Marketing Strategies of Mcdonalds in India

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marketing is a procedure of attracting prospective customers and consumers in your products and services. However the crucial word in the above sentence is â€Å"procedure â€Å", hence marketing incorporates researching, advertising, selling, and distributing your products or services. Hence we planned to focus on one of the best known brands worldwide, McDonald’s Corporation. The following executive summary presents the key marketing aspects of McDonald’s Corporation and should be read as a complement to the contents of this report. Summarized content Page No. †¢ Key facts about the firm. External environment forces and consumer behaviour. †¢ The concept of Marketing mix and its various aspects. †¢ Decision making process and brand image. 2 2 3 †¢ The Product Life cycle and what steps the company is taking to revitalise its existing products. †¢ The different communication strategies used by the company in advertising its p roducts and the varying styles of television advertising carried out since McDonald’s launch in India. †¢ The distribution and the supply chain network of the firm in India. †¢ The SWOT analysis of the firm along with inference and some recommendations. 8 9 10 1. 0 INTRODUCTION Marketing is understood by majority of business groups as simply to mean simply to promote, sell and advertise. But this is not entirely true as marketing incorporates all techniques from human behaviour and cultures through research, new product launch, product life cycle, advertising, public relations and finally the sales function. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) describes marketing as ‘the management method accountable for discovering, anticipating, and satisfying consumer requirement valuably. ’ Hence the most significant concept of marketing lies in knowing and understanding your customer. This report aims at investigating how McDonald’s Corporation, a global restaurant has achieved this enormous success in international growth and challenges due to its marketing strategies. 2. 0 BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION Out of the enormous market of fast food industry, McDonald's Corporation is the globe's fastest growing firm, with more than 20,000 restaurants in 100 countries (Vignali, 2001). In the UK, McDonald's operates a staggering 900 restaurants (www. bc. co. uk ). Initially it was started as a hot dog stand by Dick and Mac McDonald at California, USA in 1937. The business began in 1955 when Ray Kroc and the McDonald’s brothers opened a restaurant to the north of Chicago. From then on, McDonald's grew rapidly and today is known as an international brand. However, the cuisine menu has been changed to meet the demand and lifestyles of the customers. India has been a di fficult market for any overseas firm to do business considering its diversity and cultural differences. However McDonald’s established its first Indian outlet in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi in October 1996. McDonald's India has a 50-50 joint venture involving McDonald's Corporation, US and 2 Indian business men, Amit Jatia’s (Hard castle Restaurants Private Limited) and Vikram Bakshi (Connaught Plaza Restaurants Private Limited). About major percent of the menu available in McDonald’s in India is Indianized and exclusively designed to attract Indian consumers (Dash, 2005). But the success have not come at ease, the firm had to meet a lot of obstacles and problems in attaining its high standards. . 0 EXTERNAL MARKETING ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES McDonald’s faces many external marketing environmental forces, which the firm has to familiarize with and deal accordingly. With respect to environment forces, the firm has to adapt highly fragmented foodstuff marketplace and developing transportation. Considering the fact that India’s food expenditure is on the rise, Mc Donald’s also has to compete with the millions of road side stalls, dhabas (Regional Food Stalls) and carts which offer popular foodstuffs across India (Dash, 2005). Hence the company has come up with a variety of reasonable products at reasonable prices. In view of the cultural force, the firm has to conquer the major regional languages and the educational barrier among the people. Hence McDonald’s adapts to the local language and uses signs as a strong display of firm’s assurance to the localities (Chauhan, 2008). On the political front, the firm also has to check on the government intervention and pressure from various regional environmentalists and health camps (check http://www. hinduonnet. com ). Even on the economical front, some pressure exists as swadeshi (regional) mindset exists. The company also has to focus on the diverse distribution of income across the country. According to Mr Jatia, M. D, South and West Region, India, Indian people are increasing their visits to McDonald's as it has become more than an occasion meal especially to the middle class. (http://online. wsj. com ). Hence looking at the success, the fact can be drawn that both local management directors (Mr. Bakshi and Mr. Jatia) have played important roles in shaping McDonald’s to the prospects of the Indian market. . 0 MARKETING MIX The concept of Marketing Mix consisting of the 4P’ was formulated by McCarthy in 1975. This was used as principal foundation for many years. In the year 1996 Fifield and Gilligan added 3P’s (People, Process and Physical) to the existing 4P’s of Marketing Mix. These 3P’s are an integral part of services marketing. The 7P’s used to anal yse the Marketing Mix of McDonalds in India are: 1) Product (Features, Quality, Quantity): McDonalds aims to create standardized set of items, that taste same everywhere. But along with this it concentrates on localization by adapting to local tastes, customs, customer preferences etc. For example, McDonalds changed the ingredients of its ‘French Fries’ after it protested that it was made out of the oil from beef. This was done as Cow is considered sacred among Hindus in India. McDonalds has a variety of products specially made for the Indian market. Some of them are Vegetable McNuggets, Mutton based Maharaja Mac (as Hindus do not eat beef and Muslims do not eat pork). Apart from all these its menu includes beverages, frozen desserts and breakfasts combos. ) Place (Location, Number of Outlets): McDonalds follows concept of standardization in component of place also. The ambience and outlook all restaurants are the same. The reasons why most of its outlets in India are in Malls, shopping complexes, famous street markets is its locating strategies. It has over 130 outlets in 34 cities all over India. 3) Price (Strategy, Determinants, Levels ): In India McDonalds has set prices on the basis of the prices of its nearest organized competitors. For example, initially it set price in New Delhi on the basis of the price of Nirula’s, its biggest competitor in that area. Vignali, 2001) This way it attracted the customers, as they were getting an international brand at the price of a local brand. The pricing strategy of McDonalds with respect to competition is explained in the later stages of the report. 4) Promotion (Advertising, Sales Promotion, Public Relation): â€Å"Brand globally, advertise locally† is McDonald’s promotion strategy. (Vignali, 2001; Sander & Shani, 1991). For years it has maintained extensive promotion strategy. It focuses on children, overall eating experience and portrays itself as a ‘Family Restaurant’. Its global tag line is â€Å"I’m Lovin’ It†. Tag line to attract Indian customers is â€Å"Aap Ke Zamaane Mein Baap Ke Zamaane Ke Daam†, which means buy at a price, which your father used to buy in his days† 5) People (Quantity, Quality, Training, and Promotion): â€Å"The Company is strongly committed to staffing locally and promoting from within. This means that McDonald’s has managers who understand both the corporate and the local cultures† (Vignali, 2001). Particularly in India it is important to have local people, as language differs from state to state and staff from some other state might not be able to understand the local people’s language. ) Process (Blueprinting, Automation, Control Procedures): In McDonalds the procedure for making food is identical everywhere. For example, one out of two fries must measure 75mm, meat for Big Mac’s weighs 45g and is 20 per cent fat. (Vignali, 2001). The following is the process in McDonalds: 7) Physical (Cleanliness, Decor, and Ambience of t he Service): This is one of the most important components of the Marketing Mix. If the place where the food is served is not clean and hygienic then there will be no result from the components. Keeping this in mind, McDonalds aims at cleanliness, speed, quality and transparency of process. Strict standards of cleanliness are maintained at all times. 5. 0 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR In terms of consumer behaviour, McDonald’s associates its products with routine response behaviour and in some cases limited decision making for some classes. For example, enjoying a happy meal for some people may just be a case of hunger while some for some eating at McDonald's may be luxury and hence they may only turn up on occasions. Majority of the decision starts with experimental buying. Personal factors which affect the firm in relation to the consumer are demographic factors like age, gender and race. However the firm can also produce some situational factors like offering free sport coupons and offering 2 meals at one price (Deng, 2009). McDonald's also enhances the individual level of involvement by offering healthy meal packages for adults and toys for children. Bearing in mind the social factors, the firm has understood various cultures and classes across India. As different people have different local tastes, the firm produces products with a mix of regional taste (Dash, 2005). In terms of opinion leaders, celebrities are being increasingly used in marketing communication by marketers to lend personality to their products. 5. 1 UNDERSTANDING THE INDIAN CONSUMER Understanding an Indian consumer was extremely important for overcoming the challenges of expansion in India. Some facts of Indian consumer are that they have a high degree of family orientation. In solution to this? In India, McDonald’s has placed itself as a family restaurant. The foundation of its approach is to attract families and friends (Dash, 2005). Secondly Indian consumer is influenced by discounts and freebies. Hence the firm has constantly distributed free schemes on its products with its pricing strategies. Notable fact is that Indian consumers choose expensive products as they feel that price is an indicator of quality and they are likely to buy environmentally responsible products and packs as the environmental awareness has started affecting India. In response to this McDonald's attracts the consumers with good quality products and its ethical and ecological responsible products and packaging help in clean environment. . 2 DECISION MAKING PROCESS After investigating the behaviour of Indian Consumer, McDonald’s has produced an effective decision making process which involves five stages. The firm initially tries to recognize the desired need of the customer with its research on regional consumers. Secondly McDonald’s provides information of the products through internet, reports, media and campaigns which he lps the buyer to differentiate and understand the product better. Information related to pricing, offers and health are provided to the consumer. Thirdly McDonald’s provides a range of alternative products and its benefits to different consumers and helps them to evaluate accordingly. In the fourth stage the company uses its price strategy and benefits; the company aims to attract customers and their decisions to purchase their products. And finally, through quality and service, McDonald’s tries to improve its service with customers providing Post-purchase evaluation. 6. 0 BRANDING In terms of brand experience, McDonald’s is not just a product but a fast, clean and easy way for families to enjoy together. In view of the firm’s branding, McDonald's emphasizes on Customer driven and goal oriented techniques. According to Arvind Singhal, Head of Marketing at McDonald's India, McDonald's chooses to familiarize the customer with the brand in terms of a marketing communications. Since the brand image symbolizes how customers view the organisation, the company launched a clown named Ronald. Sitting on the Ronald McDonald bench and pumping sauce from the sauce machine became brand rituals for children. Hence the company ensured that it as to be aware of fundamental needs by identifying, predicting and serving their consumers rather than just selling the product (http://www. businessweek. com ). Hence the firm concentrates not only on delivering products for the instant demand but also defending the long term brand status. Family values being important in India, McDonald’s promotion assured that it’s is not just a fast-food joint but a quick, healthy and easy way for famil ies to relish together. Thus McDonald's focuses not only on delivering sales for the immediate present but also protecting the long term brand reputation. . 0 COMPETITION AND RECESSION In terms of pricing strategies, which is a part of marketing, McDonald’s faces tough competition on several fronts. Traditional rivals such as Pizza Hut, KFC and most importantly the local dhabas and road side stalls are eating reasonable margins of McDonald’s sales. Considering the prices, a happy meal in Pizza Hut which consists of 2 pizzas would approximately cost ? 4. 5 (Rs 350) and similarly a burger and drink at a KFC outlet would cost around ? 1. 5 (Rs 120). But with its consumer value strategies, McDonald’s offers a happy meal at only (Rs 90) ? 1. 12 (www. businessworld. in ) Recession may affect organisations to change their marketing policies because as recession occurs, the consumer spends less money on the product or switches to alternatives of low cost. But recession seems to be an advantage for McDonald’s as Consumers will cut back on high-end dining, and McDonald's is the beneficiary as they provide food at reasonable prices. (www. europe. wsj. com ). The company also introduces new offers accordingly to the situation. McDonald's has benefiting from its worldwide existence during the present recession, by the launch of new products like McAloo Tikki (prepared with potato and vegetables) and the Maharaja Mac in India (http://money. cnn. com/2009 ). According to Vikram Bakshi, M. D of McDonald's operations in India, McDonald's will be doubling-up its returns in three years, and tripling our restaurants in the next five years. Currently the fast-food chain has 123 outlets in India (http://in. reuters. com ). 8. 0 PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE Underpinning the product life cycle concept is the belief that products move through a sequential, predetermined pattern of development similar to the biological path that life forms follow. This pathway is known as the Product Life Cycle (PLC)† (Baines et al. , 2008). According to Kotler & Keller (2009), a company’s positioning and differentiation strategy must change as the product, market and the competitors change over its PLC. [pic] Figure 1 As it can be s een from the above figure a product basically has five stages, with four of them directly related to the consumers who in many terms dictate different aspects or the whole of product. Thus all products have a limited life for the consumer as well as the product. Since McDonald’s is a company that deals in food items, its products will have a definitive period within which they have to get acquainted to the customers tastes, grow in value and earn profits for the company. Also since the McDonald’s products are perishable they have a short life cycle (see www. bbc. co. uk). Thus regular innovation of the food items is required by McDonald’s. For instance, McDonald’s French Fries have been an important part of the company’s menu worldwide. But in India, at one stage their sales were on decline. To counter this problem the management tried to implement certain steps. They introduced the fries with a mix of certain Indian spices. The product came to be known as Shake Shake Fries. This was well received by the consumers and it once again revitalised the sales of the fries. Thus without cannibalising the existing product a new product was created by the firm to delay the decline of a well established product which had the potential to generate income (Ghosh et al. , 2009). 9. 0 MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS The managerial system that ensures timely and comprehensive input to the corporate information and the decision making process and consequence production and expression of credible, persuasive representations of beneficial exchange opportunities with actual and prospective customers and other stake holders. (Varey, 2002). On a more a simple terms it is the method of communicating the right message, through the right medium, to the correct audience (see www. thetimes. biz). If a firm fails to comprehend these steps, it may result in its product failure. The communication methods adopted by McDonald’s in India are as follows, Newspapers, Journals and other forms of Print Media †¢ Television advertisements †¢ Point of Sale Display †¢ Merchandising †¢ Direct Mail †¢ Door drops †¢ Demonstrations †¢ Tele-Marketing(see www. thetimes. biz) Thus effective communication is, when the company develops a campaign which makes use of the above methods to ge t the desired results. Considering only the Television Advertisements of McDonald’s in India, these were not on the company’s radar until the turn of the century (see www. thetimes. biz). This was despite its entry into the Indian market in the latter part of 1996. This step was undertaken by the company so that it could concentrate more on the development of its stores, improve the quality of its products and tailor its global menu to suit the Indian tastes. It was only after 2000 that the first advert of the firm was telecast. â€Å"The first advert of the firm featured a child who suffers stage fright and is unable to recite a poem. On entering McDonald's, he easily recites it in the store's familiar environment. † This advert of the company basically focussed on McDonald’s being a comfortable and a familiar place (Chaturvedi, 2008). The next ad was based on a family moving to a new place. The kid in the family feels lonely in the new surroundings until he finds a McDonald’s. This ad was basically the friendliness of the McDonald’s personnel. Also the management of the firm in India noted that the local people were price sensitive. Thus they took out and ad with a tag of ‘Yesteryear’s Prices’. â€Å"It features Bollywood stars from past decades together with their sons and a message that prices have not risen in line with the passage of time† (Chaturvedi, 2008). Thus McDonald’s with a clear agenda timed their ads to perfection which gave them good returns. McDonald’s also with its advertisements gave its tagline utmost importance. This is evident from the fact that its initial ads were delivered with a punch line â€Å"McDonald’s Mein Hai Kuch Baat† which translates to ‘There is something special in McDonald’s’. When McDonald’s had been successfully established, its tagline changed to â€Å"To Aaj McDonald’s Ho Jaye† which means ‘Why not celebrate with McDonald’s today†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s India). He also adds that the main focus of the company with its advertisements was to change the perception of the Indians that McDonald’s was an ‘American brand with typical American values’. As Arvind Singhal, Head of Marketing at McDonald's India says â€Å"From a marketing communications standpoint, we chose to focus on familiarizing the customer with the brand. † Presently all of the McDonald’s communication strategies are focused to move the consumers to some kind of action. This may either be to visit the restaurant, buy the product or recommend it to a friend. It is also framed so that the consumers remember the product. Thus the mantra of the firm is that the more it knows about the people it is serving the more it will be able to communicate messages that appeal to them. 0. 0 DISTRUBUTION AND SUPPLY CHAIN McDonald’s uses an outsourcing model al all its markets, in some places it actively imports but in India gets materials from different places in India (Dash, 2005) it has suppliers all over India, supplying different inputs. This is done on order to procure best quality of input at the best possible price. Selecting a supplier involves a fou r step process. In each step the prospective supplier is evaluated carefully. Only item imported is the equipment to dish out burgers. The major suppliers in India are: Input Product |Supplier Company |Location | |Iceburg Lettuce |Trikaya Agriculture |Talegacon(Maharashtra) | | |Ooty Farms |Ooty | | |Meena Argitech |Delhi | |Cheese |Dynamix Dairy |Baramati (Maharashtra) | |Milk & Milk Products for Frozen Desserts |Amrit Food |Delhi and Mumbai | |Buns & Sauces |1)Cremica Industries |Philluar (Punjab) | | |2) Shah Bector and Sons |Khopoli ( Maharashtra) | | | | | |Patties, Pies & Pizza puffs |Vista Processed Foods |Taloja | (Dash, 2005) The entire distribution process is carried on by AFL Logistics Ltd, McDonald’s official partner in logistics and supply chain. 10. 1 DISTRIBUTION McDonalds in India uses what is called as a ‘Cold Chain’. This means that the vegetables are stored in cold storage from the moment it is harvested. These are then transported to restaurants in refrigerated vans. Semi – finished products are also stored a particular temperature. This ensures freshness and maintains the moisture level of the food. In the restaurant also the products are refrigerated. In the restaurant the deliveries are made to the customer within 60 seconds and the mode of service is self service. This is done to maintain speedy and quick service. 11. 0 SWOT ANALYSIS McDonald’s in India has been for around for around 13 years. Till now it has complimented the values and the cultures of the locals in an extremely ethical way. But still it has some weaknesses and threats, which if not countered, may well become grave. Thus the SWOT analysis shows the areas where the firm can build up on its existing strong image. ? Strengths †¢ Strong Brand – The McDonald’s Corporation in India has been able to live up to its global image of being able to handle any type of market. It has shown that by adopting the right approach and methods, any market can yield positive results. This has not only consolidated its powerful image and strong brand values but also has made the job difficult for the new entrants. Customer Intimacy – The firm in India with its correct mix of communication has been able to tap majority of the audience it focused on and has also developed affection from the large children populace of the country with its Children Centric ads. †¢ Product Innovation – the Compan y with its timely product innovation has regularly kept the consumers interested in its menu which caters to their tastes. †¢ Variety in Menu, Reasonable Prices and Great Service – Also with wide options in the menu McDonald’s also offers great prices with burgers starting from Rs20 ( Around 15p) plus with ‘1 Minute Service’ customers do not return disappointed from the place. ? Weakness †¢ Product on the scale of Health – McDonald’s in India is still not selling products which are good for health or which are made keeping consumers fitness. They are trying to fine tune their menu by adding more baked products rather than fried patties, but apart from McCurry Pan (launched 2003) it has not been able to introduce more healthy products (Dash, 2005). This fact forces many health conscious people to avoid the place altogether. ? Opportunities †¢ Expanding in Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities – Despite the firm’s success in the urban and the metropolitan cities of India, McDonald’s has still not explored the whole of the country. This is due to the fact that the smaller cities in India are more inclined towards the home cooked food and eating fast food out is generally limited to local food joints that specialize in Indian cuisine. This presents a good prospect for the company to experiment with its menu, as McDonald’s has already localized its menu to a very great extent in the country. Entry into Breakfast Category – One of the other things that the company has still not made a complete foray into is the ‘Breakfast Menu’. McDonald’s have started only a couple of outlets in Mumbai and Delhi on experimental basis that serve Breakfast menu in December 2008. The options in this menu are available from 7 am to 11am in the morning. But the company is still to operate it on a large scale. †¢ Strong Beverage Brand – McDonald’s in India have till now only concentrated on to the food items they serve. The beverages they offer are just plain Coke available in small and large and coffee, tea and hot chocolate with no proper advertising. But it still has the opportunity to advertise and bring in its own brand of beverage as compared to something like Star Bucks’ The beverage may hot or cold and would give McDonald’s its own identity in the market which is dominated by Coke and Pepsi. ? Threats †¢ Changing Customer Lifestyle – Today, India has changed considerably as compared to 10 years back. Simultaneously the customer tastes are changing at a very fast pace. McDonald’s needs to keep this thing in mind since the customer taste for a particular product in today’s environment is very short-lived. †¢ Increased Competition – Today with the increasing number of malls and shopping centers in India, the number of fast food joints and restaurants has increased significantly that offer similar kind of food at comparable prices. This can turn out to be a disadvantage to the company since it mainly concentrates on opening its franchises in these malls. 12. 0 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS From the above report it is clear that McDonald’s marketing strategies in India have been successful. With complete understanding of the consumer and considering the various marketing environments, executing very reasonable prices to timely product innovation and lastly extremely effective communication techniques have included India in their long list of successful countries. The only thing that the company needs to focus on is to try and add more menu choice and variety to promote healthier lifestyles. Also it should contemplate its already existing operations before continuing expansion in rder to increase their profit margin and since India is a developing country the firm should try and concentrate on penetrating, at timely intervals, into more budding cities. 13. 0 REFERENCES Baines, P. , Fill, C. , Page, K. (200 8) Marketing Oxford University Press, New York. Chaturvedi, P. (2008) Super-localize me: how McDonald's evolved its marketing in India, Warc Exclusive. Chauhan, G. (2008) Language in India, Languages Group, Vol 8, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, India. Deng, T. (2009) McDonald’s New Communication Strategy on Changing Attitudes and Lifestyle, International Journal Of Marketing studies, Vol 1, SolBridge International School of Business, South Korea. Fifield, P. and Gilligan, C. 1996) Strategic Marketing Management, Butterworth- Heinemann, Oxford. Ghosh, R. , Balaji, D. , Shah, J. , Sherlekar, N. , Sidana, D. , (2009) McDonald’s: Behind Golden Arches. Kotler, P. & Keller, K. L. (2009) Marketing Management, 13th Edn, Pearson Prentice Hall, USA. McCarthy. (1975) Basic Marketing: A Management Approach, Irwin, Homewood, pg – 98. Media Trust, The Institute For Volunteering Research (1997) Introduction To Marketing, Volunteering England and the Centre for Inst itutional Studies at the University of East London, UK. Prof. Dash, K. (2005) McDonald’s in India, The Garvin School of International Management, USA. Sander. D. M. & Shani. D (1991) â€Å"Brand Globally but Advertise Locally? An Empirical Investigation, International Marketing Review, Vol – 9, No – 4, pg – 18 – 29. Varey, R. J. (2002) Marketing Communication: Principles and Practice, Route ledge, London,pp 127-129. Vignali. C (2001) McDonalds: Think Global, Act Local – The Marketing Mix, British Food Journal, Vol – 103, No -2, pg – 97 – 111. INTERNET REFERENCES http://www. bbc. co. uk/dna/h2g2/A593525 – viewed on November 16, 2009 http://www. bbc. co. uk/dna/h2g2/A3816740 – viewed on November 16, 2009 http://www. hinduonnet. com/2001/05/06/stories/01060003. htm – viewed on November 16, 2009 http://online. wsj. com/article/SB124628377100868055. html – viewed on November 16, 2009 http://www. businessweek. om/innovate/content/may2006/id20060508_952455. htm – viewed on November 16, 2009 http://www. bbc. co. uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/marketing/productlifecyclerev1. shtml – viewed on November 23, 2009. http: //in. reuters. com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-29999520071015 – viewed on November 23, 2009. http://money. cnn. com/2009/07/10/news/companies/mcdonalds_global_international_menu. fortune/index. htm – viewed on November 23, 2009. http://www. businessworld. in/bw/2009_10_10_Quickening_Service. html – viewed on November 23, 2009. ———————– DELIVERY UNIVERSAL HOLDING CABINET ASSEMBLER INITIATOR FROZEN FOOD MATERIAL

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Ideology of USA Foreign policy - Term Paper Example He is critically involved in studying, researching, and publishing extensively on U.S foreign policy, mostly focusing on the US foreign ideologies in the Asian continent, particularly regarding major conflicts such as the Cold and Vietnamese war, which critically reflects the nature of US foreign policies in his book. In The making of U.S Foreign Policy, Dumbrell seeks to disapprove such notions regarding a fragmented and chaotic U.S foreign policy, and stresses that U.S foreign policy is logically constructed despite the many contestations from various institutions. Dumbrell presents American foreign ideologies as key policies that led to success or failure of different presidents in American history. In other words, each president has different ideologies; their tenure is mainly measured by how such foreign ideologies were successful, or limited in declaring American interests to the global world. All the same, the American foreign ideology of anti-communism and spreading democratic ideals to other regions resonates across all the presidents, but was more remarkable between the 50s and the 60s due to communism threat particularly across Asian continent. An important aspect that comes out from the American ideology is the competition between presidential ideologies, Congress policies and the pub lic interests. According to Dumbrell, since the American constitution does not address the issue of foreign policy in detail, this issue is left to the discretion of the president and the congress, which results in a power struggle between the two institutions, as different presidents formulate differing ideologies, some without approval of Congress and the public. . Therefore, Dumbrell’s book reflects on the power struggle between presidential ideologies, the policy of the executive, the intelligence body, Congress, and the general public opinion. Throughout the book, Dumbrell

Recombinant DNA tech, RNA tech, Protein Expression, Protein tech Assignment

Recombinant DNA tech, RNA tech, Protein Expression, Protein tech - Assignment Example Question Two For a plasmid to act as an effective cloning vector that can transfer the gene of interest into the target cells, it must exhibit the ability to replicate upon entry into the target cells. Moreover, it must have several cloning sites that allow the insertion of the gene of interest. The plasmid must have a defined origin of replication and effective promoters that ensure successful expression of the foreign gene. Question Three Polymerase chain reaction is one of the ways in which the 1kb gene may be quantified. This process yields many copies of the gene of interest, making other analytical processes possible. The modern Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) exhibits a high level of automation, and yields multiple copies of the gene. The second way of yielding great amounts would involve insertion of the gene into bacteria. After replication of the plasmid in the bacteria, the gene of interest multiplies. Question Four In order to identify the genes in the human liver whose e xpression occurs only when under pressure, a cDNA library would be the most effective. This library would focus on the fragments that undergo transcription and expression. Construction of such a library would require the sequencing of the genes of interest and inserting them into a plasmid vector. The library would also have reverse transcribed messenger RNAs for the genes, and this would involve the use of reverse transcriptase to yield DNA complementary to the messenger RNA. Question Five Type II Restriction Endonucleases do not degrade bacterial chromosomal DNA because they exhibit specificity for foreign DNA. It would be irrational for these endonucleases to cleave the host DNA. Therefore, they limit their activity to breaking down foreign DNA into fragments but preserving host DNA. Such specificity has enabled geneticists to develop DNA fragmentation techniques using restriction enzymes found in bacteria. Question 6 A double stranded circular DNA with four recognition sites for the HindIII, would be fragmented into four fragments after digestion. The restriction would cleave the circular DNA at the four recognition sites yielding four independent fragments, contrary to the five that would result after linearization of the DNA. The difference would emerge because of the evident practical observation made by geneticists who have highlighted that circular DNA yields one less fragment after digestion with restriction enzyme, compared to linear DNA with the same restriction sites. Question 7 In order to screen a cDNA library, the high-density screening method would prove to be highly effective. This method requires the use of high concentrations plating. The choice of this screening factor would be motivated by the fact that it presents a platform for the geneticist to analyze the different fragments through the visualization on a single plate. The technique also proves effective when the gene under study codes for a specific protein. Part 2 Question 1 In orde r to separate cells obtained from tissues of normal mice compared to those obtained from mice engineered with highly active muscle cells, a specific method of analysis is required. The first step would involve isolation of cells from both tissues. After isolation of those cells, effective culture would follow to prepare the cells for effective analysis. It would be necessary to isolate the mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA from both types of cells. Muscle cells have

Chinese is similar in many ways to the politeness and respect language Essay

Chinese is similar in many ways to the politeness and respect language styles of Japanese - Essay Example This etiquette charms the day to day activities and adds luster to conversation. One derives pleasure to deal with such people. To put it in practical terms, what does it cost to be gracious and polite conversationalist? Say a few good words in appreciation of the individual with whom one is dealing?-that’s what the Chinese and Japanese seem o believe. Chinese is similar in many ways to the politeness and respect language styles of Japanese. Since language has direct bearing on then social disposition of both these people, an activity based comparison needs to be made to justify this assertion. Understanding Chinese and Japanese language means understanding their cultures and etiquettes. We find surprising similarities amongst these people. Their style of functioning is identical in many areas and activities. To cite an example, the Japanese don’t pour one’s own drink, if the glass is empty; usually the host will pour it. The Chinese also never pour one’s own drink first. Generally a toast is made for friendship, or business. While pouring drink for everyone, it is made sure, no one is left out. To forget someone is considered bad manners. Even when the glass is full, pour a few drops in, or give the cup a fond stare, before moving to the next guest. The Chinese dinner consists of many courses; just sample everything in the plate. If one empties the plate, the host observes it and he will get more food. Don’t eat the last piece; leave something. As per the Japanese traditions too, an empty plate means that one wishes to have more food. When fini shed with eating, leave some food on the plate. Chopsticks have a special importance for the Chinese as well as the Japanese. They are sacrosanct. The Chinese don’t take the chopstick and use them like forks by poking into the food. Chopsticks are used to pick up the food. In the picking process, if you drop a piece, no attempt is made to pick up another piece. Keep on trying to pick

410 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

410 - Essay Example However, we also believe strongly that employee safety is a function solely of the employees and as such we strive to not intervene in the employees safety decision-making. To achieve our goal of minimal numbers of incidents resulting in injuries although some cannot be avoided we have a goal of no more than 20 injuries in which the employees was seriously injured. We also have a goal of no more than 10 million in damage to equipment during this calendar year. Get Er’ Done Incorporated shall create employee safety and health programming which will be reviewed whenever employees can find time to do so. If changes are to be made it is up to the employee to make sure the changes are done. Employees are to find the time, resources etc to make any changes. Employees will report all changes at the 5 year corporate meetings in which one employee is invited. Employees are expected to develop all forms and required materials for the completion safety objectives. Management and supervisors will continue to focus on production and making widgets in a freaky fast manner and delivering them as fast as

The Difference between the Schools of United States of America and Essay

The Difference between the Schools of United States of America and Europe - Essay Example 2). Most private schools consist of 90% which offered at least elementary grades. Of the said percentage 61 % offered of elementary grades and the other 30% offer a combination of elementary and secondary grades. The remaining 9% offer only secondary level education. They emphasized a regular elementary and secondary program. For private school, a school year consists of 180 days and 6.7 hours. Most students were enrolled in the Catholic schools. There are 1000 schools located in different states and these are the California, Florida, Illnois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. In each of these states there were 250,000 students enrolled in private schools (Broughman, 2006, p. 2). United States also offer free school. The aim of free school is to supply English education. The social condition of England and U.S. is rendered in an extreme condition of useless comparison. The countries are forced to join international competition. â€Å"Not withstanding the difference exists in the ci rcumstances of each country.† The principle has been borrowed in England and used as a foundation of Education System. The most popular school nowadays is English school even though it is exotic in England for being free. The American made a common school for free education which became popular and successful institution in the country (Adams, 1969, p.5). The education systems in Europe are rooted by traditions and features. Education is strengthened through economic, social, and cultural change which is needed by the policy makers, business leaders, and scholars to learn more about the characteristics of the education system. In European states there are several reasons for their growing interest. First, the enlargement of European Union (EU), the increasing relevance of international school and student assessment studies and finally the growing internalization of education and educational studies within the overall process of globalization (Horner, 2007, p. 1). In Europe, pu pils who are attending private primary schools seem to achieve higher level than those who attends in public school. The education system in Europe depends on the age that children start and compulsory education, the time children spent in school in these countries, the class size and the content of the countries curriculum and finally the use of examinations and testing the country (Euridice, 2001). The administration of education system in Europe that the Spanish Constitution gave a new decentralized state, they established a sharing of powers between the State administration and the Autonomous Communities. This decentralized system gives power to the State, Autonomous Communities, Local Authorities and eventually the school. The State has a power for a guaranteed standardization and unity for education. The education in Europe is compulsory for aged 6- 16 of years, which is divided into two educational levels. The first level is composed of the five stages, the first three for pr imary education and the other two for lower secondary level. In Europe to enter the Primary Education you must be 6 years old. For admission the factors to be examined include the family income to determine if they can pay enough for the finance needed. Other factors include catchment area, and siblings at the school. For the school days, there are 180 days at primary level and 175 days at secondary level, it is

Strategic Management and Unilever Essay Example for Free

Strategic Management and Unilever Essay Introduction: Unilever is a multinational corporation with â€Å"extensive product offerings in the food, detergent, and personal care business.† Because Unilever is organizing its companies on a decentralized structure, they are falling behind their competitors. In order for Unilever to succeed as a company they must look over their whole business strategy starting from their foundation and working their way through each and every subsidiary. In making minor adjustments for improvement, Unilever might pull through and have a chance of becoming a successful company once again. Case Problems: Unilever is facing many problems not only within the company but with competition as well. â€Å"Competitors are more successful by building global brands, reducing cost structure, and executing simultaneous product launches in several national markets.† In Unilever’s case, the decentralized structure is working against any efforts of building both global and regional brands. Because of many duplicates in â€Å"manufacturing, a lack of scale economies, and a high-cost structure,† they are trailing behind competitors in bringing new products to the market. Alternatives: One alternative Unilever could take would be to focus more on the products that bring in the most profit. In this case it would be the food products, which account for â€Å"60 percent of sales and include strong offerings in margarine, tea, ice cream, frozen foods, and bakery products.† Mainly because not everyone is willing or able to buy name brands or certain detergents, but there will always be a need for food. If they put more of their focus on this they would be able to exceed the already 70 percent of market share in other countries. The only downfall I see in this would be the extra profit that would normally come in from the other two options would decrease. Another alternative Unilever might consider might be to focus its detergents and personal care products in accordance to the needs and wants of communities in certain areas. For example, while one country might see it more fit to have Omo, another region might prefer the personal care products of Calvin Klein. In researching the area and what customers seem more comfortable with would help enhance sales. However, if the company would be willing to invest both time and money in doing this would be upon them. A third alternative would be for the company’s financial and marketing team to use the SWOT analysis. By using this, the company would get a better understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This would give them the chance to take advantage of what they are doing well while also showing them what exactly they should focus on to improve. Again, it would just be whether the company is willing to take the time and money to put int o the analysis. Solutions: Unilever â€Å"introduced a new structure based on regional business groups.† By creating groups and divisions in the company, each team was able to focus on a specific category of products. In doing so â€Å"groups and divisions coordinated the activities of national subsidiaries within their region to drive down operation costs and speed up the process of developing and introducing new products.† However, even with this change in structure, Unilever was still lagging behind the competition. Therefore, the company cut the number of brands sold â€Å"from 1,600 to 400 that could be marketed on a regional or global scale.† They also â€Å"reduced manufacturing plants from 380 to about 280.† Even after proceeding with this new foundation, they were still behind the competition. Unilever then decided to establish just two global product divisions. This included a â€Å"food division and a home and personal care division.† Contingency: If the solutions and changes made to the company fail, one back-up plan would be to cut out either the food or home and personal care division. That way the company would be able to focus on just one certain area. In doing so they would cut back even more products and brands, as well as  reducing manufacturing plants even more. This would help cut not only labor costs, but operating costs as well. As far as competition goes, Unilever would fall behind competing companies even more, therefore, instead of going for a global business, they should start back locally and overtime work their way back up. If they keep going at the rate they are, the company would take a bigger fall and might be harder for it to bounce back. Overtime, as they work on building the business then they can look into adding the other division, and then eventually work into competition globally once again. Conclusion: Unilever took a big step in trying to change and improve the company. Most businesses find it hard to accept change and that’s always the downfall to any great company. As far as the competition goes, Unilever has a lot to catch up on. They fell to far behind other competitors and suffered greatly from this. As long as Unilever stays patient with building their company up to what it once was, I feel that they will have no problem accomplishing a very successful company overtime.

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas Industry Business Essay

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas Industry Business Essay This study began with a historical background of deregulation, government motives and the benefits the deregulation of downstream oil and gas industry will deliver to Nigerians. The literature review provided an assessment of the opinion of two schools of thought: the opposing and the supporting group for deregulation. Their different views gave insight into the various reasons why government should or should not deregulate the industry. The purpose of the study is aimed to answer three questions: (1) What informed governments deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry and is it the only solution in Nigerias economic environment? 2) How can the government improve the implementation of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry to achieve the actual policy objective? (3) In what way can government encourage the private sector to fully participate in the downstream oil and gas deregulation exercise? In order to answer these questions, this study solicited the views of Nigerians and some industry professionals through self-administered questionnaires. Response by industry professionals addressed the perspective of strategic management, implementation, innovation and competitive forces. The response from other Nigerians addressed the perspective of effects, challenges and prospects of deregulation. By using broad theoretical approach, this study has demonstrated that a wider scope and broader assessment of the downstream oil and gas sector deregulation can be achieved. The theoretical framework has also been empirically tested through the questionnaire response and hypotheses that were carried out and it has proven to be effective in understanding the dynamics of the industrys deregulation programme. The responses provided by industry professionals answers the first question on what informed governments deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry and is it the only solution in Nigerias economic environment. The second and third questions were also answered by them. Two respondents were not in support of deregulation, while the other two were in favour of the governments deregulation programme, stressing that deregulation is the only remedy for the problems in the oil and gas industry. Their views on the implementation of deregulation, control mechanism by regulatory agencies, innovation and competitive forces shows similar response. They feel government is not implementing deregulation properly and suggested a fully deregulated downstream oil and gas sector as against the current partial deregulation where NNPC is still involved in marketing activities and fixing product prices. On the aspect of government encouraging the oil marketers to ensure the success of deregulatio n, respondent (B) suggested providing loan facilities for them while, respondent (C) felt that providing a level playing field for equity and equal participation will drive the success of deregulation. From the analyses on quantitative data which illustrate the views and opinions of 150 Nigerians on the effects, challenges and prospects of the downstream oil and gas industry deregulation, we can infer that there is no significant difference in the response in support that deregulation would deliver positive effects to Nigerians and those against. The response on if challenges in the industry will hinder the success of deregulation also indicates no significant difference between those in support and those not in support. However, the response to the prospects of deregulation shows a significant difference in support that deregulation of the sector will facilitate better economic prospects and opportunities. In conclusion, based on the responses and views of Nigerians towards the downstream oil and gas deregulation, the study findings shows that deregulation of the sector is not properly implemented by the regulatory agencies. It also shows that the sector has been transformed to become competitive and market driven. It further reveals that the sector is not fully deregulated to enable market forces determine price, rather government is still fixing petroleum product prices. The overall result indicates that Nigerians are fully in support of deregulation of the sector, believing it will deliver positive effects, reduce challenges in the sector and create better prospects and opportunities. 6.2 Recommendation The purpose of this study is to examine the effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry in Nigeria. To establish this objective, an analysis was conducted to evaluate findings on the effects, challenges and prospects. The study also examined deregulation implementation, competitive forces and innovation in the industry. This study recommendation would be based on the research findings, which includes the following: The response from staff (C) as shown in the appendix, suggests that the government is yet to fully deregulate the industry and NNPC is also still involve in product importation and distribution. He argued that the intending benefits of deregulation can only be achieved if the government totally discontinues direct participation and concentrates its efforts on the regulatory role. Against this background, this study recommends that government should display seriousness in implementing complete deregulation in the sector in accordance with the original policy framework. More oil marketers should be licensed, opportunities for free entry and exist should be allowed to encourage competition, equal participation and equity should be practiced without any sacred cow and more importantly, the demand and supply mechanism should be allowed to determine prices. This is the conventional concept that is obtainable in most countries where deregulation is practiced. The need for government to encourage and support oil marketers is also recommended in order to assist them acquire loan facilities. This view is consistent with the response from respondent (A) and (B) that suggested the provision of loan schemes most especially to indigenous oil marketers to grow in the industry. They argued that if governments wants to ensure that fuel scarcity is nipped in the bud, loan facilities should be granted to them to avoid supply lapses. This view is also supported by Kolawole (2012) who observes that probe by legislators of the sector reveals that the local content policy by way of encouraging indigenous operators are not enforced as claimed by The Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (ISOAN). The ISOAN accused the NNPC of deliberately side-lining Nigeria ship owners from lifting fuel both locally and international. The practice by NNPC will not encourage the deregulation program. A non-discriminatory system should be enforced, especially to the local oil marketers and vessel owners. Inefficiency and lack of integrity contributes largely to the major problems affecting the downstream oil and gas sector. Corruption is the main problem militating against the government policy agenda of deregulation (Auwal and Mamman, 2012). According to respondent (C) he posits that the government monitoring arm like the PPPRA, DPR NNPC and the security agents saddled with the responsibility of appraising and ensuring the success of deregulation are complete disappointment and have failed in their assigned responsibility because of their corrupt practices. This implies that government should fight corruption by ensuring that the agencies responsible for implementing and coordinating the deregulation program are monitored to ensure they discharge their jobs with integrity. Corrupt officers collaborating with fuel importing syndicates to frustrate government policies of proliferation of refineries in Nigeria should be fetched out, arrested and punished in order to serve as a deterren t to others. To maintain competitive advantage under the industrys current deregulation platform requires innovative and strategic approaches to gain market position. This view corresponds with the observation made by the industry respondents on the high competitive nature of the sector. Hence, prompting them to carry out market intelligence to have a competitive edge over their competitors. Essentially, the oil marketers should be more proactive by engaging in technological innovations, training courses, research and development in order for them to remain competitive. They should also invest in high tech facilities like oil discharge jetties, pipeline networks for oil and gas product distribution to their customers. According to Barney and Zajac (1994) competitive strategies depends significantly on firms resources and capabilities. However, if the strategies are not adopted, the capabilities are more likely to emerge during periods of turbulence and market instability. Hart (1995) also argues that innovative strategies can lead to the development of firms specific capabilities which can be a source of competitive advantage. The analysis of the downstream oil and gas industry using Porters Five forces framework shows that the threats of new entrants is low. The reason as observed by respondent A and B is that the sector is capitally intensive with the old oil marketers enjoying economies of scale and large customer loyalty. New entrants are struggling to penetrate the industry under the deregulated environment. The analysis also reveals that threats of substitute to petroleum products is low. According to respondent C there is over dependence on petroleum products in the country without any foreseeable alternative in the near future. The bargaining power of suppliers as observed by respondent A is high, NNPC is mainly the dominant importer and distributor with only few other importers participating. This study recommends that for deregulation to succeed, the government should promote alliances and mergers among the smaller marketers in the industry to enable them take market position. Government should a lso think of diversification into renewable energy sources like wind energy, tidal waves and solar energy which is in high abundance in the country. This will reduce the high demand and over dependence on petroleum products. More oil marketers should be encouraged to get involved in products importation and distribution. The refineries should also be privatized for them to function properly and discourage importation. 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The Structuring of Organisations. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. ; Prentice Hall, 1979. P. 25. Peter, W., Charles, D. P. and Mark, J. K. (1994). Strategic Management Text and Cases, Second Edition. Copyright by Allen and Bacon, 1994. (p. 4). Porter, M.E. (1980). Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors, Free Press. Ralph, D. S. (1996). Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics. Pitman Publishing, 1996. Second Edition. (p. 8). Rumelt, R.P., Schendel, D.E. and Teece, D.J. (eds) (1994). Fundamental Issues in Strategy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Seale, C. (2004). Researching Society and Culture. 2nd edition. London: SAGE Sullivan, A. and Sheffrin, S. M. (2002). Economics: Principles in Action. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-063085-3. Thompson, A. A. and Strickland, A. J. (2001). Strategic Management Concepts and cases. McGraw-Hill, 12 th Edition, (p. 5-7) Thompson, J.D. (1967). Organizations in Action. New York: McGraw-Hill. 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