Solutions to Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Solutions to Stress - Essay Example Some people develop socio-psychological problems, resulting in low confidence and low adjustment within the given paradigm. Thus, ‘stress’ is the emotional instability in the face of adverse situations. Stress can be broadly defined as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them’ (HSE, 2001). The more contemporary and scientifically accepted definition recognizes stress as the ‘perceived pressure that exceeds one’s ability to cope’ within the pre-defined socio-psychological parameters (Palmer, Cooper & Thomas, 2006). The cognitive reality of stress has different level of adjustment and therefore, stress level of every person is different. Stress is often perceived as an act of defense against an imagined or actual injustice or threat or it may be an expression of frustration for one’s own inability to face certain situations of life in a manner that would effectively alleviate pain. The diversity of reasons may be attributed to stress that may result in harming others or oneself because a person loses his ability of objectivity and rationale when he or she is under stress. Hence, stress is not good for our welfare and needs to be rationalized to find its root cause and thereby find best measures to control it. The psychological well being is important part of healthy life. Life is not a smooth road and the various obstacles in one’s life may or may not become countless reasons for people to have emotional stress. The traumatic events, the unexpected changes in our personal and professional life or even small things that may not be to our liking may constitute reasons for stress. Insecurities in life may also become key factors for stress. Sometimes, the reason cannot be attributed to one single entity but may be a result of accumulated events or adverse situations that could have reached the limit of

Groups, Teams, and Conflict Essay Example for Free

Groups, Teams, and Conflict Essay Strategies There are various strategies available to aid in effective team building. One step is developing a recruiting strategy that supports the organization’s diversity goals. Volunteering time to organizations that serve the needs of underrepresented segments of the population is another way to enhance your company’s reputation as an employer that values diversity. Another step that can be used is by registering the organization with local job agencies, such as the local Workforce Center. The organization can also contact universities, trade schools and other academic institutions with information about the company and keep them informed of job openings they can post for graduating students. Organizations can also create partnerships with national and local organizations to promote the company’s image. It can also help to participate in industry events, and include employees in the company’s current workforce who represent various forms of diversity. The organization should not limit its definition of diversity to race, color, sex, national origin or religion but should expand its concept of diversity to include multi-generational diversity as well as diversity in work styles and cultures. One of the most important strategies is to construct work teams with diversity in mind. Whenever possible, the organization should assign employees to work on teams together who otherwise would not have the opportunity to work together. They should assemble groups of people who represent varied work styles, generations, skills and culture and encourage collaboration and synergy among employees through embracing differences (Huebsch, 2013). Challenges One of the biggest challenges with diversity is misconception. Most people associate the word diversity with multicultural issues, but it also covers  the differences in age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, background, and even position of power. Failing to recognize this can result in accidental discrimination against certain groups. Several types of workplace diversity challenges exist. These issues can strengthen a company or ruin one. Communication is essential to diversity in the workplace. Every person and cultural group communicates differently, which can be the biggest challenge of a diversified team. Sometimes employees misinterpret tone, e-mails, and body language, and fail to respond appropriately. Employees that resist change can be a significant diversity barrier. If someone has been raised a certain way, it can be difficult to adapt overnight. Having one resistant employee can throw off the organization’s balance. An organization benefits more when its manager is on board with major decisions for maximum results. Diversity will not work without a supportive manager (Holt, 2013). Conclusion The best way for an organization to determine which strategy works best for, is by looking at the success of the team and ultimately how the organization benefits from the teams work. As we all know, there will be challenges with any team/group because you have different people from different backgrounds, different personalities, and different outlooks on life. However, if the organization can get each member to recognize that their success ultimately depends on the success of the company, I believe that the diversity of the group will no longer be a primary issue. Instead each team member will begin to pay more attention to the work and less about the differences of each team member in regard to themselves. Once the organization begins to benefit from the team’s success, it will be evident that the strategy chosen is a success. References Holt, M. (2013). Workplace Diversity Challenges. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/create-diverse-workplace-10154.html Huebsch, R. (2013). Workplace Diversity Strategy. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/workplace-diversity-strategy-4925.html

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon Essay -- English Literature Essays

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon. Beowulf makes his final boast. He says that, even though he is old, he shall â€Å"still seek battle, perform a deed of fame† by killing the dragon. (Norton59) He doesn't know how to grapple with the dragon, like he did with Grendel, so he will use a sword and shield. He tells his men that the outcome will be â€Å"with us at the wall as fate allots, the ruler of every man.† (59) He tells them to let him fight the monster alone, â€Å"By my courage I will get gold, or war will take your king, dire life-evil.† (60) *These three quotations indicate pagan elements of glory, not Christian.* eowulf approaches the barrow. From the stone arch, he feels the dragon’s fire emanating from within. He shouts at the dragon. The dragon knows he is there and breathes fire. Beowulf hits the dragon with his shield and draws his sword, â€Å"the old heirloom.† (60) The dragon comes forward, â€Å"hastening to his fate,† (60) and breathes fire, but Beowulf is protected by his iron shield. But, â€Å"for the first time, the first day in his life, he might not prevail, since fate did not assign him such glory in battle.† (60) Beowulf strikes the dragon so hard with his sword, that the â€Å"edge failed.† (60) The â€Å"war blade had failed, naked at need, as it ought not to have done, iron good from old times.† (60) *The sword is given living qualities* The poet reminds the reader that â€Å"every man must give up the days that are lent him† (60), an elegaic theme that runs throughout the poem. Beowulf and the dragon come together again. The dragon breathes fire again and, for the first time in the poem, â€Å"he who before had ruled a folk felt harsh pain.† (60) Meanwhile his men flee to the woods, except for one. Wiglaf, s... ... writes; a draughtsman; a writer for another; especially, an offical or public writer; an amanuensis or secretary; a notary; a copyist. 2. (Jewish Hist.) A writer and doctor of the law; one skilled in the law and traditions; one who read and explained the law to the people. The most famous Old English scribe was a monk named Bede Scylfing: 1: the member of a Swedish Links: British Library Board: www.bl.uk Pace University Grendel Site: csis.pace.edu/grendel Beowulf Site: www.lone-star.net/literature/beowulf/index.html Beowulf Book: www.alcyone.com/max/lit/beowulf Bibliography: Dictionary: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary1913, C. & G. Merriam Co. Internet: http://www.dictionary.com Text Source: "Beowulf" The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Vol. 1. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton 1993

Pharmaceutical Industry and E. Merck Ag

Historical background of the business Today Merck & Co, Inc. is one of the most recognizable companies in the pharmaceutical industry. When asked about Merck, most people think that it is and always has been a US company. However, the company’s history can be traced all the way back to the 1600’s where it was started in Darmstadt, Germany. Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased a local store in 1668 where he prepared and sold medicines. The store was called â€Å"At the sign of the Angels† and would remain in the Merck family for many generations (Merck & co. , 2000). In 1827, Heinrich Emmanuel Merck and renamed E.MERCK AG transformed the store into a drug manufacturer. The pharmacy was so successful that by 1855 E. Merck AG was selling medications worldwide. It was at this time that Merck decided to send a company officer to the United States to set up a sales office. Once in the U. S. in 1899, Heinrich’s grandson George Merck bought one hundred and fifty acres in Rahway, New Jersey. A couple of years later, in 1903, Merck started production in its new U. S. headquarters. By this time Merck was not just producing drugs, it was also starting to produce different types of chemicals and there was also a research lab.When the United States entered World War I in 1917, George Merck, fearing that Germany would win the war and take over his company, sold all of his stock to a US company named Alien Property Custodian (Merck & Co. , 2000). This ended all of Merck’s ties to Germany. After the war, George Merck regained a controlling share of the company in 1919 and from that day forward Merck has always been a publicly owned company. George Merck continued to grow the company until his death in 1926 at which time his son, George W. Merck took over. In 1926, George W.Merck decided to merge the company with Powers-Weightman-Rosengarten, which was a Philadelphia, based pharmaceutical company. In 1927 the company was officially incorporated and renamed Merck & Co. Inc. This merger gave George W. Merck the capital he needed to recruit new chemists and biologists, which lead to the discovery of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 was a huge success, but because the war had been over for several years, new foreign companies were continually underselling Merck. With no new products in sight, George W. Merck decided to merge with a Baltimore company by the name of Sharp & Dohme, Inc.This merger was believed to have saved Merck from going under; it gave Merck new marketing facilities and a new distribution network, which it desperately needed. By the time George W. Merck died in 1957, the company had hit the one hundred million dollar mark. Not only was the dollar mark significant, George’s death marked the last time a Merck family member would ever be in control. From the 60’s on, Merck continued to raise its market share taking advantage of its research and development, which continually produced new and popular drugs every year.Today Merck employs over fifty five thousand people and produces some of the most well known pharmaceutical products on the market. With profits totaling a little fewer than six billion dollars and annual sales of over twelve and half billion dollars, Merck is considered one of the best pharmaceutical companies in the world. Products Throughout the years, Merck has made itself a reputation for developing high quality products that consumers know will work. The drugs are developed to help with all different types of problems.Some medicines are used for every day symptoms like a stuffed up nose and some are used for more serious illnesses like the treatment of HIV. Since Merck & Co. , Inc. was founded; it has always made a point to have an above average research and development program so that it could appeal to a wide variety of consumers no matter what symptoms they were trying to cure. Some of the first products ever distributed by Merck in the 1820’s were morphine, co deine and cocaine. These three products allowed Merck enough revenue to begin research on other types of products.In 1933 Merck scientists discovered vitamin B12 which was, at the time, used as a therapeutic drug. The sales from B12 alone were enough to carry Merck into the next decade. Although Merck scientists discovered cortisone, which is a steroid, and streptomycin, which is used to treat tuberculosis, the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s were fairly slow periods for Merck. Other products such as Aldomet, which is used to treat depression, Indocin and Clinoril which are anti-inflammatory drugs, were developed but none of them had the impact on revenue that Merck was used to.It was not until the mid to late 70’s that Merck came out with some new products that really connected with consumers. It was at this time that Timoptic and Enalapril were invented. Timoptic is a hepatitis vaccine that helps with the treatment of glaucoma and Enalapril is a high blood pressu re medication. Sales from these two drugs were well over a half a billion dollars by the early 1980’s. Things only got better for Merck from the 1980’s through 2000. During this time Merck produced over twenty new drugs.Some of the more popular drugs include Cosopt, used in the treatment of glaucoma, Propecia, which is used to treat hair loss, Maxalt, which is used for migraine headaches, and Singulair, which treats cases of asthma. Although all of these medications worked out very well for Merck’s profit, there were three drugs that stood above the rest. Vasotec was a treatment for congestive heart failure and Merck’s first billion dollar a year drug. That was followed by Vioxx which is a pain medication used to treat arthritis and also a billion dollar a year seller. The most popular drug Merck ever produced was Zocor.Zocor is a cholesterol-fighting drug that was introduced in 1992. Not only was zocor a multi-billion dollar a year drug, it was one of th e most successful selling pharmaceutical drugs ever (Merck & Co. , 2000). Zocor accounted for over four billion dollars in worldwide sales in 2004 alone. With products like these and a continued dedication to research and development, Merck will be a major player in the pharmaceutical industry for many years to come. Company Locations Merck and its subsidiaries have locations all over the world. Their main headquarters is currently located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.Merck takes pride in being a global healthcare leader. According to their website they currently have 83,000 employees worldwide (Merck. com). In 2009, Merck merged with competitor Shering-Plough, which extended Merck’s reach into the global economy. According to Muse (2011), Merck has over 75 locations, â€Å"Drawing from its locations in 77 countries, Merck’s worldwide sales for 2009 were $27. 4 billion (Muse p. 251). † These locations stretch across the continental United States from New Je rsey to San Francisco. The worldwide locations include factories in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan.Merck’s revenues continue to climb with their global growth. The revenues recorded in various regions by Merck in 2012 include, â€Å" |2012 Revenues |United States | |(By Geographic Region) |$20. 4 billion | | | | | |Europe, Middle East and Africa | | |$13. billion | | | | | |Japan | | |$5. 1 billion | | | | | |Other | | |$8. billion (Merck. com). † | | | | Merck is seen as a leader on the stage of global expansion. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Merck continues to grow and expand its influence in an effort to provide their vaccines and medicines across the globe. Their recent merger will allow them to test markets that they have not had experience in before, and help increase their profits globally.Style of International Business Merck has been on the forefront of International Business and is one of the leaders at adapt ing to new employees in diverse geographic locations. The company has maintained a policy of progressiveness in their workplace. According to Muse (2011) Merck is one of the leaders in this field. They have been ranked among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity and the 100 Best Corporate Citizens List (Muse p. 251). † Merck makes diversity one of their top priorities and it is well documented on their website. They have created a voice for the different diverse peoples within their company.It is a new way to maintain communication with the feelings and thoughts of various groups in different regions throughout the world. Merck calls these Global Constituency Groups. According to their website, â€Å"We've taken an innovative, global approach to our diversity strategy through the creation of Global Constituency Groups. These groups represent the diverse constituencies in our company, our customers and society, in general. The members represent different geographies, cultures and areas of expertise. Together they reflect Merck employees and customers globally†. Merck. com) With this process, Merck is able to keep up with the problems and successes within the different constituencies throughout the company. Merck’s plan to achieve diversity within their company begins from the leadership positions. Filling these positions with people mindful of diversity has allowed the company to continue to keep its place among the most diverse companies in the world. According to Merck, â€Å"Diversity and inclusion are integrated into our leadership model, and are considered an essential leadership skill for all of our employees (Merck. com). Merck preaches this diversity not only to their employees, but their suppliers as well. â€Å"At Merck, we believe that having a diverse supplier base helps us better understand and anticipate the needs of the people we serve (Merck. com). † This creates a positive culture throughout the company of acceptance an d tolerance towards others. It is a progressive policy that allows Merck to continue to flourish and it is a model style of International Business. Strategic Alliances Merck has made many strategic alliances throughout the years to help improve their products or supply them to a wider range of people.In the late 80’s Merck made an alliance with one of the biggest companies in the United States, Johnson & Johnson. According to the International Directory of Company Histories (2000), â€Å"In 1989 Merck joined with Johnson & Johnson in a venture to develop over-the-counter (OTC) versions of Merck’s prescription medications, initially for the U. S. market, later expanded to Europe and Canada (encyclopedia. com)†. This helped Merck products become more easily available to consumers throughout the world. At the time this alliance was hailed as a blockbuster deal that would create growth for both companies.This deal lasted over twenty years and was very profitable for both parties. When Merck sold their stake in the deal in 2011, they received $175 million for it. The largest alliance Merck has made recently is the acquisition, or reverse merger, of their rival Schering-Plough. The $40 billion deal was made in an effort to keep up with other companies in the pharmaceutical market, especially Pfizer. According to Singer (2009), â€Å"The merger would join pharmaceutical companies that had combined sales of $46. 9 billion last year (p. 1). † This alliance expanded Merck globally and allowed it to tap into Schering-Plough’s resources.These resources ranged from new drugs for Merck to market, to a bigger pipeline to promote their own drugs. According to Singer (2009), â€Å"The merger gives it access to successful brand-name Schering products with much longer patents, like the prescription allergy spray Nasonex. And Merck could capitalize on Schering’s investments in promising biotechnology drugs (Singer p. 1 ). † This al liance helped Merck continue to be a formidable competitor in the global pharmaceutical market. With this deal happening only a few short years ago, Merck continues to grow and utilize its new resources in the market today.Exports Merck’s exports consist of various types of pharmaceuticals. Some of their most profitable exports include Singulair, Fosamax, Nasonex, and Vytorin. Singulair is used to treat seasonal allergies like other drugs such as Claritin and Allegra. It can also be used to prevent asthma attacks. It has been very profitable for Merck in the past. Yet, sales began to dramatically fall when media reports about the disturbing side effects of Singulair began to surface. The worst of these side effects included depression and suicidal thoughts.Still, even in spite of Singulair’s profit drop, Merck continues to make large amounts of money off of the export. Nasonex and Vytorin are two products that were a result of the Merck and Schering-Plough merger. Naso nex is a nasal spray used to treat seasonal allergies in adults and children. It has proved to be a positive part of the merger, becoming one of Merck’s most profitable products. Vytorin was already part of a joint effort between Merck and Schering-Plough even before the merger. Vytorin is a combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin used to treat cholesterol levels.They created and marketed the product together. After the merger, Merck continued to sell and market Vytorin. Fosamax is another popular export of the Merck Company. It is used to treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Fosamax was previously one of Merck’s best selling drugs. Yet, because of patent problems, they have lost large amount of money. According to Singer (2009) â€Å"Merck’s former blockbuster bone drug Fosamax has gone generic, and in a few years the same thing will happen to its best-selling allergy and asthma drug Singulair (pg. 1 ). † These exports have been Merck’s ma in products in the past.In the future, with their recent merger, they should be able to develop new products that can help them rebound from the losses they took from products like Fosamax and Singulair. Transportation In order to effectively and efficiently deliver their products throughout the world, Merck has contracted UPS to deliver them. As of June 2011, the joint venture known as MSD has announced that it would include and take care of Merck’s logistics and distribution around the world, which till now only managed Merck’s distribution, warehousing and transportation in North America (Berman, 2011).According to Willie A. Deese, executive vice president and president, Merck Manufacturing Division,â€Å" This expanded agreement with UPS allows us to focus on our core business as a global healthcare leader that looks for innovative ways to bring our medicines and vaccines to patients in emerging markets and markets around the world† (businesswire, 2011). The collaboration, which began in early 2003 with UPS just taking care of the transportation and delivery of products over time, has extended to North American distribution, warehousing and multi-modal transportation services (businesswire, 2011).Merck now entrusted UPS with taking care of their logistics in countries like China, Brazil as well as Latin America among others. UPS also stated that it would establish proper facilities in order to store goods and vaccines so in order to ensure quicker and efficient delivery system (Berman, 2011). Merck believes that this extended partnership with UPS would result in being cost effective in the long run. Although Merck does rely on other logistic companies as well, but they rely more heavily on UPS and this current agreement will only further increase the company’s trust in the logistics firm (businesswire, 2011).Ethical Standards The code of ethics from Merck’s website (2013) states: Being a good corporate citizen means that we comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Also, we serve our society, from the local communities in which we operate to the national and international levels, by supporting a number of programs, including those that improve health and promote environmental sustainability. All of our activities are guided by our corporate responsibility principle of â€Å"Helping the World Be Well†. (p. 1) Ethical Violations Merck & Co. ave developed some great products that have helped many people. They have even done some amazing humanitarian work that follows their mission of their code of ethics, which is to help the people of this world be as healthy as they can. For example, After World War II, many people who were living in Japan could not afford the Merck developed drug streptomycin (Miller & Goldman, 2003). Streptomycin was the first drug to fight tuberculosis. Merck decided to sell streptomycin at a much lower cost in Japan so it could be distributed to those who nee ded it and could not afford it at market value.Merck is also one of the nation’s largest donors to UNICEF. One of the ways that Merck has partnered with UNICEF is by donating a drug called Mectizan. Mectizan is a drug that Merck has developed to fight river blindness, and Merck has teamed up with UNICEF in order to distribute Mectizan to anyone who needs it (Unicef, 2013). But the business strategies for Merck have not always been as ethically sound as it may appear. On September 30th 2004 the drug that Merck had created to treat arthritis and severe pain, Vioxx, was pulled off the shelves for good.The reason behind shutting down this drug was that it was found to have caused serious illnesses after long term use, including heart attacks and strokes (Kay, 2004). Vioxx was withdrawn only five years after being introduced, but in that short time had effected many, in those five years there had been over eighty million prescriptions for Vioxx (Kay, 2004). Dr David Graham, the as sociate director for science and medicine at the Office of Drug Safety, estimates that Vioxx caused between 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks, of which thirty to forty percent have most likely died (Kay, 2004).But did Merck know of this threat before they started to market the drug? Before Merck released Vioxx in 1999 their own scientist conducted tests on Vioxx while developing it. In 1997 these scientist did a study and found that patients who were being tested on were six times more likely to have heart complications when using Vioxx compared to other arthritis drugs. But this study was never released and the data was never sent to the FDA (Culp & Isobel, 2007).Scientist also completed a VIGOR (Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research) test on the drug and found evidence that people who take Vioxx had a five times higher chance of having a heart attack (Cahana & Mauron, 2006). In 2001 Merck scientist had another test called â€Å"meta-analysis†. The meta-analysis tested 20, 000 patients, and again showed that these patients were twice as likely to have a heart attack while taking Vioxx compared to other drugs (Culp & Isobel, 2007). Not only did Merck know about these risks and kept the results to themselves, they also trained their sales people on how to dodge the subject.In order to train the sales force who were going to be selling Vioxx to doctors, Merck developed a card game called dodgeball. The purpose of this game was to teach the sales force different ways to dodge questions asked by doctors about the effects Vioxx has on the heart (Daily, 2005). This again proves that Merck knew of these risks caused by taking Vioxx, but was trying to make sure that information was kept in house. Another instance where Merck lacked good ethical decision making is when they decided to pay Elsevier to publish a magazine for them. Elsevier is a publishing company that focuses mainly on medical and scientific literature.Merck’s marketing team decided to pay Elsevier to publish a journal called The Australiasian Journal of Bone & Joint Medicine. This journal was made to look like any other peer-reviewed medical journal but it was far from it. Merck’s marketing department handpicked the articles that they wanted to put in this journal, with the purpose of trying to control what articles were chosen to be in the journal. They took advantage of this situation by picking articles that favored Merck products and disguising this marketing scheme as a peer review journal (Grant, 2009).For instance in the second issue twenty one of the twenty nine articles spoke about Merck’s products in a favorable way, nine of them positively talking about Vioxx (Grant, 2009). Merck also had an ethical downfall when management decided to change the prices of their product. Not only was Merck paying doctors to prescribe Merck medicine when patients were in the hospital, Merck also started to give hospitals a ninety two percent discount on their medicine; with the idea that after the patient was discharged they would want to stay on the same medicine (Merck to pay whistleblower, 2008).The insurance company would pay full price for the drugs after the patient was discharged and that is where Merck would bring in their profit. An employee within Merck saw what was going on and didn’t approve. A lawsuit quickly followed and Merck ended up paying $671 million, including sixty eight million dollars to the whistleblower (Merck to pay whistleblower, 2008). Even after settling Merck did not think they were in the wrong with this pricing, as Merck to pay whistleblower (2008) reported Merck making a statement saying they â€Å"stands by its pricing strategies but is keen to resolve the dispute† (p. 2). Unfortunately for Merck, Vioxx isn’t the only drug that has caused people to question Merck’s ethical decision making when it comes to their customers. As noted above, Merck released a drug called Propecia t o the public that helped men with baldness. The problem with Propecia is that men are starting to see a great increase in sexual problems. Merck says that only one out of fifty men will see significant sexual side effects, and those side effects will disappear after you stop taking Propecia (Thornton, 2011). But that doesn’t seem to be the case.A recent study by Micheal Irving showed that ninety percent of his test patients still showed signs of sexual problems forty months after being off of Propecia (Thornton, 2011). This is where ethics will hurt Merck the most. Not only have there been hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and settlements that will be paid out, but if Merck continues to keep making unethical managerial decisions, Merck will lose the trust of their customers. Even though there is no evidence yet that Merck knew that Propecia would harm people after they stopped taking the drug, it’s hard not to think of how the Merck management decided to handle Vioxx.The financial hit is a big blow that will slow present and future projects, but money is a lot easier to gain back than trust. References Berman, J. (2011, June). UPS and Merck extend relationship with a global supply chain focus. Retrieved February 2013, from http://www. logisticsmgmt. com/article/ups_and_merck_extend_relationship_witha_ global_supply_chain_focus/ businesswire. (2011, June). UPS and Merck Expand Their Distribution and Logistics Agreement. Retrieved February 2013, from businesswire. com: http://www. businesswire. com/news/home/20110628005271/en/UPS-Merck-Expand-Distribution-Logistics-AgreementCahana, A. , & Mauron, A. (2006). The story of Vioxx—no pain and a lot of gain: ethical concerns regarding conduct of the pharmaceutical industry. Journal of anesthesia,  20(4), 348-351. doi:10. 1007/s00540-006-0432-7 Culp, D. R. , & Isobel, B. (2007, August 6). Merck and the Vioxx       debacle. Retrieved February 13, 2013 from St. Johns University,       Web site: http://www. stjohns. edu/media/3/2c0778b7593f4a178b60354abc80bad8. pdf Grant, B. (2009, April 30). Merck published fake journal. Retrieved Febuary 12, 2013 from, Web site: http://www. the-scientist. om/? articles. view/articleNo/27376/title/Merck- published-fake- journal/ Daily, M. (2005, July 18). Merck used ‘dodge ball’ on Vioxx       questions-lawyer. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from, Web site:       http://www. redorbit. com/news/general/178738/ Kay, J. ( 2004, November 22). The Vioxx scandal: Damning senate       testimony reveals drug company, government complicity. Retrieved 2013, February 9 from , Web site: http://www. wsws. org/en/articles/2004/11/viox-n22. html Merck & Co. , Inc. International Directory of Company Histories. 2000.Retrieved February 19, 2013 from Encyclopedia. com:  http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-2843800076. html Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. , a subsidiary of  Merck & Co. , Inc. (2009-2013). Retrieved February 18 , 2013, from http://www. merck. com/index. html Merck to pay whistleblower. (2008). TCE: The Chemical Engineer, (801), 12. Miller, C. , & Goldman, K. (2003, October, 23). Merck, aids, and       Africa. Retrieved February 2, 2013 from New York University,       Leonard N. Stern School of Business Web site: http://pages. stern. nyu. edu/~lcabral/teaching/aids. pdf Muse, L.A. (2011). Flexibility implementation to a global workforce: a case study of Merck and Company, Inc. Community, Work & Family,  14(2), 249-256. Singer, N. (March 9, 2009). Merck to Buy Schering-Plough for $41. 1 Billion. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/03/10/business/10drug. html? _r=0 February 19, 2013. Thornton, J. (2011). A Hair-Raising Side Effect. Men's Health (10544836), 26(10), 102-105. Unicef (2013). Merck & co. , inc. Retrieved January 12, 2013 from, Partners Web site       http://www. unicefusa. org/partners/corporate/merck. html Pharmaceutical Industry and E. Merck Ag Historical background of the business Today Merck & Co, Inc. is one of the most recognizable companies in the pharmaceutical industry. When asked about Merck, most people think that it is and always has been a US company. However, the company’s history can be traced all the way back to the 1600’s where it was started in Darmstadt, Germany. Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased a local store in 1668 where he prepared and sold medicines. The store was called â€Å"At the sign of the Angels† and would remain in the Merck family for many generations (Merck & co. , 2000). In 1827, Heinrich Emmanuel Merck and renamed E.MERCK AG transformed the store into a drug manufacturer. The pharmacy was so successful that by 1855 E. Merck AG was selling medications worldwide. It was at this time that Merck decided to send a company officer to the United States to set up a sales office. Once in the U. S. in 1899, Heinrich’s grandson George Merck bought one hundred and fifty acres in Rahway, New Jersey. A couple of years later, in 1903, Merck started production in its new U. S. headquarters. By this time Merck was not just producing drugs, it was also starting to produce different types of chemicals and there was also a research lab.When the United States entered World War I in 1917, George Merck, fearing that Germany would win the war and take over his company, sold all of his stock to a US company named Alien Property Custodian (Merck & Co. , 2000). This ended all of Merck’s ties to Germany. After the war, George Merck regained a controlling share of the company in 1919 and from that day forward Merck has always been a publicly owned company. George Merck continued to grow the company until his death in 1926 at which time his son, George W. Merck took over. In 1926, George W.Merck decided to merge the company with Powers-Weightman-Rosengarten, which was a Philadelphia, based pharmaceutical company. In 1927 the company was officially incorporated and renamed Merck & Co. Inc. This merger gave George W. Merck the capital he needed to recruit new chemists and biologists, which lead to the discovery of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 was a huge success, but because the war had been over for several years, new foreign companies were continually underselling Merck. With no new products in sight, George W. Merck decided to merge with a Baltimore company by the name of Sharp & Dohme, Inc.This merger was believed to have saved Merck from going under; it gave Merck new marketing facilities and a new distribution network, which it desperately needed. By the time George W. Merck died in 1957, the company had hit the one hundred million dollar mark. Not only was the dollar mark significant, George’s death marked the last time a Merck family member would ever be in control. From the 60’s on, Merck continued to raise its market share taking advantage of its research and development, which continually produced new and popular drugs every year.Today Merck employs over fifty five thousand people and produces some of the most well known pharmaceutical products on the market. With profits totaling a little fewer than six billion dollars and annual sales of over twelve and half billion dollars, Merck is considered one of the best pharmaceutical companies in the world. Products Throughout the years, Merck has made itself a reputation for developing high quality products that consumers know will work. The drugs are developed to help with all different types of problems.Some medicines are used for every day symptoms like a stuffed up nose and some are used for more serious illnesses like the treatment of HIV. Since Merck & Co. , Inc. was founded; it has always made a point to have an above average research and development program so that it could appeal to a wide variety of consumers no matter what symptoms they were trying to cure. Some of the first products ever distributed by Merck in the 1820’s were morphine, co deine and cocaine. These three products allowed Merck enough revenue to begin research on other types of products.In 1933 Merck scientists discovered vitamin B12 which was, at the time, used as a therapeutic drug. The sales from B12 alone were enough to carry Merck into the next decade. Although Merck scientists discovered cortisone, which is a steroid, and streptomycin, which is used to treat tuberculosis, the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s were fairly slow periods for Merck. Other products such as Aldomet, which is used to treat depression, Indocin and Clinoril which are anti-inflammatory drugs, were developed but none of them had the impact on revenue that Merck was used to.It was not until the mid to late 70’s that Merck came out with some new products that really connected with consumers. It was at this time that Timoptic and Enalapril were invented. Timoptic is a hepatitis vaccine that helps with the treatment of glaucoma and Enalapril is a high blood pressu re medication. Sales from these two drugs were well over a half a billion dollars by the early 1980’s. Things only got better for Merck from the 1980’s through 2000. During this time Merck produced over twenty new drugs.Some of the more popular drugs include Cosopt, used in the treatment of glaucoma, Propecia, which is used to treat hair loss, Maxalt, which is used for migraine headaches, and Singulair, which treats cases of asthma. Although all of these medications worked out very well for Merck’s profit, there were three drugs that stood above the rest. Vasotec was a treatment for congestive heart failure and Merck’s first billion dollar a year drug. That was followed by Vioxx which is a pain medication used to treat arthritis and also a billion dollar a year seller. The most popular drug Merck ever produced was Zocor.Zocor is a cholesterol-fighting drug that was introduced in 1992. Not only was zocor a multi-billion dollar a year drug, it was one of th e most successful selling pharmaceutical drugs ever (Merck & Co. , 2000). Zocor accounted for over four billion dollars in worldwide sales in 2004 alone. With products like these and a continued dedication to research and development, Merck will be a major player in the pharmaceutical industry for many years to come. Company Locations Merck and its subsidiaries have locations all over the world. Their main headquarters is currently located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.Merck takes pride in being a global healthcare leader. According to their website they currently have 83,000 employees worldwide (Merck. com). In 2009, Merck merged with competitor Shering-Plough, which extended Merck’s reach into the global economy. According to Muse (2011), Merck has over 75 locations, â€Å"Drawing from its locations in 77 countries, Merck’s worldwide sales for 2009 were $27. 4 billion (Muse p. 251). † These locations stretch across the continental United States from New Je rsey to San Francisco. The worldwide locations include factories in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan.Merck’s revenues continue to climb with their global growth. The revenues recorded in various regions by Merck in 2012 include, â€Å" |2012 Revenues |United States | |(By Geographic Region) |$20. 4 billion | | | | | |Europe, Middle East and Africa | | |$13. billion | | | | | |Japan | | |$5. 1 billion | | | | | |Other | | |$8. billion (Merck. com). † | | | | Merck is seen as a leader on the stage of global expansion. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Merck continues to grow and expand its influence in an effort to provide their vaccines and medicines across the globe. Their recent merger will allow them to test markets that they have not had experience in before, and help increase their profits globally.Style of International Business Merck has been on the forefront of International Business and is one of the leaders at adapt ing to new employees in diverse geographic locations. The company has maintained a policy of progressiveness in their workplace. According to Muse (2011) Merck is one of the leaders in this field. They have been ranked among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity and the 100 Best Corporate Citizens List (Muse p. 251). † Merck makes diversity one of their top priorities and it is well documented on their website. They have created a voice for the different diverse peoples within their company.It is a new way to maintain communication with the feelings and thoughts of various groups in different regions throughout the world. Merck calls these Global Constituency Groups. According to their website, â€Å"We've taken an innovative, global approach to our diversity strategy through the creation of Global Constituency Groups. These groups represent the diverse constituencies in our company, our customers and society, in general. The members represent different geographies, cultures and areas of expertise. Together they reflect Merck employees and customers globally†. Merck. com) With this process, Merck is able to keep up with the problems and successes within the different constituencies throughout the company. Merck’s plan to achieve diversity within their company begins from the leadership positions. Filling these positions with people mindful of diversity has allowed the company to continue to keep its place among the most diverse companies in the world. According to Merck, â€Å"Diversity and inclusion are integrated into our leadership model, and are considered an essential leadership skill for all of our employees (Merck. com). Merck preaches this diversity not only to their employees, but their suppliers as well. â€Å"At Merck, we believe that having a diverse supplier base helps us better understand and anticipate the needs of the people we serve (Merck. com). † This creates a positive culture throughout the company of acceptance an d tolerance towards others. It is a progressive policy that allows Merck to continue to flourish and it is a model style of International Business. Strategic Alliances Merck has made many strategic alliances throughout the years to help improve their products or supply them to a wider range of people.In the late 80’s Merck made an alliance with one of the biggest companies in the United States, Johnson & Johnson. According to the International Directory of Company Histories (2000), â€Å"In 1989 Merck joined with Johnson & Johnson in a venture to develop over-the-counter (OTC) versions of Merck’s prescription medications, initially for the U. S. market, later expanded to Europe and Canada (encyclopedia. com)†. This helped Merck products become more easily available to consumers throughout the world. At the time this alliance was hailed as a blockbuster deal that would create growth for both companies.This deal lasted over twenty years and was very profitable for both parties. When Merck sold their stake in the deal in 2011, they received $175 million for it. The largest alliance Merck has made recently is the acquisition, or reverse merger, of their rival Schering-Plough. The $40 billion deal was made in an effort to keep up with other companies in the pharmaceutical market, especially Pfizer. According to Singer (2009), â€Å"The merger would join pharmaceutical companies that had combined sales of $46. 9 billion last year (p. 1). † This alliance expanded Merck globally and allowed it to tap into Schering-Plough’s resources.These resources ranged from new drugs for Merck to market, to a bigger pipeline to promote their own drugs. According to Singer (2009), â€Å"The merger gives it access to successful brand-name Schering products with much longer patents, like the prescription allergy spray Nasonex. And Merck could capitalize on Schering’s investments in promising biotechnology drugs (Singer p. 1 ). † This al liance helped Merck continue to be a formidable competitor in the global pharmaceutical market. With this deal happening only a few short years ago, Merck continues to grow and utilize its new resources in the market today.Exports Merck’s exports consist of various types of pharmaceuticals. Some of their most profitable exports include Singulair, Fosamax, Nasonex, and Vytorin. Singulair is used to treat seasonal allergies like other drugs such as Claritin and Allegra. It can also be used to prevent asthma attacks. It has been very profitable for Merck in the past. Yet, sales began to dramatically fall when media reports about the disturbing side effects of Singulair began to surface. The worst of these side effects included depression and suicidal thoughts.Still, even in spite of Singulair’s profit drop, Merck continues to make large amounts of money off of the export. Nasonex and Vytorin are two products that were a result of the Merck and Schering-Plough merger. Naso nex is a nasal spray used to treat seasonal allergies in adults and children. It has proved to be a positive part of the merger, becoming one of Merck’s most profitable products. Vytorin was already part of a joint effort between Merck and Schering-Plough even before the merger. Vytorin is a combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin used to treat cholesterol levels.They created and marketed the product together. After the merger, Merck continued to sell and market Vytorin. Fosamax is another popular export of the Merck Company. It is used to treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Fosamax was previously one of Merck’s best selling drugs. Yet, because of patent problems, they have lost large amount of money. According to Singer (2009) â€Å"Merck’s former blockbuster bone drug Fosamax has gone generic, and in a few years the same thing will happen to its best-selling allergy and asthma drug Singulair (pg. 1 ). † These exports have been Merck’s ma in products in the past.In the future, with their recent merger, they should be able to develop new products that can help them rebound from the losses they took from products like Fosamax and Singulair. Transportation In order to effectively and efficiently deliver their products throughout the world, Merck has contracted UPS to deliver them. As of June 2011, the joint venture known as MSD has announced that it would include and take care of Merck’s logistics and distribution around the world, which till now only managed Merck’s distribution, warehousing and transportation in North America (Berman, 2011).According to Willie A. Deese, executive vice president and president, Merck Manufacturing Division,â€Å" This expanded agreement with UPS allows us to focus on our core business as a global healthcare leader that looks for innovative ways to bring our medicines and vaccines to patients in emerging markets and markets around the world† (businesswire, 2011). The collaboration, which began in early 2003 with UPS just taking care of the transportation and delivery of products over time, has extended to North American distribution, warehousing and multi-modal transportation services (businesswire, 2011).Merck now entrusted UPS with taking care of their logistics in countries like China, Brazil as well as Latin America among others. UPS also stated that it would establish proper facilities in order to store goods and vaccines so in order to ensure quicker and efficient delivery system (Berman, 2011). Merck believes that this extended partnership with UPS would result in being cost effective in the long run. Although Merck does rely on other logistic companies as well, but they rely more heavily on UPS and this current agreement will only further increase the company’s trust in the logistics firm (businesswire, 2011).Ethical Standards The code of ethics from Merck’s website (2013) states: Being a good corporate citizen means that we comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Also, we serve our society, from the local communities in which we operate to the national and international levels, by supporting a number of programs, including those that improve health and promote environmental sustainability. All of our activities are guided by our corporate responsibility principle of â€Å"Helping the World Be Well†. (p. 1) Ethical Violations Merck & Co. ave developed some great products that have helped many people. They have even done some amazing humanitarian work that follows their mission of their code of ethics, which is to help the people of this world be as healthy as they can. For example, After World War II, many people who were living in Japan could not afford the Merck developed drug streptomycin (Miller & Goldman, 2003). Streptomycin was the first drug to fight tuberculosis. Merck decided to sell streptomycin at a much lower cost in Japan so it could be distributed to those who nee ded it and could not afford it at market value.Merck is also one of the nation’s largest donors to UNICEF. One of the ways that Merck has partnered with UNICEF is by donating a drug called Mectizan. Mectizan is a drug that Merck has developed to fight river blindness, and Merck has teamed up with UNICEF in order to distribute Mectizan to anyone who needs it (Unicef, 2013). But the business strategies for Merck have not always been as ethically sound as it may appear. On September 30th 2004 the drug that Merck had created to treat arthritis and severe pain, Vioxx, was pulled off the shelves for good.The reason behind shutting down this drug was that it was found to have caused serious illnesses after long term use, including heart attacks and strokes (Kay, 2004). Vioxx was withdrawn only five years after being introduced, but in that short time had effected many, in those five years there had been over eighty million prescriptions for Vioxx (Kay, 2004). Dr David Graham, the as sociate director for science and medicine at the Office of Drug Safety, estimates that Vioxx caused between 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks, of which thirty to forty percent have most likely died (Kay, 2004).But did Merck know of this threat before they started to market the drug? Before Merck released Vioxx in 1999 their own scientist conducted tests on Vioxx while developing it. In 1997 these scientist did a study and found that patients who were being tested on were six times more likely to have heart complications when using Vioxx compared to other arthritis drugs. But this study was never released and the data was never sent to the FDA (Culp & Isobel, 2007).Scientist also completed a VIGOR (Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research) test on the drug and found evidence that people who take Vioxx had a five times higher chance of having a heart attack (Cahana & Mauron, 2006). In 2001 Merck scientist had another test called â€Å"meta-analysis†. The meta-analysis tested 20, 000 patients, and again showed that these patients were twice as likely to have a heart attack while taking Vioxx compared to other drugs (Culp & Isobel, 2007). Not only did Merck know about these risks and kept the results to themselves, they also trained their sales people on how to dodge the subject.In order to train the sales force who were going to be selling Vioxx to doctors, Merck developed a card game called dodgeball. The purpose of this game was to teach the sales force different ways to dodge questions asked by doctors about the effects Vioxx has on the heart (Daily, 2005). This again proves that Merck knew of these risks caused by taking Vioxx, but was trying to make sure that information was kept in house. Another instance where Merck lacked good ethical decision making is when they decided to pay Elsevier to publish a magazine for them. Elsevier is a publishing company that focuses mainly on medical and scientific literature.Merck’s marketing team decided to pay Elsevier to publish a journal called The Australiasian Journal of Bone & Joint Medicine. This journal was made to look like any other peer-reviewed medical journal but it was far from it. Merck’s marketing department handpicked the articles that they wanted to put in this journal, with the purpose of trying to control what articles were chosen to be in the journal. They took advantage of this situation by picking articles that favored Merck products and disguising this marketing scheme as a peer review journal (Grant, 2009).For instance in the second issue twenty one of the twenty nine articles spoke about Merck’s products in a favorable way, nine of them positively talking about Vioxx (Grant, 2009). Merck also had an ethical downfall when management decided to change the prices of their product. Not only was Merck paying doctors to prescribe Merck medicine when patients were in the hospital, Merck also started to give hospitals a ninety two percent discount on their medicine; with the idea that after the patient was discharged they would want to stay on the same medicine (Merck to pay whistleblower, 2008).The insurance company would pay full price for the drugs after the patient was discharged and that is where Merck would bring in their profit. An employee within Merck saw what was going on and didn’t approve. A lawsuit quickly followed and Merck ended up paying $671 million, including sixty eight million dollars to the whistleblower (Merck to pay whistleblower, 2008). Even after settling Merck did not think they were in the wrong with this pricing, as Merck to pay whistleblower (2008) reported Merck making a statement saying they â€Å"stands by its pricing strategies but is keen to resolve the dispute† (p. 2). Unfortunately for Merck, Vioxx isn’t the only drug that has caused people to question Merck’s ethical decision making when it comes to their customers. As noted above, Merck released a drug called Propecia t o the public that helped men with baldness. The problem with Propecia is that men are starting to see a great increase in sexual problems. Merck says that only one out of fifty men will see significant sexual side effects, and those side effects will disappear after you stop taking Propecia (Thornton, 2011). But that doesn’t seem to be the case.A recent study by Micheal Irving showed that ninety percent of his test patients still showed signs of sexual problems forty months after being off of Propecia (Thornton, 2011). This is where ethics will hurt Merck the most. Not only have there been hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and settlements that will be paid out, but if Merck continues to keep making unethical managerial decisions, Merck will lose the trust of their customers. Even though there is no evidence yet that Merck knew that Propecia would harm people after they stopped taking the drug, it’s hard not to think of how the Merck management decided to handle Vioxx.The financial hit is a big blow that will slow present and future projects, but money is a lot easier to gain back than trust. References Berman, J. (2011, June). UPS and Merck extend relationship with a global supply chain focus. Retrieved February 2013, from http://www. logisticsmgmt. com/article/ups_and_merck_extend_relationship_witha_ global_supply_chain_focus/ businesswire. (2011, June). UPS and Merck Expand Their Distribution and Logistics Agreement. Retrieved February 2013, from businesswire. com: http://www. businesswire. com/news/home/20110628005271/en/UPS-Merck-Expand-Distribution-Logistics-AgreementCahana, A. , & Mauron, A. (2006). The story of Vioxx—no pain and a lot of gain: ethical concerns regarding conduct of the pharmaceutical industry. Journal of anesthesia,  20(4), 348-351. doi:10. 1007/s00540-006-0432-7 Culp, D. R. , & Isobel, B. (2007, August 6). Merck and the Vioxx       debacle. Retrieved February 13, 2013 from St. Johns University,       Web site: http://www. stjohns. edu/media/3/2c0778b7593f4a178b60354abc80bad8. pdf Grant, B. (2009, April 30). Merck published fake journal. Retrieved Febuary 12, 2013 from, Web site: http://www. the-scientist. om/? articles. view/articleNo/27376/title/Merck- published-fake- journal/ Daily, M. (2005, July 18). Merck used ‘dodge ball’ on Vioxx       questions-lawyer. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from, Web site:       http://www. redorbit. com/news/general/178738/ Kay, J. ( 2004, November 22). The Vioxx scandal: Damning senate       testimony reveals drug company, government complicity. Retrieved 2013, February 9 from , Web site: http://www. wsws. org/en/articles/2004/11/viox-n22. html Merck & Co. , Inc. International Directory of Company Histories. 2000.Retrieved February 19, 2013 from Encyclopedia. com:  http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-2843800076. html Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. , a subsidiary of  Merck & Co. , Inc. (2009-2013). Retrieved February 18 , 2013, from http://www. merck. com/index. html Merck to pay whistleblower. (2008). TCE: The Chemical Engineer, (801), 12. Miller, C. , & Goldman, K. (2003, October, 23). Merck, aids, and       Africa. Retrieved February 2, 2013 from New York University,       Leonard N. Stern School of Business Web site: http://pages. stern. nyu. edu/~lcabral/teaching/aids. pdf Muse, L.A. (2011). Flexibility implementation to a global workforce: a case study of Merck and Company, Inc. Community, Work & Family,  14(2), 249-256. Singer, N. (March 9, 2009). Merck to Buy Schering-Plough for $41. 1 Billion. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/03/10/business/10drug. html? _r=0 February 19, 2013. Thornton, J. (2011). A Hair-Raising Side Effect. Men's Health (10544836), 26(10), 102-105. Unicef (2013). Merck & co. , inc. Retrieved January 12, 2013 from, Partners Web site       http://www. unicefusa. org/partners/corporate/merck. html

Marketing of Hardbite Chips

Hardbite Chips Langara College School of Management MARK 1115 Introduction to Marketing D. Hill 23 November 2009 Executive Summary This report provides an analysis of Hardbite Chips and the Snack Food Industry and offers recommendations for Hardbite Chips to develop an effective marketing plan. Hardbite Chips is an environmentally sustainable business that provides healthy, good-tasting, and quality potato chips. The target market we have selected for Hardbite Chips is health conscious consumers, particularly those with children.It is our belief that the consumers will be attracted by the healthy features of our product and will be willing to pay slightly more for these benefits. It is our objective to significantly increase awareness of our product among these consumers. As our funds for promotional activities are limited and our target market can be hard to reach our marketing mix focuses heavily on sales promotion. Advertising and public relations will help us promote the features of our product and position it as a high quality brand in the minds of consumers. We hope to use personal selling to increase the number of retailers that carry our product.We believe Hardbite Chips has the ability to obtain satisfactory profits and grow the business. This will allow the company to better compete against the numerous competitors in the industry and increase sales. As the business grows, more funds can be spent on promotional activities enabling the company to expand its target market and appeal to more retailers. Table of Contents Current Marketing Strategy†¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 Company Mission Statement.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 Internal and External Analysis PEST Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 SWOT Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Competitive Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Target Market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 Marketing Objectives and Issues†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Marketing Research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 Product Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 Pricing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Distribution Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Integrated Marketing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12Appendix I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 Endnotes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 Current Marketing Situation The Canadian snack food market presents a lucrative opportunity for new and existing companies in the industry. In 2008, Canadians ate an average of 3. 2 kg of potato chips. 1 Food stores capture the majority of snack food purchases in 2001 at approximately 67% and supermarkets accounted for approximately two-thirds of this. Convenience stores took the third largest share of the market at around 13%.Mass merchandisers and wholesale club stores have increased their market share in recent years, passing convenience stores, as more of these types of locations have opened in Canada. However, this change has not yet significantly affected food stores. 2 In 2007, Canadian retail grocery stores sold over $1. 8 billion worth of snack food, with potato chips accounting for approximately $550 million. This continues the recent trend of 6% growth in annual retail sales of potato chips. 3 This growth has encouraged companies to expand into nich e markets by offering unique flavours and organic products.The Canadian snack food industry has seen an increase in new entrants in recent years despite the presence of big corporations. These big corporations have economies of scale which give them a significant competitive advantage in terms of cost. Furthermore, these corporations benefit from massive advertising budgets that allow them to hold on to their majority market share. Frito-Lays, a division of PepsiCo. , is the leader in the Canadian snack food industry with multiple SBUs that offer many different products, including different varieties of chips in various flavours. However, the opportunity exists for smaller companies to come in nd target niche markets. In fact, â€Å"in 2006, 106 Canadian snack food manufactures shipped $1. 6 billion of product†. 4 However, big corporations are beginning to see the potential of these markets and are beginning to expand into them. A good example of this is Frito-Lays and the in troduction of their Wasabi flavoured chips5. Company Mission Statement Hardbite Chips is dedicated to providing our customers with a healthy, good-tasting, and quality potato chip. In doing so, we are committed to be an environmentally sustainable company with strong ties to the community. Internal and External Analysis PEST Analysis: Hardbite Chips | |Political Environment |Economical Environment | |Mandatory nutrition labeling |Economic recession | |Provincial Government policy bans junk food sales in elementary and |Tough to get capital | |high schools |People are less likely to spend money on unknown premium brands | |Social Cultural Environment |Technological Environment | |Trend away from unhealthy snacks |Equipment needed to expand production is expensive | |Potato chips blamed for contributing to obesity | | |Recent discovery of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen, found in | | |carbohydrates cooked at high temperatures | | |People looking to buy environmentally friendly products | | |Competitive Environment |Demographic Environment | |Heavy competition in industry |Many consumers more interested in environmentally friendly products | |Low brand loyalty among consumers in industry |Many people are concerned about health | |Large corporations have majority of market share | | SWOT Analysis: Hardbite Chips | |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Product is hand-cooked |Limited cash-flow makes it difficult to grow | |Potatoes are grown locally |Brand is fairly unknown | |Focus on quality |Small production facility compared to major competitors | |Unique flavours | | |Growing brand awareness | | |Sold in many health stores and on many campuses in BC.Also sold | | |across BC in well known stores such as London Drugs, Shoppers Drug | | |Mart, Overwaitea, and IGA Marketplace locations | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Expanding market |Provincial Government policy bans junk food sales in elementary and | |Many consumers are becoming more interested in environme ntally |high schools |friendly products |Larger competition may enter market | |Many consumers are concerned about health |Economic recession | |Opportunity to target niche ethnic markets |Tough to get capital | | |People are less likely to spend money on unknown premium brands | | |Low brand loyalty among consumers in industry | Competitive Analysis We wish to position Hardbite Chips as a top quality potato chip brand in the minds of consumers. It is our desire to utilize the frequent consumer assumption that quality and price are related. [pic] We believe Hardbite Chips has the potential to develop a niche competitive advantage. Our primary focus is on serving health conscious consumers.Thus, our most important unique selling proposition is to focus on the healthy qualities of our product. By producing an all natural potato chip that is free of trans-fats, we believe we will appeal to health conscious consumers. Also, Hardbite Chips was an early entrant into the expanding healt hy potato chip market and the company has expanded its distribution points from originally selling in health food stores. It is our belief that this has created brand recognition among the early adopters of healthy snacks. As the number of consumers purchasing healthy snacks increases, we think these early adopters will recommend the product to consumers helping the brand grow.Furthermore, with the discovery of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen, in baked and fried carbohydrates cooked at high temperatures, including many of the existing potato chips on the market, we have an advantage over many of our competitors as our product is not cooked at high enough temperatures to produce acrylamide. Hardbite Chips also uses unique ingredients such as Himalayan salt which provides more nutrients while keeping sodium levels low. This can be particularly appealing to health conscious consumers, especially to those with high blood pressure. Another unique selling proposition Hardbite Chips can use is to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. Our company is committed to be an environmentally friendly company.Our potatoes and spices are supplied by local growers and our packaging is supplied by a local manufacturer. By highlighting these facts we believe we can convince environmentally conscious consumers that our company operates with similar values. As the â€Å"green† movement grows larger, we think we are situated to capture a large portion of this growing market. Another advertising appeal that we could use as a unique selling proposition is our unique flavours which may appeal to particular ethnic groups. While we attempt to make flavours that we think will appeal to everyone, we realize that certain ethnic groups may find some of our flavours appealing as they are familiar with them.For instance, our creamy coconut and curry flavoured chips may have a special appeal to Thai people as coconut milk is often added to curry in many Thai recipes. Although w e currently offer only a few unique flavours, it is our desire to develop more. By looking for inspiration in traditional ethnic foods we believe we can find flavours that appeal to Canada’s diverse ethnic communities as well as more traditional consumers of potato chips. Target Market In examining the potato chip market, we have decided to segment the market based on a psychographic segmentation. Our key considerations are the consumers’ motives, personality, lifestyle, and geodemographics.Since, there is normally just one person who does the grocery shopping for an entire family, most likely a parent, it is our desire to target this person. In particular, we are interested in targeting working parents who are raising children in an urban environment. In terms of personality and lifestyle we would segment these people by looking at the type and amount of activities they do. We are looking to target people who have full, active schedules and are looking for healthy foo d options but do not have time to compare products on their own. For motives, we are looking for parents that are concerned about providing healthy snacks their children will actually eat.By using geodemographics, we will be able to slightly modify our advertisements for certain ethnic neighbourhoods. We have chosen to target this segment because our product is capable of meeting their needs and should easily appeal to them. Also, as this segment purchases most of the food for their family, our product will be exposed to their children as well. This will help grow brand recognition and will help increase the sales of our product among other segments. The primary challenge we foresee in targeting this segment of the market is our ability to find an appropriate and effective media to communicate to them. These people balance work and family obligations which can take up a substantial amount of their time.For a convenience product such as snack food, these people may not pay attention to ads for different brands. Also, these people often have other things on their mind so they may be distracted when presented with our ads. Marketing Objectives and Issues Our objective is to increase consumer awareness of our product by 30% in the next year. Since our product is still fairly unknown and the company has been focussed on expanding production facilities, we believe now is a good time to increase promotional expenditures and raise awareness of our product. We are most concerned with increasing the awareness of our product benefits and decreasing customer resistance to buying our product.To measure the success of our objective, we will use monthly surveys to determine the approximate number of consumers aware of our product. When increasing awareness of our product, we wish to focus on the benefits that our product offers to consumers. These benefits would include the healthy aspects and quality of our potato chips. We believe consumers will perceive our all-natural, h and-cooked products as highly compatible with their lifestyles. Thus, as consumers become aware of our product, sales should increase. Also, by increasing awareness of our product we hope to decrease consumer resistance to buying our product. In recent years, potato chips have come under attack for contributing to obesity and related health problems.Additionally, carbohydrates cooked at high temperatures have been found to contain acrylamide, a possible carcinogen. Our product addresses these concerns and by informing consumers of this, we believe they will decide to choose our product over our competitors leading to an increase in our sales. In order to measure the effectiveness of our strategy, it is important to receive continuous feedback from consumers. Therefore we will survey consumers throughout the year to measure changes in awareness of our product and the change in the number of people buying our product. We will also ask consumers how they view our product compared to th ose offered by other snack food manufacturers and how they perceive our product in terms of health.Challenges in meeting our marketing objectives will include selecting an effective channel through which to educate consumers about our product. Also, as more companies are entering into the market we will be competing with them to make customers aware of our products. Another challenge that may present itself is the large companies in the industry may also become aware of our product and choose to emulate some characteristics of our product reducing our competitive advantage and making it harder to convince consumers are products are differentiated enough to be material. To overcome these challenges we will attempt to communicate with consumers as close as possible to the point of purchase.Our integrated marketing communication strategy will be the key to providing us the opportunity to meet our marketing objectives. Marketing Research Our research thus far has only included secondary sources of information. However, this information has given us a basic understanding of the market, changes occurring in the market, and our competitors in the industry. Statistics Canada has provided us with detailed information on the total sales of snack food in Canada as well as how large a portion potato chips make up of these sales. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Services have helped us to determine where the majority of snack foods are purchased by consumers in Canada.Industry Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have also supplied us with detailed information about the size of the industry as well as general performance information for the industry. Despite the high cost of primary data, it is our belief that it would benefit the company to conduct such research. This would allow us to better define the exact size and distribution of our target market, the growth of this segment, and the rate at which this segment’s beliefs and attitudes are changing. Primary data will also allow us to develop new flavours that are customers would enjoy. To gather this information we would recommend the company use internet surveys with screened internet samples and to design the questionnaire to provide data on all of these areas so as to keep costs as minimal as possible.We have chosen screened internet samples because they can provide real-time reports and can be personalized for individual respondents. Also, since the segment we have chosen to target is quite active and busy, internet sampling will allow us to reach these consumers and hopefully receive a high rate of responses. Additionally, primary data is needed to assess the company’s ability to meet the marketing objectives. For this we would recommend the company conduct internet surveys with recruited internet samples each month. This will allow us to determine the effectiveness of our promotions. We have included a sample survey that the comp any may use for this purpose (see Appendix I). We have chosen the internet sample method because of its relatively low cost.However, as the company grows, we would recommend the use of focus groups to help develop and test new flavours of chips and to help determine the most effective way of promoting the product to our target market. Although they are more expensive, focus groups allow us to get more detailed information from consumers which we can then use to better serve our customers. Product Strategy Potato chips are at the maturity stage in the product life cycle. Many of our competitors have been in the business longer than us and have established a hold over some share of the market. Many new entrants to the industry, including Hardbite Chips, target niche markets that have been underserved by larger, more established companies. Our product is aimed at satisfying the needs of health conscious consumers.To meet these needs, our product provides consumers with many healthy fea tures not included with other potato chips. By making our potato chips trans-fat and cholesterol free we provide a product that consumers can snack on without having to worry about high cholesterol and its detrimental effects on health. We also use Himalayan salt instead of table salt on our potato chips. Himalayan salt provides â€Å"84 minerals in the same ratio as healthy blood plasma† and is a lower sodium alternative to table salt. 6 We believe this will be particularly appealing to health conscious consumers, especially those with high blood pressure. Another health benefit our potato chips have over those of most others potato chips, is our unique cooking process.During this process, temperatures do not get high enough to create acrylamide in our potato chips. Since acrylamide is has been found to be a possible carcinogen, we believe customers will see this as a significant benefit. Our product is augmented by offering our potato chips in different and unique flavours. Also, information about the healthy qualities of our product can be found on the packaging. We would like to further augment the product by increasing the number of flavours available and providing a guarantee of consumer satisfaction with our product. Our long term goal is to position the Hardbite Chips as a top quality brand in the minds of consumers. Pricing StrategyOur pricing objective is satisfactory profits. This will enable us to compete with our competitors and continue to grow our production levels. Our competitors in the industry are numerous and many have developed economies of scale giving them the advantage of lower costs. Therefore, to achieve our objective we want to position our product at a slightly higher price than our competitors. We want to utilize the assumption of uncertain consumers that price and quality are related. However, we must be careful not to price our product to high as the market for potato chips is elastic. It is important that the company has enough sales to cover our fixed costs and provide satisfactory profits.As we our selling a product in the maturity stage of the product lifestyle, the distribution channels we use is important to the company. Thus, it is important that we price our product at a level that appeals to wholesalers and retailers. Our pricing strategy is to focus on the market for healthy and high quality potato chips. We believe this will allow us to price our product at a price slightly above our competitors. In order to encourage customers to try our product we will offer coupons. This will allow us stimulate demand by offering a lower price temporarily. We can then discontinue the rebate once people are aware of our product. Distribution StrategyHardbite Chips currently distributes the potato chips it produces through numerous distributors. This strategy has helped the brand grow from being sold in mainly in health stores to being sold on many campuses across BC in addition to well known stores such as London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, Overwaitea, and IGA Marketplace locations. This has allowed the company to increase demand for its products without having its own sales force. Given the proportion of snack food sales in retail grocery stores, we believe it is important that we communicate directly to these retailers to encourage them to carry our brand. We also think selling our product in convenience tores will help increase brand awareness. Retailers that we feel would immensely help increase our sales include Safeway, The Real Canadian Superstore, and 7-11. Getting our product sold in vending machines would also help increase brand awareness. Despite a provincial ban on the sales of junk food in elementary and high schools, vending machines are found in many high traffic areas. As our packaging has information on the health benefits of our product, health conscious consumers may be more inclined to buy our product given the alternatives. IMC Strategy Our primary communicatio n objective is to convince consumers our product is a healthy choice for their snacking needs.We would also like to communicate our commitment to the environment and our community. We feel that these messages can complement each other and work to position the company as caring and responsible in the minds of consumers. Given the size of our company and the limited amount of funds we have for promotion, we cannot afford to spend the amount we would like to on advertising. Thus, to reach our target market, we think we should advertise in magazines devoted to healthy lifestyles. The reason we have chosen magazines is they are a relativity low cost advertising option, they have a long advertising life and they have a high pass-along rate.We believe public relations may be the most cost effective way to increase customer awareness of our product. Sponsoring community activities, like a community garden, and co-sponsoring events like eco-challenge, which receives national television cover age, will help establish us as a health conscious and environmentally friendly company. Sponsoring activities like this will also likely result in positive media coverage for the company. This media coverage will inform consumers of our product that we were unable to reach through our advertising. Sales promotion provides many appealing options and offers the easiest way to reach our target market. For these reason it will be the largest portion of our target segment.Since potato chips are a convenience product, consumers spend a little time deciding which product to buy and they are not likely to remember advertising for a particular potato chip brand. Therefore, a point of purchase display may significantly help sway a consumer in favour of our product. This allows us to be the last promotional item they see before they make their purchase. Providing samples is another sale promotion technique that we think would work well for our product. By being able to sample our product befor e purchasing it, consumers will be less put off by our slightly higher price. As we discussed in our pricing strategy, we would also like to use coupons to entice customers to buy our product. By temporarily reducing our price we believe many more consumers will be willing to try our product.As we discussed in our distribution strategy, we would like to use personal selling to encourage more retailers to carry our product. By doing this together with our other promotional elements we hope to create an effective mix of push and pull strategies that will convince more retailers to carry our product. As the company grows and more funds can be spent on promotional activities we would like to increase the amount of advertising done. We would like to use different forms of media to reach our target market. Also, as consumer awareness of our brand grows and we increase our product offerings, we would like to expand our target market and create slightly different marketing campaigns to targ et certain ethnic groups. ConclusionDespite heavy competition in the snack food industry we think Hardbite Chips can produce satisfactory profits and continue to grow. Given that potato chips are in the maturity stage of the product life cycle, increasing the number of retailers that sell our product is an important part of our strategy. By increasing the number of retailers who sell our product, we will make it easier for our target market to purchase our product. We believe by increasing awareness of our product we can capture a large portion of health conscious consumers. By using our promotion mix to inform consumers of the benefits and features of our product, we can convince members of our target market segment that our brand is of high quality.Although our price is slightly higher than most of our competitors, we believe consumers will perceive our product as worth the extra cost. Appendix I Sample Survey |1. List all brands of potato chips that you are aware of. | |_________ _____________________________________________________________________ | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |2.Are you aware of the brand Hardbite Chips? (if your answer is no, skip to question 4) | |Yes ___ No___ | |3. What product features of Hardbite Chips are you aware of? | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |4. On average, how often do you buy potato chips? |More than once a week ___ | |Once a week___ | |Once a month___ | |Once every 2-3 months___ | Endnotes 1. Statistics Canada, Canada Food Stats: Analysis, http://www. statcan. gc. ca/ads-annonces/23f0001x/hl-fs-eng. htm 2. L. B. C. Consulting, Canada: Market Development Reports: Snack Food Market in Canada, Global Agriculture Information Network Report, United States D epartment of Agriculture (Ottawa, Canada: Foreign Agriculture Services, 2003), 6. http://www. fas. usda. gov/gainfiles/200301/145785163. pdf 3. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Retail Sales in Canadian Grocery Stores, 2007, http://www. ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/can/4714-eng. htmAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Retail Sales in Canadian Grocery Stores, 2006, http://www. ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/can/4715-eng. htm 4. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada's Snack Food Industry, http://ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/supply/3320_e. htm 5. The Province, â€Å"From pasta to potato chips,† May 21, 2006, Canadian Newstand, ProQuest 6. Sarah Merson, â€Å"SALT — THE PROS AND THE CONS,† Foods Matter (UK), March 2009, 9, EBSCOhost Bibliography Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Canada's Snack Food Industry. http://ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/supply/3320_e. htm. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Retail Sales in Canadian Grocery Stores, 2006. http://www. ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/can/4715-eng. htm.

The Sino-Indian War of 1962

The Sino-Indian War of 1962 In 1962, the worlds two most populous countries went to war. The Sino-Indian War claimed about 2,000 lives  and played out in the harsh terrain of the Karakoram Mountains, some 4,270 meters (14,000 feet) above sea level. Background to the War The primary cause of the 1962 war between India and China was the disputed border between the two countries, in the high mountains of Aksai Chin. India asserted that the region, which is slightly larger than Portugal, belonged to the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. China countered that it was part of Xinjiang.   The roots of the disagreement go back to the mid 19th century  when the British Raj in India and the Qing Chinese agreed to let the traditional border, wherever that might be, stand as the boundary between their realms. As of 1846, only those sections near the Karakoram Pass and Pangong Lake were clearly delineated; the rest of the border was not formally demarcated.   In 1865, the British Survey of India placed the boundary at the Johnson Line, which included about 1/3 of Aksai Chin within Kashmir. Britain did not consult with the Chinese about this demarcation  because Beijing was no longer in control of Xinjiang at the time. However, the Chinese recaptured Xinjiang in 1878. They gradually pressed forward, and set up boundary markers at Karakoram Pass in 1892, marking off Aksai Chin as part of Xinjiang. The British once again proposed a new border in 1899, known as the Macartney-Macdonald Line, which divided the territory along the Karakoram Mountains and gave India a larger piece of the pie. British India would control all of the Indus River watersheds  while China took the Tarim River watershed. When Britain sent the proposal and map to Beijing, the Chinese did not respond. Both sides accepted this line as settled, for the time being. Britain and China both used the different lines interchangeably, and neither country was particularly concerned since the area was mostly uninhabited and served only as a seasonal trading route. China had more pressing concerns with the fall of the Last Emperor and the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, which set off the Chinese Civil War. Britain would soon have World War I to contend with, as well. By 1947, when India gained its independence and maps of the subcontinent were redrawn in the Partition, the issue of Aksai Chin remained unresolved. Meanwhile, Chinas civil war would continue for two more years, until Mao Zedong and the Communists prevailed in 1949. The creation of Pakistan in 1947, the Chinese invasion and annexation of Tibet in 1950, and Chinas construction of a road to connect Xinjiang and Tibet through land claimed by India all complicated the issue. Relations reached a nadir in 1959, when Tibets spiritual and political leader, the Dalai Lama, fled into exile in the face of another Chinese invasion. Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru reluctantly granted the Dalai Lama sanctuary in India, angering Mao immensely.   Sino-Indian War From 1959 forward, border skirmishes broke out along the disputed line. In 1961, Nehru instituted the Forward Policy, in which India tried to establish border outposts and patrols north of Chinese positions, in order to cut them off from their supply line. The Chinese responded in kind, each side seeking to flank the other without direct confrontation. The summer and fall of 1962 saw increasing numbers of border incidents in Aksai Chin. One June skirmish killed more than twenty Chinese troops. In July, India authorized its troops to fire not only in self-defense  but to drive the Chinese back. By October, even as Zhou Enlai was personally assuring Nehru in New Delhi that China did not want war, the Peoples Liberation Army of China (PLA) was massing along the border. The first heavy fighting took place on October 10, 1962, in a skirmish that killed 25 Indian troops and 33 Chinese soldiers. On October 20, the PLA launched a two-pronged attack, seeking to drive the Indians out of Aksai Chin. Within two days, China had seized the entire territory. The main force of the Chinese PLA was 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the line of control by October 24. During a three-week ceasefire, Zhou Enlai ordered the Chinese to hold their position, as he sent a peace proposal to Nehru. The Chinese proposal was that both sides disengage and withdraw twenty kilometers from their current positions. Nehru responded that the Chinese troops needed to withdraw to their original position instead, and he called for a wider buffer zone. On November 14, 1962, the war resumed with an Indian attack against the Chinese position at Walong. After hundreds of more deaths and an American threat to intervene on behalf of the Indians, the two sides declared a formal ceasefire on November 19. The Chinese announced that they would withdraw from their present positions to the north of the illegal McMahon Line. However, the isolated troops in the mountains did not hear about the ceasefire for several days  and engaged in additional firefights. The war lasted just one month  but killed 1,383 Indian troops and 722 Chinese troops. An additional 1,047 Indians and 1,697 Chinese were wounded, and nearly 4,000 Indian soldiers were captured. Many of the casualties were caused by the harsh conditions at 14,000 feet, rather than by enemy fire. Hundreds of the wounded on both sides died of exposure before their comrades could get medical attention for them. In the end, China retained actual control of the Aksai Chin region. Prime Minister Nehru was roundly criticized at home for his pacifism in the face of Chinese aggression, and for the lack of preparation prior to the Chinese attack.

Another Product of a Nike Society essays

Another Product of a Nike Society essays I have been told that all great men were once rejected by society but that just maybe another lie told to me by society. American society is thought to be simple but it is very contradicting. The common man is told a lie Try your best and you will make it and the American dream is a beautiful one but made with sweat and tears. This is a very interesting notion because most of the people that make it to the top today are scum-sucking parasites. Does the honest hard workingman really get more than what he put in? Physics has defined how efficient a machine is by a simple equation: work input divided by work output. This equation shows how well a machine work. It is often used to decide if a machine can be improved or if it should be replaced. The John Doe of our society uses this scale to judge how his job is because he is no better than a machine. When John Doe uses this equation he often calculates work output as comforts of society. Society also uses this equation to define John Doe to see how valuable he is. Societies work input is simply money. In exchange for money society gains more money and lives. If John Doe lives till he is ninety most people would agree that he lived a long life. To really fathom how long John truly LIVED for we must break his life components down into days. An average John sleeps for eight hours a day, which means that john sleeps 1/3 of his life away. This means John is only alive and breathing for a mere sixty years. An average John works for another eight hours. This means that John really does not truly live for 2/3 of his life. During this 2/3 life time John has a couple of kids for which he sacrifices more of his life. So in conclusion John only live for less than 1/3 of his life. Who can say a man who died at twenty-five lived long? Some people would argue that twenty-five years of living is ple...

5 puntos migración de cubanos a EE.UU., incluido asilo

5 puntos migracià ³n de cubanos a EE.UU., incluido asilo La polà ­tica migratoria de Estados Unidos hacia los cubanos es, en algunos aspectos, diferente a la que se aplica al resto de nacionalidades y es fruto de la situacià ³n histà ³rica de la Guerra Frà ­a. Se estima que aproximadamente dos millones de cubanos y cubano-americanos residen en Estados Unidos, siendo Florida el estado donde un mayor nà ºmero se concentra. En la actualidad cuando se habla de migracià ³n y cubanos es necesario tener en cuenta 5 puntos: fin de polà ­tica de pies secos, pies mojados, Ley Ajuste Cubano, peticià ³n de asilo en frontera, deportaciones y, finalmente, solicitud de visas no inmigrantes para cubanos que desean visitar temporalmente Estados Unidos.  ¿Quà © significa el fin de Pies secos, pies mojados? Por decisià ³n del anterior presidente de Estados Unidos Barack Obama se puso fin a la polà ­tica de pies secos, pies mojados que durante aà ±os posibilità ³ a los cubanos emigrar ms fcilmente que otros extranjeros. Esta polà ­tica permità ­a quedarse en EE.UU. a los cubanos que tocaban suelo estadounidense y al aà ±o iniciar los trmites para obtener la tarjeta de residencia permanente, mientras que, por otro lado, se regresaban a Cuba o se enviaban a un tercer paà ­s a aquellos cubanos interceptados en el mar cuando trataban de llegar a EE.UU. Al mismo tiempo que se cambià ³ esa polà ­tica se puso fin al programa CMPP para trabajadores de sanidad cubanos en programas de trabajo fuera de la Isla. Ley de Ajuste Cubano Por la Ley de Ajuste Cubano de 2 de noviembre de 1966,  las personas de esa nacionalidad ingresaron  legalmente en Estados Unidos pueden solicitar la tarjeta de residencia mediante un ajuste de estatus, si pueden demostrar una estancia continuada en el paà ­s de un aà ±o y un dà ­a. Para ingresar legalmente se necesita una visa de inmigrante o una de los muchos tipos de visa no inmigrante, es decir, un documento emitido por una embajada o por un consulado de los Estados Unidos. Cubanos y asilo en Estados Unidos Para solicitar asilo en los pasos migratorios de una de las fronteras terrestres, aeropuertos o puertos de los Estados Unidos se pide a los cubanos que cumplan los mismos requisitos que los candidatos de otros paà ­ses. Para el caso de la frontera terrestre que separa EE.UU. y Mà ©xico, desde el 16 de julio de 2019 aplica la obligacià ³n de pedir previamente asilo en al menos un paà ­s por el que se haya transitado antes de llegar a dicha frontera. Para admitirse la solicitud de asilo en el puesto migratorio terrestre de EE.UU. tendr que demostrarse que se ha cumplido con ese requisito y que las autoridades de dicho tercer paà ­s la ha denegado. Ademas, cabe destacar que el asilo solo se aprueba por una de las circunstancias previstas por la ley y el hecho de ser de un paà ­s que es una dictadura o tiene un rà ©gimen comunista no es razà ³n suficiente para que el asilo sea aprobado. Los requisitos que pide la ley es que el solicitante haya sido perseguido o tema ser perseguido si regresa a su paà ­s por una de las siguientes causas: nacionalidad, raza, religià ³n, opinià ³n polà ­tica o membresà ­a en un grupo determinado. En la actualidad, un nà ºmero rà ©cord de cubanos que solicitaron asilo en la frontera y que las autoridades estadounidenses consideran que no tienen un buen caso de asilo se encuentran detenidos en prisiones migratorias mientras esperan que se resuelva su caso, lo cual puede demorarse meses. Por otro lado, los cubanos que solicitan el asilo y se les concede un parole para que ingresen al paà ­s pueden seguir en libertad su caso de asilo mientras que, al mismo tiempo, deben solicitar ajuste cubano al aà ±o y dà ­a de ingresar al paà ­s con el parole y cancelar, asà ­, la peticià ³n de asilo. En los aà ±os fiscales 2015 a 2017 –los à ºltimos de los que hay datos publicados por el gobierno– los cubanos no estn entre las diez nacionalidades con mayor nà ºmero de casos de asilo aprobado, tanto en la modalidad afirmativa como en la defensiva. Por à ºltimo, no se debe confundir el asilo con la condicià ³n de refugiado, que es una situacià ³n similar pero distinta y que tiene como condicià ³n imprescindible que la solicitud se realice fuera de EE.UU. y de sus fronteras. El Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas es una de las instituciones que se ocupa de tramitar el papeleo de la condicià ³n de refugiado para cubanos. Cubanos y deportacià ³n Durante dà ©cadas, Estados Unidos no deportaba a los cubanos. La razà ³n principal era la negativa del gobierno castrista de admitir a los cubanos deportados. Sin embargo, actualmente La Habana est admitiendo en su territorio a sus nacionales deportados siempre y cuanto se cumplan ciertas reglas fijadas conjuntamente con Estados Unidos. A consecuencia de ello, en el à ºltimo aà ±o fiscal EE.UU. deportà ³ a 436 cubanos. Para evitar la deportacià ³n es altamente recomendable que todos los cubanos que cumplen con los requisitos soliciten la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n, lo cual imposibilita la deportacià ³n a Cuba. Visas no inmigrante para cubanos En la actualidad, los Estados Unidos no est emitiendo visas en Cuba a ciudadanos cubanos, quienes deben solicitarlas en una oficina consular estadounidense en un tercer paà ­s como, por ejemplo, Mà ©xico. Asimismo, en estos momentos y por decisià ³n del gobierno del presidente Donald Trump ya no se emiten a los ciudadanos cubanos visas no inmigrantes, como la de turista, estudiante o intercambio, con validez de cinco aà ±os. Ahora las visas son vlidas para un à ºnico viaje por un mximo de tres meses. Cubanos y migracià ³n EE.UU. No aplica: Pies secos, pies mojados, polà ­tica que permità ­a quedarse en EE.UU. a todos los cubanos que tocasen suelo estadounidense. Esta polà ­tica dejà ³ de aplicarse el 12 de enero de 2017.No aplica: visas especiales CMPP para personal sanitario cubano en misiones en el exterior. Se dejà ³ de aplicar en misma fecha que Pies secos, pies mojados.Sà ­ aplica: Ley de Ajuste Cubano, que permite a todos los cubanos que ingresan a EE.UU. legalmente solicitar la tarjeta de residencia permanente al aà ±o y un dà ­a de entrar al paà ­s. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.