Case Study: Bankruptcy and the Bible

Case Study: Your long-time friend Carl comes to you with a serious problem in his life. He is a believer, and he wants your advice. For years he and his family have lived above their means. They did this by continually refinancing their house and rolling their credit card and other debt onto their home mortgage. However, now that real estate prices are no longer rising but actually falling, Carl can't refinance anymore and can't pay his monthly bills as they come due. He is in a real credit crisis. His creditors are calling him threatening lawsuits, garnishments, and other unpleasant things.One of his friends at work said that he should file bankruptcy. He comes to you for advice from a Christian perspective. In particular, he wants to know: 1. Does the Bible forbid him to file bankruptcy? 2. Does the Bible forbid borrowing altogether? If not, when is it permissible to borrow money? Use the words â€Å"Forbids† or â€Å"Does not Forbid† in the subject line of your discu ssion board post, depending upon your conclusion. Do not use attachments as these are cumbersome and inhibit the discussion process. Suggested Readings:Read and consider these and other Bible verses that relate to borrowing, lending, and lawsuits: Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 20:3, Proverbs 25:8-10, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Matthew 5:22-26, Matthew 5:33-37, Matthew 5:38-42, Psalm 37:21, Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Colossians 3:9, Ephesians 4:22, Ephesians 4:25, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15:1-18, Psalm 37:26, Psalm 112:5, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 22:7, Deuteronomy 24:6, Deuteronomy 24:10-13, Deuteronomy 24:17, Exodus 22:25-27, Proverbs 6:1-5, and Proverbs 22:26-27. You may also want to consult some good commentaries and other study aids on some of the verses that seem particularly relevant to you.Proverbs 17:14 New International Version (NIV) 14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. 3 It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. 8 do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? 9 If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, 10 or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 New International Version (NIV) Lawsuits Among Believers If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers! 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Matthew 5:22-26 New International Version (NIV) 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[a][b] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[c] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool! ’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 3 â€Å"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 â€Å"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:33-37 New International Version (NIV) Oaths 3 â€Å"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. ’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. [a] Matthew 5:38-42 New International Version (NIV) Eye for Eye 38 â€Å"You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for e ye, and tooth for tooth. [a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Psalm 37:21 New International Version (NIV) 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 New International Version (NIV) 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Colossians 3:9 New International Version (NIV) 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices Ephesians 4:22 New International Version (NIV) 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; Ephesians 4:25 New International Version (NIV) 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.Leviticus 25 New International Version (NIV) The Sabbath Year 25 The LORD said to Moses at Mount Sinai, 2 â€Å"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and tempo rary resident who live among you, 7 as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten. The Year of Jubilee 8 â€Å"‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 0 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. 13 â€Å"‘In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property. 14 â€Å"‘If yo u sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other. 5 You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 16 When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops. 17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God. 18 â€Å"‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 9 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 You may ask, â€Å"What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops? † 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. 23 â€Å"‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. 4 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. 25 â€Å"‘If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold. 26 If, however, there is no one to redeem it for them but later on they prosper and acquire sufficient means to redeem it themselves, 27 they are to determine the value for the years since they sold it and refund the balance to the one to whom they sold it; they can then go back to their own property. 8 But if they do not acquire the means to repay, what was sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and they can then go back to their property. 29 â€Å"‘Anyone who sells a house in a walled city retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time the seller may redeem it. 30 If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and the buyer’s descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. 1 But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as belonging to the open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee. 32 â€Å"‘The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns, which they possess. 33 So the property of the Levites is redeemable—that is, a house sold in any town they hold—and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. 34 But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it is their per manent possession. 5 â€Å"‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. 37 You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. 39 â€Å"‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. 0 They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors. 42 Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slav es. 43 Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God. 44 â€Å"‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 5 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. 47 â€Å"‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, 48 they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves.One of their relatives may redeem them: 49 An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves. 50 They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themsel ves up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker for that number of years. 51 If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly. 3 They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly. 54 â€Å"‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, 55 for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 15:1-18 New International Version (NIV) The Year for Canceling Debts 15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. 7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: â€Å"Th e seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,† so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing.They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Freeing Servants 12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. 3 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today. 16 But if your servant says to you, â€Å"I do not want to leave you,† because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life.Do the same for your female servant. 18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. Psalm 37:26 New International Version (NIV) 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. [a] Psalm 112:5 New International Version (NIV) 5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Proverbs 19:17 New International Version (NIV) 7 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Prover bs 22:7 New International Version (NIV) 7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Deuteronomy 24:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security. Deuteronomy 24:10-13 New International Version (NIV) 10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. 1 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 24:17 New International Version (NIV) 17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of th e widow as a pledge. Exodus 22:25-27 New International Version (NIV) 5 â€Å"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Proverbs 6:1-5 New International Version (NIV) Warnings Against Folly 6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2 you have been trapped by what you said, nsnared by the words of your mouth. 3 So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a] and give your neighbor no rest! 4 Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. 5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird fro m the snare of the fowler. Proverbs 22:26-27 New International Version (NIV) Saying 4 26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; 27 if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Marketing Warfare in the Zimbabwean Mobile Sector Essay

Introduction The concept that marketing is warfare can be said to be largely true in respect of the Zimbabwean mobile sector where players have drawn lessons from established battlefield concepts of planning, maneuvering and outwitting fellow players in order to stay ahead of the pack. However the marketing is warfare concept does not adequately charectirise the competitive nature of the mobile industry as there are other factors to be taken into consideration such as customer needs. The mobile sector was introduced in Zimbabwe by Strive Masiyiwa through his Econet brand. A protracted battle with authority ensured before he was finally granted the licence to operate a mobile network. In the meantime, Net-one was granted a licence to operate and started offering Mobile phone services in 1996 followed by Net-one which was granted a licence in 1998 with Econet being the last to enter the market after its legal battle in July 1998. The mobile sector has since grown to incorporate other players who offer mobile services such as Africom, Broadacom and most recently Tel one who offer the (086) mobile line range. Going by the concept that marketing is warfare, the increase in players thus equates to an increase in the number of armies in the battlefield. This essay shall analyse how the players in the mobile sector industry have utilized well known battlefield strategies in order to control the giant share in the mobile industry. ‘Marketing is warfare’ defined Al Ries and Jack Trout have drawn a parallel between military warfare and the competitive strategies employed by competitors in the marketplace. Ries and Trout propose that there are four strategies that can be used in fighting a marketing war; defensive, offensive, flanking and guerrilla tactics. In any industry there is a market leader, market challenger, market follower and market niche. The market leader employs the defensive strategy in order to maintain its position as market leader and to expand its market share further. It has to continuously protect its market share from offensive attacks by its competitors. The market challenger is the one which follows behind the market leader and can employ offensive tactics to out rightly attack the market leader and its smaller competitors in order to increase its market share. It can also choose to accept its position as a market challenger and fight to maintain and defend their position as such. The market follower is much smaller and commands a smaller share of the market. It can chose to use the flank attacks which is an indirect approach rather than the offensive which can prove to be a more expensive and less effective method. The market follower recognizes the areas of the market not being covered by the market leader and challenger and focuses its attention on those areas in order to gain competitive advantage. Econet as the Market Leader Econet, commands about 58% of the mobile market in Zimbabwe with about 8million subscribers whilst Telecel has a market share of about 28% with subscribers amounting to 2.5 million.Net-One is last with a market share of around 15% and a subscriber base of 700 000. The above statistics clearly show that Econet is the market leader in the Zimbabwean mobile sector. However this has not always been the position as Net-one, the first to offer mobile services in Zimbabwe was at one time the market leader. This could be attributed to the fact that Net- one was the first to provide mobile services with Telecel and Econet entering the fray two years after net- One had already started providing services to the market. As such it was only normal that Net-One was the market leader at this stage. Due to the economic challenges experienced by the country especially the period before 2008, Net-One failed to maintain its position as market leader resulting in Econet taking over that position Amongst the tactics used by Econet to gain its position as market leader, is the offensive tactic. It quickly came in to increase its market share by increasing its subscriber base. This it did by upgrading their capacity to enable them to sign up as many new customers as possible. Econet took advantage of the fact that initially, mobile services were a scarce commodity and a preserve of the elite, to outwit its competitors by increasing its subscriber base and flooding the market with its mobile lines way before its competitors followed suit. Another factor which might have contributed to the rise of Econet to the position of market leader is the fact that, for it to get its licence to operate, Econet went through a protracted battle with the authorities even though they had come up with the idea to introduce mobile services in Zimbabwe. This protracted battle endeared the public to Econet as it was a general perception that Econet was being victmised. Consequently when it launched its own mobile services it had already won the loyalty of customers way before it started offering the service. Mobile defence. When it gained the position of market leader Econet then adopted the defensive strategy in order to maintain its position as such. It did this by a continued increase in its subscriber base whilst at the same time introducing new products so as to lure more customers. By continuously increasing its capacity in terms of the subscriber base, Econet ensured that it shut out its competitors, who due to a lack of resources were not able to match Econet’s continued rapid growth.by so doing Econet used the mobile defence strategy which entails more than just a leader maintaining a fotress position whilst assuming that its competitors will never catch up. In the mobile defence strategy however, the market leader, ‘concentrates upon market broadening and diversification.’ (Gilligan) Econet also went about the business of expanding its network coverage area. It did this hot in pursuit of Net-One which had gone on a network expansion drive, particularly in the rural areas an area which Econet had not yet penetrated. Econet went on a counter- offensive attack and expanded its network faster and wider than its competitors thus maintaining its position of market leader. This method was used by Cadillac when faced with stiff competition from Mercedes. It went on to produce a newer and better model than that which had been released by Mercedes. This is the method which was applied by Econet, because even though Net-One’s now covered the rural areas which previously had no access to mobile services, Econet’s network coverage was now bigger and even wider than any of its competitors. Since attaining its market leader position, Econet has worked on developing new products and services to maintain its present customers and to lure more customers. For instance, Econet introduced the Ecolife service to provide lie assurance services to its customers. This was a means of Econet diversifying from its main services and also worked to ensure that customers from other networks could migrate to Econet as their networks were not providing a similar service. On the other hand, Econet might have offered this product before doing their homework as regards their capacity to offer the product as they had to withdraw it following disputes with their partner. In order to maintain its market share whilst at the same time making meaningful inroads into hitherto unconquered territory, Econet was also the first one to introduce 3G services which enabled its customers to send and receive multimedia messages. The introduction of this service was long overdue as most of its customers already owned phones which could perform this task. The fact that it did so before any of its competitors did gave Econet a competitive advantage. In further diversifying, Econet ventured into internet services through its division Ecoweb. It further developed this concept by ensuring that it was the first to offer internet services on its mobile platform thus enabling users to access internet services on their mobile phones. Counter-offensive defensive When Net-One and Telecel introduced mobile banking through ‘One wallet’ and ‘Isikhwama’ respectively, Econet launched a counter- offensive defence by launching its own Ecocash. A counter-offensive attack is one in which the market leader responds to an attack by the market challenger. As they say that a bigger army has got an upper hand and is more likely to overpower the smaller armies, Econet could afford to embark on massive advertisement and roll out of their new product so as to outdo its competitors. Econet used all its resources and went into overdrive marketing Ecocash. This had the impact of overshadowing Telecel and Net-One’s own mobile banking services to the point that it is now as good as if they do not exist. Econet used the counter offensive defence in order to ensure that its competitors’ new products had a still birth. Using its enormous resources as the market leader, Econet went on to roll out its programme by recruiting agents all over the country, rural and urban areas alike which also serve as a marketing tool for them. By allowing its competitors to introduce their new products before coming in from behind after realizing that the product was viable, Econet also used a marketing strategy known as ‘constructive following’(Mercer1996). Econet took advantage of the gap in its competitors who, although they had a good idea, did not have as much resources as the market leader to roll out the programme as effectively as Econet did. In this particular instance it can be said that Econet went ahead to counter attack its competitors as it did not spare any resources in ensuring that the product gained attention. Furthermore it has set to flex its muscles by preventing Telecel and its partner Cabs, access to its customers through their ‘Textacash’ product. Position defence The position defence is a strategy used by a market leader to erect barrier around its company and ensure that its brand position is invincible. This can be done through massive advertisements and promotions to ingrain its position as the market leader. Econet has invested a lot of money in entrenching in the mind of the customer that theirs is the best brand to such an extent that even their competitors might also believe that this is a fact. Its vast profit margins ensure that it has the money to dominate the advertising sector and to promote its brand as the leading brand. The ‘Inspired to change your world’ catch phrase is used to imprint in the consumer’s mind that only their company can bring positive change to the consumer’s life and that the purpose of its very existence is to provide the best service to its customers through continued innovation. All throughout the country, Econet has put up billboards asserting its position as the market leader. This has the effect of making their presence felt not only by its competitors but society at large. The net effect of this is that its competitors will end up believing in Econet’s assertion that its position as market leader is unassailable thus preventing/ reducing attacks from competitors. Econet has also endeared itself to its customers through various social corporate responsibility activities such as Capernaum trust, Joshua Nkomo Scholarship fund and the National Health Trust. These activities enhance Econet’s competitive advantage as people begin to perceive it as a caring organization which is not just after their money. Telecel as the Market Challenger From the above statistics, it is can be deduced that Telecel is the market challenger. As a market challenger, Michael Porter suggests that a market challenger has three ways in which to offset the market leader’s advantage: i) By creating a competitive advantage in cost or differentiation. ii) By neutralizing the leader’s strong points. iii) By setting up a defence against counter- attack by the market leader. Telecel has been able to employ one or more of these tactics as the market challenger through various promotions and incentives to give it a competitive edge against the market leader. A market challenger also has to decide whom to challenge between the market leader and the market follower. Frontal attack The frontal attack is a military tactic in which the enemy is attacked head on. As a marketing tool, it involves the market challenger matching the market leader product for product and price for price (C. Gilligan 2010, pg 487). Telecel has kept itself on Econet’s heels by trying to keep abreast of all new products offered by Econet. Even though Econet was the first one to launch 3G services and mobile internet services, Telecel also quickly followed suit offering the same service to its customers and at similar cost. By so doing, it made sure that it did not lose a substantial number of customers to Econet seeking a better service. However a frontal attack is not always the best method as it very expensive and risky considering that the market challenger is dealing with a well resourced competitor. Not to be outdone by Econet, Telecel has also launched its own social corporate responsibility initiative through supporting old people’s homes which also can be seen as a frontal attack on its competitor. Flank attacks Telecel has taken advantage of those areas in which the market leader is weak in order to assert itself as a superior brand. This strategy is called the frontal attack and is less risky and less costly than the frontal attack. Telecel has identified those products that Econet does not provide and its weaknesses to fill the void left by Econet. A good example is the pre activated lines which are being offered by Telecel. Econet does not offer the same service, the result being that it takes longer for a customer’s new line to be activated than for a Telecel customer. This gives Telecel a competitive advantage over Econet. Telecel also provides airtime on credit up to a certain limit, another service which Econet does not provide. Through this product, Telecel customers can use airtime then pay for it later upon topping up their pre-paid lines. Upon purchasing a new mobile line, it is mandatory that one registers their details with their service provider before accessing service. Telecel has provided for this service to be provided via the phone without the need for filling in of forms. On the other hand Econet does not have a similar facility and one actually has to visit their offices to fill the forms with a considerable waiting period. Telecel was also the first one to provide call me back facility. This facility enables a customer without credit to send a message for another subscriber to call them back. Econet then launched a counter- offensive defense by immediately following suit. Nonetheless, Telecel still has the upper hand in terms of customer satisfaction as their subscribers are allowed to send call me backs across all networks. Econet on the other hand, only allows call me backs on its own network. This could give Telecel an advantage resulting in customer migration from Econet to Telecel, for those who require the service to be across the board. Telecel has consistently looked at ways to outwit their market leader by taking advantage of those service gaps left by Econet. Telecel took advantage of the social media platforms by being the first to encourage the market to like them on Facebook before Econet did. Econet has since taken a counter- offensive response by also signing up on the social network platform. Telecel also took the lead on teletunes a service whereby a caller can listen to a tune whilst waiting for their call to be connected. It also initiated a quiz facility where its customers would stand a chance to win prizes if they answered the questions correctly. All this enhanced Telecel’s brand as it would constantly seek to provide a differentiated service from that of its competitors. Telecel offered mobile banking services before Econet did. Econet immediately launched a massive counter-offensive as outlined above. This shows that it is a risky business to attack the market leader, as it has more than enough resources to counter the offensive and even surpasses the market challenger. Guerilla tactics These tactics entails hit and run moves which are designed to keep the competitor off balance. This can be in the form of temporary price reductions as Telecel did with the introduction of ‘mega juice’ airtime where their customers would get massive discounts within the network after topping up their airtime. This also worked to increase product as customers would buy more airtime knowing that they will receive bonuses. Telecel also reduced the price of their sim card starter packs as compared to those of their competitors. It can actually be argued that these two tactics alone helped Telecel to overtake its competitors from behind thus becoming the second largest mobile network in Zimbabwe. Guerilla warfare can also be by way of product comparisons. When Econet changed its platform from ‘091’ to ‘0772’ whilst Telecel was changing its own from ‘023’ to ‘072’, Telecel took advantage of this changeover to put its product in comparison with Econet. Previously Econet was associated with the elite, whilst on the other hand Telecel was associated with the less affluent. However with the changeover of the identifying numbers the difference was no longer notable. Telecel released advertisements encouraging people to ‘†¦.move over to Telecel since they were changing numbers anyway’. On its website in an apparent dig on the market leader Telecel says ‘We might not be the biggest but we are the best’ Telecel also underwent rebranding and increased advertisements and visibility. It also gives a statement that you do not have to be the biggest in order to be the best. Net-one as the market follower. Net-one having is the market follower in terms of the above statistics. It has the option of employing the following tactics: i) Product imitation or the me-too strategy ii) Guerilla tactics through price reduction iii) Use their Research and Development effectively Net- One moved from being the market leader to being the market follower due. This could be attributed to the economic meltdown between 2002 and 2009 and also the introduction of United States Dollar. Net- One lost a lot of revenue as it had established a niche market among the corporate and parastatals that preferred its contract line service. The introduction of the United States Dollar meant that all money owed under the Zimbabwe Dollar era was lost. Net-One has embarked on a number of warfare tactics in order to regain its market leader position. Initially, Net-one sought to regain its position as market leader through an aggressive network expansion drive. Net-One used the flanking attack by ensuring that they expanded to the rural areas whereas all its counterparts were concentrating on the urban areas. Thus Net-One took advantage of the gaps left by its competitors to gain competitive advantage. Econet however countered by expanding its network even wider than Net-One. Nevertheless, Net-One is still perceived to be the network that is easily accessible in the rural areas. Net-one has used the me-too strategy by also introducing airtime promotions and bonuses for topping up airtime. This it has done in imitation of the promotions done by Telecel under the ‘mega-juice’ promotion. It is reported that these promotions have resulted in it growing its subscriber by 500 000 subscribers. Net-One has also engaged in frontal attack in dealing with its competitors. In 2006 when Econet offered to sponsor the national Premier Soccer League (P.S.L), Net-One countered by offering to sponsor a team in the P.S.L. This would result in promotion conflict as Econet wanted players’ uniforms to all bear its brand whereas the Net-One sponsored team would also be required to wear the Net-One logo. In the end Econet pulled out of the sponsorship deal. Shortfalls of warfare marketing strategy. It has been argued that the warfare strategy’s shortfall is that it concentrates mainly on competitors moves whilst forgetting the customer. It has been proposed that there needs to be a strong focus upon the customer and that the organization must be customer-led. The marketing is warfare concept leads to too much aggression and sometimes a company can lose sight of its own objectives and or its own customers’ needs. This can have a negative impact on its performance as the company engages in unnecessary aggression. On the other hand, one cannot be purely customer –oriented as customers very often do not realize what they want and relying on customer opinions can be misguiding. Conclusion Marketing has been likened to a football match where one cannot just concentrate on the game without looking at his opponents’ because they will not win the game. From the above it can be said that indeed if the players in the mobile sector were to totally ignore their competitors they would not gain competitive advantage. However the mobile sector should also concentrate on their customers if they are to give their customers value. Overall it should be pointed out that the competition strategies highlighted above result in value addition for customers as players try to outdo each other. References †¢ http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com †¢ http://www.econet.co.zw †¢ http://www.netone.co.zw †¢ http://www.telecel.co.zw †¢ http://www.techzim.co.zw †¢ Gilligan C. et al [2009] Strategic Marketing Planning , 2nd Edition Butterworth-Heinmann United Kingdom. †¢ Hooley G. et al [2012] Marketing Strategy & Competitive Positioning 5th Edition Prentice Hall International, United Kingdom. †¢ Kotler P. et al†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¢ Mercer D. [1998] Marketing 2nd Edition Blackwell Publishers United Kingdom.

Research Design Essay

In determining a research question it is important to know that this is the most critical aspect of the research. The research question will define the process, it will also guide the direction of the arguments and inquiries. The research question will provoke the interest of the reviewer. When there is a research question that does not work, it does not matter how strong the research is, it will be unsuccessful. In order to write a strong research question, it takes time. It is important to determine what lead you to the topic. Why does it matter? Start to formulate the questions by following the interest in the research question. A lot of time should be spent on researching and writing about the anticipated project. I have chosen bullying laws, should the state or federal government put laws into place to prevent bullying. This is important to me because it is something that I can relate to. Bullying has received a lot of attention in a lot of school shooting and other related incidents of violence. Bullying is a serious issue and is worth of rational attention, awareness and action. My hypothesis will be, bullying has become a major problem in schools and has been shown to lead to a lot of problems, even later in life. Bullying has become something that a lot of people have been thinking about and is something that has received a lot of different forms of attention. But, this is something that will be explored in elementary students, to put it better, why do certain students become bullies. This hypothesis is definitely both null and alternate because the null hypothesis states that just because the null hypothesis is not rejected does not mean that the statement is true. For example, some people believe that kids will be kids so it is no big deal, but that is why it is important to pin point why the child is doing what he/she is doing. The alternate studies different avenues when exploring the hypothesis. This hypothesis I believe is a quantitative design. I think this because the quantitative design s a formal, objective, systematic process for obtaining information about the world. A method is used to describe, test relationships, and examine the cause and effect relationships. So, when determining whether certain laws should be in place is always something that should be formal and systematic. The cause and effect relationship could be that bullying sometimes cause deaths which is the effect of bullying. This hypothesis is a descriptive design. Typical descriptive design examines the characteristics of a single sample. The hypothesis relates to comparative descriptive design because it compares two or more groups that occur naturally in a setting, while exploring differences. A case study is something that will need to be done in order to test the hypothesis. A case study is an intensive exploration of a single unit of study such as, the person, the family, the group, the community or the institution. Nominal scale is basically a way to categorize or group behavior. This is when the actual numbers are simple labels and identifiers. For example, if you wanted to know who endures the most bullying, you can separate them into female aggression and male aggression and then label the groups â€Å"1† and â€Å"2. † Ordinal scales are more precise than nominal scales. An ordinal scale is basically a set of rankings. So when using the ordinal scale you can put kids in to a ranking by popularity. You can have the kids placed in groups by the number of friends that they have. So those who don’t have any friends will be 1 and those having more than one friend will be 2 and so on. The interval scale is the same as the ordinal scale, but just showing differences of those 1 and 2 on an interval scale is the same as the difference between 4 and 5. Descriptive statistics are important because if presented with raw data it would be difficult to visualize what is showing in the data. This is especially true when there is a lot of data to read. Descriptive statistics will enable the data to present it in a meaningful way. This will allow for a less complex interpretation of the data. For example if we polled 100 students on whether or not they have ever been bullied, we may be interested in the overall behavior of those students. We would be interested in the gender and age of those students. Descriptive statistics will allow us to be able to do this. It will allow us to accurately describe data through statistics and graphs in a vital subject and to be discussed in other guides. There are many times when we do not have access to the entire population that you are interested in investigating. For example you might be interested in the bullying in the UK. It is not reasonable to measure all the bullying in the schools in the UK. It would be more logical to measure smaller samples of students, like 100 students, which will be used to represent the larger population group of students in the UK. I believe that descriptive statistics would be a better choice for this study. Frequency distribution shows the summarized grouping of data, it is divided into mutual select classes.

Family Welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Welfare - Essay Example Even after this, many of the welfare recipients were still unemployed. She reveals that for those welfare clients who were still unemployed at the completion of training, or those for whom training was deemed inappropriate, "were assigned an unpaid workfare placement" (Hays) These jobs consisted of sweeping city streets, serving food at school cafeterias, sorting papers for a county agency and making sure that they were working at least 30 hours a week in return for their welfare checks. Hays argues against this specifically for single mothers who are trying to raise children on their own. 2. Hays reveals the weaknesses in attempting to measure the success of healthcare reform through welfare rolls. She states that although "the welfare rolls had been cut by more than half, from 12 million recipients in 1996 to 5 million in 2002, and most former welfare mothers were employed" (Hays). These figures seemed to prove to the American public that the welfare problems had finally been solved, but Hays argues that this is in no way true. She shows that there are still problems with the system, and still questions left unanswered about work, family, race, poverty, motherhood, and morality. There remained a large gap between what was reflected in the welfare rolls, and the reality that many welfare recipients faced. ... 3. Hays reveals that there are many unique challenges when moving a long term welfare recipient into the workforce. She proves that the minimal opportunities available to these women and families, and the fact that the labor market discriminates according to race and sex makes it extremely difficult for them to find permanent employment. She faults the new welfare reform as assuming that there is potential for welfare recipients to make enough money tp support their families by securing a job, when this is usually impossible. Hays reports, in the bottom percentage of American households makes a wage sufficient to support a family. "Given labor-market realities in tandem with the responsibilities of single parenting, the Work Plan is not likely to lift the majority of these households above the poverty line "(Hays). 4. The Family Transition Program has both strengths and weaknesses according to Hays. She does not like how it tends to punish independence or responsibility among women, She believes that it rewards docility and compliance. In many ways she feels that this program is a form of government social control. She does agree that often the benefits outweigh this because families will be rewarded for their compliance and will receive increased benefits. She states that "while welfare mothers were spending 30 to 40 hours a week in all those seminars, training programs, and workfare placements, they also had to find some place to put their kids" (Hays). She brings to light the fact that if they were lucky, well organized, flexible, patient, and persistent, they could hope to be among the less than one-third of all welfare mothers who actually receive the federal

The essay for Modules: Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Organisation Design and Organisation Delivery - Research Paper Example The mechanization of mental labor has been initiated during the late 20th century with the development of information technology. The mechanization of mental labor can be described as the process of replacement of human labor and intelligence with the assistance of the information technology and computerized processes (Kuskey, 2014). Mental labor can also be termed as informational labor which can be recognized both as an independent activity as well as an adjunct to obtain physical control over different organizational work environment. According to Shieber, (2013), with the assistance of machinery, human labors can perform a wide range of actions as well as can create a number of innovative product and processes which might have been absolutely impossible without the assistance of the mechanization and technologies. The mechanization of mental labor has enabled different industries and organizations of the 21st century to increase the efficiencies of their operations and human reso urces while it has reduced or replaced the mental labor of a huge part of the workforces (Levy and Murnane, 2012). The organization is a life insurance service providing company which is situated in Chengdu, China (Lu, et al., 2014). In further discussion, I will also evaluate my experiences in terms of the distinctions between the mechanized processes and human mental labor. The discussion of the study will detail the different types of human mental labor which can or cannot be mechanized. Finally, it will discuss the strategic distribution of mental labor within the machine process and the human labor of the organization. Data warehousing and data mining are the most used mechanization procedure that I have encountered in the everyday life of the marketing and sales division of Great Wall Life Insurance Company that has been reduced as well as have replaced the mental labor of the workforces within the organization.  Ã‚  

Strategic marketing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic marketing assignment - Essay Example 1 Skype is the market leader in the international voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone market. The software used by Skype allows the customers to use the internet in order to make free calls to other Skype users globally. In the process of doing business along with the internal factors, the external factors, the external environment also have the potential to enhance or subdue the performance of the business. The extent to which the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal factors affected the business of Skype has increased generate public awareness and acquisition by eBay. 2 Political Factors Skype defined as VoIP has an international outlook as it’s used by numerous people all over the world. So the political conditions are essential for the success of the Skype. Skype allows people to make free calls over the internet which has a direct advantage to the small business. But Skype has been suffering from many political issues over the ye ars. The governments of some emerging countries have tried to block Skype mainly because the telecom industry started to lose money due to lucrative international calls. China telecom has planned to block the access to Skype as Skype has been accused of security issues. Apart from the countries blocking Skype, based on its technology, assuming that no disruptive technology enter and challenges Skype, variations from different country tends to become less significant. With liberal regulations Skype has the opportunity to extend to developed countries and its presence along with eBay has a great potential for earning revenues and increase profits. In the emerging countries Skype has been facing difficulties but the company has the ability to capitalize in a positive manner along with eBay. Countries such as China where the political factors are often co related with the social and cultural issues, the possibility of Skype is less optimistic. The Middle Eastern Countries have also deni ed the use of Skype in their communication process and it can be said that the implication of the company are not favorable.3 Economical Factors The internet along with the digital civilization has brought about dramatic changes in the economic system as well s in the social structure caused mainly due to communications technologies. The economic condition which governs Skype reveals that a very minimal amount of risk is associated with Skype in the efficient running of its business. The business model of Skype peer to peer model is combined with the ability to leverage the resources of eBay in a cost effective manner in order to ensure competitiveness in pricing strategies.4 Skype is cost effective as it offers free online calls over the internet to people across the globe. Its low cost strategy has led to an increase in the perceived value since the savings associated to individuals are high and significant in the long run. According to sources, Skype has been regarded as one of t he fastest business which has fueled the growth rate for eBay. Skype has currently added about 150000 users per day for its 54million members in about 225 countries. Skype has generated revenue of about $7million in 2004 and achieved $200million in 2006. With Skype’s international existence, and popularity it would eventually help eBay with its international presence

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Paper Example The energy from a rubber band for moving an object can make for a great idea. The idea behind using the rubber band is that the rubber band stores energy while being stretched and then while released can provide energy to make something â€Å"go†. One can find the amount of energy a rubber band has by studying the rubber band while it is at rest. This works by allowing the rubber band to first rest. Once the rubber band is at rest it can be stretched. The stretching of the rubber band stores energy. Once the stretched rubber band is released it releases energy as it returns back to its pre stretched state. The energy released from the rubber band can provide enough force to power an object with wheels. If the weight is light enough for the elasticity of the rubber band, the object will move. It is important to make sure the strength of the rubber band is suitable for the object. The rubber band has to be strong enough to release enough energy to move the object. Tests can help indicate which rubber band is strong enough for the object. When the rubber band is twisted instead of stretched it can store more energy. The rubber band once twisted has double the strength. As the rubber band untwists itself it can release much energy.

Can a judge order a convicted drunk driver to attend weekly Alcoholics Essay

Can a judge order a convicted drunk driver to attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings over the course of one year as a condition of probation for drunk driving - Essay Example In case the defendant violates probation, a one month jail term is imposed depending on the original sentencing. However, the state implemented the law of AA as an effective amendment for providing spiritual revelation to the drunk drivers. AA offers the defendant spiritual education programs in order to help the drunk driver to stop drinking (Smith 299). Drunk drivers are given AA as an alternative for going to jail and this takes place after carrying out alcohol screening test. The court does not put the offender directly to AA, but they are sent to the probation officer or a counselor first. The counselor will carry out screening test in order to determine the drinking pattern of the offender. The results will enable the officer to determine the drinking level and then make a decision of sending the offender to the Alcoholic Anonymous. This alternative probation to jail was seen effective because it reduces the costs of maintaining the offenders in jail. The government may violate the freedom of religion, equal protection and due process by holding the court hearings in a church as seen under the First Amendment. Under the First Amendment rights, the church was given freedom and the constitution protects the rights of the church (Smith 301). The church was separated from the state and given the freedom to exercise their rights. Holding court hearing in a church is deemed as the violation of freedom of religion and speech. This is because the First Amendment clause aimed at separating the church from the state. The central government does not have the authority to engage in church matters.

Human Resource Management at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Human Resource Management at Work - Essay Example In this situation, it is essential that employees perceive constant organizational support and are motivated to improve their workplace performance. HR leadership and management strategies will play the vital role in bringing organizations in the leisure industry toward their strategic goals. That HRM decisions produce a multitude of effects on the quality of performance in organizations is a well-known fact. Brendon Jones, Ltd is no exception. In its current situation, the company has several strategic options to choose from. While the company is losing its market position and experiences a rapid decline in consumer satisfaction, its principal task is to improve its stability and position in the leisure industry and retain its consumers. Also, the company must ensure that the number of new consumers constantly increases and, most importantly, that new and existing consumers are satisfied with the quality of its entertainment services. Advertising looks like the primary and the most promising solution to the customer issues: while Brendon Jones, Ltd is losing its consumers, a well-developed advertising campaign could help it to revive its brand and popularity and attract new customers. Attractive as it may look, advertising and brand revival will not resolve the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s organizational issues from within. Advertising is just an instrument of popularity and competitiveness in a short-term perspective. In no way does advertising help to raise the efficiency of business operations at Brendon Jones, Ltd. Therefore, the organization could try to reconsider its budget and financial expenses, to open new parks or develop new, sophisticated attractions. Apparently, the success of the leisure industry organizations is in whether they can surprise their consumers. The more surprising and sophisticated attractions are the more interested

Macrowritten5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macrowritten5 - Essay Example Based on these four fundamentals, Reagonomics attempted to make a policy shift from the previous regimes in US which mostly focused on alternative economic policies. It has been argued that Reagonomics delivered on most counts due to the fact that it brought wider scale changes into the tax code of the country and brought changes in the way business taxes were levied in the country. Further, this was also considered as the most serious attempt in US to make a shift into economic policies of the country as it was declared that only through controlling the growth of the government, can a country grow and prosper. Reagonomics worked in the sense that it reduced the government spending and rationalized the tax rates which offered relatively more space to the businesses to work and invest into their research and development thus preparing themselves for meeting future challenges of the market economy and other competitive challenges. It is also argued that the unemployment during this era substantially reduced from 7% during 1980 to 5.4% in 1988. (Niskanen, 1988). It is also important to note that during that era, tax collections improved and as a result of this, the overall government outlay increased despite the fact that Reagan attempted to reduce the government spending. The criticism of Reagonimics is however, based upon the notion that US economy, before the Reagan era was facing economic depression therefore the room for the improvement was relatively large. As such, according to Paul Krugman, Reaganomics basically attempted to exploit that available gap to show better performance during that era. (KRUGMAN, 2008). Accordingly, this was an era where rich got richer whereas most of the average Americans suffered and their standard of living further declined and reached to a level which caused immediate recession when Reagan and Bush Senior left the stage. This argument by Krugman therefore is based upon the notion that the

Steps involved in recruiting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Steps involved in recruiting - Essay Example A wide variety of federal and state laws govern what can and can’t be done during all stages of the recruitment process which comprises of the interviews, investigations, tests and selection to be carried out on the new employee (Sian, 2012). Normally the following statutes will come into play prior to the starting of any stage in the process of selection, interviewing and appointment. They include ;( 1) The Civil Rights Statute of 1866, 1870 and 1871 which forbid any form of prejudice against the minorities.(2)The Fair Labor Standards Statute of 1938 which provides a smallest wage, prevents child labor and requires that employees be paid overtime for extra work done.(3)The Equal Pay Statute of 1963 which provides for equal pay for both genders for work that requires similar effort, skill, responsibility as well as working condition. (4)The Civil Rights Statute of 1964,specifically Title VII-forbids the selection of employees on the basis of sex, color, race, national origin, religion as far as employment matters are concerned from recruitment up to discharge and obliges employers to find out any discriminatory practices and get rid of them. This act also forbids sexual harassment. (5) The Age Discrimination in Employment Statute of 1967 which forbids discrimination due to age for anyone who is over 40 years. (6)Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1963 Act which was amended Title VII and recognizes pregnancy as a disability that is temporary and forbids bias on childbirth, pregnancy or associated medical conditions (Sian, 2012). 7)The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 which forbids prejudice in employment due to citizenship status, national origin, forbids employment of illegal aliens and gives penalties for any violations.(8)The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA)-forbids discrimination against individuals who are

Competition Bike Incs Essay Example for Free

Competition Bike Incs Essay Horizontal analysis compares a company’s performance from year to year. I will be reviewing Competition Bikes Inc(CBI) balance sheets and income statements. During CBI year 6, 7 and 8 I have found their net sales , cost of goods to be fluctuating, and few various other items. The net sales from year 6 to 7 increase 33.34 %. The cost of goods from year 6 to 7 was 31.82 %. The gross profit increase 30.89. Comparing year 6 and 7 I found that year 7 improved, but when I compared year 7 to 8 the results were not good for year 8. The company had experienced a 15 percent reduction in net sales. Cost of goods drops 14.8 % from year 7 to 8. Advertising Expenses CBI advertising expenses increased by 37.5 % from year 6 to 7. CBI made a great investment from year 6 to 7 because the net sales increase at a higher rate the increased advertising cost. CBI reduced their advertising expenses by 16.3 % from year 7 to 8. I believed this was done because of the fragile economy. Many companies are trying to make cuts back during a weak economy. These reduces expenses will hold them over until the economy becomes stronger. Website/Sales The website creation and maintenance expenses during year 6, 7 and 8 stayed the same price. Sales commission increase 33.371 % during year 7 from the previous year. Sales commission decrease by 15 % the following year (8). Distribution Network The Distribution network expenses had a positive increased in year 7 by33.3 % jump from the previous year. Distribution expenses are normally supposed to maintain similar numbers, but when you have an increase in sales it is acceptable to increase the distribution expenses. Distribution network expenses decreased 15 percent in year 8. This was caused due to less revenue. Transportation CBI had 33% transportation increase from year 6 to 7. This was caused CBI had more products sold and required more products to be shipped. CBI saw 15 % transportation decrease from year 7 to 8. CBI had less products sold and this caused transportation to decrease in year 8. Administrative Expenses from year 6 to 7 saw 21.43% increase. Administrative Expenses maintain the same expenses from year 7 to 8. Executive expenses increased 29.42 % from year 6 to 7. Year 7 and 8 maintain the same level of expenses. Employment taxes rose by 25.81 % increase from year 6 to 7. Year 7 and 8 maintain the same level of employment of expenses. Administrative expenses are expected due to company having increase production and sales. Utilities expenses rose 3.84 % from year 6 to 7. CBI operation worked proficiently in year 7, and this helped them experienced only an increase of 3.8% in utilities. This was caused due to increase production. CBI utilities increased by 11.11 during year 8. I would suggest CBI have their utilities monitor from day to day to see how they can prevent an increase in expenses when the company is not performing well compared to the previous year. Research CBI saw research and development saw a 37.5 % percent increase from year 6 to 7.During year eight CBI reduces their research and development expenses by 16.3 %. A company should never reduces their research and development if they company perform well in the previous year. I believe this was one of the reasons why CBI had a great year during 7 because they knew what consumers wanted. Due to lack of spending on research and development this caused their sales to drop. Research and development is an important component of competition against other companies without a company will fail to succeed. Interest Income CBI interest income rose 38.1% from year 6 to 7. During year 7 CBI income was properly invested. During year 8 CBI investments had a 3.4% reduction. The reduction was small, but small things do add up over time. I would suggest CBI to monitor their investments and make plans to move around their money if the current trend continues. Balances sheets CBI accounts receivable rose 164.3% from year 6 to 7. During year 8 CBI accounts receivable drop 15 percent. CBI should monitor accounts receivable more closely to make sure past due balances are paid on time. This was caused due to the company noticing a large increase on accounts receivable during year 7 and they tried to capitalize on it. This caused their accounts receivable to drop. Raw Materials CBI manages their raw materials well during year 7. CBI had 3.1% percent reduction in year 8. CBI should incorporate lean production method and Just in time production to avoid wasteful spending and production. Liabilities CBI liabilities increase 1.2% from year 6 to 7. This is expected due to year having 7 having an increase in sales and productions. CBI reduces their liabilities by 3.1% from year 7 to 8. This is good because CBI had a 15 percent reduction in net sales. Vertical analysis A method of financial statement analysis in which each entry for each of the three major categories of accounts (assets, liabilities and equities) in a balance sheet is represented as a proportion of the total account. The main advantages of vertical analysis are that the balance sheets of businesses of all sizes can easily be compared. It also makes it easy to see relative annual changes within one business(Investopedia,2013). Income Year 7 net sales were 7% higher than year 6.CBI preserved their selling expenses at 6.7% of total Net Sales. CBI reduced General Admin Expenses from 17.1% during year 6 to 15.5% during year 7.This would lead to an increase in Operating Income from 2.8% of Net Sales from year 6 to 5.3% in year 7 and CBI Net Earnings would increase from 1.1% (year 6) to 3.3% (year7). CBI did not perform well in year 8 because their expenses increase during year 8. This caused CBI net earnings to reduce.. CBI Administrative expenses increased 15.5% from year 6 to 7. CBI net sales increase 18.4% from year 7 to 8. CBI operating expenses income was reduce 5.3%of net sales to 1.9 % causing CBI net earnings from 3.3% to a .7%. I would recommend CBI to monitor their general and Admin expenses. Majority of expenses stayed the same during year 6,7 and 8. However during year 8 the CBI did not perform well. I believed CBI needs to find ways to reduces expenses when the company is having a low sales volume. CBI should incorporate just in time principles and lean manufacturing principles. I believe this would help reduce wasted production and this would help reduce utilities expenses. Just in time principles and lean manufacturing principles could also reduce employee expenses. ASSESTS CBI in the cash and cash equivalent accounts drop from 6.2 % in year 6 to 2.7%. However, during year 7 more products were sold compared to year 6. CBI accounts receivable had a major increase from year 6(6.5%) to year 7(16.6%).CBI needs to monitor their accounts receivable accounts more closely and make sure they’re collecting the amount owed to them. During year 8 CBI cash and cash equivalents had risen from 2.7 %( year 7) to 10.3%(year 8). The reason why this happen was due to CBI had started to monitor their accounts receivable. This helped them collect the money they were owed on past due accounts. I would recommend CBI to avoid making purchase on accounts and find ways to use the cash in a more efficient way. CBI should realize it important they have enough reserves during a recession. This will help hold them over until the economy bounces back. â€Å"Trend Analysis is the practice of collecting information and attempting to spot a pattern, or trend, in the information (Wikipedia,2012).†CBI sales were lower than year 7, but they still were able to make a profit. CBI should expect to see growth in the next few years based on their current trend. CBI is expected to have 3,510 units sold in year 9. CBI will have 3,660 units sold in year 10. Finally during year 11,CBI will sell 3,800 units. The forecast numbers are based on the economy recovering. This will encourages CBI sponsors to invest in professional riders and this will increase new bike sales. Currently is cost CBI 1,047.50 to make each product. I would recommend CBI find suppliers who have the same quality parts, but at a lower cost. I would also make recommend CBI is following just in time and lean manufacturing principles. This could help CBI increase their profit margin. Ratio analysis- analyzes numbers Ratio analysis is a method used by businesses to assess their financial situation by comparing two sets of linked data. Current ratio will measure a companys ability to pay short-term obligations. CBI had a reduction from year 7 (5.9%) to 8(5.35%). Two wheel racing (TWR) current ratio was 4.2% for year 7 and 8. A debt ratio will determine if a business is able to handle any unexpected liabilities it that may come up. A business needs to make sure they enough money to pay off debt to avoid problems with their debt. During year 7 CBI debt ratio was 46.8%. The follow year the debt ratio was 46%. The debt ratio only drops .08 percent during year 8. TWR debt ratio was 38% in year 7 and 8. An acid test ratio will determine if a company can back their liabilities. CBI is doing better than (TWR) by 1.12% and .85%. Inventory turnover- determines the number of times a company can sell it average level of inventory throughout the year. CBI bicycles are customizes for customers so I am unable to compared CBI and TWR. Average collection period, This determines how well a company is able to collect money to the customers they extended credit to.CBI has higher collected amount compared to TWR. CBI was 11.3% higher in year 7 and 8. Gross Profit Margin, will tell investors how much revnue was gain after selling the product(Cost of Good-revenue/gross profit. TWR profit margin is 32.10% higher than CBI profit margin in year 7(27.4%) and 8(27.0%). TWR is operating more effectively. Operating profit margin Measures management efficiency (Operating income/total sales). CBI year 7 was 5.3% and TWR was 5.2%. Year 8 TWR performed better with 5.3% compared to CBI(1.9%). Net Profit Margin show investors the percentage of each sale dollar earn as net income. During year 7 CBI net profits was 3.3% and in year 8 it was .8%.TWR was 5.14% year 7 and 8. The portion of a companys profit allocated to each outstanding share of common stock. Earnings per share serves as an indicator of a companys profitability(Investopedia,2013).TWR was $.08 for year 7 and 8. CBI was $.20 during year 7 and $.04 in year 8. Return on total assets-determine how successful a company is to earn profit with their assets. TWR total assets was 4.8% for year 7 and 8. CBI was 4.5% in year 7 and year 8 was .8%. Return on Common Equity- Income between net income and stockholder equity. During year 7 CBI equity was 8.5% AND TWR was 8.1%. CBI equity in year 8 was 1.5% and TWR was 8.1% Price / Earnings Ratio- Stock prices and company earning. CBI earning share 49.67 and TWR was 29. During year CBI price jump to 83.73 and TWR was still 29. Times Interest Earned Determines the numbers of times operating income can pay interest expense. Year 7 interest earn was 5.27 and TWR was 4.24. During year 8 CBI interest earn drop to 1.77 and TWR remained 4.24. ‘Working capital is a financial metric(current assets minus company liabilities) which represents operating liquidity available to a business, organization or other entity, including governmental entity(Wikipedia,2013).† The financial metric system will analyzes if a company will be able to pay their short term liabilities or do they need to take an alternative solution. CBI working capital in year 6 was $382,394: CBI working capital at the end of year was 1,306,617. CBI increased their working capital by 70.7% at the end of year 8. After reviewing CBI working capital the results indicated they will be able to pay their short term liabilities Recommendation I would recommend CBI to have their accounts executives to build a better relationship with customers and make sure they’re satisfied with the work they are receiving. One of the most important things a company can do is listen to their employees. I would also recommend CBI to reduce their accounts receivables. This could be done by making sure that larger orders from customer are sent out faster. CBI inventory cost increase over 24% from year 6 to year 8.CBI should follow the just in time and lean manufacturing principles. This will reduces inventory cost for CBI. CBI transportation expenses are one of their highest expenses. I would recommend CBI to consider to purchasing their own delivery truck and see if this will help them reduce their transportation expense. Internal controls Internal controls helps a company infrastructure run smoothly. Internal controls also help protect and prevent fraud. Internal control will try to remove the temptations for employee to act unethically in the aspect of putting the company at risk of lawsuit. CBI purchase department (PD) will purchases orders from suppliers based on their monthly budget. Once the order has been received the PD will evaluate bids from different suppliers. Once the order has been received they’re given to the production line. The invoice will be sent to the PD. If there are any supplies left they will be sent to raw materials. The PD will then send an accounting department who issues a check to the supplier. Recommendation I would recommend the whole entire processed be revamped. The first thing I would recommended is to separate the duties of researching the bid and purchasing orders. The next thing I would suggest is to make the receiving department in charge of verifying the shipping when the packages arrive. The receiving department needs to verify every item is there from the supplier and their no missing item from the delivery. The receiving department should maintain an inventory control system. After the receiving department has approved the invoice, they should forward to the purchasing department. The purchase order will be forward to the accounting department for payment. Accounting has currently been only receiving unverified invoices. Risk Accounting has currently been only receiving unverified invoices. The lack of verification could cause CBI to get double charge for item they already paid for. Currently their lack of inventory control system. Currently unused supplies are being sent to raw material without anyway of tracking it. This would make it easy for employees to steal because lack of inventory control system. Recommendation I would suggest an inventory control system be implemented. I would make sure all packages received by receiving department be verified by management to avoid being double charge. The inventory control system will help prevent theft from employees. I would also hire outside firm every quarter to check inventory levels to make sure no one is stealing from the company. Sarbanes-Oxley Act Sarbanes-Oxley Act is government regulation that congress pass in order to improve financial disclosures. This would help prevent accounting fraud and improve financial disclosures from corporations(Wikpedia,2013).†Section 302: A mandate that requires senior management to certify the accuracy of the reported financial statement Section 404: A requirement that management and auditors establish internal controls and reporting methods on the adequacy of those controls. Section 404 had very costly implications for publicly traded companies as it is expensive to establish and maintain the required internal controls (Investopedia,2013). CBI does not mention that they were audited by outside firm. I highly recommend CBI to hire auditing firm to review the company’s annual statement before releasing the numbers to the public to make sure there is no accounting errors. Internal controls are implemented and effective at the end of year 8(Dec 31). The CEO, and CFO certification is need because it is required by SOX and this could not be located. Auditor releases the following statement to shareholders. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or a combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis Recommendations CBI needs to make sure they are in compliance with the regulations set forth by Sarbanes-Oxley CB. The first thing I would recommend is to conduct a internal control assessment. The next thing I would recommend CBI to hire accounting firm to review their internal controls. The control needs to be based on Sox guidelines. The CEO and CFO needs to certify they’re aware of the CBI internal control and the actions the company have taken to protect investor’s investments. It is very vital CBI CEO and CFO certifies they’re aware of internal control because Sarbanes-Oxley requires this to be done. Since the accounting firm made assessment that the internal control is effective their might be some problems that could arise from the following statement, â€Å"A material weakness is a control deficiency, or a combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.† I would recommend the CEO or CFO to take action fix the internal control problem because they could face jail time for making statements that were not true. .† CBI should base their guidelines set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Tread Way Commission(CSOTWO). CSOTWO is joint inivate five private sector organizations devoted to providing leadership through progress and guidance on enterprise risk management, internal control and fraud dictation. This is a great way for C BI to improve the internal control process. References Free Dictionary(2013) http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Sarbanes-Oxley+Act+of+2002 Investopedia(2013) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/horizontalanalysis.asp#axzz2Hh4rgfuE True Bussiness(2013) http://truetobusiness.com/finance/ratio-analysis Wikipedia(2013) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_control

Examining The Understanding Social Disorganization Theory Criminology Essay

Examining The Understanding Social Disorganization Theory Criminology Essay Social Disorganization means the disruption or breakdown of the structure of social relations and values resulting in the loss of social controls over individual and group behavior, the development of social isolation and conflict, and a sense of estrangement or alienation from the mainstream of ones culture; the  condition or state of anomie (dictionary). Social Disorganization Theory is a theory that is less than one hundred years old. The founders of this theory are Shaw and McKay. Social disorganization theory was developed in the early 1900s in Chicago, Illinois, based upon the fact that the founders of this theory had been researching juvenile court records for more than one decade (Pratt, Gau, and Franklin 43). The theory suggested that there were high rates of crime in certain neighborhoods; particularly rather poor neighborhoods. Once Shaw and Kay discovered these findings, they figured that crime was no longer based on the individual alone, but more so the structure of th e neighborhood and what the neighborhood consisted of socially; neighbors level of interaction with one another, along with their ability to regulate the youth of their community (Pratt, Gau, and Franklin 44). There are several factors that can help determine social disorganization within a community. A few of these factors include: low socioeconomic status, high rates of residential mobility, increased diversity within the community and single-parent households (Pratt et al. 44, Barton et al. 247, and Kingston et al. 54). However, one of the main factors frequently used to determine social disorganization is residential mobility. Residential mobility is the frequent Childress 2 change of residence, either in the same city or town, or between cities, states or communities (dictionary). Residential mobility has the ability to socially disorganize any community. Neighbors packing up and moving more frequently than not, puts a strain on the ability for people to bond with one another and form a friendship with other residents who also reside in their community. Another factor that is often used to determine social disorganization is the socioeconomic status of a particular neighborhood. Poor neighborhoods with low income usually contain single-parent residencies. Single-parent households with young children living in them, have a hard time controlling the youth of their households, let alone the youth of their communities. Lack of discipline to the youth and improper social skills with their peers causes them to get involved in certain activities that are not only harmful to the community but harmful to themselves as well. According to the authors of the articl e A Test of Social Disorganization Theory in High-Risk Urban Neighborhoods, Structurally disadvantaged neighborhoods that lack the resources to effectively monitor children (such as: summer camps, music lessons, sports training, home computers, and special tutoring) and provide few sanctions for inappropriate behavior are likely to have a higher number of delinquent peer groups available to youthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Poorly monitored youth are more likely to socialize with deviant peers and to engage in misconduct (Kingston et al. 58-59). As stated before, social disorganization occurs mainly in poor neighborhoods with high residential mobility lack of socializing between the neighbors throughout the community. These factors allow the crime in these communities to grow exponentially. Social exclusion and isolation from one another has a negative effect on the community because it creates a gateway for crime to occur. With no one from the community willing to step up and organize groups like The Neighborhood Watch or etc., it creates opportunities for crime to occur at any given time throughout the community. With no control over the youth living in the community, crime tends Childress 3 to rise. With lack of control over the youth, gangs have a high risk of developing. When gangs develop, there are a number of negative things that can occur. Some of the negative activities that can stem from gangs are burglaries, vandalism, drug-dealing, and violence, just to name a few (Mares, 41). The number of gangs began to rapidly increase in America during the 20th century. Without warning, gangs began showing up and developing in suburban, rural and urban communities (Mares, 41). This could have been prevented somehow if there had been more unity within the communities and if neighbors had been more willing to socialize with one another while agreeing to keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior with their community. However, it is safe to say that gang violence and homicides has the ability to destroy neighborhoods and put fear into people while causing isolation throughout the community (Mares, 42). So, if people within a community are afraid of the area that they are living in, it makes it harder for them to call the police and report a crime; and if they do report a crime, the chances of them cooperating with the police and stepping up as a public witness is not high, because they may feel threatened by the local gang members of the community, as well as scared for their lives. When this occurs, crime increases within the community because local gang members feel as if theyre invincible and as if they can get away with any crime they commit, no matter how large or small the crime may be (Mares 43). Social Disorganization started off as a theory fit for urban, rural and suburban neighborhoods. However, throughout the years, social disorganization has progressed from slum neighborhoods to college campuses. With the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings, campus crime seems pretty evident in these areas (Barton et al. 245). According to the authors of the article Social disorganization theory and the college campus, four-year college universities reported 44 murders, 2,491 forcible rapes, 1,386 robberies, 2,130 aggravated assaults, 25,978 burglaries, and 3,410 motor vehicle thefts back in 2007 in the United States Childress 4 (Barton et al. 245). Residential mobility is an obvious factor of social disorganization on college campuses because most colleges do not require their student to live on campus. Students living in nearby towns tend to commute back and forth to school everyday. Theres also the case where students get to pick a new room during the room reservation process towards the end of every academic school year. The percentage of students remaining in the same dorm room year after year is not very high. All of these factors regarding residential mobility on college campuses make it very hard for neighboring students in the dormitories to form a lasting bond with one another, since students usually get a new neighbor at the beginning of every academic school year once they move back onto campus. Then you have the college students who decide to pledge for a Greek organization on campus. These organizations take up the majority of a students time. Those students who live on campus but are dedicated to a Greek organization are hardly ever in their dorm rooms, thus, making it that much easier for crimes, such as burglaries, to occur on the college campus, particularly in the dormitories. Despite the positive things that Greek organizations do for the community, crime is very much capable of happening at their events, particularly their parties. Certain crimes such as under-age drinking, illegal drug use and vandalism are, very much so, capable of happening at a Greek organizations college party (Barton et al. 248). However, according to authors of the article Social disorganization theory and the college campus, Stronger community organizations provide more opportunities for positive social interaction, improve formal social control by increasing the chances that neighbors will observe neighborhood activity and intervene when they see potential problems, and thereby decrease the chance of crime occurring (Barton et al. 248). The dynamics of a community determine whether or not there will be social disorganization. Of course openness and communication within the community enhances the Childress 5 chances of gaining more control over the youth residing in nearby homes of their neighbors, including the homes of their own (if they have any). Coming together and unifying to form protection groups such as The Neighborhood Watch, will give people within the community a feeling of safety and protection. So, if someone from The Neighborhood Watch witnesses a crime taking place with their community, they may feel more confident and safe about calling the police to report it, since they will have the support of the The Neighborhood Watch within the community to fall back on. Aside from unity and proper communication amongst the residents of a community, the quality of the schools within the community have a strong ability to decrease social disorganization. Schools within a community that are not overcrowded or lacking basic needs such as teaching supplies and up-to-date text books, makes the students who are attending that particular institution more guaranteed to gain a quality education (Kingston et al. 58). This will give them more of an interest in pursuing a higher education, such as college, which will give them motivation to focus more on school by getting good grades and becoming more involved with extracurricular activities, instead of getting into trouble out in the streets of their community. According to the text book Key Ideas in Criminology and Criminal Justice, the authors conclude at the end of chapter four that levels of social disorganization may affect informal control and criminal opportunity mechanism, which, in turn, directly influence neighborhood crime rates (Pratt et al. 50). Childress 6

Introduction To Marketing Mix Marketing Essay

Introduction To Marketing Mix Marketing Essay Marketing Mix is one of the most fundamental concepts in marketing management. For gaining clients and for revenue promotion, every business owner has to concentrate on four primary and three prolonged elements/components. The primary components of selling mix include product, pricing, distributive programs (place) and revenue promotion techniques while the prolonged components are actual proof, individuals and procedure. A fair combination of these marketing components is called Marketing Mix. Product A product is products that meets what a customer needs or wants. It may be a concrete excellent or an intangible assistance. Intangible products are service-based like the travel and leisure industry, the hotel industry and loan agencies. Tangible products are those that have actual existence. If your product is really excellent and benefits your clients, theyll spread the very excellent news. Theyll tell their friends and family. Theyll be very excited to share your brand and name with others causing you to have an excellent windfall of cash and plenty of company. Price Price is the money that must be paid by the customer to obtain products or solutions. The cost of a product must be relevant to the product/service and to the industry. Of all the aspects of the marketing mix, cost is the one, which creates revenue all the others are costs. The cost of products is clearly an important determinant of the value of revenue made. In theory, cost is really determined by the discovery of what clients perceive is the value of the product on sale. Place Physical submission (place) is the delivery of goods at the right time and at the right position to clients. Physical submission of product is possible through programs of submission which are many and varied in character. A marketing manager has to select a channel which is convenient, economical and suitable for the submission of the result. Promotion Promotion is an action to introduce products or solutions on the target audience, to build customer views about manufacturer or solutions offered. Marketing consists of components such as: advertising, advertising, personal selling and revenue promotion. Process Process is a series of actions that are necessary to offer products or solutions with the best solutions to the customer. A procedure can contain about the method or procedure that is put in position to acquire the needed customer product. Service of procedure is quick, easy and friendly giving more value to clients of a product. People People are all the individuals involved in the action of producing products and offer product solutions to clients. Those who produce and industry a product also has an assessment in the eyes of clients. Physical evidence Physical proof is the product a system that is needed to back up the appearance of a product, so display directly the quality of products or solutions provided to clients. From the discussion of the importance of selling mix in a company, it can be concluded that the seven existing factors in the marketing mix are connected, so there should be excellent synchronizations among these components to achieve marketing objectives in terms of volume of revenue and customer service. References: 1. Needham, Dave (1996). Business for Higher Awards. Oxford, England: Heinemann. 2. E. Jerome McCarthy (1975)Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach, fifth edition, Richard D. Irwin, Inc., p.37 3. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Brown, L., and Adam, S. (2006) Marketing, 7th Ed. Pearson Education Australia/Prentice Hall. 4. Kurtz, Dave. (2010). Contemporary Marketing Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. 5. McCarthy, Michael (2002, December 2, updated 2002, December 3 If I would be Joe then I would apply the 7 Ps marketing mix to the corner store in the following way: Product Your product marketing choices will differ based on the type of retail store shop you run and your potential viewers. The factors that impact the understanding of quality include product packaging style, service strategy options, assurance, materials and shades. If you are marketing your shop and products to a high-end audience, for example, you might select an stylish, simple style and cool colors; for a family-friendly shop, you might trim more toward shiny, strong shades and large print styles. Joe did not focus on the products and the needs of the clients. Price Price is an integral aspect of a retail store marketing mix; if your clients cannot afford your products, they are unlikely to regular your shop. Most of the products in your shop should be in a comfortable variety for your potential viewers base; to get this information, you will need to execute an viewers research to get an idea of average income and spending power. To make a feeling of desire and to give an option for a spend, you can also offer some products that are priced just out of your focus on clients normal cost variety. Joe billed more prices for its products which redirected the clients to the next best alternative. Place In retail store, the style of your shop and the way you present your products is an integral aspect of the marketing mix. The show should fit your picture so that clients experience a natural experience. In a high-end store, products are often placed father apart to make a feeling of lack and exclusivity; in a computer shop, show designs are set at hips size to allow examining. Positioning can help bring certain products to interest and enhance products you want to offer more of. Joe did not pay manual intervention to the preparations and show of shop products. The position of shop was also not great position for clients and for vehicle parking of clients. Promotion Promotion is the most identifiable aspect of the marketing mix. It includes all of the marketing actions you do to let your clients know about the products you offer. For a retail store shop, you might enhance in magazines and on the air stations, start a social advertising strategy, use marketing e-mails, hand out leaflets or strategy grand-opening events. Your marketing strategies should be targeted to your consumer platform. Choose guides that they read, programs they pay attention to or watch, and duplicate or graphics that will speak out loud with them. Joes starting was very silent. He did not allow individuals to know what he is going to offer. He did not perform any marketing activity. Physical Layout The structure of your shop shows should be given consideration. The goal is to make an environment in which your product normally originates and shows itself to your clients. But how is this achieved, and how do we make a shop shopper friendly? Joes shop structure was not consumer helpful. Process The procedures in your shop are actions that you execute in your shop for offering client value. Joe did not know about procedures like supply sequence or stock management etc. People Customers are likely to be devoted to companies that serve them well. In your shop cure every individual very well whether he is client, provider, or any individual who visit your shop. Joes treatment with his instructor was excellent but he did not act upon the tips of his instructors. References: McCarthy, J. (1975), Basic Marketing: a managerial approach, Homewood, IL Baker, M. (2000) Marketing Management and Strategy, 3rd edition, Macmillan Business. Chisnall, P.M. (1997) Marketing Research, Fifth Edition, London: McGraw-Hill Blythe, J. (2001) Essentials of Marketing, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Saunders, J. and Wong, V. (1999) Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edition, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Lauterborn, R.(1990), New marketing litany:4Ps passe; 4Cs take over, Advertising Age, Oct. 1:26 Joe could have used the following models to enable him to obtain information prior to opening the store. Observation Joe could observe how customers act. It provides many ideas, but can leave questions un answered. Statement works well in retail markets; sit outside a shop and observe how many individuals walk by, look at the window display etc. Postal surveys Joe could deliver to the address of prospective clients who complete the form and deliver returning in a pre-paid package. Relatively cheap, a mailing study can cover a wide regional place and prevents the prospective for interview panel member prejudice. However, reaction rates (the percentage of individuals delivering returning a completed survey) are often very low and it can take be a while before enough on the internet testimonials are came back. Telephone interviews Not to be puzzled with telesales (which is a technique of selling), the phone interview allow faster reviews than a mailing study. However, prospective clients are often careful of being called and may be hesitant to give anything other than short answers Online surveys It is popular and relatively low cost technique. Internet on the internet testimonials are widely used by little companies as a way of catching the opinions of average person about the item, price etc. Face-to-face surveys Joe could visit different individuals and could perform personal meetings face-to-face. It is a costly, but excellent way to get specific ideas from an individual Focus groups Groups of prospective clients are brought together to talk about their feelings about a item or industry. Concentrate categories are a excellent way of getting information about client preferences and choices. Test marketing This includes promoting a new item in a little area of the industry to be able to evaluate client reaction. For example, a start-up could begin by promoting to a limited community to be able to iron-out item issues.   References: Kotler, P., (1988) Marketing Management: Analysis Planning and Control, Prentice-Hall p. 102. Agnilar, F.. (1967) Scanning The Business Environment, Macmillan, New York, p.47. McQuarrie, Edward F., The Market Research Toolbox : A Concise Guide for Beginners. Assael, H., Reed, P. and Patton, M. (1995) Marketing: Principles and Strategy Harcourt-Brace, Sydney. Joe could have used the following models to learn, respond or take actions against. These are the indicates of decoding information in order to give route to choice. These designs may be automated or may not. Common resources are: Time sequence sales modes Product changing models Straight line programming Flexibility designs (price, earnings, need, provide, etc.) Regression and connection models Research of Difference (ANOVA) models Understanding analysis Reduced cash flow Worksheet what if models These and identical mathematical, mathematical, econometric and financial designs are the systematic subsystem of the MIS. A relatively moderate financial commitment in a pc is enough to allow a business to improve case study of its information. Some of the designs used are stochastic, i.e. those containing a probabilistic factor whereas others are deterministic designs where opportunity performs no part. Product changing designs are stochastic since these show brand options in possibilities whereas linear development is deterministic in that the connections between factors are indicated in actual mathematical conditions. References: 1. Kotler, P., (1988) Marketing Management: Analysis Planning and Control, Prentice-Hall p. 102. 2. Agnilar, F.. (1967) Scanning The Business Environment, Macmillan, New York, p.47. 3. McQuarrie, Edward F., The Market Research Toolbox : A Concise Guide for Beginners. 4. Assael, H., Reed, P. and Patton, M. (1995) Marketing: Principles and Strategy Harcourt-Brace, Sydney. 5. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Brown, L., Chandler, S. A. (1998), Marketing, (4th edn), Prentice Hall, Sydney. The primary market research that I have undertaken prior to opening a retail store like Joes is discussed below. Main promotion analysis is gathered for initially. It is original and gathered for a particular purpose like starting a new business or to fix a particular problem. It is expensive, and difficult, but is more targeted than additional analysis. There are many ways to perform primary analysis. We consider some of them: Interviews Secret shopping Concentrate groups Projective techniques Item tests Diaries Interviews Interviews are performed between a market specialist and a participant. Information is gathered on a study. Some surveys are very firm or structured and use shut questions. Information is easily compared. Mystery Shopping Companies set up mystery purchasing strategies on an companies part. Often used in financial, offering, travel, bars and dining places, and many other client targeted companies, mystery customers will enter, appearing as real clients. They collect data on client support and the client experience. Focus Groups Focus categories are made up from a variety of selected participants based together in the same room. Extremely experienced scientists work with the attention group to collect detailed qualitative reviews. Projective techniques Projective methods are obtained from the field of mindset. They will generate highly very subjective qualitative data. Product tests Product assessments are often completed as part of the test promotion process. Products are shown in a shopping mall of purchasing shopping mall. Potential clients are requested to visit the store and their purchase actions are noticed. Experts will consider how the item is managed, how the packaging is read, how a while the consumer usually spends with the item, and so on. Diaries Diaries are used by a variety of specially enrolled customers. They are requested to complete a journal that details and records their purchasing actions of an occasion period (weeks, months, or years). References: Chisnall, P.M. (1997) Marketing Research, Fifth Edition, London: McGraw-Hill McQuarrie, Edward F., The Market Research Toolbox : A Concise Guide for Beginners. McMartin, J. (1995) Personality Psychology: A student Centered Approach, UK: Sage Publications The secondary market research that I have undertaken prior to opening a retail store like Joes is discussed below. Additional promotion analysis already prevails in one type or another. It is relatively inexpensive, and can be performed quite easily .However, it tends to have been gathered for factors other than for the issue or purpose at side. So it may be untargeted, and challenging to use to create evaluations. There are a variety of such resources available to the expert, and the following record is under no circumstances conclusive: Trade companies National and regional media Market publications National/international government authorities Websites Informal connections Trade internet directories Published organization accounts Business libraries Professional institutions and organizations Omnibus surveys Previously gathered promotion research Census data Public records For an established retail business, research should not just be about surveying your current customers or when conducting standard customer service research. Face-to-face surveys After starting a new retail store business experience to deal with study is a excellent research tool to get proper reviews about a item from a client. Postal surveys Questionnaire types can also be sent the mailing details of prospective clients in pre-paid covers. They can complete and send returning these types to the senders address returning. Focus groups Groups of prospective clients are brought together to talk about their feelings about a item or market. Concentrate categories are a excellent way of getting information about client preferences and choices. References: 1. Kotler, P., (1988) Marketing Management: Analysis Planning and Control, Prentice-Hall p. 102. 2. Agnilar, F.. (1967) Scanning The Business Environment, Macmillan, New York, p.47. 3. McQuarrie, Edward F., The Market Research Toolbox : A Concise Guide for Beginners. 4. Assael, H., Reed, P. and Patton, M. (1995) Marketing: Principles and Strategy Harcourt-Brace, Sydney. 5. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Brown, L., Chandler, S. A. (1998), Marketing, (4th edn), Prentice Hall, Sydney. Marketing Orientation A product can be designed depending on either a promotion focused strategy or a product focused strategy. Marketing Orientated Approach A promotion focused strategy indicates a company responds to what clients want. The choices taken are centered on details about consumers needs and wants, rather than what the company believes is right for the client. Most effective companies take a market-orientated strategy. Product Orientated Approach A product focused strategy indicates the company produces products depending on what it is good at making or doing, rather than what a client wants. This strategy is usually criticised because it often results in failed products particularly in well-established marketplaces. Most marketplaces are going towards a more market-orientated strategy because clients have become more experienced and need more wide range and better top quality. To contend, companies need to be more delicate to their consumers needs otherwise they will reduce revenue to their competitors. Joes approach was also product oriented. He did not consider the needs of customers. That caused the failure of Joes corner store.