Saturday, August 31, 2019

A Brief History of Christianity before Jesus Christ

Damascus Document Notes from the Damascus Document 1. The document opens by pointing out that during the time before the exile to Babylon when unfaithfulness was prevalent, causing God to bring about his wrath upon the people. 2. Then there came twenty years in which a remnant of the people knew their own guilt and tried to find a way to the path of righteousness, until God provided them with a â€Å"Teacher of Righteousness† who revealed the will of God. 3.The teacher of righteousness was opposed by the Man of Mockery who brought about persecution to the group led some of them into all sorts of unrighteous acts and sinfulness. The Man of Mockery led some of the people to sin through the defilement of the temple and causing the people â€Å"to wonder in a pathless wilderness†¦abolishing the ways of righteousness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  4. The teacher of righteousness was â€Å"passed away† at some point and the writer pointed out that the incident marked the beginning of th e end of all the fighters who deserted to the Liar.The writer also pointed out that period lasted about forty years. It seems as though the writer is saying that â€Å"passing away† of the teacher of righteousness (perhaps killed) by the Man of Mockery, was began the forty year long war which ended all wars. 5. The righteous members of the group became the â€Å"the Separatists† when they left the Holy City. 6. The writer of the document foretells the coming of two Messiahs out to the â€Å"House of Aaron and Israel. † Perhaps this may have been a reference to the John the Baptist (House of Aaron) and to Jesus the Christ (House of Israel).The exception to this theory is that technically Jesus was from the House of Judah, but collectively he Judah was Israel’s son, hence, the house of Israel would suffice. 7. The writer of the document explains the administrative hierarchy for members of the covenant. The one above all was the Overseer of the assembly. The document instructs that the Overseer shall teach the groups the ordinances of God and make decisions as to who can join the group and determine the rank that each will have. The Overseer â€Å"shall be from thirty to fifty years old and will have final say on all the group’s activities. The Overseer was the ultimate authority that settled disputes between members. 8. The Document also stated that congregation shall be divided into groups of ten and every group of ten members required a priest that rules the group of ten. Each group of ten was to be registered by name and the first one to be enrolled was the priest; followed by the Levites; and then came the regular Israelites with the proselytes being the last. The same order followed when members were settled during meals and assembly meetings. Each of the members was assigned a rank. 9.From here the documents provides a long succession of rules that governed the members including: keeping the Sabbath (even a restriction f rom assisting an animal to give birth or pull it out of pit if the animal falls on the Sabbath); prohibitions against sleeping with a woman in the City of the Sanctuary; rules for bathing; restrictions against selling of clean animals or birds to gentiles in case they would offer them in sacrifices; rules to members with children that require them to force their children to take an oath to the covenant upon the age of enrollment; directives to the members to contribute two days of every month’s incomes to the poor and needy; rules demanding all new members to study for a full year under the Overseer before partial membership if granted; and rules prohibiting any membership for lunatics, the maimed, madmen, the deaf, the blind, simpletons, the lame, and the underage.

American Revolution Essay

The American Revolution is said to be one of the most impacted events that shaped America into what it is today. The American Revolution was also known as the American War of Independence, which lasted for eight long dreadful years. There were many causes that caused the revolution which also lead to terrible events afterwards (although some of the outcomes were good). One of the causes was the Stamp and Sugar Acts, 1763–1766. The Stamp Act (1765) was â€Å"designed to raise revenue from the American colonist in the thirteen colonies.† (landofthebrave.com) The Sugar Act (1764) set a tax on sugar and molasses that was imported into the colonies, and also taxed other foreign trading goods. (historyrocket.com) Another cause of the American Revolution was the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, 1770-1773. The Boston Massacre was a â€Å"protest against the tax collector’s, government officials and merchants,† British troops were called in to handle the crowd s, but when they got there the crowd had grew. When the crowd and troops fought, only 5 civilians were killed. The Boston Tea Party happened on December 16, 1773, which was when the crowd in Boston dressed up disguised as American Indians, then they boarded ships which contained the tea, and then proceeded to dump 342 chests of tea that belonged to the East India Company into the sea. Another cause of the war was that the American colonies had a growing demand of freedom, to get away from the British. One of the effects that came out of the American Revolution was the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of independence was written in July of 1776, by Thomas Jefferson. It â€Å"explained why the colonies have overthrown their ruler and chosen to take their place as a separate nation in the world.† (sparknotes.com) The Declaration Independence was to express the way that the colonies were now their own, not under British rule anymore. People in the United States of America now celebrate this very special holiday every year on July 4. Another effect of the American Revolution was the Bill of Rights, December 15, 1791. The first ten amendments of the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights, and are ten of the most important amendments written in many peoples opinion. After the war, trading with other countries in the Mediterranean became even more difficult. This was because there was a lack of protection by British navy from all of the pirates out in the open sea.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Crystals Research Paper Essay

Crystals form in the depths of the Earth to the extension of the clouds in sky. Some think that crystals elude the sight of people’s eyes everyday in life, but they are everywhere including ingredients for food, construction materials, and even in ice-cold weather. The crystals in this experiment are ammonia-generated crystals that can be created right in a home. The experiment will be testing the different effects and products on crystals in different temperatures and forms of light. Different measurements will be recorded throughout the experiment such as mass and length. But first the crystals must grow. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is called crystallography. All over the world, though the different ages of man, crystals have been found to take their place throughout different cultures, countries, and religions. Not only were crystals used for a part in the currency of some ancient economies, but also they date back as far as 1500 BC as a source of healing and medicinal uses. â€Å"The ancient Egyptians strongly believed in the healing and protective power of crystals. Many pharaohs wore crystals on their headdresses and many crystal amulets have been found in their tombs.† Pharaohs of ancient Egypt often believed that the use of crystals in the masks and jewelry gave them the effect of bettering their rule. Amazonite and Lapis were reoccurring crystals found in the tombs found in Egypt, particularly King Tut where Lapis was actually apiece in the famous mask he wore. Cleopatra’s favorite jewelry was supposed to be a ring made of the crystal am ethyst. The ancient Chinese are also found to be users of the healing purposes of crystals. In two hundred different occasions, crystals are referred to in the bible. New Jerusalem, God’s heavenly city, was said to be built on top of crystals. â€Å"And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.† Tibetan monks also viewed quartz crystal spheres as holy objects and worshiped them. The monks often referred to quartz as the â€Å"crystal of enlightenment†. Alexander The Great included a large emerald crystal encrusted in his battle helmet to insure a victory in the battle. The Shah Jahan, monks who built the Taj Mahal, wore talismans similar to Alexander The Great. Overall, There is a reoccurrence of crystals used for different purposes such as healing, sacred items, and fine jewelry. There are many different structures of crystals based on the formation of them. The different forms are Cubic, Isometric, Tetragonal, Orthorhombic, Hexagonal, Trigonal, Triclinic, and Monoclinic. Cubic and Isometric are similar but don’t always have to be cubes. They can be found in forms of octahedrons and dodecahedrons as well as cubes. Tetragonal form double prisms and double pyramids due to one axis being longer than the other. Orthorhombic form dipyramids and rhombic prisms. Hexagonal are six-sided prisms and when viewed from a certain angle, the cross section is a hexagon. Trigonal, instead of having a 6-fold axis like the hexagonal, it has a 3-fold, thus making it trigonal. Triclinic has no set shape so these kinds of crystals can come in any shape and strange ones as well. Monoclinic are very similar to tetragonal crystals except they are skewed a bit so they don’t form good angles. These formations of the atoms and molecules in a crystal are all part of what is called the crystal lattice. The crystal lattice is the repetition of a pattern in three dimensions. The atoms and molecules of crystals form in such a way that in all three dimensions, they are repeating a certain pattern. The shapes of the microscopic atoms can determine the shape of the macroscopic crystal. So, Cubic, Isometric, Tetragonal, Orthorhombic, Hexagonal, Trigonal, Triclinic, and Monoclinic atom formations repeat in different crystals to make them the shape they are. Crystals can also be grouped by their properties. The property arrangements include covalent, metallic, ionic, and molecular crystals. Covalent crystals have many true covalent bonds connecting all the atoms in the crystal. Covalent crystals tend to have very high melting points. Some covalent crystals include zinc sulfide and diamonds. Metallic crystal’s atoms sit on a lattice, therefore the outer electrons of the atoms in the crystal are free to move around and float whichever way they want. Metallic crystals have a high melting point like covalent crystals but just not as high. Ionic crystals are bonded together by ionic bonds just as covalent crystals are held together by covalent bonds. Ionic crystals have high melting points like the other crystals and are usually very hard. An example of an ionic crystal is salt (NaCl). Molecular crystals are very recognizable in terms of their molecular structure. They are bonding by hydrogen bonds or non-covalent bonding. Molecular crystals are usually soft and have lower melting points compared to the other crystals. Relating the properties of crystals to the atom structure (crystal lattice) will allow one to realize how the structure correlates to the property. They’re ere 2 different types of structure in the crystal lattice, crystalline and non-crystalline. Crystalline structures are the atom structures that contain the repeating patterns. While non-crystalline structures contain miniscule faults in the patterns and are not perfect. Ionic crystals contain a crystalline structure and therefore are very hard and dense. The more crystalline the structure, the more compact the atoms are arranged. And the more the compact the atoms are, the more dense and hard the crystal becomes. Molecular crystals tend to have a weak, non-crystalline structure of the atoms. This results in the Molecular crystals being weak with low boiling points. The atoms in Molecular crystal tend to be spread out over farther distances in contrast to ionic crystal’s structure. Different wavelengths and colors of light can affect the color of the crystal itself and the wavelength output of the crystal. Different crystals are different colors due to the different chemicals in each one and how each one absorbs light. Many crystals reflect a certain color of light depending on the chemicals. So, crystals absorb one color of light or wavelength of light, and reflect a different color of light. So the idea of complimentary colors comes into play. Complimentary colors are the colors that the crystals absorb to then reflect a different color of light. There are many examples such as if a crystal is yellow, it is reflecting yellow light but the light it absorbs is blue. Also, if a crystal is red, it is reflecting red light but it is absorbing green light. Normally, crystals will grow much faster in the light, but these crystals will be much weaker than crystals grown in the dark. This is due to the time it takes for each to grow. In dark rooms crystals grow at a much slower rate but are significantly stronger than crystals grown in light. Crystals are found all over and all inside the Earth. In some rock cavities, whether it is close to the surface or deep and closer to the core of the Earth, mineral-rich solutions contain the essential elements to grow crystals. Thus, in these rock cavities, many different crystals can be found, and some are very old. Crystals can also be found around volcanoes and past eruption areas because after a volcano erupts, the cooled magma forms crystals. In many caves, rock walls contain similar solutions as rock cavities and form similar crystals. Crystals can also be found where there are mineral-rich vapors present, such as deep caves and rock formations. Many different crystals can form in various environments. Such as the location of turbulent water such as pipes and quick paced streams. Also, crystals can be found in the presence of evaporating salt water, where salt crystals will form. Crystals are also formed in the process of condensation, or in clouds for that matter. Every time it snows, the water has frozen into microscopic ice crystals that are the snowflakes. Also, Crystals can form under water and many on the Earth have not been seen because of this. Crystals grow and form in different and various ways. Crystals begin growing in a process called nucleation, which contains 2 different types, unassisted and assisted. Unassisted nucleation occurs when a â€Å"proto-crystal† forms in the solution that has been added to a solute. The solute is the solid and the solution is the liquid surrounding the solute. When molecules in the solution begin to attract to one another they combine and sometimes are separated by intermolecular forces but sometimes they stay together. When these molecules stay together they begin to attract different molecules of the solution to join and this is the â€Å"proto-crystal†. The â€Å"proto-crystal† then attaches itself to a couple other molecules or other â€Å"proto-crystals† in the solution and the actual crystal begins to form. In assisted nucleation, the solution is provided with a solute that the molecules of the solution can attach or adsorb to. When this occurs it attracts molecules just as in unassisted nucleation and the crystals begin to form. Because of the ability for crystals to grow from the build up of the solute molecules in the solution, crystals are able to grow at their highest when the solution being used is saturated with the solute being use. The more material to build up, the more the crystals are going to be able to grow and grow to full extent. Crystal formation is very slow, so it must be given a long geological process to form. Depending on the kind of crystal, the times of formation vary, so some form faster than others. This is where super saturation comes into play. Super saturation is the presence of more dissolved material in the solvent that could be dissolved in normal conditions. When a solution is supersaturated, it contains many particles and molecules of material to begin the nucleation process. When the supersaturated solution is under the correct conditions, crystallization begins to occur more rapidly. But this is not the case for all liquids or solutions. Some solutions may be saturated at one temperature but supersaturated at another so temperature is able to affect this as well. Temperature plays a huge part in the growth and the rate in which crystals grow. The growth rate of crystals changes depending on the temperature they are in. But some crystals grow faster in warm temperatures than in cold temperatures. This is because of the process of evaporation. When a saturated solution is in a warm environment it begins to evaporate. When the liquid begins to evaporate, overtime the material that was once dissolved in the solution will begin to bunch up and crystallize the more the liquid evaporates. But this process is a lot quicker than in cold environments so this leads to less stability and weaker crystal strength. In colder environments, the opposite process is used to begin the crystallization process. The process of precipitation is used. This process takes a much longer time than the evaporation process. Since this process takes a much longer time, it has the ability to create well formed and high quality crystals that are much stronger than crystals formed in hotter temperatures. Mainly crystals grown in the dark take much longer to grow. Because of the absence of light, there is not as much heat than crystals in light. Crystals in light receive much more heat. But this is not the case for all types of crystals; in some cases the rules for temperature are switched. For example Borax, these are crystals that usually generate faster in colder temperatures. If the Borax solution is saturated at room temperature or at any temperature higher than room temperature, the crystals grow faster in colder temperatures. This is due to the molecular structure of the Borax solution and the movement of the molecules causes the saturated solution at room temperature to become a supersaturated solution at colder temperatures. And the super saturation leads to faster crystal growth. So growth rates vary depending on temperature, kind of crystal, and kind of solution being used in the experiment. Bibliography 1.†Crystal.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 2.†History of Crystals.† History of Crystals. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 3. â€Å"A Brief History of Crystals and Healing.† History of Crystals and Healing. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 4.†Basic History of Crystals.† Holistic Apothecary. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 5.†Types Of Crystals.† About.com Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 6.†The Structure of Crystals.† The Structure of Crystals. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 7.ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 8.†Temperature and Crystal Growth.† Temperature and Crystal Growth. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. 9.†UCSB Science Line Sqtest.† UCSB Science Line Sqtest. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Steve Jobs as one of the most influential business leaders of our time Term Paper

Steve Jobs as one of the most influential business leaders of our time - Term Paper Example Sadly for Steve, he never knew the love of his parents who later on decided to get married and then have another child, a daughter they named Mona. The unwanted baby was adopted by Clara and Paul Jobs who by profession were an accountant and coast guard veteran respectively. They lived in the Mountain View area of Silicone Valley where as a boy, Steve was influenced by his fathers affinity for all things electronic. He would spend many a day and hours learning how to take electronic things apart and put them back together from his father. It was this activity that kick-started Steve's lifelong love affair with all things electronic and technical. Always a man ahead of his time, a young Steven had problems adjusting to regular academic life. He was known as a prankster at school who needed to be coaxed into completing his tasks. Though unfocused and unwilling to sit down and be taught, the principal of his school and his teachers agreed that his boredom and restlessness came from the fact that his intellectual ability was not challenged at his current academic level. The boy tested with a high school learning curve as early as the 4th grade but his parents refused to let the school accelerate him to the proper academic level as dictated by his intellectual quotient exams. By 1971, Steve found himself enrolled at Homestead High School where he would go on to meet Apple co-founder and future business partner Steve Wozniak. Wozniak was, at the time, attending the University of Michigan. Both men had an affinity for computers and other common interests, including an independent mind attitude about how things should be done in the world. It was also this close affinity that would lead to their parting of their business ways later on in their lives. (â€Å"Steve Jobs†) Although Steve enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, his lack of direction in life led hi to drop out after only 6 months. He would then spend 18 months in creative classes where he would develop a keen interest in calligraphy, which became one of the most notable aspects of Apple Computers later on. In 1974, Steve tried his hand at working for a computer software company and found himself employed at Atari. But even this exposure to the business side of computers left Steve aimless. He spent a period of time trying to find spiritual fulfillment in India along with his use of psychedelic drugs. This was the time when the aimless boy began to find himself and develop into an innovative thinker, far ahead of his time. By 1976 he had convinced Wozniack to team up with him so they could establish Apple Computers with its head office located in his parent's garage. Steve Job's vision at this time was to create a personal computer far different from the mainframes that offices were using this era. His was going to be small enough to fit in a corner in the home and be easy enough for even a child to use. With Wozniack's help, the two men created the first personal computer for home use. Their first Apple computer was sold for $666.66 each. It was from that sale that the home office began to grow to eventually become the juggernaut computer software and hardware leader that it has now become. But the Apple computer as Steve Wozniack had put it together was far from perfect. Jobs knew that there was room for improvement. He just could not put his finger on what that improvement needed to be.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

GREEK MYTHOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 0 words

GREEK MYTHOLOGY - Essay Example Even the writings of Shakespeare and Byron are inclusive of passing references made to these Greek myths. Therefore, I would definitely associate the Greek culture with the notion of 'myth'. One of the most popular Greek myths, in our contemporary world, is that of Jason and Argonauts. This myth has been popularised by television shows and films that have adopted this name. The myth goes like this: There lived a virtuous King called Aeson, who reigned over Ioclus in Thessaly. He and his good wife, Alcimede by name, were a happy couple. However, their happiness was destroyed by the King's evil brother, Pelias, who took the throne forcibly. The couple fled with their infant son called Jason. They took refuge and entrusted their son to Centaur Chiron, beseeching him to bring up their son as a virtuous person in order to avenge their wrongs. Around the age of 20, as Chiron and Jason crossed a mighty water body, they found an old lady struggling to do the same. Jason helped her cross and to his surprise, she transformed into Goddess Juno, who blessed him in his future endeavours.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Monetary Unification in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Monetary Unification in Europe - Essay Example Critics were so skeptical on the Europe’s idea of monetary unification claiming that Europe was not close to optimal monetary union. This idea was just a mere political project, which did not give into account economic fundamentals and was doomed to fail the single currency, and Europe’s failure to see monetary unification as an evolutionary process. Over the past few years, the Euro has tremendously challenged the US dollar, which is globally reserved currency, and within a very short period, it has transformed economic and political landscape in Europe. Monetary experiments has never been such an exciting history as there have been no any sovereign state surrendered its currency to a common central bank currency restraining from monetary sovereignty (Charles, 2010:176). Although the need to unify European currency started a long time ago, we begin to review its recent attempts to attain that goal. Prelaunch, which took place in late 1989, witnessed France extract German commitment to monetary union in favor of German reunification. The same year, Jacques Delor, filed a report introducing European Monetary unification in three stages. It comprised of creation of institutions like European System of Central Banks charged with the responsibility to formulate and implement monetary policies. The phases between 1989 and 2002 gave a name to the common currency that was to unify the European states â€Å"euro†, which replaced the old currency unit, the ecu. The institution laid down steps to accomplish monetary unification first of which was abolishing exchange controls that saw capital completely liberalized in European Economic Community on July 1, 1990. On 7 February 1992, leaders from different European countries signed the Maastricht Treaty with the aim of creating a single common currency but without United Kingdom participating by January 1999. Having the treaty approved proved a challenge since countries such as Germany, France, and Denmark were reluctant (Evgeny, 159). Another attempt derived from Stage II of Delor’s report that led to the creation of European Monetary Institute in 1994 that replaced European Monetary Cooperation Fund with Alexander Lamfalussy as the first president. After sometime, there rose a pool of disagreements that led to adoption of euro as new currency on December 1995 doing away with the name ecu previously used as the accounting currency. Theo Wagel suggested the name. He was by then the German’s finance minister. Date 1 January 1999 was set for the launch of the currency name. With the launch of euro in the European Union, credit institutions were able to process real-time payments. This supposedly helped in serving monetary policy needs of Euro system as well as harmonizing business practices in the EU and promoting money market integration(Gertrude and Peter, 2003:13). Owing to the total number of states, the Euro bloc designed and produced new 7.4 billion notes and 38.2 billion coins for issuance to consumers and business operators on 1 January 2002. This attempt displayed some obsolete results with tasks set to educate European people on the new currency and finally on 15 December 2001 banks commenced exchanging euro starter kits. As a matter of encouraging continuous effectiveness and integration of European currency, banks all over Euro zone, offered same high quality services, interfaces, and single price structure irrespective of their location. Such policies facilitated unification of currency across Europe as banks and other financial institutions operate under similar conditions. In the wake of

Monday, August 26, 2019

Democracy Promotion by Western Powers since the beginning of the Arab Essay

Democracy Promotion by Western Powers since the beginning of the Arab Spring in Tunisia - Essay Example Until lately, Arabic countries in the last two decades have demonstrated their strong need for political changes and democracy in their countries. Tunisia was the first, followed by Egypt’s riots that have persisted since then, and followed Libya before the Middle East, where the world watched Islamic movements match in union against repressive governments to claim for their rightful democracy (Hamid aucegypt.edu). The western powers have since taken strategic positions, policies and redefined their foreign relations with external nations to promote peace and the sparked democracy in the society. The democratization of the Arab countries has been the United States and European Union’s long-term interest since the break out of the uprising. It was not the first time to have witnessed the western military intervention in the Arab countries during the time of the wars. Historically, the United States is known to have sent its military personnel in different areas, like the 1982-85 intervention in Grenada and many others (Adams and Newell 35). Most people doubt the presence of military intervention to promote democracy. It has often been considered a harsh move for governments to absorb, hence they let go of the powers, but play no significant role to change citizens’ revolution. Military invasion is often the last resort after attempts to bring peace internally fail. The western powers have confronted the recent issues including a war on terror without shying war for the safety and well-being of the global society. The USA has often applied quite a hard force compared to the European Union, but they have all shown a greater purpose to secure their own countries and promote democracy internally and those they relate to externally.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Francis Bacon's The New Organon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Francis Bacon's The New Organon - Essay Example The method involves construction of comparison tables. Moreover, experiments are considered crucial since they help the mind in interpreting nature. Bacon argues that human minds are filled with diverse foolish and improper notions that deter them from understanding nature appropriately. He calls these notions idols and argues that they result from the human nature, relations between people and works from some philosophers especially Aristotle. He specifically, focuses on syllogistic method and argues that it is based on various idols and hence cannot be used in proper investigation of nature. This essay focuses on Francis Bacon: The New Organon. The essay discusses how the book addresses the basic features of the method of interpretation of Nature. Additionally, the differences between Interpretation of nature and Anticipation of mind in relation to the four kinds of idols will be discussed. Moreover, the essay will discuss how the four idols discussed by Bacon differ from each othe r. The Basic Features of Francis Bacons Interpretation of Nature Bacon believes that the new method or interpretation of nature is superior to syllogism. ... His method thus focuses on use of induction, which begins with natural phenomenon and follows some intermediate steps to come up with general axioms. Bacon argues that this method is appropriate since it is based on concrete things and not words (Bacon 38-41). Another key feature of Bacon’s interpretation of nature method is it emphasis on experimentation, which are used on investigating nature. Bacon refutes previous uses of experiments to confirm theories. In his opinion, theory should be developed through experiments. Bacon’s New Organon thus emphasizes on use of experiments in investigating nature (Bacon 41-44). Another feature of Bacons method is objectivism. He keeps referring to phrases such as â€Å"knowledge is power.† His method aims at demonstrating the relation between reason and human survival as well as knowledge and human power. He argues that previous method had relied on dogmas, skepticism, and lacked fixed methodologies (Bacon 130-135). How Fran cis Bacon’s â€Å"Interpretation of Nature† Differs From â€Å"Anticipation of Mind† Distinction between â€Å"Interpretation of Nature† and â€Å"Anticipation of Mind† relate to Bacon’s discussion of the four kinds of idols. According to Bacon, anticipation of mind entails jumping into conclusion before investigating a scientific law. That is, a conclusion is first made and it is then followed by investigations to confirm it. On the other hand, interpretation of nature entails building proof through a series of investigation and observation. Therefore, use anticipation of mind as a research tool is likely to result in conclusions that are based on beliefs and not facts. However, using interpretation of nature to research, results in building up of facts and making the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Education Children Services Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Education Children Services Analysis - Essay Example A constructive campaigner is able to work together with parents because of the understanding that working with parents gives them more voice over the progress of the children and great influence when dealing with professionals (Foley and Leverett 2008). Active involvement of children in decision making Having the right knowledge among children is a contested are and with the recognition of the law, values and policies in shaping the activities done by practitioners, they are required to have ethical responsibility during the decision making in order to intervene in the lives of children. Approaches to decision making that is transparent, based on a careful consideration and accountable considers compelling evidence on the effects of interventions on various groups, communities and welfare individuals (Stanier 2009). Training of practitioners on matters related to safeguarding of children makes them be aware of the procedures and responsibilities, and what works well in protecting chi ld environment and during the assessment and intervention of family lives. One of the instances was that of Macdonald that reviewed evidence of the consequences of child abuse where interventions were successful at a broader primary prevention and a secondary and tertiary work. Knowing involves the application of rigorous approach to research evidence and this involves systematic review of the research evidence while having an explicit methodology and placing weight on the research outcome studies. Potential limitations to, or tensions within, children’s ability to shape services Rixon (2008) states that there is a lot of focus that has been put on evidence-based practice which has been criticized as an overemphasis on positive approaches... Having the right knowledge among children is a contested are and with the recognition of the law, values and policies in shaping the activities done by practitioners, they are required to have ethical responsibility. Approaches to decision making that is transparent, based on a careful consideration and accountable considers compelling evidence on the effects of interventions on various groups, communities and welfare individuals (Stanier 2009). Training of practitioners on matters related to safeguarding of children makes them be aware of the procedures and responsibilities, and what works well in protecting child environment and during the assessment and intervention of family lives. One of the instances was that of Macdonald that reviewed evidence of the consequences of child abuse where interventions were successful at a broader primary prevention and a secondary and tertiary work. Knowing involves the application of rigorous approach to research evidence and this involves system atic review of the research evidence while having an explicit methodology and placing weight on the research outcome studies. Rixon (2008) states that there is a lot of focus that has been put on evidence-based practice which has been criticized as an overemphasis on positive approaches above other knowledge types and it is able to minimize complexities that may occur with family engagement. There are evidence from different countries and settings which make it difficult to apply to new contexts

Friday, August 23, 2019

Expanding business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Expanding business - Essay Example Vietnam has a varied climate. In the north, the average temperature is around 27Â ° C and 21 Â °C in the south. Generally, Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate with average humidity of 84% all year round. Vietnam falls in both tropical and temperate climatic zones that varies climate of Vietnam. On the northern part, Vietnam falls in the temperate climate zone and tropical climate on the Southern part. The north part of the country experience cool and dry weather from November to April and hot and rainy weather from May to October. From July to November, the coastal regions of Vietnam experience typhoons that can have the devastating impact. Randomly, there are also floods and droughts that take place that has an enormous impact on lives and agriculture (VBN Para 8). Vietnam’s natural resources are phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, and hydropower (VBN Para 3). Agricultural resources of Vietnam are Rice, Rubber, Coffee, Cashew nuts, Pepper, Tea, and Fruits and Vegetables. Major industries include coal, tin, chrome, power station, tobacco, tea and cunning factories, pharmaceutical, textile, food processing (VBN Para 4). Vietnam’s main trading partners are Japan, China, the USA, Singapore and Taiwan. The relations between Vietnam and the USA ended up by signing a bilateral trade agreement in December 2001 that increased export to the USA from Vietnam. This trade agreement made the USA the second largest trading partner of Vietnam and increased trade between the two countries by $15.4 billions in 2009. The major export of Vietnam is Crude oil and it is the major crude oil exporter in Asia. Its main countries of export include China, Singapore, Japan, Britain, and the USA (VBN Para 6). Textile and Garment: Vietnam is the world’s 16th biggest garment and textile exporter. It currently accounts for 2.5 % of the world’s total market share and the major importing countries are the USA, EU, and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Personal development Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Development - Personal Statement Example With a good GPA scored during the Bachelor’s course and work experience gained as the marketing advisor, I managed to enroll myself at University of New Brunswick. My tenure at this University has been one of tremendous learning, and this has contributed towards personal development along with high prospects in the professional career. I came to the university with an open mind with no assumptions and no expectations. I would first like to present what I learned through the academic courses and then move on to the other teachings that an MBA course offers. The environment itself has much to teach, and learning during the MBA stretches far beyond the academic module. However, one has to be open to learning, observing, perceiving and absorbing. Benefits through academic learning The academic course was divided into three modules and the first module comprised of accounting, marketing, statistics and research, and effective communication. I dreaded accounting as I had not fared w ell during the pre-MBA phase. However, to overcome the fear and to understand the accounting concept, I took up the two-week quant camp which definitely did a lot to develop interest in accounting. After that there was no looking back, and I pursued the subject seriously, making sure I solved problems after each class. This one of my biggest achievements in this course – I understood and overcame the fear of accounting. I am glad I did so because the basics of accounting are essential to run your own business. Marketing had been my domain and interest before I started this course. This course was very interesting and at the same time it helped me develop professional skills on how to actually market products or services. The course stretched into marketing for profit- and non-profit organizations. What I specifically enjoyed was the analytics that provide insight into marketing efforts and help the marketers further amend their strategy. Statistics and research, while essenti al for business, was a little difficult for me. I guess it is enough to understand its value and the basics, so that we can extract information when necessary. Not everyone can be an expert in every field, so I decided not to spend too much energy in a subject which I would not be keen to pursue later as a career. However, I did learn to use excel, which is very important in analytics. Analytics help in marketing decisions and statistics help to decide on the target audience. As a marketer, communication has always been my strength but this course taught me the finer techniques in communication. Business communication becomes essential for every professional, both in oral and written format. Communication is also essential in dealing with colleagues and subordinates. Thus, even though many may consider this as a natural or innate talent, I feel the course does provide a guideline on communication at different levels. The second module was even more interesting as it taught us how to apply the theories and technical knowledge in business. Management skills development is an essential trait because one needs to develop the competencies to manage and lead an organization. This course also taught us the difference between a manager and a leader. I never knew the difference between the two, before the course. The different leadership traits and qualifications essential in different circumstances was an interesting learning. Another major learning for me

Resistivity Coursework Essay Example for Free

Resistivity Coursework Essay Theory suggests that the resistance of a wire is found with this formula: R=? L/A R = Resistance ? = Resistivity of wire L = length of wire A = cross-sectional area I will now perform an investigation to confirm the legitimacy of this formula and confirm a value for ? in a Nichrome wire. Planning A4c: Fully labelled Diagram A4d, A6d: Comprehensive list of Apparatus including Instrument Ranges Variable power supply unit Analogue ammeter, accuracy 0. 01A, range 0 to 1. 0A Analogue Voltmeter, accuracy 0. 1V, range 0 to 5V Copper leads x5 Crocodile clip x2 Nichrome Wire (diameter=4. 57 x 10-4m). Ruler, accuracy 0. 001m, range 0 to 1. 000m A2c: Safety Confirm the Initial power supply is at 0 volts other wise huge voltages will most likely cause unnecessary heating in wires including the Nichrome not only a hazard but may compromise my readings. Make sure my practical investigation is free of all or any obstructions; any unnecessary wires may cause a short circuit leading to damaging the power supply unit, ammeters and voltmeters. A4b, A6a: Identifying Variables and Constants The variables in this investigation are voltage (V), resistance (R) and length of Nichrome wire (L). Resistance and length are directly proportional to each other. Constants are current (I), cross sectional area of wire (A) Resistivity (? ) and temperature of the Nichrome wire. An R against L graph must look like this, (look below,) if resistance and length are directly proportional to each other. A4c: Detailed Plan   confirm power supply unit is at 0v construct apparatus as illustrated in diagram   connect voltmeter negative crocodile clip on 0. 100m   increase current to 0. 30A   take reading from voltmeter as quickly as possible for the wire to remain at the same   switch off power when entering the reading into required data   connect the voltmeter negative crocodile clip to increased 0. 200m   repeat process till I reach 1. 000m   repeat the whole process again but with 0. 60A   plot a graph of R vs. L which is required to be a straight line through the origin   use the graph of R vs. L to find the value of R use Display complete essay. The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section. Download this essay Print Save Heres what a teacher thought of this essay 4 star(s)

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Russian Standard Vodka Strategies For Global Markets

Russian Standard Vodka Strategies For Global Markets Introduction Roustam Tariko, founder of the Roust Holdings planned to establish a brand that will set up new standards of world class quality for new breed of global Russian brands. Tariko focused on setting up the standards by a product which is distinctive because of its Russian Heritage so that Russians can take pride in it, and to fulfill this requirement vodka was the obvious option as it is developed in Russia and strongly associated with the country. Tariko launched the vodka and by 2002, Russian Standard was outselling all other brands achieving the top position in the vodka market. This success of the Russian brand was attributed because of its consistent product quality, packaging, and merchandising and of course because of its strong depiction of Russian heritage. Encouraged by its success, Tarikos management launched the Russian Standard in the European countries aiming to make it the best vodka globally. Russian Standard vodka was making business in around 10 European countries, the company wishes to enlarge the business by further crossing the boundaries by entering into the US Market. Vodka is very famous in the US; it has a huge market, largest around the globe and there are many best selling companies which offer premium quality vodka. Launching Russian Standard vodka in US would mean high competition with the already existing brands that are quite popular among customers. The Russian Standards also expanded the list as Tariko decided to launch a new type of bank which will serve foreign trade companies, small business and individual customers. The challenge faced by the Russian Brands team was to make the two diverse businesses compatible with each other while maintaining the standards of the Russian Brand. The report presents a brief overview of the brand equity concept of the Russian Standards and the reasons behind its success story, discusses the horizontal brand diffusion in terms, and also debates over the possibility of launching Russian Standard in US and whether it needs to change its strategies to attract the customers. Brand equity is considered to be a crucial source for profitability. A firm with strong brand equity can have a significant edge in the market as compared to its competitor. It can be able to charge higher prices with its brand image backing it up. The firm can also enjoy a larger market share, a possibility of further product extensions and even draw more investment into the existing business. This is the reason why in the present world, branding or brand image has become a very important strategic issue for businesses. Businesses such as Pepsi, Coca Cola, Ralph Lauren, Nestle etc have very strong brand equities, because of which they are able to enjoy huge market shares as well as the ability to price their products higher than what they would have if they did not have their respective brand names. Brand equity is the value of a company which is only because of its name. As observed by Dr. Ramachandran (2010) brand equity is the outcome which is attributed to the products brand name as compared to the same product without a brand name. Due to the benefits strong brand equity can provide, every corporate entity works their utmost to excel others in the retail sector. However the question arises that what makes a brands equity stronger than it is? According to Kellers (2003) brand equity pyramid, there are mainly four steps and six building blocks which establish a consumer based brand equity for a firm, namely; Salience (identity), Performance and Imagery (meaning), Judgments and Feelings (Response) and finally Resonance (relationship) (Appendix 1). These are the steps at which the consumer asks respective questions related to the firm, and each step leads onto the next until the consumer places complete confidence in the firm, and thus the firm is able to acquire strong brand equity. This model by Keller (2003) can be used to explain how the Russian Standard brand was able to establish strong brand equity and how this brand equity helped the company to gain commendable success in Russia. Brand Salience The very first step in the pyramid is that of Salience, or identity. This is the step where the consumers ask the firm or product, who are you. This means that when a firm is introduced in the market, the firm establishes distinct identity. It establishes its association to a particular product class, i.e. consumers consider the firm/product according to this distinct identity. Brand salience can be defined as to how often and easily the brand is evoked under various situations and circumstances? (Keller, 2001) The beginning of the Russian Standard brand was with a mindset that its products were to be established in such a way which would be able to gain long lasting consumer association. The objective was to establish an exclusive product, which focused on Russian traditions. The brand identity established by Tariko was such that the Russian Standard brand was identified as the standard for Russians. The aim was to reach for the emotional aspect of consumers while they can relate themselves to the brand and claim pride in owning it. As the case study points out that the Russian Standard Vodka is identified as a traditional Russian souvenir, like matryoshka wooden dolls, Red Army captain watches, and lacquer boxes from Palekh (Grigorian, 2000). The intricate details taken into account in establishing the brand salience for the Russian Standard Vodka can be largely attributed to the brand equity that it enjoys today. Keeping the brand equity in order to build and protect the equity a brand positioned as a premium brand has to keep up with the expectancy by the consumers. For a premium brand the customer expectancy is not only from the quality of the product but it starts from the manufacturing to the pricing to packaging to delivering as well as to promotion (NetMBA). In all these levels a premium level of quality is expected. Russian standard has been careful in keeping quality at the utmost level while carrying out the four Ps. The product was produced with quality ingredients. The packaging was outlining quality in every aspect including meticulous details like design, labels, bottle caps and cases. The pricing was done to put the product in the premium to super premium category and the distribution was carefully laid out to acquire shelf spaces in fancy restaurants and night clubs and even in the highly perceived supermarkets. Brand Meaning Moving onto the next step of the Kellers pyramid, Performance and Imagery are what gives a brand its meaning in the minds of the consumers. The performance block includes all the principal characteristics of the brand, i.e. how well is the brand able to conform to the consumers psychological and functional requirements. This portion of the pyramid basically includes the basic features of the product, pricing, design, durability etc. Whereas, the brand imagery portion of the pyramid includes all the characteristics that are connected to the product, i.e. the products user profile, the values and history that the product reflect along with the distributional structure of the product(Keller, 2003). The Russian Standard brand was known for its quality, packaging and strong distribution channels. It was designed to be the first domestic brand to create a rich mosaic of imagery. It focused not only on quality but also on the price, packaging, merchandizing and communication. The Russian brand emphasized on depicting the Russian heritage to connect to the Russian customer and also achieve and ensure product quality that will attract the customers and make them loyal to the brand. The Russian major scientific institute which specialized on food research, in 1990s, along with Mendleev formulated a formula for vodka, this was patented to be exclusively Russian, it was considered a symbol of quality. The quality based on Mendeleevs recommendations of the vodka was of utmost importance to Tariko, which was then communicated to the people through extensive advertisement promotion, the designed bottle of vodka showed Mendeleves signature so that the customer will felt secure about the qua lity of the product. By establishing this strong connection of vodka with the Russian heritage, Traiko developed a certain sense of meaning and understanding among his customers that they were attracted emotionally and physiologically towards the Russian Brand vodka, and this sense of owning and connecting to the product not only attracted as many locals but also ensured their loyalty towards the product. Other than this, the Russian Brand also priced the product in a very appropriate way; the price was in support of its image as an exclusive brand. The vodka was priced more than other local brands, while still it was less expensive than the imported brands. This helped the Russian Standard Vodka to be recognized as an elite brand, in league with the imported brands; whilst at the same time it helped in gaining profits for the firm as well (Appendix 3) (Anselmsson, 2007). It mainly targeted the connoisseurs and strivers who preferred high quality products and prestigious brands. Moreover, the packaging of the Russian Standard Vodka was unique and fashionable. The exclusivity of the product and its other brand values was reflected by its packing. Attention was paid to every little detail of packaging of the vodka bottle; from bottle case to its cap and more importantly the shape of the bottle all were designed to emphasize on Tarikos objective of depiction of the Russian heritage and also ensure class and quality to the customers requirement and satisfaction. The packaging was designed by one of the top most design house, so that it would reflect the brands quality. The act of focusing on the packaging of a product was in itself something new for a business in Russia. Quality used to be the sole source of focus for a product, leaving the focus from pricing, packaging or the distribution channel, whereas, in modern marketing techniques, product, price, place, packaging and promotion make up the marketing mix for any product. Therefore, packaging was another on e of the major reasons for the Russian Standard vodka to acquire its brand meaning in the eyes of the consumers. Furthermore, the nostalgic touch to the packaging which reflected the value of the brand increased the brand meaning. The shape of the bottle resembled that of the traditional Russian orthodox churches, and there was a historical signature on the packaging as well.. This helped the consumers in establishing distinct brand imagery for the Russian Standard brand and relate to it. On the other hand, the strong distribution channel of the Russian Standard Brand also helped to setup its brand imagery. The Tarikos import business before the Russian Standard brand helped the new vodka to acquire advantaged shelf space as opposed to what it would have had in case Tariko had no prior reputation. Therefore, the beginning for the Russian Standard Vodkas placement in the market was privileged with supermarket promotions, access to prominent restaurants, clubs and bars. Brand Response The judgment and feelings of the consumers are the next building block. . This is basically the feelings and perceptions of the consumers about the brand (Keller, 2008). The brand judgment includes the brand quality, credibility, and differentiation. The quality includes the value or satisfaction the brand provides the consumers. The Russian Standard Vodka was trusted by the consumers for its quality. The advertised quality was supported by the actual quality of the product. The appropriate marketing mix helped the consumers to relate to the product. The idea of the campaign was to show a transformation from the previous Russian standards and the new ones. It was meant to create a modernized image in the minds of the consumers. However, this was not perceived as desired by many consumers. Most of the people thought of it as disrespectful to degrade Russian traditions no matter which era they belonged to and the message could not transfer to most people as well. So the campaign failed to communicate the intended premium image. It was designed for the international market but the response from the Russian market stopped it from being used abroad. It was not portraying the embracing the past and inspiring progress mantra the company was following. The feeling that was called upon by the advertisement within the consumers was such that they preferred using the Russian Standard Vodka as opposed to the imported brands. The brand acquired more appeal through its unique packaging and quality. The on-premise promotion on the other hand worked better for the company. It was promoted as a prestigious brand in restaurants and night clubs. The off-premise promotion was also carefully planned to portray its elegance by acquiring quality displays and shelves in the supermarkets. Brand Resonance The consumers in the modern times demand much more than just the functional benefits from a product. They demand intangible benefits such as image, status, personality, lifestyle, success and other factors that they can strongly relate to (Aziz and Yasin, 2010). The Russian Standard brand was one of the very first brands in Russia which used all these aspects into account when introducing its products in the market. Prior to this, quality and the product was the only consideration for the businesses. They believed in the supply making its own demand style of selling as opposed to the making a product in accordance to the demand of the people. However, the Russian Standard brand changed the traditional style of marketing and therefore was able to hugely benefit from rapid success in Russia. The Russian Standard brand used all the five Ps of the marketing mix to powerfully introduce itself in the market. From there onwards, it maintained its quality and built a solid name for itself by being consistent and innovative in promotion. The Russian Standard brand was able to establish a reputation which appealed to the consumers nationalistic sense. The idea was to create a strong consumer-brand relationship. Brand resonance can only be healthy if the consumers feel that they are in synchronization with the brands identity and values. Because of its patriotic look the brand was able to delve into the Russian market well. It was in complete harmony with the traditions of the Russian people. Therefore, from the analysis above, it can be said that the rapid success of the Russian Standard brand was not only because of the strong product quality they offered but also due to its right choice of marketing mix and most importantly its uphold with the Russian Identity. As the Roust Organization has already developed strong merchandizing and communication skills and relationships with the both kind of trades that is on-trade and off-trade, it was easy for the Russian Standards to be introduced to the consumers, but it was the Russian Standards strong conviction towards the brand equity that they become increasingly popular with the people and establish a certain kind of bond with them. It can be rightfully said that the success story of Russian Brand vodka emphasizes on all the aspects of the brand equity i.e. to establish brand salience and keep themselves intact with brand meaning to strengthen the bond with the customers keep counter check on the brand response and improve i ncase of any negativity and maintain the high standards, and last but not the least to provide brand resonance to the customers so they can feel pride in using the Russian Brand vodka. Thus it enjoyed rapid success and managed to maintain its position at the top, with these brand equity concepts followed it is today thought as to be one of the traditional Russian Souvenirs. Diversification Horizontal brand extension is one of the diversification strategies for the businesses. As can be seen in the Ansoffs matrix in appendix 2, when a firm increases its business into new products and markets, it is said to be diversifying its business. The benefits from diversification include, profitability, growth, reaping economies of scale if the diversification is within the same product range, avoiding dependence on a single product etc. Capitalizing on the equity of existing brands can produce many benefits for the company (Strach and Everret, 2006) even enhance the perception for the core brand (Aaker, 1991). There are two types of diversification strategies; concentric diversification or conglomerate diversification. Concentric diversification is the one where the product class remains the same. This strategy is to add related products or markets from that of the current line of business. On the other hand, conglomerate diversification is where the firm diversifies into areas that are unrelated to the current product range. Synergy Synergy is the ability of two or more instruments to work together to create something more than what they would have created separately. In a firms case, a synergy would be the extra benefit acquired by two different organizations working together, as opposed to what they would have acquired if they worked separately (Ellwood, 2002). In the Russian Standard brands case, the banking industry and the vodka industry are two unrelated industries. However, the Russian Standard brands aim to establish both these businesses under a single brand name could have been to benefit from synergies. This is possible if the bank and the vodka business together can give a stronger brand equity or profitability as opposed to their working as separate businesses under two different brand names (Aaker, 1991). Conglomerate Diversification: Benefits and Problems The possible motivations for conglomerate diversification include profitability, reducing firm specific risk, and limited growth in the current business along with other benefits of diversification in general. As observed by Martin and Sayrak (2001), the diversified organization may benefit from a larger tax liability than the initial business. Moreover, there may be other benefits from diversification such as risk from suppliers can be reduced, overhead costs can be distributed amongst a larger business (economies of scales), and the debt capacity may increase as well (Lewellen, 1971 as cited in Martin and Sayrak, 2001). Furthermore, the additional business can become a source of internal financing for the combined brand, which can considerably reduce the firms financing costs. This can be done by the management of the combined organization, by redistributing resources within the organization, where a larger amount of funds can be placed in the areas where there is potential of a hi gher gain than some other department (Stein, 1997 as cited in Martin and Sayrak, 2001). On the other hand, conglomerate diversification may create a number of problems for the existing firm. There are chances of administrative problems arising with an increase in the scale of operations (VanAuken, 2011). There can be managerial issues, i.e. an intensification of the principle-agent problem in an organization. Along with this, there can be an inadequate level of experience for the existing firm in the new industry. There may be requirements of the new industry that the current management is completely unaware of. New marketing mix, technical equipment, personnel and a lot more will be required for the new business which the current management may not be able to obtain. Support for and against Conglomerate Diversification In conglomerate diversification there are cases where the diversification has been extremely successful as well as cases where diversification was a source of loss in shareholders value in the initial business (Martin and Sayrak, 2001). Maksimovic and Philips (2002) in their research found out that conglomerate diversification reduces shareholder value, whereas in Martin and Sayraks (2001) work they have given a wide range of supporting as well as opposing arguments, without a significant conclusion as to whether conglomerate diversification is beneficial for the initial firm or it actually dilutes its initial shareholder value. However, it has to be noted that most of this literature is on merging or acquiring conglomerate businesses and not establishing a new business like the Russian Standard brand did. In case of the Russian Standard brand, (Grigorian, 2000) the bank was met with immediate success. Therefore, the success of the bank could be attributed to the existing brand name of the Russian Standard Vodka, but even if it was not because of that then there was definitely no dilution of the brand because of the conglomerate diversification. However, it may be difficult to measure in the Russian Standard brands case whether the success of the bank was because of the credibility of the brand or the right marketing mix for the bank itself. It can be the case that the bank may still have had the same success without the Russian Standard brands name associated to it, because the strategies to establish the bank were appropriate and the marketing mix was correct for the respective environment. This may be very much possible considering the fact that most of the people did not associate the Vodka and the Bank even with the same brand name; few customers made a clear link between the two businesses (Grigorian, 2000). Another aspect in this situation could also be the fact that the owner of the company, Roustam Tariko, had established much credibility for himself as well by being successful very early. His sense of strategic business thinking made him successful in creating a brand image of Russian Standard. The aim to meet international quality standards and improve the image of his country reflected well in his branding strategies. The Russian standard vodka and bank, though both were quite different in terms of relativity but as both were being run by Roust their relativity was somehow subsided by the credibility of the parent company (Ellwood, 2002). Both the brands were leveraging on the Russian Standards image. So the brand could very well diversify instead of considering to be diluted. Therefore, it can be said that even when the banking and vodka businesses are not compatible and few modern businesses actually go for conglomerate diversification, the Russian Standard brand was able to handle the two businesses well. As reputation (Ali, 2008) is one of the main factors that can affect the results of brand extension, the Russian Standard brand had a strong brand equity because of its vodka business which could very well afford to withstand any brand extension. Market Extension Another diversification strategy is to extend ones existing business into new markets. As can be seen in the Ansoff matrix (appendix 2), the market extension (Jewell, 2000) is when the existing product is introduced in some new market. This is another extension strategy that the Russian Standard brand was taking into consideration, i.e. extending its vodka into the US market. The benefits of market extension include profitability, an opportunity to reap economies of scale as the basic product will remain the same and growth of business and operations (VanAuken, 2011). Whereas, the market extension process may cause difficulties for the existing firm, because the new market may be completely different from what the firm has been working in initially. An in depth analysis of the potential market, information of the competitors and consumers, legal regulations, economic and social environment, all are required before the extension may be made. An entirely new marketing mix is required f or the same product for it to be introduced in a new market. If the product is launched in the new market with the same marketing mix, then the probability of its success may be reduced considerably. This is because, consumers in each market have distinct requirements and the social, economic and legal situation is also different from the existing market. Moreover, the potential market may already be saturated with competition, as is the case with the US market for Vodka (Sahani, 2008). The US market already has a number of well positioned, distinct local and foreign brands. Each of the brands available in the market is distinct in its own way, i.e. each has a specific segment of the market that it is very well catering to. Therefore, it can be said that introducing the Russian Standard Vodka in the US market is a difficult task, however with the quality product that it has, it may as well be successful to grasp a section of the market. In order to do this, a new marketing mix will be required for the Russian Standard Vodka to be successful in the US. The Russian Standard Vodka in the US market The Russian Standard Vodka was hugely successful in Russia not just because of its quality, but also its appeal to the nationalist sense in Russia along with its privileged distributional channels. These are the attributes of the Russian Standard Vodka that may not be present when the vodka is introduced in the US market. The US market which is todays largest consumer of vodka, is already very saturated in terms of premium vodka brands. The consumers will not be attracted to the brand merely because of its Russian origin, nor will the brand be able to acquire advantaged distribution channels (Sahani, 2008). Also considering the fact that the relationship between the two countries have always been on a verge of disagreements (Graham, 2008), this can act as creating a certain biasness for the origin of the brand. Based on the market analysis the super premium to premium segment already includes a lot of imported brands. For Russian Standard to create its space the super premium segment will have a benefit in terms of no competition from local brands, since the super premium segment only includes the imported variety. So if Russian Standard vodka changes its market strategy they can be noticeable in the US market. Change in the strategy will have to be emphasized in new and creative ideas of marketing and advertising, for this purpose it is very essential for the Russian Standard management to carefully study the US market, understand what the customers need and want, and what does the other vodka brands offer them, whether is there any loopholes or any gap between the customer requirement and brands offers and if Russian Standard vodka can overcome that gap. The American market is completely different from the Russian market, therefore Russian standard faces a great challenge in first capturing the attention of the American and consumers and then providing them with a better vodka than its competitors. The Russian Standard vodka can be launched in US market, but for a successful launching a lot of literature review and planning is required. From the discussion above it can be said easily that the Russian Standard will have to adapt to the US market to make their space. Many aspects of the Russian Standard vodka advertising and management campaign will plays vital role, among which pricing is the most crucial of all. The price should be appropriate enough to capture the attention of the Americans and maintain class as well. The quality of the Russian Brand vodka will ensure brand loyalty from the customers, but the real challenge is faced in actually making space in already so brand crowded market of the vodka in the US. The Russian Standard Vodka marketing mix for the US market will have to have a significant media campaign as well. This is because, all other competing brands in US have noteworthy amounts of money spent on advertisement, and are using user profiling (associating celebrities to add value to the brand) to their advantage. This is one place, where the Russian Standard Vodka will have to focus to establish a brand image that will appeal to the respective consumers. With the current scenario going pretty well for Russian Standard at home a global impact will add to the equity of the brand. As far as the image and global inconsistency is concerned in order to venture into a foreign market the characteristics must be understood. Since the US is a big market and the people are very accustomed to freedom and rationality Russian Standard will have to adapt to the culture in order to create the brand image (Deresky, 2006). This might impact global consistency of the brand but in order for it t o be associated exclusively to Russia the Russian Standard brand has to be put up as a brand for the elite. One the brand recognition will be spontaneous and second it will enjoy cost effective global positioning (Sahani, 2008). As the current situation of the brand is leading in the Russian Market the intervention in the US market will not be a wrong decision. Another aspect in consideration with the adaptation to the US market involves the brand name Russian standard itself (Deresky, 2006). This can have a positive as well as a negative impact while branding in US. The word Russian associates the Russian traditions with the brand. This can impact in the unique positioning in imported vodkas market. The name will give the product a Russian trait and the market does consist of people inspired more by brands with foreign attribute associated to them. However, the market also consists of people who can be biased in terms of foreign associations. Since Russia has been on major disagreement terms with US in history, some sort of biasness or stereotyping might result in the undermining of the brand (Graham, 2008). Launching Russian Standard Brand vodka in the United State would be challenging but not entirely an impossible job. With change in strategies and with new concepts of brand equity that will be according to the US markets, the Russian Standard Brand may be able to make their space in the strong world of vodka in the United States. Conclusion Therefore keeping these aspects in mind the venture into the US market can be risky at some points since it is the largest vodka market in the world. On the other hand it can also provide Russian Standard the global position it is looking for. It will add to the equity at home and in other markets it plans to venture into. The loyalty will increase and so will the company reap economies of scale by pricing it in the super premium market. References Aaker, A., David 1991, Managing brand equity: capitalizing on the value of brand name, New York, Maxwell Macmillan International. Ali, T. 2008, How Do Consumers Evaluate Brand- Extensions: A Five-Factor Approach, Routledge. Anselmsson, J., 2007, Understanding price premium for products: a conceptual model of customer based brand equity, Journal of Product Brand management, volume 16, issue 6, pp. 401-414, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. Aziz, N. A., and Yasin, N. M., 2010, International Journal of Marketing Studies, volume 2, issue 2, Deresky, H., 2006, International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures, 5th Edition, Pearson Education Ltd. Ellwood, I., 2002, The essential brand book: over 100 techniques to increase brand value, Biddles Ltd. Graham, T., 2008, US-Russia Relations: Finding Reality Pragmatically, CSIS, Washington D.C. Grigorian, V., 2000. Russian Standard Vodka: Strategies for Global Branding and Expansion into the US Market INSEAD. Available at: [27 February 2011]. Jewell, B. R. 2000 An Integrated Approach to Business Studies, Pearson Education Limited. Keller, Lane K., 2008, Strategic Brand Management, third edition, Pearson Education Ltd. pp. 246-260. Maksimovic, V. and Phillips, G. 2002, Do Conglomerate Firms Allocate Resources Inefficiently Across Industries?

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Health care in the Amish culture

Health care in the Amish culture The religious and cultural beliefs of the Amish culture have led to variations in health care practices that are different from main stream American culture. The Amish have a health care belief system that includes traditional remedies passed from one generation to the next. Amish families are without health insurance and though concerned about paying medical expenses, most of the time the extended family, friends, and the church help pay for the expenses. For example if a female infant of the Amish family is in the hospital for an extended period of time the biological and extended family visit frequently and bring in their own food in bags. The grandmother and neighbors would gather the children in the hospital waiting room to feed and entertain them while the mother would visit her baby daughter in the neonatal care unit. The father would most likely visit on weekends. The family would speak Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves but use English in speaking with the health care provi ders. The children in the family are dressed like undersized replicas of their parents. They are in distinctive clothing that is subdued and devoid of any designs of flowers, figures or animals on the material. The little girls wear long dresses and head coverings, while the little boys wear trousers with suspenders. Some of the older boys wear broad-brimmed hats. All are very polite and well mannered. This Amish family appears to come from another time, another place. In an instant the Amish family came into another world, the world of high tech health care. One may well surmise the cultural shock of this encounter. AMISH HERITAGE The Amish are a conservative Protestant group who emerged after 1693 as a descendent of the Anabaptist movement that originated from Switzerland and spread to neighboring Germany. The Amish parted ways with the larger Anabaptist group, now known as the Mennonites, over a doctrinal dispute, (Hostetler 1993) and immigrated to America in the 17th 18th century after experiencing religious persecution in Europe. The diverse subgroups of the Amish Culture have distinctive beliefs, values, and behaviors). Today the Amish stand somewhere between the parent body, the Mennonites, and the four groups of Amish: Swartzentruber (ultra conservative), Andy Weaver (conservative), Old Order (conservative), and the New Order (less conservative). The New Order leads a more progressive path that diverged from the Old Order in 1968 (Blair Hurst 1997). The New Order of Amish attempts to balance distinctive rituals and practices against accommodations. Over time the Amish have adapted to some change but at their own pace. In various rural regions of the United States, especially in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, there are large settlements or communities of Amish families. About 75% of the estimated Amish total population of over 130,000 is concentrated in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In these areas good farmland can be purchased reasonably as agriculture is the main stay of their economy. Holmes County in Millersburg, Ohio has the largest population of Amish in the United States as compared to the more widely known areas of Amish settlements in Lancaster, Pennsylvania or Elkart, Indiana. The population in Holmes county is 38, 943 and about 18,000 of that are of Amish descent (Holmes County Chamber of Commerce 2002). Amish Mutual Network The Amish community has a very strong network of mutual support and assistance for its families. Amish barn raising is one example where several hundred men from many church districts gather to build a new barn. The Amish women plan and prepare the meals for the workers and take the food to the site. Smaller networks with projects called frolics occur when several neighbors and extended families and friends gather to help build a small building such as a shed or corn crib. Another example of Amish mutual aid is the harvesting of crops. A serious illness or accident brings an immediate response of both emotional and financial support from their community. In Holmes County, Ohio, for example, a cooperative effort by both Amish and non-Amish people resulted in the formation of the Rainbow of Hope Foundation. This foundation assists all families in the area with health care costs affecting infants and children. Bake sales, benefit auctions, and private donations assist in raising the needed funds. There is a genuine ritualistic response to human troubles in the Amish close knit family environment. Family Roles The Amish father is responsible for providing for his family through farm work or by employment in the local community. Many Amish men are working away from the farm with the declining availability of farmland. Many Amish men work as carpenters, masons or laborers in factories. Some have home based businesses such as furniture making, harness repair or the shoeing of horses. Amish culture teaches girls to serve and please others such as their parents, husbands and relatives. An Amish wife is identified by using her husbands name, eg. Eli Katie means Elis wife, Katie. The social life for an Amish woman is centered around church, funerals, quilting bees, baking, barn raising and frolics. Amish families usually have many children. Amish women raise on average seven children. On the family farm, parents and older siblings model work roles for the younger siblings. Children are an economic asset to the family as they assist with farm chores, gardening, mowing of lawns, housework or work i n a small family business. These activities involving children serve to strengthen family ties and promote survival of the Amish life-style. Genetics Intermarriage among the Amish culture has resulted in the presence of a large number of recessive disorders, many of which are unrecognized outside of the Amish population. Consanguinity (relatives marrying relatives) accounts for the transmission of these various disorders. When a group of individuals mates only among themselves allele (alternate form of a gene) frequencies may change as a result of chance sampling from a small pocket of a population. This change of allele frequency is termed genetic drift. The founder effect is a common type of this genetic drift. A founder effect is when a community of people have descended from a few founders and have their own collection of inherited disorders that are rare in other areas (Lewis 2001). Amish couples are not deterred from having more children when they have a child with a hereditary defect. An abnormal child is referred to as a special child and is accepted as Gods will (Julia 1996). http://dw.com.com/redir?tag=rbxira.2.a.10destU rl=http://www.cnet.com/b.gif CONCEPTION, PRENATAL CARE, AND BIRTH Babies are a welcomed gift in the Amish culture and are viewed as a gift from God. The Amish view fertility as a family and community gift. They nurture these children in preparation for eternal life (Purnell 1998). Most Amish couples do not use birth control to limit their family size, since it is believed that use of birth control would be interfering with Gods will. Therapeutic abortions, amniocentesis and other invasive prenatal diagnostic testing are also not acceptable. Amish folk wisdom is an integral part of their prenatal practices, for example: walking under a clothesline will result in a stillbirth or crawling through a window or under a table will cause the umbilical cord to be wrapped around the babys neck. Lamaze classes are usually held in a church close to the Amish community to ease transportation barriers. Prenatal care is started in the first trimester for a first pregnancy and much later for subsequent pregnancies if the mother has no problems. The distance to the doctor and cost of care can influence the number of prenatal visits and how soon prenatal care is started. Complications such as pregnancy induced hypertension and diabetes is low in the Amish culture most likely due to the well nourished state of the mother (Julia, 1996). Typically prenatal visits are scheduled every eight weeks, rather than every 4 weeks, during the first two trimesters to reduce the expenditures of money and time for prenatal care. Amish express their preference for prenatal care that promotes the use of nurse midwives, lay midwives, home deliveries, and limited use of high technology. The Amish desire culturally congruent and safe health care services. In preparation for childbirth a five week formula (5-W) is sometimes used in the last five weeks of pregnancy. It is thought that the herbs in this formula tone and calm the uterus, quiet the nerves, ease pain, and help make labor easier and on time. In addition, it has been known to help with menstrual disorders, morning sickness and hot flashes. The herbs included in this formula are: Red Rasberry Leaves: This herb has been used as an old friend to treat diarrhea, vomiting and the flu. It is used for similar purposes of relieving nausea and pain in labor. Red raspberry capsules and red raspberry teas are also used. Butchers Broom Root: This herb is used for hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and thrombosis. In addition, it is a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and improves circulation. This herb contains pseudo steroidal saponins which cause blood vessels to constrict and blood to thin. During the final months of pregnancy women may have circulatory problems such as varicose veins; therefore this herb is considered important. Black Cohosh Root: This is a hormonal herb. It has an estrogenic effect because it contains compounds which mimic the effects of estrogen; therefore it is contraindicated in the early stages of pregnancy as it could bring on premature labor. This herb has a nervine effect which relieves spastic muscles, dilates peripheral blood vessels and helps reduce blood pressure. These actions aid the uterus and other muscles during labor. The anti-cramping effect of black cohosh is thought to help reduce pain during delivery. Black cohosh is also used to treat menopausal and PMS symptoms and menstrual cramps. Because black cohosh may minimic the action of estrogen, anyone who has had a cancer thats estrogen sensitive, such as breast, endometrial or ovarian, should avoid using it. Since this root contains a blood-thinner, it should not be taken with bloodthinning medications (such as coumadin or heparin). Dong Quai Root: The anti-inflammatory and diuretic effect of this herb is used for treating swelling prior to labor. During labor it eases smooth muscle contractions and gives a general sedative effect. This herb, in Chinese medicine, is considered a blood building tonic as it is high in iron, magnesium, and niacin. This Chinese herb is sometimes referred to as a female ginseng and is used extensively in China as a postpartum tonic. Squaw Vine Root: This herb is used to prepare the uterus for childbirth and is also used to speed up delivery and encourage regular contractions. It has an antispasmodic action. (Pederson, 1987; Willard, 1991; Tarr, 1984, Block, 1984). The Amish have no major taboos or requirements for labor and delivery. The women labor in soft pastel colored gowns. Men may be present and most husbands choose to be involved. Delivery may be at home with a midwife, at the birthing center, or at a hospital. VISITING THE AMISH COMMUNITY Their simple life style practices numerous social controls to avoid modernization. However, interaction with the outside world often occurs in the health care arena when an Amish person requires hospitalization for medical care. To better understand the Amish culture related to obstetrical care several nursing faculty visited an Amish Birthing Center in Indiana called the New Eden Care Center which is located in the beautiful countryside of Topeka, Indiana. An adaptation by the Amish to modern medical and nursing practices are the Amish Birthing Centers (Kreps Kreps 1997). This Amish Birthing Center was built in 1997, not from local, state, or federal government funds but from private subscriptions and donations mainly from the surrounding community. This facility is designed to be an alternative for those who prefer not going to the hospital for the delivery of their babies but who recognize the need for skilled care before, during, and after delivery. New Eden Care Center is a place where the physician or midwife can bring their patient for delivery in a more relaxed, home-like environment (Philosophy of New Eden Care Center). Since this facility provides services for the low risk population, all women are screened by their physician or nurse midwife before their arrival. Admission to the facility is opened to anyone upon recommendation and approval of their physician or nurse midwife. The need for this birthing center came from the fact that many of the people in the area are Amish and do not have commercial insurance or coverage for obstetrical car e. Thus the Amish prefer not to go to the hospital with its high cost. This center features a plain relaxing decor with no television sets or phones in the patients rooms, and no separate nursery or delivery room. Labor, delivery and postpartum care are all given in the patients room, better known as LDRP rooms. Newborn babies stay in the room with the mothers. Fees for the use of the New Eden Care Center cover current expenses, repairs, and maintenance of this facility. A flat fee is charged for the birth itself and 72 hours of care starting from the time of admission. There are additional fees for extra supplies such as PKU screening, intravenous solutions, and medications. The nurse midwives and physicians fees are separate from the birthing center fees. At times the fees are bartered for. For example, one of the nurse midwives had a new front porch put on her home to cover for her fee. In addition meats have been given for payments. Services of the birthing center included general nursing care, housekeeping, and meals brought in during the patients stay. Families bring in food for the delivering mother and often eat together in the large home-like kitchen area provided at the birthing center. The center includes 3 MSN prepared nurse midwives and 9 physicians. No prenatal classes are offered by the center but the classes are provided by a staff RN from the center at a nearby church. Prenatal care is provided by the midwives either at their offices, located at the center, or in the homes of their patients. Many of the mothers prefer coming to the midwives offices for the prenatal classes as they enjoy the private and quiet time. The care center provides hitching posts with special parking areas for the traditional horse and buggy as well as a barn for overnight lodging of the Amish horses. Since there are no phones in Amish homes, a red bag tied to a large hook placed on the top of the barn is used to signal neigh bors whenever additional help is needed in the center (cleaning and laundry). All of the midwives, upon request, will do home deliveries. Suction, oxygen, and IV equipment are a few of the supplies they routinely take with them. One of the midwives described her experience following a home delivery. It was a very foggy night and it took me awhile to get to the Amish home. It was well worth the difficult drive when following the delivery a great peace seemed to take over in the still of the night as I listened to the singing of the dad to the newborn, the creaking of the dads rocking chair, and the hum from the kerosene lantern. Where else could one hear such beautiful, peaceful sounds. Culture exerts a great influence on the prenatal family and determines the appropriate interventions to be given to provide competent nursing care. It is increasingly necessary to understand the cultural and behavioral patterns of the individuals whom we serve in our practices. Rapid growth of the Amish population and diverse geographical locations augment the probability that health care practitioners may care for Amish families. Health care practitioners can tailor their delivery of care for Amish families if they understand the Amish cultural practices and modify their services to keep it simple. This Amish Birthing Facility, New Eden Care Center, is an example of wonderful adaptation by the Amish people to modern nursing and medical practices while at the same time maintaining their values of simplicity, low cost and accommodation to the use of their horse and buggy. Here the Amish can remain separate from the wider English society while still interfacing with it when health care is involved in birthing babies. Obstetrical Amish health care can be of excellent quality, with licensed medical and nursing personnel, at a reduced cost to both the Amish and the English society. This is an important consideration in todays ever increasing health care costs.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Role Catalysts In Chemical Reactions, Their Importance In Industry

The Role Catalysts In Chemical Reactions, Their Importance In Industry, Problems and New Developments OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE SCHOOLS EXAMINATION BOARD. General Certificate Examination - Advanced Level Chemistry (Salters') - Paper 3 mock. ROBERT TAYLOR U6JW. A Catalyst is a substance that alters the rate of a reaction. The catalyst remains unchanged at the end of the reaction. The process is called catalysis. In this report I aim going to explain the role of catalysts in chemical reactions and their importance in industry. I will also outline the problems associated with the use of some catalysts and discuss, using appropriate examples, new developments in this area which will help reduce damage to the environment. The process of catalysis is essential to the modern day manufacturing industry. Ninety per cent, over a trillion dollars' worth, of manufactured items are produced with the help of catalysts every year. It is therefore logical that scientists are constantly searching for new improved catalysts which will improve efficiency or produce a greater yield. An acidic catalyst works due its acid nature. Catalysts are strong acids and readily give up hydrogen ions, or protons: H+. Protons can be released from hydrated ions, for example H3O+, but more commonly they are released from ionisable hydroxyl groups (R-OH) where the O-H bond is broken to produce R-O- and H+. When the reactant receives protons from an acid it undergoes a conformational change, (change in shape and configuration), and becomes a reactive intermediate. The intermediate can then either become an isomer by returning a proton to the catalyst, or it may undergo a further reaction and form a completely new molecule. Up until the mid - 1960's silica-alumina gels were used to catalyse the cracking of hydrocarbons. This form of cracking is where the large molecules in oil are converted into small, highly volatile molecules. However because the size of the pores of silica-alumina gels was so variable, (ranging from 0.1nm to 50nm), and the fact that their shape was so variable, they were hardly ideal catalysts. Due to the large size of their cavities, large carbonaceous products were able to form in the cavities thus lowering the reactivity if the catalyst. Catalysis with alumina silica-gels was also difficult to control precisely because of their indefinite structure, and therefore uneven d... ...ce on the surface of the solid therefore the solvent only acts as a form of heat transfer and a working fluid. In summary I see Supported reagents as the best possible solution to the problems associated with catalysis due to their easy use and their ability to be recovered and re-used. They have a high level of activity and improved selectivity in reactions. This is accompanied by their highly catalytic activity which leads to the best possible level of performance in commercial uses. This has already been proven by the use of active reagents in Friedel - Crafts reactions. These reactions originally had the drawbacks of firstly the hydrolysed aluminium chloride containing aqueous effluent which is produced, and secondly the by-products such as polymeric tars and di- and polysubstituted by- products which are produced which unless they can be successfully removed make the product impure. By using a supported reagent catalyst, in most cases the desired level of activity can be achieved but the catalyst can be removed easily from the reaction mixture and re-used. I personally therefore feel that the future of environmentally friendly catalysis lies with supported reagent catalysts.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Caretaker Essay -- Drama

The Caretaker How does the opening of the play set the tone for what will follow? The opening of the play starts off by describing the scene and how everything on the stage would be set out, following that it briefly describes what will happen when the curtains are raised. From the opening of the play it jumps right into the story as though we are picking it up from where we left off, it doesn’t really have a beginning where you are introduced to the characters its as though you have to imagine what the characters are like. The description of the setting does not let on what the play is about, the way the lighting and stage is set up could give the play a certain feel. The description of the setting is like a brief insight onto the kind of play it is. The way the stage is set up could make the play seem very compact in the sense that it is set in one room. The opening of the ‘Caretaker’ is very limited to description it holds back on major detail which could be making the play seem more mysterious. Although the language used to describe the play is limited it sheds just enough information to make the play seem interesting without giving away the whole concept of the play. The way that the setting is described using simplicity makes the plays seem simple yet interesting. It’s not an opening that is used to build up the play but an opening to give the viewer an insight as to what the play is about. In the opening it in a few words it explains that Mi...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Customer Perception Towards Branded Carbonated Drinks

STUDY OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS BRANDED CARBONATED DRINKS Submitted by : Hari Baboo CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Beverage Industry in India: A Brief Insight In India, beverages form an important part of the lives of people. It is an industry, in which the players constantly innovate, in order to come up with better products to gain more consumers and satisfy the existing consumers. FIGURE 1: BEVERAGE INDUSTRY IN INDIA The beverage industry is vast and there various ways of segmenting it, so as to cater the right product to the right person. The different ways of segmenting it are as follows: * Alcoholic, non-alcoholic and sports beverages * Natural and Synthetic beverages * In-home consumption and out of home on premises consumption. * Age wise segmentation i. e. beverages for kids, for adults and for senior citizens * Segmentation based on the amount of consumption i. e. high levels of consumption and low levels of consumption. If the behavioral patterns of consumers in India are closely noticed, it could be observed that consumers perceive beverages in two different ways i. e. everages are a luxury and that beverages have to be consumed occasionally. These two perceptions are the biggest challenges faced by the beverage industry. In order to leverage the beverage industry, it is important to address this issue so as to encourage regular consumption as well as and to make the industry more affordable. Four strong strategic elements to increase consumption of the products of the beverage industry in India are: * The qua lity and the consistency of beverages needs to be enhanced so that consumers are satisfied and they enjoy consuming beverages. The credibility and trust needs to be built so that there is a very strong and safe feeling that the consumers have while consuming the beverages. * Consumer education is a must to bring out benefits of beverage consumption whether in terms of health, taste, relaxation, stimulation, refreshment, well-being or prestige relevant to the category. * Communication should be relevant and trendy so that consumers are able to find an appeal to go out, purchase and consume. The beverage market has still to achieve greater penetration and also a wider spread of distribution. It is important to look at the entire beverage market, as a big opportunity, for brand and sales growth in turn to add up to the overall growth of the food and beverage industry in the economy. The Carbonated Drinks Industry In India; A Perspective The Rs. 17000 crore market of carbonated drinks industry in India looked really bad just after the â€Å"Pesticide† controversy last year. But some cool promotions and quick reactions by cola companies have handled the crisis satisfactorily. The controversy has thought the industry few lesson or so and in the process consumer and the economy also benefited. â€Å"Colas, contributing more than 50 per cent to fizzy drink sales, saw a huge slide after the pesticide controversy, but are believed to be making a come back. Thanks to increased advertisement spends which is over 20 per cent higher than last year. There is some good news on the non-cola segment. The lime and lemon segments with brands like sprite and 7up have registered a 30 to 40 per cent growth, although on a smaller base. Nevertheless, the battle between two cola giants, Coke & Pepsi, did not go any slow. Rather it has become fiercer. They are now fighting each other even at the local level. That too the trend is as old as start of this millennium. The present scenario of the carbonated drinks market is behaving the way it has all to do with a duopoly situation. A duopoly is a competitive situation where there are two competitors, normally of roughly equal si ze. Although in every place they have local competitors and there is a huge unorganized flavoured water market. Yet again, packaged water is also a competitor to the cola brands and in this category neither of the two cola companies are market leaders. However, as far as the carbonated drinks are concerned there are only two brands, Coke and Pepsi. Therefore, we can safely say that this condition does qualify to be a near duopoly situation and thus there is such intense competition. Unless, the two parties in a duopoly collaborate with each other, which is certainly not the case in the cola market worldwide or in India, this battle is not going to slow down even a bit! Rather, it would grow stronger with every passing day. In a situation like this it is very interesting to observe marketing strategies in general and Product & Pricing strategies in specific of the players, merely because the action of one player is bound to invite similar reaction from the other. As if, the third law of Newton, that ? every action has an equal and opposite reaction? , can‘t fit better in any other situation! In a duopoly like situation, as far as cola industry in India is concerned, it can be said that it is foolish to cut prices unless, one of the two parties has a much lower cost base. But that is not the case in India. In fact, both the companies, Coke and Pepsi, invest heavily in advertising and in distribution through their franchise as well as their own systems. However, a great deal of attention is paid by both companies to cost, particularly in the development of a tightly effective supply chain system in which economies are squeezed out and, wherever possible both overheads and working capital are controlled. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to for both the parties to play with the prices. Rather, it is counter-productive exercise, as when prices are reduced in a particular area by one of the cola brands, the second must follow. If we look into the history of pricing of these two particular players of the carbonated drinks industry, we will see that the first major initiative in the price front took place some years ago when the brand Coca-Cola came back to India. At that point of time colas were available only in 200 ml bottles. Coca-Cola, in it‘s come back trail, broke the tradition by launching Cola in the 300 ml size bottles but at the same price as Pepsi, which was then in a 200 ml bottle. With this strategy, Coke expected to gain advantage in the market especially in India, which is traditionally a highly price sensitive market. However, Pepsi, as being a fierce competitor was prepared for it and soon launched its colas in the 300 ml sizes. Thereby, in India, it was the 300 ml bottle which became the standard in most parts of the country, making the price a parity issue between the two brands. Then, a few years ago, one litre and 1. 5 litre non-returnable PET bottles at a discount in comparison to, a 300 ml returnable glass bottle, the traditional packaging in this product category, was launched by Pepsi. It was a successful move resulting in significant increase in the consumption level especially amongst the loyal consumers in the urban areas. And part of the rule of the game, Coke followed Pepsi in the above move in order to reduce the cost per glass to the consumer. Then came the days of a 500 ml non-returnable PET bottle which was advertised almost totally on the cost of the consumer per 100 ml of cola! Nevertheless, the great advantage that the PET bottles provided is that they have increased home consumption level which was not of much significance compared to out of home consumption till then. And in very recent times the Coke did a u-turn that is price cuts. The latest move of reducing price to the consumer is the very opposite of what has been happening to-date. It has now re-launched a 200 ml bottle at a unit price of approximately 2/3rd of the 300 ml price, thus making retail purchase look cheaper. This strategy was meant to fight consumption pattern of smaller towns and rural areas where two people share a 300 ml bottle. Importantly, by making the bottle smaller it has only reduced unit price without affecting the trade margin. It has been reported that Pepsi has been cutting the price of its 300 ml bottle in some places, until an inventory of 200 ml bottles was built, as an answer to the Coke‘s strike. However, this act of Pepsi might boomerang as there is a strong probability of having some negative effect on the supply chain and other inventory cost in the long run. Competitive Arena The soft drink market all over the world has been witnessing a neck to neck battle between the two major players, Coca-Cola and Pepsi since the very beginning. The thirst quenchers are trying hard to have the major chunk of the pie of carbonated soft drink market. Both the players are spending their energies in building capacity, infrastructure, promotional activities etc. Coca-Cola being 11 years older than Pepsi has dominated the scene in most of the soft drink markets in the world and enjoying leadership in terms of market share. But the Coca-Cola people are finding it hard to keep away Pepsi, which has been narrowing the gaps regularly. The two are posing threats to each other in every nook and corner of the world. While Coca-Cola has been earning most of its bread and butter through beverage sales, Pepsi has a multi products portfolio with some portion from the same business. Aims/Objective In this research we are making an attempt to study which carbonated drink is preferred by consumers around Manipal, and do they take into account factors such as price, brand, taste etc while purchasing a carbonated drink. * Consumer perception towards Carbonated drinks. * To understand buying behavior of consumers. * To recommend for future course of action. CHAPTER 2:RESEARCH DESIGN Research Design: Descriptive research- also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population. Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how. COLLECTION OF DATA 1. Primary data : Based on questionnaire, will be distributed among consumers & direct interview will be taken, to collect the data. 2. Secondary data : Collected from articles, magazines, newspaper research reports and internet. 3. Sampling: Stratified sampling technique will be considered. A sample size of 200 consumers will be selected from Manipal to study. The process of grouping members of the population into relatively homogeneous subgroups before sampling. Proportionate allocation uses a sampling fraction in each of the strata that is proportional to that of the total population. If the population consists of 60% in the male stratum and 40% in the female stratum, then the relative size of the two samples (three males, two females) should reflect this proportion. SAMPLE SIZE This refers to the number of element to be selected from the universe to contribute a sample. The sample should be optimum i. e. it should fulfill all the requirement of efficiency, respectiveness, reliability and flexibility pertaining to the research conducted. It is generally denoted by ‘n’. It can be calculated using the formula:- n = z / e? in case of Infinite population. Where, n=sample size ?=Standard deviation e=error Many a times, the standard deviation of population is not known and sample is not yet taken, rough estimate of the population will given by, Range of Population Distribution 6 Here range is the difference between highest and lowest score. In this case, range = 5-1 =4 Therefore standard deviation, For 95% confidence level, from normal distribution table, z=1. 96 Error, e=0. 1 Substituting these values in the above equation , we get, n= (1. 96 0. 67? )/(0. 1? ) Sample size, n=172. 44 Taking sample size as 200. Random sampling is undertaken for selecting sample from the population SAMPLING ERROR: In any study involving the sampling process, there would normally be a certain amount of inaccuracy in the data collected. This inaccuracy is termed as ‘Sampling Error’. In other words, sampling errors are those errors which arise on account of sampling. Limitations of the Study 1. Some of the respondents refused to fill the questionnaires. 2. The responses may vary as some people did not want to come up with real answers. 3. The people were busy in their own work so they might not have given actual responses. . Limitation of time. 5. The survey is conducted only in few areas of Manipal; hence the results may vary in other parts of the cities. 6. Small sample size. 7. And like any other research the limitation of personal bias of respondents limits the scope of the study. 8. The findings are based on the survey conducted in the month of feb; the results may vary in other months. CHAPTE R 3. DATA REPRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 3. 1 DEMOGRAPHIC FACTOR Gender of respondents Frequency table: GENDER | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| male| 106| 53. | 53. 0| 53. 0| | female| 94| 47. 0| 47. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 200| 100. 0| 100. 0| | Inference The above pie chart depicts the distribution of the total sample that we had undertaken in our study. We observe here that most of the respondents are male than female. Male respondents are 106 out of 200 respondents whereas females are 94 out of 200. Age of respondents Frequency table AGE | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| 0-15| 68| 34. 0| 34. 0| 34. 0| | 16-25| 56| 28. 0| 28. 0| 62. 0| | 26-35| 44| 22. 0| 22. 0| 84. 0| | 36-45| 26| 13. | 13. 0| 97. 0| | 46-70| 6| 3. 0| 3. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 200| 100. 0| 100. 0| | As per respondents, age group of 0-15 people with the frequency of 68 out of 200, 16-25 group people are around 56 , 26-35 are 44 people , 36-45 are 26 people respec tively. 3. 2 PROFESSIONAL FACTOR Frequency table WORK| | | | | | | | | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| professional| 26| 13| 13| 13| | | businessman| 18| 9| 9| 22| | | service| 52| 26| 26| 48| | | student| 98| 49| 49| 97| | | others| 6| 3| 3| 100| | | Total| 200| 100| 100| | | Inference As per respondents the student respondent are 98 out of200while service people were around 52 out of 200 ,professional people are around 26 ,businessman people are around 18 whereas 6 of them are in others category. 3. 3 CARBONATED DRINKS Frequency table COLA | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| coca cola| 36| 18. 0| 18. 0| 18. 0| | pepsi| 34| 17. 0| 17. 0| 35. 0| | thumbs up| 52| 26. 0| 26. 0| 61. 0| | 7up| 24| 12. 0| 12. 0| 73. 0| | sprite| 22| 11. 0| 11. 0| 84. 0| | mazza| 16| 8. 0| 8. 0| 92. 0| | fanta| 16| 8. 0| 8. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 200| 100. 0| 100. 0| | | | | | | | | | | | | As per respondents, 52 people out of 200 likes thumbs up, while people loves to drink coca cola , pepsi, 7up, mazza, fanta 36,34,24,22,16,16 respectively Gender vs. age GENDER * AGE Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | AGE| | | | | Total| | | | 0-15| 16-25| 26-35| 36-45| 46-70| | GENDER| male| Count| 34| 30| 25| 14| 3| 106| | | Expected Count| 36. 04| 29. 68| 23. 32| 13. 78| 3. 18 | 106| | female| Count| 34| 26| 19| 12| 3| 94| | | Expected Count| 31. 96| 26. 32| 20. 68| 12. 22| 2. 82| 94| Total| | Count| 68| 56| 44| 26| 6| 200| | | Expected Count| 68| 56| 44| 26| 6| 200| | | | | | | | | From the respondents, in the age group of 0-15 have 34 males and females respondent respectively. While 16-25 age group have 30 males and 26 females’ respondent respectively. While 26-35 age group have 30 males and 26 females’ respondent respectively. Because they are major consumers of branded carbonated drinkers Gender vs. Occupation GENDER * WORK Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | WORK| | | | | Total| | | | professional| businessman| service| student| others| | GENDER| male| Count| 20| 12| 23| 47| 4| 106| | | Expected Count| 13. 78| 9. 54| 27. 56| 51. 94| 3. 8| 106| | female| Count| 6| 6| 29| 51| 2| 94| | | Expected Count| 12. 22| 8. 46| 24. 44| 46. 06| 2. 82| 94| Total| | Count| 26| 18| 52| 98| 6| 200| | | Expected Count| 26| 18| 52| 98| 6| 200| As per respond ents, male generally who respondent are majorly students and in female also major respondent were student only. While service people are only 23 as male and 29 as female respondent, professional count is 20 in male and 6 at female. In businessman category 12 are male respondent while 6 of them are female. Gender vs. Prefer branded carbonated drinks GENDER * COLA Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | | COLA| | | | | | | Total| | | | coca cola| pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza| fanta| | GENDER| Male| Count| 21| 22| 31| 12| 8| 5| 7| 106| | | Expected Count| 19. 08| 18. 02| 27. 56| 12. 72| 11. 66| 8. 48| 8. 48| 106| | female| Count| 15| 12| 21| 12| 14| 11| 9| 94| | | Expected Count| 16. 92| 15. 98| 24. 44| 11. 28| 10. 34| 7. 52| 7. 52| 94| Total| | Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| | | Expected Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondent male person like thumbs up are around 31 persons while 21 and 22 people like coca cola and Pepsi respectively. In7up category 12 male respondent and in sprite, mazza, fanta 8,5,7 respectively are there. And in female person like thumbs up are around 21 persons while 15 and 12 people like coca cola and Pepsi respectively. In7up category 12 female respondent and in sprite, mazza, fanta 14,11,9 respectively are there. Gender vs. Effect of advertisement GENDER * ATTRACT Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | ATTRACT| | | | | Total| | | | creativity| Effect of brand ambassador| idea| frequency| logical| | GENDER| male| Count| 29| 25| 14| 28| 10| 106| | | Expected Count| 25. 4| 26. 5| 11. 66| 26. 5| 15. 9| 106| | female| Count| 19| 25| 8| 22| 20| 94| | | Expected Count| 22. 56| 23. 5| 10. 34| 23. 5| 14. 1| 94| Total| | Count| 48| 50| 22| 50| 30| 200| | | Expected Count| 48| 50| 22| 50| 30| 200| As per respondents, advertisement is mode of marketing where frequency of ads, creativity and effect of brand ambassador for male respondent are 28,29and 25 respectively. While in female has effect of brand ambas sador, frequency of ads and logic of ads are 25, 22 and 19 respectively. Age vs. Preferred branded carbonated drinks AGE * COLA Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | | | | COLA| | | | | | | Total| | | | coca cola| Pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza| fanta| | AGE| 0-15| Count| 13| 12| 15| 13| 5| 5| 5| 68| | | Expected Count| 12. 24| 11. 56| 17. 68| 8. 16| 7. 48| 5. 44| 5. 44| 68| | 16-25| Count| 8| 11| 9| 8| 7| 7| 6| 56| | | Expected Count| 10. 08| 9. 52| 14. 56| 6. 72| 6. 16| 4. 48| 4. 48| 56| | 26-35| Count| 11| 7| 15| 2| 5| 1| 3| 44| | | Expected Count| 7. 92| 7. 48| 11. 44| 5. 28| 4. 84| 3. 52| 3. 52| 44| | 36-45| Count| 4| 3| 12| 0| 4| 2| 1| 26| | | Expected Count| 4. 8| 4. 42| 6. 76| 3. 12| 2. 86| 2. 08| 2. 08| 26| | 46-70| Count| 0| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| | | Expected Count| 1. 08| 1. 02| 1. 56| 0. 72| 0. 66| 0. 48| 0. 48| 6| Total| | Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| | | Expected Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondents, 0-15 age group does show that much of variation and as same at other age groups. While the age group of 16-25 show much variation than 46-70 age group pe ople. Age vs. Reason of purchase AGE * LIKE Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | | | LIKE| | | | | | | Total| | | brand name| taste| easy avail| packaging| price| Effect of brand ambassador| others| | AGE| 0-15| Count| 16| 16| 9| 10| 11| 6| 0| 68| | | Expected Count| 13. 6| 17| 10. 88| 6. 8| 13. 6| 5. 44| 0. 68| 68| | 16-25| Count| 9| 14| 9| 4| 15| 3| 2| 56| | | Expected Count| 11. 2| 14| 8. 96| 5. 6| 11. 2| 4. 48| 0. 56| 56| | 26-35| Count| 10| 8| 11| 2| 10| 3| 0| 44| | | Expected Count| 8. 8| 11| 7. 04| 4. 4| 8. 8| 3. 52| 0. 44| 44| | 36-45| Count| 5| 8| 2| 4| 4| 3| 0| 26| | | Expected Count| 5. 2| 6. 5| 4. 16| 2. 6| 5. 2| 2. 08| 0. 26| 26| | 46-70| Count| 0| 4| 1| 0| 0| 1| 0| 6| | Expected Count| 1. 2| 1. 5| 0. 96| 0. 6| 1. 2| 0. 48| 0. 06| 6| Total| | Count| 40| 50| 32| 20| 40| 16| 2| 200| | | Expected Count| 40| 50| 32| 20| 40| 16| 2| 200| As per respondent, 0-15 age groups reasons for purchases of branded carbonated drinks are basically on brand name and taste. While age group 16 -25 group people think price and brand name is the important factor in selection of drink. Other age group thinks taste as one of the factor and as well as brand name, prices are important factor. Null hypothesis: ho: Is taste dependent on the selection of branded carbonated drinks? The results are as shown below with the help of table and graphical representation. COLA * TASTE Cross tabulation | | TASTE| Total| | | very important| important| not important| not at all important| | COLA| coca cola| Count| 5| 19| 7| 5| 36| | | Expected Count| 8. 1| 17. 6| 7. 7| 2. 5| 36. 0| | Pepsi| Count| 15| 8| 9| 2| 34| | | Expected Count| 7. 7| 16. 7| 7. 3| 2. 4| 34. 0| | thumbs up| Count| 5| 33| 10| 4| 52| | | Expected Count| 11. 7| 25. 5| 11. 2| 3. 6| 52. 0| | 7up| Count| 9| 8| 6| 1| 24| | | Expected Count| 5. 4| 11. 8| 5. 2| 1. 7| 24. 0| | Sprite| Count| 5| 13| 4| 0| 22| | Expected Count| 5. 0| 10. 8| 4. 7| 1. 5| 22. 0| | Mazza| Count| 3| 8| 5| 0| 16| | | Expected Count| 3. 6| 7. 8| 3. 4| 1. 1| 16. 0| | Fanta| Count| 3| 9| 2| 2| 16| | | Expected Count| 3. 6| 7. 8| 3. 4| 1. 1| 16. 0| Total| Count| 45| 98| 43| 14| 200| | Expected Count| 45. 0| 98. 0| 43. 0| 14. 0| 200. 0| We can observe here that the respondents takes as taste as important in selection of carbonated drinks. A s taste is one of factor which influence in the selection of carbonated drinks Chi-Square Test | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 31. 655(a)| 18| . 024| Likelihood Ratio| 33. 984| 18| . 013| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 13 cells (46. 4%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1. 12. INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 024 is less than 0. 05, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the taste is dependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. Null hypothesis: ho: Are carbonated drinks only popular among the youth? AGE * COLA Cross tabulation Count | COLA| Total| | coca cola| pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza| fanta| | AGE| 0-15| 13| 12| 15| 13| 5| 5| 5| 68| | 16-25| 8| 11| 9| 8| 7| 7| 6| 56| 26-35| 11| 7| 15| 2| 5| 1| 3| 44| | 36-45| 4| 3| 12| 0| 4| 2| 1| 26| | 46-70| 0| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| Total| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondents, age group 0-15 are 68 respondent where they like coca cola, Pepsi, thumbs up,7up 13,12,15,13 respectively. Age group 16-25 are 56 respondent where they like coca cola, Pepsi, thumbs up,7up 8,11,9,8 respectively. Age group 26-35 are 44 re spondent where they like coca cola, Pepsi, thumbs up,7up 11,7,15,2 respectively. We can observe here that the respondents age factor affect importantly in selection of carbonated drinks. As taste is one of factor which influence in the selection of carbonated drinks Chi-Square Tests | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 27. 016(a)| 24| . 304| Likelihood Ratio| 31. 222| 24| . 147| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 18 cells (51. 4%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 48 . INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 304 is higher than 0. 05, we accept the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the age is interdependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. So, carbonated drinks are popular among the youth. Null hypothesis: HO: Is advertisement a major factor in the selection of the brand of carbonated drinks? COLA * LIKE Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | Count | | | | | | | | | | | | LIKE| | | | | | | Total| | | brand name| taste| easy avail| packaging| price| Effect of brand ambassador| others| | COLA| coca cola| 11| 7| 4| 3| 9| 1| 1| 36| | pepsi| 7| 10| 3| 3| 8| 3| 0| 34| | thumbs up| 10| 11| 9| 4| 13| 5| 0| 52| | 7up| 5| 9| 5| 3| 1| 1| 0| 24| | sprite| 1| 6| 6| 4| 2| 2| 1| 22| | mazza| 3| 4| 4| 2| 2| 1| 0| 16| | fanta| 3| 3| 1| 1| 5| 3| 0| 16| Total| | 40| 50| 32| 20| 40| 16| 2| 200| We can observe here that the respondents advertisement affects importantly in selection of carbonated drinks. As advertisement is one of factor which influence in the selection of carbonated drinks Chi-Square Tests | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 32. 104(a)| 36| . 654| Likelihood Ratio| 33. 992| 36| . 564| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 34 cells (69. 4%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 16. INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 654 is higher than 0. 5, we accept the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the advertisements are interdependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. So, advertisement affects in the selection of branded carbonated drinks. Null hypothesis: HO: Does occupation has a role in selecting the Carbonated drink? WORK * COLA Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | Count | | | | | | | | | | | | COLA| | | | | | | Total| | | coca cola| pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza | fanta| | WORK| Professional| 5| 4| 7| 2| 3| 2| 3| 26| | Businessman| 6| 12| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 18| | Service| 11| 8| 14| 14| 4| 1| 0| 52| Student| 14| 9| 30| 7| 14| 12| 12| 98| | Others| 0| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| Total| | 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondent, 30 student select thumbs up as their favorite drink , in businessman category nobody likes other drink rather than coke and pepsi. While in other occupation doesn’t have any definite favorite drinks. Chi-Square Tests | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 73. 241(a)| 24| . 000| Likelihood Ratio| 77. 160| 24| . 000| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 22 cells (62. 9%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 48. INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 000 is lower than 0. 05, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the occupation are dependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. So, occupation does not affect in the selection of branded carbonated drinks. CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION Findings 1. Maximum number of people surveyed is below 15 years because they are major consumers. 2. Out of 200 people 13%are professionals, 9% are businessman, 26% are serviceman, and 49% are students. 3. Out of 200 respondents, 97% of consumers buy cold drinks and only 3% of them do not buy. 4. 9% respondents prefer coke, 18% prefer Pepsi, 12% 7up, 11 % of them prefer Sprite, 9% Fanta, and 23% prefer Thumbs-up. 5. 25% people purchase cold drinks because of taste, 20% people purchase cold drinks because of brand name, 20% people purchase cold drinks because of packaging, 15% people purchase cold drinks because of price, 11% people purchase cold drinks because of brand ambassador, 8 % people purchase cold drinks because of easy availability & 1% people purchase cold drinks because of any other reason. 6. Out of 200 consumers 98% have seen the advertisement and only 2% have not seen the advertisement of any brands. 7. 3% people remember the advertisement of coke, 23% people remember the advertisement of Pepsi, 1% people remember the advertisement of 7up, 6% people remember the advertisement of sprite, 4% people remember the advertisement of Fanta, and 23% people remember the advertisement of Thumbs-up. 8. 24% people remember the advertisement because of creativity, 25% people remember the advertisement because of brand ambassador, 11% people remember the advertisement because of their idea of delivering the message, 25% people remember the advertisement because of frequency of ads, and 15% people remember the advertisement because of logical reason. Conclusion From the analysis of the data collected and from the experiences we have reached the following conclusions: * COKE is most popular amongst its users mainly because of its TASTE, BRAND NAME. Thus it should focus on good taste so that it can capture the major part of the market. But most of the consumers prefer THUMSUP as their 1st preference, then COKE. * We come to the conclusion that visibility affects the sales of project in a very special way. And in terms of the advertisements lays is lacking behind mostly consumers remember the advertisement because of the frequency of add and brand ambassadors, creativity. After acquiring a new customer, there is lot of importance of its retention also. This can be done only by providing extra flavors and good taste. * In today’s scenario, customer is the king because he has got various choices around him. If you are not capable of providing him the desired result he will definitely switch over to the other provider. Therefore to survive in this cutthroat competition, you need to be the best. Customer is no more loyal in today’s scenario, so you need to be always on your toes. We feel that there is cut-throat competition between COKE,PEPSI,THUMSUP so to be on top of mind of the customers they need to do something outstanding every time. CHAPTER 5:ANNEXURE QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Sir/Madam, This questionnaire has been prepared with a view to make a STUDY OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS BRANDED CARBONATED DRINKS . The information will be strictly used for educational purpose only by the students of Manipal Institute of Management (Manipal University) . we would be grateful if you could spare some time in filling up this questionnaire. ) NAME : 2) AGE :a)0-15 b) 15-20 c) 21-35 d) 36-45 e) 46-70 3) Gender : M F 4) Occupation : Professional Businessman Service Student Other 5) Do you drink soft drinks: Yes No 6) If yes which soft drink Brand: Coke Pepsi 7) If No why so?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8) Which carbonated drink do you prefer most: Coke Pepsi 7Up Mountain Dew Thumbs Up Sprite Fanta 9) Which packa ge do u prefer most: Pet Bottle Glass Bottle 10) About Carbonated drink what do you like the most: Brand name Taste Easy availability Packaging Price Brand ambassador Any other†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11) What is the importance of taste in a carbonated drink? (Please rate them from 1- 4) 1=>Very Important 2=>Important 3=>Not important 4=>Not at all important 12) Have you seen any advertisements of carbonated drinks: Yes NO 13) Advertisement of which carbonated drinks do you remember the most : Coke Pepsi 7Up Thumbs Up Sprite Mountain dew Fanta 14) What attracted you in the advertisement? (PLEASE RATE THEM from 1-4) Creativity Brand ambassador Idea of delivering the message Frequency of add Logical reason 15) What is your opinion of the brand? Excellent Good Fair Poor 16) What is your monthly consumption? 17) Any suggestions? ____________________________________________________________ __ CHAPTER 6 : BIBILOGRAPHY (i) Research methodology by C. R. Kotari (ii) Websites: www. cocacola. com www. pepsi. com www. wikipedia. com (iii) Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS by Daniel Muijs.