Apple Marketing Strategy Essay

1. Apple Marketing StrategyApple has been so successful in these last years thanks to his fresh, imaginative way to think and do its business: awinning combination of exceptional products, great style and design, great strategy, innovative marketing, sleekand enticing communications.Apple owes its overwhelming success in the last years to the iPhone and to the smart iPod and iTunes productcombination, a combination of a great hardware piece with great style, great software, great performance, userfriendly interface, with a good e-business service. The iPod + iTunes halo effect and new great Mac computers andMac OS software did the rest in increasing Apple revenue stream. In the 5 years between 2003 to 2008 the Apple share value increased 25 times, from $7.5 to $180 per share. At july2008 prices, before the US Financial Crisis, Apple stock market capitalization was $160 billion.In January 2010 Apple shares topped the $210 mark.But even the best companies with the best products have bottleneck factors which often avoid full exploitation ofthe opportunities.The iPod.Few people are aware – and few market analysts too – that for the first 3 years the iPod was an absolute flop. TheiPod was launched in october 2001, and between 2001 and 2004 iPod sales were between 100-200 thousand unitsper quarter, very far from todays 10-20 million units per quarter, and the iPod sales were not even covering theproduct research & development costs. Then, in June-Aug 2004 something happened, and iPod sales began to grow strongly, quarter after quarter. Today,we all know where the iPod stands, and what a remarkable success it is.The iPod made the fortune of Apple, and it stands out as the major turning point in the company growth.Few people know that the iPod + iTunes business idea was not conceived inside Apple, but was proposed to Appleby an outside source, a music lover and Engineer named Tony Fadell.More on Tony Fadell and on the iPod marketing on iPod Marketing StrategyThe iPod marks another outstanding result in marketing:the annihilation of competitors. To know more see the analysis onThe iPod competitorsIt should be noted that, since the second generation of iPods in 2002, the iPods were made compatible not only withthe Mac operating systems but with Microsoft Windows operating systems as well.We should ask ourselves (and to Steve Jobs): how many iPods would have been sold if the iPods would had beencompatible only with Mac operating systems?Where the iPod is manufactured and assembledThe iPhone. The pipeline of new products which came out from Apple in the last years is impressive, and overwhelming. In 2007,with the successful launch of the iPhone, Apple has marked another milestone in its development and growth.And moreover, the iPhone enters a market – the market of mobile phones – a market which is mature, and saturated.Nonetheless, Apple has been able to develop a revolutionary product, and to change the paradigm in the mobile 2. Phone market.The iPhone is 5 years ahead of all its competitors. A wonderful product, amazing user interface, great design. It isnot only a mobile phone, it is a product between a mobile phone and a laptop computer. Even calling it asmartphone is not enough.In July 2008 Apple launched the second generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G.The iPhone 3GS.In June 2009 Apple launched its third generation iPhone: the iPhone 3GS.The iPhone 3GS has a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, video recording and editing capabilities, voice control, longerbattery life, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA internet connection. iPhone 3GS is twice faster than the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3GSprices: $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model.more on the new iPhone 3GS on the iPhone 3GS page.More on iPhone Marketing on the iPhone Marketing Strategy page.Apple did great. no doubt. However Apple has done some serious mistakes.The most serious mistakes Apple has done concern marketing and distribution strategies in Europe.Apple has overlooked the European markets, and missing big numbers in unexploited sales. With better marketingstrategy, better communication and distribution, Apple could have made 300% more revenues in Europe in the last 4years. Apple Marketing in EuropeWe met with with Erik Stannow, Apple Vice President of Marketing for Europe & EMEA. We have been talking withErik Stannow about the marketing and distribution issues of Apple in the European markets and we gave somevaluable suggestions to improve the Apple marketing strategy and distribution in Europe.Well, it seems that in Cupertino they dont care so much about Europe.Steve JobsIf we talk about Apple success, about Apple great products, we need to talk about Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs has beenand is the great mind behind all this.Steve Jobs is a genius, he is a magician, too. He is the most skilled guy in introducing new products – â€Å"†¦ one morething† – the most skilled in presenting the key features, and he is a great communicator. Even more important, Steve Jobs has Vision. Vision in the strategy, Vision in the product development, Vision in thealliances.Apple Communication Strategy.Apple communication is sober, intriguing, simple, clear, minimalist and clever. And it has a style of its own. Both inthe tv ads, both in print ads, both in the online communications. A lesson to be learned by many companies in theworld. Well, of course when you have great products it is much easier to entice the costumers, but neverthelessdoing it with style and cleverness is a very good point. It boosts sales, but enhances the brand value too.The famous â€Å"I am a Mac, I am a PC† tv ads are a milestone in communications. Smart, simple, effective andhumiliating (for Microsoft †¦).More on Apple Communications and on the Apple Commercials â€Å"I am a Mac I am a PC† on the AppleCommunication Strategy page.

Importance of Play Essay

Play is one aspect that is common in every child’s life. The importance of play for children is huge. It is so much more than a recreational activity for them. Play is essential for children; it contributes to healthy child development cognitively, socially, and physically (McFadden, 2010). Because of this, it is vital for parents, caregivers, and educators to recognize the importance of, and to encourage play. Why is play so important? Recently at the preschool level, there has been a push to reduce the amount of play time and increase the amount of time spent on academic work. With the increased academic work load that is being placed on school-aged children today, this appears to be a good idea; however, the lack of play time for children is actually detrimental to healthy child development. Children see play as fun. They do not engage in playful activities with the thought of learning social or mental skills, but play benefits these areas of development, as well as several others. When children play, they learn how to share and â€Å"be nice. † Learning these skills early will enable them to be able to get along with others in adulthood. Children also learn to interact with their surrounding environment. This interaction allows children to begin to make sense of their world (McFadden, 2010). Cooperation and good communication skills are essential in every profession and activity a child may encounter as an adult. By communicating with others, a child begins to understand the importance of language. They learn how to express their ideas and accept the ideas presented by others. Children also develop communication skills that help them resolve conflict and negotiate with thers. From infancy, children display the desire to gain control of their physical behaviors so they can become able to manipulate objects of interest (Feeney, 2010). Play contributes to this physical development and refinement of motor skills. The vigorous activity of a child’s play builds strength, stamina, and skills they will need for healthy physical development. When children are left to decide how they will play, the often gravitate toward physical activities such as running and chasing each other or playing catch with balls. This active play results in physically fit children and physical fitness is one of the key components in healthy child development (McFadden, 2010). As children develop the control of large muscle groups as a result of physical activities, they also refine fine motor skills and control. Building with blocks, painting, and playing with clay refine tactile dexterity, which children will need when they learn to write and progress in school. Play also has a role in the emotional development of children. Children at play feel in control of their world, practicing important shills that lead them to a sense of mastery of their environment and self. They learn to master their fears, resolve internal conflicts, and to act out anger, hostility, and frustration (Feeney, 2010). Often, play is used by therapists and social workers to help children overcome and work through abuse or trauma. As an educator, there are several ways to incorporate play into learning activities. Because children are innately curious, they enjoy investigating and discovering new things. Teachers should use this curiosity when introducing science and scientific ideas. Children cannot understand complicated scientific ideas; however, they love learning about plants, animals, and other objects within their environment. Science in early childhood education encompasses life science, physical science, and earth science (Allen, 2007). An activity to explore earth science is called â€Å"will it float? † Children select different objects from around the classroom and hypothesis whether the object will float on water. After making their guesses, the children get to test their theories by floating the chosen objects in the classroom water table. Children love this activity because they get to play with water, but the activity actually teaches them about weight, volume, and buoyancy of different things. Teaching young children mathematic fundamentals is made simpler when the lessons are presented as a fun activity. Math instruction in early childhood classroom settings must involve concrete ideas, and be naturally suited to the child’s play (Gabbert, 2009). Teaching children the idea of measurements can begin in the preschool setting. A great way to teach measurement is by adding measuring spoons and cups to sand and water tables. In the activity, children are allowed to scoop out sand or water from the tables and place their â€Å"measurements† into separate containers to see how many scoops will be needed to fill the new space. The educators should tell them the amounts they are placing in the new space to encourage the child’s understanding of the activity. The importance of play in the early childhood classroom cannot be underestimated. It is the duty of an early childhood education teacher to encourage and allow students to play all throughout the day. Play should be incorporated into everyday lessons. Young children are naturally curious and energetic. Incorporating play into their day will allow them to â€Å"absorb† more of what is being taught. Not all children, especially young students, learn well by sitting and listening to a lecture. Being allowed to play helps children see learning as an enjoyable thing. Play also ensures they develop other skills: motor, social, emotional, needed to become successful in their school careers, and beyond.

Education and Skills in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education and Skills in Japan - Essay Example Adult education has also offered to cater for those never had childhood education or those who want to further their informal education. Market offers avenues where the skills acquired through the education system are applied. A balance between education which supply skilled and vocationally-oriented workforce and the market has to be established for viable economy of a country to grow. The future of a country economic growth and development is much dependent on emphasis placed on the education system which supply work force in the market. Education and skills that an individual possesses form the personality and worthiness in the society. The role of education is the social purpose, intellectual purpose, economic purpose and civil/political purpose. The economic purpose reflects that most of those countries with high levels of literacy are the richest countries in the world based on GDP per capita. Market requires education and skills that are able to meet its workforce qualifications successfully. There are usually two approaches i.e. basic scenario and target scenario which if well formulated leads to high levels of employment coupled with high quality jobs for economic growth. Current Market requires individuals who are knowledgeable and well equipped with new sophisticated technologies to offer solutions in the society. The market offers opportunities for employment based on education and skills possessed by an individual but market forces tend to exploit education qualification at the expense of supply and this should be controlled and regulations formulated by government through the ministry of education of different nations to offer terms and conditions for any opportunities that arise in the market. 2 Japan has level of education due to well formulated system after war in the country. The model of education consists of mandatory free basic schooling for children aged 6 to 15 years. Upper secondary not mandatory but about 94% of those who attend lower education enrol and about a 40% of upper secondary graduates make to tertiary education. Today there is high enrolment rate in public institutions leading to high productivity rate in its population. This has led to a mature and learning society with rising incomes, more free time and rise in old population engaged in learning activities. The graph 1.1 below reflects the number of students who advances to high school from the year 1960 to 2001. There is positive growth in percentage from 57.7% in 1960 and tend to stagnate at 95% by the year 2000.3 This indicates high level of retention of students who forms part of 40 % tertiary institutions. Graph 1.2 reflects the gender parity among those who advance to tertiary institutions for the period. Male students dominated female the whole period but it reached at time between 1975 and 1990 when male enrolment decline significantly while that of female kept a positive growth. This led to narrowing the gap from 40.4% male and female 12.5% in 1970 to 46.9% male and 32.7% female in 1990.4 - Source: Asahi Shumbun Newspaper, 2006 Source: Asahi Shumbun Newspaper, 2006 Conclusion Economic prosperity of country heavily relies on education system that produces the work force. Market alone cannot shape the destiny of education and

Alignment of Business and IT Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alignment of Business and IT Strategy - Essay Example However, it is yet to be determined that alignment issues exist, and if they do how to control for these gaps. The results showed that to enhance business strategy there must be a focus on the organizational vision and improvement of communication of business strategy and vision. The alignment of the two organizational elements, were concluded to be directly affected by the coherence of a business department. Overall, it was recommended that a robust business architecture be developed, and that the organization create a separate and centralized IT department. During the past three decades IT ahs become essential to business operations. Initially IT was distributed over departments; decentralized; specialized; and limited in application. However, the authors do not provide insights as to why IT "increased and spread"; only examples of how. A common solution in the past was to have a separate IT department; however this was found to limit effective communication between IT department and other departments. The suggestion of IT departments reporting directly to management can create internal "politics". Management often prioritizes the issues and this can lead to resentment of IT staff by the end users in other parts of the organization. The isolation of IT strategy can also draw a significant amount of resources away from the overall business strategy. As a consequence, non-alignment increases costs in time, money and organizational harmony. 3.0 Literature Review Since the early 1980s alignment of IT and business strategy has been realized as a critical need. The primary inhibitors identified over time have included; the IT department not prioritizing efficiently; and IT management lacking leadership. Models have been developed such as; 1) Strategic Integration Systems Planning (SISP); and 2) strategic integration across the entire organization. Solutions to date for effective alignment are; 1) communication and understanding; 2) business ownership and accountability for return on IT investments; 3) rapid strategy development driven by climatic business changes; and 4) enhance the internal competencies of the business. 4.0 Method The method used to include the Alignment of Business and IT (ABIT) department of the Fortune 50 company to aid in the coordination of the project. The ABIT department created a list of potential employees who were considered to have a "balanced perspective". This is a limitation isn't that a random sample was not selected, and so the results cannot be generalized to other organizations, as the sample is not representative of the wider population. Instead, selection criteria could have been used to operationalize what a "balanced perspective" was. Three groups were created; 1) one having a business perspective; 2) one having an IT perspective; and 3) one having a "balanced" perspective. However, a pre-test could have been done first to identify a priori knowledge and to place people in groups based on their current knowledge.The questions for the interviews were developed with the aid of ABIT to identify gaps, however no information is given as to how these items were selected and if they were tested for their reliability and validity. Each group was interviewed with questions

Development Of African Historiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Development Of African Historiography - Essay Example The historians, mostly hailing from European nations, who relied on material and tangible discoveries as the only sources of information about the early life of any culture, classified the world into â€Å"civilizations† based on an inappropriate definition of the term referring only to societies that left evidences of complex social and cultural systems with a centralized authority that controlled labor, wealth, military forces and commissioned the construction of cities and towns and other public buildings, as well as works of ‘monumental’ art. (Ehret)This approach led to a distinction between different cultures around the world on the basis of intelligence that was measured mostly from written texts that could be translated and could provide a vision into the life of the early people, dismissing the rest of the world as ‘uncivilized’ and ‘unintelligent’ (Ehret) Such attitudes assisted the slave traders in undermining the humanity of the African people, looking down upon their traditional values as ‘primitive’, their ethnic communities as ‘tribes’, their nation as a ‘race’. (Ehret 4-9)These terms though originally meaning nothing degrading have come to be associated with ideas denoting a distinction from what is considered to be ordinary and accepted in a ‘civilized’ society and consequently such dismissals prevented the historians of that time to investigate events that accounted for African history. Thus the rich cultural life of a huge percentage of the population of the world has been left undiscovered due to the limiting beliefs and predetermined superiority of smaller class. Historians today, however, have understood the implications of such an error and have made efforts to develop unique research methodologies for investigating past events through mainly Oral Tradition and Archeology as well as other interesting sources such as genetics, linguistics, and botany.

Intelligent Exploitation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intelligent Exploitation - Case Study Example The major business challenge that Hazendal encounters is in the effective management of its complex wine production operations which includes scheduling the harvest of grapes, process management of wine production and marketing management of the final product. In spite of the huge volume of sales undertaken by Hazendal, the current data and information management systems in the organization is very primitive. It consisted of distributed databases of operations, non-inclusion of IT based management for variety of activities like grape allocation, sales data that includes the information on product, customer and region/country. At the same time, the sales invoice was issued separately using professional accounting software. Thus the fragmented style of information management led to high levels of operational inefficiency, extended delays in information transmission and inconsistency in sales and inventory reports. Besides, the company constantly conducts extensive outdoor customer retention and relationship building programs, which was very essential for the preparation of effective marketing plan. Thus to integrate its operation and to have increased efficiency and integrated operations across all departments, Hazendal Management decided t o implement a custom designed information management software. ... The essay presented here reviews two separate project phases in connection with the information management project at Hazendal. Phase I is related to the design and implementation of the vineyards management system for Hazendal and the Phase II draws the attention towards the barriers to its intelligent exploitation. Intelligent Exploitation Theory: Frameworks and Literature Review The term "Intelligent Exploitation" is coined to explain the inadequacies observed in extracting the full potential of information technology investments that have been made in the organizations (Holtham, 2008). It is observed that huge investments made by the organizations have not resulted in a significant improvement on their business or organizational management practices (Clemons et al, 1990). Also, all the earlier initiatives made across the world to improve and upgrade the technology didn't place the knowledge and information in the centre stage of all the activities (Brynjolfsson, 1991). Thus the advantages that the organizations could claim to possess towards the preparation of their growth strategies were also very insignificant. Implementations of IT tools have helped the organizations to create rich repositories of in-house data, which are not properly used for their own strategic advantage (Davern and Kauffman, 2000). In the present day circumstances the organizations n eed to be elevated to the status of creators of knowledge and thus transforming the organizations as a learning system (Dos Santos et al, 2000). But, contrary to the expectations IT investments were not able to justify the creation of specific strength within the organization to address the objectives of equipping the group to grow as

Environmental Impact Assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environmental Impact Assessment - Coursework Example This shows the fast growing trend of establishing wind energy infrastructure and it is evident that we are going to see many similar projects been commissioned. On one hand it is a very healthy step to shift from non-renewable fuels to green technologies such as wind energy but these technologies also have some issues regarding their impacts on environment and need to be scoped and studied. Another reason for this selection is that this project is an extension, so its impact on the environment will not just be doubled but increased many folds. As you can see in the figure that the extension project is adjacent to high density wind farming area shown in RED. 1.2 Location and Description of the Project Whitelee Wind Farm, is the biggest onshore wind farm in Europe Union, which started in May 2009. ... The Whitelee project will use 69 Alstom ECO 100 wind turbines with a 3MW capacity and six ECO 74 turbines with 1.6MW capacity each. This expansion will confirm Whitelee’s status as the largest wind farm in Europe. â€Å"Simon Christian, UK director of ScottishPower Renewables, said â€Å"Whitelee windfarm is already the largest onshore windfarm in Europe and this extension pushing the overall capacity to 539MW will make it one of the largest in the world.† (Simon Christian) ? Site : Whitelee Wind Farm EXT ? Part : Eaglesham Moor ? Latitude : 55 ° 41' 13.1" ? Longitude : -4 ° 13' 44.4" ? Geodetic system : WGS84 In the above figure the green area mainly comprises of the wind farm and we can see that there are urban areas nearby which include Kilmamock and Hamilton. The next figure will give us the deeper picture of the extension and the turbine density in the gird. Where the blue circles show the planned extension turbine location and the grey show the existing turbi nes. As from the figure we can see that the extension will make create proximity of turbines to the urban areas(white parts of the figure) and therefore the turbines will have more adverse affects on the environment of the area and possibility of accidents will rise in these locations. At present this land is mainly used for grazing for livestock, agriculture activities and forestry. There has been an effective conservation of these activities before the extension but there is potential risk to them now as more turbines will occupy more spaces and construction of these facilities will require more restricted areas and spots. Same is the case with the visual amenity, where now the excessive number of wind turbines

Is There a Constitutional Right to Possess a Firearm for Private Use Research Paper

Is There a Constitutional Right to Possess a Firearm for Private Use - Research Paper Example Body The Second Amendment provides a general rule for the right to bear arms, and under such provision, the right to possess firearms for private use seems to be clear-cut and undeniable. The Supreme Court has provided various rulings for the application of this right. In the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller case, the SC held that the Second Amendment indeed protects the right of the people as private citizens to bear arms. This ruling basically declared that individuals were legally protected in their right to keep a loaded gun in their home for their self-defense (Vicini, 2008). This ruling however did not settle any misgivings on the part of individuals who did not favor the legalization, as well as the widespread use and bearing of arms. To this date therefore, this ruling is still controversial; and for various individuals with legal considerations on the case they would not likely hesitate in seeking other interpretations of this right by the courts. The right to bear arms h as long since been considered a universal right, especially during the earliest years of the world’s history when wars were rampant and disputes were often settled through violent skirmishes (Hollister, 1962). The precursors of guns included bows and arrows, spears, and other harmful and deadly weapons, like swords and daggers. The right to possess and bear arms was firmly supported, retained, and expanded. All serfs, tenants, and subjects of the state and of the crown were required to bear arms in order to protect the state (Lyon, 1980). Various evolutions of armaments and weapons were seen throughout the years, and the people were also required to bear arms when they would travel, attend fairs, or when they would go to markets (Lyon, 1980). The people were even asked to train in the use of long-bows and other arms in order to ensure their protection. In the 1500s in England, the crown decided to ban firearms (meaning, bows and arrows); instead a militia was to be trained in the use of these arms (Bagley and Rowley, 1965). This militia would be considered the armed citizenry of the English political system. This move however backfired when the militia turned on the crown and gained temporary control of the government (Bagley and Rowley, 1965). This prompted the Parliament to order the search and destruction of all arms from all opponents of the crown. As the crown was later restored, the military government’s reign ended. In general, all arms by the militia were banned and confiscated (Malcolm, 1980). This control of the militia was carried over to the control of Britain over its American colonies. After persistent moves by the British government to control its American colonials, including their rights to bear arms, the need to protect the right to bear arms became an even bigger necessity (Patterson, 1973).

Rousseau, Marx and the Critique of Classical Liberalism Essay

Rousseau, Marx and the Critique of Classical Liberalism - Essay Example Rousseau on the other hand, emphasizes on democratic political interdependence and economic self-sufficiency whereby all human beings are free and also tries to explain the origin of inequalities and how to resolve them. Just like Rousseau, Marx hates inequalities hence much of his work is criticism of the capitalist state and goes beyond political democracy to emancipation of the human race. The paper will discuss Rousseau and Marx approaches to critique of classical liberalism. Classical liberalism puts emphasis on securing the freedom of individual by limiting the power of the state and this freedom is referred as liberty. In this case, ownership of private property is encouraged and protected by the law and exchange of the property with a willing buyer is voluntary. It also advocates for the need to separate the church from the state hence freedom of religion and also free trade. This is in the belief that people have inalienable rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness a nd the role of the state is to safeguard these rights (Fremont-Barnes, 225). It is also based on the idea that people aim at maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain and that people engage in labor voluntarily to get a reward or due to fear of hunger. Much emphasis is placed on the individual since the society is a sum of individual members thus discourages formation of unions or group associations (Epstein, 1-12). Contrary to classical liberalism which emphasizes negative freedom whereby others should refrain from interfering with other’s rights, Rousseau views freedom as positive whereby individuals are enabled to realize higher goods. On the discourse on the origin and basis of inequality (1755), Rousseau acknowledges the existence of primitive societies who lived under the natural state and directed to act by their passions and desire. Under the natural state, all men are equal and inequality is brought about by men through civilization (Rousseau 1987, 26). Each society me mber has a task to perform and no one is forced to share tasks with others and the sovereign and the people have same interests. Contrary to classical liberalism, under this democratic government no one is above the law and if a government proves not fit for the society, the society has the right to overthrow it and form a new government. Such was the case with the French revolution which led to overthrow of the monarch. The government envisioned by Rousseau is a direct and not representative democracy where the people are sovereign with a general will and legislative power with the government being distinct from the sovereign (Rousseau 2008, 25). The government neither engages in conquest of its neighbors since it is self-sufficient nor expects to be conquered but instead it expects the neighbors to be of assistance in time of need hence political interdependence (Rousseau 1987, 27). On his second discourse, Rousseau points out two types of inequalities; natural inequality such as age, health and bodily strength; Moral or political inequality which is consented by men such as being more powerful, richer and more honored. He argues that the development of inequalities was as a result of evolution from natural to moral inequality. The formation of language was important in the evolution as it enabled the ideas to be spread widely otherwise in the state of nature, any

Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath presentation Assignment

Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath presentation - Assignment Example David’s brand is an underdog in this presentation that serves to show the upper hand he had against Goliath. Contextually, Gladwell argues that nimble, newcomers with new answers to old challenges frequently beat giant risks or barriers. David’s strong suit originated from his ability to break the presumptions of conventional battle strategies that size means power.2 Here, Gladwell says that being the underdog creates a situation that shows why there is always more than meets the eye. Using context to express an analysis of the account of David and Goliath makes Gladwell’s work convincing.3 The presentation is essentially about spiritual weapons as well as how affective and imaginative desires are as equally important as financial or material desires. In the absence of physical advantages, one has ideas, imagination, perseverance, devotion, and excitement to keep going. A critical look at the story of David and Goliath underscores this near rationale as I was convinced to appreciate my ideal and imaginative gifts as they are, as should any other historian or even

Candide by Voltaire Essay Example for Free

Candide by Voltaire Essay Through Candide’s perplexing adventures and enlightening encounters, Voltaire illuminates the numerous diverse cultures of which Europeans consider themselves superior. Yet rather than supporting the foreign practices of cannibalism, bestiality, and the abolishment of priests, Voltaire is ridiculing the Europeans’ own methods of torture in an abusive social hierarchy. Therefore, while freedom of expression and a consensus of the majority constitute faucets of good behavior, the European practice of elitist rule and inequitable punishments is revealed as unjust. This criticism suggests the need for reform by deriving authority from somewhere other than the traditional roles of the royalty, clergy, and nobility, a rather radical move at the time. Voltaire at first reveals the fault of Europeans through his description of the savage land of Oreillon. Upon their dissent from Paraguay, Candide and Cacambo come across two women, completely nude, who cry out and â€Å"spryly† run away from two monkeys who snap â€Å"at their buttocks† (73). Instantly sympathetic, Candide shoots his musket and kills the monkeys, thinking that he has redeemed himself from earlier sins by saving these distressed women. However, to his surprise he discovers that he has just killed the ladies’ lovers. Without questioning the practices of this foreign society, Candide reacts based on his own perceptions of right and wrong. His actions reflect the naivety of Europeans concerning what is thought to be normal based on their own â€Å"superior† culture. As punishment for Candide’s rash actions, the Oreillons attempt to roast the travelers over a spit to eat, justifying this through the proclamations that Candide and Cacambo are Jesuits and thus deserve to die. This behavior is explained by Cacambo as being â€Å"appropriate† because â€Å"if we Europeans do not exercise our right to eat others, it is because we have other ingredients for a good meal† (pg. 74). He recognizes that each society contains its own equally valid practices which cannot be altered or condemned by those who think they are predominant. In addition, Voltaire is not justifying that bestiality and cannibalism constitute a righteous society, but rather satirically commenting on the Europeans own practices, for it would be hypocritical to condemn these practices without evaluating whether the European’s own forms of punishment are just. As the innocent Candide ventures to Eldorado, he is once again introduced to a land unlike that found in contemporary Europe. Upon their arrival, the travelers bewilderingly walk upon pavement made up of rubies, emeralds, and gold and rapture in the delights of a free feast at a common inn. The generous, humble citizens then guide them to an old man and, later, even the approachable king, in order to answer their many questions. Through these communicators they come to realize that the most striking aspects of the village do not constitute its physical features, but rather its ideology. They are told that all men are free, and thus there is no need for the establishment of courts, trials, or prisons. While Candide is quite baffled by these assertions which completely contrast the structured social organization of Europe, he is even more confused by the lack of priests or an enforced religion, upon which he exclaims, â€Å"What! You have no monks who lecture, debate, govern, conspire, and burn people who don’t agree with them?† (79). These seemingly sarcastic remark is a reflection of the binary thinking in which the Europeans have taught their citizens to believe. Candide had always considered the church as an institution which interjects in every aspect of life and constantly ridicules and punishes others while denying the fact that there are other practices and religions besides the order of the church and Catholicism. Voltaire is not suggesting the elimination of priests, which would be a radical idea at the time, but is rather demonstrating a deeper criticism of Europeans who assume that they are superior and must punish all those who defy this idea. Although Oreillon and El Dorado are societies completely unlike that of the Europeans in law and culture, they are seen as portraying decent human behavior because they allow their citizens to express free will and they derive authority from the consent of the masses. For instance, in Oreillon, women are allowed to mate with whomever they please without judgement or persecution from others. This freedom of expression illustrates that the culture seeks to facilitate the happiness of its people. Additionally, when the two monkeys are murdered by Candide, the leaders instantly capture and attempt to punish the travelers, reflecting the society’s dedication to protect its citizens from harm and condemn those who impinge on basic freedoms. While this culture may seem bizarre compared to more civilized nations, the fact that it derives its authority from the people illustrates that bestiality and cannibalism are enforced as appropriate human behaviors so long as there is a general consensus. Similarly, good behavior does not necessarily need to be derived from praise towards the king or daily sacrifices to a church, as portrayed in Eldorado. Unlike in Europe, the king is humble, approachable and genuinely concerned with the welfare of his citizens. For example, the feast the travelers consume at the inn is free because the state is said to assist business, thus revealing that the government is willing to contribute to the success of its people despite their class or wealth. Therefore, despite their practices, these societies emulate good behavior. However, Voltaire forms a critic of the Europeans due to the unjust practices in which they derive and maintain authority. In Candide’s hometown of Westphalia, for example, the naive Candide is exiled from the castle of the Thunder-ten-tronckh because he kissed the Baron’s daughter, Cunegonde. He was unfairly punished because he stepped out of the social hierarchy to which he was born, while Cunegonde was not disciplined for her actions due to her rank. Similarly, in places like Paris, the elites haughtily criticize their fellow man’s creations and do not hesitate to manipulate and greedily conspire against others. When Candide is led into a ploy by the despicable Abbe and arrested even though he had not committed any crimes, he is able to buy his freedom with three diamonds. The officer then exclaims, â€Å"Ah sire, even if you committed every crime imaginable, you’re still the best man in the world† (97). One’s fate depends on the inconsiderate word of the elite, one’s wealth, and the act of bribery. Since Candide had money, he was able to secure his freedom while the majority of peasants who are near penniless would have to suffer. These scenarios represent the unjust rule of the elites over the consensus of the majority. While Voltaire formulates the components of good behavior based on the legitimacy the authority derives from its citizens, he also constitutes bad behavior as punishment without just cause. For instance, when Candide and Martin arrive in Portsmouth, they view the execution of a British Admiral. The Admiral’s crime was explained in that he had stayed too far from the French enemy and that his death would encourage others to fight more fervently during war. This nonsensical behavior represents the paradox of European punishments which reduce war heros to criminals. Another such scene is presented when Candide and Pangloss reach the city of Lisbon in which a haphazard earthquake kills thirty thousand people. Faculty of a university decide that, in order to prevent another earthquake, they must â€Å"roast several persons over a slow fire They had therefore seized a man from the Basque province who had been convicted of marrying the godmother of his godchild, and two Portuguese men, who when eating a chicken, had removed the bacon seasoning† (52-53). As a manner of electing their sacrifices, they choose those who had committed even questionable offenses, though even those forms of misconduct can be viewed as unsubstantial enough to deserve punishment, much less death. While it is firstly completely unreasonable to attribute a natural phenomenon to personal actions, Voltaire goes so far as to satirically illustrate that this is a commonsense European belief, for both offenses appear inconsequential to the victims’ punishment. Meanwhile, most Europeans would be disgusted with the culture of the Oreillons who engage in cannibalism after enacting a punishment. However, Candide’s death penalty after murdering two of its citizens is a much more equitable offense in terms of its punishment than removing bacon seasoning from chicken, such as in Europe. Furthermore, once a body has been burnt, it seems inconsequential whether it is eaten or not. Voltaire is thus able to portray the irony as well as the unjust nature of European punishments as a bad behavior of society. The figures of the time who would be most notably perturbed by Voltaire’s suggestions constitute the royalty, the nobility, and the clergy. Firstly, for centuries the royalty had uncontestedly derived authority through lineage and from claims to divine right. Candide’s embrace with the King of Eldorado would probably be perceived as strange because the royalty was considered far above the common people in class, stature, and rights, and thus did not need the consent of its citizens to govern. Thus, the monarchy would be opposed to Voltaire’s ideas because they undermine his authority. This is reflected in eighteenth century Europe when the National Assembly made a radical move by sending Louis XVI to the guillotine as a symbol of the growing dissatisfaction of the peasants and workers. Secondly, the nobility consisted of a small number of elites who mainly derived their elevated status from patronage. Voltaire’s view of this social class, at least in Paris, is illustrated in the abode of Marquise de Parolignac, in which these morose intellectuals portray that their sole interests are to spread slander, hypocritically belittle art, and greedily take advantage of Candide’s treasures. Similarly to the monarchy, Voltaire’s proposal that society’s values and laws should be supported by the consensus of the masses was a scandalous assertion because it would undermine the power of the elites and force them to surrender their privilege. Finally, the clergy’s word penetrated all aspects of life in eighteenth century Europe while Religious Orthodoxy formed local allegiances and bound communities together by preaching sacred traditions. However, it can also be said that the institutions of the church hypocritically valued their own self-preservation over educating the masses. Therefore, these religious authorities would not consent in being forced to adhere to stricter laws by having to give proper, legitimate reasons as a means to punish nonbelievers or delinquents of the church. Despite these opponents, Voltaire suggests a need for reform by deriving authority from somewhere other than the norm. Although European society appears far more advanced than that of the savages and more structured than Eldorado, that does not necessarily determine that its laws and people are superior. In fact, Voltaire constitutes good behavior in a society as something that has been consented upon by its people, while bad behavior derives from unjust punishment and the dangerous rule of elites. Voltaire thus forms a critic of Europeans through comparisons to these foreign lands and furthermore questions whether a reformation of authority is a necessary means to benefit society. Source Voltaire. Candide. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.

Theories of child development

Theories of child development Describe and evaluate two stage theories of child development Developmental psychologists use theories to formulate hypotheses. There are three main, very broad families of theories related to child development. These are Psychoanalytical Theory, Learning Theory and Cognitive-Developmental Theory. Theories within each of these families attempt to provide developmentalists with comprehensive explanations of just about every facet of human development. Psychoanalytic Theories (e.g. Freud and Erikson) propose that developmental change happens because of the influence of internal drives and emotions on behaviour. Learning Theories (e.g. Pavlov, Bandura etc.) propose that development results from an accumulation of experiences. Cognitive-Developmental Theories (e.g. Piaget and Vygotsky) emphasise the mental processes in development. Freuds Psychosexual Theory is an example of a Psychoanalytical Theory. Freud mainly worked with adults who were suffering from severe mental illnesses and he used his findings to base his work on development. He concluded that behaviour is governed by both conscious and unconscious thought processes and he believed that the libido is the motivating force behind most of our behaviour. One of the main parts of Freuds theory is his idea that a persons personality is divided into 3 parts called the id, the ego and the superego. The id is a persons basic sexual and aggressive impulses. The id contains the libido and motivates a person to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The ego is the conscious, thinking part of a persons personality. One of its main jobs is to keep the needs of the id satisfied. It is also responsible for keeping the three components of personality in balance. Finally, the superego is the part of our personality that acts as a moral judge. When the superego has developed, t he egos task becomes much more difficult. It must satisfy the id without violating the superegos rules. According to Freud, a person experiences tension when any of the three components is in conflict with another. He believed that sexual feelings are vital to personality development however he only believed this because many of his patients had memories of sexual feelings and behaviour in childhood. Freuds most controversial idea was regarding childrens experiences of sexual attraction towards the opposite-sex parent during the phallic stage. He termed these ‘The Oedipus Conflict for a male child and ‘The Electra Complex if the child was female. For example, The Oedipus Conflict states that a male child has sexual feelings for his mother but fears that his father will find out and castrate him. Freud proposed a series of psychosexual stages. He believed that a child passes through each one of these stages. These stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. He believed that during each stage the libido is fixed around a certain area of the body and a major developmental task takes place. For example, in the oral stage, which Freud believed occurred from birth and lasted until the child was one year old, libido is said to be focussed on the mouth, lips and tongue. Freud believed that during this stage the major developmental task that took place was weaning. In the anal stage, libido is focussed on the anus and toilet training takes place. This usually occurs at ages 1 to 3 years old. In the phallic stage, focus is on the genitals (as it is in the genital stage) and this is where the child tries to resolve the Oedipus/Electra complex. Freud thought that the latency period is not really a psychosexual stage as the libido is not focussed on the body during this period a nd therefore, fixation is impossible. Freud went on to state that if an adult is fixated at one of these stages, they will have certain recognisable characteristics. For example, if an adult is fixated at the oral stage they will develop characteristics such as smoking, overeating, passivity and gullibility. According to Freud, optimum development requires an environment that will satisfy the unique needs of each period. Freuds Psychosexual Theory has been praised because it provides a psychological explanation for mental illness and it emphasises the importance of experiences in infancy and early childhood. It also highlights the importance of the childs earliest relationships with their caregivers. It suggests that a childs needs change with age, so parents and caregivers must continually adapt to the changing child. Eriksons Psychosocial Theory supports Freuds Theory. Erikson (1963) was a neo-Freudian which means that his ideas were built on the strengths of Freuds Theory but he attempted to avoid the weaknesses. Erikson proposed that personality develops in eight psychosocial stages over the course of the lifespan. He believed that personality develops through eight life crises across the entire lifespan. A person finishes each crisis with either a good or poor resolution. The theory also provided psychologists with a number of helpful concepts (e.g. id, ego, superego, unconscious etc) and many o f these terms are not used in everyday language and not just in psychological theory. Freud is often credited with the invention of psychotherapy, which is still practiced today. However, there are many theorists that disagree with Freuds ideas. For example, Baldwin (1967) states that one of the main criticisms of Freuds work is that it focus upon our thoughts and feelings, which presents many methodological problems. Baldwin goes on to comment on the fact that many of the terms that Freud uses (e.g. id, ego etc.) have not been operationalised. Operational definitions of the key terms are vital to a scientific theory as we need precise definitions in order to test the theories properly. This therefore means that the theory is not falsifiable. Freuds theory has also been criticised because of the evidence it presents. As stated earlier, much of the support for Freuds theory came from his own patients, who he used as case studies. He mainly chose to study women as he saw them as being inferior and this meant that his theory displays some very patriarchal issues and can be viewed as being very negative to women, something which feminists have argued for years. Piagets Cognitive-Developmental Theory is used to emphasise the mental processes in development. Piaget (1974) believed that all children seem to go through the same sequence of discoveries about their world, making the same mistakes and arriving at the same solutions. A scheme is an internal cognitive structure that provides an individual with a procedure to use in a specific circumstance. This is a main idea in Piagets model. Piaget believed that each of us starts life with a small repertoire of sensory and motor schemes, such as looking, tasting, touching, hearing, and reaching. As we use each scheme it starts to work better. Piaget proposed 3 processes in order to explain how children get from built-in schemes, such as looking and touching, to the complex mental schemes used in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Assimilation is the process by which we use a scheme to make sense of an event or situation. The complementary process is accommodation, which involves changing the sc heme as a result of some new information acquired through assimilation. Through accommodation we improve our skills and reorganise our ways of thinking. Equilibration is the process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to create schemes that fit the environment. Piagets research suggested to him that logical thinking evolves in four stages. During the sensorimotor stage, from birth to 18 months, infants use their sensory and motor schemes to act on the world around them. In the preoperational stage, from 18 months to 6 years, children acquire symbolic schemes, such as language and fantasy, which they use in thinking and communicating. Next, is the concrete operational stage, 6-12 year olds begin to think logically and become capable of solving problems. The final stage is the formal operational stage. Here, adolescents learn to think logically about abstract ideas and hypothetical situations. Piaget believed that each stage comes from the one before it, and each involves major restructuring of the childs way of thinking. Research has confirmed that the sequence of stages is fixed and that children progress through them at different rates. Conservation studies, such as those carried out by Ciancio et al (1999) and Sophian (1995), have generally confirmed Piagets observations. Although it does seem as though younger children can demonstrate some understanding of conservation if the task is made very simple, most children cannot consistently solve conservation and other kinds of logical problems until at least the age of 5. However, Boyd and Bee (2008) state that preschoolers are a great deal more cognitively sophisticated than Piaget thought. Boyd and Bee believe that children, as young as 2 and 3, do appear to understand that another person sees and experiences things differently than they do. This therefore suggests that Piaget may have been wrong about some of the ages at which children develop certain skills. However, Bringuier (1980) counter-criticises this by recognising that the age ranges of each of the stages were always meant to be approximate. Piaget may also be wrong about the generality of the stages. For e xample, Boyd and Bee (2008) suggest that most 8 year olds show concrete operational thinking on some tasks but not on others, and they are more likely to show complex thinking on familiar rather than unfamiliar tasks. This therefore suggests that the process of child development may be a lot less stage-like than Piaget first suggested. Piatelli-Palmarini (1980) and Turiel (1996) go on to further argue this point by suggesting that it is very difficult to provide evidence for Piagets theory if the behaviour he suggests is very rarely, if ever, consistent with actually happens. This theory helps to explain how children of different ages think about and act on the world. Piagets research findings have been replicated in nearly every culture since his work was first published in the 1920s. Therefore, not only did he formulate a new theory which forced psychologists to think about child development in a new way, he also provided a set of findings that were impossible to ignore and difficult to explain. He also developed innovative methods of studying childrens thinking that continue to be important today. Feldman (2004) states that the question of how a child moves from one stage to another has been discussed between many critics of Piagets theory. For example, Gruber and Voneche (1977) and Karmiloff-Smith (1992) believe that Piagets stages should not longer be considered by theorists because they are unnecessary. However, Piaget knew that the stages he proposed would have to be modified. Feldman (2004) attempted to present a contemporary version of Piagets stages that he hoped would work better to express Piagets vision of what the stages are intended to represent. Feldman went on to state that a child may not actually behave in ways consistent with the principles of the operating system or overall set of cognitive structures of his or her stage. Feldman (2004) suggests that Piagets idea of equilibration has caused much controversy between theorists with many making efforts to interpret, clarify, critique and revise the concept. Feldman goes on to say that Piaget himself was not satisfied with the way that equilibration explains in detail how the transitions between the stages take place. Piaget (1975) tried to discover an elaborated version of equilibration so as to better capture movement from stage to stage within his theory. The main problem with equilibration is that it lacks a lot of detail. Most critics seem to agree that it is correct, but it leaves many unanswered questions. When equilibration processes are contrasted with structures as a whole, lots of problems arise for the theory. According to Siegler and Munakato (1993) the equilibration model forces us to choose to accept unrealistic transitions that occur from stage to stage or to abandon the idea of structures as a whole. However, if this was to happen, some o f the theorys major claims would be abandoned. Feldman (1995) went on to adapt Piagets theory. In doing so, he adapted it in such a way that the equilibration process would continue to play a central role in cognitive structures, but it no longer has to carry the burden of stage transition alone. The Information Processing Theory supports Piagets Theory. This uses the computer as a model to explain intellectual processes such as memory and problem-solving. It suggests that there are both age differences and individual differences in the efficiency with which humans use their information-processing systems. This theory can be used to explain Piagets Theory. Case (1985) states that this is a neo-Piagetian theory which expands on Piagets Theory rather than contradicting it. However, Boyd and Bee (2008) state that Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory goes against what Piaget proposed. Vygotsky stated that complex forms of thinking have their origins in social interactions rather than in the childs private explorations, as Piaget thought.

Marketing Plan Of Coca Cola Company Marketing Essay

Marketing Plan Of Coca Cola Company Marketing Essay Introduction: Coca Colas path to nearly universal recognition as a consumer product began by means of a peddler of patent medicines in Atlanta, Georgia in the year 1886. This individual one John Stith Pemberton had an ingenious idea. Why sell 75 pennies or Pound medicine bottles? This was a marketing strategy limited to the sick. Why not sell a single serving for a nickel? In the Deep South of the U.S. everyone might afford 5 ¢ for a cold invigorating soft drink. The nickel Coke was born. At the time, no one might have predicted that it would be almost 1960 before the nickel Coke was finally gone. (Allen, 1994) Today, if one scans the economic literature on price rigidity, he/she will find documented cases on how a number of prices seem to be sticky for significant periods of time. For example, Bergen, 2002 examines data on magazine prices plus finds that their prices transform regarding every 3-6 years. Using the Bergen, 2002 transaction price data, Bergen, 2002 finds that, It is not unusual in a number of industries for prices to individual buyers to remain untransformed for several years Bergen, 2002 studies catalogue prices of 12 retail goods over a 35-year period plus reports that the average time flanked by price transforms is regarding fifteen months. Blinder, et al. (1998), presenting detailed survey evidence as of U.S. firms, concludes that the average lag of price adjustments following supply or demand transforms is 3 months. Bergen, 2002 studies apartment rental prices in the U.S. using the Annual Housing Survey data, plus finds that over the period of 1974-1981, flanked by 23 as well as 34 percent of the apartments had no transform in nominal rent as of one year to the next. The study by Bergen, 2002 examines the frequency of price transforms for 350 categories of goods as well as services covering regarding 70% of consumer spending in addition to documents frequent prices transforms, by means of half of prices lasting less than 4.3 months. (Bergen, 2002) On the other hand, the price of a serving of Coca-Cola did not adjust to supply or demand transforms for over 60 years, plus the nickel Coke did not entirely disappear as of U.S. markets until 1959 Over 70 years! The contrast is of an order of magnitude to say the least! Our goal in this paper is to study this unusual episode of price rigidity in detail as well as try to explain it. Understanding what appears to be one of the most long-lasting nominal price rigidity phenomena of the 20th century is valuable for several reasons. First, the Coca-Cola Business is one of the most successful in addition to documented producers of a consumer good in the world. Second, over most of the time period covered in this study, the soft drink industry was a non-negligible part of the U.S. economy. For example, as of 1945, the bottled non-alcoholic carbonated beverage industry had a nominal production value of  £579 million, or 0.26 percent of the  £222 billion Nominal GDP.4 The Coca-Cola Busine ss had a 50 percent plus market share of the industry, making its contribution alone economically significant, regarding 0.13 percent of the GDP. (Zbaracki, 2002) Marketing Strategy: Coca Colas spends loads on advertising however; the theme should be how to use it more effectively so the advertising program is simple.   Coca Colas should do direct mail, banner ads, and inserts, by means of inserts in the Register Guard likely to be the most successful of the campaigns.   Mission Coca Colas mission is to provide the customer the finest drinks as well as dining experience.   We exist to attract and maintain customers.   When we adhere to this maxim, everything else should fall into place.   The services should exceed the expectations of the customers.   Marketing Objectives Maintain positive, steady, growth each month. Generate maximum sales target each month. Experience an increase in novel customers who are turned into long-term customers. Realize a growth strategy of one store per year. Financial Objectives A double-digit growth rate for each future year. Reduce the overhead per store through disciplined growth. Continue to decrease the variable costs associated by means of food production. Target Marketing The souk can be segmented into two target populations: Individuals: sportsmen Families: during dinners as a popular fizzy drink, ceremonies and other family functions. Combining several key demographic factors, Coca Colas arrives at a profile of the primary customer as follows: Sophisticated markets all over the globe. Meant for all ages. All stores and supermarkets to keep the Coca Cola products on their shelves. Positioning Coca Colas should position itself as a reasonably priced, upscale, drink.   Consumers who appreciate high-quality fizzy drinks should recognize the value and unique offerings of Coca Colas drinks and its different promotions.   Coca Cola positioning should leverage their competitive edge: Product. The product should have the freshest ingredients including fizzy drinks, and might be smoothies and shakes can also be introduced.   The product should in addition be developed to enhance presentation, everything should be aesthetically pleasing. Service. Customer service should be the priority.   All employees should ensure that the customers are having the most pleasant delivery experience (by customer it is meant to mention the retailers and wholesalers).   All employees should go through an extensive training program and only experienced people should be hired. By offering a superior product, coupled by means of superior service, Coca Colas should excel relative to the competition. Strategy Pyramids The single objective is to position Coca Colas as the premier drinks , OR area, commanding a majority of the souk share inside five years.   The marketing strategy should seek to first create customer awareness regarding their services offered, develop that customer base, plus work toward building customer loyalty and referrals. The message that Coca Colas should seek to communicate is that Coca Colas offers the freshest, most creative, health conscious, reasonably priced, drinks.   This message should be communicated through a variety of methods.   The first should be direct mail.   The direct mail campaign should be a manner to communicate directly by means of the consumer.   Coca Colas should in addition employ  banner ads as well as inserts in the Register Guard.   This should be particularly effective for the reason that the Register Guard is a popular local paper that is consulted when people are looking for things to do in the global markets.   The last method for communicating Coca Colas message is through a grassroots PR campaign.   This campaign should leverage personal relationships by means of people on staff of the Register Guard to get a couple of articles written regarding Coca Colas.   One should be as of the trade point of view, talking regarding the opening of the restaurant and the people behind the venture.   This is likely to be run in the trade section.   The second article should be a food review that is what are the different foods a customer feels a fizzy drink is a must, this will help the company to make sure that its products and all the drinks range is available on such occasions which augments its sales;  In speaking by means of several dissimilar retailers plus restaurateurs, significant increases of traffic followed articles in the Register Guard.   For the reason that of this level of effectiveness and low/zero cost, Coca Colas should work hard to get press in the Register Guard. Marketing Mix Coca Colas marketing mix is comprised of these following approaches to pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion, and customer service. Pricing. Coca Colas pricing scheme is that the product cost is 45% of the total retail price. Distribution. Coca Colas food should be distributed through a take out  model where customers can call in their order plus come to the  restaurant to pick it up, come into any restaurant free coke campaign will enable the , place the take out  order as well as wait for it to be completed, or come in and dine at the restaurant. Advertising and Promotion. The most successful advertising should be  banner ads and inserts in the Register Guard as well as a PR campaign of  informational articles plus reviews  in addition inside the Register Guard. Customer Service. Obsessive customer attention is the mantra.   Coca Colas philosophy is that whatever needs to be done to make the customer happy have to occur, even at the expense of short-term profits.   In the long term, this investment should pay off by means of a fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends by means of referrals. Marketing Research During the initial phases of the  marketing plan development, several focus groups were held to gain insight into a variety of patrons of drinks.   These focus groups provided useful insight into the decisions, as well as decision making processes, of consumers. An additional source of souk research that is dynamic is a feedback mechanism based on a suggestion card system.   The suggestion card system has several statements that patrons are asked to rate in terms of a given scale.   There are in addition several open ended questions that allow the customer to freely offer constructive criticism or praise.   Coca Colas should work hard to implement reasonable suggestions in order to improve their service offerings as well as show their commitment to the customer that their suggestions are valued. The last source of souk research is competitive analysis/appreciation.   Coca Colas should continually patronize local drinks for two reasons.   The first is for competitive analysis, providing Coca Colas by means of timely information regarding other drinks service offering.   The second reason is that local trade owners particularly drink owners, are often part of an informal fraternal organization where they support each others trade. Financials, Budgets, and Forecasts This section should offer a financial overview of Coca Colas as it relates to the marketing activities.   Coca Colas should address Break-even Analysis, sales forecasts, expense forecasts, and how those link to the marketing strategy. Break-even Analysis The Break-even Analysis indicates that  Ã‚ £40,000 should be needed in monthly revenue to reach the break-even point. Sales Forecast The first two months should be worn to get the company up and running.   By month three things should get busier.   Sales  should gradually increase by means of profitability being reached by the beginning of year two. Expense Forecast Marketing expenses are to be budgeted so that they are ramped up for months two through four plus then lower as well as plateau as of month five to month 10. Companys typically have increased trade in the fall.   This generally occurs for the reason that during the summer, when the weather is nice and it does not get dark until late, people tend to eat out less but due to hot weather drinks sell well.   As of months 10-12, the marketing costs should increase again. Controls The purpose of Coca Colas marketing plan is to serve as a guide  for the organization.     Implementation Milestones The following milestones identify the key marketing programs.   It is significant to accomplish each one on time, and on budget. Marketing Organization Kevin Lewis, the owner, is primarily responsible for marketing activities.   This is in addition to his other responsibilities, plus does depend on some outside resources for graphic design work, and creativity. Contingency Planning Difficulties and risks: Problems generating visibility. Overly aggressive as well as debilitating actions by competitors. An entry into the Eugene  souk  of an already existing,  company. Worst case risks might include: Determining that the trade cannot support itself on an ongoing basis. Having to liquidate equipment or intellectual property  to cover liabilities. The concept and product image of Coca Cola should attract 3 dissimilar customer profiles; The student further and further young people have developed healthy eating and fizzy drinking habits. Some in addition go through a health food phase while in college. The health conscious person of any age or sex this includes anyone on a restricted or prescribed diet or those who have committed to a healthy diet. Curious and open-minded if one tries it, one should like it. Through marketing, publicity, plus word-of-mouth, people should seek out a novel experience and learn that nutritious food can be tasty, fun, convenient, as well as inexpensive. The Competition There are over four dozen companies in the global markets that offer drinks at similar prices. Even though this presents an obvious challenge in terms of souk share, it in addition indicates the presence of a large, strong potential. The newest competitors have made their successful entry based on an innovative concept or novelty. Coca Cola should offer an innovative product in a familiar style at a competitive price. The aggressive plans of take-out and delivery should in addition give us an advantage to create a good souk share before the competition can adjust or similar concepts appear. Competitors Profile Competing by means of Coca Cola for the target souk are these categories of food providers: Independent table service companies of similar range and price structure. Chain Commercial foodservice companies serving students directly. Competitive Strategy There are three major manners in which we should create an advantage over the competitors; product identity, quality, plus novelty high employee motivation and good sales attitude Innovative as well as aggressive service options. Marketing Plan Sales Strategy Souk Penetration Entry into the souk has to not be a problem. The store has high visibility by means of heavy foot traffic all day long. The local residents and students always support novel flavours plus the tourists do not have fixed preferences. In addition,  £10,000 has been budgeted for a pre-opening advertising and public relations campaign. Marketing Strategy Focusing on the unique aspect of the product theme (quality fizzy drinks) a mix of marketing vehicles should be created to convey the presence, the image, as well as the message. Print media local newspapers, magazines and student publications Broadcast media local programming and special interest shows Hotel guides, concierge relations, Chamber of Commerce brochures Direct mail subscriber lists, offices for delivery Misc. yellow pages, charity events A public relations firm has been retained to create special events and solicit print and broadcast coverage, especially at the start-up. The marketing effort should be split into 3 phases; 1) Opening An advanced notice (press packet) sent out by the PR firm to all media plus printed announcement ads in key places. Budget  £10,000 2) Ongoing A flexible campaign (using the above media), assessed regularly for effectiveness. Budget  £10,000 3) Point of sale A well-trained staff can increase the average check as well as enhancing the customers overall experience. Word-of-mouth referral is extremely significant in building a customer base. Future plans and Strategic Opportunities Catering to offices (even outside of the local area) might turn out to be a large part of gross sales. At that point sales agent would be hired to directly souk the products for daily delivery or catered functions. Operations Compensation Incentives Coca Cola should offer competitive wages and salaries to all employees by means of benefit packages available to key personnel only. Board of Directors An impressive board of directors should be assembled that represents some top professional as of the area. They should be a great asset to the development of the company. Consultants Professional Support Resources At the present, no outside consults have been retained, excepting the design department at Best Equipment. Management to be Added We are presently searching for a general manager plus executive chef. These key employees should be well chosen and given incentives for performance and growth. Ownership The stockholders should retain ownership by means of the possibility of offering stock to key employees if deemed appropriate. Long-Term Development Exit Plan Goals Coca Cola is an innovative concept that targets a novel, growing souk. We assume that the souk should respond, plus grow quickly in the next 5 years. The goals are to create a reputation of quality, consistency and security (safety of food) that should make us the leader of a novel style of dining. Strategies The marketing efforts should be concentrated on take-out and delivery, the areas of most promising growth. As the souk changes, novel products might be added to maintain sales. Risk Evaluation By means of any novel venture, there is risk involved. The success of the project hinges on the strength plus acceptance of a fairly novel souk. After year 1, we expect some copycat competition in the form of other independent units. Chain competition should be much later. Exit Plan Ideally, Coca Cola should expand to more units with increased supply of drinks in the next 10 years.

The Black Cat - Symbolism Essay -- essays research papers

Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat" In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat," symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. "The Black Cat," written by Edgar Allan Poe serves as a reminder for all of us. The Capacity for violence and horror lies within each of us, no matter how docile and humane our disposition might appear. In this story, the narrator portrays a man who is fond of animals, had a tender heart, and is happily married. Within several years of his marriage, his general temperament and character make a radical alteration for the worse. He grows moodier, more irritable, and more inconsiderate of the feelings of others. This change for the worse caused by alcohol, ends in the narrator’s waiting on death row for the murder of his wife. The symbolism of the first black cat (Pluto), the second black cat, and the white spot illustrate the narrator’s expanding capacity for evil and perverseness. The most important symbol of the story is the first black cat. The first black cat is symbolic of the narrator’s evil heart and there are many ways one can prove this. Black cat one started out in the story as the narrator’s favorite pet and playmate named Pluto,which is the name of the God of the Underworld. And one night, after returning home much intoxicated the narrator’s love for the pet seem to fade away. That night in which the narrator is...

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum Essay -- essays research papers

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum Knowing about the writer of a literary text can shape significantly the way that it is read. Consider the effect of the writer’s context on your understanding of The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum. â€Å"As a writer of fiction Bà ¶ll was interpreting history, creating patterns of meaning, ordering his material to enable his reader to make sense of it.† The experiences of Bà ¶ll and his values that arose from these events have been influential on the content and themes of Bà ¶ll’s novel, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum. Bà ¶ll experienced both the first and second world wars and the effects that these wars had on German society. Events such as the economic collapse in Germany post WWII, the construction of the Berlin Wall, the rise of student based urban terrorism in West Germany in the 1970’s and the increasing state controls to contain such alleged threats can be seen to influence the issues explored in The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum. The novel is a comment on the press and the law, the labyrinth of social truth, the collision of fact and fiction and the power of language. Bà ¶ll himself experienced the press first hand and this along with the ex periences of Professor Bruckner, form the basis of his criticism directed at the powerful and hegemonic structures in society, in particular in relation to the police and the press and their corrupt relationship in the novella. Many of Heinrich Bà ¶ll s views and attitudes, resulting form his context, are clearly visible in the novella through the portrayal of certain characters in positive or negative lights. The historical, social, economic and political context of Bà ¶ll and West Germany at this time (1900’s) had a considerable effect on the issues Bà ¶ll delves into in The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum and greatly affected my understanding of the novel. Germany has a deeply rooted history with fascism in the form of Nazism in WWII (1939-1945). Bà ¶ll was a teenager at the time of Hitler’s rise to power and he despised Hitler and everything that he stood for. â€Å"I hate the war and all those who love it†. Bà ¶ll actively refused to join Hitler’s Youth as a boy, yet as a young man he was forced to join Hitler’s army. After the war, until the German Republic was formed, Bà ¶ll lived under the Allied Occupation. These events led Bà ¶ll to view politics with doubt and skepticism and he became vehement abo... ... context that shaped Heinrich Bà ¶ll, it becomes apparent to the reader that these conditions have greatly shaped the themes and ideas discussed in Bà ¶ll’s, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum. Main issues such as the corruption and collusion of powerful institutions in society, especially the police, press and industrialists have come through, with emphasis being placed on the misogynistic and patriarchal society and the effects this has on the treatment of woman, shown by Katharina. Bà ¶ll brings his awareness of they way in which power and status are connected to wealth into the text and greatly condemns the abuse of power by the dominant groups in society, â€Å"Bà ¶ll had little faith in any moral renewal coming from political or ecclesiastical hierarchies.† . Bà ¶ll believed that â€Å"the function of literature is to challenge the arrogant claims to totality made by all ideological systems† . By incorporating his own context into his work, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, Bà ¶ll leads the reader to a greater understanding of this time period in West Germany, at the same time undermining the dominant systems and causing the reader to question and carefully examine power structures in society.

Student- Teacher relationships will improve :: essays papers

Student- Teacher relationships will improve From the very first day of school on, student- teacher relationships will be improved in smaller classes. Patricia Handley has been an elementary school teacher for twenty-eight years. She has had the opportunity to teach in both small and large classes. On the first day of teaching her first small class Handley comments, â€Å"I immediately noted their sense of importance; no one seemed lost in the crowd† (2002). In a small class, as the students enter, the teacher can take the time to greet each one. The teacher will learn the names of the children faster. The quicker the student is called by his or her name and the more individual attention they get from the teacher, the more comfortable they are going to feel expressing themselves to the teacher in a learning environment. â€Å" In a class of fifteen students, we can quickly learn about one another and do so in more depth† (Handley, 2002). Each child is an individual. Once a teacher has the chance to get to know the students, they can work to accommodate the strengths and weaknesses in the learning process. Students will have a more worthwhile learning experience Many schools throughout the nation have tried smaller classes. Members of a teaching team in Narcoossee Community School in St. Cloud, Florida have commented that when students come back from summer vacation, they are enthusiastic to see everybody and begin the learning process, more so than before the program started (McGoogan, 2001). Group discussions can be a major part of a school day. In small classes, everybody can have a chance to participate. When students are able to speak to a class in their elementary years, they will gain confidence. If they get used to contributing to class discussions, more than likely, they will hold onto that and use it as they progress through high school and college. When students are in a smaller setting, they will get to know one another better, as well as the teacher. When students are comfortable with the people around them, they will not feel shy or intimidated to raise their hands to answer a question. As students share their ideas and feelings with their peers, they will enhance their learning. They will be able to learn from what others say and they will become more interested on the topic of the discussion if they are involved in some way.

Negotiation Analysis

May 2, 2010 UPS/Teamsters negotiation in 1997 Introduction In 1997 united parcel service and the Teamsters were on table again after 1993’s contract negotiation. It was common since 1980’s that union sent signals to management about large concessions before every negotiation. Union made it clear before the 1997 negotiations started that â€Å"These negotiations are about only one thing and that is making improvements that will give our members the security, opportunities, safety, and standard of living that they deserve† (Witt, Wilson, 1999). In 1996 UPS reported $22. 4 billion of sales. 0 percent of the ground package delivery business was under control of united parcel service. UPS had 185,000 Teamsters employees. Majority of these employees were part timers and other full timers. While reported being a profitable company UPS management said that to stay profitable and beat its competitors they need to negotiate the contract wisely and its employees need to coo perate with them. The emphasis on international business and expedited air shipments was driving the growth of the company. The air side of UPS operates virtually separately than the ground operations. This is where people worked odd hours and had to meet tight operational deadlines. The ground portion also consisted of majority of the part time workers (Budd, 1997). The Teamsters was part of the AFL-CIO. AFL-CIO was a federation consisted of 78 different national and international unions. Overall it had most than 13 million members. Teamster was a big in it as well. It was presenting 1. 4 million members including about 400,000 pensioners both in United States and Canada. Union leaders told its members to be offensive in the negotiation to stay in power. Teamster had many part timers in their membership and these part timers made 57% of the total UPS employees. These part timers had big stakes in this negotiation and were looking forward to get heard in the negotiation. The subcontracting was a big issue for these part timers which also made a big part of the total Teamster labor membership (Bacon, 1997) & (Witt, Wilson, 1999). Analysis At the time of 1997-contract negotiation, democrats were in power. Mr. Clinton was on the president seat. As democrats are seen historically in favor of the unions, teamster could expect government support for sure. The 1997 economy was doing great. It had the great combination of strong growth in domestic product, individual income and very low inflation rate. There was also very low unemployment rate at this time. Economy was expanding in year 1997 since 1991 (USDA, 1997). All this was favoring teamster, which was all ready for the negotiation with UPS. Solid economy meant that UPS was doing great in the business. UPS reported a great sale in year 1996, which was, suppose increase in 1997. Management had no reasons to lay back on employee demands. They were in a good position to be more generous and giving to their employees if they wanted. Low unemployment rates also put UPS in a difficult position. If Teamster wanted to go on strike UPS could have hard time filling all the vacancies. The situation was in great favor of the union side if they wanted to strike (Lecture notes). Initial demands Both sides came with their own plans and claimed their plans to be beneficial to the employees. Both UPS and teamsters saw advantage of controlling the pension funds. Management wanted withdrawal of its contribution to the pension funds. By pulling out of this plan company could be better off financially. It could cost UPS around $700 million in withdraw liability charges. To get out of 31 multiemployer plans. Instead UPS was willing to contribute $1 billion a year to a single-employer plan. UPS wanted the full control of the pension funds. UPS offered to provide a single benefit pension plan to both full and part time employees. Another offer that management made on the table was to create a new company administered health care program. The union administered the current plan and management wanted full control of the program and promised to provide same existing benefits (Bradford, 1997). Union opened with demands that it claimed to be essential for its members. These demand included fair wages and decent pensions plan. At the time full time UPS employees earned $19. 50 per hour and also 410 to $11 per hour in fringes. According to the union management their members deserved to be able to live a decent life. Next union concern was about its part time employees. As more than half of the employee working at UPS was part timers, their voice was also strong in the negotiation demands. Union demanded to make these part timers full timers and provide them same wage rate and full timers. Job security was also an issue that union wanted to be addressed in the negotiation (Bradford, 1997). UPS believed in subcontracted to make company more profitable and union was well aware of this fact. In the previous negotiations UPS had won subcontracting provisions and management wanted to keep this benefit in their plate in this negotiation as well. But, union did not like the way things went in the last negotiation, and this time they wanted to make sure that they do not let management take advantage of subcontracting. Union was very strong on the belief that its members deserved the job security which is only possible by getting rid of the subcontracting. Job safety and health improvements were also great concerns to the union in this negotiation. Union believed that UPS employee get injured more often safety was a big concern. Union believed that present safety programs were not enough. An improvement was definitely needed in this area as well (Schulz, 1997). UPS strategies To prepare for the 1997 negotiation, Teamster started analyzing management previous and up to date negotiation tactics. Management strategies included shift of more workload to lower wage part timers and also expand subcontracting. Even though company was making profit at the moment, company wanted to save money to increase its total profit (Witt, Wilson, 1999). Management proposed little wage increase than in the past negotiations. Starting with lower wage increase could benefit the company in counterbalancing any workers proposal during the negotiations. Division among part timers and full timers could also benefit management as both sides would have different priorities and will benefit management on the negotiations table (Witt, Wilson, 1999). In 1994, when UPS raise the package weight, many reformers wanted to walk out but many old-guard local leaders urged them not to work out. Management believed that same will happen if the members wanted to strike in this negotiation. Management was under impression that if the top union leadership will want to have a strike the old-guard locals will not support it (Witt, Wilson, 1999) & (Bradford, 1997). Union strategies Union was well aware of the fact that membership unity was the key for the success of the negotiation. To build membership unity union wanted to make sure they everyone is on the same page. Union started a yearlong campaign to well prepare for the negotiation table. Before the contract was expired, union took a survey of all its members. The survey wanted everyone of rank his or her priorities of the demands. The very key thing in this survey was that members were also asked about the activities member were willing to participate to help win this negotiation (Witt, Wilson, 1999). At the end of the surveys completion union had a good idea of what its membership wanted and how the things shall be proceed. This step helped union gain its members’ confidence and its members also felt being part of the process. The surveys helped Teamster to talk to their members and encourage them to get involved into contract campaign. Teamster’s main mission was to find a common ground for all its membership (TDU, 2007). Union leaders tried emphasizing on the common interests of both part timers and full timers. Union tried convincing its members that no matter whether they are full timers or part timers, the issues they will be fighting for on the negotiation table will be beneficial to both sides. A better pension plan will benefit full timers as well the part timers as better pension plan will encourage full timers to retire early. Finding this common ground was important for the union, so that it can make management’s strategy of division among full timers and part timers would fail (Witt, Wilson, 1999) & (TDU, 2007). To make its campaign successful teamster focused on building a stronger network among its members. Union tried making as many members possible to get involved in the campaign. Teamsters built a member-to-member network to spread the word about the campaign and to get as many UPS Teamsters involved as possible. Negotiation Table By knowing exactly what its members wanted, teamster started negotiation by being very aggressive about its demands. On the start of the bargaining, UPS opened by asking for huge concessions. It was nothing new for the Union. It was a very commonly used tactic by the management to stat with low offering so teamsters lower their expectations. Management wanted to make sure that it does not end up giving up too much and by making initial offers very low it can change Teamster’s minds to fight for big concessions (TDU, 2007). There were two big issues where both sides fell apart. First issue was the pension plan. As we mentioned earlier both sides was benefits in controlling the pension funds. UPS offered one plan on the negotiation table. Under which the future retirees will get monthly benefits equal to $100 each month for each of the years they have worked for the company. Under this plan a full time employee who would retire after working for 35 years for the company would earn $35,000 each month as their pension. Under this plan part time employees were also eligible for the pension plan. The plan offered part timers half of what was offered the full timers. The previous plan was a multiemployer plan that UPS wanted to get rid of. According to management this new plan would pay employee more than what is being offered under the multiemployer plan. Teamster on the other hand was not willing to change the pension plan. It wanted to keep the multiemployer plan but wanted to improve the multiemployer plan and raise the benefits offered under the plan (Bradford, 1997). Under multiemployer plan UPS was paying for other retirees of Teamster who never worked for UPS. Under multiemployer plan, UPS was subsidizing other companies’ benefits. UPS did not want to do that any longer. As their mission was to increase company profit and stay in the competition, the best alternative for them was to get out of multiemployer plan and take control of the pension funds. In a statement UPS said that it wanted its money to go to only its employees. Another point UPS made was that company will earn a greater investment return on contributions made to a pension plan controlled by company compare to the multiemployer plans (Bradford, 1997)& 15 & (Krause, 1997). Second big issue that made both sides apart was about part time workers. UPS wanted to keep part timers to stay flexible. Part time workers have been part of the company since expedited service has started. Company made an argument that not only part timers let company work be flexible but also short length shifts are less tiring than the full-length shifts. Arguments were being made that it is hard for a person to unload or load a trailer for continuously eight hours. When part timers were very beneficial for the company, Teamster was very well aware of that fact that part timers get paid less and receive less benefits compare to the full timers. UPS wanted to continue its expansion of its part timer work force. Teamsters knew that they had to stop this expansion for its members well being (Krause, 1997) & (Bradford, 1997). Union surveyed many part timers before negotiation started and they found that these part timers did not feel like being important in the company. Many of them were looking for other jobs, as their part time jobs at UPS were not paying enough. Teamsters argued that corporate managers are holding on to the worker’s wages as corporate profits are increasing and executive salaries are also increasing with it. All this is affecting part timer who are facing insecure jobs and a low pay (Grant, 1997). A final offer on July 30th by UPS did not include what teamster was willing to settle for. UPS offered to start providing 200 new full time jobs per year; expansion of subcontracting for the feeder work and it did not include a decent wage increase for the workers. UPS also stood still on its decision of taking full control of the pension funds. On August teamsters decide to go on strike, the strike which changed the history of labor force forever. Teamster Strike From the very beginning, the union’s contract campaign was designed to build a broad public support. This support could help teamsters win a good contract or win in a strike if needed. The campaign held a message that Teamster’s fight is not only about fighting for wages per hour but about the future of good jobs. Teamsters spread its word not only within the US but also many European countries where UPS was planning to expand its business to (Witt, Wilson, 1999). Union kept its position strong on the issues of retirement funds and worker’s health insurance. UPS in its previous negotiations also offered the same pension plan but this time teamsters were not willing to play this game. UPS use to take this offer off the table at the very last minute in return to get union accept other concessions. In the end management asked union for the extension of the agreement but union denied. On August 1997, teamsters went on strike (Witt, Wilson, 1999). Success of Teamsters strike had many reasons behind it. Around the time of the strike UPS owned about 80% of the ground delivery business. Clearly a strike would affect company’s stability and put some economic pressure. UPS was not conglomerate with any company, which could help it get through the strike. UPS workers use to go to each city so it became known very quickly. Another specific incident that helped this strike was that it happened in August when congress was not in session. During this period it was easy for the Teamsters to get all the media attention they needed (Cabell, 1997). UPS strike also got great support from the international unions of UPS in other countries. This involvement raised the public awareness not only in Unites Stated but also all around the world. When employees in U. S. went on strike employees in many other courtiers participated in activities like sick-out or temporary disrupted package deliveries (Budd, 2008 pg 450). At the end of 16-day strike union had a solid victory. Where originally company offered only 1000 full time jobs for the part timers ended up creating 10,000 full time jobs. UPS also agreed on keeping the existing multiemployer pension plan. It was a big victory for Teamsters. Besides winning on the two biggest issues Teamsters also won on others concerning issues. There was $3. 10 an hour wage increase over the course of 5 years contract period for the full timers. UPS originally offered only $1. 50 an hour increase. Part timers also got wage increase more than what company originally has offered. They got $4. 10 per hour wage increase where company originally has offered only $2 an hour. There were also limits on subcontracting on the final contract (Cabell, 1997) & (Schulz, 1997). Summation As we mentioned earlier political, economic environments were in favor of the union. Both sides referred to the previous negotiations and based on that built their tactics for 1997 negotiation. It was a distributive bargaining where both sides wanted to gain as much possible. One could say that union was being selfish on many aspects where it wanted more and more for its members. As it is a case in any distributive bargaining, both sides wanted more in their favor. There was no effort for mutual understanding and finding a common ground. Beside one or two issues almost every other issue could be resolved with little decent effort made by both sides. Both sides had strategies and both sides tried knowing what was going to be on the negotiation table. Based on our above analysis we can say that union was more successful in knowing management strategies and planning ahead for any of the management’s tricks. Union strength was not clear to UPS until it showed it power by pulling out a successful strike. Strike cost UPS millions in lost sales during the strike. Everybody seemed to be having won but UPS. More losses were alarming UPS as many shippers threatened to permanently shift to non-union competitors. Questions arise like what went wrong in this negotiation which leads to strike and whether teamsters were being simple selfish in what they wanted. UPS employees were enjoying relative job security at the time. Also, the turnout rate at UPS was low compare to the industry-wide rate. In many special jobs task managers like first-line managers were being paid the highest wages in the industry. The executives at UPS were not getting paid outrageously (USDA, 1997). Management might not have thought union will be that aggressive as it came out to be. There was a wall, which stopped each side from understanding one another. A good relationship of 82 years was broken with this strike. UPS and Teamsters needed to understand each other’s priorities and strengths. Trying method of interrogative bargaining could help both sides reach to an agreement without strikes and economic losses. In order to accomplish this, both sides must realistically share as much information as they can to understand each other's interest. A key for the Teamsters strike was its successful attempt to mobilize higher ranks. Involvement of the key individuals in favor for the strike was very important part of the successful strike. Next key for the Teamster success was to be able to know the issue that resonates with the general public. It was very important for UPS to know what Teamster’s strength was. Underestimating labor power was a key mistake that the management seemed to have made. Only an open and honest relationship among the management and Teamsters can help avoid strikes in future. References: 1. Witt, Wilson, Matt, Rand. The Teamsters' UPS Strike of 1997: Building a New Labor Movement. † Labor Studies Journal. 24. 1 (1999): 58-72. Web. 22 Apr 2010. http://www. accessmylibrary. com/article-1G1-54517324/teamsters-ups-strike-1997 .html (Pro-union) 2. TDU, â€Å"1997 ups contract: year-long contract campaign key to win†, Teamsters for a Democratic Union. 03-06-2007, Web. 29 Apr 2010. http://www . tdu. org/node/5252 (Pro-union) 3. Cabell, Brian. (1997, August 20). It's official: teamsters end ups strike. Retrieved from http://www. cnn. com/US/9708/20/ups. update. early/ (Neutral) 4. Bacon, David. (1997, August 24). The Ups strike – unions win when they take the offensive. Retrieved from http://dbacon. igc. org/Strikes/07ups. htm (Pro-union) 5. Michael Bradford. (1997,  August). UPS, â€Å"Teamsters boxing on benefits†. Business Insurance,  31(32),  1,25. Retrieved April 29, 2010, Business Insurance v31 p1, august 11, 1997. (Neutral) 6. JOHN D. SCHULZ. (1997, August), ‘Digging In’. Traffic world. V251 p10-13 august 18’97. http://vnweb. hwwilsonweb. com. ezproxy. lib. uwm. edu/hww/results/results_single_fulltext. jhtml;hwwilsonid=KSIR1EBXDQ24PQA3DILSFGOADUNGIIV0 (Neutral) 7. Kristin S. Krause. â€Å"Part-Time and Pensions. Traffic World v251 p11-12 August 11 '97. (Neutral) 8. John D. Schulz. â€Å"Keeping the dream Live,† Traffic World v249 p33 March 17, 1997. (Neutral) 9. John F. Budd. â€Å"What the Teamsters Knew. † Budd Jr. , John F, Initials. (1997, Nov-Dec). What the Teamsters knew. Across the Board, 34(10). (Neutral) 10. GRANT, L. (199 7). ‘How UPS Blew It. † Fortune, 136(6), 29. Retrieved from Master FILE Premier Database. (Pro-management) 11. Henry R Hoke. (1997,  September). â€Å"The UPS strike's winners and losers. †Direct Marketing,  60(5),  80. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID:  15113521). (Neutral) 12. John J. Schulz. August,1997), Many Winners, One Big Loser. Traffic World v251 p11-12+ August 25 '97. (Pro-union) 13. USDA. The 1997 Economy: An Overview. (1997), Economic research service. Web: http://www. ers. usda. gov/publications/aer780/aer780b. pdf (Neutral) 14. Robert J. Grossman. â€Å"Trying to heal the wounds – human resources management at United Parcel Service of America Inc after a labor strike. † HR Magazine. Apr, 2010. http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_n10_v43/ai_21136884/ (Pro-management) 15. Budd, John W. Labor Relations: Striking a Balance, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin Publishing: Chicago, 2008. (Neutral)