Apple’s Fdi and Globalization Essay

Globalization- Today the world has become a global village where each and every thing is interlinked.The concept of global village or global merger is based on the grounds of globalization. Now thequestion arises in one ¶s mind what is globalizationThe term globalization means the concentration of world economy in to a single international market rather than many national markets. For example, the APPLE INC, an American multinational corporation that concentrates in computer hardware and software components. It assembles its best known product i.e. ‘mac’ computer, best selling phone ‘iphone’ in china. This is because the cost of production is low due to cheap labour force. Thus globalization involves:- Free trade of goods and services Free movement of labour and capital Free access in technology Now, we will discuss the above points with more details. Free trade of goods and services- Based on APPLES INC business operation the company is selling its product such as the ‘iPhone’, ‘MAC’ computer in many countries in the world. Generally it is a US based company which is doing its business world-wide, there are no restriction for the company not to sell its product in any country. So its means free trade of goods and services. Free movement of labour and capital- In regard with APPLE INC it means, apple can move its labour force and inject capital in any country with no restriction. When talking about labour force it means the people who work for APPLE can travel from one country to the other. For instance, officers travel from one country to the other. We normally see in the news that APPLE has appointed new officers in the UK, Germany or the US. Technical team travel from one country to the other when there is a major problem where other technician can not figure out what the problem is. In terms of capita l, it means APPLE has invested capital to make industries where its product are made and assembled. They have factory in china and other countries in the world. Free access in technology- It means the the software of APPLE i.e. the ‘iOS’ are being used in many countries in the world. This is because the products that APPLE is selling use iOs software and these products are being sold in many countries in the world, so it means the technology is being freely moving from one country to the other. This encourages globalization. Another example is, a potential customer from Bangladesh looking to buy a shirt, he looks on the ‘New look’ website. It normally making the sense that, a customer can access the catalogue from any where of the world. This is commonly known as globalization. Apple Inc. is an American based multinational company whose stocks are listed in the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ (National Association of Securities DealersAutomated Quotations) under the symbol AAPL. The company specializes in the design,development and manufacturing of electronic equipments like computers, software and smart phones. Business strategy: Apple is currently working on the differentiation strategy by putting unique elements in the design and development of its products. The differentiation strategy is defined as a strategy that aims to develop the products and or services that have unique characteristics that are well liked by the customers and are valued by them. This strategy enhances the market position of the companies with respect to their counterparts (Porter, 1998).The success of the company in the global markets is due to its extensive focus on the market research and development for the development of its products and services. With reference to its business strategy, the company is in a continues process to build and advance the robust platform that can enhance the listing of third party content like mobile phone apps, games etc on its online stores or its iTunes store (Apple Inc.,2010). Markets and Distribution The customer segments of the company are divided into various categories. The needs of the main customers markets it caters are of small and medium businesses, education sectors,large corporations, government departments and other related markets. In order to meet the needsand wants of these consumer markets, the company is utilizing direct and indirect distributionchannels including online sales services, retail stores and direct sales force as well as third partysellers, retailers etc. Using direct sales contacts with the customers is, believed by the company,leveraging its product sales and has demonstrated as an advantage to the company over itscompetitors. In order to maximize its sales and to make sure that the buyers are receiving highquality experience, the company is in a process to expand and improve its existing channeldistribution network (Form 10-k S EC Filing, 2010). Competition The company faces aggressive competition from the other market players. According toHoover (2011) the top three competitors of Apple Inc. in United States are Fujitsu TechnologySolutions (Holding) B.V., International Business Machines Corporation and MediaNet Digital,Inc. respectively. The needs of the markets it caters are highly competitive in nature due to the ever changing and advancing technological environment and the rapid introduction of new technology based products. The main competitors of the company are following cost leadership strategies by reducing the prices of their products or by maintaining low profit margins to maintain their market share. There are various forces that can impact the business and profitability of Apple. These factors may include the marketing mix  ± product, price, place, promotion strategies, product performance, the quality and reliability of the product, innovative designs as well as then availability of up to date software services.Moreover, some of the competitors of the company have number of resources which they can utilize against the company to provide the product and service offerings related to Apple,offer the business and consumer products and services similar to Apple ¶s products at low price range(Form 10-k SEC Filings, 2010). Products and Services Apple is currently using in house manufacturing system for the production of all of its products. All the products like Mac, iphone, ipad and ipod etc. are designed, developed and marketed via its main manufacturing hub which is located in the USA. But, as mentioned earlier,the company is outsourcing the production of some of its product parts to the various international and national supply chain partners; subcontractors. Some of the components of its products, ipod, are outsourced to its subcontractor in Hong Kong from where it is sent to theoutsourced production plant of the company (Linden et al, 2007).Some of these components are of high cost. While the other products like hard drive andflash memory etc. are sent to the other companies or outsourcing companies like Toshiba inJapan or Samsung in Korea. Large number of its components is of low cost. The metalcomponents of the products are made by the outsourcing unit in Taiwan called Foxconn and the plastic components are products by the outsourcing units in Singapore (Brown, 1998, p.198).Finally these parts are assembled in the China and then transported to its sales outlets across theworld (Kahney, 2008).Outsourcing plants:It has built its integrated manufacturing and design facilities in the various countries for example in California, Singapore etc. This global network allows the company to develop andlaunch the products in its markets of America, Asia and Europe. It produces its products, for example ipads, in the Shanghai, China which has given it a cost saving advantage and lead to theincreased profitability for the company (Chaffin, 2002). But on the other hand, this outsourcing has increased the downsizing and unemployment rate in the home country (Rodriguez-Clare,2011).some of the outsourcing plants managed by the company are showing troubled situations for Apple. ConclusionThe economy of the world has now become free from any boundary. All the countries are now considered integrated with one another as one global market for carrying out variousactivities like trade, relations, etc. Evaluate: Evaluate; From one perspective, Apple’s world could not be rosier and its future shinier. Rising from the rubble of a disintegrating company in 1997, Apple has reached the pinnacle of success in 15 short years. With a market capitalization of over $500 billion, Apple is amongst the most valuable and highly profitable companies in the world. When it comes to customers, Apple is a bold innovator that leads the industry into new directions and forces others to follow. However, when it comes to the management of its supply chain and treatment of workers in the Chinese factories that make its products, it hides behind the constraints of prevailing industry practices. Foxconn and its China-based subsidiaries are owned and controlled by the Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. Most of Apple’s worker-related problems were focused on Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn and its subsidiaries. Reports over the past few years have described instances of Foxconn employees committing suicide, presumably from working in an extremely high stress environment. In addition there are reports of deplorable living conditions, underage workers, below-standard wages, involuntary labor, and health hazards associated with the use of toxic chemicals and inadequate air filtration systems Finally, in the closing days of 2011, Apple announced with great fanfare that it had joined the Fair Labor Association (FLA. Over the concept , Chinese factories have honed their tactics in concealing problems from the auditors by keeping workers away from plants during audit visits, maintaining multiple sets of accounting books and workers’ personnel files, coaching workers to give right answers to the auditors’ questions in terms of working hours, wage rates, and overtime, et cetera, with promises of bonuses if the auditors were satisfied and implied threats of punishment if serious problems were identified. Thus a highly choreographed audit allows for certain violations—albeit manageable—to be disclosed and promises for corrective action to be taken. Cutting out excessive hours would entail additional costs. For example, a reduction in the average working hours from the current 60-70 hours per week to 48 hours per week would entail approximately a 30 percent + increase in the labor force to maintain the current rate of output. The Indicators of Globalization There are three main economic and ï ¬ nancial indicators of globalization, these are: †¢ international trade in goods and services †¢ the transfer of money capital from one country to another †¢ the movement of people across national borders. Of the three, international trade and foreign investment are the most important. Each of the three indicators will be examined in turn. International Trade International trade means that countries become more interconnected through the exchange of goods and services, that is, through imports and exports. Multinational companies (MNCs) are major traders and account for a large proportion of international trade, with signiï ¬ cant proportions accounted for by trade between subsidiaries within the same company. So for example, Ford makes gearboxes in its factory in Bordeaux and exports them to its assembly plants in other European countries. Around one half of US manufactured exports and more than 60% of its imports ï ¬â€šow within MNCs. International trade has increased more rapidly than global output which has been increasing by around 3% per annum. 2004) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) FDI is the main source of investment in developing countries. Recent year FDI has increased in these countries due to three reasons: – †¢ The rise of multinational companies †¢ Liberalization of world capital market †¢ Liberalization of world economies As in regard to APPLE INC, it has built factories in china to make its product so it has invested in china which is foreign direct investment. In the recent years FDI has increased in this country due to three reasons: – †¢ The rise of multinational companies †¢ Liberalization of world capital market †¢ Liberalization of world economies The advantages of these FDI are as the following: – †¢ This FDI will allow a country to invest more than their saving. It is a crucial source of investment in a country such as in china where it is difficult to encourage savings. FDI also helps to increase the import than the export. Again a FDI can be assumed as an injection which, in terms has a large multiplier effect in the economy. It creates demand in the receipent country and hence helps to increase real GDP. †¢ FDI helps to increase the employment in a country. For instance, the investment by apple in chine has created jobs for Chinese people to work and earn a living. They, sometimes offer higher wages than other national companies which helps to increases the living standard of that country. For e.g. in 1999 30 million people were employed in the developing countries directly or indirectly by the multi national companies. This has a positive externality in the economy in the long run. †¢ Sometimes FDI goes in the tradeable goods sextor of a country. Thus the c ountries export performance may increase and the country may enjoy higher competitiveness. The disadvantages if these FDI are as the following: – †¢ Multinational companies, such as APPLE tends to send back their profit to their country. This may create a balance of payment deficit in the receipient countries if they fail to increase their export earnings. †¢ Apple tends to use expertise of staffs from their country so the benefit that should come from employment becomes insignificant. †¢ Multinational companies such as these APPLE tends to locate their factories in the urban areas so there may be an increase in inequality in the economy. Again it may create pressure in the urban sector. †¢ There is a risk of tends that multinational companies such as APPLE tends to exploit the natural resources of a country like gas, coal, electricity. Thus in the long- run there may be an environmental degradation and the country may suffer from natural degradation. †¢ Deficit in the long- run- However, FDI may have positive impact on a country but they tend to be fuelled only in some developed countries.

Advanced Level Diploma in Diabetes Essay

INTRODUCTION Together with an identified fellow student a written patient education report regarding a planned diabetes group education is to be completed and presented during a seminar. A suggestion is to study the text book: The Art of Empowerment by Anderson & Funnell (2005). Diabetes group education In UAE diabetes self-management education has been highlighted as a cornerstone in diabetes care (Al-Maskari et al 2013). In order to get patients to manage their diabetes it is needed to arrange possibilities for special diabetes group education sessions for persons with diabetes. Many patients in UAE might have poor metabolic control and they have poor knowledge regarding why. Furthermore many people need to increase their ability to perform life style changes (Alhyas et al 2013). The traditional diabetes education was based upon telling patients what to do. However, the more was learnt about diabetes education the focus has turned more to the patients ´ views of living with diabetes (Anderson & Funnell 2005). Considerations when arranging group sessions for persons with diabetes: Theoretical educational approach – your own pedagogical view and ability; in this circumstances you must have the nosogogic perspective (an adult person with a chronic disease). Setting, time, day of the week Budget, cost, payment, and fees Who and number of participants in each group How often the group meets and where How you start a group session How you interact/communicate with group members Any learning aids to use How you put/initiate questions in the group How you evaluate the different sessions How you work with and approach group discussions What you do to get all patients involved in the sessions Assessment Altogether the report should consist of approximately 6– 8 pages (not including the first page and the reference list). Your proposed group education plan will be presented and discussed with your peers during the tutorial session. After the tutorial session each plan will get written feed-back from the examiner. Grounds for assessment by examiners will be presented and published on ITSL. C2 – Assignment 3 Group education plan/BS/AMW/18 August, 2014 Page 2 REFERENCES Al-Maskari F, El-Sadig M, Al-Kaabi J et al. (2013). Knowledge, attitude and practices of diabetic patients in the United Arab Emirates. PLOS One Vol 8, 1p 1-8. Alhyas L, Jones Nielsen J D. Dawoud D and Majeed A. (2013). Factors affecting the motivation of healthcare professionals providing care to Emiratis with type 2 diabetes. J the Royal Society of Medicine. Doi: 10.1177/2042533313476419. Anderson B & Funnell M. (2005). The art of empowerment. Stories and strategies for diabetes educators. ADA- American Diabetes Association. Hornsten A, Stenlund H, Lundman B et al. (2008). Improvements in HbA1c remain after 5 years – a follow-up of an educational intervention focusing on patient ´s personal understandings of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. 81 (1), p50-55. Juul L, Maindal HT, Zoffmann V, Frydenberg M, Sandbaeck A. (2011). A cluster randomized pragmatic trial applying self-determination theory to type 2 diabetes care in general practice. BMC Fam Pract Nov 24, 12:130. Wikblad K, Leksell J, Smide B. (2004). â€Å"I’m the boss’: testing the feasibility of an evidence-based patient education programme using problem-based learning. European Diabetes Nursing, Vol 1 (1) p 13-17.

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING - Essay Example The in-class discussion therefore creates a friendly environment for students to be able to ask the question about the areas where they did not understand (OECD, 2010). The best thing about these discussions is that the students are able see the content from each other’s point of view thus making is easy to understand the subject matter even better. In-class presentations This assessment acts as both a formative and summative assessment because the results of the assessment are also taken into consideration during the marking of the final assessment. The students are asked to present a certain item in class at certain milestones in the learning process. The students are able to present and display their skills and the skills they have learnt. These presentations also act as a way to identify if the student has been able to understand the content. Practical assessments These are done in order to assess the student’s practical skills. This is with regards to the tools whi ch the students must learn to use in order to be able to carry out their jobs. Practical assessments help the students to be able to be able to show their practical skills on using the various machines such as broadcast cameras. These assessments are also important in identifying any areas where the student may need more training (Campbell, et al., 2012). It helps the teacher to be able to identify any areas where the class as whole or individual students may need more training. These practical assessments are also important in giving the students a hands-on on experience and also learn from each other. Written assessments Written assessments are also used in the assessments of the students. Students are given a number of topics to write about. As Matthews (2002) says, these assessments are very important in that they give the teacher an opportunity to see how the students are fairing in the class and also to see their understanding of various subject matters. The written assignment s are also very useful formative assessments not only for the assessments parts but also as a way to help the students to learn more and become more acquainted with various issues. This is because the students have to be able to research the various subjects given to them and make sure that they understand the subject matter thoroughly. The content of the students written assessments can be used to determine where the student is lacking and where the student may need more tutoring. Written assignments are also very important because they are individualistic and therefore may help in identifying the specific issues affecting the specific student (Clift & William, 1981). P3: validity and reliability of three main types of assessment methods. Discussions In-class discussions are useful as assessment methods because of a number of important issues. However, as Middlewood & Cardno (2001) says, there are some other negative issues which may affect in-class discussions and which may affect the validity as well as the effectiveness of class discussions as an assessment method. One such negative factor is the fact that some students may be better able to show their skills in discussions than others. Class discussion involves a lot of speaking and verbal arguments. Those students who may not have good verbal skills may seem not to have the right skills, and it is important for such students to be given a better way for assessment. While using class

IKEA Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IKEA Company - Essay Example The company had a trend of keeping culture; this was followed an upheld the through hiring young people who had never worked in any of the companies. In some other countries such as in the UK Company’s growth was reported to be slow (Haskel and Wolf). From opening branches in the foreign countries, the company acquired some valuable lessons that enabled its future expanding. So far the company has identified India to be its largest target market, and it is planning to invest billions of dollars by opening more stores.Basing focus on the concept and the business model of this company, it has a target with middle level global and also looking for prices for the design of their furniture and household items (Haskel and Wolf). The designation of the products is done to reflect on the global line that is vital and that they can be used as the trademark for the firm. Finding the right supplier for each item is a consideration that the company is devoted to winning competitive advant age over it, competitors. To be outstanding in the market, good relationship with the suppliers plays a vital role. Self-provision is an establishment that the IKEA Company has put into practice in the period of half century. Globally, the firm has become the most successful retail establishment in the world. The numerous foreign markets and the lessons that were learned have propelled its expansion from its failures. In the period of 1970s, the company had a competitive advantage over other firms that generated the same product.

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Marketing - Essay Example Unilever is a leading organization which has some 400 consumer product brands under its sleeves. The product brands include food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. The company touches the lives of its consumers in a number of different ways. Unilever has a range of products starting from global brands like Lipton, Dove, Omo, Knorr to some trustworthy local brands like Suave and Blue Band. The organization employs around 163,000 people in 100 countries across the globe. With a turnover of â‚ ¬ 39.8 billion, Unilever products are sold in more than 170 countries with its 264 manufacturing sites spread worldwide (Hoovers, 2010). According the company site, it helps â€Å"people feel good, look good and get more out of life, meeting their everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands and services that are good for them and good for others† (Unilever, 2010). Nestle Nestle is a leading global name in the food and beverage divisions. The company offers product ranges starting from instant infant food, coffee and chocolate to bottled water and promotes the same in more than 130 countries across the globe. Nestle is one of the leading companies in the total sales amount. In Coffee, the company has some top-notch brand names. The company has left its mark with leading brands like Maggi, Nestea, Nescafe, Friskies and Nestle. The company is among the leading packaged water producers and is a significant player in the pet food industry. Apart from all these, the organization holds significant amount of shares in Alcon Inc and cosmetic giant L’Oreal. Starting its journey back in the year 1866, the company is continually stepping forward to achieve a sustainable growth in the coming future (Nestle, nod.). Competitive Advantage Unilever On any given day, around two billion people use the products of Unilever. From feeding the family to keeping the household clean and fresh, the products have become significant parts of daily life. Research and Development can be seemed to be the gateway to constantly enhancement of the brands to deliver more intense and rewarding product experiences. Consumer research has played a significant role in the success story of this organization. Unilever makes continual efforts to introduce new and enhanced products to meet the changing requirements of its large consumer base. The company invests around â‚ ¬ 1 billion annually to meet the cutting edge research and development requirements. The company has five research

Leadership and Change Case 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership and Change Case 3 - Essay Example Marissa Mayer is one such charismatic leader, as demonstrated by her leadership approach at Yahoo. During the first year of her tenure as the CEO of the corporation, she got rid of all BlackBerrys and replaced them with iPhones and Androids. She also started providing free food to employees just like every other Valley corporation did to its workers. She also put in place the process to allow the members of staff to complain about bureaucracy. The F.Y.I meetings held on Friday afternoons gave the staff an opportunity to ask whatever questions they felt like asking her or other executives (McLean, 2014). All these are efforts to make her subjects feel loved and important as workers of the corporation. This in turn becomes the driving force for their desire to work for the institution since their leader values and loves them. For instance, providing them with free food takes care of their physiological needs whereas allowing them to complain freely about the bureaucracy takes care of their psychological needs. Allowing them to ask questions freely during the Friday meetings gives them a sense of security and belonging. The charismatic leader may not embrace change of things, but work to maintain the status quo. This is exactly what Mayer did in her first year, as some critics like Michelle Quinn assert that her impact had not been felt at Yahoo during the first 18 months of her tenure (Quinn, 2014). On the other hand, Marissa Mayer can be perceived as a transformational leader. A transformational leadership is the form of leadership whereby the leader and his subjects raise one another to higher levels morally and motivationally (Grint, 2010). Their primary focus is on transfiguring the organization and their followers using their charisma. Mayer can be described as the charismatic leader but her basic focus was transforming the corporation that had experienced a lot of turmoil.

Leading and managing teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading and managing teams - Essay Example it will focus on factors boosting effective teams as well as setbacks for the same and impact of organization culture and technology on teams in modern business environment. Teamwork helps pool knowledge of different workers together, which help anticipate for current situation or prospected issue at work place. According to Beblin, individuals with high role performance are said to fit naturally to team role while those that are above average have the ability to assume and work on the team roles, but those below average should avoid team role (Senior 1998, p.58). Therefore, it is notable that individual role is considerable in formulating team role in order to try combine individuals with a uniform competencies that will enable have a functional team role which suits ability of every team member. Nevertheless, management of teamwork faces some difficulties; team role balance usually affects teamwork a great deal resulting to undesired results (Senaratne& Gunawardane 2015, p.13). Hence, it is important to consider individual role before setting up teamwork in order to match those with similar personality. Conversely, modern enterprises should address th e issue of poor performance to enhance high profitability. Poor performance can be addressed by appraising workers individually and recognizing their efforts through rewards and promotions. Furthermore, conflicts are obvious in a group set up, modern business organizations ought to set up conflict solving committees to enhance smooth working environment where workers reconcile after wronging each other. Empowerment pushes teamwork performance a notch higher especially when members are delegated authority to make decision on their own depending on their position. A study conducted in Jordanian glass and ceramic industry indicated that empowerment and allowing employees in contributing towards effective teamwork resulted to high performance (Judeh 2011, p 205). However, the results showed that gender or marital

Global Warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Global Warming - Research Paper Example uses of global warming and researchers have been in constant conflict on the issue of whether global warming is a creation of human beings or it is a naturally occurring phenomenon. This research will focus on the history, prevalence, cause & effect as well as ways to counter global warming. The term global warming first came into limelight during the period of 1975 when an American scientist named Wallace Smith Broecker utilized the term in his scientific research paper (pmm.nasa.gov 1). The term global warming reached the ears of people and policy makers throughout the world when the term was used by a scientist named James Hansen who was employed by NASA and he used the term during 1988 while presenting a testimony to the Congress (pmm.nasa.gov 1). Since the term became quite popular, several researches were conducted to figure out whether the temperature of the earth was actually increasing or it was simply a myth. According to Zedillo, the temperature of the earth was actually increase year after year and an increase in earth’s temperature of 0.74 degree Celcius was recorded between the period starting from the 20th century and ending during the 21st century (Zedillo 15). Other studies that have identified similar changes in the rise of the earth’s temperature were conducted by Climatic Research Unit which identified that the earth’s temperature was highest during the period of 1998 while the increase in the temperature during the year of 2005 as well as 2010 was quite tremendous but not as high as the rise in temperature noted during 1998 (Jones 1). The occurrence of global warming is considered as a natural phenomenon and one of the natural reasons due to which global warming is taking place is that the there has been an increase in the amount of energy released through solar energy. NASA has reported that that huge number of changes in the quantity of solar energy produced by sun have been experienced over a period of 11 years and during this

What You Have Learned About About Organizational Systems Assignment

What You Have Learned About About Organizational Systems - Assignment Example Employees constitute one of the stakeholders in any organization. Employees provide the human capital required for the organization to succeed. Meeting and attaining organizational goals requires a team of employees who are committed to the organizational culture and development. Most managers use employees to solidify their organizational culture. Developing and maintaining a particular Organizational culture is central to the success of the organization because the culture is usually aligned with the goals and missions of the organization. Organizational culture will ensure that all the employees in the organization work towards a given direction. The reporter has learned the important role employees play in organizations, and in establishing an organizational culture. He would use employees to develop an organizational culture at his workplace that would ensure success in the corporate world. Careful selection of staff would ensure he develops the right organizational culture based on the goals of the workplace. Standardized procedures may help focus on the values that are crucial to the culture when getting employees for the organization. He would only choose those candidates who possess the values that fit the type of organizational culture he is developing.

Kohler Company Essay Example for Free

Kohler Company Essay Kohler is one of the largest and oldest privately held companies in America. It started by manufacturing plumbing fixtures, famously inventing the first modern bathtub, and soon after began manufacturing small engines and generators. Today the company is also in the furniture and luxury resort business. Most of the company’s shares are held by members of the Kohler family, however 4% of the outstanding stock is owned by outsiders. Herbert Kohler Jr. , the CEO and Chairman of Kohler, would like to do what he can to keep Kohler stock within the Kohler family and its interests. This led to the 1998 recapitalization. In this restructuring of equity, family members and permitted transferees (Kohler Trusts, Kohler Foundations, ect. ) were given the option to exchange their stock for several different classes of stock, such as common stock, non voting stock, Series A and Series B. The shareholders not classified as a permitted transferee would either have to sell their shares for what an independent firm determines fair market value, or dissent and allow fair market value to be determined by a legal proceeding. The fair market price offered by Kohler in 1998 was $55,400. Kohler’s stock recently fetched between $100,000 to $135,000 and the two largest outside shareholders recently bought a combined 93 shares right around $100,000. So Gen, a mutual fund and largest outside shareholder, believed market value per share could be $400,000. Because of this discrepancy in price; outside shareholders decided to file suit against Kohler claiming the price of $55,400 undervalued the stock and was not fair market value. It is now April 2000 and Herbert Kohler Jr. must decide whether to settle with the plaintiffs or go to trail in 2 days. It was very possible that the court would determine fair market value to be much higher than price offered. Herbert also must consider that the IRS will use a court determined share price to determine the tax liability of Herbert’s deceased brother’s estate. The share price will also affect the way the Kohler Foundation could operate, since by law it must annually pledge %5 of its assets, which is mostly Kohler stock. Analysis: Much of the share price was driven by the speculation that Kohler might soon go public. Herbert thought this was the primary reason the shares were extremely overvalued. However, the assumption of a future IPO was inaccurate. One of the core values and strengths of Kohler is the private classification of equity. Kohler considers it a competitive advantage to not have to disclose its financial position to the public. Not only does it give away proprietary information to competitors, but public reporting also affects the way a company can make decisions. Kohler feels that many of the business decisions that made Kohler a success, such as investing in cast iron production at a time when the industry was moving away from it, would not have been possible if they were accountable to pubic shareholders. Without the possibility of an IPO a lower share price than what share prices recently traded for was could be justified. However, Herbert must also consider the effects of having the valuation be determined in court. The first drawback to this is how costly legal proceedings are. On top of lawyer fees and court costs, it could be very expensive to reconcile and audit all financial documents as well as pay for expert opinions concerning the valuation. Since there is no standard or correct metric to value a company, there is increased risk as to how the court will value the company. If Kohler decides to continue with the trial they are leaving themselves, the Kohler Foundation, and the Kohler estate open to a lot of uncontrollable risk. Recommendation: I recommend Kohler offer to settle with the plaintiffs at $140,000. Kohler should settle outside of court to mitigate the risk and cost associated with the trial. While the price is not ideal, settling outside of court allows Kohler to control the price at a manageable level. This will be the best way to hedge against risk and lookout for the interests of Kohler, the Family, and its charities. In order to settle Kohler must offer a price of $140,000 to give the mutual funds the return on investment they desire. Since the purpose of mutual fund is to create value for their investors, they are probably more than willing to take the matter to court if they feel they are not receiving a fair return. The per share price of $140,000 will give the mutual funds roughly a 20% return on investment which should be enough for them to consider the offer favorable.

Atraumatic Restorative Treatment for Dental Caries

Atraumatic Restorative Treatment for Dental Caries Atraumatic restorative treatment for the management of dental caries: A Review Abstract: Atraumatic restorative treatment is a method of minimal caries intervention that uses only hand instruments. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of studies reporting on various aspects of the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment and it is over three decades ART has been introduced, so this was considered an appropriate time for a systematic review on ART. Objective of this review article was to assess the effectiveness of ART in management of dental caries. All randomized or quasi-randomized control trials on ART were included. Intervention with adhesive restorative material such as GIC with different viscosity was evaluated. Primary outcomes measures such as pain relief, patient discomfort, anxiety and durability of restoration was assessed. Studies showed survival rates ranging from 66% to 76% at 6 year for single surface restorations ART approach provided higher survival percentages for single surface restorations and it causes less pain and dis comfort. Key words: Atraumatic restorative treatment, Survival, Deciduous teeth, Permanent teeth Introduction: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases of public health concern. It affects almost all individuals irrespective of age, sex, occupation, religion, castes etc in developed as well as developing countries. It varies greatly among countries, even within a country and from region to region and there are several reasons for this problem like changes in food habits, poverty, lack of facilities especially to underprivileged section of the society, etc. WHO objective of â€Å"Health for All† still remains a dream, particularly in the underprivileged population of the world. Also, there has been a radical change in the methods of treatment of dental disease. We have seen a change in approach of treatment by the dentist, starting with extraction, then conservation of tooth structure and now stress is being laid on preventive dentistry. But the underprivileged population have not benefited from these developments that have brought about improved oral health in the indus trialized world. Realizing the magnitude of this problem, particularly lack of oral health care in below poverty line segment of society, JE Frencken embarked on simplistic approach of removing caries with hand instruments and filling up the ‘cavity’. This approach is termed as Atraumatic Restorative Treatment.[1] ART was first discovered in Tanzania in mid 1980s to suit the needs of the developing countries by JE Frencken Later, in Zimbabwe, the experiment was repeated by his team in larger school population group. WHO endorsed the ART procedure for the underprivileged population on world health day in April 7, 1994.[2] The idea of ART is strongly supported by the modern scientific approach to controlling caries maximal prevention, minimal invasiveness and minimal cavity preparation.[3] Different studies have been investigating the various aspects of ART approach in the past and still continue to increase. Most of the studies have investigated the survival of ART restoration and sealants. As ART approach is being utilized all over the world since more than 25 years, there is a need to carry out a systematic investigation about the survival and effectiveness of ART restorations. So the present systematic review focuses on the effectiveness of ART in management of dental caries in deciduous and permanent teeth. Materials and Methods We attempted to identify all relevant studies. Detailed search strategies were developed for each database to be searched and it was carried out in the Medline, Embase, Hinari, k-hub. All randomized controlled trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials were included. Non-randomized controlled trials were excluded. Studies with Dentate participants, regardless of the age and sex, with a history of dental (coronal) caries who have undergone restorative treatment using either conventional restorative or ART approaches were included. Studies in which evaluators were calibrated and independent, Survival result more than 1 year were included. Interventions were adhesive restorative materials, such as GICs with different viscosities, placed with the ’true’ Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) approach, including Interim therapeutic restoration (ITR) with hand instruments, compared with different restorative materials, such as amalgam, placed with conventional cavity prepar ation methods. Studies on modified ART approaches, Survival results Selection of Studies All records identified by the searches printed off and checked on the basis of title first, then by abstract or keywords or both. Records that obviously irrelevant were discarded and the full text of all remaining records were obtained. The full reports obtained from all the electronic and other methods of searching assessed independently by two review authors to establish whether the studies meet the inclusion criteria or not, using an inclusion criteria form, which previously prepared and pilot tested. Where resolution was not possible, a third review author consulted. If more than one publication of a trial was identified, all publications were reviewed and the paper with the first publication date included as a primary version. All studies meeting the inclusion criteria then underwent data extraction and a quality assessment. Types of Outcome Measures Primary Outcome Measure Pain relief, i.e. freedom from symptoms of pain and sensitivity as reported and experienced by the patient. Patient discomfort during the procedure measured by physiological measurement or behavioral observation. Patient’s anxiety and stress after treatment. Durability of restoration survival time of restoration (in months) from the time of placement. Secondary outcome measures Defects of restorative materials such as wear, fracture and staining (color changes) of restoration. Restoration failure, e.g. replaced restorations. Marginal integrity of restoration. Secondary caries. Results Pain, Anxiety and Discomfort: Five studies were reported on pain out of which three studies suggested that ART was found to be less painful.[4,5,6] In a study conducted by Rahimtoola S et al[7] pain was reported when ART technique was used but was significantly less than the conventional restorative technique. While in one study there was no significant difference in the pain levels of children treated using conventional restorative treatment, atraumatic restorative treatment or ultraconservative treatment but it was observed that when conventional restorative treatment was used, more children neededlocal anesthesia.[8] One study showed that the levels of dental anxiety were less in patients treated with ART as compared to conventional restorative treatment.[9]The studies from Topaloglu et al[10] and de Menezes Abreu et al[11] reported no difference in the levels of dental anxiety. ART technique has a potential to cause less discomfort to the patient and to less invasive to the dental tissue than conventional approach. The patient’s acceptance of ART was verified by Mickenautsch et al[12] who observed that both children and adults receiving ART restorations responded positively to the treatment. Study conducted by Schriks MC[13] and Van Amerongen WE[14] stated that children treated according to the ART approach using hand instruments alone experience less discomfort than those treated using rotary instrument. Similar findings were reported by ECM Lo CJ Holmgren also.[5] A summary of these studies outcomes is presented in Table1. TABLE 1: Overview of studies having assessed dental pain, anxiety and discomfort between the ART and the traditional treatment approach Comparison Age Operator background Variable measured Conclusion ART vs rotary Instruments[7] 6–16 years old Dentists Pain: -Questions: Did you feel any pain during treatment? ART caused less pain ART vs rotary Instruments[8] 4–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Pain: -Wong–Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale ART caused less pain ART vs rotary instruments vs ultraconservative treatment[4] 6–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Pain: -Wong–Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale -No difference in levels of pain among treatments -Local anaesthesia was more frequent given in the rotary instrument group ART vs rotary instruments ART vs ART with Carisolv [10] 6–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Anxiety: -Venham Picture Test No difference in levels of anxiety between treatments ART vs rotary Instruments[9] Children and adults Dentists and dental therapists Anxiety: -Childrens fear survey schedule -Corahs dental anxiety scale Both children and adults treated with the ART were less dental-anxious ART vs rotary instruments vs ultraconservative treatment[11] 6–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Anxiety: -Facial Image Scale No difference in levels of anxiety among treatments ART vs rotary Instruments[13] 6-year-old children Dental students and dentists Discomfort: -Heart rate and modified Venham index (observations) ART caused less discomfort Durability of Restoration Various studies showed that survival rates were lower with increasing period of time.[15,16] Frencken JE[15] assessed the survival of ART restoration after first, second and third year evaluation interval and found that the survival rate of one surface ART restoration were higher in first year compared to second and third year. Lo ECM[16] Suggested that cumulative survival rates of the large restoration were lower, being 77% and 46% after 3 and 6 year respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in cumulative survival percentages of the evaluated ART restorations between single and multiple-surface restorations at 1-year (p=0.137) and 2-year (p=0.377) evaluations. But at the 10-year evaluation, the survival rate for single-surface restorations (65.2%) was 2.1 times higher than that for the multiple surface restorations (30.6%). This difference was statistically significant (p=0.009).[17] Secondary Outcome Measures: Defects of restorative materials wear and fracture of restoration: Studies conducted by Lo ECM[16] and Frencken JE[18] showed that most of the restoration were in good condition and had only minor defects and wear which did not warrant further treatment. Secondary caries Increment of secondary caries was found to be maximum in a study conducted by Zanata RL[17] while other studies showed no statically significant difference.[18,19] Operator effect. Frencken JE [18] et al observed an operator effect for single surface ART restorations. It was observed in one study that experienced operators place better ART restoration than inexperienced operators.[15] Marginal Integrity of Restoration: In a study the restorations that were evaluated with the USPHS criteria at the 5-year examination, unacceptable marginal integrity, either a crevice extending to the enamel–dentine junction or the restoration being fractured was found in 9% of the small and 21% of the large restorations.[18] While in another study, 63.6% of the ART restorations were assessed as ‘good’, 15% as having a ‘slight marginal defect’ at 3years.[19] Restoration Failure Failure occurred in 24% of the small restorations and 41% of the large restorations. The large restorations had a higher relative risk of failure, 5.87, compared with the small restorations.[16] Failures were related to unacceptable marginal defects and total loss of restoration. Frencken JE [18] reported failure of total 28 ART restorations placed in 25 students during the 3 year period. While same author in another study reported 106 ART restoration failures from total of 487 ART single surface posterior restorations.[15] Discussion: The ART approach seems to be an economic and effective method for improving the oral health not only of people in developing but also of those in industrialized countries (Frencken and Holmgren 2004).[1] It may be considered as a safe and conservative alternative for conventional restorative dental treatment, particularly for Class I (occlusal) dental cavities. Pr imary outcome measures: Pain, Discomfort and Anxiety: The originators of the ART approach noticed that the technique had a potential to cause less discomfort to the patient and to be less invasive to the dental tissues than the conventional approach. The patients acceptance of ART was verified by Mickenautsch and Rudolph[12], who observed that both children and adults receiving ART restorations responded very positively to the treatment. Dentists also seemed to approve the â€Å"new† approach. Among the main reasons given were those related to the patients comfort: the reduced use of local anesthetic and absence of the noisy drill and suction.[20] Some suggested that ART as found to be less painful and cause less dental anxiety. The reasons could be contributed to the operator’s level of specialization and /or skills in handling anxious children. The studies from Topaloglu et al [10] and de Menezes Abreu et al [4,11] in which no difference in levels of dental anxiety and dental pain were observed, were performed by pediatric dentists. In the studies that favored ART [7,8,13] all operators, but the one from de Menezes Abreu et al, [8] were non-pediatric dentists (general practitioners, dental therapists or dental students). However, the latter study had included children younger than 6 years, and all those given the conventional treatment received local anesthesia and the restorations were performed under rubber dam isolation. It is not unrealistic to argue that age and the use of the needle and that of rubber dam might have influenced childrens perception of pain. In light of all these aspects, it can be hypothesized th at the behavior management provided by a pediatric dentist may overcome much of the discomfort that a child can feel independent of the restorative treatment approach. Durability of Restoration: The survival percentages of single surface non occlusal posterior ART restoration were significantly higher than for comparable amalgam restoration 4.4, 5.3 and 6.3 years. Although it is known that non occlusal glass ionomer restoration survive long but significant lower survival results for non occlusal amalgam than for comparable ART glass ionomer restorations were observed.[15] The cumulative survival rate of ART single surface restoration remained high throughout the study 92.7% (SE 3.0%) over 2 years and65.2%(SE 7.3%) up to 10 years. These rates are in the line with the results of other investigations, which reported survival rates ranging from 66% to 76% at 6 year for single surface restorations. The cumulative success of 65.2% observed in this study could be considered even better due to the longer period of clinical service. The survival rates of multiple surface restorations (class II) decreased significantly from 2 to 10 years. After 2 years, the survival rates between single and multiple surface restorations were similar. These results are consistent with those of Cefaly and Farag which observed similar survival rates for class 1 and class II restoration after 1 and 5 years, respectively. However, a statistical difference was apparent over the 10 year evaluation period (65.2Ãâ€"30.6% success rates for single and multiple surface restorations, respe ctively).[17] Secondary outcome measures: Defects of restorative material such as Wear, Fracture and Staining of Restoration: The annual wear rate of the high strength glass–ionomer material used in their study was rather stable at around 20-25 m after the first year and this did not increase much with time or size of the restoration. This rate is very satisfactory and may help to alleviate some of the concerns of earlier reviews on ART. The use of an adhesive material in ART restorations also makes repair of restorations with gross defects and wear possible and total replacement may not be necessary.[15] Reasons for minor defects and wear can be explained by the fact that firm finger pressure was applied over the restorative material to ensure good penetration of glass ionomer into the pits and fissures, as recently demonstrated.[18] Secondary caries: It has been shown that caries left in occlusal enamel lesions had either not progressed at all or only progressed slightly under clinically ‘intact’ as well as ‘sometimes intact’ sealants after 3 years. In contrast, caries had progressed under sealants that were ‘never intact’.[18] No ART restoration failed because of carious lesion development only. Restorations failed because of a combination of dentine carious lesions and mechanical defects.[17] This pattern of failure was also observed by Frencken et al[15] but contrasts with the study of Prakki et al[21] which observed no caries even in those teeth whose ART restorations were missing. Operator effect: An operator effect has been cited in a number of ART studies.[18,22,23] Although all operators (dentists and dental therapists) in the studies referred to above had followed a training course on ART, the operator effect seems to indicate that in order to perform quality ART restorations, the operating dental personnel requires skill, diligence and comprehension. An ART training course of a couple of days may be too short for some qualified dentists and dental therapists.[15] The operators’ greater experience in applying ART and the use of a high-viscous glass ionomer in the study may explain the higher results.[18] Failure of Restoration: The finding that failures of ART restorations placed in the same child were correlated suggests that some factors related to the individual subjects such as diet, occlusion, and caries risk may influence restoration survival.[16] The predominant reasons for ART restorations to fail were unacceptable defects at the margin and re restoration.[15] Almost half of the failures were related both to the physical characteristics of the glass ionomer used and to the operators’ handling of the material. Few failures were due to excessive wear. The other half of the failures were considered to be operator related. The exact reasons for the unacceptable marginal defects were unknown. However, it can be speculated that improper mixing of glass ionomer, providing a mixture that was either too dry or too wet, was one of the reasons. Another reason could be the difficulty in inserting the material into the depths of deep and small preparations. Subsurface voids produced during insertion may have resulted in later fracture of the surface layer under pressure.[18] Compared to conventional treatment approaches, ART is still very young. Despite this, much progress has been made in researching various aspects of the ART approach. More experience in the actual technique of cleaning carious cavities with hand instruments has been gained and newer, physically stronger glass ionomers have been marketed as a result of its existence. These developments have most probably led to the higher survival results of ART restorations in permanent teeth in the more recent compared to the early studies. Conclusion: ART technique has proved to be less painful and causes less discomfort to the patients with high survival rate in both in primary and permanent teeth. This technique has the potential to make oral health care more available to a larger part of the world’s population than before. The greater part of the world’s population has no access to restorative dental care. ART should be taken seriously by the dental profession and educational courses should be organized before the approach is used in the clinic.

Solomons The Return of the Screw :: Solomon Return of the Screw

Solomon's The Return of the Screw Mrs. Grose, playing cleverly on the governess' visions, convinces her she is seeing Peter Quint and Ms. Jessel in an effort to drive her mad. At least, that is according to Eric Solomon's "The Return of the Screw." Mrs. Grose tries to remove the governess to get to Flora. Mrs. Grose will do anything to gain control of Flora, as she proved when she murdered Peter Quint. He, along with Ms. Jessel, was too much of an influence on the children. Quint died somewhat mysteriously, on a path between town and Bly. He died from a blow on the head, supposedly from falling upon a rock in the road. The reader's only impression of the death is through Mrs. Grose's story, though, and so, Solomon hypothesizes, she filters the information to make it seem less extraordinary a demise. Perhaps Mrs. Grose killed him out of jealously. The reader can infer from this point of view that Mrs. Grose somehow also had a hand in Ms. Jessel's death. Mrs. Grose then proceeds, after the murders, to twist the new governess' visions of ghosts into visions of Quint and Jessel. Solomon does not address the issue of whether or not what the governess sees is actually there. His explanation is logical either way. If the governess sees real ghosts, or if she is imagining it all, does not matter. What matters is that Mrs. Grose tailors Quint and Jessel to the governess' descriptions. She listens to the descriptions and tells the governess' she is seeing Quint and Jessel. Mrs. Grose does not herself create the visions that the governess sees, instead, she bends them to her purpose. The governess' visions of ghosts are twisted by Mrs. Grose. When the governess reports seeing a ghost, Mrs. Grose seizes the opportunity, exclaiming that the ghost she sees must be Peter Quint. She also labels the other apparition as the ghost of Ms. Jessel. In this way, she can give the ghosts an evil quality, imparted to them because of the evil lives of Quint and Jessel. Making the ghosts evil forces the governess' Victorian mind to attempt to shield the children from the evil. Mrs. Grose knows the governess will read too far into the children's actions, and

The Fight for Womens Rights After the Vote was Gained Essay example --

The Fight for Women's Rights After the Vote was Gained By 1925, both feminist socialists and equal rights feminists believed they had won their battles for women's rights because they had gained the vote. Considering developments in the 20th century, how justified were those beliefs? Winning the vote for women was only the beginning, so those who thought that was the end of the fight had a big surprise coming. The vote was to be for women an instrument to achieve equality. In order for this to happen women had to stick together and only voted for candidates that would work on some of their demands. Even though, it was legal for women to vote, it was still not socially acceptable, so most women who did where considered social outcasts. Due to this accurate position, a great deal of women chose not to vote, and most of those who did vote, did so the same way their husbands or fathers did. Because of that, women as a group where nothing to fear, since they would not cause a shift in the polls, so political candidates ignored women's demands. This fact proved that the fight...

The Rivalry Between Boeing and Airbus Essay -- Economics Airlines Airc

The Rivalry Between Boeing and Airbus The rivalry between Boeing and Airbus goes back a long way, when Boeing was by far the dominant supplier of commercial airplanes. Up until 1997, Boeing was the clear market leader on the passenger airplane market. Now the situation is less certain, as Airbus has overtaken its American competitor[1] not only in the domestic market but also in the world market, with its introduction of new models of passenger aircrafts. The main issue addressed in this article is that a 1992 U.S.-EU civilian aircraft pact allows too much European government support for Airbus, helping it sell more jetliners than Boeing, which had an 80% share in the market a decade ago. Thus the U.S. government wants the E.U. to put an end to any new subsidies provided by their government, which are aimed at protecting their aerospace industry. The market structure for the aerospace sector is oligopolistic i.e. there are few enough firms to enable barriers to entry to new firms because of various reasons such as huge capital investments and high technology. Hence, Boeing and Airbus, which are the two giants in the aerospace industry, have virtually split the market. When Airbus was first set up, it faced a lot of competition from Boeing. This civilian aircraft pact allowed the European government to take protectionist measures by providing various government subsidies to its developing high –technology industry (i.e. Airbus) so that it could compete with Boeing in the international market. The diagram below illustrates the impact of the subsidies on the quantity supplied by Airbus in the domestic market. In the diagram we assume that the world supply is perfectly elastic at Pw. Under conditions o... ... disputes and worsen trade realtionships between the U.S. and the E.U. The E.U. government was justified in providing subsidies to Airbus earlier. This is because Boeing were the clear market leaders and had established a monopoly power (i.e. Boeing was the only major industry in the aerospace sector) not only in the world market, but also in the local European market. Hence, this posed as a big threat to Airbus, since they were not able to compete in the world and local market and this could have lead to the decline of the aerospace industry of Airbus. But now, since Airbus has established itself as one of the main producers in the aerospace sector, future subsidies are not desirable for free trade. References: Essential of Economics – John Sloman http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/125726.stm [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/125726.stm

Microbiology Week Essay

The bacteria can survive on skin are normally gram-positive because of their ability to survive in dry and humid conditions. The conditions on the skin are not suitable to all bacteria such as gram-negative bacteria and only those that can survive salty and dry conditions can survive. The skin has defense mechanism against pathogens such as its low moisture level, acidity, rigidity and defenses released by the skin. Certain areas of our body do contain gram-negative bacteria, staphylococcus aures and corynebacterium. Those areas are the armpit, groin and toe webbing because it is a moist area, however the bulk of human skin contains gram-positive bacteria such as staphylooccus epidermis and propionobacterium. Siegenthaler, D. and Siegenthaler, S. (2009), You’re Skin-Home to Millions of Microorganisms, Retrieved from http://www. ellsphere. com/skin-beauty-article/your-skin-home-to-millions-of-micro-organisms/582120 Someone who is immunocompromised means they have an immune system that has been impaired due to a disease or a certain treatment. The eye structure is the most direct way for exposer from the environmental bacteria to enter causing infections and certain diseases. Immunocompromised hosts are more likely to get an eye infection caused by fungi because the immune response is generally very effective at controlling fungal infections, therefore it will eliminate pathogenic fungi when they begin to grow in the body and cause diseases. However an individual who is immunocompromised the fungi on the inside or the outside colonize leaving them with lower levels of fungi that exists as a commensal in the body which can outgrow and cause a disease, unfettered by the immune response.

Enhancing Democracy in the United States of America Essay

Democracy: â€Å"1 a: government by the people ; especially : rule of the majority b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections 2: a political unit that has a democratic government† (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) With the 2008 elections fast approaching, and a highly fueled and hotly contested primary and general election campaign waning, the public is forced to consider the problems and opportunities in the American democratic system. Is there something wrong with the democratic system in the United States of America? If so, what? If there is a problem with democracy in America, what is it and how can it be fixed? The United States of America was born of an act of legislation designed to promote democracy. The United States has developed into a world superpower by enacting and enforcing legislation designed to enhance democracy. Today, legislation is passed by elected officials who then vote in national, state, and local legislative assemblies. In other words, voting and the electoral system, is the catalyst for maintaining democracy. The United States can improve democracy by improving the voting system that facilitates the democratic process. Federally mandated voter registration Today, many men are the beneficiaries of laws enacted giving their mothers the right to vote. All ethnic minorities are the beneficiaries of laws enacted giving African-Americans the right to vote. Voter registration is still optional, and considered a privilege. But now is the time to make voter registration a responsibility of all American citizens. Voter registration should be treated like Selective Service registration, a must for those who wish to receive any other benefits of citizenship including financial aid and government employment. It is not difficult to keep track of eligible voters, especially in this information age where all children are issued a social security number at birth. This process can be as simple as using the existing social security system to send registrations to those who have reached their 18th birthday and maintaining a national database similar to the social security and selective service rolls. Enforcement can be as simple as cross referencing social security numbers for registration upon application for jobs, financial aid, and public assistance. Compliance can be mandated by withholding benefits pending registration. This is a minimal effort and may not increase voter participation. But this registration plan could eliminate most existing barriers to voter registration. Federal authority over state and local elections This idea expands on the idea of the federal registration system. The Federal Elections Commission already exists. With electronic voting and reporting, federal authorities should require that all state and local elections comply with the same guidelines as national elections. This would work by applying residency requirements to both congressional elections and local elections. In other words, a person registered, residing, receiving benefits in Idaho cannot register to vote in local elections in Columbus, Georgia. This simply uses the wealth of electronic information captured on citizens to manage voting. This system would have to also account for citizens with multiple residences by requiring that everyone declare a primary residence which would be the location for their voting. If they know that they will be in a secondary residence at election time, the registration system should allow them to easily request absentee balloting which could be completed by mail or turned in at a local agency of the federal board of election. Citizen assemblies control re-districting activities Legislative assemblies and committees currently control political re-disctricting plans. In other words, elected officials decide when and how (and if) voters want, need, and get additional elected officials. Rapid economic development causes some districts to grow and change materially and demographically such that a single elected official cannot effectively serve the interests of the entire district. In that case citizens should have the right to send a message, at the voting booth, that they need additional representation. A citizen assembly should bring together elected and public officials, urban and economic planners, and affected citizens together to draw districting plans that represent the interests of all parties without compromising a sitting official’s position or ignoring a constituent’s special needs. A series of re-districting alternatives can be placed on the ballot for voters to decide. Voter responsibility education Schools should be required to include a course that teaches voting rights and responsibility as part of a social studies, American government, and civics curriculum. This course should be repeated at the university level to account for foreign students that will eventually become United States citizens. For older Americans who are beyond the educational system and for older immigrants, community based programs should be implemented that instill that voter registration is a responsibility of citzenship, not just an optional right or privilege. Tax deductible campaign donations Public financing for campaigns is generally not a tangible benefit for lower income voters. Many may see public financing as a way for candidates who do not have their interests in mind to advance their campaigns. Allowing federal and local tax deductions for small campaign donations can help to decrease feelings of disenfranchisement of lower income voters. They have the opportunity to directly support the candidate or issue of choice, and receive a ture public benefit (both the donation and the deduction). This could replace the current system and be managed at the federal level as well. Conclusion The United States can enhance democracy by modifying its election system. By placing activities such as deciding on political districts and adding value to campaign donations, voters are enfranchised in a greater way. Education makes citizens understand the benefits of voting. Consolidating the registration and polling makes the system as fair and not subject to less error. References democracy. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/democracy Gerkin, H. , et al. (2006). Six Ways to Reform Democracy. Boston Review, September/October 2006. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://bostonreview. net/BR31. 5/gerken. php

Poles Reading Fewer and Fewer Books Essay

Poles reading fewer and fewer books – speculating about the causes Fewer and fewer Poles are reading books nowadays. It is mostly visible in the libraries, book stories and even in the reading rooms. What are the causes of such phenomena? Let us look at three of them: lack of time, the rise of technology and laziness. It seems that the main cause might be that Poles have no time for reading books. These days more and more people are overworked, and when they finally have their leisure time they prefer to go to the cinema or to the party rather than read books. Going to the library and borrowing books also requires some time and may be problematic to many people. Another important cause is that technology plays an important role in many people’s lives. The new technology, which is developing day by day offers a lot of facilities, interesting methods of spending time. People are focused on gaining new abilities, moving with the times and books are often considered as something archaic and unnecessary. What may also contribute to such a phenomenon as reading fewer and fewer books by Poles is the fact that they are simply lazy. It seems that going to the library and borrowing a book demands too much effort for contemporary people. As far as teenagers are concerned, they prefer much easier things to do, for example staring at the television, playing video games or going to a pub. Taking everything into consideration, I can state that reading books by Poles as a way of spending their free time is becoming less popular. Nowadays people spend their time mainly on working and are generally not interested in books. It can be difficult to change this negative attitude towards reading but it is certainly worth trying.

Lancôme Marketing Plan Essay

I. Executive summary: Lancà ´me is preparing to launch a new anti-aging cream concluding the perfect result of 10 years exploring in lab and be recommended as â€Å"A miracle elixir exists†, the Absolue L’Extrait, in Vietnam cosmetic market. Our product offers a competitively unique combination of the latest advanced technology in dermal stem cells and great beauty effects after testing and launching in other countries. We are targeting specific segments in the consumer and taking advantages of opportunities indicated by the huge demand for beauty in such a dynamic economic. The primary marketing objective is to achieve first-year Vietnam sales of 10,000 units. The primary financial objectives are to achieve first-year sales revenues of $3.5 million and break even early in the second year. II. Current market situation: Lancà ´me is founded in 1935 by Armand Petitjean in France. From the beginning till now, Lancà ´me has brought beauty for women in 160 countries worldwide through 28.000 retailers and stores all over the world. After gaining a large amount of market shares in European market and become a market leader, Lancà ´me turns the target into Asia, and Vietnam in special. Penetrating in Vietnam in 2006 through the only retailer channel- Parkson, Lancà ´me has gained a certain amount of market share and has occupied a strong position in the eye of the upper- class. However, we also have to compete with some strong brand names in cosmetic about pricing and gaining customer’s loyalty such as Clinique which is the pioneer in dermatologist-developed cosmetic brand. Exploring that most of Vietnamese women (about 75%) care much more about skincare than makeup, the newest product which is in the expansion of the premium ABSOLUE line – Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’extrait, will be about to launch into Vietnam market and possess a strong advantage to differentiate from other competitors. 1. Market description: Method: Concentrated marketing Absolue L’Extrait is a new- launched and luxury product, therefore concentrated marketing help the company gain a strong market position. Table 1: Segment Needs and Corresponding Features/Benefits of L’Extrait Cream Target Market| Customer need| Corresponding feature/ benefit| Upper- class women| A cream can slow down and push back the aging process.A therapy can bring them back to the confident and youth like they were before.| Rose stem cells extracted from the Lancà ´me Rose are claimed to be capable of â€Å"stimulating human dermal stem cells†. The formula will also contain Proxylane, a proprietary anti-aging active ingredient of L’Orà ©al.| 2. Product Review: Absolue L’extrait is the latest anti-aging cream of Lancà ´me as well as the first product to feature a high concentration of a kind of native cells-rose stem cell. Rose stem cells is said to be extracted from the Lancà ´me Rose- a species specifically created for Lancà ´me in 1973 and resisting various environmental aggressions (cold, insects†¦). It is claimed to be capable of â€Å"stimulating human dermal stem cells†. Each 50 ml jar of formula is claimed to contain â€Å"2 million rose stem cells†. Apart from the rose stem cells, the formula will also contain Proxylane, a proprietary anti-aging active ingredient of L’Orà ©al. The jar is sold with a massage tool – the â€Å"massage petal applicator† – developed with the Lancà ´me Institute. It is claimed to alternate hot and cold effects for stimulating the skin to invigorate it, activating microcirculation and promoting a better penetration of the formula’s active i ngredients. As a global anti-aging formula, it is claimed to have a significant efficiency on the â€Å"seven major signs of aging† said by Lancà ´me to be: – Forehead wrinkles – Frown lines – Crows’ feet – Under-eye wrinkles – Nasolabial fold – Wrinkles around the mouth – Facial slackening *The testing and trial process: The formula has been tested on 42 women, half of them having sensitive skin. Results were observed after 11 weeks. This is quite unusual, since most of skincare products are tested on a 4 week basis. This is a trick to obtain better results to claim – the longer you use a product, the better are the results. Since its creation, Absolue has always extended the limits of science and creativity to incarnate a quintessential and aristocratic femininity; one that is full of grace, sophistication and elegance. More than luxury, this is an inspiring philosophy for the most demanding women in the world. 3. Competitive Review: Recently, because Vietnam’s economic has a great development and living standard is gradually increasing, the needs to be beauty and health caring are rising rapidly. Because of the working pressure and environment pollution, women nowadays have wrinkle faster and faster. With these reasons, the anti-aging cosmetic market is really potential. Key competitors include the following: * Cle De Peau: A Japanese brand which was only established for the last 30 years. + Product: having knowledge about the Neuro Skin Theory: â€Å"Skin has a brain of its own† and the discovery of the leukemia network of the skin, it can be said that Cle De Peau anti-aging products are the most effective and best-seller anti-aging product in Vietnam at the moment. + Strong: ââ€"  Potential to be the most understanding Vietnamese’s skin (a Asia brand) ââ€"  A clean operation history ââ€"  High customer loyalty ââ€"  Advanced technology + Weakness: ââ€"  The most expensive product ââ€"  Small distribution channel * Està ©e Lauder: This America brand entered Vietnam only for 7 years (since summer 2005) but it already has a stable position in the cosmetic market with a convenient distribution channel (2 stores in Hanoi and other 4 in Ho Chi Minh City). + Product: applied the exclusive DNA technology, the anti-aging serial of Està ©e Lauder have a superior position which gains over 70 global awards and over 20 global certificates. + Strong: ââ€"  Està ©e Lauder is a company with bright and long history which creates a trustful strong famous global brand. ââ€"  The advantage of continuously improving technology ââ€"  Reputation products ââ€"  Convenient store in beauty places ââ€"  Wonderful employees and services + Weakness: ââ€"  Scandal of models representing as the face of Està ©e Lauder (Carolyn Murphy, etc.) ââ€"  Be doubted of using child-labors ââ€"  The CEO is doubted of poor executive ability which leads to the impaired of this brand. * Clinique: A brand developed by dermatologists of Està ©e Lauder Company but unlike Està ©e Lauder, Clinique already appeared in Vietnam from 2001 and having a larger distribution channel (9 official stores in the 3 biggest cities of Vietnam: Hanoi, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City) + Product: Clinique products can be suitable for every skin’s kind with its natural origins cosmetics. + Strong: ââ€"  Reputation brand in over 130 countries ââ€"  Developed by dermatologists ââ€"  Being a professional in online business, which even has a tracking and advising system for customers ââ€"  All products have been Allergy Tested and 100% Fragrance Free. ââ€"  The first one who approached Vietnamese customers ââ€"  Reasonable price ââ€"  Large distribution channel + Weakness: ââ€"  Average skin care product quality * Kanebo: Officially appeared in Vietnam in 2003 through Exclusive Distributors – Trade Co., Ltd. L & K. This Japanese brand already has 9 official showrooms in Vietnam (2 in Hanoi, 1 in Haiphong and other 3 in Ho Chi Minh City). + Product: According to Kanebo theory of the structure of skin, the â€Å"Adhesive Technology† is the way to have an excellence skin. + Strong: ââ€"  Over 110 years history brand which already presented in 51 countries. ââ€"  Finding out â€Å"Rhodomyrtus Tomentosa† essences which have oxidation activity that help rebuild DNA ââ€"  Large distribution channel + Weakness: ââ€"  Accounts scandal ââ€"  Still be a quite small brand in global market * â€Å"Hang xach tay†: Not really a specific brand, â€Å"Hang xach tay† is a new trend in commodity trading in Vietnam nowadays. â€Å"Hang xach tay† operations base on the products which flight attendants or pilots or even shop owners’ acquaintances brought back after each time they went abroad. + Product: Diversified brand names, products, origins and quality. In Hanoi, â€Å"Hang xach tay† has a venue at the â€Å"Aviation Street† (Nguyá »â€¦n SÆ ¡n St.) + Strong: ââ€"  Having stores in every cities and provinces of Vietnam ââ€"  Having many online retailers ââ€"  Lower price than official distributors of brands because the shop owners do not have to pay the tariffs and other non-tariff fees. + Weakness: ââ€"  Unclear origin (can be fake) ââ€"  A large amount of â€Å"Hang xach tay† is almost out-of-date or old fashion products. Despite this strong competition, Lancà ´me can carve out a definite image and gain recognition among the targeted segments. Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait is considered as a magical product which is produced by the most advanced and unique technology in the world nowadays. It is a breakthrough after 10 years searching and developing from Lancà ´me, a famous reputation brand. Thus, Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait will have an absolute competitive advantage among other products. The most potential competitor of Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait in Vietnamese anti-aging market is Cle De Peau. However, Cle De Peau’s La Cream U still has some weak side such as it is the most expensive cosmetic product in Vietnam market. Moreover, unlike Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait, even you have already used La Cream U for night care, you still need other lotion for day care for the best result. In short, Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait has the newest advance technology in cosmetic industry, more suitable price and gives better result. 4. Channel and Logistics Review: Because Lancà ´me has entered Vietnam for 6 years, the distribution channel is still quite small. 5. Retailer stores: Lancà ´me has been opened 6 stores (in which four stores in HCM city and two stores in Hanoi) at Parkson (the retail arm of The Lion Group): + Parkson Saigon Tourist Plaza – 35Bis-45, Là ª Thà ¡nh Tà ´ng St., Bá º ¿n Nghà ©, District 1, HCMC. + Parkson Hung Vuong Plaza – 126 Hung Vuong St., District 5, HCMC. + Parkson Paragon – 3 Nguyá »â€¦n LÆ °Ã† ¡ng Bá º ±ng St., Tà ¢n Phà º, District 7, HCMC. + Parkson Flemington – 184 Là ª Ä Ã¡ º ¡i Hà  nh St. , District 11, HCMC. + Parkson Viet Tower – 198 Tà ¢y SÆ ¡n St., Trung Liá »â€¡t, Ä Ã¡ »â€˜ng Ä a District, Hanoi. + Parkson Landmark – 72- Keangnam Tower, E6, Cá º §u Giá º ¥y new urban areas, Má »â€¦ Trà ¬, Tá » « Lià ªm, Hanoi III. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat Analysis 1. Strengths: 2.1. Exclusive biotechnology process: Lancà ´me has now succeeded in cultivating stem cells from this rose, which can be multiplied infinitely by a biotechnological procedure called Fermogenesis, which provides each stem cell with a gentle growth environment, which preserves its own metabolic rate and all its regenerative potential. 2.2. Unique and precious components: The key component is a new active ingredient – Lancà ´me Rose stem cells – obtained through an exclusive biotechnological process. These rose cells are claimed to be capable of stimulating human dermal stem cells, which are found in the deepest layers of the skin, and play an essential role in the renewal of the fundamental layers of the dermis. In addition, the anti-ageing formula is delivered within a pearly pink cream-elixir, which changes its texture on application to melt into the skin. It is scented with notes of rose, bergamot, pink peppercorns, jasmine, freesia, woods and musk. 2.3. Extra â€Å"message petal† applicator: In addition to a superior anti-aging cream, there is a message petal applicator to motivate its benefits. Specially designed for a dual ritual, it features a black warm side to pick up and apply the elixir, and a golden cord side for smoothing and massaging the product in to skin. 2.4. Good distribution channels: From the successes in the first store in Ho Chi Minh City, up to now, Lancà ´me has been opened 6 stores (four stores in HCM city and two stores in Ha Noi) and have intended to open new store in Hai Phong. The market share in 2009 increased 3 times than 2 years ago. Lancà ´me store are located on well-known shopping centers such as Parkson, which are highly attractive and convenient for knowing and buying product. This factor is one of the most important factors that have assisted them to maintain their high market share in premium cosmetic market. 2. Weakness: 3.5. Small-scale targeted segment: Target only on Adults but not for Youngsters. Like some other products, Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait has target segment only of adults who have high standard not for youngsters who are the majority of Vietnam population 3.6. Pricing: The product is charged with the higher price in comparison with others in the same product line of our competitors. It is a result of unique and valued features of the product. 3. Opportunities: 4.7. Open market: The economy of Vietnam is growing rapidly and living standard of Vietnamese is improved very much. As a result, Vietnamese women will care more about their health as well as their beauty. They will spend more for skin-care products. It is an open market for Lancà ´me to develop their luxurious products. 4.8. Increasing targeted customers: The targeted customer of Lancà ´me is the upper class. As a result of development in economy and globalization, there are more and more the rich, who are willing to pay much for luxurious line of product, in Vietnam. 4.9. The development of distribution channel: * Parkson, the main distribution channel of Lancà ´me in Vietnam, is developing and becoming more and more popular here. It once succeeded in helping Lancà ´me increase their market share in some Asian countries, especially in China, where has some similarities in economy and society with Vietnam. * The development of the Internet makes it easier for customers to access to Lancà ´me’s website and find information about products. They also can buy products they want through the Internet conveniently and fast. 4. Threats: 5.10. Increasing competitors: More corporations with famous brands are entering Vietnam market with high-quality cosmetics that offer some but not all of benefits provided by Lancà ´me. Some of them have lower price in comparison with Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait. Beside these official competitive companies, the product also has to cope with another kind of competitor called â€Å"hang xach tay†, which provides cosmetic products from abroad with cheaper price and is very popular in Vietnam nowadays. 5.11. Effects of global economic crisis on Vietnam economy: The crisis on global economy has certain impacts on Vietnam. One of them is effects on people’s spending habit. Due to pressure on difficulties in economy, customers will buy fewer goods and they only buy necessary goods. As a result, luxury goods like Absolue L’extrait will not attract many people, even the rich. That will be a resistance to Lancà ´me’s revenue. IV. Market-Product Focus: This section describes the three- year marketing and product objectives for Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream. It includes a description of our target markets and our product differentiation strategies. 1. Marketing and Product Objectives * Non-financial Objectives * Launch product by July 2012 – with distribution primarily in Parkson department. * Gain a 10% market share among existing anti- aging products. * Sell a minimum of 10,000 units in the first year, with at least 25% increase in sales in the next 2 consecutive years. * Financial Objectives * Generate at least $3.5 million in revenue during the first year. *Increase profit growth by at least 10% per year for the next 3 years. 2. Target Market For our product, we focus on targeting the end users, as these consumers make the decision to purchase. Our target market is professional women over the age of 30. These women are concerned with the signs of aging and trust Lancà ´me, as they believe Lancà ´me is devoted to quality skincare products. These professionals earn upper income and live in urban areas. They are buyers of fashionable clothing, premium products and shop in upscale department stores. 3. Product differentiation Product differentiation is the significant other half of product positioning: the two must work together to achieve success. Many manufacturers offer creams that are designed to reduce the sign of aging around the face. Thus, it is detrimental to the success of a product that it carries addition benefits and features that make it more attractive to the consumers than the industry alternatives. Absolue L’Extrait differentiates its self from its competitors through the advantages listed below: * Unique formula with our most powerful regenerating ingredient, Lancà ´me Rose Native Cells. * Well-research through 10 years. * Strong brand equity. * Easy to obtain through upscale department stores where our target customers usually go shopping. * Backing from strong parent company, L’Oreal Companies, Inc. V. Marketing Strategy: 1. Product Strategy: Our product strategy for Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream is â€Å"Product differentiation†. Products designed by our competitors to reduce the signs of aging have over and over proved to be ineffective. With Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream, we will change this notion. Women can experience Lancà ´me’s revolutionary skincare innovation and our most powerful regenerating ingredient, Lancà ´me Rose Native Cells. As described in the earlier Product Preview section, our star ingredient, Rose Stem Cells, is claimed to be capable of â€Å"stimulating human dermal stem cells†. The natural regenerating potential of plant stem cells and the self-renewal of the skin’s own dermal skin cells provide a double boost deep in the skin’s makeup, resulting in a smoother, more radiant and more youthful appearance. 2. Pricing Strategy: â€Å"Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream is considered the most advanced product; it brings efficiency proportional to its value†, according to Youcef Nabi, president of Lancà ´me company. The suggested retail price for this product will be $385, the price that is slightly higher than our major competitors. The perceived benefits of our product are high with respect to the price, therefore Lancà ´me is taking on a value- pricing strategy. Figure 1 Price/Value Map for the Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream As shown in Figure 1, our product is in the Fair Value Zone at the Premium point. We can use this value-pricing strategy based on certain conditions. First, the superior quality of our product and our brand, Lancà ´me, will support the higher price that our loyal customers will trust and buy this product. Second, our target customer, upper-class women, will care about the value rather than the cost of the product they purchase. Finally, competitors cannot be able to enter the market because of our unique formula in the cream, therefore they cannot undercut our price. By using this strategy, we believe we will be able to gain a considerable amount of market share. 3. Distribution Strategy: L’oreal Vietnam company is the main distributor of Lancà ´me in Vietnam. Our channel strategy is to use exclusive distribution, which enhances Lancà ´me’s image and allows higher markup. We focus on marketing the cream through our chain of Lancà ´me stores in Parkson department stores. Parkson has eight modern and successful department stores, 4 in Ho Chi Minh City, 2 in Hanoi, which are big cities of Vietnam with large proportion of high income people. Moreover, it is obvious that most of Vietnamese citizens perceive Parkson as a special location for shopping luxury, expensive and high quality goods, creating advantage for Lancà ´me to build strong brand in Vietnam and reach our target customers – upper class women.On the other hand, it is unfortunate that our company has not yet established Vietnamese official Lancà ´me website so we can’t serve customers direct purchase. 4. Marketing Communication Strategy: Our company will follow the concept of integrated marketing communications-blending the promotion tools into a coordinated promotion mix. 5.1. Advertising: Instead of using means like television or radio, we choose Magazine and LCD advertising as the main media vehicles. Regarding using magazine, the objective of our company is to take advantage of well-known, expensive magazines about beauty, whose readers are women aged average 27 years old. According to the recent research we have collected, the company decide to market through 3 famous magazines- Elle, Her World and Heritage Fashion: + Elle: a worldwide magazine of French origin with 140,000 readers over 20,000 publications in Vietnam. The age of reader is above 27, which is suitable for the company’s strategy. In this magazine, we will place our full-page advertisement about L’extrait cream in the fourth cover in order to take readers’ attention efficiently. + Her world: monthly special issues by Sun Media company who bought the rights transferred from Singapore Her World magazine .It is becoming more and more famous thanks to Vietnam’s Next Top Model contest. Our company will contract with Sun Media representative to launch our lasted product –Absolue L’extrait cream in the same position as we have in Elle magazine. + Heritage fashion: In-flight magazine for Vietnam Airlines .The purpose of ours in marketing in this kind of magazine is to reach female customers in domestic flight of Vietnam Airlines. To avoid missing key customers who don’t have time to read magazines as Elle and Her World, Heritage Fashion is an ideal choice to introduce to them our new product when they spend time to relax during their flights. *Months of publication: February, April, June, August, October, December. In addition, we plan to use LCD advertising in our marketing strategy. The video of product will appear on LCD screens of Parkson department stores, which are placed in elevators or the halls. The customers will passively access to our product without purpose. This method is more effective than Television advertising. 5.2. Direct Marketing: +Website: along with working with Elle in marketing in magazine, we also like to put banners about the product at the corner of the main website of Elle: http://www.elle.vn/ and Parkson: http://parkson.com.vn, which will lead the customers directly to our company Facebook page providing detailed product‘s information. Absolue L’extrait‘s features and price will be updated in Parkson website as well. Furthermore, the company will put the news of Absolue L’extrait in the front page in our Website so that our loyal, potential and first- time customers can easily approach to the product. +Online Social networks: Facebook is the best choice for online marketing in Vietnam because most of Vietnamese internet users have one or more Facebook account while Twitter seems to be ignored here for some reasons. Therefore, our company will place the introduction of Absolue L’extrait as special event on Facebook page and update as well as answer the questions about this product. 5.3. Sales Promotion: +Displays and demonstration: We will send each of our retail stores large color advertisement to display in the stores as well as small brochures explaining our product and its feature in Vietnamese. The display needs to emphasize that Absolue L’extrait cream is the most innovative and luxury product of Lancà ´me. +Sample: Another method is that samples will be available to consumers, this is a great way to â€Å"try before you buy†. Sampling develops a loyal consumer because the customer will only return to purchase the product if she genuinely liked it. Our company will give limited number of samples to customers who purchased over 3 million Vietnam dong. The sample will begin to be handed to consumer 1 month before the introduction of the product. 5.4. Personal selling: The company will provide salespeople about detailed information of the product such as superior features and advantages to give the useful advice to customers. Besides, since Lancà ´me entered Vietnam market in 2006, the brand has had substantial amount of loyal customers who have strong belief in our product. Lancà ´me salespeople are also well trained to build and maintain close relationship with those ones. These sale consultants will contact with the potential customers about the presence of the latest product- Absolue L’extrait anti- aging cream . Their interpersonal communication skills help them to deliver a clear, concise and consistent message to your prospects about the product and give the reasons why they should purchase it, basing on the salespeople’s understanding about them. Counter salespeople need to gather customer information and follow up with the each customer 3 days after the samples are given to insure effectiveness otherwise its money down the drain. 5. Marketing Organization: Marketing organization will reveal the overall outlook about how the marketing campaign operates and how it gains success. Ms. Sonia Chiu, the chief marketing officer at Asian Region, is in charge of planning and designing a general marketing strategies and handing it over to the subordinators within the supervision. * Marketing development and project manager, one of the sub-division of marketing organization, will work in collaboration with the advertising agency with whom they develop the advertising material for the launch (3 main magazines: Her world, Heritage fashion, Elle). This division also work with the packaging design agency, press relations and internal communications staff. * Regional manager are responsible for the sales targets set by the Group, pursue the sales promotion and need to have the capacity to analysis your results so as to allow you to imagine and to conceive corrective operational strategies when required. * Store marketing manager investigate any and every alternative distribution network opportunity (street merchants, Internet, etc.) and work on negotiations, for example about the promotional campaigns delivered through distributing brand stores. * Distributing manager is one subordinator who carries out the logistics and distribution of new- launched product through the only retailer channel – Parkson. This division will take action under the leading of store manager. VI. Action Programs: The company decide to launch Absolue L’extrait in July 4th, 2012. Following are summaries of the action programs we will implement in six next months since this June 4th, 2012 to achieve our stated objectives. June. Pre-launch action month: From June 4th, 2012. The campaign will officially begin in all 6 Lancà ´me stores in Parkson’s malls. The Vietnam L’oreal company will send representatives to each one to help decorating with the image of Absolue L’extrait appearing in the stores. The leaflets are going to be placed in cash desk. These actions are to be implemented early in order to attract the customers ‘curiosity. We also want to initiate the method â€Å"try before you buy† to our customers, therefore, the samples will be sent to V.I.P and customers with above 3 million product bill until the end of June. Counter salespeople need to gather customer information and follow up with the each customer 3 days after the sample was given to insure effectiveness. Moreover, our training staff will work with sales personnel at 6 shops to explain superior features as well as advantages of the cream. On Facebook, we will set July 4th as important event and provide the product’s information. We plan to write an article introducing new anti-aging cream of Lancà ´me -Absolue L’extrait and publish it on double page spread of Elle, Her World and Heritage Fashion with detailed information.Every LCD screens in each Parkson department stores will run video of Absolue L’extrait. July. Launch month: The program of handing samples need to be ended.The product will be put at an eye catching position in the stores and the Absolue L’extrait banner must be placed in front of each shop in order to attract customers passing by. The salespeople will begin to contact to their loyal customers through phone, e-mail or a close conversation. They will try to remind consumers entering store about the appearance of the product. Advertisement will be put in the fourth cover in Elle and Her World magazine. On the main page of Elle’s website, the product’s banner will appear once people access and lead them to our Facebook page. August. The company will register to do marketing in Heritage Fashion magazine with the same position as in those 2 magazines to target business women who usually get flights and V.I.P of Vietnam Airline that usually receive this magazine. September. In this month, because the Heritage Fashion will not be published, we will continue with August strategy. The comments of customers after using Absolue L’extrait will be posted on the Facebook. October. Salespeople continue to ensure the efficiency of the product by contacting with their customers. Advertisement on magazines still goes on following to the schedule and with publication of Heritage Fashion in this month. November. Advertisement campaign will continue as September. The results of customer satisfaction surveys and feedbacks will be analyzed carefully. We will begin to collect the reply from the customers and readers of 3 magazines about the campaign to get improvement for the next marketing activities. VII. Budget ( in one year from 7/2012 to 7/2013 ) By setting objective aimed at unit sale per year is 10,000, total first year sales revenue for Lancà ´me in Vietnam is projected at $3.5 million, with a selling price of $350 per unit (without VAT), and variable cost of $300 per unit (the cost included importing tax ). The first year profit are anticipated approximately $237,400. Break-even calculation indicates that Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream will become profitable after the sale volume exceeds 5,252 units in this year. The break even analysis of Lancà ´me’s Absolue L’Extrait Cream assumes that revenue in this year is $3.5 million, variable cost per unit is $300, and the estimated fixed costs is $262,600. Based on these assumptions, the break-even sale volume is: $262,600à ·$350-$300=5,252 units Breakeven sales: 5,252 Ãâ€"$350 =$1,838,200 Note : †¢ Total Fix cost = $262,600 +Cost for rent and freight cost: $35,000 +Advertising: $90,200 +Direct Marketing: $42,000 +Sale promotion: $61,800 +Personal selling: $33,600 †¢ Variable cost: $300 per unit (included import tax) †¢ Selling Price: $350 per unit (not included VAT) VIII. Controls Through this marketing plan, our corporate goals have been projected and our methods for achieving these goals have been defined. To guarantee success, the company needs to re-evaluate the progress towards these goals in each quarter to determine if our marketing plan is working properly and profitably. If it appears that we are not meeting our goals each quarter, we will need to analyze our marketing plan and make adjustments. Source Background information and market data adapted from: http://stylist.vn/tin-tuc-lam-dep/lancome-sap-sua-ra-mat-dong-kem-duong-ky-dieu.html http://www.phunuonline.com.vn/thoitrang-lamdep/2009/Pages/Lancome-ky-niem-3-nam-hien-dien-tai-Viet-Nam.aspx http://www2.lancome.com/_en/_ww/index.aspx http://www.parkson.com.vn/vi/taxonomy/term/20 http://duhoc.dantri.com.vn/c23/s156-62983/estee-lauder-muon-chinh-phuc-viet-nam.htm http://www.esteelauder.com.vn/?q=website_admin%2Fevents&menu=316|339| http://www.ytuong.com.vn/?module=detail&pid=3&id=253 http://www.lantabrand.com/cat3news3023.html http://www.clinique.vn/?q=website_admin%2Fnode%2F14%2F&menu=133