Culture shock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture shock - Essay Example Group study replaced solo study with parents and teachers. I do not come from a wealthy class therefore I had to support myself in college for tuition funds and my pocket money. I come from a middle-class family. My parents and family members expect a lot from me. For this reason, they gave special attention to my studies while I was in school. This soft authority and system made me comfortable and dependent on it. Unfortunately, this is not nurturing or helpful in the long term. Eventually, a child has to open his wings and fly to leave the nest. Freedom, independence and choice were alien to me regarding life-changing decisions. I always had my parents and family there to guide me about difficult decisions. But college life is where parents expect their children to prove that they are capable of taking care of themselves. It was a whole different challenge to me. I believe that my family life was an educational ground for me to be ready for college life. My family background supported, nurtured and raised me in a secure and relaxed environment. The college life challenges people that they need to come out of their comfort zones. College life is where students do not care about laundry; bunking classes is the norm and having no money for anything is the story of almost every student. While at home, one is expected to live ‘normal. Obeying parents is the law. It is not just me, my fellows also feel this cultural shock. Some fall victims to this stark change while some adapt and refine themselves. I do not believe that one should consider college life as the ultimate test where penalty is either life or death. This way of thinking can turn average students into ‘useless’ bookworms. I have used the term useless because if someone learns nothing after spending hours reading something, he/she could have spent that time in more ‘useful’ ways. The illusion of acting well is worse than behaving bad. The

Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning Assignment

Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning - Assignment Example 67, the central bank of Mexico identified Cancun as a potential and immensely profitable site for a purpose built resort in order to cater the demands of a nearby potential market, the US. "Due to the reluctance of investors to bet on an unknown area, the Mexican government had to finance the first nine hotels." (Siegel J., 2006). And thus, the first hotel started operations in Cancun which today goes by the name of Temptation Resort. By 1975, Cancun had 1769 rooms in service; by 2008 it boasted about 150 hotels with around 27,000 rooms in service. Apart from the hotels, the basic infrastructure also developed leaps and bounds. An airport, highways, potable water, electricity, telephone lines, convention center and harbors were built to jump start the tourism industry in Cancun. Second only to New Mexico, the Cancun airport handles almost 200 flights a day. Ultimately, the city has had to cope up with the immense population boost from 30,000 in 1980 to over 600,000 today (Rhoda R. & Burton T., 2010). Thus, it is not a surprising fact that Cancun contributes majorly to the Mexican economy. But this silver cloud has a dark lining to it as well. In a city that’s bustling with over 600,000 residents and visitors, socials ills come as a package deal. Crime and poverty, drugs and gangs, political unrest and prostitution reign the back alleys of the glamorous hotel strips. The core reason for this is the asymmetry in the socio economic population of Cancun. A worker working in one of the posh hotels at the Hotel Zone actually lives in the poorest of conditions in the downtown area. Mirroring this fact, is the rate of inflation that is constantly rising. Taking an general example of a hotel worker who earns an average of 50 pesos or $5 per day finds it almost impossible to... Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning Cancun was nothing but an uninhabited barrier island in the Yucatan peninsula. In 1967, the central bank of Mexico identified Cancun as a potential and immensely profitable site for a purpose built the resort in order to cater the demands of a nearby potential market, the US. "Due to the reluctance of investors to bet on an unknown area, the Mexican government had to finance the first nine hotels". And thus, the first hotel started operations in Cancun which today goes by the name of Temptation Resort. By 1975, Cancun had 1769 rooms in service; by 2008 it boasted about 150 hotels with around 27,000 rooms in service. Apart from the hotels, the basic infrastructure also developed leaps and bounds. An airport, highways, potable water, electricity, telephone lines, convention center and harbors were built to jump-start the tourism industry in Cancun. The second only to New Mexico, the Cancun airport handles almost 200 flights a day. It seems that the life cycle of Cancun is about to complete its 360 degree turn. It was born as a virgin island which had never felt the feet of man. It was desolate and untouched. And then man realized its true potential and turned it from a sleepy isolated piece of land into a hustling bustling elite tourist destination filled with lights, colors, technology and fun. But then there is only so much potential that one can exploit before the entire venture starts caving in on itself. That is what happened at Cancun.

What are the causes of organisational change and is organisational Essay

What are the causes of organisational change and is organisational change necessarily good - Essay Example In addition, organization has to make adjustments because of changes that are happening. It is pointed out above that technological change has prompted individuals, firms and other users to adapt it. Discussion in the next paragraphs relates to causes of organizational changes and causes of success and failure of organizational change. Thereafter, the significant of organizational changes is also reviewed. Halkos and Bousinakis (2012) acknowledge that the change of organization is necessary for them to move closer to larger markets. Change is also important for organization to meet the demands of internal and external business surroundings. Effective change can make a company more competitive and expand its market share. According to the authors, organisational change is necessity brought forward by management so as to attain the requirements of a larger social-economic environment, with the use of organizational structures, behaviours and process targeting growth and advancement of the company. Modern organization have to embrace changes as pointed earlier above, technology has prompted many organisations to change. Adaptation and employment of new technologies is significant for any organisation that has to apply new materials, products, methods and processes. Additionally, the workers of the firm have to adapt to changes and update their skills every day. Furthermore, mergers, acquisition, globalization can make the organization to change. There are other factors such as social and political factors; these factors can make organisation change its processes. Some people have doubts regarding organisational change, however, Burnes and Jackson (2011) point out that the change is important in the current world. Adaptation to changes according to the authors makes an organisation survive for a longer time. Organisational change is vital it is quite difficult to achieve. This is because some

Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning Assignment

Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning - Assignment Example 67, the central bank of Mexico identified Cancun as a potential and immensely profitable site for a purpose built resort in order to cater the demands of a nearby potential market, the US. "Due to the reluctance of investors to bet on an unknown area, the Mexican government had to finance the first nine hotels." (Siegel J., 2006). And thus, the first hotel started operations in Cancun which today goes by the name of Temptation Resort. By 1975, Cancun had 1769 rooms in service; by 2008 it boasted about 150 hotels with around 27,000 rooms in service. Apart from the hotels, the basic infrastructure also developed leaps and bounds. An airport, highways, potable water, electricity, telephone lines, convention center and harbors were built to jump start the tourism industry in Cancun. Second only to New Mexico, the Cancun airport handles almost 200 flights a day. Ultimately, the city has had to cope up with the immense population boost from 30,000 in 1980 to over 600,000 today (Rhoda R. & Burton T., 2010). Thus, it is not a surprising fact that Cancun contributes majorly to the Mexican economy. But this silver cloud has a dark lining to it as well. In a city that’s bustling with over 600,000 residents and visitors, socials ills come as a package deal. Crime and poverty, drugs and gangs, political unrest and prostitution reign the back alleys of the glamorous hotel strips. The core reason for this is the asymmetry in the socio economic population of Cancun. A worker working in one of the posh hotels at the Hotel Zone actually lives in the poorest of conditions in the downtown area. Mirroring this fact, is the rate of inflation that is constantly rising. Taking an general example of a hotel worker who earns an average of 50 pesos or $5 per day finds it almost impossible to... Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning Cancun was nothing but an uninhabited barrier island in the Yucatan peninsula. In 1967, the central bank of Mexico identified Cancun as a potential and immensely profitable site for a purpose built the resort in order to cater the demands of a nearby potential market, the US. "Due to the reluctance of investors to bet on an unknown area, the Mexican government had to finance the first nine hotels". And thus, the first hotel started operations in Cancun which today goes by the name of Temptation Resort. By 1975, Cancun had 1769 rooms in service; by 2008 it boasted about 150 hotels with around 27,000 rooms in service. Apart from the hotels, the basic infrastructure also developed leaps and bounds. An airport, highways, potable water, electricity, telephone lines, convention center and harbors were built to jump-start the tourism industry in Cancun. The second only to New Mexico, the Cancun airport handles almost 200 flights a day. It seems that the life cycle of Cancun is about to complete its 360 degree turn. It was born as a virgin island which had never felt the feet of man. It was desolate and untouched. And then man realized its true potential and turned it from a sleepy isolated piece of land into a hustling bustling elite tourist destination filled with lights, colors, technology and fun. But then there is only so much potential that one can exploit before the entire venture starts caving in on itself. That is what happened at Cancun.

Effects of Peer Pressure Essay Example for Free

Effects of Peer Pressure Essay Everyone wants to belong , to be accepted . This is a major reason why teenagers feel pressurized to go along with what others are doing the so called peer pressure. Teenagers are going through tremendous physical and emotional changes as they change from childhood to young adults . There are new responsibilities to be faced , exams to be taken and of course new relationships to be faced . There is rebellion against the rules and ideas that parents impose and so they flock together almost in desperation in some cases. As young people spend more time with their peers outside the family home there are opportunities to do things that they haven t done before such as trying out substances drugs , alcohol and so on . Young people at this stage in their lives often feel very insecure are the changes that are happening to them normal ? Why haven t they got bigger breasts a longer penis , a boy /girl friend and all the rest ? They may even be unsure of their sexual orientation By giving in to peer pressure and uniting in a common `uniform whether of clothing or language they feel stronger and more normal , and meeting with others going through similar problems reinforces their egos , even though this may go against the norms of society in general. As they mature , obtain jobs , move away from the area in which they grew up perhaps , the effects of peer pressure will diminish . see more:essay on peer pressure They will hopefully realize that misusing drugs is not a good thing . Gradually , as they become surer of themselves , most people feel able to make their own decisions as to which music they prefer , clothes to be worn , even their opinions on world issues will be less affected by what their friends think or do . They will make their own decisions about taking drugs or getting drunk . They will feel accepted for who they are , what they are capable of , and though peer pressure continues to affect most people to some extent its effects tend to lessen as maturity occurs Peer pressure has a very strong influence on our decisions; so it is capable of bringing about great change, whether its for the good or the bad of the situation or person. Peer pressure exists for all ages. Pre-teens and teenagers face many issues related to conformity and peer pressure. They are pulled between the desire to be seen as individuals of unique value and the desire to belong to a group where they feel secure and accepted. The result is that often teens reject family or general society values, while feeling pressure to conform rigidly to the values of their peer Your peers are the people with whom you identify and spend time. In children and teens, they are usually, but not always, of the same age group. In adults, peers may be determined less by age and more by shared interests or professions. Peer pressure occurs when an individual experiences implied or expressed persuasion to adopt similar values, beliefs, and goals, or to participate in the same activities as those in the peer group. Peer groups have so much influence, especially with adolescents, because, nomatter how inappropriate it seems to adults, belonging to a group really doesgive something significant to the young person. Peer groups provide a placewhere children feels accepted, where they can feel good about themselves, andwhere their self-esteem is enhanced. Some psychologists also point out thatlife become simpler when we conform to expectations. Young people tend to gravitate toward other young people with the same problems and in the same situations as themselves and where they feel they will be understood and accepted.There is a very, very strong need to satisfy that thirst for unity and for acceptance. The feeling of belonging is a very powerful force that can outweigh ties to church, school, family, or community. In addition to the feeling of belonging and not being alone or socially isolated, some characteristics that peer groups offer which make them attractive and that families may lack are: (1) a strong belief structure; (2) a clear system of rules; and (3) communication and discussion about taboo subjects suchas drugs, sex, and religion. Read more: http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/76/Peer-pressure.html#ixzz2KMutEDRZ http://www.buzzle.com/articles/negative-and-positive-effects-of-peer-pressure.html

Overall strategic objective and the marketing plan

Overall strategic objective and the marketing plan There is much overlap between overall strategic objective and the marketing plan of an organization. Marketing plan keeps eye at consumer needs and organizations ability to satisfy them and these factors direct the companys overall strategic plan. If company fail to throw appropriate marketing strategy, the ultimate goal of profit maximization and expansion of business will be in hard condition. Organization should build suitable marketing plan which helps to achieve companys overall strategic objectives. This study is based on worlds leading electronic and software based company Apple Inc. which was funded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 and is known as computer giant. It designs, manufactures and markets personal computers, mobile communication devices, and portable digital music and video players and sell variety of related software services peripherals and networking solutions. It is also known as innovative company and it has demonstrated that innovation can lead to market dominance. It operates it business with the motto think different. Apple offers a range of electronic and software product and services such as PC, Mac Book, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iTunes, Mac OS X, iLife, iWork, Safari and enormous range of applications worldwide through online store, direct sales force, third party sales, whole sellers, resellers, value added resellers and digital content and applications through the iTunes store to satisfy the desires of modern consumer. In this context apple has in troduced another innovative product iPhone4 smart phone and marketing plan of iPhone4 is the main focus of this study. This study has got five separate sections. The first part is introductory part which identifies and justifies the objectives of the study. The second part explores how the marketing plan supports the strategic objectives of the Apple, third part explains how Apple construct it marketing plan, forth section discusses how Apple promotes the marketing plan to support its strategic objectives. The last section is about the conclusion and summary findings which are developed from the discussion and analysis and recommendations for further improvement. Explaining the strategy of the organization impacting on the marketing plan. Each and every organization stands with business plan to set its overall direction for the company for their existence and this plan sets out how the company is to achieve its strategic aims and objectives. The strategic aims and objectives of a business inform and shape its business plan and an essential part of the overall business plan is the marketing plan. Thus the marketing plan is guided by strategic objective of the business and there should be alignment between the strategic objectives and marketing plan to meet the ultimate goals of an organization (e.g. profit or sales growth). The relationship between strategic objectives and the marketing plan is clarified by following diagram. Business aims objectives Business plan Product services their position in market Market data including size trends competition Business aims objectives Marketing plan Financial information including budgets Figure: Key element of business plan In context of Apple, it committed to offer the range of best possible innovative technological product and services and put that technology in the hand of as many people as possible. Apple leading towards market dominance through its innovation and Apple has already demonstrated it by offering innovative products like iPod, iPhone, iPad. Apple is also committed to protect the environment, health and safety of employees, customers and the global communities where it operates and recognize that by integrating sound environmental health and safety management practices into all aspects of its business. Apple can offer innovative technological products and services while conserving and enhancing recourses for future generations. Apple is leading towards market leader through its effective marketing plan. Apples marketing plan is directed by its strategic planning. In this context Jobbers six planning question helps to apple to align strategic objectives and marketing plan. The six questio ns are as follows. Where are we now? How did we get here? Where are we heading? Where we would like to be? How do we get there? Are we on course? These are the key planning question not only for the marketing plan but for the other plan as well. If any organization wishes to construct effective marketing plan to meet strategic objectives they should address these questions. The first three questions can be addressed by the help of business mission, market audit, SWOT analysis. It gives the concrete shape of marketing plan. The first question emphasis the current position of the company like market share, competition. Apple has dominance market share with its core competencies innovation. The second question focuses on an analysis of significant events that had a bearing on the achievement and shortcoming identifies earlier. Apple get this position by the help of innovation and with the motto of think different Third question point out the direction of the business in future. By the help of market audit and SWOT analysis a business can set the direction. Apple is leading towards market dominance. Fourth question is talk about the objectives or vision of the business. Apple wishes to be a market leader. The fifth question focuses on the course of action which is going to be done in order to achieve the final goal. Apple wishes to meet its objectives by the help of core strategy, marketing mix decision, organization and implementation of marketing plan. Final question emphasis the continuous controlling mechanism whether we are in right track or not if not and what may be the next step to walk on right course. In order to address jobbers first three planning question and to build effective marketing plan a business must conduct market audit. Market audit concern with systematic examination of a businesss marketing environment, objectives, strategies and activities with the view to identify strategic issues, problems and opportunities. It is the cornerstone of the marketing planning process. It keeps eye on environmental forces which may affect the marketing plan: internal and external factor. Internal factor is also known as micro factor which are in hand of a business which mainly focus on the five different factors: Operating results (sales, market share, profit margin and cost), Strategic issue analysis (marketing objectives, market segmentation, competitive advantages, core competencies, positioning, portfolio analysis), marketing mix effectiveness (product, price, promotion, distribution) marketing structure (marketing organization, marketing training, internal communication), marketing system (marketing information system, marketing planning system and marketing control system). External factor are not in business hand so business itself should change to make effective planning. External factor contains macro environment (PESTEL factor) which are economic factor (inflation, interest rate, unemployment), social and cultural (age distribution, lifestyle change, values and attributes), technological factor (new products and process technologies, materials) political and legal factor (monopoly control, new laws, regulations) ecological factor (conversion, pollution, energy). In order to construct effective marketing plan Apple should consider market audit because without considering these factor apple can not meet its strategic objectives. After analysing these factor apple can get present background data on the market, product, competition and distribution. Identifying the components part of marketing plan of Apple. SWOT analysis the strategic technique to evaluate the strategic position of a business by identifying its strength, weakness, opportunity and threats. It helps to address the planning question where are we now? How did we get here? Where we are heading? Once SWOT analysis is done an idea can be developed to how to turn weakness into strength and threats into opportunity, it helps to construct effective marketing plan. In context of apple iPhone 4, the price is high, it can not afford by middle income level people and the treats may be the increased competition which pressure apple to reduce the price because there are other strong competitors as well who produce less priced smart phone and it also difficult to expand in Asian market because without internet server iPhone cannot be operated. So this SWOT analysis helps to Apple how to turn these weaknesses into strength and treats into opportunity in order to construct the marketing plan and these factor helps to build the shape of marketing plan. Once market audit and SWOT analysis has been done it leads to set marketing objectives. Marketing objective keeps eye on two types of objective: strategic trust and strategic objective. It addresses the planning question: where we would like to be? Strategic trust defines the future direction of a business. By the help of Ansoff of Matrix a business can develop strategic trust which product to sell in which market. Figure: Ansoff Matrix Source: www.courseware.finntrack.eu According to Ansoff Matrix there are four strategic alternatives which are market penetration, market development, production development and diversification. Among these four alternatives the Apple has selected a product development alternative and decided to sell new product (iPhone 4) in the existing market. Another part of marketing objective is the strategic objective which deals with the process of planning at the product level. There are four types of alternative: build, hold, harvest and divest. To analyse appropriate alternative, there are various no of product planning portfolio tools such as BCG matrix, General Electric Market Alternatives-Competitive Position Model, Shell Directional Policy Matrix. Even though, this study is going to keep eyes on BCG matrix. Figure: BCG Matrix Source: www.apps.develebridge.net The iPhone is new product and it has low market share but high market growth so it contain to the question mark. This represents high demand due to low market share. So for the new product, the strategic objective will inevitably be to build sales and market share. The important point to keep in mind at this stage is that building sales and market share is only the sensible strategic objective of iPhone 4. Overall, strategic trust and strategic objective characterize where the business and its product intended to go in future. After setting marketing objective a business must determine the means of achieving them. Core strategy focuses on how the objectives can be accomplished and it contains three key elements: target market, competitive advantage and competitor target. Core strategy helps gives the answer of the planning question how do we get there? iPhones primary customer targets is the middle-upper income professional that need one portable device to coordinate their busy schedules and communicate with colleagues, friends and family and secondary consumer targets are high school, college and graduate students who need one portable multifunction device. Identifying issues of risk within a marketing plan of Apple Constructing a marketing plan is not an easy process and it is not out of risk factor which may lead to failure if marketing planner unable to address potential problems effectively and Apple is not also escaped from potential problem which may be: Political behaviour: Typically, marketing planning is a resource allocation process by manager. In this allocation process the power base, career opportunities and salaries may bring conflict. Perception of planning: There are different people involve in this planning with different perception and they wishes to apply their perception to construct the plan which may be the cause of conflict. Reward system: The reward system of business emphasize only short term reward. Managers may overweight the short term focuses rather than long term focuses and the marketing plan not only concern with short. Basically, it is concerned with long term which thing may be underweighted by manager and marketing plan is treated as the secondary focus. Cultural clashes: Cultural clash is another potential problem associated with marketing plan because in a business we can get different culture which may be the reason of conflict like as the business may plan by making incremental decision and strategic planning may challenge the status quo. Lack of knowledge and skills: In planning process, the manager may not has the sufficient knowledge in terms of market segmentation, competitive advantages and the nature of strategic objective and lack of skills in terms of analysing competitive situation and defining core strategy which may lead to failure. Lack of information: The systematic marketing planning system needs accurate information inputs in terms of market share, size and growth rates. These are basic inputs into the marketing audit which may unavailable. In order to construct the effective marketing plan marketing manager should overcome from these problems. To overcome from potential problems leading to risk, apple can use Jobbers formulation of remedies which are as follows: Senior management must support the middle management and coordinate with them and must be committed to the planning process. To address cultural clashes, there should be match between planning process and the culture of the business. The reward system should focus on long term objective rather than focusing on the short term. There should be clear communication system in both ways top to down or bottom to top. Management can conduct training program to marketing personnel in order to provide knowledge and skills about to perform the planning job. 2.1 Identifying the levels of importance of each component of the plan. The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools which a business blends to achieve the marketing goals in a defined target market. Effective marketing mix decision ensure that a business is marketing the right product to the right person in the right place and at the right time which is the key success factor of the marketing plan. It helps to gain competitive advantages with considering market segmentation. Basically, there are two frameworks in order to manage effective marketing mix decision at product or service level: 7Ps and 4Cs. Although, Apple may use 7Ps framework in order to manage effective marketing decision which are mentioned below. Product: The iPhone 4 combine three amazing products- a mobile phone, wide screen iPod, and a breakthrough internet deviceinto one small, lightweight, hand held device with the best e-mail ever on a mobile phone, full screen with browsing, multi touch screen, and applications which gives the best experience of smart phone to the consumers. Place: Apple has set the distribution channel which is appropriate and convenient to its targeted customer. It is offering this product not only through its own retail store and online store but it has build channel with other retail store and the network providers which give easy assess to the target customers. Promotion: In order to promote iPhone 4 to the targeted market segment Apple is using several promotional tools like advertising, publicity, direct marketing, internet marketing, Bluetooth marketing etc. which really helps Apple to bust the sales. Apple is using both below the line and above the line promotional strategy. Price: As other organization apple have their own pricing policy and the price of the iPhone 4 is marked according to it. The price of the iPhone may affect by marketing objective, marketing mix strategy, costs, nature and demand of the market, competition and other environmental forces like economy, reseller, government etc. Other components of marketing mix decision are people, process and physical evidence. These components of marketing mix of Apple are well blended; the marketing strategy is well joined with strategy. 2.2 Identifying mitigation strategies for high risk components of the plan of Apple Once marketing mix decisions have been done the marketing plan leads towards action plan. Action plan refers to the specific steps that must be taken and specific activities that must be performed well to achieve designed strategic objectives. It talks about the specific task: what will be done? Who is responsible for doing it? , time horizon: when will it be done? , resource allocation: how much will it be cost? In terms of Apple it has addressed these questions through its market plan to make marketing mix decision towards perform. Apple has set specific task (i.e. sales programmes, promotion programmes) and delegate responsibility to related person (i.e. marketing manager, sales assistance etc) in order to implement marketing mix decision with convenient time bound. Furthermore, in order to implement action plan programme Apple need supporting budget which talks about resource allocation (i.e. cost and revenue). Without supporting marketing budget the action plan can not be completed because it is the most important part of marketing plan. Although, Each and every company have limited resources which may limit actions and Apple has considered it as well. So in terms of producing budget, Apple is aware of how limited resources produce optimum output and it has produced projected income statement for lunching iPhone 4 which gives the around figure of sales revenue which made up of forecasted unit sales and average net price, cost which made up of cost production, physical distribution and marketing and profit margin. Apple also has conducted Breakeven Analysis which determines the sales units where apple in position of neither profit nor loss from the sales of iPhone 4. It can provide additional information for the budgets or financial section of the marketing planning. Apple has used key performance standards like costs/sales ratios, market shares, territory quotes, comparison with competitors in order to monitor the actions programme. 2.3 Producing marketing plan for Apple. Marketing mix framework helps to enlighten consumers needs, how to exploit the competitive advantages that blends the core strategy with marketing mix and this helps to match corporate resources. Apple has set unique blend of product offering, pricing, promotion and distribution system designed to reach at targeted market. The marketing plan of iPhone 4 mainly focus the consumer satisfaction, the key goal of marketing plan, that can be only achieved by designing the marketing mix suitable for the customer groups or market segments. Marketing mix planning requires all possible tools analysis, such as segment analysis, market research and competitor analysis which play vital role in construction of marketing plan. So overall, marketing mix decision significantly contributes to make the effective marketing plan of iPhone4. Market planning process provided a well-defined path from generating a business mission to implementing and controlling the resultant plans for Apple. The typical marketing plan structure is as follows: Section Purpose Executive summary A short overview of the plan for a quick management review: Current marketing situation The marketing audit to present background data on the market,product,competition and distribution SWOT Analysis Identifies the companys main strengths and weakness and the main opportunities and threats facing the product or service Objectives and issues Define the companys objectives in the area of sales. Market share and profits and the issues that will affect these objectives Marketing strategy Presents the broad marketing approach that will be used to achieve the plans objectives Action programmes Specifies what will be done, who will do it. When it will be done and what it will coast Budgets A projected profit and loss statement that forecasts the expected financial outcomes from the plan Controls Indicates how the progress of the plan will be monitored 3.1 Discussing how the plan supports strategic objectives. David Jobber suggested five different organization structures in order to implement a marketing plan namely: no marketing organization, functional organization, product base organization, market centred organization and matrix organization. Out of these five structures, Apple has structured as a product based organization which focus on individual responsibilities to product managers for managing product lines. Specifically Apple focussed for individual product lines and can develop own marketing mix which helps to apple to align marketing plan to strategic objectives. 3.3 Identifying an evaluation and review measures for the agreed plan. The marketing plan is a cycle that begins and ends with evaluation. The final stage of in the marketing plan is to measure the outcome of the marketing activities against the original objectives and targets. Continuous evaluation helps the marketing team to focus on modifying or introducing new activities to achieve objectives. Apple adopted a range of key performance indicator to asses the success of the iPhone 4s marketing plan. Market share: Did the iPhone 4 hit the market share and help to achieve its market share objective? iPhone 4 is market leader of smart phone in some European countries and is consistently gaining market share. Overall sales: Was this in line with objectives? iPhone 4 is increasing sales significantly comparatively to other competitors. It is meeting the expectation line. Brand image ratings: Apple has an extremely positive brand image with consumers compared to other brand. iPhone 4 is able to increase the brand loyalty of Apple which helps to retain the consumer because consumer are getting the best smart phone experience. Profitability: iPhone 4 is significantly contributing Apples profit margin. These results show that the iPhone 4s marketing plan met the overall targets, which was a significant achievement, considering the difficult economic environment. The marketing plan for iPhone 4 used past performance and forecast data to build a new marketing strategy. This built on the brand and companys strength to take advantage of the increasing change of consumer towards smart phone.

In Support of Hybrid Cars Essay -- Gasoline Electric Hybrid Automobile

To hybrid or not to hybrid, that is the question Hybrid electric cars are the wave of the future. At this point, the human race does not really have a choice anymore: we must act now to prevent further warming of our planet. With global warming graduating from theory to fact, and in the wake of some of the most devastating storms our civilized world has ever seen, I strode into a nearby Honda dealership to see what kind of advancements are being made in the Hybrid electric vehicle field. Keeping in mind what a typical college student might be looking for in a car: pleasing aesthetics, affordability and low maintenance cost, I present you my findings on the Honda Civic LX, compared with the Honda Civic Hybrid model. When the salesman came over to answer any questions and offer the obligatory test drive, I eagerly accepted. The first car I drove was the gas powered LX Civic, starting around $16,000. This car was equipped with a manual transmission, a four cylinder engine, and all the other basic options you would expect to find on a mid priced Honda: power windows, power locks, floor mats, CD player, anti-lock brakes, and optional sun roof. The minute I climbed into the car, I felt the comfortable feeling of being at my mother's house. Not because the Civic has an antiquated feel, but because this is a car that has been the shining star of the small sedan competition for such a long time. Everything on this car just feels like it is in the right place. I reach for the radio during the ride and I am just in reach of all the controls. I roll down the window and can't help but crack a smile as I maneuver around a pothole with ease. The ride is so very smooth, especially for a small car. I round a corner of a not busy s... ...000 mile limited warranty and a 5 year or 60,000 limited warranty, just like every other Honda. Its battery pack comes with an 8-year/80,000-mile warranty. If you have any problems with the car you can bring it here to the dealership or to any mechanic that is trained in HEVs." I look at him plainly. I was expecting him to tell me something more complicated, or to only answer half of the question. But there it is plain as day. You can bring your HEV to the dealership where you purchased it to be worked on. I sit in a sort of meditative stance, not knowing if to purchase the hybrid or the gasoline powered car. Noel senses my fence sitting, and comes in with the knockout punch, "You know Zack, did I mention if you buy a HEV you can qualify for a $2,000 federal tax deduction?" Armed with this information, I tell Noel I will be back one day to purchase my hybrid.