400-Meter Free Style Analysis Essay - 793 Words

In the poem â€Å"400-Meter Free Style† written by Maxine Kumin he uses many figurative languages and the form of the poem is very interesting. The format of the sentences symbolizes the laps on a swimming pool. They also symbolize how when you’re swimming at first it is smooth and fast but once you reach the curve of the pool, you slow down to turn around, then it smooth’s out again. Another symbolization that the sentences symbolize is that they are run on and you lose your breath when you’re reading it. Maxine is comparing the run on sentences to how the swimmer has to hold his breath without losing it when he swims. The form of the poem describes many things and really symbolizes the swimmer and what he has to go through to win his†¦show more content†¦The author used this certain type of diction because it shows again how experienced and well trained the swimmer is and how he has good techniques. The author also says that the swimmers feet know the drill which is personification again. This shows that the swimmer has done this so many times that it is just reaction and he doesn’t have to try and do it. The way he achieved this goal is by him practicing and practicing until he did it the right way without thinking. Competitive, this is the imagery that this poem is creating and the reason why the author did this is to show us how competitive this swimmer is. This swimmer is in a race and he wants to win, the author shows us that the swimmer was well trained and ready for this. The author uses many imagery in his poem and it lets us picture in our head what is going on. When you read the poem you picture everything, nothing is a blur and you know what exactly is going on in this poem. To me it was like watching the whole thing in my head while I was reading it, without the imagery the author put in I would understand a thing about what was going on. â€Å"He flips, converts, and is gone all in one. We watch him for signs. His arms are steady at the catch, his cadent feet tick in the stretch, they know the lesson well.† In these two sentences you can picture what is going on, and in these two sentences the author shows us again how good of technique this swimmerShow MoreRelatedThe Metrics Of English Literature4721 Words   |  19 Pagesyears of linguistics and literature experience will analyse several texts that belong to different stages of the English language and compare their ideas. Why may you ask? 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Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Gen Y Consumers in Malaysia Free Essays

string(75) " likely to be confused when making purchases compared to female consumers\." Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Gen Y Consumers in Malaysia Introduction Market segmentation is a crucial element in marketing because goods can no longer be produced and sold without considering consumer needs and recognizing the characteristic of those needs. Due to the highly competitive environment nowadays, attracting and retaining enough loyal customers plays an important key role when developing business strategies. Therefore, business should understand and target consumer from different background and culture differently in order to effectively adapt their marketing strategies (Yeong Lovett, 2010). We will write a custom essay sample on Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Gen Y Consumers in Malaysia or any similar topic only for you Order Now In general, there are many demographic variables can be used to segment consumer market, for instance income, age, gender, ethnicity, marital status and household size. Among these variables, gender has been and continues to be one of the most popular forms of market segmentation for a significant proportion of product and services. According to marketing scholars (Meyers-Levy Sternthal, 1991; Darley Smith, 1995) argue that gender-based segmentation, especially if it is based on biological sex per se, meets several of the requirements for successful implementation: the segments were easy to identify, easy to access, and large enough for consumer products and services to be marketed profitably. In addition, there are many studies in the past also provided considerable evidence that gender relates to consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, preferences and purchase decisions(Mitchell Walsh, 2004; Bakewell Mitchell, 2006). Because gender has been identified as one of the significant factor in understanding consumer behavior and as a fundamental market segmentation index for companies to satisfy their customer’ demand, therefore marketer should endeavor to understand the gender differences in decision-making styles. In addition, research addressing the issue of gender differences in decision-making styles could help marketers to find better ways of communicating with both sexes and to guide marketing mix decisions (Mitchell Walsh, 2004). Literature Review According to Williams, Page, Petrosky and Hernandez (2010), Generation Y also is referred to as the Millenials or Echo Boomers. They were born during 1977-1994 and are in the 15-32 age range as of 2009. They are children of the original Baby Boomers and their numbers rival that of the Baby Boomers. They grew up in a time of immense and fast-paced change including virtually full-employment opportunities for women, dual-income households as the standard, and having computers at college and home. Moreover Gen Y consumers are more likely to complete their tasks online in just one click in making their decisions (Sengupta Titus, 2012). Starting in 2000, when the Millennials began attending college, they began to be studied by researchers and marketers to determine the generation’s overriding characteristics. Consumer decision? making styles can be defined â€Å"as mental orientations characterizing a consumer’s approach to making choices† (Sproles Kendall, 1986, p. 268). The aim of Sproles and Kendall (1986) was to provide a potentially useful instrument to assist marketers to better understand consumers’ decision-making styles in purchasing. As consequence, they developed the original 40? item Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) scale, which identified eight characteristics related to consumer decision? making styles. The CSI provides a quantitative instrument for classifying different consumer decision? making styles into distinct categories of shopping orientation. Through empirical research, Sproles and Kendall (1986) defined the following eight categories of decision -making styles namely: 1) perfectionism and high-quality conscious: Consumers carefully search for the best quality in product; 2) brand conscious and price equals quality: Consumer choose to buy more expensive, well known national brands, and believing that a higher price means better quality; 3) novelty and fashion-conscious: likes new and innovative products and gains excitement from seeking out new things; 4) recreational and hedonistic: finds shopping a pleasant activity and shop just for the fun of it; 5) price conscious and value for money: consumer which has high consciousness of sale price and likely to be comparison shoppers; 6) impulsive and careless: Consumer who do not plan their shopping and appear unconcerned about how much he or she spends; 7) confused by overchoice: These consumer are experiences information overload in the market due to perceiving too many brand s and stores and have difficulties making choices and 8) habitual and brand-loyal: These consumers select favorite brands and stores repeatedly overtime. Hiu, Siu, Wang and Chang (2001) revealed three prominent market segments through their study namely: 1. )Trendy, perfectionistic consumers: who frequent shopping and take it as an enjoyment. They are interested in high quality and fashionable items, read fashion magazines, watch various advertisements to gain trendy fashion information and tend to supportive with foreign brand which is high quality and fashionable styling. 2. ) Tradisional, pragmatic consumer: who do not view shopping as a enjoyment activity to them. They are price conscious, not interested in fashion styling and most probably choosing local brands. 3. Confused by overchoice: these consumers tend not to read magazines or advertisement on fashion, avoid exposure to too much information, and only purchase local brands which they are familiar. According to Bakewell an d Mitchell (2003), five meaningful and distinct decision-making groups were found in the study of decision-making styles of adult female Generation Y consumers in the UK: â€Å"recreational quality seekers†, â€Å"recreational discount seekers†, â€Å"trend setting loyals†, â€Å"shopping and fashion uninterested† and â€Å"confused time/money conserving†. In their later study on decision making styles of male consumers in the UK (Bakewell Mitchell, 2004), all of the original eight traits plus four new traits namely; store-loyal/low-price seeking, time-energy conserving, confused time restricted and store-promiscuity were identified. From their study it shows that the potential of the CSI for segmenting market as meaningful and different groups of male consumers with different decision making styles. Despite of previous studies which reported gender differences in decision-making styles of consumer, Mitchell and Walsh (2004) compared the decision-making styles of male and female shoppers in Germany. From the research, they managed to verify the construct validity of all eight CSI factors for female shopper and four of the factors for male shoppers. In consequence, they also concluded that male consumers were slightly less likely to be perfectionists, somewhat less novelty and fashion conscious, and less likely to be confused when making purchases compared to female consumers. You read "Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Gen Y Consumers in Malaysia" in category "Papers" Years after that, Bakewell and Mitchell (2006) undertook a similar study in the UK by using a sample of 480 male and female undergraduate students, they found that nine decision-making style were common to both genders. Through the study they had discovered three traits for male (store-loyal/low-price seeking, confused time-restricted and store-promiscuity) and three new traits for female traits (bargain seeking, imperfectionism and store loyal). There are few studies recently which had attempted to thoroughly explore the antecedent and consequences of consumer decision-making styles. Ghodeswar (2007) found that that seven out of eight dimensions of consumer decision-making style proposed by Sproles and Kendall (1986) in his study of consumer decision-making styles among Indian students. The only style which was not confirmed in his data is â€Å"price consciousness/ value for money consumer†. Gupta, Brantley Jackson (2010) found that consumers Generation Y at Midwestern University tend to be brands store loyal when they are buying high involvement product. Kambiz Fereshteh (2011) found that husband and wife have divergent decision-making styles and their family structure as a social-structural variable can be influenced by the decision-making styles of family members which is related to their purchasing behavior. Lastly, it is believed that male and female consumer in Malaysia may also have certain distinctive characteristic in decision-making during shopping and purchasing. But those characteristic could be have equal interest to both researchers and marketing practitioners. Hence, this paper will fill the gap by focusing on the differences in decision-making styles on gender in the Malaysia context. Methodology According to the past study, most of the researchers prepared a structured questionnaire based on literature review and objectives of the study. Consumers decision-making were measured using the 40-items of Consumer Style Inventory (CSI), developed by Sproles and Kendall (1986). All scales were measured on a 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The reliabilities of the CSI scale, according to Sproles and Kendall (1986), ranged from 0. 48 to 0. 76. The scales items were translated into Malay language with minor changes in wording to clarify the meaning. In addition, some demographic questions were included in the questionnaire. And most of the questionnaire was self-administered to non-probability sample of male and female undergraduate students in Malaysia. Finding and Analysis Common Factors for both Male and Female According to the research study of Safiek and Hayatul (2009) in Malaysia, the decision-making of Malaysian young consumer for both gender have similarities namely: 1. ) Quality consciously: meaning that they prefer to buy more durable and quality product. 2. ) Brand consciously: it shows that they set high standards and have high expectations for the products they buy. Moreover they choose to buy the product which is heavily advertised and well-know national brands. 3. ) Fashion consciousness: this shows that both genders are seem to gain pleasure from seeking out new things and keep up-to date with fashionable attractive styles. 4. ) Confused by overchoice: This factor shows that they feel over-loaded with the information on various brands products and find it very hard to choose the best product during shopping. 5. ) Satisfying and value seeking: concluded that if both items were identical in both sample, they will carefully find the best value for money product to be purchased which is also satisfied their needs. Male Factors Again from the study of Safiek and Hayatul (2009), there are two factors found for males namely brand loyalty and time-energy conserving. For brand loyalty, male consumers score higher than female consumers on this factor because they tend to have favorite brands and will use these habitually. Next, time-energy conserving which was not found in females but it characterizes males who often save energy by making their shopping trips as fast as possible in the same stores. Moreover, males have the perception that going shopping is a waste of time and they don’t give their purchases much thought. In overall, both of these results show the similarity with previous researchers, Bakewell and Michell (2006) in the UK. Female factors From the study of Safiek and Hayatul (2009) research, it shows that there are three female factors found namely price consciousness, recreational and shopping avoidance. Female consumers scored higher than male consumers on price consciousness shows that female are more aware of the sale prices and more often choose to purchase lower price products. Next, female shoppers are more particular on recreational or pleasant shopping activity compared to male shoppers. And this factor is consistent with Mitchell and Walsh’s (2004) and Bakewell and Mitchell’s (2006) which characterization of a recreational consumer. The last factor is shopping avoidance which is very exclusive to female consumers and posed an opposite trait of recreational. However the high scored shows that if the shopping is unpleasant, female shoppers will tend to shop as quickly by purchasing the first brands or product that seem to be good enough. Conclusion In conclusion, through the research of consumer decision making styles, it offers a great opportunity to understand the characteristic or style of consumer towards their shopping behavior. And this consumer style inventory provides a fundamental for consumer decision making styles and has practical application advantages for marketers in their marketing strategic. However this study has a limitation because it only covered a specific segment of young adult in an local university in Malaysia. For future recommendation, there is a need to study these decision making styles among the larger population across different segment in order to get better converge of Malaysia young consumers. References Sproles, G. Kendall, E. (1986). A Methodology for Profiling Consumers’ Decision-Making Styles, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 20 (2), pp. 267-279 Mitchell, V. , Walsh, G. (2004). Gender Differences in German Consumer Decision-Making styles. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 3(4), 331-346 Bakewell, C. Mitchell, V. W. (2003) Generation Y Female Consumer Decision-Making styles. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 31(2), 95-106. Bakewell, C. Mitchell, V. W. (2006). Male versus Female Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Business Research, 59, 1297-1300. Hiu, A. S. Y. , Siu, N. Y. M. , Wang, C. C. L. Chang, L. M. K. (2001). An Investigation of Decision-Making Styles of Consumers in China. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35 (2), 326-345. Safiek, M. Hayatul, S. S. (2009). Consumer Decision-Making Styles in Malaysia: An Exploratory Study of Gender Differences. European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 10, Number 4 Safiek, M. (2009). An Investigation of Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Young-Adults in Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Management. Vol. 4, No. 4 Darley, W. K. Smith, R. E (1995). Gender Differences in Information Processing Strategies: An Empirical Test of the Selectivity Model in Advertising Response. Journal of Advertising, 24(1), 41-59. Meyer-Levy, J. Sternthal, B. (1991). Gender Differences in the Use of Message Cues and Judgments. Journal of Marketing Research, 29 (1), 84-96. Kaylene C. Williams, K. C. , Page, R. A, Petrosky, A. R. Hernandez, E. H. (2010). Multi-Generational Marketing: Descriptions, Characteristics, Lifestyles, and Attitudes. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, Vol. 11(2) Sengupta, D. Titus, R. (2012). Evaluating Environmental Variables to assess Exhibited Behaviour: A Study of Gen Y. International Conference on Technology and Business Management Yeong, N. C. Lovet, M. G. (2010). Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Hispanic American College Students: A Consumer Styles Inventory Approach. American Journal of Business Research, Vol. 3, No 2 Ghodeswar B. M. (2007), â€Å"Consumer Decision-Making Styles Among Indian Students†, Alliance Journal of Business Research, Vol. 3, Spring 2007, pp. 36-48. Gupta, M. , Brantley, A. , Jackson, V. P. (2010). Product Involvement as a Predictor of Generation Y Consumer Decision Making Styles. The Business Review, Cambridge, Vol. 14, Num. 2 Kambiz, H. H. Fereshteh, L. (2011). Influence of Family Structure on Consumer Decision-making Style in Iran. International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 6, No. 11; November 2011 How to cite Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Gen Y Consumers in Malaysia, Papers

mr Essays (607 words) - Evaluation Methods, Research Methods

Law enforcement interview methods are completely different from and perhaps even opposite of a law enforcements interrogation method. There are no similarities between law enforcements interview method and law enforcement's interrogation method. Law enforcements interview method is normally directed at a person who they believe can provide them information about a particular case they are working on. Law enforcement normally once to gain the confidence of the interviewee so that they will provide them the information they are seeking. Law enforcement may conduct an interview almost any place they desire to conduct an interview. Most often law enforcement prefers to interview a person at the police station in a interview room. An interview room is normally a room that has a friendly appearance although is simple and consist of nothing more than a table and a few chairs. The location is normally quiet and away from noise, disturbances or traffic. This is normally because law enforcement wants to be able to concentrate on listening to the interviewee. Interviewing a person by law enforcement normally consist of listening carefully to the interviewee, what they have to say, how they say it and law enforcement prefers to take thorough notes. At times law enforcement may use different types of materials relating to the interview to perhaps encourage the interviewee's memory. It is important for the interviewer to gain confidence and even an apparent friendship with the interviewee to make the interviewee comfortable and trusting of the interviewer. Trust is what the interviewer is attempting to gain from the interviewee. Law enforcements interrogation methods target suspect of a case they are working on. The suspect is viewed as an advisory. Law enforcement brings the suspect to the police station for interrogation to provide them control of the interrogation process. Normally the suspect is place in a room that has been prepared for interrogation purposes. The rooms may be viewed as sterile. The room is in a neutral color, a few plane chairs and a table. The room is located in a place to avoid interruptions such as phone calls or uninvited visits. The interrogator normally puts the suspect in a chair placed agents the wall or in the corner of the room closest to the table. This makes the suspect feel trapped or cornered. Law enforcement is inclined to direct questions to the suspect and not answer question from the suspect. Control of the subject matter and the information is a motive the interrogator desires at all times. The interrogator wants the suspect to feel intimidated, unsure of themselv es and nerves. Answers are given up by a suspect easier when they are nerves and not thinking clearly. The interrogator may put materials in the interrogation room for the suspect?s observation that may have the appearance of proof of the suspect?s guilt. The interrogator may even lie to the suspect or provide them falls information. Interrogating a suspect is all about gaining a confession or information to further prosecute the suspect. As stated earlier, there is no similarity between law enforcements? interview or interrogation methods or motives. Law enforcement may not ask a suspect that is in custody questions other than their name, address and date of birth prior to giving them their Miranda Warning as a US citizen. Custody is when a person or authority takes immediate charge over another person or persons. This may apply to a law enforcements suspect put into custody and detained. Reference Karen M. Hess

Panera case analysis

Panera case analysis Executive summary Problem Statement The restaurant industry is very competitive and Panera has to overcome the many challenges including new entrants and high expenses in order for it to continue making profits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Panera case analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Analysis There are many problems being faced by Panera and they have come up with strategies that give them an edge over other similar businesses. Some of the problems and strategies used by Panera include: The ease of accessibility of alternatives to the dishes offered at Panera. An example is coffee, which can be swapped with any stimulative drink. They have overcome this challenge by providing a relaxing and comfy environment. New entrants in the restaurant business can reduce the number of sales for Panera. They have been able to overcome this by providing a variety of dishes in their menus and changing the menus consta ntly. The buyer can choose to go elsewhere if the food is monotonous or poor service delivery. To ensure customer satisfaction, the service at Panera is excellent and the quality of food exceptional. This way, their rating by law is high, and attractive to consumers. To overcome challenges that may arise due to unreliability of the suppliers, Panera buys its ingredients from multiple businesses, and does its own delivery of the bread. Panera faces high transport costs due to the few branches located within the dough delivery region. The distance covered requires that the tracks be refrigerated, which is quite expensive. Alternatives For Panera to maintain its competitive edge over similar businesses, it has to come up with workable strategies such as: Venturing in the catering business more, so that it can increase its sales and draw more people to its restaurants. Provide a broader menu to accommodate more fruits and other healthy dishes suitable for dinner, so that they can incr ease sales during off-peak hours. Recommendation To reduce the expenses incurred due to long travel distances in delivery of dough, Panera should open more branches in these regions, so that the cost of delivery can be distributed. Opening cafes in new areas would also increase their market share. Implementation The opening of new cafes and increasing the variety in menus would require strategic advertising. Panera is known for providing an aesthetic environment and healthy foods. This should be their primary focus when advertising. Expansion of their catering services in new communities would also help to draw more people to their restaurants. Panera case analysis Introduction About $1 billion is spent by US consumers at eating establishments, making the restaurant industry very competitive. There are many fears in the industry including the struggle to make profits as well as the entry of new competitors. The main competitors of Panera in specialty foods and fast informal dining are Subway, Starbucks and McDonald’s. The competition that Panera faces comes from various directions, including both the local and national markets (Locke, 2008). One of the strategies used by Panera in order to stay profitable is the regular review and revision of their menus. This is aimed at meeting the requirements of the different seasons of the year, satisfying the changing preferences of the customers and maintaining the interest of the usual customers (Locke, 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Main problems facing the firm and their solutions Threat imposed by alternatives One of the problems facing Panera is the availability of substitutes to their coffee selections and atmosphere. The fact that food is a basic need means that people have to consume something, which implies that the market is ever present. The problem lies in the variety of pla ces available for people to eat (Locke, 2008). The atmosphere at Panera is one that allows for people to work and hold meetings. The alternative to this is that people can choose to do their work from the comfort of their houses or meet in the workplace (Locke, 2008). Panera has overcome this by providing a distraction free and serene surrounding that is necessary to perform well in their duties. Coffee is one of the main menu items for Panera, and it can be easily substituted with a power drink. The provision of such an alternative could limit the number of people going for coffee at Panera, though the chances of switching from one to the other is low, and the market for coffee is therefore not diminishing (Locke, 2008). Threat imposed by new restaurant businesses This is a threat since the people who can get into the business is unlimited due to the few barriers to entry including minimal government regulations, no need for a patent and lack of technological shortcomings. There ar e new restaurants opening up in various places due to the high demand imposed by customers who like eating in new and different places. At the same time, the restaurants are short lived due to poor delivery of services, including menus that do not meet customer needs and dining events that are unsatisfactory. The motivation for opening up new restaurants is consumer adventure, since consumers like to visit new places. Panera keeps up with new business ventures by altering their menus regularly, in order to meet the periodical needs and diets of the clients (Thompson, 2009). Bargaining power of the buyer The consumers have access to information regarding value and nourishment which makes the restaurant industry very competitive. The patrons can easily switch to other restaurants if their preferences are not satisfied, which means that the conditions and quality maintained by these restaurants must be high and satisfactory. It is easy for a customer to change their eating place from P anera, since the only variable may be the cost of food (Thompson, 2009). Panera is well aware of this, and solves the problem by providing the customers with a wide variety of menu items. The customers can therefore enjoy various items on different days of the week.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Panera case analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The power of the consumer is greatly increased due to the accessibility of information regarding the restaurant industry. The food products are provided with nutrition information, and this is appealing to the customers. Restaurants are also required by law to post inspection results in a visible place, and therefore poor results may be bad for business (Thompson, 2009). Bargaining power of the supplier Panera makes their bread on a daily basis as it is their number one product. They also have their own transport tracks that provide the bread to stores within a 500 mile radius daily, which makes the delivery fully controllable (Thompson, 2009). To increase their efficiency, they ensure that the suppliers have limited control over the cost of products. This is achieved by contracting various suppliers for the ingredients. This means that the shift from one supplier to the other is relatively easy for them, which ensures that the suppliers making the deliveries do so promptly and error free. Panera is able to control the costs of supplies by use of contracts with both the suppliers and distributors. Panera is therefore very cautious with its presentation and reliability to the market, by ensuring that the prices of supplies remain unchanged, using contracts (Thompson, 2009). Strategies used by Panera One of their main strategies is the provision of a menu with wide variety, and good service delivery in an inviting ambience. People who lack the time to dine in traditional restaurants appreciate quality foods contained in Panera’s menus. The pr ovision of freshly baked bread is also advantageous to Panera, since the customers can be assured that there is no musty bread. Panera provides a comfortable setting, which includes comfortable seating and the provision of Wi-Fi connections, suitable for customers during any time of the day. This, added to their strategic location in the urban and suburban areas encourages the customers to stay longer (Locke, 2008). Panera has ensured consistency in the quality of its products especially bread, by creating strong networks with the suppliers. They also have a variety of suppliers who provide them with the essential products, which denies them leverage, therefore enabling costs within the franchises to remain low. The facilities responsible for the supply of dough are strategically located throughout the country, and this ensures fresh supply of dough (Locke, 2008). Panera provides its customers with a unique dining experience. This is achieved by welcoming atmosphere, the designs of the cages as well as the variety of foods provided in the menus.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Unlike other restaurants that prefer to remain small, Panera restaurants are large, which is advantageous to them since they can prepare a variety of meals, and therefore tend to attract customers with a variety of taste. Their large operations allow them to keep their prices lower than the traditional restaurants, and provide fast delivery of meals, which allows the customers to enjoy their meals and ambiance with no rush (Locke, 2008). One of the problems faced by Panera is the huge sum of money spent in transportation of fresh dough to its cafes. The distance travelled by the tracks is at least 300 miles, and the deliveries are made to only six branches. Due to the distance, the temperature of the tracks has to be controlled. Investors in Panera have been discouraged by the large capital requirement, since potential owners are required to simultaneously open twelve restaurants. This requires people to invest about $1 million. Panera provides a variety of dishes in its menus, whic h broadens its target market, enabling them to create loyalty within its customers (Locke, 2008). Current issues facing Panera Increasing competition in the fast-casual food industry has been one of the biggest contributors to the reducing profits at Panera. At the same time, their stringent operating criterion has raised the expenses, with the costs of administration being much higher. Panera has penetrated larger markets though it is unable to open stores faster than the competition, due to the requirement that every new owner must open a minimum of fifteen cafes at once, which is expensive for them (Locke, 2008). Due to this reason, Panera has been unable to penetrate individual communities that can provide them with more opportunities. Recommendations The fast-casual dining industry is very competitive, and in order for Panera to minimize its expenses and maximize on profits, it needs to: Open more cafes within a particular region Open new cafes to cater for individual communit ies and Invest more in the catering services Advertise the use of natural ingredients in their meals Provide menus for off-peak hours One of the expenses that Panera experiences is the transportation of dough over long distances to very few stores, two in Miami and several in Dallas (Thompson, 2009). In order to compete with the other restaurants like Starbucks, they need to open mores stores in these areas. This will increase the number of stores within the travelling distance of the dough tracks, hence improving on the efficiency of delivery and reducing the overall expenses. In addition to this, there are many markets that Panera has neglected, which would appreciate their artistic and lovely environment as well as their quality meals. Such a move would result in the creation of more cafes by the owners in the region, and their familiarity with the population would enable them to cater for the varying needs of the patrons, allowing them to gain the loyalty of the masses (Thompso n, 2009). New York would be a nice place to open a few cafes. The catering services would be in a position to expand due to the good reputation that Panera has within the societies, and its expansion in new and current markets. Panera would be able to meet the needs of its consumers easily by opening more cafes, which would also increase its market share and consequently bring more people to its restaurants. Expansion through catering would be good for Panera to grow its restaurant’s brand. Advertising is important for the success of any business. Since Panera is known for the provision of a diverse and healthy menu, advertising by letting people know of their use of natural ingredients would attract more patrons to their restaurants. They would also attract more customers if they expanded their menus in order to accommodate more options that are suitable for patrons who prefer to dine during off-peak hours, therefore increasing their sales (Thompson, 2009). Implementation of the strategies Expansion of the catering division would allow Panera to venture into new markets without changing their brand image, therefore increasing their sales. By taking advantage of their already popular healthy meals, with many vegetables, Panera should increase its variety of fruit choices in the menus, which would draw more people in to the restaurants. In addition to this, their menu contains healthy chicken, antibiotic-free, though most of its patrons are not aware (Thompson, 2009). A nice marketing strategy would be advantageous in making people aware of the healthy dishes that are available at Panera. This would definitely increase their sales since most people prefer to shop in groceries, and would not mind having a good healthy meal without preparing it themselves. The busiest hours for Panera are the lunch hours, due to their menus. More sales would be achieved if they were to introduce suitable dishes for dinner, which is an off-peak time. One of the dishes that could be added to the menus is a chicken dish or healthy pasta, which would complement their brand image (Thompson, 2009). References Locke, B. (2008). Panera Bread Company. Retrieved from https://scribd.com/doc/30761424/Panera-Case-Analysis Thompson, A. A. (2009). Panera Bread Company. Crafting and Executing Strategy: Concepts and Cases, 17th Edition.

Nushu, a Woman-Only Language of China

Nushu, a Woman-Only Language of China Nushu or Nu Shu means, literally, â€Å"woman’s writing† in Chinese.   The script was developed by peasant women in Hunan Province, China, and used in Jiangyong county, but probably also in nearby Daoxian and Jianghua counties.   It nearly became extinct before its very recent discovery.   The oldest items are from the very early 20th century, though the language is assumed to have much older roots. The script was often used in embroidery, calligraphy and handicrafts created by women.   It is found written on paper (including letters, written poetry and on objects such as fans) and embroidered on fabric (including on quilts, aprons, scarves, handkerchiefs).   Objects were often buried with women or were burned. While sometimes characterized as a language, it might better be considered a script, as the underlying language was the same local dialect used also by the men in the area, and usually by the men written in Hanzi characters. Nushu, like other Chinese characters, is written in columns, with characters running from top to bottom in each column and columns written from the right to the left.   Chinese researchers count between 1000 and 1500 characters in the script, including variants for the same pronunciation and function; Orie Endo (below) has concluded that there are about 550 distinct characters in the script.   Chinese characters are usually ideograms (representing ideas or words); Nushu characters are mostly phonograms (representing sounds) with some ideograms.   Four types of strokes make u the characters: dots, horizontals, verticals and arcs. According to Chinese sources, Gog Zhebing, a teacher in South Central China, and linguistics professor Yan Xuejiong, discovered calligraphy used in the Jiangyong prefecture.   In another version of the discovery, an old man, Zhou Shuoyi, brought it to attention, preserving a poem from ten generations back in his family and beginning to study the writing in the 1950s.   The Cultural Revolution, he said, interrupted his studies, and his 1982 book brought it to the attention of others. The script was well known locally as â€Å"woman’s writing† or nà ¼shu  but it had not before come to the attention of linguists, or at least of academia. At that time, about a dozen women survived who understood and could write Nushu. Japanese professor Orie Endo of Bunkyo University in Japan has been studying Nushu since the 1990s. She was first exposed to the existence of the language by a Japanese linguistics researcher, Toshiyuki Obata, and then learned more in China at Beijing University from Professor Prof. Zhao Li-ming.   Zhao and Endo traveled to Jiang Yong and interviewed elderly women to find people who could read and write the language. Orie Endo: 1999 research report (English): Endangered System of Women’s Writing from Hunan China (presented at the Association of Asian Studies Conference, March, 1999.Orie Endo: Nushu in 2011, including information on a Japanese-made documentary â€Å"The Chinese Women’s Script for Writing Sorrow.† The area where it has been used is one where the Han people and the Yao people have lived and intermixed, including intermarriage and mixing of cultures.   It was also an area, historically, of good climate and successful agriculture. The culture in the area was, like most of China, male-dominated for centuries, and women were not permitted an education.   There was a tradition of â€Å"sworn sisters,† women who were not biologically related but who committed to friendship.   In traditional Chinese marriage, exogamy was practiced: a bride joined her husband’s family, and would have to move, sometimes far away, not seeing her birth family again or only rarely. The new brides were thus under the control of their husbands and mothers-in-law after they married.   Their names did not become part of genealogies. Many of the Nushu writings are poetic, written in a structured style, and were written about marriage, including about the sorrow of separation. Other writings are letters from women to women, as they found, through this female-only script, a way to keep in communication with their female friends.   Most express feelings and many are about sorrow and misfortune. Because it was secret, with no references to it found in documents or genealogies, and many of the writings buried with the women who possessed the writings, it’s not authoritatively known when the script began.   Some scholars in China accept the script not as a separate language but as a variant on Hanzi characters. Others believe it may have been a remnant of a now-lost script of eastern China. Nushu declined in the 1920s when reformers and revolutionaries began to expand education to include women and to raise women’s status. While some of the older women attempted to teach the script to their daughters and granddaughters, most did not consider it valuable and did not learn.   Thus, fewer and fewer women could preserve the custom. The Nà ¼shu Culture Research Center in China was created to document and study Nushu and the culture around it, and to publicize its existence.   A dictionary of 1,800 characters including variants was created by Zhuo Shuoyi in 2003; it also includes notes on grammar.   At least 100 manuscripts are known outside of China. An exhibition in China that opened in April, 2004, focused on Nushu.   China to reveal female-specific language to public - Peoples Daily, English Edition

Current issues in advertising (Marketing communications) Essay

Current issues in advertising (Marketing communications) - Essay Example arketing few of which include the statistical techniques that need to be properly fitted in to the equation, the usage of proper rules and methodologies for selecting the right target audiences, the manner in which they are segregated on the basis of their roles and positions in the society and not to forget the buying patterns of them as well, their decision making abilities in the market, the manner in which economical changes are shaping up the whole society and the drifts that are happening as a result, the changing consumer lifestyles with the advent of technological options and grouping all of these in a single database or a combination of databases which would make the work of the marketing communication practitioner easy. Rather the other way around has been seen, where the practitioner has been running from one end to another in the wake of devising the best possible database which will target the right people at the right time with the right offering. It is a difficult prop osition that has to be managed day in day out by the marketing communication practitioner but one that needs to be in place so as to enable growth on the part of the company and the link that is present between the business (company) and the customers that are being targeted upon by it. Database marketing is one of the most powerful tools that look at building a strong rapport between the company and its stakeholders, not only the customers but also the ones who have invested in its stocks, though in an indirect manner. The challenges thus faced account to problems ranging from handling all these records and files on not only a sequential basis but also that correlates with each other and thus comes up with results which precisely target the exact individuals (prospective or otherwise, customer) that have to be sent the newsletters, direct mail, brochures and so on and so forth. This also means that database marketing looks at revolving the glitches that may arise at some point in time

How Important is it for managers today to have a good understanding of Essay

How Important is it for managers today to have a good understanding of the process of globalization - Essay Example (Steger, 2003: p. 37) With regards to the large supply of available work force in the labour market, medium- and large-scale businesses are taking advantage of hiring competitive employees. Likewise, it is also crucial for businesses today to actively participate in the trading of goods and services in the world market. As part of discussing the valid reasons that makes it important for modern managers today to have a good understanding of the process of globalization, a literature review will be conducted in the study. To give the readers a better understanding of the subject matter, the first part of the literature review will discuss about the general information and the main purpose of globalization followed by analyzing the factors that makes it important for modern managers to have a good understanding of the globalization process. To determine how well modern managers understand the globalization process, a structured personal interview with two selected managers combined with a Globalization is â€Å"a process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments of different countries which is driven by international trade and investment through the use of information technology.† (The Levin Institute, 2008) Basically, the concept of globalization allows business people to maximize their available financial resources by taking advantage of the low-cost products and services that are readily available from developing countries. Because of the differences in monetary exchange rate, large-scale businesses from developed countries are able to purchase more homogenous products and highly competitive human resources at a much lesser price. Therefore, large multinational companies could easily compete with small-scale local businesses by being able to offer homogenous products to its target