Thursday, October 31, 2019
The Diversification of the American Families Essay - 1
The Diversification of the American Families - Essay Example The research team is composed of Alvin and Heidi Toffler and they end at a conclusion that neither of these changes is bad and such conclusions they arrive at through the historical view of some vital changes in family (Alvin and Heidi 2000 pg 594). How is America Diversifying? The article starts by mentioning that the American population is not dying given that it is diversifying. The diversification is though not quite evident to the American citizens hence some unwarranted uncertainty. The diversification of the American population is taking place right from the population itself, the children and the society. The diversification is taking place due to the changing trends in the society such as divorce, remarriage and new family lifestyles, which creates a new family from the other each time such facts are adhered to appropriately. Through fracturing, the existing families are actually taking a completely new form, which is more diversified due to the revolutionary changes from a shift in energy, technology, work, economics and communications. Technology has created some way in which some aspects in the society are viewed, the majority of the Americans have high value for work due to changes in lifestyles minimizing the room for the traditional aspects of the family as it existed before. It is quite easy to detect that the world is changing rapidly depending on the nature of the aspect discussed above. The American family has diversified from the traditional family to the nuclear family through evolution from the first wave family to the third wave family and today we have the wave family, which is a kind of family, which is quite hard to define as it happens in the single life situation (Alvin and Heidi 2000 pg 594-95). The Americans through their government have diversified the general industry to incorporate all the citizens in terms of all the aspects.Ã
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The Seeds of Ageism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
The Seeds of Ageism - Assignment Example Ageism is an amalgamation of stereotypes beliefs, discrimination behaviors, prejudice evaluations. Ageism is attributed to the changing demographic trends in various part of the world. Life expectancy is enhanced as a result people live for a longer duration and may lead a healthy life (Marques Presentation FLARE31Aug). According to the United Nations aging index, the number of individuals above the age of 60 years is equal to the number of individuals between the age of 0- 14 years this highlight the fact that elderly people are equal in number to the young population. Further, Europe witnessed an aging index of 136.2 in 2007 while it is anticipated to enhance to 229.7 in 2050 (Ageism in Europe). These data indicate that there is going to be a drastic alteration in population structure in future which is going to have lasting implication on the society in terms of labor markets, growth both economic and developmental, the behavior of consumer as well as health systems. These implications are not ordinary to overlook as they are going to change the structure of the society. Health systems are going to affect to a greater extent as they have to witness new paradigms. Ignorance of any kind leads to prejudice or ageism. Ageism has a negative implication and it depicts the attitude an individual display towards elderly people. According to Nelson (2002), Older adults in the United States tend to be marginalized, institutionalized and stripped of accountability, supremacy and eventually their distinction. Considering the history, people used to respect their elders and provided them great regard and respect, they were considered to be guide and teachers who are experienced to help them to reach the solution in case if any problem arise. It was considered to be divine if one lives for more than 50 years of age (Branco and Williamson, 1982).Ã
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Qatar Airways Marketing Strategy
Qatar Airways Marketing Strategy Abstract The airline industry has been known to be volatile and competitive. It is volatile in the sense that any negative news either from the services such as air mishap, economic downturn, perceived threat of terrorism, the potential outbreak of the birdflu virus or the factors of production like rise in prices of crude oil impacts negatively on the strategic position of each of the players in the industry be it market leader, follower or challenger. The case of Gulf States (Countries) such as Bahrain, Iran, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia to mention just a few calls for closer attention. This is because the so Gulf states are have the resources and capabilities to compete in all the four fronts of marketing mix which is often referred as the 4Ps of People, Price, Place, Promotion. In order to wean their economies away from declining oil reserves some Middle Eastern countries pursue substantial investments into their aviation sector. The bulk of these investments concentrates on the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and comprises fleet expansions stoked by massive airport extensions and development projects. The million dollar question is how Qatar airways can turn its fortune from being a market follower in the Gulf airline industry to a leader. In this academic work also, we would use the following framework for evaluating and writing Customers: Who are the organizations customers? Products/services: What are the organizations major products or services? Location/markets: Where does the organization compete? Technology: Is technology a primary concern of the organization? Concern for survival, growth and profitability: Is the organization committed to economic objectives? Philosophy: What are the basic beliefs, values, aspirations, and philosophical priorities of the firm? Self-concept: What is the organizations distinctive competence or major competitive advantage? 1.0 Introduction The airline industry has grown to be one of be one of the largest industries in half century of its existence. Its origin could be deduced from the end of World War l but it was not until World War II that saw peace restored worldwide that accounted for the burgeoning of the business. Statistics have it that the industry often airlift more than 1.5 billion industry worldwide and generates more than $ 300 billion in revenue and employ 1.7 million people worldwide (Hanlon Pg 1,2006). Good to note is the fact that the post World War II airline industry are dominated by state owned airlines known as Flag Carriers and the government which owned them often used them as instruments to further their mercantilist interests or to promote their countries status, power and prestige. Airline business in the Gulf States is often associated with government (Hanlon Pg 2, 2006). Government desire to protect flag carriers often lead to artificial market, in which the profitability of the airlines wer e determined more by the competitors that are allowed to fly the route rather the forces of quality and pricing. Airlines suited in the Middle East currently hold 9% of long haul capacity worldwide. They will be responsible for about 25% of all global long haul aircraft deliveries over the next decade (Flagnagan, 2006). Dubai based emirates airlines accounts for the largest buyer, which approximately 70% of all new long-haul aircraft orders in the Middle East. Some airline commentators predict that come 2012, the airline would double its fleet (Flagnagan, 2006). After Emirates come Qatar airlines. The airline has placed an order of 140 wide body aircraft. The expansion plans of the gulf airline operators are shown in Fig 1 within Qatar airways just like other airlines in the Gulf States is part of the government strategy to diversify its revenue base, economies, commerce, tourism and global transport importance. The airline has a rich mission statement which is Excellence in everything we do. According to a survey carried out by Pearce and David (1987) to analyze the mission contents of airline companies, the mission, it showed that Qatars mission statement is one of the best in the world. Amongst 9 points, it has 6 points. Fleet expansion plans of Middle Eastern carriers (as March 2008). Source Journal of Transport Geography 18 (2008) 388-394 3.0 Current Marketing Mix of Qatar Airways 3.1.1 Product Strategy: New Products Existing ProductsServices is defined as involving one party offering something that is essentially intangible and where the interaction does not result in ownership of anything (Kotler, 2008). Applying Ansoff product grid matrix, it can be said that Qatar airlines is still in market penetration. This is because the airline as was shown in the introductory section of the work, has projected the number of aircraft it wish to buy before 2012. The attributes of a company in growth stage of company life cycle is expansionary qualities. Existing Market Market Penetration Product Development New Market Market Development Diversification ansoffs product / market matrix The attributes of market penetration strategy in which Qatar airways are using include Maintain or increase the market share of current products this can be achieved by a combination of competitive pricing strategies, advertising, sales promotion and perhaps more resources dedicated to personal selling As part of this growth plan, Qatar Airways will extend its route network to 50 destinations by the end of 2003. It has recently added Manchester and Rome to its increasing route network. It will soon be adding Shanghai, Seoul and Tripoli to its route network. (Airhighways Magazine, 2005, p. 1). Secure dominance of growth markets. Qatar airlines have been known to dominate the ever busy African- Middle east air routes. The company always has some flights available from any part of Africa to the Gulf States. The topology of the area has encouraged the airline to operate in product penetration strategy of Ansoff product grid. Its sparsely populated area has encouraged travelling by air for intra-regional transport. Furthermore, a high per capita income that is still increasing quickly, offers a base for a strong aviation industry. But there are socio-economic constraints, limiting both domestic leisure and business travel potential. Increase usage by existing customers for example by introducing loyalty schemes .A market penetration marketing strategy is very much about business as usual. The business is focusing on markets and products it knows well. It is likely to have good information on competitors and on customer needs. It is unlikely, therefore, that this strategy will require much investment in new market research. There is no evidence that Qatar airways is investing on market research because they are not expanding into unknown routes such as Kula-lumpur Sydney route. 3.1.2 Pricing Strategy: Going-rate-pricing strategy Presently Qatar airline practice what is called Going-rate-pricing strategy. The market leader in the middle- east airline industry remains Emirates. Qatar charges its fare based on the price of Emirates which is slightly higher. This is because being the market follower, Qatar does not need to disturb the established market dynamism because it might not be able to compete on the same level with Emirates. Comparing the price of Qatar and Emirates, on the same route of Kuala-lumpur (Malaysia) Johannesburg ( South Africa) Price of Qatar on 21st Nov returning on 23rd Dec from Kuala-Lumpur to Johannesburg Price of Qatar on 21st Nov returning on 23rd Dec from Kuala-Lumpur to Johannesburg 3.1.3 Promotion Strategy: Qatar airlines are not practicing product differentiation but it is practicing promotion differentiation. According to its chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker he said that Qatar By offering a variety of entertainment options, we are able to differentiate our passenger service through live entertainment programming while also setting new standards of comfort to ensure we are the airline of choice (Rockwell Collins, 2005, p. 1). Some of their promotion strategies are as listed below and experienced by its passengers are as Biggest and best business class in the Middle East Interactive Audio, Video on Demand Entertainment System Largest personal TV screens in the Middle East Electronic seat controls In-seat back massage First Middle East airline in First Class with flat beds Qatar has engaged the services of Global media industries to help spread the good news. Such internal media include TV Corporate Videos BBC Campaign to position it as a premium carrier CNN testimonials from airline staff Sky News reports as a sponsor of the weather service Sponsors a travel show through Al-Jazeera Qatar is a major sponsor of high profile sporting activities such as World Tourism Day, World Travel and Tourism Council Summit, World Economic Forum, Leading International sports events. Qatar airlines was the official sponsor of 15th Asian Games, Doha 2006. The company has come up with a new product called Flying Oryx Newsletter that it distributes to travel agents. The newsletter is also available through its websites. More links could be established to the newsletter through the Internet. The airlines also give away products to passengers that promote the logo of the Burgundy Oryx and Taking you personally, such as watches, computermice and hand towels. 3.1.3 Place Strategy: This places a little impact on the business strategy of Qatar. Qatar airways like any other airways have developed a system of getting their ticket. Unlike the normal businesses, whose distribution channel goes from the manufacturer wholesaler-retailer-consumer. The normal business cycle Qatar airline and other airways are from the airline operators to consumers when online booking is done or through traveler agent. Airline operator Airline operator Manufacturer Wholesaler Consumer Travelling Agent Retailer Consumer Consumer Traditional Supply channel Online booking channel intermediary booking channel 4.0 MARKET ANALYSIS 4.1 Qatar current market Qatar airways is one of the leading airline industry in the gulf states. There is no hiding from the fact that Qatar airways is building on the booming market of Dubai to feed the ever busy Dubai route. Qatar currently targets those customers who considers Emirates too expensive. Those that want a little bit high quality and class at an affordable price. Qatar market can be divided into two as follows Geographic Segmentation: Qatar Airways is currently operating in most of the regions of the world.They are presently hoping to expand their routes to include the south pacific routes of Australia and its neighbouring countries. Qatar Airways is a dynamic, high service carrier, which utilises the geographic location of its Middle Eastern hub to link 72 international cities. From the UK the airline operates regular services from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester to Doha. Onward connections are available to cities including Dhaka, Ahmedabad (coming soon), Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Nagpur (coming soon), Trivandrum, Malà ©, Kathmandu, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Colombo, Denpasar, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Myanmar, Yangon, Cebu, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Bahrain, Mashad, Tehran, Amman, Kuwait City, Beirut, Muscat, Dammam/Dhahran, Jeddah, Riyadh, Damascus, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sanaa,Bangkok,Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Cebu, Nairobi, Johanne sburg and the Seychelles. Qatar Airways entering the US market with flights to New York and Washington, DC direct from the airlines hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar Demographic Segmentation: Below is the demographic basis for the market segmentation for Qatar airways: Demographic Variables Breakdown Sex Male; Female Age Under 12; 13-25; 26-40; 41-55; 55 + Income (monthly) USD 300.00 and over Religion Muslims (Halal status); Non-Muslims (Non-Halal status) Education Designed for 5.0 STRATEGIC ANALYSIS (SWOT analysis) SWOT analysis helps to explore the internal and external environmental factors affecting Qatar Airways and hence enable us to make strategic decisions (Aaker, 2005). The recommended strategies that would be adopted in this paper would be based on the on the SWOT analysis of the company. External Analysis Strategic decisions Where to compete? How to compete? Identification Trends/Future events Threats/Opportunities Strategic uncertainties How to compete? Analysis Information-Need areas Scenario Analysis Internal Analysis Source: Adapted and modified from Aaker, D. A (1998), Strategic Market Management, 5th Edition, John Wiley Sons, Inc., USA, p 40 5.1 INTERNAL ANALYSIS Strength Weakness Brand Recognition The airline has been able to build a strong brand that was described by Kelly Kaur, Marketing Director, as getting to know the audience and using communication to build loyalty, stimulate desire, create confidence and build awareness. Consistency The airline has been noted for offering consistence services which was one of the criteria that enabled it to get a FIVE STAR RATING. FIVE STAR RATING Qatar Airways is just one of the few airlines in the world ranked Five Star by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency. The same organization Skytrax also named Qatar Airways cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the third year running and fifth best in the world, following a survey of more than 12 million passengers worldwide. (World Economic Forum, n.d., p. 1). Qatar Airways are the proud winners of the TTG Travel Awards 2009 Airline of the year. In recognition of the world class service and their commitment to offer only the best to over 80 destinations worldwide Numerous Flights The airline currently operates a fleet of 42 all-Airbus aircraft, which is expected to triple in size to 110 aircraft by 2015. Qatar Airways recently made an agreement to buy up to 60 of the new generation Airbus A350s. The airline also plans to acquire 20 Boeing 777s,with a total value for both orders set to be worth US$ 15.2 billion Age Many still believe that Qatar cannot maintain their high standard for a very long time because they are not too experienced in the industry. Arabization Many people still believe that the airline is Arab based because of their Logo. Qatar Airways logo uses an animal (Arabian oryx) that may be familiar to people in the Arabian Gulf, but not to people outside the region. National Carrier History has shown that most national does not last and they are often abused by the government. People would love to invest so that they can control or have shares in the business but thats not the case here. 5.2 EXTERNAL ANALYSIS OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Booming tourism industry The present surge in tourism in the gulf states is plus for the company to expand its business capacity. Image The Airlines has gained some reputation in the region and in Europe and its other sites Strategic alliances The airline has the reputation of forming strategic alliances with some airline operators in the pacific rim. This can be done either via bilateral with the respective government. Terrorism The incident of 9/11 is a wheel in the spanner of most airline industry. It has greatly reduced the ability of airline operators to attract many frequent fliers. New Entrants There is possibility of new entrants to the market especially Etihad. Etihad has the financial capacity to compete on the same level with Qatar Volatility The industry itself is known to exhibit high volatility. This may be in the form of fuel price, technology change or epidemic and natural disasters. 6.0 PROJECT RECOMMENDATION STRATEGIES 6.1. Market penetration via new products: Low cost Qatar airways have the leverage to engage in more competitive prices that what they are offering presently. They should borrow a leave from what Qantas did. Qantas came up with a low cost carrier called JETSTAR. The low cost strategy can compete in the low cost flight category of the airline industry while the parent company keeps their normal standard. Alliances Qatar airways have the brand image to form strategic alliances with many similar airlines where they can get the benefits of economics of scale. This might come in the form choosing one airline company in the continent to form a loop. They might borrow a look from what Singapore airlines deed as shown below. Singapore Airlines Air New Zealand Star Alliance Dinners Club Avis Singapore Airlines alliance network; strategic alliance, follower ( Kotler Pg 812, 2008) 6.2 Maximizing sales revenue Reduction of booking agents Commissions and other incentives to sales staff add to the operational cost of the company. These costs either passed on to the customers or absorbed by the organization lowers the margins of the company. The company should come up with a structure of appointing GSA (General Sales Agent) in major cities and towns. They might even pass it to the post office to sale for them since they post office has their fixed cost already running. Web Friendly Site The company should as a matter of urgency design a friendly user web site. Their current web site is not user friendly. They should borrow a cue at Airasia website. Airasia website is fast, user friendly and updates every minutes. This has greatly encouraged customers to use the web more frequently than physical office space thereby limiting people or place contacts to the barest minimum. 7.0 Conclusion In its relatively few years of operation has shown that they can ranked amongst the best in service delivery. They have grown from a small company to a major player in the airline industry. They have put in place sound management principle and good chief executive Akbar Al Baker believed his airline was leaking significant amounts of revenue. A series of short diagnostic exercises confirmed his hunches needs continuous improvement. The company has adopted a relatively moderate marketing mix by targeting its customers, positioning the company World Class Young, but growing fast Forward Thinking, open-minded On-time, Clean image Friendly/helpful/warm/hospitable airline. The People is good, Price affordable, Place great and Promotion best.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay examples -- Ma
Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn à à à Samuel Clemens was an American writer and humorist who's best work is shown by broad social satire, realism of place and language, and memorable characters. à à à à à Clemens was born November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. His family moved to Hannibal, Mississippi when he was four. There he received a public school education. Samuel Clemens was a difficult child, given to mischief and mis adventure. He barely escaped drowning on nine separate occasions. His fathers death was a calamity in which Samuel was not prepared for. Albert Bigelow Paine, Clemens official biographer, offers the following glimpse of the young Clemens à à à à à à à à à à à "The boy Sam was fairly broken down. Remorse, which always à à à à à dealt with him unsparingly, laid a heavy hand on him now. Wildness, à à à à à disobedience, indifference to his fathers wishes, all were remembered; a à à à à à hundred things, in themselves trifling, became ghastly and heart-wringing à à à à à in the knowledge that could never be undone. Seeing his grief, his mother à à à à à took him by the hand and led him into where his father lay." à à à à à à à à à à "It's all right, Sammy," she said. "What's done is done, and it à à à à à does not matter to him anymore; but here by the side of him now I want à à à à à you to promise to me-" à à à à à à à à à à He turned, his eyes streaming with tears, and flung himself into à à à à à her arms. à à à à à à à à à à "I will promise anything ," he sobbed, "if you won't make me go à à à à à to school! Anything! à à à à à à à à à à His mother held him for a moment, thinking, then she said: à à à à à "No, Sammy; you need not go to school anymore. Only... ... à à à à à à à à à à à à A. Family Life à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 1.Deaths à à à à à à à à à à à B. Money Problems à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 1. Bankruptcy à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 2. Move to Europe à à à à à à à à à à à C. His comeback à à à à à à à à à à à D. His death à à à à à V.à à Effects of Twain's stories à à à à à à à à à à à A. How he affected his era à à à à à à à à à à à B. How the era affected his writings à à à à à à à VI.à à Conclusion à à à à à à à à à à à à A. My feelings à à à à à à à à à à à à B. End notes à à à à à à à à à à à à C. Bibliography Work Cited: à Twain, Mark.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 3rd ed. Ed. Thomas Cooley. New à à à à York: Norton, 1999. à à Works Consulted: Kaplan, Justin. Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain, a Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1966. Ward, Geoffrey C., et. al. Mark Twain: An Illustrated Biography. New York: Knopf, 2001 à Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay examples -- Ma Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn à à à Samuel Clemens was an American writer and humorist who's best work is shown by broad social satire, realism of place and language, and memorable characters. à à à à à Clemens was born November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. His family moved to Hannibal, Mississippi when he was four. There he received a public school education. Samuel Clemens was a difficult child, given to mischief and mis adventure. He barely escaped drowning on nine separate occasions. His fathers death was a calamity in which Samuel was not prepared for. Albert Bigelow Paine, Clemens official biographer, offers the following glimpse of the young Clemens à à à à à à à à à à à "The boy Sam was fairly broken down. Remorse, which always à à à à à dealt with him unsparingly, laid a heavy hand on him now. Wildness, à à à à à disobedience, indifference to his fathers wishes, all were remembered; a à à à à à hundred things, in themselves trifling, became ghastly and heart-wringing à à à à à in the knowledge that could never be undone. Seeing his grief, his mother à à à à à took him by the hand and led him into where his father lay." à à à à à à à à à à "It's all right, Sammy," she said. "What's done is done, and it à à à à à does not matter to him anymore; but here by the side of him now I want à à à à à you to promise to me-" à à à à à à à à à à He turned, his eyes streaming with tears, and flung himself into à à à à à her arms. à à à à à à à à à à "I will promise anything ," he sobbed, "if you won't make me go à à à à à to school! Anything! à à à à à à à à à à His mother held him for a moment, thinking, then she said: à à à à à "No, Sammy; you need not go to school anymore. Only... ... à à à à à à à à à à à à A. Family Life à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 1.Deaths à à à à à à à à à à à B. Money Problems à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 1. Bankruptcy à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 2. Move to Europe à à à à à à à à à à à C. His comeback à à à à à à à à à à à D. His death à à à à à V.à à Effects of Twain's stories à à à à à à à à à à à A. How he affected his era à à à à à à à à à à à B. How the era affected his writings à à à à à à à VI.à à Conclusion à à à à à à à à à à à à A. My feelings à à à à à à à à à à à à B. End notes à à à à à à à à à à à à C. Bibliography Work Cited: à Twain, Mark.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 3rd ed. Ed. Thomas Cooley. New à à à à York: Norton, 1999. à à Works Consulted: Kaplan, Justin. Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain, a Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1966. Ward, Geoffrey C., et. al. Mark Twain: An Illustrated Biography. New York: Knopf, 2001 Ã
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Nirala Supply Chain Management
Table of Contents Introduction3 Vision3 Core Values3 Departments4 Products4 Target market4 Major Competitors in Pakistan5 Supply chain management5 Supply chain Process of Nirala5 Inbound Logistics7 Operations7 Out bound logistics8 Costs8 Price Strategy9 Promotions9 Efficiency Vs Responsiveness9 Chase strategy9 Time flexibility from workforce10 Consumerââ¬â¢s data base10 Corporate events10 Future plans11 Recommendations11 Introduction Over half a century ago, the foundation of Nirala was laid in Lahore, Pakistan, with the commitment to provide people with delectable quality delights.The great journey started when Taj Din migrated from Amritsar, India, to Lahore and started a small breakfast shop in the inner city of Lahore in 1948. Over the years, his family has embraced the timeless traditional values of good taste and unmatched quality, by bringing fresh mouth watering to the customers. Anmol Company holds the exclusive franchise rights in Pakistan for Nirala Sweets & food produc ts. Anmol Company is responsible for manufacturing, distributing and selling Nirala Sweets, which is undoubtedly the leading brand in the Mithai market in Pakistan. OnJanuary 1999, Nirala opened its 1st outlet outside Lahore making an instant success. Now Nirala is also makes dairy products in addition to sweets, namkeenz & running a restaurant. Nirala today has37 Branches in Pakistan with Presence in 9 Cities Including, Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sialkot & Gujranwala. Nirala has Presence in 4 Regions of the World including Sharjah, Dubai, Canada, USA and Europe. Vision The vision is to make Nirala a global brand, a brand recognizable for its uniqueness and quality in ethnic food market all around the world.In this perspective it consider itself as an innovative and a pioneer company, continuously offering unique products and interesting service concepts that others havenââ¬â¢t even dreamt of. Core Values The core values of the organizat ion which they consider the Spirit of Nirala have not changed over the past half century. Those values and traditions which have made the brand Nirala a market leader for the past 60 years are: * Continuous Improvement * Innovation * Integrity * Team work and * Social Responsibility Departments * Administration * Finance & Accounts * Human Resource * à Marketing * à Milk Procurement à MIS * à Production * à Quality Assurance * Retail Store * à Shop Operations * à Store & Procurement * à Supply & Distribution * VAS (Value added services ) Products * Mithai * Snakes * Dairy * Beverages Target market The target market of Nirala is the upper and corporate class. Major Competitors in Pakistan Nirala do not consider any one a direct competitor though indirectly it has many competitors . Some of them (area wise)are given below. Lahore * Gourmet * Fazal sweets * Rafique sweets * Butt sweets Islamabad-Rawal pindi * Jameel Sweets * Fresco Sweets Karachi * Qasr-e-shahee n Supply chain managementThe Nirala ensures timely and effective distribution of the products to chain of Nirala sweets stores spread all across Pakistan. From Transportation to obtaining route permits and approvals, is done by this department. Supply chain Process of Nirala Firstly the production department of Nirala receives projections from the sales department for example what products should be produced, how much quantity needs to be produced, what are the products that need more production than the rest etc. Sales Manager is responsible to deliver all these information and projections about the total quantity need to be produced.Production department then make the products accordingly which results in two products semi finished products and finished or ready to dispatch products by having a special check from the production manager who ensures the right amount of ingredients, quality and recipes that should be followed in the making of those products. Processing facilities are de centralised and located in Lahore, Karachi and one in Dubai. Production manager also ensures that the production should be done on the required time and by the required quantity in order to give high quality products to the customers.Semi finished goods are transferred to the stores of Nirala whereas the finished products directly go to the Pre- supply department . Stores are the central place for raw materials, finished as well as semi finished products . Nirala is currently using the facility of cold stores as well as blast freezers for storage purposes which help in increasing the life of the products. These stores are responsible to check the availability of the raw materials received from the procurement department which is the most important department of Nirala sweets .This department make raw materials available to the stores for the production of sweets as well as packaging of the finished products. The finished products that were transferred to the pre- supply departme nt are then molded into different shapes, sizes and cuts. Pre- supply department is the only department at Nirala which lacks a manager, instead of the manager they have a supervisor for this department which supervise all the activities of the labor and makes sure that everything is done according to the standards or not.After wrapping and final packaging of those products by the pre-supply department, they are transferred finally to the Supply department with the help of carriers e. g. trucks and vans (Shahzor, Mazda, and Suzuki pickup) owned by the company which delivers the final products to different branches of Nirala. They use voucher system for this process, vouchers are send with the products to outstation branches of Nirala located in Lahore ,Islamabad and Peshawar in order to make sure that the right amount is transferred to its designation .Branches after receiving the products and making sure that everything is received on the right date and by the right amount then dis patch the record of that receiving to the supply department at 7. am before the opening of the branch which is 8. am . This whole process is done on daily basis. Branches check the dispatch products through ERP (Enterprise resource planning). Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc.ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application . The purpose of ERP is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside sources. But if there is a mismatch between the products and the vouchers i-e received products is less than the required amount then every department especially the supply department has to recheck all the process in order to identify the fault. From these branches customer can buy wh atever he wants to buy from the range of products made by the company.Consumer is concerned with the final product, he is not aware of the whole process from where the product has been passed so itââ¬â¢s also very important to check the quality of the final product before the sale of the products as well. Inbound Logistics Pure desi ghee, High quality dry fruit, Milk Operations * More than 20% mithai production is carried out at automated plants. * Snacks are made on modern machines where as in the production of mithai no such technology is used. Nirala prefer to made mithai with the traditional way.The only technology used in the preparation is the rods that are used to check the consistency of the sugar syrup. * Quality is assured by the Quality Assurance Department which uses two ways to test the quality of products being produced. Firstly they use Sensory Evaluation to test quality. Sensory evaluation involves calling experts to test the mithai (sweets) by eating it and then telling whether it is upto standards or not. Secondly various lab tests are carried out to make sure that high quality raw materials are used in making of products. * Nirala also introduced Nirala Doodh in 2005.Since milk is an integral ingredient when it comes to sweets and mithai, therefore it decided to open its own Ultra high temperature milk plant. Therefore in 2006 with lot of investments and hard work, Nirala was able to establish its first UHT Milk Plant. The capacity of the plant was that it could produce up to 200, 000 liters/day. This was the biggest milk plant ever constructed. UHT plant required significant investments therefore when the time came to launch its product that was Nirala Doodh, they were left with very little resources, as a result their this product failed drastically.Nirala didnââ¬â¢t have enough resources to market the product therefore faced lot of constraints as far as the marketing budgets were concerned. Furthermore, due to very little advertisin g consumers had less brand awareness, it also resulted in increased losses as budgets for the branches were ignored at the same time. Out bound logistics N-Design is a packaging Co. working under the umbrella of Nirala which is offering 80 different types of packaging. It includes traditional paper and card boards, tin, wood, glass and handmade paper. Customize packaging is a speciality of Nirala sweets. CostsSince Nirala is a labor intensive company and prefer to make the sweets in the traditional way so the major costs incurred by the company are the labor cost and cost of raw materials. Nirala once imported machines from Germany for this purpose but it failed in making those products so less use of technology helps the company in saving cost. Nirala spend a very little money on the maintenance of outlets that is the reason the condition of outlets of the competitors is far better than those of Nirala because the focus of the company is on the product rather than these things Pric e StrategyNirala Sweets is slightly high than its competitors in price due to quality material used for its production and help Nirala in saving the cost . this is also because of target market that Nirala targets which is the corporate and upper class. Nirala also accepts credit payments by its customers on purchase of RS 200 worth mithai. Promotions Though the marketing department is present if Nirala but itââ¬â¢s not doing anything for the promotion of the company. Marketing activities of Nirala is very limited due to lack of funds.Also due to unforeseen incident that occurred in 2006, led people to boycott Niralaââ¬â¢s products. The death of the two year old and controversial case of Faisal Farooq resulted in huge losses for the company. This news was misreported on various internet websites and blogs and resulted in a bad image of the company for some time period. Also Nirala accepts online orders from its international customers and they are the only ones who are offerin g online orders. Efficiency Vs ResponsivenessEvery company wants to save the cost ,same is the case with Nirala, every department tries to save the cost at each step to the maximum but if the question is to make a choice between the two then Nirala definitely chooses the option of responsiveness because if they will incur any extra cost in order to fulfill the demand of customers and to be responsive in terms of supply then they will be more than happy to accept that cost because they are increasing the customer satisfaction and gaining customers loyalty. Chase strategyThere is no scientific rule to forecast the demand in this industry so in order to predict future demand Nirala uses the chase strategy in which the production rate is synchronized with the demand rate because at the end of the day they are just sweets so the demand fluctuations are not very intense which means that the demand for these products can easily be predicted for example the demand of the products increases in the Wedding season (Oct-March), Eid-ul-fiter, Eid-ul-Azha and other occasions like that and decreases in the month of Moharram.For this reason they do not have any separate department for forecasting. Time flexibility from workforce Nirala also use the strategy of time flexibility from workforce by offering them flexible timing in the low demand period and overtime in the peak demand period to fulfil the demand of customers. Consumerââ¬â¢s data base Nirala sweets do not feel the need of making database of consumers especially on daily basis. They make profile of only those customers that complain about their products or have any bad experience with the company and of their corporate customers. Corporate eventsAn extensive list of corporate clients place customized orders to make their corporate events more exclusive. A wide range of Mithai and customized branded boxes are available to the valued clients at all times. The creative team is always there to convert our client's ex pressions into beautiful branded packaging, which leaves an everlasting impact of grace and sophistication onto the minds of the recipients. The corporate clientele includes: à » ABN AMRO Bank à » Allied Bank à » Arif Habib Rupalià Bank à » Bank Alfalah à » Citibank à » DHL à » Dubai Islamic Bank à » Emaar Pakistan à » PIA à » Pizza Hut à » PTV SUFI Group of Industries Future plans * Nirala sweets is trying to outsource the company to reduce the extra cost. * To increase the marketing activities for the promotion of the company and allot specific budget for that purpose. * Looking forward to expand in England and Canada where sizable Pakistani communities live. Recommendations * They should review the costs of their products since they are targeting the higher class and upper middle class so thatââ¬â¢s why the rates are high as compared to their competitors who make it difficult for the people with medium income and low income.If they review their costs and cut down a little bit on their prices then they can cover a much more number of customers and their sales will increase. * Continuous innovation and up gradation in technology and effective use of enabling technologies such as MIS will help integrate the entire supply chain better. * Sales promotions like prizes, lucky draw schemes should be introduced to attract more suppliers and focus more on their advertising because customers have very little information and awareness about their products such as Nirala Doodh.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Media Influences on Social Norms and Health
Mediaââ¬â¢s Authority on Illness: Messages the Public learn In todayââ¬â¢s culture, the media influences many aspects of daily life. For the purpose of this research the media will encompass television, newspaper, magazines, and internet and the messages learned from these outlets relating to illness. In addition, investigating how people in power authoritative the messages portrayed on the media outlets and the agenda behind the messages. The people or organizations that influence the media have a big impact on the way we learn or feel about illness.Human beings can come to accept most anything that is repeated on the news, published in magazines, and said by people of influence. People in power will include, for the purpose of this argument, those with credentials, self-help ââ¬Å"expertsâ⬠, and funding agencies for specific illnesses. The media and people in power control what the public learns about illness. Moreover, publicizing illness when there is a finical gain o r what socio-economic group suffers from the disorder or illness. According to Brumberg (2000), anorexia nervosa was a relatively unheard of disease until the 1980s.Today it is so commonplace that women will see a friend who has lost weight or looks skinny and refer to her as ââ¬Å"looking anorexic. â⬠If this disease was only labeled as anorexia around thirty years ago how did it explode into mainstream culture so quickly? There are a number of different arguments to pose: elite women from Ivy League universities took interest in the topic, the three most popular womenââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ magazines published many stories about the disease, and people of social status died from this disease (Brumberg 2000).Different diverse newspapers became intrigued and jumped on the anorexia bandwagon, even including pictures of gauntly women on the covers claiming outrageously high numbers of women that now have this disease (Brumberg, 2000). It is also important to note that nearly all of th e anorexia sufferers were white and came from rich families (Brumberg 2000). These girls coming from wealthy families obviously had the money to pay for treatment and doctors. It is possible that their families ran in circles with doctors, scientists, and people that have social status to make powerful decisions.These decisions generated media attention leading to the general public being flooded with movies, documentaries, and news broadcasts (Brumberg 2000). If these affected by this new disease of anorexia were poor and underprivileged arguably the public would not have learned about anorexia and it might possibly not exist today. Like anorexia, the disease of fibromyalgia did not exist as a labeled disorder until the mid seventies (Barker 1999). Remarkably now six million Americans are diagnosed a syndrome which did not exist thirty years ago.Self-help literature and the internet is one of the biggest facilitators in generating information to the public as well as funded organiz ations (Barker 1999). According to Barker (1999) fibromyalgia is characterized by many different symptoms and it can present itself differently for every case. Interesting enough during interviews Barker performed with twenty-five women only one woman had not read self-help books, but she relied on information from her support group leader to learn about her syndrome (Barker 1999).Debatably, these women may have never learned they had a syndrome, lived their lives without media messages, and possibly saving money, time, and heartache dealing with this new diagnosis. By looking at the new diseases of fibromyalgia and anorexia it is clear that the media and people of influence taught the general public about these illnesses and facilitated there widespread exposure, but how does the media choose what messages to deliver and what messages to keep away from the general public.Clearly, anorexia was a disease of wealthy, attractive girls which could make a good story, generating money for the news outlets, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, fibromyalgia could generate the same type of financial gain for doctors and medical companies, but are these the only motivators for the media and powerful people. According to Armstrong, Carpenter, and Hojnacki (2004) who constructed a study about whose deaths matter in America with attention to the mass media and the same motivators were congruent with the results they found.Consistent with powerful people controlling messages in the media, Armstrong et. al (2004) discovered that celebrities and members of Congress become involved with different diseases promoting attention and consequently leading to these promoted diseases appearing on national media outlets. For example, when Karen Carpenter died of anorexia it brought many celebrities together to publicize anorexia teaching the public the importance of treatment for anorexia (Brumberg 2000).The media claims that the diseases they cover are those that affect the general population but ironically the people that dictate what these general population diseases are, consist of the influential people and those with credentials (Armstrong et. al 2004). During Armstrong et. al (2004) study they also discovered that the media is more likely to cover diseases that affect white people than black people, even if a disease is killing many more blacks than whites. Mass media focuses more on the color of someoneââ¬â¢s skin and social status than the mortality rate of a certain disease or illness.This absurdity can also be seen not only with what the media covers, but with what they choose not to cover. From the 1960s to 1980s black men in Harlem had a lower rate of survival than men in Bangladesh (McCord and Freeman 1990) and this was not publicized or put on any major media outlet. If white men had a lower survival rate it would have been all over the major news headlines because of their socio-economic status and control towards the media. The unequal coverage of media attention because of issues of power, race, and money in turn condition the general publicââ¬â¢s perception about illness.Even people that are educated and intelligent many times cannot control being manipulated by the media to go along with messages they are delivering. Whatââ¬â¢s more is if the doctors, celebrities, and powerful funding companies are not endorsing an illness, therefore the media does not cover it, the general public will not ever hear about it. Surely, if anorexia suffers would have been black women with low socio-economic status the top womenââ¬â¢s magazines in the country would not have published stories, news broadcasts would have been non-existent, and quite possibly anorexia would only be known to few and not a mainstream disease.Diseases that affect minority groups draw far less media attention and Armstrong et. al (2004) theorizes that it stems from predominantly white broadcasters and media executives. Furthermore, specul ating that media workers would rather focus on illness that affects their particular social class and group (Armstrong et. al 2004). This theory continues to support the argument that the people in power are working through the media to control the messages the public learn about illness and disease.Organized advocates, research scientists, and politically active organizations also have a high investment in messages the media relays to the public. Advocates call great attention to their cause threw drawing on media attention and aligning themselves with politicians that support their cause in accordance with the policy goals of the politician (Armstrong et. al 2004). It is a win for all involved; the politicians get the media coverage they want for their agenda, again sending messages about illness in a political format.People in power and the media have an enormous function in controlling what messages the public learns about illness. There are many different reasons they want to c ontrol the messages humans take in through various types of media outlets. Facilitating their own social group, money, and political gain are just a few addressed in this argument. The mass media, controlled by powerful people decide what illness they want the public to learn about and often times it has more to do with race and status than how many people are actually suffering or even dying from a disease. ReferencesMcCord, C. & Freeman, H. P. (1990). ââ¬Å"Excess Mortality in Harlem. â⬠New England Journal of Medicine, 322:25 p. 173-177. Brumberg, J. J. (2000). ââ¬Å"Anorexia Nervosa in Context. â⬠Fasting Girls pp. 10-21, 33-42 264-267. Armstrong, E. , Carpenter, D. & Hojnacki, M. E. (2006). ââ¬Å"Whose Deaths Matter? Mortality, Advocacy, and Attention to Disease in the Mass Media. â⬠Journal of Health Politics and Law 31:4, pp. 729-772. Barker, K. (2002). ââ¬Å"Self-Help Literature and the Making of an Illness Identity: The Case of Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) . â⬠Social Problem 49:3, pp. 279-300.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects The WritePass Journal
Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects Introduction Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects , p. 1) when it was pointed out that: ââ¬Å"Studies have shown that online participation varies with income.â⬠Hence, it was stressed that individuals of a higher income were more likely to blog. Whilst this may be due to a lack of internet connectivity it is evident that the ideologies of the minority are not being represented. In addition, even where the minority do blog, it is unlikely that their views will reach the mainstream, which again signifies how the media is being controlled by a certain type of person. Antonio Gramsci and Hegemony (Long, P. and Wall, T. 2009, p. 285). Long and Wall believe that ideology is no longer considered relevant in todayââ¬â¢s society. Accordingly, they believe that despite media perceptions as to how individuals ought to live their life, the constant changes no longer make this possible. Therefore, the ideological theory no longer represents society as it once did: ideology is not static and is subject to change ââ¬â how we live and what we believe is different from the society of Marxââ¬â¢s dayâ⬠(Long and Wall, 2009, p. 287). In accordance with this, it is therefore believed by Long and Wall that the media can no longer influence societal values and beliefs in the way that they could. This is very important in order to eradicate gender, class and racial biases which the media appear to have created, yet whether this means that the media no longer have an influence on society is doubtful. This is because, mass communication products will continue to influence the ways in which we think about things whether consciously or subconsciously and as asserted by Kenix (2010, p. 1); ââ¬Å"Media both perpetuate identities to the public and are receptors of an ideology created and sustained within society.â⬠It was also added that; ââ¬Å"Media do not only send ideological messages out to the public but media systems are also interwoven into the ideological framework of society. Media also have their greatest influence on individuals over time.â⬠Consequently, provided that the media continue to expose certain ideologies, it will eventually become embedded into all societies regardless as to whether it was disapproved of or not. This is because, regardless as to whether the media are a desirable influencer, it is clear that they shape individuals values and beliefs within modern society. Whilst attitudes may have changed over the years, the media is still the most powerful product which ultimately controls ideology through the perceptions in which it creates. This leads to much inequality, though ââ¬Å"there is a widespread recasting of the ideal role of the stateâ⬠(Garland and Sparks, 2000; p. 186). In order to prevent the media from influencing society in a way that leads to inequality, it is vital that public bodies ââ¬Å"have a crucial role in helping people fulfill their potential and removing the barriers that hold people backâ⬠(White Paper, 2009) in effect, social inequalities must therefore be eradicated in order to tackle such media inequality. Thus, whilst Long and Wall make it clear that the media does significantly influence popular culture, they are still of the belief that ideolog ies are no longer relevant in todayââ¬â¢s society. If these contentions are accurate, it would seem as though the underlying issues surrounding race, gender and sexuality are simply the result of individual perceptions. Consequently, it is evident that the relationship between the mass media and popular culture is still pertinent in todayââ¬â¢s society, though the media do not have the same influence over individual values as they may have had in the past. Although this is considered important in preventing inequality, it seems as though the mass media should have a broader perspective on life as prejudice is still being conveyed. Conclusion Overall, it is manifest that there are significant social, cultural and psychological effects of media content and use. This is widely due to the fact that modern society is largely influenced by the ideologies that are created by mass communication. In addition, whilst different ideologies continue to be promoted, only certain values reach mainstream society. This leads to a great deal of inequality and illustrates how the media are capable of dominating the social world by conveying their own views and opinions. In Horkeimer and Adornoââ¬â¢s text, it became apparent that popular culture is swayed by the production of standardised cultural goods and that societal values and beliefs are thereby manipulated as a result of this. It was also made clear that cultural industries are only created in order to generate income for those that are most likely to profit and that the true needs of society are not being provided for. Whilst many will disagree with these points, it is palpable t hat the media can influence and change the ways in which society thinks. This is also due to the fact that the owners and controllers of the media are usually white middle and upper class men who communicate their own beliefs and values into everyday settings. Hence, media content does not hold a broad perspective, which ultimately leads to inequality as only certain issues are being dealt with. Because of the constant changes in society, however, it is believed by Long and Wall that ideologies are no longer relevant, yet given that the relationship between the mass media and popular culture is still very much existent it is likely that ideologies will still influence society. References Croteau, D. and Hoynes, W. (2003) Media/Society: Industries, Images and Audiences, Pine Forge Press. Deveraux, E. (2007) Understanding the Media, Sage Publications, 2nd Edition. Fiske, J. (2010) Understanding Popular Culture, Taylor Francis, 2nd Edition. Fitts, M. (2008) Drop it Like its Hot: Culture Industry Labourers and Their Perspectives on Rap Music Video Production, Meidans: Feminism, Race, Transitionalism, vol. 8, no. 1. Garland, D., and Sparks, R., (2000). Criminology and Social Theory. OUP Oxford. Horkeimer, M and Adorno, T. W. (1944) Dialetic of Enlightenment, Vesro Books. Kenix, L. J. (2010) Alternative and Mainstream Media: The Converging Spectrum, [Online] Available: bloomsburyacademic.com/view/AlternativeMainstreamMedia_9781849665421/chapter-ba-9781849665421-chapter-008.xml?print [07 January 2013]. Long, P., and Wall, T., (2009) Media Studies: Texts, Production and Context, Longman, 1st Edition. Perse, E. M. (2001) Media Effects and Society, Psychology Press. Spears, A. K. (1999) Race and Ideology: Language, Symbolism and Popular Culture, Wayne State University Press. Thompson, J., (1995). The Media and Modernity. Cambridge: Polity. Whibey, J. (2012) The Trend of Class, Race and Ethnicity in Social Media Inequality, Journalists Resource, [Online] Available: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-race/the-trend-of-class-race-and-ethnicity-in-social-media-inequality [07 January 2013]. White Paper., (2009). New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future: The Guardian, Socialism in one Clause? The Governmentââ¬â¢s proposal to tackle inequality, [Online] Available: guardian.co.uk/society/blog/2009/jan/13/equality-socialexclusion [07 January 2013]. Young, J., (1999). The Exclusive Society: Social Exclusion, Crime and Difference in Late Modernity. Sage Publications Ltd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)