NEGOTIATION STYLES AND COMMUNICATION Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NEGOTIATION STYLES AND COMMUNICATION - Assignment Example Globalization has brought about the need for cultural understanding for traders in various countries to enable them to trade globally. The Vietnamese and the Americans have different personality styles and preference in negotiation. To start with, the Americans and Vietnam have different approaches to negotiation with the Americans being convenience customers while the Vietnamese are valued customers. This is from the buyers’ point of view so that the negotiating party is the buyer. A convenient customer is the once who is less sensitive to brand and try to minimize effort on evaluation. The convenience customers are time sensitive, thus prefer saving on time. The Americans fit the convenience customer definition through its individualistic nature. Americans are more interested in satisfying personal needs rather than focusing on societal beliefs and culture, therefore the American consumers are known to make decisions free of societal influence. On the other hand, the value customers are conscious of both value and prices of products. They, the value customers, would want to get the best quality at the lowest possible cost thus maximizing on value. For the Vietnamese, they believe in collective communal responsibility for individuals. The people in Vietnam are aware of the general prices of products and qualities, thus are more brands sensitive. The Easterners prefer having to negotiate for lower prices but at the same time maintaining good quality of the product. The individual behavior has affected the way trader price their goods. Traders in the east are aware of the bargaining nature of most of the customers thus have priced their products to allow for bargaining. The Far East is characterized with high power distance (Van 2009). This means that the gap between those having powers, and those not in powers is big and visible. The inequality in power is reflected in the high income disparity

The First Day of School Essay Example for Free

The First Day of School Essay First walking into my new school of Terrace Park Elementary during the middle of 6th grade, I must have been the most awkward person on the planet. Moving schools because of my acceptance into a more challenging school curriculum, I had been told this group of students would help me learn much faster than the ones at my old schools. The material would have been learned at a much faster paced and higher level of difficulty. It was as if my old elementary school had kicked me out, placing me with kids who these similar â€Å"problems† as me. It had never occurred to me that the new environment I was in was so different than what I was used to. Going to this new school required a fifteen minute drive commute to and from home daily. This inconvenience made it hard for me stay connect with my classmates in the afterschool extracurricular activities. Changing schools meant meeting a new group of people I did not know. Joining the school mid-year I was the stranger that came in knowing nothing about how the school worked. Most people had already formed their little friend groups and created their own schedules. see more:my first day at school essay for kids On the other hand, the large amount of people at this school meant that some students still had time expand their friend group. It was a whole new experience and it was a case I had never handled in my life before. The two school environments were just too different. My new school was two stories high and had twice the amount of students. It was harder to get around the school and find my new classes. It had recently been renovated, so the whole appearance of the school was much more modern. Upon arriving, I noticed many remarkable building features. A five foot circular stained glass window started at me with its amiable eyes. The wolf drawn seemed to represent the school mascot. Compared to my old school, this school had much more classrooms and facilities. The six groupings of classrooms, the football and track field outside, the gym and cafeteria were all spread out. The colorful colors that were painted on school did nothing but spur my curiosity. Right outside the cafeteria was the playground of all children’s dreams. It was spacious and had two different playgrounds. There seemed to be a caterpillar toy that the underclassmen were fighting over. The real attraction, however,  was the large football field beyond the playground. I watched the daily lifestyle of this school I as wandered about. Some students hung out by the cafeteria eating their breakfast, some were conversing in the halls and some had already sat down in their classrooms. Twenty minutes before school had even started the amount of activity was surprising, when compared to my previous school. Yet people seemed to not notice me, whenever I passed by, none seemed to fully acknowledge my presence. Back home, I had friends how rushed to greet me as I walked through the doors of the classroom. The staff all were familiar with me and wore willing to help me out in any situation. As the first bell rung, I knew it was time to start my â€Å"first day† of school. Walking into Mr. Hagen’s room, I noticed a row of computers in the back right corner of the room. Their placement against the wall made it seem like they had never been used for a long time. I walked in, only to be greeted by a young aged man who I assumed to be the teacher for this 6th grade class. As I was introduced to the class, my experience as a stranger had officially began. I stood at the front of the room and slowly walked toward the seat I had been assigned. After a little bit of adjusting, the final bell rung and class had started. The first day was the day that would decide everything – from what type of friends I made to the spot I would sit during lunch. Knowing this, I tried my best to make myself look as normal as possible, attempting to discard my own shy character. Scanning the room, I knew absolutely no one. Making friends was also never one of my assets. Each person looked the same. I sat down next to a boy who had unkempt hair and had a Hawaiian shirt loosely thrown over a white t-shirt. Everyone knew my name, because it was different than the typical American name. The name â€Å"Jonah† was sure to stick in their minds, at least for next week or two. The faster paces of the classes were too much for me to handle for I never been used to such a speed in my previous school. I sat there, lost, wondering what to do. The faces of all the other students around me were intent and focus on their given task. I was left out of the atmosphere of the classroom. When lunch finally came, I was finally relieved of the pressure of the classroom. As a stranger, I remembered that didn’t know anyone well enough to sit with. For all I knew, I didn’t even know how to buy lunch. I frantically asked myself, â€Å"Is it the same way as my old school? Will I have the same PIN number? Where will I sit?† Luckily, on the way out  of the room, I was invited to eat with the boy with unkempt hair. I later learned that his name was Randy and that he was one year younger than me. As I sat down at the lunch table, many other kids sat down with me. All of them stared at me because they had never seen me there before. I was unable to come up with courage to talk to them, therefore awkwardly sitting at the table eating my lunch. I knew that they did not mean to be unkind, but just wanted to understand more about who I was. To my delight, I ran out onto the field and felt freer to finally act as myself again. The size of the field was much larger than I had expected from first look. The only color I could notice around me was the shade of green. Looking around, I had no one to kick my soccer ball with. Throughout the day, I received countless glares from many people I didn’t know. Many others from different classes had asked me many times for my name, asking me how I was and where I had come from. They had asked me so many types of questions that sparked one after another, triggering a large chain of questions that I did not know the answer to. Many of the others just called â€Å"hey new kid!† I will admit that my feeling of fear was more than I could handle. There was so much nervousness that I would start sweating and my nerves would spark all over my body. Walking in for the first time through those doors of Terrace Park Elementary made me feel so small in this large school. I was not used to such a large community, I like it when my classrooms were all close together, the student were allowed more changes to interact and the staff would be able to more easily connect with us. The few smiles I had received when entering felt forced- the ends of their lips raised for a quarter of a second. I had thought that I was different than all the rest of the kids – Was it my looks? My clothes? My awkward trot? Some might have thought that I was just another one of those Asian nerds. I felt that I would have trouble fitting in. that I should have probably stayed at my old school. Why would I just make my life harder for myself when I could just be chill with my old group? I knew that the ambivalent glances I received were not meant to be malicious. I know that even I would have done the same to a new student. My initial fears had changed th e way how every face in the school had looked. Even a perfectly joyful person could seem to have cruel intents. Trying to along with the other students was just a nightmare. I have always heard that the best thing to do on a first day of school was to make a good impression. However, I was never the type who was easy to get along with or outgoing. I tried leaving all those traits behind me as I spoke up, but it was no use. My true nature showed one way or another. My shyness only helped distance me from the other students around me, as if no one had wanted to become my friend. All the small things happening around me were, I was tuned into the world or small details. As I felt time go in in slow motion, I watched as the 1st graders dragged the lunch basket to their grade table, gave each other a high five for a job well done and then walked to the lunch line. I saw the fly buzzing around the air above me, before stopping on the table next to me. I had nothing else to pay attention but these fine details, no one would spare a second on the new kid at the table. I almost wanted to cry to show how I felt, but I realized that would probably ruin what first impressions I had left. Looking back, I realize that this experience was not that bad. It was own expectations of a new school that had caused me to sense so many different feelings. The feeling of a stranger was only because I was a new face in town. It was natural that the other students were curious of who I really was. It is even possible that, just as how I was too scared to talk to my new classmates, they had also been hesitant to approach me. Being a stranger was only temporary; I would eventually have assimilated into the daily lifestyle of Terrace Park. While that first day was particularly bad, I quickly was able to adapt to the situation in the coming weeks. I had become acquainted with the few students at my table in just a week, the rest of class in a month. This group of students who had all seemed so large at first was not as scary as they had originally seemed. They were actually very friendly; each of them had qualities that made them attractive. I had become very good friends with some of them, influencing my friends I my future schooling years. One could say that this school year affected my future directly. I would never have chosen the friends if it had not been for my experience at Terrace Park. The people that I had grown to enjoy were those who were smart and were willing to help me with any problems I had. I learned that other people are generally kind in nature, but just have trouble expressing their feelings. I have realized that I would never have attended Edmonds-Woodway High School without the experiences I had. I wanted to follow where my friends had gone to school, so I had chosen Edmonds-Woodway instead of my home school of Lynnwood.  Today, I have absolutely no regrets for changing schools mid-year during the 6th grade. I know I am a stranger, but I also know that being a stranger does not last for an eternity – t here will be a point where you will be a part of the village. We all know that every student had at least a couple first days of school. The moment where we walk into a classroom is always the worst part. We have no idea what could happen next. We see and meet people that we have never been familiar with. The sea of new faces would only help overwhelm the normal person. Shaky legs, sweat rolling down foreheads and that feeling of being a stranger will always be the initial feeling of the average person. Especially when we walk into the classroom midyear, these feeling are only amplified. Having no idea how to fit, we tend together take two actions. In my case, I tend to try to change my personality to make a good first impression, only to realize that I am unable to keep it up for days or weeks. Rather than to mess around with our true personalities to make that first impression, acting as yourself will allow others to truly know us better. People are much friendlier than we originally think; they are that frightening once we get to know them. Even more so, a bad impression does not mean that the rest of their life is ruined. Their identity can be redeemed through their actions. The important thing is not to worry and things will usually work themselves out. It is human nature to adapt to situations as the conditions change. Whenever a new student joins a classroom, the environment will change slightly. As time goes on, you will become a part of the environment that the rest of the students are used to. Working and communicating with others are a main part of changing from being a stranger to becoming a acquaintance and possibly to becoming a friend. This situation can apply to almost everyone. All new students will feel like a stranger a t one point or another. The time has come to realize that the overstated fears of the first day have only created discomfort in those who are new. No matter what, we cannot avoid the way that people look on u as strangers. But really, we are not entirely strangers. The only difference between you and them is the time spent attending that school.

Market and Company Analysis of Nestle

Market and Company Analysis of Nestle Nestlà ©, the worlds leading food company, produces nutritious food and is conscious of the importance of informing the consumer about the link between nutrition and health. A healthy diet contributes significantly to the overall quality of a good life. 2.2 Nestle Ghana LTD **Note: Please REPHRASE and COMBINE this section; its taken WORD BY WORD from the available source. Source 1: Marketing Information and Research Task 1and 3.pdf Source 2: Nestle Pure Life Drinkng Water.pdf Nestle Ghana limited is a private company operating in Ghana. Its activities include condensed and evaporated dairy products, beverages, coffee, tea, and chocolate and confectionary. The company employs four hundred and seventy two work forces. Nestle started business in Ghana in 1957 under the trading name of Nestle products Ghana limited with the importation of nestle products such as milk and chocolate. In 1968, it was incorporated as Food Specialties (Ghana) limited to manufacture and market locally well known Nestle brands. The company became nestle Ghana limited in 1987. In 1971 the production of two products, Ideal Milk and milo started at the factory in Tema, the port city. The factory has since been further developed and now also produces carnation milk, Chocomilo, Chocolim, Cerelac, Cerevita and Nescafe 3 in 1. These products are not only produced for Ghana but also exported across West Africa. In 2003, Nestle Ghana limited invested in a new warehouse named the Central Dist ribution Centre, located next to the factory in Tema. The company runs sales offices with warehouse in Kumasi, Takoradi, Koforidua and tamale, all in Ghana. The business activity of Nestle Ghana limited is a direct contribution to the economy of Ghana. For all these and other endeavours, nestle Ghana limited has been recognized by the Government of Ghana and other bodies as a responsible corporate citizen. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Nestlà © Ghana Limited started business in Ghana in 1957, with the importation of Nestlà © products such as milk and chocolates. The company built its factory at Tema in 1971 and started the production of IDEAL Milk and MILO. In 1987 Food Specialties Ghana Limited became Nestlà © Ghana Limited. Since then, the product portfolio has increased with the additional production of CARNATION, CARNATION TEA CREAMER, CHOCOLIM, CHOCOMILO, CERELAC (Maize, Wheat, Wheat Bean, 3 Fruits, Honey, Rice and Banana), NESCAFÄ’ Crem 3 in 1 and NESQUIK, which is produced for import. Other products like NESCAFÄ’ and MAGGI are imported from Cà ´te dIviore. Nestlà © Ghana Limited continues to thrive in business because great importance is placed on value creation for our stakeholders and customers. Ensuring long term profitable growth and sustainability has been achieved by building on the companys strengths and balancing the portfolio on three (3) sound pillars: milk, cocoa beverag e, and culinary. As a member of the Central and West Africa region (CWAR), Nestlà © Ghana aims to be an efficient and competitive inter-company supplier: using and contributing to CWAR synergies by becoming a sound manufacturing base for Ghanaian exports like cocoa beverage; aiming to increase Nestlà © Ghana exports from ten percent (10%) to thirty percent (30%) of annual turnover. To achieve this, Nestlà © Ghana is diligently improving processes through capacity usage and working capital optimization, such as the introduction of environmentally friendly equipment, and upgrading information systems, with the introduction of GLOBE (SAP). The advent of these changes enhances and enforces Nestlà © Ghanas determination develop Nestlà © employees. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= In 2003, Nestlà © Ghana Ltd invested in a new warehouse, the Central Distribution centre, located next to the factory in Tema. The company also runs sales offices with warehouses in Kumasi, Takoradi, Koforidua and Tamale. The business activity of Nestlà © Ghana Ltd is a direct contribution to the Ghanaian economy. For all these and other endeavours, Nestlà © Ghana Ltd has been recognized by Government and other bodies as a responsible citizen. Since its establishment, Nestle Ghana limited has significantly stimulated the Ghanaian economy with a dynamic, well trained dedicated work force, manufacturing and marketing well-known brands such as: Ideal Full Cream Evaporated Milk, Carnation Filled Milk, Carnation Tea Creamer, Milo, Chocolim, Chocomilo Cerevita porridge, Cerelac Maize Milk And Cereal Wheat / Milk. Nestle Ghana also imports and distributes brands such as: NIDO milk powder, lactogen infant formula, NAN infant formula, Nescafe soluble Coffee, and Maggi Bouillons and cold sauces. Nestle Ghana Ltd. is now seeking to capitalize on the goodwill enjoyed by it brand chocolim, by introducing chocoless, a brand extension, aimed at generating growth for the company. ANALYSIS Industry Analysis Industry of Cocoa in Ghana Cocoa beans were first introduced to Ghana in 1878 by Tettah Quarshie. Thereafter, the cultivation of cocoa increased steadily until Ghana became the worlds largest cocoa producer, supplying more than one-third of world production by the mid-1960s. By the early 1980s, production was less than half that of two decades before; market conditions were aggravated by a drop of nearly 75% in world cocoa prices between 1977 and 1982. In 1983/84, cocoa production totaled 158,000 tons, the lowest since independence; by 1999, production had rebounded to about 409,000 tons (second highest after Cà ´te dIvoire). The Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board purchases and (at least in theory) exports the entire cocoa crop, as well as coffee and shea nuts. Cocoa smuggling was made punishable by death in 1982. [http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Ghana-AGRICULTURE.html#ixzz1DlAhbER2] Since the introduction of democracy in Ghana in 1992, the cocoa beverage industry has shown considerable growth. Total number of players is estimated around five. Difficulties in discovering this number arise due to increasing of imported product by unauthorized company. The advent of a democratic government has led to a more business friendly environment and privatization policies have led to an increase in the size of the private sector in the country. Leading Businesses in the Industry Cocoa beverage industry in Ghana is highly fragmented, with the presence of multinationals, domestic and foreign companies. Except in categories where domestic players are protected by legislation, multinationals usually dominate. Notable players include Cadbury (Ghana), Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) and NABB Brothers. It is common for large international companies to form alliances with Ghanaian companies, to repackage and/or market their products in Ghana. This lowers the risk of market entry, as well as enabling the international company to benefit from the existing marketing and distribution capabilities of the Ghanaian company. Factors That Affect Growth Economically, Ghana was in the lower tier of developing countries and classified as a least developed country (LCD) by international development agencies because its per capita annual income was US$400 [textbook]. A positive outlook is forecast for consumer goods in Ghana. One of the main contributory factors will be the countrys political and economic stability. Higher disposable incomes and increasing company advertising are expected to boost value growth. The average Ghanaian will spend more on packaged food, especially on items previously regarded as luxuries. Value growth will also benefit from the increasing sophistication of Ghanaian consumers and improving product quality. Food items that are fast and convenient, such as pasta and noodles, will continue to post dynamic value growth. The sector faces many challenges caused by the environment in Ghana such as poor infrastructure, poor standards of education, and high levels of corruption and a generally low level of disposable income of the population. There is little manufacturing for export, but a significant activity exists in the manufacture of fast moving consumer goods aimed at the domestic market. In recent years, multinational corporations have increased their investment in physical plants, information technology and staff training with a view to improving their operational performance. The consumer goods sector is a major part of the manufacturing sector in Ghana. And like all other manufacturers, the consumer goods industry is characterized by low valued added production. What we see are processors who process imported raw materials into finished products, with very little value added. Multinational companies operating in this industry hardly add value because they import concentrates from their parent companies, which they convert into finished products with minimal value added. The industry is dominated by wholesalers and distributors. In fact, distributors and wholesalers account for over 50% of total sales within the industry. Their dominance is as a result of fragmentation nature at the retail end of the market. The retail end lacked adequate supermarket and glossary stores. They mainly comprise of roadside kiosks, stores, and small sized restaurants, whose sales volumes are generally low. Distribution to the retail market is hampered by huge investments required for delivery trucks general bad road network. Marketing Strategy -What types of marketing strategies are prevalent within the industry? -Determine current operational/management trend within the industry? Neslte Creating Shared Value (Source: Nestlà © Creating SharedValue Report 2009.pdf) care about the people water treatment Water treatment Because good water quality in the areas surrounding our plants has direct benefits for our business, society and the environment all our water is treated in wastewater treatment plants. Our preference is to use municipal wastewater plants to ensure we return only cleaned water back into the environment, but where these are insufficient, we invest in our own on-site facilities (approximately 292 to date, including our latest in Tema, Ghana). We remove 97% of the organic load of the water leaving our factories before it is returned to the environment. In 2009, we discharged 91.34 million m3 of water, a decrease of more than 5% on 2008, with an average level of organic load of 91 mg COD/l (Chemical Oxygen Demand per litre). During 2009, we have reviewed this KPI and have determined that figures for previous years were underreported. Competitor Analysis Nestle Ghana was facing a direct competition and indirect competition. Their direct competitors are Cadburry Schweppes Ghana Ltd, NABB Brothers, Cocoa Processing Company, Allied Cocoa Products Ltd and Kings Cocoa Processing Company Ltd (KCPCL). All those competitors are manufactured and marketed cocoa products. Cadburry and NABB Brothers are multinational companies which have wide experience in international marketing. The rest are local companies which plant cocoa and manufactured cocoa products for Ghanaian. Multinational companies which enter Ghana earlier than Nestle is Cadburry Schweppes Ghana Ltd entered Ghana on 1910 for its own benefit. It was 100% owned by Cadburry Schweppes (UK) with 120 employees. NABB brothers is imported cocoa products to Ghana, there are the leading distributor of supermarket products. The earliest local company which produced cocoas product is Cocoa Processing Company Limited established in 1965 and situated in the picturesque port city of Tema in Ghana. The company comprises three factories (2 Cocoa Factories and a Confectionery Factory). Kings Cocoa Processing Company Limited is a limited liability company incorporated in Ghana on November 30, 1981. The shares of the company are publicly traded on the Ghana Stock Exchange. Allied Cocoa Products Ltd was serving Ghana since 1998. Kings Cocoa Processing Company Limited is a private limited liability company which was incorporated in 2000 to take over the cocoa processing business of the parent company, Luki Investments Limited, which has been trading since 1992. Furthermore, Nestle Ghana was facing indirect competition as well. In Ghana, Milo and Chocolim were marketed for cocoa products by Nestle. They have to compete with other products which are not cocoa products because Ghana also planted tea, coffee and else and can be manufactured into variety products. Cocoa might be chosen by children and teenagers but not elders. Competition by Product Cocoa is the largest cash crops in Ghana since 19th century. However, the earliest local company serving cocoa products for citizen is Cocoa Processing Products in 1965. Cadburry Schweppes entered Ghana on 1910 while Nestle started in Ghana on 1957. This time frame show us that even though Ghana have plant cocoas for a long time but they only manage to produce it on 1965 because they are classified as a least developing country (LDC). Their products are chocolate drink and Golden Tree chocolate bars. The Cocoa beverage market is divided into three categories based on the product: The Premium Segment, Mass Market and Institutional Market. Nestle had a strong market in Premium and Mass Market segment. The Institutional Market is for products that contain basic unsweetened cocoa powder supplied to school, hospitals, the armed forces, and so on. Nestle pulverized cocoa drink consisted of  Milo and Chocolim. The major brand Nestle which manufactured Milo was the leader in the premium category, while state owned Cocoa Processing Company manufactured Golden Tree Vitaco was the strongest in the Institutional Company. As we can se here, all of the companies were marketed cocoas products. Bournvita and Richoco which manufactured by Cadburry Schweppes Ghana Ltd, imported Ovaltine which marketed by NABB Brothers, Golden Tree Vitaco Instant Drinking Chocolate which made by Cocoa Processing Company, Broma which made by Allied Cocoa Products Ltd and Kings Cocoa Processing Company Ltd (KCPCL). All those competitors are manufactured and marketed cocoa products. Competition by Price Ghana has a long history of government-controlled prices for consumer goods and people were quiet sensitive to price changes and were said to have long-term negative perceptions of companies that were perceived to engage in price gouging. These happened because Ghana was in the lower tier of developing countries and classified as a least developed country (LDC) by international development agencies because its per capita annual income was US$400. Nestle (Ghana) needs to develop products that are affordable to the common people because they are dealing with a developing country which has a   low per capita income of US$400. Nestle perceived better quality products were sold at premium of 5% to 10% over competitors. The products were becoming less affordable with waning real incomes. There was also increasing price pressure from imports that were flooding the market as a result of import liberalization. People in developing countries look for affordable products and do not pay attention to the eminence of the products thereby Nestle (Ghana) should not have its products above the average price of  similar products in the market. Thus, Nestle (Ghana) should make its products more affordable to the common people. The disadvantage for Nestle (Ghana) is the external economic environment was increasingly hostile and risky with the rapid increases in inflations; high interest rates and the high level of currency instability were leading them to increase the prices. Competition by Promotion Nestle also operated its own sales outlet and largely distributed through supermarkets and departments. Nestle had 100 regular distributors nationwide and the biggest distributor was Unilever s G.B. Ollivant subsidiary. Nestle used an amalgamation of media advertising and sales promotions targeted at the youth for Milo. The company sponsored highly popular youth soccer leagues, sponsored tennis tournaments and marathon race for all ages. Sales promotion technique of wet sampling (free drinks) was intended at promoting the sales. Media advertising promoted the themes of good health, growing up, and success as closely related and linked to drinking Milo. Nestle s strategy in Ghana was to ensure high awareness of its brands, widespread distribution and quality of its products which helped trounce its competitors in the cocoa beverage market. The statistics shows that only 35.8% of the population of Ghana lives in urban areas, the rest 64.2% of the population lives in rural areas where there are low levels of consumer durable ownership such as telephone, television, house, radio and low circulation of print media. Such setbacks in rural areas mean that mass promotion was viable primarily in the urban areas. The main drawback is that companies have to use large investment in promotion of product into the rural areas to exploit 64.2% of the population. As an alternative of spending 150 million cedis (about US$150,800) on sales promotions in urban areas on non media promotion of 60% and 40% covered media expenditure, Nestle can utilize the investment to aggressively promote the product in rural areas. It will help Nestle (Ghana) to venture into the majority of the population and take control of the market from both sides. Competition by Market share Nestle pulverized cocoa drink consisted of Milo and Chocolim. The two products were quite similar with sixty percent of the company s powdered sales from Milo and forty percent from Chocolim. Chocolim was aimed at rural areas and low-end urban market while Milo was the premier brand and was targeted to the high-end of the market. Nestle brands were sold at premiums of 5% to 10% over competitors because if its perceived better quality in the market. The Cocoa beverage market was divided into three segments: Premium Segment, Mass Market and Institutional Market. Nestle managers estimated their share of 80% in the cocoa beverage market; other observers believed Nestle share was closer to 55%. Major competitors for Nestle were Bournvita and Richoco, manufactured by Cadbury (Ghana) with an estimated 20% to 40% market share. Cadbury (Ghana) was 100% owned by Cadbury Schweppes (U.K) and had 120 employees. Another entrant, though on a much smaller scale, was state-owned Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) which made Golden Tree Vitaco Instant Drinking Chocolate. In the institutional market CPC was the strongest market. An additional category of competition came from imports, the most prominent of which was Ovaltine, marketed by NABB Brothers, a leading distributor of supermarket products. Milo was the leader in the premium category, while Golden Tree was the strongest in the Institutional Market. Richoco was believed to lead Chocolim by about 5% to 10% market share in the mass market. http://www.goldentreeghana.com/thecompany.html http://www.alibaba.com/member/lumor/aboutus.html http://www.scn.org/rdi/kw-coc.htm http://business.everythinghana.com/index.php?option=com_mtreetask=viewlinklink_id=48Itemid=26 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bean-to-bar_chocolate_manufacturers http://alliedcocoa.com/index.asp Definition of Population growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as threatening by neighboring countries. SWOT Analysis Strengths Global food producer, located in over 100 countries. Consistently one of the worlds largest producers of food products, Global sales in 2008 topped $101 billion. Nestlà © provides quality brands and products and line extensions that are well-known, top-selling brands. Successful due in part to their unquestionable ability to keep major brands consistently in the forefront of consumers minds (and in their shopping carts) by renovating existing product lines, keeping major brands from slipping into saturation/decline and having superior access to distribution channels. Weaknesses Growth in their organic food sales division was flat in 2008, even though the industry grew 8.9%. Nestle Ghana lack of rural market promotion Products are not affordable by common people Opportunities In todays health conscious societies, they can introduce more health-based products, and because they are a market leader, they would likely be more successful. Provide allergen free food items, such as gluten free and peanut free. They launched a new premium line of higher cocoa content chocolates dubbed Nestlà © Treasures Gold, in order to cash in on the recession economy in which consumers cut back on luxury goods, but regularly indulge in candy and chocolate. Opened Nestlà © Cafà ©s in major cities to feature Nestlà © products. Nestle strategy in Ghana was to ensure high awareness of its brands, widespread distribution and quality of its products which helps trounce its competitors in the cocoa beverage market with its theme of good health, growing up and success as closely related to its products. Expand to Institutional Market Nestle (Ghana) needs to develop products that are affordable to the common people because they are dealing with a developing country which has a low per capita income of US$400. Threats Any contamination of the food supply, especially e-coli. Raw chocolate ingredient prices are soaring; dairy costs alone rose 50% in 2008, this cuts heavily into their profit margins and often gets passed on to consumers, by shrinking the packaging in a way that is almost unnoticeable-therefore the consumer is paying the same prices for less product. They have major competitors, like Cadburry Schweppes Ghana Ltd, NABB Brothers, Cocoa Processing Company, Allied Cocoa Products Ltd and Kings Cocoa Processing Company Ltd (KCPCL) The external economic environment was increasingly hostile and risky with the rapid increases in inflations; high interest rates and the high level of currency instability were leading them to increase the prices. RECOMMENDATIONS We would suggest Nestlà © (Ghana) should make products affordable to the common people. By developing Nestlà © (Ghana) products that are affordable to the common they can reach majority of the population because they are dealing with a developing country which has a low per capita income of US$400. Nestlà ©s perceived better quality products can help it market in rural areas if the product is affordable. It will help Nestlà © (Ghana) also exploit 64.2% of the rural population and take control of market from both the sides. It will also help Nestlà © expand into new market segments like the Institutional Marketing. People in developing countries look for affordable products and dont pay attention to the eminence of the products thereby Nestlà © (Ghana) should not have its products above the average price of similar products in the market. Nestlà © (Ghana) can make maximum profits from a developing country like Ghana and exploit to every side of the population, urban and rural.

The Psychology of Pedophiles Essay -- Child Molesters, Sex Offenders

In the news today we frequently hear about pedophiles and child molesters. We have heard the horror stories of priest and bishops molesting boys, public school teachers having sex with students, and family members molesting children. While it is still taboo, the public view of a child molester has changed in the past years. It used to be that when we thought of a pedophile, we thought of a scary man lurking behind the bushes. This is not the case today, most of the cases of child molestation are by a person known to the child, whether it be a family member or a family friend.(Herkov, 2012) A pedophile is a person who is significantly older and has conscious sexual interests in prepubescent children. There are two kinds of pedophiles, the violent offenders and the non-violent offenders. The violent offenders are the minority of offenders. These are the one that pose the greatest risk to the victim and the public. Violent offenders are also known as child rapists. They use threat, intimidation, and physical force to overpower their victims. In most cases the child relinquishes sex for survival.(Bridges, 2012) The non-violent offenders are the most prevalent of all molesters. These are the people who use deception and enticement to lure their victims into submission. In a way, these offenders are using a form of sexual extortion. Sex is often rewarded or exchanged for acceptance, recognition, attention, or material gain. Often times the victim will resist, and since these are non-violent predators, they will increase the efforts to get the victim to accept their advances . If the child is persistent, the offender will most likely move to a more vulnerable target. If the offender does start sexually abusing the victim, the sexual... ...July, 2004. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. http://www.transformationsjournal.org/journal/issue_08/article_01.shtml Bridges, Debbie. "Sexual Addiction Treatment, Signs,Causes, Symptoms." MedicineNet. MedicineNet, 28 July 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. D’Amora, David and Burns-Smith, Gail. How Offender Treatment and Victim Advocacy can Work Together in Response to Sexual Violence," Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, The Official Journal of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers,11 (October 1999), 296-297. Deirmenjian, JM. â€Å"Pedophilia on the Internet.† Journal of Forensic Sciences, 47.5 (2002): 1090-1092. Herkov, Michael. "What Is Sexual Addiction?" Psych Central. Psych Central, July 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. Lamberg, Lynne. â€Å"Researchers Seek Roots of Pedophilia.† JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, 294.5 (2005): 546.

Edm Influence

In the last decade Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, has made a complete 180 in the United States. It has shifted from a genre that was mostly underground with few listeners into popular music. Not only has it begun to top billboards, but it has influenced artists of many other genres to â€Å"hop on the bandwagon† and begin using it in their songs as well. From commercials to theme songs of popular television programs, the influx of EDM can be seen throughout American society.One of the biggest changes EDM has brought to the music industry is that due to most of the artists’ knowledge of computers, not to mention the day and age we live in where we are all connected over the internet, they are able to take advantage of communicating and promoting over the internet to reach out to their fans. This allows these artists to listen to their fans and give them what they are asking for.Contrary to the EDM artists, many rock and pop artists have â€Å"used and abused them [fans ], sold them overpriced CDs, tried to sell them music they didn't like by using stupid gimmicks† (Doherty) causing them to lose their foothold on the charts and allow EDM to step right in. The influences of EDM can also be seen by looking at pop artist and the way their songs have begun using more electric beats and styles. â€Å"Katy Perry's ‘Fireworks' and Rihanna's ‘Only Girl' [were] both co-produced† (Doherty) by electro-house artists and one of Britney Spears’ newer songs, ‘Hold It Against Me,’ also included signs of dubstep.On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative album ‘Watch the Throne’ the song ‘Who Gon Stop Me’ has a sample from a very popular EDM song by Flux Pavilion called ‘I Can’t Stop. ’ The most surprising influence of EDM on an artist, however, can be placed on Taylor Swift. In her new album ‘Red’ she has a song called ‘22’ which features many e lectronic and upbeat rhythms in it. These are only a few of the many artists that have incorporated electronic music into their songs and in doing so helped to render EDM even more widespread and dominant in today’s music industry.EDM also has begun showing up in music festivals, on television, and in movies. â€Å"It’s artists headline huge festivals†¦ its hooks soundtrack commercials; its textures bolster movie scenes† (Doherty). The EDM music festivals have grown very popular in the last decade, Deadmau5, a famous EDM Dj, compares one of these festivals in the 90’s to one a few years ago and recalls â€Å"[there were] only about 4-5000 people, but it was huge at the time. You go out to L. A. now, to Gary Richards' Hard parties — he gets 20-40,000. The Dj’s are bringing a visual and physical experience for the audience during these festivals by having laser shows and visual graphics appear while their music plays. Television commerci als have also started to embrace this trend. Microsoft included and promoted Alex Clare’s ‘Too Close’ in their commercial for the new Internet Explorer. This commercial boosted Alex Clare’s career, before the commercial he was only known in the U. K. In a final form of media the movies have also assimilated EDM into their soundtracks. ‘Tron: Legacy’ had a soundtrack that was almost entirely devoted to EDM.Because of all this assimilations into mass media of all forms, EDM’s influence in the United States has only grown more rapidly and stronger. It seems that one cannot go a day without hearing a song under this genre; it surrounds and influences pop culture every day. Similar to rock and roll in the 1950’s, EDM has experienced demonization from parents and threats of legislation over the concern â€Å"fueled by concern over the ecstasy-related deaths. † These laws see â€Å"electronic music itself as a gateway to social degradation† (Doherty) and seek to disassemble EDM.According to Josh Glazer, editor of URB magazine, â€Å"It may cause a cooling down period, but in the end, electronic music, festivals, etc. , are simply not something that will ever be halted. There is both too much demand and too much economic incentive. † If the law were to shut down EDM then many business and individuals would be left bankrupt or jobless. Although this may seem dismal and unfair in the present, rock and roll received the same kind of â€Å"critique which now seems quaint and ridiculous. †In conclusion EDM has brought about many social and cultural effects due to the changes it created to the industry. Through its artists’ computer knowledge they have brought about a greater fan/artist connection along with allowing any aspiring artist the ability to create his/her own music just by downloading different software. Finally EDM has influenced mainstream pop artists, directors, and market ing agencies to incorporate a more electrical and up beat sound to their music, ads, or movies because it appeals to the young audiences.

Let 90s Nostalgia Rock Your Content Marketing

Let 90s Nostalgia Rock Your Content Marketing New research shows that we are more likely to spend money when were feeling nostalgic. According to the Journal of Consumer Research: Consumers that were asked to think about the past were willing to pay more for a set of products than consumers asked to think about new or future memories. Did that get your attention? Interesting results, but thats not all. Another study showed an increased willingness to give more money to others after recalling, reflecting, or writing about a nostalgic past life event. This got me thinking – how does this nostalgia effect influence your content marketing? Are readers more likely to share your content when they are feeling nostalgic? Will  they be more likely to convert? Will they be more likely to buy your product or service? The evidence seems to indicate that they  might. The first step to applying this to your content marketing is to understand what nostalgia is in the first place. What Is Nostalgia? Technically, the term  nostalgia  describes a  particular sentimentality towards  a former experience. In simpler terms, it is a positive reflection  of the past, and a powerful one at that. Nostalgia is generally  triggered by some sort of  cue  from the past. This  sentimentality is then  associated with  a period or place with happy personal memories. The term itself  was coined by a 17th-century medical student as a way to describe the anxieties displayed by  Swiss  mercenaries fighting away from home. In later years, as science has learned more about the phenomena, nostalgia  has been  widely considered  an independent and even positive emotion that people experience often. There are four commonly understood functions of nostalgia. They include, improve mood, increase social connectedness, enhance positive self-regard, and provide existential meaning. This is where things really start to get interesting for marketers. Improve Mood Nostalgia has often been found to increase one’s mood and heighten positive emotions. This reaction seems to stem from feelings of warmth or coping resulting from nostalgic reflections. In essence, the presence of nostalgic emotions give us a method for coping with things that could hinder our own happiness. This natural coping method instinctively seems to improve our mood and function. Increase Social Connectedness Interestingly, nostalgia also seems to increase our sense of social connectedness. This is a very important factor for the use of nostalgia in modern marketing. In essence, nostalgia is  triggered by a feeling of  loneliness, but counteracts such feelings with reflections of close relationships. Enhance Positive Self-Regard Nostalgia can also help us feel better about ourselves.  Researchers  found that subjects who thought of nostalgic memories showed more positive characteristics than those who thought of exciting future experiences. This research also revealed that a lack nostalgic experiences reflected a pattern of selfish and self-centered behavior. As nostalgic experiences were introduced, so was the positive  behavior. Provide Existential Meaning You may be surprised to learn that  nostalgia also helps increase one’s self-esteem and meaning in life. It does this by removing  threats to our well-being, and also by initiating a desire to deal with problems or stress.  Studies  have  found that nostalgia correlates positively with one’s sense of meaning in life. Nostalgia is a known way to boost peoples mood. It allows people to live (and re-live) something familiar,  something  they remember, a positive emotional experience. –  Gabriel Trionfi (Pinterests  user experience researcher) Nostalgia is a powerful neuropsychiatric force that  can frequently becoming a  driving force for our behavior.  Its effects can be seen in who we select to marry (we frequently marry spouses with characteristics reminiscent of those of our parents), and  our adoption of political affiliations (we may become  Democrats, Republicans, or even racists simply because our parents were). So, if it can effect these major life decisions, certainly it can also affect our purchasing and consuming behavior. And that is where nostalgia comes in for  a  content marketing pro life yourself. Examples Of  Nostalgia In Internet Marketing One of the best examples of nostalgia in internet culture is the popular photo-sharing service Instagram. These user-shared photos are soaked in nostalgia. Reminiscent of photos from old Polaroid cameras,  the photos  are frequently  wrapped in a white border. In addition, by allowing users to select from a variety of filters (including some with labels  like  1970), users are able to re-create the faded and worn appearance that is recognizable from  photos of the past. Instagram fosters a huge sense of nostalgia. Blogger David Yoon calls this fake nostalgia, and he certainly has a point – it is manufactured. But Instagrams features still do a great job of highlighting the power of nostalgia. In his piece, David points out that  our  digital photographs have lost the nostalgic feel because they did not age like more traditional photographs.   This is a good point, and it helps us understand the rise in popularity of tools like Instagram. While Instagrams nostalgia is purely manufactured, it is a harkening back to the good old days  of photography and obviously brings with it some powerful emotions. We have to wonder: would Instagram have been as popular without the throwback? Well never know, but the theory is certainly worth considering. One place we can see this theory come to light is with something called throwback Thursday, the  popular internet  practice of posting an old photo, thought, or idea on social media. Originally made popular on Instagram itself,  #TBT is now a practice that is used across the web as a way to reminisce and remember the past. It is nostalgia in action. In recent months, Facebook has also started feeding our nostalgic urges. This February, as it celebrated its  own  10 year anniversary, Facebook gave its  users the opportunity to watch a video of their history on Facebook. The short videos contained  Ã‚  15 or so of the  users  most-liked photos, statuses, and life events set to a catchy tune. While a  bit cheesy, these videos  are a great example of nostalgia in action, and reminder of the cultural significance of sites like Facebook. Other services like Timehop, have embraced the power of nostalgia in a similar way.  Promising to be a time capsule of you, Timehop allows users to see their  photos and updates from an  exact day in history (usually a year prior). Timehop promises to help you celebrate the best moments of the past with your friends. Nostalgia much? Traditional brands have been long-aware of the power of nostalgia. Recently, General Mills  went retro with several of their major cereal brands, a practice already proven to be popular by other brands like Pepsi and Mountain Dew with their throwback product line.  Krafts Macaroni Cheese line also introduced a bit of 90s nostalgia recently by bringing their product, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Vanilla Ice to the same stage. The results were fairly, nostalgic, to say the least. So, nostalgia is not necessarily a new marketing tactic, but in content marketing, I think it is often left unexplored. Can it work? Thats the question we need to ask ourselves now. How To Take Advantage of Nostalgia In Content Marketing Before we get too far, we need to set some ground rules. The folks over at Scripted have cleverly identified three conditions that should be met  before  we try to  use nostalgia in our content marketing. They are: We  must consider our  target market’s age range in order to choose a time era that demographic can identify with. We  have to choose an event, style, etc. that invokes positive memories and a sense of trust. The chosen era or event should invoke the emotions that we want  people to associate with our  brand. In other words, dont go harkening back to the roaring twenties (and expect a nostalgic reaction) if your audience is primarily comprised of skater-kids that were popping zits in the 90s. Take for example Krafts placement of Vanilla Ice and the  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are both throwbacks to my early days as youth. I clearly remember being in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan club and I  know for sure that I owned a Vanilla Ice cassette tape at some point. These are both fond memories now that I am in my 30s. Not only that, but I am also the parent of three small children. I am a prime target for Kraft Macaroni Cheese. Well played Kraft, well played. If you dont  align your marketing and your audience properly, you are fighting an uphill battle already. Nostalgia only works if it is actually nostalgic for your readers. So,  if you dont know the demographic of your readers, you can do some digging in Google Analytics, or complete this short exercise that will help you identify your audience. Nostalgia only works in #contentmarketing if your content is  actually nostalgic for your readers.5 Ways To Apply Nostalgia To Our Content Marketing So you may be thinking that  this nostalgia thing sounds great, but I havent really provided any conclusive methods for introducing it to your content marketing. I am glad you brought it up. While this is by no means a conclusive list, here are 5 quick ideas that Ive found for applying nostalgia to  content marketing. #1: Weave Nostalgic  References  Into Your Content Through Storytelling One of the easiest ways to incorporate the effects of nostalgia is through the art of storytelling and reference. Our own content creator, Julie Neidlinger, wrote a post a few years back bringing together the art of content marketing and the beloved mix tape of the 80s. In this type of post, the nostalgic reference is merely an element used to engage the reader in the work. It is simple and effective. #2: Add Nostalgic Reminders To Your Visual Elements In many cases, nostalgic elements can be incorporated into the design of page elements, like they were on this post about audience fragmentation from just a few weeks ago. The visual elements on the page harken to a time and idea past, reflecting and fostering a feeling of nostalgia. #3: Interact With Your Audience In A Nostalgic Way Whenever someone becomes a new paying customer of , we love to thank them with a physical notebook that they can use to jot down blog ideas when they are on the go. is a digital product  so this  is somewhat counterintuitive, but it has proven to be a great program. It encourages us and our users to think about the days of old when we used to write thing in places other than the computer. #4: Create Content That Allows Readers To Experience Greater Nostalgia Love them or hate them, Buzzfeed has garnered a great deal of attention by actually allowing us to interact with their own sense of nostalgia. On their site, you will find dozens of (basically meaningless) quizzes that allow us to discover which 90s soundtrack we are, or which Friends character we should hide in our basement. These may be silly, but they are also popular and are shared like crazy on Facebook. â€Å"The quiz is kind of like the broken-down-to-its-core of what BuzzFeed is,† Summer Anne Burton, Buzzfeed’s managing editorial director and the head of its quiz initiative, told Nieman Lab. â€Å"It gives someone something that they can relate to well enough that they can share it with others.† Buzzfeed built a custom template so that its staffers and its community contributors can easily create these identity-focused questionnaires. (source: The Atlantic) #5: Throwback For A day Microsoft has done an excellent job of using throwback nostalgia to improve its brand and reputation. After taking a beating for years with an error-ridden browser, their marketing team began using nostalgia (ironically) to make amends with the web developers that they have offended along the way – even going as far as releasing a throwback version of their website, an idea that will never get old for a generation of web developers who grew up using tables and font tags on this new thing called the world wide web. The Effects Of Nostalgia In Content Marketing Perhaps Don Draper said it best. Nostalgia is powerful, but delicate. Used correctly, though, it can help us accomplish many things – including better content marketing. Teddy told me that in Greek nostalgia literally means, the pain from an old wound. Its a twinge, in your heart. Far more powerful then memory alone. This device isnt a spaceship, its a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place, where we ache to go again. Its not called The Wheel. Its called The Carousel. It lets us travel in a way a child travels. Round and round, and then back home again. To a place where we know we are loved. Don Draper   Nostalgia can make users more likely to share. #ContentMarketingJust take a look at Buzzfeeds quiz page, which  now contains  some of the most shared and most  nostalgic  content on an already popular site. Nostalgia can make users more likely to convert. #ContentMarketingIf nostalgia makes visitors more likely to buy, then it is fair to assume that it would also make them more likely to convert as an inbound lead. Maybe its time to incorporate some nostalgia into your inbound process.