Esprit five forces Essay

Esprit faces competitors such as H&M, Uniqlo, Zara, Mango, Giordano, and Gap. Esprit’s goal is to make its own enterprise gain advantage relative to its competitors. So when they implement their plan to achieve their goal, conflict occurs with their competitors. Competition is often manifested in the price, advertising, products, services and so on. Many â€Å"Fast Fashion† brands have different product lines. Their products are more innovative and stylish. Also those brands can meet the needs of middle-class consumers. Therefore those brands can occupy the market share and gain the market value. In 2011, Esprit lost more than 90% income from 2007. It is because Esprit lost its brand positioning, continuously slipping in popularity, less consumer demand, lack of innovation and unable to meet diverse needs of consumers. To solve these problems, Esprit decided to exit its North American retail operation. They cooperate with new competent license partner instead. However, they did not give up on North America entirely. Because exit the competition is more costly than continue to participate in the competition. There are some reason will mainly affect Esprit such as economic factors, global strategy and emotional effects. Socio-political factors include asset specificity and costs of exit. Threats of Buyer’s Growing Bargaining Power Esprit exists in fast fashion industry and there are few competitors in the industry. The products of fast fashion industry have similar style. Therefore buyers would have lots of choices. Buyers would like to get higher-quality products at an affordable price and this will affect the profitability of companies in the industry. In China market, China has a huge market size and demographic differences among provinces. However, China is a â€Å"Red Sea†. Esprit cannot get a desirable profit because there are too many competitors. This affect the buyers in China have more choices to make their own decision. Threats of Suppliers’ Growing Bargaining Power Supplier bargaining power is the ability to influence the setting of price. Suppliers lower their material’s quality and value but raise up the price of  input factors in order to influence the existing industry in profitability and competitiveness. Different supplier’s materials have certain characteristics and distinguishing features. Therefore the retailer cannot change the supplier suddenly without planning because changing the supplier may higher the cost. Also the one of the important reason is retailer hard to discover a high quality to replace the material. The strength of supplier bargaining power is mainly depends on what materials or input factors they provide to Esprit. When suppliers provide the input factors that the value occupy Esprit’s large proportion of the total cost of product and the production process is critical or seriously affect the quality of the product, the potential bargaining power of supplier is greatly enhanced. Threats of New Entrants Barriers of entry include economies of scale, product differentiation, switching costs, capital needed, sales channels, natural resources, policies, geography, and so on. Some of these barriers are hard to breakthrough by means of copying or imitation. The possibility of new enterprises to enter the industry is depends on the entrant, estimated potential impact of interest rate and the required cost of the risk to take. Competitive access to the severity of the threat depends on two factors. One is the size and the other one is expected barriers to new areas of existing businesses respond to entrants. However, the fast fashion industry entry barriers are very low. Therefore there is a lot of competitors who almost sales the same products or services in order to gain the fast fashion market share. Esprit is being tough and very hard to survival in this market which has high competition of market share of raw materials and it may lower the profitability of a company in the industry. Th reats of Substitute Products Esprit and its competitor such as H&M, Gap’s products are very similar and their products are substitute products. The competitive of substitute products will affect the competitive strategy of the company in the fast fashion industry. The existing product prices and potential of increasing the profitability are limited by the user’s acceptability of the existing substitute products. Because of invades of substitute products, the existing enterprises must improve the quality of their products, reduce the cost in  order to lower the price or make the products be more unique in order to prevent the loss and frustrated of sales. The lower price and higher quality of substitute product will produce a strong competitive pressure to the enterprises. The intensity of competition from substitute product can specifically observe by examining the sales growth, factory production capacity and profit expansion.

Popularity of Fast Food Production Essay

Introduction The popularity of fast food production today is a direct result of busy families. In today’s society both husband and wife usually obtain full-time careers. These careers take up much of the family’s time and energy. Children of these families are usually very active in many extracurricular activities such as, Boy Scouts, football, baseball, and basketball. With all of the practice, games, and outings, these activities consume a great amount of the family’s time. In this fast paced life people find it more and more convenient to grab some food on the way home than to prepare a full meal for their family. Families find it more convenient to have someone else do the cooking and cleaning than to take more time away from each other and do it themselves. Single people find it easier to pick-up some fast food than cook a big meal for one person. It is also a result of the most obvious, people these days are just lazier than people in our past were. A person who forgot their lunch at home is more likely to choose fast food over a restaurant because of the cost difference. They could go to a fast foodrestaurant for fewer tk. than they could go to a restaurant where they would spend for one meal. Actually, it is the result of time and convenience and sometimes it is a result of the low cost. Popularity of Fast Food The growing popularity of fast food has brought about ruthless competition in the fast food industry. Fast food chains are constantly trying to please growing consumer demand by selling more food at lower prices. In order to do so, these fast food giants continuously incorporate new â€Å"efficient† business practices which provide better services to customers resulting in bigger sales and larger profit margins. In most cases, these practices are obvious. For instance, precooked hamburger patties, computer systems, and drive-throughs were each introduced to minimize production time in turn allowing for increased sales. Nevertheless, less obvious business practices have also been implemented which most consumers fail to recognize. All together, increased fast food popularity has led to the adoption ofbusiness practices involving the careless treatment of modern day farm animals. * First of all, fast food is prepared from unhealthy meat. Most animals raised as food for fast foodrestaurants come from â€Å"factory farms. † At each of these factory farms millions of animals live torturous lives. Fast food companies choose to purchase from these farms because they minimize all production costs and provide cheaply. * Fast Food Growth- Comparison * History Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. The term â€Å"fast food† was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam–Webster in 1951. Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating,[1] or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central locations. he concept of ready-cooked food for sale is closely connected with urban development. In Ancient Rome cities had street stands that sold bread, sausages and wine. Pre-modern Europe. In the cities of Roman antiquity, much of the urban population living in insulae, multi-storey apartment blocks, depended on food vendors for much of their meals. In the mornings, bread soaked in wine was eaten as a quick snack and cooked vegetables and stews later in the day at a popina, a simple type of eating establishment. In the Middle Ages, large towns and major urban areas such as London and Paris supported numerous vendors that sold dishes such as pies, pasties, flans, waffles, wafers, pancakes and cooked meats. As in Roman cities during antiquity, many of these establishments catered to those who did not have means to cook their own food, particularly single households. Unlike richer town dwellers, many often could not afford housing with kitchen facilities and thus relied on fast food. Travellers, as well, such as pilgrims en route to a holy site, were among the customers. United Kingdom In areas which had access to coastal or tidal waters, ‘fast food’ would frequently include local shellfish or seafood, such as oysters or, as in London, eels. Often this seafood would be cooked directly on the quay or close by. The development of trawler fishing in the mid nineteenth century would lead to the development of a British favourite fish and chips, and the first shop in 1860. A blue plaque at Oldham’s Tommyfield Market marks the origin of the fish and chip shop and fast food industries in Britain. After World War II, turkey has been used more frequently in fast food. As well as its native cuisine, the UK has adopted fast food from other cultures, such as pizza, Chinese noodles, kebab, and curry. More recently healthier alternatives to conventional fast food have also emerged. United States. As automobiles became popular and more affordable following the First World War, drive-in restaurants were introduced. The American company White Castle, founded by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, is generally credited with opening the second fast food outlet and first hamburger chain, selling hamburgers for five cents each. Walter Anderson had built the first White Castle restaurant in Wichita in 1916, introducing the limited menu, high volume, low cost, high speed hamburger restaurant. Among its innovations, the company allowed customers to see the food being prepared. White Castle was successful from its inception and spawned numerous competitors. Franchising was introduced in 1921 by A&W Root Beer, which franchised its distinctive syrup. Howard Johnson’s first franchised the restaurant concept in the mid-1930s, formally standardizing menus, signage and advertising. The United States has the largest fast food industry in the world, and American fast food restaurants are located in over 100 countries. Approximately 2 million U. S. workers are employed in the areas of food preparation and food servicing including fast food in the USA. FAST FOOD INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH Fast food culture was started in the early nineties. In Bangladesh it has mainly geared towards the younger end of the market and the employees of the corporate sector. The fast food culture in Bangladesh has taken the country by storm. The first fast food shop started its business in the Bailey road of Dhaka. After that, a number of fast food shops started to grow exponentially in different places of the Dhaka city. Local entrepreneurs are leaders in pioneering the fast food industry of Bangladesh. New brands i. e. Swiss, Helvetia etc. are to name of some Bangladeshi fast food shops formed in franchising system. In early 2000, Bangladesh experienced the entry of the first international brand of fast food franchise in the country. Pizza Hut and KFC entered into Bangladeshi market having franchise with Transom Foods Limited (TFL). Both Pizza Hut and KFC are subsidiaries of the world’s largest restaurant company Yum! Restaurants International. TFL has opened three Pizza Huts and three KFC outlets in Bangladesh in a span of five years. Pizza Hut opened its flagship restaurant in 2003 at Dhaka. Following its grand success in Dhaka, the Chittagong outlet was opened in 2005. The third Pizza Hut restaurant was launched in Dhaka in 2008. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) perceived as high-quality fast food in a popular array of complete meals to enrich the consumer’s everyday life. TFL successfully launched the flagship KFC in 2006 and gained attention of the people with its taste, high standard of hygiene, cleanliness, interior attractiveness, affordable pricing etc. Following its enormous success in Dhaka, the second and third outlets were opened in 2008. ————————————————- Globalization In 2006, the global fast food market grew by 4. 8% and reached a value of 102. 4 billion and a volume of 80. 3 billion transactions. In India alone the fast food industry is growing by 41% a year. McDonald’s is located in 126 countries and on 6 continents and operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide. [20] On January 31, 1990 McDonald’s opened a restaurant in Moscow, and broke opening day records for customers served. The Moscow restaurant is the busiest in the world. The largest McDonald’s in the world is located in Orlando, Florida,USA[21] There are numerous other fast food restaurants located all over the world. Burger King has more than 11,100 restaurants in more than 65 countries. [22] KFC is located in 25 countries. [23] Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with approximately 39,129 restaurants in 90 countries as of May 2009,[24] the first non-US location opening in December 1984 in Bahrain. [25] Pizza Hut is located in 97 countries, with 100 locations in China. [26] Taco Bell has 278 restaurants located in 14 countries besides the United States. [27] Current Market Size Economists at the National Restaurant Association estimated total foodservice sales for 2011 at ? 313 billion, representing a 5 percent increase over 2010. That means consumers spent an average of ? 855 million per day on food away from home. According to the National Restaurant Association’s Foodservice Industry Forecast, fast food comprised the largest segment of this market, capturing 47. 8 percent of the Takas spent. The report attributes this success to â€Å"fast food’s ability to meet consumers’ desire for value and convenience. † It was further estimated that at least 64 percent of all fast food purchases were consumed off-premises. According to Technomic, Inc. , a food industry consulting firm, almost half of consumer food Takas are spent on meals prepared away from home. In addition, food expenditures rise significantly as income increases according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey Data. Industry Trends This significant trend of consumers purchasing prepared meals is so pervasive that the foodservice industry has coined a new term to describe it: â€Å"home-meal replacement. † Many businesses are shifting their focus to meet the growing demands of consumers: * Most supermarkets now include a deli, bakery, and a prepared-foods section. Also, many offer fast-food service. * Boston Market has continued to expand its product lines and market share. * Famous chefs, such as Wolfgang Puck, are offering high-end prepared meals in upscale supermarkets. * Fast-food chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have formed alliances to offer multiple product lines under one roof. There are also several economic and cultural trends that have contributed to this growing demand: * Increasing number of women in the workforce * Increasing number of woman-owned businesses * Growing number of higher-income households * Americans working longer hours * Decreasing amount of leisure time * Premium placed on convenience * Trend toward purchasing personal services (i.e. , personal-trainers, house-cleaning services, home shopping services). According to Foodservice Solutions, a hospitality consulting firm: â€Å"Home-meal replacement is not a luxury today – it’s a necessity. People don’t want to take the time to cook; they have too many other things to do. People want high-quality prepackaged foods†¦ to make life easier. â€Å"| Entrepreneur Magazine selected â€Å"Personal Chef Services† as one of the top service businesses to start today: â€Å"Convenience-craving consumers are always looking for a way to do things better, faster and cheaper. Often, that means turning to a specialty-services entrepreneur who knows how to get the job done right. Those with culinary competence can likely find a hungry clientele among the ranks of America’s busy working families. â€Å"| Growth Potential of the Market Based on the National Restaurant Association’s Foodservice Industry Forecast, the percentage of food Takas spent away from home has grown from 25 percent in 1955 to 50 percent today. More importantly, the proportion of the food budget spent on meals away from home increases significantly as income increases. Households with incomes of ? 70,000 spent 81 percent more per capita (? 1,278 per person) on food away from home than the average income-reporting household (? 705 per person) according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also contributing to the potential growth in the market is the rise in affluent households documented by the Current Population Survey from the Bureau of the Census. From 1990 to 1994 the number of households earning ? 50,000 to ? 74,999 increased by 16. 4 percent; households earning ? 75,000 to ? 99,999 increased 36. 1 percent; and households earning ? 100,000 or more increased by 61. 1 percent in the same period. Affluent Households Gaining Ground Change in Number of Households| | Household Income| Increase (Decrease) in Number of Households| Percent Change| Less than ? 35,000| (1,638,000)| -3. 0%| ?35,000 to ? 49,999| (331,000)| -2. 0%| ?50,000 to ? 74,999| 2,310,000| +16. 4%| ?75,000 to ? 99,000| 1,841,000| +36. 1%| ?100,000 or more| 2,496,000| +61. 1%| Total| 4,479,000| +5. 0%| Source: Bureau of the Census A personal chef service is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the increasing demand for fast food, growing health concerns, and the rise in high-income households. Affluent working couples want â€Å"fast food,† but they want it upscale, healthy, and convenient. The founders of Truly Unique Personal Chef Service report that their business has grown 10 to 15 percent every year since opening in 1992. Many of their clients said they were getting bored with going out to restaurants and wanted something different. Customer Profile Creative Cuisine’s’ target customer will be families with two working, professional parents who are too busy to cook every night but are fed up with takeout and restaurant food. Their specific demographics are as follows: Household Income: Over ? 100,000 Age: 35 to 55 Education: College degree and/or advanced degree Marital Status: Married couples or high income single Job: Professional status (one or both partners) Children: Preferably ages 7 to 18 Homeowners: Preferably Location: Live in neighborhoods with high concentration of affluent families Customer Benefits Here are just a few of the benefits to customers if they hire Creative Cuisine: * 6 hours per week more free time (1 hour per day cooking/acquiring meal plus 1 hour per week grocery shopping) * Very convenient. * Meals customized to personal tastes * More variety * Health and nutrition benefits * Less stress * Client feels pampered * It makes life easier * Don’t have to cook * Less grocery shopping * Minimal kitchen clean-up * Peace of mind The Competition There are a handful of other personal chef services in the metropolitan area; however, since this is still a new business concept, there remains a large untapped market. Most competition for home-meal replacement exists from neighborhood restaurants, upscale fast-food outlets and supermarket prepared meals. Following is a competitive analysis of the various meal replacement alternatives: Fast Food Industry in 2012 at a Glance It is no secret: Americans love fast food. And its not just us! The Golden Arches have spread across the globe, and emerging markets are one of the fastest growing areas in the industry. But the fast food industry is not without its challenges, especially in the United States. From rising food costs, economic recession and changing perceptions about health, many fast food franchises have been feeling some heat. But rather than flee from this challenge, the fast food industry has been adopting new practices and offering new products. Modern society is on the go, and there is plenty of demand for a quick bite at all times of the day. Fast food franchising opportunities exist in the â€Å"traditional† spaces like burgers and pizza, but are also sprouting up in healthy and unique ways as well. The Industry The fast food industry, also known as Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), has been serving up tasty morsels for as long as people have lived in cities. The modern system of fast food franchising is believed to have started in the mid 1930’s when Howard Johnson franchised his second location to a friend as a means to expand operations during the Great Depression. And oh how it has grown! As cars became commonplace, the drive-thru concept brought explosive growth to the idea of food-on-the go. â€Å"Fast Food† was added to the Merrion-Webster dictionary in 1951 and U. S. fast food companies are now franchised in over 100 countries. In the U. S. alone there are over 200,000 restaurant locations! Revenue has grown from $6 billion in 1970 to $160 billion last year, an 8. 6% annualized rate. Fast food franchises focus on high volume, low cost and high speed product. Frequently food is preheated or precooked and served to-go, though many locations also offer seating for on-site consumption. For stands, kiosks or sit-down locations, food is standardized and shipped from central locations. Consumers enjoy being able to get a familiar meal in each location, and menus and marketing are the same in every location. What’s Been Going Wrong? There have been challenges for the fast food industry in recent years that have been pressuring profit margins. The industry as a whole has proven robust enough to withstand these challenges, though some players have done better than others. Over the last decade there has been increased focus on the quality of food served in fast food restaurants. Typically highly processed and industrial in preparation, much of the food is high in fat and has been shown to increase body mass index (BMI) and cause weight gain. Popular books such as Fast Food Nation and documentaries like Super Size Me have increased public awareness of the negative health consequences of fast food. Fast food companies have responded by adopting healthier choices and have had some measure of success, but the shadow of bad press still hangs over the industry. Rising commodity prices have also significantly crunched many fast food franchises. With food and beverage inputs making up approximately 33% of costs, higher prices for livestock, corn, wheat and more have seriously shrunk margins over the past decade. In such a fiercely competitive space it is impossible to force a price increase on customers, so profit margins are often south of 10%. The recent economic recession did lower commodity prices, but the recession brought on its own complications, and now prices for commodity inputs are on the rise again. Fast food had been thought to be largely recession proof, and indeed the industry did not suffer nearly as much as other discretionary spending sectors. In fact, there was some increase in consumer visits as people choose cheaper fast food options over fast casual or traditional restaurant choices. But overall, the recession hurt spending, and consumers overall purchased less with each trip. Fast food franchises fared reasonably well but still felt some pain. Market saturation is also a relevant issue in the fast food industry today, at least in the U. S. There is a McDonald franchise is in almost every town, and it usually sits in a row with several competitors. With so many competitors which offer similar products there are fewer customers per location. Increasingly fast food restaurants are also losing market share to fast casual, a relative newcomer in the restaurant space. Where do we Go from Here? Busy citizens still need quick meal options, and fast food restaurants are fighting these challenges with gusto. Now offering healthy choices to battle the stigma of unhealthy food, some quick service restaurants now focus on fresh or organic products. From franchises focused solely on salads or healthy wraps to the lower calorie options offered at traditional burger franchises such as Wendy’s or McDonald’s, consumers are able to make better choices†¦if they want! Fast food franchises are also focusing on expanding into new product lines, such as the coffee initiative in the McCafe. Intended to offer competition to Startbucks, McDonalds is luring customers back into their stores, hoping they will purchase food as well. Many franchises have been exploring other meal times such as breakfast and the mid-afternoon snack for growth opportunities and to increase real estate utilization. The industry is most effectively battling saturation within the United States by creating a much more diverse range of offerings. Sure, there is a McDonalds in every town, but there are very few crepe franchises†¦yet! From new cultural cuisines to fresh takes on a traditional story, there are many moretypes of quick service restaurants than ever before. The fast food industry is still a large and diverse industry with plenty of opportunity. As one would hope, challenge is being answered with innovation, and fast food franchises are responding with new offerings, pricing and strategies to lure consumers back in. Non-traditional fast food franchises are springing up and gaining traction, and more creativity will always be welcome! Consumers are now on the look-out for new ways to eat fast and healthy. And as the industry continues to evolve and the economy strengthens, fast food franchise profitability will continue to grow. Porter’s five forces industry analysis for Krispy Kreme Saturday, January 29th, 2011 at 9:00 am. What is Porter’s Five Forces? Well I doubt there is any need to explain one of the most famous strategic tools around but just in case, it is a tool to analyse the external industry to find the root causes of profitability. Again seeing an example is useful and below is a five forces analysis of Krispy Kreme. Rivalry among existing competitors (High +++) * High concentration of rivals e. g. Starbucks and local chains * Static market growth * High fixed costs * Perishable products (food and drink) A large number of competitors in the industry are all competing for the same customers. Coffee chains (e. g. Costa, Starbucks) are all competing to be number one in the market and have similar corporate goals. While product differentiation is limited, there is fierce differentiation by product range, brand and store ambience (e. g. seating). There are zero switching costs for customers, which promotes price wars. Market growth is static, which promotes fierce fighting for market share, and there is saturation of competition due to the limited number of prime locations available for outlets. Smaller chains have to pay a premium for prime sites or settle for less desirable locations. Threat of new entrants (Medium +) * Large capital requirements required to build chain of stores * Favourable locations are already occupied * Economies of scale in distribution and raw ingredients (lower per unit costs due to the experience curve) * Product and brand differentiation Capital requirements for individual stores are low, however new entrants wishing to compete on a like basis with national store networks, distribution channels, brand equity development and advertising, face large capital requirements to gain market share. This is reflected in the large number of individual outlets compared with the small number of large, proven top specialty eateries. The UK commercial property market is landlord-driven and controlled; premium locations in the UK are scarce and command high prices with most of the favourable locations within town centres, airports and train stations already being occupied by existing competitors. Threat of substitutes (Medium +) * Large choice of alternatives with similar products e. g. energy drinks, cakes, biscuits, ice-cream, chocolate * No switching costs. Although a consumer can choose from multiple substitutes (e. g. desserts, pastries or drinks), speciality eateries compete based on convenience and opportunity. Most people buy from speciality eateries when travelling, shopping or meeting people. This is evidenced by the location of the eateries, which is concentrated around high footfall locations such as train stations, business districts and shopping centres. For a consumer this becomes a competitive choice rather than a substitute choice (e. g. do I buy a coffee from Starbucks or Costa). Other substitutes come from full menu eateries such as restaurants and fast-food outlets with a smaller threat from supermarkets. Bargaining power of suppliers (Low) * Vertically integrated businesses with only commoditised raw ingredients * Large number of suppliers to choose from and low switching costs Bargaining power of buyers (Low) * Buyers are fragmented and numerous * Although there are no switching costs for the buyer the food and drink market is part of the fabric of society Conclusions and Recommendations. Fast food consumers of Bangladesh, especially the university students, considered brand reputation as the most important factor when choosing fast foods followed by nearness and accessibility, similarity in taste, cost and quality relationship, discount and taste, clean and hygiene, salesmanship and decoration, fat and cholesterol, and self-service. The recent upset in the fast food industry of Bangladesh was created by the discovery of unethical practices conducted by several fast food businesses resulted in consumers putting their trusts on renowned fast food brands only. Thereby it is seen that the fast food houses with reputed brand name and recognition i. e. KFC, BFC, Pizza Hut, Coopers etc. are carrying out their businesses in a usual manner even in the toughest time of the industry. The majority of the fast food brands that passed with flying colors during the mobile courts inspection for quality maintenance were able to either establish or revitalize their brand reputation. Eventually as suggested by the research findings, the university students will select such fast food brands that have brand reputation. Besides the brand reputation, the other important factors were nearness and accessibility, similar taste of fast food, cost and quality relationship, discount and taste. In case of nearness or proximity and accessibility factor, consumers prefer to go to the fast food outlets that are close from their own home or study institutions. It is seen that the fast food shops in Bangladesh has already considering the factors by establishing their outlets near big corporate houses and private universities. Especially, in Dhaka city this practice is seen in Bailey road where majority of fast food shops are located. Near Bailey road, there are 3 girls’ school and collages, and 3 boys’ school and 2 collages in walking distance. Almost similar situation prevails in Gulshan, Banani area of the city where KFC and Pizza Hut outlets are situated near 3 private universities. It is understandable from the situation that the students studying at these institutions consider these nearby fast food outlets whenever they decide to consume fast foods. There is an opportunity here however, for new fast food shops to compete with the existing fast food outlets. Since establishing a new outlet in an already competitive business space is expensive and difficult, the new fast food businesses can introduce mobile fast food outlets. Through mobile fast food outlets, new fast food businesses can deliver their fast foods that are already cooked fresh in their shops, but kept hot and delivered to the students instantly with their own choice of accompanying taste enhancers i. e. tomato sauce, cheese etc. These mobile fast food outlets could be on top of a mini-truck, van etc. The similar taste of the fast food factor refers to the fact that no matter which fast food outlet a particular fast food item is bought from, the taste should be similar. For example, if a chicken burger is bought from an outlet of KFC, the taste would be similar to any other chicken burger bought from any other KFC outlet. The taste could differ from other fast food shops as the different business use taste as differentiating factor in case of food items. But the businesses have to keep in mind that too much difference in taste of similar fast food items makes the consumers confused. The cost and quality relationship is also an important factor considered by the consumers of fast food. If the cost of a fast food item is high, it is usually considered to be carrying high quality and vice versa. So, the businesses of fast food products have to be careful in setting the prices of the fast food items. The pricing should be such as it offers the right amount to value to the consumers in a competitive price that at the same time ensures adequate profit margins for the fast food businesses. Finally in terms of discount and taste factor, the consumers consider the availability of discounts in fast food outlets. Usually these discounts are offered as group discounts i. e. arranging a party or social gathering at a reduced price package etc. Consumers consider this option when choosing fast food products. They might not immediately use this factor but it puts the fast food shop in their consideration set for later use. This study recommends that the fast food producers or distributors at Dhaka city should focus more on the brand reputation, nearness or proximity and accessibility, cost, quality, discount, and similarity in taste factors. If they are able to fulfill these needs, university students of Bangladesh will be induced to buy and consume fast food whenever they are out of their houses. However, there is an ample scope to conduct further study on the preference factors used by the office-goers, housewives, and visitors in buying fast food to determine if there are any more common or unique factors prevailing among these different groups that might be important in making decisions regarding the choice of fast food items in Bangladesh. Abstract. Fast food industry is a high growing sector of Bangladesh. It is concerned with the tastes and habits of the people. The food-taking habit especially in fast food segment has been changing very fast over last decade among the people of Dhaka – the capital city of Bangladesh. The reasons could be attributed by the increase of awareness, growth of education, development of information technology, and expansion of television channels and print media in Bangladesh. Hence, this paper aims at identifying the preference factors of fast food consumers living in Dhaka city. This study was conducted among the university students who usually eat fast food at their leisure time. To conduct the study, a total of 250 respondents were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the data. Multivariate analysis technique like factor analysis was performed to identify the preference factors of the fast food student-consumers of Bangladesh. Multiple regressions were run to identify the relationship between the factors identified and the overall preference of the consumers. Results show that the consumers give most importance on brand reputation of the food item followed by nearness to receive and accessibility, similarity of taste with previous experience, cost and quality of the food, discount and taste, cleanliness and hygiene, salesmanship and decoration, fat and cholesterol level, and self-service factors. This study suggests that the brand reputation, nearness and accessibility, similarity in taste, and cost and quality relationship should be emphasized to improve the attraction of the university students towards the fast food items in Bangladesh.

The Evolution of Graphical Styles in Video Games - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1715 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/07 Category Entertainment Essay Level High school Tags: Video Games Essay Did you like this example? One of the most vital things in game development is graphical style. Overall, the visual style of a game is often the significant factor in creating a fun and interesting experience for gamers. Various methods of experimentation are used to visualize game content (Lee, Gee, Dolah). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Evolution of Graphical Styles in Video Games" essay for you Create order By applying diverse design techniques, artists as well as game developers are able to achieve different results in the presentation of video games. In the context of visual design, graphic style is a term used to describe illustrations in games, and it is also the presentational facet of the surroundings in gaming that is seen by the players (Lee, Gee, Dolah). Game scholars have discovered three specific categories of graphical styles used in the game industry. These styles are abstract, stylized and realistic. These graphical stylescan be compared and explained to show successful gaming graphics and experiences. Abstract Graphical Style Abstractionism is one of the graphical style categories. It uses geometric shapes and forms instead of clearly detailed characters, objects, or recognizable places (J? ¤rvinen 124). In art, abstractionism it employs lines, colors, various geometrical forms, and their relationships to one another (Abstract). Abstractionism is nonrepresentational and does not derive directly from life. At the very least, games do replicate some sort of an environment. Different abstract puzzle games emphasize forms and shapes, however, these forms are generally more stylized instead of being abstract (J? ¤rvinen 123). The 1970s showcased the beginning of arcade and home video games, reaching mainstream popularity. Many of the games from the 70s were minimalistic and abstract when relating to graphic design. Due to the technology and hardware limitations at the time, the creation of characters, objects, and environments were simplified to the bare minimum of recognition. The majority of the games were stylized graphics with geometric shapes that served as abstract style (J? ¤rvinen 123). There were many successful abstract games, especially during this time period. Pong is a go od example of this (see figure 1). It launched the video game industry in the 1970s. Pong was like a virtual version of a table tennis game where the white ?blocks were expressed as racquets and the small square as the ball. Pong was considered one of the most successful games created because of its simple nature and entertaining gameplay. The 1980s was the golden decade for the development of video games. A memorable event was the Great North American Video Game Crash between 1983 and 1985. This created a recession in the game industry due to an oversaturated market of undistinguished video games and systems (The Great Video Game Crash). In 1985, with the success of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the game industry finally got itself back up. The 80s showed more variety in graphical styles as game developers started to exercise with new technology, thus creating games that were more complex. For example, more details were created by a higher amount of pixels (Wolf, 58). By the end of the 1980s, technology had greatly improved which led to games to become graphically more complex and detailed. Therefore, instead of abstract style being a default style, it began to evolve to be more of an artistic choice (Wolf 58.). In present day, seeing video games with abstract styles is less common. This is mainly due to the increasing popularity of storytelling and how abstract games are more difficult to market. It is also unlikely for big budget titles to be purely abstract, however, the style has been making a comeback in the world of mobile gaming (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. 144). The 2000s have been a vital era in video gaming. During this decade, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have taken control of the gaming world with its stylized and realistic graphical styles. However, that only lasted until the popularity of smartphones bloomed in the late 2000s, which resulted in the high demand of mobile gaming as well as the comeback of abstract games (Number of Apps). The abstract style is also easier to work with on different mobile hardware since abstract games are usually not as demanding graphically, as compared to some stylized ones, for example. One of the most popular mobile games utilizing the abstract st yle is Geometry Dash (see figure 2). Even though mobile gaming existed before the time of smartphones, the choices and the quality of these games are not the best. Stylized Graphical Style Stylized graphics involves on depicting a person or an object by exaggerating its most prominent features (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. 173). Stylized graphics are carried out in a wide range of different artistic interpretations. One form is caricaturism (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. 123). A caricature refers to the representation of character or an object that is simplified to its most characteristic features (J? ¤rvinen 122). In terms of computer graphics, this style can also be attributed as non-photorealistic rendering or NPR. In other words, NPR focuses on visualizing the content with particular digital art styles (Winkenbach and Salesin). As opposed to photorealism, where the idea is to accurately recreate detailed representation of life-like images, NPR takes incentive from paintings, drawings and cartoons. From the 1990s until now, stylized graphics continued to be used in numerous two-dimensional video games. The 90s was a time to be considered as one of the most innovative eras in gaming (acyentertainment). During that time, video game graphics started to make its transition from pixels and sprites, which were icons in computer games that can be moved around the screen by a controller (Sprite), into fully rendered 3D graphics. Due to this, stylized graphics were able to co-exist with 3D graphics. The exaggerated cartoon art graphics made the most impact compared to the other amounts of realistic games. Additionally, stylized graphics were very adaptable and could be completed in different techniques. When 3D computer graphics were becoming more dominant, the first 3D games that had cartoon graphics accurately parallel with their 2D versions from a design perspective. A couple iconic examples of stylized games are Spyro the Dragon and Super Mario 64 (see figure 3). In more ways than e ver, Nintendos Super Mario 64 was considered the most significant and revolutionary three-dimensional games. It had set a standard for the character and camera movement in third-person and it was also the first Mario game created that was in 3D (Stanton 2015). Since the 90s until today, comic/cartoon styled graphics continued to grow towards a more realistic approach when it came towards big budget titles. Current cartoon games often prioritize the aesthetic and atmosphere or a unique style of its universe. Some examples of the cartoon styles seen in todays games are Overwatch, Team Fortress, and Splatoon (see figure 4). Square Enix, a Japanese video game company, targets more on character design. Therefore, they are well-known for their cartoon art style. To explain Square Enixs unique style, they are famous for incorporating both western and eastern art styles (Plunkett). Two noted examples of their look are the Final Fantasy series and Kingdom Hearts series (see figure 5). The tr ade look of these games, designed by Tetsuya Nomura, has created a style that most fans would associate and recognize when seen. The style usually features exaggerated hair styles, oversized weapons, and clothing details (Plunkett). Stylized graphics are a popular style across all common gaming platforms. Due to the visual, versatile nature of stylized graphics, the style is cohesive with any game genre and can also be changed or tweaked to accommodate nearly every gamers needs, whether it be an adult or a child. Realistic Graphical Style In art and literature, realism means the treatment of forms, colors, and space, in a manner as to emphasize their correspondence to actuality or to ordinary visual experience (Realism). Photorealism is a subgenre of realism that takes the style in a different direction. In art, photorealism creates the image as accurately realistic as possible, often when the artist studies the photo and tries to remake it in a different medium (Photorealism). One more subgenre of realism is semi-realism. It is a style that is has a majority of realistic aspects but also has exaggerated, simplified and stylized characteristics. Photorealism is a graphical style that tries to replicate a detailed representation as obtained in a photograph through a non-photographic medium, such as, computer graphics (J? ¤rvinen). A few examples of photorealistic games are Gears of War, the Assassins Creed series, and The Last of Us (see figure 6). Current three-dimensional video games are usually rendered using rasterization. This technique is an algorithm that converts an image into points on a grid (Scharr). Then, the lighting and shadows are made separately by pin pointing from a stated light source. Stylized realism is basically a combined style of stylized and photorealistic graphics. The style is characterized with exaggerated appearances that are found in cartoon and artistic styles. At the same time, it also carry strong photorealistic aspects. In three-dimensional video games, graphics designers would first create the artistic and emphasized 3D models and animations, then render these models with photorealistic textures, shaders and lighting settings (Anhut). The main components that would make a game be considered as stylized realism are: the game must already be stylized, whether it would be characters, spaces or objects and the graphic details must apply realistic materials, textures and accurate lighting in the 3D environment (Anhut). A few examples of stylized realistic games include, Mortal Kombat X, Bioshock Infinite, and the Tekken series (see figure 7). The graphical style in the Tekken franchise demonstrates stylized realism very well. The games design usually depicts photorealistic and innovative environments while still having the stylized aspect as well as the exaggerated features in the character design. Most of the unrealistic parts in the character design are the face and body proportions, intense, oversized weapons, and costume design. Due to the nature of stylized graphics in general, the games were not usually as demanding as pure photorealistic games were. Additionally, by idealizing and exaggerating the character design, the developers managed to avoid the had-to-conquer phenomenon uncanny valley. Because of these reasons, games made in stylized realism managed to age well compared to photorealistic games. Overall, photorealism has become the common graphical style in todays video games. It is also assumed that the style will remain as the popular option for awhile. Even though photorealism has been the most favored style in past years, it is hard to imagine what will come next.

High Education And The United States Lie Much Deeper Than...

Higher Education is an important component in the life of most Americans. Students are encouraged to attend a college or university from a young age. Does everyone have the same opportunity to be admitted? The simple answer to that question is no due to the bias in SAT and ACT testing, as well the fact that these tests are geared toward Caucasian and elite students. The problems with college admissions in the United States lie much deeper than SAT and ACT tests. The entire college admissions needs to be revamped to better fit the need of students now. 1.2 Current Evaluating Methods in Admission Process Currently college admissions look at the following things when it comes to evaluating an applicant s: academic record, recommendation†¦show more content†¦According to Danielle Wiener-Bronner a newsletter editor in her article, â€Å"What’s Wrong with American Higher Education?† in recent years Americans have been conditioned to believe that college leads to financial success. Some students believe that college is the only way that they will be successful even if college is not meant for them. Students are no longer encouraged to learn and perfect a skill instead they encouraged to pursue higher education at a college or university. 1.3 Cost of Attending College Another problem with higher education in America is the cost of attending an institution of higher learning. According to the US Department of Education in 2012-2013 the tuition at a public university was $15,022 and at private university it was $39,173. Tuition and fees have been on the rise in recent years and they are still on the rise. Students are encouraged or pushed to attend college yet college is becoming less and less affordable. If students are encouraged to attend college it should be affordable. The affordability of college is a growing issue since students often graduate bring in debt. Adults entering the working world should not do so with debt that seems nearly impossible to pay back. As tuition rates increase students begin to take out more loans in order to pay for their college education. Students loans cause high amounts of debt since you are not only paying back what you borrowed you are also paying interest as

Comparison of Baroque and Rococo Styles - 1561 Words

HUM – 121 March 5, 2012 Comparison of Baroque and Rococo styles Introduction Premises and characteristics of Baroque Caravaggios Amor Victorious Emergence of Rococo Bouchers Nude on a Sofa Comparison of Baroque and Rococo styles Bibliography There have been different artistic peaks throughout the history of humanity influenced by specific social, political or religious situations of the time. Those peaks shaped by certain styles had an important impact on art as we know it today. One of the most recognized styles of art of seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe were Baroque and Rococo styles.†¦show more content†¦After Louis XIV died in the year 1715 the social situation in France somewhat change. Political life and private morals relaxes as five years old Louis XV comes to throne. Many aristocrats move from the court of Versailles to Paris. Reaction against the formal style centered at Louis XIV Versailles provide basis for a new style to develop. Baroque designs that were in style before, gave way to lighter elements with more natural patterns. Rococo reflected the new taste for more delicate decoration for smaller, more comfortable interiors of town houses in Paris. First as interior decoration and d esign Rococo style would later expand and influence the other parts of art. It also spread around the Europe but its acceptance was tied to religion and class. First, Rococo style appears in interior decoration and design. It took pleasure in asymmetry by leaving elements unbalanced. Design elements as ornaments, leaves, flowers and curving lines were used to decorate the walls and ceilings and would made them look like fleeting illusions. That taste was new to European style. Though Rococo originated in the decorative arts, the style showed clearly in painting. Painters used delicate colors and curving forms, decorating their works with myths of love. The soft colors and elegant forms, provided a perfect accompaniment to the Rococo interiors for which they were intended. The asymmetrical compositions, pastoral landscapes and aristocracy inShow MoreRelatedPà ©rola Barroca the Imperfect Art : Baroque Essay813 Words   |  4 Pages‘pà ©rola Barroca’ , this word means Art works of Baroque which is came from Portuguese. In English, pà ©rola Barroca means distorted pearl. Although, the name of Baroque’s origin is not uncertain, people who lived in late 17c to early 18c might named for Baroque Arts pà ©rola Barroca for its imperfection and roughness. The age of late 17c to early 18c was very chaotic and contradictory society. Absolute Monarch and Revolutions for free and right were co-existed. In most countries, Absolute Monarch wasRead MoreGertrude Stein By Pablo Picasso And The Toilet Of Venus898 Words   |  4 Pagescontrast to the brightly colored image provided by Boucher of Madame de Pompadour. 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A trust-based consumer decision-making - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the A trust-based consumer decision-making. Answer: Introduction The present report is explores the market for Coles, second largest retail organization. It examines the primary market of the organization and the nature of competition in the industry. It examines the role of consumer behavior in the purchase decision making of the companies. Company Coles Supermarket is an Australian retail market and consumer service chain. The company has headquarters in Melbourne and the parent company of the organization is Wesfarmers. Coles was founded in 1914 in Collingwood, Melbourne. It has more than 100,000 employees and considered as the second largest supermarket chain in Australia. The biggest rival of the company is Woolworths, along with which it holds 80% of the net supermarket share of the country (Coles, 2017). Product/Service Coles is operational in a number of sectors in the retail industry. It sells groceries and household consumables in different supermarkets in Australia and New Zealand. The company also sells liquor through the retail stores. It also sells petrol and other petroleum products through its retail stores. Coles also provide financial services to the customers and there are several hotels, which operate under the same name (IBIS, 2017). Coles is a retail organization, which sells retail products at its stores. It also has an online store through which the customers can buy product from online mediums. It also provides online home delivery services. Coles also has seven private label brands which the company is planning to consolidate into the major brand (Khan, 2011). In addition to it, the company also has a private clothing brand. Coles provide a mid-price product range, which means that the product is designed to match the branded products of the organization. In the category of gourmet foods, the company can be considered as the producer of high quality food and is considered as the provider of high quality products at expensive rates. Consumer Coles supermarket is spread all across Australia and New Zealand. The retail stores of the company are spread all across the country. However, for this report, the target market of Box hill community is taken. It is a primary suburb of Melbourne, Australia situated in the East of the major business district of Melbourne. It is known as City of Whitehorse and the local government is also recognized with the same name. The estimated resident population of the area is 8,926 people and the usual resident population is 8,446 (id Community, 2017). Box Hill is popular for its multicultural diversity with a significant population of Chinese born as well as Indians. According to the recent statistics, aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are 16 in number, and the Australian citizens are 6,353 in number (id Community, 2017). The population with permanent or temporary employment is 3,921 in number and there are approximately 180 overseas visitors in the country (id Community, 2017). The charac teristics and the preference of Chinese origin customers are different which are needed to be addressed in the retail stores of the company (IBIS, 2017). Industry Analysis and Market Trends All across the globe, there has been a significant shift in the business operations of retail companies, which are also observed in the Australian companies. In a global perspective, several changes have been realized such as customer attraction towards the specialty stores and expectations of more personal retail experience. The customers are looking for retail stores with personality and expectations of retail experience (Brady, Cravens, Maister, Peter, Thompson, Walker, 2007). The brick and mortar retail stores are becoming less fashionable for the customers and they are attracted towards online retail stores. As a result, several retail organizations are consolidating their stores, real estate, and employees to enhance their overall profitability. The success of the organization relies on its internationals reach, use of different retail platforms, accessibility and the speed of operations (Brei, Vieira Matos, 2014). Another significant trend of the retail industry is the thriving e-commerce sector. With time, the number of people going to the physical stores is becoming less and as a result of which the number of physical stores has also declined. In the present times, it is important that the retailers use multi-channels to thrive and enter into foreign markets. PESTLE Analysis The PESTLE analysis as conducted in the appendix shows that the retail industry is influenced by a number of external factors. The political conditions of Australia are quite stable which is beneficial for the retail companies. Moreover, the government has developed regulations to reduce the duopoly of Woolworths and Wesfarmers in the retail industry. The economic growth of the country also affects the performance of the organization. If the economy is growing at a fast pace, the company will benefit from the high sales. In another case, there will be a higher unemployment rate of the country and the overall sales will be declined. The retail industry is also influenced by the political stability of the country. It includes the foreign investors and the trading partners of the location. The political conditions in Australia are stable which is ideal for the retail companies such as Coles (Rowsell, 2016). Economic profile of Australia Australia is a vibrant economy and has abundance of natural resources and a well-functioning legal system. It is an open economy and skilled workforce is available in the country. The tax rate in the country is 45% and the flat corporate tax is 30%. The regulatory environment of Australia is transparent and the labor market is supported by the employment code (Heritage, 2017). The financial performance is also influenced by these factors as it results in reduces sales. The financial growth of the company is stable. Although a recession hit the Australian economy in 2008, the retail industry has remained stabilized. The retail shopping experience should be in-line with the affordability of the customers (Chernev, 2007). The location is also significant in the choice of the customers. The shopping experience of the customers should be supported by the use of technology and efficient management of inventory. A service oriented architecture should be designed which supports the supply of different items in the retail outlets. The retail sector should identify the upcoming changes in technology and adapt accordingly. Self-service check out is another option which can enhance the consumer experience with the technology (Cravens Piercy, 2013). Regarding legal requirements, food licensing is a requirement in the retail industry and new retail outlets require permission from the countrys regulations. Coles has been participating in recycling activities, sourcing the food from ethnically sound practices and becoming a socially responsible business enterprise (Treadwell, 2017). Competitors Analysis In the recent times, several small-scale and foreign companies (Aldi) have surfaced in the retail industry. It has increased the competition and several big players are facing the impact of the entry of these small players. In the last few years, the market share of Coles has increased for better. Woolworth profits have declined over the years, especially, because of its unprofitable business. There are also several issues with the branding, advertising, and promotional techniques of the organization. Both the major players of the industry, Woolworths and Wesfarmers have adopted strategies related to price deflation, cost reduction, and reducing the overall cost to the organization. The recent trend shows that there are highly competitive market conditions and the consumers to remain attracted towards low-cost retailers. The companies are also focusing on increasing the supply chain productivity by reducing the overall cost to the organization. Woolworths is reducing its expenditure on different business activities such as marketing and property acquisition and procurement. Wesfarmers is also conducting similar measures to cut the operational cost to the organization (The Conversation, 2017). The profit margins are significantly low in the retail industry; therefore, such kind of competition can further decline them. Segmentation Analysis Major market segments The market segmentation is a crucial part in the development of the marketing strategy of an organization. It is important to define different market segments and develop the marketing strategy accordingly. The segmentation of the market is beneficial to identify the needs and the preferences of the target market and design an appropriate marketing strategy. In this regard, the market segmentation of the consumer market of Coles has been conducted (Lehmann Winer, 2008). The company has a major retail store in Box Hill where the majority is Mandarin community. The target market of the companies can be categorized on the basis of several different factors such as geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioral segmentation. As per geographic factors, the market can be differentiated according to address, location, climate, and region. On the basis of demographic factors, the customer market can be divided as per the gender, age, wages and career. The psychographic segmentation d ivided the customer target market according to the attitude, value, religion, and the lifestyle of the customers. As per the behavioral segmentation, the market segment of the organization is divided as per the attitude, value and the degree of loyalty of the customers. Different market segments of the community are: Educated Professionals: In the recent years, the number of educated professionals has increased in Box Hill. It is due to the increased importance of education for occupation. These educated professionals rely on supermarket shopping, as they want to shop different household products from a dingle store. The number of people in Box Hill with Bachelor or high degree is 3,593, which is about 50% of the total population of the community. There has been a sudden increase of 15% from the next census (City of Whitehorse, 2017). Ethnicity: As per the 2011 statistics, the largest community of the Non-English speakers is Mandarin speakers. The population ratio of these people is about 9,934 whereas the Cantonese community has the population of 6,272 in Box hill (id Community, 2017). Therefore, the retail stores in this community should provide the product as per the choice and preference of this community. Household Income: The household income is another major factor in dividing the population. As per the Australian Consensus of Population 2011, the population can be divided into four groups, namely, lowest group, medium group, medium highest group, and highest group. The lowest group has a proportion of 22%, medium lowest has the proportion of 20%, medium highest has the proportion of 27% and the highest group has a proportion of 29% of total population (id Community, 2017). The statistics shows that the people of Box hills are prosperous and can buy costly or luxurious products (id Community, 2017). Primary and secondary markets The target markets refer to breaking the markets in different segments, which can be used to concentrate the marketing efforts of the organization. In target market, the organization triers to identify the markets whose needs are closely align with the product or the service offering of the organization. It can be used to increase the sales and increasing the success of the business. The target marketing increases the efficiency and the productivity of the organization. The target marketing enhances the marketing efforts of the organization. The company can strategize and focus its marketing efforts, which include promotion, pricing, and distribution of the products. The primary target market of the organization has been identified as: Working professionals (18-30 years, both male and female): The working professionals are the main target market of the organization. These are the educated, working professionals in which the household has more than one earning member. The number of working women in these households are high in number. These people have little time and want to shop from a single shop to save time. They are also attracted towards discounts and concessions. Coles is a discount retailer. The core competency of the organization is offering products at a low cost. Nevertheless, the quality of the product is maintained (Mooradian, Matzler Ring, 2014). Therefore, it is a primary market of the organization. The company has adopted several strategies such as using coupons, loyalty bonuses, and discounts to attract these customers. Mandarin Community (Women: age group: 18-45): The Mandarin community is the Chinese ethnic community, which have their own specific taste, needs, and preferences. The oriental food, oriental clothing, and household needs are quite different from the Australian choice and preference. The company serves and offers consumer products as per the choice of this ethnic community. Level of Involvement and Decision making These consumers are important in the functioning and the sales of the organization. The level of involvement of these communities is high. Therefore, the decision-making of the organization is dependent upon the characteristics and the preference of the primary and the secondary consumer segments. They have a significant role in the decision masking of the organization. The decision making of the organization is dependent upon the characteristics of the primary and the secondary market. The company sells the products according to the choice of the consumers. The degree of consumer involvement is dependent upon the degree of relevance to the customers. A consumer makes a decision after several deliberations. There are some consumer decisions, which require high degree of involvement from the consumers. In such cases, consumers make lots of queries before taking the final decision. It is high involvement purchase and usually involves high level of risk. The involvement of consumers is medium in retail purchases (Kim, Ferrin, Rao, 2008). Perceptual Map The perceptual map is the technique used by the marketing executives to identify the perception of the potential customers in the company. The relative position of the company is shown in comparison to the competing organizations. The company is compared in terms of product, product line or the brand. The perceptual map is important in identifying the potential customers of the organization. If a business organization is trying to expand its business, the perceptual pap is critical in identifying the overall efficiency of the expansion strategy. The perceptual map can be used to identify the target market segments, differentiating the clusters of business and identifying the corresponding attributes of different market segments. Perceptual map is used to identify the market potential of new products and services. There is quite a difference between what a business presume it can offer and what the consumers presume that the business can offer (Brady, Cravens, Maister, Peter, Thompson , Walker, 2007). There are several reasons such as miscommunication, lack of knowledge, and the impact of social media. The perceptual map of Coles has been developed in this project. According to the findings of the report, Coles offer products at low cost and high quality. The core competency of the organization is that it sells the product at low cost. However, the quality of the product is maintained. It can be identified why the company is identified as a low-cost and high-quality product. It is a consumer perception as the company sells the product at low cost. It sells its own personal brand products. These products are directly obtained from the suppliers; therefore, the cost of the product is low. However, with the help of various quality analysis measures, it maintains the quality of the products. Competitive Analysis SWOT of Coles Strengths Providing high quality at low cost Offering products in different categories Strong advertising capabilities High level of online order and delivery services Weaknesses Operating on lower margins Negative publicity surrounding unfair negotiation with suppliers Opportunity Increase in market share and improving supply chain of the organization Geographic expansion to different areas Threats Intense competition Low profit margins SWOT analysis of Woolworths (a major competitor) Strengths One of the oldest company in Australian retail market Renowned brand Weaknesses Negligible global presence No specific core competency Opportunity Promoting the brand through advertising Seeking growth through strategic acquisitions Threat Economic recession Competition from international players It can be identified that SWOT analysis of competitor and Coles that the Coles supermarket has certain core competencies. It sells low-cost products at high price. It has adapted to the market changes and technical developments. It has strong advertising capabilities which has resulted in large market share. Conclusion It can be concluded that the marketing activities have a crucial role in the overall marketing strategy of the organization. Coles is the second largest supermarket chain in Australia and New Zealand. The company has several retail stores in Australia and New Zealand. The core competency of the organization is offering low cost products at high quality range. For the report, the Box Hill community has been selected. The proportion of Mandarin population is high in the population of Box Hill community. Moreover, the educated and the young professionals are also high in number. The total count of the population is approximately 8000. The target market of Coles is selected as educated professionals and the Mandarin community. They have a high proportion in the population and can drive the sales of the organization. The company has adopted several strategies such as discounts, sales, and concessions to attract these customers. References Brady, E., Cravens, D., Maister, D., Peter, J., Thompson, A., Walker, O. (2007).Strategic marketing. North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill Custom Publishing. Brei, V., Vieira, V., Matos, C. (2014). Meta-Analysis In Marketing.Revista Brasileira De Marketing,13(02), 84-97. https://dx.doi.org/10.5585/remark.v13i2.2681 Chernev, A. (2007).Strategic marketing analysis. [Place of publication not identified]: Brightstar Media. City of Whitehorse. (2017). City of Whitehorse. Life-stages Qualifications. [Online]. Available at: https://profile.id.com.au/whitehorse/age-by-qualifications?WebID=140 Accessed on: 3 January 2018]. Coles. (2017). About Us. [Online]. Available at: https://www.coles.com.au/ [Accessed on: 4 January 2017]. Cravens, D., Piercy, N. (2013).Strategic marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irvin. Heritage. (2017). Index of Economic Freedom. [Online]. 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Boston [u.a.]: McGraw-Hill. Mooradian, T., Matzler, K., Ring, L. (2014).Strategic marketing. Harlow: Pearson. Rowsell, V. (2016). What 2015 holds for Australian retail. The Australian. [Online]. Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/business-spectator/what-2015-holds-for-australian-retail-/news-story/98915acd3758edf7d913f7ed8cc5dea7 [Accessed on: 3 January 2018]. The Conversation. (2016). Retail outlook: big retailers feel the pressure of new challengers. [Online]. Available at: https://theconversation.com/retail-outlook-big-retailers-feel-the-pressure-of-new-challengers-54745 [Accessed on: 3 January 2018]. Treadwell, L. (2017). The Role of Macro Environment in the Retail Industry. Small Business. [Online]. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/role-macro-environment-retail-industry-33419.html [Accessed on: 3 January 2018]. Web Alive. (2017). Australias Growing Ecommerce Industry and How It Is Changing Retail Trends. [Online]. 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Weed Is Great Essays - Cannabis Smoking, Entheogens,

Weed Is Great Marijuana Marijuana originated in the middle east (Taiwan, Korea). China plays an important part in Marijuana's history. Hoatho, the first chinese physician to use Cannabis for medical purposes as a painkiller and anesthetic for surgery. In the Ninth Century B.C., it was used as an incense by the Assyrians Herbal, a Chinese book of medicine from the second Century B.C., was first to describe it in print. It was used as an anesthetic 5,000 years ago in ancient china. Many (*) ancient cultures such as the persians, Greeks, East Indians, Romans, and the Assyrians for many things. These were what they used it for: the control of muscle spasms, reduction of pain, and for indegestion. Imagine that if they still practiced this, instead of taking an Alka Seltzer after you had mom's Chili or Tacos, you might be sitting in the living room on the LAY-Z Boy, smoking a joint or however they would take it. The folk medicine of Africa and Asia have used it as an herbal preparation. A mythical and legendary pharmacist and emperor Shen Nung thought using it as a seditive was all right. In 2,700 B.C. that same mythical emperor said it helped female weakness, gout, rheumatism, malaria, beri-beri (?), contipation, and absentmindedness. In 1979 (A.D.) Carlton E. Turner visited China and found marijuana was not in use in formal medical places. J. D. P. Graham of the Welsh National School of Medicine wrote, One not need take to seriously the anecdotal use of it's use for many purposes in China or by the Hindus in the pre-Christian Millennia ...and by the Arabs! In 1890 in England's Lancet said cannabis extract was good for neuralgia, fits, migraine and psychosomatic disorders but not for rheumatic conditions. It is not easy to tell the dosage because of the variations in potency and the irregularity in absorbtion. The time delay before the onset of the possible effects of marijuana lowered it's popularity as a medicine as did the introduction of a variety of new and better medicines like aspirin, morpheine (habit forming), chloral, barbituates tranquilizers, and when it got on the list of drugs thought by the world community to require legal restrictions. Our first President, George Washington, grew cannabis on his plantation. The cannabis he grew was more fibrous and is better known as hemp. Hemp was used to make rope, twine, paper and canvas (the word canvas comes from Cannabis) and was an important crop in the american colonies. In Jamestown, Virginia it was grown for it's fiber qualities in 1611. (Snyder, 1985) The U.S. Pharmacopeia had it listed as a useful medicine from the year 1870 to 1941. A Pharmacopeia is a book of directions and requirements for the preparations of medicines, generally published by an authority; a collection or stock of drugs. This tells us the U.S. Pharmacopeia was an authority on the use of drugs for medical purposes, and said that the use of marijuana for said purposes was helpful. The U.S. Pharmacopeia last listed cannabis (the dried flower tops of the pistillate plants of cannabis sativa) in 1936.(Lovinge,1985,p434) That years epitome of the pharmacopeia and the national formula described the drug for physicians thus:a narcotic poison, producing a mild delirium. Used in sedative mixtures but of doubtful value. Also employed to color corn remedies. The next pharmacopeia released in 1942 (I gather they were relaesed every six years) did not have cannabis sativa in it. The 1937 U.S. dispensatory said:Cannabis is used in medicine to relieve pain, encourage sleep, and to soothe restlessness. We have very little definite knowledge of the effects of therapeutic quantities, but in some persons it appears to produce a euphoria and will often relieve migrainic headaches. One of the great hindrances to the wider use of this drug is the great variability and the potency of different samples of Cannabis which renders it impossible to approximate the proper dose of any individual smaple except by clinical trial. Because of occasional unpleasant symptoms from unusually potent preparations, physicians have generally been overcaustious in the quantities administered. The only way of determining the dose of an individual preparation is to give it in ascending quantities until some effect is produced. (The Book suggested using a fluid extract - powdered cannabis in solution, 4/5 alcohol - three times a day, starting with two or three minims.)(Lovinge,1985,p434) Extracts, tinctures, and herbal packages of cannabis manufactured by many drug companies, was available in any pharmacy until 1941 when The two main professional directories of drugs in the United States dropped it.(Snnyder 1985,p38) It is still used as a medicine