Positive Effects Of Social Networking Media Essay

Positive Effects Of Social Networking Media Essay The first type of social networking created was Email, which was invented in 1975 (Email). Since then social networking has advanced into a profile with numerous features that can be used and has integrated the use of email. Now social networking is changing the way the world interacts with people, and has provided many useful tools for the world to use. Still these social networks are continuing to advance to provide better features for users, and these popular sites will continue to grow in size. Even though social networks can have negative effects such as wasting time, it also affects people positively by allowing people to communicate and remain in contact with friends in a much easier way. In the article Are social networking sites good for our society? (2009) social networking is defined as an online community that allow people to develop profiles of their backgrounds and interests, communicate with friends and strangers, and share thoughts, photos, Internet links, music, and more (p.1). Once a social network is joined users are prompted to identify others in the system with which they have a relationship known generally as friends. Social networking sites vary greatly with the features they have to offer, and is what makes each site different from the other. Six Degrees was the first major social network, similar to social networking today, to be launched and was launched in 1997 (Bhutkar, 2009). Social networking as it is today did not become popular until 2003 when Friendster MySpace and LinkedIn were launched. Then in 2004 Facebook was launched but was only open to college students with a valid university email. Facebook remained a college only network for two yea rs before it opened to the general public in 2006. Since then Facebook has become the number one social networking site (Bhutkar, 2009). Social networking sites allow people to communicate and remain in contact with friends as well as meet new people. These sites allow people to find others with similar interests that they can create a relationship with and get to know one another. Groups can be joined or formed to meet people with similar interests, and views. Social networking allows for creative expression by using tools such as blogging and messaging to post ideas and stories (Are social networking sites good for our society, 2009). Users also share poems, interest in music, TV shows, hobbies, photos, and many other things (Jasson). Event invitations can be made and sent to friends rather than having to mail invitations and friends can also rsvp for an event on the site. Not only is it used to talk to friends, but it is also used to discuss educational topics. Social networking is said to increase a persons quality of life, and can reduce health risks. Many people report that they have not had any negative experiences with social networking, and schools are starting to look at it as an educational tool (Thelwell, 2006). The use of social networking helps improve technological skills of students, and exposes them to many diverse views about things. It also has helped with communication skills, and allows the learning of cultures from users all over the world. Also students use social networking to discuss homework topics with peers online, and to get help on assignments (Reid, 2009). Sixty percent of students on social networks have said that they talk about education, and 50 percent specifically talk about school work assignments. These students seem to have an extraordinary set of traditional and 21st century skills including communication, creativi ty, collaboration, and leadership skills and technology proficiency. Parents are expecting schools to take advantage of using online social networking to educate children, but to do so in a safe way. Some public schools have created a secure social network for its student to be able to communicate with other students, and to do so in a more safe way (National School Board Association, 2007). Social Networking does not just benefit individuals, but it also benefits businesses as well. These sites allow businesses to advertise and market services to a large audience, and a profile is free to set up (Gillin). Numerous businesses have created profiles that provide detailed information about the business to advertise in a low cost way (Roberts, 2008). Businesses will gain more attention on social networks because the business profile is available to for all users of the social network to see. Also businesses like to use social networks to learn what potential employees are like, and make decisions based on the information provided on the persons profile (Ellison, Steinfield, Lampe, 2007). Social networking has already completely changed the way people interact in the world, but also it is advancing more to make it easier to access. Now social networking is becoming mobile and can be accessed through the use of a cell phone. It is thought to be a great idea and would increase the use of social networking since a lot of people carry cell phones with them at all times. People can use mobile phones to update their status, post comments, upload photos, send messages, and update profile from just about anywhere (Kharif, 2006). This allows people to be able to get things done as well as take some time to log onto social networks. Making social networks accessible through cell phones is also expected to increase the number of users by a significant amount (Gillin). So far mobile social networking is being used more than social networking from pc computers. The top sites that are being visited using mobile phones are Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. Being able to access social net works from the cell phone unlocks the full potential of social network, and makes it more convenient for people to use. Since it is more convenient to use the number of users has increased and the mobile social networking has increased significantly (Hamblen, 2008). Social networking does have negative effects as well, but are nothing compared to the advantages of using it. These sites reduce the amount of face to face socializing and replace it with online interaction which is believed to result in low quality relationships with other people (Mikami, Szwedo, Allen, Evans, Hare, 2010). Teens over share information to the public that can hurt them in the future when trying to get a job, and deleting the information is not good enough. Cyber bullying occurs as well, which is bullying people online in a public way, but occurs at a small percentage. People that frequently use online social networking are also prone to social isolation which can lead to depression and decreased social skills (Mikami, Szwedo, Allen, Evans, Hare, 2010). A false sense of security leaves social networking site users vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses. Identity theft can occur when a cybercriminal uses the network to gather personal information posted about people (University of the Pacific). It also has been said that social networking sites endanger children by allowing pedophiles to seek out children (Are social networking sites good for our society?). Also since they are becoming mobile it might encourage people to use cell phone to access these sites while driving just like text messaging was a popular thing to do while driving. Social networking becoming mobile use will increase cell phone use and the problem with that is that cell phones have been found to emit electromagnetic radiation that is absorbed by the brain and body. This absorption disrupts the brain sites for memory and learning and can cause confusion and forgetfulness (Thomas, 2004). It is also been reported that cell phones can cause cancer from the electromagnetic exposure to other parts of the body, but little emphasis has been placed on it. The cause of cancer in the brain has been the main health concern with cell phones, which social networking by mobile phone is not exposing the brain to the waves. Also, cell phones give small amounts of radiation off and would require a lot of use and over a long period of time for it to start to cause cancer. Research is needed to provide evidence to determine that actual health risk of cell phones. Social networking has its advantages and its disadvantages like everything else does. The sites are continuously advancing, and changing to fix the negative problems. One example would be accessing social networking sites using cell phones so that people can access the site on the go rather than sit at home on a computer. Most users have stated that they have had only positive experiences with social networking, and very few people experience cyber bullying. There are still problems that need to be fixed, but it seems that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects. Social networking is a very valuable tool that can be used to meet new people, and allow people to remain in contact with friends. Even though it can waste time, social networking positively affects the world by allowing people to communicate, and remain in contact with friends in an easy and convenient way.

Comparing Everyman and The Second Shepherds Play :: comparison compare contrast essays

Everyman and The Second Shepherds' Play remind the audience that good deeds are necessary for redemption, however, they reinforce the idea that we must shun material concerns to be redeemed. Both plays seek to reinforce these aspects of redemption to insure that all may be redeemed. The world is imperfect, and the only way we can make ourselves perfect and worthy of redemption is by not worrying about our material well being and performing good deeds. It is by disregarding our material concerns that allow us to perform good deeds. Everyman places his faith in material things, his friends, relatives and goods. These material things do him no good. Fellowship claims he "will not forsake thee to my life's end" (Everyman 213), yet when Everyman asks Fellowship to accompany him on his journey for redemption and ultimately death he "will not go that loath journey- / Not for the father that begat me!" (Everyman 268-269). By placing his faith in man rather than God, he does not receive "any more comfort" (Everyman 304). The same discouragement greets Everyman after his talks with Cousin and Kindred. Kindred claims that they "will live and die togither" (Everyman 324), but abandons him soon after making this statement. After Kindred and Cousin leave him, Everyman realizes that "fair promises men to me make, / but when I have most need they me forsake" (Everyman 370-371). Since man will not help him, he turns to goods. Everyman realizes that the goods he has loved his whole life "to thy soul is a thief" (Everyman 447), they do nothing but hinder his eternal happiness. His reliance on people and goods has left Everyman's soul in a precarious condition. The shepherd's lives are similar to Everyman's, because they too devote their time to worldly concerns. By fixating on their material well being, they follow the same path as Everyman, the path away from salvation. At the beginning of The Second Shepherds' Play all three shepherds, Coll, Gib, and Daw, seek to relieve their pain by complaining. Their complaints are many, and justified, yet they accomplish nothing. Although Coll thinks that It does me good, as I walk Thus by mine one, Of this world for to talk In manner of moan. ( Shepherds' Lines 66-69) He really does not get any closer to redemption by doing this, although it may ease part of his emotional burden, his spiritual failings remain.

Psychology and Information Making Decisions Essay

Taking The MBTI test is a good step that provides insights into behaviour help people understand themselves as well as understanding other people that they are in daily contact with, so that they can find a way to making things work properly. The MBTI measures four preferences: Focus of attention, Acquiring information Making decisions, and External orientation. In my opinion this test is a very important step if you were in a position to select a team members or if you were a project manager and you want to select your employee or you were the project manager and want to know your team composition, knowing their BMTI results will help you know if they are the right people for the job or not; or you can even put together people who you think will work better together because their personality are convenient. This test is not only useful in your professional life but also in your personal life, it can be used in personal development like when you find yourself in a certain position that you don’t know how to deal with you can use the test indicators to explore yourself and find the points of weakness you have and try to find a way to overcome them. Also it can be used for marriage counselling, leadership training †¦etc. Although this test can be used as a way to measure behaviours but you cannot fully depend on it, because sometimes behaviour depends on certain situation that surprise you of the way you behaved. Finally, this test is just a general guide, the percentage you get in it does not mean that you have a strong or weak personality; it is just a way that simplify the way you deal with different matters in your life.

Holocaust The Holocaust and People Essay

Holocaust The Holocaust and People Essay Holocaust: The Holocaust and People Essay How Could the Holocaust Happen? When learning about the holocaust you learn about the horror the Jews faced, the atrocities that occurred, and who committed the atrocities. But one aspect of the holocaust is not often explained, not for a lack of care, but because it is a question that cannot be easily answered or summed up. That question is "How could this happen?". We often portray the Nazis as typical movie villains, not just doing evil things for their own profit, but doing evil things for the sake of being evil. We portray them as these larger than life monsters that were beyond being compassionate and incapable of love. But we know this is obviously untrue. These people were mere humans, they could be my descendents, they could be yours. The questions that Elie Wiesel's book Night often implies is what are the conditions of human culture that manifest themselves into situations like the Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, or even modern genocides such as the situation in Rwanda in t he mid 90's? Memoirs of genocides such as Night are extremely important because they bring awareness to the genocide itself, but also can give clues to what were the causes of the atrocities like The Holocaust. To begin the process of answering the question of "How could this happen?" one must first ask themselves whether human kind is inherently evil or not. I believe that humans are not naturally evil. This has been proven throughout time that different people's can get along. I do not think that humans "want" to hate anyone else. With that assumption, the next question is why do some groups of people hate others then? While humans are not naturally hateful, we are greedy and do want resources for ourselves. When we see a threat to our way of life from another group of people who can potentially harm us, often times violence ensues. A perfect example of this is the Jewish Holocaust. German Jews typically kept to themselves and made themselves an easy target to be considered "the enemy". Germany was in a very tough time after WW1 and Hitler and the Nazis found a perfect enemy to unify the Germans against. The Nazis saw Jews as a threat and with the use of propaganda, found a way to turn the entire nation against the Jews. Once the nation had identified its enemy, it was easy to get the populous to go along with the extermination or turn a blind eye. They also had to begin the exterminations without massive Jewish revolt, which was done through deception and secretive actions. Wiesel talks about how the Jews of Sighet were told only the Jews of Budapest would be deported, which was obviously a lie. Then, in order to keep the Jews calm, they were deported in small chunks. Nobody notices if a small amount of the population is taken, but it quickly adds up until no one is left. Even the Jews were resistant to the idea that the Nazis could be so evil. "Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population dispersed throughout so many nations? So many millions of peo ple! By what means? In the middle of the twentieth century!"1 No one fathomed that those trains led to death camps and they had no reason to believe they did. Nobody that ever went to those death camps left alive to tell the tale. This was a time before the internet and cell phones, people could not quickly and effectively communicate which left tons of Jews vulnerable to being deported to the death camps without any prior knowledge. Mass lies and deception are what allowed a genocide to happen in front of the world and have nobody notice. While I believe the times of mass genocide are coming to an end, one must look at the genocides that occurred after the

Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Example

Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Example Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Strategic marketing management Company Information Carrefour Group, in the past 40 years have grown to turn out to be one of the world’s leading distribution groups. Carrefour began its journey in 1959 which was established in France by the Defforey families and Fournier. The name Carrefour came into existence as shops were located on thoroughfare, which literally means a place where it’s convenient to shop. Carrefour hypermarket was first opened outside France in Belgium and the first in Brazil, outside Europe. The group currently operates in three major markets: Latin America, Europe and Asia, also including China, Brazil, Indonesia, Poland and Turkey. Carrefour has set its foot in 34 different countries. Carrefour Group is number 2 worldwide and number one in Europe with over 476,000 employees with four main store formats like: Hypermarket, super market, discount stores and convenience stores. Ambition and everyday values: With one ambition, that is ‘making Carrefour the preferred retailer wherever in operates’ with three pillars which support and make it happen : Client- Oriented Culture, Transformation and innovation, which is followed by everyday values which are: Committed, Caring and Positive which in turn help Carrefour to achieve their value which is ‘ to make Carrefour a business that is recognised and loved for helping its customers and consumers enjoy a better quality of life, each and every day’. 1. Discuss the role of strategic marketing in an organisation John Scully defined strategic marketing as ‘a series of integrated actions leading to a sustainable competitive advantage’. Another definition of Doyle (1998) defines, ‘strategic marketing as planning for the organisation to utilise the optimum resources and make tactics to achieve the overall objectives of the organisation’. The strategic marketing brings the following advantages to an organisation: 1. Brings competitive advantage to the organisation by making themselves different from the competitors (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour group in case of pricing use ‘everyday low prices’ strategy, which ensures cheaper good with superior quality, which pulls in customers. 2. Increase the business capability by guiding the managers with the clear direction (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour knowing both their internal and external strength and weakness sets strategies which guide the employers and employees in the right direction. 3. Helps in analysing the market, competitor analysis, product/service analysis, classify the segments, target the customers, and position to the audience what they offer (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour group uses strategic marketing to investigate not only competition but also the competitive advantage the others have and along with it analyse the market growth and potential of retail industry. 4. The best approach to increase the sale, communicate and deliver the value is strategic marketing (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour interact and communicate through their customers by getting feedback, advertising, promotions which attract new customers, which helps to increase brand value at the same time create a position for itself in the customers mindset. 2. Explain the processes involved in strategic marketing and evaluate the links between strategic marketing and corporate strategy Marketing Planning Process Market Planning Process Market planning is the process in which the organisations monitors and control the internal and external opportunities and challenges to maximise the profit by delivering the value to the customers. This is called as situational analysis. The market planning process should be aligned with corporate strategy to achieve the corporate objectives (McDonald, 2008). Market Planning Process: Figure 1: Market Planning Process (McDonald, 2008). Corporate strategy Carrefour group aims to satisfy every customer expectation and satisfaction with professionalism and offer best possible prices (everyday low prices) for high quality products and services and grow to become the number one hypermarket in the world. Internal analysis Strength 1. Wide market presence 2. Skilled labourers 3. Multi-format strategy 4. Strategic acquisitions 5. Presence in 34 countries 6. Expanding and growing market. 7. Strong brand in world retail industry 8. Pioneers in hypermarkets. Weaknesses . Decline in operating margin. 2. Entry of competitors with new strategies. 3. Low like-for-like sales in domestic market. 4. All countries may not accept the pricing strategies(JAPAN) 5. Strategies are same throughout different countries, which may not be acceptable by the customers. 6. Poor E-commerce performance. 7. Weak positions in Asia and Middle East countries. Opportunities 1. Rebranding the champion b rand stores 2. Entry into emerging markets like China, Poland, Turkey, etc. 3. Focus to boost non-food sales 4. Strategic acquisitions and joint ventures 5. Development in discount stores. 6. Maintain better labor relations Threats 1. Low consumer confidence (since low price, customers have a notion it may be low in quality, especially Japanese customers). 2. Fierce competition 3. Wal-mart low prices is a threat 4. Rising labor cost. 5. Terrorism and instability in Africa and Asia 6. Entry of new players. External Analysis Ansoff Matrix Ansoff matrix is tool to find the market position of the organisation in the current market. This matrix will to find about position of the organisation serving the particular target market (Hannagan, 2002). Market penetration |Product Development | |Market extension |Diversification | Existing Market New Existing New Products Source: Adapted from Hannagan (2002). According to IMAP retail report published in September 2010, it says there were around 1409 transactions which valued at $17. 1 billion. Two major transactions: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Lotte Shopping Co. , represented alone around $2. 7bill ion which is nearly 15. 8percent of total dollar volume. In geographical terms, United Kingdom had the highest transaction volume of $3. 9billion with a total of 161 transactions in last 12 months till September 2010. United states fall second to a total value of $3. 4 billion USD. This report ultimately shows that the retail industry is growing worldwide at tremendous rate. Carrefour group along with the competiton made strategic acquisitions as below: Acquired 4 hypermarkets in Spain(2006) Acquired 6 hypermarkets in Taiwan. In 2005, acquired 10 hypermarkets in Brazil and 2 Turkish retail banners, including 12 hyper nova hypermarkets in Poland. They followed a pricing strategy called ‘everyday low price’ strategy where they provide goods at low rates each day and low when compared to other retail chains. They attract almost every new customer with ease due to their pricing strategy, but Japanese customers where the only ones who didn’t accepted the strategy and Carrefour at the same time was not able to keep up with the fashion trends of Japan. Marketing Strategy Carrefour aims at giving customers the best where ever it operates. By meaning preferred retailer it means drawing customers to shop to which they are loyal. It also means making customers want to visit, keep visiting the stores. For this very purpose Carrefour puts a low price for their products and keeps promotion and exhibitions for their shops which attract new customers keeping in mind their social commitment and corporate social responsibility. All strategies implemented or decided are always in line with the corporate strategy which is to achieve results. Implementation, Monitoring, Control and Forecast After setting the top level strategies, they analyse the business internally and externally and set the market strategies. They will communicate their plan to the stakeholders (agents, lecturers, staffs, etc). They will allocate their resources like finance, HR and physical resources to achieve their strategies. They monitor the progress of the plan through means of number of students, profit, and other key performance indicators. If the plan is not going in their way they make alternative plans or they try to control the situation as much as possible. With current analysis and market growth they forecast the future of their institution. Carrefour has B2B strategy in which implementation has three different levels, which are: local approach, regional approach with global co-ordination and finally global approach which have standard processes and shared tools. Monitoring and control is done by strategic partnership, advanced collaboration and entry ticket. Forecast at Carrefour is done by analysing the financial accounts and looking into the daily achievement of targets and set goals. 3. Assess the value of models used in strategic marketing planning SWOT analysis According to Johnson et al (2005) â€Å"SWOT analysis is used to identify the internal capability or strength and weakness of the organisation, deals with exploring and capitalising the opportunities and threat involved in the changing business environment. † Based on the internal analysis of the organisation CAMS can plan their strategic marketing, if they are strong the make offensive strategy (expansion and penetration) if they feel that they need to improve more than they should go with defensive strategies (retention, pricing, promotions, etc). Refer 2. 2 where the Ansoff matrix can be used a tool to identify position of the CAMS in the market. Situation analysis can be used along with market analysis to make the effective marketing planning. Carrefour strengths and weakness: Strength: 1. Largest hypermarket chain in terms of size. 2. Wide market presence 3. Ranked third in terms of profit in industry after Tesco and Wal-Mart 4. Multi-format strategy 5. Operating in 34 countries 6. Selling number of products with its own private brands. 7. Strategic acquisitions 8. More than 50% sales of the company come from France. Weaknesses 1. Reduce operating expenses. 2. Decline in operating margin 3. Weak position in Asia and Middle east countries. 4. Low like-for-like sales in domestic market. 5. Poor E-commerce performance 6. Too much time in opening new stores. Opportunities 1. Joint venture acquisitions for more expansion. 2. Rebranding champion stores 3. Improve sale performance 4. Reduce operating cost 5. Maintain better labor relations 6. Entering emerging markets 7. Focus to boost non-food sales 8. Develop discount stores. Threat 1. Fierce completion 2. Wal-marts low prices. 3. Low consumer confidence 4. Entry of new players 5. Slow expansion outside France. 6. Rising labor cost 4. Discuss the links between strategic positioning and marketing tactics Ansoff matrix is tool to find the market position of the organisation in the current market. This matrix will to find about position of the organisation serving the particular target market (Hannagan, 2002). Market penetration |Product Development | |Market extension |Diversification | Existing Market New Existing New Products Source: Adapted from Hannagan (2002). Carrefour group presently is running with around 495,000 employees and operating in 34 countries world wide. Carrefour offer a wide range of products like cosmetics, groceries, bakeries, every house hold items, including food items. Strategic positioning is positioning the organisation in the target market (image of the industry or organisation to the target audience) (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Marketing tactics is logical actions performed to position themselves in the markets (actions or steps taken to position themselves) (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). The marketing strategy of Carrefour is mainly to offer goods at low prices and great quality and hence attract more customers. The group also provide promotions and exhibitions for its customers at various outlets. Now Carrefour has entered the Asian markets and also Poland, Turkey, etc. Also the B2B strategy which has been implemented gave out a positive result. 5. Analyse the merits of relationship marketing in a given strategic marketing strategy Relationship Marketing According to Payne et al (1998) the relationship is attracting, enhancing and maintain good customer relationship among the customers. The relationship is maintained between the existing customers and organisation through services and selling, by retaining the old customers they can grow in the market by getting new customers. The merits of having relationship marketing in Carrefour are a) they can get more customers through after sales feedback, b) offer bonus points and discounts for loyal customers which is possible by providing them with loyalty cards, c) advertising and promotion costs could be reduced through word of mouth marketing which is possible through loyal customers, d) market expansion, technology implementation, maintaining corporate social responsibility all is possible retaining existing customers, e) close relationship with existing loyal customers in form of special discounts for loyalty card holders, and f) which in turn ensures more customers due to referencing from old customers which saves cost on finding new customers. 6. Use appropriate marketing techniques to ascertain growth opportunities in a market Segmentation and targeting: According to Kotler and Armstrong (2010) segmentation is dividing the entire market according the buyer potential. Some of the types of segmentation are demographic, behaviour, psychographic, and geography. This technique is used to find out the potential users of the product or the service that we target to sell or produce. Targeting is selecting the clients to serve from the various segments selected (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Carrefour group can develop the existing stores located in Asia and Middle east countries which are facing problems. This may be done by having mergers or acquisitions with the retail chains established there. This provides Carrefour an ease to enter the market as well as use the raw materials or any transport medium which the merged company used. It also help to build contacts with suppliers and customers of the merged company, which brings new customers and increase in revenue can be guaranteed. Entry in Japan was failure, but they could again study the market in Japan and re-enter with a big bang which will help them capture the market in no time, but a different pricing strategy should be adopted in order to change their notion that ‘cheaper goods are low quality goods’. 7. Plan how to use marketing strategy options in a market Cost leadership: Porter (1985) said that when the organisation aims to provide the products or services at the minimum price, their strategy becomes cost leadership. They will compete with pricing from the other competitors. Mostly this technique is used when the clients are highly sensitive towards the price. Customers in today’s world are very price conscious as well as quality conscious. They are ready to pay higher price but without compromising on quality of the product. But Carrefour has product for all types of customers be it rich, middle class or poor. All good keep up their quality in low price too. This satisfies the middle class people’s needs to a certain level. Higher class customers may opt different or same goods at higher price. Giving product at low price is possible due to mass production as the customer base is huge. Own production plants act as a competitive advantage for Carrefour which puts the new entrants to re-think is their entry correct or not. 8. Create appropriate strategic marketing objectives for a market Marketing strategies for 7 P’s McDaniel and Gates (1998) defined marketing mix as â€Å"the unique blend of products, price, promotions, place and distribution to meet the specific demands of the customer. † They said the organisation or the marketing manager should focus on the 4 P’s and frame their plan according to their marketing strategies, each element should be focussed by the manager’s else entire plan will be failed. But now as technology got advanced and also the advancement in marketing areas and emergence of new theories, the 4 basic P’s of marketing mix has become 7 P’s, which are namely: product, price, place, promotion, people, physical distribution and process. Considering the product, price, place and promotion aspect of marketing mix, Carrefour has a wide range of product line and product extension. They see that there is no compromise on the quality of the product and since they produce most of the products in their plants, they are able to produce it at cheaper rates, which make them easy to sell at lower rates. The pricing strategy of Carrefour that is everyday low price is a niche in those times which they were able to implement with ease. Place and promotion of the stores and products are of vital importance. Access to market and customers convenience have to be checked before finalising the location and continuous promotion of stores and product should be there in order to keep up with the market. People, physical distribution and process are the latest in the marketing mix. People in general mean the, customers. Carrefour see’s that they meet their customer requirements and expectations when they do shopping. Distribution handling of Carrefour is done by themselves with the large trailers they have which they move to each stores in particular areas and delivering the products. 9. Report on the impact of changes in the external environment on a marketing strategy Marketing strategy Carrefour group share a common dream of a business that is recognised and loved for helping its customers and consumers enjoy a better quality of life, each and every day. This is ensured by three main pillars of Carrefour which are: commitment, caring and positive nature. Rising expectations: The number of consumers, consumer’s needs and fashion too is having a changing trend. One can say this is as a result of globalisation, which increases customer expectations and their standards. Customers prefer high quality goods with reasonable price. In case of luxury items it’s different, as potential customers go for high priced products and quality is in-compromisable. Carrefour carefully understands the customer needs and requirements with the change in trend and then produces which are in budget for them. Target market of Carrefour in general is the whole market where ever they are. Segmentation is possible in areas where its price sensitive. When we take the case of products, they avail products for different age. Let it be a baby, child, teenager or an adult, there are products that suits everyone. Customers are given suggestion box to give their feedback on products as well as the service rendered for them at time of shopping. This helps Carrefour improve its existing method of executing plans. Keeping a close eye on competitors pricing strategy and customer retention method, boosts Carrefour to think of innovative ideas to tackle their rival. 10. Conduct an internal analysis to identify current strengths and weaknesses in a marketing strategy Marketing strategy: Carrefour sees that their service and product as well, satisfies their customer in all ways and are meeting their expectations. This is not only to increase customer base and revenue, but also maintain and achieve their corporate social responsibility. Carrefour also integrates sustainable Strength and Weakness of Carrefour based on marketing strategies: Strength Wide market presence: presence in almost 34 countries helps them to have a wide span in the worldwide market. Multi-format strategy: means having everyday low price strategy and B2B strategy at the same time Joint ventures/acquisitions in different countries like Taiwan, Brazil, Turkey and Poland was a part of their marketing strategy which helps to expa nd their market. Employee base of approximate 495000 around the globe shows its wide network. Being a pioneer in hypermarkets give them additional competitive advantage among the rivals. Ranked third in terms of revenue in the retail industry after Tesco and Wal-Mart. More than 50 percent of revenue come from France which means they have a strong market base in France which makes them a pioneer in the French market. Strong brand in world of retail industry. Weakness One main weakness is that Carrefour takes too much time in opening new stores. Poor performance in E-Commerce Lack of maintaining labour relations. Rising labour costs make it difficult for retaining all labours Sometimes consumers may have low confidence; this is clear from failure of Carrefour in Japan market. Low like-for-like sales in domestic market. Weak own brand sales. 11. Propose strategic marketing responses to key emerging themes in a marketing strategy Proposal for Strategic Marketing: Carrefour c an target growing countries like India and China to set up a market base as both the countries are in growing stage with a tremendous growth rate. Rather than acquisitions, strategic alliance could be made with another company which enables Carrefour to reach a wider market. Maintain more close relationship not only with customers but also with suppliers as the chain with suppliers should not be tangled. Study of market, its customers in essential in order to enter a new market without fail. Failure in Japan is because of lack of market research and study. Strength and weakness of rivals should be found out which can be overcome by making it as the opportunities. Political and economical changes and involvement should also be noted before implementing a plan or strategic decision. References Doyle, P (2008) Value based marketing, John Wiley and Sons, United Kingdom Hannagan, T (2002) Mastering Strategy Management, Palgrave publishers, Great Britain Johnson, G, Scholes, K, and Whittington, R (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Pearson Education Limited, United Kingdom Kotler, P and Armstrong, G (2010) Principles of Marketing, Pearson Prentice Hall, USA McDaniel, CD and Gates, RH (1998) Marketing research essentials, Ohio: Thompson Publishing McDonald, M (2008) Market planning and expert systems, Marketing Intelligence and Planning 7(7-8): 16-23. Porter, ME (1985) Competitive Advantage: Generic Strategies, Free Press, New York Websites IMAP retail report [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: imap. com/imap/media/resources/IMAPRetailReport8_23CB9AA9C6EBB. pdf. finance. world of maps [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . Bottom of Form finance. world of maps [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . carrefour swot analysis [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . carrefour swot analysis [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . carrefour [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . Corporate Strategy Internal Analysis External Analysis Marketing Objectives/Strategy Plan Implementation and Control

Volkswagen in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Volkswagen in China - Research Paper Example In order for MNCs to operate effectively and gain a competitive advantage it is important to assess the competitive position and the relationship between success and strategies. In a highly competitive market it is very important for companies to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. This can be achieved by either cost advantage or offering differentiated product. Hills work suggests that the differentiation strategies in the automobile sector in China can be beneficial because of many reasons like Chinese automobile is an expanding market and is the world’s second largest automobile industry, therefore has a lot of potential for business. Automobile industry in general has a lot of potential for differentiation strategies and gaining market through it which is evident by the lavish expenditure done on the promotion of these cars. (Chen, J., & Yao, S. 2006; Barrow, C. 2009) This paper will focus and discuss Volkswagen’s globalization strategies for internalization, how it formed strategic alliances globally and how it positioned itself for global competitiveness through its formulated strategies and built strategic ventures and alliances. VOLKSWAGEN INTERNATIONAL Volkswagen dates back to 1937, was founded by Ferdinand Porsche who started it as an automobile advisory company. Being unsuccessful in selling his proposed model he collaborated with Nazi Government to setup a factory and produce the cars of his proposed model. In the post World war period, VW made the most selling car of the 1950s the Beetles. It was then that VW gained recognition throughout the world. In 1960s it opened a plant in Mexico which produced cars on new lines and technology and with time strengthens its position all around the world. (Rana et al.2005) Volkswagen started off with its two joint ventures in China. Its first project was a 50% venture with local leading brand Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). The other venture was another 50% joint venture with First Auto Works (FAW) in 1991. Initially the company struggled to gain market but later in 1990s its brand Santana ruled the market. These joint ventures together occupy almost half of the market shar e in Chinese market and have a 70% annual growth rate. China is Volkswagen’s second largest market in the world after German market. (Chen, J., & Yao, S. 2006; Barrow, C. 2009) Volkswagen since its start in its Shanghai joint venture in 1985 was considered to be one of the leading the carmaker in China and occupied an eminent position in the market. The emerging Chinese automotive market was a threat for Volkswagen dominant market and soon it faced severe competition with companies like Toyota, Suzuki and General Motors in Chinese markets. One of the head of VW China commented in 2005 that suddenly China has become the toughest market. (Thun, E. 2006) Not even foreign, local market players like Cherry and Geely also competed and tried to win the market by aggressive pricing strategies. In a research of 2002 Volkswagen occupied the largest market share in China, the details of top 5 market share holders are given below: Manufacturer Sales (units) Market Share Shanghai Volkswag en 301,095 23.8 FAW-Volkswagen 207,858 16.4 Shanghai GM 110,763 8.8 FAW Toyota 95,433 7.5 Dongfeng Citroen 85,088 6.7 The table shows Volkswagen in combination with both its ventures SVW and FAW-VW have been the leading automobile company in China with largest market share in 2002. (Chen, J., & Yao, S. 2006; Barrow, C. 2009) SVW initially competed with minimal investment in China, it was able to capture high market share in the early days but soon it faced competition by the modern foreign and

Interpretation of Laws in the United Kingdom Essay

Interpretation of Laws in the United Kingdom - Essay Example This paper declares that the literal rule demands that the judiciary should use the ordinary meaning of a statute by merely reading the text irrespective of the outcomes. The rule is based on the assumption that the objective of Parliament is well captured in the plain and natural sense of the choice of words is uses in drafting a statute. As the report stresses the case of Fisher v Bell magnifies the superiority of the literal rule. The court’s decision was inspired by the literal meaning of The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959, which outlawed the offering for sale of select offensive weapons such as flick knives. James Bell created a display of such unlawful weapons in his shop, prompting his arrest and charges. In its decision, the Divisional Court absolved him of any offense as per the literal meaning of the statute, arguing that the mere display of the knives by the defendant did not amount to an offer for sale. The plain meaning of the contract law stipulates that displaying something at a point of sale should not be misconstrued to mean an offer for sale; rather it is just a mere invitation of potential customers to learn more about the item and tender their offers. The literal rule has merits and demerits. It limits litigations, promotes clear drafting of legislations and enhances easier interpr etation of laws by laymen provided they can understand the language used. Nonetheless, the literal rule may lead to interpretation of legislations out of context and narrowing of the parameters of a law. The golden rule Greeawalt (2012) has pointed out that the golden rule requires judicial members to give life to the literal rule so as to achieve a better interpretation of the law. The rule states that in the event that the literal rule fails to yield a proper meaning of a law, it is rational to explore another sense in the words. Lord Wensleydale in the case of Grey v Pearson (1857) HL Cas 61 is credited with creating a precedent when he stated that the literal meaning of an Act should be read and construed as it is, but if by doing so, a judicial officer would face an absurdity, then the person should modify the literal value of the text (Wagner, Werner, and Cao, 2007). The golden rule was invoked in the case of Adler v George (1964) to prevent an absurdity in court. The Official Secrets Act 1920 Â § 3, outlaws any distraction to the HM Forces around a forbidden base. Frank Adler’s violated the law and was charged with causing distraction to the officers. In his defence, Adler argued that he was actually inside a prohibited place and not in its vicinity.