Competitive strategy of wine industry Essay

The wine may appear to be a simple drink with limited variation available, has turned into a multibillion dollar a year industry with enormous variation and an increasingly sophisticated consumer base. The variation available and changes in the age groups who are becoming the major markets for wine producers have created visible market trends that cannot be ignored. These trends also affect the global market. Focusing on market scale and branding expertise, these opponents have capitalized on the globalization of the wine industry. Recently, more and more wine production is taking place in â€Å"New World† regions such as parts of Australia, Chile, and the United States, which have gained a strong comparative advantage in the wine industry. Another problem is that some wine firm (usually French or Italian) are not capable to satisfy the demand of country such as China which has a huge population and even if the people who drink wine are not a lot the level of wine consumption is increasing and as a consequence the amount of export is growing as the graph below shows. Source: All material  ©2010 – 2012 Twisted Pine Productions. Imports of bottled wine in China increased by 94% year-on-year (y-o-y) to US$1. 27bn in 2011, according to data provided by the China Culture Association of Poetry and Wine (CCAPW). According to CCAPW, the total volume of imported wine climbed 76. 5% y-o-y in 2010, while it increased by 80. 9% y-oy in 2011. CCAPW also revealed that sales of domestically produced wine grew 36. 3% y-o-y to CNY34. 2bn (US$5. 4bn) in 2011. Wine continues to be dominated by domestic brands, and although imports from major producing nations such as France have grown, they remain beyond reach in price terms for all but the most affluent of Chinese consumers. As a consequence of these barriers, winemakers from leading winemaking countries have entered the Chinese market via joint ventures, providing expertise and advice to local vineyards, thus finding a means of capitalising on this growing market. It’s very important distinguish the industry of wine in 2 main category: Small producer: who has high prices, low level of competitors but low production capacity; focused on niche Big producer: who has medium/low prices, more competitors and high production capacity; focused on economies of scale Rivalry Barriers to Entry: The wine industry represents substantial barriers to entry. The most significant of these barriers is the price of land. Prices of land for vineyards has risen sharply. Along with the initial investment in land, there is a large capital investment in equipment. There are requirements for processing facilities and for storage facilities of large barrels of wine. Time is also against the new comer to the wine industry. It will often take years of aging before a wine can be brought to market making the return on investment very slow. Degree of Rivalry: The wine industry is an industry with many competitors. A high number of competitors suggest that price competition is very high. Along with the high number of competitors, there is also substantial consolidation of larger brands. Companies such as Foster Brands, Constellation, and Gallos have been purchasing smaller wineries and often have brand portfolios with as many as one hundred plus wine brands in the portfolio. These larger producers are using their power to push smaller manufacturers off the shelves. Power of Buyers: Buyers in the wine industry can be grouped into two categories, distributors and retailers. The distributor market has undergone intense consolidation with the five largest liquor distributors having over thirty percent of the market. The retailers also have a great deal of power over producers. The two largest wine retailers are Costco (with 10%) and Wal-Mart (with 9%). Threat of Substitutes: Brand loyalty is depend of the country, there are some countries accustomed to the use of wine which have acquired expertise allowing to learn about wine and to be loyal to a certain producer. Though there are other customers, such as Americans which has not the knowledge of the product that may be loyal to a certain product such as a merlot, they do not care who makes it. Supplier Power: There are several suppliers. One supplier is the vineyards. These vineyards lack power, the global market has been flooded with grapes from California, Australia, and several other countries. With all of these pressures, there is very high competition and low power of suppliers. Other suppliers such as bottlers are also easily substituted so they lack significant buying power. Conclusion regarding rivalry: The problem with the wine industry is the consolidation of distributors and buyers. With so much power in the hands of buyers, a winery needs to be large so that they cannot be pushed around by the buyers. This is why many small wineries have consolidated; they need to be larger to gain bargaining power. key success factors in the wine industry BEING DIFFERENT J. Lapsley and K. Moulton [2001] explain in their book â€Å"Successful Wine Marketing† how crucial it is that wine products seek a real identity. An appellation’s success is based on its ancestral and rigorous attributes, and of course, on the grower’s competence. A newer approach consists of developing branded wines and assuming that a brand conveys a particular identity derived from its specific competitive positioning and astute advertising. SEGMENTING THE MARKET The advantage of having real market segmentation is that consumers can be grouped homogeneously. This helps to improve the efficiency of any commercial actions undertaken. McKinna [1987] showed that wine consumers could be classified into four main market segments: connoisseurs (25%), students (51%), new consumers (10%), and bulk consumers who drink wine served in boxes, etc. (14%). These averages may cover significant national variations. The market breakdown will vary depending on whether the country in questions is â€Å"Old World† and accustomed to well established benchmarks like appellations, or â€Å"New World† and more spontaneously interested in specific branded wines or grape varieties. MOVING CLOSER TO THE MARKET Mudill, Riding, Georges and Haines [2003] have highlighted distribution channel concentration as the key variable in the world wine market. Like wine producers, actors in these channels have engaged in countless mergers and acquisitions in their attempts to gain more power vis-a-vis the major retailers and to shorten the logistics chain. In many sectors of activity, value added has steadily moved downstream, benefiting retailers instead of entrepreneurs who are in the process far upstream. This has triggered a merger-mania with companies trying to move as close as possible to the end user by eliminating intermediaries. FINDING A DIFFERENT WAY TO COMMUNICATE It is known that amongst the various marketing mix tools available to wine sector product managers, communications [advertising] plays a role that is clearly important. Furthermore, although one of communication’s main goal is to attract new (and often young) consumers. The Internet can help sponsors here by providing an additional vehicle for media communications. Kehoe and Pitkow [1996] have clearly shown that the Web targets a mainly male population that is relatively young, influential, and which enjoys above-average education. Their E-commerce has increase sales by 11% in the year 2011. Conclusion To achieve a good ranking in the wine industry it is necessary to analyze the own product, the global market and figure out what yours goals and objectives are. After having settled this, follows the development of an international strategy. Srategy suitable for the wine industry In the wine industry, the used strategies change depending the dimension of the companies. In the small company is recommended use the home replication strategy, selling the same products in both domestic and foreign markets, having a strong name and characteristic to loyalty a specific consumers grouped in a niche. Instead in the big companies is recommended penetrate the market using a transnational or even global strategy since rivals are the same in most country markets so there is a strong competitiveness that has to be attacked by low costs and global standardization strategy. MARCO SIMONINI

Vocation paper Autosaved

That is where this article leads us and provides direction on what that means to us in our everyday spiritual lives. I will speak to my vocation(s) and how my calling from God relates to my education and my life in general. A call that I have received is the call to live in a family. God has provided me with a husband and two children. Together my husband and I are in charge of bringing our children up in the Lutheran faith and showing them how to live in a God pleasing way.My husband and I have taken vows to be faithful and loving to each other and show our children what it means to submit to another. We show them honor to God by going to church. My family has now expanded to include my school family and all those I will come into intact with along my educational journey. The call to work makes you think of your job that you go to everyday. This call is so much more than that. It really means that you put God in everything you do. It States in the article that Christianity values th e material world because God created it and saw that it was good.My decision to come to Wisconsin Lutheran for school was a personal one and provides me with both spiritual growth and intellectual growth. There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding the division of church and state. â€Å"Government leaders function with the natural law that the Lord embedded in their consciences to make them better leaders. † God knows that all people are sinners and we need to be protected from those sins, so he provides police officers, judges and soldiers.We as citizens have a responsibility to protect what God Vocation Stirrer 3 has provided for us and help others with this responsibility. We pray for our government as well as pay taxes. The article says â€Å"Give to Caesar what is Career's, and to God, what is God's. We show support for government and government shows support to our religious affiliations, but they are separate entities that have specific jobs to do. We have no choice to be in the world. We are born into it by God's grace and we are expected to do the best we can to live a Godly life while experiencing the benefits of what God has created for us.I believe this section of the article is speaking of not allowing the material things of this world to distract us from the true calling that we have received. We all have a purpose and we should be grateful to God for anything he has provided for us, not always expecting or wanting more. This section also ties into the next three sections of the article. Christians have a responsibility to carry certain burdens, to endure hardships and to be handful for those hardships. We also have a responsibility to not hide our faith but to share it with others joyfully and graciously.

Education Jewish Women Essay

The aim of this paper is to discuss the significance of education for Jewish people and its transformation in recent years. Special attention will be paid to Haredi education. Education has been traditionally attached paramount importance in Jewish communities. It was perceived as a precondition of social advancement, success, and respect from the others. The main feature of education in Jewish communities is that the focus has always been on balanced and all-round development of the personality of a child. Education is closely linked to culture and identity, and the goal of education is to plant Jewish values. Religious education is a part of any educational process, irrespective of whether it happens in family or school settings. A tool of religious education is studying Torah, and the Jews believe that this process is a lifelong one. Therefore, Jewish communities were among the first to champion the idea of continuing education. In terms of Jewish education, it makes sense to speak of formal and informal education. As concerns formal schooling, Jewish education programs can take one of the following forms: full-time, part-time, Sunday-only (one-day only), or tutor (Goldstein & Fishman, 1993). Primary school is usually attended by children older than the age of 6 or 7; before that, they are educated at home. Sometimes children before the age of 6 or 7 attend Sunday school or engage in various forms of informal education. Informal education encompasses such techniques as youth group, camp experience, or drama clubs. Jewish children often manifest strong desire to learn and impressive academic achievement. This is one of the reasons why Jews are likely to pursue higher education. This can be explained by the fact that education has been historically perceived as an important value: ‘At the turn of the last century, Jewish immigrants to the United States and elsewhere carried on the tradition of education. Barely able to make a living, they continued their educations, fought the anti-Semitic stance of University admission committees and sent their children to university’ (Winston, 2006, p. 1). It is interesting to note that Jewish education in the 20th century has put a significant emphasis on gender equality in education. Throughout the 19th century, Jewish girls were educated at home and rarely attended public education facilities. The turnaround was made possible by the institution of girl’s schools at the beginning of the previous century. At present, there are virtually no gender disparities in the level of enrollment in education. Another interesting factor is that children and adolescents realize the value of education from early teens and without external pressure. A study (Seginer & Vermulst, 2002) indicated that such issues as family background as well as perceived parental support and demandingness do not directly affect the level of educational achievement among Jewish youngsters, while this factor is regarded as the key for academic success in other communities. Now it is high time to discuss Haredi education. Under the Haredi education law, local authorities should provide equal amount of funding for state schools and non-state schools: ‘The government approved Sunday my proposal to advance an amendment to the national education law that would obligate local authorities to play a part in funding schools defined as ‘recognized but unofficial’ in an equal manner and in accordance with the schools’ ability to meet the terms and rules set by the Education Ministry’ (Beilin & Nahari, 2007, para. 1). While the law has come in foe excessive criticism, there are some good points in it. First of all, this law acknowledges the importance of different methods of education, both formal and informal, or, in this specific case, both state and non-state. If it is quality education that raises children in the spirit of Jewish values, there is no difference in who provides it. Yet formal education is still paid more attention under this law: ‘The bill has the power to create equality between students in the official education system to those in the recognized system. However, there would still be preference given to students in the former system, which will enjoy full funding both from the Education Ministry and local authorities, compared to their counterparts from the ‘recognized but unofficial’ world – who will continue to enjoy partial funding only’ (Beilin & Nahari, 2007, para. 7). Summing up, it is possible to conclude that education has played a significant role in the Jewish culture. Unique combination of formal and informal as well as state and non-state education providers gives the youth an opportunity to develop their skills and abilities together with learning Jewish values and culture.

Principles of communication-111 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Principles of communication-111 - Essay Example Secondly, the employers owe the employees the obligation of consulting with them concerning the decisions that are made relating to the normal chores in the performance of their work duties. Consultative decision-making has always proved to be pivotal in the management of workers. This is because the employees are allowed to express their views and concerns to the management, which in turn is responsible to adhere to the demands of the employees (Queensland Government web). Thirdly, the employers should provide all the appropriate personal protective equipment, which are required to ensure to ensure workers can complete their job safely. Protective equipment plays a major role in ensuring that the safety of workers is adhered to. Consequently, safe employees will produce more than the unsafe employees will. In addition, it the obligation of the employers should monitor and evaluate the occupational health safety systems and procedures to ensure that workers are adequately protected from work place hazards. It is the obligation of the employers to provide facilities for the welfare of the employees. The welfare system covers many areas including toilettes facilities to conducting risk assessments on the plants and equipment is used. They should also make the procedures known to the employees. Moreover, the employers have a duty the employees the agreed amount if the employee arrives for work and is able to work. The payments include the agreed upon remuneration of wages and salaries (Queensland Government web). Another major obligations is that the employers are responsible to give the employees work to do. However, if the employee is paid by commission, and the employer does not give the employee any work to do, or if not working, could damage the employees reputation. In addition, the employers are obliged to give the correct information to their employees about their rights

Popular Music, Youth and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Popular Music, Youth and Education - Essay Example Music plays a big role in the youth today. Some youth use music as a form of identity, while others use it to relax and ‘get away.’ To understand the role of popular music in the lives of young people in the framework of education, we have to look at popular music from a social and cultural aspect, how popular music is embedded into taste and identity of young people and dissect the way popular music is perceived by the education system. Green’s Music on Deaf Ears: Musical Meaning, Ideology and Education explains the status that popular music plays on a social standpoint. Green explains that the set-up of music in classrooms came about because of the roles and eventual division social classes in society. Because the only way to measure skills and set classifications for music was based on the performances of the students, the students who received the most education had enough money for private lessons (Green 51). Therefore, on a social level, it was the higher-cl ass students whose parents set the standard for what music was going to be like in the school system. There was a study done on how social class affected students’ interest in music. ... cal training and thought they had a better understanding of the need, awareness and wisdom that this music brought to an educational setting (Green, 51). The willingness to learn and the likelihood that the students in the higher classes listened to this type of music out of POPULAR MUSIC, YOUTH AND EDUCATION 4 the classroom were higher than students who did not receive this opportunity (Green, 52). The liking of classical music in the upper division and the fact that students who were fond of popular music over classical music not being represented in this study shows the role that music played in society and the relevance in education (Green, 45, 48). According to De Nora’s Music in Everyday Life T.W. Adorno was the biggest advocate of the ‘production of culture,’ an emerging trend that took place in American culture in the 70’s and 80’s (De Nora, 1). Adorno offers a strong insight to this trend and how popular music has embedded itself in culture. In addition to being influential in molding society, Adorno believes that culture plays a part in representing what the society was going through at that particular time in history (De Nora, 2). Other advocates argue that culture dictates how social groups act and behave. For example, in Profane Culture, Paul Willis makes the connection between culture and the labeling of each member of a social group. He says that it is the interaction with culture that gives the overall meaning to the group (De Nora, 6). The constant use of this culture is what makes up social verve. The influence that popular music has in affecting society and culture can be proof that if incorporated into the education system, it can be valuable. Ed Dorn, poet, describes the communal aspect of music as â€Å"that great Zero/Resting eternally

Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capitalism - Essay Example Protection of private property was never so legally simplified before the advent of capitalism and the legal implications of private ownership suggested greater independence of private property owners and provided clear protected ownership that could be legally validated. Capitalism brought in the standardization and integration of property rules, increased trust in economic transactions and laid down the risks of ownership with possibilities of insurance against such risks. Loans and borrowing became easier as personal credit history could be checked and there was an increased standardization and transferability of statements documenting ownership of property (Levi-Faur et al, 2005). This specification of property limits and rules and regulations of ownership indicated a smoother flow of property between individuals and enabled a well-defined role for companies so that they could easily operate in national and international markets. The concept of capitalism has often been criticised by the fact that ownership of enterprises shows the division between the employer and the employee as the profits seem to go to the employer and is not shared by the employees. The growth of multinational companies is thus a direct influence of capitalism and the changing global economy has also been directly shaped by the spread of capitalism across society and nations. In fact, the world today could never have been the same without capitalism and considering this, it is important to examine why and how capitalism first emerged in the 16th century and what are the social, historical and political implications. Capitalism - A Background Capitalism is often contrasted to feudalism on the one hand where a monarch has ownership of property and socialism or communism on the other in which means of production are owned by the community collectively (Sweezy et al 1976). Karl Marx, used the term 'capitalist' in the Communist Manifesto although the word 'capitalism' introduced by Thackeray in 1854 meant as the possession of a large amount of capital. The ideology of the capitalist class also known as the bourgeoisie is known as capitalism which closely relates to the capitalist system (Marx, 1890/1976). Considering a social history of the distribution of wealth, Marx contended that human society has passed through several stages and modes of production. The mode of production has changed from ancient communism to primitive slavery, then to feudalism and capitalism. Marx sees society as being divided into two major social classes - the class that has control of the means of production (the exploiting class or bourgeoisie) and the class which do not have any control or does not own the means of production (the exploited class or the proletariat) (Marx 1890/1976). In ancient slavery, the slave-owners exploited the slaves. In feudalism, the lords exploited the peasants. Under capitalism, the capitalists exploit the workers and exploitation happens through the expropriation of surplus value. The surplus value is the total value of the products made by the worker minus what the worker is paid. The exploited class resists this exploitation and the resulting class struggle or class conflict is what drives human history forward. Marx argued that under the capitalist system, workers are treated like a commodity or equipment rather than a person and also

Technologies in Shipping and Port Management Essay

Technologies in Shipping and Port Management - Essay Example Nowadays, the bulk carriers are the biggest workers of the fleet, transporting raw materials such as iron ore and coal (Shipping Facts, 2010). Tankers are useful in transporting crude oil, potentially hazardous chemicals, and petroleum products. Tankers often look quite the same as bulk carriers, but the deck of the tankers is usually flushed and covered by oil pipe and ventilation systems (Shipping Facts, 2010). In the same period, a further potential design was intended to revolutionize the transfer of cargo on land as well as, on the ocean, and this design was the freight container. The idea, which had been first developed in the United States during the 1950s, was to pack cargo into rectangular metal boxes, which could be transported by road, railway or ship (Overview of Shipping and Navigation history, 2010). Now container ships, which carry most of the worlds manufactured goods and products, are usually done through scheduled liner services (Shipping Facts, 2010). With the exception of the aforementioned ships, there are two other types of ships that are popular in shipping, one of which are ferries, which usually fulfil shorter trips for a mixture of passengers and commercial vehicles. Most of these ships are Ro-Ro (roll on - roll off) ferries, where allow vehicles to drive straight on and off, making it a speedy and easily accessible way to travel. The other type of ship is known as a specialist ship.  

Education Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Education - Coursework Example The session is followed by a fifteen minutes of group or individual work, which gathers students in order to share the progress of their work. Additionally, students prefer the use of projection slides, as well as handouts in order to complete their presentation. The teacher supervisors, these presentations and group discussions in order to ensure that the content brought to class is relevant to architecture and is helpful to other students (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2010, p. 110). The lesson entails a number of practical lessons where students are involved in some architectural drawing and building and construction works. Cognitive theorists were largely concerned with various changes in the understanding of a student resulting from learning, as well as with the fundamental environmental importance. However, constructivism itself bears a number of variations like cognitive apprenticeship, discovery learning, and generative learning, based learning, and situated learning. Therefore, constructivism promotes the exploration of students within a certain structure or framework. When architecture students are working on a similar task their objectives, goals at times are different, and the discovery theory should be applicable to enable them discover on their own. At the end of every task, students should share their creations and solutions since it helps to motivate them and more importantly, it demonstrates various ways in which a single task can be completed (Kay, 2005, p.79). Group discussions are necessary in developing English, ICT, and mathematics as well as acquiring wider skills. A large number of students easily acquire knowledge when shared by their peers and can easily remember compared to the thing taught in class by a teacher. Architecture students are supposed to present using proper English, which enables students, learn fluent English outside and in class. Students undertake a large number of activities

E-learning across mobile platform applications (m-learning) Thesis Proposal

E-learning across mobile platform applications (m-learning) - Thesis Proposal Example Mobiles are playing an important role in learning process characterized by their ability to incorporate transportable devices used in the learning process. Since several years, usage of m-learning technologies for teaching and learning purposes has been increasing across the globe, and technology development made m-learning is an accessible tool evens for the physically challenged people (Kiernan, & Aizawa, 2004). Using mobile technology for deaf language is really invaluable, and can improve learners’ learning and communication capacity, but is not economical for poor and developing countries. In addition, texting in a foreign language may be difficult if people who are deaf having limited English ( Thornton, & Houser, 2005). For technicians also it a challenging task as they have to keep up their skill for the requirements of the growing market. They have to provide technical support for hands on practice whenever needs, and trained children. It burdens more on the company as it has to invest money for the research purpose. It has an intention of guiding, and providing an opportunity for hearing impaired students to improve their learning, and communication experiences using mobile technology. At the same time creation of mobile environment for social interactions where students are able to follow the content through their personal digital assistants without affecting time and place. Generally, students with hearing loss would face great difficulty in acquiring languages, and they have to use aid for hearing. They may face problems while understanding the speech of others and at the same time achieving effective communication through speaking or using signs may not be sufficient for them (Garcia Cabrere, 2002). So, for acquiring academic and intellectual skills, there is a necessity of developing reading and writing dimensions of oral communication effectively. For the purpose, there is a need for new

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security Essay

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security - Essay Example oducts, one such company is the Sony Corporations whose official playstation website recently underwent a major security breach affecting around 70 million subscribers worldwide. The website is well equipped with all the information of the products and the game contents. It consists of information about all the playstations launched so far and also the new game developments going on. The popularity of playstations worldwide is well highlighted on the website and the information clearly justifies why it is so popular around the world. The website clearly mentions the company’s contact address for correspondence which is quite appreciable as the customer’s come to know how genuine the information on the website will be by knowing the company’s profile. The customization of products on the website is also remarkable, including the latest launched products, upcoming games, most popular choices and also competitions inviting hard core gamers. The customer’s information required to join the PS network is basically the e-mail id for subscription of newsletters, new launches, Gaming updates etc, and other basic information about the customer. The marketing strategy of a company determines the hold of its product in the market over the competitors. Though Sony has a established market for its products, its strategies keep it alive and grab the edge over the competitors. Analysing the position of competitors is the foremost strategy for effective marketing of company’s product. The customer’s response and needs are relatively studied to set up the marketing strategies. The company ensures optimum quality levels to satisfy customers to gain their loyalty in the market. Proper and planned strategies ensure better sales and less difficulty in facing competition. The next strategy that almost all companies seek is knowing their customers better. Launching products according to people and places also ensures better sales and profit and less troubles in creating a

Motivating Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Motivating - Assignment Example It is otherwise an abstract term, highlighting an inner human feeling emerging out of a churning of physiological, psychological and social component processes for energizing an individual in â€Å"selection of pursuits for maintaining a sustained, goal-directed performance amidst competing alternatives, intensity of effort and persistence of exertion† (Bandura, 1991, p.158). It tends to become complex when different individuals, groups and cultures acquire very different beliefs about what exactly defines control, success and effectiveness at work. Aided by the right level of positive emotions like humour and happiness to induce commitment towards their goals, supported by their cherished values of interest, skill or utility with the right blend of self-belief for facing challenges is what motivating individuals is all about. The factors motivating individuals are realistic levels of self-confidence, positive emotional climates and strong personal values for work related task s. A personal intention to succeed at assigned goals is very motivating for individuals. Against the outdated early theories treating humans as machine-like entities driven by internal or external factors beyond their control, contemporary motivation theories handling issues such as incentives, drives, needs and the like, influencing and tapping human capabilities through self-direction and self-regulation to an extent appear short sighted. Life Systems Framework approach is aimed at a more rational integrated analysis and appreciation of the unitary and component parts of an individual, both in isolation and in unison for assessing the stability and change in the functioning of the component parts of the person and the person as a whole. Coming under the more recent Motivational Systems Theory, a realistic study of all aspects of the characteristics of people in general, and the organisation and the actualisation of these characteristics in persons for assessing motivation in indiv iduals has become meaningful for going into the subject in depth in recent times. The belief that no one can motivate another person leads to individual motivation being invoked always from within. The degree of motivation is governed by the external environment in which individuals function and the demands made of them. The level of involvement that they feel and the degree of interest they have in what they are doing, is directly linked to the individual’s advancement through an organisation. Open business cultures are increasing transparency. We are living in an ‘aware’ culture of work-life harmony with no security of employment. Individual motivation is undergoing a change in tune with the contemporary requirements of fast changing organisations. Modern manager’s role lies in creating the conditions and encouragement that enable individuals to motivate themselves, despite the pulls and pressures. It is important to have self esteem and mutual respect a mong teammates. They must have a collective belief that, they are capable of succeeding as a team. It is of prime importance in motivating teams, as one can see â€Å"in pressure-packed overtime matches where contestants are evenly matched and a mistake brings sudden death defeat ...perceived group efficacy emerges as the sole determinant of overtime performance† (Bandura, 1997, p.383). An environment helping the team members

Energy Crisis Essay Example for Free

Energy Crisis Essay Every country in the world uses energy. For example: to cook. It is becoming one of the basic needs in life. But where does the energy come from? In the year 2008, 85% of the power that we are using was nonrenewable energy, which means that someday, these energies will be gone. However, right now, there are people who have started using renewable energy such as solar energy. There are more than 7 billion people in the world right now and it will keep rising while the energy resources are depleting. Even though there are many energies that are renewable, the renewable energies are harder to make use of, which is one of the reasons why not many people use them. Also, they require some advanced technology. If we don’t find something else to replace oil, coal and natural gas, we won’t have the energy to use in the future. One of the forms of the renewable energy is solar energy. Solar energy uses energy from sunlight to create energy for our home. Sunlight is a clean, renewable resource. There are many ways to get energy from sunlight, such as the photovoltaic (PV) panels, converting sunlight into electricity and solar electricity, using the sun’s heat to produce electricity. Solar cells, or the photovoltaic panels, convert sunlight directly into electricity. We can often find solar cells in calculators and watches. Since solar cells are made up of semiconducting materials, materials whose conductivity will increase with temperature, sunlight will lose their electrons, allowing the electrons to flow through semiconducting materials to produce electricity when sunlight is absorbed. Solar electricity is separated into three kinds: parabolic-trough, dish/engine, and power tower. Parabolic-trough concentrates the sunlight through mirrors. The mirror will be tilted towards the sun, heating the oil that is flowing in the pipe inside the panel. Heated oil will then be used to boil water to produce electricity. The dish/engine is a dish-shaped mirror that will collect heat from sunlight and transfer it to the fluid within the engine. The heat would cause the fluid to expand and produce mechanical power. A power tower system uses a large field of mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto the top of a tower. This heat will melt salt that flows through the receiver and the salts heat will be used to generate electricity through a conventional steam generator. With different kinds of solar panel, the price varies in the range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending on the effectiveness and the amount of energy you use. Even though the solar panels are expensive, many people still use them since they think that solar energy is energy-efficient and green. One of the advantages solar energy has is being renewable. As long as there are living things on this planet, there will always be solar energy since we get solar energy from sunlight. Even though sunlight is not present at night, the solar energy could still be stored by charging the batteries during the day and be used at night. We could then get more sunlight on the next day. Moreover, solar energy creates absolutely no pollution or noise, unlike other machines. It doesn’t damage the environment by emitting greenhouse gases or polluting water, air or land. By using this source of energy, the air will be cleaner and it helps stop the global warming. Other than this, in the long term, the solar energy is much cheaper than the energy resources we are using now. Even though it is expensive, initially the maintenance requirement is very small and the service life is around 30 years. The main disadvantage of solar energy is that it is extremely expensive. This is mostly why nowadays, not many people use solar energy. The price is unaffordable. Furthermore, since our world is polluted, the rain or the clouds could block sunlight from getting to the panels, making it ineffective. With a cloudy climate, the panels will be able to produce sunlight at a slower rate and may require more panels to generate enough electricity for your house, which will require more money. Even though using solar energy in houses might not require huge amount of area, big buildings do. To use the solar panels to their maximum ability, they need to be in the sun. With bigger buildings, you will need many more panels and to get them to work to their maximum ability, you will need a huge amount of area for the panels to be in the sunlight. Even though solar energy has some disadvantages, the advantages still overweight the disadvantages since energies are running out and this solar energy is everywhere. If we can get all of the energy that was sent to this planet, we could light the entire planet for one year within an hour. But the problem with this is we cant. If we can find a way to harvest this energy, we can have as much electricity as we want until the end of the human generation. Right now, there are many renewable energies that scientists have found but they are not yet the best way to solve the energy crisis. Therefore, scientists are still searching for new forms of energy. Dark energy is another form of energy that is very useful to mankind. In the universe, it is composed of up to 74% dark energy. What is dark energy? Dark energy is the unexplained force that causes the acceleration of the expansion of the universe. Even though there is no evidence that the dark energy does exist, people agree that it does since they believe that the universe had a beginning, and is expanding. Other than dark energy, the underwater pressure can be another useful energy resource. Beneath the water surface, there is a potential constant source of unused hydroelectric power in the form of deep water pressure. According to Rick Dickson, he had invented a way to harvest this deep water pressure by transferring its pressure to air and then to a piston. The name of this process is called Ocean Pressure Electric Conversion. Therefore, as we know, the dark energy and the hydroelectric power are very powerful; if we could get dark energy by using a similar way to the way we get solar energy and harvest the water pressure, Im positive that we would never run out of energy again. Works Cited World Energy Crisis . World Energy Crisis . N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. http://planetforlife.com/. Disadvantages Of Solar Energy. Natural Renewable Energy Sources Clean Energy Ideas. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/disadvantages_of_solar_energy.html. Disadvantages of Solar Power Solar Energy Disadvantages Disadvantages of Solar Energy. Go Green with Solar Energy. N.p., n.d. Web.

Liquid Liquid Equilibrium of Pold (Ethylene Glycol)

Liquid Liquid Equilibrium of Pold (Ethylene Glycol) LiquidLiquid Equilibrium of Poly (ethylene glycol) 1500 + di-Potassium Tartrate +Water at different pH (6.41, 7.74 and 9.05) Alireza Barani Chemical Engineering Department,Faculty of Engineering, Shomal University, Amol, PO Box 731, Iran Mohsen Pirdashti[1] Chemical Engineering Department,Faculty of Engineering, Shomal University, Amol, PO Box 731, Iran Abbas Ali Rostami Chemical Engineering Department,Faculty of Engineering, Shomal University, Amol, PO Box 731, Iran Abstract: Liquid liquid equilibrium (LLE) data have been determined for aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) containing (ATPS) poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) 1500 +di potassium tartrate +water at 298.15 K and in various pH values (6.41, 7.74 and 9.05). Two physical properties (density and refractive index) were used to obtain the compositions of phase and the ends of the tie-lines. The effect of pH on the binodal curve, tie-line length and slope of tie line are discussed. The binodal curves of these systems have been correlated by Bleasdales equation. Furthermore, the Othmer-Tobias and Bancroft equations was used to correlate the tie line data points. Finally, the effective excluded volume (EEV) of the salt into the PEG aqueous solution were obtained. Keywords: ATPS; Phase diagram; pH; Refractive index; Poly(ethylene glycol); di potassium tartrate Introduction The dissolving of one polymer and one salt or two aqueous polymer solutions together in water results in the formation of two immiscible aqueous phases systems, called Aqueous Two-Phase Systems (ATPSs). Albertson introduced these systems in 1965 for the purpose of separating the biological materials1. Several industries can benefit from employing ATPS including biotechnology, petroleum, paint, adhesives, and pharmaceuticals 2, 3. Moreover, the ATPS is effective in providing separation technique due to its undemanding scale-up viability 4-6, economic efficiency7, 8, ease of continuous process 9, decreased interfacial tension 10, short processing time 11, low energy consumption 12, 13, good resolution 14, high yield 15, relatively high load capacity 16, and selective extraction 17. The data derived from phase diagram, composition and the physical properties of the phase formation are essential in order to optimize, design and increase the size of these processes; and develop the models that predict phase partitioning18-20. Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) is a water-soluble hydrophilic and biocompatible polymer employed by the studies about ATPS 21. Accordingly, Selber et al. (2004) 3 provided a useful summary of experimental liquid-liquid data and equilibrium diagrams for systems including PEG, inorganic salts and water. Peng et al.10 (1995) investigated the phase diagram and protein partition coefficient in ATPS containing PEG and K2HPO4 + KH2PO4 and found some merits in this polymer-salt system. Furthermore, several studies 22-27 have focused on the Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium (LLE) data of PEG + salt ATPSs. Zafarani-Moattar et al. (2008) indicated some advantages of using tartrate such as biodegradability and effectiveness in partitioning of biological materials through being discharged into biological waste water treatment plants 27. In the current study, the phase equilibrium data for PEG1500 +di-potassium tartrate (K2C4H4O6 ) +H2O were determined at 298.15K and th ree pH values (6.41 , 7.74, and 9.05). In addition, the effects of pH on the binodal curve and Tie-Line Length (TLL) and Slope of Tie Line (STL) were determined. Likewise, the calibration curves were applied as an analytical technique [MN1]with measuring the density and refractive index. Finally, Othmer-Tobias and Bancroft equations 28 were used to fit the tie- line data and Bleasdales equation was employed 29 to correlate the experimental LLE data from the investigated systems. Experimental Materials To prepare the materials, PEG [HO (C2H4O) n H] with average of 1500 gmol-1 and di potassium tartrate with minimum purity of 99.5% by mass were obtained from Merck. The polymer and salts were used without further purification with the distilled deionized water. 2.2. Apparatus and Procedure. 2.2.1. Analytical Methods The same method of calibration plots and evaluation of parameters in the literatures 30 were employed to obtain the compositions in both phases from measurements of the two physical properties (density and refractive index) at 298.15 K. in order to obtain the compositions, calibration equations were previously obtained. Homogeneous ternary mixtures with compositions from 0 to 30 wt% (total solute composition) were prepared by weight, and then density and refractive index were measured at 298.15 K. the concentration of PEG and salt were obtained using eq 1, which related the refractive index and density to the concentration of salt and PEG at 298.15 K, where represents the mass fraction of PEG, is the mass fraction of di-potassium tartrate, and is the value of the refractive index and density of pure water at 298.15 K. Experimental data were fitted to polynomial expansions up to order 2 by least-squares (order 3 was proved unnecessary in all cases 23: (1) Where Z is the physical property (density or refractive index) and to are fitting parameters. The refractive index was determined by refractive index measurements at 298.15 K using a refractometer (CETI Belgium model) with an accuracy of 0.0001. Then, densities was measured by using an Anton Paar oscillation U-tube densitometer (model: DMA 500) with a precision of  ±10-4 g.cm-3. 2.2.2. Binodal Curve The experimental apparatus employed is similar to the one used previously 31. A glass vessel, volume of 25 cm3 was used to carry out the equilibrium determination. It was provided with an external jacket containing water at constant temperature. The temperature was controlled to within +-0.05 K. The binodal curves were determined by the cloud-point method 32. The cloud-point method was investigated by titration method where step by step and exactly known amounts of polymer (titrant) was added to an aqueous solution salt of known concentration (or vice versa) under stirring until the solution becomes cloudy. 2.2.3. The TLL and STL Tie lines were also determined using the equilibrium set designed by ourselves and according to previously described procedures [14]. For the determination of the tie lines, we selected 4 samples for each pH that were prepared by mixing appropriate amounts of PEG, salt, and water in the vessels. Samples were stirred for 5 min and settled for 24 h, with temperature controlling condition, to ensure that equilibrium was established. To separate the resulting phases, the tubes were centrifuged (Hermle Z206A, Germany) at 6000 rpm for 5 min. The resulted phases showed no turbidity and the top and bottom samples were easily separated. After the equilibrium was achieved, phases were with- drawn using syringes. The top phase was sampled first, with care being taken to leave a layer of material at least 0.5 cm thick above the interface. The bottom phase was remain in the glass vessel with a long needle. TLL provides an empirical measurement of the compositions of the two phases, which can be c alculated by the following equation: TLL= (2) Where and denote the concentration of PEG and salt in top and bottom phase, and STL is given by the ratio of the difference between the polymer and salt concentrations in the top and bottom phases as presented in Eq. 3: STL= (3) Where and are the polymer and salt concentrations, expressed in mass percent, respectively, and the superscripts T and B designate the top and bottom phases, respectively. 2.2.4.Binodal Curve and TLL Correlation For the binodal data correlation, the Bleasdales equation [27] can be suitably used to reproduce the binodal curves of the investigated systems (4) Where a, b, and c represent the fitting parameters and and demonstrate the polymer and salt mass fractions, respectively. The binodal data of the above expression were correlated by least-squares regression. The reliability of the measured tie-line compositions was ascertained by Othmer-Tobias (Eq. 5) and Bancroft (Eq. 6) correlation equations (5) (6) Where is the mass fraction of polymer in the top phase, is the mass fraction of salt in the bottom phase, and are the mass fractions of water in the bottom and top phases, respectively, and , , , and are the adjusted parameters. Besides, the obtained experimental data can also adapt to the equation provided by Guan and co-workers33 Ln (.WPEG/ ) + ./ = 0 (7) Where and stand for the polymer and salt molecular weight, respectively. Moreover, V* is the Effective Excluded Volume (EEV) of the salt in the PEG aqueous solution. Results and Discussion Fitting parameters of calibration equation The values of the coefficients a, b, c, d, e and f for the system studied are shown in table 1, respectively. Table 1.The value of the coefficients observed from eq. 1. 1.3341 0.0581 0.1302 -0.0718 0.2257 0.3882 à Ã‚ /g.cm3 0.9842 0.6783 0.1761 0.0098 0.1643 0.1018 Binodal Curve The binodal curve data of the PEG + di-potassium tartrate + H2O system are presented in Table 2. Table 2. Binodal curve data of the PEG 1500 + di-potassium tartrate+ water system at 298.15 K and 0.1 MPa at different pH values 42.71 9.01 27.75 10.49 43.43 10.49 39.57 9.50 45.58 7.20 43.67 7.20 35.50 10.21 42.04 7.80 41.88 7.80 34.48 10.32 39.31 8.30 39.51 8.30 28.54 11.58 35.77 9.01 28.93 9.01 33.70 10.55 23.88 12.01 22.04 12.2 23.17 13.01 16.18 14.77 19.89 14.77 17.07 15.01 13.94 15.73 16.53 15.73 14.25 16.21 13.42 16.05 14.53 16.05 12.11 17.02 11.75 16.91 12.55 16.91 11.28 17.52 7.59 19.71 11.16 19.71 7.01 21.01 6.90 20.36 9.19 20.36 6.17 21.64 5.29 23.19 8.10 23.19 5.85 22.01 5.03 22.24 7.45 22.24 5.06 27.53 4.74 24.01 6.76 24.01 4.65 23.50 4.32 24.70 5.80 24.70 3.17 26.01 3.62 26.01 4.99 26.02 Standard uncertainties: u(wi) = 0.002; u(P) = 5 kPa; u(T) = 0.05 K. Figure 1 shows the binodal curves obtained from Bleasdales equation. The effect of pH is clear: very small on the size of the heterogeneous region. This trend is in agreement with the experimental results of de Oliveira [12] and Martins [15]. Figure 1. Phase diagram of the PEG (1500) + di-potassium tartrate + water (3) two-phase system at T = 298.15 K and various pH (6.41, 7.74 and 9.05): (à ¢-  ) experimental binodal (6.41(pink), 7.74(blue) and 9.05 (green); (à ¢- ²) calculated binodal using Bleasdales equation (3). TLL and STL Tie line compositions are given in Table 4. Figure 2 presents the tie lines and the binodal curve together for the PEG + di-potassium tartrate + water system at 298.15 K. Figure2. Phase diagram of the PEG + di-potassim tartrate + water two-phase system at T = 298.15 K and pH 6.41 (a), 7.74 (b) and 9.05 (c) : (-à ¢- ²-) experimental binodal; ; (- -à ¢- - -) calculated by using eq. 4. Table 4. Phase composition, tie-line data and physical properties of PEG 1500 + di-potassium tartrate+ water aqueous two-phase system at 298.15 K and 0.1 MPa Total System (%mass) Top phase Bottom phase 6.41 17 20 10.55 33.70 1.1217 1.3922 23.50 4.65 1.1620 1.3703 31.80 2.24 17 21 10.21 35.50 1.1226 1.3936 24.01 4.31 1.1652 1.3705 34.10 2.26 18 20 9.50 39.57 1.1252 1.3965 25.01 3.70 1.1716 1.3710 39.07 2.31 18 21 9.01 42.65 1.1275 1.3985 26.01 3.17 1.1782 1.3717 42.97 2.32 7.74 17 20 9.01 35.77 1.1142 1.3919 23.15 5.29 1.1606 1.3710 33.62 2.14 17 21 8.30 39.31 1.1157 1.3932 24.01 4.74 1.1660 1.3714 37.96 2.20 18 20 7.80 42.04 1.1172 1.3947 24.70 4.32 1.1705 1.3718 41.33 2.23 18 21 7.20 45.58 1.1195 1.3966 26.01 3.62 1.1791 1.3727 45.97 2.23 9.05 17 20 4.01 39.51 1.0844 1.3831 25.18 6.76 1.1791 1.3781 39.00 1.54 17 21 3.30 41.88 1.0836 1.3835 27.01 5.80 1.1912 1.3796 43.17 1.52 18 20 3.08 42.66 1.0835 1.3836 28.01 5.34 1.1980 1.3806 44.87 1.49 18 21 2.80 43.67 1.0833 1.3838 28.80 4.99 1.2034 1.3814 46.59 1.48 The tie lines are determined by connecting each corresponding set of total, top, and bottom phase compositions. The coexisting phases are close in composition. A mass balance check was made between the initial mass of each component and the amounts in the bottom and top phases on the basis of equilibrium compositions. The mass of each phase was calculated from volume and density measurements. The relative error in the mass balance was less than 3 while those of the top phases ranged from 1.08 to 1.12 g/cm3. The density difference between the phases (ΆÃƒ Ã‚ ), increase with an increase in the TLL and slightly decrease with an increase in pH. From Figures 7, it is observed that the density differences between the phases show linear relationship with TLL. A comparable conduct was likewise depicted 31, 34, 35. Figure *. Relationship between density difference (ΆÃƒ Ã‚ ) and tie line length (TLL) for the PEG 1500 + di-potassium tartrate + water at different pH values. 3.4. Binodal curve and tie-line data correlation The coefficients of equation 4, along with the correspond

Introduction To Linguistics And Conversation Analysis Cover English Language Essay

Introduction To Linguistics And Conversation Analysis Cover English Language Essay One thing which makes us find so few people who appear reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarcely any one who does not think more of what he is about to say than of answering precisely what is said to him. Franà §ois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) Beginning To master a language is a difficult task for many persons, and to master it in its spoken form even takes more time than learning a new language. Confusions and misunderstandings are commonly observed in conversation. Consider the following example, Fredrick: O Jesus! Suddenly the rain started to pour down! But Suki was so smart that she entered the hall immediately. Kelven: Oh how come she could enter the hall? Did she know the people there? Fredrick: What do you mean Kelven? Wasnt she living in the hall? In the example illustrated, Kelven probably fails to understand what is implicated by Fredricks utterance. Though Fredrick, in this example, has also used a misleading expression in referring to the hall where Suki was residing, a misunderstanding was thus caused. (Schlesinger and Hurvitz, 1969) Misunderstanding can cause a lot of troubles and we have to avoid them. But what are the reasons of causing those misunderstandings? Why in different situations we interpret a speech differently? How can people open and close a conversation well? And the ultimate problem can be, What is conversation and its underneath principles of operations?. The topic of conversation analysis, which is a particular and very important area of discourse analysis, will deal with the problems said. Chapter 8.1 Chapter 8.1A A brief definition of conversation analysis Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the detailed organization and structure of human conversational interactions in everyday lives; both in verbal and non-verbal sense. (Hutchby and Wooffitt, 2008) In conversation analysis, the structure, orderliness, and sequential patterns in interactions are discussed and studied. (Sidnell, 2010)These sorts of interactions can either be institutional or just in daily, casual conversation. Linguists of conversation analysis are always interested in how we, as language-users, are able to deliver an idea to make others understand about it, and at the same time how we understand the oral language that we hear. (Wang, 2010) It is not only used in linguistics, but it is also a popular concept used in psychology, history, anthropology, etc. (Sidnell, 2010) This subject, like the others, is a progressive development. In the next chapter, the history and changes of conversation analysis throughout the years will be introduced. Chapter 8.1B History and development of conversation analysis The history of conversation analysis can be dated back to late 1960s to early 1970s. The development of it was first inspired by Ethnomethodology, which is a method for understanding how people use social orders to understand the world, by analyzing their descriptions and stories of their daily activities across a long period (Karamjit S. Gill, 1996). Later, sociologist Harvey Sacks with his close associates Emanuel Schegloff and Gail Jefferson, define the term in their book Lectures on Conversation, and the study of conversation analysis has soon drawn a great attention from scholars. (Emanuel and Gail, 1972) With over 50 years of development, today it has become a well-known and widely-used research method in social sciences, linguistics, psychology, speech-communication and anthropology. (Carol, 2010) Its influence in interactional sociolinguistics is particular important as it forms a part in both discursive psychology and discourse analysis. (Levinson, 1983) Moreover, in its own right it has also become an important discipline. In recent years, the techniques of conversation analysis have seen being employed in a number of other subjects, like NLP practitioners use the technique to understand the real feeling of a person (Tosey and Mathison 2006); and phoneticians try to use it to explore the fine phonetic detail of speech (Kelly and Local, 1989). After having a brief overview of conversation analysis, the detailed elements of it will be introduced in the next chapter. Chapter 8.1C Assumptions and principles of conversation analysis We do conversations each and every day, with our friends, parents, colleagues and teachers, etc. In making these daily conversational exchanges, people always follow a set of orders or conventions, both consciously and subconsciously. The orders and conventions are different in different occasions. (Sacks, 1992) And, we learn those orders and conventions since they were young and the process of learning is continuous in ones life. Participants in daily conversations have responsibility to produce interpretable messages and to acknowledge the messages received; based on the orders and conventions, to create a successful conversation. George Pasthas (1995) in his book raises the following assumptions and principles of conversation analysis; Order is produced by orderliness. Order is situated and occasioned. Order is oriented by the parties involved in a conversation only. The analyst holds no conceptions in it. Order is repeatable and recurrent. The discovery, description and analysis of that produced orderliness are the tasks of the analyst. Frequencies and varieties of particular phenomena occur are to be set aside in studying the ways in which order is produced. Structures of social actions, once discerned, shall be able to be described and analyzed in formal forms. These principles and assumptions are widely accepted (George, 1995) and conversation analysts nowadays still have their analysis done in this way. In the following chapter, the detailed methodology of how a conversation analysis is conducted will be introduced. Chapter 8.1D Methodology of conversation analysis Similar to other researches, a research on conversation analysis is initiated by setting up a research problem. In normal circumstances, video or audio recorded conversations are used as raw data for conversation analysis. To ensure that data collected is not artificial, often it is simply collected by adding a video camera to the room where the conversation takes place (e.g. medical doctors consultation with a patient), without involvements of researchers. (Have, 2007) At the same time, the researchers make a detailed transcription, assuming that no details of the conversation have been omitted. The researchers, after the transcription, will then have an inductive data-driven analysis aiming to find recurring patterns of interaction. Based on the result of the analysis, a rule or model to explain the occurrence of the patterns is then developed. Conversation in discourse is mutually constructed and negotiated in time between speakers, which is unplanned and informal. (Cook, 1989) Ending Chapter 8.7 Conclusion In short, conversation analysis deals with our daily verbal exchanges, which are vital in daily lives of each and every one of us. Interpreting daily conversations, we now understand, is a highly complex and complicated process. It has long been believed that the meaning has been there already in a piece of oral language. But after studying this chapter, we find that the said definition is far too simplistic. We think that we do not plan before having a conversation with the others. But we apply different strategies indeed but they are seldom noticed. A speaker has to plan well before delivering a speech; and a hearer also has to work quite hard in order to process a piece of conversation indeed. Even the simplest conversation involves many complex decisions. We cover a few key aspects of conversation analysis, which includes turn-taking, overlapping, repairs, silences, sequence and transcription. We also try to analyze a conversation by following a set of transcription conversations. The question stated at the beginning, What is conversation? And what is its underneath principles?, has been answered by conversation analysis. Through studying it, we learn how to communicate with others well, and most importantly, how to use the principles to live well on this Earth.

The Importance of a Calcium Rich Diet :: Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essays

The Importance of a Calcium Rich Diet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Calcium is essential to normal functioning in a healthy individual; this only leaves the question of where to get it. There are many sources available to meet daily requirements, two of which are dairy products and supplemental vitamins. Both of these options have qualities that make them appealing, so choosing might be difficult or even come to a middle ground. Some of the considerations to be made are: what calcium is, the types of calcium in each source, how much should be ingested daily, the body’s ability to absorb and tolerate calcium from the chosen source, and the interactions that might occur with other medicines and required daily nutrients. In both cases a decent nutritional diet still needs to be incorporated. It may seem like a simple choice between a couple of pills a day or 3-4 glasses of milk, but there is quite a bit more involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Calcium is a mineral found in many foods that the human body cannot produce itself (National Osteoporosis Foundation). According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation it is used in the regulation of heartbeat, stimulation of hormone secretions, conduction of nerve impulses, stimulation of blood clotting, and maintenance of a healthy skeleton. They also state that we lose calcium every day through shed skin, nails, hair, sweat, and other bodily functions. Bones are also constantly being â€Å"remodeled† by removal of older pieces of bone and replacement with new bone. These losses make a daily source of calcium invaluable. Calcium has traditionally been thought of in conjunction to milk, but this connection is slowly being broken. Not only is calcium usable in the lactic form found in dairy products, but in forms such as calcium citrate and calcium carbonate (Calcium Supplement Guidelines). These two sources are the most common types of calcium found as supplements, and are usually in the form of a pill. Calcium citrate contains by mass 21 percent calcium, while calcium carbonate contains by mass 40 percent calcium. Calcium Carbonate can be found naturally in sources such as bone-meal, oyster shell, and dolomite, but these are all capable of containing toxins such as lead or mercury and should be avoided (Got Calcium?). Even when being careful to avoid such sources it is still important to check for a United States Pharmacopeia symbol to ensure purity of the source. When used to a source such as milk this may seem like extra work but it prevents toxins and other unnecessary ingredients from being accidentally ingested.

Sophocles :: essays research papers

The Way of Greek Play Wrights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Greek Play Wright, Sophocles, wrote both the Antigone and Oedipus the King. Sophocles wrote Antigone around 441 B.C. and followed with the writings of Oedipus the King around 425 B.C. In Antigone King Creon decides that Polynices the traitor is to be buried, but his sister Antigone dislikes the order. She is caught, and sentenced by Creon to be buried alive-even though she is betrothed to his son Haemon. After the blind prophet Tiresias proves that the gods are on Antigone’s side, Creon changes his mind but too late. He goes first to bury Polynices, but Antigone had already hanged herself. When Creon arrives at the tomb, Haemon attacks him and then kills himself. When the news of their death is reported, Creon’s wife Eurydice takes her own life. Creon is left all alone at the end of the play. In Oedipus the King it was said that the king and queen of Thebes would give birth to a child who would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. His parents feared this, so they nailed their son’s feet together and left him stranded on a mountainside. He was founded by a wondering shepherd and taken to the town of Corinth. He was then adopted and raised as the prince in the royal household. After he grew older he heard about the prophecy. He left Corinth to wander around Greece. Along the way he met a group of travelers, killed an old man, his real father. Later he arrived in Thebes and met the Sphinx, a monster who guarded the gates of the city. He answered the riddle correctly and was named King of Thebes. He was then married to a woman named Jocasta, his real mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why did men play the role of women in early Greek playwrights? Once a woman was married her husband had complete control of her. He controlled all property that she may have inherited. She had no rights to wander about the town, without a sufficient reason. Any respectable women would not be seen in public. They contained no political rights and were run by men at every stage of their lives. Since men spent so much time away, women dominated Greek households. The wife was in charge of raising the children and making the clothes for the family. The only appropriate time for a woman to leave her house was to visit a female neighbor.

Marketing Plan for Emirates Airline

e- Book Series Guide to Writing a Killer Marketing Plan Written by: Steven Fisher Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Purpose of this book You are either someone that has been doing marketing as a part of your professional career or you look at as that â€Å"thing you do to promote your business and attract customers to buy†. Regardless of where you are along that spectrum, you have arrived here because you have been charged by the CEO of the startup you work for to write a marketing plan for your business or you need to create one for your own business. You need to not just write just any marketing plan.You need to write a Killer Marketing Plan. One that your boss will say â€Å"awesome, let’s get started† and which will tell all those people who have been looking for a product or service like yours for a long time. This book is written for you. Marketing plans are sexy mistresses that tempt you to include all of the coolest of campaign ideas without th e sanity of budgetary constraints. While marketing is one of the more important functions of a small business, it is one that is limited by the budgets of that business and campaigns must demonstrate a return in order to justify their existence.Since I have written more marketing plans than I care to tell you, I can share with you my knowledge and experience of what has worked almost all the time, some of the time and none of the time. While this is not the single tome on marketing plans, I hope that this helps you balance the unlimited creative ideas with the budget you have to work with and find a mix that is both innovative and results in sales. I invite you to explore as many resources out there, some of which are mentioned at the end of this book. I don’t need to wish you luck.Just get started, get out there and crush it. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Overview: Section 1: Product and Purpose Part 1 – 5 Section 2: Analysis and Competition Part 6 â₠¬â€œ 10 Section 3: Strategy and Action Part 11 – 12 Section 4: Financials in Plain English Part 13 – 15 Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Section 1: Product and Purpose Part 1: The Art of Marketing Doing marketing planning, which is captured in the marketing plan, is an essential organizational activity, considering the hostile and complex competitive business environment.Our ability and skills to perform profitable sales are affected by hundreds of internal and external factors that interact in a difficult way to evaluate. A marketing manager must understand and build an image upon these variables and their interactions, and must make rational decisions. Here is a great description of Marketing from HowStuffWorks: â€Å"According to the Dictionary of Marketing Terms, marketing is â€Å"the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and org anizational goals. What does that mean to you?It means marketing encompasses everything you have to do in coming up with a needed product or service, making potential customers aware of it, making them want it, and then selling it to them. So then, is sales considered â€Å"marketing†? Is advertising â€Å"marketing†? Often, you’ll hear sales functions referred to as â€Å"marketing,† but really sales is just a part of the larger marketing process, as is advertising. In the olden days (back 30 or 40 years), marketing did consist primarily of sales. Rather than having marketing departments, companies had sales departments with an advertising manager and someone who did market research.Sometimes they added a promotions manager or hired an agency to handle advertising and promotions. Things began changing as some companies grew larger and larger and began offering many product lines that warranted having their own brand managers, market segment managers and many more specialized positions that addressed and mulled over the needs of their particular markets. The need for a marketing department began to be seen as a vital part of business. The marketing department also takes most of the blame if a product (or company) isn’t successful, regardless of whether or not the fault actually lies there. Logically, your CMO or VP of Marketing would be in charge of this effort but in many startups you don’t have someone in that position so it is probably you with the ultimate responsibility. So my dear reader, I am here to the rescue to guide you through very important part of executing your overall business plan. Planning your company’s marketing program is a process much like the one you go through in writing the business plan. You go through phases of: †¢ What are you going to do with the plan? †¢ What are the company’s skills, strengths and weaknesses? Goal setting based on those strengths and weaknesses â € ¢ Setting strategies for achieving your goals †¢ Executing the plan †¢ Putting the numbers together to back up your words But before you dive into the plan, you should know what type of plan you are expected to write. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Part 2: The Three Types of Marketing Plans Most of the time when you are writing the marketing plan, it is usually something that needs to stand on its own and in other cases it might need to be incorporated into another document like a business plan.So before we dive into the executive summary, it is important to understand that there are three marketing plan types with various content and sizes. Marketing Plan Type #1: The Marketing Plan for the Business Plan In a business plan, the sales and marketing section as part and parcel to the business plan, which is true, but it is not the entire picture. The business plan essentially holds the executive summary and key components, graphics and financials that suppo rt the greater business plan. This means that the data came from somewhere †¢ Page Range: Usually 3-6 Pages Marketing Plan Type #2: The Strategic Marketing PlanHere is a great description of the Strategic version of the Marketing Plan from Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, Canada: At the strategic marketing plan level, marketers are scanning the environment, pondering what is happening and looking for emerging or robust market segments which they could consider as target markets. The outcomes of such plans are clearly identified target markets and the strategies which will meet their needs, as identified in our analysis. Marketing plan objectives are typically on the level of sales, profit, return on investment or, for the larger firm, market share. Page Range: Usually 3-6 Pages Marketing Plan Type #3: The Tactical Marketing Plan Here is another great description of the Strategic version of the Marketing Plan from Sheridan College Insti tute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, Canada: Tactical plans, in contrast, presume the target market and marketing strategy as a given and don’t look much at the external environment. They deal with issues such as raising awareness or getting more returning customers. The main way to tell at which level you are working is whether your target market is a given or not.If you are scanning the environment, you are seeking new target markets or looking for subtle changes in your existing target markets; you are preparing a Marketing Plan. If however, you start from the premise that you know exactly who your target Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC market is, you would then develop a range of tactics to reach them; this is a Tactical Plan. Many people mistakenly operate at the tactical level when they should be at the strategic level. For instance, suppose your product sales were poor, so you came up with a plan to advertise more. The result was an even f aster decline in sales.Why? People found even faster that your product was terrible. Had a strategic marketing plan been developed, we would have determined what consumers want, compared those desires to our product and made the appropriate modifications. †¢ Page Range: Usually 10 – â€Å"As many as people want to read† Pages Sometimes it is better to start big and widdle your way down There are different schools of thought on this one. The first being to write the tactical version with everything and then extract information to create the strategic and narrow further for inclusion in a business plan.The second is to write the strategic one first to focus your thoughts and have one person tighten it up for the business plan and a team expand on it so the tactical issues are worked out. This can be a problem because your financial projections might not be totally accurate and your plan will fail. I would offer taking the tactical plan and mapping out the sections w ith the abstracts so that all the issues are addressed, then write the strategic so there is a plan that others outside of marketing can digest and only when it is approved should it be tuned up and included in a business plan.Now you know so let’s get started Now that you understand what a marketing plan is, its purpose and the type you should write, let’s get to the heart of the matter. In Part 3 we will discuss the Killer Executive Summary. Part 3: Framing a Successful Marketing Plan In Part 2 we talked about selecting the right type of plan to fit your needs. Now that you have decided that, let’s get into the general structure of a marketing plan. Please note that this is a proposed outline and depending on your emphasis, this structure can and might change. Marketing Plan Outline Section I – Cover Page Section II – Table of ContentSection III – Situational Analysis (Market, Competitive Environment, Technological Environment, Socio-Polit ical) Section IV – Problems and Opportunities Section V – Objectives Section VI – Action Plan Section IX – Financial Data Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC So there you go, a basic outline. I know that putting all this together might seem daunting, especially if you are not a marketing and sales person. Fear not, that is what we are here for and from here on out we will break down each section and subsection in detail so you understand what information is required and how to get it.Part 4: Killer Marketing Plan Summary Everyone who begins the journey of writing a marketing plan usually looks at the Executive Summary section early on in the process. A Marketing Plan Summary is usually 1-3 pages long and the goal is to summarize the entire marketing and possibly sales plan into something digestible by new readers and those in other departments who want to get to the bottom line. Don’t despair, the hard work you put into the marketing plan will be useful to some people, not all of them.Each reader is trying to get something different and the executive summary is the best way to give them the big picture so they understand their part in this area of the operation. When is the best time to write the Marketing Plan Summary? There are many schools of thought on when to write the Marketing Plan Summary, either write it first, write it along the way or write it at the end. I take a little different of an approach in that you should try and write it at the beginning and then re write it again at the end.There are two reasons for this: Reason #1 – Writing it at the beginning can focus you and force you to answer questions in the shortest way possible. This is an interesting and valuable exercise for many because they work to answer many of the hard questions and because it forces you to get in the habit of getting to the point. Reason #2 – Writing it at the end is great because you will revisit what you wrote an d either be on track with only a little tuning required or most likely will roll your eyes and see how far off you were and really have a much easier time tuning the summary up to make it truly a killer Executive Summary.What are the overall components of the Marketing Plan Summary? Generally, you need to write 2-3 sentences MAX on each of the following sections: Company description of what you are doing Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Problem and Opportunity Your products and/or services that address the problem and take advantage of the opportunity Money You Need and What it will be used for (this is if the summary is targeted at investors) The market and your customer The Competition and Your Differentiators (how you will kick the competitor’s butt) Your current Marketing and Sales (if you have them)Your Management Team (If they are an A-Grade team this might be further up) Current Business Operations (if you are an existing business)3-5 Year financial project ions and plans (How much have you made, how much will you make and if you are looking for investment, how you will use it) – This includes a small table of numbers in addition to the 2-3 sentences. What makes a Killer Executive Summary that stands out from other businesses? There are many well written Executive Summaries out there that have never been funded or missed the market or for whatever reason never got off the ground.But what makes an Executive Summary â€Å"Killer†? Here are six key things to make it â€Å"killer†: 1. BE focused and clearly state what you do -Too many businesses, especially startups try and â€Å"boil the ocean† making you look like you are all over the place and will not be able to execute successfully. 2. BE a business that solves a problem and not a solution in search of one – You might have an awesome â€Å"widget† but if people don’t need it or companies can live without it, why are you starting a busin ess? 3. BE strong and positive with your language – This is not a time to be passive.From potential investors looking to give you money to those people willing to join the team, people must know that you †are† going to execute, not â€Å"may† or â€Å"might† do something. 4. DON’T cut and paste – Read the sections and extract the best and write a new concise section 5. DON’T use Jargon – Most industries have acronyms or buzz words that are neat and catchy. One or two that make a point are fine but if your engineer is writing the business plan, don’t get all geeky on the solution. Remember, the Executive Summary is about telling someone the time, not how the watch works.The business plan will have plenty of places for that type of content. 6. Write an â€Å"Executive Summary† of the Executive Summary – Most people have very short attention spans and once you are done the Executive Summary you should try and compose a 2-3 sentence summary at the top that gets all the critical elements in so that people really want to read the rest and get excited about reading the entire business plan. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Part 5: Understanding Your Market The Situational Analysis is designed to take a snapshot of where things stand at the time the plan is presented.The Situational Analysis is probably one of the hardest sections you will write because you are essentially laying out how the product will function in various environments and how it will be perceived in the marketplace. In many marketing plans, the first section could be the product analysis. If you already have existing products/services you should start with this so that you provide a â€Å"lay of the land† for readers not familiar with where you are at with your current product(s) and/or service(s).That section covers the product attributes, current pricing, current distribution and services offered. This should be about a page or two in length. For the purposes of this Marketing Plan series we will assume you are a new company and dive straight into defining the market. That is why the first part of the situational analysis is called the â€Å"Market Analysis†. This subsection of the situation analysis section should be about two to four pages in length and provides actionable information on selling to target buyers and stimulating purchases or usage by the ultimate end users.Key questions answered in this subsection include: description of target buyers or end users in demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle terms target buyer/end user wants, needs, attitudes, and perceptions of category products and services where target buyers/end users are located and how to reach them, which segments of the total market or category are growing or declining and why. You will need to tell the story in a way that makes sense to you and your readers so the following outline should be arranged as you see fit: Target Market Approach Start with a description of your total potential market (your potential customers).Present a general strategy that is used to reach targeted customers that might include a mass market or segmentation approach. Describe the needs/benefits sought by market, the product usage, the positioning and what people’s attitudes are regarding the product you are selling and the product category in general. Target Market Profile(s) Create and describe the demographic/psychographic profile(s) of the market including elements such as gender, income, age, occupation, education, family life cycle, geographic region, lifestyle, attitudes, purchasing characteristics, etc.Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Target Market Motivations Since you know the profile(s) within your target market you need to explain what motivates them to buy your products/services. Begin by describing how your product/service satisfies the needs of this market. Fo llow up with describing the particular customers that you will target. Expand into the size of your total potential market (number of potential customers), and then drill down into your target market so that you can make the motivational case you set out to in the first place.Target Market Purchasing Strategy Ok, great. You have the market explained, the target profiles done, the market motivations are worked out, now how are people gonna buy your amazingly cool new widget? Well, you need to detail that out in your purchasing strategy. First, you will need to explain how the target market makes their purchases. Then explain what is involved in the decision-making process and the timeline for the purchase (is it an impulse buy or something that takes an extended period of time).Finally you will cover who influences and then makes the purchase. Target Market Growth Strategy To wrap things up you will need to provide market size estimates but keep in mind these are estimates for the ma rket, not for a specific product. You will need to provide size estimates for the potential market that include the largest possible market that would buy. Then you need to narrow your focus and provide estimates of size for the current target market (how many actually purchased this kind of product) and provide estimates for these growth rates.Lastly, all of this needs to be projected out for at least through the timeframe for the plan (e. g. , 1 year) but most likely longer (e. g. , 3-5 year projections). A Final Thought on Numbers Throughout all of these explanations it is critical that you need to support estimates with factual data. You can have the best laid plans with awesome projections but if you have nothing to back up your story and make your case you are just fooling yourself that your strategy is the right one. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Section 2: Analysis and CompetitionPart 6: Understanding and Beating the Competition This is the second part of the situational analysis which deals with the competition and appropriately called â€Å"Competitor Analysis†. I mentioned in Part 5 that the Situational Analysis is probably one of the hardest sections you will write and this section validates that statement. You believe your product/service is the best on the market but not just to validate yourself but to validate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats along with trends of those competitors.Here is how the Competitor Analysis sub-sections break down: Competitive Landscape First you need to identify major competitors: name, location, and market share. The best thing to do is create a table that allows clear comparisons of your product/service with that of your major competitors (brand name, quality, image, price, etc. ). Then you need to perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis (coming in a future post) and compare your firm with that of your major competitors.Include factors such as company reputation, size, distribution channels, location, financial standing, target market perception and if relevant, research and development capabilities. After your SWOT analysis is complete, use that as sounding board to honestly evaluate your chances as the new competition and how successfully you would be able to enter this market. Include your thoughts and observations on what you have learned from watching the competition and you can learn from the good and bad parts of their business models to increase your chances of success. Competitive OpportunitiesWhile in the competitive landscape doing much of the SWOT analysis, you should include a section that really expands on the opportunities you uncover because those usually end up being the foundation for things like your marketing messaging and web site content. It is designed to really expose the differentiators that make you stand out in a competitive marketplace. Competitive Trends This section is where you should discu ss the trends of your competitors. This includes whether your competitors’ sales increasing, decreasing or steady. Answering those questions clue into the growth or decline of competitors from a shifting market shareConfidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC perspective and also from a more macro market size perspective. This should also help you identify any future competitive threats that your team should be made aware of but not focused on, yet. Describe direct competitors in terms of: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Target markets served Product attributes Pricing Promotion Distribution including the distributor network Services offered Discuss competitor’s strengths and weaknesses: †¢ May need to consider much more than just marketing issues such as: financial standing target market perception R & D capabilities Part 7: Technology, Economy and SociopoliticalAnalysis As we continue our Marketing Plan Series and keep working our way through th e Situational Analysis we make a pit stop to talk about the macro-level environments that impact your marketing and your competition. This part of the Situational Analysis is usually called â€Å"Environmental Problems and Opportunities† and is about 1-2 pages in length. This could easily turn into a diatribe about politics and economics so what you need to focus on in this sub-section is how technology, the economy and the socio-political environment affect the marketing of your products/services. The Technological EnvironmentWhen you discuss the technological environment think about how you create/leverage/affect creating new ways of satisfying needs (i. e. using technology to enhance the demand for existing products). Innovation can create or wipe out industries and businesses in less than a year. One example is the popularity and convenience of DVD players all but eliminated the sale of VCRs and seriously depressed the manufacture and sale of video tapes. This is especial ly important for you if your product is technology based. The Economic Environment Regardless of the current state of the economy, there will be good times and not so good times.You need to describe how your company will survive and grow in this most challenging of economies. Look at the bright side, if you can find the opportunities and sell successfully in this market you could position yourself as almost recession-proof in the long run. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC The Socio-Political Environment These are governmental policies and regulations that affect the market. It is also the economic environment around your company; which is the business cycle, inflation rate, interest rates, and other macroeconomic issues.For example, here in America there is a sweeping trend to dress more casually, with function and comfort driving new clothing and shoe trends. People are cooking less and are more concerned about nutrition and fat in their diets. And today, American busin ess people are less willing to sacrifice family life for business careers. These types of factors can impact the marketability of your product or service. Part 8: Financial Summaries that Sing You can’t have a product discussion and not include financial for the number geeks in all of us.We will dive into our â€Å"Marketing Plan Financials in Plan English† toward the end of the series but many will need to connect some financial dots in the situational analysis at a high level leaving the detailed stuff (budgeting, break even analysis and cash flow analysis) for the â€Å"back of the book†. This section should be about 2-4 pages in length and kids, keep it pretty for the rest of us. Now while you will need to write some short paragraphs to explain your information, tables and graphs are your friend here. The Financial Analysis section is separated into two general areas – sales and profitability Part 1 – Sales AnalysisIn this section you need to f ocus on the current sales that your industry and you business are doing across segments, product categories and various distribution channels. Let’s break it down like this: Overall Industry and Market Share †¢ Sales for the Entire Market †¢ Sales for Your Company †¢ Sales for Your Competitors Sales By Segments and/or Product Categories †¢ Sales by segments and/or product categories †¢ Sales by company product(s) †¢ Sales at this level compared to competition Sales By Distribution Channel †¢ Sales for each channel †¢ Sales for company product(s) by channel †¢ Sales for Your Competitors by hannel Sales By Geography †¢ Sales for Each Region †¢ Sales for company product(s) by region †¢ Sales for Your Competitors by region Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Part 2 – Profitability Analysis Since we focused on sales which is really revenues, we need to splice this up and see what is actually profitable. Ju st because you can make money from it does not mean you make a profit. You will need to look across the revenues and include the marketing related expenses. Let’s break it down like this: †¢ †¢ Revenue Breakdown o Use the sales numbers from above but identify realized revenues not just projectionsMarketing Expense Breakdown o Direct Marketing Expenses – These are the expenses that are tied to the product(s) and must be identified in that way o Indirect or Proportional Marketing Expenses – These are the general administrative and broad marketing expenses that may be assigned to a product based on some criteria like percentage of sales or a pre-determined distribution amount. Lastly, remember that this is the â€Å"30,000 foot view† †¢ Since this part of the situational analysis, you are using this sub-section to make your point and support your overall analysis. †¢ Stay high level †¢More detailed financial stuff comes later and in the marketing plan and we will do explain it in plain English later in this book. Part 9: The SWOT Analysis Dance Concluding our dive into the sub-sections of the situational analysis, we wrap up with the all important SWOT analysis. It is a â€Å"dance† of sorts because you have to dance around the fact that in some ways your competitors might have over you but it is better that you learn this now and how to work around it or market against it that will help you in the long run. The term SWOT analysis stands for â€Å"Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats†.Start with posing these sessions to your brainstorming team: †¢ Are your competitors becoming stronger? †¢ Are there emerging trends that amplify one of your weaknesses? †¢ Do you see other external threats to your company’s success? Internally, do you have financial, development, or other problems? Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Let’s break each part down and th en wrap up with some the advantages this section can offer you and your team: Strengths: Here is where you must capture the positive aspects internal to your business that add value or offer you a competitive advantage.This is an opportunity to remind yourself of the value existing within your business. Think about what your company does well. You should address the strengths within your business that add value to your product or your marketing efforts. You should also describe your positive tangible and intangible attributes. Weaknesses: These are factors that detract from your ability to have a competitive edge. It includes the negative aspects internal to your business that distracting customers from seeing the value you offer or place you at a competitive disadvantage. These are areas you need to enhance in order to compete with your best competitor.The more accurately you identify your weaknesses, the more valuable the SWOT Analysis is to your readers. Some questions to help yo u get started are: What do your customers complain about? What are the unmet needs of your sales force? We continue breaking each part down†¦. Opportunities: Traditionally, a SWOT looks only at the external environment for opportunities. I suggest you look externally for areas your competitors are not fully covering, then go a step further and think how to match these to your internal strengths. Remember, these are opportunities external to your business.If you have identified â€Å"opportunities† that are internal to the organization and within your control, you will want to classify them as â€Å"strengths†. Try to uncover areas where your strengths are not being fully utilized. Are there emerging trends that fit with your company’s strengths? Is there a product/service area that others have not yet covered? Threats: What situations might threaten your marketing efforts? You have to ask this hard question. Get your worst fears on the table. A threat is a challenge created by an unfavorable trend or development that may lead to deteriorating revenues or profits.As with opportunities, threats in a traditional SWOT analysis are considered an external force. By looking both inside and outside of your company for things that could damage your business, however, you may be better able to see the big picture. Competition — existing or potential — is always a threat. Other threats may include intolerable price increases by suppliers, government regulation, economic downturns, devastating media or press coverage, a shift in consumer behavior that reduces your sales, or the introduction of a â€Å"leap-frog† technology that may make your products, equipment, or services obsolete.Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Advantages of a SWOT Analysis – Uncovering Opportunities This is where you look externally for areas your competitors are not fully covering, then go a step further and think how to match these t o your internal strengths. Try to uncover areas where your strengths are not being fully utilized. Are there emerging trends that fit with your company’s strengths? Is there a product/service area that others have not yet covered? Once you have uncovered these opportunities take each one and discuss how you will market them.Will it be a mixed marketing campaign? A targeted sales effort? What resources will you need (e. g. new collateral, selling guides, web site content, e-mail marketing)? Advantages of a SWOT Analysis – Address and Overcome Problems Problems are not necessarily a bad thing. They are just issues that need to be overcome. It is better to get out front of problems that may exist than have them rear their ugly head when you are selling or raising money. Problems could be strong competitors, your product lacking critical features that you are not able to roll out yet or a long sales cycle.You should list each problem and discuss an approach to overcome the m in a sales situation and with specific marketing messages that counter what a customer might be thinking. Part 10: Mapping Out Your Marketing Objectives OK. You are half done the marketing plan and while you might scream â€Å"only half! † at the top of your lungs, you have suffered through the tough part – the analysis. You have spent time building the case that your products/services are competitive, viable and profitable. Now that you have proved that point you have to demonstrate how you are gonna actually do it.The first part of telling this second half is setting out the overall objectives in the marketing plan. Now let’s breakdown the Marketing Objectives section. We have put together this great breakdown and outline of how you might want to structure the objectives section. Please note, some of this outline may or may not apply to your business so use this as a suggestion and not a list of requirements. Target market objectives †¢ Market Share â⠂¬â€œ total, by segments and by channel †¢ Customers – total, by number/percentage new, by number/percentage retainedConfidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Channel Objectives †¢ Dealers – total, by number/percentage new, by number/percentage retained †¢ Order Processing and Delivery – on-time rate, shrinkage rate, correct order rate Promotional Objectives †¢ Level of brand/company awareness †¢ Traffic building (e. g. store traffic, web site traffic) †¢ Product Trials (e. g. sales promotions, product demonstrations) †¢ Sales Force (e. g. cycle time, cost per call, closing rate, customer visits, etc. Continuing our breakdown and outline of how you might want to structure the objectives section.Please note, some of this outline may or may not apply to your business so use this as a suggestion and not a list of requirements. Market Research Objectives †¢ Studies Initiated †¢ Studies Completed R&D Objectives †¢ Product Development Other Objectives †¢ Partnerships Developed †¢ Rate of Purchases, size/volume of purchases †¢ Purchases Advice on Setting Your Objectives Remember these are objectives that you expect to meet so keep in mind that these should be achievable. I have used the SMART approach to setting objectives and that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based.Section 3: Strategy and Action Part 11: Setting Your Marketing Strategy Once you have completed writing your Marketing Objectives, as discussed previously in Mapping Out Your Objectives, you need to write your marketing strategy. The marketing strategy section of your plan outlines your game plan to achieve your marketing objectives. There is no other way to say it but this section which is in the center, is essentially the heart of the marketing plan. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC The marketing strategy section should then include information that revolves around the â€Å"4Ps of Marketing†.Don’t know what they are? Let’s do a quick refresher: The â€Å"4Ps of Marketing† are a few decades old but are the most basic and classic way of slicing up your marketing strategy. They are broken down as follows: †¢ Product – your product(s) and services †¢ Price – what you will charge customers for products and services †¢ Promotion – how you will promote or create awareness of your product in the marketplace †¢ Place (distribution) – how you will bring your product(s) together with your customers. Product Describe in detail your products or services in terms of the features and benefits they offer customers.Describe what you need to have or do to provide your product or service (how it’s produced). Pricing List the price of your products and describe your pricing strategy. List price ranges for product lines. For example, if your product is a line of cosmetics, include info rmation in this strategy section about your lipsticks â€Å"ranging in price from $5. 00 to $15. 00 per item† rather than a detailed product price list. (You should, however, consider including a detailed price list in the Supporting Documents section. ) Describe any price flexibility or negotiating room, as is common with large purchases such as houses or cars.Outline any discounts you offer for long-term customers, bulk purchases or prompt payment. Also, include the terms of sale, such as â€Å"net due in 30 days,† extended payment plans, and whether you accept credit cards Promotion Plan A promotion plan describes the tools or tactics used to accomplish your marketing objectives. In your Action Programs section, you will describe the steps that need to be taken in detail, when they should be done, who will do them, and so on. If your marketing objective is to: Create awareness of baby care products among mothers of newborns.Increase sales of potato chips to teens. T hen tools or tactics might be: †¢ Advertise in baby care or motherhood magazines. †¢ Distribute product samples to obstetricians. †¢ Offer free baby care seminars to expectant mothers. †¢ Distribute free samples or discount coupons at high school football games. †¢ Sponsor an event attended by teens. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Placement (Sales and Distribution) In this section, describe how your products and customers â€Å"meet† or come together through sales and distribution. Describe your sales philosophies and methods.Do you employ an aggressive sales method for a large number of quick sales, or a relaxed method where the emphasis is on having customers feel comfortable to come back another time even if they don’t buy now? Do you use contract sales people or employees? Explain your approach to sales issues. Describe your distribution system. (Where will your product be placed so customers have access to it? ) A few points about distribution to address in your marketing plan are: Is the exchange of the product made in a store? Through the mail? Through a direct sales representative?What are your production and inventory capacities? (How quickly can you make products and how many can you store? ) Are there cyclical fluctuations or seasonal demands for your products? For example, if you produce Christmas decorations, how will you manage peak production and sales periods as well as slow periods? Do you sell to individuals or to re-sellers? Your company may use more than one method. For example, you may sell directly to customers who place large orders but also sell to customers who buy small quantities of your product through retail outlets. Part 12: Action PlansThe Action Plan covers the â€Å"Who, Where and How Much† of your plan. You should look at this section as the â€Å"to do list with budget numbers† and separate it into sub-sections or â€Å"miniplans† that are involved in y our marketing efforts. They can include but are not limited to the following: Publicity Marketing Plan – How do you pitch? I am not talking fastballs, but rather using the media to spread the word about your business. You could also call this mini-plan your media plan and it includes the costs and tasks involved in pitching stories to the press and writing press releases on a consistent basis.Customer Marketing Plan – No small business can survive without customers and smart business know that it is FAR cheaper to keep the customers you have than always working to replace them with new ones. This mini-plan talks about what activities you will undertake with your current customers and the types of targeted offers you will be making to retain them. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Advertising Plan – Now we all know that most traditional advertising is hit or miss and it is hard to track results.However, there are more and more promotional programs that provide you with a way to measure results that you can create a mini-plan of where you are going to advertise and how much of it you will be doing. Internet Marketing Plan – Every one these days has a web site. If you don’t and you are small business, then that is another matter. If you are a small business that is actively engaged on the web to promote your products or services then you need to include a separate mini-plan on Internet marketing that could include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising and any other online campaigns.Promotional Event Plan – Related to advertising and Internet marketing the promotional event plan includes different promotional activities such as, having sales, sponsoring contests, awards, or events. Referral Marketing Plan – All small businesses need referral business. In fact, it is how many survive and even thrive. Here is where you need to identify specific programs that will add incentive for those that value your work enough to tell others about you. Budgeting AKA â€Å"The Bottom Line†We all wish we could do awesome and cool marketing campaigns but we are quickly brought back to reality when the limitations of our budgets are staring us in the face. Small Business Notes provides some great advice on putting together your budget. Estimate the cost of the marketing activities you’ve described in the marketing plan so you will have a budget to keep everyone on track over the course of the year. Typical marketing expense categories are marketing communications, market research, promotions, advertising, events and public relations.Because marketing needs and costs vary widely, there are no simple rules for determining what your marketing budget should be. A popular method with small business owners is to allocate a small percentage of gross sales for the most recent year. This usually amounts to about two percent for an existing business. However, if you are planning on launching a new product or business, you may want to increase your marketing budget figure, to as much as 10 percent of your expected gross sales. Another method used by small business owners is to analyze and estimate the competition’s budget and either match or exceed it.Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Section 3: Strategy and Action Part 13: Sales Projections in Plain English What Are Components of Sales Projections? Projection of sales is an important part of the marketing plan. Part of the sales projection work is planning for a better performance in the future and correcting past performance with which you are not satisfied. You do this by finding out what profit contribution each sales representative makes. One goal of measuring a sales representative’s performance is improvement assistance. This is done in the marketing personnel section of the marketing plan.Cost of Goods per Unit Worksheet This is the first preliminary worksheet you must complete . The reason you have to start here is because these are the basic costs of raw materials, production labor and other costs that, once added up, give you the cost of goods per unit number you will need to get the â€Å"Estimated Sales Table† completed. Estimated Sales Table Worksheet This is a preliminary worksheet that helps you figure out what the total sales and cost of goods sold are for each product year by year. You need to include the units, or number of things, sold by each product line. Take each number times the elling price of each product and you will get the actual sales for each product. Tally that number up and create a column called % of sales and divide each number by the total and you can see how much each product brings in as a share of the entire sales projection. You should already have the â€Å"Cost of Goods Sold† per unit from the previous section. Put that number in after the â€Å"% of sales† and then multiply that number times the unit s and put the result into a new column called â€Å"Cost of Goods sold total†. Once that is done, do the same thing we did with â€Å"% of sales† and create a â€Å"% of Cost of Goods Sold†.Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Sales Projections Worksheet This is where all the hard work comes into focus and you break things down by months that give you the total amount you put together in the estimated sales table. You will use a concept called â€Å"weighing† which is basically splitting 100% across 12 months as to when you think that total amount will be met each month. Think of busy periods where sales are way up and slow periods where it is way down. A good example is retail with busy holiday periods and slow winters and then busy back to school sales. You will also include he cost of goods sold numbers and percentages that breakdown according to the â€Å"weighing† you set up for each month overall. These projections are also used on th e business plan financials as revenue projections in the way they organize the business. You should also be aware how important this is not only from running your marketing division but when investors want to dive a layer deeper in the business plan and your numbers are what will back things up. It will also be used in other business plan financials but we will get into that in the next two sections. Part 14: The Break Even Analysis in Plain EnglishWe continue talking plain English with you in this fun and crazy world of marketing plan financials and move on to the all important Breakeven Analysis. The Breakeven Analysis is especially useful when you’re developing a pricing strategy, either as part of a marketing plan or a business plan. The Breakeven Analysis is actually pretty straightforward and asks one question – when do you break even and turn a profit? Simple†¦. Not quite†¦ but I will explain in plain English. You mean there is a formula for this thing ? Yes, you knew I would eventually get to a formula, but fear not math haters, it is straightforward.Fixed Costs divided by (Revenue per unit – Variable costs per unit) Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Fixed Costs – Fixed costs are costs that must be paid whether or not any units are produced. Things like rent and equipment fall into this category. These costs are fixed only over a specified period of time or range of production. Variable Costs – Variable costs are the things that make it fun and go up and down based on your production levels. Things like materials, labor, overhead are in this category. Let’s give you a real example:If your total fixed costs were $500,000, the price tag of your product (unit) was $25, and your variable Costs were $15, the equation would look like this: 500,000/25-15 = 500,000/10 = 50,000 You would need to sell 50,000 units to break even. Everything over that is profit and you dancing to the bank. Still, this n ot a perfect equation: Bplans. com points out that this equation, while important, can be misread or misinterpreted. Here are some key things they point out: †¢ It is frequently mistaken for the payback period, the time it takes to recover an investment. There are variations on break even that make some people think we have it wrong.The one we do use is the most common, the most universally accepted, but not the only one possible. †¢ It depends on the concept of fixed costs, a hard idea to swallow. Technically, a break-even analysis defines fixed costs as those costs that would continue even if you went broke. Instead, you may want to use your regular running fixed costs, including payroll and normal expenses. This will give you a better insight on financial realities. We call that â€Å"burn rate† these post-Internet days. †¢ It depends on averaging your per-unit variable cost and per-unit revenue over the whole business.However, whether we like it or not, thi s equation is a cornerstone of financial analysis. You may choose to leave it out, but really, a business or marketing plan would not be complete without it. Part 15: Sales Cash Flow Statements in Plain English As important as when you will break even, you must be able to show how, on a monthly basis, you will manage the cash flow to support the business and not sink it from an overly ambitious strategy and action plan. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC Similar to the Cash Flow Statement in a Business PlanThe cash flow statement reports the cash generated and used during the time interval specified in its heading. The period of time that the statement covers is chosen by the company. For example, the heading may state â€Å"For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2007? or â€Å"The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2008?. For many, looking at a cash flow statement it looks a bit weird but it provides a different, yet critically important view of the business. For the mark eting plan, you need to create a subset of this that eventually rolls up into the business plan to support it and give detailed projections.Three Sections of a Marketing Plan Case Flow Statement For the purpose of the marketing plan cash flow statement that flows up and reports to the master cash flow statement, there are three sections that must be created – Operating Activities, Investing Activities, Financing Activities. We explain these on the next few pages. SECTION 1: Operating Activities This section converts the items reported on the income statement from the accrual (you book the sale but you might not have the money yet) basis of accounting and includes the following: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Cash receipts from sales or for the performance of servicesPayroll and other payments to employees Payments to suppliers and contractors Rent payments Payments for utilities Tax payments SECTION 2: Investing Activities Investing activities include capital expenditures – disbursements that are not charged to expense but rather are capitalized as assets on the balance sheet. Investing activities also include investments (other than cash equivalents as indicated below) that are not part of your normal line of business. These cash flows could include: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Purchases of property, plant and equipment Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipmentPurchases of stock or other securities (other than cash equivalents) Proceeds from the sale or redemption of investments Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC SECTION 3: Financing Activities Financing activities include cash flows relating to the business’s debt or equity financing: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Proceeds from loans, notes, and other debt instruments Installment payments on loans or other repayment of debts Cash received from the issuance of stock or equity in the business Dividend payments, purchases of treasury stock, or returns of capital IMPORTANT: Don’t Forget to Include an Expense BudgetBecause you will be estimating cash inflows for various product lines you must account for the expenses that are incurred related to them. This must include enough detail to track expenses month by month and follow up on plan-vs. -actual analysis. That’s a Wrap! Well, this concludes our 15-part series on writing a marketing plan. We hope you have learned new things and relearned things forgotten long ago. The following pages include extra resource for this Guide to Writing a Killer Marketing. We hope you have enjoyed this series and visit GrowSmartBusiness. com for more great content to help you grow your business.Additional Resources Small Business Administration http://www. sba. gov SCORE http://score. org American Marketing Association http://www. marketingpower. com/ Microsoft Small Business Center http://www. microsoft. com/smallbu siness/hub. mspx Microsoft Startup Center http://www. microsoft . com/smallbusiness/startu p-toolkit/default. aspx How to do a Competitive Analysis http://www. ehow. com/how_5220467_writecompetitive-analysis. html Writing a Marketing Plan http://www. knowthis. com/principles-ofmarketing-tutorials/how-to-write-a-marketingplan/ http://www. entrepreneur. com/marketing/marke ingbasics/marketingplan/article43018. html http://www. marketingforsuccess. com/MFSmarketingplan. html Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC About the Author Steve Fisher Blogs: http://stevefisher. me http://rulesforbusiness. com http://shootyourshow. com Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo or Flickr. Steve has been actively writing about small business and innovation since the late 90s on how small business could leverage the Web and stellar customer experiences to innovate their business and compete with the largest of competitors. He was among the arly thought leaders on the intersection of user experience, customer service and innovation. Steve curr ently is Managing Principal of AppSolve. In its 10th year, Appsolve specializes in user experience design, enterprise web development and online community management. Through AppSolve, he works with Network Solutions to manage its online small business community. Prior to that he was founder and CEO of Slipstream Air, a software provider to the private air travel industry. It was sold in 2008 to JIT Airline Resources, which rebranded as Slipstream Aviation Software. Steve has also held key leadership ositions at Global Network Solutions, OnSite Technologies, IKON, USConnect, Ryland and Wells Fargo. He has published several e-books on Small Business Management, User Experience, Online Marketing and Innovation. Currently, he is working on his first book, â€Å"101 Rules for Entrepreneurs† slated for a Spring 2010 release. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from University of Baltimore and on a personal note he is a great airplane pilot, a horribly slow 5K runner, a fair ly talented musician and a budding concert photographer. He currently resides in Columbia, MD, USA. Confidential  ©2009 Network Solutions, LLC