Corporate Antipolitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Antipolitics - Essay Example The advocacy of neoliberal principles may be defined as â€Å"economic Liberty†. Economic liberty has the influence of reducing government spending and enjoying free trade influences (Sawyer, 2004). The influences of such advances of communities ensure that the private sector has as stake in the management of resources. The influx of such a company’s influences cultures of communities. The other influences of such companies on various parts of the globe include improvement of welfare, provision of amenities and on economic conditions. On the other side, there have been an increased number of conflicts between groups and the government with such developments. To put into perspective, an example of such conflict is the current Nigeria oil wars. Ecuador is among the largest supplier of oil to the western side of the United States of America. With the increase of companies’ exploration of oil in the region, there has been an increased activism. Swayer in her examination of the influence of US oil companies in the nation brings diverse perspectives. The author points out that there since the rise of the movement against oil companies there has been three influences. The influence to the conflict on oil brings forth three players. These aspects are the Ecuadorian neoliberal policies, influences of the state and movements (Sawyer, 2004). The region on discussion faces various challenges. The Indigenous people of Ecuador have long struggled to control oil and land resources. This has led to the glamour for rights of the people. However, through neoliberal policies the government and the oil companies dictate norms. This has led to debates and demonstration. Through movements such as the OPIP that was prevalent during the 1990s, the author provides diverse perspective on politics of the land. The aspect of the struggle by such movements is the creation of Autonomy (Sawyer, 2004). The

Pro Choice IS Pro Life Essay Example for Free

Pro Choice IS Pro Life Essay No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg. Frederica Mathewes-Green In a perfect world, every pregnancy would be considered an utmost blessing. In a perfect world, every birth would involve a healthy, beautiful baby-born to absurdly giddy, loving parents- with the promise of basic needs met and creature comforts strived for. In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as an unwanted pregnancy or the hell of having to make the decision whether or not to terminate. Although the opposing sides will likely never be in agreement on the morality of abortion, both sides can surely agree that the world isn’t perfect and that, consequently, not every pregnancy can be cause for joy and happiness. Regardless of where our moral compass points on the issue of abortion, the fact remains that an estimated 40-50 million abortions take place worldwide each year and nearly half of them are illegal, unsafe procedures that result in severe disability and even death. Accordingly, in 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled 7–2 that a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution extended to a womans decision to have an abortion. Some pro-life proponents bitterly objected to the landmark decision, known as Roe v Wade, as if they felt the ruling had â€Å"invented abortion† or somehow created the problem altogether. The unavoidable reality, however, is that the world is imperfect and so abortion happens. Chinese folklore from 500 BCE suggests the ingestion of mercury to induce abortion. It happened in 1550 BCE in ancient Egypt. Hippocrates is noted for having prescribed â€Å"jumping up and down† to his female patients suffering unwanted pregnancy! It happened in ancient Greece in 421 BC. It happened in the Bible in the book of Numbers. Even Plato proclaimed it the right of women to seek early terminations of pregnancies in Theaetetus, circa 360 BCE. Abortion will always happen, as it always HAS happened, and no amount of legislature or religious browbeating will ever change that fact. To be fair, most people who oppose abortion are well intentioned, pious individuals with a reasonable, valid, argument for favoring ‘pro-life’. They feel that abortion is the equivalent of murder; life begins at conception. Their religious faith compels them to believe that a fertilized embryo is a human being and, therefore, entitled to the right to live. This argument, however, is based on an mere assumption rather than factual evidence. Joyce Arthur, a contributing writer for The Pro-Choice Action Network, suggests that the belief that a fetus is a living human being with a right to live is simply irrelevant because â€Å"biology, medicine, law, philosophy, and theology have no consensus on the issue, and neither does society as a whole.† Admittedly, the thought of so many countless aborted fetuses, unborn and unnamed and unloved, is unsettling to even the strongest supporter of a woman’s right to choose. Even so, the pro-choice advocates don’t just see a fetus; they see the whole complicated, imperfect, often sad world where we can’t solve everything. We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus and start worrying about children. Joycelyn Elders Pro-choice advocates, in scenarios where abortion isn’t an option, see only neglected and abused children who are born to parents who didn’t want them in the first place. They see children who are hungry because their parents are unable to provide for them. They see children who will never know healthy love or feel any real and lasting sense of security. Ultimately, they see children who will be born against their mothers’ will, fully aware that they aren’t valued by the ones who should value them most, and will do little more with their own troubled lives than perpetuate the vicious cycle of a bent and broken society. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, in December 2003, backs this assertion: â€Å"We offer evidence that legalized abortion has contributed signiÂŽcantly to recent crime reductions. Crime began to fall roughly eighteen years after [Roe v Wade] abortion legalization.† The report concludes its study findings with this rather scathing, but factually based statement: â€Å"Roughly half of the crimes committed in the United States are done by individuals born prior to the legalization of abortion. As these older cohorts age out of criminality and are replaced by younger offenders born after abortion became legal, we would predict that crime rates will continue to fall.† â€Å"Were pro-choice because we know that our faith cannot answer the question of when a fetus becomes a person. We also know that the whole question of fetal personhood is a disingenuous, often malicious, attempt to distract us from the real issue-which is that the woman is a person. She is a person endowed by God, the U.S. Constitution, and common sense decency with rights responsibilities that she must exercise to the best of her ability, using her own best judgment.† -The Reverend Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale Supporters of pro choice see the woman facing an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy in a more compassionate light than do pro life advocates. Those in favor of a woman’s right to choose have the open mindedness needed to recognize the unique and varied circumstances that lead a woman to opt for an abortion. They see rape victims who, after having had control of their bodies taken once, shouldn’t be expected to incubate, give birth to, financially and emotionally support, and somehow manage to love a constant reminder of violence and fear and sexual assault. They see victims of incest who, in reality, are only children themselves. They see loving parents who HAD planned a pregnancy, only to be given heart wrenching news: the baby will suffer extreme birth defects and have no quality of life. They see the straight-A student with a hard earned college scholarship who finds out that she’s pregnant the day before her high school graduation. They see desperate women who fear the judgment of their overly religious families. These are the women who, without access to a safe one, will attempt to perform abortions on themselves or seek the service of an untrained hand, using unsafe procedures, in a non-sterile environment; often with tragic results. According to the World Health Organization in Oct. 2006, back-alley abortions cause 68,000 maternal deaths each year in the 33 countries where abortion is not legal or available†. Understand [that] unwanted pregnancy does not always translate into unwanted births, but the developmental research of children unwanted during pregnancy does suggest that when women say they cannot adequately care for a child, it is of the utmost importance that we listen! -Rachel Needle, PsyD To be pro-choice is to truly care about others and to support a woman’s right not to give birth to a child she feels unable to care for. Despite the Pro Life claim that abortion is â€Å"taking the easy way out†, those in favor of choice realize that an imperfect world sometimes finds a woman in an impossible, desperately terrifying situation. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is far from the ‘easy way out’ and, in many cases, may be the only course of action viable to the mother. The decision not to sentence a child to a life of poverty or sickness or oppression is humane if it is nothing else. Ultimately, being pro choice means working towards a world where abortion is legal and safe and rare. Being pro choice means supporting the right of every woman to decide what’s best for her own future, to act in the best interests of her own physical and emotional wellbeing, and to try her best to do whats right for herself and the family involved. To be PRO-CHOICE is to be, quite literally, PRO (happy, healthy, beautiful) LIFE for everyone. The hope and the promise of such a life, however, can be made possible only through loving-kindness, genuine compassion, and- above all else- the freedom of choice. AbouZahr, Carla. British Medical Bulletin. Oxford Journals. British Medical Bulletin, Dec. 2003. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Arthur, Joyce. Personhood: Is a Fetus a Human Being? THE PRO-CHOICE ACTION NETWORK. The Pro Choice Action Network, Aug. 2001. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Civil Rights. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. . Donahue, John J., III, and Steven D. Levitt. THE IMPACT OF LEGALIZED ABORTION ON CRIME*. Rep. no. Quarterly Report. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2001. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Russi, Nancy F., PhD. When Pregnancies Are Unwanted. Prochoiceforum.org.uk. Board of Social Ethical Responsibility for Psychology of the American Psychological Association, 05 Mar. 2002. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Sankin, Aaron. Abortion Poverty Study Finds Link Between Lack Of Access And Income. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Smith, Sharon. Abortion Is Every Womans Right. Abortion Is Every Womans Right. N.p., 23 Apr. 2004. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

Disneyland Strategic Marketing Analysis

Disneyland Strategic Marketing Analysis This report present the comprehensive back ground of the company and also I tried my level best to cover all the relevant aspects in accordance to the assignment that I have given. Moreover four major areas are considered in this report which is motivation, problem statements, approaches, and results/conclusion. In the interest of the reader, I believe that the reader will understand the background to organizational strategic marketing, issues relating to strategic marketing in an organization. And also reader will be able to understand the processes involved in making the strategic marketing plan. Most importantly it will make reader understand that how to plan and make a link between strategic marketing and corporate strategy of an organization. The report is based on following pattern. First of all it will discuss clear view and comprehensive concept of strategy marketing and then models of strategic marketing. Moreover this report is related to these models of the Walt Disneyland resort. And also assesses the value of using strategic marketing tactics in an organization. Conclusion of this report would be based upon the theories of marketing management, while keeping the main concept of the subject in order to understand and get on well. I have tried my level best to state the results in general, potential, or specific manner to a particular case, therefore I have managed to achieve ultimate understanding of the particular theory (strategic marketing) and I am quite confident that I have achieved my final objective to understand and impalement similar theory in future for further understanding and more benefit. Introduction: A creator and moderniser and the owner of one of the most productive thoughts the world has ever known, Walt Disney, beside with members of his staff, expected more than 950 decencies and documents from every nation in the world, counting 48 Academy Awards and seven Emmis in his lifetime. Walt Disneys individual honours comprised nominal degrees from Harvard, Yale, the University of Southern California, and UCLA; the Executive Medal of Freedom; Frances Legion of Honour and Officer dAcademie streamers; Thailands Order of the Crown; Brazils Order of the Southern Cross; Mexicos Order of the Aztec Eagle; and the Showman of the World Award from the National Association of Theatre Owners Mickey Mouse was shaped in 1928, and his aptitudes were first used in a silent cartoon permitted Plane Crazy. Before the cartoon could be free, however, sound eruption upon the motion picture screen. Thus Mickey made his screen entrance in Steamboat Willie, the worlds first fully coordinated sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York on November 18,1928 Walts drive to faultless the art of cartoon was tireless. Technicolor was presented to cartoon during the manufacture of his Silly Symphonies. In 1932, the film Flowers and Trees won Walt the first of his 32 individual Academy Awards. In 1937, he free The Old Mill, the first short subject to utilize the multilane camera method Thus, Disney absorbed the buying of 43 square miles of virgin land twice the size of Manhattan Island in the middle of the state of Florida. Here he master-planned entire Disney world of entertaining to include a new enjoyment theme park, a motel-hotel resort vacation centre, and his Untried Sample Community of Tomorrow. After more than seven years of master planning and training, including 52 months of actual building, Walt Disney World opened to the public as arranged on October 1, 1971. Epcot Centre opened on October 1, 1982 1* http://www.fragrancex.com/products/_bid_Disney-am-cid_perfume-am-lid_D__brand_history.html TASK 1: L.O- 1.1: The role of strategic marketing could be defined as in todays complex business environment is the ability of a business to attain cost-effective sales is impacted by dozens of conservational factors, many of which are consistent. It makes logic to try to bring some order to this turmoil by understanding the marketable environment and carrying some strategic logic to the process of marketing products and services. A strategic marketing is valuable to every business. So thats why its role is very important for organization while keeping following attribute in order to achieve long term objectives. Classify sources of economic advantage Achievement guarantee to a strategy Get incomes needed to finance in and shape the business Notify investors in the business Established objects and plans Degree of performance L.O- 1.2 Well the process involved in making the strategic marketing plan is to focus on sales means focus on individual customers rather than market segments or market classes. However market segmentation is very important to analyse the customer needs and demands but after analysing market segments, customer Interests Company has to create strategic marketing plan. Strategic marketing process involves, Market ResearchMarketing strategies Product research and development Production Communication Sales Refereeing to the case study Disneyland mainly focuses on following marketing strategies. Sell extra to current customers Growth of marketplace Constant promotion Always expand and add to your contributions Chasing business Sell extra to current customers strategy means when customers enter into the attraction there are always marketing announcement whether you are on trains, boats, trams and etc. these recording informs customers that how they can stay longer, upgrade their ticket to make most out of it while paying less. While in the parks customers can always get to know what coming up in regards to the vacations so that they can visit next time and get more benefits. Growth of marketplace strategy means development of more Disney lands in other countrys for those who cannot travel to USA. It has increased their marketplace and expending their brand worldwide by building these country specific theme parks. Constant promotion strategy is that they do not stop and start and then stop again their marketing strategies, they have their fixed budget provided every year to marketing department in order to keep their marketing promotion going on. Always expand and add to your contributions strategy is they always add up new attraction to their exciting places. They always updated their old dated rides so that if customers visit next time they can experience different this time which makes them to visit next time. Thats again focus on customer retention strategy that how to keep regular customers coming. Chasseing business strategy means they always take in to the account the slow time of the year and the fast time of the year. They do not stop promoting business in slow time of the year just because its slow, but they always try and improve their business and attraction in order to make their slow time of the business busier. Thats why people like to visit any time of the year. L.O- 1.3 Well to evaluate the link between strategic marketing and corporate strategies I would like to explain the difference between these two and after you will find the links between these strategies of Walt Disney Company. Strategic Marketing: It is directly any strategically concerned with the long term activities and direction and scope performed by an organization to gain competitive advantage. While meeting stakeholders expectations the organization applies its resources within a changing environment to satisfy customer needs and demands. Corporate strategy: This could be defined as method to the future that involves inspection of the current and expected factors related with customers and competitors and the firm it, visualization a new or real role for the firm in a original way and supporting policies, performs, and resources to understand that dream. Link between strategic marketing and corporate strategy of WALT Well the corporate strategy and marketing strategies are directly related to each other because Disneys indoor marketing strategies are considered as their corporate strategies. Corporate strategies help them to analyse where and when to open their other branch. Corporate strategies gives them direction with objective of achieving long term goals recently their approaches have focused on the need for companies to adjust to and expect changes in the business situation. Their corporate strategy involves organization the purpose and scope of the organizations activities and the nature of their business. Through SWOT analysis they link their corporate strategies to the marketing strategies and then analyze them and then execute them accordingly. TASK -2: L.O- 2.1 The Strategic Marketing Planning Process MISSION OBJECTIVE MARKET AUDIT SWOT ANALYSIS STRATEGY FORMULATION IMPLEMENTATION CONTROL BUDGET Figure 1.2 http://www.netmba.com/strategy/process/ Figure 1.3 by Macdonald (1995) The model above explain the process involve in strategic planning of an organization, now on the basis of the model above I will assess the value. According to the (SUSAN L. LAURE) this is goal based process which allows organization to focus on its mission and vision to achieve goals. This model does help organization to move forward and it is great practice to build a team because it offers the opportunities to let everyone in the company know that their thoughts and opinions are being considered. It lets everyone know that they belong to the organization. More over one can achieve more valuable results from a decisive approach is contract on how to make the most of the organizations capital and the in deepness perceptive of the factor that involve those resources should conditions and situation change. This model helps the organization to help to see the size of the organization in term of human resources which of course influence the main plan. It also helps organization to physical goals that they are seeking to reach. More over it provides a plan structure which makes sure constancy across distribution and each separation covers all the key aspect of the development process. It also makes directors to understand the situation clearly because it provides a large number of data. Also improve marketing skills within the company. It also increases the value to companys data base and marketing investment. The implementation of marketing planning model gives an introduction to organization to implement the strategic planning process within an organization. The management is also dependent on the high quality process consultancy and training as well as sport tools. Experience has shown that the proper planning of marketing model makes an organization to achieve its objective. L.O- 2.2 Link between strategic positioning of Disneyland Resort and marketing tactics mentioned above in the strategic marketing plan. Strategic Positioning strategic marketing plan Well there is very close link between strategic positioning and strategic marketing of Disneyland because both focus on continues growth of an organization. As far as strategic positioning is concern they conduct research to determine what the needs in order to promote are and position company where they want to. To make strategic marketing plans for organization they consider much aspect on which they can produce exactly according to needs and demands of the customers. As discussed above that marketing provides them clear room to understand the long term objective and standing of an organization. Thats how they keep on changing their strategies no matter what time of the year are they in, or no matter customers want this or not. Disney land strategic positioning provides different following questions to them, What are their strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? How customer takes our product? Who are the target customers? What is the image? Competitive edge? Communication to the right people? Are we able to target our product to other market? These are the question they see while undergoing the positioning for them self, if we commonly see the marketing aspect in those questions we can clearly see the link between these two terms because strategic marketing planning provides them the same kind of information in order to make their marketing plan well working. Marketing plane gives them the signs to achieve the ultimate goals while positioning based on marketing plane can point out where they exactly stands. So marketing is the key element for them to make their position where they could differentiate their product from others, because they believe to be providing the best quality products to their customers as no one does in that capability. Hence the link between these two is very common and regular infect both are dependent on each other in order to get ultimate goals. Beyond HR: the new science of human capital by john W. Boudreau, peter M. Ramstad L.O- 2.3 Related Links: Relationship Marketing | CRM | Ladder of Customer Loyalty | Benefits of Relationship Marketing | Fishbone Analysis Well as discussed above that Disney is more concern that how to retain their oncoming customers that why their current marketing strategies are based on relationship marketing which can provides them help to achieve long term objective which is to open new Disneys in other countries. Relationship marketing could provide them ultimate objective because retaining consumers for long term offers many benefits. This is also aim for the company to obtain life time custom. Some of the merits of relationship marketing include: Loyal customers will recommend your business to others, thus expanding your business for you. Faithful customers are keen to try some of their new products, because they trust them. Trust worthy consumers will advocate their business to others, thus expanding their business for customers. Customers will be keen to pay more for their services/products if there is adjustment in pricing because they are loyal to company and trust their services/products. Loyal customers will tell them about problems with their goods/services enable to get better your products/services. The final benefit will be boost sales, market share and authority. http://www.learnmarketing.net/benefitsofrelationshipsmarketing.htm Hence keeping all points mentioned above are the clear picture that how relationship marketing could help them to contact with their current customers in order to increase their new customers. Because its always about words of mouth old customer experience and will let their known people know about the experience they had which is the key point to increase the limit. If they found their product and service best they will for sure let others know and then others will buy their products. As mentioned that they increase their marketing campaign by giving their customers the best product and services. They constantly changed their marketing planning in which they have given different kind of gift vouchers to their customers so that they can come next time and avail that which actually make they to come back and use those vouchers. Conclusion: In the end we can conclude this report by mentioning that Disney land has broad and wide network and has the best team force in order to make decision and implement them as a betterment of an organization. Moreover corporate strategies and marketing strategies play vital role for an organization to obtain long term objective, Disneys corporate and marketing strategies are well managed to get their goals completed in given time. As we have discussed lot about their marketing strategies and corporate strategies I think their

Civil War Poetry Essay -- Pablo Neruda Poets Literature Essays

Civil War Poetry The American Civil War and the Spanish Civil War were primarily wars of principle. The conflicts represented a critical point for each respective nation, a time of either death or continuation for the countries. Both Whitman and Neruda exibit a key shared element in the poets' works of the concept of a cosmic rebirth illustrated in their poetry through a celebration of the perpetual cycle of life and death fostering optimism. This mutual philosophy is manifested in Neruda and Whitman's poetry in several interesting ways. One of the most striking biographical parallels between the two poets originates from their direct involvement in civil war. Whitman served as a nurse in war hospitals during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and his poem Drum Taps, published just after the war ended, chronicles his war experience and serves as a record of the conflict. Nearly seventy years later, Pablo Neruda found himself entangled in a different intra-national conflict, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Neruda served as Chilean consul to Spain in the Republican capital city of Madrid during its bombardment by Federalist forces and later rallied for the Republican cause after being removed from his position. Neruda's poem Spain in the Heart: Hymn to the Glories of the People at War, published as the war still raged in 1937, follows in the tradition of Whitman's Drum Taps, offering an intimate eye witness account of civil war. Through the volumes of Drum Taps and Spain in the Heart, Whitman and Neruda offer poetic responses to their profound experiences during civil war, depicting the potential rebirth of society out of the destruction of war through the victory of democracy. Within thes... ...ope emerging from their tragic but crucial deaths. Neruda represented Whitman's men so intimately tied to the land in the metaphor for renewal out of destruction. The poets in "Eighteen Sixty-One" and "Arrival in Madrid of the International Brigade" assume the role of the voice and interpretive validator of the men using the image of the gathering troops as a vehicle for validating the cause of the conflicts while lamenting the heroic loss of such good men. By intimately connecting with the soldiers through solidarity, the recognition of their sacrifice assumes a more profound significance. The portrait of the soldiers presents these men as heroes who will be able to bring order out of the chaos. The philosophy of cosmic rebirth that Neruda and Whitman share unites the work of the men as it is expressed through their common experience of civil war.

Adidas

The company Is the Indian subsidiary of Dallas Group. Although Rebook Is also owned by ideas Group, ideas India Marketing only markets and distributes ideas products in India. 0 The company's core business is mainly footwear. Nonetheless, the company also has presence in clothing products such as men's and women's tops, hosiery and non-apparel products, such as sports equipment. D In India, the ideas and Rebook brands are handled by two different companies. Dallas India Marketing (ideas India) handles only the ideas brand in India, and that includes aids sportswear, casual wear as well as non-apparel products. 0 The company has a national presence and is present in all major cities as well as many smaller towns. C] The company distributes Its products both through Its Ebbs (exclusive brand outlets) as well as through independent footwear retailers across the country. ideas (I-J) Ltd Background Dallas Group was founded In 1948 In Germany, and Dallas (K) Ltd Is a subsidiary of ideas GA G.O In 1995 ideas went public and became available for stock market trading on the Frankfurt and Paris Stock Exchanges. Olin 2006 ideas acquired a ajar sportswear competitor, Rebook, which greatly increased its share. The company benefited from this acquisition by Increasing Its brand Identity and offering a wider range of products to both consumers and athletes. D In November 2011 ideas discussed acquiring Five Ten, a leading brand in outdoor and action sports apparel.The acquisition was later approved, and it purchased Five Ten for US$25 million, as the company plans on Increasing Its presence within outdoor clothing D In 2012 Dallas owned three sportswear brands, Dallas, Rebook and Tailored, with the latter leading in golf apparel and golf equipment. C] In 2010 ideas Group introduced a five-year strategic business plan called â€Å"Route 201 5†, which aims to grow the business of the entire company to turnover of ?17 billion and operating margins of 11% by 2015.The group h as an International presence In markets across the world, including the US, South America, Asia and Europe. ideas (India) Competitive Positioning ideas India ranks seventh in apparel and third in footwear. In men's outerwear (excel Jeans), overall It ranks 17th. The company's strength In sports footwear helps It maintain its leadership in footwear overall, where it had a 3% value share in 2012. In addition, the ideas brand is available across India either from its Ebbs (exclusive brand outlets) or multiplicand outlets. The company has a wide portfolio ranging from sportswear to casual wear to accessories and a few beauty and personal care products such as deodorants, as well. Nonetheless, the bulk of the company sales were still coming from footwear during the review period. D The company had over 1 OFF another 50 in 2012. The com any is sponsoring various sports events other than cricket to grab more market share and to become a predominant player in sportswear. The company also pl ans various advertising campaigns for different sports to promote its related sportswear.The company is also launching new designs of footwear in the coming months of 2013. The company has positioned itself as a premium brand. This has helped it to increase its presence in smaller cities where middle-class households are increasingly aspiring to wear premium brands. Introduction ideas Group was founded in 1948 in Germany, and ideas (I-J) Ltd is a subsidiary of ideas GAG. In 1995 ideas went public and became available for stock market trading on the Frankfurt and Paris Stock Exchanges. In 2006 ideas acquired a major sportswear competitor, Rebook, which greatly increased its share.The company benefited from this acquisition by increasing its brand identity and offering a wider range of products to both consumers and athletes. In November 2011 ideas discussed acquiring Five Ten, a leading brand in outdoor and action sports apparel. The acquisition was later approved, and it purchased F ive Ten for IIS$25 million, as the company plans on increasing its presence within outdoor clothing. In 2012 ideas owned three sportswear brands, ideas, Rebook and Tailored, with the latter eating in golf apparel and golf equipment.In 2013 it tried to create a social newsroom that is reactive to key moments in football games by producing Vine clips, tactical tweets and Faceable posts, as it prepares for a social media battle with Nikkei at the 2014 World Cup. Strategy Difference: I-J Strategy: The company has decided to endorse high profile tennis player Andy Murray after his Windblown success instead of high profile footballers like David Beckman and Lionel Mimesis who they endorsed previously.It now relies on witty marketing to all-in highly publicized marketing technique. It has chosen to take greater control of its retail operations. It has also planned to reach to the customers on the internet through tactical tweets rather than regular advertisements. India Strategy: It plans to sponsor sports teams other than cricket in India so that it can capture ore market share and is targeting the middle class buyers as they aspire to buy more of premium branded sports products.More marketing is planned to increase product awareness in India. It has planned to increase the number of Ebbs (Exclusive Brand Outlets) by 50 so that it can have a larger footprint to increase market share with increased focus on metro cities. It also has tie-ups with e-retailing giants like snapped. Com, flippant. Com, Gabon. Com, mantra. Com etc since these platforms offer products at much lesser prices and the buying population is slowly shifting towards this side. Adidas Porter’s five forces for Adidas 1. Analysis framework and market structure * High barrier to enter this field. The sports shoes industry of the USA are made by those brand company, these brand company will have advantage with advertisement, import, sales network and product development. But most importantly, they set up an obstruct for other companies with their product character and loyalty of the customer. * Other shoes are not suitable for sports, so there is no substitute for sports shoes company. Customer, they really care about the price of the sportswear, and more sensitive for fashion, but there is no negative effect for the profit rate of the company. As we can see, if less profit, the product at development country will be less to compensate for the loss. And on the other hand, most companies are success with the difference of their product which will make customer to get to know their product and prevent to associate with other companies. Supplier power. Almost the sports shoes companies are equal with their input, especially after the the outsourcing trend which is launch by Nike, over 90% of the product are made in those developing countries such as China and Vietnam, who has lower salary and high labor force. The marketing strategy of Adidas This is two of the strategy for Adidas, and the other is research.They became one of the greatest sports company in 1997 after acquired the Salomen group, these two companies will help each other to coordinate with the product and region, because Salomen group are very strong in Japan and North America, it will help Adidas to increase the market share in USA. And another important thing is they always use sports star as their spokesperson such as David Beckham and Kobe Bryant.They also become the sponsor of many sports events such as UEFA championsleague and Olympic Games. The other core strategy is research, Adidas has established a new group for technical innovation to make at least one big innovation for customer every year. They introduced their Mass customization system to public in 2003, this system will custom the different shoes for different customer with different foot condition and personal preference. This are make Adidas to become the leader of the area. Adidas Porter’s five forces for Adidas 1. Analysis framework and market structure * High barrier to enter this field. The sports shoes industry of the USA are made by those brand company, these brand company will have advantage with advertisement, import, sales network and product development. But most importantly, they set up an obstruct for other companies with their product character and loyalty of the customer. * Other shoes are not suitable for sports, so there is no substitute for sports shoes company. Customer, they really care about the price of the sportswear, and more sensitive for fashion, but there is no negative effect for the profit rate of the company. As we can see, if less profit, the product at development country will be less to compensate for the loss. And on the other hand, most companies are success with the difference of their product which will make customer to get to know their product and prevent to associate with other companies. Supplier power. Almost the sports shoes companies are equal with their input, especially after the the outsourcing trend which is launch by Nike, over 90% of the product are made in those developing countries such as China and Vietnam, who has lower salary and high labor force. The marketing strategy of Adidas This is two of the strategy for Adidas, and the other is research.They became one of the greatest sports company in 1997 after acquired the Salomen group, these two companies will help each other to coordinate with the product and region, because Salomen group are very strong in Japan and North America, it will help Adidas to increase the market share in USA. And another important thing is they always use sports star as their spokesperson such as David Beckham and Kobe Bryant.They also become the sponsor of many sports events such as UEFA championsleague and Olympic Games. The other core strategy is research, Adidas has established a new group for technical innovation to make at least one big innovation for customer every year. They introduced their Mass customization system to public in 2003, this system will custom the different shoes for different customer with different foot condition and personal preference. This are make Adidas to become the leader of the area.

Lloyd George fall fron power essays

Lloyd George fall fron power essays Why Did Lloyd George Fall From Power 1922? Prime Minister. The Radical Lloyd George made a greater impact on British public life than any in 20th century. He laid the foundations of what later became the welfare state and put a progressive income tax system at the centre of government finance. He also left his mark on the system of government by enlarging the scope of the Prime Minister role. In 1918 he was acclaimed, as the Man who won the war (which Hitler claimed himself). He also had major achievement to his credit: the parliamentary reform of 1918 which enfranchised women, the 1918 Education Act, the 1919 Housing Act, the settlement of the Irish question in 1921, and of course the Versailles. But in time both Liberals and Conservatives follows dissatisfied. In this assignment I will be analysing his actions, which led to his downfall. They were many reasons why Lloyd George falls from power in 1922. I shall begin to look at the different policies and things he did, which failed badly and worsened his position. When he didnt punish Germany as much as people thought he should, they began to query his motives and his loyalty to Britain. Because this is the same Racial Prime Minister who promised to Hang the Kaiser which he instead sent him to Holland (because he apparently was related to the king). But many people did not know this, and it contributed to his downfall. People than began to lose faith in him due to his failure to keep promises (like most politicians), e.g. Land fit for heroes is what he had promised but he didnt have this in 1922. He had never been forgiven for some radical measures he had used in the past, e.g. Threatening to stave people to death and the Black and Tans (who were employed deliberately by L-G to terrorise the civilian population of Ireland). These werent the sorts of things that the people expected from their Prime Minis...

Analysis of War Photographer Essays

Analysis of War Photographer Essays Analysis of War Photographer Paper Analysis of War Photographer Paper Essay Topic: Poetry The author of this poem Carol Ann Duffy is a well known English poet. She wrote a lot of poems about varied subjects. She was born in 1955 in Scotland. Duffys experience in life may have affected her writings in many ways. Her writings mostly have simple casual language and are marked by their philosophical manner. War photographer is a very eye-catching, strong and effective title. The title conveys to the onlookers the idea and theme of death, war, blood and other such aspects from a specific point of view. The title itself carries the theme of the whole poem and its indirect manner. In this poem an anonymous photographer, tries to capture the readers attention into the theme of death and war. Throughout the poem, the comparisons exhibit to us the clear differences, and similarities in the subjects in this theme. The poem explores the way some humans care too little for others who are blasted away everyday. These ideas and others are portrayed through the photographer and his job. The first six lines of the poem show the photographers own ideas .It also portrays the poets own ideas and how he sees this theme, and this job of photography. The poet shows how the photographer is really inserted into his serious job. With spools of suffering set out the poet uses alliteration, metaphor as well as an onomatopoeic effect in this line. This is used to show the rush of images and the agony they have. The photographer is then compared to a priest and his work a religious one. These two lines show much more than they seem to. They may mean that what he does is a serious religious and extremely important work. It may also mean to show the image and the arrangement of coffins which symbolizes death. The last line is not less important, as it shows yet another comparison between these distant lands where dead bodies are as plentiful as grass; may be even more! It quotes a few words from the bible to support this idea. The second stanza continues the ideas of the first one. The first line shows the importance of the photographers job and its accuracy. It lets us guess how dreadful and pitiful the images are. The next lines give, yet again, a comparison of this quite place to where people die in hundreds. It shows some of the great differences between the peaceful lives of these people and the agonies of the others in distant lands. The third stanza has more action than the previous two. The poet now goes on to the images, rather the memories, as they flow swiftly. The words half-formed ghost tries to fix an image in the readers minds about the deathly theme of the poem. The photographer now stops at a memory, a painful one. The poetry shows in these few lines humanity should be respected. How human blood is so cheap and how countries and languages, shouldnt really distinguish between humans. The last stanza takes an over view over the whole affair. It shows how there are many more painful images which we are not shown. It explores how millions of people die for nearly nothing. It shows again, and compares how the comfortable citizens wont really give much care to such things. It says that they will have pity but only for short. Only as people listen to religious sermons, think for only a few minutes, and then forget all about it. The last two lines show another point-of-view of the photographer. He stares impassively at a place where he should be. This place is where he lives, and does this sacred job, but yet where people do not care.

Has Nationalism been a unifying or divisive force during the 19th and 20th centuries

Has Nationalism been a unifying or divisive force during the 19th and 20th centuries The concept of nationalism was first associated with the French Revolution and Napoleon, who contributed a lot to its spread all over Europe. During the late 19th century, nationalism became very popular with urban societies and as its popularity increased, people began to shift their allegiance from monarchy to a country.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Has Nationalism been a unifying or divisive force during the 19th and 20th centuries? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People began putting national interests above all other considerations driven by the perception that nationalism gave them the sense of power and belonging, and also provided them with a connection to the state, which had been disrupted during the industrial revolution. However, as the concept of nationalism emerged, it emerged that there were two forms of nationalism, one form aimed at extending the scale of human social, political and cultural unit s and unify individuals while the other form was exclusionary and divisive. This essay shall examine the concept of nationalism as applied in the 18th and 19th century with the hope of the hope of establishing whether it helped cause divisiveness or unity among people. European colonialism generated two opposing sociopolitical movements. On one hand, the colonial rulers encouraged the existing tribal-ethnic and religious divisions in the society through a policy of devide et impera while on the other hand, their colonial methods unwittingly gave rise to anti-colonial nationalism movements. It can therefore be said that colonial rule gave rise to the two forces of unifying nationalism and divisive tribalism and that the appropriate and legitimate framework for decolonization was nationalism, which emanated from the foreign idea of the nation-state. Among the numerous factors responsible for sparking of the First and the Second World Wars was nationalism. During the period before and during the two wars, nationalism became a dangerous tool as it was exploited to trigger wars and conflicts between states and nations. Nationalists, in many instances, used the nationalism belief of putting country before anything else to encourage citizens to get involved in wars that placed individuals of different nationalities against each other. The divisive force of nationalism was also observed during the Cold War when the USSR and the US indirectly engaged each other in contests. The Cold War was triggered by the existence of forces which were responsible for sparking off the two world wars. These tensions, in addition to the Russian and American nationalism forces made it possible for leaders of both nations to win public support for their foreign policies that fuelled the Cold War.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More During the Cold War, the Truman administration used Am erican nationalism as a major tool to convince an overwhelming majority of US citizens that the Soviet Union was no more than an expansionist force bent on world contest, much as Nazi Germany had been. With this in mind, man Americans supported any efforts by their government that supported the US’ agenda for the Cold War. Nationalism also paid an important role during the Revolutionary Europe period. During this period, nationalism was inherently divisive in its political ramifications. Most European countries consisted of a patchwork of different ethnic, linguistic and religious communities, a product of centuries of migration, war and dynastic alliances. Nationalism was responsible for stabilizing each of the European states based on a single national community. This in turn triggered competition for resources and living space between the different nationalities leading to the emergence of several wars. In conclusion, nationalism has been applied in different contexts to a chieve different results. This essay has shown how nationalists used nationalism to both unify and divide their citizens. It can therefore be said that nationalism resulted in both unity and divisiveness during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Jet Aircrafts and Aerospace Defence Equipments Essay

Jet Aircrafts and Aerospace Defence Equipments - Essay Example The market for aerospace and defense is highly influenced by other factors such as product development, product differentiation, technological innovations as well as the overall competitive environment. The market for commercial airlines and defense equipment is highly dominated by three major players – Boeing, EADS and Dassault Aviation. The Boeing Company, founded by William E Boeing in 1916, is a pioneer in the field of aerospace and defense materials. It is the world’s largest global manufacturer and supplier of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, catering to a wide range of markets including the supply of its defense products to the U.S and other allied armed forces across the world and is the second largest1 aerospace and defense contractor in the world. This is the largest business unit of Boeing so far and is mainly engaged in the process of unit designing and development and manufacturing of commercial jetliners. It boasts of a robust portfolio comprising of a range of products such as the 737 series, which has a seating capacity of up to 150 passengers, 747 series, which accommodates up to 566 passengers, 767 series with a capacity of 325 passengers, and 757 series up to 230 passengers. The company frequently introduces latest models in this segment and is currently working on the Dreamliner, which boasts of an impressive state of the art technology with an aim to provide ultimate ease in traveling to its customers. Boeing’s commercial aircraft sales play a major role in enhancing its brand value and popularity ultimately translating into increased profitability. The sale of defense products is highly dependent on external factors such as government support – in the form of subsidies, military budgets as well as the political environment. Boeing saw a substantial rise in the demands for its defense and space-related services in the wake of the Iraq war.  

Americanized Evolution of Fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Americanized Evolution of Fashion - Essay Example The designers’ work will create the mood of American fashion in the last half of the twentieth century. The three designers are a fashion crew that came up with extant sophistication, energy, and great talent that emerged on the global fashion stage in that time. The event showcased individual contributions and influence of each designer to fashion during the latter period of the twentieth century that marked the great evolution of fashion. The design of the 1960s was characterized by stiff, A-line, and minimalist design while that of the 1770s was soft and flowing. The 1980 design had more embellishment, luxury, and glamour (Secker, 2015).Oscar de la Renta is a successful designer from the Dominican Republic who took design to a whole new level with his dramatic sense of color and embellishment. He won three Coty awards in 1967, 1968, and 1973 and his inclusion in the exhibit as a creative designer is well-deserved. Geoffrey Beene is a Haynesville-born New York City resident whose work featured in the September 1963 issue of Vogue magazine cover. He is featured in the exhibit because he is an innovative minimalist designer of body-revealing soft draping (Schoeny, 2015). Bill Blass is an established designer from Fort Wayne who has won three awards by Coty accreditation. He is an impeccable tailor for luxurious fabrics that are sporty and sophisticated yet classic and simple aesthetic. The immaculate works by these designers during their career boom won them the accreditation to be featured in this year’s historic exhibition.

Homeless Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homeless - Essay Example These provisions may pertain to clothing, food, water and others. It is the place with a four corner framework made suitable for subsistence and constant dwelling. That’s why an individual can be considered homeless in the absence of these fundamental physical features. As a result, such person is moving from place to place. On the other side, being homeless can also mean that the person has a house but he or she does not have a company in times of exigencies and loneliness. In other words, the individual is just living alone. Moreover, it is commonly accepted that a home is not a home in the absence of a family residing therein. Therefore, having a family is recognizing the fact that humans need the company of others to live and reproduce. This is the basis of the difference between a residence and a home. A residence is more of the physical existence while a home is more of the social existence. Accordingly, there are two essential elements that can be inferred from the word homeless: the individual self and the absence of a home or a residence. Thus, a home has a dual purpose: physical and social

The report is write about Poma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The report is write about Poma - Essay Example The analysis concludes that essential for management to lead the change process through setting the trend rather than simply giving instructions. The contemporary business community faces a myriad of changes most in various sectors ranging from economic, political, and technological development. These have forced many companies to initiate change accordingly in order to remain competitive and relevant. One of the companies that have been on the forefront of change implementation is Poma; a cable transport company established in 1936. Throughout its extensive history, Poma has developed a reputation for being a reliable partner in the cable transport industry with bases of operations every continent (Poma, n.d). Because of its diversified operative portfolio, this company has had to undergo numerous changes to ensure that, it not only keeps up with the changes taking place across the globe, but also is also always capable of fulfilling the needs of its customers. Despite its determination to remain flexible, Poma has faced numerous handicaps since change is neither easy spontaneous to achieve. Consequently, it is always necess ary to make a study of the change process to ensure that all the variables affecting it have been taken into consideration. This paper seeks to consider a wide range of factors that are likely to affect the effective implementation of change at Poma, and determine whether it is possible for this company to continue its evolution through direct engagement with its employees and other stakeholders. Poma is an international company that has to deal with individuals from diverse cultures and this creates a situation where it has to be as flexible as possible in order to ensure that all the changes necessary for its continued progress are effectively implemented. To this end, establishing an understanding of the company position in the global market is

Logistics as a Customer-Focused Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Logistics as a Customer-Focused Strategy - Essay Example As the world of business and trade continue to expand globally, surviving in such a competitive market is no longer enough to buy the right goods at the right cost - business must also get them to the right place at the right time, and with the right operational costs. Doing this well requires the best possible logistics, combining the information that establish buying decisions with how the product arrives to customers at the most cost-effective way. In view of this, the vice president for logistics and electronic commerce for Asia-Pacific at FedEx, William Conley stressed that one of the four areas represented the future of the logistics industry is time compression, along with globalisation, electronic commerce and supply chain management. He said companies needed to understand essentially what logistics was and how it could benefit customers (Panozzo, 1999, p. 6).In further elaboration, logistics is centred on creating value, not just for customers and suppliers of the firm, but also value for the firm's stakeholders. Value in logistics is primarily expressed in terms of time and place. Products and services have no value unless they are in the possession of the customers when (time) and where (place) they wish to consume them (Ballou 2004, p. 6). However, value is added when customers are willing to pay more for a product or service than the cost to place it in their hands. To many firms throughout the world, logistics has become an increasingly important value-adding process for a numerous reasons. Looking at logistics through the perspective of the total supply chain, the ultimate Bowersox, Closs & Cooper (2002) emphasized that the customer is the end user of the product or service whose needs or requirements must be accommodated. It has historically been useful to distinguish between two types of end users. According to them, the first is a consumer, an individual or a household who purchases products and services to satisfy personal needs. When a family purchases an automobile to be used for personal transportation, that family is the consumer of the supply chain. The second type is an organizational end user, whose purchases are made by organizations or institutions to allow an end user to perform a task or job in the organization. When a company buys an automobile for a sales person or buys tools to be used by an assembly worker in a manufacturing plant, the company is considered to be a customer and the salesperson or assembly worker is the end user of the supply chain's products. A supply chain management perspective demands that all firms in the supply chain focus on meeting the needs and requirements of end users, whether they are consumers or organizational end users (p. 66). Moreover, Bowersox, Closs & Cooper (2002) insisted that the customer being serviced should be the first priority and the driving force in establishing logistical performance requirements, regardless

Caffeine Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Caffeine Abuse - Essay Example Caffeine abuse is becoming increasingly common among college students and could have damaging impacts on their health. For many of us it is hard to function without caffeine. Whether it be writing your research paper late last night or waking up early this morning in order to make it to class on time, caffeine can often be a college student's best friend. Actually, caffeine is a stimulant found in seeds, fruits and leaves of more than sixty plants. It is found in most parts of the world. Go in Arabia and you will find caffeine in the coffee bean. Visit China and caffeine will be there in tea leaf. In West Africa and Mexico, caffeine exists in the kola nut and the cocoa bean, respectively. Although the aforementioned figures are quite old but things today are not quite different. But, the point is that lots of foods and beverages are the source of caffeine and that's the reason why it is hard for people to stay away from using it. In fact, it is the easy availability of caffeine that most people never become able to quit using this substance. Here, it can easily be noticed that tea and coffee remain to be the premier source of caffeine, which are used all over the world because of the "wake-up" effect. Since the available caffeine gets absorbed by your body without much ado and creates a direct impact on cardiovascular and nervous systems, the usual result is increased attentiveness and decreased fatigue. This is the foremost reason why college students don't become able to stay away from developing a bad habit of drinking tea or coffee. But, the range of symptoms caffeine intoxication or caffeine abuse can show up with an ingestion of 100mg of caffeine but 250mg or higher Over the course of my college career I myself have become quite dependent on caffeine in order to keep up with the high demands of school, work and a social life. Like many of you I have become so accustomed to caffeine that I often disregard its potential for abuse. According to the US News & World Report, caffeine is the world's most popular habit forming drug and its abuse among young people is a growing concern for many doctors. "In the past three years alone, the number of 18 to 24 year olds who

The report is write about Poma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The report is write about Poma - Essay Example The analysis concludes that essential for management to lead the change process through setting the trend rather than simply giving instructions. The contemporary business community faces a myriad of changes most in various sectors ranging from economic, political, and technological development. These have forced many companies to initiate change accordingly in order to remain competitive and relevant. One of the companies that have been on the forefront of change implementation is Poma; a cable transport company established in 1936. Throughout its extensive history, Poma has developed a reputation for being a reliable partner in the cable transport industry with bases of operations every continent (Poma, n.d). Because of its diversified operative portfolio, this company has had to undergo numerous changes to ensure that, it not only keeps up with the changes taking place across the globe, but also is also always capable of fulfilling the needs of its customers. Despite its determination to remain flexible, Poma has faced numerous handicaps since change is neither easy spontaneous to achieve. Consequently, it is always necess ary to make a study of the change process to ensure that all the variables affecting it have been taken into consideration. This paper seeks to consider a wide range of factors that are likely to affect the effective implementation of change at Poma, and determine whether it is possible for this company to continue its evolution through direct engagement with its employees and other stakeholders. Poma is an international company that has to deal with individuals from diverse cultures and this creates a situation where it has to be as flexible as possible in order to ensure that all the changes necessary for its continued progress are effectively implemented. To this end, establishing an understanding of the company position in the global market is

Caffeine Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Caffeine Abuse - Essay Example Caffeine abuse is becoming increasingly common among college students and could have damaging impacts on their health. For many of us it is hard to function without caffeine. Whether it be writing your research paper late last night or waking up early this morning in order to make it to class on time, caffeine can often be a college student's best friend. Actually, caffeine is a stimulant found in seeds, fruits and leaves of more than sixty plants. It is found in most parts of the world. Go in Arabia and you will find caffeine in the coffee bean. Visit China and caffeine will be there in tea leaf. In West Africa and Mexico, caffeine exists in the kola nut and the cocoa bean, respectively. Although the aforementioned figures are quite old but things today are not quite different. But, the point is that lots of foods and beverages are the source of caffeine and that's the reason why it is hard for people to stay away from using it. In fact, it is the easy availability of caffeine that most people never become able to quit using this substance. Here, it can easily be noticed that tea and coffee remain to be the premier source of caffeine, which are used all over the world because of the "wake-up" effect. Since the available caffeine gets absorbed by your body without much ado and creates a direct impact on cardiovascular and nervous systems, the usual result is increased attentiveness and decreased fatigue. This is the foremost reason why college students don't become able to stay away from developing a bad habit of drinking tea or coffee. But, the range of symptoms caffeine intoxication or caffeine abuse can show up with an ingestion of 100mg of caffeine but 250mg or higher Over the course of my college career I myself have become quite dependent on caffeine in order to keep up with the high demands of school, work and a social life. Like many of you I have become so accustomed to caffeine that I often disregard its potential for abuse. According to the US News & World Report, caffeine is the world's most popular habit forming drug and its abuse among young people is a growing concern for many doctors. "In the past three years alone, the number of 18 to 24 year olds who

Family and Cousin Essay Example for Free

Family and Cousin Essay Human behavior can be explored by taking a look at the different aspects of a person’s life. These aspects include the biological, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual. These aspects can help social workers better understand the background history of a person’s life and gather information in order to do an accurate assessment of a person. This paper does not intend to make an assessment but it’s rather an informative paper in order to discover and understand the various systems of a person’s life. Furthermore this paper will also focus on how these systems interact with one another. I chose to do this paper on my cousin who just became a mother and she is currently learning how to adapt to her new way of life. I think she is in an interesting stage in her life and that is also why I chose her. My cousin and I are only a year apart in age and she chose a different path from the one that is expected after she graduated from high school. She decided not to go to college and began to work doing random retail jobs until she found a permanent job as a hostess. We are so different now but a few years ago we did get along and had a lot of things in common. Her relationship with her mother has also changed and now that my cousin is a mother, they seem to understand each other better. BIO-PHYSICAL My cousin’s name is Carla Sanchez and she is twenty two years old and the youngest of three. She is 5’5 and before she had the baby she had lost so much weight but now she regained some of that weight back. She has dark long hair and dark brown eyes. Before she became pregnant she fell in love with her baby’s father and lost a lot of weight. During her teenage years she was not as determined to lose weight as she was when she was nineteen when she met her significant other. During her pregnancy her body went through some physical changes. She did not have impulsive cravings and she ate the foods she normally eats but in larger portions. She gained around sixty pounds and now she looks like the way she did before she lost the weight. Her weight when she was a younger child before the teenage years resembles that of her mother. My aunt had an average weight because she was not skinny but she was not overweight either. My cousin’s weight then was average like her mother’s because due to the genes that were passed down to her through her mother. My cousin’s baby is a girl and looks more like her father but she has my cousin’s straight hair. Now that it has been several weeks after childbirth my cousin plans and is determined to lose the weight again. She looks like her mother and both have a healthy mother and daughter relationship. She is very open-minded and very out spoken. Her mother is also an open-minded person. According to the biological determinism theory it is evident that a person’s personality and physical appearance is embedded into a child from birth trough genetics. My cousin’s parents divorced when she was a young child and therefore she has always been close to her mother and that is why my aunt has been able to greatly influence my cousin’s behavior. Most of her life she has been more attached to her mother. PSYCHOLOGICAL According to Erikson’s theories of psychological development my cousin is in the intimacy versus isolation stage. My cousin’s childhood and teenage years have passed by. All that is left of her childhood and teenage years are memories. She began working at restaurants during her high school years and has stayed with that career. She has gone from being a waitress when she was sixteen to a hostess. However she is thinking of going back to school because she was her daughter to look up to her when her daughter is older. My cousin did not get married and she is not living with her boyfriend. She lives at home with her baby and her mother. All her time is devoted to her baby however there have been times when she is overwhelmed with the task of raising a child and her mother helps her so that she can at least have some time to rest. According to Paiget my cousin is at the stage four which is based on formal operations. At this level problems are now approached using logic, reason and combinational thought. Also individuals at this stage with formal operations can think about their own thoughts, feelings and think about thinking. I think that at this point Paiget is focusing on how we can look back at our past and reflect. My cousin is able to do this now and she now reflects on how her mother raised her so that she can raise her daughter the same way. My cousin constantly worries whether or not she is raising her child in a proper way or to the extent that it is expected of a mother to raise her child. She lives with her mother and her mother helps her by giving her advice from how to comfort the child to how to give the baby a bath. My cousin’s friend had her baby before my cousin and when her friend met my cousin’s child she was also giving her advice on hoe to take care of the baby. She is acquiring knowledge on how to raise her child from people such as her mother that have had years of experience raising children. Her friend told her that she worries to whether she is taking care of her baby the right way. My cousin has to endure a psychological as well as physical adaptation. Paiget describes adaptation as the process by which structures of the mind develop over time to achieve a better fit with the environment and external reality. My cousin is still eating food in large portions as she did when she was pregnant but now she is drinking more milk because she chose to breastfeed her baby. Therefore she keeps gaining weight and is also stressed out. As far as her mental state she is stressed and cannot focus on herself because she is constantly thinking about the well-being of her baby. She worries just as much as other mothers do because she wants her baby to be happy. She said that her baby seems to be cranky most of the time and basically she is dedicating all her time to comfort the baby. My cousin had learned to adapt to her new role as a mother and she will need to keep up as the baby goes through different stages of her life. SOCIAL She has not been working since July and her social life is not as it used to be before she had the baby. However she was visited by her godparents and many friends when she brought the baby home. They have showered the baby with gifts and seeing how other people have acted towards the baby makes her happy. My cousin is trying her best to imitate her mother because she loves her mother and wants to follow her advice so that she can raise a happy child. According to the social learning theory behaviors are mediated by thoughts, expectations as well as emotions and stresses the importance of observational learning or modeling. In my cousin’s case she sees her mom as a model mom that she wants to imitate. As far as I know my aunt really sacrificed a lot so that my cousin’s could have a better life than the one she had. I have seen how selfless my aunt has been especially with my cousin Carla because she is the youngest one. My cousin wants the approval of her mother in everything she does because she has been very attached to my aunt. Her brother and sister live far away from them. My cousin has kept in touch with her fellow co-workers and many of them came to visit her when she brought the baby home. One of her friends who is a teacher and brought her a huge box of pampers. He also gave her some parenting advice because he, as a father of three, thinks that he has had enough experience with kids. He was very happy to see the baby and many of her friends came to see the baby as well. Even though my cousin has not gone out since she gave birth in November 30th, she has had her friends come over to her place to see the baby. However her weeks have turned into the same routine of just staying at home to take care of her baby. The baby’s father also visits her but not too often because their relationship is not in good standing. My cousin is trying to be the mother that society expects her to be but most importantly she is trying to imitate her own mother. My aunt is a fervent believer in the Catholic faith and she raised her children in the same faith as she was raised in. All of her three children were baptized, did the communions and attended mass on Sundays. Until this day my aunt does not miss a mass at her local church. Her children however have not been as devoted as my aunt has been. My cousin Carla stop attending church after her teenage years when she graduated from high school and spent her weekends working. However my aunt always tries to make sure that my cousin does not loose her faith. According to James V. Fowler’s theory of faith development my cousin is at the stage 5 which is the individuative-reflective faith. In this stage young adults question the beliefs and stories they have received from family, friends and other social groups. My cousin does not believe everything that my aunt was taught about Catholicism. For example my cousin did not get married and decided to raise a child as a single mother. My aunt did not approve of this because she was taught that a woman must be a virgin until she gets married. Her other daughter moved in with her boyfriend and then got married. My aunt did not approve of this either. My aunt believes that salvation is obtained by following the church’s sacraments but my cousin believes that no one really knows how to obtain salvation. She also thinks that God is everywhere and therefore she does not need to attend mass every Sunday. My aunt was raised in a very religious home and in her native country religion plays an important role in life but her children who were raised in the United States have found a way to practice their religion however way they think is the proper way. My cousin plans to baptize her daughter and she has picked the godparents already. My family is from Ecuador which is in Latin America so that makes us part of the Latino community. My cousin Carla was born in New Jersey. She had to learn about the Ecuadorian culture and the American culture. When she was a kid my aunt would travel with her and her other siblings to Ecuador so that they could visit their grandmother and learn their cultural roots. My cousin had to learn both languages English and Spanish. She now knows them fluently and this has helped her a lot because she was able to make a lot of friends. In Ecuador gender roles are so delineated. Men are expected to work and women are expected to stay at home raising the children. It is not common for females to work outside the home. Most females graduate from high school and after high school they start raising families. My cousin knows both cultures but since she was born and raised in the United States she identifies more with the American culture. When her baby gets older she expects to go back to work and even go back to school so that she can be able to provide a better living for both. She is a single mother but has learned a lot from her mother who got divorced from her husband when my cousin was a young child. In conclusion these several aspects of a person’s life help us understand how each one relates to the other and how they affect human behavior. Human behavior can be affected by the people we associate with and by the culture we are raised in as well as other factors. These several theories described in this paper are very helpful to understand why a person behaves a certain way.

Analysis of Brand Loyalty in Chinas Cosmetic Market

Analysis of Brand Loyalty in Chinas Cosmetic Market 1.0 What is cosmetic market? ‘Cosmetic are not strange to everyone, even though some people dont use them. They definitely hear about them. Cosmetics were invented in thousands years ago. When cosmetics were introduced, they were considered as exclusive things used by female. In those times, only few kinds of cosmetics existed. Some people believe cosmetics are limited by some sorts such as perfume, makeup. Actually, cosmetics come in many forms. Except for perfume and makeup, they comprise of shampoo, soap, lotion and others. Cosmetics are used to care for and clean people body, maintain people in a well condition and enhance people beauty (Kumar et al., 2006). For instance, the goal of sun protection is to keep out UV and reduce the risk of getting skin cancer. In the past, men used cosmetics to dress up would be treated effeminate. Certainly, people didnt hear about mens cosmetic advertising. Nowadays, the reality has gradually changed. The cosmetics have not been the patent of women. Men and kids join in group of using cosmetics. The number is increasingly growing up. Està ©e Lauder as the first womens cosmetic companies tried to enter the male cosmetic market in 1964. After 1year trial, it came out with Aramis and an entire line for mens skin. (Alpern) In cosmetic market, thousands of cosmetics for men and kid are available. In past ten year, cosmetic companies launched some products that were suitable for both men and women. As men customers increase, companies start to launch new product line for men. Exclusive perfume and cleansing foam were designed for men. In order to target these emerging potential customers, many cosmetic companies invest a lot on advertising through TV, beauty magazine and others. The aim of the advertisement i s to convey the idea that cosmetics are not girly products. Some big cosmetic companies employ famous actors or sportsmen to promote products through positive imagery. It lets men believe that using cosmetics is very normal. (Souiden and Diagne, 2009) The cosmetic industry is one of the most competitive industries all over the world because more than 300 cosmetic brands exist in the market. Most of these companies utilize great number of resource in Research and development to launch new products every year in order to meet ever-changing customers need and demand. Innovation is fundamental to survival and success of cosmetic companies. (Kumar et al., 2006) To stay vantage point during fierce competition, cosmetic companies should create value to customers. The World top ten cosmetic companies are Maybellline accounting for 7.4% market share, Avon (5.4%), LOrà ©al Paris (5.3%), Lancà ´me (4%), Clinique ( 3.6%), Revlon (3.3%), Està ©e Lauder (2.9%), Max Factor ( 2.8%), Cover Girl (2.7%) and Shiseido (2.2%) (Ejiofor, 2006). All of them seize about 40% of the market share. 1.1 Overview of cosmetic market in China China is the countries with the largest population in the world it makes up one-fifth of the worlds population. The population growth rate of China is 0.629% in 2008 with a current average life expectancy of 73.18. Men possess 51.8% of the total population whereas women possess 48.2%. (Nancy E, 2008) Chinese paying more attention to beauty can date back to ancientry. It has already deeply rooted in Chinese culture. In Chinese poetry and art, beauty has always been extol (Newham, 2006) Before the reform and open door policy were implemented, China economy was very not good. Most of income of Chinese was spent on food, transportation and house. They didnt have extra money to buy cosmetics. Through proper economy policies are carried out by Chinese government, economy is booming is China and people living standard is increasingly improved. People have more disposal income to spend on beauty. More and more people absorb beauty information from different sources. Some of them become ‘beauty professional. They believe spending money on beauty as a valuable investment. Attractive appearance and figure will assist them to get benefits in career and social life, because everyone loves beauty. (World Wide Watch: China) In order to join World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinese government reduced import tariffs. Due to reduction of import tariffs, cosmetics import was increased 160% from 1996% to 2001. (Li,2003) Since 2001 China has entered WTO, it provided a good opportunity for foreign cosmetic companies to access China market. For these companies, China is a big emerging market due to the largest population. In saturation market such as Europe, cosmetic companies are difficult to boost their sales. Many foreign companies joint venture with domestic manufacturers through advanced technology along with products and huge capital: and set up plants in coastal regions such Guangdong province and Shanghai in China. Top twenty cosmetic brands have flowed in China cosmetic market. (Asia Consulting) On the other hand, regarding to domestic manufactures, they also gain benefits. For example, advanced technology assists to effectively reduce production costs and improve product quality as well. Strong economic growth in China shock people all over the world, but cosmetic market in China is growing faster than Chinas economy. According to Chinas National Fragrance and Flavor industry Association, cosmetic sales in China have increased by 16.6% to $4.2 billion in year 2001. In year 2004, the sales jumped to 85 billion yuan. China is considered as the second largest cosmetics market in Asia, and ranks no.8 worldwide. Cosmetic spending was 1yuan during the early 1980s, but spending dramatically went to 25 yuan in year 2000. Even in big famous cities Shanghai, Beijing, the annual average spending on cosmetics was among 150-180 yuan (LIFUNG Research Centre, 2005) Compare development of cosmetic market among Asia, growth rate of cosmetic market is significantly faster than other countries and regions. (Figure 1). Even around the world, this kind of growth rate is fantastic. Hence, â€Å"China is the market cosmetic companies will never give up. China is one of the most important countries for our overseas business operations; it is a huge market backed by a population of about 1.3 billion about 10 times Japans population.† (Tadakatsu Saito, Director of Shiseido) Consumption tax introduced by the State Administration of Taxation gave benefits to domestic cosmetic companies develop. 11 categories of goods such cigarette, car are subject to consumption. The aim of consumption tax is to narrow the income up. The widening gap currently became serious social problem in China. High-end cosmetic is subject to 30% consumption tax, for basic cosmetic is subject to 0%. (Fang, 2005) Actually, most of foreign brands are considered as luxury. For domestic cosmetic companies, they can provide competitive price to customers. In areas with lower income, it may be more attractive customers than foreign brands. Competition of China cosmetic market is very intense because more than 300 brands exist. However, target markets of domestic and foreign brands may be different. For example, customers in large cities with a higher level of disposal income have a preference for famous brands from foreign countries. Outsides the metropolitan area, however, many customers are purchasing products produced by local companies. In 1980s, there were more or less 40 cosmetic brands available in China cosmetic market. These brands only offer limited products such as Shampoo, lipstick. Cosmetics like perfume were used by few people. However, currently more than 300 brands can be found in market In respect of types, skin-care products account for 35% of total cosmetic output, hair-care products possess 28%, make-up products perfumes are 29% and 28% respectively (Figure 2) In earlier of 1990s, the regulations on Cosmetics in China were very imperfect so that China cosmetic market was jumbled. A huge number of small cosmetic enterprises raid the market healthy development ( Li et al., 2004). Regulations on Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision are the basic laws and regulations on cosmetics that were enacted by Ministry of Health on November 13, 1989 and put into effect of January 1, 1990. They include general provisions of cosmetics, hygiene supervision over cosmetic manufacture, hygiene supervision over cosmetics distribution, the organ for Hygiene supervision over cosmetics and its duties, penalties and supplementary provisions. For instance, cosmetic ingredients must abide by standards set by Regulations on Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision. Besides, with regard to labeling, the regulations set down provisions. On the label of cosmetics, the name of the product, the name of the producer and the serial number of the hygiene license for the producer should be cle arly stated. Lots of false advertisements existed in the past exaggerate the effectiveness of the products to misguide customers. Regulations ban false and misleading statements in advertisements (Regulations Concerning the Hygiene Supervision Over Cosmetics) On the other hand, the related authority actively attacks false advertisements. As rapidly development of cosmetics, regulations gradually become complete. China cosmetic market is standardization and is brought in line with international practice. Complete regulations guarantee sound development cosmetic market. More and more cosmetic manufacturers have corporate social responsibility consciously comply with regulations. With rapid China cosmetic market development, cosmetic distribution channels are diversified. Different kinds of modern retail distribution channels swarm into market. In the past, Chinese customers bought cosmetics through supermarkets and hypermarkets. Most of cosmetics they purchase were ‘basic cosmetics such soap, shampoo. In that time, scarce premium cosmetic brands were in the market due to high tariff. Accounting to beauty retailing China 2005, 80% of cosmetics and toiletry sales were completed through hypermarkets and supermarket. Except for supermarket and hypermarket, department store is the other major channel that is very popular among Chinese customers. (Pitman, 2005). In China, cosmetic companies open specialty counters on the first and second floors of department store. These counters forming cosmetic area are convenient for customers. Not every cosmetic brand is able to own specialty counters. The premise is that the brand should have a wide range of products an d distinctive brand name and images. Therefore, customers believe cosmetics sold in department store have reliable quality and can be safely used. Nowadays, various channels including Pharmacy chains, specialty stores professional stores exist in the market. Specialty stores provide professional services and full range of products of a particular cosmetic brand. Actually, specialty stores in China are owned by former cosmetic direct selling companies such as DHC. Because direct selling business model is generally prohibited by China government unless license is given by China government. Avon as a leading direct selling cosmetic company was successfully granted direct selling license in year 2008. Its also the company obtaining first direct selling license in China. For most of companies, specialty stores as the effective way for them to adjust their business models (LIFung research center, 2005) Rapid development of China cosmetic industry has went on over the last two decades. Cosmetics become the fifth largest consumption products by Chinese customers. This market still has a great room to develop and is far way saturation. There are two main reasons. On one hand, China has a population of 1.3 billion so that it has a large potential customer. China government has committed itself to develop the middle and western part of China to balance the economic gap between east and west China. The grand western development program is in process. The purchasing power of west China will become strong in future. On the other hand, the current capita annual spending on cosmetic of Chinese customers is still far below that of developed countries. Capita annual spending on cosmetic of Denmark and Sweden has reached â‚ ¬171 (Global Insight, 2007) China economy is still booming so that people living standards will increasingly improve. Customers will spend more money on cosmetics. For co smetic companies, China is expected as a market with enormous business opportunities. (LIFung research center, 2005) 1.2 Why choose Shanghai? Shanghai has the worlds fastest growing economy. The population of Shanghai is about 16 million, financial income is more than RMB 6 billion, GDP Per Capita is RMB 37,382 and average annual people salary is about 21,781 in financial year 2001. (Zhao, 2005). Shanghai is the biggest commercial city in China; GDP has continuously grown up in past 13 years. In year 2004, GDP growth rate has achieved 13.6% (Wu and Delong, 2006). Shanghai alone accounts for a large proportion of the target markets for cosmetics. Eastern coastal region is critical to the whole Chinas cosmetic retail sector. At present, total cosmetic retail sales of Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu province, Guangdong province, Zhejiang province and Shandong province is up to 55% of nation cosmetic retail sales. Among them, Shanghai accounting for 12% ranks first, followed by Beijing, Jiangsu province. ( HKTDCs China cosmetic market report, 2008). Shanghai is just a city compared to one whole province; cosmetic sales of it are st ill higher than that of province. It proves that cosmetic used by Shanghai people is really popular. Furthermore, Shanghai is viewed as ‘fashion capital in China. In Asia, its status has gradually been enhanced. It plays a key role on leading fashion in Asia. Many people believe Shanghai is ‘The Paris of the East. Everything managing peoples appearance and figure are considered as fashion process. Hence, expect for apparel, cosmetic, jewelry and others are parts of fashion people pursue. Cosmetic are used to enhance peoples beauty, exhibit their personality and aesthetic preference. (Guthrie et al., 2008). Customers from other cities and province may imitate how Shanghai customers make up, which facial cream brands they use. Another main reason of choosing Shanghai is that mostly cosmetic brands no matter international brands or domestic brands can be found in Shanghai cosmetic market. According to the Shanghai Commercial Information Center, Shanghai is not only a place of using cosmetics, but also a major place producing cosmetics. Except for domestic manufacturers, many foreign cosmetic companies set up plants in Shanghai. Shanghai has a sound production environment. Most of suppliers, manufacturers are located nearly in industrial area so that it facilitates communication and assists to reduce transportation costs. (HKTDC, 2002) As the economic and financial center of China, Shanghai as locations of this study is selected. The findings of this study can give an overall understanding of brand loyalty of Chinese customers in cosmetic market. Shanghai may be more representative in contrast other areas, because a huge number of people in Shanghai are from different cites and areas of China. Hence, it ensures respondents of this study have different background. 1.3 Why select facial cream? For this research I select facial cream among thousands upon thousands cosmetics. The reason is that facial cream is one of the popular cosmetics in China market and also has large market potential. By contrast, cosmetics like shampoo, soap have already reached saturation because growth rate is very slow (HKTDC, 2002). According to figure 1, skincare products account for around 35% of cosmetics market share and still are the main stream of cosmetic consumption. At the same time, skincare products are the one with bigger market potential and highest profit in cosmetics market. In the skincare segment, facial care is the largest product category consumed by Chinese customers in China .Facial care includes facial cream, facial cleanser, toners, masks and sun protection. Facial cream can be categorized into moisturizer, whitening cream, anti-ageing cream, nourisher and others depending on its function. Moisturizer and nourisher already constitute nearly 71% of facial care market share (F ukuda, 2004). These cream are sold well in China because of dry weather. On the other hand, the whitening cream in China is supposed to be prevalent due to Chinas culture. White skin is one standard characteristic of the Chinese concept of beauty. Chinese proverb say ‘ Yi Bai Zhe San Chou. It means white can offset three uglity. Skin tone is very important viewed by Chinese. Even though healthy skin is popular all over the way, Chinese people are eager for white skin. (The China observer) The demand of facial cream is expected stably growing. Purchase rate and usage rate of these are relatively high in contrast with other products. Therefore, target population may easier to be accessed. 1.4 Problem definition The goal of business is to make as much money as possible. Brand loyalty grants a great number of advantages to companies for them to achieve goal. It prevents companies from competition imitation and maintains business stability. On the other side, it gives customers confidence to shop in a complex market. Because customers need not go through decision process to decide which brand should purchase. (Tepeci, 1999). Companies are able to charge higher price to loyal customers to maximize their profitability. Actually loyal customers are less likely to affect by price increase. (Kumar, 2002) Furthermore, companies enable to save funds on promotion and acquisition costs to attract customers. Customers are loyal toward brands will make repeat purchase in the future and make recommendation to their relatives and friends. It provides efficient and effective way for companies to increase their sales. Hence, establishing brand loyalty is the sustainable advantage which will build the constan t flow of customers, continuous profits for companies, finally determine success of companies. (Coggins, 2009) As Chinas economy roars ahead, lots of cosmetic companies have entered China cosmetic market in order to seize this attracting market share. One of fundamental reasons is that most of these companies are difficult to increase sales in mature regions such as Western Europe and America. On the contrary, in emerging market, a number of potential customers companies will target. However, in accordance to China market research group (CMR), many marketing executives complain brand loyalty cannot be built among Chinese customers. (Rein, 2007) Importance of brand loyalty should not be ignored. Because it lacks brand loyalty, consumers are readily to switch to competitors products. Cosmetic markers realize significance of brand loyalty. When existing customers are not properly retained, new customers must be continuously induced. Hence, companies are supposed to invest huge amounts of advertising, promotion activities, and sales costs to seize new customers. For example, companies have to car ry out sale promotion to induce trial and enhance their brand name as well. The expenditure of capturing new customers is approximately six to ten times what spends on retaining current customers. ( Pogol, 2007) Furthermore, brand loyal customers are less likely to switch to other brands by price allure. Since they consider brand they are loyal towards possess unique value that other brands cannot replace. (Tepeci,1999) Due to meet customers need, companies are able to keep price at high among fierce competition. It reduces threat of price wars for companies. In China, companies lack brand loyalty is really in danger. Imitation is very rampant in many industries of China. Cosmetic market is no exception. Imitator usually set quite low price to draw customers. Moreover, customer spending tends to increase over time. For example, customers who are loyal to facial cream of particular brand are highly likely to try other product lines or new products of the same brand. It provides a solid foundation to companies for new product launch and reduces new product failure risk as well. Thus companies are able to increase sales. Importance of brand loyalty have already recognized by marketer and researches. A number of studies were conducted in this area. Why dont cosmetic companies to create customer brand loyalty? Cosmetic companies cannot implement appropriate strategies to contribute brand loyalty. Because cosmetic markers dont have clear understanding of which factors play important role on affecting brand loyalty in cosmetic market. They didnt make effort in right areas. Even many researches are about significance of brand loyalty, few of them studies on factors creating brand loyalty. Therefore, cosmetic marketers cannot obtain sufficient information to implement appropriate marketing strategies to build brand loyalty. 1.5 Research questions: Do any factors significantly affect brand loyalty in cosmetic industry? What is current brand loyalty level in cosmetic industry? Which cosmetic brand possesses the highest brand loyalty level? 1.6 Research objectives The objective of this research is twofold. On one hand, the objective is to investigate main factors affecting brand loyalty in cosmetic market. On the other hand, it identifies current brand loyalty level of cosmetic industry in Shanghai. It can be treated as a benchmark for cosmetic companies to compare their own brand loyalty level with overall brand loyalty level to determine their positions in industry. At the same time, the brand with the highest brand loyalty level is able to be identified. 1.7 Significance of study This study will be a significant endeavor in determine main factors contributing to brand loyalty in cosmetic industry. By understanding major elements affecting brand loyalty, cosmetic companies are able to develop their appropriate strategies to enhance brand loyalty to gain competitive advantages in fierce competition. This study will also assist cosmetic companies to utilize limited resources to target areas such as marketing; research and development (RD) where critical affect brand loyalty in cosmetic market. Moreover, this research will provide directions for cosmetic companies to set down their human resource policies including recruitment, training, reward and promotion. For example, companies implement training programs so that employees are able to serve customer better. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This chapter illustrates an in-depth description of the research methods used to implement this research. In this part, source of data, sampling techniques and research instruments are explained. This chapter is very important because it highlights adopted models and methods utilized to answer the research questions. 3.1 Source of Data There are two main methods available for data collection, the primary and secondary data collection methods. The primary data consisted of data collected by the researcher to ensure validity and reliability. Apart from conducting primary research, this study based its analysis on existing data from professional organizations such as HKTDC as supplements by published materials.This is because these organizations do extensive work in the relevant areas of this research. 3.1.1 Primary data This research uses quantitative data in the form of questionnaires. The quantitative data in form of questionnaires consist of close and open ended questions and also questions based on Likert-scales. The questionnaires cover all relevant areas needed for the research such customer demographic, main factors affecting brand loyalty of facial cream. Questionnaire is selected as a quantitative method for collecting data because according to Oppenheim (1972) â€Å"Questionnaires are not merely just forms to be filled up, but also are scientific instruments for collecting and measurement of data.† Developing a research questionnaire is a bottom up process. Beside of questionnaire, a pilot study using interviews is conducted with 40 customers who are shopping in shopping mall. Before they are interviewed, they are asked do they use facial cream. Only users are selected to do interviews. The aim of this pilot study is to develop the questionnaire for this research. According to the respondents, factors influencing brand loyalty of facial cream comprise of product quality, store environment, brand name and service quality. Besides, the nature of service quality dimensions directly relate to the industry under analysis. Information collected shows that salespersons professional knowledge, appearance (beauty) and responsiveness are more importance to customers to identify whether the service provided is excellent or not that will affect their brand loyalty toward cosmetics. The information gathered from this pilot study indicates that Olay (PG), Dabao, Avon , LOreal Ponds(Uniliver) are familiar facial cream brands. Furthermore, they also state brands like Shiseido, LOreal, Lancome and Olay (PG) are famous cosmetic brands. Moreover, respondents state they usually purchase facial cream around two to three month one time based on their own experience. Therefore these data collected are used to address specific research problems in this study. 3.1.2 Secondary Data This refers to data that have been already collected and analyzed by other people. The main purpose of retrieving these data is to find a basis for the research and acknowledge the work of experts who had contributed to the pertinent literature on the subject matter. This study bases its analysis on existing data from professional organizations (e.g. HKTDC) that do extensive work in the areas of China cosmetic industry and brand loyalty in China. It provides information about overall development of China cosmetic market. Furthermore, it identifies which kind of cosmetics is usually used by Chinese customers. Hence, Im able to select object to conduct this study. Other secondary data sources used are journals, articles, dissertations, newspapers and textbooks. Journal articles help to identify relevant variables and develop theoretical framework. 3.2 Method A self-administered questionnaire is directly distributed to 200 customers aged from 20 -50 years old. Sample size 200 should be suitable for exploratory study. The questionnaire is originally written in simple Chinese and then translated into English. According to national statistics, customers who are 20-50 years old are the largest group of cosmetic consumption in China. They account for around 76% of cosmetic consumption of whole country. This age group selected lead that sample can be more representative of the population. The surveys are conducted in Henglong shopping mall and Eastern shopping mall where respectively locate in Nanjing road and Xujiahui road that are the most important commercial centers in Shanghai. Because not only people in downtown come to these two shopping mall, but also a great number of people in suburb and country like to shopping in there. Hence customers from different income groups can be accessed. In order to ensure customers from suburb and country can be targeted, surveys are done in Weekend. Compared to Weekday, proportion of customers from suburb and country on Weekend is higher. Because customers have sufficient time to travel to downtown on Weekend. Furthermore, Most of facial cream brands are available in these two shopping centers. Quota sampling (non-probability sampling) is utilized in this study. Gender is chose as control variable. Number of male is 80, others are female. Since female using facial cream is slightly higher than male. Customers who are visually estimated to be 20 to 54 year old are approached and asked to respond to the questions. To further ensure customers with different income level to be targeted, questionnaires are distributed in supermarket, specialty stores and beauty counters in shopping malls. To ensure only customers using facial cream would be respondents of this research, I politely ask them first to identify whether they are the target population. 100 of them are from Henglong shopping m all, others are from Xujiarui shopping mall. Convenience sampling is the less expensive and faster and convenient method. Respondents are accessible, easy to measure and cooperative. The completed questionnaires are used for this research. 3.3 Questionnaire Overall, the questionnaire includes three parts. Firstly, the questionnaire deals with demographic variables of respondents. Variables such as age, education are considered. Second part relates to customer brand loyalty of facial cream, the last part is concerning factors affecting brand loyalty. The structure of the questionnaire is clear, easy to understand, and straightforward to ensure that the respondents are able answer the questions with ease. 3.3.1 Brand loyalty In this research, I use attitudinal measures that are usually based on survey to identify the current brand loyalty level of facial cream in Shanghai. As mentioned above, behavioral measures are more sensitive to short-run fluctuations. The most important limitation of behavioral measures is that they make no distinction between brand loyalty and repeat buying. (Day, 1969). In this questionnaire, brand loyalty is measured on brand preference, switching attitude toward loyal brand and purchase in intention. The open-ended question is used to ask respondents to list out their favorite brands of facial cream. Then five Likert scale question is set down to identify respondents degree of preference. Next part questions examine switching attitude toward the loyal brand. Respondents are asked whether they feel comfortable when they switch to other brands. Furthermore, other question is relevant to respondents willing to change to other brands. Five-point Likert scale questions are also exer cised to indicate respondents degree of agreement on each of the statement (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree). Regarding to purchase intention, respondents are asked to state how likely are they purchase favorite brands in future. (1=no chance, 5=certain). Target how many female and male Target on customers of different income group Income based on report (ä ¸ ­Ã¤ º §Ã©Ëœ ¶Ã§ º §) 3.3.2 Factors affecting brand loyalty Four above mentioned variables (brand name, product quality, store environment and service quality) are measured on a five-point Likert scale using close-ended questions. Two questions are relevant to brand name, four questions are about product quality, three questions are asked about store environment, while three questions relate to service quality. Respondents indicate the level of agreement with the statements that the best describe their feeling toward their favorite brands, ranging from 1= strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree.