Harley Davidson Five Forces Analysis Essay Example for Free

Harley Davidson Five Forces Analysis Essay In our present competitive world in the business where customer preferences are continuously changing, prices of raw materials and cost of labour are increasing and global economy is becoming unstable, it is always been a difficult task for companies to stay and perform business. And these barriers have been a familiar scene in the global business. That is why for most companies in order to overcome such of these difficult challenges, innovativeness and the desire to be very critical and most anticipative of the changes in the industry and the whole global economy is highly necessary. Just like for Harley Davidson as the main focus of this study, even though the company currently established itself for being the highly rated motorcycle brand in the world, it is still not enough for the company to be relaxed and feel that they can be profitable and enticing to the market as years goes on. That is why in this paper it will directly focus on how do Harley Davidson’s competitors are doing at the present, what are some of the strategies that they do to compete. With this information about the competitors, how does this information be used by the company in terms of opportunities for them to use it as a strategy against them? Also, making use of this information to handle future threats as well, this is in order for them to anticipate and provide some immediate actions. In the second part of this paper, it will focus on how the company can apply Porters five forces tool in order to continually achieve competitive advantage over its competitors. Also at the second part of this study it will discuss on how motorcycle companies like Harley Davidson, can still earn above average return even though the company falls at the high-end market with more on the luxurious and recreation side and not as necessity for customers. Also, with that, what are the actors or contributors that will lead to that conclusion or will help attain that goal? Study of Harley Davidson’s Major Competitors As the pioneer and one of the oldest known brands in the motorcycle industry in the world, Harley Owners Group has been in the industry since 1983 and due to its growing influence worldwide, it already has over 1,000 chapters and over a million members worldwide. But, not all of its members own a bike; it is only the prestige and respect about the Harley machines that made them decide to be a member. As one of the strength of the company, it has been continually establish its brand as the number one brand in the world, with over 5 billion USD annual revenue annually. In terms of its competitors, the companys main competitors, most specially in terms of design are the following: BMW, Victory, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha, but among these lists, Honda has become the closest and toughest competitor of Harley Davidsons motorcycles. (Harley Davidson Motorcycle, n. d. ). With the companys main focus on design, quality and most specially durability, it continuously has been in the forefront of the high-end and luxurious motorcycle business in the world. That is also why 80% of the total revenue of the company comes from motorcycle sales. With regards to the company’s competitor, even though the company clearly dominates the American market as its origin, which has registered in the 2006 market share, the company has eaten up half of the market or 50% while far second and third are Honda and Suzuki with 15. 1% and 12. 9% respectively. But the question now is not just the American market but instead what this paper is focusing is what the competitors are doing in the global scene. Which is actually smaller, like for Canadian market, it drops to 38. 4% still relatively high, but what is more alarming and needs to be focus on by the company is on the European market which is only 10. 2%, but still the company has a noticeably high market share globally as it generates at an average of 33%. And this is more alarming because it will also follows that the companys net revenue growth also shows very small in other major regions in the world. With this event, it is necessary for the company that it needs to strengthen its presence in these main regional markets, because in the long run, it will be a problem that the company needs to focus on. The two main reasons why these competitors starting to entice substantial number of customers are: (1) they have greater financial resources, like Honda and Suzuki, with their global presence, they have enough financial support in every region that they operate. Meaning to say these companies knows that they know how to make use of their money in enticing potential customers and retaining current customers as well and they can even compete with price and that will soon be a serious problem with Harley Davidson, since the competition is on how to innovate with technologically funded studies that will still provide quality as well as make the product still not that so expensive. Lastly, (2) these companies, like Honda and Suzuki are obviously more diverse than Harley Davidson; they sell a lot of products with a lot of brands and choices that customers can choose, from cars, to simple scooters up to high-end luxurious brands of motorbikes and not only that with wide variety of choices to choose from. This is another serious problem by the company in the long run, since these competitors knows how they can be well-trusted by the customers and if you made such products with quality in all of it, it will be a positive sign for these companies and that will create problem for the company. With these two main reasons, Harley Davidson needs to formulate a strategy that will address these problems in order not to further add problem in the future and also not to wait until the companys edge in the global market be removed or at least be reduced. Also, based on this study, the company must also look forward in addressing these issues while they are still room to operate due to its continuing edge in the global market. (Harley Davidson (HOG), n. d. ). In the second part of this paper, the main focus is on how the company can effectively apply Porters fiver forces model in attaining competitive advantage. The five forces of Porters method that are popularly applied by companies are: (1) Potential entrants, (2) Buyers, (3) Substitutes, (4) Suppliers, and (5) Industry competitors. In each of these five forces, there is an important factor that contributes to the success or failure of each forces and this will be discussed separately as to how the company can effectively apply it. In the entry barrier, where it mainly focus on the potential entry of new products or brands, the company must continue to be very pro-active in this part as the competitors are becoming very aggressive in this area. What Harley Davidson should do is to increase the customer awareness of their motorcycle brand in some of the regions that they are starting to have a very low market share like in the European and Asian market. Studying cost advantage and relatively access to distribution are two of the most important focus that the company should do. Also, can be added to that is to have an in-dept study on the Government policies which might be the effect of low market share, because the territories that the company operates must also need to be well represented and not just putting up a business. In the rivalry determinants, which mainly focus on both the industry competitors and new entrant forces, the company should be mainly focus as usual on how they can have advantage over its competitors by not only anticipating future challenges and innovation that their competitors may bring but also be able to establish a well defined marketing and research and development study that will help the company confident enough in dealing with the market.  particularly, the factors that it needs to focus are: industry growth, always look on the potentials in the business and be first in formulating it to the market, product differences, at this point, which is already been the strength of the company, but still needs to do more and that is innovativeness where it also been the main focus of its competitors. The company must look on how they can provide its clients new and very attractive designs, but it should also have to look on the cost side as well. And lastly, is switching costs, for any company there should also be some intelligent cost study on how the company can still be appreciated by the customers and these can either come from service and parts and of course these should be well accompanied with excellent service and availability of parts which is also a big factor during actual competition. In the side of threat, what the company should look closely on how the innovative trend and pricing strategy trend that competitors is doing. Most of the time these is what is being target to Harley Davidson, since it has been recognized as a very expensive brand and at the same time more on respecting traditional design, competitors compete through these factors. So, what the company needs is that they have to anticipate these by introducing new and innovative styles and at the same time study some possibilities of offering some not so high cost brands which may also give additional leverage for the company. Another important study and important advantage of Porters Five Forces is supplier power, in this side it is also important for the company not only to look for the most efficient supplier but also study closely in terms of cost. Harley Davidson must be careful in forming up agreement with suppliers. Like they can have global partnership with some suppliers, most specially if some of these suppliers are proven that they serve the company well. This reduces the cost by having different suppliers in the different regions. That is why there are two ways that the company may apply: (1) the company must carefully look into suppliers that are effectively performing for the company, if there is, Harley Davidson must look into how they can formulate a global partnership in order to lessen the cost. And lastly (2) the company must also re-visit some suppliers that are not performing well and be able to replace it or make some better arrangement on how the company as well as the partner can have a more favourable output. Lastly, in terms of buyer concern, where two of the important force involved, buyers and competitors. At this point these are the greatest challenges that the company must look at since the competitors are very aggressive in this area, most specially in the price sensitivity and not much on the bargaining leverage. Price is always a problem with the company, since it continuously in the high-end brands. What the company should do is on how they can study on introducing brands that may target other markets which will still not compromise quality and cost. In the bargaining leverage, the company must look on how they can provide some better offers for some big markets, like in terms of wholesalers. Lastly, with regards to the question how can motorcycle companies like Harley Davidson, where its business falls more on luxurious and recreation brand of products which also targets high-end markets, which the question is on how they can continue to earn above average returns. It is obvious that for company like Harley Davidson, they have to focus more on how to deal with innovations is one aspect that they need to do. By strengthening its research and development and the usual attention to customer needs and preference is the key to continually achieve above average returns. Most specially the latter where still it is considered as the most important factor in the business. The main actors or contributors that needs to work on this one in order for it to materialize are the following: (1) Companys human resources, which means that it should continually strengthen the technical expertise of the company, and lastly, (2) is to build partnership with some of the global and most recognized industries or companies which is what is lacking with Harley Davidson. People expertise and partnership through reliable and very influential companies are very important to the success of company’s these days. That is why with the help of the management team and its top executives, they need to recognized it as the main key to continually have a better return in the business. Conclusion In this study, it shows that for any company to survive in this very competitive world of business, company’s needs to be sensitive enough in understanding the competition and on how they can overcome it. In this paper it shows that even company like Harley Davidson, who still has substantial edge in the market, it still needs to be aggressive and continue to study on how they can attain competitive advantage. Like what resulted in this study that even though the company seems to have control in the American market, competitors are however starting to focus on targeting on market outside the American region, which shows that the company starting to slow down and competitors like Honda and Suzuki are rising up. This also resulted that due to financial capabilities and diverse status of these competitors which starting to give problem to Harley Davidson. That is why the company must look on these growing advantages and be able to formulate a strategy that can offset it. In the second part of this paper, it also shows that in order for the company to be aggressive and effectively achieve competitiveness, Porters five forces has been presented and for each forces, there are important discussions on how the company can apply it effectively and efficiently.

Francisella Tularensis Gene Sequencing

Francisella Tularensis Gene Sequencing Francisella tularensis, a pathogenic gram-negative bacteria and the only bacteria recognized under the genus Francisellaceae of the gammaproteobacteria family, was isolated by George Walter McCoy from ground squirrels in 1912. There are four subspecies of F. tularensis: biovar tularensis (type A), biovar holartica (type B), subspecies novicida, and biovar mediasiatica. Type A, most commonly found within North America, is the most virulent subspecies and includes the fully sequenced laboratory strain, SCH4U. Type B is most commonly found within Europe and Asia but is rarely linked to fatal disease while subspecies novicida and biovar mediasiatica, found within North America and central Asia respectively, are non-virulent strains in human hosts, however, little is known about the latter. F. tularensis is non-motile , aerobic and rod shaped with an approximate size of 0.2  µm. Despite F. tularensis having been categorized as a Class A Select Agent by the U.S. government as a prospective instrument of bioterrorism, human-to-human transmission of the bacteria has not been observed. F. tularensis is most commonly spread through vectors such as ticks or deer flies, with aquatic rodents, deer and lagomorphs being common reservoir hosts. F. tularensis has the ability to infect a host via skin contact and inhalation, leading to ulceroglandular forms of tularemia and pneumonic tularemia. Without treatment, pneumonic tularemia has been shown to be fatal (mortality rate of 30-60% if left untreated), causing symptoms such as fever, anorexia, and septicemia within approximately three to four days after infection. Although human-to-human transmission has not been identified, F. tularensis’ ability to infect human hosts is not hindered. F. tularensis requires a low infectious dose (approximately 10-50 bacteria), contributing to its high virulence. Being an intrac ellular bacterium requiring cysteine for growth can be limiting, however F. tularensis is capable of surviving outside of a host for weeks at a time. This characteristic leads to its easy spread when one comes in contact with water and grasslands, particularly during activities like brushcutting or lawn mowing in which the carcasses of dead reservoir animals may be present within the environment, leading to what is commonly known as â€Å"lawnmower disease† or â€Å"rabbit disease†. Tularemia is endemic in North America, Europe and Asia with 5-10% of cases being waterborne infection opposed to the most common method, via contact with reservoir animals. At risk groups include those who are immunosuppressed. The life cycle of this intracellular pathogen is important in determining which aspects are of main focus when dealing with potential virulence factors. There are approximately five steps of this pathogens life cycle: entry (associated with type IV pili), phagosomal escape, cytoplasmic multiplication (associated with biofilms and ppGpp), lysis and release (associated with MglA). The entry of this pathogen is dependent on complement factor C3, mannose receptors and cell surface-expressed nucleolin (encoded by the ncl gene). Within the cell, the bacterium colocalizes within arrested, late endosomal phagosomes. Within 15-30 minutes, the phagosomes are destroyed and the bacteria escape into the cytoplasm of the host cell. After multiplication, two distinct mechanisms for host cell lysis occur: Type 1-induced apoptosis and caspase 1-mediated pyropoptosis (in which immune cells that recognize signals of infection within themselves, go through programmed cell death via production of cytokin es). The pathogens response to innate immunity within the host cell also plays a role in it’s virulence as evading innate responses (such as production of cytokines) is crucial when infecting host cells, macrophages in particular. Being able to detect environmental changes through use of two-component systems help the pathogen survive in different conditions within or outside of host cells, which can have a huge impact on its virulence as well. Biofilms also play a significant role in the virulence of F. tularensis. Biofilms are a community of microbes attached to a surface, encased in a matrix. Biofilms help provide protection from antimicrobial agents as well as protection from the immune system of the host. Biofilms play a role in chronic infections as they protect the bacteria which are most resistant to antibiotics or antimicrobials that may be administered to the host. In the case of F. tularensis, biofilm formation is increased when the relA gene is inactivated. Production of hyperphosphorylated guanosine diphosphate and triphosphate analogs or (p)ppGpp, is used to combat limited nutrient conditions. Uncharged tRNA molecules bind the ribosome resulting in stalling of translation and activation of ribosome associated RelA. This causes the production of (p)ppGpp which is then converted to ppGpp. ppGpp molecules bind RNA polymerase to alter gene expression under certain conditions. Inactivation of the relA gene causes d efective production of (p)ppGpp which leads to increased biofilm formation and increased resistance to stress. These biofilms make it hard to treat infections resulting from this pathogen as eliminating the pathogen from the body becomes more difficult with increased production of biofilms and increased resistance. The ability for this pathogen to survive without a host is due, in part, to its ability to adapt to different environments by activation and repression of genes, some of which are found within what are known as pathogenicity islands. In the case of F. tularensis, the pathogenicity island FP1, contains 17 highly controlled genes that are crucial to its survival. In the laboratory strain of Type A alone, the expression of approximately 658 genes are up regulated and/or down regulated during infection within macrophages. The change in expression of these genes has helped researchers understand F. tularensis’ reactions to specific environmental stimuli such as temperature, limited iron source and oxidative stress. In terms of temperature as an environmental stimuli, F. tularensis is able is to alter its outer surface when growing in temperatures of 25 °C as opposed to 37 °C in a human host, by modifying the lipid A of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This pathogen is capable of tempe rature changes through involvement of alternative sigma factors as well as heat-shock proteins. In F. tularensis, the only alternative sigma factor that is encoded is RpoH. In terms of iron acquisition, intracellular pathogens require the ability to acquire iron because of the limited availability within mammalian host cells, as intracellular replication is iron-dependent. F. tularensis contains siderophores. These small molecules grow under iron-limiting conditions and bind iron from inorganic and host sources. Studies show that iron-starved F. tularensis expresses an additional 80 genes, including some within FP1, and that F. novidica growth in broth and macrophages is inhibited as well as it virulence in regards to causing pneumonic tularemia in mouse models. In addition to temperature and iron acquisition, the detection of oxidative stress is important as oxidative stress is hugely involved in innate antimicrobial responses by macrophages in the host. Reactive oxygen species (RO S) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) have the ability to produce superoxide and hydrogen peroxide molecules which cause damage to biological molecules within bacterial cells, such as DNA, as well as important enzymes which lead to metabolic defects. F. tularensis has the ability to inactivate these reactive species by inactivation of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase which is found within the phagolysosome and is required to reduce oxygen to superoxide anions. Environmental stimulus is important when studying the virulence of this pathogen as it is directly related to regulation of virulence gene expression. In fact, the gene MglA (or macrophage growth locus) has been linked with responses to oxidative stress. MglA in particular, is required for replication within macrophages. MglA is highly up-regulated during infection and mutant strains are unable to escape macrophage phagosomes. MglA binds with SspA (a transcription factor that responds to nutrient limitation) as well as RNA polymerase in a heterodimer which is required for FP1 gene activation. In order for the pathogen to detect these environmental stimuli, however, two component regulatory systems composed of membrane-bound sensor kinases and cytoplasmic response regulators are essential. The F. tularensis genome codes for two of these systems, one of which is of major importance and contains a response regulator that resembles PmrA of E. coli bacteria, involved in LPS modification. Inactivation of this gene increases susceptibility to killing through antimicrobial actions, decreased growth and inability to escape macrophages. PmrA is described as a DNA binding protein that allows for binding of the MglA and SspA complex bound to RNA polymerase to initiate FP1 gene transcription. Aside from gene expression relating to virulence, genes within F. tularensis’ genome have also been shown to produce structures that aid with its life cycle and its virulence. One structure in particular is type IV pili. Multifunctional and flexible, these appendages are capable of adhesion, motility, biofilm formation and conjugation, all of which are important aspects of colonization of pathogens. In human strains of the virus, type IV pili have been shown to be essential for virulence, specifically in type A. In type B strains (which have relatively low virulence), however, pseudogenes of genes encoding type IV pili have been found which further support the idea that virulence is somehow connected to type IV pili. In the case of F. tularensis, type IV pili are essential for the binding of the bacterial cell to host cells to allow phagocytosis to occur. Mutant strains lacking the genes responsible for the production of pili (mainly pilA, pilB, pilC, pilD, pilT, and pilQ) are considerably attenuated in pathogenicity. Another structural virulence determinant is the ability of Francisella tularensis to suppress and avoid early innate immune responses (which slows progression of infection and allows for adaptive immunity to develop) by modifying its LPS, as mentioned previously in regards to PmrA and temperature as an environmental stimulus. Through removal of Kdo (3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid) saccharide, F. tularensis is able to kill the host before adaptive immunity matures. Mutant strains with the inability to modify its LPS are shown to be attenuated in mice models, inducing an early innate immune response. The O-antigen present within the LPS of F. tularensis is also important for multiplication. O-antigen is a repetitive glycan polymer, composing the outermost domain of the LPS. Mutant strains lacking O-antigen show susceptibility to killing by serum. F. tularensis also produces AcpA (burst-inhibiting acid phosphatase) which inhibits respiratory bursts (release of neutrophils by macrophag es when they encounter bacteria) in order to help evade host immune system responses. Though the genome of F. tularensis has been sequenced, not many genes have been shown to be identical or even similar to those currently within bioinformatics databases. This makes it challenging to determine what genes are responsible for what functions. As described above, the major factors that determine F. tularensis’ virulence are mainly two-component systems which detect environmental stimuli, helping the bacteria adapt to environmental change (including temperature, iron limitation and oxidative stress), which leads to expression of important regulatory genes such as MgIA, PmrA, and relA, all of which are associated with specific stages of its life cycle. MglA is of major importance because of its role in initiating transcription of another virulence factor, the FP1 pathogenicity island. Biofilms, LPS modification and type IV pili also influence virulence through their ability to aid in multiplication, resistance, and evasion of innate immunity as well as entry into hos t cells. Even though the functions of many genes within the genome of F. tularensis are unknown, this pathogen is still very important to the world of biotechnology because of its ability to be used as a biological weapon. This is due to several characteristics of F. tularensis including being: easy to aerosolize, highly infective (requiring only a small dose of 10-50 bacteria for infection) highly incapacitating to infected hosts (with a relatively high mortality rate if its associated disease is left untreated). WHO estimated, in 1969, that 50kg of aerosolized virulent F. tularensis could result in 250,000 illnesses and 19,000 deaths if dispersed over a population of approximately 5 million people. This has led to production of a live vaccine as well as an attenuated; however the live vaccine has not yet been approved within the United States and the attenuated vaccine is only available in special cases. Disease associated with this pathogen is currently treated with antibiotics, the drug choice being streptomycin or tetracycline-class drugs. The best way to prevent an infection by F. tularensis is through proper protection when skinning wild animals, particularly lagomorphs (rabbits), avoiding ingestion of uncooked reservoir animals and untreated water sources in which these animals inhabit as well as wearing repellent to prevent tick bites.

The Real California Cheese Campaign Marketing Essay

The Real California Cheese Campaign Marketing Essay The Real California Cheese Campaign is a great example of a prosperous, positive promotional campaign. This campaign originated because of a study conducted by the Stanford Research Institute to improve the waning dairy industry in California. The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is a state agency responsible for promoting California dairy products (Belch 297). The CMAB took the information from the study to develop and implement a highly effective integrated marketing communications plan. In order to have a profitable advertising campaign, there must be an integrated marketing communications plan in place. Our textbook defines integrated marketing communication as, a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated, measureable, persuasive brand communications programs over time with consumers, customers, prospects, employees, associates and other targeted relevant external and internal audiences. The goal is to generate both short-term financial returns and build long-term brand and shareholder value (Belch 12). The Happy Cows campaign did this for the cheese industry in California. First, there was the planning stage when the CMAB appointed the Stanford Research Institute to conduct a survey. Then the plan was developed and the CMAB decided to put the Real California Cheese seal on all their products for brand identity (Greenwald 1). The integrated marketing communication plan was implemented in 1985. This is when they started promo ting Real California Cheese with advertising on television and the radio, in newspapers and magazines, and outdoors. In 1995, the CMAB decided to have an emotional approach to their advertising campaign. During the years 1995 to 2000, the slogan for California cheese was Its the Cheese. In the year 2000, under the direction of a new advertising agency, Deutsch LA, the slogan Great Cheese comes from Happy Cows. Happy Cows come from California was introduced (Greenwald 2). In the text video, we watched some of these commercials and they are very funny and entertaining. This campaign portrayed a positive image for California cheese that customers will remember. Our textbook mentions this concept by stating, Marketers generally try to create agreeable messages that lead to positive feelings toward the product or service. Humorous messages often put consumers in a good mood and evoke positive feelings that may become associated with the brand being advertised (Belch 178). Our textbook al so points out that, Humorous ads are often the best known and best remembered of all advertising messages (Belch 199). One of the reasons this campaign is so successful is because people of all ages can understand and receive the message they are trying to portray to the customer. Lastly, the process was evaluated to get feedback from customers. During the evaluation process, people were asked if they recognized who the advertiser was in cheese advertisements and where the cheese they buy comes from (Greenwald 16). The integrated marketing communication plan for Real California Cheese is measureable because of the results of these surveys. It is also persuasive because their profits and consumption percentages have rose significantly because of this advertising campaign (Greenwald 7). Another reason this integrated marketing communication plan succeeded so well is that they used so many customer-orientated advertising sales promotional (Belch 23) tools in stores; for example: sampli ng, demonstrations, coupons, flyers, and banners (Greenwald 4). This success has definitely generated both short-term financial returns and build long-term brand and shareholder value (Belch 12) for this company. It initially increased sales, and continues to do so, as proven by the statistics on page 7 (Greenwald). The Real California Cheese seal played an important role in the success of the entire campaign. This universal indicator shows that the milk used to make the cheese is from California cows (Greenwald 1). Our textbook states that Positioning has been defined as the art and science of fitting the product or service to one or more segments of the broad market in such a way as to set it meaningfully apart from competition (Belch 56). The Real California Cheese seal is what differentiates this cheese from other cheeses in the market and is used as the primary symbol of their company. This seal is on every package of cheese made in California, as well as on restaurant menus that use the California cheese, and coupons for California cheese. This is an integral part of their integrated marketing communication plan. The Real California Cheese seal gives it brand identity (Greenwald 1). Our textbook describes brand identity as, a combination of many factors, including the name, logo, symbols, design, packaging, and performance of a product or service as well as the image or type of associations that comes to mind when consumers think about a brand (Belch 56). It made a big difference to the program because buyers of the cheese as well as products made with California cheese are easily recognized (Greenwald 1). The advertising agency was assigned to target women ages 25 to 54. They are the main buyer of cheese, have fairly higher earnings than average, and are most likely to be married with a family. They had a yearly budget of $33 million to spend for developing the campaign (Greenwald 3). The Happy Cows personality that was created can be described as fun and entertaining. They use humor and positive imagery in their advertising campaign. Our textbook points out that, One study found that people who enjoy a commercial are twice as likely as those who are neutral toward it to be convinced that the brand is the best (Belch 167). The pros of the campaign are that they were able to reach out to so many people in different ways. They used many different advertising outlets to reach a wide audience. They use mass marketing to advertise their product on radio and national television, as well as on outside billboards, and transportation shelters. In 2004 and 2005, they used mass marketing during the Super Bowl. They marketed Real California Cheese in stores by giving out coupons and samples. This was all part of their identity-building ad campaign (Greenwald 3). They advertise in retail outlets, in the food service industry, and at various trade shows as well (Greenwald 3-5). They actively advertised their campaign, making sure it was positive, and included the Real California Cheese seal. The con of this advertising approach is that it costs a lot of money to maintain. No advertising approach can be continued indefinitely. As we saw in the text video, they have added different animals in their commercials, such as bulls and sheep, which give the commercials more variety. Since internet advertising is constantly growing, they will need to expand their advertising presence on the internet. They already have their own website, but they should expand to advertising on other websites, such as Google or Facebook, which is very popular these days. There are three main consumer promotion tools used by the CMAB, cross-promotions in-store that utilize instant redeemable coupons, in-store product sampling, and self-liquidating premium offers (Greenwald 5). These tactics allow customers to save money, not only on the cheese, but also with products that go with cheese. It allows potential customers to try before they buy the products. They can also have souvenirs of the Happy Cow campaign with merchandise bought from the website. This way is used to reinforce the advertising by keeping the merchandise fresh in the consumers mind with the primary objective of repeat customers (Greenwald 5). Public relations is used as part of the integrated marketing communications program by having articles in premium food magazines tout their many awards for their advertising as well as recipes that use Real California Cheese. Along with their advertising awards, they have won international cheese competitions that are covered by the press. Stories about how the cheese is made are also part of their public relations program. They use different types of magazines and newspapers depending on the angle of interest of the target audience. Not only magazines centered on food are used, but also travel magazines or travel sections of the newspaper are used to reach different audiences (Greenwald 6). The Real California Cheese website homepage exhibits the certification seal for Real California Cheese. This is one way that the seal reinforces the integrated marketing communications program. Other things on the website are: videos of television ads, Happy Cow merchandise and cheese for sale, coupons, maps, recipes, articles, game section for kids, professional section for chefs and restaurant operators (Greenwald 6). All of these things support the other parts of the integrated marketing communications program by putting their name and logo out there so it stays prominent in the customers mind (Greenwald 5). The CMAB used customer surveys to evaluate their IMC program (Greenwald 16). They have won many awards for their creative Happy Cows campaign, so this is another way it has been evaluated. The companys statistics give a numerical indication of the success of the campaign. The cheese production has significantly increased since the start of the campaign because of the increasing demand for Real California Cheese, even internationally (Greenwald 7). Customer satisfaction is a very big part of the success of any campaign. Therefore, they should continue with the coupons and sampling of the product and focus on that. Customer trends are ever changing and no one really knows what the next trend will be. I came up with a few ideas, and then looked at the Real California Cheese website, and most of them were already on there. The Real California Cheese website is full of useful information and different activities (www.realcaliforniacheese.com). One idea that I am pretty sure they have not done yet is having a Happy Cow jingle about Real California Cheese. The cows could hum the jingle while they are grazing contently in the pasture. Janice and Diane could sing the jingle on radio commercials. This jingle could be made into a ring-tone for cell phones. This would reinforce their message by keeping it prominent in the customers mind (Greenwald 5). Another idea I thought of is to have a Happy Cow costume that an employee could wear at events, such as trade shows. This Happy Cow character could be at a restaurant when they first introduce Real California Cheese on the menu, like a grand opening ceremon y. The Happy Cow character would definitely carry the Real California Cheese seal. The California Milk Advisory Board really got it right when they came up with this integrated marketing communications plan. They went through all the stages of a successful integrated marketing communications plan: plan, develop, execute, and evaluate (Belch 12). It has all the elements of success. It is appropriate for all ages, humorous, creative, positive, and non-offensive. The website contains a wealth of information about Real California Cheese, including recipes, coupons, sustainability, and nutritional information. There are also fun activities, videos, pictures, and contests (www.realcaliforniacheese.com).

Free Terrorism Essays: Muslims Must Denounce Terrorism or Die :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

While many respectable Muslim organizations the world over have condemned the reprehensible carnage at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, there is a growing number of groups and individuals who equivocate in their rebuke of violence. In doing so, they become apologists for violence and terror. There is something deeply disturbing about employing explanation and understanding as a fig leaf for justification and as a pretext to spread feeble diatribes about just desserts. Even more disturbing is the fact that intelligent and right-thinking people sit through sermons and speeches where such dehumanizing pseudo-religious drivel is preached without demurral or protest. Never has Walter Benjamin's famous statement rung more true when he said that every document of civilization is also a document of barbarity. The most preposterous aspect of the rhetoric of especially Muslim apologists of terror is that they advance their claims in the name of justice. To allow them to become the guardians of justice is to bring it into disrepute. These pulpit impostors and armchair generals know little of humanity, are bereft of compassion and have perverted justice for their own ends. No human being deserves to die. Our moral sensibilities are tested even in the most conclusive convictions leading to the death penalty, let alone when acts of determined destruction and terror are unleashed on innocents at the New York World Trade Center. No Iraqi children deserve to die as a result of unyielding sanctions meant to punish a draconian political authority. Nor do Palestinians and Israelis deserve to die in spine-chilling slaughter if their respective leaders cannot make peace. It may be better that Muslims condemn acts of terror unequivocally without launching into explanations about the algebra of grievances. To venture into such complex levels of sociological commentary without the requisite skill and empathy is to treat human life as dispensable. For Muslims to make such claims is to bring into disrepute to the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, whose person is fondly recalled in Islamic teachings as a "mercy unto humanity." And surely every Muslim is entitled to retrieve the reputation and integrity of her or his faith from such misrepresentation. The truth is that such large numbers of Muslims have become so dehumanized that they parade indecency as grandiloquent virtue. It is difficult to configure who lacks more compassion: the terrorists who perished with their victims or their many apologists who make a linkage between tragedy and just desserts, sometimes without even disguising their joy at others' misery.

Six Sigma: Breaking the Quality Hype :: essays research papers

SIX SIGMA: BREAKING THROUGH THE QUALITY HYPE PARTIAL FULMILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT BUSN 6110 Title:Six Sigma: Breaking through the Quality Hyp Degree: Master of Business Administration Motorola's Robert Galvin came up with it and breathed life back into the company, snagging a Baldrige Award in the process. Larry Bossidy rebooted AlliedSignal with it and then sold General Electric's Jack Welch on it. GE then made Six Sigma front-page news. Notwithstanding its 15-year history and the usual hype that comes with any concept promising organizations huge bottom-line benefits, the number of companies actually using Six Sigma appears to be quite small. Moreover, the perceptions within the quality industry of Six Sigma methodology vary greatly.   So what's the story behind the hype? Is there really some muscle in the methodology, or is Six Sigma simply, as many believe, PR-enhanced total quality management? TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ii Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1 II TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES 3 III BENEFITS MULTIPLY 8 IV SUMMARY 10 REFERENCES 11 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 12 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The year is 1976. The USA was celebrating its 200th birthday. According to the Juran Institute, there was an emerging interest in this country for training in quality matters. Manufacturing companies were eager to implement quality improvement within their organizations. They were motivated by a very real competitive threat from overseas. Japanese industries had swallowed up a number of our companies and were threatening others. It turned out that quality was dramatically changing the way many organizations were conducting business. There was a new buzzword being used by managers: "Total Quality Management", or "TQM" (Blackiston, 1996, p. 1). What emerged as some of the key motivators...the drivers? The Juran Institute believes at first sheer terror motivated many American businesses. These companies realized that quality was a matter of life and death. Indeed, many American manufacturers of consumer electronics died before they could react (Blackiston, 1996, p. 1). The Juran Institute states: †¦another important motivator for quality initiatives was the concept of "the costs of poor quality". This relates to all of those costs that would disappear in an organization, if everything were done correctly right from the start. We saw early on that most companies were simply throwing away about 25% of their sales revenues on scrap, repairs, warranties and other costs of quality (Blackiston, 1996, p. 1). As the years went by, the reasons for implementing TQM piled up; however, the Juran Institute figured that 80% of the companies that tackled TQM in the 1980s failed (Blackiston, 1996, p.1). Although quality improved, TQM seemed to be mired in â€Å"find and fix† the problem and not worry about the cost.

Method of Radical Doubt

The method of doubt that is used to attain certainty was formulated by famous Western philosopher Rene Descartes (Burnham & Fieser). It was initially formulated to be a method for religion, science, and epistemology (Burnham & Fieser). He lived in the 16th to 17th century, and created works on mathematics and physics (Burnham & Fieser). His method of radical or hyperbolic doubt was a product of his being a radical skeptic. This position means that Descartes did not readily accept anything as true. Moreover, he did not immediately classify anything as knowledge. Thus, contrary to the inclinations of philosophers and thinkers of his time, he never believed in anything unless they passed his test of indubitability (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes vehemently denied the prevailing concepts of his time, as put forward by the Aristotelian, Scholastic, and Medieval traditions (Burnham & Fieser). This gave birth to his determination to be a radical skeptic, which for him allowed him to start anew in his quest for a philosophical foundation (Burnham & Fieser). However, it is important to note that Descartes’ radical skepticism is different from the position of other skeptics, which is doubting for the sake of doubting. Feature Article Relative Rates:  Free-Radical Bromination Being a radical skeptic, Descartes desperately searched for true knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). For him, knowledge is based on truth and indubitability (Burnham & Fieser). A certain proposition would only be accepted as knowledge if it were true and does not entertain doubt (Burnham & Fieser). For example, one’s knowledge of a table is brought about by his belief that it is true and real. Descartes formulated a criteria of knowledge based on clarity and distinctness, which gives a person confidence in his determination of whether a statement is worthy of being accepted as true knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes’ radical skepticism is characterized by his comprehensive rejection of the reliability of accepting ideas as truth or knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). He is known for the wide-ranging premise that truth is not represented by a person’s ideas (Burnham & Fieser). For him, ideas cannot be automatically classified as truth (Burnham & Fieser). Quite the contrary, ideas obscure a person’s perception of the truth. (Burnham & Fieser). Thus Descartes rejected all ideas that are susceptible to doubt. In this connection, he likewise excluded mere wishes or opinions from real knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). For him, such dubitable ideas could not serve the purpose of determining the foundation for philosophy or knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes’ method of hyperbolic doubt was explained in detail in his work published in 1641, entitled Meditations on First Philosophy, wherein he discussed issues regarding the existence of God and the distinction between mind and body (Burnham & Fieser). In this book, Descartes concluded that there is at least a doubting being whose existence is independent of its body; namely, himself (Burnham & Fieser, 2006). Descartes’ method of hyperbolic doubt consists of several stages (Burnham & Fieser). First, it involves the identification of a class of knowledge that is unreliable because it is not credible (Burnham & Fieser). This class of knowledge refers to sensory information, or those gathered from sensory stimuli (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes’ choice of doubting sensory knowledge is based on his stand that sensory knowledge has been known for failing in the past (Burnham & Fieser). Furthermore, Descartes claims that there is a distinct possibility that it will still fail in the future. Moreover, he referred to optical illusions, which are sensory knowledge that is based on deception. They make a person believe that his perceptions differ from what truly exists in the world (Burnham & Fieser. For Descartes, therefore, sensory knowledge cannot be trusted. Descartes next subjected his own ideas to radical doubt (Burnham & Fieser). This he did by imagining that there exists a God who deceives him into thinking his thought, beliefs, and perceptions. (Burnham & Fieser, 2006). However, due to Descartes’ strong belief in God, he later replaced the idea of God as the deceiver to avoid disagreeing with his Christian belief, and conjured the idea of a malevolent demon who deceives him (Burnham & Fieser). Under this test, Descartes was able to conclude that even his own ideas cannot be trusted because they can still be doubted, since they could have been implanted in his mind by the malevolent demon (Burnham & Fieser). Finally, Descartes settled with the conclusion that he exists (Burnham & Fieser). This conclusion he reached through mental intuition, because he noticed that there were statements that are presented to his mind with sufficient clarity and distinctness that there is no reason to doubt them (Burnham & Fieser). This gave rise to his famous phrase, â€Å"I think therefore I am,† or â€Å"Cogito ergo sum (Burnham & Fieser).† This cannot be doubted, because the fact that he doubts shows that there is an existing entity who performs the doubting (Burnham & Fieser). If he did not exist in the first place, then there is no being whom the malevolent demon would be deceiving (Burnham & Fieser).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In sum, Descartes arrived at one conclusion using his method of radical doubt. This conclusion is that it is the indubitable truth that he is a thinking entity that exists (Burnham & Fieser). Works Cited Burnham, D. & Fieser, J. â€Å"Renà © Descartes (1596-1650).† The Internet Encyclopedia of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophy. 2006. 1 Apr. 2007 .      

Macy’s Inc

There is not an iota of doubt that Macy’s Inc. is still the leading retail store in the United States.   Nevertheless, this business and marketing achievement of the firm is on for a tough competition given the evolving realities in the retail industry. Basing alone from the financial report of the company as of February 2008, the big store’s net income was down by 10.2% or $893 million compared with the previous fiscal year (Mammarella, 2008). The company has to shape up to parry the business strategies thrown before its doors by rivals in the business. One of the business strategies that the firm has an option to embrace is the lucrative and attractive opportunity given by expanding internationally. Since this business maneuver has been applied by the company several years ago, it can exploit this well-proven strategic move by furthering its presence in the international retail arena. Given that Macy’s Inc. has already set up stores in different countries, adding additional stores in several well-placed territory around the globe can boost its sales and opportunity to increase its financial portfolio. The countries where Macy’s Inc. can apply this strategy are the countries of China and Russia. These two countries basically hold a huge number of population which promises bigger consumer market for the big store. In China alone, there are already several cities that are economically growing at an exponential rate. The company can grab this opportunity by setting up stores in these cities considering that in the dynamics of a healthy economic state the purchasing power and surplus cash of the population is certainly high. As a second alternative for the company, it can pursue a joint venture with rival competitor in the market to consolidate its strength in the industry, both at its home base in United States and internationally. The advantage of negotiating for a partnership with another player in the retail market is the promise of higher percentage of cornering the large portion of the sales in the market. In regards to the company’s dominance at its home base, United States, one business strategies that is being employed right now, through the leadership of the firm’s Chief Marketing Officer Peter Sachse, is to give more focus and attention on the local market (Zmuda, 2008). Since the company is already a Goliath in the industry, it has somehow alienated most of its consumer based. As a reaction to this observation, Macy’s Inc. makes the strategic business move of re-connecting with the local consumers. This deft business maneuver from the perspective of marketing strategy, will guide the company in making a program that ensures advertising campaigns closely reflect the local tastes and needs. A good example of this initiative to focus on local consumers is the marketing and selling of coats. Macy’s can create a sale more of this kind of product in Minneapolis than, say, in Miami. If the high school prom is approaching, the company in turn can run an ad tailored according to this situation. If the local cheerleading squad for example wins the championship, the firm can place ads on TV, newspapers, magazines, and Internet congratulating them (Znuda, 2008). In the end, the big store can reinforced its brand name in the local community. Another alternative for the company is to slow down on its program of building new stores (Ryan, 2008). This business move will enable the company to speed-up â€Å"same-store sales growth.† At the same time, this will reduce the operational expenses of the company since the strategy will free up 2,550 positions. Moreover, this strategy will give a savings of several million dollars from unnecessary expenses. The alternatives business strategies therefore that are open for Macy’s Inc. are to exploit the opportunity of expanding globally, merging with a rival competitor, a more focus on the local market to reinforce its brand name at its home base and the strategy to slow down on setting up stores in order to free it from unnecessary expenses and at the same time give existing stores the opportunity to boost their sales. Bibliography Mammarella, J. (2008). Macy's to Slow Store Growth, Boost Interaction. Home Textiles Today.   Vol. 29 (8), p20-20 Ryan, F. (2008). Macy's P.R. not affected by cutbacks. Caribbean Business. Vol. 36 (6), 10-10, Zmuda, N. (2008). Now a Goliath, Macy's seeks localized focus. Advertising Age. Vol. 79 (12), 3-29