Analysis of a Possible Merger Between Vodafone and Verizon Communication Free Essays

string(242) " be helpful foe Verizon wireless future but they also think merger would be more complex because of competition between UK and USA businesses compared to the other option such as separation between Verizon communication and Verizon wireless\." Introduction: Mobile evaluation is only three decade old but there are major changes been seen year after year. There are more than 5 Billion mobile users all over the world which is served by different service provider. The major names in UK are:- Vodafone Orange Three T-Mobile O2 The services include voice calling, Internet service, multimedia messaging, video conferencing, fixed line internet etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of a Possible Merger Between Vodafone and Verizon Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now Vodafone Group In 1982 Racal Electronics won a private sector UK cellular licence and they set up a new network although The first call was made by using Vodafone service is few minutes passed midnight on 1st January 1985, and by 1987 Vodafone was known as largest telecommunication company in the world. They are the first in business to launch Vodapage which provides 80% of UK population paging service. By year 2010 Vodafone proved their significant global presence over 30 countries and over 40 partners markets in Europe and worldwide. The Group operates in three geographic regions Europe, Africa and Central Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and has an investment in Verizon Wireless in the United States. By market capitalization, Vodafone Group plc. Is one of the largest companies providing service to more than 500 million users in Europe and worldwide. The group’s main principal activity is to provide mobile telecommunication service to mobile users and operate a fixed line services for business and offices in privet and government sector. Vodafone has tried and retain their leadership in telecommunication market by providing better value, better product, and services in Europe and worldwide .Their global strategy is to embrace voice, data and internet service and to focus on satisfying customer’s needs and for that they had invested large amount for developing and launching new services for customers such as free mobile application, money transfer service, fixed and individual line internet service, Vodafone 360 etc. Vodafone group’s objective is to achieve and maintain a position of dominance in its markets in worldwide .The company has maintained a strategy of focusing on global mobile communication and providing network to allow its customers to communicate using mobile product and services. Their growth strategy is Attract, service and retain high value customers Continued geographic expansion Provision of new products and services to support growth in revenues from both voice and data. http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=template09pageID=PAV_0015 Vodafone and Verizon Wireless Merger Vodafone group has able to establish his network and on several continent including Europe, Asia, Africa, north and South America. Joint venture with Hutchison Essaar is their one of the biggest investment. Vodafone group had developed their business successfully all over the world apart from America. They had entered to USA in 1999 merger with air touch communication and later in 2003 they also invested in Verizon wireless in which they hold 45% but still after all these they are not able to get success which they achieved in other countries. Verizon communication who owns the 55% shares in Verizon wireless is formed in 2000 mergers between two biggest companies in USA Bell Atlantic and GTE. The merger also made Verizon wireless a largest wireless network provider in USA and after that they had managed well to involve in good deal such as acquisition of Alltel Corporation who ranks eighth largest wireless network provider in USA with approx. 800000 customers. Currently Verizon communication owns most of the shear in company and management decisions in Verizon wireless. Ownership Issue Vodafone group has successful business in UK and Europe but even after 10 years in USA telecom Market they still not able to expand their business. After investing in Verizon wireless they are trying to grow in USA but they are still waiting to achieve that. At one stage there was a persistent speculation of possible merger between these two companies which will be helpful for the future of both the companies. There is huge battle going on these companies for ownership of Verizon wireless and both companies had shown interest buying out the rest of the shares. The USA telecom market is growing rapidly and with every opportunity these two companies try to be on top of each other which are one of the reasons behind delaying the possible merger between Vodafone and Verizon wireless. After financial downturn CEO of Verizon communication advised Vodafone to sell their shares in Verizon wireless which also shows the business environment between these two organisations is unstable. As research figure shows that if Vodafone and Verizon wireless obtain full merger in future the company could worth ?120 billion .Vodafone group had a market value of ?77 billion and Verizon communication $86 billion (?57billion). Vodafone group had been expecting merger between two companies should be 60:40 in Verizon wireless but the partner company is not agreed on these terms. Although with less market value Verizon wireless generates significant and continuous cash flow. They had paid dividends to his shareholder which is Vodafone group till 2005 but after they st op explaining reason is to reducing a down debts of the company. As per Bloomberg report there are three possibilities could be seen between this two organisations 1) Full merger of these two companies 2) Verizon wireless would start paying dividend to Vodafone 3) One of the partners to sell their share either to each other or to the third party. Many of the city business analyses have seen potential in these companies and they think they should solve their problems and issues in Verizon wireless which could worth ?40 billion. Royal bank of Scotland one of the largest organisations in banking sector in UK suggested that Vodafone should either merge with Verizon communication or they should sell their stake in Verizon wireless for better profitability. Vodafone CEO Vittorio Coalo also thinks the same way and he said merger is the best alternative to solve the problems in Verizon wireless than other. They had discussed number of options earlier in 2010 which could be helpful foe Verizon wireless future but they also think merger would be more complex because of competition between UK and USA businesses compared to the other option such as separation between Verizon communication and Verizon wireless. You read "Analysis of a Possible Merger Between Vodafone and Verizon Communication" in category "Essay examples" http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b1d3df72-43e7-11dd-842e-0000779fd2ac.html#axzz1KDYiXA2E http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/90bb3ae4-3ab5-11df-b6d5-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html#axzz1KDYiXA2E http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/mar/07/newmedia.citynews Business environment with USA Partner External environment Vodafone group is facing huge competition from his American partner and their rivals in business such as ATT wireless. Verizon communication had a joint venture with Vodafone in Verizon wireless putting pressure to sell their 45% stake in company. Expected merger between Vodafone and Verizon wireless is still on hold but in competitive telecom market partner group is bearing down Vodafone. The group operates their business from United Kingdom and provides services more than 27 countries in 5 continents. The group 80% of revenue is comes from their UK business but existence in emerging markets like India makes their position strong in telecom sector. Verizon communication is trying continuously to buy the Vodafone stake in company and ruled on Verizon wireless. In 2006 both group had played down ownership battle for Verizon wireless but they failed. Since 2000 when Vodafone group was new to US telecom market and Verizon communication was newly formed company had pooled out their US wi reless assets. Both are the largest wireless network providers in world had suffered from periodic tension. Mr Seidenbeg CEO of Verizon communication said in an interview that he would like 100% of earning from Verizon wireless because they are doing 100% work. In 2008 business analysts reported the Vodafone stake value in Verizon wireless is been increased by $10 billion to $60 and even after 2005 they had not received a dividends from Verizon wireless it seems that group thinking positive about the merger with Verizon communication. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c20625be-44a7-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0,s01=2.html#axzz1KDYiXA2E http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b1d3df72-43e7-11dd-842e-0000779fd2ac,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fb1d3df72-43e7-11dd-842e-0000779fd2ac.html_i_referer=#axzz1KDYiXA2E PESTAL Analysis Political Vodafone group had always focused of customer satisfaction for that they had shifted their business approach towards customer benefits. They had moved on from unit pricing to unit based tariff. Vodafone group had invested in United States to explore their business and make more profit from highly developed market. The group outsource their US business from outside and so they had considered different international laws in order to explore their business in other countries. They had considered the tread restriction which is also important in political factor. Recently communication commission in USA made attempt to bring telecommunication sector under government oversight more specifically put under government regulation but apparently US court denied this appeal for the D.C. circuit ruling which regards information service underlying of telephone rules. Economical Economical factors are interconnected with political factors which might affect the development of the company. The economic factors include growth rate, exchange rates, interest rates and inflation. These factors are pretty important which gives right and accurate cost to the customer so that everybody can aware of their product. During the investment in Verizon group Vodafone group had received returns in form of dividend till 2005 but after that they stopped paying explain reason to reducing the lower debt. In 2009 Verizon communication used Verizon wireless $5 billion to pay off their debts. Vodafone and Verizon wireless have 87.8 million retail customers all over America. Vodafone group owns 45% share and both the partner companies are made compelling amount of stock in telecom infrastructure class. According to Bernstein Report there are four option Verizon communication have to pay the internal borrowing which are either they could rebuilt their debt level or they could just buy Vodafone 45% share which could be more expensive. Another option they have is to start paying dividends to Vodafone or a merger with partner group. Social factors Social factors are very important for the development of the company more than any other. This is because social factors have more impact on customers regarding to the product and services. Vodafone group had invested in social factors and to make them effective they are mainly focusing on education, enterprise, health and welfare. The group runs several charitable trusts in USA and Europe which is making positive contribution to the local communities in specific projects which are run by Vodafone and Verizon group. The group had also made investment in youth projects to draw a traditional philosophy. In 2001 they had managed to raise ?3 million donation through these welfare which helped youth people all over the world to take informed decisions and choices. The group also founded Peace Parks international foundation which supports in sustainable economic development conservation of biodiversity and regional peace. Both groups also a part of voluntary service champagne to fight aga inst HIV and AIDS and other deceases like Cancer. Technological factors Technological factors focuses on research and development activities which includes development of new technology and services. Mobile phone industry is growing rapidly a great deal of technological changes and development is continued to be seen. Vodafone group offers variety of mobile phones with latest technologies to their customers. 3g technology is already helping companies to increase their sales revenues. However Vodafone has brought additional responsibility to protect young people from inappropriate content, gambling and violent games. Environmental Factors Environmental factors also important in successful business although telecom industries impact on environment is very small as compare to other industries however these companies have to work on to reduce it . Vodafone group has started CO2 ring to reduce energy consumption which will produce less carbon. Company estimated during year 2008 their business in Europe, Australia, NZ had produced 1.23 million CO2 and they aims with this ring they will reduce emission by 50% by 2020. Vodafone group is also worked in mobile phone disposals in which they helped to developed support industry to minimize phone disposals. They also had developed guidelines to reduce greenhouse gas emission and to monitoring progress. Legal factors Legal factors are very important for any organisation to form a business and it’s also important for organisation to follow them. Vodafone group have their business all over the world and throughout their business journey they had worked as per the laws and restrictions. However in some issues they had gone beyond government regulation while working in competitive market. Group also believes to retain the position in market companies must exceed the legal and industry self regulation. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/22/vodafonegroup.telecoms http://www.vodafone.com/content/dam/vodafone/about/sustainability/reports/2000-01_vodafonecr.pdf http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_809fa95b-31a9-5f14-aa3f-c3c97cf20cb6.html http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/OP-0155-E.pdf http://www.bignerds.com/papers/17537/Pestel-Analysis-Of-Vodafone/ Internal Environment Verizon wireless works under management board of Vodafone group and Verizon communication. Although it’s true that Vodafone is included in board decisions but still they don’t have full control because of fewer stakes in firm. It’s been seen several times when Verizon communication opposed the Vodafone decision. Both companies had shown interests in buying Verizon wireless not ready for any settlement which shows their business instability. It all started in 2000 when Vodafone and Verizon communication bided for air touch communication and apparently Vodafone group won the bid which helped them to enter into USA telecom market. In March 1995 US cellular AB PCS auctioned for spectrum in 1900 MHz range in which Air touch USA, Bell Atlantic, Nynex and US west formed their joint venture called Prime co communication. Later in 1999 when Vodafone merged with Air touch Partner Company approached Air touch Vodafone about the merging wireless communication (air touch Voda fone, bell electronics, prime co) to form a Verizon Wireless but due to FCC regulation prime co and Verizon territories and region was split. When Vodafone merged with air touch CEO of Vodafone Air touch Arun Sarin was involved in various other formations of partnership’s and technology dimensions as well. Sarin was also involved in decision to use CDMA technology over GSM in root of Verizon wireless network but Verizon communication opposed to this decision specifying CDMA technology to use on Vodafone network. Both the group had formal meeting about the company expansion it seems very often when these come to any mutual decision. In 2004 Vodafone considered to buying ATT wireless Verizon communication turn out the deal to take over joint venture. Vodafone however managed well to gain profit from their business and Verizon wireless also started paying dividends in 2009 and continued to gain its value. Michel Porters Diamond Model Michel Porters diamond model form competitive advantage helps to understand the comparative position of the organisation in global competition. The model helps to measure company performance over geographic regions. Rivalry, Firm strategy, structure Vodafone group business strategy is to meet social needs of the customers which create opportunity to increase profit. Vodafone group also made consideration in developing product and services which meet the specific needs of customer in local market. The group had set their goals to be leading communication provider but huge battle with competitor and instable business in USA they are facing problem to keep up the leading position. Vodafone group runes their business all over the world and major parts covered by group are in UK and Europe. Their UK business produce 80% of revenue were they are facing competition from O2, Orange, and T-mobile. Were in USA they are competing by their partner firm who is second largest in USA and who owns most of the Verizon company stake. Verizon wireless have their business all over the America who competing against ATT who recently announced merger deal with T-mobile USA which made them strongest and leader in US telecom wireless network. Demand Conditions Demand condition plays crucial role in porter’s diamond model in business. Vodafone group have successful business in UK and Europe because they are able to evaluate demands and expectations and to fulfil them. In late 90s telecom sector was focused on providing fixed line services and in early 21 century wireless technology was introduced who gains popularity in very quick session. So as demand changed mobile companies are grown in telecom market. Vodafone group also considered customers demand they introduced I-Phone in 2010 and in first week they sold more than 400000 cells. In USA also they sold I-phone through their joint venture company and group was aware of the demand but they did not imagined the sales figure could go so high were demand was more and supply was less and therefore it is very important in business to measure demand in customer satisfaction point . Related Supporting Industries Related supporting industries are very important in relation to the grown of business. Vodafone group is working with few other companies on their territory. Vodafone group have been supported by air touch communication their partnership with Verizon communication is also somehow helping them to grow in US telecom market. Vodafone group also developed good relationship with mobile phone producing companies which is helping them to fulfil customer demands. In 2010 they made partnership with Apple to launch I-Phone which was great hit. The group also helped to develop mobile disposal industries they think disposal of mobile phone is very big problem and with their help this industries trying reduce this problem and help environment. They are also working with few other companies in telecom market to reduce CO2. Factor conditions Vodafone group had always looked for the opportunity in other countries to grow their business. They had considered emerging countries and made investment. Competitive environment also affects factors condition customers always have choices to choose between fixed lines or mobile its companies have to attract them to be in competition. http://incarnationrocks.com/2010/11/14/information-about-the-history-and-evolution-of-vodafone-as-a-companyhistory-of-vodafonevodafone-history/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20055922-266.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-02-01-iphone01_ST_N.htm http://www.vodafone.com/content/annualreport/annual_report09/exec_summary/op_environment_and_strategy.html Recommendation and Conclusion Vodafone group has got successes in America but their business and relationship with partners is not stable. Vodafone group had already shown their co-operation while developing their business in US telecom market and working with Verizon communication. I think Vodafone group should try for merger with Verizon communication to obtain and retain their leading position. Verizon had a control over management decision and they had paid return in form of dividends to Vodafone until 2005 but after that they stopped paying explain reason is to reduction of lower debts and for almost four years Vodafone group did not received any returns for their stake. USA telecom market is moving rapidly so buyout of Verizon wireless or 50:50 partnerships could be a very good option for Vodafone although both options are never opened for group. I think they should try to maintain good relationship with partner group for the better future of Verizon wireless. Currently Verizon wireless is a second largest wireless network provider in America which was takeover by ATT in 2010 in multimillion dollar merger with T- mobile USA. Verizon communication should pay the dividend to their partner group in future or they could try to buy Vodafone stake in Verizon wireless which are quite expensive. The company currently serves nearly 93 million customers all over the America which shows the strong position and settled business of the Verizon wireless in American market. But recent controversial business environment between partner group could affect the market value and shares of Verizon wireless. Vodafone group had experience in managing business in different countries so they can be useful for Verizon wireless in subject of developing new products and services, entering new markets. The recent merger between ATT had already affected the positions of Verizon wireless which also knocked them out from top position to second and so if the new group’s strategy is to pay off then Verizon wireless will suffer in business. http://blogs.investors.com/click/index.php/home/60-tech/1656-would-dividend-payments-kill-talk-of-verizon-vodafone-merger http://incarnationrocks.com/2010/11/14/information-about-the-history-and-evolution-of-vodafone-as-a-companyhistory-of-vodafonevodafone-history/ Appendix 1.SWOT analysis on Vodafone To identify company’s internal and external strength and weakness swot analysis is very important. Strengths Vodafone group have their business all over the world and they have ability to grow in many countries. Vodafone group have nearly 500 million customers in nearly 40 countries and 5 continent. They have very strong platform which gives them power to work in RD to innovate new products and devices in subject to the growth of the market. Group’s biggest strength is their customers. They had managed well to maintain good relationship with their service users. Good decision makers and efficient people on the board is also Vodafone group’s strongest link. Weakness Vodafone group’s biggest weakness is the capital expenditure over fixed tangible assets. In past five years their average depreciation charge been exceeded by 58% which also suggest that group might have cash shortage in future. Vodafone group has been spending lot of money on research and developing new product and services. So if the product fails in market group could face heavy loss. Legal issues with partner companies are also their business weakness Opportunity New innovations and technologies and services are expected to be major hit in telecom market. Vodafone group always try to bring new services for their users which will use by them for data transfer, calling and internet. Mobile phone industry is growing very rapidly were persuasion to have at list 1 mobile gives opportunity to mobile companies to increase their size and share in market. If Vodafone merge with their US partner will give them opportunity to establish and make their position stronger in US market. Threats Vodafone group work in developing new technologies and services and if something goes wrong with product it will leave company with heavy loss. As industry grows mobile companies have to take special care so that no one can misuse the technology and at some point they also have to accept the decisions made by social or political reasons. Competition from other companies who serves same product and services. 2) Porter’s generic strategies Relating to the SWOT analysis, Porter (1980) identified three generic strategies for competitive advantage, which can represent a distinctive strength of a company. These are shown in the diagram below: Vodafone use the cost leadership strategy and differentiation but do not adopt the focus strategy as they do not focus on a niche market. Vodafone needs to compete on a cost leadership strategy because number portability means that people will move to whoever can provide a reliable service the cheapest and by becoming the lowest cost producer in the industry through economies of scales allows Vodafone to compete on price with other producers to earn higher unit profits which in turn achieves competitive advantage through driving down costs. Vodafone also differentiate themselves through providing customers with added value through their product features and quality that are unique and different from their competitors. Marketing strategy In order to retain market leadership, Vodafone has established a set of marketing objectives. These are to: †¢ Obtain new customers †¢ Keep the customers it already has †¢ Introduce new technologies and services †¢ Continue to develop the Vodafone brand. Vodafone is achieving these objectives by continually updating their range of phones and services offered to keep ahead of its competitors. Vodafone also communicates with its customers to keep them well informed of the benefits of all Vodafone products. Marketing mix The marketing mix consists of many different factors, which are grouped together into four main categories: product, place, price and promotion. †¢ Product Vodafone’s products have many different features which provides customers with opportunities to chat, play games, send and receive pictures, change ring tones, receive information about travel and sporting events, obtain billing information and view video clips and send video messages. †¢ Place Vodafone UK operates over 300 of its own stores it also sells through independent retailers e.g. Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4 U. Customers are able to see and handle products they are considering buying and staff are on hand to ensure customers’ needs are matched with the right product and to explain the different options available to them. †¢ Price Vodafone offer various pricing structures to suit different customer groups, monthly price plans are available as well as prepay options and phone users can top up their phone online. Also Vodafone gives NECTAR reward points for every one pound spent on calls, text messages, picture messages and ring tones. †¢ Promotion Vodafone has worked with icons in the past such as David Beckham to communicate its brand values they use advertising on TV, billboards, magazines and in other media outlets to reach large audiences and spread their brand image and message effectively. Their stores have special offers, promotions and point of sale posters to attract customers inside the stores to buy and Vodafone actively develop good public relations through sending press releases to national newspapers and magazines to explain new products and ideas. Also relating to the product aspect of the marketing mix, the Boston matrix represents the company’s portfolio according to where the products stand regarding market share and growth. Bibliography Caroline Booth (2010) Strategic procurement (electronic resource through Anglia Ruskin library) organisation suppliers and supply chain for competitive advantage, London Philadelphia New Delhi page 26. David L. Rainey (2010) Enterprise- wide strategic management (electronic resource through Anglia Ruskin library) Cambridge university press page 70 J. Brits and G.H.K. Botha ,M.E. Herselman, Tshwane Conceptual Framework for Modelling Business Capabilities Retrieved from http://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2007/InSITE07p151-170Brits297.pdf Claire Capon Understanding Strategic Management (2008) Pearson education ltd (page 33-53) retrieved from http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BvD4FtMWAloCpg=PA27dq=White+C+Strategic+Managementhl=enei=xkG2TfHEOpHP4wb4odT0Dwsa=Xoi=book_resultct=book-thumbnailresnum=1ved=0CEEQ6wEwAA#v=onepageq=White%20C%20Strategic%20Managementf=false Robert M. Grant (2007) Contemporary Strategy Analysis John Wiley and Sons (page 271-322) retrieved from http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zFkXk7KbM-kCpg=PA148dq=Grant+R+M+(2007),+Contemporary+Strategy+Analysis,+Blackwellhl=enei=YES2TY6YNs7j4wbp_qQJsa=Xoi=book_resultct=book-thumbnailresnum=1ved=0CEUQ6wEwAA#v=onepageq=Grant%20R%20M%20(2007)%2C%20Contemporary%20Strategy%20Analysis%2C%20Blackwellf=false Website www.ft.com www.dailytelegraph.com www.gurdian.co.uk www.vodafone.co.uk www.verizonwireless.com www.bigneard.com www.academic.mintal.com How to cite Analysis of a Possible Merger Between Vodafone and Verizon Communication, Essay examples

Memorable Trip - Water Sports Activity free essay sample

Water Sports Activity H20 on 1st May 2010 Yippee!! Hurray! My Joy knew no bounds when my mother announced that CMC had arranged a water sports activity which comprised of Jet Ski, speed boat, motor boat and bay cruise. But alas, the date was the day of my results. After a lot of coaxing and cajoling, I persuaded my mother and we decided to pick up my result early and directly reach the venue. We did the same and reached H20 Water Sports. As we were reaching the venue we could see the speed at which the Jet Ski was going and butterflies started fluttering in the pits of my stomach. When we reached inside the venue, we were assured looking at the safety features provided. We were provided life Jackets and what more an expert skier was to accompany on every Jet Ski ride. I chose two of the most enthralling sports Jet Ski and speed boat. We will write a custom essay sample on Memorable Trip Water Sports Activity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We were given priority over other, since we belonged to the CMC group. The Jet Ski is a scooter shaped streamlined automobile that zips through water (l had only seen it in movies). As I went close to the Jetty, I saw a man getting down from the ski, brimming with Joy. I too felt ecstatic to board the Jet Ski and luckily my chance came next. The expert skier took me on the ride and we zoomed through the water, leaving me breathless with excitement. In fact, I even took my mothers chance so that I could go for one more round. The speed boat was an open topped small boat with high speed motor attached at its end. For balancing minimum four people were required (except the driver). My ather, mother, an uncle and I sat on the boat, with me sitting on the dashboard. The slightly bumpy, exciting and fast ride left me craving for more. After the wonderful boating experience Philomena Aunty took us to the famous Girgaum Chowpatty where scrumptious snacks lay in store for us. We were given a choice between all different kinds of chaats and we chitchatted over bottles of cold drinks and mineral water. Then we bade each other adieu. This was one of the most memorable trips whose every moment will be etched in my memory for a long time.

Strategies for International Industrial Evaluating Marketing

Question: Discuss about the Strategies for International Industrial Evaluating Marketing. Answer: Introduction: The business target market today is brutal, cutthroat and allows no slacker to survive the dynamic tides. The consumer market has changed radically since the onset of global financial crisis. To cope with the random blows of recession the business markets started the game of pleasing customers, heeding to all of the unrealistic and obscene demands, has given rise to a frightening world of completion. Bringing the conglomerates into mix, it has enthralled the consumers with a wide variety displayed across hundreds of square feet and captivating discount schemes. Consumers are now accustomed to find everything on their fingertips, and the service providers are not shying away from blatantly heeding to all their demands (Arnett and Wittmann 2014). This revolutionary change in the consumer market has brought upon the era of cutthroat competition, and that competition is now starting to choke the small fishes in the market. Hence the world of promotional marketing has changed as well for better or for worse. The business organization are now incorporating more and more tricks up their sleeves (Arnett and Wittmann 2014). With the global trend of inclination towards internet and social media the marketing trends had to incorporate social media marketing as well. Studies suggest that a business market has to include social media and online marketing along with conventional marketing techniques to survive the ever changing market scenarios. This report attempts to formulate a business marketing plan for a company named BBQfun and evaluate different marketing activities in order to evaluate the significance of each (McKenzie, Neiger and Thackeray 2016). Marketing and marketing plans: Marketing plan can be defined as the carefully planned well articulated steps organized in a chronological order that will benefit the organization by increasing the popularity of the organization so that the organization attains stable and continual professional growth. Marketing is considered with needs and wants of the organization aligning with the needs and wants of its consumer market in an effortless manner. BBQfun is a organization opened in 2009 providing extensive range of products be it local or imported goods. However with the onset of 2010 the organization has faced the burn of mounting competition in the retail market. The change in the consumer market has caused the sales status to drop radically (Arnett and Wittmann 2014). The company has attempted to revive its sales patterns in the recent years to return to their standard sales of $11 in the recent years. BBQfun has managed to incorporate changes in their marketing plan to return the consumer base to the maximum. They have two operational outlets in Brisbane and Queensland, both in suburban areas with a multicultural and diverse consumer crowd. However their marketing policy is not very effective in retaining the crowd the manner they are hoping it would. They want to move their sales record to $12 millions within 2012 and to $15 millions within 2015. Along with that they aim to increase the marker shares to 25% within 2012 and increase their customer loyalty list from 8000 to 12000 within the next year as well. Moreover they attempt to increase their brand recognition in Brisbane to a point where at least one out of three residents recognize the rand name. However their marketing plans are not much to achieve all these goals. Analyzing this situation in elaborative effort, the target market profiling for the company is vastly lacking. The target market from Brisbane has enough detail on teir inclination towards renovation, however for the other nearby suburbs, there is no information on the lifestyle inclination of the residents. This differential knowledge on target market has drastically affected the sales pattern and market recognition. Due to the faulty and backdated market strategy the BBQfun authority has resorted to online and electronic media marketing to revive the sales pattern. However it albeit reviving the sakes to some extent is not nearly enough for the goals set for the future and support the great expense for expansion of the business. As a result the gross sales of the company has increased markedly with the net profit remaining flat as before. The market shares and net sales has improved gradually however the profit is emptied out by the massive expense of advertising and online media marketing, there is need for strategic improvisations to the market plan (Ashley and Tuten 2015). Marketing policies and procedures: Along with keeping in par with market trends for a business organization to strive it is important for the organization to comply with the regulatory legislations (Galician 2013). The policies apply to all the staff and is available to all the employees in BBQfun premises. The market plan complies with the privacy act, no call registration legislation, no discrimination policy and competition and consumerism act. The employees are to adhere rto the legislations na marketing policy at all circumstances. Recommendations: In my opinion BBQfun is attempting to sell an extensive range of retail and lifestyle needs and is mainly in the suburban area. Hence their target market is the middle class suburban residents of Brisbane and Queensland and the surrounding area, the small business vendors and local markets. The previous marketing activities that have been incorporated by the company include major emphasis on the electronic marketing and advertisements. It has to be considered that the electronic marketing and advertisement promotion was a trend of the last decade (Grnroos and Grnroos 2016). In todays scenario, it is not only useless but is also too expensive to be useful. The company could increase the sales considerably but the most of the profit went to feed the marketing campaign and rendered the entire effort useless. They are in dire need of powerhouse marketing incorporating corporate marketing skills coupled with more modern techniques that can capture the attention of the target market they are aiming for (Hallbck and Gabrielsson 2013). As a suggestion i would recommend the company to invest in online media marketing with excellent PR professionals devoted to the social media growth of the company (McKenzie, Neiger and Thackeray 2016). It has to be considered that the generation of today spends much more time surfing internet than watching television or reading newspapers. Investing in sources that will actually reach their target market will definitely boost their profit and will also curb their skyrocketing marketing expense (McKenzie, Neiger and Thackeray 2016). Legislation : the legislation that align with the changes neded to be incorporating ino the marketing plan include Adhere to Privacy Act. Adhere to Do Not Call Register legislation Adhere to anti-discrimination policy (Ryan 2016) Adhere to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (formerly the Trade Practices Act). The outcome that this method will construct will be a significant rise in their sales graph, and instant boost to their profit range. Along with that they will get the boost to their market popularity as well that will increase their market shares markedly and widen their customer base in the period of a year or two (Sah and Fugh-Berman 2013).alysis Reference List: Arnett, D.B. and Wittmann, C.M., 2014. Improving marketing success: The role of tacit knowledge exchange between sales and marketing.Journal of Business Research,67(3), pp.324-331. Ashley, C. and Tuten, T., 2015. Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social content and consumer engagement.Psychology Marketing,32(1), pp.15-27. Galician, M.L., 2013.Handbook of product placement in the mass media: New strategies in marketing theory, practice, trends, and ethics. Routledge. Grnroos, C. and Grnroos, C., 2016. Internationalization strategies for services: a retrospective.Journal of Services Marketing,30(2), pp.129-132. Hallbck, J. and Gabrielsson, P., 2013. Entrepreneurial marketing strategies during the growth of international new ventures originating in small and open economies.International Business Review,22(6), pp.1008-1020. Hollensen, S., 2015.Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. McKenzie, J.F., Neiger, B.L. and Thackeray, R., 2016.Planning, implementing evaluating health promotion programs: A primer. Pearson. Ryan, D., 2016.Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. Kogan Page Publishers. Sah, S. and Fugh-Berman, A., 2013. Physicians under the influence: social psychology and industry marketing strategies. Senge, P.M., 2014.The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. Crown Business. Solomon, M.R., 2014.Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being(Vol. 10). Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Strauss, J., 2016.E-marketing. Routledge. Turnbull, P.W. and Valla, J.P. eds., 2013.Strategies for international industrial marketing. Routledge.

George S. Patton Essays - George S. Patton, , Term Papers

George S. Patton Presented to: Mr. Hawkins Renaissance Fair June 1st, 2000 GEORGE S. PATTON, ?Old blood and Guts? George Smith Patton is a very famous American because of his contributions in both World War I and II. He was considered one of the greatest U.S. generals of World War II. This war started in 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Hitler. Then, Italy, under the leadership of Benito ?el duce? Mussolini, unites with Germany. The United States wouldn't enter this war until Japan declared war by destroying their naval base on the Pacific Ocean called Pearl Harbor. It lasted 6 years and ended in1945 with the triumph of the Allies and the use of the atomic bomb for the first time on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Because of Patton's great leadership, the U.S. was able to invade North Africa, capture Sicily and halt the German counter attack in the Battle of Bulge. Patton had a family with a long tradition of military service. His father, George Patton, was the son of a brigadier general in command of the 22d Virginia Regiment who was killed at the Battle of Winchester in the Civil War for the Confederacy. His mother, Ruth Wilson, was the daughter of a savage fighter nicknamed ?Don Benito? who was very well known for once returning from a battle with Indians, with a basket full of the enemies heads. George Smith Patton Junior was born on November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. Even though George grew up on his father ranch, he learned a lot of things. Here he was taught how to hunt, fish, sail, horseback ride and many things about agriculture. His mother was an excellent horsewoman who taught Patton, while his father read to him the works of Homer, Shakespeare and the Holy Bible. All that Patton could learn from his parents was very important because he was not able to begin his formal education until he was 11. There is no known reason to why he couldn't enter any school until he was this old. It has been stated that the cause may have been his dyslexia. Not even the fact that Patton had memorization abilities could get him on educational institutions. ?Patton could quote long passages of books that other students would not dare attempt to read. Though impressive, this ability did not change the fact that he was illiterate.? Patton studied at Dr. Stephen Cotter Clark's Classical School for Boys in Pasadena and then passed on to the Pasadena High School. He had many learning problems and here he learned things that many of the boys his age had learned a long time ago. Patton had many great ideas and made many contributions to the class, but had problems with arithmetic and other important themes. Later on Patton decided to leave this school and was accepted at the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, VA. Patton had a year of preparation and then was transferred to the respected West Point. He had problems graduating due to his bad grades in French and Math classes, but he finally graduated in 1909 and was given the rank of 2d Lieutenant in the 15th Cavalry. While at West Point, Patton was a very skillful athlete. He played football and was not only characterized for his amazing records, but also for his roughness while playing. He played with so much passion that once he broke both his arms and broke records. He participated in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His event was the military pentathlon, but he put so much effort in the swimming part that he had to be removed with a boat hook. Patton can be thought of one of the most successful leaders of his time. And he is not only the best general because of his roughness or because of his techniques, but because of his preparation. ?His military career was one of the most colorful of all 20th century military leaders.? Patton's military career was one of the best of every other general in the World War II. When Patton graduated, he was commissioned a second Lieutenant. Later on in 1916, a Mexican bandit called Francisco ?Poncho? Villa was causing some problems to the U.S. and killed

Looking for Alibrandi Essay Example

Looking for Alibrandi Essay Example Looking for Alibrandi Essay Looking for Alibrandi Essay She feels caught in a claustrophobic trap between family lives obsessed with tradition, a trice disciplined Catholic school and trying to find herself and her position as a teenage girl. Throughout the novel Josses is constantly changing her views on people, and experiences her share of emotional upheaval as she comes to realize that a perfect world consists of more than Just gorgeous hairstyles, rich boyfriends and social privileges. It is a common representation throughout the novel that Josses Librarian is a selfish and egotistical girl whose internal angst and whose conflict with others all stemmed from her expectations that others should conform to meet her deeds. This can be seen In her Interactions with her close family members Christina. Nana and Michael. She also selfish towards her friends John and Jacob. Josses and her mothers relationship Is rocky, this Is shown when Josses attacks her mothers desires to go out on a date. Josses was constantly reminded of her mothers failures and sacrifices she made while raising Josses as a single mother. As Nonna lied to Josie and her relatives that Josie’s father died before Christina gave birth to Josie, thus Christina and Josie are misunderstanding to Nonna and also did not accept with what she did. It shows the differences in generation’s point of view towards Christina’s pregnancy. Furthermore, â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi† also displays relationships in a lot of depth, for instance, the relationships between Josie and Michael Andretti, Jacob Coote and John Barton. Josie meets Michael Andretti angrily because he left Josie’s mother when she got pregnant; therefore Josie became illegitimate child with no father. However, when Josie feels helpless and struggle after she hits Carly’s nose, she can only think about Michael to help her as a barrister and father. This event demonstrates that Josie really wants to and be proud of having father; they had more trust and build up the father- daughter relationships too. Josie’s final year of high school transforms her from the childhood world of dependence on her mother to dealing with adults like Michael Andretti and Jacob Coote. Jacob, the school captain of Cook High School, Josie calls him an ‘individualist’, because he has a strong personality, sensitive and independent as a typical Australian. Jacob feels uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations as he finds it difficult to understand with Josie’s Italian cultural background, he does not respect and think the traditions should not be maintained. For example, once, Jacob gave a sexual advance to Josie, but she is unwillingness to make love and told Jacob clearly that Italian thinking is more traditional and different to Australian’s. Sexual activity is not by accepted to Italian, but Australian just sees this as a normal practise. By comparison between Jacob Coote and John Barton, they are both Australian, but living in very different attitudes and family. John has weak and low self-image who comes from a well-educated family. Josie admires him and they have a very good relationship, but Josie did not realise that John is very upset as he is under a lot of pressure by his father to become ‘the best prime minster’, therefore, John’s father and people around John have a high expectation of him. As a result, John gets a lot of pressure that he thinks no one would understand him. John’s pressure from unconfident about passing the HSC, forces him to commit suicide. This does upset Josie but it also makes her a lot more resilient too. â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi†, also illustrates many prejudices between rich and poor people, and the racial prejudice. St. Martha is Josie’s school which is â€Å"dominated by white Australian†, high-class and rich people. Children of wealthy migrants accepted because of their wealth, which cause a social discrimination as Josie finds hard to cope in this school with her strong Italian and middle working class family background. The novel shows that although Australia is a multicultural society, but it still has racist problems with people from different culture backgrounds. Melina Marchetta always uses the word â€Å"Wog†, which is an offensive word to coloured skin people especially Italian, which is throughout the whole novel to inspire readers in racist issues. For instant, Ivy comes from high-class Australian family, who is not accept Josie as an Australia, but a completely Italian immigrant with strong Italian culture background. This idea is clearly expressed in these words â€Å"You’re a new Australians wear black a lot don’t you Josephine? â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi† emphasises some important cultural, relationship and social and racial prejudices among people from different cultural background. It examines the strength and resilience of Josie to cope with the relationship with family, John Barton’s dead and Jacob Coot’s sexual advance, and the intolerance of Italian traditions by Nonna. This novel makes readers aware of to see the beauty in other culture, because the world has many different cultures, we need to be respect, although there may have something that you may not except.

Family violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Family violence - Essay Example Elders undergo different forms of abuse including physical, psychological, sexual, material abuse and at times they risk being neglected. These forms of abuse may result to physical, emotional or behavior injury to the victim. According to Wallace & Roberson (2013), the most serious and common type of elder abuse is psychological abuse (p. 297). This form of abuse involves inflictions of pain and distress mostly through non-verbal act, example humiliating, intimidating or isolating the elderly. In many occasions, the victims may deny this form of abuse although he/she may feel deprived of family support or rejections resulting to the victim believing there is no reason of continuing living. This may lead to depression, neurotic disorders, anxiety or even the psychoneurotic behavior. At times, elders can fall victims of caretakers who may act as predators or those caretakers who have mental disorders that make them abusive. If the elders value their independence and are in a position to handle their affairs, they should not accept any form of abuse, intimidation or exploitation from their caretakers. Instead, as written by Wallace & Roberson (2013) they should take reasonable measures to protect themselves by seeking advice and powers from the attorney (p. 299). There are some institutions that ensure that the elderly live with dignity and are free from any type of abuse or exploitation. This will ease the challenges that they face during their old age. Stalking is a behavior involving repeated unwanted communication in a way that would cause fear and stress in people. There are many types of stalkers each being complex because of the varying reasons and time. According to Wallace & Roberson (2013), the victims of stalking are usually harassed or threatened with contact ranging from making calls or visiting the victim (p. 371). Zamu et al. established a database that clearly explains the different categories of

Critically explore the extent to which 'sustainable development' is a Essay

Critically explore the extent to which 'sustainable development' is a meaningful course of action or a case of 'business a - Essay Example This paper will critically explore the extent to which sustainable development is a meaningful course of action. It will begin by analyzing the term sustainable development, provide some background around the concept, and make progression towards finding gaps and flaws in the development of the term, its implementation, and theoretical framework. The term sustainable development appears to be so widely used that almost anything or anyone can jump on this bandwagon and use this term. Sustainable development is a term that is used by individuals, governments, and the different industries in the business sector. The idea of sustainable development is not new and has been around for much of humankind’s history (Redcliff, 1987). The application of this concept can be evidenced way back three centuries ago, in the work of Malthus during the 1700s, which has centered around population growth and on the demand that it causes on resources and natural environment. The use of the term in the modern era has become so wide that, in fact, an ordinary Google search returns over fifty million results. Allen and Hoekstra (1992) have gone as far as saying that most people are of the opinion that the term is advantageous. However, Fortune and Hughes (1997) view this concept as a meaningless notion, which centers to a western ethnocentric view with essence deficiency and is simply a paternalistic ideology. There are other schools of thought that describe the term as a paradigm (Daly and Townsend, 1992). However, in this sense it is though useful as it forms the basis of a methodology or theory that forms a conceptual framework for further development. According to Hopwood et al. (2005), there is a valuable potential shift in understanding humanity’s relationship with the environment. Sustainable development is a testament of humanity’s growing awareness of environmental, social, and economic problems that can affect the future of all humankind. The growing awa reness has been particularly prominent during the last one hundred years by growth oriented demand in economic terms, and the consequences that such an approach has on the environment and resource depletion (Dresner, 2002). The concerns became more prominent, following the publication of The Limits to Growth (Meadows et al., 1972), highlighting that with the current trends in population growth and development, the earth’s carrying capacity would be exceeded within 100 years from the time of the report. In spite of the many given descriptions of sustainable development, the term has remained a variable concept that has been subject to a variety of interpretations and definitions. The publication of the Word Conservation Strategy (IUCN) in the 1980's was one of the reports known to have provided the first definition of sustainable development. The publication caught the interest of many people including critics who have considered the definition as limited. According to them, t he given definition only pertains to a limited focus of ecological resource conservation, instead of involving the environment in conjunction with socio-economic issues. However, another prominent report seven years later by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) that is entitled "Our Common Future," appears to have addressed this and specifically made a direct relationship between environmental, social, and economic dimensions. According to Lafferty and Meadowcroft (2000), the report is