as to invest in a sophisticated telecommunication system, thus improving the information flow between headquarters and supply, production and sales sites and thus avoiding any type of bureaucratic structure. Furthermore, this system allows ZARA to take appropriate and quicker decisions due thanks to the information flow being very fluent. The JIT system allows ZARA to improve quality, to diminish manufacturing time, to eliminate waste, to increase productivity and to have better relationships between suppliers, thus improving its overall responsiveness. The use of a consumption information system linking together the merchandising and the back-end processes is an original technique used by ZARA that permits designing teams to possess relevant information about customers preferences. This technology contributes without doubt to ameliorate the responsiveness of ZARA: indeed, the data gathered by this system allow teams to propose new designs that match consumers expectations, and in a timely manner. A high-tech mobile tracking system speeds up the distribution system by proceeding high numbers of garments in a short period of time, thus minimizing intervention of labor force while increasing productivity. As garments did not stay for a long time in the warehouse, the company is able to cut down storage costs. Zaras capabilities, concepts and strategic planning as demonstrated through their business model, tend to be heading in the right direction (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). Their concentration on core operation as well as production capabilities, resistance to outsourcing, and focus on the fashion pulse have made this company one of the most victorious clothing retails. Technology is present in all four crucial steps that makes ZARAs responsiveness so fast. (Illustration taken from Devangshu, D., 2002) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ From what you see in the case, does ZARA price on the marked or based on other factors? Zara utilizes market-based pricing. In this method, the process is arrived at by bargaining among many sellers and many buyers in a competitive market. For market-based pricing, the fundamental question is: how can a product be valued by the market? The answer to this question is contextual and conceptually based; that is, it depends on a particular product category and a set product of reference. In some product categories such as clothing, Zara expresses value as monetized costs and benefits, and in purely economic terms. The fundamental concept is economic value to the customer. In real sense, rational customers add up the expected benefits, relate them to the coupled costs, and buy the companys products if it provides enough benefits to justify the price, and the most complimentary relative to other spending alternatives. Managers at Zara try as much as possible to monetize all the costs and benefits and with economically rational customers, this pricing analysis is fundamentally straightforward. That is, the customers make decisions basing on a multitude of factors that are crucial to them. Their decision may be a combination of both non-economic and economic factors that can be subjective or objective (Ferdows, 2004). In this more obvious case, during the starting point for deciding a price Zaras managers first calibrate the implied importance of the acquired benefits and relate them with the price of the product in a competitive market (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). They use an analytical technique called value mapping for framing the price benefits relationship. Nevertheless, if a decision was taken to enter a specific market, buyers effectively turn off the extra expenses of supplying it from Spain. Prices were moderate, 40 percent higher in many other European countries than in Spain, 70 percent higher in the Americas, and in Japan the prices were 100 percent higher (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). Zara had analytically marked local currency prices for all nations in which it has branches, on each clothings price tag, calling the latter atlas with the expansion of its footprint. As major markets in Western Europe started using the euro at the beginning of 2002, the company simplified its price tags to list only the price in the local markets in which a specific clothing can be sold, even though logistics were complicated by this (Chemawat Nueno, 2006). Zara made use of joint ventures in bigger and more crucial markets where there were hindrances to direct entry, in many cases those related to the difficulty of getting enough retail space within the cities. At the beginning of 2002, many Zara stores abroad were managed through joint ventures. Interests in all joint venture were equally shared between Zara and their partners. With much lower prices in Spain and the information available to the public, a large percentage of Spain citizens afford Zara products. In a country such as Mexico, there is a narrower targeted customer base. This is due to informational and cultural reasons. Only the middle and upper class in Mexico can afford Zara. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ For an apparel retailer what are the advantages and disadvantages of online distribution? Can Zara make it work? Responding to increased competition in the industry, to changing customers preferences and habits, as well as to a decline in High Street spending (BBC NEWS Business, 2010), it was crucial for ZARA to offer an online, e-retail distribution service. In an article published by the BBC NEWS Business (2010), Julia Caesar wrote that consumer confidence is waning and many fear a further economic slowdown. Online fashion sales, meanwhile, are proving resilient. Online shopping has experienced a dramatic growth, as more and more people are being equipped with Internet connections. It has been widely acknowledged that contrary to traditional retail stores, online retailers benefit from more regular and stable revenues even in period of crisis. According to Forrester consulting group, shopping on the net is expected to see sales grow to  £94bn ($144 bn) in Western Europe by 2014, from  £56bn in 2009. Therefore the Internet presents great opportunities for the future. An online store is also a good way to complement existing traditional stores, because customers generally have access to a greater choice of products rather than when going to their local store. Thus, it can be perceived as being more convenient. An online retail store w ill offer the opportunity for people who do not have time such as business people to obtain the product they want before the next ZARA collection is brought to the market. Indeed, with ZARAs rapid product turnover, introducing new collections twice a week, these people may not have time to get the product they want before the collection ends. An online retail store allows remedying to this problem. Moreover, an online retail store gives opportunity for ZARA to reach new markets without physically opening stores in these markets, thus saving real estate costs. It can also be used as an online market entry strategy to expand worldwide or to test the possibilities of doing commerce in a particular country. Moreover, E-retail distribution may satisfy customers who did not have positive customer service experience when shopping in-store and it may help reaching new customers who do not have easy access to physical stores. To finish, e-retail will give the opportunity to ZARA for gatherin g more information about customers and to develop personalized marketing tools, such as online relationship marketing, using diversified channels. Conversely, online retailing involves several disadvantages. The most apparent disadvantage, particularly in the apparel/fashion industry, is that customers cannot try the product and in case if the product does not fit, customers would have to send the product back to ZARA and make a new order or wait to get reimbursed. Even if this process can be shortened, this still takes time. A reporter from Fox Business News (2010) analyzed that one of the snags of Inditexs fast-fashion business model could be the difficulty of reselling the typically large number of goods returned by online buyers because those goods could already be out of date, thus adding another disadvantage to the choice of retailing online. There might be a dilemma concerning returns for Inditex: the e-retailing accounts for an important amount of them. Also, this would hardly match with their fast fashion selling strategy which involves getting rid of the stock and selling the products very rapidly. ZARA may face a problem if stocks re-emerge weeks later thus affecting the sales flow of the company. Another problematic is that ZARA may fail to attract different customers than youth in their 18-34, eager to proceed to online shopping contrary to older populations. Even so the launch of a website makes it virtually possible for anybody in the world to access it; ZARA would have to do extra efforts to attract both its existing customers who are presently shopping at physical stores, but also to attract new customers. This is not an easy task considering the vast choice of competitors who are only a click away from ZARA on the Internet and who have entered the Web much earlier. An interactive, attractive website, easy to use, would be the correct manner to adopt. There are more general drawbacks linked to online retailing. Depending on the number of virtual shoppers, the website may be slow to load, thus frustrating customers. An e-retail store involves maintenance costs and may require hiring technical staff such as computer engineers. Because of the required maintenance, sections of the website or the website as a whole may not be available at certain moments. Privacy as well as security and protection of data may prevent customers from buying online. Indeed, Hoffman et al. (1999) have emphasized that 95% of Internet users have, at one time or another, refused to give personal information. To make it work, Inditex would need to accompany the launch of the ZARA website with appropriate marketing campaign in order to ensure that customers are aware of such initiative. ZARA would also need to optimize its image on the Net, by investing in search engine optimization systems for example. ZARA would have to make sure that its customer service team is capable of providing adequate support to e-customers such as providing them with technical help. Another challenge for ZARA will be the integration of its e-business and online operations within its current supply chain. This might require reorganizing part of the supply chain by modifying existing machinery (to properly route online orders) or investing in new equipment in order to integrate this new e-shopping process. To finish, despite the fact that ZARA has invested in effective, high-tech IT systems, it seems that the company lacks of skills and experience in the field of the Internet, social networks and new technologies such as Smartphones, even so the company is present on all these media. By now, ZARAs visibility and popularity on the Web testify from its success. However, ZARA, after having launched its website in September 2010, has been criticized because it was not compatible with all web browsers; also ZARA recently launched an application for Iphone that has been perceived as pretty disappointing by users, as price of products was not displayed, no contact information was provided, a store locator was absent, thus making the application rather obsolete. Therefore, as a key actor of the apparel industry, but also because of increased competition and of the opportunities it offers, ZARA had no choice but to be present on the Internet. However, ZARA might need consulting advice in order to sustain and develop its presence on the online platform and to develop new innovative tools, as well as to create a buzz in social networks and online communities that are booming nowadays. Iphone application from ZARA Conclusion The best way for Zara to increase their sustainable growth is to look for new opportunities in the apparel market. With ever changing consumer trends that are due to globalization, there are growth chances for companies such as Zara to increase their growth. Even though they use both information technology and human intelligence they still need to invest much in technology. Their pricing strategy which is market based seems to be successful as it bases on consumer satisfaction, and is ever dynamic and changes with change in consumer behaviour.

Friday, October 25, 2019

SWOT Analysis :: Business Analysis Process

SWOT Analysis What is SWOT Analysis? SWOT analysis is a basic, straightforward model that provides direction and serves as a basis for the development of marketing plans. It accomplishes this by assessing an organizations strengths (what an organization can do) and weaknesses (what an organization cannot do) in addition to opportunities (potential favorable conditions for an organization) and threats (potential unfavorable conditions for an organization). SWOT analysis is an important step in planning and its value is often underestimated despite the simplicity in creation. The role of SWOT analysis is to take the information from the environmental analysis and separate it into internal issues (strengths and weaknesses) and external issues (opportunities and threats). Once this is completed, SWOT analysis determines if the information indicates something that will assist the firm in accomplishing its objectives (a strength or opportunity), or if it indicates an obstacle that must be overcome or minimized to achieve desi red results (weakness or threat) (Marketing Strategy, 1998). Elements of SWOT Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses Relative to market needs and competitors' characteristics, a manager must begin to think in terms of what the firm can do well and where it may have deficiencies. Strengths and weaknesses exist internally within a firm, or in key relationships between the firm and its customers. SWOT analysis must be customer focused to gain maximum benefit, a strength is really meaningful only when it is useful in satisfying the needs of a customer. At this point, the strength becomes a capability (Marketing Strategy, 1998). When writing down strengths, it is imperative that they be considered from both the view of the firm as well as from the customers that are dealt with. These strengths should be realistic and not modest. A well-developed listing of strengths should be able to answer a couple of questions. What are the firm's advantages? What does the firm do well (PMI, 1999)? A customer-focused SWOT may also uncover a firm's potential weaknesses. Although some weaknesses may be harmless, those that relate to specific customer needs should be minimized if at all possible. In addition, a focus on a firm's strengths in advertising is promotion is important to increase awareness in areas that a firm excels in. This method not only evokes a positive response within the minds of the consumer, but pushes the weaknesses further from the decision making process (Marketing Strategy, 1998). Weaknesses should also be considered from an internal and external viewpoint. It is important that listing of a firm's weaknesses is truthful so that they may be overcome as quickly as possible.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Investigation of Enthalpy Change When Mg is added to HCl Essay

Research Question: How is the enthalpy change of the reaction between Mg and HCl affected when different amounts of Mg are added to a constant amount of HCl? Variables: Independent: Mg Dependent: Temperature Control: HCl Controlling Variables I will use three different masses of Mg: 0.02g  ± 0.001g, 0.03g  ± 0.001g, 0.04g  ± 0.001g I will measure the temperature using a colorimeter made from a foam cup, a lid, and a thermometer I will keep HCl at a constant volume of 10mL of 1M HCl Procedure: Step 1: Measure out 10mL of 1M HCl Step 2: Pour HCl into foam cup and place lid on cup Step 3: Measure the initial temperature and record data Step 4: Add in 0.02g of Mg into cup and measure the finial temperature Step 5: Calculate change in temperature by subtracting the initial temperature from the finial temperature Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 8 more times for a total of 9 trails changing the mass of Mg in step 4 every 3 trails from 0.02g  ± 0.001g to 0.03g  ± 0.001g to 0.04g  ± 0.001g. Conclusion and Evaluation The results depicted a small correlation between the enthalpy change in the reaction between Mg and HCl when different amounts of Mg are added to a constant amount of HCl. The average enthalpy change of the different masses of Mg are not consistently changing. When the amount of Mg shifts from 0.02g  ± 0.001g to 0.03g  ± 0.001g the average enthalpy changes from 453.27 kJ/mol to 406.77 kJ/mol but when it shifts form 0.03g  ± 0.001g to 0.04g  ± 0.001g the average enthalpy changes from 406.77 kJ/mol to 418.4 kJ/mol. Now the answer to the question -How is the enthalpy change of the reaction between Mg and HCl affected when different amounts of Mg are added to a constant amount of HCl? – Is there is an effect to the enthalpy change when different amounts of Mg are added but it is irregular and the change in the enthalpy isn’t steady in its rise or decline. The experiment was done using different foam cups and a calorimeter and the amount of time that the chemicals temperatures were recorded were different. If I was to improve this experiment I would use the same kind of foam cups and lids for each trial and I would also measure the temperature for each chemical under a specific time limit which would be the same for each trial. Investigation of Enthalpy Change When Mg is added to HCl

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Ccd Report Essay Example

Ccd Report Essay Example Ccd Report Essay Ccd Report Essay Report On Customer Relationship Management At Cafe Coffee Day Submitted By (Group 14)Kaveri Arora Swati Sirohi Vikash Singh Priyanshu Singh Prakriti Srivastava Cafe Coffee Day Cafe Coffee Day is Rs. 750 crore ISO 9002 certified company. Coffee Day sources coffee from 5000 acres of coffee estates, the 2nd largest in Asia, that is owned by a sister concern and from 11,000 small growers. It is one of India’s leading coffee exporters with clients across USA, Europe Japan. Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) pioneered the cafe concept in India in 1996 by opening its first cafe at Brigade Road in Bangalore. Till about the late 1990’s coffee drinking in India was restricted to the intellectual, the South Indian traditionalist and the five star coffee shop visitor. As the pure (as opposed to instant coffee) coffee cafe culture in neighboring international markets grew, the need for a relaxed and fun â€Å"hangout† for the emerging urban youth in the country was clearly seen. Recognizing the potential that lay ahead on the horizon, Cafe Coffee Day embarked on a dynamic journey to become a large organized retail cafe chain with a distinct brand identity of its own. From a handful of cafes in six cites in the first 5 years, CCD has become India’s largest and premier retail chain of cafes with 845 cafes in 128 cities around the country. Internal Customer Management Recruitment Selection Cafe Coffee Day is expanding at a phenomenal rate. Thus the need for right people, in the right place at right time is also increasing. In order to meet the demand for efficient and effective workforce, Cafe Coffee Day has adopted the correct recruitment and selection procedures. Sources of recruitment: Cafe Coffee Day has different sources for recruitment depending on the job profile in demand. For Team Members the sources are: In store Posters Referrals and Walk-ins Recruitment and selection process: For posts of team members the following rounds take place 1. Psychometric tests, Behavioral Intelligence Test, Logical thinking and Comprehension Test. 2. Application blank. 3. Personal Interview, Operations Interview, Regional Manager Interview. For Area Manager: Recruitment and selection process: 1. Collection review of curriculum vitae 2. Personal interview with Regional HR Manager 3. Personal interview with GM- HR. Training Development To ensure consistent employee performance, training and development policies are very important- even more in service sector organizations. Cafe Coffee Day has set 12 days rigorous training procedure at their office in Bangalore for all the assistant managers. Whereas all the team members undergo a 3 days training at respective head offices in North or South India. Flexible Timings The working hours are split into convenient shifts spread over 8:30 am to 10:30 pm. Night drops are provided for late evening shifts. Employee Uniform The uniform of all the employees working in cafe coffee day outlets have uniform of Black and red color combination. Leave Benefits The employees have to work six days a week and are provided with the freedom to select any day of the week as their off day. Franchisee Management Business support helps procuring easy finance Business risks are minimised Reduced cost of business due to economy of scales Training in conduct of business Technology and operating system support External Customer Management Cleanliness – The outlets should be clean for the customers Hospitality – They believe in providing family like environment to their customers. Maintenance Product Quality – Should be good and should meet customers expectations. Service – Delivery time should be minimum. Loyalty Program Cafe Coffee Day uses special ‘Cafe Citizen Card’ for rewarding Cafe Coffee Day’s c ustomers. It is a loyalty program to gain new customers and retain the existing ones. The Cafe Citizens Card entitles members to a 10% discount on all food and beverage bills. The members also receive surprise gifts, along with special offers and invitations from Cafe Coffee Day from timeto- time. CRM Tools Tie-Ups – Channel [V] Get Gorgeous Hunt CCD was the exclusive on ground partner for the national hunt for the most gorgeous female models by Channel V, wherein candidates could drop their entry forms with portfolio at any CCD outlet. The event was heavily promoted by CCD through in cafe branding and on air by Channel V. CCD also launched a new range of ‘Get Gorgeous drinks’ as part of the promotion. Innovative collaterals like branded stirrers etc. were used to add that extra element of surprise. So much so was the success of the campaign that Channel V has chosen CCD to be the on ground partner for ‘Get Gorgeous- Part II’. Movies CCD has become an important national on ground partner for Production Houses to promote movies better among the masses by means of colourful collaterals like – posters, tent cards, danglers et al. Interactivity is ensured by conducting exciting contests around the movie wherein customers with the correct answers stand to win movie cassettes, CDs, movie tickets as prizes and also through a Lucky draw get a chance to win a ‘Coffee date with their favourite movie stars’. Hence, the ‘touch feel’ experience to the movie. The ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ Promotion: The contest, starting July 10, 2004 ran across 168 cafes in 42 cities for a month, where any customer billing a ‘Shagun’ amount of Rs 301 was guaranteed to win at least one prize ranging from audiocassettes to movie tickets and a chance to enter a lucky draw, which would win them a coffee date with Priyanka Chopra. To heighten the excitement, CCD even created an ambience of ‘Shaadi Season’ with cafe staff wearing heart shaped badges with ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi Contest @ CCD’ pinned on their shirts. Creatively designed posters and tent cards in the wedding card format were used as tools to encourage customers to be a part of this contest. Other Successful promotions have been conducted for movies like Ladder 49, The Village, Khakee,Mughal-e-Azam, Shabd etc. ContestsLevis The 6† Below the Naval Jeans campaign, the Sykes Reversibles (Ulta Pulta) campaign, the Levi’s 501 campaign, the TLTT (The Levi’s Torture Test), the ‘Hello Gorgeous’ campaign et all are some of the successful in cafe activations designed and executed for Levi’s. Every season CCD becomes an important media for Levi’s to launch its new range of apparels. Alongwith providing tremendous on ground visibility in terms of wall visuals, tent cards, danglers, posters etc. , a contest (wherein customers could win Levi’s GVs) is designed to inject customer interactivity and to add excitement to the entire campaign. The cohesiveness of the entire campaign is accentuated by creating a new drink and christening it as the Levi’s drink for the promo period! TVS Scooty The Valentine month in 2004 witnessed an innovative campaign for TVS Scooty. CCD promoted TVS Scooty by means of a creative promotion which besides adding visibility and customer interactivity also conveyed the brand attitude to the end customer and helped them relate to the same. Through the ‘TVS Scooty Valentine Singles Campaign’, customers were asked to enter the contest of why they would rather be single and make TVS Scooty their Valentine that year. The slogans/answers served as a feedback forum for the brand managers to analyze the brand connectivity of Scooty with its TG, not o mention the collection of database of the potential buyers. To add to the festivities of the Valentine month, CCD created 2 special combos called the TVS Valentine Combos– Hot Cold (2 ice blended Cold coffees/2 Cafe Mochas with a Chocolate Fantasy). The contest was of course made attractive by the no. of freebies like Sony Discmans MP3 players etc. which customers stood to win. Not to mention the Mega prize of a 4 stroke TVS Scooty for 2 lucky winners! Liri l Liril launched its new range of soap – Liril Orange nationally through CCD by means of an innovative campaign designed for the same which included the creation of 3 new drinks called Liril Coolers (the colours of the drinks matching the new colour range of Liril) alongwith heavy in-cafe branding by means of collaterals e. g. Tent cards, Menu cards, Danglers, Posters, TV stickers, Badges Soap dispensers (in the rest rooms). Major Competitors Barista Lavazza Costa Coffee Qwiky’s Coffee Pub Mocha Georgia Coffee Customer Reviews Some Good Ones The perfect desert is the sizzling brownie they serve, its outstanding, whichever outlet you go to, the taste is the same. I was shocked to see a CCD in Ooty. No matter wherever you go, All the CCD ’s have the same ambience, furniture, menu. Music is not loud. good decor simple and comfortable. Yummy chocolate fantasy to go with chocolate sauce or ice creme Nice place.. pretty good ambience and hospitality fine too. Some bad ones The washrooms are not very well maintained, they need to improve the hygiene, some outlets have loud music playing which does not suit the image of the coffee shop. Snacks’ range is too limited. The amount you are giving for the snacks is not commensurated by the quality that you are getting in return for it The Cafe coffee Day board looks extremely dull dim and brings down your energy level. Its disappointing when you order your fav item and you get a reply its not available or out of stock I along with my friend visited CCD outlet on 01/05/2009 situated at Sayajigunj, Baroda, Gujarat and it was not a good experience. I sat at the table for more that 20 minutes but no one bothered to bring water or even menu card. Finally after asking the person repeatedly I was given only 1 menu card. Again I sat for 15 minutes to give my order but again nobody showed up so I went to the counter to give my order but the person seemed to be lost and didn’t care to take it. Now the biggest nightmare begins. I and my friend waited for couple of minutes but nobody served us. I inquired couple of times but no response. After 30 long minutes finally I was served without any apology. After finishing my coffee I had to go to the counter to pay and the cashier didn’t give me any receipt. This was the worst experience for me and it gives a bad picture of the company showing that maybe the standard of service is falling. The server was rude and more surprisingly there was no manager in the outlet. I wrote to Devahuti the customer service manager for all India on 2 may 2009 and he asked for my contact number, which I provided. The frustrating part is that no one ever called me even after sending 2 reminders. Looks like CCD doesn’t care about its customers. I am definitely not visiting it any more. It scores a big 0 for customer service. Stations of Experience Entrance Queue – It is usually in weekends. The outlets do not provide any lounge or any sitting space for waiting customers, instead they tell the time when the seat will be available. Hall Station- Where the seats are there and customers select their seats according to their comfort. Food Station – Where the board listing all the drinks and eateries on display are available. Order Process – There is a cash counter where customers have to give the order and get the billing done. Delivery Process – The order is delivered on the table to the customers. Table Clearing- It is a fast process and they are ready for Observations Positives Customer Centric Approach in case of providing products and the CRM tools. Cleanliness Value for Money Order Process Negatives Taste Quality of Products Decor- Furniture not so comfortable. Staff Behavior- Not courteous No Feedback system Slow Service Recommendations Taste Quality of ‘Other Drinks’ and deserts should be improved- Here ‘Other Drinks’ refer to non-coffee drinks like smoothies, ice tea, green tea etc. Delivery Time should be reduced. Feedback Mechanisms should be started. Training Development of Staff Ambience (Furniture Decor + Other Entertainment) should be improved. Availability of Products should be there if it is listed in the menu.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Hungry Years1 essays

The Hungry Years1 essays Paradis, Adrian A. The Hungry Years. Philadelphia. 1967. There were few changes that could be seen; for the most part the revolution was quiet. Never before had so many people of the United States held in their hearts despair, panic and want. Yet out of the fear of the Depression came social reforms that have strengthened America and its people. The Depression was the worst economic decline ever in the United States history that spread to practically all of the industrialized world. It began in late 1929 and lasted for about ten years. There were many factors that played a role in causing the depression, but the main cause was the unequal distribution of wealth during the 1920s, and the wide stock market speculation that happened toward the end of the 1920s. These factors, along with others, caused the American economy to turn upside-down. The roaring twenties was a time that the United States prospered greatly. The nations total income rose from $74.3 billion in 1923 to $89 billion in 1929. However, the benefits of the prosperity of the 1920s were not shared evenly among all Americans, and the maldistribution of income between the rich and the middle class grew throughout the decade. Two major reasons for the gap between the rich and the working class were the increased manufacturing output throughout this period and because the federal government favored business, which included the wealthy who put their money into these businesses. The growing gap between the wealthy and the middle class made the United States economy unstable. For the economy to function properly, total demand must equal total supply. In an economy with such an unequal distribution of income, it wasnt always likely that the demand would always equal the supply. Basically what happened ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Proctor confess Essays

Proctor confess Essays Proctor confess Paper Proctor confess Paper The inevitability of Proctors death is reinforced when Danforth orders Elizabeth to the court. Elizabeth must admit to firing Abigail for having an affair with her husband, so that Abby can be charged with murder but instead she says that she fired Abigail because she thought that her husband fancied her and therefore tells the court that Proctor never committed adultery. She did this because she thought she was protecting her husband, which expresses the deep loves between them but somehow dooms her husband as he is then charged and the audience still feel he will not lie to save himself. Elizabeth denying her husbands affair is also ironic as to save him from accusations of witchcraft, she has to condemn him for adultery. Miller has already shown she is an honest woman who never lies, but at the time where her honesty is needed the most she chooses to lie. Proctor cries out for Elizabeth to tell the truth because he has already confessed, but Danforth orders Elizabeth to leave. This shows her strength of character and how she really cares for her husband, as she is only willing to lie for loved ones and not to save her own skin. John Proctor also has an extremely strong and sensible character as is easily aware of the foolishness and wickedness. He is aware of the stupidity of the witchcraft trials and also aware of how wicked Abigail is. Abigails simple, vengeful, malicious motives are easily seen by the audience and the Proctors but are difficult for the other members of Salem to see. For that reason and many others, John Proctor is an extremely well respected, influential member of the village; he is a good example. Proctor is the voice of reason and justice in The Crucible. He is a good man but because of his affair with Abigail Williams, he questions whether or not he is a moral man, yet this major sin is the only big fault he has had. Miller places John Proctor as the main protagonist of the play, as he is the main moral character. He is a rational man with a rough manner who seems not to care about expressing his own true opinion. Miller portrays Proctor as quite a modern man, who is not superstitious and shows that he has doubt in some of the aspects of orthodox religion, mainly he hates Parris hypocritical fascination with hell. He symbolises humanity in the play, he is someone who has made mistakes and learned from them, this draws the audiences sympathy to him, even if he is a sinner who has had an affair. The true character of Proctor that Miller portrays towards the end of The Crucible hardly seems capable of giving in to lust for a controlling, wicked young girl like Abigail. Abigails wickedness is revealed in further depth when she dramatically claims that Mary Warrens spirit is attacking her as a bird, trying to hurt her. Even when Mary Warren begins to cry she continues expresses just how cruel and heartless she is. The trials started because so many people were breaking the orthodox rules of the puritan religion and sinning but Abby sins so easily and breaks the Ten Commandments by lying, in this way she can use religion to her advantage. Abby is such a deceptive hypocrite, just the type of person Proctor hates most which seems to make it unbelievable that Proctor ever got mixed up with her. Proctor mistakenly overestimated Mary Warren as he underestimated Abigail as he felt that Mary Warren was strong enough to not give in to the spiteful treatment from Abby. He was wrong as even when Mary Warren tries to tell the court that the girls are lying, she soon breaks down and tells Danforth that Proctor is the Devils man, and that he made her sign the Devils book and made her try to overthrow the court. He strongly believes in justice and cries out that God is dead and that a fire is burning in Hell because the court is pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore. This expresses his care for truth, integrity, and most importantly God. The court officials feel terribly guilty after Proctor has been taken away as they know that he strongly cares for the truth and now know that the accusations of witchcraft are all lies, as a result of these lies an innocent mans life may end. They ask Elizabeth to plea with him and ask him to reconsider admitting to witchcraft so his life will therefore be spared, expressing the great respect outsiders from the claustrophobic village of Salem have for him, which was very unusual as the society was so close and confined. When he is brought in to see his wife; he looks filthy and pitiful and has suffered a lot, including being tortured. This expresses his strength and willing to do what is moral and just. He does not talk about the pain and persecution he has suffered and asks about Elizabeths pregnancy and the boys which shows how he puts his family before himself and how much he deeply cares for them as he is willing to go through so much for them. The key test for Proctor is if he will allow himself to suffer yet more pain for the cause of justice or if he will choose to save himself. It is considered if it is a worse to lie to save yourself or if it is worse to tell the truth even if it leads to your death. Miller shows that Proctor can choose to face his death for his pride and his beliefs, as it is not a question only of his reputation, but it also about the reputation of his family. He feels he could not be a good father to his children if he gave up his name to save himself so easily. He does not wish to admit to witchcraft as he wants to hold up the family name, he is such a well respected man and he wants to keep that respect by doing what is right and not continuing the accusations which have caused so much misery already. He asks Elizabeth what she would think if he confessed to witchcraft, but Elizabeth says that she cannot judge him. She says that she will have him do what he wishes, but she does want him alive. He says that he cannot mount the gibbet as a saint; for it would be a fraud but she says that she has her own sins, for only a cold wife would let her husband have an affair. This shows how brave both of them are as they know the consequences of not admitting to the accusations and illustrates just how much Proctor cares about, not only his, but his familys name. Proctors concern about upholding the family name is emphasised more when Proctor finally says that he will confess to witchery, as he asks Elizabeth once again if what he is doing is evil but she answers that she cannot judge. Proctors strength and bravery lead to the conclusion that he is strong enough to face his own death by not admitting to witchcraft. His great indecisiveness and hesitation in admitting to the charge also further helps to create the audiences belief in his inevitable death. However, Proctors hesitancy gives a false sense of hope to the audience as it is believed that such a good, decent mans life will not end because of the wickedness of one young girl. Nevertheless, tension is added and the audience return to feeling that John Proctors death will be inevitable as when the court officials demand a written confession, he demands to know why he must sign. They want him to sign to show the people in the rest of the village, who will not confess, what they should do and to prove the purity of his soul to others. This shows how the rest of the village looks up to and respects him, its a weighty name; it will strike the village that Proctor confess. However, he is an extremely proud man, I have given you my soul, now leave me my name. He feels that he has confessed to God and that that is enough, further expressing his faith in God. The officials also ask him to say that he saw other people with the devil therefore accusing them of witchery. He wants to know if his regret must be public and asks how he can teach his children to walk like men if he has sold his friends. Proctor wishes to keep only his name for the respectability of his children and consequently Danforth refuses to accept his confession and orders that he is to be hanged. He will not even lie to save his life even though he knows his death will not be justified. Elizabeth is begged to plead with Proctor to sign a confession, but Elizabeth states that Proctor has his goodness now, and God forbid that she take it from him showing her great self-control and willpower. Elizabeth shows the sense to do what is right and wrong but by doing this Proctor is faced with the dilemma of accepting his own death, causing bringing shame on his family name even though everyone around him wants him to stay alive. Elizabeth is finally shown not to be a cold woman; she refuses to try to influence her husband and even admits her faults, accepting some bit of the blame for her husbands affair. It shows that she can overcome her problems as she does not run and leave her husband when she discovered the affair. She is also quite fragile here showing the strong emotions and clear compassion she has towards her husband. Elizabeth shows great strength of mind and generally as a person. She eventually forgives him for the sins he has committed and knows that he is now faithful as he is willing to give so much up for her. She is extremely strong as she lets her husband do what is right even if it means she will never see him again. She also shows strength and bravery as her execution is left looming for another year until after she has given birth to her baby and will never get to see the child grow up. Miller emphasises Proctors strength and courage in the way he presents Proctor as a martyr as he died for the cause of justice and for what is right. His bravery and courage in the event of his death lets his amazing strength of character show and creates not only the audiences respect for him but also the respect of the villagers of Salem. Even outsiders of the village such as Hale and Danforth have admiration for him, as he is willing to give his life for the cause of justice. He is extremely emotional and is extremely concerned about holding up the respect of the family name and reputation, both illustrate his deep love for his wife, you are a marvel, Elizabeth and his love for his children. He also knows he will never even get to see his baby grow up. These strong characteristics of his personality make his death and the ending of the play unavoidable. This inevitability is clear, as there are certain aspects of his character that will not let him stand and let his name be disrespected and to go against his main beliefs and integrity. He does not believe in blackening his name for the sake of survival and overcomes adversity by not giving in to the pressures of society, which ultimately ends in death. It is this untimely death that cleanses him from all of his past sins and lets his once true, hidden character shine; the true character of a moral, honourable, well respected man.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Sorrows of Young Werther Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Sorrows of Young Werther - Essay Example Werther finds Lotte to be the object of his hopeless desire, but social conventions of a world based on reason keep her just out of his reach. His unrequited passion for Lotte ultimately destroys him as his frustrated melancholy drowns every other aspect of his personality. Werther too can be defined by one key trait: his inner sensitivity. His sensitivity enables him to be acutely aware of his emotions and the beauty around, which makes him attractive to others. Sensations can be intensified to such an extent that he is often entranced to a blissful state. The introduction, as written by the fictional editor, establishes Werther as worthy of admiration: "You cannot withhold your admiration and love for his character, any more than your tears for his fate... take comfort in his suffering" (Introduction, l. 3-6). However, the same trait cultivates Werther's flaws: self-absorbed, egotistic, and hypersensitivity. Werther, has little internal struggle and is usually forthright about his emotions. Werther's defining trait also acts as the central cause of his actions: "my heart, which is the fountainhead of all-all strength, happiness and misery my heart alone is my own." (p. 97) Werther often complains about the hardships of living, and yet he proclaims: "We human beings often complain that there are so few good days and so many bad ones; but I think we are generally wrong. If our hearts were always open to enjoy the good, which God gives us every day, then we should also have enough strength to bear the evil" (p. 38). As The Sorrows of Young Werther's end approaches, Werther is in a deep depression and is allowed to fall deeper in love despite recognized consequences: "Dear God! Am I culpable that I even now feel a supreme happiness in again living through those glowing moments of joy in all their intensity Lotte! Lotte! - And this is the end!" (p. 135). Suicide is an unnatural act, fundamentally contradicting the central action of life: living. Death renders beings ultimately desensitized, the complete opposite of Werther's trait. Concluding, the story is not just about a young man who is obsessed with a young woman and kills himself because he cannot have her. The main theme is more about passion which completely drives the story. Werther is passionate about practically anything. He clearly values nature, youthfulness, society and the love for Lotte. He is totally dominated by his hopeless passion for all things in life. From the beginning of the story, Werther takes particular pleasure in nature. He tells William "I feel content herethe abundance of this youthful season gives warmth to a heartevery tree, every hedgerow is a bouquet" (p. 24). Werther is devoted to nature; his "whole being is filled with a marvelous gaiety, like the sweet spring morning" (p. 24). When his mother first sends him on the journey, he says he is "alone and glad to be alive" (p. 24). He talks about a spring he is mysteriously drawn to: the natural beauty that surrounds him enchants him. He goes on to talk about the "footpath that leads to the villageoverlooking the entire valley" (p. 30). He puts so much emotion into his letters to William about the "most marvellous sunrisethe trees, wet, the fields refreshedblustering wind stormsrush of a forest" (p. 92). And from this, we can see exactly why he has

Friday, October 18, 2019

Hypertension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hypertension - Essay Example This is not a condition which can be treated lightly. If you have Hypertension, you have to get it treated. You ignore it only at your peril. Doctors think that many things combine to cause Hypertension2. Hypertension can be caused by other illnesses and it is often cured once the original medical problem is cured Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition and the symptoms just show chronically high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of another condition, such as kidney disease or tumors, Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and eating too much salt, stress ,genetics, older age, family history of high blood pressure , chronic kidney disease and adrenal and thyroid disorders are risk factors because they raise your risk of having hypertension. They do not cause it directly but they can contribute to it and if not watched can aggravate it.. It is interesting to know, that while you cannot accuse a disease of being racist or sexist, if you are an African American you are more likely to get Hyperte nsion. If you are a pregnant woman you are again more susceptible to it. These are things which can't be ignored and many times these risk factors can add up and can be even more dangerous. A pregnant African American woman may need to look at the possibility of hypertension with that much more care. Now it does not mean that if you have any of these you are likely to get hypertension and that if you have none of these, that you won't get hypertension. It just means that if you have any of the above risk factors, you should make an effort to take precautions. Statistics on Hypertension The number of people suffering from Hypertension in the United States is staggering. In reports given by the department of Health, the percent of non-institutionalized adults ages 20 and over is 29% (2001-2004)3. That is more than one out of every four adults has Hypertension. This is a staggering number. And this is not some benign number either. This is a number which directly translates into fatalities. The number of deaths in 2004 was 23,076. In other words deaths per 100,000 populations are 7.9. These are real and frightening numbers. Symptoms of Hypertension Now, how would one know if they have hypertension There are usually no symptoms or signs of hypertension. In fact, nearly one-third of those who have it don't know it. The only way to know if you have hypertension definitely is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including, Severe headache , Fatigue or confusion , Vision problems , Chest pain , difficulty breathing , Irregular heartbeat Blood in the urine . People often think that High Blood Pressure is dangerous and while very often it is true, we deal with high blood pressure constantly on a daily basis. Blood pressure goes up in all people during periods of stress or exercise. But avoiding stress will not prevent high blood pressure. You can have High Blood Pressure even though you are usually a calm, relaxed person. High Blood pressure is fairly common and that is precisely why, everyone

Sculpturing the Earth's Surface. The Florida Everglades Essay

Sculpturing the Earth's Surface. The Florida Everglades - Essay Example Everglades or, a ‘river of grass’, as it was dubbed by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, is a vast expanse of freshwater marshes which extends from Lake Okeechobee South to the tip of Florida. However, continuous exploitation over the decades by the populace has polluted the everglades water and devastated the marshland. Since the 1950’s the urban development and agricultural production in the region flourished but at the cost of the everglades. Big scale attempts are being made to restore the region; the step being an example of the progress from exploitation of the natural resources, to a period of preservation, where the value of these extinguishing reserves were realized and most currently to efforts aimed at revival of the ecosystem (Dugger, n.d). Historically, the Everglades covered 4000 sq. miles in Florida but today it has been reduced to half its size. The marshlands form a section of a huge drainage basin, Lake Okeechobee which covers an area of 11,000 sq miles approximately. There are various forms of habitat that exist on the marshland- open water sloughs, cypress swamps, hard wood hammocks, mangrove swamps and pinelands. Moreover, the plants and animals species found in this region are unique and specialized to the region. However, the scenario started changing in the late 1980’s with the beginning of developments like creation of agricultural farms for growing sugarcane and vegetables, building up of new canals and levees for protecting the farms and the cities from floods, and increase in the infrastructure in the east of the everglades. ... One of the biggest groups of sugarcane growers, the big sugar, is highly responsible for destroying the Everglades. Farmers of these agricultural farms use high content phosphorus fertilizers in excessive quantities, to improve the quality of their soil. The runoff water from these sugarcane farms carrying the killer phosphorus gets drained into the Everglades through canal-water discharge from Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades agricultural area. It was revealed that this overdose of nutrient resulted in the overgrowth of unwanted plant and algae species or eutrophication, which in turn caused great harm to the original vegetation of Everglades. Not only fertilizers but sewage and human wastes from these fields are being dumped into the marshlands thus polluting the water, making it unhygienic to drink, and the survival of flora and fauna impossible. The entire ecosystem of Florida is in peril because of the pollution (Orem, 2009). Moreover, U.S. factory farms too have contributed t o the contamination of the Everglades. During rainy season or snow melting season, the runoff water from these farms, which grow animal feed crops, carry the top soil particles into the marshland. The 1.4 billion tones of animal manures generated on these farms are also let off through the canals into the marshlands, thus polluting the water. New regulations meant to improve the situation through proper treatment of the manure produced, cannot take effect before another 10 years. According to Environment Protection Agency (EPA), these chemicals are making the water unhygienic to drink which once used to serve as a fresh water source for the Miami Metropolitan area. People living in the surrounding areas

Compare and Contrast the Emergent and Intended Approach to Strategic Literature review

Compare and Contrast the Emergent and Intended Approach to Strategic - Literature review Example The authors have been carrying out research for over ten years on the topic and the intended audiences are the entrepreneurs and organization leadership. The topic has meet my expectations because it compares and contrast the intended strategy together with realized strategy in a diagram form, hence distinguishing deliberate strategies realized as intended from emergent strategies patterns realized in spite of intentions. The special features of the work that were helpful was the identification of different types of strategies and everyone embodying different degrees of what is called deliberateness. The authors are of high integrity; Henry Mintzber is heading the faculty of management at McGill University while James Waters is a lecture at York University in the faculty of administration studies. The authors concluded that strategies are tending towards being more deliberate in tightly coupled, centrally controlled institutions and more emergent in decentralized loosely coupled ones . According to my conclusion, strategy formation walks in two forms, deliberate and emergent.... since it contain the information on the school design context and contribution, four strategic management conditions that encourage an institution to move towards design school are explained. The helpful work was in the explanation of premises underlying the school of design since each premise explains the process of strategy formation. Mintzber who is the author is a man of high integrity and he is heading the faculty of management at McGill University. The authors concluded that the school has provided significant information on the discussion of grand strategy and it has given the notion that underlies all prescription in the field of management. I concluded that there is concurrence between external opportunity and internal capability in the field of strategic management. Ansoff, H., (1991). Critique of Henry Mintzberg's 'the design school: reconsidering the basic Premises of strategic management,' Strategic Management Journal, Vol.12 (6), PP.449-461 The main focus of this articl e is to critique the work done by Mintzberg's (1990) on design school of emerging strategic management. The design is evaluated using two criteria’s, methodological soundness and factual veracity, after the evaluation, it was found that the critique has deficiency by both methods. The problem of Mintzberg's work is associated with lack of logics in his presentation, his definition on strategy differs from the current practice in management and he failed to differentiate prescriptive and descriptive statement. In this critique, the author emphasis on methodological deficiencies and factual contradictions between Mintzberg's and real world of strategic management. Full description of Mintzberg's model was presented by the author and he found some valid contexts in Mintzberg's work. These

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Public Relation Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Public Relation Plan - Assignment Example By November 2005 it had 443 supermarkets and 287 convenience stores. For decades this chain of stores was number one in the UK market. It lost its position against TESCO in 1995. It reached to third position behind Wal-Mart owned ASDA in 2003. The reasons for this were better strategies adopted by the other two companies than Sainsbury, leadership and customer satisfaction. In today's scenario one's daily life is full of examples of services. When one think about service, service marketing triangle or rather pyramid comes to his mind, which has following components in it. The first part of the paper covers the situation analysis for Sainsbury. It includes competitor analysis and SWOT analysis. These two factors are important for any marketing, media or publicity decisions. This self-analysis and market analysis gives an opportunity to list all the factors important for the organisation. A good analysis throws light on various issues and topics, which can be utilised successfully for the publicity purpose. The next section deals with the target public section. This group deals with the fraternity group towards which the publicity plan will be targeted. According to this target group the publicity plan will have message, mode and timing of communication. Client strategy includes the message, objectives and other details of publicity plan. At the end the budget related to the publicity plan would be discussed. II. Situation Analysis Sainsbury has faced various marketing conditions. One time leader had reached to third position in the market. Any strategy to make a new brand is easier as compared to re-establishing any brand. The media group has not been favourable for Sainsbury till 2005. This is a strong influencer for all readers and audience. The current favourable scenario from the media group is one of the good signs for Sainsbury. Sainsbury can in cash this opportunity along with other strategies. II.i. Competitor Analysis As per the news on Guardian appeared on March 2006, the big four - TESCO, ASDA, Sainsbury's and Morrisons account for nearly 75% of the 95bn UK grocery market. The main competitors for Sainsbury are TESCO and ASDA. These two chains of stores are leading Sainsbury. TESCO TESCO has more than 30% market share of UK grocery market. It is more than double of its nearest competitor ASDA.TESCO is market leader in UK.240, 000 people are working for TESCO. "Tesco now has 100 Extra hypermarkets, 446 superstores, 160 Metro stores, 546 Express neighbourhood stores, and "over 500 other fascia-ed stores not judged worthy of the Tesco name but that still bring in