The Pros and Cons of Social Networking Essay - 1792 Words

Social Networking sites are the quickly becoming the most popular kind of web sites on the web. The most popular of these websites, Myspace, Facebook and now Twitter, are on their way to the top of the charts for most visited sites on the Internet. Details from by Alexa.com, a company which publishes reports on web traffic, collected around May 2008 by Carter, author for  ¬Ã‚ ¬Phi Delta Kappan, reveals that Myspace.com is the sixth most popular website. (cited in Carter) While the throne of the most popular social networking is now Facebook (cited in â€Å"Facebook dethrones Myspace†), social networking sites are still some of the most visited sites on the World Wide Web Students will have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using social†¦show more content†¦(cited in Brady) These sites aren’t as popular as Facebook or Twitter, but they have a higher chance of being approved by school administrators and teachers, who are traditionally opposed to soci al networking sites. These sites provide students with a greater sense of privacy and security, so students can use collaborate with their peers for assignments or projects more safely than they would have been while using traditional sites. A downside of these sites are that they are not as popular as Facebook and Myspace, but their popularity is growing. Brady mentions that the Saugus Union School District in Los Angeles County has adopted Elgg as a website to be used by the entire educational community (cited in Brady). If students want their school to use these sites, they should approach school administrators and teachers with a proposal and explain the benefits of these sites. Gerwitz, editor in chief of ZATZ publishing, cyberterrorism advisor to the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals and a special contributor to the Frontline Security Magazine, reports that â€Å"According to Nielsen Company Research†¦..the total number of time spent by more than 100 million users on Facebook alone increased by a whopping 556 percent from December 2007 to December 2008.† (qtd in Adam) Students are spending increasing amounts of time on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. Parents are also behind students; BradyShow MoreRelatedThe Pros and Cons of Social Networking1378 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction In this era the social networking plays vital role in everyone’s life. Everything has its pros and cons. The most common social networking site is facebook. Everyone has their own profile for free as a result billon users on facebook. Threats arising from social networking: System overload – Due to non-corporate usage the performance of network degraded. The drainage of resources may become powerful. As social networking sites widen into shared and streamed media. MaliciousRead MorePros And Cons Of Social Networking1713 Words   |  7 PagesSocial networks benefit many people around the world. The information sent is fast. Only one click and there it is in front of us. If the people know how to use it, it’s in the right places, right times, and â€Å"right† click. A benefit of social networks is to keep us connected with family on the other side of the world. It also helps us to know what is going on in the world where we are staying. For example, I live in America and the other half of my family lives in Vietnam, and social networkingRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Three Types of Online Communities- Chat Rooms, Social Network Sites, and Online Classrooms1455 Words   |  6 Pagesare: email distribution lists, message boards and newsgroups, instant message (IM) services, chat rooms, blogging sites, social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, and online classrooms/school groups. I intend to discuss three of these type s of online communities – chat rooms, social network sites, and online classrooms/school groups – and look into the pros and cons of using each of these. First, I will talk about internet chat rooms. A chat room is a site where users can talk liveRead MoreSocial Networking: An Important Aspect fo the Average American1571 Words   |  6 PagesSocial networking has proven to become an important aspect of the average American’s daily life. Statistics show that 73% of all online users utilize some form of social networking. 90% of Internet users aging from 18-29 years old have a social network. (pewinternet.org) There are two prominent stances on the social networking epidemic that has arisen over the years. Many hold the opinion that social networking is an invention to be taken advantage of. Yet, many also believe that social networkingRead MoreSocial Networking Is Beneficial For Students And Grown Ups1002 Words   |  5 Pageswith social networks The issue that will be discussed has to do with social networking. Social network is highly important because it is used on a daily basis in our surroundings. Technology has progressed throughout the years, and has created many opportunities for students, businesses, and adults to succeed. Almost everyone in the world has access to the Internet or soon will have access to the Internet. This topic is important because many have the image/ belief that social networking is badRead MoreDoes Social Networking Have A Positive And Or Negative Affect On Individuals?942 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Social networking have a positive and or negative affect on individuals? According to Susan Greenfield, a neuroscientist at the Oxford University, social networking has many negative affects. She claims that â€Å" social networking is infantilizing the human mind, into a state of mind as of children. In my opinion, I agree with greenfield’s statement because many individuals are relying on their social media accounts for everyday use. However, social networking has greatly influenced the way individualsRead MorePro And Cons Of Social Media1168 Words   |  5 PagesSocial Networking, More Like Social NOTworking Picture this, you just got the greatest haircut of your life. Feeling good, you take a selfie and post it on Instagram with the caption, â€Å"Feelin’ good.† A few hours later, you get a notification that someone commented on your picture. That comment reads, â€Å"You’re feeling good about THAT haircut? LOL!† You were just a victim of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is one of the many negative effects of social networking and social media on teens, and could createRead MoreSocial Networking Is Beneficial For Students And Grown Ups1182 Words   |  5 Pagesto do with social networking. Social network is highly important because it is used on a daily basis in our surroundings. Technology has progressed throughout the years, and has created many opportunities for students, businesses, and adults to succeed. Almost everyone in the world has access to the Internet or soon will have access to the Internet. This topic is important because many have the image/ belief that social networking is bad, and have debated on what is considered a social network.Read MoreEssay On Pros And Cons Of Social Media1090 Words   |  5 PagesThe Benefits of Social Media in Todays Society Just like everything else in life, social media has pros and cons. However, the pros outweigh the cons. Social networking assists businesses in various different ways. While also helping people communicate more with others and to become more connected with them too. A fast and effortless way to spread and receive crucial information is through social media. In the beginning, it was just kids spending their time on websites like Facebook, MyspaceRead MoreSocial Media And Its Effect On Society899 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Simon Kemp, there are roughly 2.08 billion active social media accounts worldwide, which is â€Å"a 12% increase since last year† (Kemp). Social media has become an enormous part of everyday lives. It has been made so that everyone around the world can easily connect to one another- and almost instantly! Social media is a growing industry and has many positive and negative affects on those who use it. Social media is extremely beneficial to businesses. Businesses throw millions of dollars

Pros And Cons Of Nonprofit Expansion - 1567 Words

Abstract The author explores the idea of nonprofit organizations expanding to more than one location. To nonprofit organization owners, expansion can pose a difficult challenge financially, but also a necessary step to improve their outreach. Defining financial variables necessary for nonprofit organizational growth, then using those variables to look directly at physical capital (facility) expansion, and finally examining case studies on nonprofit organization expansion, the information the author gathers will directly impact a critical analysis on the research reviewed and any questions left unanswered. Keywords: nonprofit organization, financial vulnerability, facility expansion Pros and Cons of Nonprofit Expansion and its Effects on†¦show more content†¦Each variable directly independently plays an impact on financial vulnerability. Net assets are defined as â€Å"the difference between an organization’s assets and liabilities.† For nonprofit organizations, net assets are related to an organization’s ability to borrow funds. Tuckman and Chang (1991) found nonprofit organizations less likely to alter their programs and mission, following a financial shock, if they can leverage their net assets. An operating margin, or surplus, is â€Å"the difference between an organization’s revenue and expenses, divided by its total revenue.† A Nonprofit organization holding a great surplus can readily operate at a reduced surplus following a financial shock – allowing it not to alter any programs. The third factor for nonprofit financial vulnera bility is revenue concentration. Revenue concentration is â€Å"the proportion of income an organization receives from its various sources of revenue.† Nonprofit organizations who receive many sources of revenue can better withstand the impact of a financial shock than those with little sources of revenue. After a financial shock, nonprofit organizations, along with all businesses, will try to cut down expenses. Woronkowicz (2016) states â€Å"administrative costs are preferred to those to programShow MoreRelatedHarper Reiman Inc.1683 Words   |  7 Pagesthe organizations is a nonprofit consulting firm. The main headquartered of the company is Dallas, TX and grew all the way to Harper town at Amarillo, TX. In 2000 both of them were the founder of the business; both studied in entrepreneurship class and followed their dream to developing in the nonprofit business. After working together at JP Morgan they both decided to start their own consulting firm which is called Ha rper Reiman, LLC. Knowing they need help in nonprofit their help from financialRead MoreServing Lunch For School Children Essay1402 Words   |  6 Pagesconsumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food, by assisting the States, through grants-in aid and other means, in providing an adequate supply of food and other facilities for the establishment, maintenance, operation and expansion of nonprofit school lunch programs† (Avey, 2015). Unfortunately, the school lunch program made little progress after that. Without any sort of guarantee of the success of the school lunch program in the years ahead, school boards were reluctant to takeRead MoreCostco Analysus1178 Words   |  5 PagesAlternatives for Costco 1. Expansion in Asia Pros: Great store performance in Asia (Korea, Taiwan). Large population can bring a huge potential market with great profit. Cons: Large setup costs. As going abroad, there will also be a lot of risks like exchange rate and transportation costs. 2. Increase social responsibility by making donations to some nonprofit organizations. Pros: Increase the custom base and will get a good reputation Cons: The cost of promotion may harmRead MoreCatholic Hospitals And Health Care Policy1618 Words   |  7 Pageshealth care in the United States is comprised of more than 600 hundred hospitals and more than 1,400 long-term care and other facilities in all 50 states (Trancik, 2015). It has been analyzed that the Catholic health ministry is the largest group of nonprofit health care providers in the nation. Every day, one-in-six patients in the United States is cared for in a Catholic hospital (Trancik, 2015). However, in many situations Catholic hospitals have been ridiculed for not providing care to patientsRead MoreThe Cost Of The Medicaid Program1215 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Supreme Court allowed the freedom of choice not to participate the Medicaid program statewide. Then what would happen if the states did not adopt the Medicaid program? In a recent study Carter Price, lead author and a mathematician at RAND; a nonprofit research organization estimates the likely effects if 14 states choose not to expand Medicaid under federal health care reform. If the states opt not to expand Medicaid coverage under federal health care reform, it will leave millions without healthcareRead MoreThe Success And Potential Problems Of The Company1427 Words   |  6 Pagesservice industry. Case ‘Club Med’ is an evaluation case. This essay aims to critically analyze the success and potential problems of the company by using SWOT analysis. Background Information Club Med, started by Gerard Blitz and oriented as a nonprofit sports association in Europe in 1950, is a global hotel company that directly and indirectly sells the low-price vacation package to customers through travel agency and reservation center. Due to the rapid growth of the association, Blitz invitedRead MoreAchieving and Maintaining Individual Excellence Paper 11414 Words   |  6 Pages In the CareSafe Foster Systems Budget the management team has to review the importance of a workable budget to make changes for financial gain. In order to increase the size of the CareSafe’s surplus is provide four methods and reviewing the pros, and cons of each discussed method. When planning a budget listing future and existing problems in the program will outline the future development of the financial proposed budget structure. When reviewing the background an education on how to maintainRead MoreA Small Non Profit Healthcare Clinic Essay1764 Words   |  8 Pagesthe employees. Providing health insurance coverage for employees has its pros and cons, but employers are not required by law to offer such benefits as they can be quite costly for a small business (Pro and Cons: Offering Employee Benefits). However, employers who do provide health insurance benefits are bound by certain laws and regulations, and must create a benefit plan that complies with the law. Pros and Cons The pros of offering employee benefits are that businesses can get the tax advantageRead MoreFresh Fields Case Analysis2076 Words   |  9 Pagesgood relationship with consumers and buyers †¢ In addition to supporting and promoting health and well-being, Fresh Fields stores are also active participants in their communities. Each year they give back 5% of their after tax profits to local nonprofit organizations. C. Suppliers †¢ Must use natural methods of pest management and apply the least amount of agricultural chemicals †¢ Small meat and poultry farms who avoid growth promoting drugs often used by factories. †¢ Seafood that is soldRead MorePascack Valley: Hospital Review3271 Words   |  13 PagesFor-profit hospitals are known to charge steeper prices for their services than their not-for-profit counterparts. One of the reasons why for-profits charge higher prices is because they are not tax-exempt so in order to make as much profit as the nonprofits, they need to increase revenues significantly. Secondly, the financing received by a for-profit hospital is at a higher rate of interest than that of a not-for-profit which is tax-exempt. As a for-profit, the organization will charge high prices

Why Use a Smart Phone Free Essays

Why use a smart phone? Why use a smart phone ? Everybody has a cell phone and the majority of us have a smart phone. Smart phone plays an important role in our daily life. You can see whenever in the street or metro, millions of people use smart phone. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Use a Smart Phone or any similar topic only for you Order Now Why smart phones so popular around the world? I will start my topic now, why use a smart phone? It is universally acknowledged that we can use a smart phone not only chat or text with others but also play games, read books, listen to the music, surf on the internet. Sometimes we can even say that smart phone is a small computer. Obviously, we use smart phone as an entertainment tool. Firstly, smart phone can be used as an audio player. It can provide you the music whenever you want , like everyday in the metro, music is necessary for me. Secondly, a smart phone sometimes can be instead of e-book. Although I think that E-book is popular nowadays, you don’t need to buy it if you have a smart phone. In addition, downloading books in phones instead of buying books in stores also means that you are an environmentally friendly person. Simultaneously, many games are free to access if you are tired from work or study. Finally, smart phones can be used in different ways so in my opinion, using a smart phone as an entertainment tool can make our life becomes simple and colorful. Do smart phones have bad effects on our study? No way! I know that many people have an IPHONE as someone asked last week. For me as an example, I use IPHONE, I have many free apps which is benefit to my study. Cause English is my second language, I have Word a day this app to help me master more English vocabularies and SAT flashcards. I also have Google translate dictionary . Sometimes if you feel it is too complicated to look up the dictionary when you want to understand the word just check on your phone dictionary. In conclusion, smart phone to me is a good study tool. Overall, smart phone is a really great invention right? Sometimes even me think that using phones to surf the internet is incredible. Because I am not major in electronic stuffs and I am not interested in it. I don’t want to do some deeply research about it, but we all know that smart phone is useful and nowadays it becomes really easy to use. We must choose it for no hesitate. How to cite Why Use a Smart Phone, Essay examples

Entrepreneurship Effective Small Management -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Entrepreneurship Effective Small Management? Answer: Introducation A successful venture includes an innovative business idea. This is the milestone while forming any kind of company and its success. This report is about the business plan about a new product provided by the hospitality industry to the customers. This product would be a heating boot for the customers to keep their feet from the extra cold. This is a new venture of a company named Comfeet Corporation which will produce new and innovative types of boots. Name of the product would be heating boots which would be an innovative product for the customers to keep their feet warm during the cold season (McKeever, 2016). This kind of product would create an effective business opportunity is essential for the entrepreneurial venture. For this manner, company would observe the trends for the certain products, services or business for creating value for the customers. Aim of this business plan is to provide comfort to the customers with the innovative heating boot idea. Core objective of the busi ness plan is to identify the needs of the customers for their feet and provide the product accordingly. For this manner, the product would be provided to the people who stay in cold places. The unmatched pleasant experience would be helpful for the hotel to satisfy and retain the customers for hospitality services (Hoskisson, 2009). Vision statement Vision statement of Comfeet Corporation is to develop the heating boots for the customers while they are performing outdoor in the cold climate. Company would be focused on providing top-notch personalized customer services with the innovative heating boots. Basically, vision of the company is to be on the top of the latest trends in terms of innovation and style of footwear and boots. Mission statement Mission of the Heating Boots is to provide comfort to the customers along with the selection of the innovative shoes and outstanding customer service. Company would focus on the customers by focusing and maintaining them. Mission by this innovative idea would be achieving strong position in the operating market and giving tough competition to the competitors. This service would meet the expectations of the customers (Glowik Smyczek, 2011). Goals and objectives By the new product of Heating Boots, objective of the company Comfeet corporation would be set for first three years. The objectives for the first three years of the business operations involve: To develop customer-oriented product i.e. heating boot which primary objective us to maximize the expectations of the customers, To increase the number of customers by 20% per year by serving them an unmet need with the outstanding new product of heating boots and customers services, To develop a start-up business with its own cash flow, To become market trendy with heating boots that will cater to the needs of every customer in the market, and To receive 50% profit margin within the first year. Management and personnel In the business management and personnel of this new venture, company would focus on the recruitment and selection method. Initially, in the first month managers will be in the work forecasting. In the second month, company will hire distribution and customer service people. For the hiring process, company will adopt internal and external recruitment methods. For this manner, advertisements will be published in the newspaper and other job portals. With the help of these resources, company will recruit people. Further, some technical experts and programmers will also be hired to develop website of the company. A plan will be formulated to develop the slay structure of the employees (Farahmand, 2011). Legal structure and issues Comfeet Corporation will be a sole proprietorship as there are two people in the business venture. Sole proprietorship is the easy and simplest legal structure for the business venture. In the sole proprietorship, both the partners will be responsible for all the profits, debt, losses and liabilities. Setting the proprietorship does not require registration of the business. But in case of the company, Comfeet Corporation would need to register under the state laws and trade name registration will be required for this manner. There would be some legal and personal implications in the business structure. Along with this, there can be some legal issues while forming sole proprietorship i.e. lack of financial controls, personally liable, and issues in rasing capital. Industry and customer analysis From the market analysis, it is observed that the footwear market is expected to improve by $371.8 billion by 2020. The footwear industry is growing at the steady pace since last few years. The analysis of this report includes the new types of heating boots that would be used by all age groups and genders. The demand for the trendy and comfortable footwear among all the age groups is the key factor which is driving the global footwear industry. Comfeet Corporation would take advantage of this factor and would provide innovative heating boots to those customers. The footwear market is basically segmented by various types of footwear, different platform for sale of footwear, end users of footwear, material used and sales across different geographies (Baker, 2014). Comfeet Corporation would target various groups of customers including customers with all age groups. The company would basically focus on the people who are working professionals and who wish to go out for the vacations i.e. travelers. It is observed that in the cold season, feet lose their heat. While working in outdoor in the cold, feet are susceptible to the cold temperature. This is the reason; people are having less enjoyable outdoor experience as they are unable to keep their feet warm in the cold environment. It is analyzed that there is direct correlation between discomfort level and duration of time in the cold. So, this is the problem in the market i.e. how to keep feet warmer during the cold season so that people can get comfort for the longer periods of time. In the current market, the concept of boots is not developed that can generate heat for feet of people. So, there is the need to design such boots that can benefit people to keep feet warm. The concept should be esp ecially for the older people as it is observed that there is the direct relation between the age and length of time it takes to feel comfortable during the cold environment. With the heating boots, people would be able experience of outdoor activities for the long time and it will also increase the overall happiness of the customers (Dentchev, 2009). Competitor analysis For Comfeet Corporation, main competitors would be local shoes and boots brands. By adopting the technology, these companies can be potential competitors for Comfeet Corporation. Further, established companies will also become main competitors as they have strong position in the market. At the global level, there are some brands i.e. Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Puma and Skechers on which customers rely deeply. If these companies adopt the idea of Comfeet Corporation i.e. heating boots, then the potential customers can be shifted towards these brands as they have strong brand image at the global level. But, initially Comfeet Corporation would have competitive advantage due to this new heating boot as it is based on new and innovative idea of heating boots with the use of electric blanket in it (Schnaars, 2010). SWOT analysis The strength of product heating boots is that the product will provide unique experience and comfort to the customers feet. Along with this, company will provide the boots in those areas where people have to deal with the cold environment. Further, heating boots would have large customers as the product would target the customers with all the age groups. By introducing this innovative product, company has opportunity to understand and experience the requirements of the customers as it is new in the footwear market. So, the company has many opportunities to expand the business (Scarborough, 2015). Although it is very beneficial for the Comfeet Corporation that the company is new in the business and there could be various opportunities to experience and learn in the business. But there can be some weaknesses of the company while operating in the market. Footwear industry is dynamic and the preferences of the customers change continuously so; it would be very difficult for the company to satisfy them. Further, the heating boots will keep the feet warm with the help of electricity. So, there can be the risk of current in the feet of people. Along with this, there are some established competitors in the market who can also come up with this idea. There is also risk associated with the idea of heating boots that it would be successful or not. As it is known that company and its idea is new in the marketing so, there are not too many stores of Comfeet Corporation. So, company has opportunity to open up many stores as they would be unique due to new heating boots products. Further, the markets have various requirements for the cold season as everyone has various outdoor activities. So, company has opportunity to expand the business with this new idea. It will also improve the sales of heating boots undoubtedly. Comfeet Corporation would identify the opportunity and produce effective heating boots for the customers. The most important thing is to satisfy the requirements and expectations of the customers with the new heating boots. In current time, customers pay attention to the quality products. If the quality of the boots is bad, customers will give up purchasing the boots. One of the major threats for the company would be competitors who already have strong brand name in the footwear market. Those companies have high profile and long history. Some companies have good quality and lower price of the products to attract the customers. Further, use of electricity in the boots can also be threat for the company as there can be the risk of electric current that can harm to the customers. Along with this, it is the start up and the funds are not strong enough. The development capacity can be weak as there is the strong competition in the market (Marcer, 2012). Marketing plan component analysis By the marketing strategies for heating boots, Comfeet Corporation has aim to achieve leading role in the footwear industry. Along with this, aim of the company is to increase market share by producing quality and innovative products for the potential customers. There are following marketing components which are important for marketing plan of heating boots. Pricing strategy- Comfeet Corporation will adopt value based pricing strategy to provide values to the customers with the affordable prices. With this strategy, company would be able to serve valuable products to the customers at the lower cost. Market expansion strategy- Comfeet Corporation has aim to expand the business at the global level. For this manner, company has marketing strategy to expand its business by the effective channels in all over the world. With the improved product lines, company would be able to do so (Seshadri, 2009). Direct marketing- Comfeet Corporation would use direct marketing to introduce this new product to the target market. To make bigger impact, company would use salesperson to approach some individuals in the target market segments. Company would use communication mix for the direct marketing to maintain strong relationship with the customers and motivate them to purchase the product heating boots (Hill, Jones Schilling, 2014). Brand name Brand name is important for any product to survive in the market. Basic and important function of the brand name is to make easy for the customers to select products and their purchasing decisions. Creating a strong brand is important for the product heating boot to have higher profit margins in the business operations. For the heating boots, the price will be low and affordable. For the heating boots, brand development would include some steps and those are as follows: The brand strategy of the Comfeet Corporation is simple. Strategy of the company is to keep the product simple, and providing quality at the affordable prices. After making clear with the brand strategy, first element is to develop a brand name for the product. Basic guidelines for naming the brand for heating boots are that it should be durable across the culture, time and category. The company wants to have such name that is easy to pronounce for the customers in all over the world. Heating boots name is selected for the brand name as it is simple to pronounce and it tells what the product is all about. Giving the brand of heating is related to the name which would likely to create the brand of heating shoes in the mind of people (Drummond, Ensor Ashford, 2012). Brand colors- Choosing brand color is an important part for the branding. The brand colors should match the personality of brand and should create the pleasing combination. For this manner, company will took a drive into color psychology to understand the minds of the consumers in terms of brand colors and shades. Along with this, company would also analyze to the other brands in the industry that what colors other companies are using to attract the customers. It is analyzed that big brands do not have various colors. They just have black, white and gray for the brand colors. Reason to select brand color is to match the brand with the personality of the customers. So, four colors are selected for the brand color i.e. blue, black, white and brown (Renton, Daellenbach, Davenport and Richard, 2015). Logo development- After the selection of brand name and color, logo development would be started by the company. Logo or the brand mark is the actual face of the business. Consumers see the logo first and make perception about the specific business. Comfeet Corporation would generate ideas and choose the concept which would attract the customers. Logo of the company would appeal to the potential customers to buy the product provided by the company. By designing the logo, company has aim to be simple and stay consistent to the brand (Lymbersky, 2009). Market segments and target markets Based on the above discussion of the market, Comfeet Corporation would target the customers with all age group. Comfeet Corporation is the company having business to the customer strategy. Men, women and kids, all would be the main target of the company as every person needs to keep feet warm during the cold season. So the product heating boots will target both young generation as well as senior citizens. In current time, customers seek for quality, uniqueness and convenience in the products. Company is planning to target the customers having age of 10 to 60. Within theses age group, all the potential customers would be targeted. The customers for Comfeet Corporation will be those who are able to pay worth price for the quality products. So, the target group for the company would be those people who are able to spend worth money for the quality heating boots. There are many people who spend their money on these boots to keep their feet warm. So, it would be easy for Comfeet Corporati on to attract the potential customers as heating boots are the need of people in the cold environment (Lam and Harker, 2015). Market positioning Comfeet Corporation will position itself in the mind of the potential customers as the leader in the heating boots. The company has made such product that will satisfy its niche market with the product of heating boots. The brand logo and color would appeal to the target customers to buy the product with the confidence and sense of inspiration. This will create strong competition in the footwear industry. To create strong competition in the market, company would have effective positioning statement. Positioning statement of Comfeet Corporation would is that for every person, Comfeet Corporation provides perfect heating boots that keeps their feet warm for every outdoor activity. In this manner, there are following positioning strategies adopted by the company i.e. Applying style and attitude, Providing quality level and valuable product, Improving brand image in the consumers mind, and Positioning itself as the premium brand with effective design products (Payne Holt, 2008). Competitive advantage In the operating market, it is crucial for Comfeet Corporation to take competitive advantage in terms of product quality and customer services. The company has incorporated technology in its product heating boots as there would be electric blanket in the boots that will operate with the battery system. This is the most competitive product as it would enable the customers to keep warm their feet with the help of this innovation (Gruca Rego, 2009). Further, for achieving competitive advantage, company would adopt global outsourcing strategy which would enable the company to get low cost in the production of the heating boots. With the competitive advantage, Comfeet Corporation has aim to be the most innovative company that has brought new thing in the footwear industry. So it would be done by the effective research and development which has capability to produce new products for the customers (Preble Hoffman, 2009). Marketing mix It is well known that Comfeet Corporation is new in the market so company would not have wide range of products. In the product range of the company, there would be unique heating boots for the prospective customers in the new markets. The product offered by the company would include diversity of ideas to develop new style heating boots. The product would b e for all age customers. Heating boots would basically meet the demands of the people for heating their feet so that they can enjoy outdoor activities in the cold environment. the design of the product would meet all the limitation in terms of material, cost, comfort level, sustainability and reheat ability (Lee, 2009). Price- Selecting price range for any product is very crucial for the company. Comfeet Corporation will always try to keep an affordable for its potential customers. If the company is selecting the target market and positioning carefully then prices of the product would be fairly straightforward. Comfeet Corporation will normally use the market share strategy i.e. company with the target market share would enjoy by the lowest cost and highest long run profit. Comfeet Corporation would set the prices based on the perception of the customers in terms of product value. For this manner, company would adopt value based pricing approach. Along with this, sometimes company would provide discounts on the basis of events and occasions. On the Christmas and other especial days, Comfeet Corporation will allow discount of 20% of sales price on the two pairs of boots (Dant, 2009). Place- As Comfeet Corporation is new in the industry so it will try to open new stores and outlets for offering the products to the customers. Company would target in those areas where people have to deal with extra cold environment. Further, company would expand its retail network by the extensive network of dealers and deports. The retail outlets of the company would be segmented based on the profile and different market segments (Joshi, 2009). Promotion- As the company is new, so it would take extra efforts to promote its product among the customers. Although company would have retail outlets in all over the country but advertisements are also important for introducing the product among the customers. For this manner, company would focus on some promotional activities i.e. TV campaign, print advertisement, web-based E-flyer, and social media advertising. In the promotional tactics, Comfeet Corporation would follow push strategy i.e. sales force and trade promotion to push the products towards channels. Financials For the success of heating boots, it is important to establish the business in the operating market effectively. For this, company has to forecast the profit and loss in the business. Start-up cost Heating boots will include various start-up costs. The cost will involve legal fees for business development, office supplies, telephone installation, inventory storage, computer and laptops, internet connections etc. The financial projection for the start-up cost is described below: Start-up Expenses Amount Legal $3000 Stationery expenses $400 Web Development $12,000 Total Start-up Expenses $15,400 Start-up Assets Required Cash Long term Assets Current Assets $66000 $2100 $0 Total Assets $68100 Total fund Requirements $83500 Profit and loss projection For introducing new business and product in the market, company needs an effective financial plan and profit and loss forecasting. The aim of this plan is to achieve the organizational goals and objectives. Financial plan for next three years is described below: Heating Boots Profit Loss Statement Amount ($) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 A. Sales $189,397 $412,314 $456,226 Direct Cost of Sales $56,819 $123,694 $136,868 B. Total Cost of Sales $56,819 $123,694 $136,868 Gross Profit (A-B) $132,578 $288,620 $319,358 C. Operating Expenses Salary $157,000 $174,000 $190,000 Rent $8,400 $8,400 $8,400 Insurance $1,800 $1,800 $1,800 Utilities $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 Depreciation $636 $636 $636 Payroll taxes $23,550 $26,100 $28,500 Sales and Marketing and Other Expenses $10,800 $9,200 $7,200 D. Total Operating Expenses $203,686 $221,636 $238,036 Profit Before Interest and Taxes ($71,108) $66,984 $81,322 EBITDA ($70,472) $67,620 $81,958 Taxes $0 $20,095 $24,397 Net Profit ($71,108) $46,889 $56,925 Net Profit/Sales -37.54% 11.37% 12.48% Break even analysis After analysis and evaluating and projected profit and loss in the business, it is expected that for the break even analysis, $24,248 will be needed on monthly basis to achieve the break point. For achieving the break-even point, the graph is described below: Based on the above analysis, it is observed that if the company follows above profit and loss projections, then it will get profit within next three months. In the first year, company can face loss due to initial expenses in the promotion and advertising, but after the establishment of the business, company will gain profit continuously. Conclusion This report is based on the business plan of the company Comfeet Corporation which is going to start new product heating boots. From the above discussion, it is observed that product heating boots would be an innovative product for the customers to keep their feet warm during the cold season. Objective of the business plan is to identify the needs of the customers for their feet and provide the product accordingly and achieve profit within three years. Further, this business venture will be based on sole proprietorship as there will be only two partners in the business management. Based on the market analysis, it is observed that while working in outdoor in the cold, feet are susceptible to the cold temperature. This is the reason; people are having less enjoyable outdoor experience as they are unable to keep their feet warm in the cold environment. So, Comfeet Corporation will take advantage of this situation and provide heating boots to attract large customer base. References Baker, M.J., (2014).Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan. Dant, S. P., (2009). Ownership Structure in Franchising: The Effect of Transaction Cost, Production Costs and Strategic Considerations, the International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 6(1). 5375 Dentchev, N., (2009). Corporate Social Performance as a Business Strategy, Journal of Business Ethics. 55(4). pg. 397 412 Drummond, G., Ensor, J. Ashford, R., (2012). Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control. (4th). London: Palgrave Macmillan Farahmand, N. F., (2011). Organizational marketing planning by management educated managers: African Journal of Marketing Management. 3(8). pp. 178-187 Glowik, M. Smyczek, S., (2011). International Marketing Management: Strategies, Concepts and Cases in Europe. 301. (4th). New York: Physica-Verlag Gruca, T. S. Rego, L. L., (2009). Customer Satisfaction, Cash Flow and Shareholder Value: Journal of Marketing. 69. 11530 Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A, (2014). Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hoskisson, R., (2009). Business strategy: theory and cases. (6th). UK: John Murray Joshi, A. W. (2009). Continuous supplier performance improvement: Effects of collaborative communication and control: Journal of Marketing. 73(1). 133150 Lam, W. and Harker, M.J., (2015). Marketing and entrepreneurship: An integrated view from the entrepreneurs perspective.International Small Business Journal,33(3), pp.321-348. Lee, G. K. (2009). Relevance of organizational capabilities and its dynamics: What to learn from entrants product portfolios about the determinants of entry timing? Strategic Management Journal. 29. 12571280 Lymbersky, C. (2009). Market Entry Strategies: Text, Cases and Readings in Market Entry Management. (5th). Australia: Christoph Lymbersky Marcer, D. (2012). Marketing strategy: the challenge of the external environment. (5th). Washington: Sage Publications McKeever, M., (2016).How to write a business plan. Nolo Publications. Payne, A., Holt, S., (2008). Diagnosing Customer Value: Integrating the Value Process and Relationship Marketing: British Journal of Management. 12 (2). pp 159 182. Preble, J. F. Hoffman, R. C., (2009). Competitive Advantage through Specialty Franchising: Journal of Consumer Marketing. 15(1). 6477 Renton, M., Daellenbach, U., Davenport, S. and Richard, J., (2015). Small but sophisticated: entrepreneurial marketing and SME approaches to brand management.Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. 17(2). pp.149-164. Scarborough, N.M., (2015).Entrepreneurship and effective small business management. Pearson Higher Ed. Schnaars, S. (2010). Marketing strategy: a customer-driven approach. (5th). Huntington, New York: Free Press Seshadri, S. (2009). Sourcing strategy: principles, policy, and designs. India: PHI Learning Pvt.

The Tragic Lives Of Michael Corleone And John The Savage Though The E

The Tragic Lives Of Michael Corleone And John The Savage: Though The Eyes Of Joseph Campbell Brendan Tyo 10/8/01 People in literature, theater, and real life can all be viewed as tragic heroes. In order to fully understand this effect, one must observe what a man named Joseph Campbell calls the hero circle. This circle consists of specific significant stops in the hero's journey. John the Savage of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Michael Corleone of The Godfather, both fit into Mr. Campbell's model of a heroic journey. John and Michael Corleone share similar heroic lives at their special births, small battles, and boon stages of their journeys. Both John and Corleone are born with a certain kind of power as a result of their detachment from the world that they can never fully know. John has a certain unique kind of power as son of the Director of the very society that alienates him. John shows his surprise when he discovers the truth about his father, He came in at once . . . fell on his knees in front of the Director, and said in a clear voice: 'My father' (Huxley 151). The combination of the Director as his father and his birth as a member of the savage community spark John's detachment from the London society. Corleone's desire to break away from the family's crime business is always overcome by his birth into it. On J. Geoff Malta's The Godfather internet fan page, Corleone is quoted as saying, Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in (Malta 3). This illustrates the merciless undertow of the family's organized crime business. Corleone's birth into the family continues to plague him until the very end of his j ourney. Both John and Corleone's births served as starting points for their tragic stories. While John's lack of choice of destiny detaches him from the London society, Corleone's lack of desire and passion for his occupation alienates him from the society of the family business. Though Corleone is discontent with the concrete outcomes of his birth, John is also an outsider as a result of his own. While John and Corleone both had similar births, they also faced comparable small battles in their journeys. John and Corleone both face the death of family members as tests or small battles in their journeys. John deals with the painful loss of his mother when Linda passes away. Huxley illustrates John's devastation in Chapter 14, 'Quick, quick!' He caught her by the sleeve, dragged her after him. 'Quick! Something's happened. I've killed her.' . . . The Savage stood for a moment in frozen silence, then fell on his knees beside the bed and, covering his face with his hands, sobbed uncontrollably (Huxley 206). John's actions show how traumatic Linda's death is to him, challenging him to continue his life as a tragic hero. Corleone faces the near death of his loving father after an assassination attempt. A scene analysis of The Godfather describes Corleone's tragedy and what followed, When his father is shot though, Michael takes revenge on the people who did it and becomes part of the Mafia lifestyle. When his older brother is murdered, Michael ascends to become the boss of the family, and proves to be more ruthless than his father and brother combined (Glass 1). Corleone's experiences challenge him to make a difficult choice between reason and revenge. Both John and Corleone's encounters with death serve as catalysts in becoming tragic heroes. The heroes find death testing their love and loyalty to their families. Also, each of them go through small, but difficult battles to recover from their losses including emotional breakdown for John and uncontrollable aggression for Corleone. Though John and Corleone deal with like obstacles, they also both meet similar ends to their heroic lives. In the end of each of John and Corleone's journeys, death functions as their boons. John's death is the only way he can get away from the society that plagued him. Huxley describes John's end: That evening the swarm of helicopters that came buzzing across the Hog's Back . . . 'Savage!' called the first arrivals, as they alighted from their machine. 'Mr. Savage!' (Huxley 259).

Dividend Irrelevance Theory Essay Example

Dividend Irrelevance Theory Essay Example Dividend Irrelevance Theory Paper Dividend Irrelevance Theory Paper Dividend, a periodic payment made to stockholders to compensate them for delaying consumption and for the use of and risk to their investment funds O1. A firms decisions about the dividends are often mixed up with other financing and investment decisions. Some firms pay low dividends because management is optimistic about the firms future and wishes to retain earnings for expansion. In this case the dividend is a by-product of the firms capital budgeting decision. Another firm might finance capital expenditures largely by borrowing. This releases cash for dividends. In this case the dividend is a by-product of the borrowing decision O2. Once a company makes a profit, it must decide on what to do with those profits: either continues to retain the profits within the company, or pays them out to the owners of the firm in the form of dividends. Once the company decides to pay dividends, a somewhat permanent dividend policy may need to be established, which may in turn impact on investors and perceptions of the company in the financial markets. What kind of decision is depended on the situation of the company now and in the future. It also depends on the preferences of current investors and potential investors. Fisher Black (1976) wrote: The harder we look at the dividend picture, the more it seems like a puzzle. Based on our study, this article wont cover all the aspects of Dividend Policy, but from the view of a finance director, it attempts to provide a summary report to Board of Directors, regarding some related issues on dividend policy decision making in UK market. Dividend Theories Theoretically, there are 3 typical extensions trying to explain the relationship of a firms dividend policy and common stock value: Dividend Irrelevance Theory (Miller Modigliani, 1961) O3: which is lately known as MM. This theory purports that, in a world without any market imperfections like taxes, transaction costs or asymmetric information, a firms dividend policy has no effect on either its value or its cost of capital (Figure 1. 1). Investors value dividends and capital gains equally. However, the crucial assumption here is the independence of a companys investment policy from its dividend policy. Investment policy is all that matters, since value of the firm equals present value of future cash flows. How these cash flows are split between dividends and retained earnings are then irrelevant. Given the companys investment policy, dividend policies affects only the level of outside financing required (in addition to retained earnings) to fund new investment and pay the dividend. This means that each dollar of dividends represents a dollar of capital gains lost. According to MM, the only important determinant of a companys market value is its investment policy because it is responsible for the companys future profitability. As a result, it does not matter whether the firm pays out its earnings or not. The basic contention (and recommendation) underlying the MM proposition is that manager should subordinate the dividend decision to investment decisions O4. Optimal Dividend Policy (Gorden Lintner, 1962) O5: Proponents believe that there is a dividend policy that strikes a balance between current dividends and future growth that maximizes the firms stock price. Addresses the investor preference for receiving dividends without selling stock, arguing that a capital gain in the bush is perceived as riskier than a dividend in the hand. Miller Modigliani refer to this theory as the bird in the hand fallacy, suggesting that most investors will reinvest their dividends in the same or similar firms anyway and that in the long run risk is determined by asset cash flows not dividend policy. This theory from Myron Gordon is rather an argument about investment policy than about dividends. What the Bird in the Hand-Theory is really saying is that companies paying low dividends tend to have riskier investments. For this reason and not for the low dividend perse investors discount the earnings of low dividend (and therefore risky) company more heavily. The market discounts future earnings according to the risk of the company, regardless of whether those earnings will be retained or distributed. However, what is important to recognize is that higher risk causes lower dividend, and not the reverse. Dividend Relevance Theory (Graham Dodd, 1988) O6: The value of a firm is affected by its dividend policy. The optimal dividend policy is the one that maximizes the firms value. Since dividends are taxed at higher rates than capital gains, investors require higher rates of return as dividend yields increase. This theory suggests that a low dividend payout ratio will maximize firm value. Results of empirical tests of these theories are mixed and have not led to definitive conclusions. In the less than theoretical real world, companies budget future dividend payments the same way that they budget any other cash outflow such as debt service requirements, capital expenditures, or any foreseeable demand for cash. As a result, when a board of directors sets a general dividend policy, it is often in terms of and always in consideration of projected cash flows not earnings. Thus, the internal policy might well be described as a certain percentage of cash flow, even for companies that express their policy publicly in terms of payout ratios or a percent of earnings In the real world, markets cannot be absolutely efficient or wholly inefficient. Markets are essentially a mixture of both, and daily decisions and events cannot always be reflected immediately into a market; moreover, if all participants were to believe that the market is efficient, no one would seek extraordinary profits, the force that keeps the wheels of the market turning. Semi-strong market efficiency, as indicated by Jack Treynor, holds that the market will not be always either quick or accurate in processing new information. On the other hand, it is not easy to transform the resulting opportunities to trade profitably against the market consensus into superior portfolio performance O7.

Causes of Homelessness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of Homelessness - Essay Example Homelessness and poverty are inextricably related and thus is a major contributory factor as to why some people end up in the streets. People may also be homeless due to structural factors such high economy living standards, and thus the poor are unable to afford basic life needs such as housing hence ending up in the streets. Other factors may also include system failures such as those organizations responsible for management of refugees and immigrants. Combinations of these factors are the reasons why people end up in the streets .Homelessness is a major pointer of poor health and has for all time been manifested by mental problem and drug addiction issues. Despite the fact that mental illness has been identified as a major risk to homelessness, its relationship is reciprocal to homelessness. As much as mental illness contributes to homelessness, homelessness can also lead to mental illnesses such as depression and stress or intensify a mental illness that was already in existence. Substance addiction has also been associated with homelessness. Addiction and homelessness are seen as jointly reinforcing, interconnected, social troubles. Those who experience homelessness or addiction tends to share uniqueness and homelessness can be both an outcome of addiction and a catalyst for addiction.Addiction to alcohol and other drugs is the most common cause of chronic homelessness among most homeless people. Those who experience homelessness or addiction tends to share uniqueness.

Nutrition discussion Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nutrition discussion - Case Study Example What happened in the above illustration was that the food ordered in the hospital the previous day could not be provided in time the following day. The patients needed the roast beef, but sixty-five of them ended up not getting lunch. The cooks had to work on the problem first before they began preparing the evening meal. The lateness caused general delays in the hospital as even the nurses had to wait the patients to take lunch. This operation shows how important food production is, relative to patient fulfillment. The production sheet is a record indicating the amount of a food substance and the number of patients who ordered for it. The purpose of the production sheet therefore was to clearly identify whether the problem lay in the patients or the employees. Some patients might have thought of taking roast beef twice thereby causing a shortage. Poor production control generally leads to less consumer satisfaction poor employee morale and increased employee work load. Poor production of food also increases food costs as substitute food services have to be provided and catered

What roles do interest groups play in influencing public opinion and Essay

What roles do interest groups play in influencing public opinion and the political process What kinds of interest groups are they How do they contribute to, or hinder a healthy democracy - Essay Example It is important to note that in political science, the main points of argument refer to the particular study of what individuals get, the time they are to get it and the process to be followed in getting it. This has led to many questions about how the government carries out its governance process. For instance, why does it have different tax regimes for different people and firms? Why some benefits are made available to certain groups of people and not others among others. Most of the answers to these questions in the American example depend on the political and socioeconomic processes and the work of interest groups The works of interest groups cannot be underestimated in any country; in the United States, these groups are important channels through which people express their ideas and make their views known to people they elected in governance. Citizens can always channel their views and concerns to interest groups that articulate their concerns to various arms of the government and other public institutions (Maisel 25). In the United States, interest groups find fertile grounds to advance their interests through the informal traditions and the formal structures existing in the country (Hays para 5). It is important to note that these groups find their great source of influence from the fact that political parties in the US are thought to have some weaknesses as far as tackling the interests of people in the country is concerned. Another important feature of the American political system that encourages the functioning of interest groups relates to the way political power is decentralized to various localities and states. This is known as federalism, and plays a big role in the way citizen associations begin; mostly at the local level and the state and later coming together to make strong influential groups at the national level Interest groups made up of business people and corporate groups agree that they are critical to

Sales promotions

Sales promotions In the United Kingdom, most of the companies that are known as the big advertising spenders allocate more money on sales, promotions than advertising. Due to the movement towards relationship marketing and integrated marketing communications, growth of direct mail and increasing cost, advertising lost its dominant importance over other communication mix in last two decades. The ratio of advertising budget against promotions budget is 30:70 (advertising: promotions) which was 60:40 in 1990s in UK (Kotler, 1997). This fact underlines the importance of sales promotions. However, sales promotions fail to be successful unless they are clearly targeted, well communicated and original. Companies can use sales promotions for different purposes such as: increasing a particular products usage, improving sales of existing product, retaining and rewarding loyal customers and helping to introduce new products, data capturing. Depending on the time and the way that these sales promotions methods are employed, they could be tactical or strategic tools (Pickton Broderick, 2001). More often sales promotions are used as tactical tools to have short term outcomes- for example, as a response to competitors activity or improving the sales of a product or service. Alternatively, some sale promotional techniques can be combined with customer relationship management programmes which seek more strategic and long term approaches (Hackley, 2005). For example, free samples and contest entry forms are used to capture customer information in order to create a customer database which adds value to business as importance of direct database marketing is rapidly increasing. Furthermore, cus tomer retention programs and rewarding loyal customers with sales promotions assist to create a brand loyalty over long run. Mintels (2008) report discovered that high street pubs and bars spend more money on sales promotions than any other communication mix. Particularly with the effects of credit crunch, reluctance of spending money on alcoholic drinks and night-outs made it indispensible to lower prices or add extra value through sales promotions to lure potential customers. This is one of the most important reasons why sales promotions became very important in bar industry in recent times. In order to retain customers, some bars and restaurants started to give price cuts, 2 for 1 offers and meal deals. To respond to competitors move and overcome the reluctance of spending money on entertainment, other bars and restaurants also used sales promotions. This current economic climate created a great opportunity for bars and restaurants to gain competitors customers by the way of using sales promotions to bring customers in to experience their service. If they can make good use of the opportunity, those cust omers can be loyal customers. Marketing communications are vital for a companys success. Regardless what product or service is offered by an organization, messages should be sent to potential customers through marketing communication methods. In most cases, combinations of those methods are used in marketing plan. Product life cycle is a tool that helps managers to plan their communication mix. Sales promotions can be employed in each stage of a product or services life cycle. Sales promotions help to strengthen the messages that are sent through advertising, public relations and other promotional activities. However, their purpose of use depends on what stage they are used. In introduction stage, they tend to encourage potential customers to try the service in order to create awareness. In growth and maturity stages, the main aim of the sales promotions is to build brand loyalty and reinforce the messages (Varey, 2002) that are given in introduction stage and increase the usage of a product or service. More in d epth uses and analysis of product life cycle will be discussed in chapter 2 and chapter 4. Pitcher Piano, a bar chain with branches located throughout the UK and owned by Marstons Public Limited Company, is one of the many bar chains which emphasise the importance of sales promotions by employing these tools as both a tactical and a strategic tool very often. There are three types of sales promotions: customer sales promotions, trade sales promotions and employee sales promotions (Wright, 2000). This study will mainly focus on customer sales promotions. The purpose of this research is, by using relative literature on the topic and with the help of primary data, to examine the usage of customer sales promotions and the methods and discover whether these methods are used to influence a service or brands performance in bar industry in short term or long term. 1.3 Brief Background of Pitcher Piano Pitcher Piano is a bar chain with branches located throughout the UK. Since 1996, the brand operates as a part of Marstons Public Limited Company. The first Pitcher Piano was opened in 1986 in Fulham. When Pitcher Piano Fulham opened its doors to public, it was one of the first wine bars in the UK. This new wine bar concept was an alternative to traditional British pub culture. The concept became very popular and over time other brands like All-Bar-One, Slug Lettuce emerged. There are 27 Pitcher Piano bars around UK now. Recently, company decided to sell some of their branches in London in order to focus on the branches where the venues are owned by the company and that are profitable. Main competitors of Pitcher Piano are All-Bar-One, Slug Lettuce, Grand Union and Living Room. Pitcher Piano bars offer a wide range of wines, spirits and beers as well as party snacks and food. Even though Pitcher Piano bars all operate under the same brand name each bar has its own strengths tailored to the customers demand in the area. While some are led by food sales, others are renowned for their party atmosphere and drinks. Hence, individual branch has its own promotions which are decided by house general manager depending on their customer base and target. In 2004, to help government to tackle increasing binge-drinking related crime, along with some of other pub groups, the company decided not to consider Happy Hours or similar promotions campaigns (Evening Standard, 2004). However, heavy competition, current economic climate and plans for creating customer database for direct marketing pushed the company to use sales promotions methods again. 1.4 Rationale of the Chosen Topic During the current economic climate, most companies use sales promotions to encourage recession-hit people to spend money on their products and services. In this context, the bar industry is one of the most interesting industries since the priority of entertainment lost its place to the primary needs such as satiating hunger. Therefore, it caused bar industry to employ sales promotions as tactical tools extensively. Particularly, in bar industry, heavy competition made it compulsory to use sales promotions in order not to lose customers to other bars at the same time attract competitors customers. Furthermore, having worked in bar industry for five years, out of which 4 years in Pitcher Piano, the researcher has gained knowledge and understanding of various usages of marketing communication mix, particularly, sales promotions in bar industry. This experience also helped the researcher to observe how the company reacts to internal and external changes. Even though sales promotions are common tools employed by marketers as a tactical weapon, it has become more complex and also interesting for the researcher to analyse them during the current economic climate within bar industry. That is the main reason why the topic, which is to examine methods of sales promotions employed by Pitcher Piano and analyse effects of these methods on the companys performance, was chosen to. This research will help the researcher to gain a valuable knowledge about marketing the communication mix and more importantly, sales promotions. 1.5 Aims and Objectives of Research The main aim of the research is to explore different methods of sales promotions, when and where to use appropriate methods, either as a strategic tool or tactical tool, and understand their pros and cons in the hospitality industry. In order to understand the methods, this research will evaluate the above mentioned bar Pitcher Piano that use sales promotion frequently. In this context, the objectives of this research can be described as follow; To find out what kind of sales promotions used by Pitcher Piano, To evaluate the outcomes of the employed sales promotion techniques, To assess the effectiveness of the given methods and suggest areas in need of improvement where necessary, To analyse the use of sales promotion in the context of tactical or strategic tools. 1.6 Significance of the Study This research provides several significances such as; This research will provide information to marketers on the uses of consumer sales promotion in bar industry and help them to have an understanding of some of the consumer sales promotion methods. This research can help other researches on this particular topic, sales promotion and related topic. In general, the usage of sales promotion amongst all communication mix is rapidly increasing, particularly in bar industry, in the UK. However, sales promotion always perceived as a supporting activity of advertising and public relations. Many academics underlined its efficiency of achieving short term goals. Nevertheless, its long term impacts have been ignored. Although the debate is on-going whether sales promotions are strategic or tactical tool, in the context of question industry examined in this research, they can be specifically interpreted as strategic tools in such activities as building customer database, encouraging trial use and repeat purchase. 1.7 Brief Structure of the Study This study consists of 5 sections. Each section includes some explanations and opinions to help enlightening the subject matter. This study attempts to find out the uses of customer sales promotion in bar industry and whether these promotions are employed as tactical or strategic tool. Chapter 1: This chapter contains the introduction on the changing nature of sales promotion within promotion mix and a brief view on related models and topics. This chapter also includes the usage and the importance of sales promotions in brief and succinct background information about Pitcher Piano. Finally, aims and objectives, rationale and significance of the study are covered in this section. Chapter 2: In this chapter, all current and related topics are examined. Different opinions that have been expressed by academics on strategic uses of sales promotion are discussed. Furthermore, various consumer sales promotion methods, communication methods in service industry, importance of sales promotions in direct marketing and usage of product life cycle for promotional mix are explained with the help of existing vast literature on these topics. Chapter 3: This chapter explains the methodology that is employed by researcher while doing this research. Approaches of the researchers and the methods adopted to collect and analyse the primary data are critically argued. Finally, shortcomings which are faced by researcher in the research process are included in this chapter. Chapter 4: This chapter represents the analysis of the data collected and the findings of this research. In this chapter, it is also focused on that to what extend the findings are related to the literature review. The researcher also Chapter 5: This chapter includes conclusions and recommendations. Conclusions are made with the help of literature review, analysis and the primary data. Recommendations were given to bar industry to advise on the strategic use of sales promotion methods. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW This section will attempt to explain the current argument on the topic and present different views by academics. It will help to understand concepts and models relating to sales promotion in the context of question as well. However, the usage of these models and concepts in practice will be related in data analysis section with the help of observed examples and primary data. 2.1 Sales Promotions 2.1.1 Sales Promotion and Current Debate on Sales Promotion Sales promotion is one of the four aspects of promotional mix along with advertising, personal selling and public relations. Sales promotions which, are also known as below the line promotions, are methods that are used by marketers to attract consumers. Sales promotions have been in use in trading for a long time. Shopkeepers and stallholders had been employing on the spot offers to convince people to purchase a product (Mullin and Cummins, 2008). Sales promotions are, traditionally, defined in the most textbooks as activities such as deals, discounts, coupons, loyalty programs, refunds, contest, sampling and special displays that are encouraging the target audience to act in a particular way by reducing the perceived value of the product being promoted usually to achieve short term goals (Fill, 2006; Pickton and Broderick, 2001). According to Institute of Sales Promotion (2004; cited in Yeshin, 2006, p1), sales promotion is defined as a planned and implemented marketing activity that both enhances product and service appeal and changes customer behaviour positively in return for an additional benefit for purchase or participation. Lamb et al. (2004, p323) also interpret sales promotion as generally a short run tool used to stimulate immediate increase in demand. Most definitions underpinned the immediate encouragement to buy the product and service at the time. Nevertheless, the definitions do not convey the same message whe ther it has short term or long term effects. Most of the definitions above agree that sales promotion is a short term tool. Similarly, Shimp (2000, p508) considers that sales promotion has a short term nature by stating that in contrast to advertising, which typically, though not always, is relatively long term in orientation and best suited to enhancing buyer attitudes and augmenting brand equity, promotion is more short-term oriented and capable of influencing behaviour (rather than just attitudes or intensions). Fill (2006, p635) is another supporter of this school of thought. He believes that just as advertising seeks to work over the long term, sales promotion can achieve short term upward shifts in sales. When comparing advertising and sales promotion, Kotler (2008, p85) underlined that whereas advertising offers a reason to buy a product or service, sales promotion offers reasons that would achieve immediate sale. However, Yeshin (2006) opposes to the views stated above and claims that objectives of sales promotion have dramatically changed in recent years. Wilmshurt and Macay supported Yeshin (2006) by stating that companies have increasingly realized, however, that whilst sales promotion has tactical uses it has strategic implications (2002, p211). According to Gupta et al. (1997 cited in Yeshin, 2006), many empirical researches have focused on identifying short-term effects of sales promotion. Thus, most practitioners and, in particular, academics failed to see long term effects of sales promotion. Schultz et al. suggested that sales promotion can be strategic by stating sales promotions are marketing and communications activities that change the price / value relationship of a product or service perceived by the target, thereby generating immediate sales and altering long term brand value (1998, p7). Kotler and Armstrong (2008, p502) suggest that in general, rather than creating only shor t term sales or temporary brand switching, sales promotions should help to reinforce the products position and build long term customer relationship. In addition, they (Kotler and Armstrong, 2008, p.502) claim that if properly designed, every sales promotion tool has the potential to build both short term excitement and long term consumer relationship. Mullin and Cummins (2008) believe that a good sales promotion should prompt a customer to consider a product or service and help them to make a decision after the promotion campaign. Brassington and Pettitts (2003, p720) definition covers all the characteristics of sales promotion. They believe sales promotion is a range of tactical marketing techniques designed within a strategic marketing framework to add value to a product or service in order to achieve specific sales and marketing objectives. This extra value may be of a short-term tactical nature or it may be part of a longer-term franchise-building programme. Finally, Boone and Kurtz (2001, p509) noticed the shift in the usage of sales promotion in recent years by stating that today, however, marketers recognize them as integral parts of many marketing plans, and the focus of sales promotion has shifted from short-term to long-term goals of building brand equity and maintaining continuing purchase. They supported their argument with frequent-flyers programs that can create a base of loyal customers. It should be noted that sales promotion is a great tool to get immediate affects. However, sales promotions capability of creating a long term affects should not be ignored. While the debate, whether sales promotion is short term or long term, is still on-going, the use of sales promotion has increased enormously in last two decades. Smith and Taylor state that the importance of sales promotions over advertising have been increased because of various reasons which are; a)the movement towards relationship marketing, b) the growth of direct mail, c) the emergence of promotion-literate consumers who expect promotions with certain product types, d) during recessions, price-conscious customers search for value-for-money promotions, e) powerful retailers favour suppliers whose products sell quickly, f) high television advertising costs force marketing managers to look for more cost effective below-the-line tools. (Smith and Taylor, 2004 p. 356) Even though they are widely used by many companies, some academics disagree to use them extensively. Many of them underline the facts that extensive and repetitive promotions of a product can damage the brand value, sales and cash flow (Schultz et al., 1998). 2.1.2 Strengths and Weaknesses of Sales Promotions Each communication mix can accomplish a certain objective that other elements cannot (Burnett and Moriarty, 1998; Shimp 2000). For example, advertising cannot change a product or services sales trend in short term however sales promotion can. What sales promotion is capable of accomplishing; Motivate sales force to sell a new, improved or mature product. When personal selling methods becomes boring and monotonous, exciting sales promotions can stimulate sale forces enthusiasm and make the job easier for them (Shimp, 2000). Stimulate sales in maturity stage of a product or service. By changing price / value relationship, it can encourage more people to use a product or service (Schultz et al., 1997). Counteract a competitors communication campaign. Competitors advertising and sales promotion campaign can be neutralized by using counter sales promotion campaigns (Shimp, 2003). Encourage consumers to try a new service or product (Fornell et al., 1985). When a product or service is being introduced into the market, it is very important to encourage people to experience it (Mela et al., 1997). Consumers would not know if the product or service is high-quality unless they try it. Many consumers would not try a new product without any sales promotion activity. Retain existing customers through repeat purchases. Sales promotion can be used to prevent existing customers to go to competitors. Shimp, (2000, p516) states that strategic use of sales promotion can encourage at least short-run repetitive purchasing. Besides short-term repetitive purchasing, continuous sales promotion programs such as loyalty card scheme encourage customers to repeat purchase. Reinforce the messages given with advertising and public relations campaigns. Sales promotion can be a main tool for an organizations communication plan. However, it can also help to emphasise messages given with any other communication tools (Burnett and Moriarty, 1998). Help to build a customer database. The importance of direct marketing is increasing. In order to build a database to contact consumers directly, sales promotion are used to capture their contact details. Some sales promotions require customers to provide their details in return of a free products or discounts (Mullin and Cummins, 2008). What sales promotion is not capable of accomplishing; Inability to change opinion about an undesired product or service. Consumers would not purchase a product or service if they do not like it. Sales promotion usually will fail to help to compensate a low quality product or bad service (Boone and Kurtz, 2001). Unable to compensate for poor advertising. Sales promotions cannot fix a problem caused by weak brand image or lack of brand awareness. It can help in the short run. However, it is unrealistic to expect a good result in long run. Sales promotions can have negative effects on long term (Jedidi et al., 1999). If sales promotion is used repeatedly, it can create confusion on perceived value of a product or service. Thus, customers would not buy the product or service once the promotion is over and wait for the new promotion. 2.1.3 Consumer Sales Promotions and Methods According to Fill (2006), sales promotions are used for various reasons such as reaching new customers, reducing distributor risk, rewarding behaviour, retention, adding value and assisting segmentation. There are three types of sales promotions depending on who they target: consumer sales promotions, trade sales promotions and employee sales promotions (Srinivasan and Anderson, 1998; Wright, 2000; Fill, 2006; Boone and Kurtz, 2001). The focus of this study will be on consumer sales promotions, as it is mentioned in Chapter 2 and on discovering what types of sales promotions methods are used by Pitcher Piano and whether they are tactical or strategic. Pickton and Broderick define consumer targeted sales promotion as pull promotional activities designed to encourage demand by end-customers that will pull products through distribution channels (2001, p539). Objectives of sales promotion and analysis of whether the objective is strategic or tactical are given in the Table-1. Consumer targeted promotions are used for improving sales of existing products, encouraging repeat purchase, trial of new products and brand loyalty, giving a response to competitors move and capturing customer database information. There are different tools of consumer targeted promotions. The most popular and widely used ones are sampling, couponing, premiums, money-off, bonus-packs, prize draws and refunds. However, Pitcher Piano uses sampling, premiums (2 for 1s, 3 for 2s), money-off and contests and sweepstakes more often, for example, last summer, Pitcher Piano customers could win Bacardis global music festival tickets on completion of registration forms (Appendix 1). Price-offs offer consumer discount on the regular price of a product. They are used to accomplish different objectives. They can be used to reward the existing customers. In this case, price-offs collaborated with loyalty card schemes (Hobbs and Rowley, 2008). Another use of price-offs is to encourage consumers to stockpile the product. It is a good way of pre-empting competitors. Those customers who stockpiled the product are out of marketplace until they consume the product. They would not buy competitors brand during that time (Shimp, 2000). Price-offs can be offered to customers on a specific time of the day. For example, happy hours in pubs and bars is a good example of it. The objective behind is that to pull the customers inside the venue at slow periods to increase volume (Reid and Bojanic, 2006). Combination offers or bundling are one of the most popular methods that are employed by restaurant and bar industry (Kotler et al., 1996). Two or more products or services are combined together and offered on a price that would be more if they are purchased separately. Such examples are restaurants 3 course meal deals, two for one deals and drink and meal at a specific price deals. 2.1.3.2 Premiums Premiums are products or services that are offered free or at relatively low cost when buying a product; such as buy a meal get the drinks free or purchase this meal and get a baseball cap free (dAstous Jacob, 2002). Premiums are typically given to consumers as a reward for behaving in a particular way, usually visiting a store or buying a product or service (Burnett and Moriarty, 1998). They can also be used to add value to product and represent an advantage over competitors products (Pickton and Broderick, 2001). The main target of premiums is to encourage the trial of a product. There are two types of premiums which are direct premiums and mail premiums. Incentives are provided at the time of the purchase with direct premiums. Direct premiums can be given to customers in the store, be placed with the package, be inserted in the package or the container itself can be the premium (Yeshin, 2006). Mail premiums require consumers to provide a proof of purchase of a product or service before being handed. Some of the mail premiums are given free after the customer sending the proof of purchase and some requires customers to save a specific number of coupons or special labels (Burnett and Moriarty, 1998). 2.1.3.3 Sampling Sampling means offering standard or trial-sized samples of a product for free or at a reduced price in order to either create an awareness of a new product / service or increase the consumption of an existing one (Shimp, 2003). Sampling is usually used to aid when a new product or service is launched. Although it is very effective, it is the most expensive way of introducing a product or service. If the consumers are not targeted properly, the losses can be big (Kotler et al., 1996). Thus, companies should avoid giving samples to consumers who would never purchase the product or service in future. Samples are widely used in hospitality sector as well (Reid and Bojanic, 2006). Some restaurants and bars offer samples of their potential customers or people whose opinion is respected in the area. One of the reasons for that is to create a positive word of mouth about the service. 2.1.3.4 Coupons Coupons are the legal certificates by manufacturers that offer customers discount when buying a specified products (Schultz et al., 1998). They can be mailed or emailed (direct mail), given with newspapers, magazines or with another product. According to Kotler et al. (1996), coupons are very popular in restaurant and bar industry. Srinivasan and Anderson (1998) suggest that the value of the discount should be decided very carefully. If the face value is low, consumers are reluctantly to redeem the coupons. However, if the face value is raised, more people redeem it on a price lower than they would have redeemed. Moreover, excessive uses of the coupons can make customers feel they are getting poor value, if they purchase the product or service without a coupon. 2.1.3.5 Contests and Sweepstakes Different forms of competitions such as contests, sweepstakes, prize draws, where they can win a prize without having to spend extra money, are used in order to attract customers (Boone and Kurtz, 2001). This kind of competitions creates an excitement amongst consumers. A sweepstake is a sales promotion technique where customers are required to submit their names and e-mails in a drawing in which they have the chance to win cash, trips or a product or service. The winners are determined purely on the basis of their luck (Egan, 2007). Because of its low cost comparing with other methods, simplicity and ability to accomplish a variety of marketing objectives, the usage of sweepstakes have increased recently (Shimp, 2000) Contests are also another technique for sales promotion. Unlike the sweepstakes, in order to win a prize, contestants compete with others on the basis of skills or ability (Fill, 2006). They are usually asked a contest problem or proof of purchase. The winners are sele cted by judges. Regardless the type of sales promotion, all the sales promotion campaigns should go through an ethical consideration. Consumer oriented promotions such as coupons, contests and premium offers fail to be ethical if the consumers are promised a reward for acting in a certain way wished by promoter and the reward is never given (Shimps, 2000). For example, contests that are making people believe the winning odds are high when they actually are not or lowering the quantity or quality of a product or service when they are on promotion and advertising it as normal. Consumers can also be guilty of unethical behaviour. For example, filling coupons with fictitious names and addresses in order to get the reward. 2.2 Marketing Communications and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Marketing communication is an important aspect of an organizations overall marketing mission and key determinant of its success. Marketing communication is the process of reaching and acknowledging target audiences about a product or service. According to Thomas and Housden, there are four main objectives of marketing communications which are to initiate a relationship (prospecting), to develop the relationship into a sales transaction (conversion), to maintain the relationship (loyalty building) and to resurrect a lapsed relationship (re-activation) (2002, p13). Companies apply different approaches and methods in order to communicate with their target audiences. Advertisements, salespeople, store signs, point-of-purchase displays, product packages, direct-mail marketing, publicity releases, sponsorships, sales promotions are all various forms of communication devices for marketers (Shimp, 2000). All these devices are used to create awareness or to promote a product or service. Any activity that an organization is involved in can deliver messages to their consumers. These messages can either be planned or unplanned. Planned messages are sent to consumers through communication mix. Unplanned messages would include all other communications such as store cleanliness, distributors, employee attitudes and the exterior surroundings of your business, in other words, any elements related with the company that are capable of delivering implicit messages. For example, unfriendly bartender, dirty glasses in a bar, untidy back bar can all deliver negative messages that can have more impact than all the planned marketing communication messages (Burnett and Moriarty, 1998). The term marketing communication mix and promotion mix from 4Ps of marketing mix are used interchangeably in existing literature. Therefore, they are also used interchangeably throughout this research. In 1980s, many academics and practitioners treated each communication tool as separate and distinct. This approach, sometimes, could create some confusion for customers. For example, messages from advertising campaign could fail to match with the messages from public relations campaign, since the sources of the messages were different. Thus, this could give two different messages to consumers about the same product, servic

My Suicide :: personal narrative

Everyone hates me for what I am. They all think I am strange. They stare as if i were the main attraction at a freak show. I hate myself for what i am not: social, outgoing and happy. No one would miss me if I died. I cannot take the torment of living in this world anymore. I would be better off dead! I sit on bed in my candle-lit room, the black velvet curtains drawn shut. The smoke from the burning incescents swirls throughout the room the in the pale flickering light. The melancholy sounds of Nine-Inch-Nails softly echoes in the corners. Depressed, I wonder what is wrong with me? Why does everyone make fun of me? Why do I not any friends? How come no one cares about me? I need an escape from the insanity of my own mind? Death, it is most people's worst fear; however, it is the only thing that will liberate me from this hell on earth. In my hand I hold the key to my freedom, a razor blade. In awe I analyze the razor: it's sterile, machine precise metal, cutting edge. It is more beautiful than anything nature could produce. Holding it with my right index finger and thumb, I place it's razor edge upon my left wrist. It glistens in the candles' flames. I stare as the shadows of the razor dance like ghosts on my forearm. I apply pressure down on the blade until the skin depresses under the metallic edge. Slowly I apply more pressure. My skin separates beneath the razor edge and the blade sinks into my flesh. Fascinated I raise my arm to my eyes. There is no blood, despite the fact that there is a piece of metal embedded in my wrist. I lower my arm back down and again grasp the razor blade with my right hand. I slide the razor's edge along my arm, away from my wrist, and then remove the blade from out of my arm. The razor had left a clean three and a half inch surgical incision, starting a couple of centimeters back from the bottom of my palm. Throughout all of this I did not feel a thing. Finally, blood slowly beads up along the slit. Instantaneously the cut splits open into a deep crevice. Blood gushes out from the wound, pouring onto my satin bed sheets. My Suicide :: personal narrative Everyone hates me for what I am. They all think I am strange. They stare as if i were the main attraction at a freak show. I hate myself for what i am not: social, outgoing and happy. No one would miss me if I died. I cannot take the torment of living in this world anymore. I would be better off dead! I sit on bed in my candle-lit room, the black velvet curtains drawn shut. The smoke from the burning incescents swirls throughout the room the in the pale flickering light. The melancholy sounds of Nine-Inch-Nails softly echoes in the corners. Depressed, I wonder what is wrong with me? Why does everyone make fun of me? Why do I not any friends? How come no one cares about me? I need an escape from the insanity of my own mind? Death, it is most people's worst fear; however, it is the only thing that will liberate me from this hell on earth. In my hand I hold the key to my freedom, a razor blade. In awe I analyze the razor: it's sterile, machine precise metal, cutting edge. It is more beautiful than anything nature could produce. Holding it with my right index finger and thumb, I place it's razor edge upon my left wrist. It glistens in the candles' flames. I stare as the shadows of the razor dance like ghosts on my forearm. I apply pressure down on the blade until the skin depresses under the metallic edge. Slowly I apply more pressure. My skin separates beneath the razor edge and the blade sinks into my flesh. Fascinated I raise my arm to my eyes. There is no blood, despite the fact that there is a piece of metal embedded in my wrist. I lower my arm back down and again grasp the razor blade with my right hand. I slide the razor's edge along my arm, away from my wrist, and then remove the blade from out of my arm. The razor had left a clean three and a half inch surgical incision, starting a couple of centimeters back from the bottom of my palm. Throughout all of this I did not feel a thing. Finally, blood slowly beads up along the slit. Instantaneously the cut splits open into a deep crevice. Blood gushes out from the wound, pouring onto my satin bed sheets.

Advantages for Having a Dog.

Dogs, simply put, are a man’s best friend. These animals are extremely loving and loyal. Both humans and dogs are happier when they are around each other. A lot of dog owners make their dogs part of their family, treating them as one of their children. Numerous benefits come to owners: responsibility, companionship, mental health benefits. The top reason people adopt or bring a dog into their lives is for companionship. When I had a dog, I came home from school to find him waiting by the front door, wagging his tail in the most happy fashion.I did not know if he was so animated because he had done something in the house or he really needed to go outside to relieve himself, but it made me happy knowing he was there. Being with my dog, I never felt alone; in fact, just walking from room to room in my house, I was always followed. In a funny way, my dog was like my very own stalker or sidekick. The loyalty of dogs is amazing; they always want to be by your side, even when you hav e had a bad day or are just feeling down. When you bring a dog into your life, you also take on commitment and the responsible tasks of chores for your dog.My Dad always told me that in addition to playing with him, I had to learn to take responsibility for walking, feeding, and grooming our dog. Teaching me this early in my childhood showed me the importance of caring for and taking care of my belongings, as well as a living creature. Taking my dog to the park is a great ice breaker with women, since seeing that I take care of my dog shows that I can take care of my own life. When I took that step to own a dog, it affected my mental and emotional well-being.I never had that feeling of being alone, with that I was always grateful for having my companion along with me. I researched the health benefits of having a dog as a pet and being alone all the time can lead to depression by having a dog, can help cure the depressed state that you may experience. Also medically the brain release s serotonin and dopamine hormones which give moments of pleasure and calmness. I felt happier in which gave me a better mental wellness, but who wouldn’t want a lower stress level in their lives.If you are not ready to commit to taking care of an animal like a dog because it is too expensive or it is just too big of a commitment, then perhaps this is not the best plan for you. Making the decision to bring a dog into your home is life-changing, and has to be one you are ready for, like buying a new car or finding a new girlfriend. Dogs are calming, accepting animals that offer unconditional love and kindness, as well as many health benefits. So, if bringing a dog into your life is what you want, you will not regret it at all.