Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Essay Globalization – a process of integration among countries is taking place as a new trend of the world. The cooperation among individuals and groups bring back many chances as well as challenges in different fields. As students in the era of integration, it is possible for us to realize both sides of this trend. First of all, it can not be denied that students can get many advantages from globalization. Thanks to the cooperation in education, different countries share new technology that support teaching and learning with each other. Students are the objectives who can get benefits from it. They are allowed to explore new sources of knowledge through Internet and other education material such as video conferencing, tape recordings, etc. Therefore, they find that studying is not very difficult as they think, even it is more interesting. Besides, globalization promises them a much brighter future. Students have more chances to get access to new skills, for instance, presentation skill, skill to work with a team, and so on, which are very invaluable for their future career. In addition, the interaction among countries creates a huge market with a plenty of choices of jobs. Thus, the graduates have more options to choose which job is the best and the most suitable for them. Go along with many advantages, students still have to face up with other difficulties. As being mentioned above, modern method of teaching and learning are big advantages for students but they may become obstacles when they are not very suitable and it must take a very long time to get familiar. For example, in many Asian countries, among which has Viet Nam, the feature of education is teacher – centered. When this changes into learner – centered which requires much of individuals’ responsibilities. At first, students who used to depend much on their teachers get shocked and fell it difficult to study with this new method. It may be a problem. What’s more, financial problem is another one. Under the impact of globalization, there has been a trend for the budge for education to be reduced. Government has to spend money on different areas so they do not pay as much attention  as before. As a result, the financial burden is placed on students’ shoulders and their families. In conclusion, globalization as well as other phenomenon has both sides: good and bad. All the impact of this has effects on students. Students get many advantages but also disadvantages. They should be aware of this problem carefully so that they can turn challenges into chances which will support their studying as well as their future.

International Expansion Strategy for Snow Mobile Business

International Expansion Strategy for Snow Mobile Business Entry into new markets Pirilla is a company newly set up in Scotland. The company manufactures snow scooters (which, for the sake of this report, will be synonymous to snow mobiles) and is pondering whether to go international, and if so, where to, and how to go about it. Pirilla produces two basic models, a 125cc and a 400cc model in six colours As far as the internationalisation goes, the markets under scrutiny are Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Russia, and Luxemburg. According to a recent feasibility study, the budget only allows for two countries to be entered in an initial wave. In general, there are four basic ways of entering foreign markets: Exporting Licensing Joint venture Direct investment Of course these can come in hybrid forms as well, but by and large these are the main types that one would take into consideration when wanting to go international. The four modes are listed in ascending order of involvement in the respective foreign market, i.e. exporting the snow mobiles to any of the countries would ceteris paribus mean less local involvement than licensing etc. Exporting is very often the initial mode of entering a foreign market, especially if no structured approach has been driven in the past (i.e. structures such as those of e.g. large pharmaceutical companies, which tend to allow for immediate licensing agreements in the target country at the very least). The export approach can be a quick and dirty way of tapping a foreign market, but it may well be a sustainable way of handling foreign business if it turns out there really is no point in high degrees of local engagement. Licensing involves production abroad, but carried out by another party, i.e. the licensee. Just like exporting it does not involve any direct investment, so if the licensee is trustworthy and knows how to employ the (intangible!) assets placed at his disposal – i.e. production know-how, brands, sales strategies and areas etc – this way can turn out very beneficial as local expertise is teamed up with the licensor’s product. The downside is obvious: It is crucial to find a licensee that meets the required standards. Joint ventures do entail quite a bit of involvement in the foreign market. They are ideal if there are a number of large players and we need to gain a certain size quickly, and the partner is reliable and has similar strategic goals. However, there are many downsides to this structure. If both partners share a common competitive goal, chances are both will try to prevent the other one from getting ahead at all, which may be counterproductive as resources and up being used on controlling/confining the partner rather than on furthering the common cause. Many time joint ventures are formed for certain parts of the value chain only, e.g. for RD inbound and/or outbound logistics. The entry mode requiring most commitment is usually the one that involves foreign direct investment (FDI). The trade-off is between control and resources that have to be available. Given the high level of resources that go abroad in this case, the company should be pretty sure about what it is doing and how it is going about it. For this reason, FDI is not usually the mode of first choice for new companies. The most apparent argument in favour of a foreign entry is the limited size of the market at home. No figures are available for the number of snow mobiles registered or sold in Scotland or the UK, but it does not take much ingenuity to figure out which are the countries that provide better opportunities than the home market in terms of potential sales figures, i.e. Scandinavia, and, as far as Europe goes, probably Russia. This intuition is first of all simply based on the climate. When was the last time you saw a snowmobile in the UK? In fact, the economic impact of snowmobiling in the Scandinavian region is around USD 1.6bn per year, third behind the USA and Canada (International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, Snowmobiling Facts: Snow Facts, n.d.). McDonald’s has opened drive-through restaurants for snowmobiles in northern Sweden. This is possible because the vehicles have to stay on marked tracks (US Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, 2002). International coverage means higher sales number, which can lead to economies of scale. The learning associated with higher output will enable the company to cut costs and produce at more efficient levels, which will ultimately put it in a position where it can position itself in a competitive market without having to forego profit margins. According to data by the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, there are 409 snowmobile dealerships in Scandinavia. Rather than to wait for the pull of the market which may or may not come if Pirilla were to confine itself to operations and sales in the UK, the company should induce that pull by an initial push to the market. In other words, it would be advisable to penetrate the market at sufficiently high levels, i.e. to be present in large numbers of these dealerships. Having achieved this initial level of penetration, the company could then operate from a solid base and take further marketing activities from there. As far as cons to going international go, the first that comes to mind is the relatively low degree of operative experience currently prevalent within the company. Internationalisation always adds another dimension to the business, and it is easy for newcomers to make mistakes. Or in more optimistic terms, the learning curve is steep in this area. Taking the aforementioned factors into consideration, I would advise the company to go international and benefit from the business potential abroad, but to do so by only exporting the snowmobiles at first (with a slight â€Å"twist† though – see underneath). The countries I would go for are Sweden in Finland. The rationale for Sweden and Finland is compelling, I believe. As pointed out earlier, Scandinavia commands high sales in snowmobiles, which is no surprise at all, given its climatic situation, particularly in the northern parts, where snowmobiles are a substitute for cars. Seeing that I have to limit my choice to two countries due to budgetary constraints, these two are the one I would choose. Sweden is my first choice, and Finland makes a convenient second given the similarity in climate and landscape. Also, both countries are members of the European Union, which tends to make exporting business easier. In the target countries I would try to find an exclusive importer/distributor so as not to make things too complicated. As I pointed out earlier, there are a number of hybrid forms when it comes to modes of entry to foreign markets, and for the given situation, and in another scenario, one could also invest a small portion of FDI to create a central export hub that makes logistic sense to ship the vehicles to (i.e. somewhere north of Lulea, at the border of Sweden and Finland). From this hub the vehicles could then be further shipped to their final destination. Note that there is also an alternative to this logistical package, i.e. if feasible, the ship could call at several ports en route. But this scenario would mean further logistical involvement in the target country, and at this stage I think we should rather avoid that. Hence I would stick with the aforementioned option of an exclusive importer/distributor. I would suggest segmenting the market into Private riders Professional riders Institutions Private riders buy snowmobiles mainly for recreational activities, partially as substitute for their cars. According to a survey conducted by a number of universities in western USA, the reasons for owning a snowmobile (in the USA) are: To view the scenery To be with friends To get away from the usual demands of life and to do something with the family To be close with nature (International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, Research Uncovers a Great Deal of Interest in Snowmobiling, n.d.). 67% of all riders are below 50 years old, with the average age of all snowmobile owners being 41 and having family and one kid (International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, Snowmobiling Facts: Snow Facts, n.d.). Professional riders are people who may find it difficult to get to certain destination the â€Å"conventional† way and prefer (or, given the road situation, have) to use snowmobiles, or people who use them as part of their profession in the first place. Doctors, vets, hunters, ski instructors, and people in the tourism industry spring to mind. The third group, institutions, are bodies affiliated in some way to the state, such as law enforcement units (police, mountain police, rangers etc), and institutions in the corporate sector with employees/members (in the widest sense) exposed to outdoor work. The three groups will of course require different marketing approaches particularly with regard to the promotion policy. Production I am going to base my model for the export markets Sweden and Finland on Swedish statistics and will extrapolate the Finnish case, based on the rationale that many of the variables will be the same in both countries. It is difficult to make a compelling case for the UK market, if there is indeed such a thing. According to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, there are about 2.6mn registered snowmobiles in the world: 1.69mn in the USA, 601,000 in Canada, and 318,000 in Scandinavia (Facts and Statistics about Snowmobiling, n.d.) . This pretty much adds up to (slightly above) the 2.6mn, which means that the number of snowmobiles in the rest of the world is negligible, and including the UK. My model is based on the specific demographics of Sweden. According to the information provided by the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce (2004), there are currently about 130,000 snowmobiles in Sweden (or one for every 69 inhabitants). 8,000 units are sold every year. If these were only replacement purchases, the useful life of a snowmobile would be around 15 to 16 years. Whether these ARE in fact only replacement purchases or not does not really matter (of course parts of these 8,000 units are sold to first-time owners) – the relevant bit is the ratio of new sales in terms of existing units in the market, which is 6.67%. In other words, the turnover of existing numbers is 6.67% per year. Given the similarities between Sweden and Finland not the least in connection with climate and culture, I have extrapolated the demographic parameters of Sweden into the Finnish case (i.e. one snowmobile per 69 inhabitants, 6.67% of total units sold every year). My estimate puts the total number of snowmobiles in Finland to 75,000 (based on an estimated 5.2mn inhabitants in Finland, as given by the CIA (CIA World Factbook, n.d.)), and taking into consideration the annual sales ratio of 6.67%, I have come up with annual sales of a total of 5,000 snowmobiles in Finland. The four largest producers of snowmobiles are based overseas: Artic Cat, Bombardier Recreational Products, Polaris Industries, and Yamaha Motor Corporation. All of them sell to Scandinavia, but while those that have all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in their product range sell them in the UK, I have not found a dealership that sells snowmobiles in the UK. My advice is to assume a markets size of about 10% of the Scandinavian model. For Scotland, the market size thus works out at 7,400, and annual sales could come in at around 500 (N.B. I am assuming that the market for snowmobiles in England is negligible in size). Traditionally the ratio of the market share of the three largest players has been 4:2:1 (see also Ries Trout, 2001). And it is safe to say that the top three spots have been taken by the aforementioned large producers, and a quick search on the web shows that there are a few smaller players as well. So our goal should be to achieve a market share of 5% in the three markets we are going to enter (i.e. UK/Scotland, Sweden, Finland). Hence the annual sales targets are: Sweden: 5% x 8,000 = 400 units Finland: 5% x 5,000 = 250 units Scotland: 5% x 500 = 25 units Let’s top it up by an additional 25 units in case the base case for Scotland/UK is too pessimistic, and we end up with an annual sales target of 700 units, which will also be our production target. Unfortunately no data have been provided with regard to any preferences for the 125cc or the 400cc model. I would strongly suggest to carry out some market research in this particular field, otherwise we run a large risk of producing the wrong article. However, if you say you are willing to take that risk, I would advise you to split the production two thirds to one third in favour of the 125cc units (i.e. 467 125cc’s and 233 400cc’s). This way the capital tied up in production and storage of finished products is less than in the case of a 50/50 split. Also, my guess is that the market for private (i.e. recreational) riders is probably largest, and they may be more reluctant to go for the substantially more expensive option – as opposed to professional riders and institutions, who might find it worthwhile to invest in the faster package. But again – I strongly recommend additional market research in this area. Most of the snowmobiles currently in the market are above 500cc, so both of our models will create a niche. If we position the models well, we may attract new first-time buyers (see below, â€Å"Advertising/Promotion†). As far as the colours are concerned, the same is true: We have too little data to base a decision on. In contrast to the aforementioned issue of 125cc vs. 400cc, I would suggest to build equal numbers of all colours. Pricing I understand that marginal costs of production are GBP 6,450 for the 125cc model, and GBP 8,990 for the 400cc model. I am not sure if you are aware that these costs are already above the SALES prices of all but the most expensive models made by the top four producers! The one 125cc model available in the market is for kids and is priced at GBP 1,800, although I don’t believe an adult version would change much in terms of pricing. The 500cc to 600cc models on the market are in the region of GBP 5,000 to 7,000. There are two options: First, we can try to cut costs. Given that we are new to the market, I doubt that we can achieve prices that are higher than those of our competitors – let alone prices that are 50% to 75% above those in the market! The second option, in general, to achieve a price that is beyond anything in the market is to convince the target buyers that our product is unique. As I pointed out earlier, our product is unique in that its engine size is smaller than those on the market, and we can use this to our advantage. However, I believe that we can throw all the money we want at advertising agencies, but trying to make people buy snowmobiles that are effectively inferior in terms of performance to those on the market at 50% mark-ups, that is the proverbial horse that won’t run. Even more so as we are new to the market – why should anyone trust us? So my advice is to go back to the drawing board and cut costs to an extent that we can afford a mark-up of 20% on top of marginal costs and still be in the range of other producers (i.e. around GBP 5,000 to a maximum of 6,000). There are no large price differentials among the three markets we have targeted (and certainly not among the two Scandinavian countries), so my advice applies to all of them. Distribution channel As pointed out earlier, I would advise the company to find a reliable dealership with nationwide coverage (or partners) and sign a contract of exclusivity with him. This way we could benefit from existing infrastructure, and we would not have to worry about the â€Å"final mile†. Another option would be to have the ship call at numerous ports and thus avoid an exclusive agreement. This option would come with increased levels of flexibility, but at the same time it would require more planning on our side (N.B. the same goes for the building of a central hub at the Swedish-Finnish border, which would also involve a small portion of FDI, as pointed out earlier). For a start, I would prefer to sign a one-year exclusivity agreement. This would also have to include a reliable form of on-site after-sales service for cases of warranty etc. Advertising/Promotion There are numerous magazines that deal with snowmobiling on a purely â€Å"funs-sports† or a more technically advanced level. These will have to be our no.1 medium of advertising. We should also support our exclusive dealer in his efforts to sell our products – i.e. POS advertising on his premises and at downstream dealerships he may sell to. On top of the snowmobiling magazines, we should advertise in trade magazines of the professional groups I identified as potential buyers earlier on: Hunters, vets, doctors, ski instructors. There could also be publications of regional associations, which would allow us to find our target groups more easily (as we want to address hunters in northern parts of Sweden and Finland – no point in targeting these groups in, say, Malmà ¶). I doubt that radio, let alone TV commercials are within our budgetary limits. The institutional group should be addressed by a sales person directly. We may want to stress the fact that our product is unique in that it is probably more economical and hence environmentally agreeable due to the comparatively small cubic capacity. This could be our niche, as there are hardly any snowmobiles with said specifications on the market (most units are above 500cc). Entry into new markets We should try to consolidate our experience before rolling out into other markets. The top players are already there, so it is no question of capturing any first-mover advantage. I would suggest to enter Norway next, and Russia in a subsequent wave. Norway is similar to Sweden, and it is part of the EEC, so any lessons learnt in Sweden and Finland can probably be easily implemented in Norway. Russia will be a different animal altogether and should not be tackled before we have all structures safely in place. Reference list CIA n.d., The World Factbook. Retrieved 27 August, 2006, from https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association n.d., Facts and Statistics about Snowmobiling. Retrieved 27 August, 2006, from http://www.snowmobile.org/pr_snowfacts.asp International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association n.d., Research Uncovers a Great Deal of Interest in Snowmobiling. Retrieved 27 August, 2006, from http://www.snowmobile.org/pr_research-06-aug.asp International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association n.d., Snowmobiling Facts: Snow Facts. Retrieved 27 August, 2006, from http://www.snowmobile.org/facts_snfcts.asp International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association n.d., Snowmobiling Facts: Snowmobiling in Europe. Retrieved 27 August, 2006, from http://www.snowmobile.org/facts_europe.asp Porter, ME 1998, Competitive Advantage, Free Press, London. Ries, A and Trout, J 2001, Positioning: the Battle For Your Mind, McGraw-Hill Education, London. US Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, International Market Insight: Snowmobiles, 2002. Retrieved 27 August, 2006, from http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inimr-ri.nsf/en/gr111748e.html

BOH Tea And Consumer Behavior

BOH Tea And Consumer Behavior BOH Plantation Sdn Bhd was found by John Archibald Russell in the year 1929, together with A.B. Milne, a veteran in tea planting from Ceylon they succeeded in obtaining a concession of land in Cameron Highland in order to start the tea plantation business. Together the duo transforms steep jungles slopes into a tea garden known as BOH Plantations, which is the 1st highland tea garden in the country. BOH Plantations business begins to bloom and currently is the leading tea grower in the country. The plantation expanded and owns four tea gardens, of which three is located 5000 ft above sea level and is situated in Cameron Highlands, and the fourth is centralizing in Bukit Cheeding, Selangor. Collectively, the gardens size in total is 1200ha. BOH Plantation has been firmly entrenched that most Malaysia drinks BOH tea moe re than any other brand. BOH tea are available in 3 different forms ( tea packets, tea bags, tea dust). The company currently produces 4 million kg of tea in a year. Malaysian consumes 10million kg of tea which makes BOH tea largest producer locally of black tea, in terms of cuppage, BOH tea produces about 5.5 million per day which almost meets 50% of tea consumption requirement in the country. The success story of BOH Plantation continues to be Malaysias leading brand in tea and is also exporting to Brunei, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and also the US. Consumer Decision Process BOH tea Consumer Decision Process is basically known as a cognitive process. Consumer is aware of a need or wants and search for possible ways to satisfy it. Awareness of consumer is not an automatic process; it is actually selective external procedure. Example, consumers are expose to thousands of messages that persuades them from advertising, political organization, religious groups , food products and many more other resources. This mass information that seeks out consumer attention then filtered out by individual in order to make the decision in buying a product. In order for a consumer to purchase a product, he or she has to go through the 5 stages of consumer decision process. These 5 stages of consumer decision making process are very important for consumer to make an accurate decision in satisfying their needs and wants. The stages flow in sequence beginning with problem recognition and ending with post-purchase evaluation. The 5 stages are as graph above: Problem Recognition Information Search Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives Decision Implementation Post-purchase Evaluation Problem Recognition The consumer decision process begins when a consumer is aware of satisfying their needs or wants. Example, Jason might need a new football shoe to replace the old depreciated one or Sarah need s a new computer to replace the her old want which is not performing as well as it was before. These kind of problem shows that consumer have recognized and identify their problem such as actual state and desired state. BOH tea inspires the consumer by tackling the health benefits of drinking tea and how BOH provides quality and innovative tea products. For the past decade, health benefits have caught the attention of the wide coverage of media. Numerous studies have shown that the antioxidant polyphenols of tea has the anti-cancer properties and also able to reduce the risk of gastric, and also skin cancer. This health benefits has increase the demand of tea in the market. Prevention is better than cure; this statement has drive consumers to seek for solution in reducing the chance of getting sick and that is mainly the problem face by consumer. This is where tea becomes the problem solver. This is where BOH tea as Malaysian leading brand provides with high quality tea that satisfies and produce a healthier lifestyle for the consumer in Malaysia. Tea may protect cancer caused by smoking Tea drinker has lower blood pressure Green, Black and Oolong tea Tea can lower cholesterol level and protect against heart diseases Tea believed to boost the bodys defense system Health benefits from consuming tea (http://www.2basnob.com/health-benefits-of-tea.html) Information Research When consumers identify a problem, they will find ways to solve the problems. Example, Sarah would pay more attention to product information of a personal computer. She will be more aware and attentive towards computer advertisement, friends choice of computer brand, and online information regarding different brand of computer. In the process of gathering this information , Sarah as a consumer will began to learn more about the brands of computers that compete in the market and their features and characteristic that satisfy the needs and wants of various consumer. However, awareness itself is not strong enough to guarantee the continuation of process decision making, unless he or she believes that there is a solution to solve their problem. If high level of involvement is engagement, consumer will advance to seek more resources regarding the product that they want. Internal and external search take place within consumer memory system. In the case of BOH tea, since it is the leading t ea brand in Malaysia it is important to strengthen the brands leadership by capturing the attention of consumer through innovative tea products. BOH tea has to provide extensive information about their quality and innovative tea products, in order for consumer to obtain knowledge of their tea easily Internal Research Internal research is an attempt to seek information in the form of pre-existing knowledge such as attitudes and beliefs of the problem. However, if the problem is new to the consumer, then it is inadequate to make the decision making and external research is a necessity. This research is not entirely resourceful because consumer might be unable to recall the reason of purchasing the product or opinion made during the consumption process. In order for BOH tea to leave a good impression, their catchy phrase ada Ummph which literally means more than words can describe kind of feeling to show the great quality of tea that is produce by BOH tea. This phrase will strongly register the brands name in the mind of consumer, so that the next time they want to purchase tea, BOH tea will be their 1st choice as the ada Ummph phrase shows that consumer will never regret in consuming their tea . External Research External research provides more resourceful information from organization, friends, families, society and many more. Consumer are willing to access for secondary information from online resources, advertisement, brochures and many more in order to provide them with the excess knowledge to purchase the computer of their choice. Tea drinker in Malaysia will not escape the attention of BOH tea, as their product can be obtained from most retail outlets. BOH tea has also promoted their tea in the form of newspaper advertisement, television commercial, and also campaigns. BOH tea promotes their tea with bonding with love ones by creating moments of togetherness with loved ones. This is to show that a cup of tea can unite everyone together without any restriction . All this information plays an important role in the mental processing of the mind which includes short term and long-term memory storage. Example, information gain regarding the personal computer will only be in Sarahs mind for a brief moment if it is not stored in the long -term storage. Once Sarah stores it in the long term storage, she will be able to recall the characteristic of the computers brands and make the decision making without it being lost in a minute. Three main operation takes place in the memory so that the information can be retrieve later on Rehearsal Mental repetition of product information. Example, BOH tea ade Ummph phrase remind consumer of their good quality of tea Encoding Information interprets which allows long-term storage. Example, consumer will register the types of tea products so that consumer can pick the choice that they like. Storage Information stored in long-term memory. Example, when it comes to tea consumption, Malaysian consumer will remember BOH tea, as the tea with high quality and creates bonding between family members. Graph below shows the choice that is choice that has to be made by Sarah after obtaining the desired information that is needed by her. Computer brands that is aware by Sarah. Example, Acer, Apple, Compaq, Dell, HP, Sony, and Toshiba Subset of computer brands that is aware by Sarah in the market Affordable and high performance brands will be Sarahs best choice of purchasing a computer. Example, Dell and Acer which is affordable and high performance With more information, only selective few strong candidates are remain Choice Set Sarah might make her decision on a Dell computer because it is cheaper and long lasting compared to Sony which is too expensive and unaffordable Brands that satisfy her buying criteria of a computer. Example, the price is affordable and high performance Evoke / Consideration set Awareness Set Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives The following step allows the consumer to evaluate the brands from the information that is obtained. However, there is no specific evaluation process is applied by all consumer in buying situation. Thus, consumers sees product as a bundle of attributes such as the need, benefits, and attributes in order to make the right decision that satisfy their needs and wants. This bundle of attributes is actually a products objective and subjective factors. Objective factor BOH tea provides high quality tea that provides health benefits Subjective factors Comparison of BOH Tea and Lipton tea, BOH tea being the outstanding as product is a national brand. It is also cheap and easily obtain. Purchase Decision Purchasing the brand BOH tea satisfies the entire spectrum of the non-alcoholic beverage in Malaysia and encourages tea to be consumed including, cold, instant, traditional or in any other form that is preferred by consumer. This satisfies the consumer by providing choice of tea consumption according to their taste This is the stage where consumer has decided which brand of product that he or she wants after a making comparison with all the availability of product brands. Consumer will then have to select 2 specific elements which is purchasing the brand choice and purchasing time. Purchasing Time Product can be purchase in most retail outlet in the form of packages. Consumer can also buy it in bundle during promotion period too. Post purchase evaluation In this stage the level of purchase involvement of consumer is very important, it is often known as the level of concern for or interest in the purchase and heavily depends on the extensive information that is seek by the consumer in making a purchase decision. Low purchase involvement process Example, suppose if a buyer buys a certain brand of product (e.g., BOH tea) as a matter of habit, this means the drink is a low purchase involvement situation and consumers do not have to evaluate and seek information extensively. This case consumer will simply buy and consume the product and generates a high level of repeating the same purchase of product. Graph above shows low involvement purchase process that takes place. The benefit of low purchase involvement process is BOH tea has become consumers loyal brand for tea consumption products as repeat purchase has been taking place from time to time. However, if the level of purchase is high and the consumer is involved in extensive decision making, consumer will be more likely to face a more elaborated post-purchase evaluation. High Purchase Involvement process This graph shows that there is a post-purchase dissonance where consumer are unable to commit to the decision of choosing the brand that they want and it will create anxiety among consumers as it is difficult to make alternatives choices. In order for consumer to reduce this dissonance, consumer has to make approaches such as to increase the desirability of the brand that they want to purchase and reject the desirability of rejected alternatives and also reject the negative data on brand purchased. If dissonance is not reduce, the anxiety experience may turn into a dissatisfaction and leads to a new problem. That is why high purchase involvement needs extensive research of information to reduce anxiety and increase the confidence level in purchasing the product they want. Consumer will stay loyal to BOH tea because the company is constantly doing research in order to satisfy the future consumer needs . Psychological Core BOH tea Attention Attention is a concept of cognitive psychology that helps us to actively process information present in our environment. Attention is an unconscious process where consumer can automatically scan the features of the environment surrounding them. Attention can be classified into 2 which are voluntary and involuntary. Selective attention is voluntary where relevant information is focused. Involuntary is orientation reflex where something surprising is put in front of a person and allocates the attention towards it. Selective Attention Selective attention is the study of why people pay attention towards things, and how deep is their attention towards things that they focus. Example, being in a classroom, or a busy highway, it is impossible for a person to note everything down. What a person pays attention is actually what they select to pay attention to, thus, selective attention is not entirely conscious. In order to capture the attention of consumer entirely, BOH tea pays attention towards animal and environmental conservation and have won numerous awards. Example, the companys packing facility in Bukit Cheeding has receive the ISO 9002 certification, this can further assured of quality tea every time consumer open up a packet of BOH tea. BOH also won the Super brand Excellence Trophy Award in Food Beverage category in 2004. Orientation reflex Orientation reflex is very important in capturing the attention of consumer. The aim of this involuntary action is to create stimuli that surprise the expectation of consumers. Example, BOH Tea is able to capture the attention of their consumer with their advertisement in television which focuses on family bonding where family members can socialize through a cup of tea. Health benefits offers by BOH tea also has direct their attention towards consumer automatically because they are aware the importance of health Perception Perception is a process that begins with consumer being exposed to information, attended to the information and ending with comprehending the information that is focus on. Perception consists of 5 major elements which is exposure stage, attention stage and comprehension stage. Exposure stage Beginning process of perception process where consumer is exposing to information in the environment that is observed by the human senses. Example, when we are driving on the freeway we are expose towards numerous commercial messages such as bill boards, radio advertisement, bumper- stickers on car, banners on shopping mall and many more . However, exposure towards surrounding is not enough to give a major impact towards consumers. BOH tea attracts consumer by promoting their products in television commercial, newspaper advertisement, BOH tea website, and also campaign. Example, BOH tea has done numerous televisions commercial by targeting the culture of tea regardless of religious or political options and also not to forget the moment of togetherness by the bonding of family members. However, this has allowed zapping and zipping away of television commercial to occur and consumer might miss the television commercial. This mean attention is needed to draw the attention of the people. Attention Stage The matter of degree that consumer pays attention towards something, this stage consumer will allocate processing capacity to a stimulus. Example, if we are driving on a freeway and we are running low on gas, our attention immediately becomes high towards signboards that say how far is the next petrol station, but low when commercial regarding shopping or movies on the billboards. However, our attention towards something can be instantly escalates from high to low when we are in need of something. Example, an advertisement for a product that we are interested is on television programs. In order to capture the attention of consumer, BOH tea has involve in animal and environmental conservation. One of their successful story is when BOH Plantation was the first tea company to be awarded ISO22000 certification , an international standard designed to ensure safe food supply chains worldwide. BOH has also strengthened the leadership of their brand by embarking on numerous marketing campaig ns. Example of a successful campaign the BOH Ummph! campaign, a tagline that is still remembered by young Malaysian right until today. This campaign has brought attention towards consumer as BOH focuses on family values. Interpretation stage The final stage of perception where consumer organize and interprets the information obtain from their environment. BOH tea comes in the mind of consumer when they hear or sees the Ada Ummph! phrase in advertisements. Memory 2 types of memory Short-term memory The decision is instantly made, and if without repetition information will be forgotten. Long-term memory Information that is repeated will be interpret and stored in the long-term memory, information can be use later on as it can be change to short-term memory for making decision. Consumer that remembers BOH tea can purchase it when tea supply is needed at home Purchase and consumption decision Consumer is very clear of the products that benefits or satisfies their need, and purchase process begins when consumer buys the product Nature of perception The graph above shows the nature of perception from exposure until purchase and consumption decision of consumers. Exposure provides opportunity for attention but not guarantee that is seen by consumer. Exposure can be then categorise into 2 element which is selective and voluntary. Selective exposure is where there is vast amount of information given but choices is up to consumers interest, and voluntary exposure is consumer is willing to accept the information as to satisfy purchase goal, and entertainment. Information provided by BOH Plantation may not be consumers interest, but it is their duty to attract consumer to consume their high quality tea. Attention is where the information is selected and focus by consumer and information is send to the sensory system to interpret that data. Interpretation of information begins when consumer allocates the information that is necessity for their purchase goals or objectives , the information is receive from the stimulus of the consumer. The information that is generated is then stored in the memory. Memory has two elements which is short term and long term. Short term memory is where the information is stored for a shorter period of time in order to make a instant decision and is forgotten quickly after that. Long term memory is where the information generated is stored for a longer period of time where consumer can make decision later on in time and does not have to be instant. Finally, the purchase and consumption stage, consumer will decide to buy the product once they have understand the criteria that satisfy their purchase goal . Motivation Motivation refers to an inner drive that reflects the goal of a person, which consist of the urge, wishes, or desire that allow them to strive to achieve the goals and aims that is set. The two motivational theories that is famously known to express the motivation of people are the: Maslows Hierachy of Needs W.J. McGuire psychological motives Maslows hierarchy of need is actually a theory to satisfy the human needs . In order to be at the peak of the hierarchy, a person has to satisfy the lower needs in order to achieve higher needs in the hierarchy. We will now study and go through each stage of Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of needs Basic needs/ Physiological needs Basic needs of human. Example, food, water, sex ,sleep, and also Exercise Safety needs Security, shelter, and normalcy in life Belongingness and love needs A persons affection and acceptance as part of family or group, intimate relationships and also friends Esteem or status Prestige, accomplishment , self respect, and the respect of others. Confident, appreciated and also the need of feel competent is also important Self actulisation The need to realise ones own potential, to achieve dreams and ambitions The next theory is McGuires Hierarchy of Needs, a very detailed set of motives to understand the specific aspects of consumer behavior. This theory consists of 4 major categories with 16 sub-categories which explain the behavior of consumer. The 2 criteria that satisfy the 4 main categories are as follow: Is the mode of motivation cognitive or affective? Is the motive focus on preservation of status or on growth ? Cognitive Preservation Motives Need for Consistency (active, internal) Need for Attribution (active, external) Need to Categorize (passive, internal) Need for Objectification (i.e., cues) (passive, external) Cognitive Growth Motives Need for Autonomy (i.e., Independence) (active, internal) Need for Stimulation (active, external) Teleological Need (i.e., desired outcomes or end states) (passive, internal) Utilitarian Need (i.e., problem solvers) (passive, external) Affective Preservation Motives: Need for Tension Reduction (active, internal) Need for Expression (active, external) Need for Ego Defense (passive, internal) Need for Reinforcement (passive, external) Affective Growth Motives: Need for Assertion (active, internal) Need for Affiliation (active, external) Need for Identification (passive, internal) Need for Modeling (passive, external) Learning Motives Motive arouses individual to respond and engage in learning activity. Goal that are achieved will reduce arousal but will have tendency to occur again. Marketer put product in a way that can satisfy the arousal of consumer Example, when a person is in need for tea consumption (motive) , BOH tea will provide the tea in many form for choices of consumer Reinforcement Tendency of motives to re-occur again in a similar situation. Elements of learning Response Physical activity in reaction towards stimulus, Example, the process of going to retail outlet to purchase tea Cues Provides direction, respond towards motive. Example, tea can be obtain in the retail outlets Cognitive Learning ( Thinking ) This learning process focuses on acquiring knowledge and skill is by mental, which is creating metal presentation of physical object and events in our heads. Individuals learn by listening, watching, touching, reading or experiencing then processing and remembering the information. We can conclude that this kind of learning emphasizes on the role of memory and thinking There are 3 types of learning process : Iconic role learning Interrelationship between two or more concepts without conditioning learning and without reasoning. Vicarious learning Behavior are formed by observing the outcomes of other behavior or imagining the outcome of potential behavior Analytical learning New information are updated when new theories or studies are formed. Behavioral Learning ( Conditioning) Classical conditioning A learning process between environmental stimulus and natural occurring stimulus. Unconditioned stimulus happens automatically, unconditionally and naturally triggers a response, Example, when you smell your favorites food you may immediately feel hungry. Smell of food is unconditioned stimulus. Unconditioned stimulus is the unlearned response that occurs naturally in respond towards unconditioned stimulus. Example, hungry in response the smell of food. Conditioned stimulus is the neutral stimulus that has no connection with the unconditioned stimulus. Conditioned response is learned from the neutral stimulus. Operant conditioning Learning method that occurs through punishment and rewards behavior. Example of operant conditioning can be seen around us, consider employees finishing project with excellent result receives praise or promotions. Reward here increases the behavior.Behavior can also be reducing for example, a student to be told to lose recess privileges if they did not finish their homework. This leads to a decrease in disruptive behavior. Memory Memory consist of 2 component which is Short-term memory (STM) and Long-term memory (LTM) Short term memory Short term memory which also known as working memory is the portion of total memory that is currently in use or activated. Rehearsal of information is needed to ensure it is encode in the long-term memory is the information is important for later usage. If information in short term memory is not repeated it will be lost in 30seconds. Example, if we were to see an advertisement regarding fast food delivery , we will not pay much attention to the advertisement but only remember the number for future usage Long term memory Long term memory has essentially unlimited capacity to store information permanently. Stored information is either semantic or visual. Semantic memory deals with encoding and storage of words , while visual deals with storage of images. Memory here is stored permanently and can be use when needed to make a decision. Rehearsing is important to register something in the long-term memory. Example, if we move to a new house and change our phone number, we ourselves probably have to repeat it until we register the number in our memory storage. Learning process consist of 3 element Schemes It stores facts and generalize information such as verbal information, concepts, rules, principles, and problem solving skills. Information that stored here is simply meaningful and helps consumers to make decision. It is well-establish schemata Scripts A special issue in the memory that is also known as procedures we remember for doing things. Scripts involve a series of sequences in doing something. Example, the manufacturing of tea in the BOH tea plantation to where it is distributed so that consumer can purchase it. In general, it is important for firms to have their brand names incorporated into scripts. Example, consumer reflexively can search for BOH tea in the shops rather than unspecified brand of tea Repositioning Repositioning is an attempt to change the consumers perception of their brand; this is because the existing products position is less attractive towards consumer. Example, a product that has great quality but the price is not affordable has low return in profit to the firms, this means they have to change their strategy to lower the price of their products. Repositioning is a very tough process as large sum of money is needed for advertising and promotion of their products. Attitude Attitude is feeling or affection against a stimulus; it is stored in the long-term memory. The 4 function of attitude consist of Utilitarian function, which is use to obtain reward and avoid punishment, Ego-Defensive function is self-protection, knowledge function is simplifies decision such as brand, and value expression which is express identify towards others. Culture The direct definition from textbook about culture is That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man person as a member of society. From this definition, we can learn several important characteristic of culture such as Culture is comprehensive This means that everything must have a connection in order to create culture. Example, bowing and a strong desire to avoid the loss of face are unified in their manifestation of the important of respect. Boundaries of acceptable behavior Everyone must understand their surrounding before taking action. Example, a person cannot be naked while attending class, the least outfit will be shorts and a T-shirt to wearing suits and tie. However, if a person is to wear a suit in the beach, they will definitely be laugh at . So it is very important to know your environment. Cultural characteristics as a continuum. There is a tendency to stereotype cultures as being one way or another (e.g., individualistic rather than collectivistic). Note, however, countries fall on a continuum of cultural traits. Hofstadters research demonstrates a wide range between the most individualistic and collectivistic countries, for example-some fall in the middle. Subculture Identification with core culture Identification with a subculture Mass market behaviors Unique market behavior Core culture values and norms Subculture values and norms Individuals A subculture is a section of a larger culture whose members shares distinguish values and pattern behavior. Social history and current situation of the groups generates the unique values and pattern of behavior which they practices in their subculture. Subculture members exist from the core culture where they share their unique value the most. Figure above shows to which degree an individual behave in manner of unique dependent to the extend which individuals reach out towards that subculture. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/STP.png Segmentation, targeting, and positioning comprise is a three stage process, this process will helps us in Determine which kind of customer exist Which customer

Internet Censorship Survey Essay -- Technology Computers Essays

Internet Censorship Survey Topics of censorship involving the different media have always drawn lively responses from people when asked about them. The media categories of television, printing and recordings now include the Internet. I conducted a survey of people to find out their opnion on the new medium. I asked people, "Do you think that there should be censorship on the Internet?". I conducted this survey during the week of February 14, 1997. I particularly chose this question because of these reasons: the recent news stories of children being lured into harm after being contacted via Internet; the reports of the availability of pornography; the recent cases tried on the bases of obscenity laws; the forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court hearing on Internet censorship; my own awareness of what is available on the Internet; the fast-pace growth and presence of the Internet, and the controversy of censorship on other mediums. Before conducting the survey, I predicted that Internet users would answer no to censorship on the Internet in overwhelming numbers. So, I would have to ask if the person used the Internet. I also predicted that my question would be perceived as important only to Internet users-- that I would have to convince someone that does not use the Internet to answer my survey. I even thought that I might conduct some of the survey on the Internet. I would find out later that there were plenty of Internet users in my survey without conducting it online. I also predicted that younger participants would say no to censorship on the Internet. I predicted that the older the person was, the more likely that they would support censorship on the Internet. I believe this because of my own experiences. I still think ... ...would answer no to censorship on the Internet. Since eleven did answer no I was partially right. Because eight answered no and two maybe, I was partially wrong too. I had also predicted younger aged people would say no to censorship on the Internet. I placed this prognostication on my own experience. That was proven wrong. Age was not a factor. If there was a large population of teens in the survey, maybe the answer would be different. This could be a theme for another survey. In conclusion, I thought the survey yielded many statistics. It was taken in four places with a mix of people that were all different. The events of surveying that are the most memorable were the events not recorded. I have learned to survey people around me for answers to important topics. I believe that the next survey I conduct will have a box for other reactions and replies I receive.

Jackie Robinson :: essays research papers

Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Color Barrier It’s April 15, 1947 opening day at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn. Many people have turned out to see one man, the first black person to ever play in major league baseball. He is setting new standards for all blacks now and those to come. His name is Jack Roosevelt Robinson. We all wish him well and hope he can surmount the racial differences. At this time it was unheard of to have a black person treated equally to a white person, more the less it was highly unlikely to have a black person play on the same field as a white person. But for one man who stands alone Jackie Robinson’s conquest to break through the color barrier with the help of Branch Rickey has set new standards for all black athlete’s to come. Jackie Robinson grew up in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie attended UCLA where he played baseball, basketball, football, and track. After collage Jackie enrolled in world war two. After the war Jackie got an honorable discharge. After the end of the war Jackie didn’t know what he wanted to do and he was very short on money. Finally Jackie decided he wanted to join the Negro Leagues. In 1944 Jackie officially was on a Negro baseball team.(Shorto,Russell p. 5-10) In 1945 Branch Rickey the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers was looking for a black player to break the serration barrier and rise above it all and join the Major League Baseball Association. Rickey said that whoever the person was to be would have to cope with taunts and insult, with name calling and abuse. Rickey heard of the success of Jackie on the Negro League and sent his scouts to see Jackie. (Ritter, S. Lawrence p. 43-51). After a long meeting with Rickey, Jackie agreed to join the Brooklyn organization. Rickey singed Robinson to a Minor League deal in 1945. Jackie’s biggest challenge would be to overcome racial issues sought toward him without acting out with everybody looking at him. Jackie had death threats, racial slur’s, and people wanting to seriously take him out of the game of baseball. (Rampersad Arnold p. 176) In 1947 Rickey called up Jackie to compete on a Major League level and take his career to a much higher level. When people heard of this, that Jackie was going to play on a Major League level players said that if Jackie was going to play they would strike, even some of Jackie’s teammates demanded to be traded

Privitization Essay -- essays papers

Privitization Every working American citizen contributes to Social Security. Anyone who has ever held a job has felt the frustration of seeing how much money the government takes out of their paycheck. Being told that we will all be able to collect social security when we can no longer work does not ease the frustration of having 6.2% of our hard earned money taken from us each payday. If individuals could have control of their retirement funds, this frustration could be eased. Being able to control our own retirement funds is an option that is being supported more and more by American workers. Currently, nearly 44 million Americans receive Social Security benefits. Of these 44 million, 61% are retired workers, 17% are survivors of deceased workers, 12% are spouses and children of retired workers, and 10% are disabled workers. Obviously, the major group of Social Security Beneficiaries is retired workers. Since the number of working Americans has not grown along with the number who are retiring, Social Security has become a black hole to the current generation of workers. We will pay into it most of our lives, but will not be able to collect unless a drastic change is made. Everyone has heard the ongoing debate over the past few years about what should be done to reform Social Security. The Social Security Board of Trustees estimates that by the year 2032, Social Security funds will be fully spent. There are several reasons for this, including the retirement of the â€Å"baby boom† generation and the assumption that the U.S. economy will grow at a slower rate than it has been. While republicans and democrats fight over whose plan is better, there is a simple alternative to Social Security: privatization. By making social security a private matter for individuals, everyone can benefit. One of the plans the government is considering includes partial privatization, but it is still centered around a flat tax deducted from the paychecks of American workers. The idea of Social Security is a good one. There are many retired workers who would not make it without Social Security. I have seen it myself. My mother has been in banking for more than 20 years, and during that time I have seen all kinds of people coming in to deposit their Social Security checks. The majority of them are middle class, retired workers, a... ...s. Since 1996, they have received an average annual rate of return of more than 14%. There are some who would argue that too many people might make poor investment choices, and end up going to the government for assistance upon retirement. There is no sure guarantee that this would never happen; however, this has not happened in Chile, Galveston, or San Diego. The purposes of mutual funds is to make a profit with very little risk. By investing into these and other low-risk programs, there is very little chance of people making poor choices that leave them with nothing. The simple fact is that privately owned retirement accounts would produce an income much greater than Social Security provides, and we wouldn’t have to face the problem of running out of money. Real life programs like the ones in Chile, Galveston, and San Diego show how successful Social Security privatization can and would be if only the government would give us the freedom to choose how to protect our future. The current system has failed. It’s just a matter of time until Social Security is bankrupt. It is time for the government to let the people decide how to provide for their own futures.

Promoting Electric Vehicles in Hong Kong

Advantages of using EV (Electric Vehicles) in Hong Kong Improved air quality Electric vehicles have zero emissions at the tailpipe. The wider use of EVs can greatly improve roadside air quality and reduce exhaust emission. Better suited to the urban environment: saving up to 1800-1900 gear changes a day helps reduce driver fatigue, while reduced noise pollution is a benefit to services delivered in residential areas Reduced noise Noise from traffic and transport is a major or fairly major problem. At high speeds, most noise is down to wind and tyres so there is little difference between ICE and electric vehicles. However, electric vehicles are almost silent whilst idling. Incentives Government would extend the waiver of the first registration tax on electric vehicles for five years from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2014. Low running costs EVs also have higher fuel efficiency than conventional petrol/diesel vehicles. It costs about HK$2. 20 for a normal petrol seven-seater to run for about one kilometre and HK$1 for better ones. However, it apparently only costs about 10 Hong Kong cents for EV. To fully charge up EV, all it takes is about HK$10. That is enough for it to run about 100 kilometres. It is probably cheaper than riding on a bus. Cost savings not only in fuel (up to 10 times cheaper), but also in maintenance (less wear and tear, fewer services). There are also potential significant cost savings in the long-term. Travel distance of EV without recharging the battery In general, electric vehicles today can travel over 100km with a fully charged battery. The distance of 100km can suit most of the drivers in Hong Kong daily.