Theories of rent and urban economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theories of rent and urban economics - Essay Example The essay further outlines Smith’s rent gap theory and the agricultural land theory. The analysis is followed by an outline of the agent based land market model, and the microeconomic theory. The paper winds up with the central place theory and a conclusive remark on the varied rental patterns in an urban setting. The Collier Map show that there are different rent patterns for urban areas in UK and London in particular. The Western part of London records a mixture of rent patterns with a lower level of 10 pounds, and a higher level of 34pounds. The South East London has a rental pattern that way near similar with the difference between the highest and the lowest; levels being minimal (16-24 pounds). The same scenario applies to the North West and Yorkshire which has one of the lowest/cheapest rental rates. The outskirts of London and the hinterland towns have a low level of rent rates compared with the metropolitan. However, there are some urban areas outside the London Metrop olitan which have higher rental patterns. A good example is Dublin with a high of 35 pounds. Urban economics is the study of economies that are organized as urban areas (Harvey and Jowsey, 2003). It also studies the cities which are the modern centre of culture, innovation and education. It is in the urban centers where major commercial activities takes place hence the aspect of many offices being located in the urban areas (MacDonald & McMillen, 2007). Urban economics is closely related to the field of real estate and rental properties. Rent is the amount paid by a tenant to a landlord on a rented or leased space. Many theories exist in the field of urban economics and real estate. They are outlined below; The Neighborhood Theory The first theory is based on the housing prices, neighborhood characteristics, and racial segregation. This theory stipulates that the price of an office premise is determined by the characteristics of the neighborhood as well as the characteristics of the house. These neighborhood factors directly influences the patterns of office rent in given urban areas. Neighborhood variable affect the pattern of office rent either positively or in a negative way. These two factors combine to determine the pattern of rent in a given section of an urban area. They include; crime rate in an area, property tax rate, economic strength of the neighborhood, air pollution, accessibility from nearest train/ bus stations, extent of traffic on the street as well as quality of education/ number of institutions of learning (McDonald & McMillen, 2007). This explains the different office rent patterns in an area like Cambridge which is an educational centre and Nottingham. There has been an increase in the quality of office buildings in some sections of urban areas. This results in changes in office rent patterns. Areas with good quality buildings have different office rent patterns with areas with low quality office buildings. The same case applies to areas with different races. There is a tendency for rental patterns to be high in areas populated by the whites, as opposed to areas with a mixture of races (King and Mieszkoski, 1973). This theory explains the difference rental patterns in the London Metropolitan. Areas such as Wimbledon (?30) and Heathrow (?28) with good quality houses have higher rental patterns as compared with those with low quality such as Norwich (?15). Natural Evolution Theory Natural evolution theory is a model which was advanced by Mieszkowski and Mills (1993). They argue that the filtering model provides a primary reason for the movement and relocation of offices in the suburbs. The result is the emergence of suburbs which acts as commercial centers, characterize by high and

Stevensons The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay Example for Free

Stevensons The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' Essay Stevensons Jekyll and Hyde is an examination and comment on mankinds dual-nature and societys need to allow the existence of one type of behaviour. Jekyll is a product of this society and Hyde is his alter ego. Stevenson creates evil within Victorian London and explores its effect and the public reaction to it. He allows it to grow leading to tragic consequences. Evil is represented in many ways, much of which is centred on Hyde himself and societys rejection to him. Victorian London was a dark, foggy, mysterious place, there were a lot of back alleys and secret hideouts in that town, where absolutely anything could happen, London was startled by a crime of singular ferocity, a fog rolled over the city, (both p31) This was the perfect setting for a book like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde because there wasnt a setting to create, it was already there for Stevenson to use. The book is a mysterious gothic-horror, involving murders. With London the scene is already set for a book like this, with all the dark, dingy, old and smelly back-alleys, anything could happen, some city in a nightmare. (p34) Jekyll and Hyde was in many ways, similar to the events around Jack the Ripper, it was also written at about the same time as those events happened, so it was constantly compared to it, even though the two were totally different and not related in anyway, and neither influenced the other. The reason for their comparisons is the fact that they both involved murders, both also involved people having two sides to their personalities, Hyde is the evil person, while Jekyll is the respectable public face. Jack the Ripper was a murderer, and his public face was a respectable doctor (or who they thought was a respectable doctor)`, who no one would have ever expected to be murdering people. That is directly related to the Science vs. Religion argument about people, which is also directly linked to Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection, which at the time the book, Origin of Species book was published was considered as a terrible thought. Charles Darwin went far over seas in the late 1800s because he was an ecologist, someone who studies environments, ecosystems and animals. When he went over seas, he found his way eventually to the Galapagos Islands. The islands are off of the west cost of South America, and are around the equatorial area. He noticed that some species of animals had changed, evolved in different ways, depending on the environments, the island the species on animals were living on, so that that animal could, be more efficient at being able to live. This is a theory that different species of animals evolve in different ways according to their environments, this is known as The Theory of Evolution Through Natural Selection. This was, of cause, a very big thing to say, as these challenged Christian beliefs, which state that God created all beings. Darwins theory was totally different to this because he said that animals change to create new animals to suit their environments. Stevenson believed that people can have many different personalities within themselves and that they can be separated. There was a civilised, public face, and a primitive, instinctual, and quite possibly evil side to each person. He showed this by writing the book Jekyll Hyde, which shows how someone managed to separate themselves into two people, Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde. The Victorian times were the age of Hypocrisy, where people were expected to do/act in a certain way whether or not they agreed with those standards or not. People, especially men, as in those day men were considered more important, were expected to be polite, wear suits, act in certain ways. This is why Jekyll Hyde is much more than a gothic story, it is a criticism of Victorian ways. Jekyll is a man driven by Victorian values, to be a perfect social figure, Jekyll, gets his pleasure through Hyde, a person who doesnt care what people think, he doesnt care about Victorian values, he has no care for them, he just wants to do whatever he likes. Stevenson based Jekyll and Hyde on a dream he had, his wife woke him up from it. After the dream he complained that he didnt get to see the full dream. He kept on having this dream/nightmare, so he decided to turn it into a book. He wrote a first draft, and read it to his wife, she didnt agree with it, so he burnt the copy and re-wrote the entire story again in three days. His book was obviously also influenced by society and the fact that people are expected to act in a certain way whether they want to or not. He was brought up in Edinburgh and Stevenson loved the old, dark side of the town with the back alleys and the mysterious areas, this was the setting for the back alley in which Hydes door is situated. The idea of duplicity, living a double, both being separate, one being secret, just like Jekyll and Hyde. Stevenson had a proper upbringing, as a child he was very sickly and had a lot of nightmares, Jekyll and Hyde probably originated in his mind that early in his life. Stevenson was also highly influenced by other works, other horror stories such as ones written by Deacon Brodie, Mary Shelly, (Frankenstein), and other gothic horror writers. He used some of the ideas in other peoples ideas, as well as incorporating his own to create the book Jekyll Hyde. All of these books show how people can change, how than can be different, how they can be split into different people. Jekyll decided to conduct experiments upon himself to try and see if her could split himself up. He initially wanted to split himself into a good side and a bad side, and by doing this he hoped that he would be able to ignore the evil side, so it wouldnt affect him, leaving him as a good person ridding himself of the bad side. He decided he was going to do this when he began to think that Victorian rules were wrong, he didnt agree with the value that one must do this, or one shall not do that. He thought that was wrong. So when he spilt himself up into Jekyll and Hyde he thought he could rid himself of Hyde, but he couldnt, he realised, as Hyde he could do what he liked, and no one would care because he is still respectable Jekyll at the same time. He had no care for rules. Hyde is a brutal person, and brutal is used when you do something and you dont care about what might happen to you after. He has no care for societys rules. Brutal is associated with ape-ish behaviour, meaning that he is a lowing being. He does the brutality out of instincts, because animals like apes act totally on instincts whether they are right or wrong. Because Hyde has such an instinctive nature, he is able to get his pleasures much easier, it is easier for him to do these things, and he doesnt care what happens. Jekyll thinks he can become Hyde just when he wants his pleasures, when he wants to do what he likes. But Hyde starts to take over as a character, he starts to become the dominant person, he gets stronger. Then the transformations between Jekyll and Hyde become involuntary, uncontrolled, and unpredicted, almost as if the two personalities were fighting each other. At first Jekyll doesnt mind changing into Hyde but after a while he gets scared, because he is scared about what eh might do as Hyde, he like being him, being able to do anything he likes, but he starts to get about what he might actually do as Hyde. He is only driven to this because he cant stand Victorian society so he splits himself so he can be great in one. The thing we have to remember is that Hyde is Jekyll, Hyde is the evil essence in Jekyll, which means that Jekyll has that brutality within him, which show that everyone does, we all have these features, but ours are not spilt into different personalities. Jekyll kept Hyde being himself secret because people would want to interfere or than would be utterly scared by what they have seen, it would frighten them literally to death. (Utterson Lanyon) In Victorian London Christians would think that unleashing ones evil side is a terrible thing. It would be like unleashing a Devil within everyone. The people who are doing it would be condemned, it would be considered so terrible the consequences of doing and what the Christians thought of you would be horrific. Hyde is evil. People what to physically hurt him when they see him because he has got such a horrible face. He is brutal, he doesnt care about what he doing, he doesnt care about what people think about him, he has no care for a civilised society; which shows he has a very primitive mind. He has no conscience, he just doesnt care about anything, and he doesnt feel any regret for anything he has done, and he doesnt feel any remorse for any of the murders he has committed. He also relies totally on his instincts, he always follows his instincts like an animal. He has no moral values. He is only concerned with pleasure he gets out of being anti-social. Hyde represents evil in us all, he represents our animal ape-like instincts and origins, he is the beast in man. Hyde is used to show the reader the evil within us all, he is the essence of evil within us all. Evil is used through Hyde to show appearance and actions of an evil person. In the book, Hyde commits one, possibly two murders. The definite murder was Sir Danvers Carew who Hyde batters to death with a walking stick. The other is a little girl who Hyde trampled over, of which he felt nothing. When he trampled over the girl, he was like an animal. Hyde trampled calmly over the childs body and left her screaming on the groundit was hellish to see. (p14) trampled calmly is an oxymoron, which is something that contradicts itself. You dont imagine trampled and calmly together, you think trampled angrily, ferociously or horribly. He is like an animal a damned juggernaut (p14) like a beast, a monster, just stamping on things, crushing everything as he goes. When he was killing Carew, he was described has having insensitive cruelty (p32), he feels no remorse for what he has done to Danvers Carew. When people see him they want to kill him, his face brings a sweat out like running, (p14) he has a grotesque appearance, downright detestable, I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why.(p17) He is so ugly, an evil ugly, people cant work out why they hate his appearance, they think he has some sort of deformity, which they cant quite spot, they dont know why they hate his appearance, and they dont know why they want to kill him. Hyde is a short, detestable looking anti-social, brutal, instinctual being, who has no respect for rules. Jekyll is a tall man, very polite, quite a social man, who is very friendly. Hyde slumps along as he walks, he doesnt care about how, or where he walks, he sees himself as a free person, to do what he likes. Jekyll understands the values of Victorian Society. Jekyll is a tall man, friendly, aged. He is the total opposite of Hyde. They are opposites, in every way, apart from mental strength. Everyone in this book as something to hide. People dont want their own Hydes becoming real; Enfield is a very good friend of Utterson, they are also opposite people. Enfield goes out late at night, something a lot of people dont agree with, we never find out what he is doing, but we know he is doing something. He is the man about town. Lanyon is a very good scientist (as is Jekyll) with very good, radical ideas about science. He is afraid about what he might become if he became to good of a scientist. He is afraid of the fame, and of the importance of being such a scientist. He is afraid of what he might discover. Utterson is afraid of what might happen to him if he was to get enjoyment out of things, thats why many people think he is such a boring person, because he doesnt allow himself to experience enjoyment because he is scared of what might happen to him. E.g. He doesnt drink, because he is worried about becoming an alcoholic. Society drives these people to Hyde themselves because they are worried about what might happen to themselves, and how other people reactions. The door is a symbol of evil. It is a symbol of everything that is old and bad in the world. The fact that a door so old rotten and horrible can even be found in Victorian London means that people (like Hyde) of the same nature can be found aswell. The door is very hostile, and people are obviously not supposed to got through it because it has neither bell nor knocker (p13) showing that whoever lives there doesnt want to meet people, and more importantly, doesnt want people to meet him. The door is recognised as a bad place, it is the crowding place of tramps were they sleep in the door. The door is blistered and distained (p13) showing that it is not looked after and that is it old. It is not cared about, it is literally just a way of getting into the house inside. Some people even try to pick at the moulds on the door, to see if they could get them off, no one cares about the people doing this. No one had appeared to drive these random visitors away (p13) no one cares about the door the people around its location. It is used as a doorway to the hell that his Hydes house. It is like a gateway, and as doors are always like the place the door leads to, it shows what he is really like, what the house is really like. It is a symbolic gateway, the exact opposite of the front door, the face of everything that goes on. What people really see. The fog in Jekyll and Hyde is used as a mask to hide away things that people dont want to see/know about in the town. The fog is always present when an event is about to happen in the story, and is always used to show that something evil is happening, or about to happen, it is there around all of the events in the book. When Utterson went up to Jekylls house the air was described as full of dust (p51), even in the house, there was fog in the rooms, the fog began to lie thickly (p37) showing the evil that is present in the house. Which is the other way the fog is used, it is used to show the evil, that is actually is hiding. Another way in which Stevenson builds up tension is the use of pathetic phallacy, the weather reflects, or influences the mood, the weather is always described in a way of describing the mood. So, when evil is about it will be raining, when everything is happy, it will be sunny. In this novel Stevenson makes extensive use of adjectives to describe the main characters. Here are a few with an explanation by them; Enfield is a talkative man, loves enjoying himself, he does things that people dont know about, and what people would think badly of if they knew about them I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three oclock (p14) this shows that he does things he is not supposed to. Enfield is a very good friend of Utterson, a distant relation in fact, and the get along very well. Enfield is the man about town, and he enjoys life. This is another form of duplicity, that Enfield lives a double life, but we dont know what it is. Utterson is a man who refuses himself such pleases, as he is afraid about what might happen to himself. He is a boring dull lawyer or is quite ugly. He is however the centrepiece of this book as everything that happens relates to him in someway. Hyde is a small man, who is ugly to look upon He was small and very plainly dressed, (p14) He gave the impression of deformality without any nameable malformation. (p15) He looks unusual but you cant actually recognise what is wrong with him. Hyde is a small man, he doesnt care about anything and he doesnt care about who he upsets or what he does. He just wants to do what he likes. He is an evil person who wants control. He is the hidden part of Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll is an elderly man, who is also a scientist, but a better one the Lanyon. Jekyll is a respectable man who everyone likes, although he has a disagreement with Lanyon about some scientific facts, he is liked by everyone and is very happy, sometimes he looks tired. Streets of Soho are described as dark and dingy during the night, but quite open during the day. They are cobbled streets, and they are all ordered and in a geometric pattern, so everything is straight. The alley to the door is crooked and is always dark, and has a foal smell, it isnt the place for people to be hanging around. fogged city moon. (p13) full of wind and dust. (p40) The laboratory has lots of bottles and equipment lying around, it is a very old, disused, derelict place, very much left, and a few things are broken as if they are done in fits of temper, lumber of crates and bottles. (p41) A doctor and a lawyer are well educated well respected people in Victorian society, they would have been brought up to speak correctly and they would be expected to as they are in a position of authority within the hierarchy of the town. They would have been told to speak in a specific way, a told how to act. Did you ever remark that door? Indeed. (p5) I think that the old style, archaic language isnt used deliberately and is a product of the era in which the book was written. It is the formal style of Victorian England, it is the way things were done in those days, a man of rugged countenance, (p3). It is the style in which we wrote that happens to compliment the mysterious and confusing nature of the book. During the book Hydes speech gets more erratic and more informal as the book goes on, becoming more and more uncivilized. He becomes more and more evil during the book, less and less in control of himself. Tell him I cant see anyone. (p42) that isnt polite or formal at all. First person narrative is a very powerful force in the book, as it gives you a much better insight into what is going on, and it makes us feel as if we are better in touch with the book, as if we are there. Third person is very clever as you are told the story from someone who has already been told it, and you are only given selective pieces of information for good reason, so the story unfold in a order as to make the story much more powerful. I think letters are great because you are reading them as if the characters are reading them, and you read the story at the same times the characters read the letters. In conclusion Stevenson uses a range of techniques and style to convey the development of the story and make the reader feel more in touch with the events in the story. He does this to great effect making you feel as if you are there, a invisible person in the story.

The Unilever market analysis and overview

The Unilever market analysis and overview To add vitality to life is Unilevers everlasting corporate mission, and it works to create a better future every day. Ever since Unilever was established in 1884 by the founder William Hesketh Lever, It has grown to one of worlds leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods. Winning in the market place is one of the core secrets of its success (Unilever Global, 2010). In 1996, Unilevers market share of powder category in Brazil reached as high as 81 per cent with three brands: Omo, Minerva and Campeiro. Despite its brand name and company goodwill Unilever was unable to penetrate the detergent market in the North East (NE) of Brazil. The North East of Brazil constitutes twenty eight percent of Brazils total population with close to forty eight million low income consumers (Chandon Pacheco 2007).This report therefore aims at providing recommendations on the marketing strategy that Unilever should employ to target the low-income consumer segment. The report is structured into three parts namely consumer behaviour, brand identity, and the marketing mix followed by our recommendations. First we shall identify the consumer behaviour differences among laundry products customers in Brazil. Second we shall discuss whether Unilever should bring out a new brand, reposition its existing brand or go ahead with a brand extension to target the North Eastern Brazilian market. We will then briefly touch upon the positioning of the brand and discuss in detail the marketing mix. Theories and empirical data shall be applied where necessary. CONSUMER DIFFERENCES In order to make an effective marketing strategy, we should first analyse the consumer behaviour differences between the SE and NE segments of the laundry product market in Brazil. A deep understanding of the target consumer group is the first step in promoting a successful product to a new market (Chandon Pacheco 2007). The following table clearly shows the consumer behaviour differences between the two market segments. NORTH EAST SOUTH EAST 53% of the population live on less than two minimum wages. 21% of the population live on less than two minimum wages. Only 28% of households own a washing machine. Washing machines are a necessity with 67% of the population possessing a machine. Women scrub clothes using bars. Then they add bleach to remove stains little detergent powder at the end to make clothes smell good. Women mix powder detergent and softener in a washing machine and use laundry soap and bleach only to remove the toughest stains. North-easterners use a lot more soap (20kg) South Easterners use a lot less soap than the NE (7kg) Women often do their washing in a public place Most women wash clothes alone at home People attach the symbolic value to cleanliness; women see it as the dedication towards her family. Cleanliness has much lower relevance for self-esteem and social status It is essential to analyse the buyer role framework to understand the shopping habits of low income consumer. This in turn will help the firm in its marketing mix. Table 2 below analyses the buyer role framework for the laundry products in the NE segment: INITIATOR Women of the house INFLUENCER Friends, neighbours or relatives that the women meet at the public laundry area DECIDER Husband or in the case of the unmarried woman the financial head of the family sometimes even themselves. BUYER Husband and Wife or either one of them USER The Whole Family/Household Table 2: NE BUYER ROLE FRAMEWORK SOURCE- OWN COMPILATION Why are there such varied differences between the two consumer segments? The reasons can be attributed to some factors which influence their choices. All these factors can be divided into four aspects: cultural, social, personal and psychological. The first factor that should be taken into consideration is motivation which belongs to the psychological aspect; because the motives drive consumers to buy. We all know Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. According to his theory, motives can be divided into five categories: the physiological needs, the safety needs, the love needs, the esteem needs and the need for self-actualization. Among these categories, the physiological is the basic need, which means the fundamentals of survival (Maslow 1943, 370-396). Only if the lower needs are well gratified, can new set of higher needs emerge (Maslow 1943). As stated in the case, women in the NE of Brazil, who have very low incomes and poor living conditions, are just fulfilling the most basic need and hence will prefer a product that offers value for money. Another factor related to psychological aspect is beliefs and attitudes. Women in NE of Brazil attach symbolic value to the cleanliness of the clothes. They regard it as the dedication of the mother to her family. Due to this they would probably buy a laundry product with ability to remove stains. Lifestyle is also an important factor that influences behaviour under personal aspect. Lifestyle refers to the pattern of living as expressed in a persons activities, interests and opinions. Lifestyle analysis, categorizes consumers according to their beliefs, activities, values, and demographic characteristics such as education and income (Jobber, D. 2007). Women in the NE of Brazil, viewing washing clothes as one of the pleasurable routine activities of their week. The forth factor which influences their consumer behaviour is the social class. It is a sub factor of cultural aspect. People in NE of Brazil are the working class and those at lowest level of subsistence. Their social class is at the bottom of the pyramid. Their income can only sustain their daily basic needs, and these factors greatly affect their buying attitudes towards the laundry products. This is one reason for their extensive laundry soap usage. One factor of classifying households is based on their geographic location. This analysis is called geo demographics and is based on population census data. (Jobber, D. 2007). The households different economic conditions determine whether they will buy the kind of laundry product which may be less effective but with a more reasonable price or the best product without considering its price. The geographic location differences can enlighten the company to make the marketing strategies accordingly. BRAND IDENTITY Marketing managers aim at developing their products into brands to help them create a unique position in the minds of their customers (Jobber, 2007, p. 326). It is therefore essential to understand the difference between a product and a brand. A product can be anything that has the capacity to satisfy customer need. Branding is the process by which companies distinguish their product offering from the competition. (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 133). Branding enables customers to build relationship in terms of prestige, status, economy and eases the purchase decision (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 134). After analyzing the needs of the target market we as a strategic marketing team propose that Unilever should employ the brand extension strategy. 3.1 BRAND EXTENSION Brand extension refers to the use of an established brand name on a new brand within the same broad market (Jobber Fahy, 2006). As mentioned earlier, Unilever has three brands namely Omo, Minerva and Campeiro. Their prices are coherent with the order in which they are listed. Omo has been positioned as an expensive product with the ability to remove stains with low quantity when used in washing machines, thus reducing the need for soap or bleach. Minerva, the only brand having penetrated the laundry soap market and the detergent market has positioned itself has having an emotional appeal where as Campeiro stands out as the price brand (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 132). After closely examining the performance, characteristics, consumer preference and market penetration (in both the categories of laundry products) of the three brands we propose that Unilever should apply the brand extension strategy to Minerva. This will provide a good opportunity for Minerva as a brand to increase its mar ket share in the laundry soap market, which is currently being dominated by other local or international products. Also the strong brand identity of Minerva can be sustained into the future through this extension (Jobber, 2007, p. 370). Minerva proves to be the right choice for brand extension because it is correctly priced and positioned unlike its sister brands which are either too low (Campeiro) giving the idea of low quality, or either too high (Omo) making it out of reach to our target market. Our target market being the women in the North East of Brazil and considering their washing traits (Table 1) we propose that Minervas extension be a laundry soap that will try to cater to all of the needs of the North Eastern women or household. Also the North East market for laundry soap is very fragmented because laundry soap is much easier to produce than powdered detergent. Laundry soap is also seen as multi-use product that has many home and personal care uses. The brand will be called Minerva Brilhar- Sabà £o Multi Purpose (Multi Purpose Soap). Under the brand flagship we propose to launch three products namely Minerva Brilhar Alfazema, Minerva Brilhar Cà ­trico and Minerva Brilhar Coco.The reason for choosing three variants is to reduce the risk of the product not being acknowledged by the mass. A detailed explanation of all the three variants will be discussed under the marketing mix. 3.1.1 JUSTIFICATION FOR CHOOSING BRAND EXTENSION A strong brand provides a strong foundation for leveraging positive perceptions and goodwill from the core brand to brand extensions. The new brand benefits from the added value that the brand equity of the core brand bestows on the extension (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 136). Minerva as a brand has a considerable share in both the laundry soap and detergent market. Though not the largest in terms of sales or market share, its positioning makes it the most popular or sought after brand. The use of brand extension is an important marketing tool. The two main advantages of brand extension in launching new products are that: Reduces risk Less costly than alternative launch strategies (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Both distributors and consumers may perceive less risk if the new brand comes or is part of an already established brand name (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). The North Eastern side of Brazil has very few malls and supermarkets. Small retailers with small-to- midsized shops are very dominant. Due to their restricted clientele and their spending power shopkeepers would generally be skeptical in shelving a new brand, until and unless they were being paid for shelving the particular product. Consumers generally seem to attribute the quality associations they have of the original brand to the new one (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142).Launch costs may also be reduced by using brand extension. Since the established brand name is already well known the task of building awareness of the new brand is not required. Consequently advertising, sales and promotional costs are reduced (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Furthermore, there is the likelihood that the company may be able to bank upon advertising economies of scale since advertisements for the original brand and its extension reinforce each other (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Looking at the other side of the coin, there is also the danger that the marketing management will underfund the launch of the product, beleiving that the spin off effects of the original brand name will compensate. This can lead to low awareness. Another effect is cannibalization, which refers to a situation where the new brand gains sales at the expense of the existing brand. There is also the danger that bad publicity for one brand can affect the reputation of the other brands under the same umbrella. Also if a brand name is extended too far there can be a loss of credibility and this is something that the management needs to guard itself against (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Brand extensions are likely to be successful if they make sense to the consumer. If the values and aspirations of the new target segement (s) match those of the original segement, and the qualities of the brand name are likewise highly prized then success is likely (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 143). 4. MARKETING STRATEGIES: 4.1Market segmentation Targeting: Market segmentation is the technique used by marketers to gain an understanding about a diverse nature of markets. Market segmentation may be defined as the identification of individuals or organisations with similar characteristics that have significant implications for the determination of marketing strategy (Jobber, 2007, p. 275) Market segmentation provides the basis for the selection of target markets. The company decides the target market that it wants to serve. As customers in the target market segment are homogenous, a single marketing mix strategy can be developed to match those requirements (Jobber, 2007). The consumer segmentation criteria can be classified into three broad groups: Behavioural, psychological and profile variables (Jobber, 2007).In reference to the case at hand, Unilever is focussing on marketing its laundry products to the low income consumers in North East part of Brazil. Since the consumers in this region are homogenous a single marketing mix strategy can be developed. The launch of Minerva Brilhar aims at targeting the market with the following factors taken into consideration: Buyers: Household women from NE part of Brazil Benefits Sought: Fragrance, Multi-use product. Purchase occasion: Self Buy Lifestyle: Conservatives with traditional values. Gender: Female Social Class: Lower income. Income: 53% of population live on less than two minimum wages. Geographic: North East VS South East part of Brazil. 5. Marketing Mix Marketing Mix is the planned management of the customer relationship including product, price, place and promotion (Jobber, 2007, p. 1001). In what follows, each of the aforementioned elements of marketing mix is discussed in further detail. 5.1 Product Strategies: For some time now it has been conventional for marketers to think in terms of different product levels (Jobber Fahy, 2006).Managing products from a marketing perspective can be explained using the three product levels namely core product, actual product and augmented product as seen in Figure 3. Figure 3: PRODUCT FROM A MARKETING PERSPECTIVE SOURCE ADAPTED: (Jobber Fahy, 2006) The three product levels that are depicted in the figure above can be applied to the case of Minerva Brilhar as shown in Table 3. Core product Convenience, Familiarity, Reassurance and Fragrance Actual Product Plastic pack, Images with text, Modern look to the laundry bar with a ready to use image Augmented Product Satisfaction, Guarantee, Ease of use. Table 3: PRODUCT LEVEL ANALYSIS OF MINERVA BRILHAR SOURCE: OWN COMPILATION USING TEXT FROM (Jobber Fahy, 2006). The characteristics of Minerva Brilhar are discussed below across various criterions: Key product drivers: Various fragrances to choose from, ability to remove stains, better grip, multi-use product (can be used for other home and personal care uses), value for money and longer life of the product. Packaging: Plastic pack of 250 gms x 4 bars with images and text. Each flavour will be packed in individually. Flavour and Ingredients: Three flavours namely Lavender (Alfazema), Citrus (Citrico) and Coconut (Coco). The patented formulae and technology developed by Hindustan Unilever in India for its brand Rin Supreme (sister company) will also be used to develop the above mentioned products. The technology used by HUL is called Pure Clean. The supposed technology would keep clothes looking new for longer unlike other detergent bars which contains 40% mined ingredients (Exchange4media, 2002) Product positioning: Our products tag line would be Keeps your family spotless for longer. The images of the product Minerva Brilhar are seen below. Minerva Brilhar- Sabà £o Multi Purpose SOURCE:OWN COMPILATION SOURCE:OWN COMPILATION 5.2 Price Strategy: Price from a marketing perspective can be defined as the sacrifice a consumer is prepared to make in exchange for the benefits of having a product or service, in order to achieve good value. The value is determined as a function of price, functional benefits and emotional benefits (Jobber Fahy, 2006).Therefore in reference to Minerva Brilhar; we provide improved value to customers by using the differentiation approach strategy wherein the product benefits are enhanced by maintaining the price. Minerva Brilhar is reasonably priced as compared to the other Unilever detergent brands. The product provides enhanced value in terms of functional benefits such as ease of use with a better grip and is a multipurpose product. It also caters to the emotional benefits of the NE Brazilian customers such as cleanliness and provides a range of pleasant fragrances. 5.21: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PRICING DECISIONS OF MINERVA BRILHAR: The pricing decision of products is influenced by internal and external factors. While deciding the price for Minerva Brilhar the following factors were taken into consideration. Marketing strategy: The differentiation strategy of pricing is suggested since the product has enhanced value and is priced at a nominally higher price than the existing Unilever products. Marketing Mix: The quality of the product was enhanced in terms of better grip and more variety of fragrances for multipurpose use. Length of the distribution channel: The length of the distribution channel is long in the NE Brazilian market therefore the distributor mark up price is increased slightly. 5.22: KEY BASES FOR PRICE SETTING: There are three key methods used by managers to set prices namely cost based pricing, competition pricing and marketing pricing. The figure below briefly explains the three pricing methods. Figure 4: KEY BASES FOR SETTING PRICE SOURCE ADAPTED FROM: (Jobber Fahy, 2006) The pricing method adopted in the case of Minerva Brilhar is the marketing/customer based pricing wherein the price of the product is designed based on attaching appropriate price to reflect the benefits offered to the customers (Dr.Angela Tregear, 2010). The market orientation approach was used to decide the prices. Minerva Brilhar will be priced at 1.71$/kg. Table 4 will outline the cost break up of Minerva Brilhar The cost break up constitutes of formulation cost of 1.05$/kg due to added features in the product such as three variants in flavour and better grip with a pure clean formula. The packaging cost will be 0.15$/kg as it is a plastic pack with four bars. The promotional cost is slightly higher at 0.32 $/kg as heavy promotion is needed to build awareness for the brand extension. The major challenge faced by Unilever in pricing their products was to divert its funds from its premium brands to invest in a lower margin market. Therefore, pricing Minerva Brilhar at a price that is affordable by the mass can allow Unilever to penetrate the market better. 5.3 Promotion strategies: Promotional activities can be broad and are aimed at the market as a whole. The overall range of techniques available to the marketer is usually known as the promotional mix and comprises seven main elements which are represented in Figure 4 (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 217). Figure 5: SEVEN MAIN ELEMENTS OF PROMOTIONAL MIX SOURCE: ADAPTED FROM (Jobber Fahy, 2006) The promotion of Minerva Brilhar will be done through advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship. A key point to note here is that almost all Brazilians irrespective of their incomes are avid television watchers (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 133). Despite of this fact, Unilever has responded by reducing the amount of advertising it places on television and instead switching to outdoor and internet advertising (Jobber Fahy, 2006).Therefore retaining the existing Unilever marketing strategy of outdoor and internet advertising the product will be advertised will the help of posters on small stores. Radio will also be used as an alternative to television for delivering the message across to a wide number of audiences. The other means of promotion that we propose for the new brand is through sales promotions. Consumer promotion techniques such as free samples can be introduced to encourage trial as this can be effective for brand extension (Jobber Fahy, 2006). In the case of Minerva Brilhar we will sell 20g of free sample with the purchase of each pack of any flavour. The final step of promotion for our brand will be through sponsorship. Considering the popularity of football in Brazil we propose that the sponsorship be in the form of a football match played by four teams namely Minerva, Minerva Brilhar Alfazema, Minerva Brilhar Cà ­trico and Minerva Brilhar Coco. We will encourage the North Eastern locals to participate in the match.This will indeed create an awareness among the minds of the consumers.There will also be wet demos of the product at the end of the match for consumers to visualise the features of the product.Radio shall also be used inorder to promote the event. 5.4 Distribution strategy: The final part of the jigsaw is the distribution,the place element of the marketing mix.Products must be available in adequate quantities, in convienent locations and at times when customers want to buy them.According to Jobber and Fahy,distribution channel is the means by which products are moved from producer to end consumer (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 285).Choosing the most effective marketing channel is as crucial aspect of a marketing strategy. 5.41 COMPONENTS OF DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY: All products require a channel for distribution. There are various channels of distributions. The most difficult decision is to decide which channel of distribution to choose. The distribution strategy comprises of three components namely channel selection, distribution intensity and channel integration. Channel selection: The main challenge for Unilever was that they lacked a strong distribution network in NE part of Brazil (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 134).This makes it indeed difficult for a product that is new to the market to position itself well. Keeping the practicality of the situation in mind, to establish a strong distribution channel for Minerva Brilhar would be to get access to as many specialised distributors as possible for the product to be recognised in the market. By keeping the channel length short, we will be able to cater to the mark up price of distributors. Distribution intensity: The distribution intensity for Minerva Brilhar will be intensive as it essential for the product to reach the 75,000 small outlets spread over the North East. The product should be easily accessible or else the purpose of creating a brand extension is defeated. 6. CONCLUSION: Prahalad Hart (2002) in an article state an interesting statement that low income markets present a prodigious opportunity for the worlds wealthiest companies-to seek their fortunes and bring prosperity to the aspiring poor (Prahalad Hart, 2002). Unilevers own analysis of Nirma and HLLs competition in the detergent business reveals more about the profit potential of the marketplace at the bottom of the pyramid (Prahalad Hart, 2002).This theory is widely known as the bottom of the pyramid theory. It is essential for an organisation to bear in mind that they must focus on low income consumer segments as value-demanding customers (Rajghatta, 2010). In relevance to the case at hand, Unilever can adopt the bottom of pyramid theory and develop products exclusively for the lower income segments wherein producing only cheap and low quality products must not be an ultimate goal. The company can earn immense profits if it rightly creates a good quality product with the value for money. The brand extension strategy as proposed should be the right decision for Unilever as it can provide a wide range of products with value for money to the customers. If Unilever adopts the bottom of the pyramid theory in the right fashion it surely will move towards the road of success.

Social Anxiety Disorder :: essays research papers

Social anxiety disorder is also known as social phobia. It is defined as the fear of social situations that involve interaction with other people. It is the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or ridicule. This leads to feelings of inadequacy, self-consciousness, and depression. The person with social anxiety disorder may believe that all eyes are on him at all times. Social anxiety disorder is the third largest mental health case issue in the world, and it can effect 7% of the population (15 million Americans) at any given time. There are many different perceptions about people with social anxiety. People who do have it are often seen by others as just being shy, aloof, constrained, unfriendly, uneasy, quiet, indifferent, or diffident. The people who are afflicted with social anxiety may be clouded by these perceptions as well, so they may fail to seek treatment. Because the problem is generally unheard of, they may think that they are the only ones who suffer from it. People who do seek treatment are misdiagnosed 90% of the time, often labeled as "personality disorder", "manic depressive", or "schizophrenic", among other things. This is because social anxiety is not well understood by the general public, or medical or health care professionals. They are not even sure of the real cause of it or what it stems from. Those with the disorder usually know that their anxiety, thoughts, and fears are irrational and unfounded. They realize that it is angst and terror that they are experiencing. They know that people around them are not really critically judging them or evaluating them constantly. They understand that everyone is not out to degrade or embarrass them. But despite this logical knowledge and sense, they still continue to feel and believe differently, thus, thoughts and symptoms of anxiety usually persist with no indication of going away. People with social anxiety may usually experience extreme distress in some of these situations: when they are being introduced to other people, being teased or criticized, being the center of attention, meeting important people or authoritative people, being watched while doing something, having to announce something in a public situation, embarrassing easily, or making eye contact. Social anxiety may be selective, though. A person may have an extreme fear of one occasion, such as public speaking, but be perfectly comfortable in any other situation.

Colombia Essay -- essays research papers

Columbia is a country wrought with poverty, corruption, and violence. It has gained notoriety for its drug trafficking and the scandalous dealings by the military. Five percent of Columbia (1.9 million people, 1.1 million of them children) have been displaced due to the fighting in a four decade old civil war. Columbia will need some serious rearranging politically, socially, and overall to get back on their feet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia is located in the very northern part of South America, it borders the Caribbean Sea between Panama and Venezuela, and it borders the North Pacific Ocean between Ecuador and Panama. The capital city is Bogota. The population, as of July 1999, was estimated to be 39,309,422. As of 1999, their birthrate was estimated at 24.45 per 1,000 people, and their death rate is estimated at 5.59 per 1,000 people. The life expectancy for males is 66.54 years, and for females it’s 74.54 years. Women live longer because we have to suffer more during everyday life. Columbia has a high literacy rate; (91.3% of those aged fifteen and above can read ad write, compared to the United States 97%).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia government is very similar to ours; in fact the recently enacted criminal code was modeled after U.S. procedures. The original legal system was based on old Spanish law. The New criminal code was set up in 1992- 1993. Elections are open to be on voted by all citizens aged eighteen and above, and there is universal suf...

Optical Storage Mediums :: essays research papers

Optical Storage Mediums The most common way of storing data in a computer is magnetic. We have hard drives and floppy disks (soon making way to the CD-ROM), both of which can store some amount of data. In a disk drive, a read/write head (usually a coil of wire) passes over a spinning disk, generating an electrical current, which defines a bit as either a 1 or a 0. There are limitations to this though, and that is that we can only make the head so small, and the tracks and sectors so close, before the drive starts to suffer from interference from nearby tracks and sectors. What other option do we have to store massive amount of data? We can use light.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Light has its advantages. It is of a short wavelength, so we can place tracks very close together, and the size of the track we use is dependent only on one thing - the color of the light we use. An optical medium typically involves some sort of laser, for laser light does not diverge, so we can pinpoint it to a specific place on the disk. By moving the laser a little bit, we can change tracks on a disk, and this movement is very small, usually less than a hairÕs width. This allows one to store an immense amount of data on one disk. The light does not touch the disk surface, thereby not creating friction, which leads to wear, so the life of an average optical disk is far longer than that of a magnetic medium. Also, it is impossible to Ã’crashÓ an optical disk (in the same sense as crashing a hard drive), since there is a protective layer covering the data areas, and that the Ã’headÓ of the drive can be quite far away from the disk surface (a few millimeters compared to micrometers for a hard drive). If this medium is so superior, then why is it not standard equipment? It is. Most of the new computers have a CD-ROM drive that comes with it. Also, it is only recently that prices have come low enough to actually make them affordable. However, as the acronym states, one cannot write to a CD-ROM disk (unless one gets a CD-Recordable disk and drive). There are products however, that allows one to store and retrieve data on a optical medium. Some of those products are shown in table 1. However, the cost of this is quite high, so it doesnÕt usually make much sense for consumer use yet, unless one loves to transfers 20 megabyte pictures between friends.

Letter to Joyce’s Eveline’s Father

25 November 1844 Dublin Dear Father, I have always attended your every need, and I was there whenever you needed me. I worked hard. I worked hard at home, I worked hard at the store and I’ve come to realize; I am not in the bit happy. I am not happy about working this much and I am not happy about what I get for it. Everything is changing, everybody’s going somewhere and I am stuck and my life isn’t going anywhere. I remember how my mother used to be. She used to work hard, very hard.She sacrificed herself for us father, and I am not her and I can’t be like her here. I will always be her daughter here, not a woman. Daughter of a ghost! I am leaving father, although with sorrow in my heart, I am leaving. I am running away with Frank. I will be safe, Frank will take care of me. I will be far, very far away. I will have a house and a husband. People will respect me. I will have a life, a life of my own. I’ve made so many sacrifices father: To you, to c hildren, to the store; but I never got anything in exchange.After all that time a gentleman who appreciates me comes along and you father forbade me to see him. I can’t die in this house father, this house already has a ghost. I made a promise to mother before she was gone. I promised her I’d try to keep the home together as long as I can. It hurts me not keeping my promise but father do understand me, you have never been easy on me. I am not here to replace mother, it’s not my fault she’s gone, father. Although you weren’t easy on me, it is not your fault that I am leaving father. It is nobody’s fault.If I stay nobody can change my life, how can one? You are still my father and I still respect and love you. I wish you well father. Farewell. Love, Eveline 25 November 1844 Dublin Dear Harry, With great sorrow in my heart, I bid you and the children farewell. I am going off to South America and I won’t be able to see you again. I will b e safe, I am accompanied by frank and a house that I will be the lady of is waiting for me. I know we weren’t great siblings, but we are siblings. I will miss you Harry, and I will miss the children.I am leaving to choose a life Harry, to have a life of my own, to be able to live, to be able to be not only a daughter but a wife, but a mother; a respected woman. I cannot live with two tragedies in this house. Ernest, and of course mother†¦ Their memories still haunt me, I still hear my mom screaming â€Å"Deveraun Seraun! † right before†¦ Please don’t think I betrayed my family, because if I don’t go I will betray myself. Don’t I have the right to be happy? Don’t I deserve to be happy? I advise you to get a maid for the house. Youngest daughter of Devines, Maria is a nice girl and she wouldn’t ask for too much money.Tell father to be nice to her though, and you will have to check on him more often than you do. He’s get ting old Harry, it’s hard for him. Tell children I love them and I will write to them. Maybe who knows, one day they come to visit me when they are older. Tell them Aunt Eveline had to leave and it is not in the bit their fault. Make sure they eat enough and go to bed on time. The little one’s grades aren’t very good but be kind to him. He just needs more help. My best wishes to you and the children Harry. Farewell. Love Eveline