Avon Calls on Foreign Markets Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Avon Calls on Foreign Markets - Case Study Example 62). Avon’s marketing orientations For the US market, Avon has resorted to door to door selling via saleswomen who have been marketing the products via the word of mouth and establishing personal contacts with the customers and tapping a huge customer base. Globally Avon had resorted to country specific marketing, such as naming some of its products in the local language, when taking over a local company with a goodwill Avon kept certain names unchanged. For Asian regions, as customers tend to but products which are foreign, Avon kept their foreign names and prints instructions in the local language. It has also gone forward with the Hello Tomorrow campaign to signify a brand which is looking towards the future and also associated with breast cancer awareness (Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan, 2010, pp 622-624). Avon’s foreign operations The predicted growth for the company in the U.S. was low, since it had no new place to spread within the country to create a market for co smetics, toiletries and fragrances. The number of companies manufacturing these kinds of products in the US being large, Avon was facing considerable amount of competition. So Avon decided to expand its operations to other potential countries where it could register growth through increased sales. Also Avon’s lady representatives were the ones who sold Avon products, tapped customers and registered orders. This was cost saving for the company as this system required smaller number of employees and helped Avon to maintain low prices, a good image and a constant customer base. In the late 90’s, when US women started working in multinational companies fulltime, Avon found it difficult to get saleswomen. When the US market dried up, Avon found new ground in countries like Brazil and Philippines, where the women are usually do not leave their home. There was sufficient number of saleswomen available to reach out to the desolate areas to sell Avon products. (Daniels, Radebau gh, Sullivan, 2010, pp 621,622) Socioeconomic and demographic changes affecting Avon Socioeconomic changes involve the way society views a product. Demographic changes include aging customers. Both of these may affect the demand. From the socioeconomic point of view, a new type of conditioner may become important, whereas aging customers may want different age specific products according to their wants and needs. Accordingly Avon will have to come out with variants of the products and introduce new ones where necessary to maintain their customer base (Klepacki, 2005, pp 55, 56). Recession, a boom for Avon Every company and industry is affected by a recession as so many international aspects are related. The fields where Avon may feel the pinch are sales, suppliers and employees. Surprisingly when the recession hit in 2008 and the world felt the crisis deepening, the company recruited many saleswomen and men for their sales jobs. This happened because the recession led to massive lay offs, which in turn meant that more people were now available to do Avon’s door-to-door selling. Avon also took in male representatives, so as to allow men to be secure with a job, although it was traditionally reserved only for women (Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan, 2010, pp 622; Pauline, 2009). Avon’s Competitive Advantage Avon has a major competitive advantage over its competitors. It has an unparallel reputation in the beauty products market. Its main competition area had been the direct sales area,

Company Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Company Law - Coursework Example Sale of DVD players can be impacted due to recycling old DVD players and hence investing in both the companies results in conflicts of interest. According to section 175, it is the duty of a director to avoid a situation in which his direct or indirect interest conflicts with the interest of the company in which he is already a director. It is not an infringement if the situation is not likely to give rise to conflict of interest or if the investment is already authorised by the board. In the new Act, shareholders’ approval of the conflict of interest is required either by resolution or by Articles. 2,3. In Boardman v Phipps4. the defendant had acquired special knowledge by virtue of being his solicitor and abused it for his personal benefit along with another. Held that as a fiduciary, he should have avoided conflict of interest. In Peso Silver Mines Ltd. v. Cropper,5 a leading Canadian case law involved conflict of interest arising out of fiduciary duty, the defendant took a dvantage of a rejected business opportunity by the plaintiff and utilised it for his personal benefit along with others. ... he resigned from the plaintiff company and secured the contract meant for plaintiff company in the name of his newly formed company.8 Another relevant case is Bhullar v Bhullar 9 wherein the principle of directors avoiding conflict of interest has been upheld. It was held that failure to pass information to the company about a business opportunity and utilising it for personal benefit amounted to breach of duty against conflict of interest. This put to rest the decision in London and Mashonaland Exploration Co v New Mashonaland Exploration Co10 that â€Å"directors did not have a duty not to place themselves in a position of conflict†11. In Plus Group Ltd v Pyke12, it was held that it was not a breach of fiduciary duty to work for a competing company as he had been effectively excluded from the company of which he continued to be a director. 13 A codification of common law, section 175 can apply to multiple directorships apart from exploitation of property, information or busi ness opportunity a director is able to access by virtue of his position. The director’s duty to inform conflict of interest cases even if the company or the directors are not interested in them. This statutory duty is not breached if already authorized by the company in the prescribed manner. Originally shareholder could only authorize such a conflict of interest. Now under the statute, in the case of a private limited company, it can be authorized by other directors who have no conflict of interest in the particular matter, provided the company’s articles also permit. In the case of a public limited company the non-conflicted directors can authorise provided the articles specifically permit it. If all the directors are conflicted, then shareholders’ approval will be required. This duty came

History of Blackpool - growth and decline Essay Example for Free

History of Blackpool growth and decline Essay For the majority of the 19th century Blackpool was a small fishing village, which received small numbers of upper class visitors who came due to the supposed healing capabilities of the coast, and its fresh air. This changed in 1846 with the creation of a railway line going up to Blackpool, which made travel to the area cheap and affordable for the public. The majority of those who decided to visit Blackpool were factory workers and their families who came from cities like Liverpool and Manchester. Due to air travel being very expensive at the time and only the rich could afford to go abroad. Blackpool became the destination to go to for the working class during their holidays. Blackpool recognised their popularity and over the years constructed three new piers to house new attractions. Three new piers were constructed, named the North, Central and South Piers and were constructed in 1863, 1868 and 1893 respectively. The Winter Gardens, which was effectively an indoor mall, was set up in 1878 and housed an opera house and a theatre. The Blackpool Illuminations, which were put up a year later, and the Blackpool Tower, built in 1894, which housed a Ballroom, Circus Hall and an Aquarium, accompanied this. Due to all these attractions Blackpool became a major tourist destination. In 1930 7 million tourists came to the area and this number increased to 17 million in 1950. Blackpool’s Decline Blackpool began to enter its decline period during the mid 20th century onwards. During this time the disposable income and free time of workers started to increase. This combined with cheaper air flight tickets and package holidays meant that people could go abroad for the first time in their lives. France and Spain were the most popular destinations and over the years started to gain more and more tourists. This took away from the number of people visiting Blackpool. As an attempt to claw back tourists hotels and restaurants in the area started to dramatically decrease their prices with the aim of attracting more tourists. This ended up having the opposite effect. While more tourists did come to the area, they were more downmarket than what Blackpool used to receive. The new crowds attracted by Blackpool were seen as antisocial and unpleasant and removed the family friendly nature associated with Blackpool. The loss of families as potential tourists was a major blow to Blackpool and further added to its decline. Blackpool’s Rejuvenation Recently Blackpool has made attempts to restore its status as a popular tourist destination. Winter Gardens was bought from its private owners and brought back into the public market and a contract with Merlin was made to include the Blackpool Tower with its other hosts of amusement parks. Additionally ? 300 million was spent in improving the state of Blackpools infrastructure. While the effort is helping Blackpool it isnt increasing its status as a tourist destination. Instead of entering Rejuvenation Blackpool has entered a state of slowed decline.

Power & Authority :: essays research papers

Week 9 Essay 1 Power and Authority   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although they are very closely related, power and authority are two different concepts. Power is needed in order to establish authority, yet it is also completely distinct from authority (Week 9 Study Notes).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power is defined in the course study notes as the â€Å"ability of individuals or groups to get what they want despite the opposition†. Power is derived from a variety of sources including knowledge, experience and environmental uncertainties (Denhardt et al, 2001). It is also important to recognize that power is specific to each situation. Individuals or groups that may be entirely powerful in one situation may find themselves with little or no power in another. The county Registrar of Voters, who is my boss, is a perfect example. In running the local elections office, she can exercise the ultimate power. However, in a situation where she attempted to get the county selected for a desirable, statewide pilot project, she was powerless, completely at the mercy of the Secretary of State. Power is difficult to measure and even to recognize, yet it plays a major role in explaining authority. In organizations, power is most likely exercised in situations where à ¢â‚¬Å"the stakes are high, resources are limited, and goals and processes are unclear† (Denhardt et al, 2001). The absence of power in organizations forces us to rely on soley hierarchical authority.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When power becomes legitimate, it is then recognized as authority (Denhardt et al, 2001). Power becomes authority when it is accepted and even desired by society. As stated by the course study notes, â€Å"authority refers to a situation where a person (or group) has been formally granted a leadership position†. An individual has authority when everyday norms and regulations support the exercising of power by that individual. In an organizational setting, â€Å"authority is hierarchal and vested in positions† (Week 9 Study Notes), which are defined by â€Å"organizational charts, positions and rules† (Week 9 Study Notes). Generally, power in authority also involves the possibility of rewards such as promotions and good performance reviews.

Suitors and Courtship in the Lower Middle Class in Victorian Times Essa

Eligible Bachelors: Suitors and Courtship in the Lower Middle Class Trying for social advancement, single men and women of the lower middle and upper working classes sought to assume the Victorian middle class rituals of courtship and engagement. Accordingly, this aim joined with the poor finances key to these classes to lead to the complicated struggle of the bachelor. A Suitable Suitor To be considered an appropriate suitor to a lower middle class woman, a man of similar station must address and fulfill several conditions. The importance of class, wealth, and status surfaced in that the â€Å"main requirement for a man was that he be a good provider† (Frost 82). Before attempting an engagement, a man â€Å"had to wait to inherit land or money with which to start a farm or small business† (Frost 62). Economically strained, couples â€Å"had to save carefully before setting up a household;† thus, the engagement period greatly exceeded the courting phase by two to eight more years among the lower middle class (Frost 62). Other factors, such as age, religious beliefs, and compatible temperamen...

Mc Donald’s and the Health and Tick Approval

At the advent of problems, McDonald’s is torn between choices of actions.   Finally, it learned to adopt to change and impose innovation in its system which in turn brought positive effect on the company.   Upon the advice of the Public Relations agency, the company made necessary action to counteract against bad publicity; and the most important among the strategies is the Heart and Tick Approval.IntroductionGlobally, McDonald’s offers what people need in this period of globalization.   The American culture of fast food chain as a place for people who could not afford to prepare foods at home since both parents are working began to penetrate Asian culture.   In the same thought, McDonald’s became a place to celebrate birthdays and to engage in conversation.   Generally, fast food chains like McDonald’s is a good place to go for busy people who seek the comfort of living.   Mc Donald became part of the culture of the modern times.Mc Donald†™s after the controversial ads â€Å"the Super Size Me† of Spurlock had come up with a strategy to regain their control of the market in terms of fast food at least to create a positive image on their company as being concerned with the health of its patronage. This particular strategy which they had adopted was the Heart and Tick Program that tests the product from unhealthy ingredients that may harm the product and the consumers as well.   The program uses the symbol heart which means that the food is heart-friendly.For some, this symbol on the label of every product of McDonald’s is a kind of exploitation because they use it as their promotional strategy.   The heart of the Foundation itself gives a subconscious message that stirs the mind of the consumers trying to deceive them by telling that McDonald’s product are good when they are not.Though in previous years, McDonald’s had been perennially successful, yet due to the decline of its shares a nd sales in 1998, had devised a strategic plan that brought change to the company’s perspective in response to the controversy.   This leads for the introduction of the Health choices and the tick approvals known as the Heart Foundation.The changes that have been taken by the company are the result of the many controversies that challenged the popularity and sincerity of McDonald in its ethical obligation to environment and to its consumers.   This is because the company is resistant to any forces that may alter change.Generic Change Tools or Solutions AppliedThe â€Å"Super Size Me† ads brought a big controversy on McDonald’s everywhere in the world and the media identified it or linked it to ‘obesity.’   Therefore, the company had finally decided to impose innovation to counter bad public publicity of the McDonald’s and adopted changes in their menu offerings.   In a forum organized by Liberal Senator Guy Barnett, Mr. Peter Bush, th e CEO of McDonald’s Australia, explained that their company takes on a new food offerings that will absolutely health-friendly (Burton, p. 30).   The writer further emphasized that McDonald’s added a new range of salads to their meal, with the cutting of sugar content in the buns and less calorie count from all the foods.   It has also lessened its advertising by sixty percent every hour.The particular solution to this controversy is giving in to the public demand which is related to obesity that is associated with other illness common to people nowadays such as high blood pressure and heart failure. The company itself adopted the principles of the Tick Program of the Heart Foundation.   In Australia, The Heart Foundation Tick is the solution to the growing obesity rates among children and adults.   Healthy choices of food became the consumers’ demand in many industrialized countries like Australia.   In a latest survey, 93% of Australians food had the greater role in producing overweight children and adults (Heart Foundation).Modified or abandoned to suit organizational requirements.Robert Dransfield explained in his paper that the strategic planning that McDonald’s had undertaken is a response to all the challenges that the company is facing including its competitors in the burger business (p. 460).   This is very important because competitive advantage is created by combining strengths which means Mc Donald can exploit competencies and advantage at different points in the value chain to add more value in different ways.   In other words, the value of the product which McDonald’s produces such as hamburger, drinks, fries and other food products, is the perceived benefit that customer would be kept coming back. It also means that value comes from product differentiation, product cost, and the ability of McDonald’s to meet clients’ demands.The writer also noted that strategic planning is very criti cal because it shapes the future of the organization as it must meet the customers’ demands and needs.   Dransfield emphasized that McDonald developed competitive strategies that differentiate it from its rivals (p. 461), in which it recognizes the need to respond to the greater demand to increase competitive gap by: â€Å"adding greater value through innovation, making the process of visiting a McDonald’s less routine and controlled, and enhancing the overall in-house experience† (p.461).In particular, McDonald’s provides appropriate solutions such as â€Å"(a) providing a more balanced offering that includes fruits, sugar-free fruit drinks for children and more chicken products, and (b) by creating an Extra-Value Meal and a McChoice menu offering that provides excellent value for money† because price is critical to decision making (p. 461).McDonald’s has to strategically cut the prices of their product as a respond also to the â€Å"bur gers wars† with the Burger King’s attack.   Thus, McDonald’s â€Å"sought worldwide leadership on the global fast food market through low cost production of a standardized menu† (Grant, p. 1117).   Robert Morris Grant explained that McDonald’s strategy is founded on a central belief that is to be willing to cut price in order to boost volume growth.Another strategy which McDonald’s undertook was using the persona of Ronald McDonald that looked lovable and laughable to children.   This figure as a part of Public Relations strategy of McDonald’s conveys a marketing motivation.   According to Bob Burton, the clown suit means: â€Å"Ronald loves McDonald’s and McDonald’s food† (Burton, p. 34).This quotation indicates â€Å"that you should do everything you can to appeal to children’s love Ronald and McDonald’s† (p. 34).   The clown is also used in charitable activities of the company; it is seen in many hospitals across Australia and other charitable places.   Burton emphasized that in one of McDonald’s document, the overall objective of the company is not simply to give something back to the community but also to help differentiate McDonald’s from its competitors (p. 34).Alternative Strategies and Change ToolsThere are plenty of strategies that McDonald’s company had take into consideration and its tools are Public Relation and mass media.   The strategies such as the price reduction, affiliation to Heart Foundation, and using the clown Ronald McDonald became effective in bringing back the positive image of the company.   There are other strategies that were employed but these three are very important factors in the process.Its Public Relations group – the Golin/ Harris Communications -played an important in the overall task. They figured different strategies and brought McDonald’s closer to its consumers once again.   Thi s event in the life of McDonald’s is the turning point for it to become once again a giant in business and at the same time responsible enough in its obligation to public.   The mass media made things possible for McDonald’s for bringing all promotional activities to the public in a split of a second.ConclusionChange or innovation is very important in a company in order to adapt to the demand of the customers.   Change may be planned or unplanned, but any problem would beget another problem if not attended to.   This is the case of McDonald’s has learned its lesson; it should not remain confident in many challenges but be ready always for the challenges.   Organization such as this must adopt new strategies and employ change from time to time.   Innovation and creativity are the words that can help the company moving and growing.Work CitedBurton, Bob 2007. Inside Spin: The Dark Underbelly of the PR Industry. Australia: Allen and UnwinDransfield, Robert 2004. Business for Foundation Degrees and Higher Awards. Heinemann Educational PublishersGrant, Robert Morris 1998.   Contemporary Strategy Analysis. Blackwell Publishing.National Heart Foundation of Australia 2006http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/document/NHF/Tick_Brochure_FINAL_2006-11-02.pdf

Social Psychology Concepts

Social Psychology Concepts Introduction In social psychology, scholars aim at analysing social situations as per the prevailing socio-cultural environments and influences. Everything which is said and done by people is deemed to have a meaning which may have either a literal or a qualitative interpretation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Psychology Concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This means that a single discourse like masculinity or femininity may be surrounded by several socio-cultural explanations or interpretations which may vary from one culture to the other. In social psychology, the concepts of interpretative repertoire, subject position and ideological dilemma are used concurrently in sense making of a particular discourse. The concepts are more or less interrelated in that they may be applicable in a single discourse or account of a person about an event, or a reaction or a person(s) to a certain internal or external stimulus. Discussion The concept of interpretative repertoire is used by social psychologists to refer to the coherent ways of explaining or talking about people, events and or practices in the real world. According to Margret, Stephanie and Simon, in the article titled â€Å"discourse analysis†, they describe interpretative repertoire as the â€Å"the building blocks of conversation’ (Wetherell, Taylor, Yates, 2001.p.198). Accordingly, interpretative repertoires may therefore be viewed as linguistic materials or resources which people refer to or utilize in their day to day social exchange and or interactions (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.198). They also represent communities’ understanding and presentation of common sense which characterize the communities’ social understanding about a particular discourse (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.198). For example, people of a certain community may use distinctive words, phrases or metaphors while describing a certain discourse like masculinity. The words and phrases may be different, but once analysed; they may give a common understanding, perception or reaction to the discourse of masculinity in that particular social setting (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.198). The concept of ideological dilemma, also known as lived ideologies is used to refer to values, beliefs and practices of a particular culture in a society of people. According to Wetherell, Taylor, Yates, the concept may simply be used to refer to the culturally entrenched conceptualizations of common sense and wisdom.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many of the ideological dilemmas are in form of the contradicting views about a particular discourse as may be contextualized in patterns of speech. For example in some cultures, people may say that â€Å"out of sight is out of mind† as well as â€Å"absence makes the heart beco me fonder†. These sayings may be found in a single community and may present an ideological dilemma to the members of that community as to which saying should guide them in their social interaction (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.203). In a discourse like masculinity, men in a certain cultural setting may express their wish to be masculine, but also wish to be caring, polite and nurturing as parents. The dilemma arises from the fact that the attribute of being nurturing may be associated with women and if men are to be masculine, there is no way they should possess such a feminine attribute. Lastly, the concept of subject position refers to the locations or identities used in a conversation. In every conversation, people use different interpretative repertoires to bring forth different identities or portray a cetin identity of themselves and not another. In a discourse of masculinity for example, men may use different interpretative repertoire to portray themselves as either support ive of masculinity characters or not (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.210). Those who like being associated with masculinity may describe themselves as being tough and aggressive while those who do not like being associated with masculinity may despise their counterparts as lacking some important elements of parenthood or fatherhood for that matter. These are two different subject positions about the single discourse of masculinity. The importance of identifying these concepts in a discourse is to enable us get as many interpretations of a discourse as possible so that we may be able to accurately attribute human actions to the correct explanations, otherwise we may be biased in making attributions in our day to day social interactions. Reference Wetherell, M., Taylor, S., Yates, S.J. (2001).Discourse as Data: A Guide of Analysis. London: Sage Publications.pp.193-210.