Black Culture Essay Example for Free

Black Culture Essay During the Harlem Renaissance, writers, especially black ones, portrayed the black culture and style in their writing. They used black assumptions, generalizations and stereotypes to show, what they thought was, the black culture. Not all of this was far from the truth. Three writers, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Sterling Brown are examples of writers that emulated black culture in their works. Langston Hughes works, â€Å"†The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† â€Å"Mother to Son,† â€Å"When Sue Wears Red, † â€Å"The Weary Blues,† I, Too,† and â€Å"Harlem† are examples of the portrayal of black culture through writing. In â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† Hughes focuses on important accomplishments and places where Negroes were heavily populated. â€Å"I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. / I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. /I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. / I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln/ went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy/ bosom turn all golden in the sunset† (Hughes 1291). In â€Å"Mother to Son,† he describes advice of a mother given to her son. She tells him how her life was no â€Å"crystal stair† and how she had to struggle to get where she is and that she is still struggling to get even further. She describes her trials and tribulations as â€Å"tacks/†¦and splinters/ and boards torn up/ and places with no carpet on the floor/ bare. † (Hughes 1292). She tells her son never to give up on his dreams and to keep climbing that â€Å"crystal stair. † This is because the mother knows how hard it is to get ahead in the world when you’re black and that everything that blacks have they have worked hard to get. â€Å"When Sue Wears Red† describes the beauty of the black woman. He compares Susanna’s face o â€Å"an ancient cameo/ turned brown by the ages. † He also compares to â€Å"a queens form some time-dead Egyptian night† (Hughes 1293). â€Å"The Weary Blues† portrays the musical side of the black culture, describing a man playing â€Å"that sad raggy tune like a musical fool† and singing in â€Å"a deep song voice with a melancholy tone† The music that â€Å"comes from a black man’s soul† (Hughes 1294). â€Å"I, Too† show the degrading manner in which black people were treated. The black house workers were treated as if they were inferior or not fit to be around white people. This is shown when the worker tells us, â€Å"they send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes. † Due to the high hopes and determination of black people, this does not discourage the speaker. He knows that, one day, he’ll â€Å"be at the table/ when company comes. / Nobody’ll dare/ say to me/ ‘eat in the kitchen’/†¦they’ll see how beautiful I am/ and be ashamed† (Hughes 1295). He believes that one day black people will be accepted and will be able to â€Å"eat† with the whites. This attitude is what kept blacks striving to succeed. â€Å"Harlem† questions what may happen if black people put off their dreams and progression. This delay may be willing or by force but either way the dreams may â€Å"dry up/ like a raisin in the sun† or stink like rotten meat† or even worse â€Å"explode† (Hughes 1309). Stopping black people from fulfilling their dreams would at worst cause a rebellion. This rebellion may not be nonviolent. Sterling Brown uses poems such as â€Å" Odyssey of Big Boy,† â€Å"Southern Road,† â€Å"Slim Greer,† and â€Å"Ma Rainey† to describe black culture in his eyes. Brown wrote mostly of the working class black population. He wrote his poems as though it were a work song that they used to keep time. Thus, you see a lot of repetition in his works. This is seen in both â€Å"Odyssey of Big Boy† and â€Å"Southern Road. † In â€Å"Odyssey of Big Boy,† Brown gives sight to some of the folklore heroes of the black culture, such as â€Å"Casey Jones† and â€Å"Stagolee† (Brown 1248). This not only shows the heroes represented in black culture but also their use of stories past down through the generations to keep the culture alive. He goes on to describe the manual labor that black people have done over the ages. This includes how they â€Å"skinned as a boy in Kentucky hills/druv steel there as a man/†¦striped tobacco in Virginia fiel’s/†¦mined de coal in West Virginia† etc (Brown 1249). These are prime examples of the jobs that the lack culture held whether it is when they were slaves or after they were freed. It was characteristic of them to hold jobs that involved a great deal of manual labor. â€Å"Southern Road† depicts some of the struggles that a typical black man may have dealt with during those times. He speaks about working in a chain gang, a father dying, going to jail and white men degrading the black man. â€Å"Slim Greer† is about a black man that passed as white. He met a white woman who â€Å"thought he as from Spain/ or else from France† (Brown 1256). It was not until he played â€Å"some mo’nful blues† that they found out that he was indeed black (Brown 1257). This depicts the musicality of the black culture. Music was one of the many ways they used to express themselves, so, for the most part, they had a great talent in it. â€Å"Ma Rainey† is also a poem about the musicality of the black culture. Whenever Ma Rainey came to town â€Å"folks from anyplace/ miles aroun’/†¦flocks to hear/ Ma do her stuff† (Brown 1258). Black people enjoyed gathering around to listen to music. This was probably because not only was it entertaining but it also told a story. Zora Neale Hurston depicts black culture through her works entitled â€Å"Sweat,† â€Å"How IT Feels To Be Colored Me,† and â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God. † Hurston wrote a great deal about the togetherness in the black community. Many of her stories, including these three works, took place in an exclusively black town and included at least one seen where the entire community sat outside together talking, usually gossiping, and watching passersby. In â€Å"Sweat† they gossip about Delia Jones, mainly they talk about how her husband, Sykes, beats and abuses her and how he is having an affair with a woman named Bertha. They badmouth Sykes, saying how horrible and stupid he is for cheating on a god woman like Delia, especially with such a fat woman. This also shows how it was common in the black culture, especially in the south, for men to like thicker women. â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† also has a few scenes in which we see the black community together. In the beginning, Janie is seen by the whole community walking back in overalls. They immediately begin to talk about her. They make assumptions, such as Tea Cake stole all of her money and abandoned her. They talk about how silly she was for taking off with a younger man in the first place and whatever happened to her probably serves her right. In conclusion, the black culture is evident in many works by various black writers. They show the good and the bad, the truth and its exaggerations. Reading works written in the time gives us a good look into what the black society was actually like back then.

Analysing the bottled water industry

Analysing the bottled water industry Water is the one of the most important necessity for life. There are different drinking-water needs for individuals and they vary depending on the climate, physical activity and the body  culture of every individual. But for average consumers water need is estimated to be about two to four liters per day. The growing number of cases of water borne diseases, increasing water pollution, increasing urbanization,  increasing scarcity of pure and safe water etc has made the bottled water business just like other consumer items. Scarcity of potable and wholesome water at railway stations, tourists spots, and role of tourism corp. etc. has also added to the growth  Indians currently spending about $330m a year on bottled water, analysts estimate. The packaged water market constitutes 15 per cent of the overall packaged beverage industry, which has annual sales of at least $2.6bn, Deepak Jolly, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola India said.   President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has urged youngsters on July 17, 2010 to be aware of water conservation techniques to avoid grave water crisis in future.It is so sad that today, people are forced to buy water in plastic bottles The annual volume of the world bottled market of amounts to 109 billion liters, an average 17.5 liters of bottled water drunk yearly per person (Zenith International, International Council of Bottled Water Association, 2000). India ranks in the top 10 largest bottled water consumers in the world; its per capita per annum consumption of bottled water is estimated to be five liters Western Europeans are the major consumers, with an average of 93 liters/person/year. Asians presently consume the least. Thus there exists a vast potential market for bottled water in Asia. In India the value of bottled water industry is around Rs 1000 crore and its growing with the rate of about 40 percent annually (Business Today, 2001) and looking at the marketing potential many of the multinationals have entered the Indian market and has enhanced the marketing activity to tap the unexploited potential. Many of the brands compete in a very narrow market segments, comprising majorly upon the Travel, Tourism, Caterers, Restaurants, and Hospital segments and Meeting local demands. The attention is currently being focused on tapping the vast potential presented by entry into affluent / upper middle class households. The bottled water market share is majorly captured by Bisleri (51 per cent), Bailley (17 per cent), Yes (11 per cent) and Followed by Kinley (10 per cent) and Aquafina (4 per cent) (Source: BT Estimates June, 2001). In the natural mineral water sector Evian, Perrier, bisleri, and Himalayan are the major brands operating in India. According to a study conducte d at national-level, there are more than 200 bottled water brands in India and out of them nearly 80 per cent are local brands. Except in the metros, a bottled-water manufacturer was not to be found even in a one-room shop, between 1999 and 2004. The Indian bottled water market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent the highest in the world.  The total annual bottled water consumption in India turned to 5 billion  liters in 2004 from 1.5 billion liters earlier in1999.  Global consumption of bottled water was nearing  200 billion liters in 2006. The market leader is Bisleri International, which boasts a 40 per cent share. It is followed by Coca -Colas Kinley (around 25 per cent) and PepsiCos Aquafina (around 10 per cent).  The top players in bottled water industry in India are the major international giants like Coca cola, Pepsi, Nestle and noticeable presence of national players like Mount Everest, Manikchand, Kingfisher, Mohan Meakins, SKN Breweries , Indian Railways so on. PepsiCo India has prepared plan including, investment in capacity enhancement, packaging initiatives and below-the-line activities to pump up volumes in the over-crowded category. Meanwhile, India based Parle Agro is extending the manufacturing facility for  Bailley from 29 to 60 plants. The Indian packaged water industry will soon see a major tussle between Indian and international brands to gain market share.  Ã‚   major multinationals such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been trying from the past 10 years to capture the Indian bottled water marke t. Now finally they have captured a significant part of it. However, Parle Bisleri kept its market share of 40 percent. Kinley and Aquafina are fast moving up, with Kinley holding 20-25 per cent of the part and Aquafina approximately 10 per cent of the market. 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY As we know bottled water is sold in a variety of packages: pouches and glasses, 330 ml bottles, 500 ml bottles, one- liter bottles and even 20- to 50-litre bulk water packs. The formal bottled water business in India can be divided broadly into three segments in terms of cost: premium natural mineral water, natural mineral water and packaged drinking water.   Premium natural mineral water includes brands such as Evian, San Pelligrino and Perrier, which are imported and priced between Rs.80 and Rs.110 a liter. Natural mineral water, with brands such as Himalayan and Catch, is priced around Rs.20 a liter. Packaged drinking water, which is nothing but treated water, is the biggest segment and includes brands such as Parle, Bisleri, Coca-Colas Kinley and PepsiCos Aquafina. They are priced in the range of Rs.10-12 a liter. THE OBJECTIVES To study the consumer behavior and adaptation towards packaged drinking water To study brand equity and market share of various packaged drinking water brands To study the marketing strategies adopted by various packaged drinking water brands To study the market penetration of various packaged drinking water brands As the consumption of mineral/packaged water is very high with our research we will try to understand various factors which our affecting customer behavior, study of different dependent and independent variables and application of suitable tests will help to compare and analyze the data and acquire the objectives and successful completion of research. 1.3 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY We are conducting this study in the purview of Indian context. We have undertaken study to compare few packaged drinking water brands in Delhi and NCR region Why bottled water? Millions of people, both in rural and urban India,  suffer from inadequate or no tap water supply.   Even some parts of Mumbai, the countrys financial capital,  get a mere two hours of daily water supply.  The growing number of cases of water borne diseases, increasing water pollution, increasing urbanization,  increasing scarcity of pure and safe water etc. has made the bottled water business just like other consumer items  Bottled water  has been treated by distillation, reverse osmosis, or other suitable process and that meets the definition of purified water.   The bottled water treatments include:     *  Distillation.  In this process, water is turned into a vapor. Since minerals are too heavy to vaporize, they are left behind, and the vapors are condensed into water again.   *  Reverse osmosis.  Ã‚  Water is forced through membranes to remove minerals in the water.   *  Absolute 1 micron filtration.  Ã‚   Water flows through filters that remove particles larger than one micron in size, such as Cryptosporidium, a parasitic protozoan.   *  Ozonation.   Bottlers of all types of waters typically use ozone gas, an antimicrobial agent, to disinfect the water instead of chlorine, since chlorine can leave residual taste and odor to the water. In India around 100 companies sell an estimated 424 million liters of bottled water valued at around Rs 200 crore in the country annually. Most bottlers claim that their water is 100 per cent bacteria-free and contains minerals  that make it tastier and healthier. But is the water in these bottles really safe to drink? Do they conform to international or national standards?   To find out, the Ahmadabad-based Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), an independent non-profit institution with a sophisticated product-testing laboratory, recently carried out a detailed study on 13 major brands of bottled water available in the country. The national brands Bisleri (separate samples were taken from their units in Bangalore, Ghaziabad, Calcutta and Baroda) and Bailley (Mumbai and Surat) were selected on the basis of their dominant position in the overall market. Bisil (Mehsana), Golden Eagle (Chennai), Aquaspa (Mumbai),Saiganga (Ahmednagar), Nirantar (Thane), Tirupthi (Chennai) and Yes (Nadiad) were included because of their regional popularity. To conform to international standards for such testing, 21 bottles of each brand were  tested in the CERS laboratory against analytical and sensory  parameters as well as for microbiological contamination. To ensure fairness, the results were sent to the individual companies for their comments 1.4 BACKGROUND In India For the product certification BIS have a scheme licenses are being grated to manufacturers who wish to claim that their bottled water brand is up to the Indian standards. It enables manufacturers to use popularly known ISI mark under BIS Act 1986 after that On September 29, 2000 the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a notification [No. 759 (E), effective from 29.3.2001]. An amendment to the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules 1954, the BIS certification Mark is now mandatory for packaged drinking water and packaged natural mineral water according to BIS water filled in hermetically sealed containers of various compositions, form, and capacities that is suitable for direct consumption without further treatment. It is subjected to treatment: decantation, filtration, and combination of filtration, aeration, filtration with membrane filters, depth filter, cartridge filter, activated carbon filtration, and demineralization. It is disinfected to a level that wil l not lead to harmful contamination in the drinking water. There are Separate standards have been formulated by BIS for packaged drinking water (IS14543: 98) and for packaged natural mineral water (IS 13428:98). These standards give parameters to be tested and the requirements to be met in respective category of packaged water. According to BIS natural mineral water is different from packaged drinking water it is obtained directly from natural or drilled sources like spring artesian well, drilled well or from an underground water-bearing strata for which all possible precautions should be taken within the protected perimeters to avoid any pollution of, or external influence on, the chemical and physical qualities. It is characterized by its content of certain mineral salts and their relative proportion and the presence of certain trace elements of. It is required to be collected under conditions, which guarantee the original Natural bacteriological purity and chemical composition of essential components and is bottled at the point of emergence of the source under hygienic conditions. First ever bottled water in India under the name Bisleri was first introduced in Mumbai by Bisleri Ltd., a company of Italian origin in 1965. This company was started by Signor Felice  who first brought the idea of selling bo ttled water in India. Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. In 1969 and started bottling Mineral water in  glass bottles under the brand name Bisleri. Later Parle switched over to PVC non- returnable bottles and finally advanced to PET containers. Since 1995 Mr.Ramesh J. Chauhan has started expanding Bisleri operations substantially and the turnover has multiplied more than 20 times over a period of 10 years and the average growth rate has been around 40% over this period. Presently it has 8 plants and 11 franchisees all over India. Bisleri command a 60% market share of the organized market. To disinfect the water instead of chlorine, since chlorine can leave residual taste and odor to the water. To disinfect the water instead of chlorine, since chlorine can leave residual taste and odor of the chlorine and however it can be noted that retailers prefer Bisleri because people recall bottle water with name Bisleri. The FDA also classifies some bottled water according to its origin. Artesian well water: Water from a well that taps an aquiferlayers of porous rock, sand and earth that contain waterwhich is under pressure from surrounding upper layers of rock or clay.   Mineral water: Water from an underground source that contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. Minerals and trace elements must come from the source of the underground water. They cannot be added later. Spring water: Derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the earths surface. Spring water must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. If some external force is used to collect the water through a borehole, the water must have the same composition and quality as the water that naturally flows to the surface.   Well water: Water from a hole bored or drilled into the ground, which taps into an aquifer. Tap Water: Some bottled water also comes from municipal sourcesin other wordsthe tap. Municipal water is usually treated before it is bottled. CHAPTER2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE FDA defines bottle water as water that is intended for human consumption and that is sales in bottle or other containers, with no added ingredients except that may contain safe and suitable antimicrobial agents In the year 1980 we  were able to see more changes by introduction of a tap attachment where Iodine resin was used to filter the water. Iodine deactivates the microbiological impurities to a great extent but with this it also has side effects due to iodine and does not take care of dissolved impurities mineral balance. In the same year Late 1980s it was visible that  Ultra Violet  based purifier, which filters dust and deactivates bacteria to a much greater extent as compared to Iodine. U.V. based purifiers maintain the odor and color of water but even they do not clear out the dissolved impurities and mineral particles. Thus came the concept of mineral water. Reporting requirements are significantly less stringent for bottled water facilities and allow the industry much latitude in assessing risks as well as make assessment of compliance difficult. A regulation body was set in place to periodically and systematically collect, compile, and assess complied statistical Information and was provided by the international Bottled water association (IBWA) on the bottled water industry. The IBWA has set the current annual market for bottled water at about two billion gallons. Wells and natural springs are the main sources for 75 percent of bottled water and for rest the source is the municipal water supplies. Wells and springs are considered to be the sources from ground water. There are different regulation, rules and laws for different counties. For example there is a regulation in the United States, that whenever bottled water is being sourced from community water source then the label of bottle should mention this clearly so it is easily seen and recognizable. However in other case if the water is subjected to distillation, deionization or reverse osmosis then it can be categorized that way and then there is no need to mention the source. As we know Ground water passes through igneous rocks due to which very small quantities of mineral matter gets dissolved as we know this is because of the relative insolubility of the rock composition. Sedimentary rocks as compared are more soluble than the igneous rocks. Because of their higher solubility, they combined with greater abundance in the earths crust; they contribute a major portion of the soluble constituents of ground water (Todd, 1959). In areas recharging large volumes of water underground such as alluvial streams or artificial recharge areas, the quality of the infiltrating surface water can have intensive effect on the ground water. Salts are added to ground water passing through soils by soluble products of soil weathering and of erosion by rainfall and flowing water. Excess irrigation water percolating to the water table may contribute substantial quantities of salt (Todd, 1959) Qureshi and Barrett-Lennard (1998) reported that out of 560,000 tube-wells in the Indus Basin, about 70% of them are pumping sodic water. Thus use of sodic water has in turn affected the soil health and decreased the crop yield. It further concludes that the geographic conditions of the area may contaminate the underground water. However, the source of origin of ground water as well as its recharge is of great importance for bottling companies as to maintain the water standard. Jeffrey Smith.B. (2009) (Providing clean and safe drinking water is a major challenge not only in India but also globally.)As the contamination of drinking water has increased so the supplies and shortages due to overuse has put substantial stress not only on the portability of this resource but also on its availability to the growing global population. Because packaged water provides an important source of potable water for the Indian population, it is important for all the stakeholders to review and discuss best practices, so that working together; the Indian population can have confidence in the packaged drinking water. Mayers Michael (2007) said that (Consumers are profiled in terms of demographics and variations by region.) He also discussed what motivates consumers to pay more n more for bottled water, than they do for the water that is available from their household tap.  Improvements have been made with regard to the taste and health related qualities of products.   In 1958 the international bottle water association (IBWA) came in picture which was a trade association of water procedure, distributers, and suppliers activities include technical relation government relations and communication. E Selman n.keith (2005) conducted a survey which revealed that the data collected on bottled water production, specifically the production from the ground water, the primary source of bottled water relative to other uses of ground water, bottled water production was found to moderate uses of ground water. In Feb. 1999, drinking water foundation, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) issued a report by the title of Bottle Water: Pure Drink Pure Type? in which they raised numerous wrong allegations against bottled water. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES 3.1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Convenience and quality have made the aspect of packaged drinking water quite familiar. There are quite a few numbers of brands marketing their packaged drinking water, and the variety of the same is also mushrooming with the introduction of various styles viz., bottled, bubble top, and so on. But with the number of brands influencing the purchase pattern, there comes the threat on domestic brands, hence a research has been carried over to analyze few brands of packaged drinking water to understand a) The consumer behavior and adaptation of packaged drinking water, b) The brand equity and market share of various packaged drinking water brands, c) The marketing strategies adopted by various packaged drinking water brands, and, d) The market penetration of various packaged drinking water brands. 3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN Simply put, a research design is the blueprint for a study that guides the collection and analysis of data. The survey research approach was used in this project, saimple cause being that the consumers feedback was absolute for obtaining the data. A research project, initially, needs a basic preparation regarding the issues related to topic selected. For this one needs to do some deskwork. Deskwork includes: Determining the basic objectives of the study being pursued. Collation of secondary data related to the topic from sources like the internet, magazines newspapers. Studying the market, which one wants to cover? Analyzing the objectives on the basis of second hand data collected. The above mentioned activities at the initial stage of the project must be completed then the main part would be focused upon. 3.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Each of our objectives has to be converted into certain questions in the questionnaire. The research objective will only be fulfilled if we are able to do this conversion successfully and effectively. The objectives of our research are: To study the consumer behavior and adaptation towards packaged drinking water. The concerned research question corresponding to this objective are: What type of water do you prefer to drink? Mineral Water Filtered Water How frequently do you drink mineral water? Always Sometimes Often You drink mineral water because it is: Safe/Bacteria Free Handy/Portable When feeling thirsty you choose mineral water over soft drink? Always Often Sometimes Never Rank the following parameters as per your preference while purchasing mineral water. Brand Quality Price Availability To study brand equity and market share of various packaged drinking water brands. The concerned research questions corresponding to this objective are: Which brand do you prefer while buying mineral water? Bisleri Kinley Himalaya Qua Rate these brands on the factors given below( 1=bad; 5=excellent) Factors Bisleri Kinley Himalaya Qua Taste Price Availability Brand Packaging To study the marketing strategies adopted by various packaged drinking water. The concerned research questions corresponding to this objective are: Does advertising of the product have any effect on your purchase? Yes No What size of packaged water do you usually prefer? 500ml 1 ltr 5ltr 20 ltr To study the market penetration of various packaged drinking water brands. The concerned research questions corresponding to this objective are: Where do you buy bottled drinking water from? Metro/Railway Station Bus Stand Local Vendors Office/School Cafeteria Retail Outlets 3.4 PARTICIPANTS Population of the study: the group of individual to be studied. Our population of the study covered the region of Delhi/NCR. Sample size: We had taken a sample size of 100 consumers who were our respondents. They were selected by simple random sampling, due to the fact that in this case systematic sampling is not possible, cause one cannot say whether a person is using mineral water or not. Sampling technique: Simple Random sampling technique has been used in this project. In simple random sampling each unit of the population stands an equal chance of being selected in the sample size. Each unit has the same probability of being selected i.e. 1/N. PROFESSION % OF POPULATION IT/ITES 10% SPORTS/TRAINER 5% HOSPITALITY 15% MANAGEMENT 15% STUDENT 40% OTHERS 15% 3.5 DATA COLLECTION One of the most basic differentiation is between collecting primary data or secondary data. Secondary data collection is any information we may have used, but which has not been specifically collected for the current marketing research. But marketing research typically requires a lot of current data that is not available through the secondary means. The methodology used for the secondary data that is already collected may be unknown thus validity and reliability of the data is not known. Primary data collection is the data that is collected specifically for the project undertaken from the real respondents such as consumers, dealers, and other people associated to the research. In our project we have used primary data collection method through questionnaire from the consumers. We had circulated the questionnaire online as well as manually. 3.6 INSTRUMENTATION Mode Of Survey The consumers had to fill up our questionnaire , which was our instrument of survey. While pursuing the research, structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions were used. Structured Questions: they improve the reliability of the study, by ensuring that every respondent is asked the same questions. Structured answers: structuring or standardizing answers which the respondent can choose from in a questionnaire also achieves consistency of form. Additionally, it makes the interpretation of answers, analysis and tabulation, easier than in the case of unstructured answers. Closed-ended questions: questions which structure the possible answers beforehand are known as closed-ended questions. Preparing the questionnaire The questionnaire was prepared keeping in mind the objectives that we had laid down for the project. Each objective had had a set of questions lined up. The questionnaire followed the funnel approach i.e. the questionnaire follows a sequence starting with the general questions first and with more specific and personal questions later on to avoid specific questions biasing the general questions. A close end questionnaire was prepared by us for the same purpose, to be filled by the consumer. We have used the following types of questions in our questionnaire, Dichotomous questions Multiple choice questions Rating questions Ranking questions Semantic differential questions etc. 3.7 PILOT STUDY A pilot study is a pre-study of your fuller study. It can also be referred to as a miniature study of the project. In order to improve the macro picture, it is to a feasibility study, a small experiment designed to gather logistics and information prior to a larger study in order to improve the latters efficiency and quality. A pilot study will reveal deficiencies in the design, if any, of the proposed experiment or procedures and these can then be rectified before a larger picture is painted using more efforts and resources. Generally a pilot study is miniscule in front of the whole experiment, and therefore would provide only limited information on the sources and magnitude of variation of response measures. In our project we carried out a pilot study on 20 consumers as respondents. Our selection was again through simple random sampling. The pilot study helped us in the restructuring of certain questions lacking the simplicity and effectiveness of a survey. Through this pilot study we could make the appropriate and necessary changes in our research instrument on time rather than after completing the research paper. 3.8 DATA ANALYSIS After collection of data another work necessary for any data collector is to correctly analyze that data. Statistical tools helped us to correctly analyze the data. The statistical tool that we have used in our project is SPSS software. SPSS(originally, statistical package for social sciences) was released in its first version in 1968 after being developed by Norman H. Nie and C. Hadlai Hull. Statistics included in the basic software: Descriptive Statistics: Cross Tabulation, Frequencies, Descriptive, Explore, Descriptive Ratio Statistics Bivariate Statistics: Mean, T-Test, Anova, Correlation( Bivariate, Partial, Distances), Non Parametric Tests Prediction for numerical outcomes: Linear Regression. Prediction for identifying groups: Factor Analysis; Cluster Analysis(Two-Step, K-Means, Hierarchical), Discriminant. The statistical tools used in the project are: Attribut Based Perceptual Mapping Using Discriminant Analysis Discriminant Analysis Anova Correlation 3.9 LIMITATIONS Every project report has limitations, our project which was Comparative Study Of Few Packaged Drinking Water Brands also faced certain limitations. We observed the following limitations: The sample size of our project i.e 100 respondents was too small in comparison to the population. Too small a sample would have affected the reliability of the finding from the research. The data collection was done in some parts of delhi and noida . the project was generalized for the entire delhi/ncr region. There might have been biasness on the part of the respondents. 3.10 SUMMARY Research methodology and procedures are the most important part of a project report. The finding and the result of the research depends upon the methods used, the data collection, the research questions, the data analysis tools used. The final objective of a research is to achieve what it was meant to achieve. The conversion of the objectives into the questionnaire and ultimately the findings from the research is the core of the research project. CHAPTER 4 : DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 4.1 REVIEW METHODOLOGY Quantitative data collection The valuable data for the research has been taken from the given source; Primary data . The data was collected from: 1.a Customer Surveys A carefully structured questionnaire used to measure customer attitudes, levels of perception, intentions to purchase etc. 1.b The questionnaires have been filled online and through personal interview. Instrument 2.a Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used for data analysis. Qualitative findings helped us to effectively phrase and position questions and eliminate ambiguity (in questionnaire/survey) by providing a platform to better understand brand preference, brand equity, marketing strategies and consumer behavior. The findings that emerged from the above mentioned research methods are crucial in assessing our objectives. 4.2 FINDINGS Through One Way Anova we came to know that the frequency of purchase of packaged mineral water by the consumer does not converge significantly on the consumers income. Whereas the consumption quantity of packaged mineral water by the consumer converges significantly on the income of the consumer. This helps us in understanding price sensitivity of the consumer while deciding the quantity of consumption of packaged drinking water Bisleri the brand has a strongest brand equity which attributes to its success in comparison to its other attributes like price, packaging ,taste and availability .The unstandardised discriminant f

The Purpose of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Education Teaching Tea

The Purpose of Education Education has existed throughout history in one form or another. The process of passing down accumulated information from one generation to the next has been present in every human society, past and present. From the young listening to the stories of the elders around the hearths of the ancient world, to pupils being instructed in the alphabet in a one room schoolhouse on the American frontier, to the present day online teaching sessions; the tradition of teaching and learning has been a constant in the ever changing world. Education has been and continues to be used for many purposes, chief among them being the creation of an educated citizenry, the empowerment of that citizenry, and improvement of the individual, and the nation as a whole. Some of the first proponents of an intensive education were the ancient Greeks and Romans who sought to create stronger and smarter societies. The Greeks in particular sought to educate their youths to create the next generation of leaders in their city state. Systems of education ensured that those elected to office will be equipped with the necessary skills for work in government. These concerns are still tantamount today as educators teach the next senators, congressmen, and presidents of our nation. Due to their future importance our citizens need to learn about how our government works as well as become versed in many other subjects. This educational process creates a well rounded citizen who is...

Apocalypse Now, Apocalypse Forever Essay -- Movie Film comparison comp

Apocalypse Now, Apocalypse Forever Francis Ford Coppola's magnum opus Apocalypse Now was ladened with problems and difficulties before and after filming. These problems ranged from those having to do with the cast and crew, to those having to do with the circumstances surrounding the filming, to those having to do with the script, to those dealing in direct regard to the very sanity of all of those involved with Apocalypse Now. Despite the myriad of problems that contributed to this acclaimed film's failure, Apocalypse Now still became a success in its own right, and a true classic by any director's standards. Joseph Conrad's 1902 novel Heart Of Darkness is the striking story of Captain Marlow, an English ship captain who is sent into Africa to track down and collect the debts of an ivory trader identified as Mister Kurtz, a man who may or may not have gone insane along his eventful journey (Conrad). In this novel Marlow is faced with treachery from the Company, hostile as well as friendly natives, and the impending meeting with Kurtz himself. Marlow becomes obsessed with meeting Kurtz and communicating with him after reading the personal history of the man, and hearing all the remarkable stories about Kurtz told by Englishmen and Africans alike (Conrad). This fascinating story is the one that inspired original screenwriter John Milius to write the first drafts of Apocalypse Now in 1969 (Behr). Orson Welles originally planned to write, direct, and star in his own version of Heart Of Darkness back in 1939 (Behr). The problem arose when the Mercury movie company pulled out of the project cit ing Welles' inability to keep the film to be within their strict budget (Virtanen). Welles decided to give up on the project and decid... ... all signs pointed to Apocalypse Now's sure failure, that failure never came. Francis Ford Coppola not only did not receive the "F" he assured himself that he would, he created a film that is uniquely his, and that remains loyal to its many parents, but also reflects Coppola's inner self unlike any other artists mirror. Works Cited Behr, Fax (Writer, Director), & Hickenlooper, George (Writer, Director). 1992. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse [Film]. Showtime/ Paramount. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer. 1986. Buccaneer Books, inc. Cutchogue, NY. Coppola, Francis Ford (Director, Co-author). 1979. Apocalypse Now [Film]. American Zoetrope/ United Artists. Virtanen, Panu S. (1997). Apocalypse Now Tribute Page. Retrieved July 2nd, 1997 from the World Wide Web: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9067/apocal.html.

Priotities of Gene Therapy Essay -- Genetics Science Medicine Papers

Priotities of Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a relatively new area of medicine that attempts to apply recent advances in molecular biology, genetics and biotechnology to the treatment of human diseases. Gene therapy uses a set of approaches to the treatment of human disease based on the transfer of genetic material (DNA) into an individual. Gene delivery can be achieved either by direct administration of gene-containing viruses or DNA to blood or tissues, or indirectly through the introduction of cells manipulated in the laboratory to harbor foreign DNA. As a sophisticated extension of conventional medical therapy, gene therapy attempts to treat disease in an individual patient by the administration of DNA rather than a drug. (1) Genetic manipulations, such as replacing defective or missing genes with healthy ones, can be used to alter germ cells (egg or sperm) and somatic cells. Theoretically germ-line gene therapy appears to have more advantages since it aims at preventing a genetic defect from being transmitted to future generations. However, the prospects of germ-line gene therapy look more remote due to many unresolved ethical and social problems as well as technical obstacles. (2) What is presently understood as gene therapy is, mostly, somatic cell gene therapy. By altering the genetic material of somatic cells onetime cures of devastating, inherited disorders may be potentially achieved. But, "in principle, gene therapy should be applicable to many diseases for which current therapeutic approaches are ineffective or where the prospects of effective treatment appear exceedingly low." (1) However, gene therapy is still extremely new and highly experimental. The number of approved clinical trials is smal l, and relativ... ...scarbamylase deficiency. Hum Gene Ther 10(14):2419-37. 5. Lehrman, S. 1999. Virus treatment questioned after gene therapy death. Nature 401(6753):517-8. 6. Federico M. 1999. Lentiviruses as gene delivery vectors. Curr Opin Biotechnol 10(5):448-453. 7. Iwakuma, T, Y. Cui, L.J. Chang. 1999. Self-inactivating lentiviral vectors with U3 and U5 modifications. Virology 15;261(1):120-32. 8. Ropert, C. 1999. Liposomes as a gene delivery system. Braz J Med Biol Res;32(2):163-9. 9. Lanzov, V.A. 1999. Gene Targeting for Gene Therapy: Prospects. Mol Genet Metab 68(2):276-282. 10. Kren, B.T., R. Metz, R. Kumar, C.J. Steer .1999.Gene repair using chimeric RNA/DNA oligonucleotides. Semin Liver Dis 19(1):93-104. 11. Zanjani, D., W. French Anderson.1999. Prospects for in Utero Human Gene Therapy. Science 285(5436) p.2084-8. 12. New York Times, August 4, 1998.

Cicero’s Oratory and Rhetoric Influence on Roman Politics Essay

The establishment of Rome as a Republic in 509 BC was initiated by the overthrow of the Tarquin monarchy by Junius Brutus. From the remains of the fallen monarchy, the Senate assumed full powers in governing Rome with the Senate as its highest governing body. There were no written constitutions but laws and traditions guided the Republic . From that point forward, the Senate had the power to wage war, impose taxes and run the bureaucracy of the expanding Republic with officials delegated to every post under the supreme authority of the Senate. The Republic thus evolved from a simplistic method of governance inherited from the previous institutions. New offices were invented in order to respond to the needs of the time. Hence, from consuls rose the ranks of the proconsul then the qauestors, praetors, censors and so on. These offices had specific tasks and delegations with powers that varied in length of effect and severity. However, all these powers were concentrated in the hands of the patricians which the plebeian section resented until political currents soon swept and shook the foundations of the republican institutions controlled by the aristocracy . In 1st century BC these events culminated into a dictatorship by a former proconsul, Julius Caesar and soon the Roman Republic was on the verge of dissolution. A conflict between two social classes ensued and finally the Roman Republic that was ruled by the Senate was no more than a puppet of a tyrant. During the final years of the Roman Republic, a brilliant orator emerged from the ranks of the aristocracy, Marcus Tullius Cicero, whose life was intertwined with the republic’s collapse. Though originally, Cicero was not born from a wealthy family such that he would be, by virtue of birth, destined to be a part of the ruling aristocracy in the Senate. His was a political ambition which he gained through a career in law. He eyed for a seat in the Senate and with that he studied philosophy, jurisprudence and rhetoric. With the gift of words he made it into the Roman bureaucracy by being elected into the succeeding offices of the qauestor, aedile, praetor and finally consul in 63 BC . Cicero’s ascension to the highest office was attributed to Lucius Sergius Catalina who was vying for the post. To prevent Catalina (Catiline) from being elected, Cicero’s party nominated him. His speech during the election was quite essential in the exceptional rise to power by a non-patrician. In his First Oration against Catiline, D’Ooge translates Cicero’s speech before the Roman Senate: â€Å"†¦Before what youth, whom you had ensnared by the charm of your enticements, have you not carried a sword to encourage for his audacity or a torch to fire for his lust†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this, Cicero said in the presence of Catalina who tried to defend himself but the senators hauled at him a barrage of questions and interruptions that made Catalina flee from the Forum. Further engaging hatred against Catalina among the upper class senators, Cicero even invented that Catalina murdered his wife . He likewise included in his speech the senators were either fearful of nothing or fearful of everything that they declined at first to act against Catalina . Such was Cicero’s powerful speech that the tables were turned against Catalina. In Catalina’s desperate attempt to attain the consulship, he hatched conspiracies which were passed to Cicero who immediately reported back to the Senate. With such virtuosity, Cicero acquired emergency powers from the Senate. He later obtained messages Catalina sent to the Allobroges in lieu of his plans to raid the city. All these events were articulated by Cicero in a series of speeches in the Senate asserting that a threat had been extinguished. Following his presentation of evidence to the Senate, arrests were immediately carried out and the conspirators were executed without trial . Cicero’s revelations received frenzied applauses from the Senate as the rebellion was quelled before it touched the streets of Rome. Hence, the Cataline conspiracy gave way for Cicero and his oratory the popularity among the citizens and earned his consulship all at the same time . It was not the first time that Cicero made use of his oratorical skills but it was the very last of his outstanding accomplishments as a senator for the winds of the civil war upon Rome, and it was just a little time that Julius Caesar had tolerated the whimpering of the useless Senate . It was inevitable that Cicero eventually fell for the complexities of the military mind of Julius Caesar. He was eventually exiled for rallying behind the loser’s side. His exile was based on the allegations that he executed the Catilinarian conspirators without trial made by his archenemy Publius Claudius, but in reality, it was caused by his defense of Rome’s republican structure and the maintenance of the Senate which Caesar held powerless through the Triumvirate, with Crassus and Pompey . His exile gave him time to reflect his republican principles. His three major works worth to be discussed here in length was â€Å"On the Orator†, â€Å"On the Republic† and â€Å"On the Laws. † These documents in the form of dialogue were his manifesto of the republican principle he adhered to and believed to be the best for Rome. These treatises were interconnected with each other as each one was a prerequisite to the next. â€Å"On the Orator† discussed the characteristics of an ideal orator. Here he ascribed that a good orator must likewise be well acquainted with philosophy and law as a rhetorician should always have the solid foundations of factual basis for his arguments. Seemingly possible that the rhetorical abilities were reciprocally beneficial so that philosophical and political ideas could be well articulated hence better understood and subsequently agreed upon by a target audience. An ideal orator, he said, had to be at the fore of political decisions, create the necessary laws and be in himself an example of the correct way of living. These necessary traits of the orator were essential for the formation of an ideal commonwealth which he detailed in the treatise â€Å"On the Republic. † It was deliberated there that the Roman institutions were undermined at the onset of the Triumvirate. He further evaluated that the Roman Republic was a concoction of the components of a monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. In this paper his despise for the aristocracy which had marginalized him in the beginning of his career became evident. The moral decay of the aristocracy had been pointed out to be a possible cause of the government’s destruction. In order to avert such destruction, virtue must be actively exercised and the essence of the foundations of community had to be considered at all times. Therefore, the statesman who ran the affairs of the republic had to be accustomed to the concept of natural law. These laws he asserted on the last treatise, â€Å"On the Laws,† were to be based on the natural order of things such that man should perform his duties as what was determined of him to do even before his birth. He asserted that only through reason justice could be discovered that would subsequently provide the commonwealth with the laws that would govern its affairs . These discourses on the republican principles however, were deemed useless since Julius Caesar was just waiting for the right moment to strike. When Cicero was finally permitted to return to Rome, he was accepted by the citizens with somewhat unchanged enthusiasm. Feeling indebted to Pompey, he again took the center stage of the Forum to persuade the Senate to give Pompey dictatorial powers which Pompey took advantage while Caesar was on a military campaign in Gaul . While having these especial dictatorial powers, Pompey moved against Caesar’s advantage. The strokes of history went against Cicero as Julius Caesar ultimately defeated Pompey and became the sole dictator of the Roman Empire. Thus along with Pompey’s vanquish from the city, senators who also went to Pompey’s side fled in hope that they would be able to remove Caesar from his tyranny through Pompey’s legions in Africa and Spain. When Cicero was granted clemency by Julius Caesar in 47 B. C. , a condition was set that he would not be engaged in politics but when Caesar was assassinated in March 44 B. C. , Cicero again meddled with the affairs of the struggling factions who were eyeing Caesar’s former position. He was after all, hopeful that Octavian, the heir apparent to Caesar’s throne, would be influenced and manipulated to bring the Senate back to its former glory. In order to ensure Octavian’s victory over Mark Anthony, he engaged into the battle of persuading the senators, though they only held ceremonial powers, to aid Octavian. This series of speeches were called the Philippics. The Philippics had shown the greatest orator and rhetoric in Cicero and come scholars say that it was the finest moment in his political career but those speeches only spelled his death. Clearly, the Philippics were aimed to crush Mark Anthony. Unfortunately, Octavian had already come up with agreements with other contending parties. Cicero met his death quite sardonically too deviated from the eloquence of his oratory and the refinement of rhetoric. It was a brutal end for a man who lived by the word. His head was displayed at the Forum to convey a clear message to the Romans that the Roman Republic was extinct and that the new age had commenced . References Boatwright, M. T. , Gargola, D. J. , & Talbert, R. J. A. (2006). A Brief History of the Romans. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Clayton, E. (Ed. ) (2006) The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Michigan. D’Ooge, B. L. (1915). Cicero Select Orations. New York: Benj. H. Sanborn & Co. Holland, T. (2003). Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic. London: Little Brown. Suetonius. (2003). The Twelve Caesars (R. Graves, Trans. ). London: Penguin Group.

International Markets Essay

Once SAB Miller has decided to establish itself in the global market, it becomes necessary for the marketing manager to study and analyze the various options available to enter the international markets and select the most suitable one. The selection of the entry mode is one of the most significant decisions.SAB Miller takes in the process of internationalization, as it involves commitment of resources with long-term financial and structural implications. Mode of entry may be defined as an institutional mechanism by which a firm makes its products or services available to consumer in international markets. Root (1994) defines the market entry for international markets as a comprehensive plan which sets forth the objectives,goals,resources,and policies that guide a company’s international business operations over a future period long enough to achieve sustainable growth in world markets. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF ENTRY MODE EXTERNAL MODES MARKET SIZE:Market size is one of the key factors an international marketer has to develop to keep in mind when selecting an entry strategy.Countries with a large market size justify the modes of entry with investment,such as wholly owned subsiaries or equity participation. MARKET GROWTH:Most of the large,established markets,such US,Europe and Japan,have more or less reached a point of saturation for consumer goods such as automobiles,consumer electronics.Therefore,the growth of markets in these countries is showing a declining trend.For instance,the overall growth in most of the US and European market is about 7% while emerging markets like India and China is over 30% which indicates tremendous market potential in time to come. Therefore,from the perspective of long-term growth potential such as China,India,Thailand,Indonesia etc.These markets are also termed emerging markets. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS:The selection of market entry modes to a great extent affected by the legislative framework of the overseas market,the government of most of the Gulf countries have made it mandatory for foreign firms to have local partner.For instance,the UAE is a lucrative market for Indian firms but most firms operate there with a local partner. Trade barriers such as ecological regulations and local content requirements also affect the mode of entry.It has been a major reason for  increased foreign investment in Mexico,which is a part of the North American Free Agreement(NAFTA),in order to cater to the US market. LEVEL OF COMPETITION:Presence of competitors and their level of involvement in an overseas market is another crucial factor in deciding on an entry mode so as to effectively respond to competitive market force.This is one of the major reasons behind auto companies setting up their operations in India and other emerging markets so as to effectively respond to global competition. INTERNAL MODES COMPANY OBJECTIVES:Companies operating in domestic markets with limited aspirations generally enter foreign markets as a result of a reactive approach to international marketing oppurtunities.In such cases,companies receive unsoliated orders from acquaintances,firms and relatives based abroad,and they attempt to fulfil these export orders.This casual approach to entering international markets by way of producing in the homemarket and exporting overseas translates into regular exporting if the firm has positive experience in its exports operation. AVAILABILTY OF COMPANY RESOURCES:Venturing into international markts needs substantial commitment of financial and human resources and therefore choice of an entry mode depends upon the financial strength of a firm.It may be observed that Indian firms with good financial strength have entered international markets by way of wholly owned subsidiaries or equity participation. LEVEL OF COMMITMENT:In view of the market potential,the willingness of the company to commit resources in a particular market also determines the entry mode choice.Companies need to evaluate various investment alternatives in a particular market also depends upon the way the company is willing to perceive and respond to competitive forces. INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE:A company well exposed to the dynamics of the international marketing environment would be at ease when making a decision regarding entering into international markets with a highly intensive mode of entry such as joint venture and wholly owned subsidiaries. Below are different modes of market entry and they include: EXPORTING Exporting is the simplest method of entering a foreign market.It is the  process of sending goods or services from country to other countries for use or sale there. By exporting to a foreign country,a company is able to enter this country without actually establishing itself in the country.The company must simply manufacture products that can be shipped to the foreign country.Export activities may take several forms,including indirect exporting,direct exporting,and intracorporate transfers. Direct exports represent the most basic mode of exporting, capitalizing on economies of scale in production concentrated in the home country and affording better control over distribution. Direct export works the best if the volumes are small. Types of direct exporting are: Sales representatives – that represent foreign suppliers/manufacturers in their local markets for an established commission on sales. Provide support services to a manufacturer regarding local advertising, local sales presentations, customs clearance formalities, legal requirements. Importing distributors – purchase product in their own right and resell it in their local markets to wholesalers, retailers, or both. Indirect Exporting Indirect export is the process of exporting through domestically based export intermediaries. Indirect methods of exporting requires less marketing investment, but, as the exporter has no control over its products in the foreign market, the company lose substantial control over the marketing process. Types or methods of indirect exporting are: Filling orders from domestic buyers who then export the product Seeking out domestic buyers who represent foreign customers Exporting through an Export Management Company (EMC) Exporting through an Export Trading Company (ETC) INTRACORPORATE TRANSFERS A third form of export activity is the intracorporate transfer,which has become more important as the sizes of MNCs have increased.An intracorporate transfer is the sale of goods by a firm in one country to an affiliated firm in another. LICENCING License is a contract to identify what is being licensed: trademarks, patents, designs, copyrights or software. Licensing allows rapidly entering into the chosen foreign market and reduces capital requirements to establish manufacturing facilities overseas. Your contract does not violation of the host country’s existing laws and regulations.a licensor in the home country makes limited rights or resources available to the licensee in the host country. The rights or resources may include patents, trademarks, managerial skills, technology, and others that can make it possible for the licensee to manufacture and sell in the host country a similar product to the one the licensor has already been producing and selling in the home country without requiring the licensor to open a new operation overseas. The licensor earnings usually take forms of one time payments, technical fees and royalty payments usually calculated as a percentage of sales. As in this mode of entry the transference of knowledge between the parental company and the licensee is strongly present, the decision of making an international license agreement depend on the respect the host government show for intellectual property and on the ability of the licensor to choose the right partners and avoid them to compete in each other market. Licensing is a relatively flexible work agreement that can be customized to fit the needs and interests of both, licensor and licensee. Franchising The franchising system can be defined as: â€Å"A system in which semi-independent business owners (franchisees) pay fees and royalties to a parent company (franchiser) in return for the right to become identified with its trademark, to sell its products or services, and often to use its business format and system. Compared to licensing, franchising agreements tends to be longer and the franchisor offers a broader package of rights and resources which usually includes: equipment, managerial systems, operation manual, initial trainings, site approval and all the support necessary for the franchisee to run its business in the same way it is done by the franchisor. In addition to that, while a licensing agreement involves things such as intellectual property, trade secrets and others while in franchising it is limited to trademarks and operating know-how of the business. TYPES OF FRANCHISES There are three available types of franchises.The first type is the dealership,a form commonly found in the automobile industry.Here,the manufacturers use franchises to distribute their product lines.These dealership act as the retail stores for the manufacturer.In some distance,they are required to meet quotas established by the manufacturers,but as is the case for any franchise,they benefit from advertising and management support provided by the franchisor.The most common type of franchise is the type that offers a name,image and method of doing business,such as McDonald’s,KFC,Holiday Inn. There are many of these types of franchises,and their listings,with pertinent information can be found in various sources. A third type of franchise offers services.These include personnel agencies,income tax preparation companies and real estate agencies.These franchises have established names and reputation and methods of doing business.In some distances,such as real estate,the franchisee has actually been operating a business and then applies to become a member of the franchise. CONTRACT MANUFACTURING Contract manufacturing refers to a situation where a business will engage the services of an independent party to perform a specified duty for the business. In terms of manufacturing, contract manufacturing refers to a situation where a manufacturer will engage the services of an independent party to perform a specified job. There are various reasons for this type of engagement by manufacturers, all of which involve the maximization of profit. The process of contract manufacturing also has some negative considerations that include the risk of uncertainty and lack of control over the process. WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIRIES Entering a foreign market with a wholly owned subsidiary involves creating a local firm without the aid of a local partner. There are two ways of doing this. The first is through what is called greenfield development. This involves creating a new organization in the foreign country from the ground up. The second method is what is referred to as brownfield development. This involves purchasing an existing company in a foreign country. Brownfield developments can be beneficial because they offer local expertise, but they can be difficult because there may be resistance from those in the company  to new ownership. JOINT VENTURE A market entry option which the exporter and a domestic company in the target country join together to form a new incorporated company. Both parties provide equity and resources to the JV and share in the management, profits and losses. The JV be limited to the life of a particular project. This option is popular in countries where there are restrictions on foreign ownership, eg. China and Vietnam PIGGYBACKING Piggyback marketing – low cost market entry strategy in which two or more firms represent one another’s complementary (but non-competing) products in their respective market. Or, in other words, it is an arrangement, where two or more companies help each other to market their products, where the products have to be complementary and not competing against each other. LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS No direct foreign marketing: A company in this stage does not actively cultivate customers outside national boundaries; however this company’s products may reach foreign markets. Sales may be made to trading companies as well as foreign customers who come directly to the firm. Or products may reach foreign markets via domestic wholesalers or distributors who sell abroad without explicit encouragement or even knowledge of the producer. As companies develop web sites on the internet, many receive orders from international Web surfers. Often an unsolicited order from a foreign is what piques the interest of a company to seek additional international sales. Infrequent Foreign marketing: Temporary surpluses caused by variations in production levels or demand may result in infrequent marketing overseas. The surpluses are characterized by their temporary nature; therefore sales to foreign markets are made as goods are available, with little or no intention of maintaining continuous market representation. As domestic demand increases and absorbs surpluses, foreign sales activity is withdrawn. In this stage, little or no change is seen in company organization or product lines. However, few companies today fit this  model because customers around the world increasingly seek long term commercial relationships. Further, evidence exists that financial returns from initial international expansions are limited. Regular Foreign marketing: At this level, the firm has permanent productive capacity devoted to the production of goods to be marketed in foreign markets. A firm may employ foreign or domestic overseas intermediaries or it may have its own sales force or sales subsidiaries in important markets. The primary focus of operations and production is to service domestic market needs. However, as overseas demand grows, production is allocated for foreign markets, and products may be adapted to meet the needs of individual foreign markets. Profit expectations from foreign markets move from being seen as a bonus to regular domestic profits to a position in which the company becomes dependent on foreign sales and profits to meet its goals. International marketing International marketing is the export, franchising, joint venture or full direct entry of a marketing organization into another country. This can be achieved by exporting a company’s product into another location, entry through a joint venture with another firm in the target country, or foreign direct investment into the target country. The development of the marketing mix for that country is then required – international marketing. It can be as straightforward as using existing marketing strategies, mix and tools for export on the one side, to a highly complex relationship strategy including localization, local product offerings, pricing, production and distribution with customized promotions, offers, website, social media and leadership. Internationalization and international marketing meets the needs of selected foreign countries where a company’s value can be exported and there is inter-firm and firm learning, optimization and efficiency in economies of scale and scope. The firm does not need to export or enter all world markets to be considered an international marketer. Global Marketing Global marketing is a firm’s ability to market to almost all countries on the planet. With extensive reach, the need for a firm’s product or services is  established. The global firm retains the capability, reach, knowledge, staff, skills, insights, and expertise to deliver value to customers worldwide. The firm understands the requirement to service customers locally with global standard solutions or products, and localizes that product as required to maintain an optimal balance of cost, efficiency, customization and localization in a control-customization continuum to best meet local, national and global requirements to position itself against or with competitors, partners, alliances, substitutes and defend against new global and local market entrants per country, region or city. The firm will price its products appropriately worldwide, nationally and locally, and promote, deliver access and information to its customers in the most cost-effective way. The firm also needs to understand, research, measure and develop loyalty for its brand and global brand equity (stay on brand) for the long term. b)OULINE ADVANTAGES AND DISAVANTAGES OF EACH STRATEGY. Advantages of direct exporting: -Control over selection of foreign markets and choice of foreign representative companies. -Good information feedback from target market. -Better protection of trademarks, patents, goodwill, and other intangible property. – Potentially greater sales than with indirect exporting. Disadvantages of direct exporting: – Higher start-up costs and higher risks as opposed to indirect exporting; – Greater information requirements; – Longer time-to-market as opposed to indirect exporting. Advantages of the international franchising mode: -Low political risk -Low cost -Allows simultaneous expansion into different regions of the world -Well selected partners bring financial investment as well as managerial capabilities to the operation. Advantages of indirect exporting -It’s an almost risk-free way to begin. -It demands minimal involvement in the export process. -It allows you to continue to concentrate on your domestic business. -You  have limited liability for product marketing problems — there’s always someone else to point the finger at! -You learn as you go about international marketing. -Depending on the type of intermediary with which you are dealing, you don’t have to concern yourself with shipment and other logistics. Disadvantages of indirect exporting: -Your profits are lower. -You lose control over your foreign sales. -You very rarely know who your customers are, and thus lose the opportunity to tailor your offerings to their evolving needs. -When you visit, you are a step removed from the actual transaction. You feel out of the loop. -The intermediary might also be offering products similar to yours, including directly competitive products, to the same customers instead of providing exclusive representation. -Your long-term outlook and goals for your export program can change rapidly, and if you’ve put your product in someone else’s hands, it’s hard to redirect your efforts accordingly. Advantages of licensing -Obtain extra income for technical know-how and services -Reach new markets not accessible by export from existing facilities -Quickly expand without much risk and large capital investment -Pave the way for future investments in the market -Retain established markets closed by trade restrictions -Political risk is minimized as the licensee is usually 100% locally owned -Is highly attractive for companies that are new in international business. Disadvantages of licensing -Lower income than in other entry modes -Loss of control of the licensee manufacture and marketing operations and practices leading to loss of quality -Risk of having the trademark and reputation ruined by an incompetent partner -The foreign partner can also become a competitor by selling its production in places where the parental company is already in. -investment to attract prospects and support and manage franchisees. Advanatges of Frachising -Franchising provide knowledge of the local markets. A franchise provides franchisees with a certain level of independence where they can operate their business. A franchise provides an established product or service which may already enjoy widespread brand-name recognition. This gives the franchisee the benefits of a pre-sold customer base which would ordinarily takes years to establish. A franchise increases your chances of business success because you are associating with proven products and methods. Franchises may offer consumers the attraction of a certain level of quality and consistency because it is mandated by the franchise agreement. – Disadvantages of franchising: -Franchisees may turn into future competitors. -Demand of franchisees may be scarce when starting to franchise a company, which can lead to making agreements with the wrong candidates -A wrong franchisee may ruin the company’s name and reputation in the market -Dependence on franchisee. -Potential conflicts with franchisee. Advantages of Joint Venture: -Accessing additional financial resources – Asset sharing is one of the best advantages about joint venture. Since, you are able to use larger funds to facilitate the production and operation of projects and products, you facilitate growth. In other words, you increase profit margin and increase your revenue potential. -Sharing the economic risk with co-venturer – It pays to have someone sharing the responsibility with you in case you end up in deep troubles. This is also true with joint venture. Since you are sharing assets, the risk of losing a great deal of money is divided to both parties. -Widening economic scope fast – Building reputation is often difficult, not to mention time consuming and expansive. At a joint venture, you are able to widen your economic scope without spending too much money and waiting for a long time. – Tapping newer methods, technology, and approach you do not have – In order to grow and expand, you need resources in the forms of methods, technology, and approach. For that matter, it would help a lot if you will be able to partner with an entity that presently has the things you don’t and the things you need. Joint venture opens up the venue for such need. -Building relationship with vital contacts – Aside from economic territory, another advantage of joint venture is the ability to give you business relationships with vital contacts. This is just like automatically befriending your partner’s influential friend that can give you access to lots of things such as business opportunities and a pass to vital information. Disadvantages of Joint Venture: -Shared profit – Since you share assets, you also share the profit. The profit of both parties usually depends on the size of the share to the venture or may be defined on the agreement. -Diminished control over some important matters – Operational control and decision making are sometimes compromised in joint ventures. Since there is an agreement that divides which one will take over a particular operation, the other may not be satisfied with how the things are worked out with another. This leads us to another disadvantage of a joint venture. -Undesired outcome of the quality of the product or project – Since one party may not have control on the supervision of the production or the execution of one part of the system, this can happen. This often leads to disputes and lawsuits. To avoid this, both parties agree on specific details about the whole operation process. -Uncontrolled or unmonitored increase in the operating cost – Again, defined control over the operation may lead to this disadvantage. It is important therefore to make sure that all things are clarified on the paper before singing in the joint venture agreement. Advantages of contract manufacturing -Low financial risks – contract manufacturing allows companies to save costs by manufacturing a particular item at a cheaper rate than what it would cost them If they decided to undertake the manufacturing process themselves. – it allows the company doing the outsourcing to shave some time off the whole process, giving them quicker returns and turnovers. – Where a company is less effective than another in manufacturing an item, contract manufacturing will allow it to concentrate on that in which it is the most efficient. Disadvantages of contract manufacturing -Reduced learning potential -Potential public relations problems may need to monitor working conditions. -The company doing the outsourcing faces some degree of risk if it fails to do its research properly. This is because outsourcing the manufacturing to the wrong company could end up costing the company more, rather than less, if the outsourced company fails to deliver as expected. Advantages of wholly owned subsidiaries On the positive side, a wholly-owned subsidiary that does its business in a location different from the parent company’s is able to remain in its locale. With the business world spanning so many countries, this can serve as a great advantage in international situations. Name recognition is another positive reason for maintaining a wholly-owned subsidiary. If a particular brand name is well known and popular, the parent company has no reason to absorb the subsidiary entirely. Wholly-owned status allows the subsidiary to retain its name brand, thus avoiding hindering its sales. Diversity for the parent company is another perk created by maintaining a wholly-owned subsidiary. This status allows the parent company to branch out into different products and markets, building strength in diversification. Disadvantages of wholly owned subsidiaries a wholly-owned subsidiary are more business oriented. The holding company runs a definite risk in assuming control of another company while allowing its management to continue to operate independently of the parent company’s. The level of investment and allocation of funds and resources required is also very high. A parent company must spend a great deal of time and money to smoothly integrate the new subsidiary.All of these factors require commitment and dedication on the part of the holding company and willingness to form that partnership on the part of the subsidiary. Advantages of piggybacking reduced financial costs limited risk quick, easy access to the market. Generally, the supported company can make immediate profits on the new market. The SME can, thus save time (3-5 years), compared to the normal length of time necessary to establish itself ; reduced logistical and administrative operations ; benefit of the brand image that the supporting company brings to its products ; immediate availability of a sales force structure ; excellent market knowledge of the supporting company. Disadvantages of piggybacking weak motivation of large companies to become supporters ; difficulty in finding partners offering a compatible product and distribution network ; risk of market loss, which can be reduced due to the complementarity of the product, and commercial follow-up between the partners ; occasional difficult relations because of differences in size or culture ; risk of lack of mutual confidence and of lack of involvement ; risk of conflict of interest (e.g. local agents could systematically put the interests of the supporting company before those of the supported company) ; occasional very rigid requirements and conditions of access to the commercial networks of large companies. These conditions can be qualitative (e.g.: product quality) and quantitative (minimum level of annual turnover, high commissions, etc.). Macro Environmental Influences That Can Affect SAB Millers SABMiller’s origins date back to the foundation of Castle Breweries in 1895 as to serve a growing market of miners and prospectors in and around Johannesburg, South Africa. Two years later, it became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the year after (1898) it listed on the London Stock Exchange. From the early 1990s onwards, the company increasingly expanded internationally, making several acquisitions in both emerging and developed markets. In 1999, it formed a new UK-based holding company, SAB plc, and moved its primary listing to London. In May 2002, SAB plc acquired Miller Brewing, forming SABMiller plc. It is very important that SAB Miller considers its environment before going into international the market. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of their planning to go international The macro-environment refers to the major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization’s decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the Political (and legal) forces, Economic forces, Sociocultural forces, and Technological forces. These are known as the PEST factors. PEST Analysis Political Factors: The political environment revolves around the current government in a particular country in which SAB Miller manufactures or trades, and also laws/legislation operate or within their home market as well as overseas. If their government is socialist then perhaps there is a policy to tax more and to invest in the public sector. On the other hand if SAB Millers have a more conservative or Republican government then the free-market is left to take control, taxation is less and there is often a smaller public sector. The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of the business, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. SAB Miller must consider issues like: †¢How stable is the political environment in that country? †¢Will government policy of that country influence laws that regulate or tax SAB Miller? †¢What is the government’s position on marketing ethics? †¢What is the government’s policy on the economy? †¢Does the government have a view on culture and religion? †¢Is the government involved in trading agreements such as EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, or others? Economic Factors The economic environment is a direct influence on all businesses. Obviously if you are studying marketing there is a huge element of economics within the topic itself, and you should be no stranger to the principles of economics. As we saw from our lesson on the marketing environment there is a macro environment, and internal environment and the microenvironment. More specifically you’ll be at looking elements such as where a business is in terms of the current business cycle, and whether or not they are trading in a recession. SAB Millers marketers need to consider the state of a trading economy in the short and long-terms. This is especially true when planning for international marketing. You need to look at: 1. Interest rates. 2. The level of inflation Employment level per capita. 3. Long-term prospects for the economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, and so on. Sociocultural Factors The Sociocultural environment embodies everything which is social and cultural within a nation or society. There are plenty of examples of society and culture on the marketing teacher website, so we recommend that you go to our lesson store and look through some of the consumer behaviour pages. Some notable examples would include the influence of learning, memory, emotion and perception, motivation, lifestyle and attitude and consumer culture. Have a look at the six living generations in America, social environment and class, the impact of your birth order on how you behave as a consumer and take a look at the eight types of online shoppers. In a more general sense consider influences such as the increase in life expectation of Western consumers, and demographics which is the study of populations. The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country. It is very important that such factors are considered. Factors include: 1. What is the dominant religion? 2. What are attitudes to foreign products and services? 3. Does language impact upon the diffusion of products onto markets? 4. How much time do consumers have for leisure? 5. What are the roles of men and women within society? 6. How long are the population living? Are the older generations wealthy? 7. Do the population have a strong/weak opinion on green issues? Technological Factors Technological factors are a multifaceted influencer. Let’s just think about the sorts of technology that you come in touch with almost daily. Smart phones such as Android and iphone are now common – all – garden, and we are used to being able to access information and communication technology instantly no matter where we are. During studies or at work we have access to information on quick PCs and over the Internet, with faster broadband connections arriving in many parts of the world. Technology also surrounds business processes. As we saw from our lesson on the functions within an organisation all departments use information technology or technology in one form or another. Our manufacturing operations will use technology to produce goods and services. Our logistics and warehousing functions use forklifts and Lorries as well as order tracking technology and software. The customer service department will use communication technology to talk to customers but will also have access to internal systems, such as technology to simplify credit control and stock control for example. There are many, many more examples of technology. Technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Consider the following points: 1. Does technology allow for products and services to be made more cheaply and to a better standard of quality? 2. Do the technologies offer consumers and businesses more innovative products and services such as Internet banking, new generation mobile telephones, etc? 3. How is distribution changed by new technologies e.g. books via the Internet, flight tickets, auctions, etc? 4. Does technology offer companies a new way to communicate with consumers e.g. banners, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), etc?