Free Essays on Holes

HOLES The setting took place at Camp Green Lake, during the present time and summer season. Stanley Yelnats's family has a history of bad luck, thanks to their no-good-dirty-rotten-pig- stealing-great-great-grandfather! So Stanley isn't too surprised when he is sent to an all boys juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. The lake has been dried up for over a hundred years and used to be the largest lake in Texas. As punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep and five feet across. There is only one rule at the camp and that is if you don’t bother the snakes and scorpions, then they won’t bother you. The worst thing is to be bitten by a yellow spotted lizard because you will die a slow painful death. At Camp Green Lake it is believed that if you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy. Ms. Walker, who is the owner of the lake, claims that this pointless labor builds character, but she is really using the boys to dig for loot buried by the Wild West outlaw Kissin’ Kate Barlow. The main characters in this story are Stanley, Hector, Ms. Walker, Mr. sir, Mr. Pendanski and Ms. Morengo. Stanley is the boy who is found responsible for a crime that he didn’t commit. Hector is Stanley’s new best friend at Camp Green Lake. Ms. Walker is the owner of the lake. Mr. sir and Mr. Pendanski are the two helpers at the camp. Ms. Morengo is a patent attorney trying to prove that Stanley is innocent. The problems in this story were that nobody believed that Stanley is innocent. Also, everyone at the Camp thought that Hector was stupid just because he was a different race. All the boys hated Stanley and Hector because they were best friends. When Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character, he realizes that in fact that Ms. Walker is seeking something specific. Stanley then goes and tries to find out what is really going on. Whil... Free Essays on Holes Free Essays on Holes HOLES The setting took place at Camp Green Lake, during the present time and summer season. Stanley Yelnats's family has a history of bad luck, thanks to their no-good-dirty-rotten-pig- stealing-great-great-grandfather! So Stanley isn't too surprised when he is sent to an all boys juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. The lake has been dried up for over a hundred years and used to be the largest lake in Texas. As punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep and five feet across. There is only one rule at the camp and that is if you don’t bother the snakes and scorpions, then they won’t bother you. The worst thing is to be bitten by a yellow spotted lizard because you will die a slow painful death. At Camp Green Lake it is believed that if you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy. Ms. Walker, who is the owner of the lake, claims that this pointless labor builds character, but she is really using the boys to dig for loot buried by the Wild West outlaw Kissin’ Kate Barlow. The main characters in this story are Stanley, Hector, Ms. Walker, Mr. sir, Mr. Pendanski and Ms. Morengo. Stanley is the boy who is found responsible for a crime that he didn’t commit. Hector is Stanley’s new best friend at Camp Green Lake. Ms. Walker is the owner of the lake. Mr. sir and Mr. Pendanski are the two helpers at the camp. Ms. Morengo is a patent attorney trying to prove that Stanley is innocent. The problems in this story were that nobody believed that Stanley is innocent. Also, everyone at the Camp thought that Hector was stupid just because he was a different race. All the boys hated Stanley and Hector because they were best friends. When Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character, he realizes that in fact that Ms. Walker is seeking something specific. Stanley then goes and tries to find out what is really going on. Whil...

The Worst and Best Breakup Lines

The Worst and Best Breakup Lines Your relationship is not working out. You have hit a dead-end, and now your relationship is a cesspool of broken promises, jealousy, and boredom. You know that you have to end the relationship, but how do you approach this issue sensitively? If you handle things callously, you may end up with a bruised eye. If you are oversensitive, you may end hanging on to a dead relationship, feeling bitter and exhausted. Breaking up with someone is never easy. Especially, if you have been with been with that person for a long time. However, if things come to a head, and you feel it is time to move on, it is best to have a clean break up without carrying the burden of heartbreak or unspoken feelings. Saying unkind words, calling each other names, or simply shutting all communication with your partner is extremely bad ways to break up. If you expect to be in a healthy relationship, you should at least have the maturity to break up without being abusive or selfish. How Not to Break Up: 6 Worst Breakup Lines That Can Land You in Trouble If you don’t want your current girlfriend or boyfriend to become a stalking ex, or your spouse to file for divorce on grounds of mental harassment, you must ensure that the breakup does not become an ugly brawl. Also, how you express to your partner that you are breaking up with her will go a long way in restoring her faith in relationships and men. Here are six common breakup lines that can land you in trouble. 1. â€Å"It’s not you, it’s me.† This is a classic excuse when you want to avoid confrontation. Though it may seem non-accusatory, this breakup line is not fair because you don’t give the person a chance to find out what really went wrong. Worse, its usually not true: there are usually reasons for breaking up that relate to incompatibility on both sides. So what do you do, if it is really not her, but you that is the problem in the relationship? What if you mean it, sincerely? If it’s really not her, but you that is the problem, explain why thats the case. Perhaps you are truly unable to commit to a long-term relationship because you are financially insecure, or emotionally overwhelmed, or still in love with your ex. If there really is something going on with you that makes a relationship impossible at this time, don’t leave without offering a genuine explanation for the breakup. 2. â€Å"I want to take it slow.† To most people, I want to take it slow means I like you and want to pursue this relationship but at a different speed. While its possible that your partner will respond by walking away from the relationship altogether, a decent human being will see an opening to a conversation about how youd like to proceed. Do you want to get together less frequently? Slow down your physical relationship?  Ã‚   Bottom line, asking to take it slow is a great way to slow down the pace of your romance (assuming that youre in the early stages of getting to know one another). Its a poor way to actually end a relationship, and its almost certainly the wrong thing to say if youve been in a committed relationship for years! 3. â€Å"I am not ready for a relationship.† If you were not ready to be involved, what were you doing all along? Why put on a charade, and then pull the plug just when your partner was getting serious? A breakup line such as this one shows that you have no respect for your partner’s feelings. It is okay to not want to take the relationship to the next level if you are not ready. However, it is not fair that you choose to break off the relationship because you suddenly realized that what you thought was a  fairy tale romance was actually a real-world relationship with a flawed human being. 4. â€Å"Let’s just be friends.† This is the most dangerous breakup line, ever. It sounds like you are giving a compensatory reward to your partner by promising to be â€Å"friends.† Really? Do you expect her to buy that? Did you know that by promising to be friends, you are asking for trouble? Breakups are hard, and at this vulnerable moment, you might end up together on a rebound. Because, hey, you said you wanted to be â€Å"friends,† right?  If you truly continue to spend time together as friends, you may never be able to move on and never able to fully commit to your partner. 5. â€Å"I will always love you, but never like that.† Did you suddenly decide to become a saint? If you ever decide to use this breakup line, don’t be surprised if you end up with a bloody nose or an egg on your face. Why would you say that you love her when you don’t? Many people use this breakup line in the heat of the moment, hoping to diffuse the tension. However, this breakup line will always haunt you, even after you have long moved on. Don’t throw crumbs at your partner. It is not fair for you to break her heart, after leading her on to believe that you loved her. 6. Youre great, but it is really your sister I fancy. Even if this is the truth, please dont blurt it out. Some truths are best buried. You date a girl, only to later fall in love with her sister. How do you think shes going to take the news? Would she hug you and say, Oh wow! Im so happy to have you as my boyfriend and brother-in-law!? Or would she kick you out of her house and her life, the moment you utter those words? And what good would it do you to inform her that your heart flutters at the sight of her sister? No self-respecting girl would ever take this breakup line well. 9 Perfect Breakup Lines from Famous People Here are 9 famous quotes to use for breakup lines. They help to communicate the pain of breakup without seeming over the top. Use them to create your own personal breakup line. Borrow the ideas without making it clichà ©d. Let your breakup line be as memorable as your pickup line was.:   Maggi Richard Two words. Three vowels. Four consonants. Seven letters. It can either cut you open to the core and leave you in ungodly pain or it can free your soul and lift a tremendous weight off your shoulders. The phrase is: Its over. Marilyn Monroe Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. Sarah Mlynowski Just because a relationship ends, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth having. Alex Elle I’m thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength. Amit Kalantri I cannot compromise my respect for your love. You can keep your love, I will keep my respect. Judith McNaught,  Paradise Either give me your hand, or end it now, and put us both out of our misery. Lone Star I’m going to smile and make you think I’m happy, I’m going to laugh, so you don’t see me cry, I’m going to let you go in style, and even if it kills me – I’m going to smile. Fannie Flagg,  Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps on beating, just the same. S. B. Morse,  Now and at the Hour of Our Death A broken heart is just the growing pains necessary so that you can love more completely when the real thing comes along.

Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contract - Essay Example Generally, advertisements are considered to be invitations for deals rather than contracts (Miller and Jentz 216). However, advertisements can be considered as offers in certain cases. An advertisement qualifies to be an offer when it is definite in its terms and the publication shows intent of the advertiser to enter into a binding contract (Miller and Jentz 216). Effective communication of an offer to the offeree confers to him the power to transform an offer into a contract through acceptance (Miller and Jentz 216). However, the action of either the offerer or the offeree can terminate an offer. The termination can be done through revocation, rejection or by giving a counteroffer and in some case through operating law (Miller and Jentz 216). Seven Inch Android Tablets In the case of The Tech Revolution, the company advertised Seven Inch Android Tablets selling at ?229. The tablets as claimed in the advertisement are available in all colours. Alan made a written order for a tablet in silver. TTR wrote back to Alan informing him that the company only had green or pink Tablets. Afterwards, TTR found a silver Tablet and wrote back to Alan informing him that they had accepted his offer. However, Alan is no longer interested in the Tablet. The main question that arises out of this scenario is: does a valid contract exist between Alan and TTR? Reviewing the scenario, TTR’s advisement is an invitation made to the public to buy its Tablets. Alan acts the company’s invitation by sending a written order to TTR. Unfortunately, TTR does not accept Alan’s order because they have no silver Tablets in their stock consequently rejecting the offer. As it emerges, TTR has no legal case against Alan. By writing back to Alan and confirming that they could not supply him with silver Tablet, the company revoked the offer. Moreover, the company’s advertisement was made to the general public and does not constitute a binding contract with anyone willing t o buy the Tablets. In the case of Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boot Cash Chemists (1953), it was held that display of goods did not amount to an offer (Stone, Devenney and Cunnington 36). In Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co, it was held that Mrs. Carlill, the plaintiff, entitled to receive the reward mentioned in the advertisement. The unanimous decision was based on the fact that the advert was definite in its terms and unilateral. However, TTR’s advertisement of the â€Å"Seven Inch Android Tablets† does do provide definite terms besides price. Therefore, the advert is a mere invitation for a deal rather than a binding contract. Soniz Netbooks TTR advertised Soniz Netbook as a special offer going for ?100 for all orders received by 15th November. Betty wrote and posted an acceptance letter for the Soniz Netbook and posted the letter on 14th November. However, the letter arrived on 16th November, prompting TTR to consider it late following their 15th Nove mber deadline. Clearly, the advertisement of Soniz Netbooks qualifies to be an offer because it contains definite terms. The main issue is to determine whether TTR is legally liable Betty. Can Betty file a valid legal case against TTR? According to Mailbox Rule under common law, acceptance becomes effective on dispatch and the date on which the offerer receives the letter is immaterial provided that the letter is properly addressed (Tepper 61). In the case, Betty mailed her acceptance letter on 24th

Plaease answer four questions that are in the assignment Coursework

Plaease answer four questions that are in the assignment - Coursework Example The diarthrodial joint between the forearm and humerus allows a hinge movement with the help of their lubricating fluid for the adduction and abduction movements to be possible (Tortora, 2008). Part 2: As the individual drinks water, the liquid enters the mouth passing through the esophagus to the stomach. From the stomach, the water travels to the small intestines while it begins to be absorbed in the stomach through diffusion and osmosis. The water is carried to the blood stream to continue its travel to the renal system. It is filtered out of the blood because of gradient pressure and carried to the renal artery to reach the glomerulus. Leaving this body part, the blood’s next destination is the Bowman’s capsule. From here, the water traverses the kidney tubule to approach the collecting tubules. However, not all waste fluid may arrived at the next stop because important substances still has to be reabsorbed back to the blood (Wagman, 1992). The rest which are waste products continue their journey to the collecting tubules until they enter the renal pelvis where they will spend some of their time. The waste liquid referred to as urine is slowly collected to the bladder to be expelled out of the body when it reaches its maximum amount via the ureters.

The Co-Operative Bank IMC Essay Example for Free

The Co-Operative Bank IMC Essay 1.1 The Co-Operative Bank – An Introduction The Co-Operative Bank is New Zealand based and as of 2011, a fully registered bank (New Zealand Herald, 2011). It had a market share of 0.6 to 0.7% when it launched as a Bank and has 128,000 members as of 2014 (KPMG, 2013) The bank’s mission statement or principle activity is to â€Å"provide financial and investment services to its shareholders†, its shareholders being its customers who are all â€Å"owners† of the bank (StopPress, 2014). The owners receive yearly dividends from the bank depending on an algorithm that  calculates the value of their association with the bank (The Co-Operative Bank, 2013). 1.2 PESTE Analysis Political â€Å"fair play on fees† class action will have effect on how banks are perceived and could have effect on how banks can charge fees to its customers. Some banks are being sued but CO-Operative is not subject to the class action. 1.2.1 Economic -Changes in the credit rating of the bank could have an effect on how customers perceive the quality of the bank. Currently the co-operative bank has a rating of BBB- (The Co-Operative Bank, 2013). As this is one of the lowest in New Zealand this will have an effect on how the bank is perceived. 1.2.2 Socio-Cultural Also as there is more importance placed on achieving a tertiary education in New Zealand, the banking sector has a larger market segment of tertiary students. Due to the effects of the 2008 recession and the 99% movement people are increasingly sceptical of banks. Banks must adjust to this factor in order to detract and negative effects. 1.2.3 Technological All major banks in New Zealand have internet banking and mobile apps where customers are able to do their banking. As technology is always changing it is important that banks are continuing to update and make changes to their digital platforms to continue to be competitive in the market. 1.2.4 Environment -Environmental factors do not have a massive impact over the Co-Operative bank however climate change have some effect on the success of New Zealand businesses abilities to save and service loans. Particularly as New Zealand is an agricultural based society and climate change disrupts farming processes. 2 Competitor Analysis In the tertiary banking sector there are 5 main players that the Bank must  compete with. Each has their own drawcard however the reality is the base package each bank offers is very similar and in terms of costs, the banks offer students free or relatively free banking See Appendix 1. On top of this each bank differentiates itself by offering extra services that are enticing to the student lifestyle. 2.1 ASB ASB, as well as a relatively free base package, offers students free fries at McDonalds every time they use their card. This â€Å"gimmick† is attractive to students as it means banking with ASB guarantees them food should they run out of money. They also offer students a large overdraft and a txt when funds are running low. 2.2 ANZ ANZ’s tertiary package is perhaps the least â€Å"gimmicky† of the big banks. They offer accessible branches and ATM’s on campus as they are aware a student is often time poor. 2.3 BNZ  BNZ’s YouMoney is known to be extremely innovative and in tune with a tertiary audience’s preference for good, simple web design. Their point of difference is an industry leading web application that makes handling finances, something that student have great difficulty doing, every simple. 2.4 Westpac WestPac’s Student Pac, historically, has used gimmicks such as a free $25 upon sign up and a free pizza to engage the tertiary audience to bank with them. In the long term they also offer a â€Å"save and win† scheme that entices students to bank with them to win money on the money they choose to save. 2.5 Kiwibank Kiwibank has perhaps the most comprehensive banking package. Their extra services include software to help manage your money, no commission currency conversion, free use of ANZ ATMs on campus and free txt banking. This shows they are very much in tune with the requirements of being a student in New Zealand which supports Kiwibank’s main draw card of the bank being a New Zealand owned bank. 2.6 Co-Operative Bank The Co-Operative Banks student package is by contrast the least  comprehensive. They offer a top interest rate of 5% however their main drawcard, even for students, is still the fact that they are not just New Zealand owned like Kiwibank but owned by the New Zealanders that bank with them. 3 Growth and Maturity of the Industry New Zealand banks have enjoyed strong growth in lending since the 2008 global downturn. Profits however, are down due to â€Å"increasing regulatory pressures and strong competition in the lending market† (KPMG, 2013). 4 Operational Revenue and Profitability At the end of 2013 financial year, the bank recorded profits before rebate at $8m (The Co-Operative Bank, 2013). $1m of this was distributed to customers. As at 31st December 2013 operating revenue reached $4.3m (The Co-Operative Bank, 2013). 5 Strategic Goals The Co-Operative Bank has an overall strategic focus on â€Å"achieving long-term profitable growth, based on co-operative principles (The Co-Operative Bank, 2013). 6 Target Marketing The Co-Operative Bank targets those in the tertiary segment who are motivated by â€Å"good values†. These students, generally 18-25, will be those who are wary of the other big banks and the values they stand for. They will consist of students who are above the other banks â€Å"gimmicks† and would rather see their money buying some â€Å"goodness† rather than get free fries, for example, from a controversial multinational. They will have a solid â€Å"student† lifestyle with a low income, low outgoings and will generally not have any dependants. 7 Market Positioning The Co-Operative Bank occupies a distinctive position in the market. While its competitors try to outdo each other with clever marketing and competitive rates they are, compared to other industries, barely distinguishable from each other. As shown in Figure 1, the Co-operative Bank occupies a position that is relatively separated from its competitors in terms of perceived cost and on a values based analysis. Figure 1 Positioning of New Zealand Banks This position clearly demonstrates to their target audience that they are set apart from their competitors as an alternative to banking in system where banks are driven by profits for their (often overseas) investors rather than by the values of and profits for their New Zealand owners/customers. Section 2 8 Communication Strategy Since the bank’s rebrand in 2012 the bank has focused its communications on improving low awareness. It is spearheaded by the message â€Å"driven by your prosperity, not our profit†; this focus will help the bank achieve its goal to double its customers within 5 years (StopPress, 2014). The key message the bank wants to convey to its target audience is that it is a values-driven bank that plays fair in a banking landscape that is thought of as the opposite. They use a brand image strategy to convey that although they are able to take calculated risks for the benefit of their customer-owners, they want their audience to know they want their activities to be transparent and â€Å"above the line†. The main symbol used by the bank is the infinity sign that consists of the 2 O’s in Co-Operative Bank, known as the â€Å"prosperity loop†- See figure 2. The loop is conveniently extracted from the banks name and symbolises its goal of creating prosperity, not profit, between the bank and its customer-owners with the benefits flowing between the two entities. This symbol associates potential customers with the brand and its objectives of â€Å"being about mutual benefit and true sustainability. (The Co-Operative Bank, 2014, p. 2) Figure 2- The Prosperity Loop The loop is replicated though all forms of media advertising further insisting to its customers an ongoing sense of mutuality and support. In print media, the loop headline type treatment overlays both the heads of customers or their children and links them to the bank’s message, connecting a potential customer’s emotion to the advertisement. The loop could so be seen to symbolise a thought bubble, further personifying the banks message. See figure 3 Figure 3- Print Advertisement This advertisement takes queues from thought leadership marketing as it shows a young, seemingly wealthy man thinking positively about the banks differentiation strategy. As this man represents a lifestyle students aspire to participate in and the target market can now link him to the Co-Operative bank. In theory, students will be more likely to think positively about, and possibly join the bank. This links back to the banks goal of doubling its customer base in five years and helps the bank on their way to achieve it. Another brand association used is the companies colour palette. The palette is distinctively fresh and focuses on a bright green colour – see figure 4. This associates the brand with being fresh and distinctive as well as with growth. Green is prolific throughout the brands communications and is often shown in a natural context. This is important to the brands image as it reflects on New Zealanders emotions as a â€Å"clean, green† nation and may help the target market to associate with the bank as an extension of their patriotism. Also the mix of the colour green as a symbol of natural growth and money is a reflection of the bank’s views on sustainable banking. Further, it associates this idea to the Co-Operative Bank’s brand and reinforces to tertiary students that their principles will bring â€Å"growth† to their â€Å"money† in a sustainable way. This is particularly relevant to the target market who currently have low incomes but potential to growth their worth in the next few years. For them it means the bank is on their side and wants to work with them to grow their money in a sustainable way. Figure 4- Colour Palette 9 Media Strategy and Appropriation The company, carrying out its awareness strategy for growth, used a broad mix of media mediums including a focus on print but also consisting of a television spot, radio advertising, and limited social media (Facebook, Linked in and YouTube) to target a wide range of possible customers (StopPress, 2014). The campaign is centred on presenting the banks differentiation from other banks as a New Zealand owned bank and the fact it  is 100% owned by its customers. Although there was no media directly targeting tertiary students, the Co-Operative Bank’s mix of mediums will have some effect on this target market. Using a universal strategy, as in this case, the bank reaches a large amount of potential customers. It also provides the bank with economies of scale. As a small bank, although not ideal, this strategy is relatively appropriate as, there is limited budget for large scale advertising. The bank has opted to pull resources together rather than loose budget to smaller and perhaps less successful strategies. This is at the cost of targeting specific demographics, such as the tertiary target market, with media strategies tailored to their particular motivations but allows the bank to target all New Zealanders who feel strongly about banking with a New Zealand bank that shares profits with its customers. The content of the advertising draws on emotional strategy and uses a lot of patriotic imagery such as beach scenes, trout fishing, and office and cafe culture. These are scenes of New Zealand culture that rouse patriotism in most New Zealanders and this helps the bank not only reach people who will be interested in how the bank functions due to their patriotism but inform others of the benefits of joining the bank. This is appropriate for the bank as it is harnessing current events (such as the class action against fees and the 2008 global downturn that have caused a cultural shift in New Zealand society in that people are more sceptical of banks) and building on the emotions they feel . It is therefore prudent for the bank to target the majority of society as the majority of society will be motivated by this emotion to join the bank. Section 3 Recommendations and Evaluation 10 Objectives 1.Increase top-of-mind awareness level of the Co-Operative bank within the tertiary market by 50% within the next 12 months 2.Increase knowledge within the tertiary market about the benefit of â€Å"owning† the bank they are banking with by 50% within the next 12 months 3.10% of tertiary market seek information about or interact with the Bank within the next 12 months. 11 Improvements The weakness of the Banks current IMC plan lies in the fact that it has not  tailored the plan to target specific groups such as the tertiary market. This suggests that the relationship between The Co-Operative Bank and its tertiary customers is not as connected as it could be. To improve this, the bank does not necessarily have to change its message because as outlined prior, the patriotic and anti-status quo message used by its current offering will appeal to this market and also make the most of the banks industry-relative limited budget. The bank instead should work on making these messages more accessible to the tertiary market in order to improve the communication lines of the banks already strong message. RelationshipReach Include tertiary market specific imagery in print advertising There is a lack of tertiary specific imagery used by creative in the print media. There are a variety of children and young professionals and although some students may see these people as aspirational, they may also feel excluded and therefore disconnected from the banks message as the images are unrelateable to them at their current age. Create an active twitter account that backs up the banks brand image but also feels like it is maintained by a tertiary student. It will post breaking banking news and intelligently debate key players in the banking industry. Create a presence on campus by locating brochures at campus student finance offices Make brochures available that provides step by step financial planning for students that is branded with Co-Operative bank. The brochures will also provide information about the Co-operative’s services. The content will be so effective that campus financial planners will recommend them to students. This will increase student’s knowledge about the bank.Change billboards near tertiary institutions to have very tertiary student age appropriate creative. Add a scene to the television spot that is directly relatable to by a majority of tertiary students. The advert currently has scenes that will appeal to only a select part of the target market i.e office employees and t rout fishers. Adding a tertiary related scene with strong tertiary markers will strengthen the banks relationship with students as they will feel included in their advertising. Promote banks message at campus fairs. Sponsor tertiary events 12 Promotional Mix Recommendations 12.1 Public Relations The bank will start a campaign called â€Å"Community Loop† drawing from the banks logo and its community based values. Tertiary students will be selected to spend a day in the life of community organisations with a particular emphasis on organisations that support the interests of tertiary aged students such as canteen and be followed by a documentary team.. The outcome will be a documentary series posted on Community Loop’s YouTube. These videos will expect to be picked up by local media and be interesting enough for students to want to share on YouTube. 12.2 Personal Selling At campus events, the bank would loan its employees to event to handle the financial aspect of the event and at the same time inform students of the banks offerings- supporting and promoting the banks message that it works within the community in a positive way. For example, at the â€Å"Uni Games†, Co-operative Bank employees in â€Å"community loop† uniform will handle ticket processing at the gate and have the â€Å"community loop† marquee providing shelter for students. Employees will hold conversations with students about the banks offerings and message. Such a presence evokes brand awareness within in the student community and at the same time, shows off the banks tertiary product. 12.3 Sales Promotion The bank stands out among other banks as it does not offer students â€Å"gimmicky† promotions with its package – See appendix 1. There is an opportunity here for the bank to offer a promotion to students that does not seem as lightweight and also gain attention of the students who are likely to switch to the bank because of its message. The promotion will support the banks community centred message and feature a system wherein if you sign up you get a free stationary pack (bio-degradable and from sustainable sources)  and a child from a low decile school in the local area also gets a pack. The stationary will feature the banks â€Å"Community Loop† logo. 13 Budget 13.1 Objective-and-Task Method The bank would use an objective and task method to specify the role advertising will play for the Co-operative brand and, the budget has been set accordingly. This method has been chosen as it allows the bank to focus on the objectives based on the needs of the bank and therefore reinforce the bank’s strategy rather than the needs of other factors such as what competitors are doing or how much they can afford. ItemDescriptionEstimated CostTotal Industry specific imageryPhoto Shoot2,000 (aphotoeditor, 2009) 2,000 Poster design500 (Web Designer Forum, 2009) 2,500 Brochures at Campus Financial officeBrochure design500 (Web Designer Forum, 2009) 3,000 Content250 (Done internally)3,250 Distribution250 (PBT Frieght, 2013) 3,500 Tertiary Scene on Television SpotVideo Shoot3,500 (aphotoeditor, 2009) 7,000 Editing500 (Web Designer Forum, 2009) 7,500 Community Loop DocumentaryProduction Team 10,500 (aphotoeditor, 2009) 18,000 Community Loop tertiary eventMarquee1,000 (Ali Baba, 2014) 19,000 Sign writing 250 (Australian Signs, 2014) 19,250 Community Loop Uniforms500 (Ali Baba, 2014) 19,750 Community Loop StationaryStationary7,000 (PBT Frieght, 2013) 26,750 Delivery1,000 (Printing.com, 2013) 27,750 TOTAL27,750 14 Evaluation To understand whether the IMC objectives have been fulfilled and analyse results the Bank can use the following methods; Burke Day after recall testing This is a measure of recognition and recall and will measure objective 1. It measures how well a magazine advertisement has performed in getting people to identify if they recall having seen the advertisement previously and therefore are aware of the bank. The participant will be given the banks name and then a day later asked what they thought of their offerings. The bank will choose tertiary students for the trial and have them perform the task before and after the new IMC plan in order to understand the difference made. Buzzone Tests This is a measure of recognition and recall and will help the bank measure objective 2.This will be carried out with tertiary students and measure their recognition of the television advertisement both before the new IMC plan and post. This test is chosen as the Bank will gain information on how relevant the advertisement is for them and measure how Econometrics Econometrics will be used to show the correlation between members of the target market interacting with the bank and their interaction with the banks promotional material. Models are constructed from past data collected from a survey of tertiary students and future models can be predicted. This will be used to gain measurable information about objective 3. Bibliography Ali Baba. (2014). Ali Baba search: Marquee. Retrieved 5 19, 2014, from http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/marquee-tent-prices.html Ali Baba. (2014). Ali Baba Search: Uniforms. Retrieved 5 19, 2014, from Ali Baba: http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/uniform.html aphotoeditor. (2009). aphotoeditor. Retrieved 5 12, 2014, from www.aphotoeditor.com: http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2009/08/27/what-to-charge-advertising-photography/ Australian Signs. (2014). Australian Signs Calulator. Retrieved 5 19, 2014, from Australian Signs: http://www.australiasigns.com.au/onlinepricing/pricing.htm KPMG. (2013). Financial Institutions Performance Survey. Auckland: Massey University. PBT Frieght. (2013). PBT Fright Costings. Retrieved 5 19, 2014, from PBT Frieght: http://www.pbt.co.nz/default.aspx Printing.com. (2013). Printing.com Prices. Retrieved 5 19, 2014, from Printing.com: http://www.printing.com/nz/prices StopPress. (2014). StopPress. Retrieved 05 13, 2014, from http://www.stoppress.co.nz/blog/2013/07/co-operative-bank: http://www.stoppress.co.nz/blog/2013/07/co-operative-bank The Co-Operative Bank. (2014). News Letter. Wellington: The Co-Operative Bank. The Co-Operative Bank. (2013). The Co-Operative Bank Disclosure Statement. Wellington: The Co-Operative Bank. Web Designer Forum. (2009). webdesignerforum. Retrieved 5 20, 2014, from webdesignerforum: http://www.webdesignerforum.co.uk/topic/36794-how-much-to-charge-for-poster-design/

Liberty And Paternalism Essays -- essays research papers

LIBERTY AND PATERNALISM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Stuart Mill and Gerald Dworkin have distinctly opposing views on legal paternalism in that Mill is adamantly against any form of paternalism, whereas Dworkin believes that there do exist circumstances in which paternalism is justified. Both agree that paternalism is justified when the well being of another person is violated or put at risk. Mill takes on a utilitarian argument, explaining that allowing an individual to exercise his freedom of free choice is more beneficial to society than deciding for him what is in his best interests. Dworkin, on the other hand, feels that certain cases require the intervention of either society as a whole or its individual members. He breaks Mill’s argument down into two distinct types, one based on utilitarianism and one based on the absolute value of free choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After reading both articles, â€Å"Paternalism† by Dworkin and â€Å"On Liberty† by Mill, I believe that Dworkin is correct in explaining that some intervention is necessary under certain circumstances. I have come to this conclusion based on the fact that there do exist circumstances in which an individual is incapable of making a rational decision considering not only the well being of himself, but also the well being of other members of society. Also, the argument that the protection of the individual committing the action in question is not reason enough to interfere with the action is ludicrous in that one of our governments main reasons for existence is to protect the members of our society. This protection includes protection from ourselves at times when we are unable to rationally decide what is in our best interests. This essay will consist of an examination of this controversy as well as an application of my proposed conclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before addressing any opposing views to my conclusion, I will first explain my reasoning. As Dworkin explains in his essay, there are circumstances when a person is unable to make a rational and logical decision for himself. The inability to make such decisions has long been a justified reason to interfere in the process, such as in cases with young children. When a young child is about to run across a busy street in order to chase his ball, the child’s parent, or any other bystander, is rightfully justified in... ...f such a decision, the government has aright to step in and help the person. This is because at this understanding of the situation, the person is not capable of making a decision that he would likely consent to at after fully understanding the situation. As in the seat belt case, often times, a person does not fully understand that not wearing a seat belt contradicts his true desires and that no possible good or benefit can come from not wearing it. However, when a person is making a rational decision between two things that he values, he is the only person that can decide which is best for him. An important condition to remember in this conclusion is that all of this is assuming that no other individuals are being harmed or put at risk by the actions of these people. Under this condition I have come to the conclusion that there do exist certain circumstances where the government has a right to legal paternalism. These circumstances include times when an individual is unable to make a rational and logical decision for himself either because he does not fully understand the issue or because he is unable to logically assign value to specific possible consequences of a decision.

Comparative Study on Singapore vs Indian Higher Education System Essay

Abstract: In the world of globalization almost every country in the world wants their education system to be the best, so their students can obtain the necessary skills and knowledge taught by the schools/universities that meets the challenges of the 21st century. The present article explores how Singapore and Indian way of higher education system works; in which way both the countries differ and how they are leading in the field of higher education and it also highlight the different pathway that leads to the student’s progression from their nursery to doctorate degree. 1. 0 Indian education system: The University Education Report had set goals for development of higher education in the country. While articulating these goals Radakrishnan Commission on University Education, 1948-49 put it in following words: â€Å"The most important and urgent reform needed in education is to transform it, to endeavor to relate it to the life, needs and aspirations of the people and thereby make it the powerful instrument of social, economic and cultural transformation necessary for the realization of the national goals. For this purpose, education should be developed so as to increase productivity, achieve social and national integration, accelerate the process of modernization and cultivate social, moral and spiritual values. † India’s higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States. The main governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission (India) is a statutory organization established by an Act of Parliament in1956 for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. Apart from providing grants to eligible universities and colleges, the Commission also advises the Central and State Governments on the measures, which are necessary for the development of higher education. Central Government is responsible for major policy relating to higher education in the country. It provides grants to University Grants Commission (UGC) and establishes central universities in the country. The Central Government is also responsible for declaration of Education Institutions as ‘Deemed to be University’ on the recommendation of the UGC. Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 12 autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission. At the end of the third year of XI Plan (2009-10), the number of Universities has gone up to 493 (42 Central, 130 Deemed and 316 State Universities and 5 Institution established under Special State Legislature Acts) and the number of Colleges to 31,324, thus registering an increase of 36% in the number Universities and 48% in the case of Colleges in comparison to the figures at the end of X Plan (31. 03. 2007). During the academic year 2009-10, there had been 146. 25 lakhs (provisional) students enrolled in various courses at all levels in universities/colleges and other institutions of higher education as compared to 136. 42 lakhs in the previous year, registering an increase of 7. 2 per cent. Out of 146. 25 lakhs, 60. 80 lakh had been women students, constituting 41. 6 per cent. The comparative trend of total students enrolment and enrolment of women students, among states during 2009-10 had been increased. The enrolment of women students, in terms of absolute numbers, had been the highest in the state of Uttar Pradesh (8. 4 lakhs), followed by Maharashtra (7. 8 lakhs), Andhra Pradesh (6.1 lakhs), Tamil Nadu (5. 2 lakhs) etc. In terms of percentages, Goa accounted for the highest percentage of 59%, followed by Kerala (57%), Punjab and Meghalaya (51%) etc. indicating the dominance of girl students over boys in these states and A&N Islands (52%), Chandigarh (51%), Puducherry (50%) among the Union Territories. (Annual Report, University Grant Commission (UGC, 20092010)). The enrolment position in the academic year 2009-10 reveals that majority of students in the higher education system had been enrolled for a variety of courses at the under-graduate level. The students at this level constitute provisionally 86. 55 per cent of the total number of students in colleges and universities put together. The percentage of students enrolled for Master’s level courses had been 11. 49 per cent while a very small proportion i. e. 0. 89 per cent of the total number of students had been enrolled for research. Similarly, only 1. 15 per cent of the total number of students had been enrolled in diploma/certificate courses. As regards the distribution of student’s enrolment between universities and affiliated colleges, the largest number of students in the higher education system had been enrolled in affiliated colleges. About 90. 24 per cent of all the under-graduate students and 70. 83 per cent of all the post-graduate students had been enrolled in the affiliated colleges, while the remaining had been in the universities and their constituent colleges. (Annual Report, University Grant Commission (UGC, 2009-2010)). 115 IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012 There has in fact been considerable improvement in the higher education scenario of India in both quantitative and qualitative terms. In technical education, the IITs, and in management, the IIMs have already marked their names among the top higher educational institutes of the world. Moreover the Jawaharlal University and Delhi University are also regarded as good higher educational institutes for doing postgraduates courses and research in science, humanities and social sciences. As a result, students from various parts of the world are coming today for higher education in India. Apart from these higher education institutes there are several private institutes in India that offer various professional courses in India. According to the Department of higher Education, government of India, there are total enrolment of students (146. 25 lakhs), 42. 01% students had been in the faculty of Arts, followed by 19. 30% in Science and 17. 83% in Commerce/ Management. Thus, 79. 14% of the total enrolment had been in the three faculties of Arts, Sciences and Commerce / Management while the remaining 20. 86% had been in the professional faculties indicating the highest percentage in Engineering. /Technology (10. 33%), followed by Medical courses (3. 48%), etc. In the academic year 2009-2010, the total number of teachers in universities and colleges had been 6. 99 lakhs as compared to 5. 89 lakhs teachers in the previous year. Out of 6. 99 lakhs teachers, 86% teachers had been in Colleges and the remaining 14% in University Departments / University Colleges (Annual Report, University Grant Commission (UGC, 2009-2010)). accounting, teaching, medicine, law, agriculture, veterinary, polytechnic and others. 1. 2 The Current Scene: India is today one of the fastest developing countries of the world with the annual growth rate going above 9%. In order to sustain that rate of growth, there is need to increase the number of institutes and also the quality of higher education in India. Therefore the Prime Minister of India has announced the establishment of 8 IITs, seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and five Indian Institutes of Science, Education and Research (IISERs) and 30 Central Universities in his speech to the nation on the 60th Independence Day. The outlay for education during the 11th Five Year Plan, which runs from the current fiscal to 2012-13, represents a four-fold increase over the previous plan and stands at Rs 2500 billion. 1. 3 Advantages of Indian higher education: With India emerging as a global hub for commercial R&D (India Today International, 3 Oct 2009), R&D within the scope of Higher Education has gained greater importance. Now, the country is fast emerging as a major centre for cutting-edge research and development (R&D) projects for global multinationals such as Microsoft and Motorola as well as Indian firms. More and more companies in industries ranging from IT and telecommunications through pharmaceuticals and biotech are setting up ambitious R&D projects, in part to serve the Indian market, but also with an eye to delivering new generations of products faster to the global market. It has been stated that 150 international firms have set up R&D centers in India and in 2004 US patents office granted over 1000 patents to Indian units of US companies. India has developed one of the largest systems of Higher Education in the world with over 493 universities and 6500 vocational colleges catering to about 10 million students. India provides a big market and playing field for private initiatives at both the national and international levels. It is very rich in human resources, in terms of quantity as well as quality. Statistics from the Indian census bureau shows, over 35% of our population is below the age of 20. By 2020, it is expected that 325 million people in India will reach working age, which will be the largest in the world. This will come at a time when the rest of the developed world will be faced with an ageing population were as India with its bourgeoning middle class people who are willing to invest in quality higher education will be an asset for India’s growth in education. No wonder that foreign universities from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore are vying for students from India. India, too, is trying to attract students from neighboring countries. It is also willing to cater to the needs of the Indian Diaspora. Many non-resident Indians are now sending their wards to India for professional education in the fields of medicine, engineering, and business management. For them, higher education in India is both cost-effective and culturally rich. 1. 1 Pathway of learning in Indian education system: The Indian Education System is comprised of six stages: nursery, primary, secondary, higher secondary, graduation & post-graduation. Schooling prior to university lasts 12 years. Higher education in India starts after passing the higher secondary education or the 12th standard. However, there are considerable differences between the various states in terms of the organizational structures within these first 12 years of schooling. The government is committed to ensuring universal elementary education (primary and upper primary) education for all children aged 6-14 years of age. These various stages of Education, set by the Indian Education Ministry, are instrumental in an individual’s growth. Thus to ensure consistency in the overall development of the individual, first 12 years of education are made basic for all. Graduation and Post Graduation though depends upon person’s academic interest. Depending on the stream, doing graduation in India can take three to five years. Postgraduate courses are generally of two to three years of duration. After completing post graduation, scope for doing research in various educational institutes also remains open. (See the table 1. 0 for details) Education system in India covers almost all kinds of careers right from health services, management, mass media, legal services, social science, home science, fine arts to environmental science, administrative services, fashion courses, vocational courses, engineering, technology and 116 IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012 If TeamLease Services were to be believed, by 2025 India will be proud possessor of a workforce equivalent to a quarter of the world’s human resource capital. This positive forecast comes with a rider. A study conducted by the staffing firm, TeamLease Services, suggests India has to harness the latent talent of its young and productive population to achieve this goal. As per the ‘India Labour Report 2009’ released by Teamlease Services in collaboration with IIJT Education, the India can achieve a per capita income of USD 4,100 (approximately Rs 187,554 at an exchange rate of Rs 45. 74 per dollar). The report says this is not impossible if a labourfriendly atmosphere is in place. The study suggests some drastic reforms in the labour policy. The report says, â€Å"If we harness this dividend by 2025, India will not only have 25 per cent of the world’s total workforce, but our per capita income will be USD 4,100. † The report further adds: â€Å"This would rise to USD 9,802 in 2040 and USD 20,836 in 2050. This will finally put poverty in the museum it belongs. † higher education. The pro-high technology policy of the government has invited billion of dollars of foreign investment in the fields of biotechnology, IT and research. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is responsible for controlling the development and administration of the schools and various government-funded educational institutions. In case of private schools, the MOE plays a crucial supervisory and advisory role. Education mainly revolves around the interests of the students. The teaching and pedagogical system follows a flexible approach that helps the students in developing their potentials and aptitudes. † [Source: Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore] The Singapore education system aims to provide students with a holistic and broad-based education. Given the multi-cultural and multi-racial characteristics of Singapore, the bilingual policy is a key feature of the Singapore education system. Under the bilingual policy, every student learns English, which is the common working language. Students also learn their mother tongue language (Chinese, Malay or Tamil), to help them retain their ethnic identity, culture, heritage and values. The mission of the MOE is to mould the future of the nation, with a vision of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. Since 2003, Singapore has also focused on nurturing a spirit of Innovation and Enterprise (I&E) among students and teachers. â€Å"Teach Less, Learn More† (TLLM) was a call for all educators to teach better, improve the quality of interaction between teachers and students, and equip students with the knowledge, skills and values that prepare them for life [Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2011]. For both public and private schools there are variations in the extent of the autonomy in their curriculum and the scope of government aid and funding. Students in primary school do not pay school fees, while students at secondary and Pre University levels pay subsidized school fees. The Ministry of Education aims to help their students to discover their own talents, to make the best of these talents and realize their full potential, and to develop a passion for learning that lasts through life. They have been moving in recent years towards an education system that is more flexible and diverse. The aim is to provide students with greater choice to meet their different interests and ways of learning. Being able to choose what and how they learn will encourage them to take greater ownership of their learning. They are also giving their students a more broad-based education to ensure their all-round or holistic development, in and out of the classroom. Singapore currently has three autonomous universities, with a fourth slated to open in 2012. They are the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU). The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) will be Singapore’s fourth autonomous university. It is developed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zhejiang University. SUTD’s mission is to advance knowledge and nurture technically grounded leaders and 1. 4 Issues for Indian Higher education: India is being projected as a would-be super-power by the year 2020; at the same time, higher education, which is growing at the rate of 20% per annum worldwide, is being counted as one of the most important ingredients in knowledge-based economies. India therefore faces a big challenge in achieving its goals in this respect. Private initiatives in higher education are not only feasible, but also desirable, if India is to meet the target of 20% of its youth in the age group of 17-23, as against 7. 2% today. The government has not been able to attain the desired level of literacy during the last 65 years. At the time of independence, the literacy level was just 14%; India’s target is a 100% literacy rate by 2020. At present there are 300 million adult illiterates in India and only 60 million out of 170 million children at the primary school level are able to make to secondary education. Out of these 160 million, only 9 million make it to post-secondary education. According to a recent report by Asian brokerage and investment group CLSA, India’s education and training market is valued at $40 billion and is growing rapidly. It is expected to be a $70 billion industry by 2012. Primary education (K-12) makes up about half of the market. However, India continues to face challenges. Despite growing investment in education, 35% of the population is illiterate and only 15% of the students reach high school [Source: India still Asia’s reluctant tiger, by Zareer Masani of BBC Radio 4, 27 February 2008]. As of 2008, India’s post-secondary high schools offer only enough seats for 7% of India’s college-age population, 25% of teaching positions nationwide are vacant, and 57% of college professors lack either a master’s or PhD degree[Source : SPECIAL REPORT: THE EDUCATION RACE, by Newsweek, August 18–25, 2008 issue] 2. 0 Singapore Education System: â€Å"Apart from enjoying a status of famous shopping and tourism destination, Singapore is also emerging as a place for pursuing 117 IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No.1, 2012 innovators serve societal needs. This will be accomplished with a focus on Design, through an integrated multidisciplinary curriculum and multi-disciplinary research. The university is expected to open its doors in April 2012, with its campus constructed by 2015. A graduate medical school, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, was also created through a partnership between Duke University School of Medicine and NUS to increase Singapore’s capacity to develop a vibrant biomedical hub. Specialized institutions have also sprung up, both local and international. For instance, well-known business schools University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and INSEAD, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) provide specialized education in the arts, and the Digipen Institute of Technology focuses on world-class technology education. In addition, polytechnics were also set up to train middle-level professionals and their main aim is to educate and nurture their students to excel in work and in life, and to equip young as well adult learners with skills and knowledge to enhance their employability in the market. A total of five polytechnic schools (Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, and Republic Polytechnic) were established in Singapore to cater to students those who passed the secondary school and those who are interested in learning more technical subjects with hands on training. Most of the diplomas offered are three years duration and their course curriculum is designed to meet the industry needs. Last, but not the least; the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) was established as a post-secondary technical institution of excellence. The basic purpose of the institute is â€Å"To Create Opportunities for School Leavers and Adult Learners to Acquire Skills, Knowledge and Values for Lifelong Learning in a Global Economy† [Mission statement: ITE]. The Institute of Technical Education campuses were reorganized under the â€Å"Collegiate system† into 3 major colleges around the island, ITE College Central, ITE College West, ITE College East. You may also choose to send your children to one of the over 300 private education institutions in Singapore. Private schools offer a large variety of courses, including language and professional programmes. When choosing a private school, do make sure it has proper accreditation. The EduTrust for Education and Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organizations are two hallmarks of quality implemented in Singapore. Under the MOE, The Higher Education Division (HED) oversees the provision of tertiary and technical education in Singapore as well as registration of private schools. It oversees nine statutory boards — five Polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the Science Centre Singapore (SCS), the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and the Council for Private Education. HED also oversees the development of four autonomous universities (the National University of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University, the Singapore Management University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design). (See the table 1. 0 for details) More details can be found in MOE website. 2. 2 The current scene: The proposed vision of Singapore education is to develop a self-sustaining education ecosystem offering a diverse and distinctive mix of quality educational services to the world, thus becoming an engine of economic growth, capability development and talent attraction for Singapore. Education ecosystem refers to a cluster of mutually reinforcing, complementary education institutions which vary in terms of student enrolment numbers, country of origin, cultural environment, nature of activity, academic level, academic discipline/subjects, research interests and price. This network of institutions will raise education standards, create more choice for Singapore students and enrich the overall student experience. Singapore has placed an essential emphasis on education. This can be seen from the fact that education spending forms at least 20% of the budget of Singapore. Primary education has become compulsory for all the citizens of Singapore and if parents fail to enroll their children into school, it is considered a criminal offence. Singapore’s public schools maintain high standards of teaching and learning. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2009/2010, Singapore was ranked 1st internationally for the quality of our educational system. Singapore was also rated as one of the world’s best performing education system, with an excellent teaching force, according to the McKinsey & Company 2007 report How the World’s Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on Top. Enrolment in educational institutions, see table below [Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2011] 2. 1 Pathway of learning in Singapore education system: According to the system, students in Singapore generally undergo six years in primary school and four to five years in secondary school. They can then enroll in post-secondary institutions, pre-university courses, or move on to the polytechnics. Eligible students are subsequently given the opportunity to enroll in the universities. [Source: Ministry of Education, Institute of Technical Education, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic,118 IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012 Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, National Institute of Education, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University and Singapore Institute of Technology. Note: Data for primary, secondary and junior college exclude private schools. 2. 3 Advantages of Singapore higher education: Singapore has several competitive advantages that position it well as a global education hub. These include a strategic geographical location, reputation for educational excellence, a vibrant business hub (which presents opportunities for institutional-industry collaboration), and a safe and cosmopolitan environment. Singapore can capture a larger share of the global educational market (estimated at US$2. 2 trillion), and increase educational services’ contribution to GDP from the existing 1. 9% of the GDP to a projected 3 to 5% in 10 years. [Source: Executive Summary – Developing Singapore’s Education Industry Prepared by the Education Workgroup]. About 120 of the 353 primary and secondary schools in Singapore have some form of exchange programmes which allow students to visit overseas schools. In 2005, the Ministry of Education set up a SGD 4. 5 million School Twinning Fund to facilitate 9,000 primary and secondary school students to participate in these exchange programmes, particularly in ASEAN countries, China and India. [Source: Forss, Pearl (2005-10-13). â€Å"Education Ministry sets up $4. 5m fund to facilitate student exchange programmes†. Channel News Asia]. Singapore Government aims to increase the numbers of foreign students studying in Singapore from the current 97,000 to 150,000 by 2015. Based on current statistics, approximately one-fifth of those applying through UCAS are third-country nationals mainly from mainland China, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore is aggressively moving forward to become an education service provider in the region, the Economic Development Board has also continued to pursue brand-name foreign universities to set up specialized campuses to serve an international market from Singapore. The number of students studying for foreign qualifications in-country – Transnational (TNE) programmes – was 36,700 in 2001. According to latest HESA TNE data for 2009/10 the number of students studying for a UK qualification in Singapore is 42,715 – The majority of these are delivered in partnership with local private institutions. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) done in 2006, cited by MOE in a 2007 survey by the Fraser Institute, Singapore was ranked fourth among 45 education systems. Dr Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, also proudly claimed that educational leaders around the world are flocking to Singapore to copy Singapore’s successful educational model. He said that some North American schools are even using similar textbooks as those used in Singaporean schools. While Singapore is clearly proving to be a popular destination for students from Asia, small numbers of students from Europe, the United States, and Australia are also choosing to study in Singapore. Many international students consider Singapore to be a comfortable introduction to Asia, providing both the chance to get a Western education at a leading institution and become familiar with Chinese language and business practices as well closer to their home country. Moreover, most MNCs have their regional base here and with Singapore positioned as the business and commercial capital of the region, job opportunities for graduating students are aplenty. Given the better job prospects that Asia currently offers as compared to the US and Europe, it is likely that Asian students will continue to pursue their higher studies within the region and more specifically in Singapore. This is a win-win situation for all – the students, Singapore’s education industry and the companies based in the city-state. [September 22, 2009, in Doing Business in Singapore] 2. 4 Issues for Singapore Higher education: Critics of the education system, including some parents, state that the education system is too specialized, rigid, and elitist. Often, these criticisms state that there is little emphasis on creative thinking, unlike education systems in other societies, such as those in the States. Those defending the current education system point out that Singaporean student have regularly ranked top when competing in international science and mathematics competitions and assessments. Detractors believe this is more an indication of students’ skills in using rote to prepare for a certain style of competition or examination than of their ability to think critically. There have also been complaints about excessive educational streaming at a young age. A popular local film, I Not Stupid, highlights the competitiveness of the system and the social stigma that students struggling with studies have to face. The best students are streamed into the best and normal classes, while the others are streamed into the foundation class, where teachers usually allow them to get worse, since they are part of the â€Å"ungifted† class [Source:http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore# Development_and_future_plans]. â€Å"Singapore’s Ethnic Education Problems† The problem is a serious and persistent one. Figures from the Education Ministry show that while Singaporean exam results have increased across the board over the last decade, the stark disparities between the city-state’s main three ethnic groups remain. In 2008, just 59. 3 percent of Malay students achieved 5 passes at O-level, the exams taken by 15 and 16-year-olds, compared to 86. 2 percent of Chinese and 73 percent of Indians. [Source: Written by Ben Bland, Feb 2, 2010 in http://www.asiasentinel. com] 119 IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012 Overview of the Singapore vs. Indian Education System Table 1. 0 Conclusion: I understand that I have different ways of thinking and different mindsets compared with most people. My comments only show my perspective, not an absolute authoritative assessment of the situation. I admit to have a certain level of subjectivity due to my previous involvement in the system and my limited set of experiences. Progression pathway for the students might be different from county to county but what is the key in higher education is who provides better service with high quality education at affordable rate is in high demand worldwide. 120 IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563 Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012 REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Blackwell, Fritz (2004), India: A Global Studies Handbook, United States of America: ABC-CLIO, Inc. , ISBN 1-57607-348-3. Vrat, Prem (2006), â€Å"Indian Institutes of Technology†, Encyclopedia of India (vol.2) edited by Stanley Wolpert, 229231, Thomson Gale: ISBN 0-684-31351-0. Department of Education, Government of India, http://www. education. nic. in/higedu. asp http://www. indiaedu. com/education-india/higher-education. html Annual Report Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India 2006-2007. Draft Report of Working Group on Higher Education for the XI Plan, Planning Commission, Government of India (2007) Selected Educational Statistics 2004-2005 (as on September 2004), Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India (2007) Agarwal, P (2006), Higher education in India: The need for change. New Delhi, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. URL: www. icrier. org/publication/working_papers_180. html. Higher Education in India-Restructuring for increased innovation, Document prepared for the World Bank, June 2006. [10] UGC: Chairman’s Nehru Memorial Lecture, University of Mumbai, Nov. 24, 2006 (available on the Web) [11] UGC Annual Report 2004-05, 2006-2007, 2009-2010 [12] Wikipedia, (2008). [13] Educationworld, [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Content_analysis† The Human Development Magazine, www.educationworldonline. net Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore (www. moe. gov. sg) Singapore Education (2010), Government of Singapore, http://www. singaporeedu. gov. sg Crescent Achievements (2006) Co-Curricular Activities – Singapore found at http://www. crescent. edu. sg/achievements/cca. htm Ministry of Education, (2004) A Broader Picture of School’s Performance in Academic and Non Academic Domains found at http://www. moe. gov. sg/press/2004/pr20040924b. htm Contact Singapore,(2010) http://www. contactsingapore. sg/investors/live/education/ http://www.channelnewsasia. com/stories/singaporelocalnews/vi ew/294891/1/. html. http://www. asiasentinel. com/index. php? option=com_content&ta sk=view&id=2318&Itemid=195 AUTHORS PROFILE NaganathanVenkatesh obtained his Degree and a Master degree in Computer Science from University of Madras, India as well he also holds another Masters Degree in Human Resource Management and presently he is pursing PhD in Computer Science & Engineering from University of Madras, India. As Research Scholar, from NITTTR(National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research.

Hybrid Marketing Channels in the Service Sector

EXCUTIVE SUMMARY Being famous brand in food and beverage manufacturing industry, Universal Robina Corporation Vietnam (URC Vietnam), a subsidiary company directly under International Robina Corporation has got significant success since it started business in Vietnam in 2004. URC Vietnam joins the market with four main product catergories: Snacks, Biscuits, Candies, and Beverages. Considered as a strategic product of URC Vietnam, C2 is now known as one of the leaders in green tea market, a popular name with many Vietnamese people in spite of the fact that when it was launched to market, 0 Degree from Tan Hiep Phat Corporation had already been sold and attracted a large number of consumers. Always, URC strongly aim is to provide its customers with the best products. They build up quality policies on purpose of making everything in line with the company’s mission. Being a part of URC International, URC Vietnam also indicates its ability. Facing with the great competitiveness in beverage market, URC Vietnam has implemented a plenty of suitable measures to overcome their fierce competitors. Assessing Vietnam as greatly profitable market for alcoholic and soft drink commodities, there are more and more investors jumping into this market. It is obvious that C2 has to compete with many strong companies in both sides: indirect and direct opponents. Among them, 0 Degree and Lipton Pure Green are rated as the two big competitors who are fighting with C2 for gaining market share in green tea manufacturing field. Customer element is all the time the focus of any business, including this market. In detail, the Vietnamese have tradition of drinking tea; green tea can remove people from tiredness also; that why C2 are preferred a lot especially in summer. C2’s users are primarily students and officials in urban area; they highly appreciate brand differences. C2 operation is at the growth stage with significant increase in sales figure through the year and is the second leading position in the so attractive healthier green tea segment. C2 can be so successful like that because they have employed an effective 4ps marketing-mix: product (diversified flavors, prestigious supplier and good-looking package), price (4000 VND/ bottle 360ml), placement (urban areas, strong distribution channel), promotion (advertising in various media means) C2 has its own strengths and weaknesses; from that, URC Vietnam can make a positive progress in its performance. Studying opportunities and threats is an essential work that company should do as well, so that they can make appropriate and timely strategies to further develop their business. . INTRODUCTION â€Å"Universal Robina Corporation is committed to bringing Filipino taste and culture worldwide, in line with JG Summit’s vision to make life better, not only for Filipinos, but for the rest of the world† That is what URC claims itself and reality has shown URC’s success. As one of the leaders in Food & Beverages market in Philippines, URC has expanded its busine ss in Singapore, Hongkong, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. URC Vietnam, which started the operation in Vietnam in late 2004, is the newest addition to URC International. URC invested 15 million dollar into Vietnam market, and located company in Vietnam- Singapore industrial zone. Typical products are Funbites, Cream-O, Magic, Dynamite Big Bang, Beverage C2,†¦ that are brand-promoted by Hollywood actor Johny Tri Nguyen, Mat Ngoc Girl Band, and Actress Nha Ky. URC Vietnam is the very first URC subsidiary outside the Philippines to successfully produce and market C2 Green Tea. C2 is now one of the two market leaders in Vietnam bottled green tea field and its manufacturing is being expanded to meet highly demanding market. 2. COMPANY ANALYSIS 2. 1. Mission statement The following statement was announced by international URC CEO: â€Å"Our leading brands offer customers the best in enjoyment, quality, value and convenience†. To attain the mission, URC set up their quality policy. â€Å"The Universal Robina Corporation policy is to make consumers' lives more fun and enjoyable through convenient, quality and value for money branded food products. This will make URC the customer's first choice, a market leader in its major food brands and a key player in the Philippines and the Asian region. † Along with the vision of the parent company, URC Vietnam carried out the same line as international URC. URC Vietnam understands that to achieve the given mission, they have to make continuous improvement and training efforts through cost-effective strategies and fitting means to address the changing demands of the consumers. These efforts focus on the quality and freshness of products initiating from raw materials till they are provided to the customers. They endeavor to predict possible problems, provide preventive measures and correct non-conformities. Moreover, it is strongly emphasized that the quality of each URC product is the responsibility of every URC employee. 2. 2. Company objectives It was an outstanding year for URC Vietnam which saw sales surge from 6 million dollars in fiscal 2007 to 31 million dollar last year on the back of the unprecedented growth of the C2 brand. To date, C2 holds a leading market position in Vietnam (which has URC's first C2 plant outer the Philippines), and is now exported to Malaysia and Indonesia. Although in general international URC is suffering from the serious effects of the world financial crisis, it seems special to URC Vietnam case; C2 still continues to affirm its leading position in Vietnam market. At the present, C2 is mostly consumed in urban areas where the competitiveness is really noticeable. In the coming time, in order to remain the current growth, URC Vietnam should set the priority of providing Vietnamese consumers, both in urban and rural areas, with the high-quality goods and meeting their changing demands. 3. ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS 3. 1. Economic issues [pic] Figure 1: Monthly income per capita e Figure 2: Monthly total consumption expenditure per capita (Source: www. gso. gov. vn) As the result of the ever-increasing average per capital income, the living standards of all social strata continued to be improved. In the whole country, the monthly average expenditures in 2006, by current prices hit 511,000 VND, an increase of 28. 9% compared with 2004. The Vietnamese did not stop in essential products for life only; they had more choices when go shopping. There were great opportunities for companies in various fields of launching their business. As an attractive piece of the pie, beverage firms penetrated potential Vietnam market and gained enormous benefit. The difference in monthly income per capital between urban and rural area would lead to the difference in monthly consumption spending between those two regions. 3. 2. Demographic factors This entry provides the distribution of the population according to the age classification. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). 0-14 years: 25. 6% (male 11,418,642/female 10,598,184) 15-64 years: 68. 6% (male 29,341,216/female 29,777,696) 65 years and over: 5. 8% (male 1,925,609/female 3,055,212 (Source: CIA World Fact book, Dec, 18. 2008) The country with young populations (high percentage under age 15) is a flexible environment. Its residents seem to be easy to accept changes and the new things. Additional, their taste has the own features. Marketers need the information on the population so that they can position which is the target segment for their products. With the type of drink like C2, analyzing age structure is a necessary work URC have to carry out carefully; from that they can make a suitable strategy when doing business in Vietnam – big market with population of 86 million people Natural conditions Three quarters of Vietnam's territory consists of mountains and hills. Vietnam is located in both a tropical and a temperate zone. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences, but has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. These factors help Vietnam to be a place with many advantageous conditions to grow green tea tree; as a results, URC Vietnam is able to acquire a largely available supply of raw material, especially from Thai Nguyen province, the major supplier. Social concerns Drinking tea is Vietnamese’s long-standing cultural custom. It can be said that tea plays an important role in Vietnamese’s life. In modern society, people get acquainted with fast food and gas drinks but green tea is still the preferable drink many people choose. Moreover, due to the recent increasing trend of low-carb drink, people gradually change to take interest with the natural product. Green tea is produced in industrial scale and added more flavors, it becomes the favorite drink not only with the elders but also the young. 4. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS According to Vietnamnet, â€Å"Vietnam’s great thirst for alcoholic and soft drinks flags the local industry’s fizzing potential and the participation of big foreign investors. † Vietnam market becomes more and more attractive for investors from all over the world, especially in the alcoholic and soft drink fields. Therefore, Universal Robina Corporation (URC) with the product of sweeten green tea, C2, has to face with a great deal of fierce competition that not only encompass the competitors with the same product like 0 Degree, Lipton Pure Green, 100 Green Tea, Wonderfarm and other brands, but also involve those from other kinds of drinks such as beer, carbonated drinks, fruit juice, tonic water and milk. 4. 1. Indirect competitors Thanks to the fast economic growth rate and enormous potentiality of soft drink market, many giants of beer, alcohol and soft drinks industry has come o Vietnam such as Denmark’s Carlsberg and Heineken with beer, Pepsi and Coca-Cola with carbonated drinks, La Vie and Aquafina with tonic water†¦Vietnamese brands like Vinamilk, Tribeco, Hanoimilk has also built up a strong reputation. Hence, Vietnamese people can enjoy a very large variety of drinks but this is also the great threat of C2, especially the threat from Pepsi and Coca- Cola which hold 60% of s oft drink’s market share. 4. 2. Direct competitors In recent years, Vietnam soft drink market has been developing eventfully and the segment of green tea has made so obvious advances that any kind of other soft drinks can do. Vu Quoc Tuan, public relations manager at PepsiCo International Viet Nam, said that the bottled green tea market has grown 300 percent in 2007. â€Å"No drink has grown like that,† he added. Although at the moment there are many brands of sweeten green tea on the market, a lot of products are â€Å"dependent†. They just follow all the thing that create success of market leader’s product For this reason, in part of direct competitor analysis, the report only focuses on studying two major competitors with similar products as C2: 0 Degree and Lipton Pure Green. 4. 2. 1. 0 Degree Tan Hiep Phat Group (THP Group) is the first mover in this segment. After observing the lifestyle changes of greater mobility and the need of healthier beverages, they made tea, part of Vietnamese culture, a ready- to- drink in a very convenient PET bottle, which is heatproof and easy to use. THP invested US$20 million in production equipment from Canada to launch the popular 0 Degree brand. In early 2006, 0 Degree green tea bottle were sold on the local market with a large and effective advertising and promotion campaign (TV, newspaper ads, editorials, PR, sponsor†¦) and considerable distribution over the nation thanks to the foundation that Number 1 has built up. From 11/2006 to 11/2007, THP had the growth rate of 190% by this product, which made green tea became an extremely attractive market segment. First mover is the most significant competitive advantages of 0 Degree over C2, which came to the market a little bit later. However, C2 is considered more convenient than 0 Degree because of the bottle capacity. The 0 Degree net content is quite big for one person while the bottle of 360 ml C2 is much more suitable. 4. 2. 2. Lipton Pure Green Just enter the market in August, 2008, Lipton Pure Green expressed that it is one of the fiercest competitors of C2 with the exceedingly strong reputation of 2 giants: Lipton and Pepsi. Lipton Pure Green is made 100% from the best young tea leaves chose by the rule of â€Å"2 leaves and 1 bud† and it has Antioxidants (AOX), the substance that can naturally prevent people from getting old. However, Lipton Pure Green has only 2 flavors in comparison with 4 flavors of C2; moreover, the tastes of Lipton are not as flavorsome as 0 Degree and C2 by many customers. In addition, the price of this green tea is not one of its competitive advantages because its price is above C2 price and little below 0 Degree with inconsiderable difference in bottle capacity. Furthermore, Pepsi and Lipton are strong brand names that are affirmed but the break out of their marketing campaign and their advantage of powerful distribution seems not to work effectively. Many people are not aware of Lipton Pure Green, a green tea product Pepsi Co. after 8 months of launching. Additionally, as 0 Degree, their bottle capacity is not really convenient. According to statistical data, 450 ml bottle is still quite great for one person. [pic] Figure 3: Volume per one drink To see clearly how these three products positioned in the market, let’s look at the positioning map below: Figure 4: Positioning map 5. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS 5. 1. Behavior To identify and analyze market segments, behaviors variables should be the starting point. In this part of the situational analysis, the variables of purchase occasion, benefits sought and loyalty status are selected to illustrate another base of market segmentation, the behavioral. In summer, the demand for soft drink that is tasty and healthy, especially the one that contains substance- hypothermia, like green tea, increases sharply. URC identifies these typical occasions as a major point for market segmentation. C2 products are made from green tea that can help people feel comfortable even in the hottest days of that most unpleasant time in year with four fruit tastes that can make people more cheery. While looking for a nourishing beverage, C2 appeals to the segment of consumers wanting to have a â€Å"Cool & Clean† product that make from green tea, a traditional remedy for good health. C2 can bring â€Å"cool† feelings and â€Å"clean† drink to customers by verified quality and delicious taste. In the case of sweeten green tea market; the differences among brands are not extremely significant. Sometimes, if the store does not have any more bottled green tea of the brand that customer want, he/she will easily convert to another brand that is available in that store. It may clearly illustrate the customers’ loyalty to C2 products. Hence, C2 concentrates on those who are interested in two or three brands or on those whose purchasing decision is favorite one brand but sometimes trying others. . 2. Demographic Bottled green tea is a product that is utilizable for many people even they are young or old, men or women, married or single. Therefore, in demographic segmentation URC Vietnam just groups their product by nationality and occupation. C2 targets to customers in the nation that have the traditional culture of drink green tea, a typical example -Vietnam, to develop a product which actually familiar with the users. The person who acknowledges of how marvelously good green tea is will be more ready to purchase a bottle of C2 than person who does know nothing about it. As indicated by the statistical data of the company, here is the occupation variable of C2: [pic] Figure 4: Occupation variable of C2 As a result, the advertising of C2 focuses on the young who are both students and staffs with colorful and cheerful ads on TV, newspapers and magazines. 5. 3. Geographic Do not have the competitive advantage of strong distribution channel as 0 Degree, C2 practices geographic segmentation by emphasizing on urban areas which enjoy higher living standard, higher income, and higher density of population, and are easier to approach its marketing campaign. . 4. Type of buying decision behavior Customer decision making varies with type of buying process. To determine which decision type of customer that C2 goes for, there are two factors that URC has to consider: involvement and differences between brands. Sweeten green tea belongs to the product category that has low customer involvement but significant perceived brand differences, variety- seeking buying be havior. Customers often do a lot of brand switching. When they buy a bottle of green tea, they choose a brand without much evaluation, and then evaluate it during consumption. The next time when they buy this kind of product again they will pick another brand in order to look for something different. To become the market leader, C2 should have the marketing strategy that differentiates it from other brands and try to promote habitual buying behavior by dominating shelf space, keeping shelves fully stocked and running frequent reminder advertisings. 6. BRAND ANALYSIS 1. Brand’s current performance 6. 1. 1. Portfolio analysis – BCG matrix BCG matrix, also known as relative growth and market share matrix, was built at the end of the 1960s by Boston Consulting Group, an American trategy consulting company. The real purpose of this matrix is to evaluate the company’s ability to make profit by analyzing its portfolio and put them in four components of the matrix (star, question mark, dog and cash cow) as following graphs: [pic] Based on the studying of the products’ growth rate and market share, the companies are able to establish and develop timely strategies. In C2’s case, they are now placed at Star level with a high market share and rapid growing in the sweeten green tea market. Specifically, in 2007, this ready – to- drink green tea’s growth rate was about 7% equivalently to total sales revenue of 6 million dollars and increased considerably 17%, which brings the company with 31 million dollar revenues in 2008. C2 is currently ranked the second who performs well in the so attractive healthier beverage market- the green tea segment. 6. 1. 2. Product life cycle After taking the Philippines by storm, URC started launching C2 green tea with various flavors in Vietnam in 2007. The company has reached a significant achievement up to now, and become one of the most popular ready-to-drink green tea beverages for sale in that country. Their sales grew slowly as the products were firstly brought into the market, however. At that time, because of the so strong influence of 0 degree brand and also of the company’s weak distribution channel, customers did not pay much attention to and highly assess C2 products. Only when URC Vietnam made some major changes in its promotion and distribution channel, the company experienced a so impressive sales figure, three million bottles sold out in six months. From that time on, C2 operation is positioning at the growth stage with rapid increase in sales through the years. In detail, according to the overview report of TNS Vietnam Consumer Trends Q4/08, that C2 products stood at the sixth position in the 10 fastest growing brands preferred by Vietnamese consumers in 2007, while they kept on doing business successfully in 2008 with the forth position in that selection. Moreover, it is obvious to see that C2 will continue holding higher market share, especially in this coming 2009 summer. . 2. 4Ps- Marketing mix Revenue from C2 products accounted for around one- half of total URC Vietnam‘s profit in 2008. One of the major factors contributing to the company such an incredible success is thanks to marketing strategy based on 4Ps. 6. 2. 1. Product URC Vietnam offer diversified tastes of healthier beverage under C2 brand name. That C2 drink can be divided into four main flavors: lemon, peach, apple and forest fruits green tea among them t he first one is the most preferable to customers. Thai Nguyen tea, a very well-known and favorite Vietnamese brand, is chosen to be the major material utilized to produce such fresh green tea bottles. In addition, each C2 product is packaged in PET type which brings in a number of benefits for the customers. For instance, it has ability to keep the original taste of the natural green tea without any preservatives and artificial color. Furthermore, producers can economically take full advantages of the space in tea bottle’s package for their products’ advertising. Until now, there have been two styles of C2 tea launched on the market, the 360ml and the 1000ml bottles, which will make the users even more convenient. 6. 2. 2. Price According to URC’s research report about customers’ response (posted below), nearly two-third of those who were conveyed agreed that the reasonable price for each 500ml green tea bottle should range from 5,500 to 6,500 VND. Seeing that important factor, the company has established reasonable price using market-penetration pricing corresponding to customers expectation. It is suggested that producers can set a low initial price to penetrate the market quickly and deeply in order to attract a larger number of buyers in short time (Philip Kotler, Principle of Marketing, page 355). Typically, each 360 ml C2 green tea product costs customers from 3,500 to 4,500VND, which is approximately 5,700VND for one 500 ml bottle. In comparison with 6,000 and 7,000 VND for Pure Green tea 450 ml and 0 degree 500 ml, respectively, URC’s products are more favorable, which creates a competitive advantage over their competitors. [pic] Figure 5: Consumers’ opinion of price 6. 2. 3. Placement When first launching in Vietnam, URC did not pay adequate attention to develop or expand its distribution channel, which leaded to an unexpectedly low sale. To deal with that problem, the company has strived so much with the aim at building a strong distribution system. The most important change the company made to improve this ineffective system was to influence on marketing push. They persuaded the retailers or outlets to purchase products by providing so attractive promotion as well as added supports. For instances, URC Vietnam would offer 10 to 15 % discount if those outlets accepted to display C2 products on their shops. Moreover, the company allowed a number of professional sales person and marketing staffs to work with those stores to support and supervise these areas whenever necessary. Thanks to such hard effort, till the present C2 products have been allocated widely in almost all of supermarkets, convenience stores, discount stores, retailers, distribution outlets and so on. In detail, URC Vietnam sells nearly a half of C2 volume through big supermarkets such as Citimart, Big C, Co. pMart, MaxiMart, Vinatex and the like. However, that ready- to- drink tea products has just allocated mostly on cities and urban areas. At the moment, when the summer is gradually coming, URC must take actions to establish a stronger distribution system to make their products more available on the market in order to satisfy a very high demand of Vietnamese customers. 6. 2. 4. Promotion Apart fr om placement, unlike the case of THP Corporation which has spent a huge amount of money on advertising, URC just save their capital invest on other fields rather than such costly activities. For instance, after failing to transfer message to consumers in the first two trials in Vietnam, the company decided to redeem themselves with new advertising to revitalize C2. They created new TVC – Television Commercial, with the participant of Johnny Tri Nguyen, a very cool, good looking, a wushu expert and stunt man, which later was voted among the top 10 â€Å" Most favorite TVCs† by Vietnamese televiewers. Those activities just costed only a half in comparison with the promotion campaign beforehand. That successful results obviously illustrate that â€Å"good advertisings need not be expensive—it must be creative and effective† as URC consultant, Willy Arcilla said. At the moment, not only to be advertised on TV but C2 products also are promoted on newspaper and internet; for example, gia dinh & tiep thi, www. kienthucngaynay. vn. , etc. 7. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT, the analysis refers to the strategic method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of each company. It is considered to be a crucial tool for auditing the overall strategic position of a business and its environment. SWOT of C2 bottled green tea are summarized as below. 7. 1. Strengths C2’s positive outcomes have been in part due to a number of factors. First of all, one important key contributing to such high sales revenue of the company is because of reliable tea supply. As mentioned in the marketing mix- 4Ps, strong point-of-difference- C2 brews tea leaves grown in the northern highlands of â€Å"Thai Nguyen,† renowned as the source of the best tea in Vietnam. Furthermore, each C2 bottle encompasses the natural flavor extracted from green tea (23%) and also citric acid, an essential element which helps people lose weight effectively. Likewise, C2 products are perfectly brewed and bottled at the same day, still keep totally clean and fresh tea taste. This benefit makes the tea users feel safer and firmly reliable when consuming the product. An additional feature that builds C2 brand popularity is its competitively-lower price in comparison with other brands in the same market. Before making final purchasing decision, people often carefully take price into consideration besides some important criteria such as products’ quality, brand, benefit and features. By impressively influencing on that consumer’s psychology, C2 has got the initial success in catching the attention of potential customers. 7. 2. Weaknesses Although URC Vietnam has made many acquisitions with a large number of retailers or distribution outlets, these stores are located mainly in cities or municipal areas such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong, Da Nang and so on. Whereas, in the local or rural regions, the volume of C2 consumed seems to be much lower than that of 100 tea or 0 degree green tea. Thus, C2 should invest more money on their distribution channel, not only tighten current contracts but also expand new relationships with new local stores. The company can offer retail shops benefits with high premium or build its own retailers initiatively throughout the country. This action will has positive effects on making condition for the company to approach their potential customers more. By narrowing down the potential customers segment on its initial advertising is thought to be one more weakness that URC Vietnam should pay attention to. Specifically, the advertising with the attendance of Johnny Tri Nguyen persuaded consumers who habitually prefer carbonated beverage to convert to green tea products. That message implicated that C2 itself restricted the targeted clients to those who usually consume soft drink. Instead, the company could orient its products to the mineral or pure bottled water and the other beverage market rather than carbonated drink. For that reason, URC Vietnam had better make some new meaningful advertising to draw the attention of higher level of customers. . 3. Opportunities The recent scientific research of England Hospital of Pediatrics has marked out 10 most significant advantages of using tea on people health, among which the best five benefits are utilized to produce new sweeten green tea bottles such as antipyretic ability, decrease in death due to heart diseases (from 28 to 44%) and prevention of being old as well as cancer possibility. Seeing so many advantages of using green tea, Vietn amese people tend to choose tea as their daily preferable product. Through conveying heir opinions, producers have developed and launched new products to meet their essential need (The result is posted as the table below). Most of people believe that employing green tea products will help them have antipyretic ability, reduce the possibility of cancer and purify the body. This rapid change in Customer Behavior creates a valuable chance for the company to keep on producing ready- to- drink tea. [pic] Figure 6: Tea’s Effects In addition, the summer, hottest period in the year, is upcoming. Consequently, people’ drinking demand will increase dramatically the following time. Catching this thirsty need, beverage manufacture should prepare very strong marketing plans (may be in terms of marketing mix) to further satisfy their customers. Particularly, up to now, green tea drink has a quite strong position in customers’ drink options. As a result, C2 should make use of this valuable opportunity to widespread or quickly expand its market in this period. At the end of 2008, there was a quite serious recession occurred in Vietnam economy which affected negatively on Vietnamese lives and reduced their consumption need. However, the quantity demanded for foods and beverage was slow down much less heavily than other sectors, less than 25% (according to the report of TNS). This means that demand for foods and the like can not be replaced in human being life. Hence, it also generates big chances for any company in that industry, including C2. [pic] Figure 7: Consumers’ reaction in the recession Last but not least, C2 products are currently utilized to be the promotion of a number of companies to offer to their customers. For example, whenever customers buy one product of Mobil1 Racing, they will be given one cold C2 bottled green tea. This indirect promotion makes a good condition for URC Vietnam to increasingly raise its sale figures. 7. 4. Threats There are many external forces that have a direct impact on the company’s performance. Currently, C2 has to face up with a very fierce competition in the beverage market, which composes of both carbonated and healthier drinks (indirect and direct competitors). In the same market, there exist many powerful competitors such as 0 degree, Pure Green and 100 in which 0 degree of THP is occupying the largest market share now. Although C2 has been positioned quite strongly in Vietnamese consumers’ drink option, that THP’s product has the advantages of being the first mover in the sweeten green tea segment. Lately, THP has introduced new product, Dr. Thanh herbal tea, which has been consumed with a very fast sales since the first days launching. Hence, it is considered to be one of the biggest competitors in that market. Besides, among a lot of indirect competitors, Coca Cola and Pepsi, the heaviest and strongest ones that account for 60% beverage field in Vietnam, also take a lot of C2’s concerning. . CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS In all, according to the findings above, it can be said that C2 continues maintaining its high position in Vietnam bottled green tea market with outstanding attainment while it also has to share this market with other strong competitors like 0 degree or Lipton Pure Green. Holding a number of internal strengths greatly contributes to C2 such an incredible suc cess whose outstanding example is its appropriate marketing strategies- market penetration pricing. However, URC Vietnam should make some changes in order for a stronger distribution system. They can build up new relationship with the local outlets rapidly by employing marketing push and pull also. In addition, good news from outside has created a lot of valuable chances to boost C2’s development. Especially, URC Vietnam can make the best use of the approaching of special occasion – the summer time to expand its market share as well as consumer’s brand awareness. Nevertheless, the recent appearance of Dr Thanh, a new comer in the healthier beverage market, creates a fiercer competition in that so attractive segment. Therefore, C2 needs to establish better preparation to get a win in that competitive battle. From the study above, some suggestions for improving C2’s performance are introduced. To begin with, advertising is always a very useful way to inform publicly and fully the information about the products and their services. In spite of the fact that C2 has made several qualified advertising, the televiewers are somehow not really pleased with those advertisings’ message. Then, it is proposed that URC Vietnam should concentrate on improving their advertising‘s quality; for example more meaningful ones which transfer expected information to the customers. To compete with the enlarger development of Dr Thanh, the company had better invest money on Research and Development department so that they can produce further diversification in flavor such as strawberry or mix ones. Available on market at the moment there are mainly four tastes among which only the lemon green tea are being consumed with rapid sales. With the variety of healthier drinks sold on the market, the consumers may be confused of which products should be used; for that reason, the company needs to provide differentiated products to gain the competitive advantage over their competitors. 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Philip Kotler, Steward Adam, Linden Brown and Gary Armstrong (2002), Chapter 10: Pricing considerations and approaches, Pearson- Prentice Hall, p. p 355,356. ———————– Extreme convenience Bad promotion campaign Good promotion campaign Extreme inconvenience C2 0 Degree Lipton Pure Green