Monday, December 30, 2019

The Psychological Origins Of Attraction - 1559 Words

It is well-known that diversity is common amongst individuals as each varies in their physical appearances, personality, values and beliefs. A person’s individuality can be shaped through many factors such as cognitive process, biological process, psychological origins of attraction, social perspective attributions, etc. Cognitive origins of attraction is the acquiring and understanding of thoughts and senses and the perceptions of the individual’s own experiences. Biological process is the idea in which sexual attraction (for the purpose of gene survival) is the driving force behind choosing a partner (Charles Darwin). Psychological origins of attraction assumes that people are more likely to be attracted tit e individuals who are perceived to be similar to themselves. Social perspective attributions is the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behaviour in social situations. Due to these many factors, each decision an individual makes is different from that of another. This individuality is relied upon when a person chooses others to form a relationship with, including a romantic one. The following studies/research have been provided to explore whether the differences in gender and the types processes may have an effect on decision-making when multiple options are available. A study performed by Hatfield et al. examined cognitive process in romantic relationships using Schemas which are mental representations of categories orShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Sexual Orientation1090 Words   |  5 Pagesidentity, are all confused by the general population. Sadly, even today, there are people that believe in a right or wrong sexual orientation. Moreover, the origins of sexual orientation are highly discussed and debated by the scientific community, with theories including biological and environmental explanations. The importance of such origins resides in the fact that this nature-nurture debate is capable of changing people’s perspectives towards homosexuality, and even though the media has done aRead MoreHomosexuality, Genetics or Preference? Essay800 Words   |  4 Pageshomosexuality. Homosexuality refers to a sexual attraction and or behavior between people of the same sex. In origin the word homosexual comes from the Greek word for â€Å"sameâ₠¬  with the Latin word for â€Å"sex†. In my opinion, homosexuality can be classified into two groups - one being sexual orientation and the other being sexual preference. Homosexuality as a sexual orientation refers to an enduring pattern or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or amorous attractions primarily towards people of the sameRead Morelove952 Words   |  4 Pagesspecific typewriter? 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The influence of evolutionary ideas on psychology dates back to Charles Darwin, the man who proposedRead MoreThe Origins Of Species By Charles Darwin983 Words   |  4 PagesDarwin published the Origins of Species, society began to turn away from religion and towards science to justify slavery and segregation by seeking out physiological and psychological differences between Blacks and Whites (Parks Heard, 2009). Physiologically, some Whites argued that black people were the missing link between apes and humans. Psychologically, others like Frances Galton proposed his theory of eminence, or the notion that certain abilities, many of them psychological in nature, couldRead MoreRudolf K. Sanders Christian Counseling Ethics: A Handbook for Psychologists, Therapists and Pastors1213 Words   |  5 PagesEthics: A Handbook for Psychologists, Therapists and Pastors, Mark Yarhouse, Jill Kays and Stanton Jones discuss the â€Å"sexual minority† as it pertains to the field of profe ssional counseling. 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Sunday, December 22, 2019

Patriot Act Essay - 1062 Words

Act, the USA PATRIOT Act On October 26, Bush signed the act into law. State legislatures soon enacted similar antiterrorist legislation, through which, the war on terrorism expanded, most significantly at the state and local levels. This new legislation severely curtailed civil rights and liberties. The detainees at Guantanamo Bay is only the most prominent example of the administrations regulatory Practices and new policies during its war on terrorism. The detainees are not officially On U.S. territory and the government argues that they therefore have neither constitutional rights nor the rights guaranteed under the Geneva Convention, the international treaty governing detention during wartime. Basic principles like due process,†¦show more content†¦For months the administration blocked access to the detainees and efforts to ascertain the conditions of their treatment. Only at the end of January 2002 did the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) finally announce that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International (AI) would be allowed access to some detention facilities (Cusac2002). Others remained off-limits to monitoring groups. Since January a few reports about the actual conditions of the detainees have been published in the left-wing press. Drawing on interviews with detainees and their lawyers, AI sent Attorney General John Ashcroft a document concerning the detentions in the post-September 11 investigations. AI stated that many of those detained during the ‘11 September sweeps are held in harsh conditions, some of which may violate international standards for humane treatment. (Cited in Cusec 2002: 25). Moreover, the document points toward allegations of physical and verbal abuse of detainees by guards, and failure to protect detainees from abuses by other inmates (cited in Cusac 2002: 25). A number of the detainees lawyers reported that the detainees suffered some grave human rights violations. Some were held for months in solitary confinement. Others suffered physical and psychological torture, such as having been beaten by INS guards, kept inShow MoreRelatedThe Patriot Act1467 Words   |  6 Pagespledged to respond within boundaries set by the Constitution confronting and preventing terrorist attacks. Through Patriot Act, the law enforcement agencies of the Untied States are given the most effective tools to combat terrorists having intentions or plans to attack the nation. It i s, in fact, a significant weapon for nation s fight against terror. Major purpose of the Patriot Act is to break wall of regulatory and legal polices existing between the law enforcement agencies and intelligence toRead MoreThe Patriot Act Essay1618 Words   |  7 Pagesterrorist so the U.S government enacted the patriot act, which gave more power to the federal law-enforcement and intelligence gathering in suspected terrorist crimes. The patriot act gives the government power to do whatever they want for â€Å"national security† and take away the civilians civil rights. The government can tap into cell phones and listen in on conversations or even watch what people are searching on the internet. Since the passing of the patriot act racial profiling has grown in the pastRead MoreThe Declaration Of The Patriot Act1260 Words   |  6 Pagesour own government. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the president at the time, George Bush, responded by passing an act. This act is known as the Patriot Act. 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The attacks on September 11th 2001 led to something called the Patriot Act. In the days after 9/11 Congress hurried to pass a bill to give law-enforcement agencies the power to fight domestic terrorism. On October 26, President George W. Bush signed three hundred page USA Patriot Act into law (Crf.org). The USA Patriot Act of 2001 was created to prevent and catch terrorist in the United States and around the world. The contents of it hasRead More The Patriot Act Essay1338 Words   |  6 Pages The Patriot Act. On September 11, 2001 Muslim terrorists instilled with a hatred of the west attacked the United States in a brutal fashion. Planes were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center in New York. Over three thousand people were killed and the impregnable nation known as America was know scared and vulnerable. 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The name of this is the USA Patriot Act. The act legalizes many surveillance techniques that were once prohibited. The act has been passed without debate, and the new privileges given to our government have not been thoroughly examined. The law enforcers of our country are now capable of monitoringRead MoreUsa Patriot Act1302 Words   |  6 Pagesthe U.S.A. Patriot Act. The title for this bill is an acronym for the United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (USA Patriot Act). In the years since the passing of the Patriot Act, there has been much controversy and debate regarding the positive and negative advantages, and consequences of this bill. As a member of the law enforcement community I have experienced firsthand some of the changes the Patriot Act has broughtRead More The Patriot Act Essay1684 Words   |  7 PagesThe Patriot Act After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 our country underwent a change that has drastically affected the fundamental values that our founding fathers instilled in this country. Since that tragic day in September the aftermath of the attacks has started to implicate our Civil Liberties that in this country we hold so dear. Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act on October 5th, 2001. This act expanded

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Irobot Company Free Essays

g 1. 0| Executive summary| 2| 2. 0| Situational Analysis2. We will write a custom essay sample on Irobot Company or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1. Political factors2. 2. Economic factors2. 3. Social factors2. 4. Technological factors| 3-6| 3. 0| SWOT Analysis3. 1. Strengths3. 2. Weaknesses3. 3. Opportunities3. 4. Threats| 7-9| 4. 0| Marketing Objectives| 10| 5. 0| Targeting and Positioning5. 1. Targeting5. 2. Positioning| 11-14| 6. 0| Marketing Strategies6. 1. Product 6. 2. Price6. 3. Place6. 4. Promotion| 15-19| 7. 0| Implementation and Control| 20-21| 8. 0| Conclusion| 22| 9. 0| References| 23| 10. 0| Appendix| 24-27| TABLE OF CONTENT 1. 0. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Robot Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells a variety of robots include floor vacuuming robots, pool and gutter cleaning robots. Our marketing objectives are to continue to strengthen our brand, which is to continue having advertisement to increase band awareness in the market, to have high market shares of 20% rather than 11. 67% by December 2012, which we believe this product Cleany will very much contribute to the increase in market shares, and to have marke t expansion in different parts of the world. Our new product is the robotic dirt eating machine. It is called Cleany. It is served as a vacuum cleaner, as well as a scrubber. When the floor, sofa or bed has dirt, Cleany will help clean them up. It is round in shape and it has no sharp ends. This product is very convenient to be used. It ensures safety and cleanliness. Moreover, this product is environmental friendly, it uses solar energy to charge its battery. Our packaging focuses on the protection of the product. We use thick polystyrene to wrap our product. We want to make sure it reaches our customers doorstep without any damages. Cleany is a good quality product. It performs well and it’s durable. Irobot plans to use price skimming as our pricing strategy. From time to time, discounts of 15-20% will be given so that customers with lesser income distributions can also purchase Cleany. The budget allocated to advertise Cleany through television, radio, magazines, and newspaper, to give sponsorship and to create event to create brand awareness in the market is RM 662,000. 2. 0. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS 2. 1. Political Factors Tax Tax charged by government to irobot varies from different countries. The standard corporate tax rate in Malaysia is  25% since 2009, while resident small and medium-sized companies (i. . companies capitalised at MYR 2. 5 million or less and not part of a group having a company exceeding the above capitalisation threshold) are taxed at 20% on the first MYR 500,000, with the balance taxed at the 25% corporate tax rate. (TaxRate. cc, 2009-2012) But according to our financial position, tax does not very much affect our company. Employment law The legal/politic al aspect is very important in global marketing. â€Å"International law† can be defined as rules and principles that states and nations consider binding upon themselves. FAO Corporate Document Repository, 2009) There are employment laws that we need to abide to. For example, we are not allowed to hire child labour in our workplace, we are supposed to grant our employees leave and benefits. Our employees have the right to take sick leave when they are not feeling well, we need to pay our employees extra if they are working overtime. This law has widely opened the eyes of our company. It somehow affects our company because now we know how the employment law works and how to make decisions accurately. 2. 2. Economic Factors Economic growth MIER downgrades 2011 GDP growth rate to 4. percent year-on-year. For 2012, MIER revises the GDP growth forecast to 5. 0 percent. (Suzy, 13 October 2011) Malaysia economic grows from year to year and in 2012, It will probably grow up till 5. 0 percent. During economic growth, customer’s disposable income will increase, and therefore, they have more money to spend now. This factor will most probably increase our company’s sale and cause irobot Company’s profit margin to increase. Inflation From time to time, there will be inflation around the world. From our pass experiences, each time there’s inflation, it will somehow affect our company. Customers may consider to not purchase our product first until their income is stable. Below is a graph on Malaysia’s inflation rate (International Monetary Fund – 2011 World Economic Outlook) In year 2010 the inflation rate in Malaysia has increase to 1. 7% from 0. 6% in 2009. Irobot is hoping the inflation to decrease in 2011 and 2012. Increased fuel price The current increased price in fuel since 2 years causes irobot Company to have a slightly lower profit margin as now we have to increase our fuel expenses. For every litre of RON 95, the actual price is RM2. 5, and the price of RM1. 90 at the pump translates to a subsidy of 85 sen, or 31% of the actual price. (Anthony, 6 October 2011) Therefore, starting from 2012, the decrease price of fuel will allow our company to spend lesser on fuel which will be an advantage to the company. 2. 3. Social Factors Attitudes to work and leisure In the 21 centuary, people are all so busy with their studies, works and daily activit ies. This affect out company sales, as more people now purchase our products as our products are all robotic products that will assure our customers convenience. Demographics With the population of 27, 467, 837 residents in Malaysia, some of them have very high income distribution and it will positively affect the irobot Company. We will be able to reach higher sales revenue because the chances of them buying our products will be higher. However, we also have customers that have low income distribution. Therefore, we provide discounts at times, so that this group of customers can purchase our product when our products are on discount. 2. 4. Technological Factors Internet The ability to access to the internet grants our company a lot of advantages. We target to increase the company’s sale by 4% through internet sales. Earlier a person had to go to the mall to purchase a product. This is not necessary now. The products for sale can be displayed on your website and the customer can order them from home itself. The only thing that you as a seller have to do is confirm the financial transaction and deliver the goods at the place specified by the buyer. This saves a lot of expenditure both on the part of seller as well as the buyer. 2. 5. SWOT Analysis 2. 5. 1. Strength The company receives a lot of positive images and feedbacks from the consumers. The consumers are more than satisfied to work with us. These are some of the company’s strength. Customer service We make sure all of our staffs work effectively and efficiently, and make sure they are accountable of their work. Besides, we provide customers with extremely good services. The workers are given training to be nice and friendly to all consumers. We connect with and laugh with our customers, even if just for few moments. We always believe that being nice has its own rewards. With positive customer’s service, we will be able to make our customers come back. Strong financial position Our company has a strong financial position in the market. The irobot profit margin is 11. 67% this year. Our target is to reach 20% of the market share by December 2012. To achieve that target, we will have more promotions and advertisements to create stronger brand awareness in the market to attract customers to us. Above is the graph of the profit margin of irobot Corporation from year 2007-2011 (irobot Corporation (irbt), 14 November) 2. 5. 2. Weakness Apart from just strength, every company has its own weakness. The irobot Company is weak in these few ways. Realizing our weakness, we promise to improve in the near future. Product pricing The prices of irobot products are higher as compared to its competitors. Although our products qualities are up to the standard, customers might want to try something cheaper when there is inflation or when they have other extra expenses to spend that moment. High operating cost The operating cost of irobot is somehow quite high. This includes salaries and wages to the employees, advertising, and cost of raw material, rent, fuel cost for transportation and also all kinds of taxes. . 5. 3. Opportunities Advanced technology With the availability of wifi, Irobot manages to attract more customers. Customers can now buy our product online. It would be very convenient for our customers as they do not have to come all the way to our retail stores to purchase the product. Growth in robotic industry Study shows that the robotics industry will grow from its present $11 Billion status to upwards of $70 Billion by 2025. Therefore, in future, the demand for robot industries will rapidly increase in demand. 2. 5. 4. Threat Lower cost competitors The company has faced tremendous competitive pressure. There will be price wars existing from time to time where our competitors lower down the price of their products, causing us to have a lower profit margin if we also reduce the price of our products. For example, if LG vacuum cleaner decreases their price, our competitors will go to them to try their product and this will cause us to make lesser sales. Competitors Even though irobot is a well known brand but they also have threat that they need to consider. They have many competitors in the market such as LG, iClabo, and also Vbot. So we have to be ready with all kinds of technologies updates in order to stay in front of the competitors. 3. 0. MARKETING OBJECTIVES Continue to Strengthen Our Brand. We intend to continue to enhance our brand image and corporate identity. The iRobot brand is designed to communicate innovation, reliability, safety and value. Our robots’ performance and uniqueness have enabled us to obtain strong word-of-mouth that leads to increasing brand awareness. We intend to continue to invest in our marketing programs to strengthen our brand recognition and reinforce our message of innovation, reliability, safety and value. Higher market shares The irobot Corporation currently holds 11. 67% of the profit margin in the market. Its aim is to achieve a higher market share of 20% by December 2012. Market expansion Our objective is to expand our leadership not only in Australia, but in more countries such as the US, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Africa and many other countries in designing and building practical robots and in developing robotic technology. . 0. TARGETING AND POSITIONING 4. 1. Targeting Targeting strategies Instead of going after a small share of a large market, irobot Company chose to go after large share of few submarkets. The submarkets that we chose are the busy working people and also upper class families. We plan to focus only on two segments because we know that through concentrated marketing, firm will possibly achieve strong m arket position in the segment that it serve because it has greater knowledge of the segments. In this way, there will also be specialization in production, distribution and promotion. Instead of going after a small share of a large market, our company chose to go after large share of few submarkets. The submarkets that we have chosen are people who are always busy working and the upper class families. We plan to focus only two segments because we know that through concentrated marketing firm will possibly achieve strong market position in the segment that it serve because it has greater knowledge about what two three segments need and want. In this way, there will also be specialization in production, distribution and promotion. Below are few segments that we are targeting. Demographic Segmentation This product is made for both genders, female and male. It is made for all group ages, right from young working adults, to adults, to middle aged people and finally, senior citizen. Both male and female eat chocolate. And people with different age groups eat chocolate as well. This product is made for any religion as all religion can eat chocolate. It is also made for people with occupation that are busy working and has high income. Psychographic Segmentation Market is divided into different groups based on social class. We are targeting those upper class families. Looking into the personality characteristic, Cleany is mainly made for busy people. Geographical Segmentation This product is basically marketed to all busy states, regions, and cities in Malaysia where there are more people living in For example, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. This product is also marketed to different western countries such as Spanish, United States, Australia and New Zealand and also to the Asian countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. Behavioral Segmentation When this product is launched, we would expect people to have certain significant knowledge about our product. We also want customer to have good attitude towards our product. When they use our product, they will have a good perception about our product. They will give good response to our product. Once they have tried our chocolate, they will introduce our product to their families, friends and colleague and will even think of purchasing it again in the future. This product will grant them ease when they have no time to vacuum their house. Benefits Segmentation Customers nowadays want to look for things that can lighten their burden. Cleanny can absolutely lighten their burden by just needing them to press a button. And the floor, bed and sofa will be all cleaned. 4. 2. Position We want customers to have a perception that our product is a high quality product, a product that can be trusted, and a product that is of reasonable price. We want to be above our competitors in the mind of all our consumers and we want them to be more than satisfied when they use our product and to come back to us and buy them. Besides, they will also recommend our product to their friends. In order to be different in the market, we make sure that we position our product in three different ways. Product differentiation, service differentiation and also channel differentiation. Product Differentiation Our product is different than our competitors. It serves as a vacuum cleaner and also a scrubber. When there are dirt on the floor, Cleany will suck up all dirt and when there are small unwanted particle that is sticked to the floor, Cleany will help scrub them off until it is clean again. Apart from that, Cleany does not require electricity. It uses solar energy as a power resource. Service Differentiation Our company produces delivery service. We always believe that the more services we offer, the more satisfied the consumers, the more consumers we will get. After all, all we want to do is to satisfy our consumers’ needs and wants. Whenever consumers want to place an order they can just give our company a call, and we will send them the product through speedy, careful and convenient delivery. Consumers can also place their order online. This will be so much easier for them. They can purchase the product anytime they want. Channel Differentiation In business point of view, we have to be different in order to win our onsumer over our competitors, we tried our very best to be different and to be outstanding, so that we will be win the hearts of our consumers and have good relationship with them. We employ expertise to advertise our product to the market to create brand awareness, to make sure most of the people in the market have heard of our product. We make sure our product will work well and consumers will be satisf ied using them. Other than that, we do carry out cause-related marketing (Charity). We give food to the homeless. We sometimes send our people to visit the old folk’s home. Positioning strategies The irobot has chosen two positioning strategies to follow. Product attributes Cleany offers several benefits to the user. first of all, this product is so unique. It works as a machine that helps to clean. With just a button, house works are now so much easier. Customers do not need to sweep and mop the floor. When the side of this product touches any hard surfaces, it will automatically change direction. Away from competitors Our product is made away from the competitors. Normally vacuum cleaner works manually where someone has to hold it and move it to places that need to be cleaned. Normally, someone has to scrub the floor using brush. With the existence of this product, customers do not have to worry about cleaning the floor, the sofa, and the bed. 5. 0. MARKETING STRATEGIES 5. 1. Product 5. 1. 1. Product Features The robotic dirt eating machine (Cleany) looks like this. It is round and it has no sharp ends. 5. 1. 2. Product Benefits Convenience Cleany works as a vacuum cleaner as well as a scrubber. This product makes it very convenient for the customers as the customers do not have to vacuum or to mop the floor themselves. By just pressing a button, this product does it all for them. This product can be used on the floor, on the bed also also on the sofa. Customers that have busy schedule will really fall in love with this product. Cleanliness This product will ensures floor, beds and sofas to be clean, shiny and makes dirty stains to leave. When liquid are spilled on the floor, the dirt eating machine will help wipe it clean. When there are small unwanted particles that are sticked on the floor, this product will help to scrub it out. Safety When we produce this product, we make sure that it is not dangerous and it will not hurt people. That is why this product does not have any sharp ends. It is made round in shape so that it can be safely used. Therefore, customers that have children at home will be able to feel at ease to use our product. Environmental friendly This product is environmental friendly. It works on solar energy. In order to fully charge its battery, customers have to just put this machine under the sun for 30 minutes. This product helps customers to save electricity. Warranty If the dirt eating machine is spoilt within 2 years of purchase, irobot will provide a free machine to our customers. But so far, we have not come across any cases like this for other products irobot produces. 5. 1. 3. Product Labelling and Packaging Product packaging is the activities of designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product. Our product packaging will be based on: Product protection Our packaging concept is to mainly offer product protection. The product will be wrapped with polystyrene and be placed in thick brown recycled boxes to prevent any damages while product is sent to each stores and customers. We are using recycle boxes because we are focusing more on environmental concerns. Using methods Outside of the packaging, there will be instructions on how this product should be used. Customers can always read them first before starting to use this product to ensure they know exactly how this product works. 5. 1. 4. Product Quality Good performance Cleany performs very well and we often have good feedbacks from customers that have purchased some other products from our company. First of all, it works very quickly. Apart from that, it is easily used. Customers have to just press buttons and it will work on its own. Durable Cleany is an extremely durable product. It could last customers for years if taken care in proper way. This product is very hard and tough. This does not break or crack easily. Therefore, customers can feel calm using it. 5. 2. Price Price is the amount of money charged for a product or service. Price skimming We are going to use price skimming as our pricing strategies. This is to establish a quality brand image in the market. We are going to set higher price for this product to attract the least price sensitive market segments. From time to time, discounts will be given to our customers, probably about 15%-20% of the normal price. The reason why we do not use penetration pricing is because we do not want customers to have the perception that our product is a low quality product. Therefore, using price skimming, we have decided to set our product at RM539. Customers can either make their payment by cash or by credit card. Although there is a risk we are taking, as this product might not establish too much profit for the company in the beginning, but we believe as customers start using it, they will see all kinds of benefits the dirt eating machine provides and this good news will be spread by word-of-mouth. Also, by strong promotion and aggressive advertising, our products will be widely sold to the market. 5. 3. Place Distribution channel Most businesses use third parties or  intermediaries  to bring their products to market. irobot Company contains one intermediary. The suppliers will send their products to the retail store, and the retail store then sell the goods to the final consumers. We do not have wholesale in between so that we could save cost so that the price of our products will not increase. Coverage The type of coverage that the irobot Company is using is the selective distribution characteristics. The dirt eating machine is a shopping good where it can be found in quite a number of outlets in Malaysia. Outlets that are chosen are all of the Jaya Jusco in Malaysia, 9 of the Giants in Malaysia and also 11 of the Tescos’ in Malaysia. Transport Lorries will be used in order for manufacturers to transport their products to all retail shops. And from retails stores to customers, we will post the products to their house using Post Laju. Location Irobot Companies are normally built at places where they know they are going to make profit. Stores that do not meet the requirements are closed down. Therefore, only the most profitable stores survive. 5. 4. Promotion Advertisings We have all kinds of advertising in the market such as Television ( Astro, TV8, NTV7 ), Magazines (CLEO, Autoworld Emzime, Chip Malaysia), Newspaper (The Star, Berita Harian, Sin Chew Daily), Radio (Hitz Fm, My FM, Mix Fm, light and easy FM) and also billboard in different places in Malaysia. The irobot company does not mind spending money on advertisement because we believe it’s an investment. We spend money to make more money. Once Cleany is able to create strong brand awareness, that’s when our money comes back. We have spent RM602, 000 through all many kinds of advertising to get our product known. Internet activities We have several internet activities. We have our own irobot website which is irobot. com. We have all the updates of our product in that website. Besides, we also have made a Facebook page that we place the price and our product updates there as well. We know that internet is a very efficient way to reach our customers. Events and sponsors Every year we will lay aside RM20, 000 for events and sponsors. Every year, in the month of July, we will carry out social events in colleges, children’s home, and old fox home. We also give out sponsor to companies that needed them. Exhibitions We will carry out exhibitions and our employees take down the names and the email address of people who come to the exhibition because we know that those people that come, they are interested in our product. We will email them about the updates of our products, when will we be launching new products, and also when will we have discounts for our products. To promote our company and also to make our products known to the market, we have spent a total of RM662, 000 in year 2011. 6. 0. IMPLEMENTION AND CONTROL Task| Description| Person in charge| Date to complete| 1. | Meeting on how marketing programme will be carry out. | All marketing department staffs| 20/11/2011| 2. | Advertise the new product on television during peak time on Astro, TV8 and NTV7. | Peter| 21/1012011| 3. | Advertise the dirt eating machine (Cleany) on The Star, Berita Harian and Sin Chew Daily newspaper for 2 days per week, which are Friday, Saturday and Sunday. | Derek| 21/10/2011| 4. | Advertise new product on Hit, My, Miz and light and easy FM Radio daily. | Isabella| 23/11/2011| 5. | Advertise on magazines. Paul| 24/11/2011| 6. | Carry out event. | Lucy Michael| 27/11/2011| 7. | Give out sponsor. | Krystle| 12/12/2011| Irobot Company Marketing Programme irobot Company Budget Activity| Budget (RM)| 1. Advertising CampaignTelevision ( Astro, TV8, NTV7 ) Magazines Newspaper (The Star, Berita Harian, Sin Chew Daily)Radio (Hitz Fm, My FM, Mix Fm, light and easy FM) Billboard | RM 550,000RM 8,000RM 35,000RM 7,000RM 2,0 00| Public Relation – Events and sponsorship| RM 20,000| Sales Promotion (Discounts, vouchers, rebates, free gifts)| RM 40,000| Total| RM 662,000| 7. 0. CONCLUSION In order to successfully sell our products in the market, marketing plan has to be carried out. Company has to plan and discuss in advance about what they want to achieve, whether is it possible to achieve, how are they going to achieve it, and by when are they going to achieve it. Marketing plan is one of the most important tools that a company can use to be successful in the market. The irobot uses concentrated targeting strategy where we go after a large share of a few submarkets. We are targeting the busy working people and also the uppler class families. We believe that Cleany will make it to the market and will bring brand awareness of the company, will product profit for the company and will increase company sales. 8. 0. REFERENCES 1. irobot corporation (irbt) 7 November 2011. Irobot corperation profit margin Available at URL: http://ycharts. com/companies/IRBT/profit_margin [Accessed 5 November 2011] 2. irobot corporation 2011. Company milestone Available at URL: http://www. irobot. com. my/company-milestones. html [accesed 7 November 2011] 3. Jim Riley September 2009. Distribution – introduction Available at URL: http://tutor2u. net/business/marketing/distribution_introduction. asp [Accessed 5 November 2011] 4. Malaysia Monetory fund 2011, Malaysia inflation rate Adopted from URL : http://www. indexmundi. com/malaysia/inflation_rate_(consumer_prices). html [Accessed 15 November 2011] APPENDIX Through this report, I have learnt several things. I have learned that every single company has factors that will either positively or negatively affect the company such as political, economic, social and technological, environmental and legal factors. As a company, we have to always take notes of these factors as it can sometimes be an opportunity to the company or a threat to the company. This report helps me open my eyes to the SWOT analysis that every company has to know of. As a company, we have to know what are our strengths and weaknesses are, the opportunities around us, also the threats that might bring harm to the company. Once we get to know our strengths, we can be better in what we are good at. For example, the location of our business is good. In future, when we were to open another branch in the market, we would think and make good decisions on better locations. Once we get to know our weaknesses, we can always find ways to improve and to be better in areas that we are weak in. For example, our company is lack of marketing expertise. Then, our company should send our employees for marketing training. When we know what our opportunities are we have to grab hold of it and not let it go. For example, the availability of the internet nowadays, if we are able to make use of it, creating a company’s website or allowing customers to buy products online, then it will help generate profit for the company, at the same time, it helps create stronger brand awareness. As for threats, when we know exactly what the threats that we face are, we can avoid it. For example, the price of raw material in a country increases. We can turn the threats into opportunities by purchasing raw materials from countries that are selling them at a cheaper price for example, China. Besides that, i have learned so much more about target marketing and positioning as I look into details every single part of it. Target marketing involves breaking a market into segments and then concentrating your marketing efforts on one or a few key segments. Positioning is how you ifferentiate your product or service from that of your competitors. Positioning helps establish your product’s or service’s identity within the eyes of the customers. Without the knowledge of targeting and positioning, marketer cannot market their product in the market well. It will bring bad effects to the company. Company will not be able to understand the market. They will not know which segme nts are measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and also actionable. Moreover, they will not know which market segment to target in order to get most of the customers. Without knowing how to position their product, they will lose their place in the market sooner or later. They will lose out in the market. This is because other marketers know what targeting and positioning are and have applied it to their product and company. To have an effective and efficient marketing plan, we have to make marketing strategies that are good. We have to be good and try as much as we could to be different in the 4P’s that are product, price, place and promotion. This is because, when the 4P’s are not good enough, customers will not be attracted to us. Instead, they will turn to our competitors. We have to be different and unique in our products features, we have to make our products provide benefits to our customers, the packaging and the labelling of our products should be interesting to be able to attract our customers over from our competitors, and that the quality of our product should be good so that customers will think that our product is worth the price. Apart from just the product features, the price of the product is another main thing that we should consider. Imagine wanting to buy something that you like, but it’s extremely expensive. You would think of other alternatives rather than really purchasing that particular product. The third P Is the place of the company that sells the product. It should be located at places that have potential customers. Also, the types of intermediaries used. We can choose between one, two, three or four depending of the types of products that we are selling and how many intermediaries that we want to have. As for promotion, we can have various kinds of promotion in order to attract customers to us. We can sometimes give out discount and promotions in ways of vouchers, and free gifts to our customers. This is actually for short term sales. We can also carry out events, charity works, give out sponsors. In order to finish this report, I have read through each and every page of my lecturer’s note so that I would not miss any important thing out. I realized I have learn so much more about marketing plan compared to before. Previously, I had no idea that political, economic, social and technological factor can affect a company. Now I know that all these factors are important for a company to take note of, so that they could avoid harmful factors. Previously, I did not know that being different in the market is so important. Now I know, in order to win customers away from our competitors, we have to stand out in the market. I am really grateful and thankful to my lecturer of her lecturer that she has always wrote extra notes on the whiteboard to make sure we understand what she’s teaching and that she had taught us well. When I’m studying the other marketing modules, I have noticed that what my lecturer teaches me, I have heard of it before, I have studied a bit of it before. I realized that it helped me get better understand of my other marketing modules as well because they are almost about the same. How to cite Irobot Company, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Business in Asia Assignment 1

Question: What are ASEAN integration and its objectives? Answer: ASEAN or Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic organization of 10 south-east Asian countries with the aim of accelerating socio-economic growth, socio cultural revolution, regional peace and stability and opportunity for member nations to discuss their issues peacefully (ASEAN, 2003). The association was formed on 8th August, 1967 Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines. After that the association spread to Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei, Loas and Vietnam. ASEAN has been making headway in bringing the nations in this region closer. The organisation is committed to making it possible for businesses in these countries to operate on a pan-national level and benefit from the international opportunities that open up to them thanks to increased cooperation between South East Asian nations (ASEAN, 2010). This is exactly what the ASEAN Economic Integration brings to the table for thousands of businesses in the participating nations. The economic integration is a joint effort to bring together the nations of South East Asia, consolidate their various assets, and use it to leverage better economic deals on a global level. A number of nations are deeply involved in this effort and are trying to find new avenues where mutual cooperation can result in brighter business prospects (Vijian, 2010). It will affect the way companies conduct their business in the region, and the manner in which they trade internationally. It will open up increased opportunities for infrastructure development, and will give a major boost to local businesses for all participating ASEAN members. Purpose of ASEAN According to theASEAN Declaration, the purposes and aims of ASEAN are: To conduct combined activities in the fortitude impartiality as well as corporation to make stronger the groundwork for an affluent as well as peaceable centre of population of Southeast Asian Nations and boosting the cultural development, social progress and economic growth. To abide admiration for impartiality as well as rule of law with other nations of region and adhering to the main beliefs of the UN charter and promoting stability and regional pace. To promote assistance mutually on issues of common concern related to social, economic, cultural, scientific, technical and administrative field. To offer assistance such as training as well as research opportunities in education, technical, specialized along with organizational spheres. To provide mutual assistance in fields such as trade, agriculture, industries and studying problems related to it. To uphold secure as well as superior collaboration with active intercontinental and provincial organisations with same aims as well as purposes, and explore all possibilities for even nearer collaboration among themselves. In association with each other, all the ASEAN member nations have agreed to the below stated principles: To have shared admiration for the autonomy, freedom, territorial uprightness, equality and national identity of all member states; Every member nation has the right to lead and maintain its national existence free from any pressure from other nation. There should be no interference in the internal affairs of any nation; Proper cooperation among members Settling disputes amongst each other in a peaceful manner. ASEAN Integration 2015 On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the ASEAN leaders took a decision and shared a vision of formulating an ASEAN community for the Southeast Asian nations keeping in mind the following points: Living in peace External looking Prosperity and constancy Attachment in affiliation with a caring society At the ASEANs 9th summit in 2003, the leaders finally agreed to establish the community. At the 12th summit of ASEAN, all the leaders confirmed on the commitment to accelerate the establishment of this ASEAN community by the year 2015. This community has three major pillars: ASEAN Political Security Community for building a peaceful harmonious and democratic community. ASEAN Economic Community for free movement of investments, good and services, skilled labour and free flow of capital. ASEAN Socio-Cultural community for creating a socially responsible and people oriented ASEAN. Characteristics of AEC 2015 No taxes and single market. A highly competitive economic region and environment. Equal economic development Complete integration for a global economy. Impacts of ASEAN integration on the businesses The impact that the South East Asian nations have on the global market has continued to grow over the years. A lot of high growth countries belong to this region, and are involved in industries as diverse as manufacturing, fabrication, agriculture, IT, and high technology. They are producing oil as well as nuclear energy, experimenting with renewable energy and pushing the boundaries of civil and mechanical engineering. If these efforts were combined, far greater progress could be made by all the participants (Keck, 2012). With this simple goal, ASEAN Economic Integration is attempting to change the face of business in the region. Over the past several years the economic globe has witnessed one of the most important changes i.e. the integration of markets in ASEAN. Various companies in the landscape are prompting themselves to develop various business strategies to adapt to the integration across their market. Countries like China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia are expanding their markets within the ASEAN landscape in order to spread their base of customer, ease of use of trained human resources as well as levelheaded manufacturing costs. For that reason, greater part of respondents in ASEAN look forward to their organizations to augment their workforce size in the coming years, considering financing and borrowing not being a big constraint as an effect of integration policies. As these alterations take place, already a noteworthy quantity of U.S companies are willing to bounce in and enter the sphere of the integrated markets developing in ASEAN (Sikdar, 2011). As a result of the agreements reflecting integration within ASEAN markets, around half of the executives expect their companies to have a remarkable increase in the total number of employees within their companies. The integration would be creating a huge investment opportunity for American firms in countries forming the ASEAN. The process doesnt only open wide doors for US market to usher in but also strengthens the economies of huge markets of the ASEAN. The free flow of merchandise due to the several agreements within the ASEAN will not only make it easy for the markets to flourish but also bring the economic downfalls in certain low lying areas come back to survival. The integration within various businesses amongst ASEAN would make it easy for firms to travel and conduct businesses across the region. The ASEAN integration can lead to a huge success for the flourishing businesses to increase their markets within the neighbouring countries rather than heading to farther places hence reducing operational costs. According to the recent survey by the ASEAN Business Outlook, the level of trade and investment in between various ASEAN countries is expected to increase by the next five years. In the past two years ASEAN markets have become more important in terms of their companies worldwide revenue and not only does ASEAN integration bring in new avenues amongst ASEAN markets but i s also inviting outside firms to come and invest. The changes will eventually turn out to bring cultural integrity and economic peace amongst the ASEAN members. Not only will the trade and tourism flourish, the integration might be a step in bringing the now developing nations to come into the race of being the developed ones. Although the impact of integration brings in positive change but it might result in political transparency causing of high political unrest amongst various nations. Also, it might be an economic distracter as nations would be competing amongst each other and might not be able to cope with the western markets as diligently as they should (World Bank, 2013). Countries across the world are striving to increase the number of jobs available to citizens. Employability of a nation has always been a burning issue, and with the growing population, it has taken an even more central position. It deeply affects the policy makers and affects their choices. With increase in global business opportunities, newer jobs will be created as well. The economic ministers of the participating nations are already predicting strong growth in 2015. Jobs in local businesses are expected to grow up across all quarters. Instead of the average growth of 3.5% that countries have experienced recently, the Economic Integration is expected to take the growth for ASEAN members all the way to 5.1% this year (Pal, 2009). In fact, the integration will serve to create a buffer which will help stabilise the economy, that too at a time when the global market is wrought with uncertainties. The impact of the AEC has been observed already on many fronts. Tariff liberalisation, talent recognition has benefited tremendously from the integration. By the end of the year 2015, the ASEAN Economic Integration will be formally established, and begins to deliver on all that it has promised. All of this will help integrate the region and present these nations as a united front. In a nutshell, ASEAN members must foster healthy business agreements causing integration in order to further improve their individual markets and economies. Challenges that ASEAN will face with this integration By the year 2015, ASEAN is moving towards a new coagulated community with it ambitious plan of economic, political, social and cultural integration. Although the beauty of this evolutionary process is the simultaneous building up of nations where no nation is left out, yet a basic question arises that whether the grouping of the nations poses a real hike or is it challenging as well. Along with the gluing changes ushering in due to the ASEAN integration come a wide range of political, social and regional challenges that might be faced by the ASEAN members (Dasgupta, 2008). As is evident, the integration of ASEAN has led to a remarkable decline in the poverty levels of the member nations leading to higher economic reforms. There has been a potential for the inbound investments as well. As the ASEAN community is created, investors from all over the globe are flooding in to take advantage of the economic power of the group. However despite the progress, ASEAN needs to eradicate the pove rty on a broader perspective across all its member nations keeping in mind the basic target behind the coagulation. As the main aim behind the integration of the ASEAN members was to heighten the level of living and the quality of the citizens amongst the nations, The ASEAN members need to further work on the poverty issues within them. Whereas China has made a remarkable decrease in the poverty levels despite its huge population, ASEAN members are still lagging behind in their functioning towards this particular goal. The development of various economic and social reforms under different governments is making it difficult to achieve the goal of seeing poverty free nations under ASEAN. Eventually, to deepen economic integration in ASEAN, there has to be an effective monitoring mechanism within the group that follows up on each member's commitment and quality of implementation. Otherwise, this effort to turn ASEAN into a competitive single market and produce base will remain elusive (Devraj, 2009). The ASEAN needs to strictly implement its promises made and the agreements done in order to achieve what it has thought of. This requires the symbiotic functioning of the member nations working on a much higher note than their individual interests so as to flourish as a whole and not just individually. The members need to strictly amend the laws that are required in order to fully implement the plans outlined by the ASEAN integration. For an example, Even though the Prayut government has made the countrys integration with an ASEAN economy as its top priority and has reflected so in its regional and economic policies, the Thai bureaucrats are still not showing their interest into the same. Over six months have passed and the government is still struggling to improve its scorecard amongst ASEAN countries. Thailand is not alone; other original ASEAN members also face confusion in fulfilling the requirements. Indonesia and Philippines also have been in the same queue as well. Also, several ASEAN countries are falling behind in implementing some of their so-called behind the border measures, such as national s ingle windows, investment liberalization, services. As various political challenges make it difficult for ASEAN integration to be a success, the economic and social challenges also are causing problems in the race. Corruption, insufficiency of adequate infrastructure and geographical risks are some of the major issues that pose a threat in achieving the aims towards creating an integrated community. It is very important for the ASEAN members to fight the menace of corruption and provide good governance in order to achieve the economic development as promised (Devraj, 2009). One of the major challenges viewed by the integration of ASEAN is the security issues caused by the ethno-religious movements that may disrupt the peaceful coexistence of the ASEAN members. Even when ASEAN recognises that the regions are divided into various ethno-cultural groups ,efforts can only be taken in order to promote regional identity and the diversity in cultural heritage in order to have a harmonious community. Various countries might have their own policies in tackling various social movements and groups. It should also be remembered that even though boundaries are transparent, security should also be remain tight in order to look for terrorist attacks and threats emerging from individual groups. On the other hand, different rates of development between ASEAN countries make it difficult for all of them to work cohesively on large scale. Many ASEAN countries have widely different economic states, making fulfilling the goal of establishing the ASEAN community. One of the ma jor challenges faced by ASEAN is that the countries have different government systems which make it rather difficult for the countries to cooperate as the actions by different countries in tackling a given situation and might result in conflicts amongst various governments (Devraj, 2009). The type of government greatly affects the domestic stability of a country and is responsible for the security and welfare of the citizens. As a result the various political systems might affect the coordination amongst the various countries in the integration of the ASEAN. ASEAN countries face quite a number of challenges in achieving the promises that they have committed as a result of the integrated community. Security issues, political systems and various ethno religious movements going on around the member countries will make it difficult for the ASEAN members in achieving their goal of economic and social harmony. It is very important for the members to coordinate together if they want to achieve their dreams by the year 2015. Also there is a dire need for the countries to address to these challenges in various fields in order for them to finally rise above them and form solutions in order to work towards their annual goal (Devraj, 2009). ASEAN has to put in the much needed efforts in order to rectifying the above stated problems, even though much effort has already been already put into establishing the ASEAN community. References ASEAN, (2003). "Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Between the Republic of India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations". Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. ASEN, (2010). "India, ASEAN Sign Free Trade Agreement". Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. Vijian, P. (2010). "Not All Easy As India-Asean FTA Comes Into Effect On Jan 1". Bernama. Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. Limsamarnphun, N. (2010). "World's largest trading zone creates a new era for industries, consumers". The Nation. Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. Baru, S. (2010). "India and ASEAN: The Emerging Economic Relationship Towards a Bay of Bengal Community". ICRIER. ASEAN, (2010). "ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations". Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. Keck, Z. (2012). "India, ASEAN Celebrate 20th Anniversary With Two FTAs". The Diplomat. Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. Sikdar, C. (2011). "Impact of India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: A cross-country analysis using applied general equilibrium modelling". RTNeT. World Bank, (2013). "Exports of goods and services (% of GDP)". Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015. Pal, P. (2009). "The ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement: An Assessment". Economic and Political Weekly 44 (38): 1115. Dasgupta, M. ( 2008). "Does a Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN make sense?". Economic and Political Weekly 43 (46): 812. Devraj, R. (2009). "Kerala fights clock in ASEAN free-trade deal". Asia Times. Accessed on 4 Mar, 2015.