Pepsi Mission and Swot Analysis

Wendy Montagno Mkt-3120-401 Firm Mission Statement PepsiCo. Pepsi has had a long and rich history. The drink was invented by Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina. He patented the drink and launched the Pepsi-Cola Company in1902, from the back room of his pharmacy. It developed into a strong franchise system. The dedication of the local Pepsi-Cola bottlers, have provided a solid foundation. Pepsi’s mission has always been to be a responsible corporate citizen. They strive to be the world’s premier consumer products company, focused on convenient foods and beverages.They work at producing financial rewards for its investors. They provide opportunities for growth for their employees and partners. Above all, they make every effort for honesty, fairness and integrity. Pepsi states their vision on their website as â€Å"PepsiCo's responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which we operate – environment, social, economic â⠂¬â€œ creating a better tomorrow than today. † They wish to create programs and focus on environmental stewardship to benefit the society. They also want to build shareholder value by becoming a truly sustainable company.Pepsi is the world’s second largest beverage and food company based on its net revenue. In North America it is first largest Beverage and Food Company by net revenue. SWOT analysis of PepsiCo. Internal Strengths One of Pepsi’s strengths is its history with a longtime local home. They also have a long standing loyal customer base. They also stay on top of current technology systems and networks to manage their manufacturing and distribution. Pepsi prides itself on knowing their customers needs to provide excellent customer service and implement global growth. WeaknessesPepsi must keep an eye on chain stores. Chain stores have a lower per-unit cost and can provide a lower price for their items. Pepsi has also had problems with offering new products without having sufficient knowledge of their target demographic. Their size is also a concern. The company is so large that it could lose focus or have internal conflict problems External Opportunities Pepsi needs to utilize the expanding Internet possibilities to better serve their customers. This goes in hand with providing training to their employees as systems become more complicated.They could also better position themselves to provide excellent personal service to compete with box stores since the large store seem to be driven by sales. Threats Pepsi always faces a challenge from their largest competitor, Coke whom has the world’s largest beverage distribution. On the other side they deal with competition from General Mills and ConAgra which are striving to have a larger market share in the snack market. Pepsi also faces the challenge of different regulations and policies set by governments in other countries.

Intelligence Community

In evaluating and analyzing the US Intelligence Committee, it would help to look back in history. The Cold War, which emerged in the 1940’s, was the start of the usefulness of the US Intelligence Community in battling against Communism.The result of the Second World War is like glue attached to each country involved therein. By 1943, the effects thereof were already inevitable. Germany, who was the leader of the Axis power, was dealt with full anger. Allied forces became stronger when German invaded Russia.Further, Japan and Germany were continuing then their battle and spread their powers in Europe and Asia. But the suicide of Adolf Hitler around 1945 ended the war. Germany was divided into two—West Germany was invaded by Americans while East Germany was invaded by Russia. This led to tension and anxiety between citizens of Germany. Because of this division, each invader-country practiced their type of economy to their colony.Hence, in West Germany, Capitalist form of economy and East Germany under Russia practiced Communism. After the World War, decolonization and liberation happened to some nations who suffered. These nations as they rise from the battleground seek help especially in their economic status. This situation was taken advantage by Capitalists and Communists powers (Borade, 2009). The US Intelligence Community became popular towards the end of Cold War period. Intelligence is at most the responsibility of the government.But in America, they always connect the success of their Intelligence Community during the Cold War era.   On January 22, 1946, President Truman, due to the lessons learned in Pearl Harbor, created National Intelligence Authority. This group is in-charge of planning the executing the intelligence activities of the country. Under the National Intelligence Authority is the Central Intelligence Group is responsible for disseminating the intelligence activities.The first assignment of CIA was battling against Society Union who is spreading its Communist powers worldwide. During 1950’s and 1960’s, CIA gained its full development. On 1950’s, National Security Agency, under the Department of Defense was created which assumes the some tasks of CIA and military.During the 1960’s a lot of technological advances happened to C IA. As an example, in 1965, the military departments were given the new Defense Attache System. This system includes military men in uniform researching information that will be useful in the military. Other technological advances in the CIA of the Military are: (1) high-speed aircraft and; (2) SR-71. Around 1970, a big reform was made in the Intelligence Community under the presidency of Richard Nixon.A Schlesinger report was made in 1971 and the said report mentioned that the Intelligence Community is already malfunctioning due to its disorganization. For example, the Intelligence Community according to the report was doing redundant activities and these activities were costly. Because of these findings in the report, President Nixon directed the Intelligence Community to manage its budget properly and oversee the execution of projects and activities.After the election of President Bush around in the 1990’s, there are suggestions on how to improve the Intelligence Community . This is also because of several things that happened during that time, especially the end of Cold War. Because of this there were calls for the destruction of Intelligence Community. Some legislators said there is no more need for Intelligence Community. But the Congress proposed that instead, a new structure of the Intelligence Community and across the board reductions in the personnel would be better. (Zegart, 2007). Along with the creation and development of Us Intelligence Community is the US Department of Defense. In 1775, during the American Revolution, US Army, US Marine Corps and US navy were established. Hence, around 1789, the War Department was established.The War Department is what we now called the Department of Defense. Technically, Department of Defense was created in 1947. This was created with the belief that it will regain the trust given to military, which was destroyed during the Second World War. As the new millennium came, new issues were faced by the Department o Defense.Dominant among these issues is the use of budget by the said department. The US Government Accountability Office suggested in 2002, that Department of Defense perhaps should try to partner with other government agencies to minimize their budget.In battling against Communism, CIA has the biggest stake around the world. Communism is like a contagious disease that is growing and spreading throughout the world.An d the CIA has made several steps on war against communism even at the start of the Cold War. Some intellectuals who are exposed to the age of Nazism and Soviet Communism have different views and interpretations about communism. Despite Germany's commitment to democratic reconstruction in the postwar years, its link to liberal and democratic values is weak. Both Nazism and Communisms as intellectuals say promised a new humanity and a new world order.They were examples of what is called utopian thinking. Utopianism assumes a level of social harmony and moral consensus that renders conflict and change abnormal or deviant. Utopias promote, often unwittingly, a hostile attitude towards individualism, pluralism and change. This is also what CIA promises to the people and the reason why they are doing their job. This is the rational behind their series of activities against Communism which started during the Cold War until the present time.

The Circles of English

The Circles of English English has become one of the most important languages around the world through speaking, different accents and words. The power of this language has been determined by the important of United States as economic leader and the expansion of British colonial power explained Cristal (59). According to White, the language has different categories and barriers that make English different in the world. This author based his research on the classification of English through three different circles created by Braj Kachru.Through this essay, it will explain the different part of the Circles of English. The circles mean the barrier between English native and non-native English countries. According to Braj Kachru, the inner circle indicates where English is the primary language; United States, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zeland, and there are 328-380 million of people who speak the language; the outer or extended circle involves countries English is not native, but it has an importance as a second language; such as, India, Singapore and Jamaica.At the end, the expanding or extending circle is non-native English, without being colonized by British Empire, but it considers as a foreign language; for example, Japan, Brazil, Italy and Russia. Therefore, the barriers in these three circles are the amount of people who speak the English language and the importance of English around the world In conclusion, it can be said that these three circles explain the main differences about the spread of English. According to Cristal â€Å"the differences of historical and social issues raised by the notion of world English are presented in these circles† (107).This means how English can affect the history of different countries. Worked Cited †¢ Cristal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. †¢ Cristal, David. English as a Global Language. 2nd. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print. †¢ White, Ron. â€Å"Going round in circles: English as an International Language, and cross-cultural capability. † Cross-Cultural Capability Conference '97. Leeds Metropolitan University. 15-16 December 1997.

Cath Kidston Limited company- Critically review that role of Essay

Cath Kidston Limited company- Critically review that role of enterprise in the social and economic development of a region. Include a comparison of different cultural contexts - Essay Example ording to the performance review estimates; the growth value that they have added in the United Kingdom economy is around 49.8 percent (Wang & Altinay 2012, 8). SMEs also contribute a great deal to larger companies, by providing vital resources and completing business functions that bigger enterprises are unable to complete. Such companies are better able to attract and train new talent to develop innovative products that are better targeted towards the needs of their local communities. However, these enterprises face a number of challenges as they are often overlooked by the policy makers. Information regarding them is often scarce; support and policy targeted to their needs are also a great challenge (Bravo-Biosca & Westlake 2009, Par 1). Many businesses start up as one’s person idea and the creator in most cases is often an entrepreneur who spots a gap in the market or an opportunity that they can engage in business. The entrepreneur will, therefore, seize the opportunity and start a business to fill the gap and will grow to a large enterprise with proper support and management (Barnes & Haskel 2002, par 1). With the a few exceptions, most of the world’s largest companies all started as small business enterprises and through the supportive economy, access to the right people and capital turn to become global corporations. In regards to this, this paper discuss the Cath Kidston limited company that started as a small sized enterprise and over the years the company has grown to be recognized as a global brand. The paper will analyze the company’s products, its targeted social class, growth and productivity, societal impact as well as its role in the social and economic development of the region. Cath Kidston Limited is a business of home furnishing retail shops that are located in England under the designer Cath Kidson, who opened her first shop in 1994 in London. The enterprise was opened as a small enterprise that initially used to sell hand embroidered

Pervaisve Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pervaisve Systems - Essay Example aptop, or even virtual reality with the user wearing special goggles and sitting in front of a complex machine is against the principles of pervasive technology. Essentially, the computer must slip into the fabric of everyday life, embedded into every conceivable electronic device, and transform our way of life from within. Display technology is already improving with high-resolution flat-panels and falling prices. However, this is still more valid for small displays. Truly large displays will need ultra advanced microprocessors that achieve the desired high degree of power efficiency, lighter weight and low costs. The displays will have to include equally efficient memory storage devices, or disks. A large disk storing a terabyte of information – roughly equivalent to the data content of the Library of Congress – will be commonplace. Without this, the aim of pervasive computing cannot be realized. Secondly, new software will have to be developed to cope up with such large quantum of information. Thirdly, the network that can connect such pervasive hardware and software poses another challenge for the future. The current computer technology has a constraint that the user must remain holed up in front of a brightly lit screen. It is unhealthy from a physical as well as a social point of view. This barrier must be crossed with pervasive computing. Pervasive computers will reside in the human world, posing no hurdles to personal human interactions. In fact, by shrinking the world with advanced connectivity, the ubiquitous computers will only help to bring communities closer together. The second aspect of pervasive technology in the future will be the convergence of sensing, monitoring, networking, and computing technologies. A futuristic vision of our planet seems to be teeming with billions of wireless ultrawideband communication nodes connected to countless pinhead sized cameras, microphones, motion detectors, and biometric and other sensors to form a

Aristotle view on Antigone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aristotle view on Antigone - Essay Example Creon utilizes the privileges and power bestowed on a king to the fullest by imposing his wishes. His power is not questionable as he is in command of both the elders and the sentries. His subjects respect him and his decisions. As a result of the power that the king enjoys in the play, he is pivotal in developing of the plot. He is the piece that puts all the other pieces together. All the characters in the story directly relates to him in one way or the other. For instance, his relationship with Antigone arises when she chooses to go against his wish to punish her brother, Polyneices. Instead, she chooses to bury him also lets everyone know about it. The disobedience and punishment the king gives her help create the inventive moment of the play. He is also the focal point in the climax of the story when the king’s punishment to Antigone is questioned as well his suitability to lead Thebes. At this stage, of the play conflict arises between Creon and his son, Haemon because o f the punishment on Antigone and her sister, Ismene. The king is also the focal point at the end of the play as he loses his wife and son to suicides all as a result of his actions at the beginning of the story. Another important condition that the protagonist should fulfill to qualify as a tragedy is to be subject of unmerited misfortune. ... The unawareness is evident from his decision to free Antigone when the prophet informs him of the consequences of his actions. Creon’s decision to punish Polyneices’ actions by having his body abandoned in the battlefields brings rage to Antigone. In her dialogue with her sister, she claims that the king fails to show respect to the dead who have more power than any living soul. It is this rage that leads her to bury her brother. The king also responds with equal proportion of rage feeling disobeyed and chooses to punish her with death. Every action the king takes leads to situation degenerating further. His actions are responsible for the death of Antigone, his son and wife. The play creates fear in two ways. First, there is the fear of the king because of the powers he has at his disposal. The discovery that the king has the power to have his servants bury a person while alive creates fear within the audience. The fact that the victim in this case is Antigone, the for mer king’s daughter helps worsen the fear. In the audience’s view, it can happen to anyone among them if it can happen to Antigone. The other cause of fear is the tragedy that befell the king. From the tragedy, the audience understands that every action they undertake has consequences. The fact that the king’s actions haunt him at the end of the play despite his power and authority only helps worsen the fear in the audience. From the tragedy, several conclusions can be made on the Greek’s way of life. First, the Greeks respected their rulers and their word was as strong as any law in their territories. Also, any disrespect towards the king was met with the harshest punishment that the king chose. The king also had the power to

Native Americans in Oregon 1800 - 1900 Research Paper

Native Americans in Oregon 1800 - 1900 - Research Paper Example Such rebellions led to loss of lives. This state of affairs also culminated into strikes like the ‘Trail of tears’. The results of these were poverty, outbreak of disease and loss of cultures. Following these unwelcoming events, a number of human rights campaigners and leaders such as Chiefs emerged to take up an important role of fighting for the rights of the Native Americans (Moton, pp.473). In 1860, there was a Civil war among self governing civilized tribes inside their territories .This was between those who were not sure who to support and who not to support. Others went to the North and others to the South. During such period, Red Cloud emerged as a Sioux Chief who was directly linked with the plain Native Americans transitions. He was a ferocious combat commander and a political leader, who was brave and fought without fear. He was born of white parents, but raised in the Native lands. He was determined to serve the Native Americans inhabitants homeland from invasion of white people. During this period he led the Native American warfare against the establishment of the Bozeman Trail (Douglas, pp.45). During his leadership, he led the Native Americans in offering resistance against the United States government. He was unwilling to allow the people to suffer from being pushed out of their lands. Under his leadership there were a series of attacks along forts trails, and this effort was one of the most successful offensives that were carried out in Native Nature. He led in the designing of a draft of Fort Lwamia treaty of 1868 that led to the possession of western half of South Dakota. He also opposed the movement of gold seekers and settles to the Black Hills. More so, he led a number of peaceful meetings and negotiations. In the beginning of 1870 an Okmulgan council was formed which was a federated structure to welcome and incorporate Native American protection and elevation from the plains. The

Research Process and Terminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Process and Terminology - Essay Example There are many research methods that once can choose in the field of criminal justice research. Most of them include the perceiving, gathering, analyzing and then carefully researching by bringing into use the scientific method, and in all these steps, the knowledge of terminology regarding the field plays an important role in fulfilling the requirements of all these steps (Hagan, 2010). Many experts argue that many of the terms which are used in the everyday life have been originated from social sciences research; and little credit has been given to the undertakings that have been achieved through theoretical knowledge because quickly after the discoveries, they were dissolved into the conventional astuteness (Brennett, Briggs &Triola, 2003). The experts seem to support their assertions by stating the fact that various numbers of practitioners from the field of criminal justice had to face failure every time because they relied more upon their common sense rather than concentrating upon the terminology that has been specially specified for this field (Ellis, Hartley &Walsh, 2010). Over the years, the criminal justice professionals have been facing a lot of challenges in their efforts to restore the tear created in the social fabric. It is a well known fact that one can’t even begin to flourish in any field in this world without a foundation from which to build, and knowledge if terminology is the foundation of criminal justice research (Ellis, Hartley &Walsh, 2010). Having to go forward in a field without building a solid foundation increases the problems and would continuously perplex the situation further. Having the sound knowledge of the proper terminology and knowledge to the professionals of the field can prove to be very beneficial in incorporation of scientific knowledge and research methods in collecting and analyzing the data and ultimately the results that are extracted from these researches can greatly influence the professionalism and caree r building ethics (Hagan, 2010). It is a well known fact that research is the fundamental part of any field of science such as biology, physics and chemistry. Moreover, the same research analysis is also needed in the fields of social sciences, criminal management research and education as well. Experiments are conducted for every research, and in every experiment two types of variables are there, namely; independent variables and independent variables (Brennett, Briggs &Triola, 2003). An independent variable is the variable that the person who is conducting the research directly and systematically manipulates, or is that variable that is selected by the researcher to determine the relation of any type of observation. In other words, this is a variable that can be under the control of the researcher, like a treatment, or may be not in control such as an exposure. On the other hand, the dependent variables in an experiment are factors which are observed and measured and determined as a result of manipulation that has been done in the independent variables. In short, the dependent variable is the outcome of the experiment that has been obtained by causing a change in the independent variables (Ellis, Hartley &Walsh, 2010). An important point worth mentioning here is that instead of studying specific elementary concepts such as studying the terminology of the field

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Economics - Essay Example (Hay, 2009, p. 461) The bubble formed by the housing price was the initiator of the general global economic crisis brought over to the whole world. What initiated the crisis was the bursting of the house price bubble in the United States and the problem was magnified by the aggressive mortgage lending prices. The housing market or the real estate market comprises of several differentiated markets as the owner occupied market, rental housing market, urban business properties market that is the factories, shops and the offices, the agricultural land markets and the recreational properties. There are five main reasons that are held responsible for the house price bubbles; they are low interest rates, development of new and innovative financial products which facilitated the availability of the credit, the tax treatment was also in favor of the debt-financed and owner-occupied housing; shortage in the supply of land in the attractive urban areas, increase in the purchase of houses as a r ental property or for speculative purposes. (Muller, Almy, Engelschalk, 2009, pp. 17-20; UK Economy in ‘Worst Crisis’ in 60 years, 2008) The Housing market Crash The UK housing market The real house prices have grown stronger over the past years, which have been volatile accompanied by macroeconomic fluctuations. The UK Housing market has gone through significant turbulence since the early 1980. In the period between 1982-1989, the market experienced a rapid rise in the housing prices, but meanwhile the housing prices showed a downward trend during the period 1990-1992 resulting in house price inflation. Accruing to the high economic growth in the years 1992 and 1993, the housing market in UK witnessed an increase in the average house price inflation, which originated in London and the South East region, which had a rippling down effect towards the north. The UK housing markets are the result of the personal sector wealth proportion, which was invested in the owner occu pied dwellings. The UK owner occupied dwellings accounted for 20 percent in 1960, which increased to 40 percent in 1990s. Highest owner- occupation rates and the lowest private renting characterize UK. The main reason which drove the financial turbulence in the housing market in 1980s are the liberalization of the financial markets and the policy of ‘Right to Buy’ which ensured the transformation of the population from the rented house to the private own occupied house. The increase in the competition among the lenders resulted in the fact that the borrowers get loans. This resulted in an increase in the household sector mortgage indebtedness from 25 percent in 1980 to 75 percent in 1992. The average mortgage advance reached its highest 60.1 percent in the year 1986, and thereby remained at a steady 58 percent for the rest of the 1980s. The house price inflation was fueled by the amalgamation of factors like increased in demand for housing, rising incomes, and an increa ses in the competition to supply mortgage lending. (Figueira, Glen, Nellis, 2005, p. 1756; UK house prices drop like a rock, 2008) The reason behind the crash The main reason behind the UK housing crash was it’s serendipitously stumbling upon the economic growth trajectories, which were mainly consumer-led and private debt financed in the early 1990s. Both

Summary Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Summary - Lab Report Example Even today, every job that a person has, is somehow or the other related to the environment and thus an environmental studies student needs to evaluate his skills and define his values on a personal as well as societal level. In order to develop an academic plan, a student needs to understand the requirements for transfers to different universities, mainly CSU and UC, which have been explained with respect to the marks, units and courses. Students have been clearly explained regarding how they need to go about understanding the requirements of the various departments within each and every course in these various colleges so that they have options once they get out of school in order to make themselves productive. The A.A degree is then emphasized upon which requires a total of 90 units. The various major and minor environmental studies plans have been talked about and the vitality that an internship holds in the life of a student has been greatly discussed in order to help the studen ts understand that only when they work in various fields will they understand what interests them and what excites them. Therefore, the options that an environmental studies student has have been deliberated upon along with the various credentials associated with each and every course which may be beneficial during the course of his study. Every student needs to check his major requirements as his academic plan will ultimately consist of a GE or general education and a major. Students require a guide and De Anza College provides exactly that for them to be lead towards the various programs and questions were encouraged greatly. The teacher again and again highlighted the need for preparing a strong mission statement because that in it would act as a blueprint for the student towards his course achievement. A tremendous amount of careers in the environmental studies field was talked about like the jobs in fields of recycling, energy, agriculture etc. and how each student can finally contribute towards fostering the environment and making a difference. Teachers from universities like the San Jose University spoke about the various departments and courses that they offer as well as the areas of expertise that they excel in and unique features of their programs which include an excellent atmosphere for learning as well as the personal attention provided to each and every student and the internships that they are entitled to as part of the program. The environmental studies degree is very flexible because there are various job opportunities and so students are taught to be focused but be light on their feet in order to move from one field to another under the same branch. The second class mostly emphasized on the various careers that a student can get into, taking into account the internships that one must undergo before associating himself with a particular job; for example an energy management advocate, biologist working in various fields, undertaking work in the biodiversity etc. and time must be spent reviewing various books in order to work towards the final journal which would include the path that each student would want to finally undertake instead of simply juggling the various options. A concrete academic plan consists of focusing on a single area which throughout the course would be made. Various organizations like eco.org were talked about with respect to job opportunities

1.how has unemployment affected the economy over the last four yeasr Research Paper

1.how has unemployment affected the economy over the last four yeasr. 2.Have unemployment rate increased or decreased over the last four years - Research Paper Example It has had negative effects on the economy because the government financial budget has had strains in trying to meet the needs of all citizens to their satisfactory but still can not because a high population is unable to cater for its daily needs. The problem still stands to be the issue of unemployment. The economy is unstable because people are over dependent in government expenditure rather than generating income for the economy (Markus 206). The rate of unemployment has increased from around 5% in the year 2007 to around 10% in the year 2011. This shows that the economy is rising with time and the government has failed in its efforts to draft measures that can counter these changes thus making the citizens to be on the receiving end to the harsh economic changes. Apparently, unemployment still remains to be a matter to be looked into as people are suffering without knowing the way forward to a solution. The government should increase the number industries so create job opportunities and control the rate of

Types of Mythology Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Types of Mythology Worksheet Essay How are knowledge, belief, myth, and religion related to one another and how are they distinct from one another? Use an example from your life or popular culture to explain this relationship. Knowledge is made up of facts, truth, stories, and more. Belief is â€Å"the assertion that something is true without necessary proof, evidence or facts to back it up.† Myth is a fictional story, tends to have a hero or event to justify a social preamble. Religion is a combination of beliefs, and myths that helps draw attention of followers. Myths Directions: Choose two examples for each type of myth and identify the pieces of literature, such as a Shakespeare play, in which the examples are found. Greek Myths Myth 1: Daphne and Apollo Literature it’s found in: Parthenius’s â€Å"Erotica Pathernata† Myth 2: Trojan War Literature it’s found in: Homer’s â€Å"Iliad and the Odyssey† Answer the following questions: Describe Greek myths. Transform the original stories â€Å"from {their} initial frame of referene into another that is more acceptable† (Powell, 2002, p.19) How have the above pieces of literature helped society to understand the universe? It helped us understand that there are truths that are within human reasoning because â€Å"dealing with especially with the soul’s fate after death, but also with the nature of being and of the perfect political order† (Powell, 2002, p. 18-19). Physical Allegory Myths Myth 1: Homer’s Story Literature it’s found in: Iliad (Powell, 2002, p. 19) Myth 2: â€Å"The Contest of Poseidon and Athena† Literature it’s found in: Poseidon Answer the following questions: Describe physical allegory myths. A physical allegory myth is when gods represent a physical element. A good example of this is Hades who controls the underworld, or Poseidon who controls water. According to Powell (2002), â€Å"the mythical conflicts of two gods are the allegorical expression of a basic cosmological principle concerning the opposition of fire and water† (Powell, 2002, p. 19). How have these pieces of literature helped society to understand the universe? It has helped society understand a cultural linkage from the past to today in a philosophical aspect with nature because Powell (2002) stated that â€Å"these physical allegorical interpretations attempted to explain a cultural inheritance from a distant, preliterate past in the light of sophisticated philosophical thought about forces in nature† Historical Allegory Myths Myth 1: Apollo and Hephaestus representing fire Literature it’s found in:† Iliad† Myth 2: Aphrodite representing desire and Hermes representing reason Literature it’s found in: â€Å"Iliad† Answer the following questions: Describe historical allegory myths. Historical allegory myths tend to reveal history other than the science of the origin and the development of what we know about the universe. According to Powell, â€Å"the deification of dead Hellenistic rulers made more plausible the notion that great humans of the past had, with the passage of time, became more than human† (Powell, 2002, p. 22). How have these pieces of literature helped society to understand the universe? It helped us understand how a society can rise against adversities’, nature, and man. In many ways, it enables us to understand people evolved over time. Powell wrote â€Å"Zeus was said to have traveled the earth teaching arts of civilized life, banning such reprehensible religious practices as cannibalism and founding temples† (Powell, 2002, p. 21). Moral Allegory Myths Myth 1: Odysseus hides his treasure in cave of nymphs on Ithaca Literature it’s found in: â€Å"Odyssey† Myth 2: Apollo kills the Greeks with his arrows Literature it’s found in: â€Å"Iliad† Answer the following questions: Describe moral allegory myths. Moral allegory myths are stories that offer advices about bad or good behavior as Powell stated that the moral myths â€Å"give us hints about the moral world beyond† (Powell, 2002, p. 24). This means it allows us to find truths about how people behaved in any stories. How have these pieces of literature helped society to understand the universe? It helped society understand the universe because it helps us see things differently and figure out what is not perfect and what is perfect because according to Powell, â€Å"the material world in which we live, reported to us by our senses, is nonetheless to some extent modeled after the perfect rational world† (Powell, 2002, p. 23) Medieval and Renaissance Myths Myth 1: Song of Solomon Literature it’s found in: The Bible Myth 2: Three sisters representing 4 stages of intoxication – too much wine, the forgetfulness it causes, lust and sheer madness. Literature it’s found in: Story of Liber of Mythologies of Fulgentius (Powell, 2002). Answer the following questions: Describe medieval and Renaissance myths. It is used heavily in classical mythology because in retrospect, there are morals in any classical (traditional) stories but was used in mythological stories. A good example of this would be the bible, according to Powell who wrote, â€Å"the allegorical method whereby moral meanings were drawn from old stories was also applied extensively to the Bible† (Powell, 2002, p. 24). How have these pieces of literature helped society to understand the  universe? It has helped us focus on acceptable oral meanings of nature and the universe. For example, â€Å"Apollo is explained as an allegory for the moral that chastity, like the laurel, remains as cool as a river, and always blooms, but never bears fruit† (Powell, 2022, p. 25). Theories of Enlightenment Myths Myth 1: Man being created by God Literature it’s found in: the Bible Myth 2: Fables Literature it’s found in: â€Å"The Origin of Fables† (Powell, 2002, p. 27) Answer the following questions: Describe theories of Enlightenment myths. Traditional thought, particulary thoughts associated with religious institutions were â€Å"subject to reexamination, usually with a notable lack of sympathy† (Powell, 2002, p. 27); this transition, they were seen as examples of simple, monosyllabic language from previous cultures. How have these pieces of literature helped society to understand the universe? It helped us understand the cultures of many different groups, and the evolutionary development of cultures especially early civilizations to today. References: Powell, B. B. (2002). A short introduction to classical myth. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Issues of Childcare in Contemporary Society

Issues of Childcare in Contemporary Society Kiran Buttar Unit 11 History of the child Task 1 : Using knowledge and understanding gained from study of this unit, together with independent research complete the following: Outline the history of the child including key events which mark significant changes in a child’s existence, together with description of example context of childhood Through independent research and demonstration of knowledge and understanding from study of this unit, draw comparisons between changes in childhood across a range of countries and cultures. Comment on similarities and differences, providing evaluation of underpinning rationale for these similarities and differences (for example economic, social etc.) Identify controls and strategies that have been historically and socially imposed on children Explain how the changes in family structure have influenced childhood experience; include comparisons between UK and other countries and cultures using independent research Define modern childhood and discuss current rights that are supported with legislation, policy and agency supervision Discuss conflicts that children may experience within a modern society . Task 2 : Using knowledge and understanding from the study of this unit, together with independent research complete the following: Describe legislation relating to child existence; in order to fulfil this element of task 2 independent research will need to be undertaken in order to evaluate historical and current relevant legislation Explain and discuss some complexities and challenges of childhood in modern society; provide examples. Introduction Restoring childhood historical record and further developing it has been taken up as major area of study by most historians and educationists who deal with children. Everyone would want to know how children grew up in the old times; what influenced their daily lives and what created meaningful impacts in their lives as they grew into adults (Lambert, 2008). It’s true when one goes through the history that children undergo stages in life that bring about significant changes in life. This also changes from time to time because of the continuing change in the way of life. The way a child was brought up in the Ancient Greece is different from the way it was in Egypt and further more different from the way it was in the United Kingdom and the present USA (Lambert, 2008). Similarly, the modern child is different from the ancient child. Upon this observing is where this paper is out to focus on outlining the history of children with emphasis on the events that have marks changes in a child’s life, comparison of childhood changes across countries and culture and a general commentary on the similarities and differences. The discussion of the above will further lead into the discussion of how changes in family structures have influenced children’s lives and the conflicts that children face in the current modern world. Any further legislation that has been set up to protect the child will also be reviewed. History of Children and Comparison across Cultures Children born some five hundred years ago had a rough life (Lambert, 2008). This was because few of the children born survived. Most of them died before their fifth birthday while others died their sixteenth birthday (Lambert, 2008). For those who survived, life was very difficult; they didn’t go to school. They instead helped their parents with work at home. The children grew up under strict discipline from their teachers and parents as most of the naughty children could be beaten up (Lambert, 2008). Despite this, the children had a lot of time to play. The most important event that would take place in a child’s life was learning, discipline and play. For example, in the ancient Egypt, children played with dolls, toy soldiers, ball and marbles. This is similar to what happens to children today. Also, these children never went to school. Instead, boys learnt farming and trade while girls learnt sewing, cooking and other skills from their fathers and mothers respectively. When compared to children in Greece, children were regarded as persons at the age of five. Parents were entitled to abandon newborns babies to die of exposure. Those babies got by strangers would later become slaves. Girls learned skills like weaving from their mothers. Unlike in Egypt, boys went to school and learnt reading, writing and arithmetic, and poetry and music. They believed physical education was important for boys. The early life of children in the USA was characterized by early recruitment into the local factories as labourers. This was implanted by the colonial attitude that rocked the country at that time. This was later changed through championship for child rights. However, in the UK projects were established to help parents to be the first people to educate their children before anyone else (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). This would give the children a good start in life. The focus was much on parent-child interaction which was seen as very vital for a child’s early learning (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). It would also contribute to the child’s later academic achievement especially those from low-income households. In England, Scotland and Wales, it is reported that one child in every five households received mean-tested benefits in a case where their parents weren’t working (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). Thus intervention programs were meant to do away with disparities in the presch ool years so that poor children enter school on a more footing to their affluent peers. Controls and Strategies historically and socially imposed on Children The children in the early ties got controlled through strict discipline. For example, in Greece discipline was severe to the extent that could often be beaten (Lambert, 2008). Those who did wrong were denied important basic needs like food, put under harsh treatment and whipped for any offence (Lambert, 2008). Similar to UK, children were expected to show respect to their elders. They were to grow according to the morals that they would be taught by their grandparents. Children in the UK were given equal opportunities for learning. At some point, the parents were required to show recognition of their early literacy achievement (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). They were also required to engage in interaction with children on literacy activities. High level of integrity was regarded as a virtue and whoever did not show it faced harsh consequences. How changes in family structure affects Children’s Experience It is a fact that children do display different patterns of life depending on the family context in which the child has been raised. For example, those children who have been raised in lone-parent families normally show little progress in their general well-being than those from two-parent families (Mackay, 2005). When parents opt to separate, the effects become adverse. This shows clearly that child outcomes are contingent on family contexts. With much reference to family separation, the impacts include interference in cognitive capacity, schooling, physical health, mental and emotional health, social conduct and behaviour, peer relations and criminal offending actions like cigarette smoking (Mackay, 2005). Such children often abandon their homes at early stages in life. Others later get subjected to sexual abuse (Mackay, 2005). In other words, research shows that children who experience multiple transitions in family structure normally face worse developmental outcomes than childre n raised in stable families (Fomby Cherlin, 2007). However, these multiple transitions and negative child outcomes are most associated to common causal factors such as parents’ antecedent behaviours and attributes (Fomby Cherlin, 2007). Modern Childhood and their Current legislation, policy and rights Comparative study of child history goes as far as exploring the differences that emerge in different nations and between the West and other societies. Unlike in the past where parents just gave birth to any number of children, in the modern world, there are policies that control the birth rates especially in Europe and USA. On the issues of Child Labour, there have been continuous reforms especially in the US. The US started it much earlier than Europe by developing a mass compulsory education. However, in America, children to date are allowed to express themselves and even dispute parental views and actions. In Europe, this goes against the crusade for obedience and good manners in the 19th century. Also, in USA, the enthusiasm for childish innocence and maternal affection surpasses that of Europe. To date the authoritarian parental approach ahs remained in Europe. Conflicts that Children Experience in Modern Society Children in the modern evidently have freedom to learn so much. However, the modern world also approaches them with conflicts that have great impact in their lives (Danziger, 2003). Some leave harsh experiences in their minds. The modern toady today faces conflicts like war in the society. According to the United Nations study on children, war in the form of harsh emotional, physical and sexual violence do shutter children’s world. War undermines their life foundations, destroys their homes and breaks down their trust in adults. There is need to reduce armed conflict for the sake of children. Complexities and Challenges of Childhood in Modern Society It is further a fact that the modern to some point has not taken issues of the child seriously. This is because of the so many complexities and challenges of modern childhood. This can be well seen through an exploration of the relationship between childhood and globalisation (Finn et al, 2010). Issues of social construction of childhood well present some of the challenges that affect children. These are: marketization, marginalization, medicalization and mobilization (Finn et al, 2010). These processes do shape the experience of the child as well as their social work policies and practises. Educational Setting in children’s Lives A focus on the historical educational practitioners shows how childhood was highly celebrated in the past. This is because these practitioners brought about an impact on the educational practice. Some of the impacts have been adopted into children’s early education today. To expand more on these, it worth discussing the philosophies that were presented by some of these theorists. An example is Fredrick Froebel. Fredrick had the idea that the key event that marked a child’s life was play. He presented the fact that children learn through exploratory, symbolic and free-flow play. Exploratory play meant children playing with natural materials consisting of clay, mud, water and sad, a type that would help them to get motivated and focus on building relationships between the child’s home and the nursery/school. Free-flow play entailed children learning freely without much use of adult supervision. In the end, the children would become independent. Symbolic play involv ed playing with objects to make them into something else. This would mostly happen in role-plays in that toddlers would use objects and transform them into something else. For example, a toddler playing using a bin would turn it around and use it as a drum. The idea of Fredrick was later introduced in schools in the form of physical plays. Children would go outside and work on their physical skills. This has influenced today’s society as children would need to do more than staying in classrooms. They would go outside or go on field trips. This would in turn help with their exploratory play and physical play as they would develop their physical skills as well as their intellectual skills. At most times, they used symbolic play area for children to socialise with each other and express their emotions. They also let children become independent so would use free-flow play. Another theorist was Rudolph Steiner: Rudolph Steiner saw children as having three developmental stages which would help them to become independent when they came into adulthood. These stages are the active stage; emphasis on feelings and the cognitive stage. The active stage started at the early ages of seven. This is where children play willingly but under adult supervision. However, the adult must ensure that the children show their independence. The stage where children would emphasis on their feelings starts at the age of seven to fourteen. This is where they would have emotional feelings from their heart and go further to express their feelings. Later came the cognitive stage which would start at the age of fourteen years onwards. This is when they would become independent without a lot of adult supervision. Rudolph saw children as having different developmental stages. His thoughts which had started at the age of 7 later came to influence today’s early years setting bec ause the adult role would be to observe the children to see if they are on the right tracking. Maria Montessori another scholar believed in motivating children. She believed that children are active learners, so would not need a lot of adult supervision as they should learn things on their own. She believed that children would learn naturally. This is a well-known placement around the world that showed Maria Montessori encouraged children to become independent and to do independent work. The reason why she decided to do this was because she wanted to encourage children to work alone so that they could get used to the routine when they are older. She argued that children are naturally self-motivated and that children are active learners. This would later enhance problem-solving skills in children. In her theory, Maria Montessori does not use free-flow play but considers it to be useful and important at times as it could be part of their daily routines, mostly at the ages of 3-5 years old. Steiner and Frobel on the other hand, believed that children should do things without a lot of adult supervision. This is because it would make them independent and they would not need to rely on other people as much as they should. Margaret McMillan had the same views as Frobel about free play and natural play. This is because they believed that it would help children to learn and recognise the natural materials, and build their knowledge on where they come from. McMillan also influenced the school meals and medical services. School meals would be used for those whose parents worked and did not have time. They gave medical service so that children could get checked up while in school. These check-ups consisted of things like head lice and meningitis shots. McMillan also thought that children needed meals while they are in any environment. She also informed about the child’s safety. If a child had hurt himself/herself then the adult’s role was to record it for the paren t/guardian so that they would realise what had happened. Another theorist Susan Isaacs believed that at the age of seven, children should not do things such as exams so as to give them time to do things such as creative play that would help them learn to express and feel differently. They would be able to move around and develop different developmental skills in their own time and in turn get used to schools routines. Susan Isaac encouraged children to express their feelings and use their imaginative thought in dramatic play, which would also consist of creative play. This would help children with their social and language development. Dramatic play was thus considered as the home corner in early years setting. They would have a home corner in their activity plan as it would help children with their learning and development. In today’s society, they would use Isaac’s views of dramatic play. This is because it would help them with their social skills. Reggio Emilia plays a role of artful balancing between engagement and attention which is based on careful and sensitive listening, observation/documentation, and reflection with other adults. She says that the teachers serve as resources and guides to the children. This would then help the teachers to work together with the assistance of other staff members and also the parents. This would in turn create a welcoming, learning and developmental environment. After a thorough look at the different educational practitioners that may have an influenced the education settings, it is clearly that the ones whose ideas most impacted up to today’s education settings are Margaret McMillan and Maria Montessori. This is because it comes out clear through analysis that Margaret McMillan was the one who influenced the practices in the UK. The reason why the education practice has improved when looking at Margaret McMillan practitioners is because, Margaret McMillan had influenced things such as free meal times, snack time, free-flow play and natural play. She also influenced and brought up the idea that children would get medical check-ups each year to make sure that they do not have things such as head-lice and chicken pox . These are vital illnesses that most children would receive when they are at the ages of 3-8 years old. Medical check-ups are there so that the illnesses do not get spread around to the other children. Sometimes parents mi ght not know if their children have the chicken pox. Therefore, they would send them to school where other children would receive them. This would be the same with head lice. Therefore, this called for regular check-ups. For example, when a child falls while playing in the playground, they would get it checked to make sure that there are not any bleeding/ bruising. If it occurs then the person who had witnessed it would need to write it in a witness book to show their parents/guardians. This book would in turn be signed by the parent on regards that they have spoken about the incident and had realised what had happened. This also helped to stop any dramatic effects that the parents/ guardian would use on the teacher in the future. References Finn, J. (2010). The meaning and making of childhood in the era of globalization: Challenges for social work. Elsevier. (Online). Retrieved on 19th August, 2013 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740909002473> Danziger, N. (2003). Children and War. (Online). Retrieved on 19th August, 2013 from http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2003_3/4-9.html> Encyclopaedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society.( 2008). Comparative History of Childhood. Retrieved from http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Ch-Co/Comparative-History-of-Childhood.html> On 19th August, 2013. Fombly. P. Cherlin, A. (2007). Family Instability and Child-well-being. Retrievd from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3171291/> on 19th August, 2013. Mackay, R. (2005). The Impact of Family Structure and Family change on Child Outcomes: A Personal Reading of the Research Literature. Ministry of Social Environment. Retrieved from http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/spj24/24-impact-of-family-structure-and-family-change-on-child-outcome-p111-133.html> on 19th august, 2013. Lambert, T. (2008). A Brief History of Children. Retrieved from http://www.localhistories.org/children.html> on 19th August, 2013.

7 Ps Of Rural Marketing In India Marketing Essay

7 Ps Of Rural Marketing In India Marketing Essay Indias rural market holds high potential for increased consumer buying, as per the reports prepared by the NCAER. This paper explains the potential of the rural market and the issues of concern with regard to rural marketing. Rural markets are becoming important for reasons of economic growth in these areas and increasing interfirm rivalry in urban market. The rural buyer is less educated, price sensitive, more traditional and is keen viewer of T.V and video programmes. Products for rural markets have to be simpler, easy to use, visually identifiable, affordable, communicated in an interesting style and available at the customers door step. Rural consumer behaviour is a very complex phenomenon, which needs more efforts to understand, explain predict. In order to get a clear understanding of the same, every marketer should realize that consumer behaviour is, in fact, an assumption every marketing manager must make, if he plans to hit the rural market. The marketing program consists of numerous decisions on the mix of marketing tools to use. These tools consist of 4Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The marketing mix is considered as the sole vehicle for creating and delivering customer value. 7 Ps of Rural Marketing in India ABSTRACT Indias rural market holds high potential for increased consumer buying, as per the reports prepared by the NCAER. This paper explains the potential of the rural market and the issues of concern with regard to rural marketing. Rural markets are becoming important for reasons of economic growth in these areas and increasing interfirm rivalry in urban market. The rural buyer is less educated, price sensitive, more traditional and is keen viewer of T.V and video programmes. Products for rural markets have to be simpler, easy to use, visually identifiable, affordable, communicated in an interesting style and available at the customers door step. Rural consumer behaviour is a very complex phenomenon, which needs more efforts to understand, explain predict. In order to get a clear understanding of the same, every marketer should realize that consumer behaviour is, in fact, an assumption every marketing manager must make, if he plans to hit the rural market. The marketing program consists of numerous decisions on the mix of marketing tools to use. These tools consist of 4Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The marketing mix is considered as the sole vehicle for creating and delivering customer value. Intoduction What Rural Means Typically, from an Indian census point of view, rural has been defined with a deprivation orientation, rural being a landmass without access to continuous electricity, water, the stock market. There has been a correction in this view, however. Marketers today define rural as people living a different lifestyle as opposed to that of those who have settled in the bigger cities and towns. Rural is defined as pastoral in nature and as a mass of people who relate their income closely to the lands they till or use to raise their cattle and livestock. The Census of India defines urban India, says Gupta of TSMG. Urban India constitutes places with a population of more than 5,000, a population density above 400 per square kilometer, all statutory towns, that is, all places with a municipal corporation, municipal board, cantonment board, notified area council, etc. and with 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural employment. All non-urban is rural. In simple words, we can say that rural India is a less developed countryside where the infrastructure is primitive, houses are of mud or brick but rarely painted well, the primary source of livelihood is agriculture, employment opportunities in the organized sector are negligible, eating choices are restricted to home-cooked, simple food, schools are far away, health facilities are rudimentary. Marketing Mix It refers to a set of actions, tactics, tools or variables that a company uses to promote and sells its brand and product in the markets. The 4Ps of marketing mix are: Product: refers to anything that is capable of or can be offered to satisfy need or want? Price: refers to the amount customers have to pay in order to acquire a product or services. 3 Cs of pricing Customer Values Competitor Prices Cost of Company Place: refers to point of sale Promotion: This refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or services known to and preferred among the consumers. The Rural Market Environment in India The marketing man is a decider and an artist- a mixer of ingredients, who sometimes follow a recipe, developed by others and sometimes prepares his own recipe. And, sometimes he adapts his recipe to the ingredients that are readily available and sometimes invents some new ingredients, or experiments with ingredients as no one else have tired before. This paper is emphasized on understanding the marketing environment as it is the success key to effective marketing management for rural marketing. The rural market environment needs a separate examination as it varies significantly from that of the urban market. The rural customer shows distinctive characteristics which makes him/her different from urban buyers. 1. The Rural Consumer: Size of Rural Consumer Group: We all know that the heart of India lives in its villages and the Indian rural market with its vast size and demand base offers great opportunities to marketers. 12.2% of the world lives in Rural India and to successfully tap this growing market is every marketers dream. Characteristics of Rural Consumer Group Location pattern:-Though the aggregate size is very large, individual subsets of this market tend to be rather small and disparate. Geographical, demographical, statistical, logistical differences are very apparent. Each of these market segments differs and requires different strategies to be formed. The face of Indian agriculture is changing from dry land and irrigated agriculture into high-tech and low-tech agriculture. Farmers in states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have reaped the benefits of adopting new age farming practices. This has radically changed the economics of farming, with the investment in these systems lowering the cost of cultivation, increasing yields due to integrated crop management practices and reducing the dependence on rainfall. As a result, disposable income has grown sharply. The aspirants are becoming climbers showing a sustained economic upturn as purchasing power is increasing in the rural markets. Further, due to the diversity of this market, mar keters need to think, plan and act locally. It is therefore essential to develop an accurate Marketing Mix for selling to rural India. Socio-economic position: The sudden lure of rural India can be attributed to the socio-economic changes sweeping rural areas today. Increased productivity meant more income in the hands of the farmer who now wanted to buy the same products as his/her urban counterpart did.The process of income generation creating hope for better standards of living was also accelerated by companies and banks adopting villages for an integrated rural development. So, while fertilizers companies interest in adopting villages lay in increasing consumption of their products, companies like TISCO, TELCO ITG made it a part of their social commitment. The Integrated Rural Development Programme encompasses education, health, modern farming practices, land development co-operative marketing of produce. Culturally a Diverse and Heterogenous Market:-The rural market is not only a scattered market, but is also diverse heterogenous. Rural consumers are diverse in terms of religious, social, cultural linguistic factors. Various tiers are present, depending on the incomes like those of Big Landlords, Trades, Small Farmers, Marginal Farmers, Laborers Artisans. State to State Variation in Extent of Development:-There is also great deal of difference between different states in extent of development. The study provided by IMRB shows that each sate have different various parameters such as availability of health education facilities, availability of public transport ,electricity, TV transmission, post offices and water supply so on. Literacy Level:-It has been estimated that rural India has a literacy rate of 28% compared with 55% for the whole country. The picture has been changing over the years. For e.g. a decade ago, the literacy rate in rural India was only 20%. The adult literacy programmes launched in the rural areas are bound to enhance the rural literacy rate in the years to come. Lifestyle:-The rural consumers are marked by a conservative and traditional bound lifestyle. But the fact is that the lifestyle is undergoing a significant change. The change can be attributed to several factors such as: Growth of income change in income distribution Growth in education Enlarged media reach Growing interaction with urban communities Marketers efforts to reach out the rural market. Buying Behaviour Undergoes Major Change In recent years, some convergence in aspirations seems to be taking place between the urban and rural markets. The trend seems to be stronger among the younger generations. It is been found that aspirations of youth are same in both urban rural market, the only difference is that rural youth are still not in a position to follow their aspirations as that of urban youth. No stereotype Rural Consumer: The low purchasing power/ low per capita income low literacy level are the common traits of rural consumers. Rural consumers are traditional-bound, with religion, culture tradition strongly influencing their consumption habits. But still, the rural consumers do not share a common buying behavior. There are consumers who can afford high-priced brands and are also willing to buy. There is thus great scope and need for segmenting the rural market on the basis of buying behavior. 2. The Rural Demands Steady Growth: The recent NCAER publication The Great Indian Middle Class further reveals that the Indian middle class consisted on 10.7 million households or 57 million individuals of which 36 per cent lived in rural areas. No wonder, the rural markets have been a vital source of growth for most companies. For a number of FMCG companies in the country, more than half their annual sales come from the rural market. Although with the substantial improvement in purchasing power, increasing brand consciousness, changing consumption pattern and rapid spread of communication network rural india offers a plethora of opportunities for marketer. Composition of Rural Demand:- Many new products have entered the consumption basket of the rural consumer, they have started buying and using a number of modern products, which were unknown in the rural market. There are several products which have already well established in the rural market such as packaged tea, bath soaps, washing soaps, detergents, safety razor blades, scooters, motorcycles etc. On the other side there are many products, the rural market has overtaken the urban as the demand of motorcycles is also more in the rural market than the urban market. Rural Marketing Mix Product: Product for the rural market must be built or modified to suit the lifestyle needs of the rural customers. The rural market is not a homogenous set of customers with preferences frozen in time. The company should keep in mind that before developing the products for rural market, marketers must identify the typical rural specific needs. Urban products cannot be dumped onto rural markets without modifications. For instance, shampoos or soaps with distinctive, strong rose or jasmine perfumes are very popular with the rural women in South India. The urban women do not identify as strongly with these perfumes. Sachetization is also a distinctly rural-driven phenomenon. As demand in several categories is being created, intensity of use is quite low. On average, rural folk would use a shampoo only once a week. Habits take time to change and making unit sachet packs affordable is the key to inducing trial and purchase. Systematic, in-depth research that can help understand the depths of the mind of the villagers, their buying criteria, purchase patterns and purchasing power are an essential input while developing rural specific products or services. In the rural market product developers should aim at eliminating all the cost-adding features, i.e., features which a rural consumer is unwilling to pay for as he sees no obvious utility. This would redefine value in the minds of the consumer and tremendously increase product acceptability. The product strategies to be followed in rural market: Newly/ Modified product Utility Oriented product Avoiding sophisticated packaging Application of Value Engineering Small unit packaging Example: Induce rural customers to buy and try the new product i.e trial by low unit packs, Sachets(HLL),Cavin Care -Chik, PG-Vicks Vaporub, Godrej with 6ml sachet , One Rasna sachet can make six glasses Social Cultural variations Combi- Packs Colgate offers toothbrush with small toothpaste Family Packs-Britannia , Priyagold Price: The villagers due to their price sensitivity are very cost sensitive.This does not mean that a rural consumer is a miser. He is not simply looking for the cheapest product rather he understands and demands value for money in every purchase that he makes. Pricing therefore is a direct function of factors including cost-benefit advantage and opportunity cost. Pricing offered to consumers should be for value offerings that are affordable. The consumer is looking for tangible price advantages today. It is believed that rural consumers believe in smart buying. A study revealed that the average rural consumer takes approximately 2 years to decide on buying a watch! He will not do so unless he is totally convinced that he is getting value for money. Impulse buys and purchases are very rare when considering the value for money factor that reigns supreme in most rural purchase decisions. It must be remembered that the rural consumer does not have a budget problem. He has a cash flow problem. This is because the village folk receive funds only twice a year. At these times, he is capable of making high volume purchases. So, when there is a cash flow crunch, marketers need to provide financial products, schemes or solutions that suit the needs of the rural population. The Pricing Strategies to be followed in rural market Large volume- low emerging Overall efficiencies and passing on benefits to the consumers Low cost/value for money products Low volume-low price Example: Low cost products i.e Clinic-plus in 50 paisa, one rupee, two rupee pack, Colgate at Rs. 50 /- HLL derives 50% of its revenue from rural areas, sells Lux shampoo in a four milliliter sachet priced at 50 Paisa and six-milliliter sachet priced at one rupee Place: A village as a pace of promotion, distribution and consumption is very different from town and city. The most crucial link in ensuring the success of rural marketing efforts is distribution. In Rural India, the selection and use of distribution channels is a nightmare. As in Rural Indias 3 million outlets are located in 6.3 lakh villages. Thus, marketers are faced with the problem of feeding 3 million shops located in vastly diverse areas each of which records an average sale of only Rs.5,000 per outlet. Further problem is that even this sale is mostly on credit. The diversity in the distribution of shops is the self-limiting factor in terms of servicing the rural distribution network. Rural distribution has a rigid hierarchy of markets that make channel decisions relatively structured. It is essential for rural marketing companies to understand this hierarchy. Rural folk are habituated to traveling once a week for their weekly purchases to a satellite town. For durables where the outlay involved is typically large, the purchase would be made in an assembly market for reasons of choice and availability of adequate cash flow. It is therefore not necessary for a marketer of TV sets to take their distribution channel all the way down to the village shop. A TV will not be sold there as the cash flow does not exist at that point in the hierarchy of markets. A television distributor must be present at assembly markets which are much smaller in number, more controllable, easier to reach and service. Keeping the hierarchy in mind will help decide the optimum level of penetration required to reach a critical mass of rural consumers. Haats are the nerve centre of Rural India. They are a readymade distribution network embedded in the fabric of rural society for over 1000 years. Right from the time of Chandragupta Maurya, Haats are seen as a place for social, cultural and economic interchange.One in every five villages with a population of over 2000 has a haat. A lot of re-distribution also occurs through haats. This is because, a large number of retailers and sub-wholesalers buy from haats for their village stores. What is most attractive to marketers is that 90% + of sales in haats are on cash basis. Traditionally, in village shops a lot of credit sales occur due to the fact that in a small geographic area of a village, everybody knows everybody. Apart from the 90% cash sale, 5 to 7% is conducted on barter system and the rest 3 to 5% is on credit. Also attractive to companies wishing to use the system is the low selling overheads. Participation fees at haats are a flat Re.1 to Rs.5 per stall and this rate is comm on to a giant like Hindustan Lever and the smallest local seller. Distribution costs must be reduced through optimum utilization of the network. Thus, incorporating haats in the distribution strategy of a rural marketing organization selling consumer goods and FMCG products (typically once a week purchase items) is a tremendous opportunity. Perhaps the other most important factor to consider while developing rural distribution strategy is that the move from transactional marketing to relationship marketing is most evident in the village market. A strong bond needs to be created with every consumer even in the remotest villages and smallest town. The distribution strategies to be followed in rural market: Segmentation Covering of villages having population above 2,000 Distribution to feeder market or mandi town Direct contact with rural retail. Example: Samsung van displays all the products, the company has tied up with local distributors to showcase the Samsung range in local melas. Promotion: Promotion aspects always create a challenge in rural areas as they have a very thin population density but are spreaded in the large remote area. There are a lot of barriers that militate against homogenous media and message delivery. The rural consumer likes to touch and feel a product before making a choice. Demonstrations are undoubtedly the most effective promotional tool that shapes purchase decisions of the rural population. In todays information era, it is very important for companies to wise-up on emerging technologies. It has in fact become a medium to attract larger audiences for a product demonstration. Technology must be used to prepare a database of customers and their requirements. The use of video using mobile vans and even large screen video walls at events should be arranged. Several visual communication and non-verbal communication are used by the companies to reach the rural audience as large proportion of the rural population cannot read or write. More importantly, in rural India, the word of mouth is the key influencer. Intermediaries are the foundation to rural distribution. If the intermediary understand s and is constantly reminded about your product, then the end user will not be allowed to forget. The re-use capacity and colour of the container in which the product is packed is also a crucial factor. Infact, reusable packaging is considered a major aid in promoting sales for products in the rural market. Consumer and Trade schemes such as discount coupons, off season discounts, free samples, etc. encourage spending. Lucky draws and gift schemes are a major hit in most states. The use of local idioms and colloquial expressions are an excellent way to strike a rapport with the rural consumer and must be borne in mind when developing media plans and public relations programmes. The rural consumer is very down to earth but equally discerning and marketers need to step into the shoes of the rural folk while creating product promotion campaigns. Another unique feature of rural markets is that the Decision making process is collective. The persons involved in the purchase process influ encer, decider, buyer, one who pays can all be different. So marketers must address brand messages in their campaigns at several levels. Apart from regular household goods, several agribusiness companies have also started providing gift schemes with offers for free jewellery that influences the ladies to pressure the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs from select companies. This promotion strategy thus makes women influence purchase decisions that they would ordinarily not be involved in. Youth power is becoming increasingly evident in villages. Rural youth bring brand knowledge to the households. This has forced several companies to change the focus and positioning of their products and services towards this segment that is growing in absolute number and relative influence. The promotional strategies to be followed for promotion in rural market TV Radio Print media Cinema Hoarding Example: 1. Films on products like Vicks, Lifebuoy, Colgate and Shampoos are shown in rural cinemas halls. 2. LIC and Private insurance companies have been showing short movies in rural theatres to create awareness about life insurance People:-An essential ingredient to any service provision is the use of appropriate staff and people. Consumers make judgments and deliver perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with, therefore it is necessary for the companies to provide proper training to their staff. Staff should have the appropriate interpersonal skills, aptititude, and service knowledge to provide the service that consumers are paying for. Process:- It refers to the systems used to assist the organisation in delivering the service. Banks that send out Credit Cards automatically when their customers old one has expired again require an efficient process to identify expiry dates and renewal. An efficient service that replaces old credit cards will foster consumer loyalty and confidence in the company. Physical Evidence:- Physical Evidence is the element of the service mix which allows the consumer again to make judgments on the organisation. If you walk into a restaurant your expectations are of a clean, friendly environment. Physical evidence is an essential ingredient of the service mix, consumers will make perceptions based on their sight of the service provision which will have an impact on the organisations perceptual plan of the service. Cases of Rural marketing mix in India 1.Coca Cola When Coca -Cola re-entered the Indian Market in the mid-1990s , it took the high road to marketing and got nowhere. More recently it re-invented itself and its TV commercial showed Bollywood star Amir Khan first as a Punjabi Farmer and also in other rustic roles in different parts of India .Coca -Cola available at Rs. 5 a bottle Result was within months Coke was able to reach out to rural audiences in large numbers all over India . 2.Arvind Mills When Arvind Mills discovered even the cheapest brand could not make dent in the rural markets .It introduced ready-to-stitch RufTuf Jeans with price as low as 195 a Piece The Jeans were distributed using local retail outlets in villages with population up to 5,000 .Tailors were trained and given Machine accessories needed to stitch heavy denim In about year and a half Arvind sold 50 Lakh Rug Tuf kits because it had beaten the lowest-priced organized sector jeans around Rs. 300 at that time Conclusion Today, the rural market is blooming with the increase in the disposable incomes of the households. By nature, rural marketing is complex and studying the perception of rural consumers is always a difficult task unlike that of urban consumers. An effective communication not only provides information about products, but also educates the consumers regarding the use of products. Therfore, it is necessary that rural consumers have to be thoroughly studied so as to have better knowledge of rural marketing and work out appropriate marketing strategies. The essence of modern marketing concept is to satisfy the customer, and naturally all the marketing activities should revolve around the customers and their buying behaviour. The consumers need to be guided in the proper direction in order to make a decision. Theres a necessity to raise the emotional involvement of consumers in order to prevent brand defection. The marketers must recognize that rural marketing is primarily developmental marketing must be willing to take an approach of market seeding in the initial stages. It is often said that markets are made, not found. This is particularly true of the rural market of India. It is a market meant for the truly creative marketer.

John Donne :: essays research papers

John Donne John Donne was a writer with exceptional talent and had an intense feeling about all that he wrote. In the beginning of his life he was a charming man who , was accepted by royalty because of his personality and writing ability. Having been employed by one of the queen’s highly regarded men , he worked and associated with the high class royalty. Donne’s life and job lead him to meet and eventually marry his employer’s daughter. This couple caused scandal due to the classifications of the two people. Having lost his job because of this and also not being able to obtain steady employment the family lived in poverty for years. Donne held low class secretary jobs and wrote during this time , but lack of financial security kept them where they where in life. He , by writing with the motivation from the love of his wife , became one of the most widely read writers of the time. As time went on Anne passed away and Donne was left with the children. He soon was elect ed dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral , became a famous speaker , he used the motivation of God and the church to fuel his writing. Much of Donne’s poetry was written for his wife and was very intense due to the love he felt for her. In "The Canonization" Donne tries to fight why he cannot love Anne and asks what is the matter with his love , for he sees it as true. He writes in a civil manner asking if his love has hurt anyone , if the intensity that he loves her has ever injured anyone. Never fearing what others say or do to the couple he bases the security of his life on their love. He ponders why people are worrying about their love when awful people are committing horrible acts throughout the world. He says that they are one and nothing could break them apart. Not wanting to be bothered anymore and yearning to live free with his love he wonders if people will approve and , though his love will not die , fears that the impact of the world will destroy their bond. During his years without his wife Donne wrote about the love of the church and the Lord. Much like the prior years in intensity and feeling , but with a different object of affection.

Gender and Sexuality Essay -- Sociology, Gender Roles, Stereotypes

Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is â€Å"the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society† (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is â€Å"the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex† (free dictionary, 2009). There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exists all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of a male regardless of which sexuality they fall under. The males are superior over the females and gays superior over the lesbians, however it different depending on the place and circumstances. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes, social policy, and homosexuality from a modern and a traditional society perspective. The three different areas will be compared by the two different societies to understand how much changes has occurred and whether or not anything has really changed. In general a traditional society is more conservative where as a modern society is fundamentally liberal. This is to say that a traditional society lists certain roles depending on the gender and there are stereotypes that are connected with the genders. One must obey the one that is dominant and make decisions. On the other hand, a modern society is lenient, It accepts the individual’s identity and sexuality. There is no inequality and everyone in the society is to be seen as individuals not a part of a family unit... ...dual changes are closely related to the media because the actors carry out the roles and thus the members of the society play out those roles in their daily life style. â€Å"Homosexuality exists in different societies and cultures and with some minor exceptions it is considered abnormal and disdained. It affects social order, invades personal privacy and rights, and leads to criminal behaviour. As a result, homosexuals are more likely to encounter and be penalized administratively and criminally† (Likosky, 1992, pp. 38) Also, the two societies view homosexuality different. Nevertheless modern society has not completely accepted the idea of homosexuality because in areas such as legal forms, the people with nonconventional sexual orientation are not shown. This demonstrates the inferiority of homosexuality and for which the government is responsible for such actions.

Events Provision in Birmingham

This assignment will identify the range of events being promoted in the city of Birmingham, it will also classify whether the events are organised by the public, private or voluntary sector. There will also be an overview of the visitor's perception of the city and event and finally it will analyse the local resident's attitudes towards the event. The six events which will be analysed are the MPH Show '06, which is a motor event hosted by Jeremy Clarkson. Mitchell and Webb Live, which is a comedy sketch show. The BBL Cup Final. The Survivor Series Tour, which is a sports entertainment event. Mela 2006 and the final event is Little Britain Live. Theorists such as Allen 2002 state that an event is defined as a significant gathering or activity that takes place often in a social setting. (J. Allen 2002) The first event, which will be analysed, is the MPH Show '06. The event was in operation between 26-29 October 2006 at the NEC Birmingham. The MPH Show's web page describes the event, as â€Å"a 75 minute theatre show in an explosive combination of car chases, outrageous stunts, incredible driving and world debuts. A personal look at the finest selection of the most stylish, rare and expensive cars in our galleried exhibitions – its motoring heaven!† (www.mphshow.co.uk) This event can be categorised under the mega events typology group. The reason for this is that the event has the potential to attract over one million visitors. A further reason that this event can attract a vast amount of large visitors is that well-known motoring expert Jeremy Clarkson is hosting it. Due to the motor show being taken away from Birmingham, The MPH Show can be its ideal replacement and generate a high level of economic and tourism impact into Birmingham. Theorist such as Getz 1997 states, â€Å"Mega events, by way of their size or significance are those that yield extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage or economic impact for the host community and destinations.† (Getz 1997) There could be arguments suggesting that it can be put under the special events typology. The reason for that being that the event is a one off event and is an event, which comes under persons social activities such as football and music. The second event that will be analysed is Mitchell & Webb Live, which will take place at the Birmingham Hippodrome on 5th November. The event brings comedian duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb to the Hippodrome as part of their live tour. This event can be categorised under the special events typology group. Getz states, â€Å"A special event is a one time or infrequently occurring event outside the normal programme or activities of the sponsoring or organising body.† (Getz 1997- lecture hand out) The third event that will be analysed is the Survivor Series Tour, which is organised by sports entertainment company WWE. The event will be held on 12th November 2006 at the NEC. This event can be categorised into the special events group. The reason for this is that it is part of a person's social interest and it is place where they can go with family and friends to the event. Getz 1997 states, â€Å"To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity for leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience.† (Getz 1997) The fourth event, which will be analysed, is Little Britain Live, which will be held in The NIA. According to the NEC group website, â€Å"David Walliams and Matt Lucas have extended their phenomenal Little Britain Birmingham tour dates with a 14th night at The NIA on Saturday 9 December.† (www.necgroup.co.uk) This event can be categorised in to the special events typology category, due to this event being a social interest event. The fifth event, which will evaluated is the BBL Cup Final that will be held in The NIA. The BBL Cup Final is the basketball tournament finals that will come to a climax in Birmingham. Also in the event are the women's basketball tournament finals. This type of event can be categorised under the hallmark typology. The reason for this is that it is a one off event. Theorist such as Ritchie 1984 defines a hallmark event as â€Å"A major one-time or recurring event of limited duration, developed primarily to enhance the awareness appeal and profitability of a tourist destination in the short or long term.† (Ritchie 1984) The final event is The Asian Mela 2006, which is to be held between 17-19 November 2006 at the NEC. The Asian Mela is an event targeted at the Asian community by holding an event that has Asian fashion, entertainment and many more experiences. This type of event can categorised in to the special events typology group. A special event recognises a unique moment in time with ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs. The reason for this being is that it relates to the cultural aspects of the Asian community and also can be an event that brings together people from different backgrounds to celebrate Asian lifestyles and how it has made an impact in today's British society. The second part of this assignment will identify whether the events have been organised by private, public or voluntary sectors. The Mph Show was organised by the fuel company shell. Shell is considered a global group that produces oil, fuel and other types of energy sources. The company is considered part of the private sector. Theorist such as Fardon state, â€Å"The private sector compromises of businesses which are directly or indirectly in private ownership.† (Fardon 2000) The Mitchell & Webb Live event is being presented at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The Hippodrome is a theatre, which is a charity run theatre. The charity ‘The Friends of The Hippodrome' is an organisation, which counts on donations from corporations such as Lloyds TSB and even donations from the public. The Survivor Series event, which is an event run by the sports entertainment company WWE. The company is a private limited company that runs live events mainly in the United States, but also tours the rest of the world. The Little Britain Live event, which is being shown at the NIA. The event is by the NIA group, which is linked with the city council. This sector can be put in the public sector, as it is part of the district council. The BBL Cup Final is an annual event, which is to be held at the NIA, is being organised by the British Basketball League Association. This is part of the public sector. Websites such as www.whatsis.techtarget.com have given a definition to the public sector, which states, â€Å"The public sector overlaps with the private sector in producing or providing certain goods and services. The extent of this overlap varies from country to country, state to state, province to province, and city to city.† By evaluating this statement and relating it to events, the public sector needs sum form of assistance from the private sector such as funds and sponsorship. It can be an advantage for both private and public sectors, as the private sector organisation is getting good recognition by giving a helping hand to the public sector organisation. The Asian Mela event is presented by the Asian television station Zee and events firm Clarion Events. Both companies are part of the private sector. This part of the assignment will explain the impact that the actual events provision of the city has on visitor perceptions. When discussing event impacts there are various elements that need to be considered. These elements are as follows, social/cultural, economics, political and developmental. The social/cultural implications are to bring increased community spirit and bring people from different cultures to unify and enjoy the events. In today's world, there are many negative issues surrounding different cultures. It is vital that there are events that can bring people from different backgrounds and faiths so that they can enjoy them without any fear or scepticism. The economic side of the impact is that it can help with the cities revenue, resulting in the city bringing more events and even construct new buildings to present the events. As Birmingham is one of the United Kingdoms visited places with hot spots such as The Bull Ring and The Mail Box for shopping and leisure and recreational areas like Star City and AMC. Which ever type of event is happening in Birmingham there is high possibility of tourists staying over the local hotels and bed and breakfasts, which also is a plus for the local businesses as well as the city. The political element is that increases the cities national reputation and improves its profile. The developmental and environmental elements of having events in Birmingham are that it can have effects such as urban regeneration. This can have a positive outcome on the less funded areas of the city. With the money generated from these events, by giving the lesser funded area's resources to rejuvenate the area by constructing community centres for young people who have broken backgrounds to learn new skills and make more of their lives. When considering these types of impacts for the events chosen for this assignment. The MPH Show will bring in many visitors who have an interest for exotic and concept cars, these are also known as ‘petrol heads'. The main target market for this event will be 18-30 mainly male. The economic side of the event will be a benefit as it is running for three days, this is a bonus for hotels as there will be visitors from outside of Birmingham who may want to go to the show, whilst site seeing and going to local businesses. The political element will be affected, as Birmingham was once home to the motor show. By having this type of event with a well-known host such as Jeremy Clarkson may not replace the revenue and the publicity that the city used to get from the motor show, but it will be a stepping-stone to bringing in similar types of events to the city. The BBL Cup Final will target mainly basketball fans from different ages. Although basketball is not one of England's favourite sports, a minority can be targeted effectively. The economic element will bring in the minority of basketball fans through as much advertising there can be. This can also be a positive for accommodation businesses. Whether or not the NIA is going to remain being the host of the tournaments finals, it will be a positive for the city council, which can attract other indoor sports events. The Survivor Series event will be targeting mainly young males aged 16 and over. However, there has been an increase in female attendances to the sports entertainment events. Although the company is originated in the United States, the business does have strong relations within the UK. This can bring in tourists from outer Birmingham and even out of England. This resulting in massive revenue for hotels and other local businesses. The Mitchell and Webb Live and Little Britain Live events will both have similar type of element results. The target for these events are going to be varied as the events are based on shows from television, this is a positive because it can attract young and older generations. Economically it will be good for the city as these events are apart of a long tour, generating revenue for local businesses. This will raise the profile of the city by having well known comedy gigs and even make aware of other comedy performances to add the city to their tours in the near future. The Asian Mela event will target mainly the Asian community and even target other cultures, as it is known that different cultures are adapting Asian fashion in to their lifestyles. This will be a good event for local businesses, as the event will attract tourists from other regions. Regarding the political element, this is an event that will be popular as the more it goes grows with the community, there will be more ideas for events for other cultures. By attracting the non Asian community to the event, it can bring a unity to the general public and let the people know that there is room for understanding to the cultures and not the dark cloud that hangs around the Asian community as misinterpreted in today's media. The final part of this assignment will consider local residents attitudes to the events within their city. When events such as the MPH Show come into Birmingham, resident's attitudes are going to be stereotypical. They may assume that the event may attract a group of hooligans and maybe concerned that there will be a riot of some sort. The residents will more likely welcome the sporting events the BBL Cup Final and the Survivor Series Tour, as they are events the whole family can go and watch. The basketball final's tournament is something in which the local residents can be proud that their city is part of. This can result in pride in association with the city. It can also be a positive for locals because it is bringing in tourists and even be welcomed by shops and other business. The comedy events Little Britain Live and Mitchell & Webb Live will be welcomed, as both events are family friendly and are based on television shows that are well known. Birmingham is known for being a cultured city, with evidence being backed up by Birmingham City Councils webpage which provides statistics in the form of charts. One way of showing this is by holding an event targeted for its Asian community, The Asian Mela. As Birmingham has a high percentage of Asians as one of its many ethnic groups, the Asian community will welcome the event. By holding this event, it can even attract other people from different ethnic groups and be welcomed by everyone. A family event for al to enjoy the community will be proud to have it in their city. In conclusion a city such as Birmingham will welcome it. The main factor is that it can hold majority of events within its venues such as the NEC, the NIA and the Symphony Hall. Bringing in more events will increase tourism and revenue for the city. This is a plus as the money generated from the events can go on to bring in more opportunities for people with different interests and backgrounds. Making the city a hotspot for events.