Hamlets Hamartia Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Hamartia

Hamlet's Hamartia Hamlet's Hamartia Hamlet is the most written about tragedy in the history of man. But, why is it a tragedy? Is it because Hamlet has a tragic flaw that creates his downfall? Or is it that all the cards are stacked against him since the beginning of the play and there is no way he can prevail? I believe that it is a tragedy because of Hamlet's tragic flaw. Hamlet's tragic flaw is that he cannot act on impulse for things that require quick, decisive behavior, and that he acts on impulse for things that require more contemplation than is given by him. Hamlet speaks of his father's tragic flaw that ultimately led him to his death, but it applies equally well to himself: So, oft it chances in particular men, That for some vicious mole of nature in them, As, in their birth, wherein they are not guilty (Since nature cannot choose his origin), By the oergrowth of some complexion, Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason, Or by some habit that too much oer-leavens The form of plausive manners--that these men, Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect, Being natures livery, or fortunes star, Their virtues else, be they as pure as grace, As infinite as man may undergo, Shall in the general censure take corruption From that particular fault. The dram of evil Doth all the noble substance of a doubt To his own scandal. (1.4.23-38) Hamlet speaks of the one defect that is in particular men from birth, and the fact that that one defect is his particular fault. Hamlet says that this fault will corrupt the man. It seems to be an excuse from Shakespeare for why Hamlet will not act on impulse. As though he is giving the audience a hint that Hamlet has a tragic flaw. Shakespeare writes As, in their birth, wherein they are not guilty / (since nature cannot choose his origin) (1.4.26). Hamlet gives reason of his own flaw here. Although he is talking about his father having a tragic flaw, he states particular men (1.4.23), he is not denying that his character does not have a tragic flaw. Hamlet is making an excuse for any possible flaws that might arise in the play. Shakespeare shows us that Hamlet retains his the ability to think lucidly and in depth with his monologue (3.1.56-89). Anytime that Hamlet has to act on something, such as in the church when he has the opportunity to kill Claudius while he was praying, He stops to think before he acts. There is no clear evidence of wrong doing until Claudius confesses his sins to God, his nephew, and the theater at large (Scott-Hopkins 1). The thinking eventually leads him to doubt, which leads him to inaction. He takes the time to reason and reasons himself out of acting. Hamlet speaks of his inability to take action, his tragic flaw: Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action. (3.1.83-88) Hamlet knows of his own flaw and knows how it has affected his relationship with Ophelia also. Another example of when Hamlet cannot act on impulse is in act 3,2 when he puts on the play to try to show proof to the rest of the court that Claudius murdered his father. He could not act on the ghost's words alone. It would have been easier if Hamlet did not alert Claudius to the fact that he knows who murdered his father. Hamlet acts without rational thought in a couple of scenes throughout the play. In Act 1, 4 Hamlet threatens Horatio and Marcellus to let him go so he can follow the ghost. He does not have a rational thought about it. He simply follows the ghost even with Horatio trying to talk him out of it. Another example to support Hamlet's irrational acts is when he is in the Queen's chambers in Act 3, 4 when he stabs Polonius through the arras, without knowledge of who it is. As soon as he hears someone speak, What, ho! help! (3.4.22), Hamlet, with little thought, draws his sword and

M Butterfly Essays - M. Butterfly, Free Essays, Term Papers

M Butterfly Essays - M. Butterfly, Free Essays, Term Papers M Butterfly RIUve played out the events of my life night after night, always searching for a new ending to my story, one where I will leave this cell and return forever to my ButterflyUs arms.S (Hwang 3.3.1-4) With these words of David Henry HwangUs play M Butterfly, we realize that we have just been staring directly into the memories of Rene Gallimard. The fact that Rene Gallimard serves as the narrator of his memories in the play M Butterfly delivers an impression of the character behind Gallimard than could ever be achieved by the viewing of the screenplay. The existence of Marc in the play as seen from GallimardUs perspective, the fact that Gallimard serves as the main organizer of ideas in the play, and the differing roles of Helga in the two works all lead to very different impressions and interpretations by the reader or viewer. GallimardUs narration seems to be the most obvious difference between the movie and the play. While reading the play, the audience has an opportunity to get to know the personality of Rene Gallimard, as well as his feelings about certain topics. Such insight can be very crucial in the impression that a character makes on an audience. GallimardUs persona is very evident in the opening lines of the play. He remarks initially about the dimensions of the cell, the atmosphere, and the living conditions. Immediately, this paints a picture for the reader that is very accurate physically, and the reader sees that Gallimard is straightforward, and says what he means without very much preamble. As the opening scenes develop, we also see the side of Gallimard that is the dreamer. Rene definitely has visions of perfection, and they are demonstrated when he remarks RAlone in this cell, I sit night after night, watching our story play through my head, always searching for a new ending, one which redeems my honor , where she returns at last to my arms.S (1.3.7-11) Gallimard can be classified as a dreamer, and not only because he is confined to a prison cell for many years. He has a vision of how life is supposed to be, and feels rewarded when he conforms to a stereotype. For example, he says RI knew this little flower was waiting for me to call, and, as I wickedly refused to do so, I felt the first time that rush of power the absolute power of a man.S (1.11. 8-10) Being Ra manS is important to Gallimard, and following the so called RWestern FantasyS of having an affair with an Eastern woman is tantalizing to him. Glimpses like these give the reader incredible insight into the mind of Gallimard, which are very useful to explain later actions in the story. A narrator builds a friendship with the reader, a person that the audience can trust. We see the events from GallimardUs side of things, which are much more distorted in the play than the events that occur in the movie. The removal of the narrator in the movie leaves the viewer to develop GallimardUs personality for themselves, rather than get to know how he thinks. This puts the viewer at an overall disadvantage for understanding the true meaning behind M Butterfly. Another significant part of the play that is omitted from the movie is GallimardUs best friend from school, Marc. Marc is described as a Rwomanizing cadS (1.3. 81) by Gallimard, giving the reader an obvious first impression. He is developed as a character that is there for Gallimard in times of need, and serves as someone that Gallimard can go to in times of need. A friend like this does not exist in the movie, and the viewer gets the sense that Gallimard is very quick in decision making and has little doubt about his actions. In the play, however, we know that this is not the case. There are several cases where Marc talks to Gallimard in his head, and reasoning for decisions is explained. For example, Marc says RAll your life youUve waited for a beautiful girl who would lay down for you.....As the years pass, your hair thins and you struggle to hold onto even your hopes. Stop

Manual - Google Street (Google map 3D) Coursework

Manual - Google Street (Google map 3D) - Coursework Example In essence, the 3D maps provide the user with the ability to see the buildings, street details and roads that make up a particular area. It acts as the basis to ensuring that users can efficiently navigate from one point to another. This is to aid them in travelling through most of densely populated cities (Peterson 32). It is vital to note that there is a significant set of well-designed functions contained in the Google 3D maps. These crucial functional features act as the building to ascertaining that there is efficient delivery of the targeted services to users. These functions include the global positioning system module, which allows users to experience real-time definition of different areas contained in a map. In each of the displayed 3D map, a user is provided with the function of changing between list views, street view. Another one is the search function where a user is allows searching for a particular company, street or any other geographical feature. The Google 3D map also provides users with a get direction function. This helps users to get access to the right path towards a particular destination. There is also a zoom function for users to zoom a location in or out. Lastly but certainly not the least, this feature contains a function, which allows users to save a favorite map towards a particular destination. This is important in that users can simply open a saved map and get the right directions to a preferred destination (Peterson

Anxiety disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Anxiety disorders - Essay Example Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event such as a business presentation or a first date, anxiety disorders are chronic, relentless and can grow progressively worse if not treated." (Anxiety Disorders section, para.1) One should immediately see a doctor if he or she is suffering acutely from any of the following symptoms. Panic disorder: According NIMH's website, " people with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. They can't predict when an attack will occur, and many develop intense anxiety between episodes, worrying when and where the next one will strike." (Anxiety Disorders section, para. 10) One can experience panic attack any time, sometimes even during sleep. There is no specific duration of the attack. Sometimes it may last for more than half an hour, sometimes it may be of 10 minutes and sometimes even lesser. It may happen that a person experiences a panic attack only once in his lifetime. But if panic attacks are frequent then it is advisable to see a mental health care practitioner. As stated in the website of NIMH, "panic disorder is one of the most treatable of the anxiety disorders, responding in most cases to medications or carefully targeted psychotherapy."(Anxiety Disorders section, para. 18) A person can get panic attack anywhere. For example, if a person experiences a panic attack while he is swimming, he may experience a terrible fear of drowning. The long-term effect on his personality would be that he might completely avoid going near a swimming pool, sea, river or pond and in extreme cases even his bathtub. Panic disorder causes acute depression and people suffering from it even turn alcoholic or drug addict to fight their depression. Agoraphobia: According to Dr. Sanjay Chugh, " The ancient term 'agoraphobia' is translated from Greek as 'fear of an open marketplace'. Agoraphobia today describes severe and pervasive anxiety about being in situations from which escape might be difficult or avoidance of situations such as being alone outside one's home, traveling in a car, bus or airplane, or being in a crowded area." (Mind/psychology/phobia/anxiety. asp section, para.10) Therefore people suffering from agoraphobia start getting panic attacks the moment they are away from their homes or people they trust and get help from. The more the distance from their home and dear ones, the more is the intensity of their restlessness and fear. Hence, "severely agoraphobic people avoid going out altogether

Principles of Microeconomics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Principles of Microeconomics - Research Paper Example In economics, entrepreneurs play a key role in bridging the gap between capital and labour. Entrepreneurs also take on significant risks in order to generate profit. Many people do not think of universities and colleges as businesses, but, in fact, they are large and complex businesses in a microeconomic sense. Many private colleges charge two to four times the tuition of state colleges, and then award aid based on merit to coerce desired students to attend, resulting in a final price that varies by student and that favors students in certain categories over others (Friedrich 1). Because the services that a college provides to student are the same even though some students pay a drastically steeper price to attend, this can be considered an example of price discrimination on a microeconomic scale. In cases of price discrimination, different prices are charged to customers in order to generate some specific results. In the case of many private universities, price discrimination is intended to increase competition and encourage acceptance of the best quality students. Whether this form of price discrimination is ethical is a subject that has been largely debated as the cost of college education has risen steadily over the last decades. Friedrich, Alex. â€Å"Notes in the Margins: Med school, loans and price discrimination.† MPR News. 14 June 2011: 1.

Aristotle And Concept Of Happiness Philosophy Essay

Aristotle And Concept Of Happiness Philosophy Essay In this paper, I wish to explore the concept of happiness as well as Aristotles take on it. I think for most of us, we rarely stop and think about what happiness is even though we cannot deny its inevitable existence. It is one of my major points that everyone has a different definition of what happiness is or what happiness means to them, and that definition changes along with time, when ones personal believes or opinions or convictions change as he progresses through life, they change because of a myriad of reasons, no social scientists can pin down exactly what they are but those changes are nevertheless very real and a direct correspondence of the direct interaction between the person and his or her environment. Aristotle proposes that the single idea of good must establish these three claims: Idea of Good Claim 1) We have ends which we choose for themselves. Idea of Good Claim 2) That there is only one such end. Idea of Good Claim 3) That end is happiness. He argues for Idea of Good Claim 1) as follows (Irwin 173): 1.1. If we choose everything because of something else, desire will be empty and futile. 1.2. We have a gut feeling that some desires are not empty and futile. 1.3. Therefore, we do not choose everything because of something else. 1.4. Therefore we choose something for its own sake. 1.5. What we choose for its own sake, therefore, must be the best good. The debatable premise is 2. As this is not conflicting with my own gut feelings, we will allow Aristotle postulate this claim. Postulate 1: We have a gut feeling that some desires are not empty and futile. Granting him this postulate, we allow his conclusion 5. that there are some things we choose for their own sake. This satisfies Idea of Good Claim 1). Aristotles criteria for the Idea of Good are self-sufficiency and completeness. Regarding these criteria he says, not all ends are complete. But the best good is apparently something complete. And so, if only one end is complete, the good we are looking for will be this end; if more ends than one are complete, it will be the most complete of these ends. (Irwin 7) Aristotle has not given good reason why there must be only one end from which all actions are a means, rather than several such ends. At this point I will not contend with Aristotle if he can posit this singularity and avoid contradiction further into his theory. Postulate 2: There is only one Idea of Good. Aristotle explores and finds happiness to be the best fit for these criteria of the Idea of Good. We must pause for a moment to clarify the translation of eudaimonia, translated to happiness in the text. In Greek, eudaimonia translates to living well or doing well, Happiness is the complete end [ones] complete happiness depends on himself, and not on external conditions. (Irwin 333) Regarding happiness as the single Idea of Good Aristotle says, Now happiness, more than anything else, seems complete without qualification. For we always choose it because of itself, never because of something else. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The same conclusion also appears to follow from self-sufficiency. For the complete good seems to be self-sufficientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We hold an end to be self sufficient when all by itself it makes a life choiceworthy and lacking nothing; and that is what we think happiness does. (Irwin 8) Aristotle makes a good argument here for why happiness is the Idea of Good because he appea ls to ones intuition. My own intuition does not conflict with Aristotles proposition that eudaimonia is the most complete and self-sufficient end, to which other human objectives are means to. Aristotle has satisfied Idea of Good in Claim 3) if we allow him to postulate the first two claims. Aristotle has solidified his claim that eudaimonia is the Idea of the Good by satisfying the three claims. With this information, we progress to investigate which of the three types of lives reaches eudaimonia the best. Aristotle claims that the life of activity and reason achieves this goal best, and denies two alternatives: the life of gratification and the life of ambition. Aristotle argues that happiness is not a state or possession, but rather an activity that we engage in. Aristotle proposes that someone who is asleep for their entire life could not be eudaimonia. This is consistent with the definition given earlier of eudaimonia. Just as the function of a harpist is to play the harp, and the function of the physician is to care for the body, the function of the human being according to Aristotle is to remain active and employ reason in ones life. Aristotle contemplates the human function saying, we take the human function to be a certain kind of life, and take this life to be activity and actions of the soul that involve reason. (Irwin 9) He denies that the human function is bodily pleasure because those qualities are shared with animals. Aristotle claims our purpose must be a life of active contemplation, saying, The remaining possibility, then, is some sort of life of action of the part of the soul that has reasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we take the human function to be a certain kind of life, and take this life to be activity and actions of the soul that involve reason. (Irwin 9) Aristotles argument for activity holds for our own time, people who remain active appear to be happier than those who can no longer be, such as the elderly. However, activity involving reason may be too narrow of a definition. One viable alternative is productivity in whatever respect one is capable of. Aristotle is confining his alternatives of what constitutes a good life to his own talents, rather than allowing people with other dispositions to also live eudaimonia. The life of gratification focuses on sensory pleasures as the means to happiness. Aristotle denies that pleasure is necessarily a good, and pain is necessarily an evil. He separates goods into two types, conditional and unconditional. He argues that pleasure is conditionally good for us because we have the pain corresponding to it. For example, hunger is a pain that is satisfied by eating food. Aristotle argues that bodily pleasures are only good under the condition that the corresponding pain is present. Any further pursuit of bodily pleasures to Aristotle is a pursuit of the excess and such pleasure is no longer a good. Reciprocally, the existence of pain in small amounts can be enjoyable as well as it gives us an occasion to satisfy it. Thus, those who live for bodily pleasure, the life of gratification, are not pursuing the most complete good but rather pursue an excess of bodily sensation. Aristotle admits that we all enjoy and are just in enjoying a degree of sensory gratificat ion, but he renders base those who overindulge. The ambitious life is one focused on attaining honor and acknowledgement from others. Aristotle denies this as a viable means to attain eudaimonia because it focuses on the opinions of others. Eudaimonia is a state which should not be so fickle and easily lost as public opinion, and thus Aristotle discards this option, saying, This, however, appears too superficial to be [eudaimonia]; for it seems to depend more on those who honor than on the one honored, whereas we intuitively believe that the good is something of our own and hard to take from us. Further, it would seem, they pursue honor to convince themselves they are good. (Irwin 4) This is a convincing denial of pursuing a life of ambition. I accept an assumption Aristotle makes that living well is not constituted by the opinions of others, but rather by the virtue of oneself. So far we have accepted Aristotles premise that activity is needed to reach eudaimonia, but we have questioned the necessity for study. We have accepted Aristotles denial of the two alternative lives, as they focus on either overindulgence or public opinion. Due to space constraints we will not discuss the possibility of other lives, though there are plenty worthy of mention. One means that Aristotle proposes to remain active is having loving friendships. Aristotle offers loving friendships with good people as the most complete friendship, saying, complete friendship is the friendship of good people similar in virtue; for they wish goods in the same way to each other insofar as they are good, and they are good in their own rightThese kinds of friendships are likely to be rare, since such people are few. (Irwin 122-123) Complete friendships cannot be based on utility or erotic pleasure, but rather love. Aristotle says, Those who are friends for utility dissolve the friendship as soon as the advantage is removed; for they were never friends of each other, but of what was expedient for them. (Irwin 123) Aristotle proposes that a life of friendship facilitates activity, because we are social creatures by nature. A life involving study and contemplation, for example, serves as a medium to foster a respect and exchange of ideas, which is inherent in a loving friendship. In addition, we can expand Aristotles conclusions to apply to other means of remaining active, such as a life of military service, the life of a physician, or the life of an artist. In addition, friends help regulate our behavior in making virtuous decisions, as virtue is also a vital component of reaching eudaimonia. Aristotle says, no one would choose to live without friends even if he had all other goods. Indeed rich people and holders of powerful positions need friends, how else would one benefit from such prosperity if one had no opportunity for beneficenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But in poverty also and in other misfortunes, people think friends are the only refugeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The young need friends to keep them from error. The old need friends to care for them and support the actions that fail because of weakness. (Irwin 119) Aristotle is correct in finding that activity is a vital element in achieving eudaimonia, and that friendship plays an important role in helping us remain active and virtuous. We can apply a broader application of this search for happiness by allowing lives other than that of study and contemplation to be pursued, as long as virtue and loving friendships are present. To arrive at this conclusion we postulated two of Aristotles premises (see Postulate 1 and Postulate 2); allowing these lead us to a worthwhile map of how one may reach eudaimonia, the Idea of Good which follows from the postulates. Overlaying a life of productivity for Aristotles requirement of study, we have achieved a valid argument, assuming the postulates, for a means of human flourishing. One should live ones life with virtue, activity, and productivity.

Dracula :: essays research papers

Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic tale of Gothicism. Traditionally, gothic tales only carried single theme of horror. Through Dracula, Stoker breaks this single theme barrier. The theme throughout Dracula is clearly displayed through the characters as they step from ignorance to realization in this tale of horror.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of ignorance is vital for this story. It is woven throughout and evident in all the characters. It is first displayed through the protagonist, John Harker. It is his innate lack of knowing that puts him in a deadly situation: “Do you know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are doing?'; (5) This was the protagonist, Jonathan Harker’s second encounter with strangers, in a strange land, in which he was confronted in this manner. He had three such encounters, all of which he nonchalantly dismissed. During his first encounter, the people simply refused to answer any of his questions. In his third encounter, strangers made the sign of a cross and pointed at him. During all of this, Jonathan had no clue why these people were acting in this strange way, nor did he have a notion to question why. Even though he is oblivious to the reasons for their behavior, he blindly continues on the path the strangers warned him not to go on. Another depiction of this ignorance is shown through Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing as they work on a patient, Lucy Westerna. After the doctors diagnosed Lucy as being “somewhat'; bloodless and the pricks on neck were discovered, they immediately dismissed the idea of the pricks being the cause of this loss of blood. “It at once occurred to me that this wound, or whatever it was might be the means for this manifest loss of blood; but I abandoned the idea as soon as formed, for such a thing could not be.'; (131) These doctors had knowledge, but their own ignorance interfered even though all the signs of what was going on were clear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is when Stoker allows his characters to step to realization that the story heightens. Jonathan is only enlightened to realization after his ignorance has completely thrust him into a life threatening situation: “I started for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole of the room behind me.

Castlebridge

December 01, 2010 Case Study Analysis # 70 Castlebridge, a maker of high-quality outerwear, located in London is at a cross roads. Although its headquarters operates from London, most of its manufacturing has moved offshore. With the last domestic factory slated to close, the firm's executives struggle to preserve the â€Å"Britishness† of the brand. On the other hand, the company has to reduce costs to remain profitable. It seems that moving production offshore is inevitable. The executives believe that Castlebridge should come clean about it.In a world where stakeholders matter more than ever, the firm can't just outperform competitors. It has to go above and beyond to satisfy their constituents. Therefore, the CEO Mary Crane asserts that the plant closure is a logical step. Reputational risk is a concern as well as brand image. The majority of the customers who purchase Castlebridge items are wealthy. They pride themselves in wearing high class British fashions. The company fears that Asian manufacturing tags will diminish consumer confidence in quality and authenticity. The CEO wants to take the logical approach where the objective of any firm is to maximize profits.By not doing so, the firm will lose out to the competitors and will continue to face rising production costs in keeping up with consumer preferences. She holds Fergus Harold accountable for being overly nationalistic and even rather ignorant to the status of British clothing made in Malaysia and its effect on a Japanese consumer. Her unabashed perception indicates that backlash would be from local purchasers whose confidence may be undermined by the outsourcing of a classy British brand to a third world country. Furthermore, it is well pointed out that the CEO does not feel threatened by British media.Supposedly she sees that production line workers are of the lower working class whereas buyers of Castlebridge's products of are of the wealthier class. Castlebridge simply cannot survive in their high cost market by maintaining its production lines within the UK. Labor cost is just too expensive. Trade unions have become cleverer with their protests and could potentially be a thorn in their side. The company needs to make a decision soon. The British public has been down this road before, as have foreign consumers of British products. I agree with the CEO that cost cutting measures need to be implemented.There is no need to maintain high production costs and place burden upon the shareholders of the company. If the British public has been down this path before then there should be no problem. If the firm shines light on its native roots and its international production, it could establish a winning reputation as a truly modern, global brand. However, the customers’ sentiment is very important. The brand image is highly regarded and maintaining the class, quality and authenticity is just as important as running the risk of a complete closure and a shutdown of bu siness.Could Castlebridge hire foreign employees to work in the U. K? Could wages be scaled down to keep in line with profit margins? Maybe these alternatives should be considered. Otherwise, the real risk to the brand could be the potential loss of its high-class distinction and not its national identity. Before making a firm decision, all alternatives should be considered. As a member of the Board of Directors, Ferguson should have the conscientiousness to advise the company to rediscover and recommit to the core values that have made them so successful.Should the CEO go through with moving its production facilities offshore, he could recommend a trust-building people strategy, modeled by the CEO, which emphasizes forthright communication from management to the employees as well as the opinions of its customers. In doing so, the company will be compliant with its corporate culture and stakeholders. The last thing Castlebridge needs is to have its employees and customers reject the principles of this outerwear line. With that being said, the company can continue to enjoy the success it has had.

Malaysia †Country book

Malaysia – Country book Free Online Research Papers Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to critically analyze an export strategy for an International company to Malaysia. Im going to assume that the International Company is located in a neighbor country (Australia), â€Å"Kangaroo International† an Australian soy product producer. It was chosen for this task, because of Malaysias increasing demand for westernized but healthy products. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Overview of Product 3. Country Study- Malaysia 3.1 Malaysias environment 3.1.1 Geography 3.1.2 Demographics 3.1.3 Implications of Malaysias national culture 3.1.4 Infrastructure 3.1.5 Technology 3.2 Political/legal forces 3.2.1 Political forces 3.2.2 Legal forces 3.3 Economic and financial environment 3.3.1 Economic overview 3.3.2 Economic performance 3.3.3 Financial performance 3.4 Competitive environment 3.4.1 Intensity of competition 3.4.2 Bargaining power of consumers 3.4.3 Threat of substitute products 3.4.4 Threats of new entrants 4. Marketing Strategy 4.1 Market Based Planning 4.2 Competitive Advantage 4.3 Positioning strategies 5. Market Entry Strategy 6. Marketing Mix 6.1 Product 6.2 Pricing strategies 6.3 Promotion 6.3.1 Contextual Factors affecting promotional campaign 6.3.2 Promotional strategies for Kangaroo International in Malaysia 6.4 Distribution 7. Conclusion 8. References Appendix A- Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Appendix B -Summary of Cultural Differences Appendix C -SWOT Analysis Appendix D Contextual Factors explained 1. Introduction The purpose of this report is to outline the strategies necessary for Kangaroo International to successfully export Soy Cheese to the Malaysian market. To achieve this, a thorough analysis of the Malaysian business environment was conducted, identifying the key variables that need to taken into account when modifying the product to suit the Malaysian market. This involved researching the external environmental factors, as well as the Malaysian culture and the specific needs and wants of the target consumers. This provided the foundation for the strategic marketing plan and objectives. This involved creating a marketing mix and market entry strategies that most effectively suited the Malaysian market, while at the same time ensuring the success and profitability of Kangaroo International. 2. Overview of Firm and Product Kangaroo International is an Australian Soy Food manufacturer. Established in 1987 and is based in Brisbane, Queensland. Most products are certified Halal and Kosher and all of them contain Australian grown organic, non-GM soybeans as the main ingredient. Of Kangaroo Internationals vast range of products, Organic Soy Cream Cheese and Soy Cheese were selected for this assignment. 3. Country Study- Malaysia 3.1 Malaysias environment No matter where a company operates, external forces have an indirect impact on the organization. The key influencing factors have therefore to be analyzed before entering a new market. This country study intends to give an overview of Malaysia. Table 1 is summarizing the main facts. Table 1 Column1 Malaysia Land area 330,434 sq. Km Population 24 million (2004 estimate) Capital Kuala Lumpur Type of government Federated parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarch Head of State Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalulai Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Next election By March 2009 Currency used Ringgit (RM Source: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2005 . 3.1.1 Geography Malaysia is located just north of the equator, with a hot climate (up to 34C) and humid conditions between 2 to 4 metres of rain annually (Austrade, 2006). The country is easily accessed by air and sea offering many avenues for distribution of the product throughout the country. 3.1.2 Demographics Malaysia has a population of 23.37 million according to the 2000 census, with a growth rate of 1.8 percent. The major ethnic group of Malaysia are the Malays and indigenous people (65.1 percent), this group is predominantly of Muslim religion. The other ethnic groups include the Chinese (26 percent) and Indians (7.7 percent) (Austrade, 2006.). Malaysia has five major religions; these include Muslim, by far the most prevalent at 52%, Buddhism (17%), Taoism (8%), Christian (8%) and Hinduism at 8% (Austrade, 2006). The main language spoken is Bahasa Melayu; however English is also widely spoken and accepted in business practices. 3.1.3 Implications of Malaysias national culture An exact definition of culture is difficult to attain, however there are two main characteristics, which have developed over time, one it is learned and secondly it is shared. Culture influences all facets of society, including what behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable within a society. Fletcher (1979) defines culture as the total way of life within a society. Understanding culture is therefore critical to the success of an international organization. The role of marketing to satisfy the needs and wants of potential customers is highly dependant on the way culture conditions these needs and wants, as well as its influence on how marketing messages are received and interpreted. Culture influences all elements of the marketing mix. One of the most comprehensive studies of the differences between cultures was performed by Hofstede, in which he developed five main dimensions of culture. These included power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism verse collectivism, masculine verse feminine and long-term or short-term orientation. Using Hofstedes dimensions, It can be noticed that Malaysia has a very high score in the power distance index, meaning that Malaysian society accepts inequality and secondly in can be noticed that Malaysia is strongly collectivist, defined as placing more emphasis on the welfare of the group and collective achievement. For more information refer to Appendix A As Malaysia has a complex mixture of non-homogonous ethnic groups and religions, it is critical to determine the target market, in which the product has the greatest competitive advantage as well as potential profitability. As shown in the demographics of Malaysia, the major religion is Muslim at 52%. This has major implications for international firms in Malaysia, as Islamic beliefs have a significant influence on all aspects of a persons life. The two major aspects marketers have to address in the processed food industry include the requirement of food to be Halal, permitted by Islamic law (Austrade, 2006) and the need for the promotional campaign to be sensitive to religious beliefs. For further information on Malaysias culture refer to Appendix B. 3.1.4 Infrastructure Infrastructure is critical in determining the suitability of expanding a business into a foreign country. Infrastructure refers to all the services and facilities that are vital to the efficient functioning of the economy; these include energy supplies, transport, and communications as well as commercial and financial services. Malaysia has one of the most developed infrastructures in the newly industrialized countries of Asia. The area of communication is pivotal in fostering effective communication with the target market, Malaysia has a made significant gains in this area with 10.9 million people having radios (1999), 10.8 million people owning televisions (1999) as well as 5.7 million people who have access to the internet (2002) and 5 million people owning mobile phones (Malaysian Profile, 2006). This provides the marketer with many types of media in which to reach the target market. Malaysia also offers sufficient transportation facilities, such as highways, railways, 114 airpor ts and efficient seaports in which 95% of Malaysias total trade is conducted via the seven international ports (Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, 2006). Malaysias infrastructure offers businesses an environment suitable for the successful implementation of international expansion. 3.1.5 Technology Technology is still the most dramatic force transforming the international environment. As science parks all over the world develop, Malaysia takes a leading position with the nations Kulim Hi-Tech Park which is designed for high technology and RD companies who want to operate in the Asian-Pacific region (Kulim Technology Park Corporation in Yeoh, 2002). The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) offers not only the most advanced technologies, but also a very good infrastructure. In combination with well trained human recourses the KLSE will be consistently efficient, modern and cost-effective (Hashim in Yeoh, 2002). TV, radio, phone lines, internet, although of technical nature are key aspects of infrastructure, as a result technology cannot be separated from infrastructure in modern business. From Malaysias overview of infrastructure it can be taken that Malaysias government is conscious of the importance of well developed infrastructure. But Malaysia is also aware that technology alon e is not the key to success, it is only an enabler. Therefore, next to the very well developed and applied technologies, much emphasis is set on the human resource development (Moggie in Yeaoh, 2002). 3.2 Political/legal forces 3.2.1 Political forces The political environment in Malaysia provides a stable and safe country in which to operate a business internationally. Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy in which Abdullah Badawi is the Prime Minister, who took over from Mahathir Mohammad after 22 years in office on the 21st of March (Austrade, 2006). The next general election is scheduled for 2009. 3.2.2 Legal forces There are a number of tariffs, regulations and requirements businesses must conform to in order operate in Malaysia. The government is progressively liberalizing its tariff regime, however, some products that are in competition with locally manufactured products are still highly protected. In the processed food sector imported foodstuffs are subject to inspection and need to comply with labeling laws introduced in March 2004 (Austrade, 2006). Australia and Malaysia currently have a diverse bilateral agreement, however in April 2005 it was decided to move onto to free trade negotiations, this has wide reaching ramifications when exporting to Malaysia and will have to followed closely in order manage the dramatic influences this may have on the business environment (Austrade, 2006). 3.3 Economic and financial environment 3.3.1 Economic overview Malaysia is rich in natural resources and has developed therefore already as a British colony to a worldwide producer of rubber and tin. Although the colonial rule of the British let to a good legal system and an efficient administration, some of the economical drawbacks were that Malaysias products were not differentiated enough and they depended on North America and Europe. The immense exports caused a workforce-demand increase which led to a large Chinese and Indian immigration. 1957 Malaysia changed from a British colony to independency (Austin, 2004). In 1967 Malaysia formed with Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) . Although the foundation was originally political, ASEAN now plays a significant role in the present world economy. Economically ASEAN targets a common market, including a free trade area. Even though Australia is geographically very close, it had not been an important export market. Australian imports consist mainly of food products (Tan, 2003). Today Malaysia is a high middle-income export orientated economy and one of the worlds largest producers of electronic and electrical products (Austrade, 2006). 3.3.2 Economic performance For years Malaysia was an ideal developing country. The climate for investors had been very stable with an average annual growth rate of almost 9 percent and basically full employment (Tan, 2003). But the Asian crisis damaged this picture. The consequence was a deep cut into the GPN of 7,4 percent in 1998. The Malaysian government worked against this crisis with an expansive economic policy and was able to stabilize the economy relatively quickly (Tan, 2003). Ever since Malaysia has consistently maintained its position of 18th largest global exporter, with economic growth averaged at 5.5% in the four-year period between December 2001 and January 2006 (WTO report, December 2005). Also the consistently low levels of unemployment have been maintained while the living standards are good with a life expectancy of 72.5 years, and literacy rates of 89% (Malaysian Profile, 2006). Unfortunately the income distribution is fairly unequally and quite complicated because of three different major racial groups in Malaysia (Tan, 2003). 3.3.3 Financial performance The high annual growth rate in the nineties was connected to a very low inflation rate. Even the Asian crisis didnt increase the prices in an enormous way. The Malaysian government used a very uncommon way to get out of the crisis: Instead of using the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it chose to limit its flows of capital dramatically which was not appreciated by most international investors. After the crisis was handled successfully, the limitations were loosened up again (Tan, 2003). The increased terrorism development in recent years has had significant impacts on Malaysias economical and financial performance. Especially declines of foreign investments. Also less tourism has caused a slower economical growth in the mid term (Tan, 2003). But Malaysia has still managed to increase the measurement of per capita income in the latest four year period, and has received a strong average growth of 8.9 percent. The total public debt although is relatively high, hovering around 69% of GDP, however is expected to drop to 46% of GDP by 2009 due to the implementation of fiscal consolidation strategies by the federal government (IMF report, Article IV 2005). 3.4 Competitive environment Next to the external environmental forces, the competition in which the company competes has to be considered. This is done from two perspectives: In macro- (overseas industrys competitive structure) and micro- point of view (firms) (Grigoriou, 2004). Kangaroo Internationals competitors are both domestic producers and distributors in Malaysia and international companies. 3.4.1 Intensity of competition The Australian Government clearly states the food and agribusiness as one of the key opportunity areas in Malaysia. More specifically organic food, health snacks, cream cheese, and soy pudding and yoghurt are mentioned as current opportunities. As a result, increased (international) competition can be expected in Malaysia (Austrade). Some large international companies (see Table 2) have been present since centuries and have been able to gain local knowledge and train their staff accordingly. Especially the large companies have very strong brands, are experienced and have next to large financial resources a very well developed distribution network (US Foreign Commercial Service, 2003). Table 2: Large Dairy, Soy or Health Food Companies in Malaysia Name Year Products Country of origin Cold storage 1968 Dairy and meat Malaysia Dutch Baby 1963 Milk Holland Nestleacute 1912 Milk, cereals, noodles Switzerland Yeo Hiap Seng 1900 Marketing sale of food, beverages dairy products Malaysia Contra Enterprises 1969 Dairy Malaysia FN Foods Dairy, soft drinks Malaysia Radiant Whole Food new Organic health food Switzerland Tong Garden Snacks Singapore Pikzern 90s Importing and distributing: Dairy, Confectionary, Beverages, Snacks, Sea foods, Vegetarian Food, Seasonal Products Malaysia Source: Adapted from: Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (1994) cited in Muthaly, Ratnatunga Schroder, 1999, p. 116); mycen.com.my/search/food_beverage.html Next to the large multinational and local firms, there are thousands of small, family oriented businesses (Muthaly, Ratnatunga Schroder, 1999). There is also a quite strong presence of Australian and New Zealand dairy product companies. The competition in the organic soy product section is not as tough yet, but all the mentioned factors together create fairly high entry barriers for new importers. 3.4.2 Bargaining power of consumers In general the disposable income of Malaysian customer is either fairly high or quite low (Austrade, 2006). But either way, they are very price sensitive and will definitely look for the best value (which doesnt necessarily have to be the cheapest). Therefore the bargaining power of the buyers is rather high, especially because this market is attractive and gives the consumer a wider choice and lower switching costs (Fletcher Brown, 2005). 3.4.3 Threat of substitute products On a micro level, competitors for Kangaroo International are not only producers of the same product, but also companies who offer substitutes such as dairy products, and health food or organic snacks. On the contrary wine, pizza dough, nachos, pasta, (in general Western style food), dips and crackers are seen as complementarities. Because health food in general is very popular in Malaysia, normal cheese has to be seen as a competitor, but it is believed that with an organic product, Kangaroo International has a good chance to penetrate a niche market. It has to be noted however that switching costs for consumers are fairly low if there is a choice of different organic products available. On a macro perspective competitors to the health food industry are producers with the same product which are not organically certified (normal cheese vs. organic cheese) and which are most often offered to a cheaper price. The food industry in general may see for example the leisure industry as a competitor as well as complementarities industry. They are an opponent if the industries have to compete over a limited budget in which the consumer will have to decide wherever the money will be spent on some more (healthy) snacks or if for example a visit to a botanical garden would be a better alternative. This is mainly because cheese is not an elementary food group. On the other hand the leisure industry can also be a driver, because a pick-nick trip to enjoy the nature may include some healthy food choices. 3.4.4 Threats of new entrants As mentioned in intensity of competition, the threat of new entrants is presently rather high because of the market opportunities. It is believed although that with the right niche-market a sufficient market share should be achievable. However, if the trend stays as it is, the market will, like the dairy market, eventually be saturated. 4. Marketing Strategy In order to develop a marketing strategy a SWOT-Analysis for Kangaroo International in Malaysia needs to be made. The SWOT-Analysis is a necessary tool to understand where the organization is positioned, what the competitive advantages are and where the improvements have to be undertaken. The Analysis for Kangaroo International and the objectives for the first export period can be found in Appendix C. 4.1 Market Based Planning Market based planning is an approach which starts with an analysis of consumer needs, in order to determine how modify the existing product to satisfy these needs (Fletcher Brown, 2005). This is the most appropriate approach for Kangaroo International, when adapting an existing domestic product to suit an international market, in this case Malaysia. The product will still be the same core product, however packaging and labeling will be modified in order to comply with Malaysian legislation and taste. 4.2 Competitive Advantage Kangaroo International will implement a basic competitive positioning strategy of differentiation. This involves concentrating on producing a highly differentiated product, supported by a marketing campaign that focuses on positioning the product as a class leader (Fletcher Brown, 2005). As Table 3 below shows, Kangaroo International will use segmentation to divide the market by geographic, psychographic and behavioral variables to create a significant competitive advantage (Kotler et al, 2004). Table 3 King Internationals Market Segmentation Step Geographic Segmentation Goal Market share 1st target on consumers in urban areas (large cities) large supermarkets Until product is well established AUS $0.3 million in first year 2nd target on consumers in urban areas smaller intermediaries Until product creates a good customer awareness AUS $3 million in first three years 3rd target on rural areas smaller intermediaries Market leader in organic soy cheese and soy cream cheese Psychographic segmentation Consumer who value healthy lifestyle Behavioral segmentation Benefits sought 4.3 Positioning strategies Product positioning is defined as; The way the product is defined by consumers on important attributes; the place the product occupies in the consumers minds relative to competing products (Kotler et al, 2004). To achieve product positioning in a favorable manner, Kangaroo International can implement a number of strategies. These are outlined below Product Positioning Strategies * They can position their products on specific product attributes * Products can be positioned on the needs they fill or on the benefits they offer * Products can be positioned according to usage occasions * Product is positioned for certain classes of users * Product can be positioned directly against a competitor * Product can be positioned for different product classes Kangaroo International will focus on two main strategies of both product attributes and the benefits offered. Firstly the product attributes to be reinforced will include that Kangaroo Soy Cheese is Australian made, particularly important in Asian cultures where it is perceived that higher levels of status are associated with Western products. Other critical product attributes are the non-GM, organic grown soy used, a critical attribute to the success in the Malaysian market. Secondly, it will be stressed that Kangaroo International Soy Products offer the major benefit of increased health. Research shows that soy can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and diabetic, kidney disease (Soyfood, 2003). These factors coupled with a focus on product quality will allow Kangaroo international to attain a favorable position in the consumers mind relative to competitors. 5. Market Entry Strategy Once a market has been identified as profitable, the mode of entry has to be chosen. Evaluation of market entry modes involves a trade off between degree of control and commitment of resources (Fletcher Brown, 2005). For Kangaroo International a direct exporting mode in a combination with strategic alliances has been chosen. The products will not be sold directly to the end user but distributed through supermarket chains. Without ever been active in Malaysia, Kangaroo International will definitely need local partners who have the know-how to run the daily business. Strategic alliances are non-equity contractual relationships (Fletcher Brown) and will be building with the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI), the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), and the supermarket chains. The MICCI is Malaysias oldest chamber of commerce. The FMM is Malaysias economic organization, representing over 2000 manufacturing and industrial service companies (FMM, 2006 ). Advantages and disadvantages of direct export and strategic alliances can be listed as follows:- Advantages of a direct export Minimizes risk and investment. Speed of entry Maximizes scale; uses existing facilities. Disadvantages of a direct export Trade barriers tariffs add to costs. Transport costs Limits access to local information Company viewed as an outsider Advantages of a Strategic Alliance Increased leverage Strategic alliances allow you to gain greater results from your company’s core strengths Risk sharing A strategic alliance with an international company will help to offset your market exposure and allow you to jointly exploit new opportunities. Opportunities for growth Strategic alliances can create the means by which small companies can grow. By â€Å"marrying† your company’s product to somebody else’s distribution, or your RD to a partner’s production skills, you may be able to expand your business overseas more quickly and more cheaply than by other means. Greater responsiveness By allowing you to focus on developing your core strengths, strategic alliances provide the ability to respond more quickly to change and opportunity. Disadvantages of a Strategic Alliance High commitment – time, money, people Difficulty of identifying a compatible partner Potential for conflict A small company risks being subsumed by a larger partner Strategic priorities change over time Payment difficulties Political risk in the country where the strategic alliance is based If the relationship breaks down, the cost/ownership of market information, market intelligence and jointly developed products can be an issue. It is also considered to hire a local consulting firm for the Malaysian marketing and promotion. The marketing wouldnt be outsourced because Kangaroo International has chosen with its direct export mode to keep as much control as possible. Williamsons transaction cost approach suggests that control is the most important determinant of risk and return and that high-control entry modes increase return and risk (Fletcher Brown). Williamsons theory is outlined below Williamsons transaction cost approach Chosen entry mode should provide control, based on the following functions: * Transaction specific assets including specialized physical or human investments such as proprietary processes or products at an early stage of the product life cycle. * External uncertainty reflecting unpredictability in the chosen overseas market due to economic and political factors. * Internal uncertainty related to difficulties in exercising control over the agent in the overseas market due to lack of experience, culture and linguistic knowledge and familiarity with business customs and practices. * Free riding potential, which refers to an agents ability to exploit the relationship for personal advantage such as by degrading the brand name or by taking on the line to neutralize its competitive impact. Source: Fletcher Brown In Kangaroo Internationals case the company possesses transaction specific assets, which are the production knowledge of the organic soy cheese, and the uncertainty about the new market is high. Therefore a high control mode seems to be the most appropriate entry mode. 6 Marketing Mix 6.1 Product Kangaroo Soy Cheese is a tangible, consumer-orientated product incorporating the companys cheese making core competencies. The product has been adapted to suit market requirements of Malaysia on the strategy of market based planning. This will include modifying products packaging and labeling to meet local labeling laws, which were modified in 2004. Most notably changes will be made to the label contents and language. Also some marketing research will be undertaken to analyze the taste of Malaysians in terms of product size and packaging style like colors etc. The packaging size of products in general is smaller in Malaysia (Nestl, 2006) mainly because like this it is cheaper to buy one unit, and the product can be consumed more quickly. 6.2 Pricing strategies Malaysian consumer behavior is continually changing, with increased urbanization and concentration of wealth in cities, coupled with a more westernized culture, consumers are more discreet in their spending and will shop around for cheaper alternatives (Austrade, 2006). This has many implications for Kangaroo International when determining a pricing strategy. These changes in consumer behavior have resulted in higher levels of price sensitivity, requiring greater levels of competitive advantage in order to attract sales. Kangaroo International is faced with an inverse demand curve in the Malaysian market, meaning as the price of the product increases the amount of the product demanded decreases. The channels of distribution have a dramatic impact on the price charged to the end user in an international market, as each intermediary adds their own mark-up (Fletcher Brown, 2005). As such Kangaroo International has taken care to employ only those intermediaries that are critical to distribution of Kangaroo Soy Cheese in an attempt to reduce international price escalation (Fletcher Brown, 2005). Kangaroo International will implement market differentiated pricing, in which pricing is determined by market conditions of Malaysia, in relation to affordability of the product, nature of competition and strategic objectives of the firm (Fletcher Brown, 2005). The pricing strategy adopted by Kangaroo international in Malaysia will be based on a combination of Cost-Plus pricing and Marketplace pricing. This entails adding a specified mark-up percentage to the total cost of the product, while at the same time considering what are considered competitive prices in the local market (Fletcher Brown, 2005). This mark-up can manipulated accordingly with changes in environmental variables such as level of competition and demand as well as internal factors such a business expansion and increased supply costs (Fletcher Brown, 2005). 6.3 Promotion 6.3.1 Contextual Factors affecting promotional campaign During the process of developing the promotional campaign for an international product it is critical to evaluate how it will be influenced by contextual factors. These include culture, language, education, economic development, media infrastructure and government regulation (Fletcher Brown, 2005). These environmental factors act as interference between the successful encoding and decoding of a marketing communications. The implications of these factors are explained in Appendix D. 6.3.2 Promotional strategies for Kangaroo International in Malaysia Kangaroo International will implement a promotional campaign that will predominantly focus on pull strategies, however push strategies will be utilized. A pull strategy targets the end user through a variety of advertising, publicity and public relations in order to stimulate demand (Fletcher Brown, 2005). This will be complemented by the main push strategy medium of sales promotion, in particular trade shows. The advertising strategy undertaken by Kangaroo International will target opinion leaders, in order to generate positive word of mouth amongst consumers. This strategy relies on the fact that word of mouth is generally the most important means of promoting a product, as it more respected and easier for the consumer to believe (Gremler, Gwinner Brown 2001). This is of particular importance when appealing to the collectivist culture of Malaysia, where loyalty and trust are of the upmost importance (Patterson, Smith, 2001). The advertising campaign of Kangaroo International will initially focus on the mediums of newspapers, magazines, internet and radio due to limited resources, however as the business becomes more profitable, higher cost mediums such as television will be implemented to further increase market share. Magazines offer a selective way of reaching the target market, in this case, important opinion leaders (Fletcher Brown, 2005). The magazines of focus are trendy lifestyle magazines, such as CLEO Malaysias fastest growing lifestyle magazine and health magazines such as Health and Fitness and Buletin CME, which is monthly. The newspapers selected to advertise through are chosen due to the higher levels of trust by consumers and because they cover local entertainment and culture. These titles are Barita Harian and Vanakkam Malaysia. Radio offers the advantage of low cost and high levels of reach (Fletcher Brown, 2005). Market research identified National FM as the most appropriate station f or Kangaroo International promotional campaign. In order to build consumer trust and brand awareness, Kangaroo International will use Public relations heavily. This will include sponsoring local health initiatives as well as important sporting events in Malaysia, to achieve strong associations between our product and a healthy, popular lifestyle. 6.4 Distribution Using direct exporting, Kangaroo International will deliver its products to Malaysian supermarket chains. The alliance with MICCI and FMM will help in this process. Malaysias retail sector is highly fragmented with many small to medium-sized markets. Of course the use of retailers (supermarkets) will lead to some loss of control. For example Kangaroo International will not be able to state exactly where the product will be placed on the shelve. The good experiences in Australia lead to the conclusion that this will still be the best way to bring the product to the consumer. A direct distribution would be too expensive. However, an internet based distribution may be considered in a later state. There are around 500 supermarkets and hypermarkets, approximately 120 convenience stores and a rather large amount of traditional food stores (900000 nationwide). Table 4 shows the percentage of sales that goes through these retail outlets. Table 4 Percentage of Sales in specific retail outlet Retail Sector Sales by Type of Business* (2000) Sales (%) Department stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets 20 Grocery stores and similar outlets 20.5 Convenience stores 9.3 Household, personal goods, and other stores** 50.2 *: Excludes wet market, morning market, night market and other non-permanent retail facilities. **: These establishments were not involved in the sale of food and beverage products. Source: exporthotline.com/upload/731A3377-74C5-4191-88F1-31A9489495E8.html An increasing number of middle to upper-income Malaysians are shopping in the modern supermarkets which are mainly located in urban areas. Some more growth of the major supermarket chains is forecasted (US Foreign Commercial Service). Since Kangaroo Internationals target group is focused on health aware consumers in the middle and upper income group, this seems to be the right distribution channel. The traditional grocery stores sell all sorts of products and are located in urban and rural areas (US Foreign Commercial Service). This is where the majority of Malaysians shop and in the beginning the grocery stores in larger cities should be targeted as well. Rural areas will not be a target market until the company is well established in Malaysia, customer awareness has been created and a reasonable market share has been reached. 7. Conclusion Kangaroo International is an Australian Soy food manufacturer, which is currently in the process of looking to become an international firm, by exporting products to Malaysia. This report outlines the strategies and objectives put into place in order to successfully export Kangaroo Soy Cheese to Malaysia. This is achieved by first conducting a detailed analysis of the environmental factors within Malaysia, this includes identifying the aspects which need to be considered when modifying the product to suit the Malaysian consumer. The analysis revealed that Malaysia has a stable government, with positive economic performance expected to continue into the future. The infrastructure and technology environment provide substantial opportunities for an international business to prosper. The Malaysian culture is of a very collectivist nature and places high priority on trust and respect, there is also a high proportion of the population being Muslim, this has such implications as providing H alal certified products. Once these environmental factors were taken into account a marketing strategy was developed, modifying the marketing mix to most effectively fit with the Malaysian business environment. It is believed that these strategies implemented by Kangaroo International will allow the business to gain a significant competitive advantage and prosper in the Malaysian market. References: Anonymous 2003, Health benefits of Soy food, Soyfood, USA, Vol. 6, Iss. 1 Austin, IP, GK, 2004, Goh Keng Swee and Southeast Asian Governance, Marshall Cvendish International, Singapore. Austrade, Processed Food to Malaysia, viewed 26 April 2006, . Fletcher R. Brown L. 2005, International Marketing; An Asia Pacific Perspective 3rd Edition, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW FMM, 2006, viewed 5 May 2006, Gremler, D., Gwinner, K. Brown, S 2001; Generating positive word-of-mouth communication through customer-employee relationships, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 12, Iss. 1; pg. 44. Info Please Encyclopaedia, Malaysian Country Profile, viewed 24th April 2006, Kangaroo International, Homepage, viewed 25 April 2006, . Kotler P, Brown L, Adam S Armstrong G 2004, Marketing 6th Edition, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW Nestl, 2006, viewed 5 May 2006, Patterson, P. Smith, T 2001; Relationship benefits in service industries: a replication in a Southeast Asian context, The Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 15, Iss. 6/7; pg. 425, 19 pgs Royal Malaysian Customs, Importer/Exporter, viewed 26 April 2006, . Tan, G, 2003, ASEAN Economic Development and Cooperation, Times Media, Singapore. US Foreign Commercial Service, 2003, viewed 10 May 2006, World Trade Organization, Trade Policy Review Body: Malaysia, viewed 25 April 2006, Appendix A- Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Power Distance Index (PDI) focuses on the degree of equality, or inequality, between people in the countrys society. A High Power Distance ranking indicates that inequalities of power and wealth have been allowed to grow within the society. These societies are more likely to follow a caste system that does not allow significant upward mobility of its citizens. A Low Power Distance ranking indicates the society de-emphasizes the differences between citizens power and wealth. In these societies equality and opportunity for everyone is stressed. Individualism (IDV) focuses on the degree the society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships. A High Individualism ranking indicates that individuality and individual rights are paramount within the society. Individuals in these societies may tend to form a larger number of looser relationships. A Low Individualism ranking typifies societies of a more collectivist nature with close ties between individuals. These cultures reinforce extended families and collectives where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. Masculinity (MAS) focuses on the degree the society reinforces, or does not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power. A High Masculinity ranking indicates the country experiences a high degree of gender differentiation. In these cultures, males dominate a significant portion of the society and power structure, with females being controlled by male domination. A Low Masculinity ranking indicates the country has a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of the society. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) focuses on the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society i.e. unstructured situations. A High Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has a low tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. This creates a rule-oriented society that institutes laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty. A Low Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has less concern about ambiguity and uncertainty and has more tolerance for a variety of opinions. This is reflected in a society that is less rule-oriented, more readily accepts change, and takes more and greater risks. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) focuses on the degree the society embraces, or does not embrace long-term devotion to traditional, forward thinking values. High Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country prescribes to the values of long-term commitments and respect for tradition. This is thought to support a strong work ethic where long-term rewards are expected as a result of todays hard work. However, business may take longer to develop in this society, particularly for an outsider. A Low Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country does not reinforce the concept of long-term, traditional orientation. In this culture, change can occur more rapidly as long-term traditions and commitments do not become impediments to change. Appendix B -Summary of Cultural Differences As stated earlier if an international firm is to be successful it must understand how cultures differ, these differences can be identified in a number of key concepts. First cultures differ in their attitudes towards time. Assumptions about time are very deep seated in cultures (Fletcher Brown, 2005). In general it is necessary to allow longer periods of time for business transactions in Asian countries than that of Western countries, this is particularly evident in the Malaysian business environment. This is due to Asian countries adopting a polychronic view of time in which time is cyclic and everything in life must be dealt with in terms of its own time (Fletcher Brown, 2005). This Contrasts the Western countries approach of a monochronic view, in which time is linear having a beginning and an end, with a focus on schedules and time is money (Fletcher Brown, 2005). The second concept is space; this can be both physical and abstract. Physical space refers to both location and size of offices and personal proximity (Fletcher Brown, 2005). This is demonstrated in western societies where office size and location define status, this is not the case in all cultures. Secondly personal space differs between cultures. Third, the concept of familiarity is important to understanding the speed in which friendships are formed, level of superficiality, obligations of friendship (Fletcher Brown, 2005). This is of particular importance when operating in Malaysia as trust and respect are integral parts of the culture. The fourth difference is in consumption patterns, these are reflected in varied views of material possessions and dress. In some cultures, Western for example, power is symbolized by material possessions. Appendix C -SWOT Analysis Internal view Strength excellent products * Organic * Halal (and Kosher) conform * Non-GM * Soy product counts as healthy food (lowers cholesterol) * Soy-cheese will be better for Asian people who have in general problems when they digest diary products. They will be able to enjoy cheese without the side effects * Wide product range (next to soy cheese and soy cream cheese many more soy products such as yoghurt, milk, and butter are produced) * Australian products stand for guaranteed high quality * Product can be accepted as alternative to local products and because soy based can fit in with local culture focus on building export markets successful in Australian market knowledgeable in different soy product production and handling technical alibility to adapt production efficiently to meet buyers needs Long tradition, established in 1987 Loyal, well trained (Australian) staff May use existing staff to manage export Companys name is already indicating international marketing opportunities (Kangaroo International). brand recognition by Australian target consumer (within Australia, but Australians will also recognize the product if they go overseas) support (knowledge) form Australian government if the company wants to enter Malaysia English is spoken in Malaysia Geographically close Australia has good connections to Malaysia Strategic Plan Weaknesses No previous experience with Malaysia Fresh products are preferred by locals Locals prefer low-priced, known products Alliances might not work Excessive capital needed Current premises may not meet export standards Product design might use some alteration Homepage only in English, not in Malay; not ready for internet sale Regular visits of Management costly and too time consuming External view Opportunities Trend to westernization in Asian countries Relatively large customer segment in Malaysia Possible Free Trade agreement between Australia and Malaysia Malaysia is political stable Wawassa 2020 (vision 2020). Malaysia has plans to achieve 1st world status (Madrid, 2004) Malaysia is a rapidly developing 2nd world economy Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) Domestic Mutual funds o Traditional equity o Fixed income o Islamic funds: money market and fixed income (Madrid, 2004) Overseas Mutual funds which target Malaysia Threats Supply of some of the products are subject to seasonal changes Fairly high entry barriers through well established dairy products Cultural differences Emerging market risks Domestic Mutual funds o Fixed income: risk analogous to US bond funds Legacies of assertive policies of 1998 Malaysia has liquidity problems (Madrid, 2004) Critical Success Factors 1. A country knowledge has to be established and management will have to visit Malaysia frequently 2. Financial Recourses and Human capital has to be guaranteed at all time 3. Products must be continuously deliverable Objectives Following objectives would like to be reached in the first exporting period. 1. Establish a market for Kangaroo Soy Cheese and Cream Cheese in Malaysia a. AUS $0.3 million in year one b. AUS $3.0 million in year three 2. Establish customer awareness 3. Establish well founded business connections and reliable networking Appendix D Contextual Factors explained As mentioned earlier in the paper culture plays a pivotal role in determining whether or not a product will be successful in an international market. As a result it is critical to understand the manner in which culture influences the target consumers perceptions of the marketing campaign of Kangaroo Soy Cheese in Malaysia. To address this issue the variety of promotional tools implemented throughout the marketing campaign will highlight that Kangaroo Soy Cheese is Halal certified and sensitive to the Muslim religion in order to avoid offending or disrespecting the local culture of Malaysia. Cultures also vary in the way the context of verbal and non-verbal messages are interpreted. As a result cultures fall onto a continuum between low and high context cultures (Fletcher Brown, 2005). A high context culture is one in which what is said conveys a limited amount of the message meaning, instead greater emphasis of interpretation is placed on how and where it is being said, as well as t he status and body language of the speaker. Malaysia falls into the category of a high context culture, a characteristic that has a significant impact on the correct approach to deliver the desired message. Consequently the promotional campaign will use opinion leaders of high social status to endorse the product, while ensuring that the appropriate emphasis is placed on non-verbal cues. The second factor which must be accounted for in order effectively communicate with the target market is language. Languages differ in the way they convey meaning, the precision of this message, the degree to which things are implied as opposed to specified and the extent to which messages are conveyed through verbal or non verbal cues (Fletcher Brown, 2005). As a result just translating one language into another seldom conveys the message accurately. While English is spoken in Malaysia and may be suitable in business situations, to effectively reach the target consumers it is considered vital to ensure that promotional mediums are communicated in Bahasa Melayu the native language of Malaysia. Care will be taken to correctly translate the message from English to Bahasa Melayu in order to accurately portray the desired message. These strategies will foster greater levels of communication reach and acceptance amongst the target consumers. The final factor of importance, to Kangaroo Internationals marketing communications within Malaysia, is government regulation. Strict censorship laws exist within Malaysia and must be complied with at all times (Austrade, 2006). Consequently all marketing communications will be thoroughly checked before public release to ensure compliance with current government regulations. Once these environmental factors that inhibit effective communication with the target market are overcome, strategies for the international promotion can be developed. Research Papers on Malaysia - Country bookDefinition of Export QuotasPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeThe Project Managment Office SystemResearch Process Part One

PG Scope Case Study Essay Example

PG Scope Case Study Essay Example PG Scope Case Study Paper PG Scope Case Study Paper Scribd Upload a Document Search Documents Explore Hazie Jamaluddin / 3 Download this Document for Free Procter Gamble Inc: Scope Scope was introduced in 1967 by Procter Gamble, is a green mint tasting mouthwash,and was positions as a great tasting mouth refreshing brand that provided bad breathprotection. Scope held 32% share of the Canadian market for 1990. In 1970 Scope becamethe market leader in Canada, with many competitors, such as Listerine mouthwash that waslaunched by Warner Lambert in 1977 and it was a direct competitor to Scope, it had nearlythe same characteristics as Scope with a 12% of the market share during that time. But themajor competitor for Scope was Plax, a brand by Pfizer Inc, which was launched in Canadain 1988 on a platform quite different from the traditional mouthwashes, and gained a 10%share since launched. Plax detergents were supposed to help loosen plaque to makebrushing effective. Before the entry of Plax, brands in the mouth wash market werepositioned around two major benefits that are fresh breath and killing germs, whereas Plaxwas positioned around a new benefit as a plaque fighter and claims Plax removes up tothree times more plaque than just brushing alone. In studying the current situation and preparing for a strategic plan, Gwen Hearst reviewedthe available information and surveys for the mouthwash market and Scope showed that75% of Canadian household use 1 or more mouthwash brands. The company’s marketresearch revealed that users could be segmented to â€Å"heavy† users that comprised 40% of all users and to â€Å"medium† users that comprised 45% of all users and to light users thatcomprise 15%. The company also made a research on why consumers use mouthwash,and the results were: consumer’s basic hygiene, it gets rid of bad breath, it kills germs andmany other reasons. Also surveys were conducted of mouthwash user’s image of the major brands based on several attributes such as, reducing bad breath, killing germs, removingplaque and others. Plax achieved a strong image on removing plaques and healthier teethand gums, whereas scope scored a weaker image on those attributes. In analyzing theCanadian mouthwash market share the data showed that Scope had the highest marketshare among all brands, but there was a big difference in the share held by Scope in foodstores 42%, versus drug stores 27%. Competitive data were also collected for advertisingexpenditures, and the results were that most of the advertising expenditures were of Scope,Listerine and Plax accounting for 90% of all advertising. As for the retail prices, bothListerine and Plax had the highest prices among other brands in food stores, whereasScope, Listerine and Listermint had the highest prices in drug stores. And in comparingScope market share between Canada and USA, the results showed that Scope in Canadatakes 33% of the market share, while USA Scope’s market share was 21. 6% that came after Listerine, where Listerine held 28% of the mouth wash market share in America. After the introduction of Plax by Pfizer Inc whereby PG were loosing market share, andafter studying the current situation and making several surveys and market researches,Hearst challenge was to the 1 st problem which is to develop strategy that ensures the ontinued profitability of Scope in face of competitive threats and especially by Plax thatgained 10% share of the product category. So her specific task was to prepare a marketingplan for PG mouthwash business for the next 3 years. The 2 nd problem is how will PGmaintain their profit and make sure that the Scope brand is always the first mouthwashproduct ranking among consumers? The mouthwash market is changing everyday with theemergence of new products and prod uct features. As a result, PG wants their Scopebrand to be the first choice among consumers. In the case of product development, PDD has demonstrated that Scope reduced plaquebetter than brushing alone because of the antibacterial ingredients in it. So the (ProductDevelopment) PDD has recently developed a new pre-brushing rinse product that performedas well as Plax but didn’t work any better than Plax in removing plaque. The key benefit of this recently launched product is that it tastes better than Plax. However, PDD’s preferencewas to not launch a new product, but instead to add plaque reduction claims to Scope. Since the basic argument was that it is better to protect the business that PG was alreadyin, than to launch a completely new entry. As for the case of sales, the sales people hadnoticed that Plax sales were increasing in the market place, and believed Scope shouldrespond quickly, so they suggested that a brand must be unique and different enough fromthe competitors in order to be listed in the store shelves, or otherwise the category salesvolume would spread over more units. Market researchers suggested that Hearst look at other benefits or alternatives beyond justa â€Å"plaque reassurance on scope† or a â€Å"a better tasting pre-brushing rinse† Whereas thepoint of view from finance, on one hand Plax had a high price so a new rinse might be aprofitable option, on the other hand they were concerned about the capital and marketingcosts which would increase. The purchasing manager estimated that the cost of the newingredients of a line extension would increase by $ 2. 55 and the packaging would cost$0. 30. As for the advertising agency it favoured a line extension, since adding any new claimfor scope is a huge strategic shift for the brand that would confuse the consumer anddecrease the market share, because relating 2 different ideas is very difficult (breathrefreshment good tasting) (removes plaque). Hearst and the business team have two options, on one hand a line extension or newproduct positioned against Plax could be introduced into the market and in the other handdoing nothing and just looking at claims other than â€Å"breath† instead of adding a new product. Launching a new product â€Å"new pre-brushing rinse† would cannibalize a part of Scopesales, also the delivery, marketing and capital costs of PG will increase if a new rinse waslaunched and the user of Scope would be confused since he/she saw in the old scope abreath refreshment, taking into consideration that the new rinse is not any better than Plax in reducing plaque, but at the same time it may increase the market share of PG andincrease its profit. Whereas adding a new claim for Scope ould not increase the volumeof sales, but it could prevent current users of Scope to switch and it would stabilize thebusiness, and even though the advertising agency thinks that it’s hard to relate two differentclaims, it should try to relate them in order to make an effective advertising that includesboth â€Å"breath† and â€Å"plaque† claims. Since adding plaque reduction to breathe refreshmentand good tasting is an additional benefit that the scope consumer can be nefit from and itmay attract the potential users that scope aim at. Also PG has to collect more informationto see what the consumer needs and improve it within the same product; especially that it isbased on a philosophy of satisfying the customer needs. Scope was positioned around twobenefits that are refreshing breath and good tasting, and it should stick to this position withother additional claims or benefits if it can, so it should not launch a new product thatconfuses the customers but stick to this position that it has in the market place and that isconsidered to be its competitive advantage. It’s better to protect the business that PG isalready in for many years and just add a plaque claim, than launching a completely newentry that is not secured. Questions: 1)How will PG develop a strategy that will ensure the continued profitability of Scopedespite competition? 2) Should PG take risk of introducing the completely new product for 3 years plan? Discuss the advantage and risk involved. 3)

Transportation Security Administration Research Paper

Transportation Security Administration - Research Paper Example The agency’s duties and responsibilities have necessitated the need to bring together various employees prior to the specific activity integral to all the activities that the agency undertakes. These are: Transportation Security Officers and Inspectors, National Explosives Detection Canine teams, Federal Air Marshals and VIPR teams (Balog, 2007). Airport inspector turnover is a persistent problem that the TSA has had to deal with. Year in year out, inspector turnover has affected performance and discharge of security measures in many airports of the US. There has been an observed persistent pattern of screeners’ turnover, resulting in delayed screening procedures in many US airports. This problem alongside that of selecting and training TSA inspectors can be addressed from the point of view of a criminal justice administrator. In addressing this issue in this perspective, TSA airport inspector turnover can be reduced in a number of ways, among them: Tracing the root cau se of the problem Managing the turnover experienced in the TSA is a positive move by the management in the recent past. However, in addressing this problem, it is fundamental to trace the path from which this problem emerged. The system outlays a clear form of activity coordination between and among all the departments under the TSA. Inspector turnover is not just an issue that emerged out of the blues. The activities, duty and responsibility discharge by these inspectors must have been challenged at some point, resulting in this problem. It is ascertained that the TSA inspector turnover is the highest compared to other security agencies in the US (Steve, 2010). Once the root cause of the problem has been identified, then other prospects in regard to reducing this turnover can be pursued. Policy formulation and implementation Employment and work policies that are currently in place have not fully met employee welfare. This is evidenced by the consistent efforts to improve salaries a nd work duties of TSA employees, especially the inspectors (Welch, 2010). The turnover has been accelerated by lack of employee-work functionality and operation management systems. These systems should be designed and put in place to oversee employer-employee conduct in the line of duty and responsibility. Putting these systems in place would ensure that instead of inspector turnover being persistent; the arising issues that result in the turnover are addressed, thus reducing turnover numbers through the set system. Policies that are tailored towards aiding this process should be well formulated and implemented for the benefit of all stakeholders in the public transport sector, TSA included. Monitoring of the TSA’s office Many TSA inspectors have termed the TSA office as ineffective and inefficient. They claim that at various instances the office fails to give proper information about specific duties and responsibilities of the inspectors. Once hired, the inspectors have foun d the terms, requirements, duties and responsibilities to not meet their expectations. As a result, many inspectors have quit their jobs. On the same note, terms of employment are not clear, making some employees to go long as part-timers before they are permanently employed. Even on part-time employment basis, shifts of work keep varying, making these part-timers fixed to this job with no opportunity to do

Modern dance and ballet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Modern dance and ballet - Essay Example esis Statement: Modern Jazz dance has very little resemblance with classical ballet; it is an improvisation that fuses modern dance and ballet as such, requiring dancers to be able twist and swing while watching the positioning of their hands. There is major emphasis on the use of bare feet, torso movements and most importantly, incorporation of humor into emotional expression. This dance requires that dancers train daily, and at times, take classic ballet classes in order to help them keep up with the complexity and technicality of the choreography of this dance. It requires that dancers follow ideas related to efficient movement of bodies, attention to detail, and keeping with a small space while making dance moves. The moves mostly used in modern jazz dance include Jazz kicks, Hands, Rolled shoulders, Turned knees and Sideways shuffling. Important features of modern jazz dance are the syncopated rhythm adopted from jazz music; improvisations, isolations and its requirement of high energy levels and low center of